FCW Spotlight 1 - Antonio Cesaro

So, a bit later than planned, it's time to kick off my little series looking at some of the talent that has recently emerged in WWE's developmental facility, FCW. There are plenty of great workers to pick from, but I'll be starting with one of the recent additions to the SmackDown roster, and a man with a great reputation amongst fans of independent wrestling, Antonio Cesaro.

Photo from Miami Herald - http://www.miamiherald.com/2012/04/24/2766361/experienced-cesaro-getting-his.html

Background

Before joining WWE, Cesaro competed under his real name, Claudio Castagnoli, in various promotions across America and Europe, but he is best known for his work in Ring of Honour as part of the 'Kings of Wrestling' tag team with Chris Hero (now Kassius Ohno, someone who will also feature in the series). The duo won the Ring of Honour World Tag Team championship twice, as well as earning the 'Tag Team of the Year' award from Wrestling Observer Newsletter in 2010 amongst their many other accomplishments, which include a grand total of six tag team championships across four different promotions and the longest reign as tag champions in Ring of Honour history (364 days).

Cesaro has also won titles as a singles wreslter, most notably the Pro Wrestling Guerilla World Championship, and placed 44th in the 'Pro Wrestling Illustrated 500' in 2011, but he remains best known for his tag team work, and many fans of indy wrestling hope to see a KoW reunion in WWE in the near future.

My Take

I have already discussed Cesaro in this article, and although many of my opinions remain the same, I do feel that, having seen more of his work in WWE & FCW, I underestimated his mic work slightly in that article. His promos of late have been very good, and he's been backing it up with excellent ring work, including a fantastic match against Tyson Kidd on Superstars. Even though I do think his promos are better than I initially gave him credit for, I still feel he lacks charisma, and that could be the thing that holds him back slightly. His promos have been good, but they're just missing that spark that makes you really interested in a performer.

His European style is (like former partner Ohno's) very different to most of the current WWE roster, as, despite being very technical, it is also based around a lot of powerful strikes and grappling (in a good, William Regal-esque way, not a Zeke/Khali way), with the standout move clearly being the 'Very European Uppercut', formerly known as the 'Swiss Death' - a devastating European uppercut delivered to an opponent who is in midair. Sadly though, it seems like that is merely being used as a setup for his actual finisher, the 'Gotch Style Neutralizer', which looks a lot weaker and less impressive. Nonetheless, his style helps him standout, which is always desirable in WWE, and he undoubtedly has the in-ring ability to work at or near the main event.

In terms of where he currently fits in, that's an area where I think I was pretty close to the mark in my inital assessment. In the article I linked to in the previous paragraph, I suggested that Cesaro would struggle to get out of the midcard if he debuted as a singles competitor (more because of the number of people ahead of him than his actual ability), but he has performed very well and already looks like a credible challenger to the Intercontinental title. Whether he'll get a shot at the belt is another question, considering he's competing with guys like Damien Sandow, Ryback, former champ Cody Rhodes and possibly even a returning Sin Cara, but he certainly merits consideration for a shot at the IC title because of his unusual & interesting style and ability to put on a good match. Cesaro, for me, currently sits at in a good position for someone who has only recently debuted, as a rising member of the midcard, but how much higher will he be able to climb?

Assuming there is no Kings of Wrestling reunion in the pipeline, I think that Antonio Cesaro will find himself as a solid upper-midcarder, competing for the Intercontinental and United States titles, and he may even occasionally find himself sniffing around the main event, but I don't believe he will ever become a true main event WWE superstar.

In a way, though, that's a good thing, because the midcard will benefit greatly from having such an accomplished wrestler in its midst - Cesaro's in-ring skill and ability to craft a match will make him invaluable when it comes to helping other talent break into contention for main event status, and he will help to bring back prestige to a couple of titles that have been devalued almost to the point of irrelevance in recent years. I can see him holding both the IC and US titles at least two or three times, and developing into a vital part of the upper-midcard, but let's be honest...we all want a Kings reunion somewhere down the line, don't we?

