Importance of "look" to be champion

[billm75]

I want to put out here that I'm a huge fan of the Miz before I go any further. So I may be biased..

That being said:

I keep hearing people say that "Wrestler A" is good on the mic, or decent in the ring, etc, but he doesn't have the look, or the build, to be the Heavyweight Champion and be credible holding that title.

I call bullshit on this. Watching Smackdown tonight, it occurred to me. CM Punk is a 3 time champion? He doesn't LOOK like a heavyweight to me anymore than the Miz does. In fact, if I wanted to I could list off a bunch of former WWE/Heavyweight champs that didn't have the right LOOK to pull that off. Yet here we are, with champions that truly don't have any special look to them.

Miz is as big and as built as CM Punk. Punk is simply more established and being on Smackdown, has given him the opportunity to shine on the mic and in the ring. He has had less competition to get the spotlight on him. Go back a few years, put Punk on RAW all this time and I'll bet you anything he isn't ever holding a title beyond Tag Team or US Championship.

I feel too much is put into the LOOK of the wrestler rather than his ability to carry the title and be credible doing it. I'm not taking anything away from Punk, but honestly, he's not any better than the Miz in the ring. The GTS on larger opponents always looks like shit. His Muy Tai style isn't showcased beyond the occasional high knee to the chin in the corner. That I blame on the company not the wrestler.

Miz is as good in the ring and on the mic, if not better in some instances, yet everyone says he's not ready. Sorry. I disagree. But I'd love to hear your thoughts on the matter. Should your body type dictate the opportunities presented to you in the WWE? Or should it be your work ethic, dedication and OVERALL charisma that gives you a shot to showcase yourself as a performer?

 

[Klown_Karnage]

I think you bring up an extremely good point here. The trouble is, as I see it, that there is a difference between the way things should be handled and the way that they are handled on the championship scene.

Should every champion be at least six-foot four and 260 lbs? The answer to that, I'd say, is no. I think it's perfectly believable that someone, say, Rey Mysterio's size can defeat someone even the Big Show's size provided he knows what he's doing and takes advantage of the right opportunity. It's silly to think that sheer size is the only factor. It's also silly to only put the strap on someone because he "looks like a champion". Highly subjective, this concept, given that a champion looks different depending on who you ask.

The trouble is that, particularly among long-running/multiple times champions there is a size cut-off. The same guys pretty much hand the title around and most of them tend to be in the category mentioned before. Oh yes, you'll get a token championship lasting only one defense by someone like Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, or Chris Jericho, but it's usually the big guys like Cena, Orton, Triple H, Edge, and (now) Sheamus.

I think who is champion (most often) also has to do with the direction the company is going in at the time. During the Attitude Era, it was people like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H (the DX version), and The Rock because they exemplified the Attitude Era. Now we've got Cena as the primary "good guy" champion and Orton, Sheamus and the like as the villain champions, primarily for Cena to go after (at least on Raw.) It seems to me they've chosen very limited "good" champions with several "bad" champions to fight.

Now, do I think The Miz could be an effective heel champion? You bet your posterior region I do! The guy's great at gathering heat, can dish it out and sell like hell in the ring, and is completely believable in cheating to win (which he'll likely do a lot.) Do I think he'll last as champion? Given what I've already mentioned, not for very long at a time. Sad really, but that's the way it is.

 

[Rammsteinerteen]

OK, I agree with some points. But I have to disagree also. Having the look doesn't make you a good champion I agree. But your wrong about the Miz being better then CM Punk. CM Punk is great in the ring. The GTS is a very good move. Same with the anaconda vice. He uses puro, muoy thai, and some technical. The Miz is average in the ring. He's not that amazing, I never see him do anything insane. He's perfect on the mic, he's comparable to The Rock and Stone Cold when comparing promos. But The Miz is only solid in the ring. But he'll be a world champion very soon. WWE has high hopes on him. Thats why they gave him the money in the bank. CM Punk deserved to be a champion. Not his first world heavyweight title reign, but his second title reign. He was great on the mic, and he's excellent performer. Seeing how WWE relies on who can cut promos more then In Ring compatibility, The Miz will be WWE's next Star because he kicks ass at cutting heel promos. But in my personal opinion, I like people who are great in the ring, like Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingston, and John Morrsion. But thats just my opinion.

