You can start by immediately crossing John Cena off the list. He has been the centerpiece of the entire company for a long time. There are a few reasons why he should not, and will not, be the centerpiece of Smackdown. First, he's a part-timer. In terms of title reigns, 2016 was a dead year for Cena. He was injured. He took time off for projects outside the WWE. It seems all he did was put over AJ Styles last year. Besides his part-time status, he is also old. He will be 40 this year. Without even going into his issues connecting with fans over the years, he just does not look like someone you would push as the centerpiece.
He looks like he can really fit that role Shawn Michaels had in his last few years with the WWE. Shawn Michaels still won titles and had some big matches, but he was more of a "special attraction" kind of guy. Other guys were really featured as the centerpiece, whether you want to talk about Triple H or John Cena. John Cena will still be pushed and win titles, but he won't be featured as annoyingly as he has been in previous years. Hopefully, that can lessen some of the complaining. It gets old after a while. Of course, smarks will still complain if he beats AJ Styles for the title.
How about AJ Styles? Should he be centerpiece? Well, John Cena isn't the only one turning 40 in 2017. Brock Lesnar is also reaching the milestone. And Gail Kim. Besides those three, AJ Styles will also be 40. If I brought it up for Cena, I have to bring this issue up for Styles. He doesn't look 40, but he is. He stays relatively healthy, despite his injury issue last month. But with the style he likes to wrestle, you have to wonder how many years he really has.
I am not saying AJ Styles doesn't deserve to be pushed as a main-eventer. He can still be pushed as an A-tier talent. But this is about whom the WWE should groom to be the true central focus of Smackdown. I don't think that's AJ Styles. Aside from his age, the WWE has not done a good job developing him to be a star for the wider audience. They have just put him out there as a great wrestler that has been doing this for a long time and are resting on that. Wrestling fans may be eating it up, but if AJ Styles had been pushed better, maybe he would be helping Smackdown better.
Let me stay on the age issue for a moment. I remember fans complaining when wrestling promotions would rely on old talent. I have seen fans say WCW failed because they started to rely on old talent and didn't groom new stars. When Hulk Hogan, one of the people blamed for WCW's demise, went to TNA, I saw the same complaints again. 40 isn't ancient, but a wrestler at this age is certainly not a youngster anymore. Are we entering another era where older talents are going to be relied on to be top stars? Is that what some wrestling fans want, as long as these old wrestlers know how to wrestle? I don't think so, but the WWE does have to do a better job grooming younger guys.
How about Dean Ambrose? Here's someone that's not yet close to 40. He is a former member of The Shield. His two friends are the top choices to be centerpiece of Raw. Is Dean Ambrose the Smackdown equivalent? He looks like it, but he doesn't really seem that great of a choice. As I have said before, The Shield looked amazing as a group, but none of these guys have achieved their full potential on their own. Dean Ambrose is just one of those guys. Again, I am not saying he should not be a main-eventer, but it just looks like his overness isn't where it should be. A lot of smarks prefer AJ Styles over him. He might have a unique personality that will help him stand out more, something that Styles does not have. Overall, he doesn't look like he should be the centerpiece.
I would say Smackdown should just go without a centerpiece for now. Split the spotlight between the likes of John Cena, Dean Ambrose, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Miz, Dolph Ziggler, and so on. In other words, continue doing what they have been doing. Despite the praise Smackdown gets from smarks, it still has issues. They are efficient, more than Raw is, but they still have to work on their overall atmosphere. Is this a show that wants to please wrestling fans? Is this a show aiming for the wider audience. I don't see a clear identity. They need to build around what they want to be. After that, they can worry about building stars and a centerpiece. Right now, they are really just going with guys that were established for years. All those men I mentioned were getting major pushes even before 2016. In the case of AJ Styles, it came in promotions all over the world. Despite all that praise, can Smackdown make stars and go beyond just pleasing smarks?
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