---

As previously mentioned, there is a similar series to this on YouTube, which inspired me to do my own version here, so if you wish to compare my opinions to those of someone else I encurage you to click on this link and listen to Eonizzle's 'FCW Superstar Spotlight' for Antonio Cesaro.

Part two of my series will look at Damien Sandow. It'll be up...somewhen.

An Introduction To FCW Spotlight - The Greatest WWE Contracted Wrestlers The WWE Universe Has Never Heard Of

Okay, so this is a little feature I'm going to try and do a few of over the next few weeks, in which I will pick out some of the best talent that is (or has been) on the FCW roster in the last few months. This was an idea I had a few months ago, and one that someone else also had around the same time, but that I've only just got around to starting on. As with the series I've just linked to, I will be giving my own opinions on the strengths and weaknesses of the selected wrestlers, but unlike in that series I won't be offering up detailed ideas regarding the booking of their debut, or giving out scores. I'll just be giving a brief bit of background for the person in question, doing some (probably shoddy) analysis and giving a prediction for where they could fit in the WWE heirarchy upon their debut, as well as where I see them slotting in long term.

There are plenty of superstars (and divas) I could write about, but for the moment I'll start with the guys who have just appeared on WWE televison - Antonio Cesaro and Damien Sandow. For those who can't wait for my efforts, and want to hear opinions on these guys RIGHT NOW!!, I heartily recommend listening to Eonizzle's take on both men, which can be found here (Sandow) and here (Cesaro).

10 Post-WrestleMania Feuds To Reignite The Divas Division: Part Two - SmackDown

So, in part one of this article I ran through five feuds that could help breathe life back into the divas division. In this part, there will be five more angles, this time running on SmackDown.

As with the first set, I've come up with a basic story outline, and I'll be offering up a rough timeframe for each rivalry as well.

1. Layla vs. Tamina

Layla makes her return to WWE, attacking Tamina and costing her a match. The last WWE Womens champion then mocks Tamina, telling her to stop trying to be her father because she's nowhere near as good, only for Tamina to beat her in comprehensive fashion the following week. Layla demands a rematch, and gets her revenge when she beats Tamina through questionable methods. The two agree to face each other one more time, and Tamina eventually prevails, hitting the Superfly Splash after a long and closely fought contest.

2. The Rise of the Anti-Divas

Cue some new talent...


The Bella twins compete in a tag team match against a face pair (probably Alicia Fox & Kelly Kelly), who beat them. The face team are heading up the ramp, whilst Nikki & Brie argue in the ring, but then two young women come out of the crowd and attack the Bella's, beating them up before staring down at K2 & Foxy.

The following week, the two women reveal themselves to be Paige & Sofia Cortez. They announce that they are sick of the 'divas', who all prance around like models, giving women like them a bad name and providing a terrible example for young women, and they tell the divas that they plan to eliminate every single one of them, starting with the Bella's.

The two sides square up over the course of a few weeks in various combinations of singles bout, as well as in a tag team match, with the anti-divas coming out victorious every time. They announce that they will remain unbeaten because no diva can compete with a real woman, when two ladies appear, presumably wishing to challenge that fact...

3. The Anti-Divas vs. The Chickbusters

AJ & Kaitlyn come down to the ring and tell Paige & Sofia that, whilst they don't consider themselves 'divas' either, they think that attacking them all for no reason sets just as bad of an example as the one the anti-divas claim the divas set. This doesn't please Paige & Sofia, and they attack the Chickbusters, telling them that, whilst they may not have been divas when they joined WWE, they have been corrupted and so they will also be destroyed.

The rivalry goes on for a few weeks, featuring singles and tag team matches shared between the two sides, but in the end the anti-divas prevail once more. They declare their respect for the Chickbusters, who they see as being above the 'diva' label, but reiterate that the true anti-divas will always come out on top.

