Buy/Hold/Sell: WWE

[Parties]

At the risk of a game that smells dangerously close to fantasy booking, here's a way of trying to gauge what people would actually do differently if they were in HHH's shoes as head of Talent.

 

Rules: place each of the 68 workers that constitute the main roster into one of four categories. Ideally in order of importance. As in: If you think they should be building to Cesaro as World champ, put him first or close to it on your Elevate list. I have included anyone currently inactive due to injury. (I'm not counting the Rock even if Wikipedia does, as he's too much of an unknown/anomaly right now.) You must place all 68 into one option or another, without omissions or exceeding the max out number of 20 per category:

 

Elevate: Minimum 10, Maximum 20. Who would you actually try to raise to a level higher than they are at now, via their wins, mic time, promotion, et cetera? Even if they're in some cases folks who are already doing well and is at or near the top of the card, these are the people you think the promotion should be built around going forward.

Hold Steady: Minimum 10, Maximum 20. Who should stay where they currently are, regardless of where they are? This goes for everyone from Cena to Rosa Mendes. Who would you keep in their current status quo placement on the card?

Demote: Minimum 10, Maximum 20. Who would you keep on the roster, but who should be moved down from where they currently are, either because they should be fazed out over time, they're currently overpushed, or because it's time for others to have the chance?

Release: Minimum 10, Maximum 20. As a budget measure and/or to simply shake things up, you're tasked with cutting 10-20 current workers on the roster. Who should be canned, either because they'd be better off elsewhere, are past their prime, not connecting with fans, or are simply so untalented that you don't want to watch their stuff anymore?

 

On top of that, you have the option to sign/recruit:

From NXT (Maximum 5): Who's ready for star time? For the sake of this I will include any of the announcers/personalities as well, if they're a priority for you. The five people from NXT at large who you would call up as replacements for your releases.

From Elsewhere (Maximum 5): Who from outside of WWE should be signed? This can be anyone from TNA, the American indie scene, Mexico, Japan, Europe, Canada, you name it, any living worker or non-working talent currently in the business: five more new names to replace some of the folks you've been required to release.

 

Your current main roster (68): Adam Rose, Alberto del Rio, AJ Lee, Alicia Fox, Bad News Barrett, Big E, The Big Show, Bo Dallas, Bray Wyatt, Brie Bella, Brock Lesnar, Cameron, Cesaro, Chris Jericho, Christian, Curtis Axel, Damien Sandow, Daniel Bryan, Darren Young, David Otunga, Dean Ambrose, Diego, Dolph Ziggler, Emma, Erick Rowan, Eva Marie, Fandango, Fernando, Goldust, The Great Khali, Heath Slater, HHH, Hornswaggle, Jack Swagger, Jey Uso, Jimmy Uso, John Cena, Justin Gabriel, Kane, Kofi Kingston, Layla, Luke Harper, Mark Henry, The Miz, Naomi, Natalya, Nikki Bella, Paige, R-Truth, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Rob Van Dam, Roman Reigns, Rosa Mendes, Rusev, Ryback, Seth Rollins, Sheamus, Sin Cara, Stardust, Summer Rae, Tamina Snuka, Titus O'Neil, El Torito, Tyson Kidd, Undertaker, Xavier Woods, Zack Ryder.

 

I've got my own ideas for who should go where, but I'm curious to see how closely people here agree on what should be done with whom, and how easy or difficult people find it to be to actually utilize or terminate each worker, restructuring the top, middle, and bottom of the card. And of course the real idea here is to debate the merit of our choices (“No way would I release Justin Gabriel”, “Why would you push The Miz,” etc. To give an example, my set would look something like:

 

Elevate (20), in order of priority: Dean Ambrose, Cesaro, Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins, Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Roman Reigns, Bad News Barrett, Bo Dallas, Dolph Ziggler, Big E, Rusev, Stardust, Mark Henry, Damien Sandow, Titus O'Neil, Tyson Kidd, Paige, Alicia Fox, Summer Rae.

