Randy Orton Suspended For 60 Days

Guess who won't be the "Franchise Player" of anything for a while? Randy Orton has been suspended again for doing drugs. He is running out of strikes, much like Rey Mysterio. Considering that Orton's feud with Jericho was already screwed up, Orton didn't really have anything too major to be a part of. What did he have to look forward to? Miz? Ziggler? Nothing that would really draw any major interest. And there is really not too much need to worry about who will fill in for him. Sheamus is still around. CM Punk can show up on Smackdown more. Christian returned. John Cena, needless to say, will never leave. Sin Cara just came back. That is a guy I can definitely see them using well now. It is a shame that this happened to Orton, but I don't feel things will be hurt too much for the WWE right now.

Worst-case scenario, Orton strikes out again or wants to leave to a place that will allow him to take whatever substances he wants. What happens? He ends up on the same show as Jeff Hardy? He goes to TNA? That would be a huge gain for TNA, but they don't know how to take proper advantage of anyone to improve their product, so they would probably screw up with him too.

Psycho AJ

Aside from Eve getting a great spot recently in the men's matters, AJ Lee finds herself in an even more elaborate storyline than being one of the GM's sidekicks. Her romance angle with Daniel Bryan, which was a good rub to start with, has turned into this psycho gimmick, where she is now caught between CM Punk and Bryan. Much like Eve, it has now been quite some time since AJ actually had a match on Raw or Smackdown. Obviously, this kind of treatment once again illustrates that you don't need to be pushed in the ring for the WWE to develop you to be over. AJ is not the centerpiece of the diva division, but the WWE is pretty much pushing her as the most interesting woman in the company right now.

I feel the rub from Daniel Bryan was already getting her over. Was having her go crazy after Daniel Bryan broke her heart really necessary? Overness is not the only goal here, even though the WWE has failed to really create a star in the diva division in some time. All their centerpieces since Trish either couldn't maintain a certain level in the ring or was Michelle McCool. Kharma could have been something, but circumstances led to that not working out. And yet, overness does not seem to be the only goal here. Does the WWE really want people to forget Mickie James?

A lot of people say that Mickie's psycho lesbian fan gimmick was the best diva psycho gimmick. Obviously, AJ is not a lesbian in her current storyline and is more of an obsessed/love-hurt girlfriend, not an obsessed fan. A lot of people also say that AJ is similar to Mickie. In fact, dirtsheets portrayed AJ as if she would be Mickie's successor after the WWE released her in 2010. Is AJ doing a good job copying Mickie here? I just don't feel the same energy and enthusiasm coming from AJ that I remember from Mickie James in 2005 and 2006.

Of course, AJ should be trying to be AJ, not Mickie. Without comparing this woman to someone else, which might be unfair, how is AJ Lee doing for her own sake? Well, she has been selling this awkwardness. That is not necessarily bad. It is definitely part of the storyline. She is obviously hot. And she is cute. But will her behavior really connect with the fans to get her over? I just don't think she is entertaining enough to pull that off. Luckily, much like Eve, she is in a position where she will do things that will connect with the crowd. Those rubs from Bryan and Punk will definitely help her.

Does AJ actually deserve this push? I already pointed out that the WWE needs some over divas, but did AJ ever earn this push? Dirtsheets created hype for this woman before she even debuted. When she eventually came to Smackdown, she wasn't exactly pushed in a major way at all. She never really earned any major overness, yet she still found herself in a romance angle with Daniel Bryan, who went on to win the World Championship. That is major. She now finds herself between two of the most popular guys in the company. Mickie James never had this kind of career. She was a credible jobber being used to put over the greatest centerpiece the WWE diva division ever produced. There is no diva involved in AJ's current storyline. She is not being developed simply to put over a woman meant to be ahead of her. This is a storyline that will truly benefit her. I do not see the WWE completely pulling the plug from her, which is what they did with Mickie when they tried to develop other women to replace Trish. Point is, this woman is definitely in a position that a lot of other women on the roster might have also benefited majorly from, and AJ really was not majorly more over than these women. Another example of the WWE choosing who they want to be successful.

