Who will be the face of the WWE after John Cena's time?

[CM Steel]

I'm going to use the NBA elaboration for this thread. It's NBA finals time.

Every wrestling era has it's star in any promotion. Hulk Hogan, Sting, Stone Cold, Bill Goldberg. And currently the WWE has John Cena as it's babyface of the company. John Cena has been in the WWE for 11 years now but has been the center piece of the company for 8 of those years. Headlining Wrestlemania after Wrestlemania winning the WWE championship various times. John Cena is to the WWE like what NBA star Kobe Bryant is to the NBA, a golden boy. But with John Cena getting more seasoned over the years battling nagging injuries like the current one he has to his leg. It'd be soon after awhile that John Cena needs to think about life after wrestling.

Which leads us to wonder, who will be the face of the WWE after Cena's time is up?

Well we have CM Punk. Who can hold candle to "Super Cena" fan base wise. And can out sell John Cena's merchindise as well as headline a big WWE pay per-view. CM Punk is a LeBron James in the sence that he can one day be the face of the WWE once Cena steps down out of the spotlight. And then we have Sheamus who the WWE see's as John Cena version two for some reason? He was hand picked by WWE COO Triple H and has had a very big push upon his first year in the WWE. A bonafied main eventer in the making. Almost like a modern day Kevin Durant.

Daniel Bryan isn't the biggest WWE superstar on the roster. But can hang in there with the giants in the ring. He's had world title gold as well as a strong fan base behind him with the "YES" and "NO" chants. And has a long WWE career ahead of him still. I think it's safe to call DB the Dwayne Wade of the WWE. A shooting star who can rumble! That leaves Ryback. A dominating force in the ring. All I can say on this is, Blake Griffen. FEED ME MORE-LOBB CITY anyone?

There are future stars being born in the WWE everyday with NXT. But in your honest opinion. Who will be the face of the WWE after John Cena's time?

 

[TempestH]

It's either Dolph Ziggler, Fandango/Johnny Curtis once he ditches the dancer gimmick, Daniel Bryan once he cleans up his look and ditches the beard, The Miz, or may be a long shot, but a jobber like Zack Ryder or Alex Riley if they started pushing them again. Those guys have the best look for a top star: a clean cut "normal" looking guy looks good in a suit and can do PR and go on all the late night talk shows. They have decent size, but aren't too big that they can't play the underdog/face in peril role when needed.

Ryback isn't going to be the top guy. He's a musclebound, monstrous brute. As much as Vince loves his big muscle men, those kind of guys are never #1 in the WWE. The big guys aren't here to be stars. The big guys are here to be credible threats TO the stars. They're the ultimate enhancement talent. A dragon for the hero to overcome.

 

[The Gribbler]

Must say I disagree on Bryan AND Punk. Not because they aren't talented enough or anything like that, but Bryan is 4 years John's junior, and Punk only 2 years his junior. So when those niggling injuries start to pile up on an ageing Cena, odds are they will also pile up on Punk and Bryan shortly after. They might get a year or two past Cena's prime, but not long enough for the WWE to actually build the company around them.

Having said that, I really don't have a name for you, right now I can't think of anyone who fits the bill. I would have said Orton but he is 33 (Cena 36) so he has the same problem and Punk and Bryan.

I don't know who will succeed Cena, but they would want to step up right freaking now.

Just My Opinion

 

[supernatural1981]

Look towards the guys coming up from NXT for the next John Cena, these are the guys that are going to be the future of WWE.

If i had to pick i would say maybe a Dean Ambrose or Bo Dallas could be up there. Even Bray Wyatt depending on how his future works out could do it but if i had to put my money on anyone i would say Roman Reigns just because he has the look, size and cant move for a big man. Now he just needs to turn face in the future.

 

[Jerichoholic8894]

Dean Ambrose will be one of the top guys in WWE before you know it.

Fandango could be one of the top dogs also, i'm not pushing for him to lose the dancer gimmick because he makes it work!

