We’ll start this list with the man I’ve just mentioned, and
that is no other than the show-off Dolph Ziggler. Personally, Dolph is one of
my favourite active wrestlers and is quite clearly a favourite with a few fans
based on the loud ovation he gets from the fans each week on Raw. Currently
coming off the back of one of the most embarrassing moments of his career,
having his face rubbed in “arse” of Sheamus one can only wonder how
different his career would have gone had his World Heavyweight title run not
gone so bad.
Forgot Ziggler had a major belt? I don’t blame you! He never
got the chance to prove himself as the champion. Ziggler actually had 2 WH
title reigns, however, the first lasted only 12 minutes long, losing the belt
to Edge immediately after being crowned champion.
However, his second run lasted a bit longer, holding the
belt for 69 days. But similarly to his first championship run, he lost the
title on his first defence. Having cashed in his money in the bank briefcase
the Raw after Wrestlemania, Ziggler suffered a heavy concussion which put him
out of action for a month. Once he returned to action, he faced the man he took
the belt from, Alberto Del Rio, at Payback where he lost the belt and never
regained it.
Since then Ziggler has been stuck around the mid card, often
thrown into feuds involving the IC
title. His biggest achievement of recent note came at last year’s Survivor
Series where he was the last man standing on the team that defeated the
authority, albeit with the help of a certain Sting.
However, that win never culminated to anything and despite
being one the companies workhorses and most consistent performers he is forced
to sit by and wait whilst others pass him on the way to the top. All I can hope
is that one day he gets his moment and a chance to prove himself.
Next on the list is the big guy, Ryback . Since returning
towards the end of last year Ryback has looked a lot better and the time out to
have surgery seems to have done him a world of good. He looks bigger and
stronger than ever. Unfortunately, he is another who has suffered from poor
booking decisions since Survivor Series. Having had a huge build around the
powerhouse leading up to the PPV, with both teams battling for him to fight for
them, it was disappointing to watch him fall victim so early on in the match.
Since then, Ryback has been fluttering around an upper
midcard position whilst fending off the authorities goons Big Show and Kane.
Ryback was my favourite going into the ATG Battle Royal at Mania’ but much like
the Royal Rumble he was eliminated by the Big Show. Also finding himself in a
number 1 contenders match for the WWE championship a few weeks back, Ryback
seems to be getting himself in a lot of high profile matches/moments but with
no real direction.
Hopefully, one day he does find himself on the right path
and it leads him all the way to the world title. Although he was involved in a
series of matches for the world title 2 years back, Ryback has never won any
sort of title in the business. But that could change in the near future, and
with the chants of feed me more getting louder and louder every week it may not
be too long before Ryback holds either the US or IC title. Which, with any
luck, he will use as a stepping stone to the top of the food chain.
Cody Rhodes is next, yes, Cody Rhodes, NOT Stardust. A similar
gimmick may have worked to an extent for his brother Dustin, known as Goldust.
Why it may have worked to make him relatively relevant, Goldust never held the
world title, and while Cody is still manning the Stardust gimmick, I fear that
the same fate may await him.
Obviously, not everyone can hold the world title and still
have a good career like I mentioned previously. But Cody Rhodes is a superstar
that deserves to hold the belt. Rhodes is a perfect example of a company’s
workhorse that isn’t given enough credit. Cody is good in the ring and decent
enough to hold himself on the mic. He’s also more than proven himself to be one
of the most versatile stars the business has on offer. There isn’t one gimmick
he’s been given that he hasn’t turned into gold; and blimey there’s a lot!
Whether you’ve seen him as dashing , protective masked or as his current
Stardust form, there’s one thing that’s frequent between all of them. They’re
all portrayed fantastically.
With no current direction after having a seemingly
inevitable feud with his brother dropped it would be smart for Rhodes to try
and ditch the Stardust gimmick and rebuild himself from the bottom. If he does
this soon then there’s no reason why the second generation superstar can’t be
the first of the Rhodes to capture a World title.
It’s me, it’s me it’s B N B. The British brawler is another
example of a talented superstar stuck in the middle of the pack. Better than
most on the mic, decent in the ring and with a devastating finishing move at
his disposure, one has to wonder why WWE is yet to capitalize on Barrett and
craft him as one of the main stars in the business.
Since his debut mid 2010 Barrett has been on a rollercoaster
filled with ups and down throughout his professional wrestling career. From
winning the first season of NxT and becoming the leader of one of the most
dominant factions in recent years to losing every non-title match as IC
champion Barrett has certainly already had an eventful time in the business.
But at the age 34 now and yet to hold the world championship, Barrett will feel
he still has a lot to accomplish.
It’s not as if Barrett hasn’t already proven he can hang
with top stars in the main event. In fact, much like Ryback, Barrett was thrown
straight into a world championship story without holding another title in the
business. But like the big guy, he was unable to win the big one and fell back
down the ladder.
Now a 5 time IC champion, and current number 1 contender for
the title Barrett will hope he can wrap up his feud with current champion
Daniel Bryan and take a small step up the ladder to the top. Becoming the
latest winner of the King Of The Ring tournament will do him a world of good. Hopefully one day soon there will be some good
news for the giver of bad news and he will complete his journey to the top and
with Money In The Bank around the corner, who knows what could happen.
