Hogan's Beach Shop / Shrine to the most important wrestler of all time

 I was lucky enough to take two weeks and go on vacation to Florida with family.  So far my wife and I have gone to universal studios, laid by the pool, took in some sights and have eaten well; however, there is no such thing for this mark as a "wrestling free vacation".  I drove over the cosways, past the beautiful landscapes and beach fronts to a dream destination for any true fan of nostalgia and pro wrestling directly to an oversized statue of the immortal Hulk Hogan!  We made our way to Hogan's Beach Shop in Clearwater, Florida and walked into a real life shrine to all that is, was and will be Hulk Hogan. 

Walking in I heard the voice of Gorilla Monsoon and Jesse Ventura which pushed my focus to two big screen televisions toward the back of the store playing Wrestlemania III in its entirety.  Before I could give my full attention to Billy Jack Haynes taking on Hercules Hernandez I was engulfed by Hogan memorabilia and history.  Like any beach shop there were a myriad of tee shirts to purchase all in some way related to the hulkster, as a wrestler or beach shop owner, and there were multiple options from Hollywood Hogan to the red and yellow Hulkamania and finally red, white and blue American made Hulk Hogan.  Along the back wall hung every replica belt you could imagine, most signed by hogan himself, as well as a specially made all gold one of a kind title belt made specially for the hulk himself.  There were dvds of "no holds barred" and "suburban commando", weight lifting belts from all eras of Hogan, and a slue of bandanas all to purchase; but the neatest part of the shop was all of the nostalgic wrestling artifacts that surround the store. 

Inside frames were ripped shirts and red knee pads, Hollywood long trunks complete with airbrushed hogan face and even the yellow trunks themselves.  There were autographed personal photos from japan and during Hulk's first huge run in the 80's.  Posters of Wrestlemania 2 and 3 as well a small amount of Andre The Giant stuff all for sale.  Hulk wasn't there at the time but after talking to a very friendly employee he does come in about once a week and is very interactive with the shoppers, Hogan's Beach Shop also donates portions of sales to local and national charities and had just finished a campaign of raising money to help donate prosthetic legs to those in need. 

The absolute coolest thing about Hogan's Beach Shop for this crazy fan was how the worker there, who was very willing to talk about wrestling and the hulkster, was telling me Hogan had just brought in the actual and authentic wwf world heavyweight title used during Hulk's first run as champion, the title that was retired after Wrestlemania 3 when Hogan slammed Andre.  The idea was that Hogan had given it to the Beach Shop to have on display as a specialty feature piece for the shop and the gentleman that ran the place was going to find a frame and place to display it, so unfortunately I was not able to see the belt hanging up.  However, to any wrestling fan of the 1980's or any era the significance of that title, that title run and the culmination of Hogan versus Andre is a huge deal and a major part of wrestling history.  To know that belt will be on display at some point is awesome and really makes Hogan's Beach Shop almost a museum of when professional wrestling changed forever with the cementing of WWF's success and the end of the territory days for good.  Of course, I purchased a number of wrestling and beach shop tee shirts, including a hulkamania sweat shirt, hogan beach shop t and an original nWo tee shirt (because when you are nWo, you are nWo for life) my wife even purchased a hogan against breast cancer shirt and we began to check out.  Proud of myself for not trying to buy everything in the store, including autographed action figures, we only spent about $100.  The very friendly shop worker was very appreciative that we spent $100 next thing I know I am being handed the WWF world heavyweight championship from 1984 to 1987 that Hogan won from the Iron Sheik and last defended against Andre at Wrestlemania 3.  This was the real deal authentic title and I was holding it, he asked that I don't unfold the leather belt but excitedly suggested I take photos with the title. 

