Is the WWE pushing young talent too fast?

[dwith]

Now I have read several places that several big talent's on WWE roster that have been around for a while pretty much hate their job's and will retire or get out as soon as possible. Christian, Edge, MVP, Jericho(for now) Taker, Kane etc...
Now these are all guy's that have been headlining WWE for a long time now, and they feel underused and pushed to the side because WWE is on this new younger talent kick, and the pg era.

Some may disagree, but I would have to say having younger talent on the roster is a necessity, but IMO none of this talent will carry higher rating's without some major star's involved somewhere on their respective show's. Since HHH has been out, Flair's retirement,HBK's retirement, Batista quitting, UNDERTAKER out most of the time, and MYSTERIO that rating's have dropped. People (FANS) I believe still want to watch these guy's they have been watching for the last 10 year's. None of the new talent are ready to carry the WWE on their back. It takes year's of steady wrestling on tv to grow a fan base, and to build them to greatness. The faster these guy's like Jericho, Flair, HHH drop out of the picture the less chance WWE has to survive.

So my question is do you think their moving to fast on a all young talent roster?

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Yeah, the big name guys in WWE are getting older and retirement is looming around the corner. I've read reports about Edge wanting to hang up in two years, Jericho is gone for now, Mysterio can be bitten by the injury bug every now and then, Undertaker is still banged up, Triple H has been out for quite some time, Batista left, Shawn Michaels retired, and Ric Flair is now in TNA. You can't control age, injuries, and time, so all of this doesn't surprise me at all.

Randy Orton and John Cena are the only two guys who are on that "superstar level" in WWE right now, and you can be sure both of these men are in it for the long run. They're loyal to Vince McMahon, and you just know that these two will stick around for a very long time. Now of course you have guys like Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggelr, The Miz, John Morrison, Sheamus, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, and Alberto Del Rio who are all on the rise, but you don't know what could happen in the future. Some of these guys could become World Champions(Sheamus and JoMo already have) and they could make it to the main event scene, they can become stuck in the mid card, or they could just fade away into obscurity. It's going to take some time if these guys are to reach the levels of the other superstars mentioned.

I don't think there's any problem with the way WWE is pushing young talent right now. You always have to prepare for the future, and all of the veterans in WWE are getting older and the injuries are going to happen.

 

[Mr. Artistic guy]

The best thing you can do with young talent and this should have been proven with randy orton now is have them get over by taking down the former top stars of the company. As much as some say that taker should never lose at wrestlemania, i take exception to this, under the circumstance that it happens to really put somebody over ina big way like HHH did for sheamus by going out of action. Take goldust and dibiase, its a feud and if WWE rate dibiase and look upon him as a future player this is exactly what they should be doing with him, getting him an older guy. Goldust did it for sheamus in ECW and that got him to raw and now look where he is.

So to answer your question, its not the speed at which they push their talent. They need to cement theyre talent and be given the green light by the veterans of the past. because if you can have a guy like orton beat people like dusty rhodes, it makes you want to watch orton and not rhodes you get me? I think you will find that if they stars of yesteryear give the young guys the seal of approval they will indeed be ready to hold the corners of the future.

See like I already mentionned orton got over because of beating legends, cena got over after beating HBK at wrestlemania 21, batista got over by beating HHH as did sheamus so this might be the answer as to where the transition of responsibility from old to young guys comes from.

 

[TheHammerMan]

I don't think they are pushing them too fast. In the past year WWE has lost 2 and quite possibly a 3rd person in HBK, Batista, and Jericho. They need people to fill the voids. I think they pushed Sheamus fast, but he caught on and has done a damn good job.

 

[Nada]

From a wrestling point of view, yea compared to years before they are pushing talent too fast. Look at Nexus, most of them could not even wrestle a match bar Gabriel at the start, Barret has improved alot tough.

The problem is that the wrestlers dont learn their craft in other promotions before coming to the big leagues, you cant possibly compare Jericho who worked in Mexico, Japan and WCW before coming to WWE to guys like Sheamus, Barrett etc.