4. The Anti-Divas & Maxine vs. Kelly Kelly, Aksana & Alicia Fox

Maxine, now a regular part of the SmackDown roster, begins a rivalry with Alicia Fox, but keeps getting beaten. After yet another victory, Alicia Fox celebrates, but it suddenly ambushed by the anti-divas, and Maxine is revealed to be the newest anti-diva.

The three women embark on a brief series of attacks on Alicia, before she is finally backed up by Kelly Kelly & Aksana. The six women argue their sides of the 'diva' argument, whilst facing off in a variety of combinations over a period of weeks, with the anti-divas picking up a slight edge on the divas. The rivalry is settled in a six woman tag team match, in which the divas control a surprising amount of the match, only to lose in controversial fashion.

The anti-divas try to attack the three divas after the match, but all the divas in the locker room rush out in an overdue show of solidarity, and force Paige, Sofia & Maxine to retreat.

5. Paige vs. Layla

This angle could be used either side of Layla's angles on RAW (mentioned in my last post), and it could play out differently depending on which side it was used. Should it be squeezed in before then it would have to remain a singles feud, but if used after Layla's RAW feuds then it could possibly be turned it an 'Anti-Divas vs. LayCool' feud. Either way, here's how it would go down.

Layla picks up a victory on SmackDown, but the anti-divas ambush tactic comes into play again as Paige attacks Layla from behind. She tells the crowd that, now that the anti-divas have proved themselves to be far superior to the divas, she wants to prove that she is far superior to Layla, as the best English female in the WWE.

The two women battle in a series of very physical contests, and the option is there for LayCool to reform and compete against Paige & Sofia (this would be done, unsurprisingly, with a 2v1 attack on Layla, with Michelle McCool running down to save the day) at some point along the line. The final confrontation would either be another singles match, possibly with an added stipulation, or the first tag match between the two sides, depending on whether Michelle & Sofia were added to the feud, but either way Layla's side would win out, finally slowing the charge of the anti-divas and giving (a) Layla the momentum needed to start her work on RAW; or (b) LayCool a glorious reunion.

---

So there you have it. Ten angles that could help make the divas division relevant again before the end of the year, and also help introduce some of the young talent that could help spearhead a new wave of womens wrestling in WWE.

We're already seeing a few changes to the division on television, but I hope to see some more big (positive) changes over the next few months, as there is too much talent in the division and in FCW at present for things to carry on the way they have been lately.

We may not get the glory days of Trish, Lita, Molly et al back, but I truly believe we could end up with a product that's pretty close to that level, and that would be no less than we, and the women themselves, deserve.

10 Post-WrestleMania Feuds To Reignite The Divas Division: Part One - RAW

Okay, so in my last post I said that I had come up with ten storylines that could revitalise the divas division - five for RAW, and five for SmackDown. Now is the time to take a look at my plans for RAW.

First of all, I should point out that these aren't rigid plans - I've just come up with an outline for the stories, and a vague timeframe based around PPV's. Anyway, here we go...

 

1. Eve vs. Natalya

Following on from Eve's win at WrestleMania (well, that's what would've happened in my world) she decides to try and take the Divas Championship from her WM28 partner Beth Phoenix. Natalya, however, comes to the same conclusion after some more mistreatment from Pin Up Strong partner Miss Phoenix.

The two women clash over who gets to face Beth, leading to a quick run of matches between the two to decide who the number one contender is. Eve comes out on top in this competition, and faces Beth at the next PPV, Extreme Rules, only to fall short.

 

2. Natalya vs. Beth

With Eve having failed in her quest to take the title from Beth Phoenix, Natalya steps forward to claim her title shot. However, she's told that she must once again prove that she deserves it by winning a number one contendership battle royale, where the winner will get a shot at the title at Over the Limit. In unsurpising fashion, Natalya does eventually prevail, only to be attacked after the match by Beth, breaking up Pin Up Strong once and for all.
 
