Who is on their last push?

[GOOZEKING]

we all know about all the great talent in Nxt, which always means that some people will get released and depushed.

-Barret--with all the gimmicks he has had you have to know that the bad news barret gimmick is his last chance

- the miz- i think a lot of you guys know that miz is pretty much irrelevant and when this gimmick runs its course he will go back to filming straight to DVD movies

- dolph ziggler- with the rumors that E won't push him because he is injury prone you have to believe that the next injury will be the reason for his depush.

- jack swagger- he has been given chance after chance and if his all American face run fails, then i guess we have seen the last of jack swagger

- kane- he has been in the business for over 14 years, and you have to know that this monster push is his last

- mark henry- same with kane being that he has been in the business for a long time and his time is up

- cody rhodes- after gimmick and gimmick, he just cannot connect with the crowd and i expect this stardust gimmick to be his last if he can't connect.

 

[J.J.]

I am going to roll with Jack Swagger. I believe his run as a face has been much needed, giving his character it only makes sense that he be face. Plus the crowd has been wanting to get behind him a while.

My belief is Zeb Colter deserves a push, just as much as Swagger, with his work since joining the WWE being nothing short of stellar. He managed to get Cesaro over massively with the WWE Universe, and is now doing the same for Jack Swagger.

I'd personally like to see Swagger go over on Rusev. I definitely don't want to see Rusev go over and go down to the eternal "underdog" John Cena.

Swagger is extremely over, as is Zeb all the way down to the theme music. He's a legitimate wrestler and I enjoy him in the ring. This is perfect chance for WWE to allow Swagger to get some momentum behind him as they lack strong faces.

I'm not saying that means throw him in the world title run. But he would be a legitimate contender in the US title scene as people on here have been saying. I personally would have loved the involvement of that belt in this feud.

Swagger pushed to the heavyweight title too is definitely worth forgetting but this program with Rusev is the best thing to happen to his career yet.

 

[James2293]

I dont think any of these guys are on their last push. Only two i see main event potential are Barrett and Rhodes, even if they don't make it all of these are good midcard wrestlers, there's nothing wrong with that and they're good where theyre at the moment

 

[Radical Canadian Goose]

I was thinking this about Swagger recently. He needs to go over Rusev, in order to succeed as a babyface and remain relevant. He has always been a great talent, just misused. As a babyface he could reach upper-midcard status. If he fails he will likely not be pushed again

 

[PeterSellersSTL]

I hope Cody Rhodes isn't finished being pushed he's only 29 and very underrated and he hasn't been given anything storyline wise to work with it's just gimmick after gimmick. I know Cody Rhodes could go father with the real american gimmick and zeb colter than jack swagger can. They're just not using Cody correctly.

 

[dalenichol]

I disagree with the opening post regarding Kane and Henry. I see them as company men and I don't think this current run would be the last we see of either of them.

Whilst Kane doesn't have the legitimacy he once had, he's still a credible opponent and I could see him being put in feuds every now and then over the next few years to put over some youngsters, but always being made to look dangerous.


Swagger needs to go over Rusev, really, but I'm not sure he will. I'm hoping that they can make him look good enough over the course of the feud that if he loses, it's not the end for him.

Barrett, Miz and Ziggler could definitely be going soon if things don't change for either of them. I can see Sandow going in the next batch of cuts too, unfortunately. Kofi Kingston?

 

[THTRobtaylor]

There is a big difference between last "chance" and last "push" and history shows you can NEVER count people out.

Look at Mark Henry, he had been on the roster for 15 years when he finally won the big one and had had countless pushes in that time, ranging from Sexual Chocolate to Hall of Pain.

Some guys are realistically on their last chance... someone like Swagger or Ziggler is in that category... if they screw up again, they're gone, not demoted but likely fired. Someone like Orton could also creep into that category as his 2 strikes still stand... but during that time, they could all still receive several more pushes.

It's a misnomer to put Barrett into this category... first off calling him injury prone is innaccurate. It is more that he has been taken advantage of by some of his peers at crucial moments. Both Ziggler and now Swagger have benefitted directly from injuring him and them taking the push intended for him. You only have to have seen Triple H's impression of Barrett when introducing him as part of that MITB match to realize they are very high on him... guys like that who have genuine "bad luck" aren't a problem... he could get 3 more pushes over the next 5 years or no more... but they won't fire him cos he's a good hand who is useful down the card as well as up top... and more than willing to do whats required... he hasn't blown a push yet but others have been careless and benefited as a result.

