2013 was a year that saw many talents sink to some of the lowest levels in their careers. It was a year of stagnation and most of those people seem to have little momentum. If 2014 doesn’t prove to be a year of revival for the following people, I am not sure whether or not they would ever amount to any sort of credible success in WWE.
Dolph Ziggler: Here is a man who has complained about not being pushed to the mountain top, but hasn’t earned that chance. The fact of the matter is that Ziggler is a top talent in WWE, but does not have the attitude or the necessary abilities to warrant a push. I’ve been on the record saying that WWE should try to push this guy and see what happens. But Ziggler gives me less confidence by the hour that he is worthy to be a main event player. The weird thing about Ziggler is that he is 34 years old. You know who’s younger than him? The man who has been working for WWE since 2002, Randy Orton. Time isn’t exactly an ally for Ziggler anymore. If he doesn’t prove to WWE in 2014 that he is the real deal, then his subpar career will remain as such.
Wade Barrett: Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Well, I guess you can say he was never mighty to begin with. And guess what else? He is also older than the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Randy Orton (34). Being Chris Jericho’s rookie in NXT, he showed some promise. But he has never lived up to expectations ever since then. Sure, he has been booked horribly, but it’s not like he has done himself any favors as well. From bland promos to average matches, he has been overrated for his career ever since he started in 2010. 2014 provides new opportunities for him to prove himself worthy of being an elite heel. But as it stands right now, the Bad News Barrett character he has going on suits him greatly, because I have some bad news for him. If he does not have a great 2014, it’s lights out for him.
The Wyatt Family: Yes, I understand that they just started. I get all of that. At the same time, I feel like they haven’t made a big enough impression on me to make me believe that they are the real deal YET. Look at The Shield. They impressed in their match at TLC in 2012, and followed it up by having a solid 2013, holding the mid-card titles for a majority of the year and feuding with the likes of John Cena and The Undertaker. They have made more than enough a statement to convince me that they were the real deal. The Wyatts haven’t given me that feeling yet, especially Bray. For all his crazy promos backstage, he also needs to produce abundantly more in the ring. As far as I can tell, Luke Harper has been the standout when it comes to the ring. Bray needs to not only prove that he is a great threat in the ring, but show that the Wyatts have the all around game. If that’s not the case, then this group would be considered overrated.
Antonio Cesaro: Yet another “young talent” that is older than Randy Orton. The reason why I say that he needs to make a big impression in 2014 is because the time is now. Before you know it he will be 40 years old. Randy Orton will be forty in 2022 to give you some perspective. He has had a very disappointing career thus far, which is a shame considering that he is one of the best wrestlers to come from the indies. All he has to his credit is a failed US Title run. Now, WWE is supposedly going to turn him face at some point, which is what I am all for. Not only he is over with the crowd with his Giant Swing, but the man puts on great performances on a consistent basis, something that is rare these days. If he can convince WWE that he is a great face, then he could be the one holding both titles by the end of this year. Should he fail, however, it would have all been a big mistake.
The Usos: The Usos are a great tag team and are great performers, don’t get me wrong. But I feel as though that there is a reason why The Usos have not won the Tag Titles yet. This isn’t to slight them, but it is kind of hard to push a team that has two people that look exactly alike. And besides from their little dance at the beginning of their entrance, they have nothing else to them. They can’t cut promos. They don’t have the extra “it” that the Rhodes Brothers or Reigns/Rollins had. They need to develop that all around level to get the tag team division back to its former glory, because they are good. But they are not great.
Any Diva not named AJ Lee: AJ Lee effectively buried the rest of the Divas on one episode of Monday Night RAW in the summer last year. No one is able to match her in anything she does, save for maybe Natalya in the wrestling department. But in terms of look, charisma, and what a Diva should be like, AJ Lee just outshines the rest by miles. It’s as if AJ doesn’t have any fair competition. Now sure, she has taken a good amount of pinfalls to other Divas, but when it comes to the big matches, they all falter. WWE just doesn’t seem to have the faith in this long-forgotten division. Now WWE is planning to call up more Divas and they are said to be improving. But what better way to start then to have a decent 2014. The Bella Twins have been recently pushing for a Divas Tag Team division. But the roster is no where near deep enough to have a convincing division. The only three I would think of is the Bella Twins, the Funkadactyls and AJ Lee/Tamina Snuka. If the rest of the Divas fail to impress in 2014, you might as well just call the Divas division, “AJ Lee and Everybody Else.”
Roman Reigns: Don’t get me wrong, I love Roman Reigns. More than anyone else at this point. The reason why he is on this list is not because I don’t believe he can get the job done (which I think he will), but more so because there is so much hype for how he will turn out when he is no longer a member of The Shield. WWE has been pushing him to the moon over the past couple of months with impressive performances at Survivor Series, Battleground, Hell in A Cell, and RAW. Reigns has to show WWE creative why he is the stand out and he must do so by making a big impact on WWE creative. It is clear to me that the creative team lacks patience, which is why its so important for Reigns not to fail. Because if he does, I would hate to see what Vince is capable of doing to a man that disappoints him.
Damien Sandow: Sandow represents the old-school type of heel that everybody loves to hate. He has a gimmick that works. He just doesn’t have the faith from creative. Now he is reportedly in for a big push but it will be interesting to see how he handles it or if he will fold under the pressure. For Sandow, he can either be that big break out star that Daniel Bryan was this past year or he can be yet another talent who showed some promise, but in the end, was sent to Triple H’s graveyard.
Did I miss anybody? Should someone be taken off the list? Comment below. Thank you for reading.
