WWE Superstars: The Next Generation

Just who are the WWE superstars of tomorrow...?

The next crop of up and coming superstars are all battling to fill up the huge spaces that are constantly being vacated by the likes of Shawn Michaels, HHH, The Undertaker and many other departing superstars. Below are some names from the current roster that have the potential to become major league players within the WWE roster and carry the company for the years to come.

Alberto Del Rio

An instant hit from the moment he first made his Smackdown debut, Del Rio seems to be the complete package with his natural charisma and in-ring talent. Not to mention he has the look of a champion about him.  Already winning the Royal Rumble, and Money in the Bank contract, it's only a matter of time before Del Rio finally wins a heavyweight title.

Like many fast rising superstars before him, impressive displays on the microphone and putting on great matches against opponents always propel them right to the top. And there is no reason why Del Rio is going to be any different. Debuting in the main event at Wrestlemania 28 in his first year, and instantly feuding with veterans including Edge, Christian and Rey Mysterio, the Mexican superstar is well on his way to finally capturing the big title. As he would say it is his "Destiny.... But you already knew that!"

Dolph Ziggler

"I am perfection" as his song says. And it may only be a matter of time before we see 'Perfection'. Already a multi time united states champion. Add to that a one time world championship reign which is honestly forgotten by many people due to that title reign lasting only a few minutes, Ziggler is one of the few young superstars who hasn't as of yet fallen down in the rankings. A solid in ring worker, and growing in confidence cutting promos, Dolph is slowly but gradually moving up.

Cutting his hair, dying his hair brown, and re-labelling himself the 'New and improved Dolph Ziggler' was a disastrous decision as that made him become a generic looking superstar with no defining look. But going back to the blonde hair helped him once again stand out and win back the US title not long after.

There are subtle comparisons to him and Mr Perfect himself through their similar look and persona, but time will tell whether or not Dolph can keep up his hot streak. But with Vickie Guerrero in his corner as manager and mouthpiece,  and his great in ring talent, Dolph's may yet reach 'Perfection'.

Cody Rhodes

Son of the legendary Hall of Famer, 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes, Cody Rhodes has developed his character similar to that of Dr. Doom from Marvel comic book fame. Handsome and good-looking, turned 'Ugly' in his own words, and donning a mask to protect his face, Cody has been able to do what many other characters have failed to do. And that is make his persona develop and grow, rather than stick to the one character and depend on that one formula.

The 'pretty boy' dishing out grooming tips to people so "they to can be dashing", to having his face damaged and becoming this dark, psychologically scarred person giving out paper bags of ugly people has worked wonders for his character and it may be a matter of time before he wins a singles championship.

John Morrison

One of the more vibrant superstars on the roster, John Morrison possesses amazing athletic skill and has the rockstar look to complement it. At one point, Morrison drew comparison to the legendary Shawn Micheals in terms of in ring talent because he is able to pull show-stealing moves. And being labeled the 'Prince of Parkour' for his astonishing in-ring moves adds further to his stock. Pulling off moves moves that has amazed fans, and also drawing references to Spiderman of all people for his agility.

He does have some work to do on the mic with his promos, but he is over with the crowd and is almost the complete package. I preferred him as a heel during his tag team days with The Miz, and the promos he used to cut but that's not to say that his face run is bad. Hopefully, it's a matter of time before he finally wins the big one because it will definitely be fitting of him.

The Miz

In his own words, The Miz is "Awesomeeeeeeeee!

And you cant help agreeing with him. The Miz has come a long way from his reality TV days, to becoming a wrestler, Winning the WWE champion and headlining Wrestlemania 27 against none other than John Cena and winning despite being the underdog in that match. Starting off on Smackdown as the host of the show, many deemed The Miz to be an loud and annoying character who would go nowhere, and opinions didn't change much as a superstar either. But years later, championship reigns and a Wrestlemania main event to his name, The Miz has proved many people wrong and is now on of the big boys on the entire WWE roster.

In his his first and only WWE championship reign so far, he has already defeated the likes of Jerry 'the king' Lawler,  John Morrison, Randy Orton, and the previously mentioned Cena cementing himself as a certified top tier player.

Truth be told, he may not be the greatest wrestler in the ring, but the man can talk on the mic and can cut amazing promo.

Not only has he risen himself, but has helped both Alex Riley and Daniel Bryan get over with the fans by being their on screen mentors, and eventual rival.