 

Hold Steady (20), in order of priority: Daniel Bryan, John Cena, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Sheamus, Ryback, Alberto del Rio, Christian, Rey Mysterio, Erick Rowan, Goldust, Jack Swagger, Xavier Woods, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Natalya, Zack Ryder, Layla, Emma, Justin Gabriel.

 

Demote (14), in order of current status: Undertaker, HHH, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, The Miz, AJ Lee, Big Show, Kofi Kingston, Curtis Axel, Heath Slater, Fandango, Diego, Fernando, El Torito.

 

Release (14), in order of current status: Kane, Rob Van Dam, Adam Rose, Sin Cara, R-Truth, Cameron, Naomi, Darren Young, The Great Khali, Eva Marie, Rosa Mendes, Tamina Snuka, David Otunga, Hornswaggle.

 

Call Up from NXT (5), in order of priority: Solomon Crowe, Sami Zayn, KENTA, Sasha Banks, William Regal.

 

Sign from Elsewhere (5), in order of priority: Timothy Thatcher, Hechicero, Drew Gulak, Tomohiro Ishii, Negro Casas.

 

Comprende?

[Cristobal]

I comprende, but I think you could do with some simplification and expansion simultaneously. To wit, what you're going to get from this is lists of 78 people in various order. It's a bit dry. Might I suggest cutting it to 5-10 per section, but with a sentence or so of explanation per person? Seems like that would foster a better discussion.

[Jenalysis]

My own choices:

 

Elevate:

Big E- let him be himself, and he'll rise.  At worst he becomes a better Monty Brown

Ambrose- his potential is somewhere between late WCCW/90s Memphis Embry and Austin

Rusev- I think he can be a major star if he can stay healthy

Ryback- I think he got buried too much, he can be built back up.

Luke Harper- I think he can make the leap at some point, he's ready.

 

Hold Steady:

Cesaro- he doesn't done anything yet to deserve main event status.  Should have a feud with Reigns over the IC belt, then see what happens  I think he can make it, but needs something.

Reigns- if anyone should squash the Miz and get the IC belt, it's him.   Let him have matches to learn how to work singles

Swagger- not convinced he can do much on his own besides having good midcard matches.  Still a role for him, but it's the Tito Santana face midcard mehanic role.

Stardust- I'm not convinced the gimmick has shelf life, but worth a shot

Bo Dallas- another person Reigns should have a feud with.   Don't know if Bo has lasting power with his gimmick

 

Demote:

Eric Rowan- jobber status

Randy Orton- to midcard

RVD- jobber status

R-Truth- jobber status

ADR- jobber status

 

 

Fire:

Khali

Kane

Rey Mysterio

Adam Rose

Hornswaggle

[Cristobal]

Everyone loves my ideas.

Elevate

Ambrose: Slow burn it, but his next "That all you guys got" moment could be Austin passing out in the Sharpshooter.

Cesaro: I seriously do not get the "boring" appellation. Every time he gets a chance to talk, he shows a ton of personality.

Harper: Cuz Harper is great at everything. Turn him face and feud him with Bray.

Heath Slater: How do you have him in "Demote" status? He's basically low non-midget on the roster right now, and he doesn't deserve it.

Del Rio: (Had to put SOMEONE controversial here) I feel like his biggest problem has been booking. The Mexican Aristocrat gimmick worked fine. The face turn was working fine until some idiot (probably Vince) decided he needed to drape himself in the American flag.

Hold Steady

Bray Wyatt: For all that people want him to be the next Undertaker, he's just not. He's a good promo and a good character, but they've gotta figure out a way for him to progress before he becomes a main event player.

Rusev: I loathe the gimmick, but it seems to be a heat magnet, especially with Lana. Just don't rush him. He's not ready.

