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In the WWE, because it is a very established company, there will always be three levels of wrestlers. You have the veterans, who have been around for a while, and know what they’re doing, how the business works, and are usually training the newbies. A few examples of this are Ric Flair, Undertaker and Mick Foley. Then you have the wrestlers in their prime, some of whom have a ton of popularity and who are in contention for the World Championship, some of whom are mainly mid-card or background players and who are happy to work there. Examples of this are Shawn Michaels, Triple H (WWE Title contender level), Chris Benoit and Kane (mid-carders, regretfully). Then there is the final level ? the newbies, new blood, sometimes jobbers, and sometimes instant stars. And this column is dedicated to them.

The WWE know what they’re doing. They’ve seen, even if only recently, that they need to make new stars rather than rely on old ones. And now that they have the new people to do it, they can keep the old stars feuding still with interest from the fans, e.g. Foley/Flair at the moment. However, to keep the future alive, you need new stars that are popular with the fans to do it. And that’s what the WWE have been doing recently. There are a few people who are currently moving up the ranks, and well, here they are.

Umaga/AAE: Although I’m not all that fanatical about Umaga, the ‘Samoan Bull/Joe Ripoff’, I am very quickly hopping on board the train of his Cuban manager, Armando… Alejandro… Estrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrada. The WWE is covering all their bases, getting new technical wrestlers who have talent and people who are already masters of the mic, and Armando is one of these, along with my next subject. Umaga is becoming a powerhouse, and beating many of the WWE’s finest and not-so-fine. The gimmick should be taken to a lower level, but nevertheless it is progressing along with AAE, who is also becoming very popular.

Mr. Kennedy: It’s hard to find one wrestling forum on the internet that doesn’t have a topic focused around SmackDown!’s mic master. Mr. Kennedy…… Kennnnnnnnnedy. Kennedy is quickly becoming a face, although he was intended to be a heel, and he is rising through the ranks very quickly. The injury he suffered may have even made him more popular, as everyone loves a returning superstar, even if they were a heel. This is what happens when you pair an original gimmick with mic skills and wrestling ability. Kennedy is, unlike some others recently, the total package. And this combination has put him insanely over. When he gets back to wrestling real opponents, he’ll be one of the top stars in no time.

Bobby Lashley: Really, Lashley speaks for himself. He can wrestle, and the WWE has realized that his mic skills aren’t the best in the world, so he says little, but when he does, it’s important. Lashley has, in half a year, become the U.S. Champion, and whether it had build-up or not, he is the champ and looks set to be staying like that for a while. If he can stay healthy, he should go on to big things as well. His feud with Booker T has proved him to be a competent wrestler and he fits into the current WWE product nicely.

Carlito: Now, I know Carlito isn’t ‘new’ per se', but that doesn’t mean that he’s an established wrestler in his prime. Carlito is still growing in popularity, and will keep on growing. When he started, Carlito had excellent mic skills but very limited ring skills. Anyone who has watched him recently knows that that has definitely changed. Carlito has now improved his arsenal greatly, including his very original Backcracker finisher, doing plenty of aerial moves involving the ropes and much more. Besides this, Carlito has already held the IC Title and the U.S. Title, both in his first match on the respective brands. This is definitely not a light achievement.

Chris Masters: Once again not new, but another wrestle who has the chance to grow to immense proportions. Like Carlito, Masters has improved his arsenal of moves, albeit not as impressively as Carlito. From the ‘Masterlock Challenge’, Masters has had his first shot at the WWE Championship already in the Elimination Chamber, and no doubt he will have his next shot at gold very soon. Like Carlito, Masters’ gimmick is very good. It isn’t a non-gimmick, and it doesn’t reek of sports-entertainment. This is how gimmicks should be. Not unrealistic or stupid, just a light touch here and there.

Johnny Nitro: With Joey Mercury out, Nitro has moved to RAW and established himself as a decent singles competitor, and after Vengeance, he’s the IC Champion. Melina holds the gold, Nitro defends, and I predict that he’ll have it for a while now. He has a half-decent wrestling ability, has a good character/gimmick; once again not overly idiotic, and has something you don’t see too many people with these days: a manager. Melina is an excellent valet and perfectly fitted with Nitro.

Paul Burchill: I am a complete mark for this guy. Although the pirate gimmick may have been dropped, Burchill is still an excellent wrestler, with one of the best finishers in the WWE and great on the mic. This is an example of how certain unrealistic gimmicks can work. Burchill came off as a very believable pirate, and I’m not entirely sure what the WWE was doing when they canned the character and took Burchill off the air.

The Spirit Squad: Another example of how gimmicks can work. We have a decent faction of people, who are World Tag Champions, and work excellently together. From their first reaction from crowds being a nothing, they are now very over as heels. Where one has good mic skills, another has great ability in the ring, and this will show soon. What they need to do now is establish single characters within the Squad. I don’t mind what they do with the other four, but Kenny is an excellent leader. He has both the mic skill and the in-ring ability for it, especially with that diving feint leg drop. The Squad won’t last forever, but they will be around and all the members are young, so they will have a good run in the WWE.

Well, there you have it. I’ve mentioned only most of the active wrestlers ? some rising stars who are only new are those such as Harry Smith, Matt Striker, Gunner Scott (who could potentially make a great tag team with Matt Hardy), Brian Kendrick, the Gymini, and many others. But expect the ones I talked about to have an impact on the company. At least we can all feel safe in the fact that there is a future for the WWE, and these superstars are it. And to Vince McMahon, I say: Bring in the young guns!

by Adam Heap --- [View Adam Heap's Column Index]....