WWE: The Top 20 Superstars to Watch This Summer

Every summer, WWE experiments with its programming, often creating a hot angle in hopes of picking up the viewers it typically loses from May until early-September.

In recent years, the revival of D-Generation X, the epic feud between John Cena and Randy Orton that culminated in an Iron Man match in October, the Nexus invasion, and the Summer of Punk have had fans talking.

Those storylines are often accompanied by the debuts of new, young talent. Over the last five years, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Wade Barrett, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, and Jack Swagger have made their first appearances on WWE television during the summer months. This summer, the company figures to debut several of its top developmental talents, either on the main roster or via the revamped NXT program.

2012 also looks to be an eventful summer for big name stars such as Brock Lesnar, Triple H, John Cena, current WWE Champion CM Punk, Randy Orton, and current World Champion Sheamus. Young and experienced talents such as Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, and Zack Ryder will look to continue their quest to break through the proverbial glass ceiling. New faces such as Brodus Clay, Ryback, Damien Sandow, and Lord Tensai will attempt to continue grabbing the attention of fans across the globe.

And the impending arrival of the most hyped developmental talent in some time, Dean Ambrose, has the potential to shake the WWE to its core.

These are the Top 20 Superstars to watch this summer, ranked in no particular order.

Note: This article was composed BEFORE this past Sunday's Over the Limit pay-per-view.

Brock Lesnar

The name on the lips of wrestling fans across the globe, Brock Lesnar figures to have a very eventful summer of 2012. With a rumored bout between he and Triple H planned for sometime between June and August, it appears as though WWE will continue to lean on the former UFC Heavyweight Champion in hopes that he will boost pay-per-view buys.

Despite a loss to John Cena in his first match back with the company at Extreme Rules, Brock remains the focal point of WWE television and one of the few performers with legitimate star power currently employed by World Wrestling Entertainment.

With the return of real life friend and on-screen mouthpiece Paul Heyman, Brock Lesnar seems poised to be the most intriguing performer on WWE television not only for the summer, but beyond.

Could a WWE Championship reign be in Lesnar's future? Will Brock be able to coexist with WWE? Is a big-money match with The Rock in the plans for Wrestlemania? The answers to these questions, and the foundation for what should be a big Wrestlemania 29 for Brock Lesnar in 2013, will be laid in the coming months.

Alberto Del Rio

To say that Alberto Del Rio's first full year with World Wrestling Entertainment has been a disappointment would be an understatement.

Never quite living up to the hype that accompanied his arrival, Del Rio had a solid 2011 by winning the WWE Championship, but he never connected with the fans as the top heel that the company wanted him to be.

A groin injury prematurely ended Del Rio's 2011 and kept him off of the biggest Wrestlemania card of all-time.

Now back in action after a lengthy absence, he has once again returned to the world title picture. Regardless of whether or not he recaptures gold, the fact that he has been inserted into a rivalry over the World Heavyweight Championship confirms WWE's trust in the Mexican Superstar.

With an in-ring skill set that places him high in the ranks of best workers in WWE, it is worth watching to see if Alberto is able to evolve his character and introduce an intensity to his matches that was sorely lacking during his initial push.

Lord Tensai

When A-Train left WWE in 2004, he made his way to Japan, where he became one of the more respected and feared American workers in the country. With Tomko, and under the new moniker of "Giant Bernard," he became one of the most dominating forces in Japanese wrestling.

Fast forward to 2012 and the man formerly known as Albert signed a new deal with WWE. Returning as the intimidating Lord Tensai, it became clear there were big plans for the monstrous competitor. Unfortunately, the fans have not bought into the new character and it is painfully obvious when Tensai competes against WWE talent that his style is not translating to the fans.

This summer will be a pivotal time in the career of Lord Tensai. Everything he will be, compared to everything WWE wants him to be, will be determined based on his performance and the people's reaction to his performance over the next few months.

Ryback

Ryback has destroyed every opponent put in front of him, even if a majority of those opponents are comparable to any regular Joe walking the streets.

That said, he has been impressive in the short time he's been in the ring, a far cry from the less-than-stellar run he embarked on as Skip Sheffield on NXT and as a part of the Nexus.

The real test for Ryback will be the moment that he is put in the ring and expected to have a match longer than a minute with a talent that is not some local jobber. Can Ryback keep up with the other Superstars on the roster who are used to wrestling longer matches? Can Ryback make a run of it as a singles competitor when he is used to working tag team matches as a member of Nexus?

