Saturday, July 30, 2011

An Internet Victory For Mr. WWWYKI

You know the WWE must be cracking and reaching the bottom of the barrel for anything good it has left. I mean, actually pushing CM Punk well? Finding a role for Zack Ryder? Next thing you know, Gail Kim will become the second woman to have held the WWE Women's Championship, WWE Diva's Championship, and TNA Knockouts Championship. Let's not get too carried away?

Zack Ryder. He did have support from John Cena and CM Punk. His show has gained him tons of Internet support. With a shortage of top superstars and over younger workers in the midcard, why not push him? I'm not surprised the WWE finally caved in. In case you missed it, he beat Michael Cole on Raw and was then paired with Teddy Long on Smackdown. Camera time has to make his fans excited.

I'm happy for his fans and Ryder himself, but I do not think this is good enough. I would have rather seen an actual push in the midcard for Ryder. Give him a feud. Push a guy with some kind of comedic gimmick? Never? Pushing characters is what I loved about wrestling back when I started watching. This was the time when ratings were hot, not revolving around a 3.2. Have Ryder really show off his gimmick and his charisma. That should make whatever feud he is in entertaining. That, if done right, is how the midcard would be strengthened. I am not feeling them going in that direction. They may, but it seems like Ryder is simply getting periphery treatment. What I mean is, they are pushing him on the sidelines. He can still get treated very well there, but it is not the same as pushing him as a regular in the ring. Lita got periphery treatment more than people realize. She turned out more than fine. WWE treated her well, she got over, and is still very respected today. Pushing Ryder as they seem to be planning will be good for him, but will it really help the viewership and ratings?

Thursday, July 28, 2011

The Chicago Botch Continues

As I said earlier this week, the WWE got me with this CM Punk thing. On Monday, with the tournament to crown a new WWE Champion and the new angle of Triple H taking over, I thought they were already making post-Punk plans. This week, Punk returns with his WWE title belt to stand over John Cena and his WWE title belt.

When this whole angle started, I was a little bit skeptical about whether Punk was really going to leave or not. In a recent interview, Punk says he made the call to stay the night he won the title in Chicago. Still something not connecting for me, but Punk is still here. He never really left.

And that is one "botch", or mistake, that some fans are complaining about. The WWE brought him back too soon. Yes, they could have easily have had Punk show up at lowly events on the indies scene or continue to show up and irritate WWE superstars at events, but how long could have that gone on before fans started to guess that Punk really was coming back eventually? Mystery would have already been over and just lingering, much like the computer that used to run Raw. No one knows who the Anonymous Raw GM was, but does it even matter? It stopped being an intriguing mystery months ago. Same thing would have happened with Punk. Yes, he can do cool things that internet fans like, such as mocking Triple H at fan events, but it can still only last so long. Did the WWE pull the trigger too soon? Your call. My point is, it had to be pulled sooner or later. Pulling it right when Cena won the title was not a bad move.

That might be another "botch". Looks like the WWE has two Champions on Raw holding the same title. Not the first time this has happened in wrestling. Looks like these two will face each other again. That is obvious. Cena is still centerpiece. Punk has beaten him this year many times in singles matches. If Punk is staying, it is only a matter of time before he loses to Cena. That is not a bad thing. Heels get built up to lose to faces. It happens. Problem is, I am picturing CM Punk reverting back to the mediocrity that had dirtsheets and fans saying he was unhappy with how he was being treated and pointing to the evidence of all his PPV losses over the last year and whatever else. Paul Heyman will be back commenting on how the WWE is not using Punk enough. To put it simple, I still see Punk ending up like Nexus. Even if he gets a Wrestlemania match against Triple H or Steve Austin, Punk will fall back to being under Cena. If there was another face on Raw near centerpiece status or legend status, Punk would be even more screwed. There is always the chance that Punk would take a position like that, and so be treated somewhat like Randy Orton was when he and Cena were both on Raw. Nevertheless, the momentum Punk has now will be lost sooner or later for the benefit of Cena.