Watch The Miz cut an 'awesome' promo about proving doubters wrong, and his journey to the top here

Wade Barrett

Initially starting on NXT as Chris Jericho's rookie, Wade Barrett has come a long way. Forming two factions in the Nexus and The Corre, and winning the first season of NXT as a breakout superstar, Barrett has proven himself to be great when it comes to being part of a group. But it is yet to be seen how he will fare as singles competitor.

Granted, he has already won the intercontinental championship, he still has a long way to go being a legit singles threat. During his time in the Nexus and Corre, he has been able to cut excellent promos and is a good in ring worker, but he is not in the top tier position that he should be in coming out of the two stables. On his own, he has the potential to be a solid singles main event competitor but time will tell as to which direction he will go in.

Zack Ryder

Arguably, one of the most popular superstar in some circles, Zack Ryder has become an Internet sensation with his YouTube show 'Z! A True Long Island Story', and has even dubbed himself the 'Internet Champion' with his modified Intercontinental championship replica belt.

The problem is, Ryder barely gets any ring time beyond WWE Superstars which is only viewed online, but the demand for him is massive. He does get few cameo appearances on Raw, and many top tier superstars are behind him, but has yet to have his big breakout moment. Formerly a tag team champion, and running buddy with none other than Edge as a part of La Familia a few years ago, Ryder is able to perform in the big league, but as long as he is kept subdued, he may only be an online success unless he gets his television time.

Sin Cara

The new comer is already drawing comparison to another luchadore by the name of Rey Mysterio. Signed from Mexico, Sin Cara has won over the majority of the fans his breathtaking move set. That's the plus side.

On the other side, he does not speak English so he is not able to convey his feeling to his opponents or the audience for that matter. Unless he is paired with a manager who is able to translate what he says, in the long run he will just be stuck as a mid-carder who performs and relies on his fast paced, high flying skill set.

Another negative point is that he has not fully adjusted to the WWE style of wrestling, and this is evident as he occasionally botches moves. His moves, as explosive and entertaining as they are, aren't always executed as they should which poses another problem. There isn't many people on the roster that are able to have the type of match that is best suited to him. But it seems that the WWE are behind him are will try what they can to make him as successful as possible. A good entrance, his own lighting in matches, and the move set to justify it all but in the end, it depends on how much more can be done to 'perfect' him so to speak

Daniel Bryan

One of my personal favourites, and probably one of, if not, the most underrated superstar on the entire roster. Technically sound in the ring, Bryan is reminiscent of old school technical wrestlers such as Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, and former teacher William Regal. Watch him in a match and you can see that he can pull of a range of technical mat based move, submission moves, as well as high flying manoeuvres.

Currently the 'Money in the Bank' contract holder, Bryan has the potential to reach the level and hang with the big boys so speak. He's already feuded with both Sheamus and The Miz who are both former WWE champions, so it's not like he can't fight on their level. History has shown us that every person who has cashed it in has won a world title, but Bryan is different due to him being the smaller superstar.

But then again, so was Rey Mysterio and he became a two time world champion. And seeing as he is 'Mr Money in the Bank', depending on how he is booked I believe he too can win a championship. After announcing ahead of time that he will be cashing it in at Wrestlemania 28, Bryan can go into the title match playing the underdog challenger, beating other superstars along the way to prove that he is capable of winning. However, who the champion will be at the time remains to be seen...

Sheamus

One of the most dominant and brutal superstars on the roster. Already a 2 time WWE and former United States champion, the 'Celtic Warrior' will definitely win a heap more championships. Debuting as a ferocious, tough Irish warrior on the reincarnated ECW, Sheamus created a path of destruction until he eventually powered through John Cena to win his first championship.

Surviving his disastrous 'King of the Ring' reign, he soon found form again and has been reaching his dominating best once again. He has already had long standing feuds against Cena, Orton, and HHH and is more than a legitimate threat to the top guns, and will surely be able to brush aside even more opponents to achieve even more gold.

Ted DiBiase Jr.

One the most disappointing superstars on the roster. Son of 'The Million Dollar Man' Ted DiBiase, Ted Jr. has the potential to be one of the top tier superstars.

But he doesn't have much of a character to reach that level. Not yet anyways. And has always been seen a partner or associate, rather than a standout singles superstar. Even now, he is a lackey to Cody Rhodes. As part of Legacy with Rhodes and Randy Orton, he was always the tag team of that group. Fast forward a couple of years and his once again secondary and unless his character undergoes changes to make him 'breakout' of his current status, there isn't much hope for Dibiase Jr.

Being the son of the 'Million Dollar Man' Ted Dibiase Sr also poses a problem, as as he instantly draws unfair comparisons which make even tougher for him to break through. In ring, he can perform well, but his on the mic skills aren't the best and that counts for a lot in the WWE.