Expect Ryback to enjoy a lengthy push this summer and to continue to develop as an in-ring performer. If that does not happen, if Ryback continues to star in squashes and fails to advance his wrestling skills, he could become another missed opportunity, another star pushed heavily with little or nothing to show for it.

Eve Torres

The heel turn that absolutely no one saw coming, which featured Eve Torres revealing herself to be scheming and manipulative in an attempt to make it to the top, has resulted in the former two-time Divas Champion becoming a dominant female character in World Wrestling Entertainment.

The fact that Eve has been given a character and placed in the spot she has is a strong indicator of Vince McMahon's belief in Eve, the performer. After all, the WWE Divas are largely one-dimensional female characters that fans have no reason to care about. That is the creative team's fault, not the performers. But Eve has been given a featured role on the show and allowed to cut promos. As a member of John Laurinaitis' administration, she is a top heel character by default.

In this role, she is expected to enjoy a push most Divas would be envious of. It should be interesting to see what the proposed push entails and whether or not the up-and-down creative team can sustain that push over the summer months.

Sheamus

This summer may be the most important in the young career of current World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus.

He has officially become "the man" on Smackdown and as such, he is expected to deliver high quality main events on television and in pay-per-views.

He got off to a great start at Extreme Rules, stealing the show with Daniel Bryan in a Best 2-of-3 Falls Match. On the May 18 edition of Smackdown, he had a pay-per-view quality main event against Randy Orton. In only two full years, Sheamus has rapidly become one of the better "big men" in the business.

This summer, it will be very important for Sheamus to improve his work on the microphone, a shortcoming of the Celtic Warrior since becoming a fan-favorite last July. He also must work to connect with the fans more because, as was apparent in that showdown with Orton, the fans are not completely sold on cheering for the "Great White."

There is no reason to believe Sheamus will not improve on his previous work. Since debuting with WWE in 2009, he has consistently grown and improved in every facet of his game. This summer will be a turning point for Sheamus as a performer and as a champion. The strides he makes starting now could very well be the difference between being a top guy and the top guy.

Zack Ryder

There is no Superstar on the WWE roster that rose as quickly in the summer, fall, and winter of 2011, then fell as quickly and with such a harsh and crushing "thud" than Zack Ryder.

He was able to get himself over via his online Z! True Long Island Story web show, then rode his cult following and increased popularity to a triumphant United States Championship win over Dolph Ziggler. As 2011 came to a close, it appeared as though Ryder was finally in the middle of the push he had so long desired.

Then 2012 arrived and every ounce of momentum Ryder appeared to have built up disappeared when he was repeatedly destroyed and embarrassed during John Cena's rivalry with Kane. Since then, Ryder has struggled and has yet to return to the level of success he enjoyed late last year.

Perhaps it is punishment for daring to go outside of WWE's infrastructure to get himself over.

Perhaps Vince McMahon simply does not see the same in Ryder that everyone else does.

Whatever the case, fans of Ryder should keep their eyes open for him over the summer months because what he does and how he is used may very well define what kind of career he will have from now on.

Damien Sandow

Damien Sandow has proven that he can do one thing many of WWE's young stars have proven incapable of doing: talk.

In his few appearances on WWE television, Sandow has exhibited the ability to cut a promo in the most condescending of ways that fans cannot help but boo the newcomer.

Damien has yet to take to the ring for an actual match, but based on his work in Florida Championship Wrestling, he appears to have all of the tools to be a quality villain in the WWE for years to come. This summer, look for Sandow to continue his streak of quality promo work and, more than likely, impress with his in-ring abilities.

The former Idol Stevens may not have the physique of someone like Ryback and he may not have the buzz around him that the soon-to-debut Dean Ambrose does, but Damien Sandow may very well be the most well-rounded of the new developmental call-ups, a fact that likely has not gone unnoticed by those in power.

Christian

Christian's 2012 has been non-existent. Outside of a few appearances, injury has kept "Captain Charisma" out of the spotlight for the entire year. That will change sometime in the coming weeks, when the former two-time World Champion returns to WWE TV and commences his entertaining of fans across the world.

Christian remains a Superstar to watch this summer, despite not appearing most of the year, because he is an impactful performer who fans genuinely care about, whether they are booing or cheering him. Add to that the fact that most have absolutely no idea what Christian will be doing when he returns.

