Best Mid-Carder

[IHW]

Hey, i have one simple question: Who is the best mid-card wrestler in the WWE?

Is it Cody Rhodes or D. Bryan.
Maybe a smaller, high-flying wrestler like sin cara or sin cara.
Could it be a member of Air-Boom?
Up and comers A-Ri or The Long Island Iced Z?
Past world champions Ziggler or Swagger?
One of the NXT boys that have gone no where since nexus like Slater, Gabriel, Joe Henning (yes, him), Wade Barret, David Otunga?
Is it one of the weekly the Superstars/NXT guys- McIntyre, Clay, Primo, JTG, etc.
Jinder Mahal? Khali? Morrison? Jackson? Kidd? Dibiase Jr.?

I know i left out some but yea.

Who is the best mid-card competitor?
Who has the best future?
Who is on their way to being Future endeavored?
It could be looks, mic skills, in ring work, past accomplishments, anything.

To me I say Cody Rhodes is the best Mid-Card talent. He has the two major things: In-ring Capabilities and Mic Skills. He also has the greatest future to me.

And the next to be fired to me would have to be Trent Beretta. Creative has nothing for you buddy. I like his skills, but unless he partners up or the Crusieweight title comes back, your next.

Opinions?

MODERATORS COMMENT: Make sure you give a good reason as to WHY you made your choice, otherwise you'll be warned/infracted for spamming.

 

[ctln4rko]

Honestly, questions like these are way too broad. Saying "Who is the best_____" is much harder to answer than "Who is the most_____?"
I will try my best to give a legit answer/or answers.
Cody Rhodes- Guy plays anything to perfection. Dashing, Undashing, lackey. Good wrestler, and good on the mic.
Zack Ryder- Come on, I'm serious. Was great in ECW, still is when he gets the chance, and goes above and beyond to get over on his own.
Daniel Bryan- Fantastic wrestler, but not very charismatic in the WWE. I've heard he was great personality back in the indies, but he hasn't shown me anything as of yet in WWE personality wise.

 

[Purely_Canadien]

Is it Cody Rhodes or D. Bryan.
Maybe a smaller, high-flying wrestler like sin cara or sin cara.
Could it be a member of Air-Boom?
Up and comers A-Ri or The Long Island Iced Z?
Past world champions Ziggler or Swagger?
One of the NXT boys that have gone no where since nexus like Slater, Gabriel, Joe Henning (yes, him), Wade Barret, David Otunga?
Is it one of the weekly the Superstars/NXT guys- McIntyre, Clay, Primo, JTG, etc.
Jinder Mahal? Khali? Morrison? Jackson? Kidd? Dibiase Jr.?

I know i left out some but yea.

Who is the best mid-card competitor? Dolph Ziggler
Who has the best future? Dolph Ziggler
Who is on their way to being Future endeavored? I would say you can flip a coin between Dolph Ziggler and Wade Barrett
It could be looks, mic skills, in ring work, past accomplishments, anything. The look, the skill and everything that is right is in the eye of the storm for Ziggler.

 

[Mustang Sally]

To me I say Cody Rhodes is the best Mid-Card talent. He has the two major things: In-ring Capabilities and Mic Skills.

He's also got something else that might be more valuable than the qualities you mention: he has the Creative team writing stuff for him as if he were......well, the son of a wrestling legend. The guy's been pushed to the sky.

Nothing against Cody; you could be right about him being the best. I'm just saying that some of the other guys on the list would surely love to have the backing and opportunities management has given Cody.

Personally, I think Wade Barrett is the best mid-carder. His wrestling skills are highly polished, given how short a time (relatively) he's been around. In the Nexus program, he showed the commanding presence necessary to get others to follow. Yes, you could say that was partly a function of the way his character was written, but we've witnessed all the other Nexus-ites on the mic, and I don't believe any of them could have done the job as well as Wade. In addition to all that, he makes you care about him, even though the caring manifests itself as wanting to see him get his face beaten in. He generates major heat.