The two women face off in some non-title singles matches & tag team contests, with both women matching each other throughout. With their rivalry becoming more intense every week, they agree that a clear winner is needed, and so the first ever Divas ladder match is announced. 

At Over the Limit, the two women put on a great show, but Beth eventually managed to retain once more. Clutching her title close to her chest, Beth celebrates in the ring, only for some familiar music to hit... 

 

3. Kharma vs. Beth

With Beth celebrating her win, Kharma makes her return, coming to the ring and staring down Beth, telling her that she's coming for the title.

Kharma destroys half of the roster in the coming weeks, with Beth avoiding any matches with her. During this period Beth throws the Bella's to Kharma, allowing her to get her revenge for their remarks when she announced she was pregnant. Eventually, it is decided that the two women need to face each other, so a title match is booked for No Way Out. Kharma vs Beth, in the first ever divas cage match. At No Way Out the two women finally go head-to-head in a match, and despite Beth's best efforts Kharma comes out on top, winning the title with an Implant Buster from the second rope. 

The rivalry doesn't end there, though. Having lost her precious title, Beth seeks to win it back, and recruits the Bella twins and Layla to help her overcome Kharma. Over the coming weeks, the four women attack Kharma during and after matches, before helping Beth cheat her way to the number one contender spot just in time for Money in the Bank. Kharma says that she'll give Beth her match, but only if it's 'last woman standing'. Beth obviously accepts. 

At MITB, the two women meet again, and Beth's stable interfere to try and help her incapacitate Kharma. In the end, though, she proves too strong, wiping out Beth's helpers before putting Beth through a table with an Implant Buster to retain her title. 

Beth, furious, turns on her allies, but one woman fights back...

 

4. Beth vs. Layla

When Beth lashes out at her former stablemates, Layla defends herself, attacking Beth and hitting her with a LayOut.

Beth responds by ambushing Layla during matches and interviews, causing Layla to respond in kind, triggering a series of brawls that are ended when the two women are booked in a match against each other at SummerSlam. 

PPV time, and the two women prepare to compete in a 'no disqualifications' match. After an evenly contested opening phase, Beth takes control, and looks to be about put Layla away when the Bella's - the other former stablemates of Beth - appear and attack the Glamazon. They, along with Layla, attack Phoenix, and Layla hits a Facelift through a table to end their rivalry.

 

5. Natalya vs. Kharma

After retaining against Beth at MITB, Kharma returned to trampling over the rest of the women on the roster, eventually turning heel when she takes out Kelly Kelly (this would also have the benefit of allowing K2 to be written off screen for a few months, giving her time to actually learn to wrestle). With all the women terrified, Natalya steps forward to challenge Kharma. The two women one up each other over the next few weeks, beating whoever is put in their way, and Natalya continues to stand up to Kharma, protecting a few divas from harm in the process.

Eventually, the two women are booked in a lumberjill match for the Divas Championship at Night of Champions, and the locker room ultimately gets their revenge when they all attack Kharma, allowing Natalya to pick up the victory and win the title. 

--- 

So there you go, that's a rough plan for how I'd book RAW, taking us all the way into September, and there are threads in there that could possibly even be followed up beyond that point, such as Kelly Kelly's return to the roster & feud with the woman who put her out, Kharma. 

Next time I'll reveal my final five angles, which will take place over on SmackDown.

10 Post-WrestleMania Feuds To Reignite The Divas Division: Prelude - Booking WrestleMania

The WWE divas division has been a shadow of its former self for a long time now, but - as outlined in my last article - there is plenty of talent on the roster for the company to utilise. Unfortunately, booking the divas hasn't been a strong point of WWE's for years, so I have come up with ten rivalries (five for RAW, five for SmackDown) which could help the division gain some much needed momentum and legitimise many of the great female workers currently employed by WWE.

