buddyriffic
Occasional Pre-Show
I have been thinking about this for a long time now, and I really believe that the future is almost now in the WWE. The young stars are taking control, and I have to say they have been doing a damn good job. Gone is Shawn Michaels, and one day to be the Undertaker, HHH, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, and any links to the days of yesterday and all the classic times that we have been living through as fans. There are no longer the Eddie Guerreros, and even Chris Benoits. Even if Kurt Angle ever comes back to WWE, he will be gone one day too. Same for Batista if he ever comes back, it's a limited time performer. John Cena and Randy Orton are set to carry the company into the foreseeable future, but who will they be sharing the most spotlight with? I have compiled a massive list of WWE talent that I am impressed with, and maybe some of you want to share your views on my thoughts.
Kofi Kingston.
This guy is amazing, and really has a connection going with the crowd. He's earned their respect, and has great mid-card PPV level matches. What happened in his feud with Randy Orton was just a test for him. I'm sure he has some IWC hate on him for that feud but it was just a no-win situation for him the way it was booked. When the time is right for him to step up again I believe he will. As for the time being, he's fine where he's at. The mid-card has it's place and there's time to grow. You don't have to hate on everyone who can't be in the main event right away.
Dolph Ziggler.
Some may call him this generation's Billy Gunn, but I just don't see it that way. Not that there was anything wrong with Billy Gunn back in his day, but I see big things for Ziggler if he puts the work in. There's going to be some opportunities in the WWE and I see this guy as a real competitive athlete with a good in-ring style and I really believe he will win the audience's respect one day. For some reason he just doesn't maybe have it 100% yet, but I like the eventual slow build of his career as opposed to the instant push style that some people get. I think his career's been great so far.
Drew McIntyre.
This is a guy I've really got my eye on. He lost his steam in alot of people's eyes after "flopping" as "The Chosen One", but the thing is Vince McMahon never said he would be champ instantly......like the next WWE champ or something. I think he has a wicked heel-style character and he works like a heel in the ring. He's not "cool" at all, and I like that. I really hope that doesn't change. Because the endorsement by Vince still stands strong in my eye for this guy one day. He also has a great finisher that he does very well. It's hard to tell with the way they've booked him since the Matt Hardy feud, which I have to admit I enjoyed more than anything Matt had done anytime recently prior to that. They had him as the last man remaining on his Survivor Series team which was captained by Del Rio. Even though he wasn't put over exceptionally well in that match (which I thought they would use to "launch a career" as commentators had been alluding to) I am at least surprised that he was the last one there. And he could also be a possible King of the Ring winner. Either way, I believe the future is bright for Drew McIntyre.
Sheamus.
Well, he's already held the WWE title twice. Beat John Cena for it, and maybe didn't have the fans' respect right away but it was also partially due to the way it was booked. By the time he lost the title, feuded with HHH, "ended his career", got involved with the Cena/Nexus thing, and won the title back I would say he is pretty damn established and locked into the future plans of the main event scene in WWE and deservedly so.
Alberto Del Rio.
Geez, this guy is awesome. Introduced with classic vignettes, he came in as a complete asshole. Look at what he did to that little Chihuahua, Rey Mysterio.
And then his brief feud with Christian. If you look at this guy's in-ring skills he's sharp and his mannerisms as a heel are phenomenal. Look at how he acted after he tagged out in the classic Survivor Series match, winking at the Big Show and thinking he's safe because he tagged out. Classic, classic heel with the size, gift of gab and skill to succeed in the WWE main scene.
The Miz.
Well, he's the WWE champion. It's been quite a climb for the Miz. How long will he stay on top? I honestly have NO clue but I wish him the best and have been rooting for him since day 1. I never would have imagined he would have come this far this fast. His title win is even more shocking than Jack Swagger's win or Sheamus' first reign I believe. I guess I was giving him about a 90% or so after he won Money in the Bank, there was that slight part of me that thought he would be the first to come up short. But his win at MITB was a shocker as well as his win last Monday night. Looks like his time is now.
