Right, I read Simon's article on wrestlers who nearly made the main event and it got me thinking. Who of today's WWF roster do you think are destined for the same fate?

 

Edge - Good on the mic, good in ring ability but I just can't see Vince pushing him as a credible opponent for guys like the Rock, Austin and Triple H.

 

RVD - Before Triple H came back he was headlining a PPV, and rumoured to face Y2J at the Rumble for the belt. After Triple H comes back he's in opening matches on Raw/Smackdown and feuding with Goldust.

 

Test - Mic work is improving and he has the size and look, but in his matches against the Rock it never really worked for me. There was just only gonna be one winner.

 

Jeff Hardy - Not long ago there was talk of him being the next Shawn Michaels

 

Biggest problems stopping these guys development - no great feuds, difficult to promote anyone as a credible opponent for Rock/Austin/HHH (only Angle and Y2J have managed to come from the mid card and do it), Over sixed roster.

 

Any others people would like to see in the main event, or guys who might make it that you don't want to?

Work rate is also a problem,

 

RVD and Jeff just chuck everything out there....they have very little chain wrestling, meaning the matches have no middle.

 

Test, oh dear talk about going backwards.

 

Edge has lost it, can't put my finger on where or why but he's definitely lost it somewhere.

I think anyone who isn't a Vince McMahon creation will strugle to get above a certain level, look at Tazz, DDP, Raven and now maybe RVD who languish mid card at best. While Vinces creations Test, Edge are shoved down our throats with there dubbed in crowd noise.

Yeah, never really thought about the not being a Vince creation bit, but I guess you're right. DDP, Raven and RVD particularly were very much characters created by others, and guys who couldn't really be re-packaged as anything else. DDP is DDP, you could hardy re-package him as a wrestling plumber, or have RVD changed to a wrestling clown could ya?

 

Many of the WCW wrestlers who came to WWF and were a success were totally re-packaged when they were signed. Would Goldust have been a success as Dustin Rhodes? Or Austin as Stunning Steve Austin. Even Luger was to an extent, as the all american Yokozuna slamming hero

RVD- one of his strength was that he was able to make incredible matches given the right amount of time (never mind about the oppenent). but because he can't work as long of a match as he ccould in ECW. also beacuse of the fact that vince has a sorta safety poilcy- Van Dam can't be as extreme as he could be in ECW.

 

Edge - very talented and has the potential to "make it" (become the world heavyweight champ) but it seems like vince is...say delaying the inevtible by having him complete in not disatirous- but not epic- like fueds. if it's any concelation we shouldn't blame edge (or for that matter Regal) as it's the way they've made regal cheat (also giving us brit's a bad name)

 

Test- Just as it looks like test is about to get huge push to stardom, he get's push right back down. this is wired as i thought vince liked "big men", i mean test has it all, looks (cough), moves, can sell and not too bad at promos yet he's stuck in limbo. poor guy, i would like to see him in major (if not main) events soon

 

Jeff hardy- i was one of those guys that though he would become the next shawn michaels , but clearly i seem wrong, while we should not look over that he is young and still needs time, it seems that jeff in't perticulay favorued by Vince. jeff has the moves but not necessarily the charisma (needs to work on the mic) given time and chance, this guy can become the next shawn mic.

 

Kane- Vince...wake up, here's a guy who has what you could look for in a big man, kickass gimmick (that has somehow stood the test of time so far), moves, selling and hell even a bit of aglity and here he is stuck in wrestling limbo, give this guy a title (not the european) or something and put him in a fued with someone great (but not undertaker), and you will see you have a winner

 

guys...you hould also consider christian...i would write up on him, but i er...am in school, and it's end of lunch, later

I agree that Kane should also be pushed. He has great ability for a guy his size and is so over with the crowd.

Also, Lance Storm is a great wrestler, he has decent mic skills and his quite over with the crowd.

Jeff Hardy - the next Shawn Michaels? .....No! LoL!

So does anyone think the WWF has a better big man than Kane? I don't, he has been world champ, but never a genuine main eventer, and certainly not at the moment. Better wrestling ability than Taker, Show and Nash.