Wade's problem?......simply this: after you've been the center of a major, go-to-hell-and-back program, what do you do for an encore? He needs personal conflicts with other performers for his personality to shine. Sooner or later, he'll get it......then you'll see him fighting for championships again.

For now, I see him as the best of the mid-carders.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

Who is the best mid-card competitor?

John Morrison - he shouldn't even be a mid-card competitor he's been talented enough to be in the main event since 2009 but they keep halting his push and expecting him to be over while they job him to every heel. Orton, Cena, Rey(and now Punk) haven't lost clean in years and are the 3 most over guys but they expect JoMo to join them when he loses clean every week.

Who has the best future?

This one is nearly impossible to say since we aren't fortune-tellers. Anyone of these guys can go down to injury or leave the company but barring all those extraneous possibilities, it looks like Cody Rhodes has the best future here. His daddy and his brother are both prominent agents and one of them is a Hall of Famer so he is very secure in the WWE. Not to mention, he's over with the fans, has a solid gimmick, and can work a solid match.

Who is on their way to being Future endeavored?

Hopefully Ezekiel Jackson. He's horrendous in the ring and his accent completely turns me off from his mic work. Even without the accent he stutters and has no charisma. Then again, with this push that they're giving Mark Henry (who's a fatter version of Zeke) he'll probably stay on the roster. That being said, release Heath Slater. He truly looks like the Wendy's girl and his voice sucks, he sucks, and he will never get over as a legitimate threat to any title

 

[Defekt]

He's also got something else that might be more valuable than the qualities you mention: he has the Creative team writing stuff for him as if he were......well, the son of a wrestling legend. The guy's been pushed to the sky.

I don't think his famous father is the reason for Cody's push. Dustin Rhodes has the same father, and was a life time mid-carder with the most embarrassing gimmick ever. Additionally, a few other guys are the sons of legends, and they aren't getting half the push Cody is.

Personally, I think Cody is the best mid-carder in the WWE right now. He consistently puts on good matches, generates great heat, and has a very unique promo delivery. His future is pretty bright, and I see him moving into the main event scene within the next year.

As for whose on the chopping block, it's too hard to say. The WWE has quite a few guys lost in the shuffle, who have nothing going on, so therefore can't get any heat.

 

[CrossFaceChickenWing]

D. Ziggler always puts on a great match and is physically impressive to watch.

Its been fun to watch Ryder chisel out a place for himself on the roster via a YouTube show...of all the wrestlers with YouTube channels and viral videos NOBODY has done it like Ryder.

D. Otunga is committed to getting it right and I honestly believe he will be a future World Champion. Ring time with seasoned veterans will go a long way- he has the look.

I don't get what people like about McIntyre so I got nothing for him expect that because Vince out his seal of approval on him it will make it that much more difficult for management to label him a failure.

MY PICK:
Cody Rhodes

Cody Rhodes has improved in so many areas (in particular finding his voice on the mic) in the past 4 years its been really amazing to watch it all unfold. I always find him entertaining...PLUS he is my favorite wrestler who doesn't wear knee pads. (haha)

 

[Rcole83]

It's Dolph Ziggler, it's even close. (This is in my own opinion of course)

He's got the look, the skill, he's finally getting his own heat (instead of just residual Vickie Guerrero heat), his mic work has improved since he spent a season as an NXT Pro. He is my pick to win the Raw MITB next year.

Honorable Mention goes to Cody Rhodes, who is doing almost as good on Smackdown (he falls to second because technically Ziggler was a World Champ on SD). He took what could have been a huge flop and turned it into one of the most interesting characters in years. I just wish he'd get some knee pads (has nothing to do with his status...it just bothers me for some inexplicable reason)

Daniel Bryan is a mystery, we all know he's got the in-ring ability, but they seem hesitant to move him forward. He never has any major feuds, I don't think he's won more than a handful of matches since winning the MITB briefcase. It all comes down to what WWE wants to do with him.