Finally, looking at AJ's career so far, she is not following in the footsteps of Mickie James. She is following in the footsteps of Lita. Lita really benefited from coming to the WWE at a time where there was no centerpiece. The WWE developed her as the valet of various individuals, gave her several main-event rubs, including beating Stephanie McMahon in the main event of Raw for the Women's Championship, and developed her character well, all before Trish Stratus even won her first Women's Championship and became the centerpiece. The same thing is going on here. The diva division is broken from years of failed centerpieces. The WWE has developed AJ as the girlfriend of Daniel Bryan, a main-eventer, they are now having her work with CM Punk, another main-eventer, and her character is definitely being developed with this psycho gimmick. This woman's career has not followed the path of a credible jobber. That is what Mickie James always was. If AJ ever does become anywhere near the most over diva on the roster, it would not be because she was better than Mickie James. It would be because she was never being pushed like Mickie James. Not to sound bitter or too pro-Mickie, but comparing a woman developed to be over to a woman developed to put over other women isn't exactly a fair deal. If you want to compare what the WWE is doing with AJ to anyone else, compare it to Lita. In the end, it all comes down to what the WWE is trying to do.  

Alberto Del Rio Vs. Sheamus: Take 2

Alberto Del Rio will once again be getting a title shot against Sheamus. He had earned a title shot a month ago. He got it, but so did Randy Orton and Chris Jericho. This time around, unless the WWE plans to throw in Santino and Ricardo, this will be a 1-on-1 match.

Before the WWE inserted Jericho and Orton into the last PPV World's Heavyweight Championship match, I was wondering how they planned to make this match between Del Rio and Sheamus more interesting. Their answer, as I just said, was to add in two more top workers. And now, I am going to wonder the same thing all over again. How will the WWE make the feud between Sheamus and Del Rio more interesting? So far, they have been doing more with Del Rio, Ricardo, and Santino than Del Rio and Sheamus. In all honesty, it would probably have been more fun to just run with the former storyline, not the World title feud. So what if it led to Del Rio winning the U.S. title? Or even Ricardo? It would be better than running a boring title feud between Sheamus and Del Rio.

Nevertheless, the WWE has options to make this feud good. No Way Out will be a gimmick PPV. So what type of match will this feud lead to? Better yet, since they have inserted Santino in this, they can run with that a little further. A tag match between Del Rio/Ricardo and Sheamus/Santino would be an obvious route. But it can also make for some more good comedy segments. Important thing is, they have to bring Sheamus in more. That is how you make this more than just a basic title feud.

Finally, I would say that Del Rio should win the title this time. If they are ever going to put the title back on Orton, it pretty much should go to a heel first. Sheamus vs. Orton? Face vs. face? What I really don't like there is that this feud has already happened for a major title, although both were not faces at the time, obviously. Del Rio vs. Orton? That's fresh. The WWE obviously wants to go to this path eventually, so why not now?

Christian: Smackdown's Midcard Hero?

Christian survived a week as Intercontinental Champion on Smackdown. That is a lot better than his first World's Heavyweight Championship run a year ago. However, losing the title fast last year did not exactly lead to a rapid depush. It did lead to an elaborate angle. I just still don't think that elaborate angle was good for Christian or was that great for a lot of his fans out there. You just had to settle for what it was.

And now? IC Champion. He is holding a title, but you obviously do not have him in as much focus as you did last year. He has had two televised matches since winning the title. Neither were really connected to a larger feud or storyline. Cody Rhodes is still getting a rematch, but it makes me wonder if the WWE will even bother trying to be creative here. They should. This is Christian. He is very over and is a good worker. Just give him the mic. Just watching him come out on Raw last week, he just seemed to be missing some character to him. Was that long introduction really that necessary? Seeing that he was facing Jinder Mahal didn't make things any better. They really need to find a real storyline for this guy. That is how he will work best. As it stands right now, the return of Christian is not leading to the WWE putting more interest into the midcard, as I had hoped.

