What's the reason that the WWE can not develop huge new stars?

[hello]

I think a big reason is they dont allow enough creative freedom for the wrestlers to let their personality show. Think of the Rock or Austin - both flourished with their characters because they were extensions of their personality. No one's going to become popular by reading a scripted promo that somebody else wrote - because there naturally will not be enough feeling in it if they had written it themselves.

 

[MizFit]

The WWE is developing new stars. Miz is WWE champ, and another potential champ in Del Rio could occur this Sunday at TLC. Then there is Sheamus, Cody Rhodes, John Morrison, Wade Barrett, and others. In this crowd there is bound to be at least one of these huge new stars. Without a doubt, WWE is set for the future. The new stars a developing their personalities just fine. There are no problems in mind at this point in time.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

Uh, really? You're really asking that question? So then I guess people like Sheamus and Miz don't count right? Sorry, buddy but you got it all wrong. The WWE is SO able to develop new stars. In fact, they already have a handful of them in the works.

Just look at Sheamus, he was the first of a long line of future main-eventers to rise to the top of the food chain. As botched as the road to the top may have been, he still managed to make it to the point where he is now respectfully considerd an established star. Sure, he may not be at the level of people like Cena or Orton at the momment. But with time, Sheamus will become he big star that he was made out to be.

Then you have the Miz. the guy that was proclaimed to be the future torch-holder of the company. Little by little, inch by inch, Miz raised himself from the bottom straight to the top. He is now even to the point where he has become WWE champion. Therefore, establishing him as a legitimate main-eventer. The Miz is said to become the poster boy of the company, and based on the build he has had so far, it's only logical to assume the WWE is doing a kick ass job with him.

Now, that's just the first two. Behind them you still have guys like Wade Barret, Alberto Del-Rio, Daniel Bryan, and so many more just getting line--ready to recieve their push to the top. The WWE DOES know how to develop huge stars. If they didn't, then they wouldn't be where they are now, vasking in all the glory that this youth movement has been bringing them.

I believe the reason people aren't able to fully accept these uys as huge stars is because well, they're not exactly to the point where they're going to be yet. Think about it. All of these fresh new stars are still relatively new to the main event scene. But given time, I bet that both Sheamus and Miz will have reached lengths that no one would have ever thought possible for them to achieve.

So yea, WWE does a great job of building stars. The only issue is that they haven't had enough exposure to the main event scene yet so they're not at the level of wrestlers like Cena or Orton.

 

[WeAreLasers9097]

What more do you want? It took 8 years for guys like Cena, Batista, and Orton to get to the point where they are now. Superstars aren't established overnight, just as megastars aren't made in a matter of months. Right now, it's too early to tell who will be the WWEs next draw, but there's a gigantic handful to predict from.

 

[LSN80]

If we were talking TNA, I could see your point. But you're seriously asking this question during the time that WWE is going through one of its biggest transitional periods in terms of youth movement in 5 years, at least?

HHH, HBK, Chris Jericho, Batista, and Undertaker have all missed significant time due to injury, or have retired. As a result, WWE has had to pull the trigger on pushing younger men into the main event that might possibly not be near it if those 5 were currently active. Last year saw the rise of Sheamus and The Miz. Sheamus only became a 2 time WWE Champion, and the 2010 King of the Ring, while Miz became a 2 time US champion, A Unified Tag Champion, Money in The Bank winner, and WWE Champion. How is that not developing new stars?

Lets look at this year. Furthermore, lets look at our champions. We have a first time Divas Champion in Natalya, whose broken away from the Hart Dynasty and Uncle Bret to become the dominant female in the women's division at the time. Dolph Ziggler is a first time Intercontinental Champion, and has been consistently putting on good to great matches in the four months he's been champ. Daniel Bryan is the US Champion, and has been good for a *** plus match to open every PPV since becoming champion. John Morrison is in the middle of the push of his life, and is on the cusp of possibly becoming #1 Contender for the WWE Championship, at the Royal Rumble. Its only the second most prestigious PPV of the year and all for WWE.