 

[mudvayne1221]

John Morrison - he shouldn't even be a mid-card competitor he's been talented enough to be in the main event since 2009 but they keep halting his push and expecting him to be over while they job him to every heel. Orton, Cena, Rey(and now Punk) haven't lost clean in years and are the 3 most over guys but they expect JoMo to join them when he loses clean every week.

Really? Really? You pull your info out of your ass or do you just not watch WWE proramming? HMmmm Orton hasnt lost cleanly in years? Really. Pretty sure he just lost 2 straight matches to Henry cleany or am I wrong? Rey? Rey hasnt lost cleanly in years? Pretty sure Del Rio has made him tap out. Thats a clean win buddy. Pretty sure he won the belt on raw a few months back and then lost cleanly to John Cena, or does John Cena cheat maybe im wrong there too. They expect JoMo to join the three of them? They do? he loses every week that shows hes expected to be in the main event very soon doesnt it. There putting it so much effort to get him in the main event, I didnt realize burying a character was expecting him to be main event level, sounds more like a future endeavor to me buddy! Plus on top of that hes not even good enough to be considered mid card anymore. He is what you call a jober.

 

[xsKiitz]

Orton, Cena, Rey(and now Punk) haven't lost clean in years.

I'm sorry this just really needs correction. Orton lost to Mark Henry cleanly, twice in like a month. Cena lost 'cleanly' to Punk at Money in the Bank. Rey lost cleanly to Del Rio on Raw after Summerslam. Punk lost cleanly at Wrestlemania against Orton.

Now that that's out of the way, I'd say DEFINATELY the best midcarder is Dolph Ziggler. He's legit the best seller in the WWE and has had great matches with the best, such as Edge and Orton. He's always lacked in mic skills but as we've all seen he's becoming muchhhh better on the mic. Give him a year and he'll be in the main event.

-

 

[King of the Words]

Best midcarders right now would be, imo, USC.Dolph Ziggler on Raw, and INC. Cody Rhodes on Smackdown. Both are the best to hold those titles right now and make them seem meaningful. I think both will be in the main event picture sooner rather than later. I can see Alex Riley and Zik being future endevored.

 

[AngryCenaFan]

Ziggler and it's not even close! he should be main eventing soon, next is Rhodes, but his promo style is a total ripoff of Jericho.

Everyone wants Daniel Bryan to succeed, but honestly, who even remembers he won MITB? I completely forget until I see him with the briefcase

 

[Abbas]

Dolph Ziggler. This guy always performs and makes you believe that he is putting everything into his matches. Its impressive to watch his speed, athleticism and in ring skill. His overall wrestling IQ is really high and he also has great mic skill that many mid-carders lack.

 

[EdgeLives_4evr]

I'm gonna say COdy Rhodes. Right now to me he's got the best gimmick going on, he's a champion, WWE is glady pushing him and he can put on a show and has held atleast one decent rivalry. I guess my other choice would be Wade Barret.

 

[MrAdam87]

Dolph Ziggler!!!
The guy has a natural flair for the game, granted there are better technical wrestlers out there but Ziggler is the best all round mid-carder. Cody Rhodes in a very very very close second

 

[BigThunder]

The role of a good mid-carder is to be compelling while still making the stars look good, and come out looking like a future main eventer even in defeat. I think at this point I'd go for Barrett, though the best at making others shine are Bryan and Kidd.

As for future main eventers: Cody's looking good as are Swagger and Dolph, though I don't feel the love for the latter quite as much as other forum posters.

 

[keehlnate]

Best mid-carder: Cody Rhodes
Second best mid-carder: Dolph Ziggler

-----------------------------------------
others are way below down this line.

Aside from them coincidentally holding the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship, they are the best because they got the in-ring skills and the mic-skills. They are the top in the middle(hence they are the best mid-carder) but not outshining the main eventers.

Wade Barrett and Daniel Bryan might be the closest to these two.

 

[byrnside]

Right now I have to go with Cody Rhodes. He's grown leaps and bounds since he won the tag titles with Hardcore Holly a few years ago and his current Undashing gimmick prooves it. He's been having better and better matches and his mic work has improved greatly.

