Team Foley Vs. Team Punk

Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio will be on opposite sides of a traditional Survivor Series match, but not in the way I was expecting. It will be Team Foley vs. Team Punk. Team Foley will comprise of Ryback, Randy Orton, Kane, Daniel Bryan, and Kofi Kingston. CM Punk's team will include himself, Alberto Del Rio, Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes, and The Miz.

I'm not going to play booker and say that I would have tried to put in guys like Wade Barrett, Rey Mysterio, and Sin Cara, among others. The match they have now looks good. It should make for a great main event at Survivor Series.

I just feel that something should be on the line in this kind of match. This match was pretty much made off of these ideas about respect and tradition, but what else is there? Mick Foley will lead his team, but he is not in the actual match. I think they can do a lot more with his involvement. CM Punk is on this crusade for respect. If his team should win, how about Mick Foley being forced to say that CM Punk is the best in the world? It sounds weak, even to me, but I still feel something more needs to be done to make this match mean more. It seems a little awkward to just have Mick Foley stand there.

How about Ryback? The WWE ran a finish that involved him getting screwed by the referee at Hell in a Cell. He still got revenge on Punk after the match. But it seems like he is the focal point of Mick Foley's team. Considering that Randy Orton is one of the faces on that team, it really is interesting. It's way too early to call it, but I could see the WWE having Ryback win at Survivor Series and facing Punk for the title again at TLC. Punk can pick up a more decisive win there, then move on to The Rock. If they didn't put the title on Ryback last Sunday, I doubt they will do it before The Rock gets his title shot. Until then, it feels good to have a fresh face getting the main attention.

Why No Periphery For Mickie?

Why didn't the WWE choose to develop Mickie James as a periphery diva back in 2010, instead of releasing her? The diva division is a women's division that revolves around this idea of pushing eye-candy women who develop their wrestling ability in the company as the centerpiece. The only female wrestlers the WWE has developed to be successes since the diva division started have been developed in the periphery of centerpiece matters. The WWE obviously did not want Mickie James as their centerpiece, which is not surprising at all, but why not develop her as a periphery diva, since she had made herself into their most over diva through being a credible jobber?

I already gave an obvious reason a while ago. Having a centerpiece is worth more than having a periphery diva. The centerpiece is the most important diva in the division. Back at the time Mickie James was there, after Trish and Lita left, their main focus was recreating that centerpiece. Seeing as they were having trouble doing that with the women they wanted to do it with, taking away resources to build a periphery diva might not have been too likely.

Resources are another key issue. Take a look at what the WWE is doing with AJ Lee to see how much work goes into a periphery diva. Behind the scenes, there has to be time and energy devoted by the writers. On the other side of the camera, segment time on the shows has to be devoted to developing the periphery diva. Because periphery divas usually rotate around the men, you would have to find a well-pushed guy you are willing to pair the diva with. Right now, AJ is working with John Cena. John Cena. He is the centerpiece. Even if the WWE had a change of heart and decided to give Mickie James the better career she had earned and decided to ease down on trying to create a new centerpiece so hard, there would still be a lot of work and resources to get the periphery treatment started. It might have ended up being easier said than done.

Let's say that the WWE did decide to develop Mickie James as a periphery diva, were willing to devote all the resources and work, and had a good plan to do it, how easily can they make that transition? From the time she debuted in 2005, Mickie James was always a credible jobber. She was getting pushes to put over the centerpiece and act as filler when the centerpiece was not around. With this kind of career, and with more issues with their centerpieces than the WWE could have imagined, Mickie ended up winning 6 title reigns in less than 5 years. You don't want a credible jobber to tie or break the record you set with the greatest centerpiece you ever had and you don't want her in the way of your new centerpiece, but how do you explain to your fans how a woman who won 6 title reigns in less than 5 years will never win the title again or will no longer be a regular in the actual main diva feuds? Better yet, how do you explain that to Mickie James? I can't think of an easy answer to that. I guess they could have just started the periphery angle without making it clear to Mickie that she would never be winning the title again and not be given as many true diva feuds, but it would look blatantly suspicious after a while.