Jack Swagger.
Well, when he first came in as a part of ECW he was cool. It was a great feud with Christian over the title both as champion and challenger, everything was put over well. Then the botched draft to Raw which really went wrong for him for a long time. It was really shocking that he won MITB at WM 26, seeing as he had been jobbing to Santino prior. But his more serious attitude when he won the title was a welcome change and I embraced his short-lived reign....a good match with Randy Orton at Extreme Rules at least....too bad he had to get buried after the match but the match was a good one. His early matches with Cena were superb as well. This guy has promise. He has lost steam since not too long after he lost the title and the Rey Mysterio feud ended and the whole Soaring Eagle experiment but if he works hard enough he can get back some momentum, hopefully.
Cody Rhodes.
Well, he has been with us for quite some time already, from his feud with Randy Orton in the early days to his time in Legacy and now his tag team push/singles push on Smackdown. His progress has been slow but at least he has been chugging along. I first disagreed with his new "Dashing" persona but if he had to do it to stay relevant then I guess it was a change for the good. I can say for sure that this guy will never be world champ, and I'm not extremely high on him, but his ring work is believable enough to garner some consideration for respect in the future.
CM Punk.
From the days of him getting his feet wet in ECW and subsequent title reign.......to his 9 month period when he won IC, tag team and World Heavyweight gold on Raw.......to the very deserving feud of the year with Jeff Hardy and title reigns on Smackdown, and the whole SES thing, CM Punk is nowhere even near reached his full potential. That is scary. I have no idea how bright his future is, but I'm sure he will be on top again many more times to come.
Wade Barret.
You know a guy's good when you truly believe 2 PPV's in a row that he's taking the strap and he's only been on the roster 4-5 months. I know Sheamus got the instant win with his Raw career and all, but Wade Barrett will be just fine as well. He could be Heavyweight champ many, many times. I read in an interview that he would prefer to stay a heel always. I think this is the best route for Barrett. He's English.....a shoe-in to be hated by American wrestling fans, and his in-ring style is more calculating and meticulous. Very fitting for a bad guy. Not hiding the fact that he is green as all hell and nothing spectacular at this point, but he has so much potential for growth and has at least done his job in his forray into 2 PPV main events. He didn't drop the ball and looks comfortable in there, so he'll be given the opportunity going forward I believe. And permanently.
Ted DiBiase.
I know, I know. You hate him. He's done nothing. He's been buried. But, I like him. I liked his dad too, and I'm giving him a chance. Randy Orton was a mere shell of the performer he is now when he first started out feuding with Bob Holly. His work in the ring was green as hell, and so is DiBiase's. He's not better than ok on the mic, but that can change. I have a feeling he is going to be a late bloomer, and will be relevant one day. He's been in The Marine 2, has the look, and I'm sure has his share of supporters in the office. I'm more than happy to wait and see what happens with him in the future.
John Morrison.
I really would have thought we would be proclaiming John Morrison WWE champ before the Miz, but obviously I was wrong. It seemed as though he was a shoe-in for a Money in the Bank win at one point. I'm not sure how John has played his cards since he came to WWE but it would seem he puts a fantastic effort forth and just hasn't caught on.....yet. Miz has a better crowd connection to say the least, and Morrison can do some really sick stuff in the ring. He does the stuff that he is good at doing, but just doesn't have the whole thing figured out yet. Some even make him out to be a possible HBK-like performer for the future years to come. We'll have to see what John does, or what he is given or allowed to do in the future.
Daniel Bryan.
So, I'd always heard of him, it's just that I don't watch ROH or anything via YouTube really. I just watch TV. So......I've been impressed, and I'm sure with the way wrestlers have to adjust to the "WWE style", I'm sure his performances on the independent scene are nothing short of legendary. Maybe one day I'll check out his match with Lance Storm, I'd really love to see that one. The combination of what Bryan brings to the table and the way Michael Cole is putting him over is really giving Bryan's brand-new career in the WWE a huge kickstart. The sky seems to be the limit for this guy, and WWE may be giving the green light to performers like this in the future. Let's hope so. I think the minute I knew he could make it in the WWE was when he did the 5 minute Beat The Clock Challenge match with Batista. His performance against a big, massive WWE stalwart was enough to convince me right there. This guy's gonna make it.
