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Posts Tagged ‘Ted DiBiase Jr.’

With Randy Orton facing off against both members of Legacy, I was looking forward to this match more than most of the undercard, simply because Orton is in his prime and both Rhodes and DiBiase seem primed to be the next Orton, even if DiBiase is noticeably more polished at this point than Rhodes.

The actual match was more fun that a room full of custom plastic cups! Although it lasted around nine minutes in all, Orton’s in-ring storytelling helped sell the energy and enthusiasm of the younger duo.

Rhodes too a wicked Punt from Orton that may signal a hiatus from TV, and Orton got the win and appears to be headed toward becoming Raw’s top heel, even though this match drew some babyface heat to him. DiBiase lost, but appears ready for the next phase of his career. A lot could be determined about where that will take him in a couple weeks, when Raw holds its annual Draft Lottery event, mixing up the roster.

In a Slam Wrestling interview, John Cena revealed which young superstars he suspects will form the future of WWE. His favorites include: The Miz, John Morrison, Sheamus, Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Jr., and Kofi Kingston.

I’ll give Cena Morrison, Rhodes and DiBiase… but The Miz needs a more serious persona to succeed at the top of the card, Sheamus has too much to prove yet, and Kingston just doesn’t seem to have that “star charisma” that the best WWE superstars possess by the barrel-full.

While the office supply of young talent is there, I would say that if Cena is right about half those guys, he’s not doing bad. Morrison’s almost too much of a veteran to be included in that lineup, but seems to be on a career path that could mirror Edge. Meanwhile, it would be hard to imagine Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase Jr. NOT headlining a WrestleMania about five years or so down the line.

The first film was a vehicle for John Cena, but the WWE Films sequel, The Marine 2, will star Legacy member Ted DiBiase Jr., it has been revealed. Footage of the new flick is making its way around the usual Internet sites, from IGN.com to YouTube.

While DiBiase is just old enough to no longer need a natural acne treatment every day, he’s certainly being given a big boost by being highlighted in this film. Apparently the McMahon family has faith in this kid. And that’s a good thing, as the stars of tomorrow need to be built today, while the stars of today are still at the top of their game.

Following in the footsteps of Randy Orton, it seems like second- and third-generation talent is popping up on WWE like new coffee franchises in a mega-mall. And to be honest, I love the trend.

Last Monday’s RAW gave me my first live (as opposed to watching it on TIVO-delayed recording) performance by Sim Snuka, who has joined the ranks of Cody Rhodes, Manu and Ted DiBiase Jr. as the latest sons of former superstars to make their WWE debut.

Add ECW’s Ricky Ortiz to the list, by the way.

While these young talents will need to prove themselves just as their fathers (and grandfathers, in some cases) did, these prodigies have been quite bankable for WWE over the years; folks such as The Rock and Randy Orton are proof that sometimes, pro wrestling runs in the blood.

Shane McMahon is the exception, by the way, that proves the rule.

Although he’s at least “a year away” from his WWE debut, according to his father, Reid Flair may eventually become the newest member of the Second Generation faction that currently includes Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase Jr., and Manu.

While it’s a ways off, if he matures and develops properly, adding Reid Flair to that group could become WWE gold: can anyone say “the second coming of the Four Horsemen?” Having a young Flair join a slightly older faction that includes Rhodes, DiBiase and Manu would certainly be a step toward having son Reid follow in his father’s legendary footsteps.

While it’s far to early to know if Reid can be successful as a professional wrestler, you have to believe that it is the potential of something like this which has WWE talent scouts watching Reid Flair’s development with more than a casual interest, even if it means swapping Mexican recipes with Flair family members.

Although Ted DiBiase Jr. and Cody Rhodes are perhaps some of the most promising next-generation wrestlers to debut in WWE since Randy Orton, their match with Cryme Tyme was disappointing. The match went a decent eleven minutes, but Cryme Tyme simply is not over with the crowd enough to make the victory seem very significant.

Of course, you could throw an anonymous Briggs and Riley team in against DiBiase Jr and Rhodes and the match would be watchable, but what tonight’s match should teach WWE is that they need to build up their tag division more effectively if DiBiase Jr and Rhodes are ever to become as legendary as Edge and Christian, or the Hardy Boyz. After all, those two teams even had the Dudley Boys to feud with.

If Cryme Tyme is the best WWE can do to challenge DiBiase Jr. and Rhodes, the company is missing a huge opportunity to make the tag division a “money spot” in future PPVs.