J. Uso: They don't have the most complicated characters, it's true, but they are KILLING it in the ring. I like the Wyatts too, but these guys are having great tag matches every PPV. See no reason to take the belts off of them.

Seth Rollins: He's in the right spot for him, hovering around the upper card but not quite there. He's doing a good-not-great job channeling his inner douchebag, but I feel like he needs to take another step on the outside of the ring stuff before he moves up.

Ziggler: Keeping him in and around the midcard titles is probably where he works best.

Demote

Kane: Been a drag on the upper card since Mania, and at Battleground his wheezing was distracting as hell. I'd like the return of Corporate Kane on a weekly basis, where the Demon Kane just comes out for special events.

Cena: There's just nothing for him to do at the top of the card but sell t-shirts. He doesn't need to be in the main event to sell shirts. He needs to start using that status to start elevating more than just Bryan to main event status, but he can't do this if he's always The Guy in waiting, even when he's not The Guy. I'm not saying he's not in the right spot for the transition to Brock, but he's gotta get moved down for a while.

The Bellas: A Perfect Storm of "shit I hate in WWE" right now: 1) Prominent position at least partly due to off-camera connection to highly-placed individuals. 2) Prominent position due to prominence in non-wrestling media, usually something awful. 3) McMahon Family Shenanigans. Ok, I'll agree the timing on that last one is a bit tough, since the Steph arrest and Hunter's subsequent reaction was pretty freaking good, but it's inevitable that they will suck again. You know this to be true.

Naomi: Yes, she's athletic, but she can't wrestle all that well. Send her back to NXT.

Rey Mysterio: Can't wrestle any more. Probably needs to get moved into some other role, e.g. agent, Spanish commentator, manager. Something where he doesn't have to put too much strain on his poor fucking knees.

Release

Khali: Because Khali.

Otunga: JTG with a celebrity wife.

Rosa Mendes: Serves no purpose on the roster.

Cameron: Can't wrestle at all. Let her go watch Melina vs Alicia Fox matches all she wants.

RVD: Because RVD

Call Up

KENTA, Devitt, Zayn: Bring them all up together as some internationally-themed group and book them like the Shield was. Any or all of them could be a big deal.

Regal: He elevates NXT as much as anyone does, and he could replace Lawler and/or JBL today.

Becky Lynch: The best female wrestler in Florida that isn't the trainer. I really don't feel she needs to learn "WWE style", as the women don't really wrestle WWE style, even on the main roster.

Sign (I'll assume for purposes of this that top wrestlers from other promotions e.g. Tanahashi/Nakamura/Ishii are not available)

Daniels: I can't imagine his price tag would really be so high that WWE couldn't get their money's worth in a variety of roles.

Drew McIntyre: Cuz firing him was a mistake.

Michael Elgin: I know, I know.

Kana: March Madness shout-out.

CM Punk: What? He's free...

[Go2Sleep]

It's 2 am, and I'm gonna bite on this. I'm gonna sacrifice rankings for now in order to ensure I list everyone.

 

Elevate (13):

 

Alberto Del Rio (Jobber status now, should be IC/US gatekeeper with his in-ring skill)

Bad News Barrett (Ignoring injuries, he should be upper midcard/part time ME, not lost in the IC/US shuffle)

Brock Lesnar (Pay him all the money, the guy's a legit star)

Cesaro (Why they abandoned his natural face push is a mystery for the ages)

Dean Ambrose (Best promo in the company and is this close to breaking out, strong booking can make that happen)

Dolph Ziggler (Gets ridiculous pops, no reason he shouldn't be a midcard title staple a la Kofi)

Luke Harper (Brawler of the future, should be upper midcard gate keeper at worst)

Mark Henry (Should be on-screen in some capacity, even as a pre-show host)

Paige (Should be the divas ace for years to come)

Seth Rollins (Breakout star waiting to happen)

Sheamus (Completely forgotten at the moment, should be an upper midcard staple with his talent)

Titus O'Neill (Should be Nation 2k14's enforcer)