Evan Bourne.
Another guy who fits the mold of the type of athlete we can all hope WWE pushes in the future. Is he a future WWE Heavyweight champion? No, but he has the potential to be the guy fans look to for that high-octane match on a PPV that they currently get from an athlete like Rey Mysterio, who is near retirement possibly. The types of matches that the WWE fans can sink their teeth into, like the old Jeff Hardy or Rob Van Dam matches from the early 2000's that really get heavy crowd support on the show. This could be a sweet spot for Evan Bourne.
Kaval.
He's most deserving of an opportunity, that's for sure. I can imagine a feud in the future with Rey Mysterio, that would be awesome. I had always known about Low-Ki when he was wrestling on the Shotgun Saturday Nights and the Metals and Jakked episodes. Then he made his way to TNA as Senshi where I was exposed to him there and was very very impressed, and now he's back through NXT and we'll see what kind of magic this Warrior can pull off in the world of WWE giants. I hope to see a lot more of him by the time he's done.
Tyson Kidd.
I'm wanting to give him a greater chance to succeed than David Hart Smith, but I can't guarantee that obviously. He seems to be working in his comfort zome to a better degree than DH at this point, but I guess it's not a race, it's a marathon. We'll see if he even gets a decent crack of doing anything special in WWE, but anything is possible for an athlete of this caliber. I guess it's just a case of Western Canadian pride!
Justin Gabriel.
I don't know how many people believe in this guy, but I sure do. I was just amazed at some of his performances on NXT season 1, and he has shown glimpses of brilliance since being on the Raw roster. It was a nice little match he had with John Cena maybe 2 months ago on Raw......crowd was even in his favour that night. (Which isn't saying much as the crowd goes pretty Bi-Polar on Cena but what the hell?
) He seems like a student of the game, so I'll give him a thumbs up and a fair crack at succeeding in his career. It wouldn't surprise me if he made the most of it.
Heath Slater.
Seriously. I like this guy. And this is strictly based on his in-ring performances during NXT season 1. If you didn't watch it I wouldn't expect you to be a fan of his. But he was a face back then, and it was working. In his heel role he is well suited too as he is kind of easy to hate. I don't know how much of a chance he'll get but I'll just enjoy the run while it lasts. Hopefully he can carve out a spot.
Beth Phoenix.
The female athlete of the new decade, for sure. Nobody will be the next Trish Stratus, but she can be the first Beth Phoenix which is just fine. Looking forward to a possible turn on Natalya and a good series of matches there. For now she'll deal with Lay-Cool. Beth has always been a stand-out performer, cooled of a bit during the Santino Marella days and the sudden and inexplicably loss of her title reign to Melina just months before WM 25 in Houston. She came back strong though, won the title then had to drop it due to injury and was off for a bit. But she is back and stronger than ever and can resume her path of dominance in the Women's division. Not too sure how people felt about the cross-over into competing with the men thing, but as far as I'm concerned there's a place for her there too to mix it up with the men.....to a certain degree. I would really like to see her compete with the females though.
I am also giving honourable mention to Michael McGillicutty, David Hart Smith, and Skip Sheffield. Having Mr. Perfect and Davey Boy's kids get a chance to do something big is always welcome. Like I said, I don't think DH has it figured out yet but maybe he will develop more. He has a great moveset, perfect size factor, but just no charisma. I haven't seen enough of McGillicutty but my eyes are wide open to him. I realize he lacks in the charisma department as well but his skills between the ropes will open the doors for him. Loved his dad and I hope he can do something great.