Randy Orton: Franchise Player

I am going to ignore the recent Chris Jericho developments. I've been wanting to talk about Randy Orton for a while. A while ago, I heard Michael Cole describe him as the "Franchise Player" of Smackdown. Just another term to describe the top star of a show or division. Of course, I like using "centerpiece" to describe them. While looking through the polls on WWE.com a while after that, I noticed one asking fans who they thought the "Franchise Player" of Smackdown was. In case you are wondering, Orton was winning the poll. Of course, if Jinder Mahal was an option on the poll, what chance would Orton even have had?

Is Orton still the centerpiece? Is he still really the top guy? He has not had a real title feud since last year. All the PPV title matches he has been booked in this year involved more than one challenger. It wasn't a personal feud for Orton. He was then entering a feud with Chris Jericho. Chris Jericho is a top superstar and expert on flags, but that would still not be a title feud. Honestly, I would have said a feud like that would deserve to be treated higher on Smackdown than Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio. In the end, the WWE is not really treating Orton as the top guy on Smackdown. They are passing the ball around better on Smackdown. At best, I would say he is sharing the spotlight.

Ratings dropped when Orton first won the Smackdown World title last year. Thing that you always had to ask yourself, did Orton really cause the drop? Or was it something that happens around that time of year? In recent weeks, Smackdown has been as high as an 1.94, but as low as an 1.72. Going back to May 2011, that is about the same range in the ratings for this month. If you go back to last year, there was a backlash from many fans who did not like Orton winning the title from Christian as quickly as he did. I know a lot of fans said they would stop watching to protest. What's the excuse for ratings being in the same spot this time? I would say that the WWE should put the belt back on Orton again sometime this year. Will it bring ratings? Will ratings drop? Or will ratings stay the same as they tend to for whatever time of year it ends up being? That will tell whether Orton as "Franchise Player" of Smackdown can really draw or not.

The GM's Assistant: Eve Torres

The WWE can call Eve's role whatever they want, but she is pretty much the assistant to the GM, John Laurinaitis. Many women have had this kind of role before, with various degrees of power. Even a few guys have been in this position. There have been heels and faces who have taken on similar versions of this role. For a diva, like Eve, having this role puts you in the periphery. Eve has not been involved in the major diva division feuds and storylines for over a month now.

How is it working out for her? So far, it seems to be working out fine. Just looking at the role she has, the things she is being written to do, this is a good way to get the fans connected to her. She was one of the heels who stood up to Big Show and humiliated him. She is also getting rubs from associating with Laurinaitis, who a lot of fans despise, and by working against other top faces, like Cena himself.

Stepping away from the role she is playing, how is Eve Torres actually doing in playing this character. There is where I see a problem. She does have a great role, which allows her to be featured weekly without even having to wrestle. She does look sexy, which would please a lot of guys. Problem is, I don't feel she is doing enough with how she plays the role. When she talks, I find her trying to be professional too much. I am not saying she should try to be as annoying as Vickie Guerrero to get cheap heat, but put more emotion into it. I think this is a character that can definitely use more emotion. Her performances are dry. If she was a serious face character feuding against a strong heel, I might understand a need for her to hold back. As it is now, she is going out there to play a heel character meant to get heat. Laurinaitis and Otunga go out there to play roles to get them hated. You already know I think Laurinaitis is doing his job fine. Otunga even seems to be putting more feeling into his effort than Eve. And all he ever does is flex and drink coffee! Point is, Eve has a gimmick, but I think she can definitely be doing more than just dressing for the part and following the script to really make herself stand out. 

The Fall Of Tensai

He is no longer a "Lord", but he didn't lose this week. Nevertheless, Tensai's momentum is slowing down. The Big Show has become the top heel aligned with John Laurinaitis. Tensai has taken a slight demotion. He was featured in a main event against John Cena and World's Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, teaming with two former World Champions, and I call that a demotion? Yes. As much focus is not on him as was for a while.