First of all, however, I will give you an idea of how I would book the divas match at WrestleMania, in order to help set up these feuds. As we all know, Beth Phoenix & Eve will be taking on Kelly Kelly & Maria Menounos in a tag team match, and although Menounos has recently suffered two broken ribs she plans to work through it, for which she deserves a lot of credit, especially as she's not even a professional wrestler. Anyway, as has become traditional in the division, the match will inevitably last no more than five minutes, so here is my idea for how the match should go...

---

Starting Off - Kelly Kelly vs. Eve

Kelly & Eve get the match started and go through the traditional opening exchanges - headlock, shoulder block etc - with Kelly quickly gaining the upper hand, dragging Eve to their corner and tagging in Maria. This would probably take 30-45seconds, I'd imagine.

Maria vs. Eve

Maria shows a few moves on Eve, before making the rookie mistake of coming off the ropes right next to Beth, who gets a cheap shot in, kneeing her in the ribs and putting her team in control. Eve gives Maria a couple of kicks and tags in the champion. By now I expect they'd be about 1:30 into the match.

Maria vs. Beth

Beth wears down Maria with a few slams and strikes, accompanied by some trash talk. She whips Maria off the ropes before going for a clothesline, but Maria ducks and dashes to tag Kelly back in. She then sells her rib injury, rolling out of the ring and onto the floor to writhe in pain, and leaving Kelly on her own...Let's say we're roughly around three minutes here.

Kelly vs. Beth

Kelly starts the good ol' momentum shift, probably doing her awful 'bang their head against the mat whilst screaming' thing and her 'do a terrible airplane headscissor takedown whilst screaming' thing before getting flattened by a big clothesline from Beth, who picks her up and delivers a GlamSlam. In an unusual show of respect, she doesn't go for the cover, but instead drags Kelly into position and tags Eve in to deliver the final blow. About four minutes gone by now, I'd say.

Kelly vs. Eve

So we finish where we started as Eve climbs the turnbuckle and delivers an Evesault for the win. Eve gets up and starts to celebrate, but Beth GlamSlam's her before throwing both Eve & Kelly out of 'her' ring. Eve looks back angrily, whilst Kelly goes to comfort Maria.

Optional Extra

Natalya comes down to celebrate with Beth, but the tensions between them (seen at the start of this match, for instance) resurface, and they depart uncomfortably.

--- 

So that's the way I'd go in Miami, but what about after WrestleMania? The next part of this article will feature the five angles I'd run on RAW, starting off with two of the women I've mentioned above going head-to-head.

Fans of Womens Wrestling Can Relax, the Future Lies With the Anti-Divas

As I'm sure everyone who doesn't immediately go for a piss/change the channel when the divas come on can see, the Divas division is in terrible shape at the minute. Far too many of the women fail to display a mastery of the most basic techniques in wrestling (watch Kelly Kelly try and run the ropes, then tell me how and why she recently held the Divas Championship for over a hundred days), and those who do frequently find themselves marginalised in favour of the ex-model types who currently hold the division back. For the record, when I mention the 'divas' I'm talking about the likes of Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, Aksana and the Bella twins, with 'K2' being by far the worst of the bunch in terms of ability to airtime ratio. Many of these women don't even appear to want to improve in the ring, with a perfect example of this coming on Monday's RAW (12th March 2012), when Alicia Fox - one of the worst offenders when it comes to botches, just ask Beth Phoenix - said something that made me want to throw my laptop at the wall:

Maria Menounos: "So what kind of training are you guys doing?

Alicia Fox: "I'm just more trying to get my outfits together."

WHAT. THE. FUCK?! If you don't believe she said it, the whole segment is right here. And also, "outfits". Plural. Is she planning a fucking costume change? Does she think she's going to a fashion show? Jesus.