Then there is the lingering botch that hurts the WWE the most. Ratings are still at 3.2. No huge drop from the previous week, no raise, but should there have been some kind of big change? They advertised the crowning of a new WWE Champion, then had John Cena face Rey Mysterio for the title later on, then had CM Punk return, and throw in Triple H somewhere in there. With all this controversy and having Punk show up to cause an uproar at the convention last week, it is kind of sad that ratings are even. Not one of Raw's overall ratings in July 2011 was more than Raw's overall ratings for July 2010. The controversy really started this month, with CM Punk "leaving" with the title and Triple H "taking" power. Last year, with Nexus, the angle started before July. It seems like the WWE should focus on strengthening their midcard. I'm sure this CM Punk stuff is doing well, but the overall product seems weak.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

No Tears Necessary For Rey

I will keep this short. I just want to explain why I, and possibly a lot of other fans, are not going to complain about what happened to Rey Mysterio last night. Rey wins the WWE Championship, his first time holding that WWE World title, and goes on to lose it to John Cena later that same night. That is even worse than what happened to Christian, isn't it?

Many fans were enraged about the WWE ending Christian's first World title run on Smackdown so fast. I spent weeks and weeks talking about the storyline. But it is not exactly the same with Rey. I want to explain that distinction. Rey Mysterio had already been World Champion twice before his WWE title win this week. He won it at Wrestlemania. Either one of his previous two reigns lasted a lot longer than Christian's first. Moreover, Rey was given at least better focus for some of his last two reigns, which both occurred on Smackdown as well. Moreover, Rey just had a title reign last year. He did not have to wait long to regain it. Not as long, that is, as Christian had to wait in the WWE to finally get his first major World title reign from them. And they treated him like Randy Orton's punching bag. Even after he has regained it, he still remains under Orton. Cena and Orton are both centerpieces. At least Rey had a chance in the past.

Monday, July 25, 2011

The Development Of Eve And Kelly Kelly

Let me just say that the WWE played me well with the whole CM Punk thing. I'll give them that. But that is the topic of another night.

I want to talk about diva matters. Namely, Eve and Kelly Kelly. I will start, out of fairness, with a few words about the two heels featured in the match tonight. Melina jobbed. She is the one who got pinned. Not too surprising, since she has the most credibility in this match. Besides that, with Jillian gone, Melina is the new heel lower credible jobber. As for Maryse, she did not look too spectacular there in terms of actual wrestling. Her performance reminds me why the WWE gave up on pushing her as Raw's diva centerpiece over a year ago. Yeah, she can rub her ass in someone's face to steal Kelly Kelly's taunt, which then leads to Kelly Kelly stealing Maryse's hair flip taunt, but this is why the diva division does not have much respect.

Onto the Diva's Champion herself. Kelly Kelly picked up another win. More importantly, she is getting good reactions. In other words, she is getting over, staying over, and possibly even getting more over. And that is exactly what the WWE wants. Kelly Kelly is the centerpiece of the whole diva division. Keep paying attention to how they book her, especially after she loses the title. I am simply waiting for the WWE to pull her into an elaborate storyline involving main-eventers. She had a few touches of this, especially on Smackdown this year, but I am waiting for the WWE to really pull the trigger on making her a main-eventer as they did Trish Stratus.

And Eve? She looks to finally be getting it as well. Wrestling doesn't really matter too much when it comes to getting over. Booty popping? That is PG? If I wanted to see that, I would go to Youtube and watch it. There are pretty much at least 100 videos uploaded everyday of girls doing that kind of thing. And Eve finally learned what she had to do to get a reaction. One of the reasons why I respect Mickie James, I have always found her more crazy and cute than glamorous and slutty, like the average WWE eye-candy wrestler. Even while she was doing her psycho lesbian thing or giving her opponent a kiss before kicking them in the head, she always gave off a different vibe. If she ever has to do the glamorous, sexy thing, I wouldn't turn on her. I know very well she does not need it to show her charisma and her spirit. But Eve? Then again, before I say more, she is the average WWE eye-candy wrestler. I would expect no less from her to try to get over. But Eve did not impress me tonight.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Christian/Orton: The End

When Christian lost his first World's Heavyweight Championship just days after winning it to Randy Orton, I started talking about how the storyline would progress between these two every week. Now that Christian has regained the title, I am going to stop the weekly updates on this feud and just look back on it all. The feud is definitely not over, but I think I have seen enough.

