A big talking point to come out of the week in WWE is that John Cena might be taking some time off, particularly during the European tour in November. With the recent dwindling in Raw viewership, a lot of people think this could be a risky move, considering Cena’s popularity among the younger fans, and with merchandise sales.
It’s also worth noting that there aren’t that many superstars on the roster that have been given that main event opportunity yet. This could be a good opportunity for guys like Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns to emerge and take over that top spot, but with Seth Rollins as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, those matches wouldn’t exactly be unheard of. I’d like to see WWE go back to the way they used to do things at house shows.
I went to a few events a good few years ago, where young stars like Jack Swagger would be given main event title matches before they were afforded such an opportunity on television. The same could be done today for guys like Cesaro, Neville and Dolph Ziggler. Guys who have proven time and time again that they can go in the ring, no matter who it is they’re up against or where they’re scheduled on the match card. It would also give WWE an opportunity to gauge just what a main event run would result in for these superstars. To see how well-received a newcomer like Neville would be if he was put in a big-time rivalry with the WWE World Champion.
The assumption is that Roman Reigns will probably be given special treatment now that Cena may not be there for a bit, which is perfectly fine. Roman is likely going to be holding the title before next summer, and he does deserve it after all of the hard work he’s put in. But WWE needs to realise that you can build multiple stars at once. During the Attitude Era, The Undertaker, Steve Austin, Mick Foley, Shawn Michaels, Kane, The Rock and Kurt Angle were all huge stars at around the same time. You look back on them now and they’re legends in the making, Hall of Famers waiting to be inducted, and some of them already have been.
Ten years from now, you’ll look back at 2015 and think about Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins, and the already established John Cena and Brock Lesnar. Invest a little time in the other talent, and you’ll have a future for your company. There’s no point in putting so much time and effort into NXT, when superstars are only going to be brought up to the main roster to fade into obscurity. You have great babyface characters in Ziggler, Neville, Cesaro, even Randy Orton, and some equally fantastic heels in Bray Wyatt, Rusev, Sheamus and Kevin Owens.
I’d like to be able to look back a few years from now and be able to say that these men have created a legacy for themselves, but it’s all down to WWE and whether or not they care enough to build more than one or two stars at a time. When John Cena leaves, it’s a great chance for these younger stars to be brought up to that level, but he always comes back, and things remain the same. What happens if someday Cena can’t come back? WWE doesn’t have a top dog, and they end up pushing stars that have not yet been established, and so the main event scene starts to disappoint. Miz, I’m looking at you.
It’s made blatantly obvious that WWE isn’t ready to do this, because as soon as news breaks that John Cena won’t be on the European tour, they go ahead and add the nostalgia factor with Ric Flair. What does that tell you? Cena taking time off could be a blessing in disguise as long as WWE allows it to be, but it’s just not going to work if they keep neglecting to build a future for themselves. *drops mic*
Hopefully this came across as a positive piece rather than a pessimistic one. I love WWE, and would like to see its future preserved. I also wrote it about an hour before it was supposed to go up, so there’s that too.
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Thanks for reading!
Self-Professed Conversational Wizard.
Admin, Editor and Writer for SLTD Wrestling.
Creator of 'Under the Spotlight'.
Studying Computing in Games Development.
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