I was standing in an almost empty shrine built to memorialize the most important wrestler possibly in history holding a piece of wrestling history that may be more important than any other title in wrestling existence.  Trying my absolute best to not flip out like a kid in a candy store multiplied by a million and I calmly took some photos with the title over my shoulder and around my waist.  In 1987 in front of 93,000 fans filling the Pontiac Silverdome Hulk Hogan slammed Andre the Giant, dropped the big leg and pinned the man who had been undefeated for 15 years.  Hogan celebrated with the sea of Hulkamaniacs and held up his championship belt to signify victory in the biggest wwf wrestling match in history.  That title belt was then "retired" and the "eagle championship" was unveiled. 
Twenty-seven and a half years later that same title belt lay upon my shoulder and then held around my waist.  Very few people can make that statement and I happened to be in the right place at the right time to be able to do it.  The championship belt will now be displayed like an icon of professional wrestling at Hogan's Beach Shop and can be purchased for the retail price of $100,00.00, but for one night I was the WWF world heavyweight champion, at least in my mind and on my cell phone camera. 
Hulk Hogan and Hulkamania may very well be the most important wrestler and wrestling phenomenon in the history of sports entertainment.  With the backing of Vince McMahon and the WWF Hulk Hogan paved the way and became a hero to youngsters all over the world; he then turned his back on the wrestling fan base and recreated himself as Hollywood Hogan and sparked a wrestling war that revolutionized the business yet again.  He then returned to his roots of wwe and challenged The Rock at Wrestlemania 18 and delivered a wrestling experience like no other that brought every wrestling fan back to their nostalgic roots and reignited hulkamania and lead to a final championship run.  Now he acts as an ambassador for sports entertainment and reminds everyone with his trademark mustache, red and yellow and his echo of "brother's", "jack's" and "whatcha' gonna do" why they fell in love with an era of wrestling and a real superhero that everyone believed in and was the first mainstream wrestler to transcend the business into pop culture.  Hulkamania is still running wild and it will forever, brother! That is just this marks remarks.
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hell in a cell highs and lows / where do we go next

 Hell in a cell, which most people expected to be lack luster, was a really good show all around. Nothing on the show was really poor, including the women's matches, and the good at times was really good. As a secondary pay-per-view this show offered some closure, build to the future and an ending that creates intrigue.  I'm going to focus on the three major things that happened, in my opinion, last night that hopefully wwe can build on.
 1. It seemed like last night wwe made the decision to finally give dolph ziggler some credibility! Ziggler defeating Cesaro in 2 straight falls last night was Dolph getting the push ad a bonafide champion and added legitimacy to the intercontinental championship. Not to mention, Dolph ziggler was in an excellent wrestling match against an excellent wrestler where ziggler played the role of vulnerable babyface who wouldn't give up instead of generic hip girator who is lost in the mix. Ziggler can separate himself from the crowd if he utilizes his ability while also becoming the face that is minutes away from death but refuses to lose and give up until the crowd is so behind him that they make him dig down deep and overcome the adversity and pull out victories. This is a time tested formula and ziggler has what it takes to make it work. Hopefully last night was a sign that wwe finally has the confidence to let ziggler live up to his potential.

2. The future is now for Seth Rollins and dean ambrose, from a performance stand point. These two guys are main event ready and they answered the call last night and then some. Rollins and ambrose pull out all the stops at hell in a cell and put on a performance that was at the main event level. I still believe these two guys should be protected a little bit more before they are hoisted to the top tier but Rollins and ambrose has what it takes to be the next major players in the wwe and I believe the fan base can believe them in those roles. Aside from USA, ambrose had the loudest cheers of the night and Seth Rollins had the second most heel heat. The two very capable grapplers walked into hell in a cell with a few question marks mainly being could they carry a show and I believe after all the broken tables chair shots, brawling and psychology the former members of the shield walked out of hell in a cell main eventers.

 3. He's here. Bray Wyatt returned at the ending of the main event of hell in a cell. He had an attention grabbing entrance that created an aura that something important is happening, he had a response that said someone important is returning and he had a "feel" that said the monster heel is here. With all the gimmicks and plunder that was in the ring and after all deal ambrose had gone through it was bray Wyatt's finisher, sister abagail, that put dean ambrose down.

