Who in the WWE Is Ready for the Spotlight?

The WWE has a lot of top stars tight now.  Cena, HHH, HBK, Batista, Orton, and Undertaker have all been main-eventers for awhile now.  Even guys like the Big Show and the Great Khali get a lot of screen time due to size.  But who will step up when these men are gone?

Batista has been talking about retirement, and so has HBK. Undertaker is getting old and HHH is not far behind him now.  Orton, Edge and Cena are all relatively young, but who will step up with them as the next leaders of the WWE?

Shelton Benjamin

This man is simply amazing.  His Mic skills are sub-par, but he more than makes up for it in the ring.  He can jump higher than almost anyone else in the WWE, he can mat wrestle with the best of them, and he is willing to take risks in big matches.  I think we all remember his "Money in the Bank" matches and how he stole the show.

John Morrison

His recent push has proven to a lot of people that he is here to stay.  He is getting better on the mic every week, and no one can deny that his acrobatic background has helped him perform some of the best moves in WWE.  His feud with CM Punk is the only reason anyone watched ECW for awhile.

CM Punk

He has a huge following from his ROH days and he is getting more popular every week.  I think they put the World title on him too early, but his new team with Kofi is very exciting. 

The only thing holding him back is that he uses the same five signature moves in every match. If he improves his moves, then he could be up there with Orton and Cena as one of the young stars.

Evan Bourne

First off, I think they should just call him Matt Sydal and quit with the fake name thing.  I know that Evan "Air" Bourne will sell some T-shirts, but this guy's in-ring work alone should be enough to make him the next Mysterio or Guerrero.

No-one has used the shooting star press in the WWE since Brock Lesnar nearly broke his neck trying to hit one on Kurt Angle, and every time Sydal (Bourne) does it, he makes it look effortless.

Ted DiBiase

I know it's a little soon in his career to make predictions, but he reminds me of Randy Orton when he first turned heel. He looks intense in the ring and the son of a legend has a great moveset.

I think that eventually he will have to split from Rhodes and go on as a solo heel.  I could see DiBiase making the IC title look like a real prize again.

The Hardyz

They may have been around for awhile now, but both are still in their early 30's and have a lot of potential.  I could see either of them holding one of the big titles. I could even see them holding both at the same time; I know that it's a Hardy fan's dream, but it most likely won't happen, I'm just sayin'  (that one's for you, Helms)

Hurricane Helms

He may have been gone for over a year, but he can make the lightweights look tough again.  His run as cruiserweight champ was not nearly pushed enough. 

This guy has great talent and a good rapport with a lot of other wrestlers.  He will probably feud with MVP seeing as how he comments on every MVP match.

MVP

He has the ability to be a great heel.  his comment to a drug testing official has put him in the dog house, but once he is pushed again, he will shine through as someone the fans will love to hate.  After all, he is "better than you."

Side note: Bringing back the cruiserweight title would give guys like Kendrick, Rhodes and Helms the chance to shine as top stars.

Last but not least is...

Vladimir Koslov

He is a natural heel.  He is huge, foreign, incomprehensible and looks like he just found out his wife cheated on him.  His facial mannerisms alone make him look like a heel. 

He may be relatively slow in the ring, but so was Nash when he was young and look how well he did for himself.  I think that a feud with someone like Orton or Edge would put him over, as long as he was the heel.

These are just a few of the young talents that can possibly fill the gap left by DX and Undertaker when they finally decide to step down.