Finally, even if they did start pushing Mickie James in the periphery, what if issues arose in the actual heart of the diva division that would require her to be given another title feud? Impossible? Keep in mind that there were two women's titles at the time Mickie got released. The brand split meant more back then. Remember what happened shortly after Mickie was released? Beth Phoenix, who took her spot as face credible jobber on Smackdown, got injured. After that, Tiffany was soon suspended and released. Kelly Kelly almost suffered a serious injury at a house show. If Mickie James was still on Smackdown as a periphery diva, is it hard to imagine that the WWE would be put in a position to push her? And what if McCool and/or Layla were injured or had some other issues right then? You are pretty much put in a position to put the title on Mickie James. With the titles unified and brand split dead, you no longer have to worry too much about an issue like that. Back then, however, a fragile diva division would have made the possibility of periphery diva Mickie James still seeing a lot of action as interim centerpiece or credible jobber to put over the centerpiece.

In the end, would pushing Mickie James as a periphery diva have made it that much easier for them to fix their centerpiece issues? They wanted Michelle McCool over. Mickie James still being there would mean fans still talking about her. And after a while of being pushed in the periphery for too long, and especially if the women pushed as centerpiece still continued to fail, how long until the fans wanted to see her back in diva feuds? It would be almost like the situation you have with Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow. Mark Sanchez is the starting quarterback for the New York Jets. Tebow is backup and not used too much. Because Sanchez is failing to deliver consistently, you can hear fans sometimes chanting for Tebow. The coach for the Jets, Rex Ryan, has not folded easily. Tebow isn't a great quarterback, but Sanchez isn't winning enough, either. Mickie James proved her worth at her job. Pro wrestling is all about pushing the performers the fans want to see. With a diva as over as Mickie James and a diva division as fragile as it was back then, simply pushing Mickie in the periphery all of a sudden would have been no easy answer.

Del Rio Doesn't Look Happy

Yes, I was just looking for an excuse to use that pic.

Randy Orton beat Alberto Del Rio at the PPV. However, on Main Event last week, they set up a match that will feature Del Rio and the Prime Time Players facing Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, and Sin Cara for this week. The feud continues. I am glad about that.

It looks like this can easily branch into a traditional Survivor Series match at the next PPV. Each of the obvious captains, Del Rio and Orton, have two guys each on their team already, potentially. It is obviously too soon to predict who would win, but I would have Del Rio win at Survivor Series. Orton already picked up a PPV win over him. Shift the momentum a little, then end it in December's PPV.

Should there be a power outage from the hurricane coming tonight, don't expect an update tomorrow. Frankenstorm wished it had as lovely a face as Alberto Del Rio.

Ryback's Big Moment?

Have my feelings towards Ryback changed? No, I still do not consider myself a fan of this guy. Have my feelings towards this situation changed? No, I still think this is a very interesting situation.

Ryback is undefeated. CM Punk's WWE Championship reign has lasted almost a year. A Hell in a Cell match cannot end by DQ or countout. Something will have to give right here. Yes, they could still pull some lame finish to save CM Punk's title reign and keep Ryback undefeated, but I don't think they will. There is too much hype for this situation. It would be a letdown.

Should Ryback win? Chris Jericho is on his side. I think Ryback should win. I'm sure a lot of people would like to see it. CM Punk, of course, has his supporters wanting him to win. But what kind of moment would it be for Ryback if he did win? To me, there are two possibilities.

A few years ago, Sheamus had the biggest push of his young career and beat John Cena for the WWE Championship. Sheamus had been on the ECW roster, he had lost to Goldust, then they suddenly put him on Raw, stuff him with momentum, give him a title shot, and he won in a tables match. Most people didn't think the WWE would book Sheamus to win the title so fast. It all seemed so forced down the fans' throats. Some called it a fluke. His reign was full of a lot of "fluke" victories. Fact is, he still won it. Years later, he has obviously now connected with the fans better and deserves the position he is now in.

