July 18, 2007
The TWFuture
What's up guys, it's Peter Cash back for the latest and greatest addition of your favorite column and mine, The Cash Flow!
Throughout time in wrestling many young superstars have coined the phrase "future." Take that for what it is,be it a marketing ploy, to put themselves over, very few have ever lived up to the word. In this edition ofthe Cash Flow, I am going to take a look at several superstars who could very well be just that, the future of the TWF.
Now you have the established veterans like Travis Wakeman, Jordan Rockwell, Money Mike and many others that have been the face of the TWF, and have changed the course of history in their own way. There are still young superstars, established or not that have the ability to carry the TWF into the next generation. So in no particular order, here they are, just a few of the men that can be "the one."
Max Ogden
Biggest Pro: Lightweight frame, heavyweight ability.
Biggest Con: Trust Issues a.k.a. The Hart Family
Why him?: After a great SMW Heavyweight Championship reign, this guy has very quickly made himself a fixture on the TWF's Rampage brand. Ogden hit the scene in 2005, making a name for himself almost immediately. He had the most auspicious pay per view debut of all time at the King of the Ring that year, winning it all and shocking many TWF fans and superstars alike. After that, Ogden went on to become the King Of Cable, winning it at the Royal Rumble a few months later. During this time he was a member of the aforementioned Hart Family stable, leading them to an eventual win over their arch rivals The Horsemen at Code Red 2006. Not too long after, the Hart Family disbanded and "The Memory Maker" was out on his own. Since that time he has proved to be somewhat of a "Giant Killer" defeating men like Viscera, Big Sal, Umaga, and many others. Not to mention his numerous victories over former World Champions. And now he looks to conquer the Tag Team division with Alex Shelley. And with Candice Michelle by his side, what could be better for this young star?
J.J "The Ram" Ramplin
Biggest Pro: Big build, superior wrestling ability.
Biggest Con: Possible dependence on others.
Why him?: Ramplin broke onto the Rampage division in 2005 as a member of the infamous Horsemen, and quickly showed that he was a force to be reckoned with. He was an integral part of that group, and had matches with the likes of Joe Corey, and other marquee guys on the Rampage division. Ramplin also had an outstanding SMW career, and he still competed down there a while into his Rampage stay. After the eventual demise of The Horsemen, he worked with William Regal as his manager, and had a good deal of success, defeating Harry Smith at Doomsday 2006, and having the eventual 2006 match of the year against former Horsemen stablemate Jason Oliver. The two eventually separated, and Ramplin became embroiled in a bitter feud with Oliver, who was the reigning King of Cable Champion. After a long and brutal feud, they put on a great match at Wrestlemania 8 in April of this year, and Ramplin came out on top to claim his first King of Cable championship. He also defeated former mentor William Regal at Evil Intentions, defending the title in the process. During this span, he joined up with the newly created ECW faction, led by Joe Corey, who he at one time replaced in the Horsemen. With gold around his waste, and ECW backing him up for now, the future looks bright for this phenomenal young superstar.
Axl Irvin Biggest Pro: Brawling and wrestling ability, with a mean streak to compliment them.
Biggest Con: Hot Temper
Why him?: Now I know Axl has been around since late 2003, but since then he has proven that he is more than worthy of being considered the next big star. He started out on SMW, and once winning the FOW (Future of Wrestling) championship, he was called up to the big time, and to the Primetime roster. He had some encounters with a number of different superstars and dubbed himself "Superhero Killer." After a while, Axl got into some even bigger matches and faced Rob Van Dam in a great match at Foul Play 2005. That is the match that showed me how great he was going to be, even in a losing effort. He eventually teamed up with Ric Flair and after failing to capture the tag team titles with the "Nature Boy", he eventually wound up turning on his assumed good friend in favor of the lovely vixen Traci Brooks. He faced Flair at Meltdown 2006, and defeated him in an awesome matchup, before going on to feud with Jordan Rockwell, in the rivalry that I believe transformed him from star, to superstar. He took Rockwell to the limit numerous times in some of the most dangerous matches you will ever witness, and even the first televised Hell in a Cell Match in TWF History. This paid off, and he was in the Elimination Chamber match at War In The Winter in January this year, where he became Universal Champion, a feat some only dream of. That my friends, is why Axl Irvin is on this list. Established? Very much so. Nearly finished? Not even close.
Matt "Madik" Cruz
Biggest Pro: Raw athletic ability, unbelievable all around wrestler.
Biggest Con: Where he places his trust.
Why him?: He is an outstanding competitor with the hunger to win. The young kid from Colorado has a knack for putting on good matches and coming through in the clutch. He has been in the King of Cable title hunt for quite a while, but hasn't been able to nab it yet. He is extremely well known for his amateur wrestling backround, and that is obviously where it all began for him. He won the Rampage Tag Team Championships with Karam Ibrahim in a tables match in 2005, the same year he won the Rookie of the Year, besting out several others that our on this list. Possibly one of his better matches came this year, where he challenged the Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania, and took him to the limit. There is no doubt he has grown as a superstar by leaps and bounds, and there's nowhere to go but up for this young man with a tremendous upside.
Dustin Kash Biggest Pro: Mean Streak, just as good in the ring.