Xavier Woods (Should be getting regular midcard time at least)

 

Hold (20):

 

Adam Rose (Gets decent pops, crowd sings along, just what you need for a low card guy)

AJ Lee (Can still be a top diva, even with all the NXT women call ups)

Big E (Needs some character work before I'd elevate him, but definitely has potential)

Bo Dallas (Perfect midcard character, lots of future flexibility)

Bray Wyatt (Tough to get a good read on his current status, but upper midcard is a good spot)

Christian (Too good when healthy to not be a midcard staple)

Daniel Bryan (He was primed to be the next ace before his injury, which is exactly what he should be)

Emma (She's definitely capable in the ring, being a diva jobber might be her calling)

Goludst (Important midcard staple, like Christian)

Jey Uso (Good midcard team)

Jimmy Uso (See Jey)

Kofi Kingston (Perfect midcarder)

Natalya (Solid enough to be the veteran diva jobber)

R-Truth (Decent jobber)

Randy Orton (Perfect upper midcard gatekeeper)

Roman Reigns (Skeptical about his long-term viability, but he deserves a chance)

Rusev (Gimmick is tiring, but he's showing flashes in the ring)

Ryback (Heel jobber role is what he needs)

Summer Rae (Middle of the pack diva)

Zack Ryder (This generations Scotty 2 Hotty)

 

Demote (17):

 

Big Show (Getting older, time to step down, give him Khali's spot)

Brie Bella (Post Steph, she's as expendible as any current diva that isn't Paige or AJ, gotta keep her for TD tho)

Chris Jericho (He's limited already, but he should be limited more, promo work only basically)

Erick Rowan (Improving, but you can't push everyone, victim of too much talent above him)

Fandango (Hard to say if it's a real demotion, but he can be the new Sandow)

HHH (Love what he's been doing, but he's dangerously close to overexposed)

Jack Swagger (Current face run is fool's gold, low card for life)

John Cena (Cycle him out of the main event for at least a little bit)

Justin Gabriel (Should be a jobber on NXT)

Layla (No more wrestling, but she can stay on as a valet)

The Miz (Decent promotional guy, but low card for life)

Naomi (Tries hard, but not good enough to hang with the next gen divas, future jobber)

Nikki Bella (See Brie)

Sin Cara (Shouldn't beat up and comers on NXT)

Stardust (It's never gonna happen for Cody)

Tyson Kidd (His time is up)

Undertaker (Can't release the legend, but it's time to hang 'em up)

 

Release (18):

 

Alicia Fox (Solid enough hand, but NXT has much better prospects, someone has to go)

Cameron (Easy choice)

Curtis Axel (Boring since day 1)

Damien Sandow (Just put him out of his misery)

Darren Young (He's still around?)

David Otunga (See Darren)

Diego (Unneccessary)

Eva Marie (Looks completely void of natural talent in the ring, easy to replace)

Fernando (See Diego)

Great Khali (Can barely move)

Heath Slater (The band can get back together on the indies)

Hornswoggle (Don't see the appeal in midget wrestling)

Kane (He's just done)

Rey Mysterio (Also done, send him to the HOF)

RVD (D-O-N-E)

Rosa Mendes (She's still employed?)

Tamina (See Rosa)

Torito (See Hornswoggle, plus I've already canned the matadors)

 

NXT Call Ups

 

Sami Zayn (Pro Comp: Daniel Bryan)

Adrian Neville (Pro Comp: AJ Styles)

Charlotte (Pro Comp: Michelle McCool)

Bayley (Pro Comp: Mickie James)

Sasha Banks (Pro Comp: Melina-ish)

 

Other Call Ups

 

Chris Hero

Jay Briscoe

Mark Briscoe

???

???

 

If we can change announcers too, I'm bringing Rene and Regal up to do Raw and PPV with Cole. Lawler's gone, JBL goes to the pre-show. Tom Phillips and Alex Riley can do SD.