Does he deserve to be moved down? I never really had faith in this guy. When he did finally get put in regular matches, he seemed sloppy at times. And his moves still do not seem that impressive to me. He might as well be used to put over a top face, get shoved around the card for a while, maybe be given a different gimmick, and then leave. If he manages to somehow get over in between all that, then they would have good reason to keep him around. Until that potentially happens, he is a pain for me to watch. I usually don't say that about a lot of wrestlers, but I am disappointed in this guy. Aside from the gimmick, nothing interesting here.

I talked about who should be the guy to beat Brodus a while back, so I might as well do the same for Tensai. Say what you want about Brodus, he at least entertains the crowd. And I see him as a little more smoother in the ring than Tensai. I had said that Tensai should be the top choice to beat Brodus. That would build up Tensai more before he put someone over. Should Brodus be the guy to end Tensai's streak? I wouldn't say so. Brodus does not need that. And unless Brodus starts getting serious, I don't see why he should be the one to beat a guy treated like a threat like Tensai. I wouldn't be surprised if Tensai loses to Cena in the weeks building up to Cena vs. Big Show. If not Cena, Tensai will lose to CM Punk. I don't think the WWE will even bother trying to keep Tensai that strong until a potential title feud. Any midcard face beating Tensai would be degrading and a waste. He may not be great, but he doesn't deserve that.

Christian Back And With Gold

Christian returned at Over The Limit, won the right to go after one of the midcard titles, and then defeated Cody Rhodes for the Intercontinental Championship. Three major things to keep in mind there. Christian returned, he won a title, and he turned face.

Layla pulled off something similar at the last PPV, so does that mean the WWE would like this to become a regular deal for a while? Returning star wins title on a PPV? Having squash filler has become a regular deal for PPVs recently.

Did Christian really deserve the title? I know he is over and a great worker, but he just won a midcard title. This guy was getting a much larger push a year ago. Pushing him in the main-event scene of either show might have been a better choice. Just make the feud between Daniel Bryan and CM Punk last one month. Or have Christian go after Sheamus. Those two had an endless feud a few months ago, before Christian got injured the first time. If Christian is going to hold a midcard title, the only good thing is that the WWE may invest better in the midcard.

Christian could have been booked to face Santino. Beating Santino would have kept Christian as a heel. Is Christian being a face right now bad? I don't think so. You just had heel Alberto Del Rio return last month. You could use a top face returning about now.

And what about Cody Rhodes? That reign was crap. I know the popular idea would be to blame Big Show for ruining the reign. That is stupid. The WWE could easily have still treated Cody better in the last few weeks. More importantly, they did not have to end his reign just yet. Did they screw him? No. Depends on where they go with him next. A good feud with Christian would be nice.

A Whole Extra Hour Of Mahal!

Okay, maybe not.

The big news concerning the WWE is that Raw will be gaining an extra hour very soon. Three hours of Raw. Good or bad? Assuming that this will be an extra hour of the regular show, and not something to simply supplement the regular show, this is a good move, in my opinion. I am always complaining that the WWE does not do a good job with their midcard these days. With a whole extra hour, that has to give more time to proper development of a few more guys every week. That means more storylines should be getting developed. If all they do is use the time to further promote guys like Cena and CM Punk, it would be horrible. Needless to say, more recaps and dull interviews would be a stupid move, as well. I'm actually not going to say that I have confidence that the WWE will do the right thing. Last time I said that, the WWE dropped the ball.

TNA also had a special announcement. They will be going live for a few weeks. A lot of people are always saying that is something that TNA needs to do. I know I have been finding myself only reading the spoilers and skipping the show recently. But will going live really help with what they want to accomplish? They want higher ratings. They are currently not a strong competition for the WWE in almost every respect. But going live? I still find they're overall product as incapable of connecting with a wide audience. They are still pushing the wrong people. It would be sad if going live does not raise ratings at all, but do not expect a 2.0 from this.

Layla: New Diva Centerpiece?

Layla returned a few weeks ago to win the Diva's Championship. She now finds herself in a feud with Beth Phoenix for the title.