Obviously Dolph Ziggler is a name that'll cross your mind on a topic like this also.

 

[Dmbfantomas]

Ambrose v Rollins will main event a Wrestlemania one day, and what a glorious day that will be.

Having said that, I really don't see it being either of those two.

Curtis is a good pick for what we have right now, he's young, athletic, good looking, and is obviously immensly talented. He turned a shitshow of a gimmick into a minor phenomenon.

I'm sure the REAL next guy though is someone we've never heard of.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

With how things stand at the moment, I am going to go with Seth Rollins, The Guy is a very skilled and tallented performer and while he is still a couple of years off being a main eventer, he is only 27 so has time on his side. Also I can See Rollins playing the Punk/Austin type reble when he finally breaks away from the Sheild and that sort of character always goes down well with the fans.

 

[LSN80]

It's going to have to be a group effort.

Austin may have been the 'star' of the Attitude Era, but what happened after Austin stepped away? It was a heel faction, Evolution, lead by HHH. WWE could have gone solo with HHH, but they decided to use a legend, a main-eventer, and two up-and-comers in Randy Orton and Batista to step up and fill that role. There were challengers and other main eventers, sure, such as Brock Lesnar, Eddie Guerrero, Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit who filled roles admirably as major forces and solid wrestlers who created magic in the ring, but invariably, the spotlight always came back to Evolution and HHH.

It's not as if WWE hasn't tried to make other major main event stars during the 'John Cena Era'. Had this question been posed two years ago, I would have gone with Randy Orton, no question. He's got a contract that runs until he's essentially 45, and he's only 32 now. But with the Wellness Policy Violations and the general poor attitude he's exhibited over time, I don't think WWE will ever trust him in that spot again. And remember, this was the guy who WWE had swap the title with Cena several times as a heel, and more importantly, gave him a clean pinfall victory over Cena as a heel, the only one I can remember in the Cena Era. When he turned face in 2010, he was pushed as Cena's equal as the top face, holding the WWE Title while Cena was also on Raw and was Smackdown's version of Cena in 2011 when they were still seperate brands. But now? I can't see it happening.

CM Punk doesn't have Cena's tireless work ethic, Miz does, but he's flopped since dropping the WWE Title. Sheamus is an excellent worker, but not many people buy tickets to see Sheamus perform. People do pay to see Daniel Bryan these days, but he doesn't have the look as a typical "Vince McMahon main eventer." All three of the Shield are intriguing, but all have weaknesses. Ambrose is money on the mic, hit or miss in the ring. Rollins is an excellent wrestler, but seems uncomfortable on the mic Roman Reigns possesses a great look, but reminds me of Batista in that there's nothing he does that's exceptional. Ryback has a great build but can't be trusted to have long-form, simple one-on-one wrestling matches at the top, hence his challenges for the title have been Hell In A Cell, triple threat, TLC, Last Man Stading, and now, a Three Stages of Hell match, and he'd not safe in the ring. Ask CM Punk, John Cena, Kofi Kingston, and Daniel Bryan about that. The World Champion Dolph Ziggler and his challenger, Alberto Del Rio, both seem to be lacking the "It Factor" that makes them major draws, and the World Title has slipped extensively since these two have held it. Wade Barrett, when he lead Nexus, seemed a lock to me to be the top heel, and he's a great talker. He's also injury-prone and somewhat sloppy in the ring, although he's improved. Why he's not higher up the card is beyond me.

So as I point out the weaknesses of each man not to be critical of them, but as the reason to go with "group mentality." It's always a dangerous place to be in to have one man as the "guy", because if he's injured like Edge was and has to suddenly retire, you're screwed. So take the serious, major league depth that this roster possesses, and use the 6 hours of TV you possess a week to make stars. Stop treating Smackdown as a recap of Raw and furthering of storylines begun there, use it to push other guys who don't get lots of time on Raw.