So I have a hard time understanding what you're talking about. Miz has stated repeatedly in interviews that the character he portrays is an extension of himself. Daniel Bryan is much the same way. Alot of the other characters have a larger then life gimmick that can't be ignored, such as Dolph Ziggler. If you're not recognizing the success of the youth movement, then you've missed two of the best mid-card reigns in Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan in a LONG time. Need I go in to how successful the Nexus angle has been?

People may not be fully ready to accept these people into the main event scene, because, well, they're new. As much as people clamor for change, change is what we fear the most. We're comfortable with the Randy Orton's and John Cena's main eventing PPV's. So when Wade Barrett and Miz are main eventing, it's not that they're doing a bad job, its that people are resistant to change. The youth movement is in full effect, and WWE is doing a phenomenal job of developing it.

 

[Attitude]

Uh, really? You're really asking that question? So then I guess people like Sheamus and Miz don't count right? Sorry, buddy but you got it all wrong. The WWE is SO able to develop new stars. In fact, they already have a handful of them in the works.

Just look at Sheamus, he was the first of a long line of future main-eventers to rise to the top of the food chain. As botched as the road to the top may have been, he still managed to make it to the point where he is now respectfully considerd an established star. Sure, he may not be at the level of people like Cena or Orton at the momment. But with time, Sheamus will become he big star that he was made out to be.

Then you have the Miz. the guy that was proclaimed to be the future torch-holder of the company. Little by little, inch by inch, Miz raised himself from the bottom straight to the top. He is now even to the point where he has become WWE champion. Therefore, establishing him as a legitimate main-eventer. The Miz is said to become the poster boy of the company, and based on the build he has had so far, it's only logical to assume the WWE is doing a kick ass job with him.

Now, that's just the first two. Behind them you still have guys like Wade Barret, Alberto Del-Rio, Daniel Bryan, and so many more just getting line--ready to recieve their push to the top. The WWE DOES know how to develop huge stars. If they didn't, then they wouldn't be where they are now, vasking in all the glory that this youth movement has been bringing them.

I believe the reason people aren't able to fully accept these uys as huge stars is because well, they're not exactly to the point where they're going to be yet. Think about it. All of these fresh new stars are still relatively new to the main event scene. But given time, I bet that both Sheamus and Miz will have reached lengths that no one would have ever thought possible for them to achieve.

So yea, WWE does a great job of building stars. The only issue is that they haven't had enough exposure to the main event scene yet so they're not at the level of wrestlers like Cena or Orton.

What more do you want? It took 8 years for guys like Cena, Batista, and Orton to get to the point where they are now. Superstars aren't established overnight, just as megastars aren't made in a matter of months. Right now, it's too early to tell who will be the WWEs next draw, but there's a gigantic handful to predict from.

I think the point he's trying to make is make huge new stars on the level of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Stone Cold, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels.

Sorry to tell you guys John Cena, Batista, and Randy Orton aren't on their levels. Sure they are the faces of this generation but they haven't reached Austin or Hogan's level.

You have to be kidding if you think guys like Sheamus or the Miz are even close to Austin, Hogan, or Flair's level. Compared to them Sheamus and the Miz are jokes.

I think the Federation (Golden Era), Attitude Era, had the benefit of having the legends and veterans around to get the "rub" off of. Today's superstars don't. There just isn't as many legends or veterans around as there use to be.

Hogan had the likes of Jesse the body Ventura, Superstar Billy Graham, and Bob Backlund and Andre the Giant to get the rub off of.

Austin had the likes of Yokozuno, Jake the Snake Roberts, Bret the Hitman Hart, Shawn Michaels, and the Undertaker to get a rub off of.

Today's guys just don't have it.

 

[HiddenInPlainView]

I see both sides of this argument. Yes The Miz and Sheamus are on the right path. And Del Rio could be next. But look at what they have done with others. They get them ready for a huge push and then just drop it. The list includes MVP, John Morrison, Carlito, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, Ted Dibiase, and many more that i am forgetting. They seem to give up too easy and sometimes the wrestling community needs to be force fed someone to get them over.

 

[Ultra Awesome]

I think the point he's trying to make is make huge new stars on the level of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Stone Cold, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels.

If that's the case, then I take back thinking the guy's stupid...for now...

