by Hanley! » Sep 22, '15, 2:35 pm
I think the obvious choice is Bubba Ray Dudley. I don't think he'll ever get to that point, as he has a niche midcard/tag team gimmick in WWE that I don't think they'll let him get away from. But theoretically if they were to give him a singles push at some point, he could get over enough as a main event heel to win the title. He is one of the best heels in wrestling when given the platform. He's maybe unparalleled in the current era at drawing the right kind of heat from the crowd. Again, I don't think it's likely he'll ever be used in this way, but when you consider the fact that William Regal almost (deservingly) became champion in 2008, it's certainly at least possible.
I would say Kalisto is another good shout, but honestly I think he'd make a terrible champion because WWE don't know how to book a champion who doesn't cut long promos anymore. Unless they're already a huge star (and freak of nature) like Brock Lesnar. Kalisto could be the next Mysterio if handled correctly, but lets not forget that Mysterio was a shit champion who only won the belt because Guerrero died. Vince clearly didn't believe in him and didn't know what to do with him when he was on top.
Here's my real answer though: Luke Harper. You said Wyatt doesn't count, but you never said anything about Harper, so I'm going with him. They're barely using the guy, but as soon as they find a spot for him I think he can really excel in it. He's an absolute beast, but he's still a damn good worker and an athletic one at that. He's a great actor between the ropes, he's very expressive and knows how to look intimidating. He maybe has as much main event potential as Bray Wyatt himself. Him finding any huge success will depend on whether he's able to get out from under the gimmick at some point, but he really could be a main event guy in the future. The only downside is he's already in his mid 30s, so time isn't necessarily on his side.