Breaking the Breakfast Club: WWE's Top 10 Alternatives to Cena and Orton

In case you didn't know...

Breakfast Club (n.)- a selected group of wrestlers that constantly win and often refuse to relinquish their respective title belts. This group includes Triple H, John Cena, and Randy Orton.

WWE fans have been subject to witnessing the Breakfast Club dominate the product for almost ten years now. It started with Triple H and his World Heavyweight strap from 2002 to 2005. During that span, The Game won the title five times and rarely saw himself losing a match. He was clearly untouchable, holding the title for drawn out amounts of times including a reign which lasted nearly a year.

Now with Triple H taking a backseat in the creative department, John Cena and Randy Orton have taken over the Breakfast Club. Both guys are billed as unbeatable monsters and never lose a match cleanly. Each the current champion in their respective brands, it seems like we're in for a long run of Cena-Orton domination. Until the "PG Era" comes to an end, it'll be RKO's and Attitude Adjustments for everyone who steps into the squared circle.

So until then, here is a list of wrestlers who can become legitimate title holders of either the WWE or World Heavyweight straps. Here are the top ten guys who should be primed for a major championship run.

**Due to his questionable situation in the company, CM Punk will not be included. Had he been assured a new contract, Punk would be number one on this list.

10. Ted DiBiase

Perhaps the most mishandled wrestler in the WWE today, Ted DiBiase always seems to get shunned by the lackluster creative team. DiBiase clearly has what it takes to become a top card guy but he never gets a solid push. 

Ted Jr.'s situation began as a very promising one as he and Cody Rhodes joined Randy Orton to form the company's top stable a few years back. He consistently worked matches with Orton, Triple H, and Shawn Michaels in that time.

However, the creative team, if you can call it that, hasn't the slightest idea of what to write for him. Some nights he's in the mid-to-lower card and some nights you just won't see him at all. You will either see him lose a filler match or rarely plug a promo.

Suggestion: The WWE writers should throw him into the mid-card and proceed to build him back up. They can drop the heel character and bill him as a top baby-face when the time is right. They can even keep him as a heel, reassign Maryse as his valet and work deeper into that "smug rich boy" angle. DiBiase bringing back his father's title is another idea that could be reprised into a solid story-line. Although the first attempt at Ted Jr. with the Million Dollar Belt failed, it is still a decent gimmick that may have some life in it. 

9. Daniel Bryan

Every smark knows that Daniel Bryan is one of the world's top wrestlers and may be the best WWE has to offer. He made it known as Brian Danielson in ROH and proceeds to turn heads under of the employment of Vince McMahon. He brings an unmatched technical style to the company and never fails to impress with his in-ring ability. With the exception of CM Punk, Daniel Bryan is the most complete inside the squared circle.

Surprisingly, the creative team is handling Bryan considerably well thus far. Since he hasn't been in the WWE that long and since he doesn't have the build of a Heavyweight contender, the only way to legitimize his character is to ease into into. It'll be a while until we see Bryan at the top of the card.

Suggestion: Continue to build him up. Give him a few more United States title reigns and a handful of clean wins over top heels such as The Miz and R-Truth.

8. Jack Swagger

Already a one-time World Heavyweight Champion, Jack Swagger is primed to become one of WWE's top guys. He is 6-6, 263 pounds, and continues to show his promising ability as a wrestler. Swagger just screams potential.

And just like Daniel Bryan, the creative team seems to have a decent feel on this guy. They finally took him out of the tiresome Cole-Lawler story-line and have thrown him into the top of the card on the past few Monday Night Raw episodes. He also holds a much-deserved spot in the upcoming MITB match for his brand.

Suggestion: Keep him as a top heel at the top of the card. Continue to press the "All-American American" character. If the writers handle him correctly, we could be looking at the second coming of Kurt Angle in WWE. He's not close to Angle in terms of in-ring skill, but he can pull off a major heel persona like Angle.

7. Wade Barrett

Okay, enough of me crediting the writers. Now that I've seen this picture of Wade Barrett, I just remembered one of the reasons the creative team gets so much flack from smarks.

Here they have a more than legitimate wrestler who is definitely capable of carrying over a top heel angle. They gave him a decent stable, they penciled him in on the top of the Monday Night Raw cards for a good amount of time, and they even let him work a great story line with their golden boy Cena.

And what does the creative team decide to do? They decided to throw it all away and put him in the middle of the card for Smackdown! 

They effectively built Barrett up into a believable main event-type wrestler and seemed to scrap the idea. It might have been a quick build up, but why scrap it after all the work?

Barrett should and will have his chance at a major strap because he knows how to work a match and knows how to work a mic.

Suggestion: Make him one of the top heels on the Smackdown! brand. Ditch the Ezekiel Jackson feud since it served its purpose of putting Jackson over. Allow him to win the MITB match and walk around with it for awhile to make him a legitimate presence on the brand. 

6. Alex Riley

Rarely do we see such a babyface push like the one of up-comer Alex Riley. Actually, you really can't call him an up-comer since he's already up.

Riley quickly went from being The Miz's loyal apprentice as a heel to one of Raw's top faces. Riley has been worked into a brilliant story line with the brand's top heel and has been featured in the show's latest main events.

The kid clearly has talent and the only thing standing between him and a title reign in the near-future is a botch from the creative staff.