 

[TheAbsolute1]

I have to strongly disagree with your theory of The Miz being a better wrester than Punk. Punk is more agile has better moves and sells them much better. On the mic Punk gets more heat but in The Miz's defense, The Miz doesnt strike the fans on a personal level with drugs and alchohol like Punk does. And also, Punk and The Miz both debuted in 06 correct me if I'm wrong. and since then Punk has matured far greater in the ring than The Miz. Punk already did his MITB gig, thats behind him. Punk has the look of a great heel champ and he can back it up in the ring. Which brings me to my opinion. The look and talk matters more when you're dealing with a heel champion, less when it's a face.

 

[Brahma Bull]

you can still become champion without the build. eddie, benoit, jericho, hardy, etc show that if you have people either behind you or hating your guts, you can become the champ. the only thing though, is its a lot more believalbe to have hhh as champ over mysterio since in real life, you would think mysterio would have no chance.

so in short, not having the look doesnt stop you from being champion, but having it makes it a hell of a lot easier.

 

[Pay Per Ghost]

If this point was raised back in 1990, you would have a lotta people agreeing to it. The annointed sculpture of a champion was even more generic then. You had to be built like a god, had to be a face, etc. and the guy who changed that was Shawn Micheals. Since then we saw many 'regular-joe' champions.

I think another dimension to what you say is how believable is a champion. Remember who have to defeat guys like Show and Kane down the line when you're champion and if you come off looking weak it can hurt your credibility (Mysterio for e.g)
Miz and Punk both have IT to be long term champions, (little more inclined towards Punk), they have good skills, stellar on the mic.

I was watching last week's SmackDown last night and Punk was getting some good heat (and cheers) from the audience. He knows how to push the buttons and how to improvise on the spot. He is definitely going over regardless of a major push or not. You just know, don't you? when someone is that damn good.
His built takes a backseat to his talent then. Sorta transcends the superficial.

 

[zman21]

its all about the one thing MONEY can the miz be a big enough draw for people to pay money to see him and but his merchendice. has much as people hate cena he makes wwe lots of money and thats why he will main event every wrestlemania. any champion past or present was never about the look, or mic skills, or wrestling ability its all on who the people love and who they are willing to drop dollar bills on

 

[Ferbian]

Certainly the aspect of having a great look has to give someone an advantage in a sport like this. We all know that while it's booked, or for that sake if it wasn't booked that the lesser build guys could knock someone the fuck out either way. However, there's certainly an advantage in someone looking like a beast (Batista, John Cena and Triple H).

The build in itself makes them look more legitimate, which of course by default will make them come off as the superior one in a match-up with a guy looking like The Miz.

However, there have also been wrestlers with a smaller build who have thrived against the bigger guys, or who have just in general done pretty well for themselves. Rey Mysterio comes to mind as of late, Shawn Michaels went through a Royal Rumble from the start to the end in the 90's. There's many different ways that you can book the smaller guy to become the superior one, and therefore eliminating the needs for the big great build.

So really, for looks to become irrelevant, the booking of someone to be a strong legitimate contender needs to take it's place. The look in itself will always be there, but it can slowly be faded out with the opponent looking good, looking like the superior man.

The big guys will always be in the main event scene, because we all know Vince likes these guys. However, that doesn't mean that the smaller guys will never get the chance, Miz and CM Punk have a lacking against some of the guys, however we know that they can be booked as legitimate contenders. I mean was it not Miz who "took John Cena to the limits" or CM Punk who battled The Undertaker in various matches etc.

So yeah, the looks is important, but the booking can eliminate the importance a bit.

 

[johnbragg]

First of all, I agree that Miz will be a good champion and a Wrestlemania headliner in 2-3 years. And CM Punk should.

That said:

CM Punk doesn't LOOK like a heavyweight to me anymore than the Miz does.

No, but if you're in a bad neighborhood, who looks like someone to avoid--Punk or Miz? Punk looks like he has a regular acquaintance with his Miranda rights. Miz looks like an Abercrombie and Fitch Gold Card member.

That buys Punk a couple of inches and a few dozen pounds of muscle in the "looks like a champion" department.

Similarly, guys built like Taz--5'10 with a 50 inch chest--get more "look points" than an AJ Styles, say.

 

[martymcfly]

So is this a thread about what a champion should look like, or yet another thread about why the miz deserves to be a champion?