I know it probably wasn't a line that was meant to be taken literally, and I'm sure she's training very hard to improve, but even so, what kind of image does that portray? Rather than focusing on training and trying to earn a spot at the biggest PPV in the industry in which she works, she's thinking about her outfit. Her number one priority isn't her wrestling, it's how she looks, and that one quote perfectly sums up the whole problem with the 'divas'. So there you have it, not only are they terrible wrestlers, but they're terrible role models, and the sooner WWE decide to get move away from this attitude the better.

WWE has plenty of beautiful women on its roster who also posses some ability in the ring, and it is time they started to give these ladies the platform that they have given the likes of Kelly Kelly and the Bella twins. Aside from the obvious, and most prominent, duo of Beth Phoenix and Natalya, WWE also have capable female wrestlers in the shape of AJ, Eve and Tamina Snuka, all of whom are over with the crowds as much as almost any of the divas, as well as the apparently soon to return Layla. They also have young talent that has shown a willingness to improve, in NXT season 3 winner Kaitlyn and fellow NXT alumni Maxine, who I consider to be the best female character in the company right now. Both of these women have improved in the ring since their infamous match on NXT, and are part of one of the most entertaining angles on WWE television at the minute over on NXT. Lastly, FCW currently has two hugely talented young women on its books, who have already shown their anti-diva credentials - Paige & Sofia Cortez. Both ladies are young and very adept in the ring, as well as having great charisma and strong personalities, and I have no doubt that both will play a huge part in the regeneration of the division in the future. As well as being vastly superioir in the ring, all of these women are better role models than the divas. Well, if you exclude all the manipulating Eve & Maxine have been doing...

These women are proof that you don't have to look like a supermodel to be beautiful (although Eve was a model before entering the 2007 Diva Search - but then she was alligned with the divas before her heel turn), and show that strong, intelligent, determined women can achieve great things, even when the playing field isn't equal.

If WWE ever wants its womens division to be credible it must allow the talented wrestlers the time to create good matches and strong rivalries, whilst keeping the sloppy wrestlers out of the ring as much as possible. They don't necessarily have to get rid of the 'divas', but using them as valets and minimising their ring time whilst training them up would allow them to create a better product whilst still keeping their current stars on screen. I firmly believe that if the anti-divas are given enough time and resources, they have the ability to create one of the best womens wrestling divisions in the industry, and one that will finally be able to draw viewers, rather than being the designated 'piss break' segment of every show.

It's undoubtedly going to be a long road, but with careful planning and good utlisation of resources WWE can make its womens division both exciting to watch and positively influential on the attitudes of young women who look up to these ladies - both of which are, at least in my book, good enough reasons to give the anti-divas a chance.

WWE MVP's: The Five Most Important Workers In WWE

WWE has always had massive superstars. From Hogan to the Rock & Stone Cold to Cena, there have always been people around which WWE has centred. But at the same time, there have been people who have been just as important who have not been given the same degree of recognition, and it is with that thought in mind that I have decided to compile a quick list of the five most important on screen characters in WWE today.

5. Michael Cole 

Yeah, I know he's annoying, but he's also the lead commentator, and he can effectively decide whether a guy gets over or not, whether he means to or not, by how badly he crucifies them with his commentary. It wasn't long ago that WWE were citing Cole's commentary as a reason why guys they were trying to push, such as Daniel Bryan, weren't getting over, and that show just how important he is to the company at the minute. Which makes it more mystifying that they continue to use him as a heel, rather than the neutral/face that he was a decade ago, and that most of the great commentators have been (see Jim Ross for the perfect commentator at putting both guys over whilst providing great commentary).

Given the lack of managers in WWE these days, it might even be worth utilising Cole's exceptional ability to get heat in a more logical way by having him step out from behind the commentary box and become a manager for an up-and-coming heel. Which bring us neatly to...