Christian won the title by disqualification. Lame. Pathetic. The very next night on Raw, they were having Michael Cole hype that all the tournament matches were just like title matches, saying that you could only win by pinfall or submission. Except when you're Christian? But having him win it like that was not the end. They had Randy Orton destroy him after the match. I can understand creating a situation where they may tease Daniel Bryan cashing in, but was all that really necessary?

Then on Raw, they hype Smackdown's main event. Randy Orton vs. Kane. The centerpiece, even though he lost the title, is still in the main event. That does not surprise me. What I do not like is that they hyped how Orton had snapped and gone crazy on Christian, then just turn it over to Orton and Kane. What about Christian? I know he ends up facing Zeke, Champion vs. Champion. My issue is that he ends up buried quite a bit, even though he won the title. I think you can see why I do not even want to go on talking about this feud every week.

I never really doubted that Christian would eventually win back the title. My concern was whether they would be successful in making the next title win mean as much for him as the first should have and whether they would do a good job to make it all entertaining. Well, the title win definitely meant something. Sadly, it looks like it meant more for Randy Orton than the punching bag who now holds the title. As far as entertainment goes, I do not feel they delivered in how they handled the storyline. Sure, Christian and Orton put on some great matches at times, but the feud itself did not feel like as much of an draw as it should have been. Again, it is not over, but I have no faith in the WWE after what they did this week.

When all this first happened, fans were very upset. Chris Jericho said to relax. This might all just be part of a bigger storyline. I never really doubted that a bigger storyline would come, just like I did not doubt that Christian may regain the title. Just like I said about two months ago, for whose benefit was all this? The WWE failed to make Christian's second moment very meaningful for him, making his first title reign ending so soon look not that worth it in retrospect, and Orton is still centerpiece. The two things I did not want to happen did happen. Are Christian fans jumping for joy now? He won the title because Orton low-blowed him, then got beaten up some more. Truly a proud moment for Christian and his fans. No, not really.

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

3.2? Really?

This week's Raw drew a 3.2 rating. Everyone is talking about how mediocre this number is, and it is true. Even though there probably is no need for me to talk about it either, I still find it too good to pass up.

The WWE utilized this whole CM Punk issue to create this huge publicity stunt meant to draw in viewers from the controversy, as well as provide another situation to put over John Cena's character as a good guy. Cena's character is still stale and his haters will not quit from what the WWE just did, so the whole stunt didn't really accomplish anything too important for Cena. In any case, controversy was created. Would CM Punk leave with the WWE title? Would John Cena be fired? What was this stuff CM Punk was saying that was getting his mic cut off? What is going on?

How well did the controversy do? 3.2. That is actually the highest Raw's ratings have been since this thing really heated up. Last week, it was a 2.9, but you could blame that low number on baseball. Week before that, 2.4, but that was on July 4th. This week, what excuse do you really have? This is the show right after a PPV, which typically gets higher ratings than the week before. This is the show after the WWE really did have Punk win the title. What would happen next? Is he really gone? That should have drawn. This is the show where you would find out if Cena would really be fired by Vince or not. That should have drawn. In reality, Vince's segments probably did draw, just like CM Punk's segments did do well in the 2.9 Raw last week. The problem may be that the rest of the card was just weak this week on Raw. I would say that is not the case. They hyped a tournament to crown a new WWE Champion all through the show. Every match, except for the diva joke match, was for that tournament. Who would advance in the tournament? Who would win? That should have been a draw. The way I see it, this was a very strong Raw, with the exception of the diva match. In terms of what the WWE planned, they were definitely going for a show that would do great. What happens? 3.2? In comparison, July ratings for Raw last year ranged from 3.33 to 3.51. There is still one more Raw left for July 2011. How will that one do?

