The Next Big Mid-Card Feud

[klunderbunker]

All throughout WWE history, the midcard feuds have been solid. From Savage vs. Steamboat to HBK vs. Ramon to Rock vs. HHH or Austin, these feuds have stolen the show and done nothing but launch these guys up into the main event by having great feuds over titles, while also making the belts seem more important.

That being said, what do you think could be the next great mid-card feud? What two guys do you think could put on a series, or even a single great match that steals the show and launches both men up to a higher level?

I could see it being Evan Bourne vs. Jack Swagger. These two are polar opposites in style and size, but their offenses would work out well together. Swagger's size and power is perfect to look like it would dominate Bourne. Bourne is a very small guy, but his offense is a lot of strikes and high flying moves that could take down someone like Swagger, and the Shooting Star Press would work on anyone. If these two were to feud over the IC or ECW title, it could be a great feud indeed.

So who do you think would make a good feud, and why?

 

[2012isbs]

I think Vladimir Koslov and Umaga would be a great feud They are both monsters are hard to understand and are entertaining and Umaga could help Vladimir with his gimmick. The matches would be solid. The promos would be kind of funny because they both don't speak english very well or are heavily accented. Hell even throw in Khali He could be good in a triple threat.

 

[Kyphael]

As for as young, up and coming potentially big breakout stars, I'm looking at you, SmackDown. How about Mr. Kennedy vs. Shelton Benjamin? Or The Brian Kendrick vs. Hurricane Helms (if he improves his game to the level he was at prior to neck injury.) Hell, the day either man turns heel/face, can you imagine John Morrison vs. Shelton Benjamin? The matches could be amazing. SmackDown right now has the best midcard wrestlers and most likely breakout stars.

 

[Showtime]

I like the thread idea KB. A few ideas sprang to mind after reading this one

Evan Bourne vs The Brian Kendrick. In the time between now and Bourne's return from injury, The Brian Kendrick could somehow pick up the US title. The two are of similar size and style and could work some entertaining matches together. Face it, the cruiserweight title probably is never coming back, so the is really the best feud you'll ever get with two of WWE's top cruiserweights, they'll be lots of counters, exciting pins and hopefully some aggressive frustration by both men to make the feud look legit and main event serious. Throw in the Ezekiel factor and this feud could go for months with The Brain Kendrick battling the young upstart Evan Bourne for the US title Kendrick would so admire.

Cody Rhodes vs Ted DiBiase. This probably won't happen for a while, but these two will break up eventually and when they do I see them having an amazing fed together. Like above, these two are also similar in size and in style. DiBiase and Rhodes both generate good heat and show good ring skills and I can see either one of them playing the face or heel card. Throw in family legacy and I can see this feud being a pretty good one.

CM Punk vs Mr. Kennedy. CM Punk won the world title too early and now needs to legitimize himself again. Kennedy hasn't won anything aside from a short two month US reign. Put them two in a feud for the IC title and you will see fireworks. Both men are excellent on the mic. Kennedy needs to be heel with this one and I think he's always been better as a heel. Kennedy can berate Punk and Punk could talk smack back and that would infuriate Kennedy further. Imagine them in Kennedy's spot light having a promo. You'd be able to feel the tension. It would be a perfect shot of a great feud. Kennedy and Punk could also probably work exciting matches together and both would gain tremendously with each other.

 

[The Redcrosse Knight]

A new Hart Foundation vs. Team Priceless could rule the midcard, if the HF ever get's off the ground. The rumoured stable or team would include DH Smith, TJ Wilson and Natalya.
Despite the notable handicap(s) of being down a man and a leader, the HF would still be great competition for the priceless team (or are they Team Legacy now?). Natalya would be a role player in the distraction department, DH is excellent backup, and from what I've seen of TJ he's a versatile, high flying, technical demon.
If the tag titles were put between them, this could provide at least three months worth of golden pay-per-view midcard. Mix in some singles matches for the tv's between PPV's(DH/DiBease, DH/Rhodes, TJ/Rhodes, TJ/DiBease, etc.) and this would be a midcard feud with legs.
This matchup is probably more of a dream though than anything, and Rhodes vs. DiBease would be more of a reality.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

John Morrison v. Brian Kendrick would be an awesome feud....They have similar wrestling styles and I believe can compliment each other well...Both are good on the mic and in the ring and Morrison would probably have to turn face...I would also love to see a Miz/Kennedy feud just for the promos those two would put on.

