The Changing of the Guard

[Dr.Shades]

After a 6 month hiatus of watching wrestling I recently started watching again to really see quite a few of the WWE up and coming young stars approaching the glass ceiling. Most of the young stars I see I am sure will win a world title in the near future (Rhodes, Barrett, Ziggler, Bryan) and many who will win one someday (Cara, Kingston, Bourne) and even some who have won the titles (Del Rio, Sheamus, Miz, Christian) and I then looked to the older notion I had of all main event fueds being nothing but rehash for the longest time and I think sooner or later we will have a completely new league of main eventers. So of the old guard we have lost Edge, Jericho, HBK while Mysterio, HHH, and the Undertaker will be rapping up there careers leaving us with Cena, RKO, Kane, Big Show, Henry, and Punk, who I consider the leader of this next generation of Main eventers.

So my question is how long do you our previous generation of Main eventers have left until they are put into the spot of being to worn down to keep winning the titles? I don't think an answer requires a specific number of years but just a generalization of whether you think their reign above the young guys will continue on for years to come or if they are dangling by a frayed rope.

personally with the big pushes this younger talent is getting I can see the older main eventers being phased out sooner than later due to age, injury, and increasingly stale gimmicks.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

It's been apparent for the last couple of years, that the time for the older generation of main eventers is just about up. Since 2010, the youth movement, we began to see a dramatic change in the main-event scene. Adding in guys like Miz and Sheamus, giving Swagger a-go, elevating Barret to the top--all of these strongly showed the youth movement in full affect.

To the same time, you had all the then top guys like Jericho, Undertaker, Edge, HHH, HBK, Mysterio, etc, etc slowly pulling themselves away from the main-event scene. Fast forward to late-2011 and their presence is scarce. I'd imagine most of these guys will be done altogether come mid-2013. Most of these guys are old and past their prime. They've been there, done everything. But until then, it'd be ideal for them to keep relevance in the main-event scene as they are the ones who will help elevate the incoming crop of main-eventers into main-event status.

But yea, the times be changing here in the WWE. And it seems like 2012 will be the definite mark in that. Member Wrestlemania XX's quote? -- "Where it all begins again." -- It all begins again in 2012.

 

[kokoBawesome]

Are you honestly telling me you've missed the last six months of wrestling? Such a bad time for that to happen....

I don't think that the change of the guard that's happening now is intentional. All these guys are different ages, and have been around for different lengths of time. Edge could have easily gone another five years, maybe ten. Triple H is going to be in and out for five more years, he loves the business too much. The Taker only has five matches a year, at that pace he could easily wrestle into his fifties.

I just think that all the stars are aligning perfectly right now. On top of injuries and much needed rest, TNA has no problem grabbing older wrestlers at the end of their careers. Sting Flair and Hogan all started their careers a decade before the Taker. These are guys the WWE could still have floating around (Foley) for a match or two.

My writing sucks tonight.... fuck it... Its a lucky coincidence that there's a bunch of great young guys in the WWE the same time all these older guys are hurt and tired. But don't think for a second they wont bump a young guy back down to get Jericho, HHH, or the Taker back in the main event scene. The Rock hadn't wrestled in years and they were more than willing to put him in the main event of a Wrestlemania. They'll do it again. Ziggler better hope HBK doesn't want one last run.

 

[FearMyBeard]

Cena and Orton have been already the focal point of the main event scene in recent years. Now, the WWE has already assembled a dependable and entertaining supporting cast to surround Orton and Cena at the main event level. Heck, they even got another(CM Punk) focal point of the main event scene to join the top two guys of the company. Sheamus is being built up to be there as well.

Then we have the Miz, Rhodes, Barret, Ziggler, and Alberto del Rio who can make up the "top heels" going forward. Bryan is bound to arrive at the main event scene as well. Ryder is a main-eventer waiting to happen but first give him a major run(Exposure as well) at the midcard w/ a 2nd-tier title.
Dibiase and McIntyre are still potential players seeing as they're both talented and not lost causes.
Swagger can provide the role of "Jobber-to-the-stars" role or heck, if the guy improves when it comes to aspects outside of wrestling capability, he's another good hand for the 'E.
Alex Riley is currently irrelevant but the guy was huge with the crowd. He's young and will only improve.

I don't know about Jackson and Mason Ryan but I'm not gonna totally count them out. Let's see if they improve in the future.

The future is bright for the WWE. We've seen what these guys are capable of. The previous core of main eventers already gave way to Cena and Orton, now that those two are surrounded by great and younger talent, I don't see the previous core being heavily involved in highprofile storylines past 2013.

Changing of the guard indeed.

 

[Ellye]

Cena is only 34 years old, and Randy Orton is only 31. So, they aren't really going to be considered too old for in-ring work anytime so soon.
What might happen - and I think is happening to some degree already - is that their characters and gimmicks might grow old. I fully expect Randy Orton to go back to being a heel, with some tweaks in his gimmick, sometime in the near future, next year probably. John Cena will probably only have gradual, small, changes in his gimmick for now, but might have a new character in 2013 or so.

