Which current Mid-Carders deserve a Main Event push?

[L@RISANO]

Looking at the roster currently; The Mid-Card is filled with quite a bit of talent,but it is quite light with regards to Main Event quality superstars.

Of the Current Roster, there are only 5 guys who are worthy of Superstar status;
John Cena
Randy Orton
CM Punk
Daniel Bryan
Sheamus

Big Show and Mark Henry are veterans in the company and can flit in and out as seen with Show recently.

The Mid-Card has quite a few guys out of which 5 can be given enough exposure to make it. Of course, some patience is needed, which is never given. The Mid-Card titles being made relevant can help such a push.
The Current Mid-Carders that are solid enough;

Roman Reigns; Dean Ambrose; Seth Rollins; Alberto Del Rio; Antonio Cesaro; Big E Langston; Dolph Ziggler; Jack Swagger; Cody Rhodes; Damien Sandow; Daniel Ryback; The Miz; Wade Barrett; Kofi Kingston

In the entire roster, from my research only the part-timers(Taker, The Rock, RVD, Jericho),Mark Henry,Goldust,Rey Mysterio and Big Show are over-40s.

Everyone else is 36(Del Rio,Cena and Lesnar) and under.
Thus it is lacking in veteran power like before, but there are loads of guys who, if given a push can elevate the company again.

So, out of this quite talented mid-card...which guys should be given a push to freshen up the Main Event scene for the next 5 years or so.

 

[Father Uncle Oscar]

Daniel Bryan. This one to me, from a fan perspective, is obvious. WWE can say whatever they want about Bryan's "star power," but the only reason he isn't more over than he is right now (if even possible) is because he isn't WWE Champion right now. He deserves a title reign, and that reign needs to start yesterday.

The Shield (once they break up). I feel like this group could have a very successful, pretty lengthy self-destruction storyline. And while this would hopefully establish them all as legitimate title threats, it would open the doors for Roman Reigns to reach the levels that WWE and fans want him to reach as one of the faces of the company.

Cody Rhodes. This kid can do it face or heel, and he's proven that with his brother and father by his side. He is by far one of the most improved Superstars today compared to when he was being carried onto the scene by Hardcore Holly. And as soon as he has one final match versus Goldust, maybe to let his older brother retire on top, the limelight should be his for the taking.

Big E Langston (eventually). Let him do his thing with the IC title for now, but gradually make the title more meaningful now that there's no more WHC. That way, slowly but surely, he'll be too good for it and start facing the big guns.

And finally, for God's sake, PLEASE somebody recognize Kofi Kingston is at his best when he's ignoring the fans and showing more aggression, yet maintaining his contagious positive energy. What he did against Randy Orton and what he's showing against The Miz, combined with his athletic ability, should at least get him some well-deserved #1 Contender's matches. But make sure he has nothing to do when the Royal Rumble comes around. He'll probably end up being the only reason I watch that match next month.

 

[L@RISANO]

Daniel Bryan. This one to me, from a fan perspective, is obvious. WWE can say whatever they want about Bryan's "star power," but the only reason he isn't more over than he is right now (if even possible) is because he isn't WWE Champion right now. He deserves a title reign, and that reign needs to start yesterday.

The Shield (once they break up). I feel like this group could have a very successful, pretty lengthy self-destruction storyline. And while this would hopefully establish them all as legitimate title threats, it would open the doors for Roman Reigns to reach the levels that WWE and fans want him to reach as one of the faces of the company.

Cody Rhodes. This kid can do it face or heel, and he's proven that with his brother and father by his side. He is by far one of the most improved Superstars today compared to when he was being carried onto the scene by Hardcore Holly. And as soon as he has one final match versus Goldust, maybe to let his older brother retire on top, the limelight should be his for the taking.

Big E Langston (eventually). Let him do his thing with the IC title for now, but gradually make the title more meaningful now that there's no more WHC. That way, slowly but surely, he'll be too good for it and start facing the big guns.