There were slight sounds of people singing "he's got the whole world in his hands" but for the most part it was loud negative boos the type that a top heel should get. The atmosphere at the end of the show was not is he a heel or is he a face, it was not let's get behind this guy because he is cool; the setting was that the most dangerous and unknown heel made his triumphant return and his sights are set on dean ambrose.
No matter the direction of the current feuds or what rivalries begin there will be no more interesting or entertaining than bray Wyatt versus dean ambrose. The promos alone will be electric. The groundwork for the landscape of wwe's future is being laid and hopefully bray Wyatt, Seth Rollins, dean ambrose and Dolph ziggler are major parts of that future.

 Finally, the rusev versus USA battle that is taking place has some serious legs. The crowd is invested and rusev and Lana are holding up their end of the bargain. However, for this battle to truly reach its appex there is only one man that should finally be able to stop rusev and defend the honor of america. If the only Olympic gold medalist in professional wrestling was able to return to the wwe lower the straps and defend our country against the ravishing Russian and the Bulgarian brute the crowd would go bananas and these storyline would be as hot as anything wwe can produce right now! Wwe should be doing their best to make it happen; it's true, it's damn true.

That is just this marks remarks and if you like what I have to say or you would like to tell me what you think please subscribe to this blog, like the Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/amarkremarks and follow on twitter @amarkremarks thank you very much and please keep supporting.

Road to Hell in a Cell / What should happen on Raw

 Hell in a Cell is two weeks away and the card for the show is taking shape.  The card features at least two Hell in a Cell cage matches, which is always an attraction, plus matches that will continue to build storylines as wwe heads toward the end of the year.  The Hell in a Cell pay per view is one of many "big shows" that is headlined by a gimmick match before the participants or purpose is known, which leads to many issues with the current product, but the gimmick match in this particular show usually produces some really good matches.  However, the idea of Hell in a Cell the match was created to lead to a finality to a strong rivalry; the first version being The Undertaker versus Shawn Michaels with the debut of Kane many many years ago.  WWE has produced a laundry list of memorable moments inside (and outside) the cell including Mankind being throw off and through the cell, Mick Foley's first attempt of retirement at the hands of Triple H, The bloody war between The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar and so many more. 

Hell in a Cell was created so that the simply saying the words Hell in a Cell made the crowd go crazy and the expectation of the match rose higher, now; wwe has a pay-per-view designated to always having that "special" match.  The result of this show is that the cell is no longer "special" at all.  The match was determined before the participants are which makes Hell in a Cell just another match, further emphasizing this point is the second bout held in the cell being John Cena versus Randy Orton.  Sure, Orton and Cena have a long storied history with each other but this match was made last week on Raw on the premise that whomever doesn't get to wrestle Seth Rollins challenges Randy Orton; so there is no score to settle or grudge to finish, just a match that was made to be contended inside the confines of Hell in a Cell.  So what is more important, the match or the feud? 

I would suggest the obvious answer should be the grudge.  The rivalry should be so heated that the only way to settle differences is by locking the hated combatants inside satan's playground; a bitter feud needs Hell in a Cell, it shouldn't be that Hell in a Cell needs participants.  That is why gimmicky pay-per-views, except Royal Rumble and Money in the Bank, should be eliminated.  This would make stipulation matches seem much more important and mean something to a storyline, instead of crow-baring  a special match into a storyline whether needed or not.  So how can Hell in a Cell be made important?

 First, do something to make Seth Rollins versus Dean Ambrose in a cell must see.  Dean Ambrose is a loose cannon not a cartoon character; he must be treated as such to make him reach his potential.  Not pushing a hot dog cart or magically appearing at ringside but Dean Ambrose needs to be the lunatic fringe that Seth Rollins fears being locked into a cell with.  Seth Rollins doesn't have to get beat up or embarrassed or have gak poured over his head; he needs to be the chicken-shit heel that he can be and get chased down by the brash psychotic Ambrose so that you, the fan, can't wait for Ambrose to finally get his hands on Rollins.  This feud which was very hot for awhile fizzled slightly with Ambrose taking time off and Cena being inserted into it but I believe can be re-energized quickly.  The only question is can a Dean Ambrose versus Seth Rollins headline a wwe pay-per-view?
Secondly, how can you inject some excitement into another John Cena versus Randy Orton match that was really thrown together hap-haphazardly? 