There are some who are very much on their last push... Kane is for sure, by bringing him back to "The Demon" they've now gone full circle as much as they can, cos Taker clearly isn't gonna be able to put him over in that last match. Brock is arguably on his last push... he'll win the title and it'll be his last run with it as if things go as WWE hope then the Shield, Bray and Cesaro will be carrying things going forward and he won't be needed.

Some guys won't get another push intentionally... ADR is a classic example, he is being slowly phased out as he has made enough noise about not renewing his deal that they will maximise his "putting over potential" now... Big Show won't get another one now unless the Shaq match ever happens, but he's not going back to the main event any time soon unless it's to be fed to Reigns. Rey is not going back into push and if he's disputing the renewal of his deal by not cashing cheques, it's doubtful he'll be seen onscreen again.

Some guys like Sandow, Ryder and arguably Christian are perhaps in the worst place, unlikely to get another push and very likely to be released before they get another chance. In Christian's case it's not his fault, but 3 concussions in a year takes you out... no messing. Ryder is STILL suffering from going into business for himself all those years ago... Vince doesn't like guys getting themselves over unsanctioned as Ryder did...even if WWE DID base much of their strategy for today from it.


There are some guys who will likely get more chances than others over the next few years. Cody has done the right thing, he's realised it's not happening for him so he's looked at Dustin's career and will go for that instead...longevity over titles... by creating a character that will sell merch, even down to gloves with the star he can secure his income in a WWE without the level of PPV money once enjoyed by the guys in the ring. Stardust is hokey to some, but it's a gimmick that can keep Cody employed for another 10 years in WWE and right now, that's very important indeed, far more than if you ever get another push. No one saw Dustin ever getting another hire much less becoming a cornerstone of the roster and massive push... but no one can say it's undeserved either.

It's the one thing nearly all these guys have going for them... they have major faith in themselves, even if Vince doesn't always... few actually screw their pushes up the way Ryback tried to or Swagger managed to weeks before Mania... but even if they did...if there's money in it and the timing's right, it would be stupid to discount them or ignore them for a past mistake.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Dealing with three of the OP's choices as "last chance" performers:

Dolph Ziggler: I don't believe this is his final push....in fact, he's in a win a match, lose a match phase right now that earns him a paycheck but gets him nowhere in the standings. The company truly wants him to get over, yet he seems to be a perennial mid-carder....not that there's anything wrong with that. But he'll continue and management will periodically get excited about him enough to try another push. He's not going anywhere.

Jack Swagger: Is this the first time they've tried him as a face? It's an interesting idea, yet he's still the same old Swagger: fine ring performer with a dull personality and a goofy look. I figured his previous push was going to be his last, but he's still there and Creative is still looking for ways to hide his deficiencies.

Cody Rhodes: I definitely don't think he's on his last push. For some reason, WWE management wants this guy to succeed, and I keep wondering if his Dad's legendary standing in pro wrestling and influence in WWE are the reasons. In any case, Creative has been ordered to take this guy with an average body and bland personality....and give him a vehicle in which he can achieve stardom. Lately, they've given him a gimmick with his brother.....which, after all, is designed to push Cody, not Dustin. Interestingly, they're trying to do it these past weeks without putting them in a wrestling ring. It's something new, that's for sure......yet, if it does nothing to further Cody's career, I doubt we've seen the last of him.

 

[Reflection]

I would like to add a couple of names to the list:

Cameron: It is quite clear by now that she can neither act, nor wrestle, nor get the crowd interested in what she is doing. The only reason she is still employed by the WWE is because of being on Total Divas; but she being a very replaceable character there too, I don't see a bright future for her.

Darren Young: (If he is still employed) He obviously isn't making any money for the WWE; he also doesn't seem like someone that could serve backstage with his experience (like Finlay and Jamie Noble), WWE surprisingly didn't try to capitalize on him being gay either. He is on his way out.

Los Matadores: Didn't work, isn't working, ain't gonna work. This sums up the Matadores. Their only saving grace is El Torito the bull, and that's not a good thing.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Dolph Ziggler: I don't believe this is his final push....in fact, he's in a win a match, lose a match phase right now that earns him a paycheck but gets him nowhere in the standings. The company truly wants him to get over, yet he seems to be a perennial mid-carder....not that there's anything wrong with that. But he'll continue and management will periodically get excited about him enough to try another push. He's not going anywhere.

