411’s Countdown to WrestleMania 25: Graduating Class

Thanks to John Meehan for creating this year’s logo…

It has been said by those within the industry and those who want to be that the goal of everyone who puts on a pair of tights is to headline WrestleMania. It is the big show on the wrestling calendar; it is our Super Bowl, Academy Awards, World Series, Emmys, Stanley Cup…whatever stock comparison you want to use with the culminating events on the sports or entertainment calendar . WrestleMania is the biggest of the biggest; the show every wrestler wants to be a part of – and especially to headline.

In days past, it used to be much harder to get there because one first had to be noticed on the independent scene and be signed to WWE before even having a hope of getting to the show. Getting signed to WWE was the hardest part; hundreds of men and women plied their trade in front of (often times) double-digit crowds, hoping one day the right talent scout would see the right performance and offer a contract to work for the big leagues. Nowadays, that process is a little easier thanks to WWE’s Developmental System.

Instead of toiling on the independent circuit (which is still a viable option but much more rarely used), aspiring ring workers have the option of trying out for WWE’s developmental territory and working that promotion until they are seasoned and ready enough to make the jump to the big leagues. A few of these individuals have taken their time and knowledge from the Developmental Program – as well as their own talent, without which they wouldn’t have been noticed in the first place – and turned it in to a headlining spot at WrestleMania, helping both themselves and the promotion reach their respective goals of becoming and making new stars.

What follows, then, is a list of those who have made that move from the Developmental Program and those who may still some day (perhaps sooner than later in many cases. Some have moved on to other ventures; some are WWE mainstays and the company’s most recognizable faces.

Those Who Have

We start, obviously, with those who logged time in WWE’s Developmental Program and went on to headline the big show at least once. Some remain among the company’s biggest stars, while others went in the opposite direction and left WWE altogether…

John Cena: Whether revered or reviled, Cena is one of the most prominent faces in the company. He has headlined the big show the past four years, starting his headlining stint at WrestleMania 21 against JBL for the WWE Title. This year, on April 5 for WrestleMania’s 25th anniversary, he will look to capture the World Title against Edge and the Big Show.

Cena began his career as “The Prototype” in Rick Bassman’s UPW, which had a loose affiliation with WWE based on talent exchanges. However, Cena was soon signed away from UPW and assigned to Ohio Valley Wrestling, WWE’s main developmental territory at the time. It was there that he wrestled as both The Prototype and then “Mr. P”, capturing both the OVW Title and the OVW Tag Titles (with Rico Constantino).

Batista:

Running parallel to Cena is another of WWE’s biggest stars (both literally and figuratively), Batista has become a favorite of casual fans, especially kids. Batista has also been headlining the show since WrestleMania 21, when he challenged and defeated Triple-H for the World Championship. Unfortunately, he will miss this year’s show due to an injury, but will more than likely return next year.

Batista began his career in OVW as well. It was there that he wrestled as the monstrous “Leviathan” under the management of Synn. Leviathan went undefeated for several months there and won the OVW Title from Doug Basham before losing it to, ironically enough, The Prototype.

Randy Orton: Among a handful of third-generation stars, Randy Orton has made his name in WWE through his talent. Though not nearly as adored as the first two on the list (mainly due to his character), Orton has headlined WrestleMania twice – at 22, where he competed for the World Championship and at 24, where he retained the WWE Title. Orton missed WrestleMania 23 due to injury, but will challenge Triple-H for the WWE Title at WrestleMania 25 this year in one of the show’s most anticipated matches.

Orton began his career on the independent circuit, albeit working with his family in St. Louis. He wrestled for the Mid-Missouri Wrestling Association-Southern Illinois Conference Wrestling (MMWA-SICW), headed by Sam Muchnick who oversaw his training along with his father, “Cowboy” Bob Orton. After working there for a month and making a stop at World Organized Wrestling (where his uncle Barry Orton wrestled) as a referee, Orton was then signed to OVW in 2001 and stayed there a year before graduating on to WWE.

Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar: The two alumni are listed together because of similar backgrounds. Lesnar and Angle worked together in the main event of WrestleMania XIX and Angle headlined the show one other time a year later, challenging Eddie Guerrero for the WWE Title at WrestleMania XX. The two have since left the company, with Lesnar now embedded in the world of MMA while Angle is the flagship of WWE’s closest competition, TNA.

Angle and Lesnar both logged time in the Developmental Program beforehand, albeit in different promotions. Angle was a member of the Power Pro Wrestling roster in Memphis, TN, before joining WWE proper, while Lesnar spent his time in OVW, mainly as part of the “Minnesota Stretching Crew” tag team with partner and former college roommate, Shelton Benjamin.

Those Who Will

Based on their career track and progress, these are the five most likely candidates to headline WrestleMania who have been through the company’s Development Program. This list is entirely objective and based on theory; all of them may make it, but then none of them may. Only time will tell…

Ken Kennedy: Kennedy seems one of the most obvious choices to headline the big show in soon order. He has had quite a high profile during his tenure in WWE despite setbacks due to injury and a highly-publicized suspension as a result of the company’s Wellness Policy. Kennedy won the show’s newest tradition, the “Money In The Bank” match guaranteeing a future title shot, at WrestleMania 23.

After trial appearances on the syndicated WWE Shows, Kennedy was signed and assigned to OVW. He spent six months there before becoming a member of the main WWE roster.

