Context:

In the past, WWE allowed for rapid ascension to stardom, as seen with figures like Dwayne Johnson and Steve Austin who quickly became champions. However, the current WWE environment presents a stark contrast, with a stable roster and limited movement opportunities for younger talent, reminiscent of the late 1990s WCW era. This has resulted in promising wrestlers like Jacob Fatu and Dominik Mysterio being held back by an 'artificial ceiling', unable to break into the main event scene. The issue is compounded by the lucrative contracts and stable positions of established stars, which limit the chances for new performers to rise. Despite WWE's financial success, this slow path to stardom could hinder the development of potential new megastars, raising concerns about long-term talent progression in the industry.

Dive Deeper:

• WWE's past era allowed for rapid ascension of wrestlers like The Rock and Steve Austin, who became champions within three years, a feat now difficult for young talent in today's WWE landscape.

• The current WWE environment is marked by a stable roster with limited opportunities for younger talent to ascend, unlike the more dynamic rosters of the 1980s and 1990s, where wrestlers could move between promotions for better opportunities.

• Young wrestlers such as Jacob Fatu and Dominik Mysterio demonstrate significant potential and charisma, yet they remain hindered by an 'artificial ceiling' that prevents their elevation into main event positions.

• The situation mirrors the late 1990s WCW era, where established stars' contract renewals prevented younger talent from advancing, as highlighted by Chris Jericho's experiences in his book 'Lionheart'.

• Despite WWE's financial success and the well-compensated, stable positions of established stars, the slow progression for new talent could potentially limit the emergence of future wrestling megastars, raising concerns about the industry's long-term talent development.

• A long time ago, March 1996 to be exact, there was a young man named Dwayne Johnson decided to enter professional wrestling. Coming off a football career that included a national championship with the Miami Hurricanes, the 23-year-old son of former World Tag-Team Champion Rocky Johnson was signed as a developmental prospect by the then World Wrestling Federation and sent to the minor-league affiliate, United States Wrestling Association, to begin his career with hopes of one day becoming a superstar.

• Before he turned 26, The Rock had become WWF Champion and the second most important performer in the company. All of this took place in less than three years. In today's WWE, that seems like an impossible task for an up-and-comer to follow.

• World Wrestling Entertainment of today is in a markedly different place than the WWF on the cusp of entering the Attitude Era, where performers like The Rock, Steve Austin, and Mick Foley could quickly rise based upon organic response and the talent they displayed.

• All three had won the WWF championship within 36 months of their debuts. And that was not an anomalous period. Randy Savage won his first world title within three years of his first WWF appearance, as did Ultimate Warrior. In the 2000s, a 23-year-old John Cena signed and won the championship within five years, while an even younger Randy Orton entered developmental and captured the WWE title in four years. Batista won the belt less than three years after his Smackdown debut. 

• So what has changed in WWE today? The answer is roster progression.  

• The wrestling environment of the 1980s and 1990s featured at least two viable landing sites in the United States at any given point, plus opportunities in Japan. If a wrestler was unhappy in a WWF, they could give notice and eventually move elsewhere.

• One such example was a young Bam Bam Bigelow. After departing the WWF in the summer of 1988, he quickly joined the National Wrestling Alliance later that year and also did multiple tours of New Japan.

• Jeff Jarrett had several stints in both the WWF and WCW between 1993 and 2001. Others included Sean Waltman, Paul Levesque, Roddy Piper, Randy Savage, Barry Windham, and Hulk Hogan.

• All moved between different promotions, guaranteeing opportunities. For every Ultimate Warrior or Sid Justice that departed the WWF, a new upper card slot opened for a wrestler like Shawn Michaels or Bret Hart. When Scott Hall and Kevin Nash left for WCW it gave a chance for Steve Austin and Dwayne Johnson to move up.

• The rosters of the various eras of the past were not static, but had enough disruption that younger wrestlers could have the opportunity to be elevated and headline in relatively short order. 

• But today the roster is relatively stable. Most performers have spent the majority of their careers in WWE. John Cena made his debut over twenty years ago. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have been with the brand since 2012. And despite an alternate promotion in AEW that has been willing to overspend (like World Championship Wrestling of the 1990s) for talent acquisition, performer after performer continues to re-sign with WWE. 

• In turn they are well compensated and well treated. They continue to be featured and in general remain headliners. It’s logical to renew. But thinking back to the road to WrestleMania 41 and the event itself, two younger performers come to mind - Jacob Fatu and Dominik Mysterio. The former showed incredible raw charisma and speaking ability on numerous occasions, reminiscent of The Rock himself in 1997. As for Dominik, he was outstanding over the last two years as a heel, and his run back to the ring where he soaked in the cheers of the audience during WrestleMania was both memorable but also indicative of where he could be positioned on the card.

• Yet both performers, just like other younger, shorter tenured wrestlers on the main roster continue to be frozen below an artificial ceiling.

• This happened once before. Because despite the aforementioned roster movement of the previous eras, there was one other period where opportunities became few and far between for younger talent. 

• WCW of the late 1990s.

• There, flush with success and having become the top promotion, the company was loathe to give a struggling WWF any sort of chance at resuscitation. One by one each top tier wrestler renewed with the company - Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, Sting, Bill Goldberg, Randy Savage, and Lex Luger all signed new deals.

• As Chris Jericho described in his book Lionheart, renewing these main eventers created a barrier younger talent like himself could not cross, and led to his jump to the WWF. 

• Three years ago Kirk Herbstreit famously said on more than one occasion that college football had one of the worst playoffs of any sport; that it was bad that three of the then four playoff spots could instantly be predicted each year to be held by Alabama, Ohio State, and Clemson. When looking ahead to WrestleMania 42, it seems fairly certain that the main event positions on the men’s side will be held by a combination of Cody Rhodes, Roman Reigns, CM Punk, Seth Rollins, and Gunther. The only variable may be if Bron Breaker or Jacob Fatu are finally elevated into the mix.

• The upper card seems largely locked in place for the next few years. It remains to be seen if the younger performers will continue to wait their turn, or if like Ricochet last year, consider other opportunities.

• What it would be like if Fatu had the proverbial rocket strapped to his back and defeated Jey Uso at SummerSlam? Could a megastar be created? What if Dominick Mysterio won the Money in the Bank briefcase and defeated Cody Rhodes immediately after he regained the title from John Cena? How entertaining would a year-long chase of Dirty Dom's world championship be?

• What if a young Dwayne Johnson or John Cena were to walk through the doors of WWE today? Rather than headlining the company in short order would both eventually find themselves on the main roster mid card, patiently waiting for an opportunity that might take years to come?

• The WWE is making an obscene amount of money, both for it's corporate overlords and its wrestlers. But the path to ultimate glory is now a much slower grind than it used to be, and that isn't necessarily a good thing for anybody.