There are no feuds readily on the horizon for him, unless the company revisits the rivalry between him and Sheamus, which led to "Captain Charisma's" injury in the first place.

Unpredictability, as well as overall entertainment value from Christian, make him an absolute must-see Superstar any time of the year, not just this summer.

Note: This, of course, was answered at Over the Limit.

John Cena

John Cena is always a must-watch Superstar. Regardless of how many fans get sick and tired of his act, people will continue to watch John Cena for the same reason they watch someone like Tim Tebow. He is absolutely polarizing and everyone has an opinion about him one way or the other.

This summer appears to be Cena's summer to feud with the current authority figure. Unlike Steve Austin, The Rock, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, Triple H, and just about every other major Superstar of the last 15 years, Cena has yet to feud with the man in charge. This is his version of the Attitude Era go-to angle and it appears as though it will last for a majority of the next four months.

Is this feud ideal for Cena, especially considering his track record of very good main event matches? No, when you take into account that potential matches with Big Show and Lord Tensai do not exactly set the world on fire.

But it keeps him in the spotlight without entering him into another WWE Championship program.

And that is a good thing.

Kharma

If only because she has to come back and feud with Beth Phoenix eventually, right?

The Big Show

The Big Show has enjoyed the most consistent period of his career the last two years.

He has been at or near the top of the card during that span and his performances have been solid, at worst. The effort, that at one time may not have always been there, has been phenomenal even if the matches have not. And, perhaps most importantly, Show has emerged as a legitimate star at a time when there are not many of them.

Given his storyline with John Laurinaitis and what many believe to be an impending heel turn, Show figures to be a major part of WWE's summer plans. Even if the heel turn does not come to fruition, feuding with someone like Laurinaitis guarantees you a featured spot on WWE TV. Big Show has always worked even harder when he was in a high-profile situation and for that reason alone, he should be a Superstar to watch in the summer of 2012.

Note: "Impending heel" turn became "current heel turn" at Over the Limit.  

Dolph Ziggler

Start. Stop. Start. Stop. Start. Stop.

That is the perfect description of Dolph Ziggler's push up the ladder over the years. Wrestling die-hards have been begging for Ziggler to receive a main event run for at least two years now and WWE has given fans what they have asked for, but only for a single month at a time.

As a matter of fact, Dolph Ziggler has been involved in a heavyweight championship match two years in a row at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. But no matter how great either of those matches have been, immediately following the show, Ziggler finds himself back in the mid-card picture with little or no direction.

With Money in the Bank taking place over the summer, fans will get an clear idea of just what WWE plans on doing with Dolph Ziggler based on whether or not he wins one of the two briefcases up for grabs during that pay-per-view event. Dolph should no longer be relied on to deliver the big bump of the match.

Instead, he should be heavily favored to win the match. Unfortunately, the WWE's creative team would rather push a star not ready for the spot they will fill rather than reward a long-tenured star who has proven his worth on several different occasions.

Brodus Clay

Brodus Clay is a Superstar to watch this summer because, at some point, he has to move past three minute matches where he squashes his opponent and dances afterwards.

At some point, someone absolutely must challenge Brodus, must give him real competition or the fans will grow bored with the act and backlash will occur.

Will it happen? WWE seems content letting him do the same thing every week. That does not mean that Brodus will not evolve on the air but there has been absolutely no indication that will happen.

Randy Orton

The summer of 2011 was the greatest stretch of Randy Orton's career. He was the World Heavyweight Champion, competing in several Match of the Year-worthy bouts against Christian in successive pay-per-view outings. He was the unquestioned face of the Smackdown brand and had made a strong case for Wrestler of the Year honors.

Fast forward one year and Orton is in an unfamiliar place, a place where he is fighting back into relevancy after a meaningless and less-than-stellar feud and series of matches against Kane.

And that follows a feud with Wade Barrett that ultimately went nowhere and meant nothing. Now, primed for a feud with Sheamus (and maybe Alberto Del Rio) over the World Heavyweight Championship, "The Viper" appears ready to re-establish himself as the top star of Smackdown and one of the company's current greats.

CM Punk

"The Summer of Punk" sparked an interest in professional wrestling that it had been missing for years.

CM Punk was given the ball to run with and he did a phenomenal job in bringing a sense of excitement back to the sport. Then, in November, he captured the WWE Championship at Survivor Series and he has held that title ever since.

