Evaluating the Current Talent Level of the WWE Roster

Study the WWE roster just briefly, and one finds that its weakness comes at the top.

There aren't enough marquee, top-tier stars for the company to turn to. Great athletes fill the locker room, but the struggle going forward is going to be finding the cornerstones among them.

The bad news is that if WWE had to book WrestleMania right now, the options to headline it would be scarce. The good news is that there is a wave of potential megastars crashing onto the shore.

With the right moves, WWE can slide some of its rising stars into true-star territory. 

The following is a look at the roster from top to bottom with thoughts on how some Superstars can move up and which ones are destined to stay put.

This will only focus on the male wrestlers on WWE's payroll. For a look at thoughts on the Divas division, head over here instead.

The Steve Austin Tier

• Brock Lesnar
• John Cena

These are the men WWE is truly comfortable building the company around. They are more than main eventers; they are franchise players.

The problem with this group is that Lesnar is a part-timer. WWE may be able to piece together a title run for him with his sporadic schedule, but it can't do that forever. Fans will eventually grow impatient if that continues past WrestleMania 31.

Plus, he's 37 and probably won't stick around past his 40th birthday. 

He's a huge star who can deliver tremendous matches, but for how long? That's a similar question one has to ask about Cena.

WWE has leaned so hard on Cena that although he's the same age as Lesnar, his body has to be in far worse shape. 

Fans are going to grow increasingly tired of him being the top guy anyway. A rare level of charisma and a penchant for thriving in the biggest matches won't be enough to maintain interest if he's world champ in 2017.

The Batista Tier

• Randy Orton
• Chris Jericho
• Daniel Bryan
• Big Show 
• Mark Henry
• Kane
• Sheamus

Guys WWE can plug into the main event occupy this list. The group of former world champs who can provide a high-profile feud and carry the WWE title but aren't carry-the-company material at this stage.

The exception is Bryan.

He's a tremendous mat wrestler, a charming, likable guy with a passion for the business. That has translated into a vocal following. There are, though, major questions about his health. He has been out since May after neck surgery.

Can he return to full health? Can he maintain the fearless in-ring style that he had before the injury?

If there is a yes to both, WWE has another star to place where Lesnar and Cena currently reside. 

The other big names aren't likely to be around for much longer. Jericho has been coming and going as of late, balancing his wrestling career with being a rock star and doing other projects.

Big Show is 42, Henry is a year older and Kane is 47. All have their share of mileage on their wheels.

As good as they have been in the past, WWE can't reasonably build a lengthy major program around them. They may get a title shot here and there, but no one from that trio is headlining another WrestleMania.

WWE is going to have to pull from somewhere else to find the next big thing.

The Bobby Lashley Tier

• Bray Wyatt 
• Roman Reigns
• Seth Rollins
• Dean Ambrose
• Rusev
• Cesaro

When Bobby Lashley arrived in WWE, expectations where high. Stellar athleticism, a great look and an amateur wrestling background promised a great future.

He didn't turn out to be the major player many had hoped for.

WWE is now stocked with men with equally promising futures. Will any of them turn out to be the next Hulk Hogan, or does the company just have six Bobby Lashleys on its hands?

Wyatt is already an all-time great mic worker. His matches are powered by brutality and his surprising explosiveness. WWE has seemingly forgotten about him as of late, but he has a great shot of ascending to a higher tier.

The Eater of Worlds has all the tools to continue to climb the company ladder. The issue with him is booking.

If he continues to be asked to serve as the roadkill left after Cena speeds by, fans will have a hard time believing in him. 

There needs to be a better focus on creating an aura of strength around him. That's equally true for Cesaro. He seemed to be dripping with momentum after WrestleMania but has since been cast aside to promote others.

Rusev isn't going to be what Lesnar is now, but he can be a high-level heel and reliable talent. He doesn't have the charisma or "it" factor to be more than that.

Paul Heyman speaks for Lesnar as Lana does for Rusev, but Lesnar is still an enthralling figure on his own. We haven't seen that from The Bulgarian Brute yet.

As for what was once The Shield, they offer three options for WWE to secure its future.