If it's the latter, enough already. I have nothing against the miz. He is good on the mic and has improved (note--improved, not become great) with his in ring skills. If he continues, by all means, he could be a world champion someday. However, everyone who is clamoring for him to be a world title holder right now, I think it is more of a current infatuation. People like his persona a lot. So much in fact, that they are blinded to his shortcomings and want to rush him into the main event scene much too early.

But why? What is the rush? Are you going to like him any more if he is holding the title than you do now? Are you afraid that he is not going to be able to last on the midcard so he needs the jump now? Just because you like a persona, why should that automatically enter him into the main event? Why can't people just be content to enjoy the ride, and let him slowly and more credibly build himself into the main event picture and enter it when his in-ring skills can keep up? Enjoy the journey, don't jump to the end prematurely.

As far as how important look is to be a champion, WWE and vince in particular, have always preferred big guys. It has been a staple for so long that I think that the fans have just come to expect it. Of course there are a few exceptions, but that is the truth. But to some extent, I think looks are important. You need to look tough enough that you could hold your own in a fight, for one thing. So unfortunately, the likelihood of say evan bourne or yoshi tatsu ever becoming the world champion is remote. Is that a shame? Probably, but it's the business.

 

[LigerBomb]

Miz looks like a big ol' puss, "end of …" really; but if we must, let us delve a bit further. There is no one "look" a guy must possess to become WWE champion. Looking back at the list of champions, height, for example, has never been the ultimate arbiter. Inaugural WWF Champion Buddy Rogers was a billed 6'2" and his immediate successors, Sammartino and Koloff, were both 5' 10" on a good day.

If anything, the best argument one could make is that a person must "look" like he is able to hold his own against the general pool of his competition. When that pool includes monsters like Kane, Batista, etc. looking like a little bitch suddenly becomes a bit of an issue. Unless you're a heel—which The Miz tends to be, despite his own forgetfulness. In which case looking less threatening might be a great source of heat as the crowd assumes you'd have to use so-called "heel tactics" to illicit a victory.

But back to Opie's rant on Miz: No. Just, No. Miz is not better, in any instance, than CM Punk in the ring or on the mic. He certainly isn't as good a heel.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

I don't think looks are as important as the aura of a guy when it comes to being a champion. For me, a champion doesn't have to be be the best, but act like he is the best. Outside of some tacky wrestling attire, John Cena looks the same he did in 2002, but I doubt anyone would've actually believe that guy would end up being one of the best in the business if he kept that stupid prototype gimmick. When Cena first came in, he tried to let his actions speak for themselves without really doing much character wise. Now, he 'never say die' attitude complement his matches.

If you look at my sig, it shouldn't come as a surprise that I am a big time supporter of Wade Barrett. Does the guy look like the 'typical' heavy weight champion? Yes. But there's so much more to him than just looks. He presents himself very very well and has such a charm about him that you listen when he speaks.

What about a guy like Edge? He is billed as 6'4", 240lbs and is booked like a big deal.. Yet how many people actually think he has a shot at winning tomorrow? Anyone?

 

[Tha Wolfpac]

I think if your thread was made a couple of years back, when Vince was pushing a lot of the roid munchers (huge muscly dudes not necessarily steroid users) then i would completely agree. But in recent times there has been a little more smaller guys getting a run in various aspects of WWE these days. Evan Bourne, The Miz, CM Punk.

 

[JuviJuiceIsLoose]

I definitely think right now, the WWE seems to be pushing guys based on their "look" more than anything else. Guys like Sheamus, Swagger, and Wade Barrett have come pretty much out of nowhere and become Main Event guys. Sheamus and Swagger won the belt, and it looks like there's a definite possibility for Wade to win the belt at NOC.

These guys aren't necessarily the best in the ring or on the mic. Nor are they the most over guys with the fans.

When you see these guys being pushed in cases like Sheamus and Wade Barrett where they haven't been in the WWE for a year, I think it's obvious that their look plays a gigantic part in their pushes.

I think it's obvious that the WWE is desperate to make new stars. Especially since guys like HBK, Batista, and Jeff Hardy gone. Along with guys that are aging like Triple H, Undertaker, Edge, Kane, Mysterio, and Jericho.

That's a lot of Main guys that are either pushing 40, or quite beyond.

So, the WWE definitely has to make new stars, and soon.

The problem is, IMO and many others, the WWE should have been trying to do this at least 2 or 3 years ago.

