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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Adam D. of Edmonton, Alb., Torch reader

With Shawn Michaels gone, but not forgotten, and WrestleMania the same, WWE's new season has effectively begun. New champions have already been crowned and rivalries and feuds are being formed and extended.

This year, the theme of WWE seems to be breeding the next generations of superstars. This has been evident through the introduction of the NXT show and the recent pushes of Sheamus and Jack Swagger.

In an effort to further examine who WWE should consider pushing as new fresh faces to the audience, I did some research about the major championships and their activity over the year 2009.

Last year, nine Superstars wore either WWE or World Heavyweight Championships. Only one of them was a first time champion. Between both the WWE and World Hvt. Championships, there were 17 title changes in the calendar year of 2009.

In 2009, the championship stats broke down like this:

Randy Orton – 3 WWE Title reigns (153 days total)
Undertaker – 1 World Hvt. Title reign (140 days)
Edge – 2 World Hvt. Title reigns (91 days total), 1 WWE Title reign (21 days)
John Cena – 1 World Hvt. Title reign (21 days), 2 WWE Title reigns (70 days total)
C.M. Punk - 2 World Hvt. Title reigns (91 days total)
Triple H – 1 WWE Title reign (70 days total)
Sheamus – 1 WWE Title reign (70 days total)
Jeff Hardy – 2 World Hvt. Title reigns (28 days total)
Batista – 1 WWE Title reign (2 days)

So, what do these numbers mean? Well, if we look closely the biggest thing that stands out is the amount of title changes in such a short amount of time. Superstars like Randy Orton and John Cena both won World Titles three times in the calendar year of 2009. Cena has already won the WWE Title twice in 2010.

In 2009, the average World Title reign lasted approximately 45 days. That means essentially that one of the two World titles changed hands at almost every pay-per-view event that year. Upon further examination, I found that out of 14 PPV events in 2009, either the WWE or World Title changed hands on 11 events. The only three events that did not feature title changes were Judgment Day, The Bash, and Survivor Series.

It's easy to see the current devalued state of the championships and the shallow main event roster that has plagued WWE for several years now. Sheamus is the only first-time WWE Champion on the list, and of the 70 days he held the WWE Title, only 18 of those were in 2009. I examined the WWE roster and have come up with a list of ten Superstars WWE should consider pushing for main event pay-per-view matches during the course of 2010 and beyond. (Note: this list is in order of whom I think deserves to be pushed first).

(1) KANE. Kane has been a staple of the WWE roster for over 13 years. He has never been seriously injured, has never (to my recollection) hurt one of his opponents, and is capable of a decent athletic style for a big man. He would not be a "new" face to the main event picture, as he has had one WWE Title reign before. But, for a man who has been as dedicated to WWE as the likes of The Undertaker or even Shawn Michaels, I would say Kane deserves a legitimate run with the gold at some point.

(2) JOHN MORRISON. Ever since I saw his match with Rey Mysterio last year, I knew he could be destined for greatness. He's fast, unique, and has charisma. His promo skills need work, but I'm sure given the right storyline with the right opponent (Chris Jericho comes to mind), he could work wonders.

(3) TED DIBIASE. Okay, so we all know his planned babyface turn went south. But, I think this is the time to re-evaluate and rev-up his character. His actions towards his father have been intriguing, but we need follow up. I think "Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase coming back to work with Ted would be great as a mentor to the World Title.

(4) THE MIZ. The Miz is awesome. Just like he says he is. He can wrestle and he can cut promos with the best of them. The best part about The Miz is that he actually evokes emotions out of the audience. People hate him because he's a stuck-up reality show superstar who is stuck in his own fantasy world. The Miz will make a great World Champion someday.

(5) CHRISTIAN. This guy gets no love. He can work a fast-paced style, and he knows how to do high-risk. He's always been entertaining on the mic and held the World Title over in TNA. Christian in a program with Edge could be just the thing to elevate Christian as a top babyface and return Edge to his true heel form.

(6) MIKE KNOX. I don't care what anybody says, this guy is one of the best big men in WWE right now. He has great agility and in-ring psychology. He can fly around and look as light as a feather for a three-hundred-pounder. He needs to start being pushed as a major, serious, psychotic heel that I can see as a great foil for a guy like John Cena.

(7) DUSTIN RHODES. No, not Goldust. I think it's safe to say - considering the roots of Goldust and the current shift to PG - that maybe the Goldust character has run its course. However, Dustin Rhodes has worked an amazing series of matches within the last 12 months. One against Sheamus on ECW and one against Chris Jericho on Superstars come to mind. I think a character makeover for Rhodes would be the perfect way to repay him with legitimate push to the main event.

(8) KOFI KINGSTON. Kofi has been a tough act to follow. It's hard to tell where he'll end up. After the failed feud with Randy Orton, he's kind of been drifting along on Raw aimlessly since the start of the year. Maybe it's time to give him a purpose. An emotionally charged feud (his attacking Orton at MSG comes to mind as an example) with another Superstar might just get the fans behind him again enough to get a decent push.

(9) SHELTON BENJAMIN. This guy is good. He's damn good. I can remember his match with Triple H from 2004 like it was yesterday. He's got incredible skill, but no charisma or character. He needs a voice or a purpose. Use Tony Atlas to get Shelton over as serious competition with great skill. He could make a great heel.

(10) DREW MCINTYRE. The Intercontinental champion is on thin ice. An "undefeated" streak that nobody cares about is making people lose interest. The first thing that needs to be done is move the IC Title to someone else. The best thing WWE could do for Drew is associate him with Roddy Piper. The fellow Scot could use his legendary status to lead Drew to the World Title that Roddy never achieved. It could also prove useful as a side storyline between Vince McMahon and Piper. Back when Raw was at MSG, I had an idea where Piper could come in to lead McIntyre to spite McMahon. Due to McMahon's endorsement, he might resent that its Piper's guidance Drew is following and not Vince's. The possibilities are endless.

So, why did I construct this list? This list proves one thing. You can safely mesh current main eventers with new talent. The biggest complaints about guys like Cena, Orton, Batista, Triple H, and others is not that they are in the main event picture, but they are the only ones. So, we end up getting a lot of re-matches that we've seen countless times before.

So, Torch readers, I leave you with these thoughts I have shared, and I would encourage feedback and to hear what some of your suggestions might be for the next generation of World champions and main event challengers.

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