In this situation the WWE really has no choice, they need new stars, the old ones are falling and retiring in spades, yet young guys today are just not ready.

Look how successfull Alberto del Rio is, but that is because he has a wealth of experience wrestling in Mexico, that is also why he can cut a promo better than 95% of the people in WWE now, aswell as wrestle and just look like he belongs there.

Bryan can do a decent promo and is a phenomenal wrestler, Kaval the same. Basically guys who have experience will always do better than greener than green guys that they push.


Question isent why they push people who are too green (McIntyre, Swagger, Sheamus at the start) but why dont they push people who obviously can hang in there and become big stars. A guy like Kaval with such a flashy move set could become a big stars especially becuase of his smaller stature, Del Rio is allready being pushed so thats good.

That has always been the case, Vince pushes guys with "looks" not neccessarly guys who can cut a promo or wrestle really well.

 

[Rammsteinerteen]

I agree with you. WWE is clueless thinking pushing the young talent fast is going to help there company. But no offence, I don't want to pay to watch Sheamus wrestle in the main even again. Jack Swagger was too fast when he won the world champion. Though, the man's talented and I won't take that away from him. But what annoys me are the likes of Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre. I don't care how much Vince likes his younger stars, just because Drew and Cody are young, it doesn't mean there any good or ever will be. Drew can't get people to care about him, and he's boring in the ring. Cody Rhodes gimmick is basically another version of Rick Rude, Gorgeous George, Young Shawn Michaels, and Ric Martel. His wrestling isn't so entertaining either. Miz is pretty good, he's great on the mic, but lacks charisma. What I hate is people like Christian, MVP, CM Punk, and Chris Jericho always losing to the young guys. MVP works his ass off in WWE, and he has to pull over to the ****** Cody Rhodes. Same goes for Christian, after his loss to Sheamus. I honeslty stopped watching NXT after Jericho lost to that pussy Heath Slater. WWE is relying too much on the young guys. John Morrrison, (Young Also) has waited very patiently over the course of years. He's OK on the mic, and he's spectacular in the ring. And WWE seems to be treating him more seriously over the years. Alberto Del Rio has been excellent in the ring, and on promos, so I don't give a crap that he can beat guys like Matt Hardy and Rey Mysterio. But I don't like that WWE is actually letting a lof of the young guys defeat legends, just to make them look good. It's stupid.

 

[The Wrestler`s Wrestler]

In a word, Yes. Vinne Mac is trying 2 do now what he SHOULD of done in the mid 2000`s
I remember when Angle broke his neck in 03 and I thought "Whats gonna happend when the day comes when there is no HHH or Taker or Michaels

Then I thought 2 myself "DON`T WORRY VINCE WILL MAKE NEW MAIN EVENTERS BY THEN"
My GOD how wrong was I, Because throught the 2000`s Vince did`nt really make that many main eventers. EVEN after 07, I mean who would EVER think there would be a year when HHH, Edge, Taker, Michaels, Mysterio, Kennedy, And EVEN Cena himself (Though I did enjoy the break) Would @ sum point go down with in some cases long injuries!

But NOT EVEN THAT would make Vince realise that he would HAVE 2 make new main eventers 4 the days when his current 1`s are no longer in that role So now we end up with failed pushes like Jack Swaggers. But @ least The Miz`s push is gonna work

 

[The Naitchhh]

Yes, Young talent is being pushed to fast....but they have to be. No one we know and love now will be around much longer. New Ledgends have to be made. Cena Orton Gonna be losing some BIG matches in the next few years.