And I do like Skip Sheffield. Maybe people feel that he can't hold a candle to the standard of big men in the WWE. We'll really have to see about that. I was down on him at first during NXT season 1 but he really picked it up and I was kind of chuckling and rooting for him. What he had before he got hurt was a really really good spot in the Nexus. His heel character was flat out brutal. Intense and scary, portrayed as the muscle of the group and someone to be taken seriously. He carried himself well in his limited ring time too. It's too bad he got hurt and possibly faces a struggle upon his return. I'm sure he'll do better than Darren Young. We'll see if he's up to it.
Kofi Kingston.
This guy is amazing, and really has a connection going with the crowd. He's earned their respect, and has great mid-card PPV level matches. What happened in his feud with Randy Orton was just a test for him. I'm sure he has some IWC hate on him for that feud but it was just a no-win situation for him the way it was booked. When the time is right for him to step up again I believe he will. As for the time being, he's fine where he's at. The mid-card has it's place and there's time to grow. You don't have to hate on everyone who can't be in the main event right away.
Dolph Ziggler.
Some may call him this generation's Billy Gunn, but I just don't see it that way. Not that there was anything wrong with Billy Gunn back in his day, but I see big things for Ziggler if he puts the work in. There's going to be some opportunities in the WWE and I see this guy as a real competitive athlete with a good in-ring style and I really believe he will win the audience's respect one day. For some reason he just doesn't maybe have it 100% yet, but I like the eventual slow build of his career as opposed to the instant push style that some people get. I think his career's been great so far.
Drew McIntyre.
This is a guy I've really got my eye on. He lost his steam in alot of people's eyes after "flopping" as "The Chosen One", but the thing is Vince McMahon never said he would be champ instantly......like the next WWE champ or something. I think he has a wicked heel-style character and he works like a heel in the ring. He's not "cool" at all, and I like that. I really hope that doesn't change. Because the endorsement by Vince still stands strong in my eye for this guy one day. He also has a great finisher that he does very well. It's hard to tell with the way they've booked him since the Matt Hardy feud, which I have to admit I enjoyed more than anything Matt had done anytime recently prior to that. They had him as the last man remaining on his Survivor Series team which was captained by Del Rio. Even though he wasn't put over exceptionally well in that match (which I thought they would use to "launch a career" as commentators had been alluding to) I am at least surprised that he was the last one there. And he could also be a possible King of the Ring winner. Either way, I believe the future is bright for Drew McIntyre.
Sheamus.
Well, he's already held the WWE title twice. Beat John Cena for it, and maybe didn't have the fans' respect right away but it was also partially due to the way it was booked. By the time he lost the title, feuded with HHH, "ended his career", got involved with the Cena/Nexus thing, and won the title back I would say he is pretty damn established and locked into the future plans of the main event scene in WWE and deservedly so.
Alberto Del Rio.
Geez, this guy is awesome. Introduced with classic vignettes, he came in as a complete asshole. Look at what he did to that little Chihuahua, Rey Mysterio.
And then his brief feud with Christian. If you look at this guy's in-ring skills he's sharp and his mannerisms as a heel are phenomenal. Look at how he acted after he tagged out in the classic Survivor Series match, winking at the Big Show and thinking he's safe because he tagged out. Classic, classic heel with the size, gift of gab and skill to succeed in the WWE main scene. The Miz.
Well, he's the WWE champion. It's been quite a climb for the Miz. How long will he stay on top? I honestly have NO clue but I wish him the best and have been rooting for him since day 1. I never would have imagined he would have come this far this fast. His title win is even more shocking than Jack Swagger's win or Sheamus' first reign I believe. I guess I was giving him about a 90% or so after he won Money in the Bank, there was that slight part of me that thought he would be the first to come up short. But his win at MITB was a shocker as well as his win last Monday night. Looks like his time is now.
Jack Swagger.
Well, when he first came in as a part of ECW he was cool. It was a great feud with Christian over the title both as champion and challenger, everything was put over well. Then the botched draft to Raw which really went wrong for him for a long time. It was really shocking that he won MITB at WM 26, seeing as he had been jobbing to Santino prior. But his more serious attitude when he won the title was a welcome change and I embraced his short-lived reign....a good match with Randy Orton at Extreme Rules at least....too bad he had to get buried after the match but the match was a good one. His early matches with Cena were superb as well. This guy has promise. He has lost steam since not too long after he lost the title and the Rey Mysterio feud ended and the whole Soaring Eagle experiment but if he works hard enough he can get back some momentum, hopefully.
