The Implosion I: Who Gets the Inevitable Push of WWE?

For the very first edition of the Implosion, I thought I’d keep it to wrestling. I know I hyped it, but I want to draw readers, so here's another wrestling piece.

Everyone wants to know the next push of WWE. Most would say Kennedy, but he’s not here right now. This leaves us with MVP, Shelton Benjamin, and of course, Christian Cage.

A push in the Big E is inevitable.

Guys, Cena, Orton and Edge are not enough to lead WWE through the dark ages. Triple H and Batista are aging quickly, HBK and Undertaker are preparing for a songbird match, and we can't call The Rock anymore; he's racing to a fairy-loaded Disney Channel contract...on a mountain!

WWE sadly will realize this, and this is just the start of pushes to come our way...

I hate this debate. AkD and I could just write a whole friggin’ CvC on it all day, and we’d still be fighting. It’s common knowledge around B/R that AkD has lust…I mean…love (sorry) for Shelton Benjamin.

I feel like a scout today, so have fun with this…

MVP’s case

MVP has one hell of a past. The guy gets prison time, serves 9½ years, and then starts to wrestle. Then, backstage, he tells the truth about Triple H (just like anybody else) and gets a six-month long losing streak. Otherwise, yeah, he’s good with me….

The positives? Just about everything.  Good, pure athlete, but his moveset has a lot to improve on. The Playmaker isn’t that great a finisher (just an Overdrive), but his snap belly-to-belly suplex is versatile, and something to look for. Very good at selling moves, just look at all those matches with Matt Hardy and Kane.

His path? Dismal. He started out with a huge push in 2006, being given an Inferno Match with Kane, and then the U.S. Title for over a year.

Tag teams with Kennedy and of course, Matt Hardy also make the list, but show a lower push because of the fact that he was put from Upper Mid-Card to Tag Team.

Promos? Check. His heel promos can (at times) get more heat than Edge on a good day. The excuses and storylines? Already unforgettable. This man’s got it all.

His gimmick has loads to work from; best SmackDown heel I’ve seen in a while, and in only two months, this guy gets a really nice pop as a face.

We haven’t seen him with weapons yet, or a good match stipulation besides Last Man Standing or Submission, both which were with Chris Benoit.

Shelton’s case

I hate to actually agree with AkD, but Shelton Benjamin is the most underappreciated man in WWE history. As I have to agree with the commentators, he is the best pure athlete in WWE right now (all-time, I have to give it to Kurt Angle, of course), but his moveset is just impeccable.

The T-Bone Suplex is one hell of a finisher, and I’m still debating if I should put in my Top 25 Finishers list. His vertical is the best I’ve ever seen out of anyone, jumping five feet to the top rope.

Not even RVD could have done that there. Paydirt (the Complete Shot, or Reverse STO) is just fun to witness.

This is the same guy who went from beating Triple H and Ric Flair four years ago to being this, right now. Just a slight reminder…

Now to his Charisma. Is there any? He doesn’t sell moves that well, and really, Shelton can’t cut a promo to save his life.

I can comprehend (mainly because he’s just funny as hell to watch) Scott Steiner more than this guy. Shelton also has a syndrome where he’s always out of breath when cutting a promo.

Christian’s case

Christian Cage is just a victim of Vince McMahon’s hatred of pushing him. He should have been a main-eventer in 2005, as he was getting more and more popular by the minute.

Immensely popular the way it is, Christian was in WWE, went to TNA to get some world titles, and came back.

His moveset is average, nothing genius. His finisher almost never finishes, mainly because it takes a minute just to get to.

Similar to Edge, his moveset gets the job done, but is nothing extraordinary. Otherwise, you could trust Christian better than just about anyone (other than Edge, Orton, and RVD) with a weapon.

Even though you’re just swinging a chair around, it takes charisma just to do it. Veteran in Ladder matches doesn’t hurt him either.

His path in WWE was of course, the shadow of E&C (Edge headed everything), Chris Jericho’s Ass-Clown, Captain Charisma, and then just the Christian Cage gimmick in TNA.

His mic skills are great. That smile is now a trademark of his, and he can draw heat real well as a heel. As a face, we’re going to see as he’ll get somewhere in WWE.

The Conclusion

MVP looks like what WWE is picking right now to push over…right after they’re done with Christian. Shelton’s career is in what would be his prime right now, which doesn’t look pretty.

The Gold Standard is a half-hearted gimmick, while MVP’s is sitting right now as one of WWE’s best works, along with Angle, Stone Cold, and Eddie Guerrero.

Christian is the future. His debut was three months ago, and he’s getting pops like Edge did during his face run, which is a very good sign for him.

He’s lined up for me to win Money in the Bank. I’d just love to put MVP there, but he’s not as cut out for extreme matches like Christian is molded for it.

Disagreements? Remember, my only object is to say something so bold, that we have to argue over it. I want a debate, so bring it, suckas.