 

[NSL]

I may be one of the few people that think Jamie Noble feuding with anyone is good for TV...As annoying as Hornswoggle was, I found the "skits" entertaining, and the feud with Chuck Palumbo was decent until they ended it out of nowhere. Chuck beat the crap out of him, and bascially disappeared...

Jamie isn't that bad on the mic, and can put on a good match.

All that being said, I think a feud between him and Hurricane would be great, IF WWE brings back the cruiserweight belt.

Also:

Festus v. Kozlov v. Khali would be funny as hell, but I doubt it would help anyone in the long term...

 

[jmt225]

I have three:

CM Punk vs. Shawn Michaels - Punk needs a heel turn and someone to elevate him into a REAL main event guy, while Michaels needs someone talented to work with. A feud between these two would be awesome on so many levels. The matches, promos, storyline possibilities... all would be spectacular. I see no reason why this wouldn't work at mid-card status.

Jeff Hardy vs. Matt Hardy - This shit would've worked well when it was originally suppose to happen in 2001/2002, but Jeff didn't like the direction the feud was going in and so it was dropped. Today, it would work great again. Matt is much better as a heel then he is a face, and Jeff is arguably the most over face in the company right now. A feud between these two over the ECW Title (which I consider a mid-card title, by the way) would not only be epic if done right, but I guarantee it would bring the ECW television program back to ratings in the 2's and perhaps occasionally even in the 3's as well. This feud is long overdue in my opinion, and needs to be done while both these guys still have the fan base they have.

John Morrison vs. The Miz - I think at the end of the day, WWE will fuck this up and just have these two split up without them feuding much, if at all (like some draft bullshit or one just completely dominating the other in a match after the break-up). However, if they do the right thing and turn Morrison face and have a long drawn-out break-up between he and Miz, I really think some awesome shit could come from that. At this point, Morrison would be super over a face, and Miz is always going to get good heel heat no matter what. So, you already have that 'over' factor with both competitors, and the best part is, both these guys contain the mic skills to keep a long program hot and interesting. WWE could really do a lot with these two.

 

[OIL]

The next big one, well, from a SD! perspective I'd say Mr. Kennedy vs MVP. We all know MVP is very, very talented in the ring, even though he hasn't been showing it recently. Just look to his match against Benoit, shit, did I just say his name? At WrestleMania 23, which was fantastic. A good paced match and MVP really showed his talents against arguably the best in the ring. With regards to Mr. Kennedy, he is more than accomplished on the mic, and although his in-ring work does need improving, he is solid enough to carry a very good match against the right opponent, in MVP. If the WWE played this out right it could be a huge fued with regards to money, as PPV buys could well be increased if this fued is promoted right, what with Kennedy bringing out a new film.

 

[Castleraegh]

The inevitable feud between William Regal and CM Punk over the Intercontinental Title is potentially the next big midcard feud. Both guys sort of have history already from when General Manager Regal beat Punk in the finals of King of the Ring, and every that has happened in recent weeks only point in the direction of their feud. I see Punk as the new Jericho, as someone who is good and can be called upon at any time, but in between he is the midcarder. Regal had an excellent feud with Jericho and i am hoping the quality is repeated with Punk.

 

[TheGreatSPAMbino]

Very hard to predict, but i think the Next big mid card feud will be John Morrison vs. The Miz. Both of these gusy can wrestle very well i think we'd definately be entertained as far as matches go but more importantly these guy are awesome at cutting promos. The dirt sheet is the best thing going in wrestling. Actually insulting your opponent is a lost art in wrestling nowadays (guys like the rock used to be great at it). Morrison and Miz would have awesome promos, just going back and forth with hilarious "burns". Defiantely a sick feud that could elevate these 2 superstars and add a lot to RAW.

 

[Tim]

Well for one, WWE doen't really have many big mid-card feuds anymore. But I digress. I have two theorys, although I think Evan Bourne will be involved in the next big midcard feud in some way.

Evan Bourne vs CM Punk - Both are very athletic, and Punk could use a good heel turn. Their styles are similar. Punk needs to prove himself more if he doesn't win the IC title, ad if he has a predominant midcard feud, and wins most of the matches, and wins the match to end it, he will prove he deserves to be in the main event. And if Bourne has great matches with Punk, it could be enough to elevate him into the main event as well.

