WNS Column: Five stars, five years: WWE's potential future headliners...

This article takes a look at five current WWE Superstars who have the potential to be headliners in the next five years (in no particular order). Agree? Disagree? Have alternatives? Comment below!

Adrian Neville

Newly-crowned NXT Champion Adrian Neville  (formerly known as Pac) has a very promising future. His impressive high-flying style has captivated many, earning him the nickname ‘The Man That Gravity Forgot’. He has one of those finishers that everyone in the audience looks forward to – the ‘Red Arrow’ (a corkscrew shooting star press) – whether you’re with him or against him.

Neville’s height and accent would be his only two potential hinderances. While Wade Barrett is proving otherwise, not many non-Americans get much promo time – a major ingredient needed to concoct a certified top-flight competitor. Additionally, being 5’10 doesn’t exactly do any Superstar wonders – even Dolph Ziggler (being 6’0) claims that he still gets told “he isn’t tall enough”. On the contrary, Dean Malenko, Eddie Guerrero, Chris Benoit, and Daniel Bryan are a few names who have proven that overcoming this hurdle is possible. With all this in mind, Adrian Neville’s RAW/SmackDown debut is something worth looking forward to. To learn more about this up and coming star, view his WWE profile here. He’s definitely one to look out for!

Antonio Cesaro

An obvious choice for most, Cesaro has proven his worth on a weekly basis for an extensive period of time. The Swiss destroyer has constantly displayed feats of strength, hoisting the largest of Superstars up into the air. Let’s not forget him swinging The Great Khali. With creative offensive moves executed to perfection, Cesaro is always exciting to watch in the ring. Physically, he’s a dominant specimen, and arguably the strongest pound-for-pound Superstar that the WWE locker room has to offer.

Cesaro’s only potential downfall lies in his mic skills. However, for someone whose first language isn’t English, his promos aren’t half bad. With a bit of work, as well as dropping the yodelling gimmick for good, Cesaro has all the tools to become one of the industry’s all-time greats. Who believes in him? WE, THE PEOPLE.

Bray Wyatt

If you’ve read the article on The Undertaker’s streak, you’ll understand why the leader of The Wyatts has made this list. Bray Wyatt offers something we haven’t seen in a while – a different gimmick that actually works. Not only that, but he is both an exceptional physical performer and talker. He’s a heel that makes you genuinely fear for the opposing face, with or without his hillbilly counterparts.

If WWE played their cards right, ‘The Eater of Worlds’ could leave a legacy as one of the greatest heels of all-time. There’s hardly much that’s holding him back, unless the WWE suppress him because of his physique – which would be pathetic in this day and age.

Dean Ambrose

Although he’s been slightly overshadowed by Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose still has what it takes to make it into the top-flight division. He’s an exceptional talker, and also possesses an unorthodox wrestling/brawling style that he smoothly integrates into every match he’s involved in. This inimitable flare has often dubbed him as the ‘Joker’ of the WWE.

So far we’ve only known him as a heel, but Ambrose seems to have what it takes to be a witty baby-face –  something of a blur between Chris Jericho and CM Punk. As much as a large portion of WWE fans hate the thought of The Shield breaking up, Ambrose’s inevitably successful singles career is something positive that can be extracted from this.

Roman Reigns

With a great physique, Samoan heritage, and wrestling in his blood, Roman Reigns has everything going for him.While arguably not the most talented memberof The Shield, Reigns fits the mould that WWE often look for. He’s exciting to watch, and offers one of the best Spears we’ve seen in a long time.

Like Cesaro, though we haven’t had the chance to hear Reigns talk often, he hasn’t displayed anything exceptional on the mic when we have done. We’ve only heard his pre-spear/triple-powerbomb roar – which is already catching on extremely well. Improving his promo skills will be his last piece to his near-complete puzzle, and doing this could make the next generation that Roman truly reigns (pun intended). The biggest fear is the rate of how WWE are pushing him – he’s even eased his way in taking over as ‘leader’ of The Shield. WWE need to slow Reigns’ push down a little, for the fear of becoming stale too quickly.

Honourable Mentions

• Daniel Bryan – An obvious choice, one of the best in-ring workers we’ve seen in the last decade or so. His ultra baby-face gimmick could start to grow stale, but this shouldn’t be an issue for him after overcoming everything he has done in the past.
• Dolph Ziggler – Even though he’s been in the business for an extensive period of time, ‘The Show-Off’ still has time to make it into the major league, providing WWE open their eyes for a change.
• Seth Rollins - This one is more of a personal preference, although the way that the WWE machine has worked over the last decade makes it almost inevitable that he’ll end up as an upper mid-carder. Hopefully this isn’t the case. Seth Rollins is arguably the most talented member of The Shield, and definitely the most underrated.
• Titus O’Neil – Great size, strength, and promo skills. Big Titus is highly entertaining and can act as both a fearsome and comedic heel, as well as face. The dog bark is always a bonus too.

What do you think? Do you see anyone else upholding WWE’s future? Once again, comment below and share!

Please note that these images are each owned by their respective owners, I do not own any of them. No copyright infringement is intended. 

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