 

I suppose the thing with most of the guys we've all mentioned is that for the most part, they are all still young and to say that if they haven't made it yet they won't is kinda ridiculous, but.....most of the ones we've mentioned don't really look like becoming main eventers any time soon and there's always the chance of them getting tired of waiting. For instance when Jeff first entered the WWF this was his dream, would he ever have turned up late/missed shows back then? There's every chance all these guys could get lazy.

 

The problem is that previously a guy like Edge/Jeff Hardy/Test/RVD could have gone away somewhere else for a year or two, for instance WCW, got a decent run as a main eventer, built up a bigger fanbase and come back as a tried and tested main eventer and therefore it would have been less of a risk to push him. In saying that I can think of more guys who left WCW for WWF and came back main eventers, than guys who left WWF for another promotion and came back as a big star

*Falls over.........

 

Someone read my column! :)

 

Nah, it is an interesting topic though isnt it, considering how it could end up applying to rising talent like Test etc. Guys like RVD etc just seem to have passed their peak of popularity, i hope im wrong in the long run though eh.

simon, i've read your column, it's why i posted this topic on here :xyx

jericos popularity seemed to be waining, now look at him

Jerichos popularity surely didnt wean that much, even then, by that time he'd probably "paid his dues". Although i hate that saying :)

 

I'd probably guess that people like Edge and Test are a bit far off it, at the moment anyway....

(COUGH) are yous forgetting about the Booker man? you could call him a big guy as he is very big and he desrerves a push, not losing matychs to bloody spike dudley. He has beaten everyone there is to beat ie Austin, Taker, Kane, big slow, Rock, hhh, Angle,Y2j, Edge. GOD DAMMIT PUSH HIM

Sure Bookers great, but he's not a super heavyweight, that's what i meant when i said kane was their best big man. Nash, Taker, Show, Kane, guys that size

man there are so many guys who can work a good match, and give a good promo, that it doesnt bare thinking about.

 

I think edge's problem, was this change from comic goofball to dead serious dude, im sorry but that just doesnt work for me.

 

As for regal, vince go watch his matches with fit finlay back in 96, then u can see how regal can be used in a brutal manner.

 

As for jeff hardy, well the booking crew obviously have about as much time for him as his hair dresser did, so well tag teams will do for him, for the time being.

 

Tazz, one word, size, even though vince could push him like ecw did, tho i cannot for the life of me, see wwf guys be willing to be thrown about by this little orange oompa loompa.

 

As for guys like dreamer, raven, ddp, rvd, christian, storm, credible, and the plethora of other guys with about as much work as a tanning salon in greenland, they'll just have to hope for the best. Sure I can give opinions, and so can you guys, but well all this lot can do is pray for a decent break, with some time given to it.

 

Maybe the split will help, or maybe it won't

 

time will tell, and for sum, they dont really have that time.

My £3.50....

 

Edge - I really don't see what the fuss is about, no one cares about him, he's not over...despite what the WWF wants us to think. He's clumsy on the mic as a face and cliched as a heel, his ring work is thoroughly unremarkable and more geared towards that of the tag team wrestler he really is.

 

Jeff Hardy - Please don't make me laugh, he can not work a match properly, his aerial moveset is sloppy and dangerous while his one mat move, (the jawbreaker, lol!), is so indescribably crappy it's not worth a critique. He has absolutely zero mic skills and charisma, he gets all his heat and support from 13 year old girls and would be better suited to mopping the floors in Scott Hall's dressing room after a post beer binge puke-a-thon.

 

Test - A throwback to the 80s, less charisma than Al Gore on chloral hydrate, standard useless, over pushed, over rated big guy that Vince has wet dreams about.

 

Kane - Ditto.

 

RVD - The only one with megastar potential and the next big thing in wrestling if Vince complies with his audience's wishes, many disagree with his style but he's at least entertaining to watch and the fans actually want to cheer for him... but a certain person or persons have a hidden agenda regarding his rise to the top.

Just put Edge and Christian back together, they work so well together and they really knew how to work the crowd.