And finally, for God's sake, PLEASE somebody recognize Kofi Kingston is at his best when he's ignoring the fans and showing more aggression, yet maintaining his contagious positive energy. What he did against Randy Orton and what he's showing against The Miz, combined with his athletic ability, should at least get him some well-deserved #1 Contender's matches. But make sure he has nothing to do when the Royal Rumble comes around. He'll probably end up being the only reason I watch that match next month.

From your list, I consider D-Bry to already be a Main Eventer,since he is so over with the crowd.
The interesting thing about your other picks(besides Kofi) is that they are ALL Under-30 superstars and to my mind, the REAL long term future of the WWE.
Reigns,Rhodes and Big E.

 

[GeneralKarim]

In this day and age, does it even matter who diserves it?Most people I think like Sandow, Bryan ( which is in a upper-midcard stage atm I guess ) , Ziggler , Langston.

But does it really matter if they DISERVE a push?WWE has showed that they are lacking in creativity and they cant finish a storyline the way it is supposed to.They start strong and then half way through they start making lots of mistakes and making plot holes very visible, cause u know...we are stupid and cant see them in front of our damn eyes.

I will give credit where credit's due.The Shield was been booked very well, and I;m glad they are doing a slow turn on Reigns.I like these little stares and how they are annoying eachother every RAW.

When I start talking about how someone diserves something, I tend to get attached to the end results, the one I wish to see and usually WWE likes to not do what people want and just do what's "Best for bussines" in their own eyes. So for some time now, I just try and be pleased with the stuff I see on TV but not get overly attached to a character cause I know WWE will screw it up, and if they dont, well that's just excelent.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Cody, Barrett, Zigger, Sandow I would give the first shots, with the Shield(broken up) and Big E right behind them. The first 4 imo has the mic and in ring skills along with being established single stars to main event, the Shield/Big E will definitely get there but they need time on their own and not in a team/with another star like in Big E's case. The first 4 will help make a more fresh main event while the Shield/Big E helps maintain a strong mid-card until they're ready to move up, which wouldn't be long.

 

[Aquaman6686]

The Mid-Card has quite a few guys out of which 5 can be given enough exposure to make it. Of course, some patience is needed, which is never given. The Mid-Card titles being made relevant can help such a push.
The Current Mid-Carders that are solid enough;

Roman Reigns; Dean Ambrose; Seth Rollins; Alberto Del Rio; Antonio Cesaro; Big E Langston; Dolph Ziggler; Jack Swagger; Cody Rhodes; Damien Sandow; Ryback; The Miz; Wade Barrett; Kofi Kingston

Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, and The Miz are top stars. Del Rio and Ziggler are multiple-time World Champions, and Miz main evented a WrestleMania. Whether you like them or not is irrelevant, they're not midcarders. A main eventer currently in the midcard is still a main eventer.

Of the names mentioned, Antonio Cesaro, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes, and Wade Barrett all have main event potential if used right. Cesaro needs to stay heel and begin a dominant winning streak. Swagger was on the cusp of main event status years ago and his push was pulled out from under him, all they need to do to get him back there is get rid of Zeb Colter and have him go back to winning matches cleanly and decisively. Cody Rhodes is on the upswing and is doing just fine. At this rate he'll be ready for the main event in two or three years. Barrett was doing fantastic until they took him off TV a few months ago, now he's trapped in a gimmick that's doomed to fail, and WWE will blame him when it does. I think his chance is gone.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, and The Miz are top stars. Del Rio and Ziggler are multiple-time World Champions, and Miz main evented a WrestleMania. Whether you like them or not is irrelevant, they're not midcarders. A main eventer currently in the midcard is still a main eventer.

I disagree. You have to continuously earn your keep to maintain main event status. It's only because of the rampant hotshotting of the World titles over the past 10 to 15 years that has led to some wrestlers ever having the belt, so at this point a multiple time World Champion isn't indicative of too much either...only that the wrestler had a period of popularity. Case in point: The Big Show - 4 time World title holder in the WWE, and every single one of those title reigns was uniformly forgettable.