That one, based on how this week's Raw ended, should do well. Then again, what do I even mean by that? A 3.2 is good when you compare it to the low ratings that preceded it, but a publicity stunt like this should actually be helping to raise the average rating for Raw in 2011 (currently 3.32). Let me get back to the point. I want to talk about how Raw ended this week. As the sun sets on one publicity stunt, another rises with no wasted motion. I liked that. I will give them that. John Cena is not fired. Vince is the one who is gone. Triple H is taking over. Shocker. WWE's stock did not drop the day after they announced it, even though it is a mistake to believe that Donald Trump "buying" Raw in 2009 resulted in the sharp drop the WWE stock took midday the day after the angle started. Back to controversy and ratings. Not only do you have this thing to get people talking and draw them in, you have the finals in the tournament to crown a new WWE Champion to address. That should be a draw as well. Does Triple H have other plans for the title? If the match does happen, who will win? These are the questions the WWE hopes will intrigue the fans and have them tune in. After the CM Punk drama failed to draw dynamite ratings, for whatever reason, I am starting to have my doubts that next week will do too much better. I will be shocked if it scores a 4.0 or better. Just for the sake of mentioning it, the last time Raw did better than a 4.0 was when Trump was "owner" of Raw. Can Triple H taking over do better than Trump. I wouldn't hold my breath.

Monday, July 18, 2011

The Chicago Botch

I'll save talking about the HHH/Vince interaction for another night. Right now, I want to talk about the end of the CM Punk drama.

Last night, CM Punk did defeat John Cena to win the WWE Championship. Tonight, it would seem Punk really is gone. A tournament was started to crown a new Champion. As for Cena, who Vince said he would fire if he lost the title, well, let's just say that Cena is not fired.

I just gave you the synopsis, but what was really just accomplished at the end of it all? Because CM Punk's name was not mentioned too much tonight, and definitely not more than Cena's, and because the WWE is already moving on to another publicity stunt, I would assume Punk really is gone from the WWE. The revelation tonight may lead to a swerve where Punk returns, but I am not going to jump all over the place now. What was accomplished? Two weeks ago, I talked about fans who did not want this CM Punk storyline to be "botched". Assuming the storyline is over and a fresh one is starting, do you consider this a botch? Punk wins the title in Chicago and leaves as Champion, but then Vince McMahon announces that a tournament will be held to crown a new one. Doesn't that make Punk's win seem a little less epic? And what happens to the belt he holds? Another "brass ring"? Remember Punk mentioning that in his promo a few weeks ago? I'll admit, leaving the WWE as WWE Champion is an epic "brass ring", but if the WWE is not acknowledging the legitimacy of the title and crowns a new Champion, how much is CM Punk's claim to being Champion worth? About as much as getting that brass ring. And as you can see, it seems the WWE can easily bury the epicness of what went on with CM Punk over the last few weeks by pushing something even more shocking and phasing out the mention of Punk.

What about Cena? He is still centerpiece. It doesn't really matter whether or not he was in the tournament tonight. He does not need to even be near the title to be the most important thing still in the WWE. What did the whole CM Punk feud do for him? Something even I could not see coming. I had said that they were just creating another situation for John Cena to overcome. I had said that this was a means to promote a centerpiece. Much like part of John Cena's angle with Nexus last year, this CM Punk thing allowed Cena to overcome another moral dilemma. Remember how John Cena got fired because he refused to help Wade Barrett win the title from Orton? How did they put over John Cena as a great guy this time? By portraying him as the anti-HBK. Shawn Michaels helped Vince McMahon screw Bret Hart over a decade ago to ensure Bret would not potentially leave the company with the title. John Cena put over how great Shawn was as a worker, but brought up that dark cloud. Pride, dignity, not wanting to be for Vince what Shawn Michaels was in Montreal. John Cena is made to look like the high knight. I did not see that coming, but it does not surprise me that the WWE would do it. In other words, it is the same old crap.

This whole storyline ends up once again putting over John Cena's character. Even in defeat, it looks like a win for Cena. And what is Punk left with? If he is really gone from the WWE, he left with a nice brass ring. If he does come back soon, he will still be under John Cena, who is still centerpiece. Nothing really changed. Punk's buddies in ROH can be ecstatic for all eternity about what happened in Chicago. But will all the WWE fans view this as the WWE botching the storyline? They knew exactly what they were doing. This is no botch.

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Christian/Orton: Week 11

Hopefully, it ends at Money in the Bank or it gets taken to a whole lot more interesting level than it has been for the last few weeks. I am talking about the top feud of Smackdown at the moment, Randy Orton vs. Christian.