The important thing, is she being developed as the centerpiece of the diva division? Is she the one following in the path of Sable and Trish Stratus? She has the background that the WWE likes in their centerpieces for the diva division. She is currently in the typical feud a centerpiece will find herself, feuding against a credible wrestler. Of course, what matters most is whether or not the WWE will continue to revolve the major diva division issues around her. That is what is going to separate her from being the centerpiece to being just another filler push in this dark period the WWE finds itself.

Layla is not a bad choice. She has definitely improved in the ring over the years. She has some potential to her. Beyond that, she already has some build to her. Back in the LayCool run, she was teamed with Michelle McCool, whose centerpiece push failed to get her over. The WWE deciding to continue to develop Layla would not be a shocking choice.

In another diva matter, periphery action is still running wild. In the few years I have been blogging, I don't think there have been better examples of what I mean when I say that the WWE can develop stars in the diva division outside of the diva division. Vickie Guerrero was probably the only good example I usually had, but how else would they push a non-wrestler? Currently, the WWE is still developing Eve and AJ. Both of these women are getting storylines in the men's world. Eve has not had a match on Raw in a while. Does she need it? No. They are developing her character. That is what will really get her over. And AJ? She has seen a little more action in the ring recently than Eve, but she is neither a centerpiece nor a credible jobber feuding against a centerpiece or acting as filler. Her matches have been part of her larger storyline involving Daniel Bryan. Yes, it is not over. It seems they want to sell that she is going psycho. I'll probably talk about that and Eve's role another day. I just wanted to point out that the WWE is developing more divas than just Layla, and they are doing it in the periphery. In case anyone ever gets confused by what I mean by that, you are seeing it play out right now.

Kane Vs. Ryder In The Pre-Show

Over The Limit's pre-show match will be Zack Ryder vs. Kane. After Kane finished putting over John Cena, the proper option would have been to have him feud with Zack Ryder, who was a pawn in the larger feud between Kane and Cena. Instead, the WWE went with Kane vs. Orton. That feud is now over. Zack Ryder could have still been an option for Kane to feud with, right? Did they end up feuding? No. Having a match does not mean the same thing as a feud.

What have either of these two guys been doing recently? Nothing. Would it have been that difficult to develop something? This is another perfect example of the WWE passing up good opportunities to do something interesting with the midcard. So what if this feud would not have been a means to propel either guy to a bigger push? If done right, it could have been something interesting to get the fans tuned in and interested in both of these guys for a while.

Who wins? Not that it matters too much, since the WWE is not pushing either guy well right now, but Kane should win. How far would he have fallen if he does lose to Ryder? He went from being a monster terrorizing Cena and his friends, to feuding with Randy Orton and beating him at Wrestlemania, and ends up losing to Zack Ryder? Had this been a real feud, they might have built up to it being something Ryder could win. As it stands now, at least give Kane a little something to keep him looking like a monster. He did beat Big Show this week, but it was a cheap win, as would be expected. From beating Big Show to jobbing to Ryder in one week, could you picture it?

Who Should Brodus Lose To?

It has become pretty obvious that the WWE just will not develop anything good for Brodus Clay to do. I've spent time talking about potential feuds they could develop with heels like Miz and Jack Swagger, but the WWE just cannot keep the ball rolling properly. What's left to talk about for this undefeated big guy? Who the WWE will have him lose to.

Obviously, the best choice would be to have him lose to Lord Tensai. Tensai has also not lost a match. Having him end Brodus Clay's streak would give him even more momentum. In other words, they can use Brodus to build up Tensai further until Tensai is used to put some top face over.

Other options? Ryback has been picking up wins on Smackdown. Would Brodus vs. Ryback be the clash of the undefeated midcarders? How about Miz? I know Miz just lost to Brodus, but to give Miz back some kind of momentum, I could see them having him beat Brodus.

And what happens after Brodus does lose? The whole gimmick does not have to go away. Knowing the WWE, he will definitely lose steam. Some people can say he has already lost steam from not being developed right. But after one loss, more losses will come. He will soon become a jobber used to put over other guys. That will mean less time for his own playful antics. His dancers will become generic divas. And where will Brodus be left? I'm not saying all this will happen in one month, but just thinking about the future.