[SorceressKnight]

Elevate:

Alicia Fox- One of the sneakiest-complete Divas in the company- getting slightly more use, but could be more of a genuine threat.

Zack Ryder- Why he couldn't be in the comedy midcarder position is beyond me- he was popular enough, so he should at least be a regular on TV.

Tyson Kidd- A Quadruple-A player, but his NXT heel turn is ready to use him as a possible midcard heel in WWE now.

Titus O'Neil- If he was five years younger, he's a future World Champ. As it is he could easily be a top contender.

Big E- On the verge of one of the faces of the next generation of WWE, and needs something to get him there.

Bo Dallas- So great in his role he could make himself one of the top guys in the future.

Cameron- Not to the peak of the WWE or anything, but WWE needs some more viable women, there's some potential in her as an uber-bitch...go with it.

Ryback- The downfall for him last year is insane, and he's proven he can do so much more.

Paige- Elevate her to this level. Boom. There's your Diva to take you into the 2020s with. Done.

Darren Young- The potential for mainstream boosts is just too good to ignore- doesn't have to be The Man, but needs to be a rotation guy for as long as he wants.

Naomi- At least she's athletic enough, and the Divas need more credible names.

Emma- The talent and potential are there to keep her- Emma vs. Paige should give you the next few years as a top feud.

Fandango- Could be a viable tag guy or IC/US guy. 

Justin Gabriel- See Tyson Kidd, but WWE can always use a good heel tag team.

Heath Slater- Put on this earth to be a midcard heel. Give him the IC or US Title and watch the fun.

Jack Swagger- For years I was certain the moment he turned face he would finally put it all together. But they didn't believe me. They all laughed at the possibility. With the last few weeks, who's laughing now?

 

Hold Steady: 

Adam Rose- Right now he seems to be the comedy midcarder, and that's really how he should be used.

AJ Lee- The top Diva in the company right now, and deserves to be there. Should stay in the role.

El Torito- You have to have one pure joke, and he could be Hornswoggle 2.0.

Bad News Barrett- I think the ship's sailed for him as a main eventer, but in this role it could prove me wrong.

Summer Rae- Right on the verge of being a top Diva in the company, but just barely not there yet.

Sin Cara- The name is at its low point, but the talent is there- is a good gatekeeper-level AAAA-player for them.

Bray Wyatt- Right on the verge, about where he should be right now. Not ready yet to be the champ, but worthy of being a top threat.

Brock Lesnar- How much more could they elevate him? He's the worldbeater, the final boss, the last person you want to see- and anything less than that right now is business-exposing.

Roman Reigns- He's already The Next One, he's going to be The Next One, keep going as it is right now.

Damien Sandow- Wherever they're going with it, it seems to work...keep the course going.

Daniel Bryan- How much higher can he GO? 

Randy Orton- One of the best heels out there today, underrated because he's so hatable.

Natalya- Only needs to be kept steady for Tyson Kidd's, but keep there.

Dean Ambrose- Right now, being the apparent "Jannetty" of the Shield works best for him.

Luke Harper- Maybe Brodie Lee (NOT! Luke Harper!) was good on the indies, but the Wyatts is such a perfect spot for him, and Harper and Rowan are so good, that it's best he's here. 

Erick Rowan- See Luke Harper. The only reason you would want Harper over Rowan is due to marking for Harper on the indies- and that's just not a good enough reason.

John Cena- Until someone else takes it from him, he's the Man and should be at the top.

Jimmy Uso- There's not much further they can go, but they deserve it.

Jey Uso- See Jimmy Uso.

 

Demote: 

Xavier Woods- The definition of a "Quadruple-A" player. Better to be in NXT as a big name than the low man on WWE TV.

Tamina Snuka- I just don't buy her as this huge threat- she's sold as this amazing wrestler or dominating presence, and she's just...whatever. Still worth being on TV, but not as a huge star.