To be fair, there are many factors that contribute to the fact that it will be highly unlikely for new stars to reach the levels of the guys above. Thinking back, all of those huge guys were from the golden ages of the WWE--a time when wrestling was cool and everyone loved it. Now, wrestling is not as popular as it once was thus hurts the chances of said stars to get bigger.

Sorry to tell you guys John Cena, Batista, and Randy Orton aren't on their levels. Sure they are the faces of this generation but they haven't reached Austin or Hogan's level.

Like I said before, the standards are different. When comparing the Rock to Cena, Rock was obviously the better star because well, he thrived during the Attitude Era, the golden age of WWE. Whereas Cena is thriving off of the PG Era; a great Era to be sure, but not as popular as its precedor.

You have to be kidding if you think guys like Sheamus or the Miz are even close to Austin, Hogan, or Flair's level. Compared to them Sheamus and the Miz are jokes.

I don't think anyone ever said that Sheamus and Miz are "close" to the level f Stone Cold and Hogan. In fact, Miz and Sheamus are bearly beginners. Thinking they already reached Stone Cold level is asinine. But mark my words, in due time, Miz and Sheamus will reach levels of greatness no one would have ever thought they could ever reach. Now, that...that I am most certain of.

I think the Federation (Golden Era), Attitude Era, had the benefit of having the legends and veterans around to get the "rub" off of. Today's superstars don't. There just isn't as many legends or veterans around as there use to be.

Hogan had the likes of Jesse the body Ventura, Superstar Billy Graham, and Bob Backlund and Andre the Giant to get the rub off of.

Austin had the likes of Yokozuno, Jake the Snake Roberts, Bret the Hitman Hart, Shawn Michaels, and the Undertaker to get a rub off of.

This is true [somewhat]. A handful of the major stars in the WWE right now are either injured or not wtrestling at the momment--in other words, they are inactive. But just because these new guys don't have huge powers to push them to higher lengths does not mean that they can't get there on their own. The "rub" that you speak of is only part of what makes a wrestler huge. Sure, the rub helps, but it's mainly up to the said individual to prove that they have what it takes to be at the top.

Today's guys just don't have it.

Like I said, standards. These new guys do in fact have it. The only difference is that they are from a new generation--a generation that is not the glory days of the WWE. But based on the standards given to wrestlers nowadays, most if not all of the *youth movement* stars will inavetably become huge stars and ultimately veterans such as Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Undertaker, etc, all have. They may not be as big, but they'll be up there alright.

 

[LSN80]

I think the point he's trying to make is make huge new stars on the level of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Stone Cold, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels.

Sorry to tell you guys John Cena, Batista, and Randy Orton aren't on their levels. Sure they are the faces of this generation but they haven't reached Austin or Hogan's level..

Of course they havent. They're still in the prime of their careers, where those men are retired or are in their twilight. Everyone seems to "look back" at the older generation through rose colored glasses, and see everything as being perfect. The fact is, when many of those superstars you listed were main eventing Wrestlemania's and the like, the cards were CRAP.

John Cena is every bit on the level of any of those Superstars. Get over the infatuation with the attitude era, its not coming back. WWE has invested time in making Cena their top face and Orton their top heel for a long time, and it was quite successful. The depth behind them may not be as star studded or have the credentials you want right NOW, but the potential is there. The standards today are different. The attitude era, the one youre trying to live in, was the golden age of wrestling. Todays era is a different time, a different standard. Its the PG era, and the stars are going to be different.

You have to be kidding if you think guys like Sheamus or the Miz are even close to Austin, Hogan, or Flair's level. Compared to them Sheamus and the Miz are jokes.

Nobody made that comparison. Austin Hogan and Flair plied their craft for decades. Of course Seamus and Miz aren't on the level of those men, they're legends who have worked decades in the business. And you know what? Id bet that when the Hogans and the Flair's were rising to prominence, people said, "Well they're not Brunno Sannmartino, Gorgeous George, or Buddy Rogers!" You make an unfair comparison when you try and compare an up and comer to a legend. Of course they're not at that level yet, but it's closemindedness like this that ensures that many people wont be able to appreciate that all they're attempting to do is become the FIRST Miz, and the FIRST Sheamus. And there's nothing wrong with that.