 

[Mr.BigDog3279]

I do agree with you in regards to the older generation will and are currently being phased out in terms of title contention and main events etc. Undertaker seems to be coming to the end(1-2-12?) Mysterio has been a shell of his former self with God knows how many knee surgeries. Kane and Show are also winding down on their Hall Of Fame careers. Triple H seems to be more focused on the other aspects of the buisness now. i think when the Nash feud is done he might also. The WWE have done a great job with replacing them with Cena,Orton,Punk. But have also done good with making additional stars with Ziggler,Sheamus,Rhodes and so on. Thats why WWE will always be the #1 company in the world.

 

[Iversen]

Cena, RKO, Kane, Big Show, Henry, and Punk.

Out of all of them Cena, Orton and Punk are the only ones who I can see still having a long time left in their career. Henry's said he was already thinking about hanging up his boots before his current run so I wouldn't be surprised if he lost the title and his career at Mania. While I'm pretty sure both Kane and Big Show have talked about calling it a day sooner rather than later. I reckon this coming run may well be Kane's last. So basically yea I agree there's a new generation coming through pretty soon.

Rhodes and Ziggler are the obvious ones and they both look like their one great feud away. Easier said then done obviously but Rhodes feuding with Booker could very easily be one of them if done right. While Ziggler should get the push after he loses the US title to Ryder.

Sheamus is already basically there, they're just waiting for space to open up in the main event for him to get that push.

Barrett looks like he's heading into a feud with Orton. Not only that he's actually so far been coming out on top. If he pulls off a good feud with Orton and doesn't do anything to piss Randy off I can see him getting a chance very soon.

Bryan's a strange one. He's MITB holder so you assume he'll get a title chance at some point if not a title win. It does kinda look like their beginning to push him even if it is just by having him involved in the Henry show. If he's going to main event regularly I don't think it will be off the back of this MITB win. He may well become a title holder for a while then drop back down much like Punk did a couple of times.

Del Rio's another who's there or abouts. His bookings been awful recently and he needs his character tweeked to give him more depth but if he does that I can see him as a main stay main eventer.

So yea basically the way I see it within the next 5 years I wouldn't be surprised to see a main event of Punk, Orton, Cena, Del Rio, Ziggler, Sheamus, Rhodes, Barrett with the likes of Bryan he could well be there but I'd be surprised if he is. This actually looks like a great main event scene and probably the best they'd have had in a fair while if it comes together. However always worth noting that it could all change and it wouldn't be unlike the WWE to change direction completely.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Of the "older generation" of wrestlers, most of them probably won't be around much longer or are already out.

The Undertaker is being used now as only a special attraction for WM. It's the perfect use for him as he's grown to this almost mythic status and is beyond such things as titles & main event spots. He's well into his 40s, so who knows how much longer even that will go on. Kane is someone who is also well into his 40s now and probably won't be around more than a few more years. Mysterio is going to be out before long because his knees just can't take it. HBK is gone and that's not likely to change. Triple H is mostly busy with the business side of WWE & the development aspect of WWE. I'm guessing will ultimately take over for Vince in a few years. He's only wrestled 2 matches in 2011, he'll probably have a match with Kevin Nash before long, and I don't look for his wrestling schedule to be any heavier next year. Speaking of Nash, his knees are also in bad shape and his overall condition is questionable. He's in his 50s and WWE is going to be using him very sparingly inside the ring. There's heavy talk that Jericho will be the one returning on January 2, 2012. He's kept in great shape and has managed to avoid severe injury in his career. Mark Henry is enjoying a great run right now and has been fantastic these past 6 months, but I'm guessing he'll be gone in a few years. It looks as though Booker T is going to be feuding with Cody Rhodes. Booker is in fantastic shape and has also managed to avoid severe injury and wear & tear through his career. Using him to help elevate Cody Rhodes works just fine in my view. I'd say Big Show will be gone in a few years. He only came back to WWE simply because he wanted to and because he's just been really enjoying himself. He doesn't need the money, or does Jericho for that matter.

Cena & Orton are both still young guys really, especially Orton as he's just 31 I think. The problem is that they've both been main eventers since they were in their 20s. They've done everything in WWE for a male wrestler to do and I think WWE has started to realize that their best use could be really building & putting over other guys. Orton has really elevated guys like Christian, Henry, Rhodes & Barrett over the past 6 months or so. Sheamus has been a star for a long while, Dolph Ziggler is going to be a star and I think that by the time WrestleMania is over, Daniel Bryan will have ascended to another level in WWE. CM Punk looks poised to become the next top face in WWE. There's been talk of him being heavily pushed throughout 2012 and Vince, a former huge critic of Punk, has supposedly gotten very firmly behind him.

 

[legendkillerbsal]

Well obviously RKO and Cena still have years in them as long as they're around. But Big Show, Henry, HHH, Taker, Kane and ect will be out within the decade. Ziggler and Cody have star power in them but give them till after Mania and the mid card title are off them and they'll be headlining. Bryan and Barret are almost there but need a lil more credits in them. Del Rio should go the JBL route and be booked as the rich guy who ends up buying out people to join his stable and get gold. As long as they keep ADR happy i think he'll stay around for a while. Oh and Mysterio needs to get out already cuz his health is very iffy so for HIS saftey and for the quality of the matches he should leave in a few as well.