John Cena has been the face of the WWE for over a decade, but his time in the spotlight will soon dwindle down and the WWE will have to find a new golden boy on its roster.
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Cena is one of the most polarizing figures to ever set foot in the squared circle as the younger fans are very attached to him while some wrestling fans in the older demographic have "Cena Nuff."
While there is no question that Cena is a draw for the WWE and an all-around good person in and out of the ring with all of the charitable work he's done, he won't be the No. 1 star forever and the WWE will soon have to fill a void.
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While the overall creative direction of the WWE leaves a lot to be desired, one thing the company has done right as of late is the rapid influx of young talent that is currently climbing up the ranks of the main roster and getting exposure through NXT.
Cena, 37, is a 15-time World Champion in the WWE, but the company has plenty of options once they have to replace him as the No. 1 guy.
Here are five suitable WWE Superstars who can vie for the top spot in the company. Daniel Bryan, 33, is omitted due to his career being threatened by an injury.
5) Dolph Ziggler: As we noted last month in a column prior to the Survivor Series, the WWE has something great in Ziggler, 34, as his in-ring talent puts him among the best that the WWE has to offer right now. Ziggler is a rising star, but he's approaching his mid-30s and the WWE has bungled his pushes in the past. There is hope that Ziggler, who just won his fourth Intercontinental Championship at TLC on Sunday, is starting to be taken seriously by WWE management after the performance he put on at last month's Survivor Series. There is also some hope that Ziggler might get pushed back to the top of the roster very soon.
4) Bray Wyatt: The "Eater of Worlds" simply can't be beaten on the microphone by any full-time Superstar on the main roster. Wyatt, 27, has gone all-in on his character and turned himself into the sort of dark and twisted character that is akin to the Attitude era and isn't seen much in these PG times. Wyatt can also put on some solid matches in the ring based on his psychology, which is a huge part of professional wrestling. There are rumors that Wyatt may face The Undertaker at WrestleMania 31, which could mean the WWE is grooming him for big things in the future.
3) Roman Reigns: While he should probably be No. 1 since he is clearly THE GUY as far as the WWE is concerned, Reigns is still working on his in-ring skills as a singles star and the WWE should be taking a slow and steady approach to pushing him.
Unfortunately, however, the WWE has opted to rush his push which could eventually put him in the realm of Ziggler, Sheamus and The Miz as guys who were solid, but pushed way too quickly by WWE creative.
The WWE started Reigns' rise to prominence before The Shield even broke up as he eliminated four of the five members of his opposing team at Survivor Series 2013 then broke Kane's elimination record for a single Rumble Match at the 2014 Royal Rumble. The WWE made it clear Reigns, 29, was the next guy in line for a push when The Shield broke up in June and the company continued to make him look unstoppable. While his momentum was hindered and his singles push and experience took a hit with his injury in September, now that he's back he is expected to win the Royal Rumble Match this year and dethrone WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 31. Whether he's ready for that spotlight is up to debate, but there's no doubt that in the WWE's eyes he's a candidate for the next No. 1 Superstar after John Cena is done.
2) Dean Ambrose: Ambrose, 29, has drawn parallels to Brian Pillman for his off-the-wall character, which to me is high praise. Like Wyatt, Ambrose is a great talker and can cut passionate promos to sell his feuds and his character. "The Lunatic Fringe" can also light it up in the ring and has already been a part of several entertaining matches since the split of The Shield. What may hold him back from being the No. 1 guy in the company is his size, but CM Punk and Daniel Bryan were able to break through before WWE creative and injuries halted their respective pushes.
1) Seth Rollins: "Mr. Money in the Bank" has had an impressive run lately as the top heel in the company as he filled the void for WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar, who was missing from September-December. Rollins, 28, has really come along in his promos while being a cocky heel and has been very impressive in the ring ever since his days in NXT. Though he's working as a heel right now, it is plausible that somewhere down the line Rollins can become a babyface and take the top spot from Cena down the line. Out of all the young up-and-comers, Rollins has been one of the most exciting to watch over the last year as he has carried the WWE as its top heel while its champion was on hiatus.
While Cena -- love him or hate him -- will undoubtedly and deservedly get into the WWE Hall of Fame one day, he won't be around forever and these five Superstars can help carry the torch of the WWE into the next decade.
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