I think the Federation (Golden Era), Attitude Era, had the benefit of having the legends and veterans around to get the "rub" off of. Today's superstars don't. There just isn't as many legends or veterans around as there use to be.

Sure they are. They're all in TNA, or working backstage in WWE. You just don't see them on TV as much. Injuries, retirements, and a subsequent youth movement have guaranteed that. I guess you missed Piper's Pit a month ago when Piper gave Barrett, Orton, and Cena quite the rub.

Today's guys just don't have it.

Sure they do. Its just that those "guys" that you're talking about are now Edge, John Cena, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Kane, HHH(when healthy) Undertaker(when healthy), and Chris Jericho(upon his return). Those men are your superstars who give rubs each and every week just by stepping in the ring with the younger superstars. Those men are your legends. If you need further proof, look at the amount of gold they've worn. Nobody in WWE history has won more championships(combined) then Edge. How does that not qualify him as a legend? The others have similar resumes, and hence bring the "star power" needed to produce the extremely effective youth movement of today.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think that this is a question that belongs in the TNA section rather than the WWE. One huge reason why the WWE has continued to be the biggest wrestling company in the world has been in its ability to create new stars. If you can't create stars, then it's only a matter of time before you go tits up.

When you look at guys like The Miz, Sheamus & Wade Barrett, it's kind of staggering to see how far they've come in such a short span of time. I think that Sheamus has shown that he's in for the long haul, The Miz has been steadily built towards becoming WWE Champion for the past year and Wade Barrett might well be the most over young heel in wrestling. Barrett has been a regular on WWE television since late May. It's late mid December now and Wade Barrett consistently comes out to a huge chorus of boos everytime he comes out on Raw or a ppv. It's extremely rare for someone as new as Wade Barrett to generate such heat in such a short span of time. The WWE used John Cena to help get Barrett over as a heel and it's worked beautifully.

I've been impressed with guys like Daniel Bryan, John Morrison, CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, Kofi Kingston and others. I don't think the WWE has anything to worry about when it comes to future stars.

Only time can tell whether or not any of these guys will be the next Stone Cold, The Rock or HBK. In the eyes of some people, none of these guys ever will because they look upon wrestling favorites of their past through rose colored glasses. They had great times in their youths watching these guys and many of them remember them as being far better than they were. Don't get me wrong, all three of those guys were outstanding, but even they had shortcomings sometimes.

 

[Zeven_Zion]

WWE doesn't have the booking ability to create a star. What they have is their popularity. WWE is so popular that they can push just about anyone and he'll seem like a star in people's eyes. Talent wise, they have no stars that match or even come close to The Rock, Austin, Undertaker, Michaels, Hunter, etc. The current crop of "stars" are the worst "stars" in WWE history.

The Miz - for anyone to say that Miz was build up to be a champion is moronic. Miz was never build up to be anything, because noone thought he had it. I still don't think he does. The Miz went from a nobody, to a potential Main Eventer after he went singles and began shining on his own. One of the first moves he had was to feud with Cena. Great building up there, he got his ass kicked and didn't even look good doing it. Everything after that is a blur simply because it was insignificant. Oh yeah, he tapped out to Bryan Danielson, twice, in a row, lost a belt. And then approximately a month later he wins a World Title and I'm supposed to believe he's a credible champion and he can beat Randy Orton? Fuck that. That way it seems like Bryan Danielson can jump in that ring, make him tap again and become WWE Champion. Look at that huh? Miz never won a big match in his LIFE, and now he's The Champ. Alright, another dose of WWE logic. Still, he is captain mediocrity. He only looks good because the rest of the roster is very bland. It's like standing in a room full of midgets. You'd feel taller, wouldn't you? Good mic skills, zero in the ring. He can wrestle, but he can't do it like a Main Eventer. He has to be carried. He's bland. Nothing exciting, nothing captivating, nothing to wow me. And now he has to, THE Champion. What happened to the best holding the top belt?