I hate SummerSlam 2002 Young Brock Pushed aginst the about to leave Rock...Bet Vince and the Creative team wish they could take that one back...have that match 1st and then let HHH and HBK go an hour and have an even better match then they had

MVP Will NEver Get pushed---hes just a Joke with a bad gimmick. Give him some Ho's and a pimp hat...It worked for Kama Mustafa

John Morrison Is in Need of a MAJOR Push He has Great Skills hes got the look...Needs a Little Mic Time Ya Know

WWE wants you to see more of Miz and Wade and Justin Gabriel...High flying good ol PG TV. Its Sad The Future is Bleak...Sheamus Cant Carry the load by his self and be the only challenger for Orton... other than Him and Wade Barrett...who's gonna beat orton???

miz??? YEA RIGHT when he cashes in HE WILL LOSE and be the laughing stock of the WWE Universe.....Im prolly wrong though...thats vinces boy.. I could Whip His Ass but he will soon be WWE Champion... Pathetic

Id Rather Watch Ric Flair and Mick Foley again from the other night....WHat a Match....Miz Couldnt Hold Flairs Jock Strap

Kane RULES he Will Bury Undertaker Alive

 

[tehblogger]

Yes, Young talent is being pushed to fast....but they have to be. No one we know and love now will be around much longer. New Ledgends have to be made. Cena Orton Gonna be losing some BIG matches in the next few years.

I hate SummerSlam 2002 Young Brock Pushed aginst the about to leave Rock...Bet Vince and the Creative team wish they could take that one back...have that match 1st and then let HHH and HBK go an hour and have an even better match then they had

Why?

MVP Will NEver Get pushed---hes just a Joke with a bad gimmick. Give him some Ho's and a pimp hat...It worked for Kama Mustafa

The sole piece of realism in the entire post.

WWE wants you to see more of Miz and Wade and Justin Gabriel...High flying good ol PG TV. Its Sad The Future is Bleak...Sheamus Cant Carry the load by his self and be the only challenger for Orton... other than Him and Wade Barrett...who's gonna beat orton???

Sheamus, Barrett, Punk, Morrison, Rhodes, Mcintyre, Miz - y'know, all these talented mid-carders they're pushing so hard right now.

miz??? YEA RIGHT when he cashes in HE WILL LOSE and be the laughing stock of the WWE Universe.....Im prolly wrong though...thats vinces boy.. I could Whip His Ass but he will soon be WWE Champion... Pathetic

I see Miz has got you properly worked. It must be nice to be such a good heel...

Id Rather Watch Ric Flair and Mick Foley again from the other night....WHat a Match....Miz Couldnt Hold Flairs Jock Strap

Oh, really? You'd rather watch two banged-up old has-beens go at it again? Jesus, watching that match made me very depressed that these guys are still in the ring, particularly Flair, after the "send-off" he got.

Kane RULES he Will Bury Undertaker Alive

Relevance?

WWE is doing an excellent job, in the little-lamented absence of Triple H, of pushing its next generation, and the generation after that. People like Miz and Morrison are getting real pushes, Barrett is a star come out of nowhere, rising almost as fast as Lesnar did, while Rhodes is doing superb work on Smackdown. Meanwhile, the Tyson Kidds and Justin Gabriels of this world continue to impress. In short, the programming right now is excellent with some superb creative work in the Nexus angle and solid character development elsewhere.

In contrast to another Hogan heel turn amidst the carnage of TNA, full of losers and druggies and has-beens and buried talent (Styles not least), WWE's transition to a new era is going very well.

 

[skeet mg]

I don't think the WWE is pushing younger talent too fast, but it just seems like it because before the last couple of years, Vince had failed to build many new up and comers while his stars were getting older. He tried with Lashley, and I think he did a good job, but Lashley wanted MMA, as did Brock Lesnar (who also wanted the NFL). Wade Barrett wouldn't be pushed this fast without his mic skills and I think Barrett will be a main eventer for years to come, and although he's injured right now, I can see Skip Sheffield stickin around for a while, main event or not.

Vince is trying to play catch up, and so far I think it's mostly worked out, with the exception of Jack Swagger, and maybe Drew McIntyre or Sheamus. Swagger had a world title run, lost the title, and was put on WWE Superstars in a feud with MVP. After McIntyre lost the IC title, not many people seemed to care about him, but I think its good that creative put the tag titles on him and Rhodes, giving a little credibility to a crappy tag division. Sheamus just wasn't pushed the right way. They wanted a dominant heel but they made him look like a wimp, always winning by DQ and such.

 

[Calderownz]

To an extent, I think that are. However, look at the situation.

