The Future of Wrestling

Pretty bored so creating a thread with a few questions that will hopefully stir up some debate.

Where do you see wrestling as an industry in 5 years time, do you think it will have improved any or will its sad decline have continued?
Who are the people currently active that will carry the torch for years to come?
Who will have hung up their boots and called it a day?
Will the WWE have any rivals?

Look forward to reading your comments.

Where do you see wrestling as an industry in 5 years time, do you think it will have improved any or will its sad decline have continued?

I think it'll be pretty much in the same spot as it is now, WWE have a formula now which seems to work and they can stick to that for a long time now unless something major happens.

Who are the people currently active that will carry the torch for years to come?

I think John Cena and Randy Orton will still be the torch holders for years now. If WWE know what's good for them, CM Punk could also be in that list.

Who will have hung up their boots and called it a day?

I imagine Triple H will be making less and less appearences from now on, I can't ever see him returning as a full time wrestler. Kane, Undertaker, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, Sting, Big Show, Mark Henry are all guys I expect to see hang up their wrestling gear in the next five years. There are probably others I have forgot as well.

Will the WWE have any rivals?

No, I think TNA will have either collapsed or be in the exact same position as it is now.

I think the WWE will be better, if not more adult definitely running a lot smoother and I see iMPACT! Wrestling being a settled major player and I also see ROH and another promotion being main stream although not as big as IW

I think Orton Punk Anderson Moxley AJ Sabin Shelly Swagger and Bobby Roode are 10 guys right now who will be headlining in 5 years, I think Cena will be retired by then, Vince will have greater plans for him for films

who will be retired:

Triple H, Taker, Cena, Show, Jericho, Angle, Sting, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, The Dudleys, Kane

I think the WWE will have a few rivals with one genuine rival and thats whatever TNA will be called by then

I really can't see Cena being retired in 5 years, he's definetly got more legs in him than that, and he has shown that he loves the business as well. Also, I doubt WWE would be able to push somebody to his heights in 5 years, just look at how long they have relied on the old guard of Triple H, The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels.

Where do you see wrestling as an industry in 5 years time, do you think it will have improved any or will its sad decline have continued?

It will have probably changed to meet the new youth audience but will still either be incredibly popular or at least will be marketed as being incredibly popular. There will be a continued move towards the mainstream with a greater reduction in gimmick characters and kayfabe. The IWC (or its contemporary equivalent) will continue to bemoan the action, or lack there of, being produced from the WWE. Except it will be Holymiky's generation reminiscing about the Guerrero, Cena, Edge, Orton generation.

Who are the people currently active that will carry the torch for years to come?

In five years Cena will be nearing (or have reached) the end of his in ring career. If WWE can push him as a movie star beforehand this could happen even faster. Orton will be there and I believe that Cody Rhodes will be pushed to the forefront of the WWE. Miz will potentially be the next huge "Cena-like" babyface. In terms of heel characters, Sheamus. I can see Punk going to Japan.

Who will have hung up their boots and called it a day?

Most of the older guys like HHH, Taker, Kane etc will be gone from the WWE. I can still see Ric Flair blading away sadly. As I said I think that Cena will be close to being pushed into the mainstream and if Miz can take off first as a babyface and then in the movies his career could be close to being over as well.

Will the WWE have any rivals?

Commercially there rivals will not be wrestling promotions but other TV shows. Technically now WWE doesn't see TNA as a rival show. It is on a different time and channel slot so isn't competition to them. It will still be fighting the tide however of the fact that it will not have the legitimacy that it craves in the mainstream. In terms of wrestling promotions TNA will die and others will come and go in a fairly endless stream.

Cena will burn out leak, its that simple, he's already sloppy as hell, a few more years and it will catch up with him, the injuries will mount up and its an absolute certainty the people who love him will turn on him, when that happens you'll have a Hogan of 92 on yous hands, the WWE will likely be far more mainstream by that time and Vince will then use Cena for something else

Wrestling will also be viewed far more as a stepping stone to other success. Once the marginal benefit of moving them to the mainstream outweighs the marginal cost of losing them from the wrestling company they will be gone I suspect.

Got to agree with the notion that Cena will be retired in the next 5 or so years. He has been the main guy for the WWE for years so the amount of travelling and house shows on top of the main shows will eventually catch up on him. Also, like previously mentioned I see him being pushed more into the movies with the possibility of WWE appearances every so now and again.

Cena will become Rock v. 2 (or at least the WWE hope so)