Who Should Be The Next World Heavyweight Champion?

[The Extract]

First of all, I do think Sheamus is doing a decent job with the belt. But with the lack of storylines with the title, to me it doesn't count as a good title reign. Almost like Cody Rhodes' Intercontential Title reign. Cody Rhodes almost never defended the title, so it was just a good and not great reign. But Big Show ended Cody's reign. Then Christian ended the second reign. I guess my point is that every reign has to end.

So, who should be the next World Heavyweight Champion?

IMO, whoever wins the WHC MItB should be the one to take the title. Say Cody Rhodes(my top pick) inserts himself into the match this week and goes on to win it. He should then try to injure Sheamus after his matches, during backstage segments, and interfere in his matches. Except for PPV's, where he helps Sheamus win. Then at a PPV, Cody interferes in the match and knocks out both of them with a chair. He then cashes in and wins the title.

 

[JaceEvans]

I'd like to see Christian do it.

He's such a great talent and has always been over with the crowd. I'd also like to see him do it as the IC champ as well. Christian doesn't have alot of years left I imagine and thus should be given another shot at holding the WHC.

I believe he should win the MITB briefcase and cash it in straight up against Sheamus and after a highly contested match should win with the frog splash. Even tho I want this to happen I know I'm dreaming that he would win a match cleanly against Sheamus...so maybe he can do like his former tag partner and just cash it in whenever he sees fit.

 

[OG Mark]

I voted for Ziggler, but I think everyone except Del Rio is a viable option. Ziggler has the backing, the talent, and the charisma to get a legitimate title run. Plus it would make for an excellent opportunity to "break up" with Vickie.

I think/hope we're about to FINALLY see some of the mid-card guys get a push to the top. Punk has to drop the title at some point, and the roster from top to bottom is currently lacking in "top-tier" quality. The best fix - push someone new. At some point, those that are at the top (Punk, Cena, Orton, Kane, Show, etc.) have to give the rub to the next batch of stars. Say what you want about life outside the ring, but one of the best examples of this is Razor Ramon (Scott Hall) and the 1-2-3 Kid (Sean Waltman). You see anyone in the WWE working that angle anytime soon? Yeah, neither do I.

 

[Kizzani]

I think all are viable options again minus Del Rio.

Del Rio is the only one who constantly get s himself into title pictures, even if people dislike him. He seems to me to be a lot like the Million Dollar man, he isn't holding the world title but people still can't stop talking about him. Even if you think he is horrible, there are plenty worse in all categories than Del Rio. Slater, Swagger, Khali, Jinder.



Cody needs to stay where he is, he needs to build a meaningful career. Like HHH, Micheals or Hitman. Travel thru the ranks and leave you mark every step of the way. Don't be the John Cena who jumps to the top and now hold fans of the 5-12 age range. If cena buys a monkey be afraid.

But I voted for Wade Barrett has not really been given a truly good set up and I think he and Sheamus can have a really great feud.

 

[GrandSword]

Wade Barrett. Last year he and Sheamus fought in some very competitive matches, much like Punk/Bryan did before their actual feud. I think Barrett will be the man to overthrow Sheamus.

 

[rge2010]

I see the IWC darlings Ziggler, Rhodes and Christian at the forefront!!! Ziggler and Rhodes have the personality of 2 fish fingers. Is Smackdown really going to draw in viewers with these 2 generic bores as Champion?

Wade Barrett has charisma, he also has presence, he is great on the stick. He gets my vote.

 

[byrnside]

As much as I would love to see either Cody or Dolph grab the title, I'm still not convinced they're ready. Well, let me rephrase that... I don't think the crowd is ready. Of the two, Dolph is more ready and should and will probably get a hold of the belt first... but he's kind of in this tweener mode at the moment and I think it's too soon to give him the belt simply because I think it would launch him as a face and I don't think we're truly ready for that. As for Cody, I'd like to give him another six months to a year as a dominate, upper mid-card, talent... Maybe even have him win the Royal Rumble.

Which leads me to my pick, Wade Barrett... When he comes back I have a feeling he's going to be white-hot as a heel simply because of how they will book him. Personally, I think he's either going to attack Jericho and turn him face or attack Sheamus right out of the gate and go after the title. Barrett was so close to a championship reign before he was injured and I think he's going to be thrust right back into the picture upon his return and I'd like to see some good, if not great matches for the title.

