Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker: Epic Finale Undermines Growth of Young Roster

When Undertaker and Brock Lesnar step inside the steel cage for Hell in a Cell on October 25, it will not only symbolize the latest chapter in their epic rivalry but also the continued undermining of the growth of WWE's young roster.

If there was ever a program that needed to wrap up inside Hell in a Cell, it is this hate-fueled one between two of the greatest Superstars in WWE history.

The fact that this feud exists in 2015, with a WWE roster full of young and hungry performers all looking to ascend to the top of the industry, is the biggest problem that exists in Vince McMahon's promotion today.

WWE management has been relying on part-time stars such as Undertaker and Lesnar to help boost ratings and sell WWE Network subscriptions because they have failed miserably at creating new and exciting stars who fans are willing to pay to see and emotionally invest in.

But how can the company expect to succeed when it doesn't give stars such as Roman Reigns, Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, Cesaro, Kevin Owens and Rusev the opportunity to headline pay-per-views and prove to fans that they are consistently worthy of that spot on the card?

Sure, Reigns and Ambrose have competed in marquee matches at a handful of events, but they have typically acted as placeholders for Lesnar until he returned for one of his rare pay-per-view dates.

It's easy for someone to argue that the young stars of today's WWE are not the draws that Lesnar and Undertaker are. Their inability to draw fans to arenas and bring in strong television ratings has forced WWE to go back to the stars of yesteryear in an attempt to drum up business, some may say.

That excuse, though, is little more than attempt to cover up for the fact that management has done a poor job of booking its young talent and creating the stars McMahon all-too-often gets credit for.

The fact is that, somewhere along the line, WWE sacrificed all of its talent to help establish John Cena as the company's lead babyface, then it focused all of its attention on building Seth Rollins into the top heel via his association with the mighty Triple H. In the process, WWE forgot how to systematically build a character who could one day lead the promotion into the future. 

By promoting shows like SummerSlam and WrestleMania on the backs of Lesnar, Undertaker, Triple H, Sting and The Rock, the company has failed its young talent.

After all, how can fans be asked to buy Reigns, Ambrose, Wyatt or Owens as credible stars capable of carrying WWE when the company doesn't?

As long as WWE continues to reach into its past for star power, it will do so at the expense of countless promising talents who will be forced to watch from afar. Opportunities at the top of the card will be taken from them because the writing staff and the almighty McMahon no longer have the goods to build a star the way they used to.

World Championship Wrestling was once the most dominant professional wrestling company in the world, but its reluctance to give youth an opportunity and its reliance on big-name stars that held the next generation down ultimately doomed it.

While there is no competition poised to make a run at WWE's spot atop the wrestling world, history appears to be repeating itself.

There is still time to steady the ship and do right by the young men and women who make up one of the most gifted rosters the wrestling industry has ever seen. But continuously giving fans reason to consider them lesser than the stars of bygone eras will only further damage their legitimacy when the time finally comes to push them to the promised land.