Top 5 Breakout WWE Superstars Of 2015

Did everybody see my Super Bowl winning Indianapolis Colts save their season on Sunday? Wow, with Andrew Luck out, it was a nail biter for sure. Pretty certain my Philadelphia Eagles are juuuust about done. Therefore, it is full steam ahead with the home state Green Bay Packers! I will be at Lambeau Field this weekend for their meeting with the St. Louis Rams, so it should be fun.

Bring on the comments!

Reader Feedback

Abhik: I just came here for the comments…. knowing fully well that this was a Watry article…

That’s what they all say, for over seven years now.

Dan: knew this was going to be a watry article before i even clicked on it

Readers know that each and every week, for over seven years now.

CS 22: Vince looking to his “family and friends” every time he’s in trouble is one of the reasons the company is in this mess. The guy has all but given up on taking risks. He just plays it safe, relies on part timers and past legends for the odd pop in ratings here or there and doesn’t give a crap about making new stars. And by proxy, in periods where he can’t rely on recognized past names, the ratings tank worse than they have in years. It’s hard to imagine that this is the same guy who lost Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in late 97/early 98, thrived in that environment and took the company to new heights.

Trump would solve nothing. Brock’s carnage the night after Mania led to the company’s best rating since they went to 3 hours. And then, when everybody knew Brock wouldn’t appear the next week, Raw lost 1.4 million viewers within a week. The company doesn’t need quick fixes anymore.

Quality comment here.

I agree on the first paragraph but disagree on it being a bad thing. When YOU are in a tough spot, where do you turn? Your closest friends and family, of course. It is just human nature. Go with those you trust the most. Now yes, when all else fails, you have to take a chance and push ‘all in’ on a risky bluff hoping it pays off.

As for the second part, RAW night after WrestleMania 31 was going to draw a monster viewership number regardless. Brock Lesnar went wild and left his carnage an hour into the show. Viewers were already there from the beginning. Buzz from Mania, Sting, Taker, Ronda Rousey, The Rock, Seth Rollins, etc. Happens every year the night after WrestleMania – just another lovely ‘pop’ in the ratings that disappears the following week.

thunderdick420: Congratulations on your heel gimmick getting over Watry. This almost seems like part of the show [ like booing John Cena].. Click the link scan the comments soak in the animosity and then read what Watry did wrong this time. I appreciate the spectacle.

There is no gimmick. Everything I say I believe. I said that on day one. That being said, you are correct on the John Cena booing being a part of the show. It isn’t 2006 anymore. It is 2015. People still booing him are just caricatures of fans that hate him…or used to hate him 10 years ago. Almost silly at this point.

AG Awesome: HoaD count= 1

I don’t see Trump as being anything more than a short term boost for rating, which is something WWE cannot keep turning to. It would be interesting to see him show up though and as Trump loses more voters when things get more serious I can see him do some desperation moves like maybe showing up. But WWE would be wise in putting him in something like they did with the Umaga/Bobby “Lindsay” gimmick. Add something extra to the undercard.

Also… seriously the whole ending to go over right and wrong predictions?! lol

Haha, yes. Big Brother 17 is over, so we can all move on now. As for Donald Trump, that is all I intended. A quick ratings pop and a few cameos with a payoff on the WWE Network (think of his WrestleMania 23 feud). Nothing more, nothing less. I never said he would save the company and lead everybody to the promise of whatever. Just a mainstream publicity stunt idea for a stacked episode of Raw in the Fall season…which is exactly what WWE is doing in two weeks from Dallas, Texas.

Oh, and Heck on a Deck!

Heck on a Deck!

Grant A Comment: Why is there so much hate for this guy?!

Jealousy? No idea. Ask them…

Backstory

It is now October. Green Day can wake up, and the holidays are right around the corner. When going through my options for a subject to write about, not much jumped out at me. I wrote about #WWEMSG elsewhere on Sunday and will have to wait until Wednesday to gush over NXT some more. Thus, I did what I always do when I am in need of fresh material – look at OLD material! Haha, that means going over something previously said and seeing just how right (or wrong) it ended up being.

Sound like fun?

Thus, here are my Top 5 Breakout WWE Superstars of 2015…written at the beginning of 2015!

What I said 10 months ago:

5. Charlotte – I am not quite sure how to rank these wrestlers. Does Roman Reigns qualify? Has he become a breakout star already? What about a Dolph Ziggler or Dean Ambrose? Some would say they can be listed; others would say maybe not. Just difficult to gauge on how I would to proceed. I will begin with an NXT talent because I assume they are good choices. Charlotte has a great chance to not only dominate the Women’s division in NXT but also the Diva’s division in WWE. So much seems set up for her to simply be one of the best newcomers in 2015, male or female.

What I say now:

Chalk up another one in the “W” column for yours truly. Really though, it was not very difficult to imagine Charlotte having success in NXT and WWE throughout 2015. She was not selected for the new Tapout commercial for nothing. WWE has/had plans for her in NXT and moved them over to the main roster where she immediately set her sights on the title belt. I believe Charlotte was the correct choice to beat Nikki Bella for the championship and am probably a bigger fan of her than most. Don’t worry, Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch will get their time as well. Patience. They will be in the spotlight when the time is right. Right now, the time belongs to Charlotte. Wooo!