 

[TempestH]

I disagree. You have to continuously earn your keep to maintain main event status. It's only because of the rampant hotshotting of the World titles over the past 10 to 15 years that has led to some wrestlers ever having the belt, so at this point a multiple time World Champion isn't indicative of too much either...only that the wrestler had a period of popularity. Case in point: The Big Show - 4 time World title holder in the WWE, and every single one of those title reigns was uniformly forgettable.

No, they are main eventers. It's all about presentation. As far as they've fallen down the card, WWE still presents Miz, Ziggler, Big Show and Del Rio as top level threats. The only former World Champion "midcard" guys that are actually treated like midcarders are Swagger and Khali.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

No, they are main eventers. It's all about presentation. As far as they've fallen down the card, WWE still presents Miz, Ziggler, Big Show and Del Rio as top level threats. The only former World Champion "midcard" guys that are actually treated like midcarders are Swagger and Khali.

What can I say: There's marketing, and then there's reality. Of course, the WWE would like to say as many of its wrestlers as possible are "main eventers". The truth is only a few are right now, or really ever are. Some remain main eventers, others drop out.

The reality is that Ziggler sniffed the main event a couple times, Miz and Del Rio had a brief fling with it, and Big Show has just been around long enough to wander in and out of the main event over the course of a nearly 20 year career.

 

[Jmeeks]

I hope you all realise that del rio has been in a world title match every ppv this year besides tlc coming up. How is he not a main eventer ?

 

[thebarber]

Dolph Ziggler should already be in the main event, how hi pish was botched defies logic,.,.until you look at how they stunted Bryan's push. WWE is doing all they can to make superstars into main eventers that they want us to like, not who gel naturally. WWE is suffering badly because of sadly inept booking

 

[Aquaman6686]

I agree, I can't for the life of me figure out why Dolph Ziggler's push was stopped for no reason. In my book Ziggler could be, not the next Rock or Austin, but the next HBK - the dependable, WWE-for-life employee who may not be the biggest guy or THE #1 face of the company at all times, but he'll consistently put on the best match on the card and be a constant, credible main eventer.

 

[L@RISANO]

Alberto Del Rio, Dolph Ziggler, and The Miz are top stars. Del Rio and Ziggler are multiple-time World Champions, and Miz main evented a WrestleMania. Whether you like them or not is irrelevant, they're not midcarders. A main eventer currently in the midcard is still a main eventer.

Of the names mentioned, Antonio Cesaro, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes, and Wade Barrett all have main event potential if used right. Cesaro needs to stay heel and begin a dominant winning streak. Swagger was on the cusp of main event status years ago and his push was pulled out from under him, all they need to do to get him back there is get rid of Zeb Colter and have him go back to winning matches cleanly and decisively. Cody Rhodes is on the upswing and is doing just fine. At this rate he'll be ready for the main event in two or three years. Barrett was doing fantastic until they took him off TV a few months ago, now he's trapped in a gimmick that's doomed to fail, and WWE will blame him when it does. I think his chance is gone.

I respectfully disagree. Out of the 3;
Del Rio has been pushed the most. But he is an upper mid carder and most likely in the list to flit in and out of the Main event.Just been jobbing to Sin Cara(/Hunico), and could be on his way down for a little while.Whether he gets back up is left to be seen since his character is seen as stale.
The Miz has now started a feud in the mid card with Kofi, and is still in a face/heel conundrum,atm.
Dolph Ziggler was main eventing like a lot of other guys have got chances to in the past couple of years. At this point in time, he is rumoured to have been placed in a Dark match at the up coming TLC PPV.

When I listed the Top 5 Main Superstars, the reason I seperated them was because they hardly job any matches to lesser stars, and also are usually booked strongly.The above 3 are not booked anywhere close and I don't see them in the Main Event picture judging by the current storyline direction.

Thanks for your choices.Wade Barrett is Main Event potential that is being buried due to a bad gimmick, really hope it can workout for him somehow.