Just last year, Mark Henry finally won the big one by defeating Randy Orton cleanly for the World's Heavyweight Championship. Mark Henry had wrestled in title matches before, and even held the ECW Championship. But that push last year was great. They built him up by having him destroy other big guys. Ratings actually went up on Smackdown for him. Coincidence? No matter what, it was great seeing Mark Henry win it. And unlike Sheamus, he wasn't really shoved down anyone's throat out of nowhere and his reign was not filled with flukes.

What does the WWE do now? Ratings on Raw are horrible. A 2.48 does not look good. Round it up to a 2.5 makes it look so much better? No, not really. Yes, they had a ton of competition, but Raw has not seen better than a 3.0 since summer. They need to do something different. I believe this Ryback situation has potential to intrigue. It is a similar situation to what you had with Mark Henry. Ryback is not a veteran like Mark Henry, but I don't feel his push is coming completely out of nowhere, like what you had with Sheamus. Ryback has been picking up wins for months now, dominating. He has beaten former World Champions. The fans are liking him. Here is something else to keep in mind, though it may not necessarily be a selling point to give Ryback the title. You have absolutely no new World Champions in the WWE this year. Daniel Bryan came into 2012 with Smackdown's World title. He lost it to Sheamus, a former WWE Champion. The two guys gunning for Sheamus are former Champions, Big Show and Dolph Ziggler. CM Punk has been Champion on Raw all year. If you want to create new main-eventers, it would help to give them the top titles. Is Ryback ready for that? Titles aren't everything, but you need to do something to draw.

Eve Torres Vs. Layla Vs. Kaitlyn At Hell In A Cell

I was hoping for a triple threat for the tag titles, but it seems that the PPV coming up will have a triple threat for the Diva's Championship. Eve will defend against both Layla and Kaitlyn. It was revealed that she was the attacker on Raw. There are a few points I want to make about all this.

First, looking at Raw, the segment that featured Kaitlyn finding evidence against Eve happened backstage. I don't really like that. Major segments almost always happen in the ring. That is the way it should be. What you have going on here is an elaborate diva storyline, albeit a weak one. I feel the reveal should have happened in the ring. They obviously would have had to write it differently, but I think it could have been possible. Eve comes out to do a promo about AJ's situation, Kaitlyn confronts her, and then Layla joins in. Give it that focus.

Next, I really don't like the pacing of this feud. Earlier this month, I talked about the state of the diva division. I mentioned that Beth Phoenix's last act may be putting over Eve in this storyline. I wrote that on a Monday. On that Monday's Raw, Eve beat Beth. They should have drawn it out more. They could have given at least one more week to develop Beth's involvement in the story, then have Eve go over her. Since then, Eve has also faced Kaitlyn and Layla. Definitely rushing through things. I would have had Layla get her rematch at Hell in a Cell. Drag on the drama of the storyline a little. Have the reveal happen after the PPV. If they still want a triple threat, rather than Eve vs. Kaitlyn, go for it. I realize that they don't have a ton of workers to have many filler matches, but you have enough to not rush things so fast. They definitely could have spread it out and made this a more intriguing elaborate diva storyline.

Should it have been Eve? She was the obvious choice. But they are really low on credible jobbers. Layla is being used to put over Eve. So is Kaitlyn, but I don't think she is solid enough in the ring yet to be considered a true credible jobber. They could have used this situation to debut a henchwoman for Eve. Debut someone from NXT. In a few months, Eve and her henchwoman can have issues, then that leads to Eve feuding with whoever that woman would be. Altogether, if you do things the way I would have done them, the diva division would be set for the rest of the year and into 2013, as far as centerpiece issues go.

Who should win? Eve is the centerpiece. She just won the title last month. Although she has had some title defenses, I see no reason to end it, especially when you consider who the other choices are. I mean no disrespect to Layla. She is solid now and deserves to be treated properly, but she just had a long title reign. I see no reason to give it back to her so soon, especially when she is not the centerpiece. As for Kaitlyn, as I said before, she is not solid enough in the ring. I don't think she should win. In the typical elaborate diva storyline, you would have the title change hands. Since Kaitlyn is the victim of heel Eve, it would make sense, storyline-wise, for her to eventually win it. I don't know if they will eventually do it, and I'm still not sure of whether they should, but Eve seems to be the safe choice to retain here.