Cody Rhodes.
Well, he has been with us for quite some time already, from his feud with Randy Orton in the early days to his time in Legacy and now his tag team push/singles push on Smackdown. His progress has been slow but at least he has been chugging along. I first disagreed with his new "Dashing" persona but if he had to do it to stay relevant then I guess it was a change for the good. I can say for sure that this guy will never be world champ, and I'm not extremely high on him, but his ring work is believable enough to garner some consideration for respect in the future.
CM Punk.
From the days of him getting his feet wet in ECW and subsequent title reign.......to his 9 month period when he won IC, tag team and World Heavyweight gold on Raw.......to the very deserving feud of the year with Jeff Hardy and title reigns on Smackdown, and the whole SES thing, CM Punk is nowhere even near reached his full potential. That is scary. I have no idea how bright his future is, but I'm sure he will be on top again many more times to come.
Wade Barret.
You know a guy's good when you truly believe 2 PPV's in a row that he's taking the strap and he's only been on the roster 4-5 months. I know Sheamus got the instant win with his Raw career and all, but Wade Barrett will be just fine as well. He could be Heavyweight champ many, many times. I read in an interview that he would prefer to stay a heel always. I think this is the best route for Barrett. He's English.....a shoe-in to be hated by American wrestling fans, and his in-ring style is more calculating and meticulous. Very fitting for a bad guy. Not hiding the fact that he is green as all hell and nothing spectacular at this point, but he has so much potential for growth and has at least done his job in his forray into 2 PPV main events. He didn't drop the ball and looks comfortable in there, so he'll be given the opportunity going forward I believe. And permanently.
Ted DiBiase.
I know, I know. You hate him. He's done nothing. He's been buried. But, I like him. I liked his dad too, and I'm giving him a chance. Randy Orton was a mere shell of the performer he is now when he first started out feuding with Bob Holly. His work in the ring was green as hell, and so is DiBiase's. He's not better than ok on the mic, but that can change. I have a feeling he is going to be a late bloomer, and will be relevant one day. He's been in The Marine 2, has the look, and I'm sure has his share of supporters in the office. I'm more than happy to wait and see what happens with him in the future.
John Morrison.
I really would have thought we would be proclaiming John Morrison WWE champ before the Miz, but obviously I was wrong. It seemed as though he was a shoe-in for a Money in the Bank win at one point. I'm not sure how John has played his cards since he came to WWE but it would seem he puts a fantastic effort forth and just hasn't caught on.....yet. Miz has a better crowd connection to say the least, and Morrison can do some really sick stuff in the ring. He does the stuff that he is good at doing, but just doesn't have the whole thing figured out yet. Some even make him out to be a possible HBK-like performer for the future years to come. We'll have to see what John does, or what he is given or allowed to do in the future.
Daniel Bryan.
So, I'd always heard of him, it's just that I don't watch ROH or anything via YouTube really. I just watch TV. So......I've been impressed, and I'm sure with the way wrestlers have to adjust to the "WWE style", I'm sure his performances on the independent scene are nothing short of legendary. Maybe one day I'll check out his match with Lance Storm, I'd really love to see that one. The combination of what Bryan brings to the table and the way Michael Cole is putting him over is really giving Bryan's brand-new career in the WWE a huge kickstart. The sky seems to be the limit for this guy, and WWE may be giving the green light to performers like this in the future. Let's hope so. I think the minute I knew he could make it in the WWE was when he did the 5 minute Beat The Clock Challenge match with Batista. His performance against a big, massive WWE stalwart was enough to convince me right there. This guy's gonna make it.
Evan Bourne.
