WWE has at all times had its Superstars, from Hulk Hogan and Andre the Large within the ’80’s and The Rock and Stone Chilly Steve Austin within the ’90s to the likes of The Undertaker, John Cena, and Triple H, who’ve carried themselves by means of a number of a long time. Nevertheless, again in 2015, WWE themselves requested, “Who would be the subsequent John Cena?”
They talked about six members of their roster, and it is honest to say they did a reasonably good job at selecting who might reside as much as Cena’s standing.
Dean Ambrose
Primary on their checklist was Dean Ambrose, who, simply earlier than this text was revealed, left The Protect and started feuding with Bray Wyatt and former accomplice Seth Rollins specifically. Ambrose was by no means out of the storylines. His character and skill within the ring made it straightforward for the artistic writing crew to include him in numerous totally different stipulations, from Elimination Chambers and Ambulance matches to TLC matches towards Kevin Owens when he received the Intercontinental Championship.
After close to misses for the World Heavyweight Championship, and extra stipulation matches, together with an Asylum match towards Chris Jericho and a No Holds Barred combat towards Brock Lesner, The Lunatic Fringe lastly received the large one when he cashed in his Cash within the Financial institution towards Seth Rollins. After a couple of extra title reigns, Ambrose rejoined The Protect alongside Rollins and Roman Reigns to a lot fanfare and success earlier than leaving the corporate below a cloud and signing with AEW.
Ambrose actually goes down as a fan’s favorite, and continues to be a hit outdoors WWE. Nevertheless, due to his acrimonious departure, he won’t ever be seen in the identical mild as John Cena.
Roman Reigns
The second identify on the checklist was Roman Reigns, and it is exhausting to argue with this one. Though The Huge Canine had struggled to get the followers on his facet, his capability and look meant he was destined for the highest. A number of WWE World Heavyweight Champions and Common Champions reigns occurred earlier than teaming again up with Ambrose and Seth Rollins to deliver again The Protect.
Extra success adopted earlier than Reigns took a hiatus after confirming he was battling leukemia. After saying he was in remission, he took one other break through the COVIC-19 pandemic as a precautionary measure, however returned within the second half of 2020 as The Tribal Chief, aligning with Paul Heyman as a heel and taking his profession to the following degree. His storylines with and towards his cousins, The Usos, have been nothing in need of good, and his character arc is up there with a number of the greatest in WWE historical past.
Sasha Banks
Up subsequent was Sasha Banks, and after impressing everybody at NXT, she was thrust into the primary roster and was a part of the Girls’s Revolution. This signified an increase within the girls’s division, alongside Charlotte Aptitude, Bayley, and Becky Lynch. After successful a number of titles between 2016 and 2018, she then shaped a profitable tag crew partnership alongside the aforementioned Bayley and received extra championships.
After the top of the Boss ‘n’ Hug partnership, Banks continued to dominate and received the SmackDown Girls’s Championship. Nevertheless, her fame inside WWE took a success in 2023 after she, together with Naomi, walked out resulting from artistic difficulties, earlier than transferring onto New Japan Professional Wrestling and ultimately AEW.
Seth Rollins
The third member of The Protect was subsequent to be chosen by WWE to be the following John Cena, Seth Rollins. After the disbanding of the faction, Rollins received the WWE Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania 31, and thru feuds with each Ambrose and Reigns and a nasty knee damage which resulted in him vacating the championship, Rollins stays an vital a part of WWE’s storytelling. He reconciled with each Reigns and Ambrose and received the World Tag Workforce Championship with the latter.
Since going solo once more, Rollins has received a plethora of titles, together with the Intercontinental, World Heavyweight, and Common Championships. He has used numerous totally different aliases throughout this spell, together with being known as The Messiah and The Visionary, and is commonly a part of vital storylines. He stays one of the vital vital members of the WWE roster and is properly on his option to Cena-esque standing.
Cody Rhodes
The penultimate identify on the checklist is Cody Rhodes. The quick aftermath of this checklist would make this determination look horrible, as solely a 12 months after being revealed, he was launched by WWE. After numerous years working within the Indies, The American Nightmare co-founded AEW and have become an enormous identify within the business.
He did ultimately rejoin WWE in 2022 in what was the worst-kept secret and was instantly penciled in to combat Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 38. Solely a 12 months later he received the Royal Rumble. He adopted this up with one other victory within the Royal Rumble to arrange a title combat with Roman Reigns at WrestleMania 40. He walked away with the WWE Common Championship and held on to the belt for greater than a 12 months. Though Rhodes has solely been again on the firm for 3 years, he’s properly on his option to changing into an icon.
Finn Balor
The ultimate identify on this checklist is probably essentially the most intriguing. Finn Balor had the world at his toes. After transferring as much as the primary roster in 2016, he turned the inaugural Common Champion at SummerSlam. Sadly for the Irishman, damage struck, and he was by no means capable of combat as champion. He needed to relinquish the belt virtually as rapidly as he earned it.
On his return from damage, he hasn’t fairly been capable of attain the identical heights. He received the Intercontinental Championship twice, however then returned to NXT and had an eventful run as a heel. Over the previous couple of years, he has been a part of Judgment Day alongside Damian Priest, Dominik Mysterio, and Rhea Ripley and continues to be part of WWE plans, albeit not as a foremost singles Famous person.
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