I would include the return of Bray Wyatt into this match where Wyatt and his family produces a vignette that says he will be at Hell in a Cell, he will be in the cell and he will bring down the status quo.  Three weeks of Wyatt taped promos has brought the Wyatt Family back to relevance and hopefully wwe won't allow him to falter again.  Best way to catapult Bray Wyatt to the top?  Insert him into the conclusion of John Cena and Randy and have him leave both men laying.  This will create intrigue as to who he wants to take on and allows Bray Wyatt to be what he is best at: chaotic.  There are less than subtle hints that Randy Orton may be turning baby face and perhaps him taking on Bray Wyatt would be a good first feud and allow Bray Wyatt to cement himself as a legit heel, which based on the video packages is where he is headed.  I believe Bray Wyatt is something special and John Cena or Randy Orton would not be hurt being used as his return to the wwe universe.

 Thirdly, make the secondary matches mean something.  This is the first major show where Brock Lesnar is not defending his wwe world heavyweight championship but there will be titles defended.  Why not make Dolph Ziggler versus Cesaro be important?  Why not hype the idea that the intercontinental title is a major title and two incredibly gifted athletes will belt for the championship?  Ziggler and Cesaro give this card the ability to have an excellent high caliber match that should have people on the edge of their seats from a wrestling perspective, which would be different from the two main attractions.  The same can be said for the tag team title match they should have. 

What is the negative of promoting a tag match that is almost certain to entertain the fans?  The tag team division is a missed opportunity at such a high level because tag team wrestling, even simple tag team wrestling, is so fun to watch.  It is wrestling by the numbers almost every time but the tag team formula is a proven winner and leads to exciting well paced action that typically is a crowd pleaser.  Throw in the soap opera of the Bella twins, decent female wrestling with

A.J and Paige, Rusev's next battle and this show should be pretty good, but is it important?
The problem with the current landscape of professional wrestling, not just wwe but all of professional wrestling, is that nothing really seems important.  This is a major issue especially with the advent of the wwe network and how reliant wwe's success is on the network.  WWE needs to create subscribers and their strategy is by reminding you of the cost, at no end, or by pushing the app or this or that to create interest; however, the best way to create subscribers or product interest is by producing "must see" programming.  All of the boom times in pro wrestling as started with high quality programming involving larger than life characters creating entertaining, intelligent and enthralling storyline that leads to dramatic, athletic and action packed matches.  The product creates the interest; the product has always created the interest and the interest and fan base builds based on the quality of the product.

 In closing, Hell in a Cell pay-per-view, Raw, Smackdown, Main Event and all wwe brand shows have to start feeling important again.  The fan base should be made to feel that cannot miss the next show or the one after that and no way are they missing a pay-per-view. 

The product should be so good that a wwe fan doesn't need to be reminded that there is a wwe network, or wwe has an app or they need to log on to wwe.com; the product should be so good that the fan base can't wait to log on to the website, should be viewing the app during the live weekly shows and watching the wwe network whenever time allows and for every pay-per-view. 
The price shouldn't make the wwe network a no-brainer, the content should.  And, it does; the network is awesome and is a dream come true for any wrestling fan but it is great because of the content not because of the stupid banter between michael cole, jbl and jerry lawler on a weekly basis.

The curious case of John Cena / raw review

 Last night was the "season premiere" of wwe's Monday night raw, which means nothing since the program is a year long episodic show. But, calling this episode the season premiere attempts to build a buzz since last night was the first NFL Monday night of the season, so the competition on Monday nights just got a lot stronger. So how does a wrestling juggernaut contend with football? How about a cage match featuring a top crowd pleasing babyface in Chris Jericho against the future top star and maniacal bray Wyatt? Good move wwe! How about a summerslam rematch against proven villain the viper Randy Orton versus the next big star the uber-aggressive roman reigns? Well played wwe, that will keep the audience glued to its TV. How about a contrived, poorly acted, poorly executed Bella sister segment being mediated by jerry springer? When is kick off?