What I said 10 months ago:

4. Sami Zayn – No explanation needed.

What I say now:

Eh, Sami Zayn had an interesting 2015, and I say that assuming he is injured until the rest of the year. The man was on top of the NXT world when 2014 came to a close, but his (former?) best friend Kevin Owens turned that dream into a nightmare in February. From there, it was setback after setback after setback. Still though, Sami Zayn remained one of the more popular acts and is ALWAYS primed for a call up to Raw and Smackdown. I wouldn’t jump the gun too quickly with him. Let the man heal up, get healthy, and stick around in NXT for just a little bit longer. Not much longer. Maybe Royal Rumble? Night after WrestleMania 31? Keep in mind Zayn already had a RAW cameo (with his fans) that blew the roof off the place. As promising as his 2015 was, his 2016 is set to be even better.

What I said 10 months ago:

3. Cody Rhodes – Notice the name listed is Cody Rhodes and not Stardust. Whoever came up with that gimmick idea (rumor says it is actually Cody Rhodes himself, believe that if you want) needs to know there is MORE potential in Cody Rhodes than Stardust. I think everybody agrees to that, so why continue this nonsense? It may be an unpopular opinion, but I think the only reason Stardust is still on television is because it keeps Goldust around. There, I said it. Once Cody Rhodes does come to his senses and gets back to being the young star on the rise as himself, that means there is less and less Goldust. Hopefully, that happens fairly soon. I am a fan of Goldust but not if it means we are grasping onto some Stardust junk that has been a bust since week one. Move on already.

What I say now:

Well, I was wrong about the Stardust character only being around for Goldust. The veteran is off television, and Cody Rhodes is still prancing around as a lower card comedy figure. Now pairing up with The Ascension. Oh joy. That should be amazing. Ultimately, it disappoints me yet another calendar has passed by with Cody Rhodes not fulfilling his potential. A quick Google search search tell me he is 30 years old. Debuting in 2007, it feels like he is much older, but in reality, the young star is still very ‘young.’ Despite all he resets and gimmicks, his prime is still ahead of him. I can not stress how talented Cody Rhodes is, and sadly, none of that will truly be seen as Stardust.

What I said 10 months ago:

2. Damien Sandow – A WrestleMania Moment writes itself. The Miz and Damien Mizdow lose the tag team titles. After the bout, Miz yells at Damien Mizdow, berates him, shoves him, punches him some more, and in an instant – Damien SANDOW returns in grand fashion by fighting back. Crowd explodes, and we are off to the races. It is very similar to the story line with The Miz and Alex Riley from 2011, but guess what? It worked then (yes, it did) and will work again here. The man was once in line to be World Champion, so clearly the folks in the back know he is talented (apparently, a Triple H Guy). Will he be a main eventer in 2015? Probably not. Will he even appear in main events in 2015? Probably not. However, Damien Sandow has a good opportunity to get there as much as anybody else.

What I say now:

Not a main eventer and not in any main event feuds. Called that part. The rest? Nada. Zip. The Miz and Damien Mizdow story line was so good leading up to WWE WrestleMania 31 that you knew the breakup moment was going to be awesome. While it was, the follow up was so terrible. Matches with Miz vs. Damien were just thrown onto Raw as if they were nothing for a few weeks, before both moved on…and Macho Mandow was created – all but confirmed that Miz was right, and Sandow was just a silly personal assistant doing impersonations. I said before Mania that Sandow should NOT have won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal and stand by that. What I do not stand by is the fail of a year in 2015 for the guy. Remember he was a Money in the Bank winner and wrestling John Cena in a World Title match in late 2013. Barely two years ago. Obviously somebody in the back knows what he can offer. What happened?

What I said 10 months ago:

1. Seth Rollins – Again, I have no idea how to tackle this topic. Thus, this could be a confusing selection. Either way, Seth Rollins is the one man poised to be a first time WWE World Champion very soon (him and Roman Reigns?), so it makes perfect sense for him to be the number one choice. Perhaps it is as a Paul Heyman Guy. Perhaps it is as The Authority comes back. Heck, it could even happen on his own. Regardless of how it turns out, WWE has their breakout star on their hands in Seth Rollins. Bank on that!

What I say now:

Credit to WWE (and Triple H mainly). They picked Seth Rollins out of The Shield and decided right then and there to push him to the moon in 2014 and beyond. He repeatedly beat Dean Ambrose, a rarity seeing the heel overcome the face so often. He got the prized MITB briefcase. He was the captain of a Survivor Series team that was fairly stacked. He closed multiple main events since his heel turn. H kept getting inserted in the big John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar WWE World Title feud. He was protected over every behind the scenes controversy that popped up. He got the celebrity mainstream segments with Jon Stewart. He had the special WrestleMania 31 moment earlier this year. He has feuded with Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Brock Lesnar, John Cena, Kane, and Sting in the past six months (all incredible names), and through it all is STILL the WWE World Champion. Seriously, he has been given everything throughout the past 16 months by WWE with Triple H repeatedly backing him up, and most importantly, Seth Rollins deserves it all.

Oh and before I end this column, Matt Hardy is the new TNA Champion. While I am sure I will write a whole bunch about this topic in the near future, all I will say for now is this: I wonder when Ethan Carter III found out about the title change. Maybe about 2am early Sunday morning perhaps…

@JustinWatry ehh

— ec3 (@EthanCarterTNA) October 4, 2015

Maybe.

Cheap Plugs

Read Jay’s Ways on nodq.com – My #WWEMSG review is finished, as well as my thoughts on Seth Rollins as World Champion in 2015. Plus, a quick #NXTTakeoverRespect preview too!

MIND, BODY, POKER: http://www.wholesomepoker.com/

FASHION FUN: http://winifredjac.com/

Here is where you can send me all of your lovely messages:

Email – [email protected]

Twitter – @JustinWatry

Thanks.