Evan Bourne vs Mr. Kennedy - This would be interesting to see. Bourne has an opportunity to work on his mic skills. Kennedy needs that one feud to put him in the main event. Their two styles are very different, but they could find a way to make it work, and put on some entertaining matches. Again, Bourne would be elevated to the main event by a good feud like this. Bourne's always entertaining in the ring, and Kennedy's not bad either, so they'd put on some good matches.

 

[Tenta]

TBK V.S. HBK

Aw, c'mon, does no one see this kind of match working? Shit, all it takes is moving TBK and Ezekial Jackson to Raw. Have TBK interfere in one of Shawn's matches, and try to injure Shawn Michaels. Point out how Shawn trained Brian, and how Brian feels it's his turn to become the showstopper. He starts to come out for matches in old HBK outfits, and have him even give the Sweet Chin Music after matches. Have Jackson attack Shawn, akin to Diesel/Sid would be a bodyguard for Shawn. Hell, even bring back Paul London, who would side with his old mentor, or side with TBK, and bring back Jannety. The possibilities abound.

 

[Azrael Cain]

After watching Raw this week, I would push for a Dolph Ziggler/Charlie Haas feud. Both guys need something to do -- Ziggler needs to get over, and Haas needs a chance to shine like he can.

Something else that might solidify the mid-card scene is Birchall/Noble. Surely a harmless flirtation with Katie Lee can piss off Paul and lead to a series of well-managed and memorable bouts. And again, neither guy is really doing anything on Raw, are they? Give 'em something to do and a chance to be built up.

And I really wish they would start treating Santino as a real wrestler again. While I love his comedy acts, he needs to have a good match to "re-solidify" himself.

 

[NSL]

After watching Raw this week, I would push for a Dolph Ziggler/Charlie Haas feud. Both guys need something to do -- Ziggler needs to get over, and Haas needs a chance to shine like he can.

I agree that Haas can be a good performer, but as long as he has an identity crisis, it'll be hard to push him seriously.

How do they put a guy in a storyline, where no one knows who he is from week to week?

In case people have forgotten Eugene, WWE has done the "guy with multiple gimmicks" before, and it got nowhere. The only difference, is that Haas is ******ed.

Yes...I said it correctly...

 

[Azrael Cain]

I'd love to see Haas next week with platinum blond hair, going "I'm Dolph Haasler." If he keeps mimicking the person he is feuding with, it's bound to get old, which can easily lead him to realize that he's had enough with this shit and he is going to prove once and for all that Charlie Haas is Charlie Haas, and he is going to be the damn Charlie Haas he can be.

Where does one go after the multiple gimmicks gimmick is done, however, is a totally different question.

Although the more I think about it, the more perfect it is. Think this: "I'm Dolph Zigger" -- someone who knows who he is, versus "__________" someone who has NO IDEA. It's two polar opposites coming together to create (a) a realization that Charlie Haas is Charlie Haas and that (b) Dolph Ziggler is destined for greatness.

It so could work.

Love your sig, btw.

 

[NSL]

How much of a push could Dolph get, from whipping on Charlie Haas? It may be a great series of matches and lackluster promos, but we'll get sick of "Hi! I'm Dolph Ziggler" before the feud pays off...

Charlie Haas's best bet, is probably to do the stalker fan concept, and start gimmicking one person, and try everything to actually be that person.

Here's an example:

Picture at RR, Matt Hardy is set to defend against Kozlov, and when his music hits, out comes Version 2.0 (Charlie Haas), trying to be like Matt. He costs Matt the match by trying to help, which gets the title off of Hardy, and sets up a short feud with Haas and Hardy, leading to NWO. They have a quick, solid match, where Haas earns Hardy's respect, and they team up that Tuesday against Finlay/Hornswoggle, and slowly start a good run as a force in the tag team division...

Haas was way better when he was in a tag team, and not the spotlight. Hardy is doing great, but I don't see where he goes after he loses the belt, and this is a good set-up

 

[Azrael Cain]

He could easily take that concept and stalk Ziggler. It would be funny...

I am trying to approach the scenario from the WWE's point of view of "entertainment," not wrestling. Clearly, Haas's wrestling career is done, and he is there as a character wrestler. No one will ever take him seriously again unless they completely reboot him. So in terms of "entertainment," Ziggler/Haas can lead to as much as one match, giving Ziggler even more heat and yet another victory, and this time over someone he has already fought -- that's establishment. That's saying "It's not a fluke, and even if you get a second chance, I am still better because I am Dolph Ziggler."

There doesn't have to be great, deep psychology to it. Although it would be nice if there were. Giving two superstars the chance to make the feud so that they both benefit, even if one more than the other, is better than squash booking. For all I know, Ziggler could get a major push if he and Haas raise the bar and suddenly impress.