Stardust- It's over. It's never going to happen for Cody Rhodes as a future name. Just make him a low-card comedy guy for good and shut the door totally.

Sheamus- Quit trying to make Sheamus happen. It's never going to happen. Put him in midcard-level stuff from here on out.

Seth Rollins- Not so much because I dislike Rollins as the future, but quite frankly, I just don't want the ROHbots to win with him because if they win with a guy they despised when he was in ROH and make him a main event long-term WWE Champion, WWE is dead, over, finito, just hire everyone who ever worked for ROH and SHIMMER and be done with it.

Brie Bella- I buy her as a top Diva, but still don't see her as THE Face of the Divas. A slight demotion could help things.

Rusev- It's just not happening. Meld him into the midcard race, make him US Champ and run there, but he's just not a main event player.

Curtis Axel- just doesn't have it as a top threat, but still just too good to let walk. Better to mold him into the new Gatekeeper guy.

Nikki Bella- See Brie Bella.

Diego- The gimmick's not working, make them AAAA-level guys for NXT.

Dolph Ziggler- It's over. It's never going to happen, deal with it. Keep him a low-level midcarder.

The Miz- He is what he is. He's not a top guy and never will be again. Keep him in the midcard.

Eva Marie- Demote her to the beginner class of NXT. And to an acting class that can teach her how to act with more skill than a six year old playing a tree in a school play only because the teacher had to give every kid a part and who spends half the play eating paste in the background.

Fernando- See Diego.

Goldust- See Stardust.

HHH- The Authority's Teflon antics are the biggest problem with WWE right now. Not a lower level, but...let them LOSE more.

 

Release: 

Alberto Del Rio- he's great in the ring, but it's not going to happen. He won't be anything less than a star- let him go already.

Undertaker- Well, replace "release" with "let retire", but same thing. Once the streak ended, the last thing keeping him in WWE ended. Let the Deadman walk off into the sunset.

Rob Van Dam- As said, Done.

The Big Show- They've done everything they can with him, he's lost it as a top guy...just let him walk away.

Rosa Mendes- It's been 8 years and she's still terrible. It's never going to happen. Ever. Just fire her she is beyond hope.

Rey Mysterio- He doesn't even want to be there. Let him go.

Chris Jericho- The WWE doesn't- or shouldn't- need him around. Let him walk.

Christian- He's become injury prone, he's finished as anything more than a jobber, thanks for the memories and follow Edge to retirement.

R-Truth- Nothing more than a low-level jobber. If TNA or GFW wants to try with him, LET THEM. 

David Otunga- He's still around?

Mark Henry- He's great, yes, but he's done everything- literally everything- he could do. He's too good to be anything but a top guy, and not good enough to be a top guy going forward. TIme to let him go.

Layla- Defer to letting go the oldest of the Divas to get new blood in. 

Kofi Kingston- My mother raised three wrestling-obsessed children. She never watched much pro wrestling herself unless one of us had it on. If I have it on sometimes, that's the most she sees of it. And yet, for that little experience with pro wrestling- especially modern pro wrestling: She despises Kofi Kingston. When it's THAT BAD, that might be a sign he's done.

Kane- See Big Show.

The Great Khali- If they're just using him for India, why fire Jinder Mahal, who at least was fresher and could have turned?

Hornswoggle- The fork's been sticking from his back since Finlay left the company.

 

From NXT (Maximum 5): 

Tyler Breeze- Because Fandango could use a tag partner.

The Ascension- WWE needs more tag teams.

Bayley- WWE needs more Divas.

Sasha Banks- See Bayley.

Charlotte- See Sasha Banks.

 

No choices for hiring.

[tbarrie]

Demote: 

Curtis Axel- just doesn't have it as a top threat, but still just too good to let walk. Better to mold him into the new Gatekeeper guy.

Wouldn't a Gatekeeper role be an Elevation for Axel? He's an irrelevant midcarder now.

