WWE: The Stars of the Future

Hello Bleacher Report!

For years, the WWE has been losing an alarming amount of star power. Jeff Hardy, JBL, Chris Jericho, Edge, Batista, HBK and Undertaker are all prime examples of stars who have retired, quit or have one foot out the door. 

Starting this year, the WWE has done something that we haven't seen since Jeff Hardy's rise to super stardom. I have begun to look at stars and realize that they are the future, they are the main event. We are going to look at 10 stars that have a bright future ahead of them.

As usual...

Just sit back, relax and enjoy!

Honorable Mentions

John Cena and Randy Orton: They are at the peak of their careers now. Although they will be around in 10 years, they won't be in the title feud 24/7.

Mason Ryan and Alex Riley: Their characters have not had enough time to grow to tell whether or not they will make it. Give it two years and they will make this list for sure.

Daniel Bryan and Wade Barrett: These stars are being underutilized right now. You have the former leader of Nexus and Mr. Money in the Bank. I would put them on the list now, but I feel like WWE is dropping the ball with them and it might take longer for them to reach the main event level.

Kane, Big Show, Mark Henry, Christian, Triple H, Undertaker: These stars are on their way out of the business. I do not expect them to be competing in five years.

Dolph Ziggler

Dolph Ziggler has been on a crazy journey here in the WWE. When he first was introduced as Dolph Ziggler, he was that person who introduced himself to everyone. And when I mean everyone, I mean EVERYONE.

He somehow managed to find his way to Vickie Guerrero on SmackDown. Once he had her working with him, he got pushed all the way to a World Heavyweight Championship reign.

While it didn't last long, it proved to fans that he would be in the main events soon enough. When he came to RAW, he soon captured the United States Championship. As one of the longest reigning champions to date, he is being prepped for the main event.

Cody Rhodes

When you look at the career of Cody Rhodes, you could see how he got to where he is today. He first was in a tag team with Hardcore Holly, then turned heel to create Priceless with Ted DiBiase. Rhodes, along with DiBiase, soon joined Randy Orton to create Legacy.

When the group finally split, he was repackaged into Dashing Cody Rhodes. After his feud with Rey Mysterio, he debuted his current non-dashing gimmick and holds the IC Title.

Rhodes has come a long way in the past few years and his future is nothing but bright.

Zack Ryder

I know what you all are thinking, "Zack Ryder made himself popular by his show. WWE had nothing to do with his success."

There is some truth to the statement, but also some things that are completely false.

Zack Ryder has had a unique career. Zack Ryder started his career in a tag team. Like most tag teams, however, they were both split up to work on their own singles careers. Zack Ryder, considered to be on the lower card, never could make an impact on TV because he was never shown.

So Zack Ryder did the next best thing. He got a video camera and made his own web show. He immediately became an Internet sensation. Live crowds would be chanting his name and hold signs saying, "We Want Ryder."

WWE finally realized how big this show was and they began featuring him on both RAW and SmackDown.

Smart move. Fans have gotten behind Zack Ryder, and because of that WWE feels he should be the one to go after the U.S. title.

Zack is currently in the top 10 for merchandise sales. If you think his star is fading anytime soon, think again.

Sin Cara

I'm going to get a lot of criticism for this slide but hear me out.

Rey Mysterio doesn't have much time left. After this surgery, he might only have enough in the tank for another year. After that, who will replace him? Who will be the one to reach out to the Hispanic demographic? Answer: Sin Cara.

With proper feuds, and maybe a manager, he can be a high-flying superstar for a long time.

Sheamus

Sheamus is someone who I never really wanted holding the WWE Championship back in 2009. He was the first of many other superstars who I felt were undeserving of being in the WWE title picture.

After his high-profile feuds with John Cena and Triple H and Randy Orton were done (taking place throughout 2010), he fell down to the mid card.

It is now the end of 2011 and Sheamus has come a long way. He has won King of the Ring, the United States Championships and turned into a much-needed baby face behind Randy Orton on SmackDown. Sheamus has been at the top before. Expect him to reach it again soon.

The Miz and R Truth

After their losses to John Cena over the WWE Championship, they floated around the mid card before they finally created this entertaining tag team. They invaded numerous main event matches and have taken WWE by storm.

Some day these two stars will begin their singles careers again, and when they do, they will be the main event.

Kofi Kingston

Kofi has been a victim of circumstance in the WWE. Even after all of his accomplishments, he has not been rewarded with a WWE Championship feud. The closest he has gotten is his feud with Randy Orton, and we all know where that got him.

Someday the WWE will realize the mistake they are making and push Kingston to the next level. I guess it's just a waiting game at this point.

Alberto Del Rio

Alberto Del Rio is your current WWE champion. Over the past year, they have given this man a super push.

He has won the Royal Rumble, Money in the Bank and the WWE Championship in 2011 alone. Any star would consider any of these a crowning achievement. It looks like ADR has four so far.

It would seem stupid of the WWE to let him fade away to oblivion. That is why I think he will be a future star.

CM Punk

CM Punk was, for a long time, an underutilized star. Even after winning the tag team championship, two Money in the Bank matches and two World Heavyweight Championships, he still couldn't get to the next level.

For two years he waited, challenging top guys in the company waiting for his breakout moment. That moment came this past summer.

He made an impact like nobody else on this list. His sales have shot up to No. 1 and he has been the center of the biggest storyline of the year. His future is bright. He will be a Hall of Fame member someday.

Conclusion

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