 When chucking ideas at the story board whomever opted for a Bella twin springer show segment on the first raw against the NFL and two weeks away from a pay per view should fear for his job performance evaluation. But he won't, probably because wwe loves this bellas spectacle that gets worse and worse as the weeks go by, which was only created because total divas the "reality show" wanted a storyline for the newest season.

Yes, that's correct, a reality show is asking wwe to create a storyline so they can then script reality around it. And wrestling fans lived happily ever after. The worst part of this angle with the Bella sisters, and there are many bad things, is that it is going to lead to a match that at its best will be lousy.  With Nikki Bella in a three way match for the diva's championship I think we can all assume that Brie Bella will cause her a loss of some kind and this feud will continue leading to an eventual match for the ages. 
Bray Wyatt and Chris Jericho started off Raw with an entertaining cage match.  It was a well put together match that showcased the steal cage as a weapon at times and concluded with Wyatt walking out of the cage door after Y2J leaped from the top of the cage and in the process hurt his knee.  The Wyatt Family patriarch then took Jericho back into the cage delivering "sister Abagail" to further injury "the ayatollah of rock and rollah" and essentially end the feud between the two
.  I ended up liking this program between Jericho and Wyatt but I am not sure it was as good as the two highly talented performers wanted it to be, I also do not know where Bray Wyatt goes from here.  I feel that a young Bray Wyatt is one of those characters that, initially, always needs feuds to be involved in so his character can continue to evolve.

Randy Orton battled Roman Reigns in the main event of Raw and they had every Orton v Reigns match you've already seen.  This version saw Orton in trouble at the end and he summoned Kane and Seth Rollins to help him.  This featured Seth Rollins propelling himself off the top of the steal cage that was somehow lowered.  Rollins then delivered his curb stomp finisher to Reigns on a steal chair.  So, it seems that Roman Reigns will fight Seth Rollins at Night of Champions where I full expect the authority to involve themselves and Dean Ambrose to appear to throw himself into the main event mix.  Which will help to refresh this Roman Reigns feud because he continues to stall to me and maybe with the infusion of the lunatic fringe Reigns can unload some of the main stage pressure to Ambrose and Roman can continue to improve to get ready for the big match stages. 

 The best thing on Raw last night was the segment involving Paul Heyman, the advocate for Brock Lesnar, and John Cena.  Heyman invited Cena to become more ruthless and leave the fans behind in order to better himself.  Paul Heyman suggested that John Cena cannot beat Brock Lesnar until he he conquers his own demons; most notably the anti-Cena fan base that is so vocal in booing the leader of Cenation. 

Finally, Cena couldn't take anymore talk from Heyman and he delivered another emotionally charged impassioned promo on how Cena believes in himself and believes in the fans that cheer him.  His most rewarding moments are when the kids use him as a moral compass, how he inspires them to do their best, give their all and most importantly he loves the fact that when people (wounded soldiers in this example) who are down and out find motivation from John Cena's mantra of never give up.  This promo, while he did use make-a-wish kids and wounded military member to pull on the heart strings, was a very powerfully executed promo and worked to turn some of the John Cena haters into at least respecters.
John Cena will go down in history as one of the most successful wrestlers of all time.  His run on top out lasts anyone in the modern era of sports entertainment and he boasts gaudy numbers when it comes to the tangible stats that would gauge wrestling success.  His merchandise sales are huge, his headlined buy rates are big for large events, he is a money earner at the box office and most importantly he has given his life up to become the number one top babyface in all of professional wrestling.  The ladder of those attributes is the one that few before him can say they have done like John Cena has done.  In a time in pro wrestling where the workers performer a lighter schedule than 20 years previous John Cena out works everyone on the roster and has a schedule busier than most of those before him. 

Be it granting wishes for seriously ill children, visiting hospitals of wounded soldiers, being parade marshals, pregame coin tosser, bowl game predictor, talk show host guest, red carpet appear-er, charity spokesmen, or wwe brand ambassador John Cena does it and he does most of it when the other superstars are having days off.  This is the biggest reason John Cena will not turn bad.  This is the reason wwe doesn't want to turn John Cena bad.  No matter how loudly the vocal minority of fans jeer against him Cena is too much of a commodity to be anything other than a hero.  On top of his character Cena is also a pretty good wrestler in the ring.  Cena does a lot of the same stuff but that is because he does what people want to see, when needed Cena can work with most everyone and has rarely had a bad match on pay per view.   He is also willing to perform hurt and even injured when asked of him so to entertain the fans.  John Cena is wrestling's top hero for a number of reasons but there is one major reason currently.