Alberto Del Rio Vs. Randy Orton At Hell In A Cell

Aside from the World title match, Smackdown's big feud is between Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio. These are two of my favorites. It would have meant so much more if Del Rio had won the title off of Sheamus. People can see similarities between Del Rio and other wrestlers, such as JBL and Eddie Guerrero. He is a mix of the two. I sometimes see some of Randy Orton in Del Rio, as well.

So far, the feud has been rather basic. Del Rio attacked Orton, and now Orton wants revenge. You have two former multi-time World Champions. Very simple feud. You shouldn't be too surprised that this is what they would have for Del Rio after feuding for the title.

Who wins? The way things are set up, Orton would be the obvious choice to win. Most of the momentum is in Del Rio's favor. Nevertheless, this is a feud I hope goes beyond Hell in a Cell. They have faced each other before, but I think the actual feud they have going on right now can be developed a lot better, given time. Of course, I do not want to see it drag on for over a third of the year, like Sheamus and Del Rio. Let it go on until December, then fizzle out as the Royal Rumble approaches. If the WWE does extend it, I wouldn't be surprised if Del Rio wins this match. Orton can always pick up the final match of the feud.

Kane In 2012

I stopped to think about the year Kane has had. It isn't even over yet, but it is still filled with so much. It really illustrates a strong point that I always like bringing up.

Kane started off the year in a feud that lasted over two months with John Cena, the centerpiece of the company. Cena, not surprisingly, went over Kane to end the feud. Cena continued to be pushed as the centerpiece, while Kane moved down.

Kane then entered a feud with Randy Orton, who was at one time the centerpiece of Smackdown. He beat Randy Orton at Wrestlemania, and on Orton's own birthday. Nevertheless, Orton ended up winning that feud.

The next major feud for Kane involved him feuding for the WWE Championship, while also getting involved in a romance angle involving AJ Lee, CM Punk, and Daniel Bryan. Obviously, Kane did not win the title.

Since then, Kane has teamed with Daniel Bryan and won the Tag Team Championship. There have been a few instances where he has still been main-eventing recently. He is getting plenty of opportunities to be featured. He has one of the best storylines going right now with Daniel Bryan.

Kane started off 2012 as a jobber to the centerpiece. They built him up for Cena to overcome, Cena did, and that was it. But look at all the other things he has done after that. I didn't even list some of the other things between all that. Kane has been feuding with main-eventers since his feud with Cena. He was a contender for titles and Money in the Bank. He is holding titles right now. He seems to never have to wait long to get some good storyline. If you consider that they could have legitimately put him in U.S. or Intercontinental title feuds, you realize that there were even more possibilities for Kane than what has played out.

Not so bad being used to put over the centerpiece of the company, is it? There are still many possibilities after that, as you can see with the example of Kane. In the diva division, you don't get that. The men's division is more open. Once a diva is done putting over the centerpiece of the division, there aren't exactly tag titles or midcard titles that they move on to compete for. Even though the periphery is pretty much the only real place to still get pushed well after being used to put over the centerpiece, you don't see credible jobbers get that kind of treatment. Look at Beth Phoenix. When her title reign ended this year, they didn't bother trying to develop any other storyline for her. If you ever do see a diva get treated well after feuding with a centerpiece, that woman is most likely a periphery diva, not a credible jobber. Those frequent depushes and poorer pushes after putting over a centerpiece or being pushed as interim centerpiece are one of the major indicators of being a credible jobber.