Reigns is getting the biggest push of the three despite being the most raw. He has all the intangibles, from look to compelling spark, to make it. His ring work has to become more varied and more interesting, though.

If he can start putting together top-notch matches, WWE will have found itself its next centerpiece.

Rollins is at least good enough to sit in the Batista tier. His matches have been fantastic so far. His promos are getting better as he gains experience.

Ambrose, a better talker and brawler than Rollins, could very well live up to all the Roddy Piper comparisons. If WWE believes in him despite his non-traditional, non-comic book look, it has a top star at the ready.

The Nikolai Volkoff Tier

• Dolph Ziggler
• Bad News Barrett
• Big E
• The Miz
• Damien Sandow
• Goldust
• Tyson Kidd
• Jack Swagger
• Stardust
• The Usos
• Luke Harper
• Erick Rowan
• Bo Dallas
• Ryback
• Kofi Kingston
• Darren Young 
• Curtis Axel 

The midcard. The workhorses. This is where WWE is most stocked. In the days of the territories, Swagger would have been some promotion's top building block.

WWE has the luxury of making him something less prominent.

There are a number of names here with the potential for upward movement. WWE has to showcase the personalities of Ryback and Big E more to make them bigger stars.

They have both shown flashes of being funny and charming. We need to see more of that on TV.

Both men are solid in the ring and are hard-hitting powerhouses who, with the right feud, could become short-term main eventers.

Kidd is showing at NXT that he needs to be used more. His charisma is more on display done there as he sinks deeper into villainy.

He's at least midcard-champ material.

Most of the rest of the group is better off staying where they are. The Usos and The Wyatt Family are reliable performers for the tag team division. Have Kingston and Big E continue their alliance with Xavier Woods, and they can join them.

Sandow is severely underutilized. A man that good on the mic and so comfortable with his character can be far more than The Miz's crony.

WWE may have given up on Ziggler as a top star, but that's a mistake. That much passion, speed, crispness in the ring and stellar showmanship is a rarity.

Should the company go all-in with him and truly showcase him, he can move up to the spot where Orton is now.

Whether he or others get elevated, this part of the roster has a lot to offer. WWE knows it can book a number of quality undercard matches with talented guys like Stardust and Barrett at its disposal. 

The Barry Horowitz Tier

• R-Truth
• Justin Gabriel
• Zack Ryder
• Sin Cara
• Xavier Woods
• Adam Rose 
• Los Matadores
• Fandango
• Heath Slater
• Titus O'Neil
• El Torito
• Hornswoggle
• The Great Khali

Aside from a deficiency in headliners, this is where WWE has the biggest issue. There are just too many guys fans care little about and expect to lose every time out.

Not every member of the roster can be in the world title picture, but even the bottom of the ladder should offer more entertainment than it does right now.

It's hard to understand why Khali is still on the roster. He doesn't appear often, but he's so limited in the ring that it just makes sense to fill his spot with someone else.

Fandango and Los Matadores represent failed experiments, gimmicky wrestlers who are performing in the wrong era. 

There are two ways to increase excitement at the bottom with wrestlers like Ryder, whose peak came and went. One option is to trade them out for top NXT prospects. Swap Ryder for Sami Zayn and R-Truth for Adrian Neville, and there's suddenly a major shift in roster depth.

That gives WWE two great options for feuds with its other Superstars. A Neville vs. Cesaro program has great potential. It's doubtful anyone would pay to see R-Truth and Cesaro.

Secondly, WWE can have authority figures threaten struggling Superstars with demotion. Have Triple H tell Ryder that if he doesn't win one of his next three matches, he has to head to Full Sail University. Now there's reason to care if Ryder pulls off an upset.

A trip down to NXT to rejuvenate his career a la Kidd wouldn't hurt, either.

Woods has showed promise as Kingston and Big E's manager. That looks to be the best way to use his skills. Sin Cara has been teaming with Kalisto at NXT. The fun bouts they have put on should compel the company to bring that duo onto the main roster.

Those tweaks and investing in Wyatt and company would smooth over the issues at the very top and bottom of the card. There is talent throughout the depth chart. 

And with six young guns charging toward the mountaintop, WWE has an excellent shot of finding at least one all-time great among them.