Cody Rhodes IC Champ Again

Many people thought the WWE might have Cody Rhodes break the record for the longest Intercontinental Championship reign. His reign ended at Wrestlemania. When that happened, some people were saying that it was necessary for Cody to go on to feud for bigger things, like a World title. And what happens? Cody Rhodes is back holding the Intercontinental Championship.

Just for a moment, could you have pictured Cody Rhodes feuding against Sheamus for the World's Heavyweight Championship right now? Imagine that the WWE were never making it clear since last month that Del Rio was going to get the push. Imagine that the booking was not already decided. Could you see Cody Rhodes in a top feud like that. I could. If they could give R-Truth a push like that last year, they definitely could have given Cody Rhodes a push like that this year. Of course, if the WWE did not have enough confidence to push a great feud between Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio currently, what kind of faith would they have in Cody and Sheamus? They probably still would have added in other players.

Nevertheless, you have to face reality. Cody Rhodes is holding Smackdown's midcard title again. He pretty much is the top guy of the midcard. The main-event scene is already full. But he is still doing very well in the midcard. Ignoring the title, they have been giving him plenty of time to speak and good storylines for a long time now. Most importantly, they have not been building him up simply to put over some other guy. You can see that in how he was not written off completely after Big Show beat him last month. Will he end up like Miz? Will he end up like any other guy built up to put over a centerpiece, then depushed back to the midcard? Will he be a "jobber to the stars"? Will he be Miz? Miz is pretty much the top heel in Raw's midcard currently. I would say Tensai is currently more of an upper-midcarder. Ziggler and Swagger are midcard heels too, but I still would say Miz is higher up than them. Point is, what happened with Miz might just happen to Cody Rhodes. Until then, give the WWE credit for pushing him well.

Daniel Bryan Goes After CM Punk's Title

I spent two days talking about Smackdown's World title feud, so I might as well talk about Raw's World title feud. Daniel Bryan won the title shot last week. This week, he gained some momentum against CM Punk.

On paper, this has been your basic title feud, so far. But I am not going to complain about that in the same way I did the feud between Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio. Why? First, this is a match that many fans of a certain type are going to love seeing. Fans of real wrestling love Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. This match will be a draw for them. As for fans who are not too interested in these two wrestling, there's always Cena to draw them in to buy the next PPV. Second, Daniel Bryan and CM Punk have a history. Whether they really push that in a televised promo in the coming weeks or not, that is something else that will make fans interested in this. There is a backstory. Sheamus/Del Rio didn't have either of that. They have no real history with each other and this feud was not looking like much of a draw. That is why I was wondering what the WWE would do to make it better. Bryan/Punk, on the other hand, almost sells itself to the audience that would really want to see it.

Isn't it nice how open the men's division is? It is especially better now that the roster split is deader than it has ever been since it started. Daniel Bryan has gone from feuding for one World title to feuding for the other World title. Whether Daniel Bryan wins the title or not, they are still pushing him well.

And CM Punk. His reign has lasted a very long time. Honestly, I still would have had Jericho win the title, even if only to drop it back to Punk. Jericho isn't exactly in a sad spot right now. This week on Raw, Punk was finally featured in the main-event segment again. How long had it been since that happened? Cena was selling his injury this week. No, he's not really hurt. Question still is, how long will CM Punk's glory last? I don't think Daniel Bryan will be the one to take the title, but John Cena won't stay away from the gold forever.

Orton And Jericho Join Del Rio

What did the WWE do to make the title feud between Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio more interesting? They added in two other guys to make it a four-way match. Chris Jericho and Randy Orton have been added to the PPV match. Well, things definitely did get interesting with that.

I am actually not going to complain about the WWE not putting in good effort to make the feud between Del Rio and Sheamus really good. I was curious as to how they would possibly even try to make it good. Extending it might have helped, but how would they actually develop the story to the feud? Instead of bothering with all that, they just tossed in two guys who have held numerous World titles. They also added in more of a story. You now have some issues with Sheamus and Orton. Del Rio might continue to have issues with Jericho getting into the match. This definitely makes this feud more interesting.