Since I am talking about the diva division, let me mention one more thing. You have a centerpiece, Eve Torres. You have a strong periphery diva, AJ Lee. But when it comes to credible jobbers, they are really in trouble right now. Layla has been getting pushed as a credible jobber. Natalya is still there. Even if Beth Phoenix was never leaving, she has been around for a long time. They need to debut more fresh women from NXT with solid wrestling ability. If you see a woman fitting that profile debut within the next few months, don't be surprised to see them feuding against Eve very soon. Without good credible jobbers, I don't think they can properly leave the current dark age the diva division is in, even though they have a new centerpiece in place. Without strong, fresh jobbers to put that centerpiece over, you can't go far.

As for Kane, the year is not even over for him yet. Even after he loses the tag titles, you can imagine that his angle with Daniel Bryan will still go on for a little while longer after that. He has not been truly buried at all this year, despite starting the year as an obvious jobber to the centerpiece. People take that kind of thing for granted, but it never happens like that for jobbers to the centerpiece in the diva division.

The Highs And Lows Of The Tag Division

With the finals in the tournament to find new #1 contenders for the tag titles postponed, that gives me extra time to talk about who I think should win. Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. Since the current Tag Team Champions are being booked as faces at the moment, it would make sense for the heel team to face them. That would be Rhodes and Sandow.

How about a triple threat? Have both teams challenge Kane and Daniel Bryan. Can you really imagine Rey Mysterio being left off the card? Assume that his illness is not a factor at all. The WWE would definitely like to use him. At the same time, having just Mysterio and Sin Cara face Kane and Daniel Bryan may be awkward. Both teams would be faces. Besides, Rhodes Scholars would have their momentum killed if they just lose like that. What happens after? Do they still stay a team? Interfere in the tag title match? Even if Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio don't win the tournament, I can have an easier time believing they will still team together through the fact that they have this angle where Rey is Sin Cara's mentor. There are a lot of possibilities there. Even if Sin Cara goes back to getting solo feuds, they can still have Mysterio get involved very easily. Getting back to the topic, I still feel both teams should get the title shot. Both have momentum and are made up of guys the WWE cares about pushing. It would be tough to pick one over the other, potentially leaving the other out in the cold. If I had to choose just one team to win this, let it be the heels. Not only would it make sense, but the face team can still survive.

The tag division focus has mainly been on upper-midcarders and midcarders currently. However, there are some lower-midcarders who have been getting more time because of recent events in the tag division. That is always a good thing.

Zack Ryder got over on his own a year ago. Trying to get him a legitimate push must have been like getting a tooth yanked out of your mouth for the WWE. They obviously did not want to do it. When they finally gave him a midcard title, the reign was crap. Beyond that, they used Ryder to put over Cena's character. Once he did that, they phased him back down. Now, he is teaming with Santino Marella. It may not be too much, but at least I see him getting featured more. They have a gimmick going. It is better than being completely lost in the shuffle.

Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal. Jinder Mahal? Really? I never thought I would live to see the day. Before this boy band was created, none of these guys were being pushed too well. Heath Slater had an angle going where he was jobbing to legends for months, then continued to be used as a jobber after that. Jinder Mahal was last relevant when the WWE used him to put over Ryback in a minor feud. Drew McIntyre has been even less relevant than that. Combined and given this gimmick, these three are actually being used well. I know what you are thinking, these guys have a stable going, not a real tag team. True, but is it hard to imagine that they will be involved in tag matters? I consider them a part of the recent interest being put in the tag division. Good for them. Yes, even Jinder Mahal.

Brodus Clay Is A Jobber

Has Brodus Clay gotten stale? When the WWE were not properly pushing him earlier this year, it was likely that he would go stale. All he was doing was squashing jobbers. Is it all catching up now? One thing is for sure, with his current treatment, it is much easier to bury him.

Not only is Brodus still not getting pushed properly, but he isn't even winning as much these days. He is the one who is jobbing. Losing to Heath Slater really is a far drop from once running over former World Champions. Brodus will still get meaningless wins against jobbers below him, but they really could have done better.

Some people might say that Brodus being used in this current way is no big deal because he didn't have an angle, anyway. Well, he never really had a fair chance to show what he can do in a legitimate feud and storyline. The closest thing he had to a major feud was his brief interactions with Big Show. Instead of developing a good feud between the two, Big Show ended up getting a win over Brodus and moved on from there to still be pushed hard. Since then, Brodus hasn't really gone anywhere.

