The ESSENTIALS: What it takes to make it in the WWE

Welcome to this very special edition of the ESSENTIALS.  Per a special request, I will be listing the top ten tools that turn an aspiring superstar into a WWE legend.  Every would-be wrestler should get well acquainted with this article, because if you follow these necessary guidelines, you will have no problem getting to the upper echelon of the WWE.  With each entry, I will explain why it's necessary and provide you with the one superstar who capitalized on each quality the most.



*Side note: I will be accepting further requests from you all for future editions of the essentials so keep em' coming!

Find out the 10 most essential qualities it takes to become a successful WWE superstar after the jump




Number 10: A Great Gimmick

Prime example: Ric Flair

A great gimmick is what determines how fast your rise to the top will be.  Ric Flair is the man I believe, to possess the greatest gimmick of all time.  It made him stand out in an era full of great but rather plain wrestlers.  It was so good, that more then a handful of other wrestlers, have made a good career out of imitating it.  Another good example of what a good gimmick can do for your career is Randy Orton.  As a young, green superstar, Randy was given the best gimmick ever for a rookie.  Dubbed "The Legend Killer", he was allowed to work almost exclusively with established WWE icons and it propelled him to Main Event status so quickly, that he soon realized that he was not even yet ready for that level of success.




Number 9: Creativity

Prime example: Chris Jericho

Creativity is essential to becoming great at anything you desire to achieve.  Superstars like Chris Jericho, have thrived off of their uncanny ability to come up with consistently brilliant ideas for themselves.  You have to have a vision and know just what steps you need to take career wise.  A gimmick means nothing if you do not give it as much creative input as possible.  This quality is the MOST necessary on this list in terms of longevity and relevance.




Number 8: Toughness

Prime example: Mick Foley

This is what separates the boys from the men in the WWE because let's face it, this ain't ballet.  You need to be as tough as nails, fuck that, nails should bend and hammers should break against your ultra-thick skull!  Seriously, you're definitely going to have to be a tough SOB to survive a calender full of ladder matches, hell in a cell's and chambers galore.  Take a maniac like Mick Foley, that would kill himself if the match allowed.  Notorious for his high tolerance of punishment, Foley is the epitome of just hiow tough a wrestler needs to be.  After Foley, The Undertaker has become pound for pound, the baddest man to ever step foot in the WWE.  Take the 2010 Elimination Chamber for example.  The man suffered 2nd degree burns and still went out there and performed for over 30 minutes!  If you don't think you could tough that shit out, then stay your punk-ass at home.




Number 7: A Great Look

Prime example: Batista

The WWE may be one of the most vanity driven businesses that don't operate on a runway.  You're second home should be your local gym.  Dave Batista is a testament to how far you could go on look alone.  While the big man was still a very talented performer, had he been born with Spike Dudley's genes, the Animal would have just been an afterthought.  Still, muscles aren't totally necessary.  If you're not the genetic freak that Batista is, then you better possess all the next tools on this list.




Number 6: Mic Skills

Prime example: CM Punk

CM Punk proved in 2011 just how much damage a 'pipe bomb' could do.  Without much use of his weapon of choice, Punk had already achieved great success in the WWE.  Still, it wasn't until last year that his career soared to the heights that he had long dreamed of reaching.  While many superstars have made their mark on the WWE, none have truly transcended the sport without the use of a microphone.




Number 5: Wrestling ability

Prime example: Kurt Angle

Widely considered to be the most important, I don't think everyone has to be a technical mastermind to be a massive success.  Take the careers of the four biggest WWE superstars ever (Hogan, Austin, Rock and Cena) and not one of them was the best wrestler of their generation.  However, an exceptional grappler such as Kurt Angle could rise to the top of any promotion on in-ring ability alone.  You could easily find yourself in the Main Event and become an in-demand superstar, but if history taught us anything, you might not Main Event a lot of Wrestlemanias.




Number 4: Passion

Prime example: Triple H

Passion is a necessary trait to be great in life.  If you are not passionate about pro wrestling, then you will fade into obscurity within no time.  As loyal members of the WWE universe, we've seen em' come and we've definitely seen em' wished their future endeavors.  Triple H is the best example of what could be achieved off of passion alone.  Many cynics will say his passion is screwing (literally and figuratively) his way to the top, but I dare you to name me one superstar with more passion for pro wrestling than The Game.




Number 3: Hard Work Ethic

Prime example: John Cena

You want to be the top guy?  Well, that job doesn't just require you to have all of the above traits, but you will also need to be the hardest working superstar in the industry and an overall role model/spokesperson/ambassador for the company.  In today's WWE, no one works harder then John Cena.  Cena's longevity as the king of the hill, is evidence of the amount of success hard work can grant you.  I believe that if John Cena were a jobber, that he would STILL work harder then every one else.  Other superstars like The Miz, are also a testament to the benefits of hard work in the WWE.




Number 2: Performance ability

Prime example: Shawn Michaels

The ability to act and tell a believable story in the ring I believe far outweighs the importance of in-ring skill in the WWE.  Only a rare athlete can ever become a top WWE superstar without this quality, and few will remain there.  Shawn Michaels made a legendary career out of memorable performances and is now widely recognized as the greatest WWE superstar of all time.  You need to connect with the audience and keep them emotionally involved in you as a performer, or you will end up a flash in the pan like Jack Swagger did in 2010.









And what trait is the most important in becoming an icon in the WWE?









Number 1: Charisma

Prime example: The Rock

Easily the single most necessary and important quality a wrestler can possess.  That intangible 'X' factor.  That undeniable presence that unlike every other quality on this list, can't be taught or learned through experience, you just have to have 'it'.  The Rock most embodies this trait, with his aura and air of confidence, he is unmatched.  His recent return to the WWE in 2011, proved this theory to be true.  He easily eclipsed the eintre company (if not the wrestling world) with his select few appearances throughout the year.  There is nothing that determines the order of the push you will recieve like charisma.  You could even leave a few of the other factors out, and as long as you have an immense amount of charisma, you will make it to the top.  Jeff Hardy is shit on the stick, but he is one of the WWE's all-time most popular superstars and is proof to the point that charisma and marketability is almost solely where a superstars value is determined.




And there you have it, the essential qualities of a top WWE superstar!  I think every noteworthy superstar has at least 8 out of 10 of these traits.



Let me know where you agree/disagree