 

[workhorse]

For me - Damien Sandow

Surely with the Money in the Bank briefcase comes some form of extended push? Heck, Jack Swagger got a two & a half month reign. To me, they absolutely botched what could've been a potentially very entertaining push for Sandow. His mic work is first-rate. He can be comedic, degrading, serious, the works. His 15 minutes of fame with Cena was some of the most entertaining work I've seen Cena this year, I thought their segment/match was terrific.

He can talk, he does get a reaction, he has a very unique & old school in ring technique, and is able to put on a very entertaining match. He has a unique character, which can transform from a degrading, intelligent, and condescending jerk into a crazed psycho hell bent on kicking someones ass.

The only downside is perhaps his size. He's quite tall but is fairly undefined. If he were to cut down and look similar to Randy Orton, for example, I think he'd tick all the boxes necessary to be a maineventer. To me, he's very well-rounded in all areas and does deserve a genuine shot at being in the mainevent. Even with only 1 World Champion, a big-time feud with CM Punk, Daniel Bryan or Cena could be very entertaining. Unfortunately, the WWE's current creative team seem to be inept at developing consistently interesting feuds apart from the WWE Championship.

Nevertheless, I have hope. He has enough talent, and, in my opinion has shown enough, to warrant a push.

 

[Softcore Holly]

@larisano

Dolph has actually been confirmed to be on the preshow against Fandango. Not great I know, but it's a step up from not being able to compete at all like the past couple of PPV Sundays. I can only hope that he gets a good match and win over Fandango, which would be a step in the right direction for him. Really small step sure but it would better then what he's been doing as of late.

Although if he loses on Sunday I think he might actually be done altogether.

 

[MWRedskins]

firstly let me say that i dont consider Bryan a main eventer yet, but only due to because WWE hasnt pushed him to having a PROPER WWE title run, so in my book, he deserves the WWE title first over any current midcarder. let him get his big run. now to your list.
Roman Reigns: he has the size and a brutal finisher. he doesnt have a huge move set and isnt the best on the mic either, but WWE clearly loves his potential most in the Shield. i dont hate his potential, but i think the others are better. with that said, i think he deserves a push and he likely gets a main event push before any of his other members.
Dean Ambrose: Here is one guy i would push when the Shield breaks up. Ambrose can speak and he can wrestle. he's a unique talent who would have at least good matches. he should get a push soon.
Seth Rollins: when i look at Rollins, i see another CM Punk. he's not as great as he is on the mic or in the ring, but he's not bad at all. i would love to see him get pushed as a future opponent for CM Punk or a John Cena.
Alberto Del Rio: We have seen him in the Main Event picture and i am not a real fan of his. he can wrestle and he's mic work isnt awful, but his character just seems to stale. i think he can be better, but i rather see all the members of the Shield pushed over him.
Antonio Cesaro: he is a great in ring talent, but his mic work is a huge issue. he has Colter as a mouthpiece and that really helps him. if he ever becomes a main eventer then either he improves in the ring or he has a mouth piece.
Big E Langston: He's close with Cena, so he likely gets a push soon. i like his size and strength and think he would work well with a strong heel. it's too soon to answer on his mic work, but his in ring work isnt bad at all.
Dolph Ziggler: one of, if not, the best seller in the WWE today. he can sell a move like it's gold. he can speak, but WWE needs to give the fans a reason to care for him, but it seems like WWE has quit on his potential to be a Main Eventer.
Jack Swagger: you know what i said about Cesaro, well, that same thing applies for Swagger. great wrestler, bad mic work. needs a manager to be his mouth piece. he had a great shot at being the Champion, but he got in legal trouble which hurt. maybe in time, they give him another shot, but like i said, he has to have a manager.
Cody Rhodes: i really like Cody. he's not a huge guy either, but he can wrestle and he's not too shabby on the mic either. i was hoping that he would win the World title and then lose it to Sandow. he should get a title run soon, but likely wont ever get one now that the titles will likely be unified.
Damien Sandow: i like alot about him. his gimmick is great, his mic work is great and he's really good in the ring. i wish he would've had a world title run, but he didnt. like he used to say, he's the uncrowned world champion. i think he should get a main event push now.
Ryback: not bad in the ring, really bad on the mic. i am not a big fan of his. as a face, he's better, but as a heel they cant get him right. his one line is bad and his gimmicks have stunk. i dont like the Bully gimmick he does for many reasons. he was better saying "feed me more" i wouldnt want to see him pushed, but if he is pushed, i think it would be best to have him a face.
The Miz: he's been a main eventer and while it wasnt bad, it wasnt great. i dont want to see him in the main events anymore. he's not great in the ring and while he's really good on the mic, i think others are better.
Wade Barrett: my only issue with him is the gimmicks they give him. i thought he could've been a better IC Champion if they would've let him speak on the mic or given the fans a reason to cheer/boo him, however, he got the title, didnt get much ring time or didnt get much stories. that's the issues with the US and IC titles, they need better story telling. make the titles mean something, but as for Barrett, get him a gimmick, stick to it and let him speak with that gimmick and give him a story.
Kofi Kingston he really needs a gimmick change. i dont hate his name, but his music is the same since he debuted and now that he's not being known as being from Jamica, they should move to a better gimmick.