Currently one of the most controversial and talked about guy
on the roster, Reigns is never too far from the news. Since breaking from The
Shield, its blatantly obvious that WWE see this man as their next top guy and
the future of the company. On the other hand, getting to that point may not be
as easy as they first thought. Current fans have a direct split opinion on the
‘juggernaut.’ Some may say that Reigns is ready for the limelight now, others
will disagree. But me? I believe he does have what it takes, but not yet.
It’s evident that Reigns is behind his former Shield
partners in all aspects. A lack of charisma and a average move-set, there’s a
lot of work to be done with Reigns before more fans start to accept him.
Getting a good match out of a washed up Big show was one way
of winning the fans over, and he is continuing to add more and more fans with
his steady improvement.
What Reigns really needs is to have a string of good, solid
matches with various superstars to show he can hold his own in the ring. A few
losses wouldn’t be the worse either instead of trying to have him overcome the
odds each and every week, much like a certain John Cena.
Adding a couple more new moves to his set would be ideal and
perhaps a short run with the US or IC throughout the summer to prove himself in
longer matches would do him a world of good. If all goes well, who knows, maybe
he can get his Wrestlemania moment next year with the majority of fans behind
him this time.
Dean Ambrose is perhaps one of the most charismatic and
popular superstars in the business at the moment and that’s why I can never get
my head around the fact that he only has 1 PPV win since breaking from The
Shield. Although, he has only been in two major feuds, Rollins and Wyatt, you’d
have thought that they’d have given him a win over one of the two in the series
of matches. The good news is, Ambrose finally broke his PPV loss voodoo a few
days ago, defeating Luke Harper in a chaotic and fun Chicago street fight.
However, Ambrose’s luck could be about to change if you
believe the current rumours. Rumours are circulating that Ambrose is set for a
good push this summer. Maybe this means
the shield triple threat match might happen sooner than expected. Many fans
hope/expect that match to take place at next year’s Wrestlemania. With Rollins
as the current champion and Reigns one of the biggest threats to the belt
currently, this could leave the door open for Ambrose to continue his feud with
Rollins from last year and gives us a very exciting main event for the biggest
event in the summer.
If not, there is still plenty of ways WWE can use Ambrose
and keep him relevant. Maybe having him around the IC title picture when Bryan
returns or having him battle Cena after he is done with Rusev would be a smart
move.
Whatever they decide to do, I very much hope that they don’t
treat Ambrose as an afterthought and he one day follows the rest of his Shield
brethren into the title picture.
Is Bray Wyatt truly the new face of fear? why not. If booked
correctly then there is no reason that Wyatt can’t become one of the scariest
and top heels in the business. It’s clear that the company sees a bright future
in Wyatt since he let his ‘family members’ free. A clean victory over his feud
with Ambrose and a Wrestlemania match with Undertaker isn’t something that can
be looked past.
Although he may have lost to the Undertaker, he certainly
didn’t look weak in anyway shape or form. Whilst I still believe Wyatt should
have been victorious at Wrestlemania, he still came out the match as one of the
most dangerous men in the WWE at the moment. The build up to the match was also
impressive. It can be quite difficult for some superstars to build an exciting
feud between the two of them, but to create excitement around a match single handedly
without your opponent showing up at all before the match takes real talent.
If Wyatt can be built as one of the most dangerous, sadistic
and villainous characters in recent years then there is no reason why he
shouldn’t hold the title. Whilst sometimes he might not be as clear with his
intentions when cutting a promo, there is no doubt he is one of the best
natural talkers around. Combine that with a scary look and a hard hitting move
set and you have one hell of a monster.
Last, but by no means least, the Swiss Superman, Cesaro. Another
man who has been on a roller coaster throughout his career. Since his debut,
Cesaro has become a US champion, tag team champion and the first ever winner of
the Andre The Giant Battle Royal. Despite these accomplishments alongside being
referred to as pound for pound the strongest man in the company, he is yet to
break into the main event scene.
On a recent podcast with a certain Stone Cold Steve Austin,
Vince McMahon stated that the reason that Cesaro is yet to get the push fans
hoped for this time last year is because of his lack of charisma. Whilst it may
pain his fans to admit in, that statement is true to an extent. He sometimes
struggles to connect with the crowd because his ability to cut promos isn’t the
best. However, take the microphone away and give him a solid amount of time and
he will produce a very good pure wrestling match, something many hardcore fans
crave.
This time last year would have been the perfect time to give
Cesaro his moment. Coming off the back of winning the battle royal at
Wrestlemania and very popular with the fans because of the Cesaro swing, I
would have thought this would be the perfect chance to turn him face and have
him run to the top as a fan favourite. Instead he was paired with Heyman which failed
miserably and he slid down near the bottom of the pack.
There’s a possibility he may never make the main event
scene. It’s not the first time a talent with huge potential and a lot of talent
has been overlooked. But I remain hopeful that he will get his moment in the
sun and swing past his opponents out the way as he makes his way to the top of
the pack.
With all that said, anything can happen in the WWE. Injuries
can halt one superstars momentum but can also pave an opening for another. While
only a few can be the companies next top stars, I hope that all 8 get their
chance to hold the World title at some point in their career. With Money In The
Bank right around the corner, who knows? maybe one of these men will make their
way to the top sooner than you think.