If I had to go with one person, however, I would pick Daniel Bryan, just my personal preference. He has an ability on offense to go long matches, and create an energy in any building with his quick offensive flurries, and he has his character down better then anyone in the company, me believes. Ratings aside, he's been the man on Raw the last few weeks, and although Cena is my favorite wrestler, Bryan has become just as much a reason to tune in.

But to 'succeed' Cena, it needs to be a group effort. Offer the fans a diverse and different group of people as reasons to tune in, something for everyone. Build a Women's Division again. WWE has as many hours as needed to tinker with different men(and women) in different places on the card to find proper fits, and offer options.

Using the basketball analogy, let's take a team approach. If the Heat went 73-9 the next five years, and won the next five Championships, fans other then in Miami would become disgruntled, and would only watch to see who the team was to knock them off their perch. The NFL draws monster ratings because it offers what no other sport truly does: Parity. Most teams in any year have a chance to make the playoffs and win the Super Bowl. Why have many got sick of Cena? I haven't personally, but you hear the "same old sh*t" chants in many arenas. Cena's TV time, since Extreme Rules, has been cut immensely. The result. He's been treated like a true babyface, with loud cheers and people of all ages chanting his name when he does come out.

WWE, instead of focusing on the 'guy' to replace effort, need to make it a team effort. They've got a good thing going in the Shield, Daniel Bryan has been amazing, and CM Punk is coming back. A great start. Build from there.

 

[rich12341]

A lot of the guys mentioned already are not much younger than Cena anyway for example Sheamus (35), Orton (33), Punk (34), and even Ziggler is pushing 33. So even though they may be very talented after Cena leaves i cant see the majority of the aforementioned being around long enough to take that spot.

So far out of the current and up and coming roster i think its between the likes of Bray Wyatt (26), Seth Rollins (27), Dean Amborse (27), Roman Reigns (28), Johnny Curtis/Fandango (31) and Damien Sandow (31). Of course in the next few years their will be many more we will be introduced to who will more than likely take Cena' spot when he walks away.

*Yes i looked up the ages on wikipedia

 

[bizonatch]

If we're talking specifically filling that Cena/ Hogan void (vitamins and prayers and whatnot) I would UNFORTUNATELY remove Bryan and Punk (both of whom I wish would be the top guy), but Cena has stated that he never plans on leaving WWE, so I'm assuming his career will run longer than theirs.

I'm going with a long-shot here, just as Cena was a longshot during his hotpants, wacky roll up gimmick days, but I think Darren Young has the potential to be the new PG face of the company in a few years. He's handsome (which is important for the female/ non-hetero portion of the audience), he's got a wicked awesome Cena-esque finisher and is decent in the ring, and I think he's got some raw charisma. I don't understand why Titus gets all the praise in their partnership; he's more boisterous, but less refined. I'm not even saying I'm a huge fan or mark of Young, I just feel like he's an underdog prospect for the future. I'd prefer it to be any of the indy darlings (Ambrose, Rollins, Cesaro) but realistically Vince wants a superhero leading the company, not, "Some guy who looks like he works at a gas station."

Also I'm not sure if leadership is racist though, Rock is pretty non-African American looking, and it seems like there's only room for honkies at the top. I would point to Kofi Kingston NEVER getting a main event opportunity despite his talent, looks and ability to speak. I could be totally wrong and hope I am, but I just see so much untapped potential in him.

 

[DannyMack]

Dean Ambrose - Total package, incredible mic skills, a true anti-hero

Seth Rollins - Great in-ring abilities, very likeable (when he's a face)

Roman Reigns - The look, friends in high places (i.e. his cousin The Rock)

Bray Wyatt - Captivating character, very unique promo style & look


These are my picks because of their stand out on-screen presence, their hunger for success and most importantly they are all under the age of 30, which means they will be around for quite some time.

Or of course, the next face of the WWE could still be out there somewhere just waiting to be discovered.

 

[MCMG]

I understand your curiosity but it is impossible to predict. The Rock/Austin era ended in late '02. John Cena was a nobody then. I think it is fair to say there was no "face of the company" for the years where Lesnar and Angle were the main guys.