 There is no one ready to take John Cena's spot as top guy.  Daniel Bryan couldn't sell the merchandise that Cena can.  Roman Reigns can't deliver the promo that Cena can (not does he perform as well).  Dean Ambrose is not as PG as Cena can be.  And no one is willing to give up their entire lives to be the face of the wwe the way John Cena has.  Until someone is capable of being those things and accepts the challenge of top spot and delivers John Cena isn't going anywhere.  When that spot is eventually taken from Cena, then and only then, John Cena will turn heel and probably make a fortune.  A fortune he will have earned and he probably won't have to make all of those appearances but the fans may finally stop booing him.  That is just this marks remarks.   

the authority as the next top faction and how it could help

A great heel in wrestling can make a great hero in wrestling. When a villain is believable enough the fan base will want someone to stop him, the guy the fans can rally behind to go against the top heel will become the top babyface and can build momentum. Ric flair was excellent at this, national wrestling alliance would have big titled tours where Ric flair would make credible contenders out of Ricky Morton, jimmy Garvin, hawk, animal and so many other good hands in the ring who were never seen as top singles wrestlers because of the strength of flair. What's better than a great heel? A faction of great heels? Why because they make great heroes!

 If you wrestled the four horsemen in the mid 80's you, at least in the moment, were a top babyface. You instantly became important.
A great heel manager can elevate his stable and make all of the teammates seem important.
If you were in the Heenan family in the late 80's early 90's you became a top heel, at the moment, because you were with bobby Heenan.

So, why is this important now? Wwe has the possibility of creating that top babyface building faction in the authority. Watching triple h walk down the ramp way on raw ahead of sharply dressed Kane, Randy Orton and Seth Rollins the team screamed big time faction. The segment they were involved in went off the rails quickly but seeing the presence of that team could really create new top stars on the good side of the fence. Also, it seems like each wrestler is falling into their clichéd role of a faction.

Randy Orton is the current top heel potential champion. Orton has a ton of credibility as top guy, still has the look and pedigree of a top star with a high work rate. His arrogance, demeanor and delivery is so methodical, technical and classic that he still has the longevity to be successful.

Seth Rollins is the future top heel and he fits the mold spectacularly.  He is probably not ready yet to be the heel of the company but he is close and I believe he has what it takes to fill that role in the near future.
Kane is the veteran that acts as the henchman who is a good win over an opponent going after the next two tiered wrestlers in the faction. Kane still has credibility and name value but his prime is behind him and losing doesn't really effect him at all.
Triple h is the real diamond of the group because he is the real life COO of the company, he is terrific on the microphone and he understands how to be a great villain. Also, he knows how advance storyline and can put the shine on the good guy or get the heat as the bad guy. He will make all of the members of the stable better and each top babyface can go after him as the unfair authority figure.
The authority should look to add a new member to make it a solid four man group but the new guy can't be just anyone, if should be a ready made star or a star on the cusp of breaking out. I would push for Cesaro, if they don't plan on turning him good, because he could become the "arn Anderson" of the group with serious break out potential. He has the skill and the look that would fit into the authority faction.

 I think a better choice would be a hand picked nxt star that would need no learning time and can walk into the main roster and make a difference. Probably a guy with some size, so not Tyler breeze although I think he has a high upside, maybe the current nxt tag team champions; the acsension. They are a proven tag team with good size, good psychology and could totally play the hired guns role of the group. They could be quick to put a hurting on someone or act as body guards to triple h and the top stars.

 The authority faction could elevate potential new stars like roman reigns, dean ambrose, the uso's, Dolph ziggler and allow already proven top guys like john cena a refreshing new feeling feud even though he has had runs with most of those guys. But, taking on the authority, as the proven top villains, would also allow to rotate other secondary wrestlers as opponents to give them instant credibility or a rub to try to elevate them. For instance, someone like big E may not have to feud with the authority but having a run in with them occasionally may improve their spot by having the universe see them in a new light.

