WWE Needs Two Top Faces and Two Top Heels on Each Show

[Frozen Fire]

Okay.... I didn't know what better title to give to my post but i hope it conveys my point..
I was watching clips on youtube of the Corporate-Ministry angle and it made me realize why i loved WWE during that period (I still like it, but not as much). During that time, I think in 1999, Austin and Rock were the top faces of the company with Austin being the WWE champion.. on the other hand, HHH and Undertaker were heels. just a few months earlier, I think, the Rock was the heel and HHH was a face as part of DX. now these 4 superstars were almost at the same level when it came to fan reaction towards them (Austin and Rock were definitely more over than HHH but still comparatively even HHH got massive heat.) then we had guys like Mick Foley, Kane and Big Show filling up the upper mid-card. so with the 4 main guys all getting similar reaction, it gave the creative the opportunity to turn them Face or heel much more easily without having to worry about the top Face and top Heel positions being empty and without merchandise sales dropping. plus, even if the same guys were in the main-event all the time the feud still remained fresh because the superstars played different roles going into each match.
so now coming to my point, right now, in the WWE there is only 1 top Face (Cena) and 1 top-heel (keeps changing every feud). even when Randy Orton was on Raw his character wasn't built to the extent, that the rafters shook when he made his entrance.
the problem with having only 1 Face is, that even when John Cena is being booed in almost every arena by atleast 30% of people in attendance (its much more but 30% sounds like a safe figure) they cannot turn him heel because they have no one to fill that void he'll leave. hence, his character, as stale as it might have become, cannot be changed.
I feel if WWE can push some1 to John Cena's level, the story-lines will be much better as it'll give the writers some maneuvering space without having to put Cena in the main-event at every PPV. your thoughts please.

 

[mrfantastic111]

You can't compare Cena and Orton. Cena put Orton over numerous times in recent years, but at the end of the day; Cena is 'the man'.

I do agree with you, each show should have two major faces and two major heels.

Smackdown: Faces - Orton and Sheamus (DBD is coming along too)
Heels - Christian and Mark Henry (Wade and Cody are doing alright though)

Raw: Faces - Cena and Punk
Heels - Miz and R-Truth (It's not Alberto's time yet. If they don't rush this guy and let him take his time, he could easily be a big name for a long time to come)

There are plenty of mentionable wrestlers on either brand, but I think the guys listed above are more-or-less the only guys who fit into the top spot right now. Only Cena, Punk and Orton are WAY up there, but Christian and such's new characters are still pretty fresh. Give them a year or two (without roster fluctuations) and I can see these guys at the top for a long time.

 

[Jesse-Jeniside]

You have a good point that John's character gets a little stale and that someone should be pushed to the status of Cena, but as far as another top face the person I'd choose would be Rey Mysterio. I know he's getting old but that just supports my reason to move him up to John's status because Rey isn't going to be around 5 years down the line. Give him a few promos about him being sick of the underdog and talking about his injuries and eventually him challenging Cena for a rematch. To push Rey so hard this late in the career would benefit him and WWE when he retires. He could then make surprise visits and it would be that much more exciting then the washed up Rey. If Rey can't succeed at winning the WWE title then they should make an angle where Rey teams with Sin Cara and eventually manages him. It could be a good way for Rey to end his career. Eventually Sin Cara would be known as the protege of Rey and he could be that top face that challenges Cena or Cm Punk to honor Rey. This could lead to Alberto Del Rio becoming a top heel and feuding with Sin Cara.

 

[jackson-lowe]

I think your right about the two top faces, and the two top heels. However, I don't like seeing the same matches between the 4, changing it up and bringing a mid-carder up for a triple threat is alot more interesting than having 2 of the faces on one heel or 2 of the heels on one face (that works, but it shouldn't be on every single PPV).

Raw- They have cena and punk(with kofi in the midcard) as the faces
They have Miz, R-Truth and Ziggler who I think is destined for the main event very soon

Smackdown!- Orton and Sheamus as faces
Christian and Mark Henry as Heels, but Cody Rhodes will be there soon.

All in all, I think for entertainment there needs to be more diversity than just one heel and one face.

 

[Frozen Fire]

Atleast now the WWE is trying to create 2 Faces on Raw with the whole CM Punk situation. I mean, last week on raw when there was a poll on who the rightful WWE champion was, 54% said Cena whereas 46% said Punk. so if that is used as an indicator of their fan reaction, its pretty close to what the Rock and Austin got in their days (I am not saying CM Punk and Cena are anywhere near the level of Austin and Rock. but that was 1999, this is 2011. that was attitude era, this is PG era).

but WWE still needs to push Punk all the way to Cena's level.. and also have 2 definitive main-event heels. i think if they really push Dolph ziggler and alberto del rio they'd fit right into the top heel gimmick. and Dolph can later be turned face as needed when one of the faces (mostly Punk) turns heel again.

