The November 17 edition of WWE Monday Night Raw featured a big match between GUNTHER and Je’Von Evans. Both men were competing for the opportunity to face John Cena in his retirement match on December 13. While this was the return of the two-time champion in Gunther, who hasn’t been seen since September, much of the buzz was around Je’Von Evans. In the eyes of many, he has the potential to be the future of the company and that’s a stance that WWE has to embrace.
Je’Von Evans was a big talking point heading into Monday evening. According to BodySlam.net, the young performer is poised to take an important role in the company.
“Multiple executives in WWE believe that Je’Von Evans is not only the present, but the future of WWE.”
That’s quite the statement. This is a company that features several amazing superstars who are younger than 30 years old. Individuals like Rhea Ripley and Bron Breakker immediately come to mind. Seeing Evans mentioned in such a position that would put him alongside them is a great rub for the 21 year old.
But how does WWE get there? This is the big question that many are asking. WWE has a notorious practice of going slow with its young stars, at least within the men’s division. That’s not the case for the women, however. Look at how long Rhea Ripley has been on top and she’s not even 30 years old yet. Tiffany Stratton is 26 and coming off a 302-day run as WWE Women’s Champion. This also speaks to the perception of how long women’s wrestlers are seen as in their “prime” compared to their male colleagues, but that is another conversation for another day.
Evans didn’t need to, nor was he expected to defeat Gunther. But he was given the opportunity to have a great match with the former champion, highlighting him in a positive way. Now what? Does he go back to WWE NXT where he continues to fail to capture singles titles? Does he continue to moonlight in AAA? Or is he immediately moved to either SmackDown or Raw where he can grow into this potential role as the next top star in the company? The answer should be the latter, because that has the most immediate impact and value.
Je’Von Evans is the perfect type of performer who would thrive as a part of the midcard. He’s exactly the type of young talent who is meant to benefit from that part of the roster. Giving him a few years to grow while competing along the likes of Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods, Sheamus, JD McDonagh and others would make perfect sense. Imagine an angle where Woods and Kingston try to recruit Evans into The New Day, just for him to rebuke them for how they treated Big E. There’s so many opportunities available for Evans now on the main roster, that he shouldn’t have to wait any longer in NXT.
WWE has long looked for a young talent to step into the role that Rey Mysterio created. For decades he was the consummate babyface performer, someone that children would always cheer for and remained over with fans. John Cena’s retirement is going to create a huge hole in that space as well. Je’Von Evans has the potential to fill that space over time. But WWE needs to set the stage now, rather than continue the waiting game for the future.