In that way that stars such as Triple H, The Rock, Edge and John Cena were groomed for years to take the top spot, its a safe bet that WWE are beginning to take educated guesses at who in the current WWE/NXT roster would be best equipped for WWE to build their card around in the future. In this day and age, however, this may be more complicated than in previous years. In the days of Hulkamania, the Attitude Era and so on, it was reasonable to say that the crowd favourites would also be the guys that made them the most money. These days, that's not entirely accurate. While the likes of Daniel Bryan and Dolph Ziggler remain crowd favourites, the fact remains that they are nowhere close to the merchandise sales juggernaut that is John Cena. And although you could say the odds are somewhat stacked (Example: Daniel Bryan has around 7 different t-shirt styles on WWESHOP right now, the most he's ever had in the company. Google John Cena's shirts. And hats. And wristbands and chains etc etc) WWE has always been out to make money. And if CM Punk's recent actions teach us anything, its that we can't rely on todays top talent to be around forever. So in this list, we cast our eyes further ahead. Who will be the top face or the top heel in two, three or five years time? Who will we cheer, who will we love to hate, who will we make ironic and witty memes about? Who will shift the most merchandise? Who'll put on the 5 star matches that will increase DVD buys and WWE Network subscriptions? Who will get you hyped for the big match they'll have at Wrestlemania 35 that will fill every seat in the crowd? And ultimately, who will make Vince, Stephanie and everyone else on the Good Ship McMahon the most money?
Stephen Maher has been a rock star, a bouncer, a banker and a busker on various streets in various countries. He's hung out with Robert Plant, he was at Nelson Mandela's birthday and he's swapped stories with prostitutes and crack addicts. He once performed at a Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras by accident. These days, he passes the time by writing about music, wrestling, games and other forms of nerdery. And he rarely drinks the blood of the innocent.
