Are WWE’s Next-Gen superstars finally ready to rule the roost?

The Wyatt Family

The formula has been the same for quite some time now: build your rookies, get them over and into believable positions, panic when a huge PPV comes around, bring back the veterans and ‘once-a-year’ performers, bury the young guns and then, when the old timers disappear for a few months the following night on RAW, reset the cycle.

What happens is a toying of trust with these newer guys that is growing pretty old, pretty quickly. Fans spend time investing in the ‘future of WWE’, getting behind the stars of tomorrow and seeing them climb the ladder, only to be shafted when the corporate brass and head honchos get nervous over the younger stars drawing power. It surely can’t be good for the business in the long run and you have to wonder: when will the stars of tomorrow become the superstars of today?

If The Rock does decide his war with John Cena is his last in-ring foray, who then rises up to become the next blue chipper and eventual People’s Champion? What happens when Triple H does say: “OK, that’s it”? When the legendary Undertaker finally lays the Streak to rest, who then will be built up enough to fill his match slot at the biggest extravaganza in professional wrestling? Hell! WWE fans (a majority of smart fans being the most prevalent) despise seeing John Cena on a card, let alone ‘another’ main event: who replaces him?

These are the types of questions that have been spinning around in my mind for quite some time, as well as a lot of friends that I talk to, whenever I go ‘talking wrestling’. The worrying thing is there hasn’t been a concrete answer on the subject and although it isn’t cast in stone now, the prospect of that horizon is looking better now than it has in years.

Whether it’s the backstage influence of Triple H (said to be one of the pioneers of the NXT/WWE Performance Centre movement and need to secure the future of the company), I’m not sure. But it’s definitely feeling like a brighter, more prospective road that WWE are currently travelling.

You only have to look at who the current crop of stars being lapped up by the fans are: Dolph Ziggler has been paying his dues for some time now and is hotter than Hell with the WWE Universe at the moment. The Shield are an awesome force and combination of some great rookies, who have shown they have the props to grab the ball and run with it.

Damien Sandow has been delivering one of the best ‘old-school’ type characters in years and has the in-ring ability and charisma to carry it to heights The Genius could only have imagined, with his old running buddy and now main-event level foe Cody Rhodes looking like he’s on the verge of breaking the glass ceiling. And dare I forget to mention the boundless potential of Bray Wyatt and The Family? I still see The Wyatt Family as one of the most exciting things to happen in the wrestling world in years.

NXT has selection of superstars and matches that can easily take their place on Monday Nights, and I have to believe it’s only a matter of time before Michael Cole, JBL, and Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler are commentating on their matches. Yes, I’m talking about people like Corey Graves, Adrian Neville, Sami Zayn, and Paige. Their matches against some of WWE’s established names down at Full Sail University are testament to their guts, drive and skill to want to break into the big time and usher in a new generation of recognisable talent.

WWE needs a freshening up, a wake-up call, and a new era to dawn. The last few months have shown glimpses of potential brilliance and I for one am solidly behind the youth movement, which is inevitably going to explode within the WWE ranks pretty soon.