From: SmartMuffin | #488
Jak, I would like to address your "roster is thin at the top" thing though. Let's compare to when the WWE was actually good, say, attitude era?
After WM in 1998, as far as I can tell (and I'm sure you'll correct me if I'm wrong on this) there were a whopping TWO people on the active roster who had EVER been champion. Austin (current) and Taker (former). Over the course of the next two years they'd go on to add a whopping four more: Kane (for about a minute), Rock, Foley, and HHH.
Let's compare to today. I'm going to try and list all the "former world champions" currently on the active roster. I'm sure I'll miss at least one because there's so many.
Cena
Orton
Miz
Christian
Rey
ADR
Swagger
Kane
Punk
Jericho
Mark Henry
Big Show
and that's not even including the guys "on the edges" who aren't really active but could be called upon to do a match if needed: Khali, Booker, HHH, Taker, etc. Also not counting Dolph's completely illegitimate reign.
Sure, some of this is due to two titles, some is due to crappy MITB booking, but I think in all honesty, every one of those guys (except possibly Swagger) COULD, with the proper booking, be a main-event level star and dominate at the very top of the card.
Yep, the roster was very thin at the top in 1998 too, thinner than it is now. I'm not denying that there's a crapload of TALENT today, just that there's no one outside of Cena/Orton/Punk who has been positioned as "Well this guy is clearly dominant, anyone who conquers them must be pretty incredible" the same way that Austin conquered Bret, HBK, and Taker. Whenever someone like Wade or Del Rio gets any momentum, they get it all swept out from under their feet before they can solidify it.
Split brands in 1998 would have been awful.
(you forgot Big Show on your list of new World Champs over the next 2 years [and Vince but that's Vince])
Of course, every name you listed today COULD be positioned as a strong main-eventer. That's what they're working on now with CM Punk, and they're doing a good job thus far, Triple H hiccup aside. But you're right, it takes strong, consistent booking, which is not something WWE is known for.
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Thank you, Eddie Guerrero.
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