Christian never got to do anything with the World title between winning it and dropping it to Orton a few days later. Since Orton has won it, everything has still revolved around Christian and Orton. Orton has not really feuded with anyone else. It is true that he defended the title against Sheamus, but that title defense was more of an extension of his feud with Christian, who was ref for the match, rather than a good attempt to start a fresh feud. If it was actually intriguing, I would be excited to see what would happen next. That is how I felt back in the first few weeks of this thing. Since then, it has broken down into a centerpiece defending his title against a face who has turned heel during the feud. The WWE is trying to do things to make this feud elaborate, but I do not think it is working out.

They have definitely not built up the next title win to be epic for Christian, assuming he does win at Money in the Bank. I'm even starting to hope he does not win right now. If that happens, Orton gets a rematch and the feud still continues. Have Orton retain and don't bother following up with the idea that Christian will challenge again. Move Orton on to feud with someone new. Do the same with Christian. Build Christian up well. Put him back in the title feud in the future. Then have him win it back. Had a more proper development of Christian been made, I would say he should win it back. Since it has not, the WWE might as well get more worth out of centerpiece Orton holding the title.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

The Summer Of Joker Sting

The last elaborate major storyline TNA had revolved around Kurt Angle and Jeff Jarrett. That's over. Both men have gone their separate ways. What has taken its place as a major focus of the company? Joker Sting and his issues with Hulk Hogan. It has got a lot of people talking, whether they are fans of the gimmick or not. I decided to briefly give my 2 cents.

I like it. Sting is crazy and intense. You can complain about a feud between Hogan and Sting holding back younger talent from getting that major focus, but I am just talking about the gimmick and storyline itself right now. This is a good example that a heel does not come in one flavor and a face does not come in one flavor either. As someone who watched WCW over a decade ago, I'm used to Sting having this silent, mysterious gimmick. I'm talking about the black and white face paint and his Crow gimmick. I like that he has really reinvented himself. This late in his career, it really does show that he is one of the best. The best have to have that versatility and adaptability. Personally, I think I will enjoy this storyline more than the love triangle that Angle and Jarrett just had.

In case you missed it, Sting does regain the World title. Poor Anderson, but I am sure opportunity will present itself for him again in the future. He won the title twice this year alone. His second reign may have been weak, but his first was slightly bit more respectable. Let me put it this way, Christian's first World title reign on Smackdown makes Anderson's look like a reign of doom you would expect the WWE to give to Cena. All that being said, I don't mind Sting winning back the title that much. He is being pushed as the crusader against Hogan. With Mick Foley, the "Network Representative", out of TNA, what else would Sting have on his side as leverage against Hogan? That has definitely been an idea TNA likes to push. Titles = Power. I don't think I would have liked this storyline so much if they push Sting continuously as the underdog and Hogan and his crew as super strong. Not only does Sting have this intense character, he now has the major title back on his side. That keeps the heels on their feet. I like that.

Had Sting gone to the WWE earlier this year, do you think you would have seen any character like he is portraying now? More than likely, he would have gotten one Wrestlemania match and then not be used again after that feud was over. It would have been hyped as one respectable icon in wrestling taking on some other respectable icon, probably Taker. If that did not happen, Sting would end up like Kevin Nash. Did you forget Nash returned to the WWE? Did he really do anything epic? Not really. Just that Royal Rumble appearance, which was not that huge a use of him. Instead of an overrated use of Sting in the WWE, I think it is good that fans are getting to see a side of Sting they may like. Instead of promotion hype doing the job to make Sting a draw, which would have happened if Sting went to the WWE, Sting actually gets to go out there and work his character himself. And it is entertaining to me. I honestly hope this works out well for TNA.

Monday, July 11, 2011

The Bella Bullies Target Kelly

As Kelly Kelly's first PPV title defense nears, the WWE seems to actually be developing some kind of story for it. The Bellas continue to be bullies. That started back when Kharma took her leave. It continues. The Bellas made fun of Kelly Kelly's looks. How did Kelly Kelly sell it? Not by having a breakdown. She attacked them. Eve helped. Bellas looked good at the end. Why not? Match is this Sunday. Person with the momentum usually loses in feuds like this.

