The Next Generation of WWE Superstars

One of the biggest issues in WWE today is the lack of turnover within the main event ranks. In other words, WWE has not prepared themselves for the next generation of main event talent.

Just look at the top of the card for WrestleMania 24 and 25. At WM 24: Triple H vs. Randy Orton vs. John Cena; Edge vs. Undertaker; Shawn Michaels vs. Ric Flair; and Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather. At this year's show: Triple H vs. Randy Orton; John Cena vs. Edge vs. Big Show; Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker. It's pretty much the same guys, just scrambled around a bit.

Needless to say, this is a major issue for WWE, and has been a growing complaint amongst wrestling fans.

With the exceptions of Cena, Orton, and Edge -- who undoubtedly, barring major injury, will be and should be main eventers for the foreseeable future -- the men mentioned above won't be around much longer. Which leads to the question: are there even wrestlers on the roster who could step into their spots, either now or in the near future? Well, after taking a closer look at the WWE roster, I think the answer is yes – there’s a lot more promise in this roster than I would have thought before taking a closer look.

Here’s an analysis of the younger generation of WWE Superstars, and a projection of their potential. Some are future headliners, some will be solid mid-card performers, and some may have already peaked. I’ve also included a list of “future endeavoured” youngsters with whom WWE dropped the ball. Let’s start with 3 guys who are sure-fire future Superstars, as long as WWE doesn’t fuck it up . . .

1. Ted Dibiase

He’s a natural. That’s all I can really say to explain what I see in him. I see a wrestler who, like his father, just has a sense of what to do and where to be in the ring. He has the look and the pedigree to be one of the best.

Character development, of course, will take him to the next level. For that, he’ll need more mic time. WWE is taking it slow with him right now (which is a good thing), so he hasn’t had many opportunities to cut a promo. But I’ve seen potential in the brief moments.

I am a little worried, however, with reports that say WWE will turn Dibiase babyface later in the year to coincide with the release of The Marine 2, in which Dibiase stars. It’s too early for that. As the saying goes, it’s always easier (especially for younger talent) to get the fans to hate you than it is to make them like you.

2. Jack Swagger

Swagger has really impressed me over the past few weeks, having solid matches with both John Cena and Christian. Even though he lost both matches, he looks better because of them, by being competitive, and for being involved in seemingly important matches. I think it’s only a matter of time before he wins back the ECW Championship, and eventually moves to a “more important” brand.

3. Umaga

Really, Umaga has already proved himself to be a successful monster heel. He even headlined the 2007 Royal Rumble, taking on John Cena for the WWE Championship. But Umaga has suffered through various injuries; even more significant was WWE simply dropping the ball with him. Their biggest mistake was removing Armando Alejandro Estrada as Umaga’s mouthpiece, reportedly because creative was worried that Estrada was stealing Umaga’s spotlight. Why can’t both be over?

Anyways, it appears as if another push is coming Umaga’s way after Friday night’s show, and a program with CM Punk. Paging Armando Estrada . . .

4. John Morrison

Honestly, I wasn’t as impressed as most were with Morrison’s role as one half of the tag team champions with The Miz. He just didn’t have that much heat. Instead, because of his wrestling style, as well as his ability to sell, he’s better suited as a babyface.

Morrison has a huge opportunity -- with the lack of big name babyfaces on “SmackDown” -- to raise his profile in WWE right now. He got off to a great start with a solid match with Shelton Benjamin on Friday night, and I suspect he’ll be one of the wrestlers who greatly benefits from last month’s draft.

5. CM Punk

Maybe Punk shouldn’t even be on the list – an argument could be made that he’s part of this generation of major Superstars, and not the “next generation.” Technically, he’s already a main event-level performer, having won the World Heavyweight Championship. However, WWE didn’t really follow through with his main event push after “losing” the title in the Championship Scramble Match at Unforgiven in 2008. As mentioned above, though, there’s a need for top-level babyfaces on “SmackDown” right now, and I suspect he’ll successfully cash in his second Money in the Bank briefcase later this year.

6. Kofi Kingston

Kingston’s an example of a wrestler who WWE has successfully established in the mid-card, predominantly through the matches themselves. I never pictured saying this, but the former Intercontinental and World Tag Team Champion has a bright future in WWE.

7. D.H. Smith

Donnie says he’s the real deal, which is good enough for me. Truthfully, I haven’t seen enough of him to form a solid opinion, but WWE loves their second generation stars (unless you’re Sim Snuka). Indeed, Smith is representative of the several second generation wrestlers who WWE currently employs in developmental, such as Joe Hennig, Brett Dibiase, and Windham Rotunda, to name a few. Clearly, WWE is banking on second generation workers to make significant contributions to their product in the future. As for Smith, expect to see him on “ECW” in the near future, where he should make an immediate impact.

8. Tyson Kidd

Kidd has impressed during his brief time on “ECW.” His victory over Finlay on Tuesday night was an indication that he is highly regarded within the company. I worry, though, that his size could hold him back from wrestling in main events in the future. With a few exceptions, smaller wrestlers (without backup) have not been long-term WWE main eventers. Needless to say, then, aligning Smith with Kidd on “ECW” could be a promising sign for Kidd’s WWE future.

9. Evan Bourne

Like Kidd, Bourne has gotten himself over in his brief time on WWE TV. And like Kidd, his size could hold him back from wrestling in main events. But I could see him as the next Rey Mysterio, and apparently, so too does WWE, having placed the two together several times on “Raw.”

10. Santino Marella

Will he ever be more than a mid-card comedy act? Probably not. But not everyone can headline WrestleMania; and it seems like Marella has guaranteed himself a successful, long-term WWE future. Week in and week out, fans can depend on Marella providing 5-10 minutes of guaranteed entertainment on a show that often disappoints.

11. The Miz

Miz has actually grown on me. I credit him for generating most of the heat for his team with Morrison (even if it was ‘X-Pac heat.’) If Monday’s “Raw” was any indication, there appears to be a spot on the star-studded show for The Miz. (Cena, by the way, looked weak for not answering Miz’s challenge, only to appear later in the show.)

12. Cody Rhodes

I’m not nearly as high on Rhodes as I am his tag team partner. His promos are flat, and he doesn’t really do much that jumps out at me. I just don’t see it. Of course, there’s plenty of time for him to improve, and the fed clearly considers him a future star, pairing him with Randy Orton. Plus, Miz and Kingston grew on me, so why not Rhodes?

A final note: I’ve left a few (younger) Superstars off the list, namely Mr. Kennedy, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito, and The Brain Kendrick. As for Kennedy and Benjamin, time is running out on their opportunity to reach main event status. I think WWE has lost confidence in their abilities to be major contributors. This is certainly the case with Carlito. We should know for sure how WWE feels about Kennedy with how they treat his return to “Raw.”

As for Kendrick, unfortunately, I think his mini-push is over. He’s very talented, but in Vince’s eyes, his size will always hold him back. Ezekiel’s move to “ECW” in the draft was a telling sign. I don’t think it will be long before WWE wishes Kendrick the best in his future endeavours.

WWE Dropped The Ball With These “Future Endeavoured”

Paul London
Trevor Murdoch
Lance Cade
Matt Morgan
Gavin Spears
Elijah Burke
Colt Cabana

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