Personally, I like Daniel Bryan a lot. I don't think anyone could touch him as far as a wrestling match is concerned, but if we're talking all around, I've got to go with Cody.

 

[Dowdsy McDowds]

It's a toss-up between Rhodes and Ziggler, but for me I'd say Rhodes given how far he's come in a relatively short time-frame.

His Dashing gimmick was so-so, but was a good heel gimmick to garner him some heat as the repetition of 'dashing' (or any single word I guess) is a way to get over with the crowd; see What? and Really? too. His feuds while he was dashing were so-so but the little nuances of the gimmick were well executed such as him doing his utmost to avoid getting hit in the face and then going mad when it happened. The longer it went on, the more the fans wanted to see it happen and paid off BIG time when his face cruelly stopped Rey Mysterio's knee from swinging it's full arc.

As he suffered the injury in January, he missed the Royal Rumble and Elimination Chamber PPVs, the big 2 in the run up to WrestleMania yet he still manages to get on the WrestleMania card due to his new 'Phantom of the Opera'-esque gimmick and playing up the psychological damage perfectly by having a clear mask yet still covering up. The introduction of the paper bags being handed out to the crowd was another good progression for him.

I wasn't so in to his feud with DiBiase, but since that ended he's been on a hell of a roll and is a great performer.

Personally, I don't get a lot of the hype around Ziggler. He is good enough in the ring, save for the Zig Zag being a ridiculous looking finisher no matter what anyone says, but he is only now starting to show skill on the microphone. If Ziggler had never had Vickie, then I don't see him being where he is today. He's been a slow-burner but I don't think there's been anything he's done that I can remember that really stands out.

 

[hollowpoint]

I think this is a testament as to how well of a job these two have done in re establishing the mid card titles back in the company. Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler are clearly head and shoulders above the rest of the group. Hence they are the champions of the mid card scene. It makes perfect sense and I applaud the "E" for elevating these two Superstars. Imagine if they used the same model in the Main Event scene. It would be bananas!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

From an all around perspective at this point in time, I have to give a slight edge to Cody Rhodes.

Since post WM of last year, Cody Rhodes is someone that I've become a fan of and he's consistently improved in the ring and on the mic as time has gone on. I enjoyed his Dashing gimmick because he clearly felt comfortable doing it. Was it a little gag worthy? Sure it was, but that was a big selling point of it. It's easy to boo a metrosexual anyway and it got Rhodes solid heat. His "Undashing" gimmick I've enjoyed even more because Rhodes has really improved on the mic and he's really incorporated facial expressions and body language into his character to sell his emotions during his promos. Since becoming Intercontinental Champion, things have taken off for Rhodes. Given how weak the previous 3 champs in 2011, I think many of us were feeling hesitant to get behind him as champ. But, he's been a stablizing force for the title and has done a helluva job putting over the title's lineage and its overall importance. I marked out when he pulled the classic IC title out at HIAC and I'm hoping that means he stays champ for a while.

Dolph Ziggler is right behind Rhodes from an overall perspective in my view. He's not as strong as Cody Rhodes is on the mic, but Ziggler has made a lot of progress in that area during this run as United States Champion. He's cut some good promos and has improved as an on-screen character. It helps that he's actually gotten some legit promo time over the past few months. He's also got it inside the ring, he's put on some downright incredible matches against John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingston & Edge. Personally, I also love to watch Ziggler sell moves. Nobody in wrestling sells the effects of a move, especially a big move, like Ziggler. Whether it's Kofi's big high cross body, Cena's Attitude Adjustment, Sheamus' Brogue Kick or Edge's spear; Ziggler sells it like he just got hit by a car.

 

[mykeymayhem]

Cody Rhodes, is the best mid-carder right now. From his gimmick to his mic skills he is way over, He gets as uch heat as guys like christian and Mark Henery.
He is making the I.C. title worth something again by holding on to it with pride.
I love the fact he brought back the reto title.




