Bruno. Hogan. Austin . Rock. HHH. Cena. These are but a few of the megastars of the past and present.
Nowadays John Cena has become the active veteran helping to make stars, whilst CM Punk has risen to become one of today’s megastars. But who are the megastars of tomorrow?
10. Dean Ambrose: The name might not ring bells with many people quite yet, but rest assured it will. Having cut his teeth in such promotions as Dragon Gate USA , CHIKARA, and CZW, he has finally broken into the mainstream with the WWE as a member of the Shield with Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. Possessing a vicious street-fighter’s mentality who happens to be solid on the mat, there are high hopes for Ambrose. He draws from the Jake “The Snake†Roberts school of talking, lowering his voice to force the crowd to listen and only raising his pitch when need be.
9. Wade Barrett: Drawing upon his legitimate background as a bareknuckle boxer on the mean streets of Liverpool, Barrett made quite a splash upon his graduation from NXT, forming a faction from the ashes of NXT and wreaking havoc upon the WWE. He has shown considerable leadership skills with both the Nexus and The Corre, not to mention a mean streak a mile wide. With his imposing size and ruthless tactics, he could end up as this generation’s brawling William Regal.
8. Joey Ryan: He is a total sleazeball. This makes him awesome. A throwback to the shameless glory that was the ‘70s, He is on this list not because he is a future world champion. The likelihood of this happening is nil. However, if used properly, he will always be a consistent performer for whatever company he works for. Workers like him are a necessity. Besides, who can resist such a glorious mustache?
7. Antonio Cesaro: One of the countless indy darlings who was snapped up by a mainstream promotion. The difference with Cesaro, though, is that he’s been used properly. Instead of being saddled with some outlandish gimmick, he has been allowed to simply beat his opponents up be arrogant. Simplicity at its best. He’s a physical specimen who’s been baptized by fire. His staying power is plenty.
6. Kofi Kingston: Someone who could easily slide into the position of one of the WWE’s coveted “merchandise machine who’s loved by the kids†wrestlers. All he needs is a more easily defined in-ring persona and a slightly more aggressive edge (ala his ’09 to ’10 feud with Randy Orton) and he’ll have it all together. His connection with the audience is veritably made of wrought steel, he has a metric ton of athleticism, and his moveset leaves his opponents off balance. If he can stay healthy and out of trouble and figure out a consistent personality, he’s golden.
5. Zack Ryder: Woo Woo Woo. Get used to hearing that folks. Zack Ryder is here to stay. After starting out as part of a tag team, first as just enhanced enhancement talent, then as Edge’s lookalike cronies, Ryder has forced the WWE to take notice of his burgeoning star power and they are bringing him into the folks of the stars. An Internet sensation who has mastered social media, Ryder is more than hype. He delivers.
4. Damien Sandow: He is a throwback with a lemon twist of new school. Drawing from a myriad of such greats as Rick Rude and Bobby Heenan, he talks down to the audience with aplomb. His speeches are a verbose assault on the intellects of the crowd. His stage presence is immeasurable and he’s big without being monstrous. Not to mention his beard is utterly fantastic. You’re welcome.
3. James Storm: The man simply wants to fight. That’s all he needs to be happy. Well, that and copious amounts of beer. One of the three wrestlers currently employed by TNA to appear on their first broadcast (along with Jeff Jarrett and AJ Styles); Storm obviously has loyalty going for him. Beyond that, he is as tough as nails and loaded with charisma. He has no qualms whatsoever about being covered in blood, whether it be his opponent’s or his own, with vastly underrated charisma. TNA picked the wrong half of Beer Money INC.
2. Eric Young: A veritable chameleon. No matter what role he is given, he can mold himself to it with ease. Besides that, he’s an overall well-rounded wrestler with plenty of company loyalty to his credit. He would certainly be a very credible world champion, if not for long periods of time. Pending any gross changes in his work ethic, he should be a vital asset to TNA for years to come.
1. Dolph Ziggler: The current Money in the Bank holder, Dolph Ziggler, is in a prime spot to be one of WWE’s golden boys. Cocky, talented and fueled by snark, his one world title reign lasted for a paltry 11 minutes. This simply will not do. And if the WWE fully realizes what they have in Ziggler, they’ll take full advantage of his talent and let nature run its course.
Leave a Reply