i know i wrote alot, but the guys i would push out of your list are all the members of the Shield, Big E. Langston, Ziggler, Rhodes, Sandow. the others either need better gimmicks or need someone to speak for them.

 

[The Yes Guy]

I still believe people hate the Miz for no apparent reason. He's one person who I believe deserves a main event push now. He can cut amazing promos and can wrestle quite well..
And contrary to what ppl believe, I would like for Miz to stay a face. He even fits into the Authority storyline quite well as a face.

Apart from the Miz, I think out of the entire roster, only Barrett and Cesaro DESERVE the push, but Cesaro has to be given a mouthpiece.
Even Del Rio had a huge potential but wasn't used appropriately.

I find ppl like Swagger, Kofi, Dolph, and the rest very boring. Even the Sheild split should not be rushed.

 

[MCMG]

There are plenty of talented mid-carders but here are my main choices:

Dolph Ziggler. I honestly don't know why he hasn't been given a proper chance. His World Title Run was way to short and now he is on the pre-show. He gets consistently good reactions and is great in the ring. Ziggler has put on some awesome matches on Raw, Smackdown and PPV and he deserves his chance. He has a good connection with the crowd and he should be pushed.

Wade Barrett. The Bad News Barrett gimmick is awful. It simply won't work and they have really screwed around Wade. He has the talent to succeed and he plays a heel very well. They need to give him the chance because he can do very well.

There are others to add to those two: Rhodes, The Shield, Big E but I reckon they are already in a good position. Barrett and Ziggler are the two than should be pushed because, overall, they are better than guys like Alberto Del Rio.

 

[Redemption-2012]

Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Big E Langston all come to mind. Ambrose just screams X factor as does Reigns and Langston. Why these guys? because they all have the required attributes of main event superstars and with the right build they could all succeed as main event stars.

Roman Reigns has size, the look, the heritage and has improved drastically in the ring and on the mic.
Dean Ambrose speaks for itself
Big E Langston reminds me of Bobby Lashley with mic skills.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

In a fair world, every mid-carder would "deserve" a push, but real life and real life business doesn't work that way.

Of the guys who are currently part of the mid-card to upper mid-card scene, the most obvious choices are Daniel Bryan, CM Punk and any or all members of The Shield. I find it unlikely that Bryan & CM Punk won't be back in the WWE Championship picture sometime within 2014. It's possible, but pretty unlikely I'd imagine. It's just a matter of time before The Shield break up, something I think will come about in the next couple of months. Rollins & Reigns both still seem to be on the same page with each other, so maybe they'll stick together as a tag team for a while. However, I think Reigns will get the bigger singles push initially.