It is difficult to evaluate but lets say John Cena has another maybe 5 years left in his WWE career. That, in my opinion, makes it impossible to predict who will be the face of the company. 5 years ago people would have suggested that guys like John Morrison, Ted DiBiase, and MVP would be right at the top of the current roster but things don't work out perfectly or how we predict.

For the record, I don't see anyone in the current roster who will be in the same league as Hogan, Austin, The Rock or Cena. Of course time will tell but these guys were/are massive stars. The WWE will, of course, try to mold someone into John Cena status (and will succeed) but there is a good chance he hasn't even signed for the company yet.

 

[President Evil]

Its been said before that Cena is still the #1 guy of the company because the E still cant find someone viable enough to take his place. We've had this cookie-cutting version of Cena for 8 straight years now. Scarfed down our throats. How long is enough? Yes I understand 1) Orton and his wellness policy violations, 2)people not interested enough in Sheamus 3) Bryan and Punk not big enough (physically) for Vince's taste. But I think one of the main reasons the E has struggled to find and come up with the next top E guy is simply because Cena never takes time off.

Yes he'll miss a Raw or two, but the guy is there 12 months a year. If he was to at least take a quarter of a year off, (non-injury related) it would give a chance for the current roster to battle and maybe even get the top spot, plus the fans would be looking as well for whom can take that spot. It would be an interesting time.

Think about it. Shawn and Bret came up as the top men once Hogan, Macho and Warrior left, Rock and Austin came up shortly after Shawn and Bret were on and off television (Bret taking most of 96 off and Shawn in and out of action due to injuries) Then guys like Cena, Batista, Orton came up once Rock and Austin were out.

For as long as we see this Cena character on tv, hopes of having the next top face will be thin.

Those who think the E cant survive without Cena are delusional. If the E survived losing Hogan, Macho, Warrior, Rock, Austin, they can cruise by if the lose Cena.

 

[a member of wwe universe]

WWE at this time struggling to produce decent credibile main eventers let alone find a new face for the company. When i talk about main eventer, i aint refering to sheamus, del rio, swagger. They are upper midcarder at best at this time. Punk is a main eventer. It is impossible to tell who the face will be. To say guys like seth rollins, damiem sandow, roman reign, wade barrette etc will be the face is naive where they are not even positioned as a top single competitor at this time.

couple years ago ppl randomly said these guys would easily be the top stars:

Drew mcytre
ted biase
jack swagger
alex riley
eziekle jackson
vladamir kozlov
r truth
john morrison
mvp
mason ryan
mr kennedy

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

WWE at this time struggling to produce decent credibile main eventers let alone find a new face for the company. When i talk about main eventer, i aint refering to sheamus, del rio, swagger. They are upper midcarder at best at this time. Punk is a main eventer. It is impossible to tell who the face will be. To say guys like seth rollins, damiem sandow, roman reign, wade barrette etc will be the face is naive where they are not even positioned as a top single competitor at this time.

couple years ago ppl randomly said these guys would easily be the top stars:

Drew mcytre
ted biase
jack swagger
alex riley
eziekle jackson
vladamir kozlov
r truth
john morrison
mvp
mason ryan
mr kennedy

It helps your argument when you can at least spell the names correctly for the most part.

Is there anyone who will definitively be the face? No, nobody has a crystal ball. All you can do is make your best guess based on the roster they currently have.

 

[bizonatch]

President Evil: Thank you, you are 100% correct; admire Cena for his work ethic if you want, but his blandness and refusal to take time off is damaging the show and holding back talent.

 

[Pedigree1]

By all accounts it should be Randy Orton hands down. No question But Orton already has two strikes against him in the Wellness Policy (Damn drug testing HAHA)and well Orton has a shitty attitude to go with him. If Orton can get his head on straight and have the WWE trust him no doubt its him. DB? Daniel doesnt have the body that Vinnie Mac loves not a super bodybuilder type of guy. But DB is an incredible wrestling machine and everytime i fucking swear he makes Gold out of every opportunity that is handed to him.

