Howdy ho folks! Today, we’ll be looking at WWE Superstars who are in serious need of a change. The article was originally my own, but I decided to bring in Richard Staple to add more names. Just to clarify who wrote what, the first four superstars are my choices, while the last two superstars are Richard’s. We originally included Bayley as well, but with her win at Money in the Bank? It didn’t make much sense to keep her.
The best wrestlers are known for their huge personalities .. but with WWE’s bloated rosters? Only a few can enjoy the focus at any given time. So we’re not stressing we want all those listed to go through severe changes simultaneously .. but if one or two did? We think it’d be an encouraging step forward.
#1. Cesaro
Having recently appeared at the F1 Racing to plug WWE, it seems company officials are confident having him in this role. Yet, his strength is working some of the most exciting matches we’re likely to see (on the main roster) with any opponent. Sadly, a lone Cesaro does not have much going for him. As part of The Bar? At least Sheamus could carry him on the mic. On his own though .. Cesaro is nothing but a swinging machine. The issue with him is that .. while he can speak many languages, he’s not confident doing promos in English.
Remember when he used to talk to us in many languages .. just to show he could? What happened to that? Why did WWE stop this? What I’d like to see, is for Cesaro to force culture down our throats. There’s so much we don’t know about other countries, and he could be our teacher. He could point out the hypocrisy’s in America, while praising the examples set by European countries. He’d be a heel in North America, and a face in Europe. I don’t think he needs to be anti-American (like the Zeb Colter days) again, but at least use his worldwide knowledge to be condescending.
If they want to make him a face? I’m not sure. He will never make me believe he can be a beloved babyface. Can you think of anything else for him? Please let us know in the comments.
#2. Dolph Ziggler
This guy. Seriously .. what is he doing? Why did WWE stop using him after his split from Drew McIntyre? Why did they kill his momentum? He’s not injured .. but they don’t have anything for him. And yeah, it was six years ago when he was World Champion, and what’s he done since the most memorable Money in the Bank cash in of all time? Nothing really. He’s made some money, dabbled in a new gimmick .. only to be left on a shelf to rot when nothing worked.
Some might not like this opinion, but I’m gonna’ come out and say it: I hate the name Dolph Ziggler. The “Show Off” gimmick has never made sense, as he doesn’t do much showing off. His entrance music needs to die in a blazing fire. To put it bluntly, they need to change EVERYTHING about Dolph Ziggler. Change his name, theme, look, moveset, the way he talks, everything. Make him something he’s comfortable with, something he can really get his teeth into.
What is there to lose? If it fails, he can just revert back to what he was. What is the harm in trying? He’s 38 and probably has maybe what .. five years left? Having been absent for months, this would be the perfect time to reintroduce Nick Nemeth as an entirely new entity. I’m not sure what I’d like to see .. but so long as it’s not the same old Dolph Ziggler? I’ll be rooting for him. Something to do with stand-up comedy? Seen as he’s into that now.
#3. Harper
Love the guy, and it sickens me how WWE didn’t accept his resignation. Harper is one of the best workers on the main roster, and I wish we could see him more. Bray Wyatt recently hinted he was trying to get Harper involved with the Firefly Fun House, but I’m not expecting miracles; we know how petty WWE can be. Instead of using Harper in a good way to encourage him to stay, they’ll bury him for the time he has remaining on the contract they purposely extended (so he can’t work elsewhere).
He can talk and work at a decent level .. so why not repackage him? Rowan is with Daniel Bryan now, so there’s no chance of a Bludgeon Brothers reunion. Maybe he could adopt the old Wyatt family gimmick and be the babyface in a feud with Bray Wyatt? Have him try to bring Wyatt back from the Firefly Fun House? Maybe Harper can give us insight in to how Bray ended up like this (like his mental state after the Orton feud)? And what needs to happen to bring him back to the former leader he admired so much? There’s so many possibilities, but yet .. I’m not expecting anything because WWE is more likely to do nothing creative with a guy they have no intention on using.
#4. Roman Reigns
Yeah .. I wonder how many hoped “The BIG DAAAWG” would be here. No offense to him, he’s had a great return after his battle with Leukemia, but the fans who resented him before? Wasted little time going back to believing his character sucks balls. Gigantic balls. Humongous even. And they’re right .. Roman Reigns as a person is cool, but Roman Reigns the character? Ehh .. so many adjectives could be used. On this occasion? I’m going with mundane.