 

[takerfan24]

Smackdown
Faces - Orton and Daniel Bryan
Heels - Christian and Rhodes OR Mark Henry
Orton is obviously gonna be the top face.Daniel Bryan has been doing really good since his MITB win and he should get that push if they're gonna give him the strap. Christian,like Orton as the face, is obviously gonna be the top heel.It looks like Henry could be the top heel but I like Rhodes right now and he should be the 2nd major heel

Raw
Faces - Cena and The Miz
Heels - Cm Punk and Del Rio
I think Miz could be good as a face.
Del Rio needs to win the WWE Champ after the whole Punk Cena storyline is over.

 

[Frozen Fire]

I agree that both shows have enough Faces and heels but what the original post meant was that the 2 faces should be at the same level. orton and daniel bryan are not at the same level. you cannot have daniel bryan headlining a show as yet. the match would be great but it wont draw as much as orton being in the main-event. daniel bryan needs to be pushed to Orton's level atleast. just imagine Cena being injured all of a sudden. before Punk, wwe had no replacement for him.

 

[mayankeagle]

To the guy who said that cena has put over Orton many times - that's just a joke. Orton has put over cena many more times, cena has won more in their 1 on 1 matches and the eventual feud.

cena never put over anybody - he eventually defeated Nexus, they are disbanded and in separate brands, he kept coming every week despite being fired in 2010 when they got the better of him for a graction of second, he got reinstated, didn't lose to Punk cleanly (Vince distracted), was supposed to be fired again but got reinstated, and even after losing the belt now he again won another title in 2 weeks to gain another belt. WWE sucks like this with one superman shoved on us daily, you realize it right?

People boo and hate cena because.... wait for it.... he deserves it. Take a deep breath and shove it in the way we shove him in every week for 7 years.

Agree with the initial poster that you need 4 guys at the same level so that people like them all. Pushing one guy who can't even wrestle to the top just because of his looks and drug muscles is a waste of an industry.

 

[BK Styles]

To the guy who said that cena has put over Orton many times - that's just a joke. Orton has put over cena many more times, cena has won more in their 1 on 1 matches and the eventual feud.

Seriously, there are more intelligent people on daytime talk shows than you. Do you know what a brain is, or do you think it's a misspelling of Brian? Before feuding with Cena, Orton was floundering. Sure, he'd been world champ once, and had a great feud with the Undertaker, and yes he'd been in a world title match at Wrestlemania (and lost to Rey) but was he a true main eventer? No. He was a young pretender, upper mid-card, who should have progressed further by that point. Then he feuds with Cena, and at that point, he FINALLY wins another world title and becomes the main event. Without his feud with Cena, he wouldn't be as big as he is now. Remember, you don't always have to lose to put someone over.

People boo and hate cena because.... wait for it.... he deserves it. Take a deep breath and shove it in the way we shove him in every week for 7 years.

Wow. Really? He comes out every week, busts his ass in the job that he loves, does everything that is asked of him and he DESERVES to be booed? Now, I will point out now that I'm no Cena fan, but I respect him, and I don't dislike him. He draws, is constantly consistant in his ring work and is a genuine guy. yes, it's repetative, but so was Austin coming in every week stunning everyone. So was the Rock saying 'It doesn't matter!' I'm not saying it wasn't entertaining, but it's the same damn thing. People boo Cena not because it's justified, but because it's a trend, and it's the 'cool' thing to do.


...Now, sorry, onto the topic. I don't think it should be as predictable as that, but you have a point. However, one thing I will point out. Back in the days of Rock and Austin, there were four top guys (two faces and two heels) but they were on Raw AND Smackdown (when Smackdown came along). Now, there would be essentially 8 top guys; four for each show. not saying that this isn't right, but you can see my point hopefully.

Nevertheless, four top stars on each show gives some variety, and then with the occasional midcarder jumping up to challenge (ala Jeff Hardy, Edge to begin with, Randy Orton when he was in Evolution), it provides the formula for the show to stay fresh. Well, hopefully.

 

[JGlass]

This is why we should have a wrestling IQ test before we allow new members, to keep certified morons like this guy out.

To the guy who said that cena has put over Orton many times - that's just a joke. Orton has put over cena many more times, cena has won more in their 1 on 1 matches and the eventual feud.

That's a laugh. Even by winning the majority of their one on one matches Cena has put Orton over, the same way he's put literally every person currently in the main event over, save Christian and Rey Mysterio. Just by stepping in the ring with John Cena you're guaranteed to look good, because John Cena is undoubtedly the best in the business today. Bar none.

Back to Orton, though... Orton owes his rise to huge success in the WWE to two people: Triple H and John Cena. By feuding with Cena so many times and being put in the same category as Cena so many times it allowed people to recognize that this guy is second to Cena, which ain't bad at all. Savage was second to Hogan, Rock was second to Stone Cold, and Orton is second to Cena. If Orton hadn't gotten the opportunity to face Cena so many times, nobody would realize that he belonged at the top alongside Cena.

cena never put over anybody - he eventually defeated Nexus, they are disbanded and in separate brands, he kept coming every week despite being fired in 2010 when they got the better of him for a graction of second, he got reinstated, didn't lose to Punk cleanly (Vince distracted), was supposed to be fired again but got reinstated, and even after losing the belt now he again won another title in 2 weeks to gain another belt. WWE sucks like this with one superman shoved on us daily, you realize it right?

