John Cena has been the face of the WWE for more than a decadeWho will succeed John Cena?It’s a million dollar question. Cena has been the face of the WWE for nearly a decade now. Anyone who replaces him will have a big void to fill. Now, to sit on the Iron Throne of WWE, one must be a prototype WWE superstar. He should have the looks, the right wrestling skills, some good microphone skills and a whole lot of charisma.One day or the other, WWE has to find a replacement for Cena. It will not be a cake walk for the company but there are some good options available for them. Here is a look at some of those possible names who are worthy of succeeding John Cena.
#10 Finn Balor
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Looks: check, Wrestling skills: check, Microphone skills: check. Finn Balor has almost everything needed to be on top and more. He was the founder of Bullet Club back in Japan and is still one of the most loved wrestlers in the country. He is Irish by birth so that makes him marketable in Europe as well as in Asia.
Thanks to his days with the Independent promotions of United States, he has a lot of fans in US as well. Combine these with the first three qualities and Finn Balor is a great option to replace Cena. The argument will be much clearer once he makes it into the main roster and starts showing his magic.
#9 Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler has a good fan base. He is one of those ‘hard to hate’ wrestlers because of the dedication he shows inside the ring. Ziggler has all the resources to succeed John Cena.
The selling skill he has is unmatched in the current roster and he is good in the offense as well. Microphone work of Ziggler is above average. Some fangirls out there are dying for Ziggler so that explains the looks part.
But above all, what Ziggler has is a story. He started off his career as part of the Spirit Squad. He later had to spend a lot of time in the development before he could reach the main roster. Ziggler worked hard to reach here and he deserves to be on top.
#8 Sami Zayn
The fans of NXT and Independent wrestling know what Sami Zayn could do. He travelled around the world as El Generico and made a name for himself. There was a misconception about his mask being his trademark. Sami was able to overcome this when he started to wrestle in NXT without the mask.
Now the WWE Universe knows him as the man who pushed John Cena to the limit. Sami has won over the fans with that one match. The roots of Sami extend to Middle East and making him the face will give WWE a big marketing advantage. Sami is connected to Canada also. Combine this with his wrestling skills and this is a deadly combination.
#7 Cesaro
Representing the company on an international platform is one of the biggest tasks of John Cena. And whoever succeeds him will have to do the same. This is where Cesaro comes into play. He knows almost six languages. Cesaro is well travelled in the independent scene and knows to win over the fans with his wrestling skills as well.
Cesaro is not the best talker in the company but if WWE gives him a good manager this problem could be solved. The internet fans are firmly behind him making the task easier for WWE. Time is holding up against Cesaro and WWE should bank in on his talent at the earliest.
#6 Big E
Big E will look like a wildcard in the list. However, he has big backing from Triple H and John Cena. The current version of Big E might not be enough to convince the fans. But the gimmick he had at NXT was perfect.
Big E used to order the referee to execute a five count since he was dominant in his matches. It is the kind of gimmick that would have taken him places. The run he had as NXT champion was solid as well. Microphone work is something he needs to improve. He is solid but he has to be exceptional if he is to reach the top and replace Cena.
#5 Seth Rollins
The journey of Seth Rollins as the WWE champion hasn’t been going that great. He is projected as a bad champion and a lot of the fans are blaming him for the rating drop. What everyone forgets is the talent this guy has. Rollins is arguably the best wrestler in WWE’s roster right now. His work with the microphone is solid as well.
If Rollins is to be compared to be any legend in the past, it will be Shawn Michaels. Shawn had a brief spell as the face of WWE and Rollins could have a longer run. What Rollins needs first will be a face turn as the fans still don’t know how far he can go as a babyface wrestler.
#4 Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose was apt to be the face of WWE back in the Attitude Era. It was an era of the loud and insane. While a wrestler like Cena would have struggled in those times, Dean would have flourished. It would be safe to say that Dean is stuck in the wrong time frame, but then again, he is good enough to be WWE’s top guy.
He is a lovable, lunatic and the closest thing that WWE has to Steve Austin. And since it was Austin who sat on the throne before Cena, Ambrose getting a push will not raise many questions. Ambrose is simply gold in microphone, which helps him further.
#3 Cody Rhodes
WWE gave Cody a lot of gimmicks. And to his credit, Cody flourished in all of them. This is enough to show the talents he has. Cody has the bloodline of Dusty Rhodes and it will not be a big surprise if WWE trusts him with such a big responsibility. No one is going to complain about the looks of Cody as well.
When it comes to the wrestling skills, Cody is better than Cena. With everything in place, Cody belongs to the top tier. First of all, he needs to shed off the Stardust image as it is confining him to the walls of the mid card. Once that is done, Cody has a clear road ahead of him.
#2 Roman Reigns
Roman Reigns is the first wrestler in a long time to earn the ‘next John Cena’ tag. He is born in the legendary Anoa’i family and has everything that WWE looks for. In short, Roman Reigns is the prototype WWE superstar. The only thing that holds him back from succeeding John Cena is the fans and his microphone work.
He has plenty of time to improve his promo skills. However, turning the fans in favor of him is entirely in WWE’s hands. In fact, it was WWE’s fault all the way. They brought back Daniel Bryan in the wrong time and messed up the momentum of Roman Reigns. If the creative team finds a way around this problem, then Reigns will have no trouble succeeding Cena.
#1 Randy Orton
If John Cena leaves WWE, then the best option to replace him is Randy Orton. Unlike most of the other superstars in the list, Orton does not require any buildup to ascend. He is already on top of the mountain. The only thing that stops Randy from being the face of WWE is John Cena.
Randy has the looks and a good fan following that WWE could utilize. At the same time, Randy deserves to be there. He has been in the business for almost two decades and still has some good years ahead. So if Cena hangs up his boots before Orton, then WWE will not hesitate in pushing Orton to that throne.