But that's a hypothetical...

 

[NSL]

He could easily take that concept and stalk Ziggler. It would be funny...

Thinking about it...It could be...

Ziggler walks up to someone, shakes their hand, and before he can say anything, Haas walks up to the same person and says "Hi! I am Dolph Ziggler." After this happening 2 or 3 times (probably on the same show), Ziggler starts fuming, and goes to Stephanie to complain, where Stephanie laughs at him, and says Haas was just in there with the same problem, saying that someone was impersonating him...

I'm not sure where they take it beyond a week or two, but it'd be a fun ny segment on TV

 

[Tenta]

Thinking about it...It could be...

Ziggler walks up to someone, shakes their hand, and before he can say anything, Haas walks up to the same person and says "Hi! I am Dolph Ziggler." After this happening 2 or 3 times (probably on the same show), Ziggler starts fuming, and goes to Stephanie to complain, where Stephanie laughs at him, and says Haas was just in there with the same problem, saying that someone was impersonating him...

I'm not sure where they take it beyond a week or two, but it'd be a fun ny segment on TV

I don't mean to be mean..... But don't these names strike you as "lower card" wrestlers. I know the point is to boost these kids up, but isn't the point to build them up to main event status? And honestly, can you really picture Dolph Ziggler wrestling for the world title? Don't names like MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and TBK strike as mre attractive candidates?

 

[NSL]

And honestly, can you really picture Dolph Ziggler wrestling for the world title? Don't names like MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and TBK strike as mre attractive candidates?

I'm not saying Dolph would wrestle for the title, but he could eventually push for a mid-card belt. I think the IC Belt may be a little much, but the US Belt, and/or the tag belts would be good for him.

Charlie Haas is staying relevant, so I could see him pushing for one of the tag titles, if he had the right partner

 

[Tenta]

That I get. But wouldn't you want them dealing with more established stars? I feel that at this point, the mid carders really need someone to come down to their level, and they get a rub from one of those people. Something like Ziggler-Punk or Haas-Kane. Hass could pretend to be like an older version of Kane, and Kane could believe people are making fun of him again, causing hell on Hass. Eventually, Hass comes back, and they have their feud

My point being is that a fight with an established star and someone not nearly as established could work, but I'm not so sure about two unestablished characters (No pun for Haas there)

 

[NSL]

That I get. But wouldn't you want them dealing with more established stars? I feel that at this point, the mid carders really need someone to come down to their level, and they get a rub from one of those people. Something like Ziggler-Punk or Haas-Kane. Hass could pretend to be like an older version of Kane, and Kane could believe people are making fun of him again, causing hell on Hass. Eventually, Hass comes back, and they have their feud

My point being is that a fight with an established star and someone not nearly as established could work, but I'm not so sure about two unestablished characters (No pun for Haas there)

My original reply suggested Haas/M. Hardy...I'm not going to repeat the whole thing...But it's there...

As far as Haas/Kane, it may have worked if this was right after The World's Greatest Tag Team...At this point, no one would buy Haas standing a chance against Kane. Everyone would tune in to see Haas get chokeslammed through the mat...

 

[Tenta]

Ahh.... din't catch the Haas -Hardy thing.... I actually like the idea. My question would be why Haas, who seems to have nothing to do with Hardy? I understand the whole "copy" gimmick, but isn't the point that he copies his opponents? Why would he just randomly run out and copy Matt Hardy in the midst of his match with Kozlov?

 

[NSL]

Ahh.... din't catch the Haas -Hardy thing.... I actually like the idea. My question would be why Haas, who seems to have nothing to do with Hardy? I understand the whole "copy" gimmick, but isn't the point that he copies his opponents? Why would he just randomly run out and copy Matt Hardy in the midst of his match with Kozlov?

I'm not sure why...It started as an example, and I kind of ran with it.

I think Hardy is a solid singles wrestler, but I liked him better on a tag team. And, it wasn't during the match, it was during Hardy's entrance. The music hits, crowd pops, and out walks...Charlie Haas? People would go nuts, and then Hardy could walk out behind him, like

It would accomplish a few things all at once. Change the ECW champ, set up a brief feud for the two of them, and set them up for a tag team run for the summer, maybe year...

It'd at least be entertaining, and would work if they had Haas drop the Hardy gimmick as soon as they start to team...

It may not be the best mid-card feud possible, but it's an idea