Edge, injury-prone and only has about three solid years left, most likely.

Chris Jericho, in and out of the company and also has fewer years left than fans would hope for.

Triple H, doesn't seem too eager to return at this point and can only have a few quality years left.

The Big Show, he's losing his appeal in ways and was never incredible in the ring to begin with. Also, has only a few years left.

The Undertaker, banged up and less than one year left.

Rey Mysterio, few years left.

I could go on, but you get the point. They need those new stars within the next two or three years before their top tier runs out. It's a maturation by force, but it has to happen. Hopefully, guys like The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Alberto del Rio, CM Punk, Daniel Bryan will help usher in a new wave of stars.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think the WWE should have started pushing and building younger talent a few years ago back when they had a roster full of huge names that were all relatively healthy and/or were still happy with what they were doing. It's really only been within the past 12 or 13 months or sothat the WWE has really started building young talent. They're pushing young talent fast and hard at the moment because there's not really much of a choice.

Shawn Michaels & Batista: Both huge names, both well into their 40s and both no longer with the company. HBK went out in a blaze of glory and Batista went out during a time when he was easily the most interesting and best he's ever been. The wear and tear of the road too its toll on both of them.

Triple H: He's another huge name, he's MIA and there's no word on when he'll be making a full return to the roster. He has a growing family now, Stephanie just had another daughter not long ago, the wear and tear of the road and old nagging injuries have really snuck up on him this year, he's also into his 40s and he's an official executive with the WWE.

The Undertaker: Probably the most respected wrestler out there today in America, he's in his mid 40s, has a long history of working through injuries but the injuries have taken their toll on him and have really caught up with him over the course of the past year and a half or so. There are heavy rumors that WM 27 will be his last Mania and that he'll retire in 2011.

Edge: Edge is still a relatively young man, but he's been at wrestling a long time. His torn Achilles Tendon is among the worst sports injuries you can have and there are also rumors that he plans to retire when his contract expires in 2 years.

Kane: Kane's also in his 40s and has been lucky in general. Not many serious injuries during his time in WWE. In terms of how big of a star he is, he's definitely big but he'll always be in the shadow of The Undertaker. I expect Kane to be gone within a few years as well.

Rey Mysterio: Mysterio is also a relatively young man, he's in his mid 30s but has been wrestling for more than 20 years. Over the past few years, he's had numerous knee operations, his body is wearing out due to the years of stress caused by working his fast paced high risk luchadore style. If he makes it to 40 and is still wrestling, I'll be very surprised.

Big Show: The Big Show has also been lucky when it comes to injuries, fans do like him but he's never brought nearly as much to the table overall as the other big names listed. Right now, I get the feeling that Show is mostly just doing it right now because he's having fun and simply enjoying himself. He's looking down the barrel of the big 40 too, so he's probably gone within a few years too.

Chris Jericho: Jericho is currently on tour with his band Fozzy and I think, like the Big Show, he's working in the WWE right now mostly because he simply enjoys himself. He has been almost uncannily lucky when it comes to avoiding big injuries. He's almost 40 and I'd say he'll be doing it for a few years at most.

Right now, on the Raw roster, the biggest names on the brand at this point would probably be John Cena, Randy Orton and, now, CM Punk. On SmackDown!, it's down to Edge, Kane & The Undertaker as the huge names and Taker doesn't wrestle all that much anymore as it is.

The WWE is pushing Sheamus, Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, Kofi Kingston, Drew McIntyre, Nexus in general, Cody Rhodes, Dolph Ziggler among others right now because somebody is going to have to take the place of these older stars. Wrestling companies HAVE to create young stars to take over if they want to continue making money. You can only rely on the old guard for so long, and a lot of the old guard in the WWE is gone or will be gone within the, generally, near future.

 

[hatehabsforever]

Of course the WWE is not pushing their younger talent too fast. In fact, for some of them, it could be argued that they are possibly not pushing them fast enough.