 The authority may not be the four horsemen, or even late 90's corporation, but they could play the same role and lend real credibility to young stars in a time where wwe really needs to rebuild their top tier and create top guys going into the future. These villain faction could be a vital tool to mold the next wave of wwe and showcase the future of wwe and sports entertainment. That is just this marks remarks.  If you like the blog subscribe via email from the blog page and like us on facebook @ www.facebook.com/amarkremarks Thanks.

raw is wary / cautious handling of John Cena

This edition of Monday night raw was the last episode before the return of NFL football, it also fell on labor day. Wwe raw was cautious to make any big moves creatively because labor day raw typically doesn't have the viewership of other raw television shows, because of this, wwe gave its fans a program that didn't offer much and fell short most of the show.  The show at its best times was flat and really poor at its worst but there was something to be noticed on this Raw that speaks volumes to me as a fan.  WWE has its largest crop of potential stars in probably 12 years right now.  Be it on Raw weekly, nxt on the wwe network or preparing at the performance center there are proven talents with the ability to work at a high level.  However, wwe will not pull the trigger on any of them to catapult someone to the top tier and continues to push old reliable.

John Cena has been the top guy in wwe for the last nine years after being drafted to Raw from Smackdown in the summer of 2005.  He was champion before that but I feel moving to the flagship show was the move that determined him the face of the wwe.  To put nine years as the top babyface in perspective Hulk Hogan's initial run in the wwf was from 1984 to 1990, six years, when wwe opted to put the title on the Ultimate Warrior.  Hogan was champion again in 1991 after beating Sgt. Slaughter at wrestlemania 7 but was out of WWF for good by 1993. (until his nWo return 10 years later) So, even if you include when WWF tried to use a new top babyface in the Ultimate Warrior, Hulk Hogan was the top guy in the company for nine years and really during that time Hogan was not always the focus of the wwe.
Would anyone put John Cena on the same level as Hulk Hogan from a character stand point?  John Cena has earned his credibility as top babyface superhero by doing everything and then some that wwe has asked him be it make a wish, personal appearance, wrestling injured, you name it and the guy has done it to maintain his spot and perform for the fans; but during that nine years there was never anyone that got close to replacing John Cena.  No matter how you feel about John Cena it is a pretty remarkable run on top.
Now, it seems that wwe is ready to crown a new face of the empire.  There just seems to be something inside of John Cena that makes you feel he is ready to step down a notch and let someone else take the major bumps and bruises on the top of the card, Cena has a number of nagging injuries including his neck and he is approaching the age where wrestlers start to slow down.  Cena has also started to put other guys over more than he ever has with feuds like he had with Bray Wyatt, which really helped elevate Wyatt, giving the rub to the Uso Brothers, and using his shine to try to raise Roman Reigns stock.  All the signs are there for a new "superstar" to step up and take charge.

WWE, however, seems very reluctant to pass the reigns to the next chosen one just yet.  The obvious selection from wwe is Roman Reigns.  WWE has been grooming him since the shield was together and there is no question why, Reigns has everything wwe looks for in a top star; he has size, athleticism, the look but the only thing he lacks is experience.  Roman Reigns is not gaining experience fast enough and he is not improving at the pace he will need to in order to be the top guy.  I would assume his time line is wrestlemania, and his opponent is Brock Lesnar.  WWE has done everything right with Lesnar by giving him the streak, dominating Cena and becoming an unstoppable beast so if Reigns beats him on the grandest stage it would be a huge deal. 