Sheamus - Built up in the laziest way I've ever seen. Make him leave a trail of lifeless bodies first. Great. Second - put a belt on him and expect the fans to believe he's money. He's not money. Third - make him cheat in all of his matches. Screeech! Hold on, more WWE logic? So he's dominant before that, but wins the belt and cheats his goatee off? O-...kay? Sheamus has cosmetic value, he has charisma and mic skills, but that's where it all ends. Like The Miz - he's a zero in the ring. Another big guy and he's already a 2 time WWE Champion! The fuck happened? He's pure boredom unless he's facing a skinny guy who will sell his ass off for him like Bourne or JoMo. At least the skin jokes are fun.

Wade Barret - The same thing I said about Sheamus applies for Barret. Coolest faction, it died in two months, it's not on life support, then wrestled Cena a thousand times, don't think he looked good during any of the bouts, never did anything memorable aside from wearing matching T-Shirts with other goons, and is now wrestling Cena again to remind us of the good 'ol days when he'd get his ass whipped by The last son of Krypton. Entertainment overload! Danger! Danger!

Jack Swagger - A guy that had it all now is being followed by a mascot. They wasted his title run and made him into a joke. Back to the drawing board you go!

John Morisson - The man of a thousand pushes. They do push him ... off a cliff. How many times are they going to push him and then nullify the success they made with him a week after that? So he ends up beating Sheamus on that PPV match, he looks strong, he's looking good. Then at KOTR he gets beat, cleanly, by Sheamus - The new KOTR. Push - nullified. Back to the low mid-card you go.

Dolph Ziggler - Again, a guy that has it all. No hint of him being anything better than the IC Champ. WWE's never been real high on the guy anyhow. Big waste, this is a guy that has the full package and he's just sitting on SD, rotting around with Vickie Guerrero.



WWE has build a lot of people up to a Main Event status, but it is too quickly, and they're doing it to the wrong guys. I hate the youth movement, I think it's the worst thing to do right now. What would happen if WWE did the Youth Movement back in the day? What if they gave the strap to The Ringmaster or Rocky Maivia and told them to stick with that because they needed stars and they needed them NAOOOO!!! Would The Rock ever become The Rock? Would The Ringmaster become a beer swilling redneck? I highly doubt that.

WWE can make Main Eventers, they can produce people to fill the top spot of the card, that's easy. But they can't make them believable and larger than life. They can't convince me that these guys are ass kickers, destroyers, people that will go balls out and deliver like no other. I can't buy The Miz, especially when he cheats in every match, even against a 60 years old. Is that how you build huge stars? I don't think so. I can't buy Sheamus as a serious threat either, I couldn't when he was champion and I can't do it now. Sheamus ALSO cheated his ass off when he held the belt, both times I believe, and he's a big guy. Why would he need to cheat? What's the point in all of this? He's a heel? Yeah, but you made him start out on RAW as a MONSTER heel. He kayfabe ended a guy's career, and when he goes to wrestle Cena and become Champion he cheats? Come on. The kids have talent and potential to be big, but the booking humps them in the mouth.

WWE has no real huge stars aside from Cena and Orton, it has people that wrestle at the end of the show.

P.S: I like my rose colored glasses.

 

[Otacon]

i think you just have to be a little patient. Also wrestling has changed over the past decade. Its going to be more difficult to impress the audience, as people we are going to crave more and its going to take a bit longer to build up a talent.

 

[CAPT SPAULD1NG8]

the reason wwe as having trouble developing new stars is because they are pushing guys into the main event to soon. sheamus and wade barrett. are 2 big examples. sheamus is already a 2 time wwe champion and its only a matter of time before barrett becomes champ. back in the 80's and 90's you really had to pay your dues. guys like brett hart, shawn michaels, the rock, chris jericho, jeff hardy, stone cold all had successful runs when they held other titles before becoming champ. fastfoward to now and guys like jack swagger sheamus have already reached the top so anything less is going down the ladder. thats why i believe the miz is going to be a great wrestler and even better down the road. he truly earned what he has now. he started as a host then started wrestling. hes a multiple time tag champ. a multiple time us champ. a unified tag team champion. the only person to unify the tag titles and the us title. money in the bank winner. finally hes a wwe champion. he took it step by step. thats why hes so good. and thats why i think its john morrison, christian, turn to hold some kind of big title soon. they are both capable of being good champions and i think they both deserve it. the future of wwe is looking bright as well. there are some great talents that wwe has now that will be huge in the future. guys like alberto del rio, daniel bryan, dolph ziggler, wade barret, drew macintyre, and kofi kingston i can see being future world/wwe champion. wwe is doing the right thing right now and building these guys to be big stars and they need to keep that up.