 

[R.K.O]

The way Sheamus' current reign is going, I don't see it ending by normal means. He is built as unstoppable right now the only way I see it realistically ending is when someone cashes in the Mitb briefcase much like Cena's 1 year reign ended by Edge cashing in. I don't see anyone of the 5 participants winning the Mitb match, so it would have to be a new entrant next week on Smackdown. Probably someone like Dolph Ziggler or Cody Rhodes will win the briefcase and cashes it in against Sheamus. I think Cody Rhodes have a higher chance to do that since Ziggler is on tweener mode right now.

 

[TTWWE5]

My top two choices for who will be the next Heavyweight Champ are: Randy Orton (if he returns as a heel) and Wade Barrett. These are my choices because Wade Barrett was on his way to get a huge push before his injury, and also the fact that he deserves a nice title run. Orton was also chosen because it has been a while since we have seen Orton with the title belt and it is definitely well deserved.

 

[The_Midnight_Show]

I agree with most of the people above that say Sheamus has to lose via MITB cash-in, and that sensibly, this person would be a heel (you could always turn a face heel but since WWE is lacking in faces, I doubt this). This leaves 4-5 people: Ziggler, Barrett, Del Rio, Rhodes, and a slim, slim chance of Sandow. Sandow could get the briefcase, build himself up through SummerSlam, then cash-in during the fall months. However, I think a title change is more imminent than that which leaves the other 4.

I don't think the next champion will be Alberto Del Rio. Not that he is not capable, I just think that WWE does not want to go in this direction. If he does have a 1v1 vs Sheamus at MITB, there is about a .1% chance he wins. Assuming this is the case, I could see MITB opening with this match, then later on the card for the WHC MITB, inserting Del Rio for a second match. Still, I would not see ADR winning just because there needs to be new blood in the Smackdown! main event scene.

There is a possibility that Ziggler wins the MITB (assuming he is in the match); however, I do not see this happening. I am more than ready to see Ziggler in the title picture; however, I don't think MITB is the way of doing it. It definitely seems as if WWE is unsure of where to go with Ziggler's character, thus becoming a "tweener". If Ziggler does win MITB, it would be hard to paint him cashing it in as face, unless he does it the straight-up way. If that's the case then, Sheamus will look "weak" from losing. What I would do would be have Ziggler lose MITB, continue his slow face turn, and after a heel takes the belt off Sheamus, Ziggler would be able to feud with said heel.

Cody Rhodes is someone I could definitely see winning. Though Cody obviously doesn't need much more development, he is like Sandow in that I don't think he quite prime for the relatively "permanent" main event scene. A lot like Bryan was last year. WWE has done a VERY, VERY good job in building Cody and not rushing; I just would not want to see Cody champion by SummerSlam. At the earliest, after a Sheamus match at SummerSlam. I'd say there is a 20% chance of Cody becoming the next champion.

Wade Barrett, if ready to return and I really think he is, has a very strong opportunity to become the next champion. He'll come back and be pushed strongly as a heel, we know he is main event capable, and him and Sheamus will put on some good matches. Quite simple, not much explanation needed.

Someone that I did not mention in my previous list because there is not shot of him competing in MITB is Randy Orton. The only "problem" would be that Orton would have to come back heel. When I say problem, I mean that since WWE lacks faces as mentioned before, losing a big face in Orton would be a critical move (maybe him and Ziggler can "swap" so to speak). Fans and even Orton himself would love to see him back as heel, attack Sheamus at the end of July when his suspension is up, which sets up an easy enough booking at SummerSlam.

 

[Skinsley]

My vote is for another.
The MITB case aside.
I think Mark Henry should make a return and have another title run for a while and assist in the development of a few more Faces, he was a great Champion until Big Show made it boring.
I would have Voted for Wade Barrett, but I think he is currently well suited for the Raw Brand.

 

[Pink Hole Slam]

its time for Ziggler to shine. its apart of his gimmick but the guy really does steal the show on most occasions. he has had great matches with Punk, Sheamus, and basically anyone else you put him in the ring with. pull the trigger before his momentum is killed.

 

[SuperKick36]

I would say Wade Barrett, because I really do miss him.