[Just Dave]

I'm game:

Buy:

Zack Ryder: With Santino retired, you could slide Zack up to "lead comedy mid-carder," merch him to death, have him go over the Otungas and Fandangos of the world, and have him do the things he's good at on a bigger stage: appearances, social media, et. al...

Titus O'Neil: Big, likable, well-spoken, charismatic. As someone above me stated, his biggest knock on him is his age. After Miz finishes with Ziggler, a run with a baby face O'Neil would be fun.

Big E: Almost there. Needs more personality development, but likable. 

Rowan & Harper: Should be tag team champions. 

Bray Wyatt: The "Eater of Worlds" is one of the hottest and most unique acts in the company. He needs to be one of the centerpieces. 

Cody Rhodes: One of the few guys who came up before nxt that is still viable as a main-eventer. After this stuff with Goldust is over, would like to see him begin a slow rise to the next level.

Dolph Ziggler: They can't ignore the fans forever, right? Look has always been good, always good in ring, B+ promo. IF he can keep his mouth shut backstage he should eventually get back to where he was.

Jack Swagger: Babyface Swags is where it's at. Hope it lasts past Rusev.

 

 

Hold:

Roman Reigns: Needs more time. Have him keep killing people until people are ravenous for seeing him take his turn to topple Lesnar. 

Dean Ambrose: His rise has been so organic there's no need to change anything. He'll be ready when you need him.

Cesaro: I'm just not sure he's a viable option as a "top guy." Phenomenal in ring, but needs a manager/valet to complete his act. Would love to see him as a full-on associate of "the Authority."

Bo Dallas: I'm coming around on the gimmick, but putting him in serous feuds this soon would take the fun out of his character. 

Fandango: Good where he is.

Curtis Axel: Solid technician. Boring as sin. Could use a "heater" of some type. Didn't work out with Heyman. Rosa, maybe?

Ryback: Need to rehab his character to get something out of him eventually. Needs a break from Rybaxel. 

Diego, Fernando: Fine where they are. If WWE insists on comedy segments, you need characters suited for it. With no 3MB, Los Matadores carry the load of comedic mid card tag team...

The Usos: Solid, capable tag team. Been over for a while. Appear to have hit a plateau. Biggest flaw; neither of them worth anything without the other, so a split seems counterproductive. Could use a stretch of chasing titles, rather than holding them, to reinvigorate fan support.

 

Sell:

Del RIo: Don't get it. Never got it. Move him down and have him put over guys on the way out.

RVD: At this point, his value is below 0, but they insist on running him out there. 

Jericho: I love Jericho, but his part-time status hinders future in ring.

Kofi: DOA. Maybe this new stable will help. No credibility above low-midcard.

Seth Rollins: This will probably be controversial, but I don't feel him. I don't think he's a good talker, and I would doubt that that's who HHH would've picked out as his "chosen one" if the storyline hadn't demanded it. Not big or physical enough to be scary. Finisher seems too contrived in the current WWE landscape. Stupid hairstyle.

Randy Orton: Take a long, long vacation.

Sheamus: If he isn't a true main eventer by now, he never will be. Killed by injuries and pointless feuds with other charisma vacuums. Best use would be putting over young guys.

Cena: I respect his charity work, and I think the criticisms of his ring work are based in rampant and unreasonable fanboy-ism from the darkest, virgin-est, mother's basement-iest corners of the internet. Having said that, it's clear the WWE has no plans for life after John Cena, and at his age, it may be time to start formulating them. A slow de-escalation into a part-time ring schedule would be best. 

 

Fire:

Otunga: What does he even do?

Gabriel: No point in having him on the roster. He doesn't work enough to be worth the money he's getting. 

R-Truth: Past useless at this point. Let him go work with Jarrett.

Adam Rose: Loved the Leo Kruger gimmick. Thought it would have worked with the Real Americans as a "foreign mercenary come here the right way." Rose gimmick DOA.