It was pretty obvious that this kind of thing might happen. How can you expect someone to stay fresh and keep momentum when they are being pushed in a way that is not fresh and you are killing their momentum? The shouldn't have done this with Brodus. The guy had potential to be a little more than a dancing fool, even with his current gimmick. They could have kept the gimmick and still given him real feuds. He still has the gimmick, but how long will that last?

CM Punk Vs. Ryback At Hell In A Cell

Things just got a little interesting. The WWE is running with CM Punk vs. Ryback for the WWE Championship inside Hell in a Cell. Obviously, Cena will not be 100% ready for such a match in time. If he was, they would definitely have wanted him in there. If he was, this push Ryback was getting really would have ended up being just a mini-feud. With Cena not in it, Ryback will get the biggest match of his career in just a few weeks. He is headlining a PPV, going after the WWE Champion, and inside Hell in a Cell.

Something will have to give in this match. Ryback is undefeated. But will they hand him the WWE Championship this fast, ending Punk's lengthy run in a way they obviously did not expect to before Cena's injury. Because this is a Hell in a Cell match, you are not going to get a DQ ending to save Ryback's streak. He will either beat CM Punk for the WWE Championship or take his first defeat. This is good hype. Will it sell the PPV? Ryback has been getting very over lately. People have been waiting for him to get a real match and feud. Well, here it is.

Who should win? That is not an easy question for this match. The product has been weak lately. Having Ryback win might shake things up. But is he really ready for it? The reign may not even last long. Just a little shot of the unexpected might do wonders for Raw's ratings. CM Punk can always win it back and face The Rock at the Royal Rumble. I believe Ryback should actually win. Will this turn into the kind of big push that Lesnar had? It doesn't have to. Once again, just a big change to shake things up is what they need to do. And no, I still do not consider myself a fan of Ryback. But I am a fan of something fresh and exciting, and this situation can deliver.

What about Cena? He stepped aside so Ryback can get this match. That is not the first time this has happened. Just go back to TLC last year. Cena once again has his character shine. No need to cry for him. He doesn't need the title to be the centerpiece, anyway.

Sheamus Vs. Big Show

You have an interesting feud developing between Sheamus and Big Show for the World's Heavyweight Championship. Aside from the basic story of one guy having a title and another guy wanting the title, the WWE has hyped it as the first encounter between these two. If Big Show had some better momentum prior to returning, it would mean more right now, but no need to complain about that. Beyond that, they have been bringing in the finishers of the two guys. Big Show's KO punch has often gotten major attention. The Brogue Kick has gotten into storylines recently, as well. Good move in bringing it together. Brings more to the feud.

Not much more time left until these two go at it. Should it have been inside Hell in a Cell? Given that the feud has just started, I can understand not making it a Hell in a Cell match. Now, if Alberto Del Rio was still feuding with Sheamus, ending it in Hell in a Cell would be perfect. Back to reality, who should win between Big Show and Sheamus? Given the fact that Dolph Ziggler is likely to cash in, I don't think it matters too much. I think you can easily picture how it might go down. You have the finishers getting attention in this feud. One guy could win the match, then the loser hits his finisher out of anger. The commentators talk about the Champion being out cold, then Dolph Ziggler comes out. Perfect. Too obvious? Let's see how the WWE plays it out.

R-Truth And Kofi Kingston Split

They were the Tag Team Champions back when it looked like the WWE would revive the tag division through putting better focus on those teams that were being poorly featured. And now, after losing the tag titles and knocked out of the tournament to find new #1 contenders, R-Truth and Kofi Kingston are splitting up. Just as easily as they came together, they separate. And it doesn't look like either will turn heel.