You think the only way to put somebody over is by doing a job for them? That's so cute. After all, Stone Cold got over because Bret Hart did the job for him at WrestleMania 13, right? No, Stone Cold got over at WrestleMania 13 because Bret Hart made him look like a million dollars despite passing out to the Sharpshooter. Cena makes people look great on a weekly basis by making them look powerful as hell.

It's funny you bring up Nexus, as that's one of the best examples of how John Cena put someone, or in this case some people, over. We got a group of faces that most fans probably hadn't heard of due to the lack of success of NXT, and we were supposed to believe they were the most fearsome group in the WWE? Yeah right. But wait, they have John Cena's number, they've been making him look like a chump on a weekly basis... even though Cena eventually defeated Nexus, he still made them look like a vicious group in the process.

People boo and hate cena because.... wait for it.... he deserves it. Take a deep breath and shove it in the way we shove him in every week for 7 years.

The majority of Cena haters hate him because they don't know shit about wrestling or think that if you're not a Stone Cold-esque wrestler you're not worth their time. As I said, Cena is the best in wrestling today, bar none.

 

[CleverName51]

I think the WWE has been trying to go that route, but things have been derailing it...I'll use Raw as an example:

Raw 2010:
Top Faces: Cena and Orton
Top Heels: Miz and Nexus

Problem: DBD gets suspended, Nexus was too green and Edge retires forcing Orton over to SmackDown

Raw early 2011
Faces: Cena and JoMo
Heels: Miz and CM Punk

Problem: JoMo can't talk and he got injured.


Raw Currently:
Faces Cena and CM Punk
Heels: Miz and...Johnny Ace?


The problem is, somewhere, the second face can't get over...but I would say that late-99 to the Invasion angle had 3 faces and 3 heels...

June 2000
Faces: Rock, Kane, Undertaker
Heels: HHH, Angle, Chris Benoit failed main event push 1


Also, there was a stronger tag division which made shows have a better flow...take this outline of a typical raw from 2000 and a raw from 2011


2000:
Show opener

Promo involving Rock/Heels to set up Rock+other Face vs 2 top heels in tag team main event.

Solid opening singles match between 2 high flyers with solid energy

Back stage midcarder segment: AKA the Jericho Promo

Womens **** Fest

Tag Team Match involving Real Tag Teams

Backstage Segment #2: Hardcore Title Edition

Upper Midcard Singles Match

Recap from last PPV/General Build for next PPV

Tag Team Main Event Match



Now, Raw in 2011

Opening Promo: Cena+Top heels...set up Tag Team Main Event

Opening match: Monster Heel squashes face jobber in singles action

Recap previous show

Divas match

Recap opening promo to promote that raw's main event

Comedy Tag Match with Santino

Smackdown Recap

Midcard Singles Match

Promote Smackdown/PPV/Next Raw

Main Event Tag Match



Relatively similar formula, but because of the 3-5 main event caliber superstars of today to the 6+ of a decade ago, the product can seem stale.

The 99-01 time period was characterized by the best talkers with great in ring skill

The Current era has good talkers and good in ring skill limited by the fact that after Benoit's drugs and Foley's bumps and Edge's career has been watered down on order of VKM for the SAFETY of those doing it.

In order to make up for that, the E needs more ME caliber people who can talk better to hide the in ring limitations that logical safety policies cause

 

[Frozen Fire]

@bk201- i agree to your point that back in 1999 there was no brand splitting. so they could have 4 main-event guys. but, even right now with Raw and SD being 2 separate show, i think WWE has enough pool of performers to actually find 8 guys (4 for each show). its just a matter of pushing them all the way... and for that they cannot just put them in a main-event... they need to develop those characters.. i mean people like jack swagger were pushed far to early and when they didn't get the necessary reaction, they were just demoted to the jobber status.

@clevername51- agreed with every point that you said... i feel the WWE needs to just stop scripting everything and let the superstars show their personality... just give them the content, but let the words and emotions be theirs'

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think the WWE is already kind of in that format when you think about it.

On Raw, the two top faces are John Cena & Rey Mysterio, with guys like Kofi Kingston & John Morrison getting good responses from the fans as well. The top heels on Raw at this point are CM Punk & The Miz, though Alberto Del Rio will probably be there soon.

Over on SmackDown! the top face is Randy Orton and, judging by the response he's already gotten so far, I'd say Sheamus will be right behind him. If WWE does right by Daniel Bryan, he could lay claim to being a "top face" of the blue brand as he's already getting great responses from the crowd since his MITB win. As far as heels go, Christian is the top heel and I'd say Mark Henry is right behind him. I don't expect Mark Henry to be a top guy in the long term, but what they're doing with him now is just flat out working. The guy's a walking, talking 385 pound furnace at the moment.