However, I'm going to have to go with Cody Rhodes for one reason:

Barrett has been out for a while and his momentum is stalled. Rhodes has been on TV recently, while Wade hasn't been seen or heard from in while.

Although I think Barrett is more charismatic and a more interesting prospect, I think Rhodes needs the championship to develop his character a bit more and give him some more story lines to be involved in.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I went with Dolph Ziggler. I can understand some people saying that WWE just isn't going to pull the trigger with him but, like a lot of other people, I feel that he's just half a step away from being there.

If Ziggler winds up in the MITB match, which I think he will be, then it's his match to win or lose I think. He's had some great matches against guys who've been World Heavyweight or WWE Champion since 2010 and I have a feeling WWE is going to pull the trigger. If he winds up in the MITB match, he's my pick to win the briefcase. I don't know that he'll be staying heel for very much longer in that he's not only garnering strong babyface responses, but they continue to tease & slowly build more & more tension between him & Vickie Guerrero each week. Not that Ziggler can't be a good heel without Vickie, personally I'm anxious to see him as a heel without her.

I don't see Cody as having a realistic chance at this point in time. I expect he'll be part of the MITB match after "pleading his case" to the WWE Board of Directors, in which he'll be given a singles qualifying match. Rhodes can use the match to build up some strong heat for himself and generally get back on track.

I don't think Del Rio will be part of the match but he'll finally get his one on one match against Sheamus at the ppv. I think he'll be unsuccessful, but there's a chance that he could score the win via interference. If he does win, then it'd be something of an excuse to continue this feud that he seems to have brewing with Ziggler on the side at the moment. WWE could use such a feud to push Ziggler as a babyface, if such an idea is even floating around right now. According to an article I read a little while ago, the WON reports that a source alleges that WWE has "big plans" for Ziggler this year.

Had Wade Barrett not gotten injured, I'd say he'd be a prime candidate to take the title away from Sheamus. If I remember correctly, one big reason why they scrapped the MITB match at WM and went ahead with the MITB ppv again is because Barrett was injured, thus unable to compete at WM where he was penciled to win. If I'm not mistaken, Barrett is in the middle of filming a movie for WWE right now so he'll probably have to be built back up a bit once he returns. For the forseeable future, I don't see Barrett as being the guy, though I wouldn't complain if he was because I've been a fan since the first season of NXT.

 

[IT Factor]

I can't understand why many people voted for Wade Barrett. He's as boring on the mic as they come and he isn't exactly good in ring either. If anything, he's sloppy to the point of looking like a big clumsy goof. I voted for Dolph Ziggler. He's had great matches with just about everyone he's worked with and he could do wonders once he seperates from Vickie Guerrero and goes solo on the mic.

The only other legit heel choices to win off of Sheamus would be a returning heel Randy Orton or Cody Rhodes. I'm not sure WWE would reward Orton for his recent suspension by giving him the title right away. I don't think that WWE views Rhodes as quite ready for advancement, either. So, Ziggler is pretty much at the top of that list in my view.....

 

[HBsam31]

I voted for Ziggler. I have said before that he is just a step or two away from the belt, and I think MITB is the perfect chance for him to do it if he is inserted into the match.

 

[Sin316]

Dolph Ziggler has to "get rid" of his alliance with Guerrero. He has to "man up" to be considered a serious competitor. He has all the skillset and capabilities, no doubt, but his gimmick reeks of mid card.

 

[smizzy]

Ziggler needs to be the next WHC. He is wayy over. He's weeks from being face and it's not even because creative wants this to happen. BUT, I don't think he should win it yet, because the timing isn't right. I say the Monday after MitB, begin building up to a match vs. Sheamus at Summerslam where Ziggz will eventually win capture it.

But there must be a great build up to this match. I'm not sure if it should involve Ziggler winning the MitB or not. But Sheamus vs. Ziggler: Summerslam 2012.

Make it happen, Creative.

 

[Radical]

I think Mark Henry, when he comes back, should feud with Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Title as Mark Henry will look like a REAL threat to Sheamus' reign as much as pretty much anyone could.

Mark Henry should win it and continue is monster heel reign he had before.

I would then like to see a angle somehow where John Cena is WWE Champ and a match is made - Champion vs Champion and whoever wins keeps their title and the other title is retired!