I think this is completely wrong. The company truly wants him to NOT get over, and they keep him down. Last year Ziggler was THE most over babyface in the company, but after he got injured, management abandoned him and buried him completely upon his return. WWE does everything possible to make sure he stays as low on the totem pole as possible in fans' eyes, ignoring the thunderous "WE WANT ZIGGLER" chants he gets at nearly every event. Half the time they don't even book him at PPV events, just to spite the fans. By all rights Ziggler should be routinely headlining PPVs, and instead he's struggling to maintain a midcard position after being jobbed out constantly for the last year.

 

[Metalhead0290]

Definitely Swagger from that list. I would agree with Smark Madden when he mentions Darren Young, however I feel that WWE cannot through fear of negative press release Young, at least not for awhile. Since he is the first wrestler to "come out", that would be bad press in my opinion against the WWE. There are always those people who argue that so and so got fired because they were something different(race, religion, orientation, etc). That aside, Darren Young is incredibly boring.

 

[J.J.]

I think this is completely wrong. The company truly wants him to NOT get over, and they keep him down. Last year Ziggler was THE most over babyface in the company, but after he got injured, management abandoned him and buried him completely upon his return. WWE does everything possible to make sure he stays as low on the totem pole as possible in fans' eyes, ignoring the thunderous "WE WANT ZIGGLER" chants he gets at nearly every event. Half the time they don't even book him at PPV events, just to spite the fans. By all rights Ziggler should be routinely headlining PPVs, and instead he's struggling to maintain a midcard position after being jobbed out constantly for the last year.

So because he's not in the world title hunt that's managements way of not wanting him? You don't remember the concussions he had last year? That's ultimately what halted his run, not because of creative being against him. I am assuming...But if you run a company and I am an at risk employee, do you promote me to a higher position? At end of day it's a business first, entertainment second.

 

[Slash-LN]

The list should have included Christian although I would say he'd be in his last run opposed to a "push" because I don't think he's going to get much of a push before he retires.

He's had a bunch of injuries and really isn't even all that relevant anymore which kind of sucks because I've been a fan of him for a long time.

Ideally I'd like to see him run at least one more good program and put over a young guy on his way out.

 

[Aquaman6686]

So because he's not in the world title hunt that's managements way of not wanting him? You don't remember the concussions he had last year? That's ultimately what halted his run, not because of creative being against him. I am assuming...But if you run a company and I am an at risk employee, do you promote me to a higher position? At end of day it's a business first, entertainment second.

John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, Batista, Triple H, Stone Cold, HBK...all had multiple serious and/or career-threatening injuries, and were given as many chances as they could handle to come back and be top stars, at the same level or higher than they were before. Dolph Ziggler has one injury and was immediately relegated to near-jobber status. That was management using the injury as an excuse to hold him back. There is no legitimate reason Dolph Ziggler shouldn't be given an opportunity to be a headliner, but Vince will never allow it to happen because of some personal vendetta against Ziggler.

 

[J.J.]

John Cena, Randy Orton, Edge, Batista, Triple H, Stone Cold, HBK...all had multiple serious and/or career-threatening injuries, and were given as many chances as they could handle to come back and be top stars, at the same level or higher than they were before. Dolph Ziggler has one injury and was immediately relegated to near-jobber status. That was management using the injury as an excuse to hold him back. There is no legitimate reason Dolph Ziggler shouldn't be given an opportunity to be a headliner, but Vince will never allow it to happen because of some personal vendetta against Ziggler.

I understand that you are a big Ziggler mark, but if reports of Benoit having severe brain damage from multiple concussions is true then you can see why they treat concussions more serious. You can't compare a concussion to a quad tear, or shoulder injury. Dolph just also had another concussion injury in January. He's in the midst of a feud around the IC title so it's not like he's completely buried.

 

[Rayne]

This whole thread misses the idea of what a 'push' is.

There's this faulty concept on Internet wrestling forums where a great deal of posters seem to believe that if a performer is not either in the top spot, or on a clear path to a top spot, that they haven't worked out and are due for imminent release. Here's the problem with that idea though; if the guys that the 'up-and-comer' beats are nobodies, he's a nobody. To quote, "To be the Man, you have to beat the Man." If all you're doing is beating a guy who's lost every 9:30pm match he's been in for the past five years, who gives a shit?