Do I feel bad for Alberto Del Rio? This is now no longer just his feud with Sheamus. But I don't think this is a bad thing for him. He is going to get the rub from being in this match. Of all the challengers to the title, he is the newest to the WWE. But he is going to look like their equal in this feud. That is pretty good. All in all, no complaints here.

Alberto Del Rio Back In Title Hunt

Alberto Del Rio returned last month to plant the seeds of his feud with Sheamus for the World's Heavyweight Championship. He then became a minor note for a while, so that Daniel Bryan can finish his feud with Sheamus. Now that Daniel Bryan is in another title picture, the WWE can jump back to the feud between Sheamus and Del Rio better. A little shaky getting there, but I'm still looking forward to it.

I still feel Sheamus and Mark Henry should have gotten a better feud. Mark Henry was hot a few months ago. Sheamus was on a win streak. Would the feud have necessarily killed either man's momentum? Depends on how it was done and what the WWE did with both after. I know they wrestled each other, but there was no proper feud there.

And now? Alberto Del Rio is not being pushed as interestingly as Mark Henry was last year. Sheamus is World Champion. They are developing him well currently. But how will they really make this feud interesting? What will the WWE do to make this feud more than just a basic title feud? They had AJ get involved in Bryan/Sheamus, and I didn't really like that a lot, but what can they do now? If this is going to be a good feud, it has to go beyond one PPV. I'm not saying Del Rio must win the title for it to be good. Chris Jericho did not beat CM Punk for the title, but the feud was good and the storyline was elaborate. And Sheamus having issues with refs would not be interesting to me. They have to do better than that.

Diva Classification

I am hoping this will be the simplest way I ever come up with to explain how I view the diva division.

You frequently hear fans talk about various groups on the roster. You have guys who are in the main event, upper-midcard, midcard, and lower-midcard. They discuss the roster in terms of various classes. They might sometimes talk about jobbers, legends, and other groups too. Point is, just sticking with grouping the roster based on the scale from main event to lower-midcard, how do they know who belongs where? Does the WWE spell it out for everyone? Not exactly. Fans know based on how the WWE uses the various workers. Where are they frequently positioned on the card? Who are they frequently working with? How are they frequently being used? Keyword? Frequently. You don't just judge based on one night. Jinder Mahal may be used in the battle royal to find a new #1 contender for the World Championship one night in the main event, but no one would honestly say that makes him a true main-eventer. Fact is, you know how to classify the men based on how you see the WWE using them.

Now, how does that work out in the diva division? Divas don't ever fill out the card on Raw, Smackdown, or PPVs in the same way the men do. That is to say, you don't see as many all-female matches and storylines going on as you do all-male matters. You can definitely argue that Trish and Lita were main-eventers, but even they did not spend the majority of their WWE careers wrestling in the main event. Just because you can't really use the same grouping you would use for the men, that does not mean you cannot classify the divas.

To me, there are 3 types of divas. Two of these are types that the WWE builds to be successful. One is the centerpiece. The centerpiece is the one that major diva feuds and title matters frequently revolve around. Then you have periphery divas. These are women built up well more in the men's world than the diva world. And what's left? How about those women who are mainly there to put over the centerpiece? Because the divas don't fill out the card, these women tend to only get used to serve that purpose, and then don't do anything too interesting. Once a guy is used to put over a centerpiece in the main-event scene, there is still spots on the card for him. Women used in this manner have almost always failed to get over. The only exception was Mickie James, and the WWE showed how they felt about that. I call these women credible jobbers, since they have to have some credibility in them to properly put over a centerpiece.

Just like fans base their classification of the men on the roster based on how they are being used, that is the same source of information I use for the divas. By looking at how the WWE pushes their talent, you can figure out what they are trying to do with them. Grouping things can help you anticipate what the WWE might do next. When you see a diva is being treated in the same pattern as a credible jobber, you shouldn't be too shocked by that depush that always comes, no matter how over she is. You can always cross your fingers and hope that the WWE does things better in the future, but that is not something that worked out for Mickie James fans. At least, by understanding what the WWE is doing, it might ease some stress if this ever happens to another woman.