Who is the best mid-card competitor?I'll go out on a limb here ad say Zack Ryder he has a win streak going on right now and looks to be in the middle of a mega push. Witch may lead to the U.S. title (doubters see santino and his IC reigns)
Who has the best future? This is tough it's a tie right now between Dolph and Cody they both are going out of there way to get noticed and putting on quality matches, Dolph is a 1 time WHC and cody is on his way there. They both will have multi runs on the top of the SD brands and i'd look for one of these 2 to turn face by the end of next year.
Who is on their way to being Future endeavored? UGGGh ummm Trent Beretta....It's to bad though this guy gets hugh pops fans seem to love him, he could have a pretty legit feud with sin cara before he goes though but i think his time is about up.

 

[Sub-Xero]

For my money, it has to be Cody Rhodes.

Cody has the look, the in-ring ability, the promo skills and the Gimmick to keep people interested. Unfortunately for now, he's lumped in with all the other mid-card heels with the whole "We hate HHH" storyline, but once this ends, I wholly expect him to move on towards the top of the card. Honorable mention goes to Dolph Ziggler. Vicki Guerrero's heat is unmatched, but I feel that without her, his talent and personality could go a long way towards turning him into a top notch face. Also his sell jobs, as Jack-Hammer touched on, are a thing of beauty. "Like he just got hit by a car" pretty much nails it.

As for who is doomed for Future Endeavorship...I wouldn't mind if I didn't see Big Zeke again, although I do enjoy a good torture rack. It's one of those finishers, along with the Texas Cloverleaf, that I would love to see make a comeback. Also, Jinder Mahal does absolutely NOTHING for me. The only reason he was anywhere near relevant (Khali) is gone, and I really don't see a place for him now.

 

[hollowpoint]

From an all around perspective at this point in time, I have to give a slight edge to Cody Rhodes.

Since post WM of last year, Cody Rhodes is someone that I've become a fan of and he's consistently improved in the ring and on the mic as time has gone on. I enjoyed his Dashing gimmick because he clearly felt comfortable doing it. Was it a little gag worthy? Sure it was, but that was a big selling point of it. It's easy to boo a metrosexual anyway and it got Rhodes solid heat. His "Undashing" gimmick I've enjoyed even more because Rhodes has really improved on the mic and he's really incorporated facial expressions and body language into his character to sell his emotions during his promos. Since becoming Intercontinental Champion, things have taken off for Rhodes. Given how weak the previous 3 champs in 2011, I think many of us were feeling hesitant to get behind him as champ. But, he's been a stablizing force for the title and has done a helluva job putting over the title's lineage and its overall importance. I marked out when he pulled the classic IC title out at HIAC and I'm hoping that means he stays champ for a while.

Dolph Ziggler is right behind Rhodes from an overall perspective in my view. He's not as strong as Cody Rhodes is on the mic, but Ziggler has made a lot of progress in that area during this run as United States Champion. He's cut some good promos and has improved as an on-screen character. It helps that he's actually gotten some legit promo time over the past few months. He's also got it inside the ring, he's put on some downright incredible matches against John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingston & Edge. Personally, I also love to watch Ziggler sell moves. Nobody in wrestling sells the effects of a move, especially a big move, like Ziggler. Whether it's Kofi's big high cross body, Cena's Attitude Adjustment, Sheamus' Brogue Kick or Edge's spear; Ziggler sells it like he just got hit by a car.

I think this is the important part. They've used Vicki to get heat for him in the beginning and it made him look kinda weak. Once they gave him more mic time, he began shinning brighter. His in ring work has always been good and steadily improving.

The great part about him selling moves is that I don't believe Sheamus even connected at all with the kick, but Ziggler sold it like he was unconscious! I thought that was the best part of the whole night IMO and I literally jumped out of my seat when I watched. It takes more athleticism to sell great moves than to perform them.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

It depends on how people classify The Miz. I know there are some people out there that consider him an "upper-midcarder" but still midcarder nonetheless. If the Miz is classified as a midcarder, then he is BY FAR the best midcarder.

If The Miz is not classified as a midcarder then I agree with most others, it's Cody Rhodes although Ziggler is right up there with him.