 

[L@RISANO]

With regards to CM Punk and Daniel Bryan;
I think the mere fact that they have been placed in feuds shows that whilst they may not be in the Title talk at this time, they are being portrayed as Major Stars of the company. I disagree with the notion that they are anywhere near the mid card status at the moment. Rather, they being the Most Over stars in the company are being used to expand storylines/ Put over their current opponents and elevate their opponents' status.
Thereafter, they will both be involved with the Main title in due course.
As it is, right now, they are already two Major Stars fighting for the Main title(Cena and Orton) , no need to put all of them for it,rather, having a decent number of alternatives allows the Title scene to be kept fresh rather than having the same 5 people fighting for/winning the title year in,year out.

 

[JBK2008]

Wade Barrett

Give Wade Barrett a chance in the main event again. He's got the look and in ring ability. He isn't getting any younger (31 or 32 I do believe) and can hang with anyone on the roster. Stop the stupid gimmicks and constant theme music switches. Give him a legitimate push and stay the course for a change. He can be a top heel to the likes of Bryan, Punk and Cena.

 

[S.J. Maximus]

1. Dolph Ziggler - I don't really like him and think he is highly overrated by the IWC but it is impossible to see his talent. Good selling ability, has the charisma the confidence but just doesn't have the booking to make him a top guy. The IZOD center erupted when he successfully cashed in MitB I will never understand why they took away his steam from him

2. Big E Langston - In January when he teamed with Dolph everyone wanted to see Dolph win and then turn on Langston to set up a WHC Match between the two at SummerSlam. If pushed, this match could still generate revenue given both stars' charisma. Big E has the look the unique moveset and intangible 'it' factor that makes him really stand out from most of the roster.

3. Bray Wyatt - 3rd Generation Star, born to succeed in this business. So young, barely 26 and already has years of experience under his belt. When I saw him as Husky Harris on NXT I thought his name sucked but his promos were very good and he had very good ring psychology he knew what to do and when to do it. Now seeing Bray Wyatt, it seems undeniable that his promos are top notch and although we don't see him wrestle much I can say with confidence that he has improved from NXT 3 years ago. This gimmick can go far if done right, and hopefully that don't take away his steam like they did with the first two people on my list

4. Roman Reigns - Another generational star (I believe he is 2nd) who seems destined for great things in this business. I love his name, love his attitude, and love his lineage. That spear he does IMO is 2nd only to Goldberg (sorry Edge) and his intensity never goes unnoticed. I'm in no rush to see the Shield end, they've been great ever since their inception but boy oh boy am I excited to see Roman Reigns handle singles competition.

5. Wade Barrett - I really wanted to put Cody on this list but then I watched some clips from the summer/fall of 2010. I double-dog-dare anyone on this forum to watch clips of RAW from that era and tell me that Wade Barrett isn't one of the best menacing heels of his time. He made me believe that he was walking out of Survivor Series of that year as WWE Champion, and most importantly I ACCEPTED IT. I didn't feel they were forcing it (ie. Sheamus in 2009 or Jack Swagger in 2010) it just felt right he was WWE's top villain by far. He has a great moveset, charisma, a good heel look and incredible mic skills. I think if he was pushed right from 2010 we'd be talking about him now as one of the greatest heels of the 21st century with HHH, JBL, Edge, and Orton. Unfortunately, he will probably never see the main event.

 

[Thejock83]

I hate threads like this. Unless you see all the wrestlers at every Live Event, every TV, every PPV, how they carry themselves backstage etc then you aren't qualified to say who deserves what in WWE.

 

[Da Solo]

Kofi Kingston. Point blank Period. Dude had been putting on solid 4 star matches the whole year with only one or two solid storylines to run off of in the time. I don't see why they don't invest in him: he's young, talented, incredibly athletic, still over with the crowd even though he's doing nothing of importance, VERY over when he's given prominence and can hold his own on the mic. It's sad to see how many, much less deserving superstars (Swagger, Sheamus) got the nod before him.