With the Royal Rumble and the following night's RAW behind us, the WWE has begun to pave the "Road to Wrestlemania." I must say, however, that it might be a rocky road to smooth over. The main reason I say that is because the WWE is lacking star power now more than it ever has in the past. When i bring this topic up, most people tell me it's because of injuries and wrestlers retiring. But who all is injured? The Undertaker and Triple H come to mind... but that's it for the main eventers.. Christian and Evan Bourne are a far cry from main eventing even though they are both very valuable to the company. Who retired? Shawn Michaels and Ric Flair are all i can think of. Shawn Michaels can never be replaced as a performer. I don't even think that's really a discussion.
So who does the WWE have as legitimate main eventers? On Raw, i see Randy Orton, John Cena, The Miz and CM Punk. On the outside looking in are John Morrison and Sheamus. I doubt either of those guys will be called legitimate main eventers again. On the Smackdown side, i see Edge, Dolph Ziggler, Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio now. I would say that Kane, The Big Show and Wade Barrett are sufficient plug-ins when necessary. Of all of those names, Edge, Alberto Del Rio, John Cena, The Miz and CM Punk arguably have the best mic skills. But seriously, this is the list of main eventers and mid card stars. Remember when Wrestlemania had blockbuster matches? Remember when great wrestlers were held off the card because of time constraints? They actually had too many good matches that some couldn't be added to the card. That's definitely not a problem in this era.
So what happened? Where did the star power go? Chris Jericho took his normal time off to tour with Fozzy and recharge his batteries. Yes, The Undertaker and HHH are injured which definitely hurts the main event. Booker T, Kurt Angle, Jeff Hardy and RVD all went to TNA. I understand the last 2 had additional baggage that helped in their departure from the WWE. However, these are major names that weren't able to be replaced. And the main reason for that? A diminishing pool of talent to choose from. Jim Ross has even mentioned this a few times on his blog (jrsbarbq.com). The WWE has done the best it can with the talent that's available. However, very few pushes to the main event seem to work out. Jim Morrison, MVP, Sheamus to a point, Jack Swagger and Ted DiBiase have all had opportunities at one point or another to main event. None of them are main eventers now.The jury is still out on Wade Barrett. I get a beer and nachos when Sheamus comes out.
Only 3 wrestlers seem to have taken advantage of their main event opportunities. The Miz, CM Punk and to a lesser extent so far... Dolph Ziggler. CM Punk and The Miz are legit. They are here to stay. I hope Dolph Ziggler can keep going. He has tremendous energy in the ring. Will Alberto Del Rio take advantage? He is being given an opportunity to not just main event... but to main event Wrestlemania. He gets this opportunity basically on faith and hope. He has decent in-ring ability from what I've seen so far and has very strong mic skills. However, does that make him ready for the main event at Wrestlemania? And can he and the WWE make the fans care that he is going to be there?
The weight on his shoulders is monumental. Let's see if he is up for it. Let's see if Del Rio can be one of the few success stories in recent WWE memory.
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