4. Vickie Guerrero 

Vickie is the last great manager in the WWE - she is the biggest heat magnet in the company, with the possible exceptions of John Cena and Michael Cole, and she is an invaluable tool when it comes to helping wrestlers with in ring skills but no charisma get over (hello Jack Swagger). She can also help weaker faces get over by being a target for ridicule, meaning that pretty much every superstar who's being lined up to move up the card works with her in some capacity in the early stages of the push. To illustrate her usefulness to both heels and faces, look at Dolph Ziggler - who has, under her guidance, won the World Heavyweight Championship, the Intercontinental Championship and the US Championship, and moved within touching distance of being an elite heel performer in the company - and Kaitlyn - NXT season 3 winner despite being a late addition, almost exclusively because of her relationship with her pro, a certain Vickie Guerrero.

If there were more managers like Vickie in WWE she might not be as valuable, but she probably would still be the best. As it is though, she is one of the first people called upon to help bring success to many of WWE's up and coming talents, and as such she fully deserves a spot on this list.

3. William Regal

Another one that may surprise some people, but for me Regal is one of the most versatile character WWE currently have at their disposal - he can be a GM, a commentator, a manager or a wrestler; a face or heel; serious or comedic, and he can do every single one of those things well. At present he's working a double role on NXT as a commentator and match co-ordinator, basically an unofficial GM, as well as commentating on FCW, where he has been teasing a return to the ring in a feud with Dean Ambrose (which I feel deserves to be seen on WWE television). Should Michael Cole turn to management, as I suggested earlier, Regal would be a very strong candidate to replace him at the commentary table.

I genuinely don't think there is a single person on the roster who can offer as much in as many different roles as William Regal, and it's that versatility that's earnt him well deserved a place on this list.

2. CM Punk

Ever since that promo, CM Punk's star has been on the ascent, and right now he's probably the most popular person on the roster (only Santino comes close, and I can't decide whether that's awesome or horrifying). He's a great wrestler and a fantastic mic worker, he can work well as a face or a heel, and he can even put on his camel fur jacket and commentate. He's recently become the first person in years to outsell John Cena in merchandise, and his feud with Chris Jericho could turn out to be the feud of the year, pushing him even further up the ladder.

Punk is, as many people have already suggested, the closest thing we're going to get to Stone Cold in the PG/reality era, and he's well on the way to becoming as much of an icon as the Texas Rattlesnake is. At 33 he still has plenty of years left in him, and if his rise continues at the same rate as over the last nine months he could well be the man to topple Cena as the face of the company in the near future.

1. John Cena 

Yes, him. Still. As much as I wanted to put Punk at number one I just couldn't do it. No matter how much Punk is loved by large portions of the WWE universe, John Cena is still 'The Man' (copyright Ric Flair, 3000BC). Let's take a look at the evidence.

At WrestleMania, CM Punk will be defending the WWE Championship - the most prestigious title in pro wrestling - and he'll (apparently) be opening the show. John Cena, meanwhile, is in a non-title match which will, in all likelihood, be the main event. And before anyone says that's because it's a generation v generation match, I'll remind you that Rock v Hogan was third from last on the WrestleMania XVIII card, BEFORE THE WOMENS' TITLE MATCH, with the match for the equivalent to the WWE Championship headlining. Cena/Rock is also getting the most promo time of any of the WrestleMania matches, whilst Punk/Jericho appears to be an afterthought, picking up a few minutes every week at various points of the show before disappearing for a week, lost amongst the flood of RAW Rewind's about Rock/Cena and even HHH/Undertaker/HBK.

And what about Elimination Chamber? Same story. Punk opened the show in the RAW EC match, whilst Cena headlined with his ambulance match against Kane in what was essentially a filler feud. Cena's also the guy who gets the final spot on the WWE trail that starts every show, as well as being the last person you see on the opening credits of both RAW and Superstars.

Whether we like it or not, Cena is still the biggest star in the company, and it's going to be a while yet before anyone - even CM Punk - can topple him from that spot.