 

[Ferbian]

How about the fact that WWE right now doesn't need to develop a huge star?

They developed Hogan for the sake of having a huge star. And it worked, and it continued to work until he left. Then they went for a while with a less huge star in Bret Hart, until Stone Cold came along and became the next huge star. There wasn't any time in-between that where there were 2 huge stars present at the same time. Now certainly it could be argued that Rock and Austin co-existed as the huge star - But let's be realistic, Austin was the biggest star of the two.

And then we move on, as Austin and Rock retired, we slowly began to slide towards Brock Lesnar, and certainly he had already been rather active in terms of being a big star, but he never truly became the big star to carry the company. So it wasn't until John Cena stepped forth. John Cena who is still being active, and is still the top star.

So I ask, why would they NEED to create a huge new star right now? That's right, they don't need it.

But let's say they did need it. They would have more than enough of the ability to create the next huge star. There's no doubt about it. Why in the world would WWE have lost that ability, considering the fact that Randy Orton slowly became one of the only people in the past 5 years or so to contest the reaction of John Cena.

Besides, Vince seemingly being high on The Miz would cause it to be obvious that eventually he will be turned face, and be pushed as the top face of the company - Which means, here we got another huge star. And there's no denying that Miz will eventually be a huge star, or that WWE will eventually (When needed) have the next huge star ready to roll in.

 

[Slack]

Ok first off, folks like Flair, Austin, Hogan and so forth weren't huge stars right away. It took years and years for them to become stars.

Also the whole script thing, yeah the WWE might do scripts, but that doesn't mean that anyone can be the character that is scripted. No you have to find the right person who can pull that character off.

 

[Richard]

The one problem I think people have when watching wrestling in general wether it be WWE or TNA for example is that people just love comparing wrestlers of today to the wrestlers of yesterday.

For example. "Randy Orton is the next Stone Cold" or "The Miz is the next The Rock".

Comparisons like this should not be created because if you were to watch RAW this coming Monday and when Randy Orton comes out and you think to yourself, Randy Orton is the next Stone Cold Steve Austin. You are going to be sadly mistaken. That goes the same with The Miz or any other superstar being compared to someone from ages ago, another example is John Morrison being compared to Shawn Michaels.

If you compare todays guys to yesterdays guys, they just aren't going to match up and when watching them for similarities, you're not going to be able to watch them and appreciate them for themselves, their own characters, you're going to miss it completely and in your eyes they won't actually be stars because they won't be able to live up to your expectations of them.

There's every possibility that Jack Swagger, CM Punk or Sheamus could main event a WrestleMania in the future. The WWE is building stars and they are set for the future for when guys like John Cena and Randy Orton aren't taking up too much space in the title picture. John Morrison and Sheamus are going to be competeing over a number 1 contenders spot. If that doesnt show that WWE are focusing on building the next huge WWE stars, then I don't know what does.

Despite a few mistakes, generally speaking, the WWE knows what it's doing when it comes to establishing stars. This is an exciting time for WWE, so just relax and enjoy watching all these young guys come into their own.

 

[WWEboy13]

WWE is developing huge new stars. The Miz is WWE Champ. He's a new star right? Sheamus and John Morrison are competing for #1 Contender to the Championship. Daniel Bryan is United States Champion and is currently feuding with Ted DiBiase Jr.. Dolph Ziggler is the Intercontinental Champion and is feuding with Kofi Kingston and Jack Swagger. Jack Swagger was the World Heavyweight Champion. Alberto Del Rio has a title match at TLC.

Anymore proof the WWE is developing New stars?

 

[Davi323]

I think the point he's trying to make is make huge new stars on the level of Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, Ric Flair, Stone Cold, The Rock, The Undertaker, and Shawn Michaels.

In addition to what Jack-Hammer said...it isn't as if those guys were huge mega-stars right away anyway.

