Examining Cesaro's WWE Future Following Vince McMahon's Comments

Cesaro has an odyssey ahead of him as he attempts to ascend the WWE ladder as Vince McMahon is simply not sold on him.

McMahon spoke with Steve Austin (subscription required) in an interview that aired live on the WWE Network. He gave a number of headline-generating answers, including a critical look at Cesaro. After telling Austin that the current roster is "not as ambitious" as the one he was a part of, the chairman had a number of negative things to say about The King of Swing.

Stone Cold wondered what was missing in the Cesaro puzzle. McMahon wasn't sure how to fix it, but he sure knew what the problem was.

He said of Cesaro, "He's not connecting yet, but we hope he will" and that he "doesn't quite have the charisma, doesn't quite have the verbal skills as well." McMahon added that "there's something missing" with him.

Most damning of all, he said that while Cesaro has great physical tools, he "lacks 'it.'"

That's the quality that separates the midcarders from the men on the marquee. That's why Curtis Axel struggles to get on TV despite being a better mat worker than several stars above him.

McMahon is wrong about Cesaro. He's not in Austin or John Cena's class in terms of charisma, but he has certainly connected with the crowd.

Hall of Famer Jim Ross for one sees great potential in him:

Stop-and-start booking has hurt him more than anything. WWE doesn't seem to know what to do with him. He's gone from yodeling to being a "real American" despite being Swiss, from a Paul Heyman guy to ending a match with a jack-o-lantern on his head.

Give him the proper opportunity, and he will deliver. He's too good in the ring for that to not be true. The trouble is, the man who makes the ultimate decisions about who sits where on the card values others above him.

Sitting Behind The Shield

When listing off the names of stars he felt were most ready to reach for the proverbial brass ring, McMahon named all three former members of The Shield—Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. He mentioned Bray Wyatt as well.

It's clear from the position those men currently have on the WWE hierarchy that the company has already pegged them to be the future.

At TLC, Rollins is set to face off against Cena in the main event. Cesaro isn't on the show yet.

Ambrose and Rollins main evented Hell in a Cell. Cesaro, meanwhile, lost in two straight falls in the opening bout to Dolph Ziggler. 

Cesaro will be 34 in a few weeks. Those guys are all under 30. If they are already ahead of him in McMahon's mind, it's going to be a tough journey to surpass them. 

Credit: WWE.com

With the Money in the Bank briefcase in hand, Rollins essentially has a guaranteed WWE title reign ahead of him. According to the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t WrestlingRumors.net), Reigns is penciled in to face Brock Lesnar for that championship at WrestleMania.

Cesaro is promised nothing.

He's low on the depth chart, behind these other emerging stars. That lessens his chance of making upward movement, but it doesn't prevent it. It's going to be classic matches and crowd reaction that change his fortunes.

Winning Them Over in the Ring

At some point, you can't deny greatness. If a Superstar is creating masterworks in the ring, one has to look past his weaknesses.

It's not as if Alberto Del Rio was great on the mic. As tremendous as Bret Hart was, it wasn't his charisma that carried him to the WWE title. Those men's ability in the ring got them to world title status. 

That's going to be key for Cesaro.

The kind of show that he and Sheamus put on at Night of Champions will be the vehicle he drives to get out of the midcard. The more he impresses as he did against Cena on Feb. 17 or against Sami Zayn at NXT Arrival, the harder it will be to ignore him.

Casual fans aren't as in love with technical wrestling as the diehards among us are, but they all know what a classic looks like.

That's how Chris Benoit rose to the top. His verbal skills and charisma were satisfactory at best. He brought it between the ropes time and time again, and he generated a strong fanbase because of it.

Expect Cesaro to do the same. Whether he is in the night's first match or asked to lose a midcard title bout, his ring skills with have the "Cesaro section" grow.

A Path Like Daniel Bryan's 

WWE wasn't sold on Bryan at first either. Even after crowds roared for him as if he were the second coming of Stone Cold, the company didn't quite put him on the top tier.

It stuck him with The Wyatt Family, had Batista win the Royal Rumble instead of him and was reportedly planning to toss him in an undercard match against Sheamus at WrestleMania 30, per PWInsider (h/t Wrestle Zone). Eventually, officials relented.

McMahon and company heard the boos the babyface Batista received and felt the arena shake because of "Yes!" chants for Bryan. Bryan's WrestleMania moment followed.

Jonathan Bachman/Associated Press

That's what it's going to take to allow Cesaro to convince McMahon that he's ready for more spotlight. When his pops rival Cena's, when Cesaro signs fill the arena each night and when "King of Swing!" chants thunder when he's not on a pay-per-view, WWE's mindset will change.

WWE has its list of missed opportunities, but for the most part, it figures out whom the audience wants to see elevated. That will happen for Cesaro. An athlete of his caliber, with a body fit for the cover of a fitness magazine who can go like he can when the bell hits, is bound for big things.

It's just going to take a resume heavy with classics and raucous crowds for WWE to see that.