Sheamus? Ehhh yah and no! People are not really dying to see Sheamus Compete and wont buy tickets sorely on himself alone. Sheamus has the build but acts too goofy sometimes. CM Punk? He has said many times he wants to be done with wrestling by the time he is 35 or so. That only leaves two more years with Punk at the top. If i had to venture a guess its gonna be Daniel Bryan

 

[HillBillyJim]

Dean Ambrose - Total package, incredible mic skills, a true anti-hero

Seth Rollins - Great in-ring abilities, very likeable (when he's a face)

Roman Reigns - The look, friends in high places (i.e. his cousin The Rock)

Bray Wyatt - Captivating character, very unique promo style & look


These are my picks because of their stand out on-screen presence, their hunger for success and most importantly they are all under the age of 30, which means they will be around for quite some time.

Or of course, the next face of the WWE could still be out there somewhere just waiting to be discovered.

I totally agree with seth rollins, but I honestly cannot see any other guy off that list as a complete face. Roman reigns is a big scary guy, who is heel, like Ken Shamrock. Dean Ambrose can be the next Steve Austin . Bray Wyatt has a great thing now being scary with his family. to replace cena, I think that it will be a nxt guy, or an unknown wwe main [DiBiase?]

 

[lbastone6]

I cannot identify who will be the man, but I think that there are a few guys on the current roster that I can see as legit main event material in the future:

Dean Ambrose- I see him taking a CM Punk role where he is a great anti-hero and regardless of him being heel or face he will have his fan base backing him up. He has an "IT"factor in my opinion because he has a sadistic way about him that adds a cool twist to his character.

Roman Reigns- He is big and muscular and the Rocks cousin. He has a good look to him and hes not terrible in the ring and I have not heard him talk enough to completely write him off as terrible on the mic.

Seth Rollins: I don't think he has that good of a chance of being "the guy" but I do think once he goes solo he will have a hard work ethic under dog characteristic to him like Jeff hardy had. I am not saying he is the same as Jeff Hardy like it seems a lot of other people say, but his size and in ring ability almost make people want to cheer for him, but his size also makes it so that he can fit an under dog position compared to someone like Reigns.

Titus O'Neill- I seriously think that this guy is great. The WWE is going to miss a huge opportunity if they don't give him a chance to shine as a singles competitor. He has the size, in ring ability, and most importantly the charisma to be a champion. I can imagine Titus with the World Heavyweight Championship around his shoulder wearing a suit. I think it is very odd that a lot of people don't see this guy as a credible person to be in the main event. He is 36 years old so he is not getting any younger, but they should give this guy a push before his time is up.

Daniel Bryan- He is already gaining momentum to be a top guy and i think he will excel in the main event fast because he is good at getting himself over no matter what.

CM Punk- This guy is just great all around . If they let him be the anti-hero face they should have when he was having problems with John Laurenitis I believe he may have surpassed or at least been even with Cena as far as being the top guy goes. I think no matter what Punk will always be a superstar that is in that category with HBK where they have always done things their way and still have been highly successful.

Bray Wyatt- Bray will not be a top face of the company ever IMO, but he can be a top tier character that has mystique to him.

I think overall we cannot predict who will be the next "face of the company" but odds are we may have not have seen them on WWE television yet.

 

[Da Solo]

This is an interesting question. I'm not clairvoyant, but I think I've narrowed it down to a good couple of people. It takes some process-of-elimination thinking to do it.

First off, it's not going to be anybody who looks like they are being groomed to run the company. WWE's biggest and best face-of-the-company's are never manufactured and always come from the crowd. Rock happened due a to a heel turn that went better than expected, Austin happened when they let him off the chain, Bret and Shawn simply wrestled better than their peers and Cena himself kept a good gimmick going without it becoming a parody of itself (white rapper). The only outlier here is Lesnar and that heel HHH run at the top with Evolution: the former didn't last too long and the latter became counter-productive. So the next face won't have all the corporate support in the world as of now, but the crowd will eat them up. This knocks out Sheamus, Curtis Axel, Big E. and a host of NXT incomers.