While it is unlikely that the company will replicate the impact that last year's months-long story involving CM Punk had, it should be interesting to see if the company continues to show faith in Punk by allowing his title reign to continue or if Vince McMahon and the creative team grow bored and make a change.

One would be hard-pressed to see why that would be necessary. Both internet diehards and casual fans seem content with Punk as the champion despite the length of his reign and the matches that have been spawned out of the title run have largely been spectacular.

CM Punk has brought a legitimacy back to the WWE title and whether or not this lengthy, unexpected run continues or comes to an end, perhaps at the hands of a former WWE and UFC Heavyweight Champion.

AJ Lee

AJ has been involved in, perhaps, the most intriguing storyline of 2012 thus far.

As the obsessive girlfriend of Daniel Bryan, AJ has garnered a fair amount of sympathy from the casual fan, while the more internet-friendly fans are happy to see her presence increased on WWE TV.

As summer approaches, AJ is in a state of limbo as fans wait for her to take some sort of action against her estranged boyfriend. Either her unexplainable need to be with Bryan will aid him in winning major championship gold or she will strike back with vengeance and keep the Aberdeen, Washington native—and noted vegan—from accomplishing his goal of one day being a champion again.

Either way, AJ figures to play a key role on the Smackdown brand throughout, at least, the early portion of summer.

And one can only imagine the type of reaction she would receive from the fans if she were to keep Bryan from capturing a title.

Dean Ambrose

Not since Randy Orton has there been a developmental prospect with the hype that Dean Ambrose has garnered.

As he developed in Florida Championship Wrestling, Ambrose amassed a cult-like following. His brief rivalry with William Regal proved the developmental territory was serious about backing the young talent and whatever questions about him may have existed were erased when Dean was chosen to compete against WWE Champion CM Punk.

Since Wrestlemania, Ambrose has been involved in an online Twitter feud with the legendary Mick Foley in which he blames Foley for being the champion of a wrestling style that caused many injures and prematurely retired several twenty-something wrestlers Ambrose came up through the independents with.

While it remains to be seen whether or not that feud will transition to television once Ambrose makes his on-screen debut, many expect the former John Moxley to have an immediate impact when he finally steps in front of the cameras this summer.

Perhaps as a part of a Revolution?

Daniel Bryan

Daniel Bryan has managed to get himself over through his tremendous in-ring work and an annoyingly catchy catchphrase.

Now, as summer approaches, Bryan will have to continue to prove his worth as a main event talent in a company where Vince McMahon and his creative team are constantly changing their minds and re-writing shows.

Few expected that he would achieve the lengthy run atop the card that he has thus far in 2012. Considering his size and weight limitations, as well as an impending arrival of developmental prospects poised for big things, Bryan will face constant pressure in his current position.

If anyone can handle that pressure and perform at a high level regardless, however, it is the former Ring of Honor standout. With a rabid fan base supporting him, and enough support in the locker room, there is no reason to believe Daniel Bryan will not remain a high profile part of WWE television for years to come.

Triple H

Triple H will not be a full-time member of the active roster this summer. That is no secret.

But "The Game" bares watching because of his involvement with Brock Lesnar and the angle that will likely lead the company throughout the season.

It also remains to be seen how Triple H will work with Brock Lesnar both in ring as well as on the microphone. John Cena, regardless of one's opinion on the outcome of the match, did a lot to make Brock Lesnar look like the dominant ass kicker the WWE portrays him to be. He was on the receiving end of very stiff offense in order to make the former UFC Champion look that much more devastating.

The question is whether or not Triple H is willing to endure that same type of punishment or if he will attempt to make Lesnar work a WWE-style match. If that is the case, Lesnar may very well end up looking lost and incapable of keeping up with "The Game."

Triple H has the tendency, whether or it is intentional or not, to bury his opponent on the microphone. It will be interesting to watch and, more importantly, listen to Triple H this summer as he attempts to build his impending match with Lesnar. It will be imperative that he not bury Lesnar to the extent that people tune out and become disinterested in seeing the fight. That helps no one and makes both sides look bad.

"The Game" very much has the opportunity to dictate what direction Brock Lesnar's return goes in based on the work he does with him this summer. Any plans that the company has for Brock in terms of Wrestlemania 29, and the success of that show, hinges on what Triple H does this summer to either make Brock look good or to tear him down.

That is why the "Cerebral Assassin" may very well be the most interesting and intriguing performer in the WWE this summer.