But what is the WWE doing here? Why bully Kelly Kelly? There are three things I want to talk about. First of all, a bully being involved in Kelly Kelly's title storyline is not exactly something fresh. Remember Kharma? I just mentioned her five seconds ago. Before Brie & Nikki bullied her in her farewell segment, Kharma herself was being pushed as the bully of the diva division. I had said multiple times to keep your eye on Kelly Kelly just as much as you did Kharma. Kharma had destroyed pretty much all the eye-candy divas on the roster, except Kelly Kelly. It definitely seemed like they were building something for Kelly Kelly using Kharma. That may have all been ruined, but is it really a coincidence that Kelly is still facing bullies? Think of it as Kharma split in two, with also half the wrestling ability, and pretty much a lot less interesting in general. Nevertheless, something still exists to put Kelly Kelly over.

That is the second thing I want to talk about. This is all for Kelly Kelly. I see nothing to make me believe the WWE will push Brie Bella, with or without her sister, as the centerpiece. When I say this, I am looking at what was going on prior to this feud. The Bellas were stuck in pretty much mediocrity. You can debate whether Brie's title reign was better or not than Eve's title reign that preceded it, but both were poorly booked and hyped. Eve's got overshadowed by Wrestlemania matters. Brie was not pushed with as much focus as Kelly Kelly was in the weeks after Kelly was sent to Raw. Now look at Kelly Kelly. Not only has focus been on her for months now, she was also getting main-event focus on her on Smackdown earlier this year. She was the one who was originally being pushed with Trish Stratus against LayCool, not Snooki. Her title win and continued push to come are simply next in the chain of events to the build the WWE is giving her. This is character development. You see it all the time with John Cena. In the case of Kelly Kelly being bullied, it looks like they are trying to make the fans sympathetic to her. They want to make the fans want to see her shut the bullies up. She will. And because she is the centerpiece, she will not be the one depushed in the weeks following the title match. Kelly Kelly's character, in theory, will look strong and respectable.

Let me move on to the third thing I want to talk about. There was a very elaborate diva bully storyline done last year. Very elaborate. I doubt what is going on with Kelly and her bullies will get that elaborate. The bullies were LayCool. The victim was some forgotten jobber. I think her name was...Mickie James? What are the important differences between Mickie James and Kelly Kelly? To put it simply, one is a centerpiece being built up and the other is a credible jobber used to build up centerpieces. Let me take it one step further. Aside from use by the WWE, look at overness. Mickie James was very over. She was easily the most over diva on the roster at the time, and without proper support from the WWE. Kelly Kelly might possibly be the most over face in the WWE diva division right now, but she does not have that strong overness a centerpiece is supposed to have. That is why the WWE is trying to develop and sell her as a strong worker in the ring and develop her character through storylines. That way, she may connect more easily with serious wrestling fans and casual fans. At the time Mickie James was getting the bully storyline, she did not need help connecting to the fans from the WWE. The WWE was not really interested in giving it to her either. As I said before, she gained that great overness and held it on her own. The woman she was working with, however, was a heel centerpiece who was failing to connect with the fans. You have a face jobber who is mega over and a heel centerpiece who is not. The bully storyline made a lot of sense. Even before Mickie was released, the depush came. That is how you know Mickie James really was the jobber in this. The depush never came for Michelle McCool that year. Even when she would not have the title, more important focus would be on her than who did. In the present storyline, the depush will come for The Bellas. The heels are not the centerpiece here. The WWE is not out to get a heel over at a face's expense.