Second, they have to work the character they are given. That doesn't mean the character has to be inherently good, but they have to work that character to the fullest, whether it's a face or a heel. They have to personify it both on the mic and in the ring in the best way. That scratches off Del Rio, The Miz, and Cesaro

Third, they have to at least be somewhat young. No one over, say, 42 at the time of Cena's fall will hold this because there is only so much time left that can follow. You can now erase R-Truth, a returning JoMo or MVP, and many other returning superstars

Let me throw in now that there are some superstars that just lack that "it" factor. While this is often subjective depending on who you ask, there are some that, to me at least, just seem like a universal "no" in terms of leading the company as its main attraction no matter how good they are. Eliminate Wade Barrett, Damien Sandow, Bray Wyatt and Dolph Ziggler (sorry)

Now when you factor those in and take out all of the obvious "no's", there are certain outliers who avoid the previous categories yet still have their own personal reasons:

CM Punk. I would argue that Punk has already cemented himself as the Savage or Warrior to Cena's Hogan and could have surpassed him if they booked his title run as the priority it should have been, but Punk is still, in many minds, the one to overtake Cena. I will say that he could have last year and still could, but he said himself that he won't be wrestling over 40, and his word should probably be taken seriously considering he left with the title last year. Cena is only a few years older and a bit more banged up, so when he checks out, Punk might not be too far behind. He could lead for a couple of years like Lesnar, but it won't be long, if at all.

Dean Ambrose. As much as it pains me to say it, Ambrose won't either. While Mysterio, Punk, Bryan and others have broken down the doors for smaller men, Dean's looks and character is just too abstract to put to the top. That's not to say he won't make it, though. He'll be another Savage/Warrior/Angle/Taker in terms of popularity: main eventer for sure, but never the golden boy.

Randy Orton. He's come out as another "Jeff Hardy"-esque situation to a lesser extent: Yeah he can do it, but can he be trusted? His attitude apparently sucks, he's on his 2nd strike and he's been in quite the slump. He's already had a hall of fame career, so if his time was to come, it would have came already.

While I'm sure there's more, those three outliers out of the way leave 7 foreseeable options for the new face of the company:

Rollins and/or Reigns can make it big if given the chance. They are doing a bang-up job with the Shield. Rollins has the indie experience whereas Reigns has the pedigree. Both are more than satisfactory in the ring and on the mic, so it's all a matter of which one they choose at this point.

Daniel Bryan is a favorite. He's massively over, has a working gimmick, has proven his worth on the mic and puts on a clinic in the ring. All he need is that one program and Vince's backing and it's all in.

Kofi Kingston is another one I'm putting a lot behind. For all the talk about his character, he has consistently held down the upper midcard whenever need be, remains popular no matter how bad his booking gets, does decent ambassador work, puts on clinics in the ring and is one of WWE's most underrated mic men as well (his promos against Orton seem to be forgotten for some reason). He can very well be WWE's premier superstar as soon as someone decides to pull the trigger and he'll do a damn good job at it.

Cody Rhodes is a dark horse to me. He's been a bit forgotten as of late, but he's done more than prove his worth after that feud with Booker T. With a good push, he could do well for himself as the face of the company, especially being Dusty's son.

Johnny Curtis, with or without Fandango as the character, can go far enough to the point where I could see him leading the company. Anyone who can take Fandango on and make it work this well so quickly has something special for sure.

Titus O'Neill is my other dark horse pick, although it is extremely out there. He has shown so much charisma so early in the game that it's uncanny, and he seems to be the most comfortable with his character than any superstar in the game today. His in-ring game has massively improved since the start of PTP as well. Believe it or not, I can see him as WWE's prime time guy, no pun intended.

 

[Miz_America]

It would be easy to say that the next "face of the company" isn't on the roster yet, and that might be accurate. But I'm gonna play the game.