The young guys they could have pushed back then I think were more ready than the guys they're pushing now.

 

[MOExecution]

I understand what you mean by "The Look"
Before the second season of WWE NXT I saw Lucky Cannon and I automatically thought he was going to be a HUGE star in the WWE because of his long wavy hair, his eyes, and perfect smile, but when it was all said and done Lucky Cannon was not that great inside the ring and his microphone skills literally made my ears hurt. Which is why you have guys like; John Cena holding the title so often because he has that look that brings the fans and people in to watch. If you put the title on someone like Daniel Bryan who is considered one of the greatest against someone like John Cena who is the face of the company people will most likely cheer for the man with the better physique and look rather than the man who can actually wrestle a match. So the look, sadly means a lot rather than the real wrestler.

And as I was reading your post it looked like you were saying that the World HeavyWeight Championship were meant to be for actual HeavyWeights... That is not the case. You have had Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Edge, Jeff Hardy, and Chris Jericho hold the title and they are no where near HeavyWeights. The World HEAVYWEIGHT Championship is not suppose to be taken literally. It's just a term and different title rather than the WWE World Championship.

And I really have a problem with the way you just buried CM Punk. I understand you said you would be a little bit biased towards The Miz since you are a fan, but honestly The Miz can't even be compared to CM Punk. The Miz is not better than CM Punk. CM Punk is one of the ACTUAL wrestlers in the WWE right now and is entertaining, great on the microphone, and one of the top heels in the WWE. And I would just like to say I am a HUGE fan of CM Punk and I might be a little bit biased towards him. The Miz can't be compared to anybody at this point in his career. In all honesty he JUST got good.

 

[Dr. Stinger A. Zoidberg]

I think the "Look" factor is very important. When creative picks who they want to become a world champion, not only are they going to look at the wrestling ability of said superstar, theyre going to try to imagine him holding a world title. Despite the wrestling ability being very good for some superstars, the look can be what holds them back. Look at a person like Santino Marella. He's very talented in the ring, but due to both his look, and gimmick, he is forever stuck in the mid-card. However, when you take a look at a guy like Shawn Michaels, who was great in the ring, and had a good look, you see why it makes sense.

It really all comes down to, "Would we rather have Eugene, or The Undertaker as world champion?"

 

[THTRobtaylor]

This is such an underestimated thing, but not from the perspective most of you come from...

Think back to the 1980's and early 1990's... the days when there were 3 titles in the WWF... World, IC, Tag and maybe Womens...

You had a full roster of "superstars" who were percieved as top talents who rarely got near a title... Jake Roberts, Big Bossman, Tito Santana, Rick Martel, Jim Duggan, Dusty Rhodes, Earthquake, Roddy Piper, Brutus Beefcake, Bad News Brown...

Now for some, like Rhodes and Piper, they never got the run for political reasons... but the main reason for the others was that they would never have looked right with a belt... their gimmicks didn't fit one...

Bossman had his cuffs, his nightstick and more importantly, the uniform... Especially as a face, he was easily considered a main eventer, teaming with Hogan and fighting the top guys regularly... but he got one title match for the IC at WM7... which didn't even have a finish. Why would Bossman never get a title? Cos he had plenty of props, and a public servant, of the type he was portraying would not be interested in titles... It would have looked wrong for him to hold a belt...

Jake Roberts, considered the best guy never to hold a title in WWF history by many... and one of the best minds ever in the business... but think about it, no IC run, no Tag runs, no titles at all...anywhere... Why would that be? Because he had his gimmick... a big bag with a big snake in it... If he had a title to hold, show to the crowd etc it would have made Damien secondary and killed his gimmick... it wouldn't "look right"... Repeat this for Beefcurtains, Martel and many of the others on the list above...

It got murky in the 1990's when WWE began to have a "treadmill" of achievement, starting with Bret Hart, it went IC to World title... still a few guys holding the belts, but they invariably moved up the card after... many of the 80's IC champs never did, Greg Valentine, Tito Santana, Rick Rude... the last guy pretty much to never move up in this way was Marty Jannetty... After that, titles changed, if you were good enough for the IC, you were inevitably good enough in most cases for the World and were in a holding pattern "waiting for your time" with the World belt... Diesel, Shawn, Austin, Rock, Jericho, Angle, Benoit, Eddy, Orton... the King Of The Ring often became the waiting list for the IC belt and later the Euro belt became the waiting list for the KOTR belt and so on... The only real exceptions to this were guys like Razor, who left before he got his run and Jeff Jarrett who was never quite good enough... but since around 1994, the pattern has remained the same... anyone good enough for the IC belt has been pushed later on... the idea of whether they "suit" a belt was abandoned...