Hulk Hogan had already been wrestling for a few years before he signed with the WWF, he wasn't HULK FUCKING HOGAN since birth, you know. Vince McMahon turned a young but experienced wrestler into a champion. Right now, guys like Miz, Morrison, Sheamus, have the experience that Hogan did while he was still in the AWA. Not comparing the WWE to the AWA, but in terms of actual wrestling experience, years in the business, etc.

Randy Savage wasn't exactly a household name from the very beginning either. He spent years at the mid-card level before he ever got a chance to be in the main event scene. Savage had to earn his bones.

Stone Co....I mean Stunning Steve Austin? This guy spent years in WCW being a mid-carder, and being told that he wasn't "marketable".

The Underta...that is Mean Mark Callus, did the same thing. These guys weren't born with a heavyweight championship around their waists.

Shawn Michaels? Spent years in the AWA, being a mid-card tag teamer who never "officially" won the gold, then spent additional years in the mid-card scene before finally being elevated?

The Rock? Started out as Rocky Miavia, getting booed out of the arena to the chants of "Die Rocky, die!". Then he spent a while a a mid-carder with the Nation of Domination, before getting his main event push.

Ric Flair kinda defies the mold. I don't any wrestling organization developed him into a huge new star per say, Ric Flair simply had an undeniable talent for pro wrestling, and promoters simply recognized it. I don't think Flair was made by any company, he was going to be Ric Flair, period.

Basically, when you look at where Miz, Morrison, Sheamus and some of the other new blood in the WWE are, at how long they have been in the business, they are still babes in the woods compared to how long it took some of those legends. Ask this question again in 2020, when they have all been in the business 15+ years.

 

[Hulk Hogan's Brother]

There is obviously no doubting the fact that WWE makes a concious effort to develop new stars and succeeds as well. I mean sure you'll come across a Jack Swagger every now and then but for every Swagger you have got a Miz, Sheamus and a Barrett.

As for the OP's question as to why a superstar is not on the Austin/ Rock level, its due to the combination of quite a few factors. Firstly guys like Austin and Hogan come across only once in a decade. Also wrestling is not as popular as it once used to be once upon a time. And finally it could be that we have grown older and have become smarks. I do think that Cena is just as popular with the kids as Austin was with everyone back in the 90's. Now surely one can point out that Austin was popular with everyone but Cena is just popular among kids but at that time wrestling's target audience were the adults and the kids were really never going to quit watching after having watched for such a long time. These days wrestling is surely only for the kids. And I would say that Cena is pretty huge among the kids.

Booking is just something that smarks complain too much about. I mean TNA makes WWE look like a booking genius though its not that WWE booking is without its share of flaws. Also stuff like not giving enough creative control to wrestlers is something that we know about only because WWE has said so. No one would have noticed it otherwise.

I think its just the times more than anything else.

 

[TheDaneTrain]

I honestly think it's pretty simple... A buddy of mine and I were talking about this recently... WWE has no real successful characters anymore:

Stone Cold Steve Austin was a gimmick
The Rock was a gimmick
Hulk Hogan was a gimmick
Ric Flair was a gimmick
HBK was a gimmick
HHH was a gimmick
The Undertaker was a gimmick

All of these guys had larger than life personas on TV. They were so unbelievable that they became believable.

Now:
John Cena is just a regular guy
The Miz is just a regular guy
Sheamus is just a regular guy
John Morrison is just a regular guy
Daniel Bryan is just a regular guy
Dolph Ziggler is just a regular guy
etc..

Whether they are heel or face.. they are still just regular guys... No real gimmick... They are so believable... that when something unbelievably happens... it seems, well, still unbelievable because these guys are nothing but regular guys.