He doesn’t need to turn heel .. all he needs is more intensity. Let him show more emotion, because he stands around like a robot most the time. We know he has it in him to be a more colourful character .. yet, the writing restricts him to the same old shtick. New music? That would be nice, seen as The Shield is effectively dead and he keeps reminding us every week. Could we get an altered moveset? Like .. just remove the Superman Punch altogether? We have AJ Styles doing a very similar move (albeit better) with the Phenomenal Forearm, so there’s little point keeping it. The spear’s fine though.
Clearly the image he has works because it sells, which is all WWE cares about. It could be better though, they could easily tweak it to make him a little less dull. And if anything .. he needs his Lex Luthor. His Joker. A super villain so tough, even Roman can’t beat him regularly. And no, not a “Beast” like Lesnar who only shows up every other month, but someone who can be the Yang to Roman’s Ying every single week. That’s what he’s missing .. someone who can get the best out of him.
A change to Roman is the least likeliest thing to occur though, because he has what I like to call .. Cenanitus. It’s a condition where someone is so incapable of change, they remain the same character til their retirement. To WWE? It’s great because the image sells, and a large portion of the WWE Universe will undoubtedly buy his merchandise and purchase tickets to see him. Management don’t need to risk anything by changing him. To other fans though? Who wish he could be more? They have to endure, and deal with it. Either that, or stop watching altogether.
My picks are just guys I’d like to see change in some way, even if all we get are small tweaks. Anything which can make them more watchable is a win in my book. Are there any other WWE Superstars you’d like to see change? And just how drastically should they? Do you have any ideas for gimmicks? There’s room to get imaginative, so don’t be worried in sharing some of your most farfetched ideas. Look at Bray Wyatt .. his new gimmick is so out there it’s bouncing on the stratosphere! And with that said, let me hand over the reins to Richard Staple. Thanks guys! Yowie wowie.
#5. Ember Moon
Someone needs to help me out here. Exactly what is Ember Moon? What’s her character? Why should we invest time into discovering what she’s about. These are some of the percolating questions that have defined Moon’s career on the main roster thus far. We know that she has talent. In NXT, one of the best rivalries from the women was her feud with Asuka. This showcased Ember’s strengths and willingness to take risks. She even used to speak in a different vernacular, til one day it was dropped without explanation.
What is there for us now? The key for talents who are called up from NXT, is to find a way to differentiate themselves from the rest of the roster. The only thing that Ember does differently? Is wear different colored contact lenses. If she did something to the effect of wearing a corresponding color to match a certain mood she was in, that might be something. Otherwise, she is just a woman with a lot of talent and no direction. Seems to cover about a third of the women’s division .. now that I think about it.
Perhaps Moon’s fortune will change if she wins the MITB briefcase, but for the sake of her long-term career? She needs character cleaning in the worst way possible. A woman of her talent and potential is too good to simply be an idle figure with a litany of fans wondering what is up with her.
#6. Robert Roode
WWE has dropped the ball heavily with this guy. I honestly believe WWE has no idea what they have with him. In NXT, the root of his popularity came with his melodious theme song. However, the character attached with it was appropriate. The bright, shiny robe. The rotating platform. The way he carried himself .. everything just clicked. But then .. something weird happened.
When he was brought up to the main roster, he was brought up AS A FACE! First, let’s talk about a lack of storyline continuity. Roode was a full-fledged heel when he lost the NXT Championship. While he was popular, he was not a face. Then, Roode appears, smiles and all, and then came the inevitable decline. Roode’s character is one that is supposed to invoke the envy of others. The moment his character turned into one that made people smile? Was when the audience slowly began to frown.
To put it simply, Roode as a face was immensely boring. His promos were lackluster, and the hook behind his character was gone with all momentum lost. Notice how his theme song does not have the same loud chorus of people singing along anymore? You can only rely on such a method to get reactions for so long. Unfortunately, Roode has missed the mark in a huge way.
WWE then tried hiding his personal deficiencies by putting him in the tag team division with Chad Gable. While it worked for a while (in the sense that it gave him something different to do), his run went nowhere, and their lone title reign was completely forgettable. I appreciate the efforts to implement changes to his character by having him grow out his mustache and changing his first name to Robert. At least it’s a start, and shows WWE knows what he was before wasn’t working.
With that said, the character needs work. We already started with the 50/50 booking with a win against Ricochet one week and a loss the next. Roode is one of the best heels in the professional wrestling business when he’s operating at his peak. However, he will never realize his true potential til his heel tendencies and best qualities are combined. Whether it’s a knock off of Ted DiBiase’s gimmick, or something emulating Rick Rude? Change is needed.