It's created the problem we have today... Guys who have "failed" if they don't get a World title within a year of losing the IC belt... guys like Kingston, Christian even Orton who never actually needed a belt, nor have ever suited one have to have the belt... if the reunification happens, what happens to all those guys who haven't had one? did they fail as main eventers? or will an eventual win actually mean more because they will be the right guy at the right time, not just on an endless conveyer of turns..

Look back at some old footage, all those old names I mentioned without titles, and tell me any couldn't headline in today's WWE... without holding a title... Belts are and always were a McGuffin, a prop designed to qualify the quest... they are not a real measure of achievement... The 80's and early 90's proved that by having more "main eventers" without them than with... these days anyone can have a belt and it made them worthless...

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I definitely think right now, the WWE seems to be pushing guys based on their "look" more than anything else. Guys like Sheamus, Swagger, and Wade Barrett have come pretty much out of nowhere and become Main Event guys. Sheamus and Swagger won the belt, and it looks like there's a definite possibility for Wade to win the belt at NOC.

These guys aren't necessarily the best in the ring or on the mic. Nor are they the most over guys with the fans.

When you see these guys being pushed in cases like Sheamus and Wade Barrett where they haven't been in the WWE for a year, I think it's obvious that their look plays a gigantic part in their pushes.

I think it's obvious that the WWE is desperate to make new stars. Especially since guys like HBK, Batista, and Jeff Hardy gone. Along with guys that are aging like Triple H, Undertaker, Edge, Kane, Mysterio, and Jericho.

That's a lot of Main guys that are either pushing 40, or quite beyond.

So, the WWE definitely has to make new stars, and soon.

The problem is, IMO and many others, the WWE should have been trying to do this at least 2 or 3 years ago.

The young guys they could have pushed back then I think were more ready than the guys they're pushing now.

This is wrong... the two guys you mention are both far more than a look... both are way ahead of the curve that usual newcomers are on, hence their swift rises...

Seamus has a strong brawling style and a unique selling point in his promo skills... The Irish accent says more for him than the look ever could... You listen to him cos he is different, you watch him cos he is good in the ring...

Much of the same can be said for Barrett... He has a natural charisma that shows in being the leader of the Nexus... If it was on look, Skip Sheffield or Tarver would have been the leader... but Barrett has the air of someone special in the business, again, the accent helps... that he is one of the bigger guys doesn't hurt... but to dismiss their pushes as being look based is a slap in the face to both of their skillsets...

Both men stand far above many with years on the roster on overall ability and talent... many who people are saying should be champ... Are both men better than Christian? Yes... As all rounders they are... Better than Jo-Mo? Yes... further along than Kofi...without question...

Some guys HAVE been pushed on look in recent years, Batista, no question got where he did on look first... he certainly didn't have the charisma and mic skills he later learned when he first got the belt... You could say Rey was pushed on his look as a smaller guy... an underdog... Thwagger was on look and a gamble... WWE thought they could repeat Kurt Angle with him....

WWE has done an excellent job with new talent in the last year... NXT has brought in 8 or 9 potential long term players... all of them are much further along than rookies of the past... if Joe Hennig winds up WWE Champ in 18 months time few would be shocked... FCW as a fed quality wise has a good part to play, but the guys coming through have more of a package from the day they show up on WWE tv than at any time in the past... so its right that how long you have served or how you look not be as important as what you can do.

 

[Danielr11220]

And as I was reading your post it looked like you were saying that the World HeavyWeight Championship were meant to be for actual HeavyWeights... That is not the case. You have had Rey Mysterio, CM Punk, Edge, Jeff Hardy, and Chris Jericho hold the title and they are no where near HeavyWeights. The World HEAVYWEIGHT Championship is not suppose to be taken literally. It's just a term and different title rather than the WWE World Championship.

There is No defined weight class let say for argument sake they set they weight limit at 240 lbs (like they did with Matt hardy cruiser weight but in reverse) then you can start eliminate people for contention for the heavy weight belt till thenanyone could chase after it

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

There have been exceptions (obvious ones such as Mankind, CM Punk and Big Show spring to mind), but it is well known that Vince McMahon has a hard on for the bodybuilder physique, and loves his wrestlers to have super-human physiques.