Happy To See Miz Back On Raw?

After weeks of not having a match on Raw, Miz finally had a match this week. He won that match. The night before, he had a shot at the U.S. Championship. Didn't win that, obviously. And yet, I am still not seeing him going anywhere.

They didn't actually develop a storyline for the guy this week. He won the first "Beat The Clock" match, but he didn't end up getting the best time needed to feud with CM Punk for the title. They didn't actually bury him on Raw, but they didn't really make him look that interesting, either. As I have said before, this guy was more interesting back when he had the losing streak. He did beat Santino, but does that mean that feud will continue to be developed? I think it should. You could have Lord Tensai squash Santino to win the title, but I don't feel he needs that. Tensai already has something big going for him. Miz has nothing. At least holding a title would put some measure of interest into him.

Am I saying the WWE dropped the ball with Miz? This was never really a guy who was very over. They invested a lot into him to make him into something for other top names to work with and hyped him as if he was a draw, but the depush isn't really that shocking. He is a level above Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler, but he is not a major priority. I would say the guy was lucky to get the treatment he did get. They didn't really drop the ball with him. I think they got pretty much what they wanted. However, that doesn't mean you should waste him while you have him.

Brief Raw 4/30/12 Notes

A lot has been happening recently, so I am going to have to touch on a lot of subjects on one go.

First, Brodus Clay went back to the jobber circuit on Raw. He beat JTG. Of course, this was a special Raw. Most of the matches were dedicated to finding a new #1 contender. Next week, the WWE should be back on track to something. He can continue his feud with Jack Swagger. But after that? The WWE really seems lost with this guy. It's not like he's a major priority. Just give him time to dance and do his act, and everyone will be happy. I would have had Miz win the U.S. title and feud with Brodus. It seemed like they were finally going somewhere with the guy. Just pick a direction and go with it.

New Tag Team Champions are Kofi Kingston and R-Truth. Giving them the tag titles is not shocking at all. I would have given them the tag titles long ago. What about Primo and Epico? I really don't think they will be going anywhere special with Abraham Washington, but it will be interesting to see what the WWE at least attempts.

Layla returned at Extreme Rules and won the Diva's Championship. On Raw, she retained in a quick match against both Bellas. Later on, it was announced that Brie and Nikki were fired. Obviously, their contract did run up and they are not staying. The firing is a kayfabe way of writing them out. Could they have just let them leave and be forgotten? Probably, since they have done things like that before. I'm not going to criticize them for the way they handled things. Waste of time. However, the recent title changes just seem like a mess. This is an even more awkward exchange than what happened last year at the beginning of 2011. The title went from heel Beth Phoenix to Nikki Bella, then to face Layla. Why did they bother with Nikki at all? Makes you wonder why they didn't give John Morrison a reign last year before he left. He was more deserving. Did the WWE think Kharma was going to be back? And I read those reports that Beth's injury was fake. That makes things even more awkward. Why would you fake an injury like that? And in a Lumberjill match, where they could have easily have had the same kind of injury made from a shot to Beth's ankle during a bunch of divas attacking her? And the fact that Beth being taken out of the picture doesn't really do much? Beth is out and The Bellas are gone. Those are three heels right there. This is a mess.

Speaking of a mess, John Cena seemed to be taking a break after Extreme Rules. Having him return to Raw to give an update and say a farewell would have been one thing, but they actually build who he will be facing at the next PPV? John Laurinaitis was definitely a shocking choice. I, like many others, felt it would be Tensai going against Cena, so Cena could avenge that loss from a few weeks ago. Having Cena face the GM is more interesting. But what about that injury? The guy gives this emotional speech, then pops back up like everything is okay and will be competing at the next PPV? What? And they beat him down again on Raw, focusing on his arm. Can he stay down this time? Just for two weeks? Let's really see how the WWE can do with CM Punk as top face of Raw, without Cena on the show. Can two weeks really kill you?