I can't believe nobody on this thread has even mentioned DOLPH ZIGGLER yet! This guy has everything it would take to be the face of the company. The look, the charisma, his in ring work (especially his selling) is tops in the WWE right now. His mic work has improved 100 fold since he re-emerged after that spirit squad debacle. I mean, not that you need to be good on the mic to be face of the company. (cough cough Cena)

I don't think Orton or Punk fit the bill based on the facts that they're almost as old as Cena, and they've both already had there time at/near the top. Dolph just seems like he has SO much more to give. Like he hasn't reallly been given his moment, his chance to shine and really get over and make a name for himself. But that time will come if he stays healthy. He has no disciplinary problems and has no drug history to speak of. Thats a good start for the spokesperson of your company.

The only thing holding Ziggler back is a face turn. And oh man, when Ziggler turns face, the crowd is going to fucking love him! He has that cockiness that makes you want to hate him, but you just cant help but like him, or at least be interested in what he's doing. Right now he reminds me so much of heel Shawn Michaels from the 90's, and maybe even Mr. Perfect.

So yes, the next "top guy" might not be on the roster today, but Dolph has everything you'd need to be that guy. Give him a little more time to grow, and obviously a face turn, and the fans will accept him.

 

[TSG]

Let's think about this. Cena is 36 years old. Punk is 34. Whether Punk has the ability to take over the top spot from Cena or not is irrelevant; he won't have much more in the tank after Cena is gone. Orton has accomplished everything there is in the WWE, he may have four years on Cena but his time to be a face of the company has come and past.

Let's think logically about this some more, though. Cena is 36. He has another 4-6 years in the tank easily before he falls off unless he leaves, which I don't foresee happening. Cena and Batista, the most recent top two guys to take over, reigned in 2005. Orton, the other top dog, was 2004. Where was Orton in 1998-2000, and Batista and Cena in 99-01? They weren't even on the main roster, and wouldn't show up on the main roster for another 2-3 years. Any of the other guys who tasted main event success in the past 10 years, other than Edge, were older guys whose days as the face had either passed or never had occurred and never was going to. So who will be the next face? He's probably opening shows in ROH or EVOLVE, or fighting through the mid-card on NXT. It's hard to tell at this point.

I do know that every successful era has had a definitive top guy or two; Hogan, then Hart/Michaels, Stone Cold, Cena with Batista/Orton alternating in. The period from 02-04 didn't really have anyone, but even then HHH ruled RAW while Cena became popular. So someone will HAVE to step up, or a new type of era without a clear cut face will emerge. But for now, I'd say it's too early to tell who the next face of the WWE will be.

 

[Dirk]

Tricky! It's been said that Punk (the guy with second-biggest fan base) is too old and so is Orton. I agree. As much as I like my boy Zigglypuff, even though he's had a short career at the business end of the card, he's not much younger.

Bo Dallas is 23, Big E is 27. I think these guys will have great careers and will be able to improve as much as their ambition allows, because they have all the time in the world.

My pick, however would be Seth Rollins. Dude's also 27, talented as hell and is being built greatly with the Shield. Hopefully the hair holds out and the injury-fairy stays away, but out of the active roster, he's my guy.

 

[#IndyRules]

It wont be any Indy guy. Vince is the type of guy who is not gonna let a guy who his company did not discover or make. It will be a WWE developed talent and by WWE developed talent i mean a person who is like John Cena or Brock Lesnar who never competed on the Indy circuit before he went to the WWE.
Back to thepoint, if it was an indy guy, i would say people like Ambrose and Rollins will be big in the company.
As for WWE's home grown, i think Big E or Bray wyatt will be massive superstars.
But do i really know who i could put 100% faith in ? No, WWE do not have enough stars.
Maybe Drew McIntyre, we can wish eh ?

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

CM PUNK
Dolph Ziggler
Daniel Bryan
Dean Ambrose


Those are the four guys who will carry THE WRESTLING
If I had to put money on it I'd bet on Ziggler turning face and being an HBK-esque Superstar.