Moderator: "Welcome one and all to another installment of The Wrestling Council. In today's installment we have four hard-hitting topics that will cause our panel to reach back into the deep recesses of its mind and deliver a well-thought out response.

Today we are joined by three truly awesome individuals. With us are: Dub Sizzle, Nefatiri H, and Kevin Williams. No need for witty nicknames as these three are awesome enough in their own rights.

Now that pleasantries are over, let us begin, shall we?"

 

1) Who is the one person in each company (WWE, TNA, ROH) who you feel can lead their respective companies for the next 10 years? Please explain why.

Dub: For the WWE:Ted DiBiase Jr. I see a lot of potential in this young man. If given the chance, I believe he could be the face of either RAW or SmackDown!. He has the talent, the lineage, and one hell of an awesome finisher. Out of him and Cody, Ted is by far the best bet to carry the company.

In TNA: A.J. Styles. The man has so much talent. I get the same edge of my seat excitement watching A.J. as I do from watching HBK. He may not be the best on the mic, but when he is cutting his angry A.J. promos, I can relate. I have a bit of a temper myself. To put it simply, Angry Dub likes Angry A.J.

And for ROH:Tyler Black. Up until this past weekend I had not had much chance to check out RoH. Even after two full days of watching matches, and reading bios, I don't feel I am greatly qualified to choose who could carry the company for the next 10 years. If pushed into a corner, I will have to say Tyler Black, due to a mix of what I saw of his in-ring work, and a very good article written by Joe Burgett spotlighting Tyler. He strikes me as someone you could build a company around."

Nefatiri: "I haven't been watching RoH and TNA long enough to make a pick so forgive me for not answering. I don't like to say anything unless I can defend my answer with some good key points.

As for the WWE, I'd have to go with CM Punk. I'm choosing Punk over Cena, Jeff, Orton, DiBiase, and MVP for several reasons.

For starters, I don't think we're going to see anything new from Cena or Jeff in the next 10 years. Hell, I don't expect the Enigma to even be around in 10 years. Cena will more than likely still be around but since he's the current face of the WWE today, I expect someone else to move in on his spot later on when the company evolves into it's next era―whatever that may be.

I didn't pick Orton because the way it's looking, Orton just may be another Triple H. The way he keeps losing the belt, then winning it back... At this rate he'll catch Edge and Hunter with the number of times he's held the belt. Not good, especially this early in his career.

Orton's a fine wrestler and has improved a lot on the mic but at this rate, he's going to get stale pretty quickly unless creative does something about it. I'm already getting bored with him and it shouldn't be that way for someone like him.

MVP just doesn't have it yet and by the time he gets it, it will be too late.

DiBiase...Punk over him because he's already two steps ahead of him. Punk's way over right now and if he keeps the belt long enough to establish himself as a credible champion, then he will be the new face of the WWE.

Why? Because he's different. You can't watch him wrestle and say he's the next HHH because he's not. You certainly can't call him the next Jeff Hardy, for several reasons I won't get into. Punk's style in the ring is his own, which helps him stand out.

Another thing about him is his character. Whether he's a heel or a face, his character is versatile enough to work either angle and put on a good show. As a bonus, Punk's personal values could really represent the 'PG' era of pro wrestling. His straight-edge lifestyle is certainly marketable and what parent wouldn't want Punk as a role model for their kids? The fact that Punk keeps his body clean is a good marketing tool to show skeptics in the media that not everyone has to look like Batista to be a professional wrestler, and not all of them are junkies.

Another thing about Punk that swayed my decision was a recent promo he cut. I think it was the Smackdown! after Extreme Rules. Punk was addressing the issue about cashing in his briefcase to take the belt from Jeff. He basically said that it didn't matter if it was Edge or Jeff who won the match. He was getting the belt that night from whoever won and could care less who he beat to get it. His character was being real.

Hell, I know that I'd have done the same thing and who can argue with that logic? He waited 'til his two biggest contenders beat the hell out of each other in a ladder match before taking the belt from both of them. That was real and I liked it. These past few weeks it's been real hard to tell what the WWE was planning to do with his character which made Punk an enigma in his own way.

'Is he going to turn heel?' It had people talking and you know what? Who's to say Punk's character will ever become a straight heel or face? Already, Punk has everything he needs to lead the company into its next stage in evolution. He's a character who people can relate to. He's got the look and he lives a healthy lifestyle. I don't think anyone else has him beat right now and 10 years from now, he'll be the one to beat."

Kevin: "This is a hard choice for me, but I feel John Morrison is the best suited of the younger guys in the locker room to carry the WWE into the future. It seems as if the creative team may feel the same way. In the last two weeks, he has victories over Edge, a nine-time champion, and CM Punk, the current World Heavyweight Champion.

He was one-half of the most successful tag team the WWE has seen in years, and it seems as if it is only a matter of time before he is in the title hunt. If CM Punk holds the belt long term, I can see these two superstars feuding long term, with Morrison eventually becoming World Heavyweight Champion.

Morrison works great as a heel, and he is getting over in his current role as a face. The 'Morrison' chants I heard from the fans on Smackdown! definitely weren't the work of canned heat. Morrison is also one of the more entertaining in-ring talents in the WWE right now.

He has a broad arsenal of moves that compliment his athleticism, including his various aerial maneuvers. Not to mention, Morrison has the superstar look. I think the only thing holding Morrison back may be his mic work. In my opinion, he's a decent talker, but his interviews leave a lot to be desired. Another thing is that Morrison is 29, so maybe he is more of a suitable choice for the next five years, but when looking at the WWE roster as of today, I don't think anyone else on the roster is prepared to be the face of the WWE for the next ten years.

AJ Styles is the past, present, and future of TNA. Although Styles is on the wrong side of thirty, TNA obviously has no problem pushing talent over the age of forty, which Styles will be in 10 years time. Even in ten years he will still be younger than the members of the Main Event Mafia currently are.

Styles is the most decorated wrestler in TNA history, and I don't think he has even reached his full potential yet. He has great ring work, as seen in his classic matches with Christopher Daniels and Samoa Joe. He is constantly putting his body on the line for the entertainment of the fans, and I don't think I have come across somebody who is not impressed by AJ's work in the ring.

AJ also has the ability to cut great promos, as seen in his rivlary with Rhino. I'm under the impression that once the Main Event Mafia finally succumbs to the TNA Frontline (or what's left of it), Styles will be the one wearing the belt around his waist. Styles has been with TNA since day one, and its only fitting that he be the one to lead them as they try become a front runner in the wrestling industry.

The ROH one is a hard choice for me. I can't say that I am a huge follower of ROH, but I do try to catch them on HDNet whenever I can remember. I've had to do some research and look through hours of video to decide between Austin Aries and Bryan Danielson. To me, Danielson seems like the better choice.

If he is not the best pure wrestler on the planet today, then he is in the top five. The American Dragon has learned from the best in the business including Shawn Michaels, William Regal, and Masato Tanaka.

Based on talent alone, Danielson should be a top contender in the WWE, but from what I've seen from him, he could be a little more charismatic, and his small stature doesn't help either. Despite whatever shortcomings he may have, all Danielson has to do is step in the ring and let his wrestling do the talking.

ROH is not a big promotion by any stretch of the imagination, so most of their talent aren't recognized by the average wrestling fan. Danielson, however, is the name most commonly associated with ROH, and probably their most recognizable talent, other than Jerry Lynn."

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