Biggest Con: In my opinion, Sean O'Haire and ECW
Why him?: This is one of the biggest success stories to ever come out of The Asylum, where he started as a young "Thumbtack" Kash, and he showed a ruthless side in himself. He was eventually called up to the Primetime brand, where he formed a tag team with Sean O'Haire, who quickly became known as The Blood Brothers. Kash, along with O'Haire, proved they were ready, willing, and able to take the tag team division by storm and they wasted no time in doing so. They beat up on Ricky Steamboat at Payback 2006, and later that year won their first tag team championship from The Orient Express in August at Main Event in his home town, Toronto, Canada. After such an auspicious first year on the main frame of TWF competition, it was clear that he was a forerunner for Rookie of the Year, which he won. Now, barely into his second year on Primetime, and already a two time TWF Tag Team Champion, it has to make you wonder what else this young athlete is capable of. He is also very underrated in his promos with O'Haire, as I feel they do it better than any other tandem. The reason for O'Haire being his con, what do you think he can accomplish as a singles competitor? The possibilities are seemingly endless for the Toronto native. He has also become a member of ECW along with his partner Sean O'Haire, there is no telling how dangerous these two can be.
Jason Oliver
Biggest Pro: Technically sound in the ring, just as good on the microphone.
Biggest Con: E...G...O
Why him?: Jason "Tiger" Oliver was a brash kid looking for a good start, which he got. He quickly got involved in the New Breed situation, and got his name noticed, winning the Tag Team Championships with Heidenreich. Eventually, he was scouted at Payback 2005 by Money Mike as the potential new Horsemen. It was revealed to be true at Meltdown, that Oliver was indeed the choice of the Horsemen. Dropping his Tiger moniker, he was seemingly transformed from young and brash with a chip on his shoulder, to young and brash with an agenda. He fit right in with the Horsemen, and took on former member Joe Corey at Doomsday, and made it to the final round in the King of the Ring tourney. He then was an obvious contender for the TWF King Of Cable title, and set his sights on that as the Horsemen/Hart Family feud boiled over. He defeated the seemingly unbeatable Shelton Benjamin for the championship at Evil Intentions 2006, with no assistance whatsoever, proving he did indeed have what it takes. After a very good title run, he finally made the move many felt was necessary by breaking away from the Horsemen. After a few brief feuds with Money Mike and Damion West, he again set his sights on the King of Cable gold, winning it for a second time at the Royal Rumble this year. He is a very proud Canadian, never short of words. The King of Sting is indeed leading a legacy.
Joe Corey
Biggest Pro: Great in ring work, solid all around performer.
Biggest Con: Same as others, he needs to watch out for himself.
Why him?: Why not? The guy has the longest King of Cable Championship Reign in TWF History, was the 2004 Rookie of the year, and is the current ECW Champion of the world. The case is the same as with Axl, and they both came in at around the same time. Corey came in as an athletic, almost ego-driven young guy with the beautiful Alexis Laree (Mickie James) at his side. He immediately feuded with Val Venis, and he got the better of the former TWF World Champion. Joe Corey was out to prove his "Show" moniker wasn't just for merchandise. He became King of Cable champion less than a year after his arrival, until losing it to a constant thorn in his side, Shelton Benjamin. His second reign is the one still talked about to this day, and is the longest in history. He has defeated many greats, from Shawn Michaels to Jordan Rockwell to John Cena and eventually aligned himself with Money Mike and shared leadership duties of the Horsemen with him. It looked as though Joe Corey would finally win the "big one" when he was screwed over by his Horsemen teammates in Washington in his match for the TWF World Title. He then went on a nearly half year feud with them, dispatching of them one by one. He got his match with Money Mike, and after a valiant effort, came up short. In 2006, he aligned himself with Paul Heyman, and at the Royal Rumble this year finally won the "big one", defeating Rob Van Dam to become ECW World Champion. He has since surrounded himself with a hoard of young talent, some of which are on this list, and is leading one of the most dominant groups in recent memory, ECW. But after what happened with the Horsemen, does he need to worry about these guys turning on him as well? Only one thing is for sure, Joe Corey meant it when he named himself The Show.
There are so many other guys that I know need recognition, but these are just a FEW that have proved themselves so far. Here's a list of some even newer young stars to look out for!
1: Aldo Corleone: He's found himself a reliable tag partner in Rob Storm, and the two quickly got into the Rampage Tag Team Championship hunt. Aldo has an incredible combination of size and athleticism that is really unmatched in my opinion. He has proven to be a force to be reckoned with in his first half year as a TWF superstar, and you have to fear what this young guy can do when he gets a shot.
2. Lenny Armstead: Another guy from the Rampage side of things, he has a tremendous upside as well. He was one of the final two in the Royal Rumble Match this year, lasting over twenty minutes before finally being tossed by John Cena, but no shame in that. Armstead looks to be a threat and he should be taken seriously.
3. Bill Cutting (Formerly Mariner): A man that could very well make waves in the LightHeavyweight division of Primetime if focused. He has a style not usually seen in the division, as he isn't the typical high flyer that the division is used to seeing. He can ground and pound his way to a win, look out for him.
4: And last but certainly not least, Gabriel Cross. Cross possesses an attitude that always seems to give him a mental edge heading into a match. He has run into a road block as of late in the form of ECW, but I'm sure time will show that he has all the tools to be an incredible success. He is specialized in Judo, and he was signed just in April at the age of 19. Look for big things from this guy.
Now tell me that isn't a list of raw ability and talent. Some have been around longer than others, but everyone on the list deserves to be there.
Ah, well seems the time has finally arrived, the time I know you all dread, closing time at the Cash Flow. Do not stress however, as I will be back, as always. But until then, this is Peter Cash saying that's a wrap!