However, if the fans don't buy it then it won't be nearly as big as it could be.  In my opinion, if the fans don't buy it then wwe should call an audible for that main event.  The problem is that audible would have to be called by Royal Rumble since the main event and crowning of a new face of the wwe would have to be a wwe world heavyweight championship match.  Ultimately that means Roman Reigns has 4 months to prove he is the right guy for the job. Unfortunately, on Raw last night when Roman Reigns announced he was adding his name to the title mix the crowd was very underwhelmed.  WWE had to hoping that when Reigns delivered that line, which he delivered awkwardly, the crowd would erupt in support and it just did not happen.  I do not believe Roman Reigns will be ready to be the top guy in the company in less than a year.
The biggest problem with Reigns not being ready by wrestlemania is that is squanders the amazing opportunity to have Brock Lesnar put him over.  The guy that beat the streak, dominated Cena and has become an attraction losing makes that person an instant mega star and wwe can't afford to miss that chance.  So, who, if not Reigns, can step up to be handed the torch?

 The long shot pick is Daniel Bryan.  Why it is a long shot is because no one knows his health status.  His second surgery has been postponed for more tests and the expected return, from what I understand is 3 months, which puts him close to the Royal Rumble.  It is an easy story for Bryan to win the Rumble and go on to wrestlemania to challenge Brock Lesnar as the unrelenting underdog who conquers the bully.  The issues are two fold, first, the comeback is uncertain because of the health and second, I don't believe wwe wants to have Daniel Bryan as their long term face of the company and beating Lesnar can't be a hot shot move to push a guy, it needs to be the dawning of the new top guy.

 My pick, and not likely choice, is Cesaro.  Cesaro is a technically spectacular wrestler with, what appears to be, superhuman strength.  He also has a presence in the ring and natural charisma.  He certainly doesn't have John Cena type charisma or natural charm but I believe he could get over with all demographics as well as do the appearance and be a respectable ambassador for sports entertainment.  Most importantly, he would have an international appeal that could bring more exposure from an audience that sees wrestling as a more legitimate form of sports and entertainment.  I don't know if wwe is ready or will be ready to put the hype train behind Cesaro so I do not see him being the selected top guy but he has a lot of tangible and intangible allure for that spot.

 The real top contender for the next big time babyface should be Dean Ambrose!  Ambrose and his never say die mentality and approach to wrestling would lend itself perfectly to challenging Brock Lesnar.  The lunatic fringe toppling the beast would surely elevate Ambrose and the crowd would completely rally behind him and his character.  If you could turn back time and remember the story that developed after Stone Cold Steve Austin won his first title from Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon tried to mold the texas rattlesnake into a corporate puppet; this story could be almost completely redone using Triple H and Dean Ambrose and it would work. 

Now, I am not saying Dean Ambrose is Steve Austin, he is Austin-like, and the closest thing to having the ability to catch fire with the crowd and they could live vicariously through him against the authority.  An added bonus to Ambrose becoming the top guy, and champion, is that Seth Rollins has the money in the bank briefcase so there is a ready made championship feud waiting for the next top heel and babyface.  This run would allow them to get comfortable with their new spots while putting on tremendous matches with each other.  Dean Ambrose can completely pull off the blue collar hero while Rollins is a completely believable sell out the corporation would get behind. 

Making Ambrose the face of the company, a kin to Austin, would begin the youth movement (which wwe is totally ready for, see nxt), shift the focus of the product back to a faster more athletic style and still offer compelling stories.  This move would also allow Roman Reigns to hone his skills and become the number two face in the company, which worked out well for Reigns cousin The Rock.
The style of wrestling pushed to the forefront buy Ambrose and Rollins being the two top guys is tailor made for the future roster wwe will boast with guys like ziggler, barrett, cesaro, sheamus, big e, kofi, sami zayne, tyler breeze, bo dallas, neville, kenta, prince devitt, kevin steen and daniel bryan.  This roster is so stacked with talent on the cusp of breaking out that if wwe pushed a wrestling style fit for all of the young talent they are stock piling sports entertainment would become a lot more sports and a lot more entertainment.

 I believe that wwe will make Roman Reigns "the guy" but if they ran an audible and made the leap of faith putting Dean Ambrose in that role wwe could domino into a really special time in professional wrestling and no one would suffer from it.  The next four months will be very telling as to who can handle the top spot and who may not be ready for the spotlight, either direction will be interesting and should be worth watching; something Monday Night Raw on labor day really wasn't.  That is just this marks remarks.

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