I think Henry vs Cena could be an interesting matchup. Both Cena and Henry can show feats of strength against each other and they could make things more interesting by having different types of matches between them like a tables match or falls count anywhere.

With the brand separation in WWE virtually gone having a World Title and WWE Title (as well as IC and US title) is making each title seem less important and making the company look a little silly, honestly.

I don't want to make this a TNA vs WWE thing at all but one thing they got right is Championship belts. They have ONE World Title, ONE TV (Mid-Card) Title, ONE Tag Team Title (for the men) and ONE X Division Title. Makes sense and makes each title seem more important.

 

[Dr. Awesome]

Christian, He never got a real chance to prove himself he held it for 30 days in 2 reigns.
He could have drawn but because of Randy Borton he never got the chance. If given another World title reign it would be a draw. Especially considering he's a face again plus he can really put people over so 3-4 months down the line he can put over Cody Rhodes and they can feud and make Cody a decent World Champion.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

i voted for wade. loved his character since he start in wwe and would love for him to get the belt when he returns. i would have him keep the belt until wrestlemania where i would have him drop the belt to the undertaker.

 

[JWGunslinger]

If it's the winner of MITB then Dolph Ziggler or Cody Rhodes, but if not then I say my pick Wade Barrett will be the next to wear the big gold belt. He had a boat load of momentum before he got injured and when he comes back I expect more of the same. Not to mention the fact that his run ins with Sheamus in the past have been nothing short of awesome, it'd be great to see these two in a feud for the world title and hearing those accents flying back and forth on the mic. Most importantly he deserves it, he's one of the most talented superstars and compelling characters in the WWE today and I believe it's his time to step up and claim what's his as he's already had plenty of main event exposure in his time since NXT.

 

[MattyB]

Out of those choices Id love to see either Cody or Ziggler be the next champion. Realistically I have Del Rio winning at MITB with Rey coming back at the 1000th raw (I believe is suspension is up then) and then have them fued for a ppv or two.

The only way to eliminate Sheamus from having his rematch clause would be for Del Rio to dominate him in such a degrading manor. Which I don't see the WWE doing with one of their top faces.

 

[LSN80]

It's time to pull the trigger on Dolph Ziggler. Honestly, it almost feels like a "now or never" situation with him, as he's had numerous title shots, yet he's never one, unless you count his "two hour" title reign last January.

Ziggler HAS to win MITB. He has to. If WWE is serious about giving him any kind of push whatsoever, Ziggler has to win MITB. They ran the small angle of having Ziggler and Swagger compete for Vickie's affection in a match, which ZIggler won. Ziggler then pointed out Randy Orton, and said, "that's what I want", regarding being a main eventer. And we've since seen him compete for the World Title, and lose.

Imagine what MITB could do for Ziggler. Imagine the heat he would draw, with his show-off persona, claiming to be Mr. Money in the Bank as well. Then imagine the heat he would garner with Vickie announcing him as such. It's a perfect fit for a man who's been brought to a certain level, but they've yet to pull the trigger on. It's time.

Further, going with Ziggler winning MITB and cashing in on Sheamus keeps Sheamus strong. His reign has been lackluster mostly, competing in good matches but no real storylines or rivalries. This could be that opportunity, and a face Sheamus chasing a heel Ziggler could make for a good storyline for him. Having Ziggler win MITB and then the title obviously elevates him, it keeps Sheamus strong if he's cashed in on in a weakened state, and it would make for the best "storyline" rivalry.

The next WHC should win it on aq cash-in of MITB. Ziggler is the absolute best choice of the men in the match to win said match. Ziggler as the next WHC is just the most logical choice.

 

[#1Dobz92]

It should be the MITB winner late this year or early next year and it should be Cody Rhodes. I like Ziggler but with Vickie Guerrero and the briefcase, to me that's taking the piss somewhat. All Dolph needs is a face turn and he has white hot main event momentum. His wrestling ability means he will get cheered a lot, especially considering WWE's mistreatment of him at times.

I would also make the argument that due to Cody's superior promo ability (I know this is subjective but I feel the difference is such it would be difficult to argue in Dolph's favour. FYI, Ziggler's promo ability is vastly improving and he will soon be cutting good promos weekly, but Rhodes has been able to do that for a while now and he shows remarkable variation) he would benefit more with a long term build with the MITB briefcase.