Suggestion: Continue the Riley-Miz feud into Summerslam. Have Riley pick up a clean win in some sort of stipulation match. (I wouldn't want to pay for a singles match I've seen on television already.) Having him defeat the top heel will undoubtedly put A-Ry over as a viable babyface.

5. Mark Henry

He isn't exactly the best in-ring performer the business has to offer. And he isn't very flexible, charismatic, or the kind of draw that puts asses in seats. In fact, Henry is by far the worst wrestler on this list.

But the man formerly known as Sexual Chocolate has been around the block and is ready for a bigger push. Since his WWE return, the creative team has tested Henry in multiple spots. Mostly mid-card, but he has worked some notable matches including one with Taker at Wrestlemania 22. 

So enough teasing cause its time to get Henry onto the top of the card for a bit. Henry would be an incredibly believable heel being that he's over 400 pounds and has wrestled for nearly 15 years in business. 

Mark Henry should be thrown a bone just like JBL and Eddie Guerrero were. Even though that Bradshaw, and especially Eddie, were much better in the ring than Henry, Sexual Chocolate can add more variety to the championship scene.

Suggestion: Have Henry come out victorious in his feud with Kane to put him over a little more. Get Booker out of the commentary table and use him as a mouthpiece/manager for Henry. Hell, even entertain the idea of brining up Abraham Washington from FCW as a rep for Henry.

4. Christian

If you want to talk about a total botch from the WWE creative team, look no further. 

Besides his tag team days with Edge, Christian has never been given an opportunity to shine as an individual in the WWE. So after he declined a new contract from the company in 2005, Christian signed with TNA Wrestling and immediately became a top babyface. He defeated Jeff Jarrett four months into his tenure with TNA and stayed at the top of the card until his departure in 2008. 

Christian then returned to the WWE in 2009 as part of their ever-so successful reprising of the ECW brand. Blah, blah, blah, and he has yet to hold a major title for more than two days.

Why doesn't the creative team utilize him like TNA did? Even though TNA is a second-rate program in every aspect of the business, even they knew using Christian as a top babyface was effective.

Why does WWE constantly portray him as a hard luck loser all the time?

He can wrestle and work a crowd better than a lot of guys on the roster. 

Suggestion: Drop the heel angle and use him as a face. Conversely, turn Randy Orton heel and  restart the feud sometime in the near future. Orton works much better as a heel and Christian much better as a face. Have Christian overcome the odds as a huge babyface, defeat the unbeatable monster Orton, and throw him the strap for more than two days.

3. Sheamus

On December 13, 2010, Sheamus defeated John Cena to capture the WWE Championship.

Jaws dropped, smarks rejoiced, and a force was born. 

Simply put, Sheamus has it. He's built like monster, his in-ring skills continue to rapidly improve, and he has already proved to be a legitimate heel. And although there is a little more room to grow for the Irish-born superstar, Sheamus has what it takes to work a long championship run.

Suggestion: Like Daniel Bryan and Jack Swagger, Sheamus is one of the few wrestlers who the creative team knows how to write for. They must keep him in the World Heavyweight Title running. Allow Sheamus to defeat Orton for the title and vice versa. Have the two go back and fourth, let Orton come out with the title before the Rumble, and throw Orton against Christian for the strap at 'Mania. As stated in the earlier slide, Christian would be the face and Orton the heel. 

2. Alberto Del Rio

Since he debuted in the company, smarks realized Alberto Del Rio was primed for a huge push. He debuted in the WWE in June of 2010, made his presence quickly known, and went to win his first Royal Rumble in January 2011. 

Although he lost his World Heavyweight Title match against the champion Edge at Wrestlemania, Del Rio still remained the next guy in line for a major strap.

With his brilliant character as an arrogant aristocrat and his pure ability on the mic and inside the ropes, Del Rio is the most logical choice for the next WWE Champion.

After all, it is his destiny. Right?

Suggestion: Have Del Rio win the MITB match. Cash it in immediately at Summerslam and defeat John Cena for the strap. Allow Del Rio to hold the strap all the way into Wrestlemania XXVIII. (Making Cena champ into 'Mania wouldn't make much sense. Cena vs. The Rock is intriguing as it is. The names will draw buys as it is. Have another wrestler, Del Rio, defend the title in a separate match. That would add much more depth to the card, something the wrestling extravaganza has been lacking.)

1. The Miz

The Miz is the best alternative to Cena and Orton because...he's AWESOME!!!

You can knock him for not having the heavyweight stature or not having all the in-ring ability in the world. But Miz has won the WWE Championship and worked an amazing top heel on Raw. He is already proven.

The guy has incredible mic skills, his wrestling is constantly improving, and he is the only guy on this list who can fill seats as of this very moment. Being that he is the biggest draw of the ten guys on the list, it would only make sense for him to be next.

Furthermore, smarks love him and children hate him. That combination translates into The Miz being the best heel the company has to offer.

The fact that he was already a champion for a decent time period makes him the next go-to after Cena and Orton.

Suggestion: Never make him a face. He's way too good as a heel to turn face anytime in the near future. Have him continue the great Riley feud into SummerSlam and find a way to throw him in the WWE Title match at the next 'Mania. If the company can push Riley quickly and effectively as a babyface, have a triple threat match for the strap. Miz vs. Riley vs. Del Rio at WrestleMania XXVIII? Sounds intriguing, doesn't it?