The WWE's plans did not exactly work out too well last year. McCool got her heat when Mickie James was there to cry for her. After that, McCool couldn't hold it. She could not get truly over. Mickie James remained over, despite the depush, the WWE never really doing anything strong to dispel the attack on her kayfabe character, and her release. The WWE's plans this year have not worked out too well. Kharma is gone. They still put the title on Kelly Kelly, but that does not make her monster over. That connection with the fans is the whole point. I do not believe this storyline will properly get the job done for Kelly Kelly. PWI will be naming their top women's wrestler of the year soon. From what I can see, TNA's Mickie James will most likely be getting that honor. It is going to take some strong booking and good luck to get Kelly Kelly to ever reach the level of the most over diva jobber the WWE never wanted. Mickie James is proving her worth outside of WWE.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Christian/Orton: Week 10 - Now With Added Sheamus

They sure are putting a lot more attention on Sheamus again recently. When they first pushed him in this feud between Randy Orton and Christian, Sheamus was just a pawn in their feud, much like Mark Henry. The WWE may have pushed Mark Henry away from that recently, but he is looking a lot stronger now. Sheamus is once again looking strong again as well, but there is a difference between Sheamus and Mark Henry. Sheamus seems very much involved in the main Smackdown storyline still. Why would that be? Assuming things do not fall flat for whatever reason, I see two possibilities. He may be turning face. After Orton, Kane is the only top face near the main event. You can talk about Sin Cara and Daniel Bryan all you want, but they are in the midcard. Other than Christian, Mark Henry and Wade Barrett are two guys with some main-event credibility. If you include Sheamus and add in Khali, you have five heels on Smackdown for Orton to feud with in the main event. Turning Sheamus may not be a bad idea. They may also be building Sheamus up to win Money in the Bank. By keeping him near Orton and Sheamus, they are building a storyline reason to carry his potentially winning the briefcase. They may also play that into Christian winning the title, only to lose it right after.

The worst thing that could happen out of this is if this is the WWE's way of setting up a new opponent for Orton before his feud with Christian ends properly. That would just be another insult to how they are pushing Christian. It is true that ratings are weak. It is true that the storyline between just Orton and Christian is a getting dry. But it would not be very fair to already start looking for greener pastures before you have really tried with what you have now. I am not saying the WWE is doing that to Christian. Just hoping it does not happen.

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Leaving Wade Alone

I talked about Nexus last time, so might as well talk about Smackdown's version, The Corre, this time. The group is dead. What more is there to say?

Zeke is the Intercontinental Champion. I never really liked him. Where can this push really go? Another Bobby Lashley? At best, I can see Zeke ending up as an upper-midcarder. He will be pulled in for a few main-event feuds now and then, but he will never really stick long in the scene. I also do not see his overness holding firm. Big brutes pushed like this do not always work out well. I do not see Zeke having the hype of a Goldberg. I do not see him being as entertaining as Big Show can sometimes be. Until whatever happens happens, no one can complain about this guy not being pushed right now.

Slater and Gabriel are still a pair. If the tag division was more respectable, I would say having them still be a team was a good thing. Who can they feud with on Smackdown? The Usos? The amount of credibility and attention those two have gotten in the last few weeks was indeed for the benefit of Slater and Gabriel. After that, they are still just jobbers who can be used for great wrestling matches on Superstars. Yeah, they can wrestle. Does that mean the WWE is pushing them respectably? No. Back to Slater and Gabriel. Justin Gabriel has a lot of talent in the ring. I would say that they should get him a female manager to speak for him and push him on his own. Slater? He can be sent back to Raw to be a part of an Otunga-led Nexus. That's just what I would do.

Wade Barrett. So much was invested in this guy. And for what? Just so they could feed him to John Cena. What did having him reform a stable on Smackdown do? Who did the destruction of the group really put over? Zeke? I don't think so. Corre could have stayed together without Zeke. The group just destroyed itself from the inside and fizzled out after that. Pretty stupid. I hope Barrett wins Money in the Bank. He has some main-event build already, so putting it with him would not be too much of a reach. If not that, what is left for him? A feud with Daniel Bryan. Match quality is one thing, and I know Daniel Bryan can go, but what would really be the point of that feud? Filler? Nothing fresh to do with these guys? There is a story with the two. Both were a part of Nexus in the beginning. But I feel the feud would have been better if Wade still had a stable or they were fighting over a title. What about pushing Barrett in the main-event feud without winning the briefcase? That is an option, but I do not see Orton's feud with Christian justifiably ending this month. Wouldn't be fair to Christian to be written off that easily. Until feuds to reshuffle, Barrett doesn't have anything to really make him stand out.

Monday, July 4, 2011

How Much Lower Can Nexus Sink?

