If I asked any of my readers to tell me where they'd be a year from now, do you think any of you could do it?
I reckon that it would be pretty tough. What's even tougher is predicting where a wrestler might be a year from now. A year ago today, Bret Hart was making his return and Batista was becoming the most dominant heel in the WWE. Today, neither appear on WWE programming. Had I placed a wager on it, I probably would have lost.
Still, it's fun to speculate, and that's what this next series of articles will be about. Over the next week, I'm going to speculate about who will rise and fall in the wrestling world over the next year.
We'll start with the WWE. Obviously, we do a lot more on the WWE at this site because well, it's the biggest wrestling company in the world. However, with WWE's ability to push guys to the moon and then drop them like a bad habit, predicting success or failure may not be easy. I'm still going to give it a try.
What is to follow is a list of the top 5 talents that I believe will shine in this calendar year. These are the men who will climb up the card this year, perhaps as high as main event status. Last year's risers would most certainly include Miz, Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, and the entire Nexus, as their standing within WWE is greatly improved from the year before. Who will climb this year? Let's give this a shot:
5. John Morrison - This guy is already close to the top, so I can't put him any higher on the list. Still, I think 2011 is going to be the year that he finally gets over the hump. I predict 2011 to be the year that the Shaman brings a World Title to the Palace of Wisdom. He's been working hard lately and his matches have been fantastic. He deserves a title at this point, and I think that's all that's left to cement him as a main event. That being the case, 2011 should supply him with the concrete and water.
4. Mason Ryan - The unknown on the list. If you follow FCW, you might know the name, but otherwise, he's basically a mystery to the WWE universe. This Welsh born superstar is a spitting image of Dave Batista, and he may just get pushed as such. With a severe lack of main event faces, especially on Smackdown, Ryan may get a chance to climb right up the card. I'm not sure if he'll win a title in year one, but it wouldn't surprise me. Guys who like the way he does just have it easier as wrestlers, and his size alone should allow him to break out in 2011. Just don't call him "the animal".
3. "Dashing" Cody Rhodes - Right now there is nobody in the WWE playing their role better. Last year, Rhodes was Randy Orton's lacky, but it was clear to me that the kid had talent. At just 25 years old, Dusty's "more normal" son is steadily climbing up the card, and now that he has a character to sink his teeth into, he's realy beginning to show off. If he had about 20 pounds more on his frame, he'd probably be a main eventer already. This is one of the most talented individuals in the WWE both in ring and in terms of on screen performance. I believe 2011 will be a great one for "The Dashing One" where you will either see him obtain midcard singles gold and possibly get a major title shot or 2. At the very least, this man will be a regular on Pay Per Views. He's too good not to be.
2. Dolph Ziggler - Is anybody hotter than this guy right now? He is this year's Jack Swagger. No, that doesn't mean he's an overrated lisper who can't draw attention to himself despite immense talent. It means that he got the Cena rub on Raw. This guy looked like gold a few weeks ago against Cena, and it seems that he'll be able to ride Vickie Guerrero into the main event (bad wording and bad visual, I know!). Even though I don't think he'd be the least bit believable yet as a World Champion, I could certainly understand putting him in a couple of main event matches on Smackdown. I'm hoping 2011 is the year that Smackdown reclaims its thrown as "best wrestlng show" and if guys like Ziggler and Cody Rhodes are getting their main event shots, that could certainly be the case. Those guys would put on matches that are light years more exciting than the Kane/Edge dynamic. The only thing left for Ziggler is to develop a personality outside of Vickie. I'm predicting a face turn when he eventually leaves her, and I think it could be a great thing. The thought of Ziggler/Rhodes or Ziggler/Del Rio makes my mouth water as a wrestling purist.
And the number 1 man likely to shine in 2011 is.................
1. Alberto Del Rio - I remember watching his vignettes and thinking "man, this guy sucks". Boy, was I wrong. Literally from the second he first appeared in an arena, he OWNED the crowd. Everything down to the littlest details, this man gets. He grew up in wrestling and it's evident. It took him literally no time to garner great heat, and that's after NEVER WORKING AS A HEEL IN HIS TEN YEARS IN MEXICO! It's been an impressive run for the "Mexican JBL", but it's only going to get better. This man is bigger than JBL, he's younger, and he is an expert in between the ropes. His old school style complete with a submission that hasn't been used as a finisher in years is unique for crowds today. He is well on his way to the main event and I can't imagine that 2011 ends without an Alberto Del rio title reign. I'm not a betting man, but even I'd put money on that one. This guy is going to be an absolute star if he isn't one already. If anyone is going to take 2011 and own it, it's Alberto Del Rio. But you already knew that.
I'm pretty confident in these choices and I expect each of these men to thrive in the coming year. Make sure to visit tomorrow as we talk about the men I expect to fall in 2011. See you then!
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