All in all, Dibiase has a lot to do to climb up the rankings and make it a superstar who can become a legitimate threat and champion of any sort.

Jack Swagger

One of the great disappointments at the moment. A former Mr Money in the Bank and World Heavyweight champion, Swagger's stock has plummeted dramatically with a world title reign that is barely remembered now.

And it looks as if Swagger, at the moment, is stuck in the mid-card position. Which is a shame because Swagger is such a good in ring performer. I've always been a fan of technical wrestling and Swagger I think is one of the great underrated wrestlers at this. He may not be a Kurt Angle, but his amateur wrestling style is impressive and could take him far. 

Problem is he seems to be forgotten about. His Heavyweight Championship reign was dissapointing with passable feueds against Randy Orton and The Big Show. Instead of having a match of his own at Wrestlemania 27, he played manager to Michael Cole and once Cole's feud was over Swagger hasn't had anything coming his way. He's arguably had more success during the reincarnated ECW with more memorable title reigns. It remains to be seen if he will win another world title soon. Or again for that matter. But it is possible to win the Intercontinental or United States championship. He is the 'All American-American' after all

Drew McIntyre

'The Chosen One'. Handpicked by Vince McMahon to be a future world champion, Drew has so far unfortunately only managed to achieve Intercontinental and Tag Team success. And in his current position, it doesn't look like McIntyre will be moving beyond that anytime soon.

 Once a credible upcoming threat, he has now fallen through the ranks and doesn't seem to be rising anytime soon.Having an impressive run on Smackdown, where he feuded with the likes of John Morrison, R-Truth, and Matt Hardy. This year he was drafted to Monday Night Raw, where he has been lost in the shuffle so to speak and has no feuds or championship opportunity to fall back on.

For a 'chosen one'', his only claim to fame so far is that moniker, and the one Intercontinental title to his name. Beyond that, the future looks bleak for McIntyre unless somehow this 'prophecy' begins to take shape and he once again finds form.

The Usos

In a roster where the Tag Team division is almost dead, The Uso Brothers seem to be the only legit tag team that hasn't been thrown together for the sake of forming a new team of contenders. Off the top of  my head I can only think of the New Nexus, and Santino/Kozlov if they still exist as a team. And that's saying a lot.

Coming from a long lineage of legendary Samoan wrestlers including The Rock, The Wild Samoans, Umaga, and their father Rikishi Fatu, The Usos are continuing the Samoan legacy by bringing elements of their heritage into their performances such as the Samoan war dances.

Despite being pushed, there aren't many other tag teams to feud against, so it looks like The Usos are moving up in a now almost vacant division which at the moment is pointless. And that is a shame because they are a talented pairing, and the fans are really into them. In the end, it all comes back around to the current situation of the tag teams.

Alex Riley

Just like Daniel Bryan, Riley is also a rookie to The Miz who is increasingly growing in popularity and already holds a victory over his former mentor. Already over with the fans coming out of his feud with The Miz, it remains to be seen where he is once the proverbial dust settles and where he goes from there.

Anyone who has watched the early seasons of NXT will most likely agree that that 'A-Ry' is clearly a guy who is talented on the mic and can cut a promo. They will also argue that he is more over as a heel, rather than the babyface push he is getting. With any luck, we will see a heel turn and see the 'Varsity Villain' return to the ring and be the natural heel he was on NXT.

Kofi Kingston

A straight up high flyer, who is lightning quick, extremely agile and is always popular and hot for the crowd.

A couple of years ago, he had a red hot feud with Randy Orton where his character excelled to the next level and became an intense superstar who could not only beat Randy Orton, but a legitimate challenger who could one take on other big stars for the title. However, once that feud ended, he dropped back down to mid-card and has yet to rise to the level he had once reached again. 

Not to say that he has dropped into a forgotten position. He has won multiple championships during that time, and shows elements of his intense character from his days of feuding with Orton. With any luck, he will once again find that spark and kick it into gear again so that he will be able to feud with more big names and stay there this time.

Evan Bourne

Another fast paced, high flying superstar who never fails to entertain and wow the crowd with his moves. Most of all, his beautifully executed Shooting Star Press. Apart from his exhilarating in ring style, Bourne is not the greatest superstar to cut a promo, and he is usually used as a jobber or to put on exhibition matches. And for someone of his talent, that isn't encouraging.

Winning no titles as of yet, Bourne may be able to win a US or Intercontinental title but will always be an underdog in the majority of his matches, but it may take a lot to even reach that status yet.