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  NoDQ.com > Columns > The Shooting Range: WWE's Stars of Tomorrow #1
Posted by Michael Clancy on 10/23/2009 at 07:47 PM

The Shooting Range:
WWE’s Stars of Tomorrow

There are big changes on the horizon in WWE; just as a new generation of superstars had to step up to fill the massive gap left by the departures of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock at the end of the Attitude Era so now the next group of youngsters are beginning to be given their share of the spotlight with the imminent retirement of The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels. That is not to suggest that the Dead Man and HBK are going to hang up their boots in the next few months, there’s life in the old dogs yet; but there time is coming to an end and it is clear that WWE have begun early preparation to find themselves the next John Cena or Randy Orton. In this series of articles The Shooting Range shall be looking at some of the newest faces on WWE television and seeing who are future Wrestlemania headliners and who are going to be wished the best in their future endeavours.

Drew McIntyre
A former FCW champion and personally signed by Vince McMahon, it seems like the young Scotsman has a bright future ahead of him. Of course the ‘signed-by-Vince’ is just part of his gimmick but the fact that McMahon took enough interest in this kid to introduce him on Smackdown shows that the creative team have high hopes for McIntyre. There seems to be good reason for the optimism; McIntyre possessing both in-ring savvy and charisma on the microphone. After a forgettable debut run on both Smackdown and Raw in 2007 McIntyre was sent to hone his skills at Florida Championship Wrestling; where he enjoyed success in the singles and tag division. His second run on Smackdown has already proven to be more lucrative for the Scot, enjoying far more television time and a making his PPV debut at Hell in a Cell, barely a month after he re-debuted.
But does McIntyre really have what it takes to become the massive superstar he is already being billed as? To reach the levels of the Undertaker’s and the John Cena’s a wrestler has to have the complete package; as has been proven time and time again in WWE, you can be the greatest in-ring performer in the world but if you don’t have the charisma, the gimmick and the skills on the mic, you aren’t going to get anywhere near the top. Let’s begin with looking at his physical skills; at 6ft 5, weighing 19 stone (270 pounds) McIntyre has the look of a big star, and his wrestling skills have clearly improved during his time in FCW. McIntyre possess that intriguing combination of strength and speed, making him a powerful and intense competitor. Combined with competent mat skills which can be improved over time and there is much to get excited about with this talented 24 year old.
In terms of gimmick and microphone work; it is refreshing to see the WWE not using his nationality to push him as a Scottish stereotype as they have been guilty of doing with other foreign talent over the years. Instead they make mention to the fact that he is Scottish without basing his entire gimmick around it. Instead they have focused on McIntyre as a future World Champion and although this cocky, brash gimmick is certainly nothing original, it is a perfect fit for McIntyre as he looks to make a name for himself. On the mic McIntyre showcases a confidence that some wrestlers with twice his experience don’t possess. There is still a long way to go before McIntyre will be ready to reach the dizzying heights of a world title picture, and being dropped from Team Smackdown just days before Bragging Rights has not helped his image one little bit, but with a lot of hard work and not just a little bit of luck then McIntyre could be the first Scotsman to headline Wrestlemania within the decade.

Sheamus
Forget Yoshi Tatsu’s inexplicable rise to ECW number 1 contendership, it is the former Sheamus O’Shaunessy that has been the most impressive of the most recent crop of stars from the ECW talent initiative. Like McIntyre, Sheamus is a former FCW Champion and certainly has a distinctive enough look to capture the attention of the WWE Universe. But it is the Irishman’s in-ring style that is the most eye-catching this about the Dubliner. In a company where extra-large strongmen are a dime a dozen it is refreshing to see a man as big as Sheamus debut and actually be able to stand out from the Mike Knox’s of the world. His brute strength combines with an interesting move set to make Sheamus a standout in the Land of Extreme. Admittedly a forgettable feud with Goldust did nothing to elevate his status but his more recent feud with Shelton Benjamin, along with an appearance on the Abraham Washington Show have caused people to sit up and take notice. Feuding with Benjamin has not only given Sheamus more exposure but has also been able to showcase his microphone skills and showing himself to be more than capable when cutting a promo, something that is rather unusual for WWE big men. With this in mind, and considering ECW are awarding title shots to just about anybody these days, it seems only a matter of time before Sheamus finds himself in the ECW Title picture, a match against Christian would certainly be an interesting encounter. But ECW isn’t what it used to be and the ECW Title can at best be considered a mid-card title these days and so it will not be until Sheamus gets the call from Raw or Smackdown before it can be determined if the Celtic Warrior is going to be the next Brock Lesnar, or the next Gene Snitsky.

John Morrison
Although far more established than the previous names on the list, John Morrison can still be regarded as a superstar for the future rather than a bonafide main eventer. Morrison’s achievements in the WWE are impressive considering his reasonably short time with the company; a 1 time World Tag Team Champion, a 4 time WWE Tag Team Champion, a 3 time Intercontinental Champion as well as an ECW Title run to his name, Morrison has won gold wherever he has gone in WWE. As a tag team performer he found great chemistry with The Miz and Joey Mercury but it is during his current run on Smackdown where Morrison has gained the most momentum of his career. Turning face for the first time; Morrison’s model looks and gymnast style agility have earned him the admiration of a wide range of fans. His move set is unique and innovative, his athleticism allowing him to pull off moves that are unmatched by any other WWE competitor and his charisma on web show The Dirt Sheet and in his in-ring promos have shown that Morrison is comfortable in the spotlight. On top of that his recent high profile matches with CM Punk and Chris Jericho shows the Friday Night Delight can hang with the big boys.
But will Morrison be able to make that final leap into the main event picture? There is no denying his skill inside the ring but there is the argument that his wrestling style is just too lightweight to make an impact; lacking the physical presence required to be top dog in WWE. That is not to say that Morrison can’t break into the main event scene; Rey Mysterio and Jeff Hardy have recently shown that the high flyers can win the top prizes in WWE, but it makes things that little bit harder for the Shamen of Sexy, who undoubtedly has a bright career ahead of him, whether or not it is a future as a world champion remains to be seen.

The second installment of The Shooting Range's profiles of future WWE main eventers will be posted very soon. As always whether you agree or disagree your opinion is welcome for lively debate at shootingrange69@aol.com


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