WWE is at an interesting point. They have recently lost several significant guys from their roster, specifically HBK and Batista (although I believe he'll actually be back). Multiple other guys should be calling it quits very soon for a variety of reasons. Triple H, Edge, Jericho, Mysterio, Kane, Taker, Show, and probably a few others whose names currently escape me. So if WWE doesn't start pushing younger guys, as they have been doing very well, in a few years time, there will be a significant void left by the departure of several guys in a very short time frame.

John Cena and Randy Orton are the top guys in the company at the moment, whether you like them or not. And they are still quite young. Coming behind them is a tremendous youth movement, one that TNA would salivate to have. Daniel Bryan. John Morrison. Justin Gabriel. The Miz. Sheamus. Evan Bourne. Kaval. CM Punk. Ted DiBiase. Cody Rhodes. Drew McIntyre. Kofi Kingston. Dolph Ziggler. Other members of Nexus.

WWE is left in tremendous shape. Still lot of guys at the top of the food chain. Solid main eventers who aren't ready to retire any time soon. And a plethora of young talent coming along who are ready willing and able to step into the main event and lead the company into the next decade. Despite the criticisms levied at WWE by lots of guys on these forums, WWE has developed the youth of their roster very well, and therefore will enjoy continued success well into the next decade.

 

[ThePeoplesChampion]

I honestly don't think WWE honestly doesn't wants to be pushing all these young talents to main event so soon. But with HBK, Batista, Jericho, and HHH all retired or gone (for now) they've had to push people sooner than they would like some have been huge hits ex. Sheamus or busts ex. Jack Swagger....I think one WWE didnt prepare for alot of these guys leaving all at once...i mean Taker, Kane, HHH, Edge?, Big Show are at, over or around 40...those are 5 huge main event players right now who could be gone in a few years so like i said WWE had no choice but to push sooner than later...

I honestly don't know why so many people are complaining? Before Sheamus all you'd hear here is...we're tired of HHH, Orton, Cena dominating....well you have what you wanted right Sheamus, Swagger and Barrett

 

[Ferbian]

Too fast might be pushing it a bit. I would say they WWE is pushing them in the right amount of speed. You always need to plant some kind of new guard in order to take over from the old guard. It happens every few years in some manner or another. And it's an important thing in order to keep the product going and keep it fresh.

All of these new additions that are getting showcased and pushed, not too fast, but at more or less the perfect speed, they're needed for us to keep tuning in. While some might be more than fine with all the talents that were around a years time ago, these guys still need to be represented and showcased so that we're ready for the fact that these guys are taking over after the current guys.

Besides, some of them are getting a slow build, while the more interesting and simply better superstars are getting the bigger build. Sheamus got it quickly, but he certainly also showed that he could run with it, that he was worth the push. Sheamus have been absolutely golden ever since he became champion and feuded with Triple H.

The same can be said for many of the other guys. While some might not be as golden, they're still there. They're still interesting and they're getting rewarded for it.

So no, the talents are not being pushed too quickly.

 

[RD_21]

the only thing I don't like is when I feel someone is pushed down our throath and we are told who should get over not who we want.

Take Kofi Kingston for example I just can't stand the guy, I flip channel when he is there I hate him with a passion and I find him boring. Sheamus yes he is making it but to me he is a joke the thing I like best about him his compare how much white he is vs his opponent and when he says fella. I didn't want to see him in a cell and I think it devalues the match to put weak main eventer in it but that's another story.

But on the other hand I can't blame WWE because it works for Orton. When Orton had his first run with the title as a face I was a fan of his. Then he turned and a couple of months later they started to push him down our throat BIG TIME and I couldn't stand it. Forward the tape to today and it's one of my favorite in the WWE.

So sure the WWE is pushing talent too fast but it has worked in the past. Another problem could be that the world title is now used as the IC title was in the past. You won't see another HH vs The Rock feud with both talent being elevated.

Most of the time the WWE pair the young guy with a veteran on which he is clearly made to go over. They should have more young guy feuding. The last time I think it happened was CM Punk vs Morrison on ECW and at the time ECW was becoming the favorite show of a lot of person just for that feud. For a while they were the hottest thing in wrestling.