This is why characters like Kofi and Jack Swagger get their pushes every couple of years. Credible midcarders are a crucial and completely overlooked part of any successful professional wrestling program. Everyone can't be John Cena, John Cena's opponent, or John Cena's future opponent. So no, no one's 'on their last push'. The guys you want to look out for are the ones that creative has nothing for.

 

[MartialHorror]

I think this is completely wrong. The company truly wants him to NOT get over, and they keep him down. Last year Ziggler was THE most over babyface in the company, but after he got injured, management abandoned him and buried him completely upon his return. WWE does everything possible to make sure he stays as low on the totem pole as possible in fans' eyes, ignoring the thunderous "WE WANT ZIGGLER" chants he gets at nearly every event. Half the time they don't even book him at PPV events, just to spite the fans. By all rights Ziggler should be routinely headlining PPVs, and instead he's struggling to maintain a midcard position after being jobbed out constantly for the last year.

This comments always make me laugh. WWE is prone to fits of stupidity, but unless Ziggler has some serious backstage heat, I dont think they're intentionally keeping him down. There's just no room for him on the main event scene and he has a reputation for being injury prone. Claiming that there is some big backstage conspiracy is just silly.

I disagree with the opening post regarding Kane and Henry. I see them as company men and I don't think this current run would be the last we see of either of them.

Whilst Kane doesn't have the legitimacy he once had, he's still a credible opponent and I could see him being put in feuds every now and then over the next few years to put over some youngsters, but always being made to look dangerous.

The problem is that Kane tends to come out on the bottom of every confrontation he's in these days. It's not just losing matches, but he's losing handicapped matches, ringside brawls, etc. At times, I dont even know why they have him get overpowered. When he was announced to be in Money in the Bank, the show should've ended with him standing ontop of everyone looking scary. But nope, Roman Reigns has to spear him. After Daniel Bryan was injured, Kane had a stretcher match with Cena. Did he need to win? No, but when he attacked Cena earlier in that show, he should've come out on top so the match would be more suspenseful. But nope, Cena beat him then and beat him later on in an official match. Beating up Kane means nothing anymore, unfortunately.

Henry arguably has got it even worse because at least Kane is close to the main event scene and can have long drawn out matches. Kane is doomed to lose every fight he has, but at least he lasts a long time. Henry tends to get taken out quickly, whether it's at the hands of Lesnar or Reigns.

 

[Cereal Killer]

Darren Young: (If he is still employed) He obviously isn't making any money for the WWE; he also doesn't seem like someone that could serve backstage with his experience (like Finlay and Jamie Noble), WWE surprisingly didn't try to capitalize on him being gay either. He is on his way out.

Err, hasn't Darren Young recently got a lot of media attention around him for being the first active WWE superstar to come out as gay? WWE has been very supportive of it which gives them a good public image and can perhaps attract new fans, investors or sponsors. He's also had a signifiant role in the "Be a STAR" campaign. I'm sure all of this contributes towards progress within the WWE, so I'm sure they'd keep and push him to remind fans and executives of the WWE's role in Young's announcement and how they do a lot of other work in the world outside of their family-friendly product.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Barrett didn't need any more chances. His villainous aura and sterling mic work cemented him as the top heel in the business in 2010. The guy was holding his own with Edge and Chris Jericho in the ring, and matching John Cena and CM Punk word-for-word on the mic. WWE gave him five pay-per-view headline slots, then saw fit to kill him for no reason. Horrible.

 

[Reflection]

Err, hasn't Darren Young recently got a lot of media attention around him for being the first active WWE superstar to come out as gay? WWE has been very supportive of it which gives them a good public image and can perhaps attract new fans, investors or sponsors. He's also had a signifiant role in the "Be a STAR" campaign. I'm sure all of this contributes towards progress within the WWE, so I'm sure they'd keep and push him to remind fans and executives of the WWE's role in Young's announcement and how they do a lot of other work in the world outside of their family-friendly product.

It isn't a recent event. It happened just short of a year ago. Triple-H and Stephanie applauded him, but that was about it. They did not put him in a gay angle or extensively promote him as gay- things that everyone expected they would do. The attention that he got also died down within a month or so, and after that what remained was only gay jokes and memes from wrestling fans, and not anything that WWE made any money from. While his orientation could very well be the reason he is still employed, I don't see him getting his contract extended when it runs out, unless WWE figures out a way to do one of the above.