 

[RicSpade]

I have to say that I think the poster has this all wrong, its not that the WWE can't develop huge new stars its the fact that the business today isn't as huge as it was 15-20-25 years ago. Think about it you had huge star in Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair in the 80's and 90's. When the NWO/Attitude Era arrived you had to break out stars because of the ratings war between WCW and WWE so you had HBK, Bret, Austin, Mankind, Rock. and HHH. Post WCW era you had WCW guys having to remake a name for themselves like a Jericho who was held back because of guys like Hogan, Booker who never really got over because he was squashed in the beginning of the takeover. Then you had guys who are mega stars like a Kurt Angle (When you have been a gold medalist, you do movies, and you have won championships internationally as well as with the companies your in your over), Brock, Eddie, JBL, Benoit. The problem with these guys aren't that they were over but the business right now isn't as good as it was once was so Benoit, JBL, Eddie while they were all decent champs the business isn't a ratings draw where a 4 is now considered good when they were doing Monday Night Football ratings of 12, 13.

So in a PG era where the business is starting to see competition and you see guys like Hardy (never really got a big push since the biker days of Taker), Punk, Miz, Swagger, Barrett, Del Rio go for championships or be a champion you have to understand there big stars if they are pushed right, and they can draw (Miz going on every show possible to promote himself is a start but its all about if he boosts the ratings), then in this era they will be the future stars they are meant to be.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

Well, I am going to go a different direction and actually blame the Attitude Era for some of why wrestling doesn't have major cross over stars now. I love the WWE product now, absolutely love it. However, I really do think the programming is suffering from a major black eye from the media (both wrestling and not).

For the people who don't watch the WWE right now, but have heard or watched (meaning in the past) Stone Cold as his peak, what do they remember? Heck, what does anyone who watched or claimed to have watch Stone Cold remember? For me, it is just him drinking a lot of beer, flipping people off, and stunning everything in sight 4 out of 5 segments. That is the guy that represents one of the most successful eras in pro wrestling history. It worked for the time because America was in the middle of a booming economy and the audience appreciated his carefree attitude.

Everything on the show reflected Austin. He didn't give a fuck, so all of the faces didn't give a fuck. That is why groups like DX that made a living off of penis jokes was able to do so. That is why Sable didn't need to show anything but her tits and became a huge star. That is also why the heels always tried to keep the faces from being rebels, idiots or ****es.

After 9/11, the economy changed, as did the viewing audience's mentality as well. How many times can you watch a guy flip someone off and think its cool? No really. If you think is cool now, question your [mental] age plz.

But the Attitude Era was more than just beer, penis jokes and women trying to make dicks hard. It was stupid stuff like unneeded violent stipulation and storylines that ended up in arms race of sorts to shock people. The wrestlers' bodies were torn to pieces and look at the results. How many people have died or are in serious health problems that were heavily involved during that time period? Now every time a wrestler dies and gets some media coverage, the WWE gets called into question.

The Miz did an interview with Bill Simmons last month. Bill was a wrestling fan when he was a kid, but he admitted in that interview that he dropped off around the Attitude Era. He thought the Attitude Era was too much for wrestling because it was asking too much of the wrestlers. The Miz went into why he agreed with him.

Now, the WWE is in a 'damned if you do, damned if you don't' situation. They have made serious strides in making sure their wrestlers aren't doing the dumb shit the guys from the 80's and 90's (aka the drugs). They don't allow people to just get dropped on their heads 'for the love of the sport.' Yet, they get cynics going "Well, why didn't you do this years age" or "that isn't going to bring back the dead."

The Benoit situation certainly didn't help..

The internet might think it sucks that they aren't going to 46-man circle jerks like in TNA or indy feds, but they can go fuck themselves. The WWE in the past few years have forced the performers to actual know what they hell they are doing to get over. Pro wrestling isn't about trying to kill yourself because you can; pro wrestling is about story telling. That is why Cena is the top guy in the company and ass clowns who just do flips like Morrison and Kofi are just ass clowns who just do flips.


So, yeah. In short, people have a hard time letting go of what they know of a subject. Just look at the people on this board. There are people want everyone to go back to the Attitude Era, even though most of the WWE crowd weren't even twinkles in their father's eyes yet. Thank gawd these people aren't WWE employees.




And for the record, the WWE is just as successful as they were 10-15 years ago. There are just as many people watching now than it was 10 years ago. A 3.3 isn't 3,300,000 million people; a 3.3 is the market share. The market is twice as largest as it was in 1995-2000. And Cena has made the WWE more money with merchandising than Austin or Rock has ever had, including the whole inflation fiasco.