Mike “The Miz” Mizanan & John Morrison: Both of these men are listed together because, as a unit, they have become one of the best teams on the roster and show quite a bit of potential for singles
Stardom as individuals as a result. While probably not a consideration for headlining WrestleMania since he started with WWE, The Miz has improved greatly since his humble beginnings.

Morrison, who started out as Johnny Nitro in a couple of less-than-memorable runs, has found his own identity since changing his name to Morrison and, coupled with his surprising aerial skills and improvement in the ring, is arguably the bigger breakout of the team.

Morrison and The Miz both also have a shared history as entrants in the WWE reality show Tough Enough, where the prize for the last man remaining was a WWE contract. Morrison won a contract in the third season of the show and was assigned to OVW. It was there that Morrison would meet his future partners, Joey Mercury and Melina, and began the fast track to his career goal.

The Miz entered the fourth season of Tough Enough and made it to the finals but did not win. Nonetheless, he was signed and sent to Deep South Wrestling, becoming that developmental promotion’s first Heavyweight Champion before going on to OVW and then WWE.

MVP: Montell Vontavious Porter (born Alvin Burke, Jr.) has also logged some impressive time with WWE since his debut despite suffering his share of setbacks. MVP has held the US Title in WWE once before his most recent win; that reign, at 343 days, was the longest anyone has held the title since WWE re-activated it in July of 2003 and the third-longest in the history of the title as a whole. MVP first challenged for that title at WrestleMania 23 against Chris Benoit and has seen action in the past two shows as one of the participants in the “Money In The bank” ladder match.

Before becoming MVP, Burke served9 1/2 years of an 18 year sentence for armed robbery while a member of a gang. He became a wrestler with the help of a corrections officer at his prison who worked the weekends on the independent circuit. After being trained and working several other promotions including FIP, RoH, and TNA, Burke was signed to WWE. He was sent to Deep South Wrestling for development, where he worked as Antonio Banks (his name on the independent circuit) before switching to his now well-known MVP persona.

CM Punk: Punk may need an asterisk by his name, as he was a star on the independent circuit and already a well-known name before signing with WWE. He was the RoH World Champion for less than a month after he signed with WWE, making for one of that promotion’s most polarizing angles and adding to Punk’s name and status. Since his arrival in WWE, Punk has held the World Championship, the WWE Tag Titles (with Kofi Kingston) and the Intercontinental Championship – and, in doing so, set the record for the fastest capture time of WWE’s “Triple Crown”. He has also held the ECW Championship (since its reactivation under WWE) and won last year’s “Money In The Bank” match at WrestleMania XXIV.

After signing with WWE in 2005, Punk was sent to OVW in September of 2005 and remained there for nearly a year before his debut with WWE on the ECW brand. In that time, Punk captured the OVW Television Title, the Heavyweight Title, and the Southern Tag Team Championship (with Seth Skyfire).

Those Who May In The Future

Below are three men who currently ply their trade in WWE’s latest developmental promotion, Florida Championship Wrestling. Based on talent and other factors (such as pedigree and marketability), these are men who have a better chance than most (again, based on objective opinion), though it’s too early to give any concrete odds on whether they will be in the WrestleMania main event in the future…

Eric Escobar: Escobar has become one of the most popular men on the FCW Roster. He has also logged an impressive resume there as a former FCW Heavyweight Champion and one-half of the first-ever FCW Tag-Team Champions (with Eddie Colon) since the promotion’s reactivation under the WWE banner. He also spent time in Deep South Wrestling when it was a developmental territory and won the tag team titles there as well (with Sonny Siaki).

With his already vast experience in the business (as a member of the IWA roster in Puerto Rico before signing with WWE), Escobar has an impressive background and the attention of many fans in FCW. With the potential to become one of the company’s biggest Latino stars, Escobar’s future looks bright. His in-ring and mic work aren’t quite there yet, but Escobar has shown noticeable improvement during his tenure with FCW.

Joe Hennig: The son of the late Hall-of-Fame entrant, “Mr. Perfect” Curt Hennig, Joe is currently the FCW Champion. He has also held the FCW Tag Titles (with Sebastian Slater, aka “Handsome” Heath Miller) and has been a featured star in the promotion since his arrival.

There is already a precedent for next-generation stars going on to headline WrestleMania (as seen with Randy Orton). Hennig has a ways to go; his ring work is solid but his promo ability is untested as of yet. Nonetheless, he is starting to develop the tools to make his way to superstardom.

DH Smith:Another second-generation star, Smith has a deeper pedigree as the son of the late “British Bulldog” Davey Boy Smith and Diana Hart of the famed Hart family. Smith also has an extensive background in the business; along with his heritage, Smith has logged tours of New Japan Pro Wrestling and has appeared on the main WWE shows once already. In FCW, he has held the Tag Titles with his cousin, TJ Wilson.

Smith has the background and impressive ring work to help him along his career, although the ring work could use some seasoning in the form of how to sell for different varieties of opponents. In addition, he also has a Wellness Policy suspension under his belt, making for a big strike against him. To his credit, upon the completion of that suspension and more time on Raw, Smith volunteered to demote himself back down to FCW to improve his work and maturity. That may prove to be what takes him to WrestleMania one day.

WWE’s Developmental program has obviously had some successes in training home-grown talent – as well as those discovered in other circuits – to super-stardom. It also has a rich crop of workers who could be ready for their time in the spotlight, as well as others who are preparing for it early and currently working their way through the system. It remains to be seen which of these men – or maybe a host of others seasoned by the Developmental Program – will go on to become future WrestleMania headliners.