Assuming no swerve occurs, it looks like Nexus will be broken down even further. After the WWE used Wade Barrett and his stable to put over John Cena at the end of last year, things have just gone the wrong way for the group. The Smackdown version is pretty much over. Raw's version was always a little weaker than the original. That seemed to only serve the major purpose of giving Randy Orton something to overcome. They put the tag titles on the stable, but what are they doing? Feuding with Santino and Kozlov? There are not exactly a lot of good teams in the entire WWE, let alone just Raw. New Nexus having the gold doesn't fix anything.

Question is, what happens when Punk is gone? Even with him here, as I just said, the group seems weak. Given that, it seems the WWE doesn't even want to bother that much. This group is no longer a priority. Nevertheless, I just want to offer one idea I would have liked to see. Make Otunga the leader. He's still there. He is the only original member left in the stable. It would make sense. Have them fill up the ranks with two or three other NXT alums. That could freshen up the midcard. Push them well. Otunga is not the greatest, I know, but he has some potential to be bought as the leader. Once he is knocked off, I will agree that Nexus has officially run its course. In the process of overcoming Otunga's Nexus, a midcarder could get a pretty strong rub. Why should these angles be wasted solely on putting over Cena and Orton?

Finally, I have seen people talking about hoping the WWE does not "botch" the CM Punk storyline going on now. They do not want it ruined like Nexus. First of all, a "botch" is a mistake. Second, the WWE knows pretty much what it is doing. As I just pointed out, they did not "botch" the Nexus storyline. What they were doing with it simply did not match up with what certain fans may have been hoping for and expecting. The same thing will hold true for CM Punk's storyline with Cena. It seems likely that they are just creating another situation for Cena to overcome, just like Nexus. Once again, assuming no swerve and CM Punk stays, how else could this thing really end? Cena "fired" and CM Punk back in ROH as WWE Champion? Even then, they may be entering a Cena/McMahon feud. Considering that have The Rock and Cena going on next year, I think it would be a waste to push Vince against Cena now, unless to spice up Rock/Cena more. Don't think that's necessary. Point is, Cena will still be treated as the top guy. I know people will be hating that. Just keep in mind, that would not be a "botch" by the WWE. It would simply be the promoting of a centerpiece. See how I just completely left CM Punk out of the last bit of speculation? Yes, he'll be gone, but he's also just still a tool while he's still here.

Saturday, July 2, 2011

Christian/Orton: Week 9

To put it simply, I am really disappointed by where the feud between Randy Orton and Christian is going. I am not talking about the possible outcome of Christian eventually winning it back. I am talking about the development. I am talking about the entertainment.

Orton's face character is turning pretty generic. Christian, meanwhile, seems to be orbiting Planet Rematch. The feud looks like it will never end. Mark Henry and Sheamus, the two wild cards and pawns of this whole storyline, are becoming more interesting than the two main players themselves.

The main thing that is lacking for me is the emotion. When Christian first won the title, it was a moment many wrestling fans enjoyed. Christian feuding with various heels would have been a breath of fresh air. These feuds would have had the feel of a new Champion out to prove he belongs with the top guys. There could have been a lot of heart there, if done right. After the WWE's decision to end the reign so fast, there was outrage from the fans. Emotion was still at a peak. But how does the WWE play it? Serious, respectable Christian continues his face role. Orton becomes a centerpiece face of Smackdown for the first time. Christian turns heel because he is unhappy he lost the title and could not get it back. Blames fans. All that typical stuff. Orton doesn't develop much at all. Christian has basically become a basic heel. Prolonging this feud at this rate is not going to make it more entertaining. There is no huge hook for the fans there anymore. Had they been able to play that serious emotion that was there when Christian first lost the title better, I believe this feud would be a lot better. Do not push Christian as this typical cool heel. I know he can pull it off, but he can connect with the fans better with a more serious character for this storyline. Orton can just keep doing what he's doing. Christian may be the credible jobber and Orton the centerpiece, but the WWE should really put more focus on Christian as the one to connect with the fans. If you do not do that, you do not make the moment mean as much for Christian when he regains the title, you do not draw in the fans as well as you can, and this thing is left with a lot of wasted potential.