This is why men such as Hogan, Warrior, Batista, Lashley, John Cena etc were all pushed to the status of World Champion, when there were smaller more talented workers with 10 times their wrestling ability who remained lower down the card. As wrestling is supposed to be a "sport", Vince wants his champions to have incredible athletic bodies to represent being better than the rest.

In this "wellness policy" era however, the importance of physique does seem to have lessened, as it is almost impossible to maintain an attitude-era size body without steroids...the changing shape of many wrestlers bodies is testemant to this. It seems that the fans accept this, as noone complains that Punk looks like a regular guy who works out, rather than a juiced up freak like Warrior.

However, there are still guys like Christian who are incredibly over with the fans but remain stuck in mid card, as Vince does not believe he has the size or look to be World Champion. This could be seen as a sign that McMahon does still prefer his Champions to have bulging biceps, rock hard pecs and a washboard stomach even today, but as a whole it does seem that wrestlers who are not huge have more of a chance to be champion than ever before, compared to the late 90s (e.g. Swagger, Mysterio, Edge, Orton, Punk, Hardy, Show)

 

[THTRobtaylor]

There have been exceptions (obvious ones such as Mankind, CM Punk and Big Show spring to mind), but it is well known that Vince McMahon has a hard on for the bodybuilder physique, and loves his wrestlers to have super-human physiques.

This is why men such as Hogan, Warrior, Batista, Lashley, John Cena etc were all pushed to the status of World Champion, when there were smaller more talented workers with 10 times their wrestling ability who remained lower down the card. As wrestling is supposed to be a "sport", Vince wants his champions to have incredible athletic bodies to represent being better than the rest.

In this "wellness policy" era however, the importance of physique does seem to have lessened, as it is almost impossible to maintain an attitude-era size body without steroids...the changing shape of many wrestlers bodies is testemant to this. It seems that the fans accept this, as noone complains that Punk looks like a regular guy who works out, rather than a juiced up freak like Warrior.

However, there are still guys like Christian who are incredibly over with the fans but remain stuck in mid card, as Vince does not believe he has the size or look to be World Champion. This could be seen as a sign that McMahon does still prefer his Champions to have bulging biceps, rock hard pecs and a washboard stomach even today, but as a whole it does seem that wrestlers who are not huge have more of a chance to be champion than ever before, compared to the late 90s (e.g. Swagger, Mysterio, Edge, Orton, Punk, Hardy, Show)

The misconception that Vince only pushes big guys is long dead... Christian's lack of push is more likely a personal issue between the two, as many have alluded to but never proven... but in reality Christian is a great talent, but not better all round than the guys above him... that is what has stopped him... in TNA he stood out as exceptional compared to what they had... but in WWE with guys like Orton, Edge, Jericho, and now people like Barrett and Sheamus who perhaps got Vince's attention through their natural size, but without the package of skills they came in with they'd be nowhere...

Christian is the Tito Santana of today's WWE... had early success but eventually became the guy who stayed mid-card but when needed for a main event could step up once in a while...

The only non talented champion we have seen in years was Khali... who was clearly an attraction... Other than that you can pretty much say everyone who has main evented a WWE PPV title match has been a good-great worker first... if they are big or chiselled, then that is almost secondary...

Let's say the unification happens... here's how I see the roster compared to the past...

Cena - Hulk Hogan - Top face
Orton - Randy Savage - Top Tweener
Sheamus - Warrior - Will eventually be a great face... but dominant either way
Triple H - Ric Flair - Storied Veteran
Chris Jericho - Jake Roberts
Punk - Mr. Perfect
Wade Barrett - Ted DiBiase - Best all round heel...
Christian - Tito Santana
Evan Bourne - Ricky Steamboat - Exciting, highflying, perennial face
JoMo - Shawn Michaels - nuff said
Ziggler - Brutus Beefcake - The heel version... even down to the bowtie...
Kofi - Superfly - Pretty obvious comparisons...
Cody - Rick Rude - Preening heel
McIntryre - Rick Martel - Technical and wily...
DH Smith - British Bulldog

The list could go on... for PG era WWE to work long term, people will fit these kind of archetypes as kids will easily identify with it and their parents will remember their original counterparts...