Another guy who fits the mold of the type of athlete we can all hope WWE pushes in the future. Is he a future WWE Heavyweight champion? No, but he has the potential to be the guy fans look to for that high-octane match on a PPV that they currently get from an athlete like Rey Mysterio, who is near retirement possibly. The types of matches that the WWE fans can sink their teeth into, like the old Jeff Hardy or Rob Van Dam matches from the early 2000's that really get heavy crowd support on the show. This could be a sweet spot for Evan Bourne.
Kaval.
He's most deserving of an opportunity, that's for sure. I can imagine a feud in the future with Rey Mysterio, that would be awesome. I had always known about Low-Ki when he was wrestling on the Shotgun Saturday Nights and the Metals and Jakked episodes. Then he made his way to TNA as Senshi where I was exposed to him there and was very very impressed, and now he's back through NXT and we'll see what kind of magic this Warrior can pull off in the world of WWE giants. I hope to see a lot more of him by the time he's done.
Tyson Kidd.
I'm wanting to give him a greater chance to succeed than David Hart Smith, but I can't guarantee that obviously. He seems to be working in his comfort zome to a better degree than DH at this point, but I guess it's not a race, it's a marathon. We'll see if he even gets a decent crack of doing anything special in WWE, but anything is possible for an athlete of this caliber. I guess it's just a case of Western Canadian pride!
Justin Gabriel.
I don't know how many people believe in this guy, but I sure do. I was just amazed at some of his performances on NXT season 1, and he has shown glimpses of brilliance since being on the Raw roster. It was a nice little match he had with John Cena maybe 2 months ago on Raw......crowd was even in his favour that night. (Which isn't saying much as the crowd goes pretty Bi-Polar on Cena but what the hell?
) He seems like a student of the game, so I'll give him a thumbs up and a fair crack at succeeding in his career. It wouldn't surprise me if he made the most of it.Heath Slater.
Seriously. I like this guy. And this is strictly based on his in-ring performances during NXT season 1. If you didn't watch it I wouldn't expect you to be a fan of his. But he was a face back then, and it was working. In his heel role he is well suited too as he is kind of easy to hate. I don't know how much of a chance he'll get but I'll just enjoy the run while it lasts. Hopefully he can carve out a spot.
Beth Phoenix.
The female athlete of the new decade, for sure. Nobody will be the next Trish Stratus, but she can be the first Beth Phoenix which is just fine. Looking forward to a possible turn on Natalya and a good series of matches there. For now she'll deal with Lay-Cool. Beth has always been a stand-out performer, cooled of a bit during the Santino Marella days and the sudden and inexplicably loss of her title reign to Melina just months before WM 25 in Houston. She came back strong though, won the title then had to drop it due to injury and was off for a bit. But she is back and stronger than ever and can resume her path of dominance in the Women's division. Not too sure how people felt about the cross-over into competing with the men thing, but as far as I'm concerned there's a place for her there too to mix it up with the men.....to a certain degree. I would really like to see her compete with the females though.
I am also giving honourable mention to Michael McGillicutty, David Hart Smith, and Skip Sheffield. Having Mr. Perfect and Davey Boy's kids get a chance to do something big is always welcome. Like I said, I don't think DH has it figured out yet but maybe he will develop more. He has a great moveset, perfect size factor, but just no charisma. I haven't seen enough of McGillicutty but my eyes are wide open to him. I realize he lacks in the charisma department as well but his skills between the ropes will open the doors for him. Loved his dad and I hope he can do something great.
And I do like Skip Sheffield. Maybe people feel that he can't hold a candle to the standard of big men in the WWE. We'll really have to see about that. I was down on him at first during NXT season 1 but he really picked it up and I was kind of chuckling and rooting for him. What he had before he got hurt was a really really good spot in the Nexus. His heel character was flat out brutal. Intense and scary, portrayed as the muscle of the group and someone to be taken seriously. He carried himself well in his limited ring time too. It's too bad he got hurt and possibly faces a struggle upon his return. I'm sure he'll do better than Darren Young. We'll see if he's up to it.
Truth should get a title reign for at least a month or 2!
