The WWE, arguably, is in a position of having too much talent on their roster. They have 10 to 15 Superstars who could be the WWE Champion, not to mention the amount of mid-card talent they have could fill a warehouse. The WWE’s attention span (when it comes to its talent) can be measured in centimeters and it can be very easy to forget that most of your talent has gone stale; hence why t-shirt sales have stopped and no one reacts when they appear on TV or at house shows. While the WWE has done a good job developing new stars heading into another WrestleMania season there is still a lot of work to be done. For Christ sake, you’re paying these people at least use them properly so they can make you some damn money.
I’ll start with number 5 which isn’t really a turn but more of a reboot – Natalya. The daughter of Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart is the best Diva the WWE has that isn’t name AJ Lee. She just isn’t signed to the WWE roster because of birth right, Natalya has earned her spot in professional wrestling, most of the time portraying a heel character. Although Natalya works well as a heel character, luckily she’s currently a babyface as AJ is the top “bad girl” in the Divas Division. Re-establish Natalya as a strong babyface & that would give AJ a worthy adversary other than Kaitlyn to keep the Divas Division hotter than it’s been in years.
The Superstar I have at number 4 is in his second run with the WWE. This time around his character is over, his in-ring work is way above par and his ability to speak in front of a live audience shadows most of the WWE roster; yet the WWE continues to use him sparingly and will probably blame his eventual release on him. Damien Sandow has proven (to the IWC at least) that he can work as a heel despite his lackluster booking. Plus, he sells with the best of them, especially for babyfaces that aren’t the best in the ring. All of this is true but the time has come to let the masses embrace The “Intellectual Savior” as a babyface that is here to spread the words of knowledge. It would only take minor tweaks to make Sandow a little kid AND parent favorite; think Mr. Rogers. It may sound corny, but Sandow portraying the happy-go-lucky knowledge spreader may not only get him in the IWC’s good graces but it will eventually lead to an even better run as a heel.
Ricardo Rodriguez is number three on my list for so many reasons I don’t have enough space here on HTCWrestling.com. It is unfortunate timing that I am writing about how the WWE should use Ricardo Rodriguez when he has just been suspended for a wellness violation but worse has happened to others and they have come out of their situation better than ever. Ricardo is one of the biggest reasons Alberto Del Rio is over as a heel and/or babyface. His charisma blows right through the TV screen and sucks you in. He can already work in the ring as he portrays El Local on NXT if you were not aware. Turning Ricardo babyface will not only help solidify Del Rio as a heel but the WWE’s mid-card will have another charismatic babyface that they won’t know what to do with; you’re welcome.
The guys that are number two and one on my list are two guys that, if they had a character turn at the right moment, would do wonders for their WWE careers. I’ll start with Fandango. This ballroom dancer not only helped every member of the WWE Universe dance with pride for probably the first time in all of our lives but his theme song reached the Top 100 in the iTunes charts and he did all of this as a heel. Fandango was able to do all the things I mentioned while portraying a guy who makes fun of the people who love him! Just imagine what would happen if he embraced us all! Turning Fandango babyface may just be the easiest of everyone on this list. Summer Rae, Fandango’s dancing valet, is already over with the WWE Universe and has charisma flowing out of her ears. Having Rae dump Fandango for something small will endear him to everyone who WANTS to cheer for him by the end of the same “dumping” segment.
The number one Superstar is easily the most stale character in the entire WWE (yes, he even bores me more than John Cena does)… Sheamus. When he entered the WWE as this “take no crap” heel character he was immediately over. It transitioned only a year later into this “I beat up bullies” babyface that has become an annoying, horrible joke-telling, “Cena wannabe”. Turning Sheamus into a heel puts him right into the WWE or World Heavyweight Title picture (once Dolph Ziggler wins it again) because both of the World Champions would then be babyfaces. Sheamus desperately needs this character turn, the WWE needs main event heels and who knows, maybe it will spark an even stronger run as a babyface in the future.
Well, that’s my list, tell me yours and what you think of mine. Until next week guys, leave a comment, tell a friend, listen to the latest HTCWrestling Pulsecast here or on iTunes, follow me on Twitter (@CamDougharty) and let’s talk rasslin!