Kofi Kingston looks like he is entering a feud with Miz over the Intercontinental Championship. Kofi Kingston has held many midcard titles, aside from the tag titles. For as long as I can remember, he just seems to be passing from one title feud to another. While a lot of people might say that it is great that the WWE is loading him up with all these titles, what's the point? I would rather see him getting more feuds like the one he got with Randy Orton a few years ago. Kofi looked very credible there and it showed a different side of him. He still proved he can get aggressive on Raw when he attacked Miz, but the Kofi you had in that feud with Orton had more attitude. Instead of loading him up with titles, more character development would be nice.

As for R-Truth, he seems to be the odd guy out. Whenever a tag team splits, a lot of fans try to figure out who the "Marty Jannetty" will be. That is to say, who will be the less successful guy? It is probably too soon to judge, but on that same Raw that had Kofi Kingston enter a title feud, R-Truth only had a comedy segment with Brodus, which then got cut short by Vince McMahon. And what about Brodus Clay? He doesn't seem to have focus on him, either. Why not pair up Brodus and R-Truth? Since the tag division is turning into this playground where you team up midcarders and upper-midcarders, why not give it a go? They can enter a feud with Heath Slater's band. If they don't want to team up R-Truth with someone else, how about have him feud with Antonio Cesaro, who is also without a good opponent? There are good options for R-Truth. He should not be lost in the shuffle.

Inserting Vince McMahon Against CM Punk

Moving away from drama that did not have to do with the storyline, Vince McMahon came back to Raw to address the state of the WWE. He didn't actually get to say anything interesting before CM Punk interrupted. That led to a match between the two being booked in the main event, which then eventually led to Vince forcing Punk to choose between Cena and Ryback for Hell in a Cell.

If you want something big to try to draw in ratings, how about having the boss come back and fight in the main event? Cena was even a part of Raw this week. Ratings did do better, but still fell short of that 3.0. The streak of being under a 3.0 continues. That's 6 weeks. Moreover, that trend of viewers tuning out over the course of the show still continues. If the WWE does not like seeing that, will they go back to 2 hours?

Vince vs. Punk. Obviously, it was a brawl, not a match. Nevertheless, the boss does not come back to get physical with just anyone. People want to compare Punk to Austin? A possible match between the two coming up? I'm not going to get into that. Point is, that was a big rub for Punk. He is being pushed much better over the last few months. That is, of course, because Cena has now been involved in the WWE title feud.

Ryback or Cena? That is the decision Vince left for Punk. Should AJ have been the one to do that? She seemed to get demoted for a night. The WWE was obviously hoping Vince can draw. And he left Punk to make the decision next week, which would hopefully get fans tuning in to find out what happens. Who should Punk pick? A feud with Ryback would be fresh. Who will Punk pick? Is Punk really afraid of a crippled Cena? That is in terms of the storyline. In reality, Cena still has some time to heal and seems to be doing fine. If he is not good to go, giving Punk the opportunity to choose will be a convenient way to leave Cena off this PPV card. If he is ready to go, a triple threat would be nice. I'm also hoping for a triple threat for the tag titles, but that is an issue for another day. It would be sad to tease this thing between Ryback and Punk and not follow through. Punk chooses Cena, then Ryback gets demoted to randomly squashing jobbers. I cannot imagine the WWE being that wasteful of an opportunity. Ryback will definitely stay in the picture in some form.

Punk Hits Fan

I'm not going to analyze the storylines and booking, ratings, or any of the usual stuff this time. The big thing coming out of last night's Raw was CM Punk attacking a fan. The whole world saw it. Vince McMahon was in the ring when it happened. This is just horrible.

The image above obviously does not show the whole incident, but you can obviously see some guy behind the guy in black push Punk's head, which caused him to finally have enough and attack the guy in black. Nevertheless, CM Punk should not have done something like that. If a fan is attacking you, I can understand defending yourself. If a fan is just heckling you, I can understand yelling at him back to put him in his place. Punk smacked that guy twice. You can bring up things like PG and Linda McMahon, but you just can't get that violent with fans in the crowd. There was a little boy just behind all that commotion. Had things gone a little differently, that little boy could have gotten hurt.

Should CM Punk be punished? Seeing as this guy has a history with altercations with the fans, even though it is usually just an exchange of words or Twitter nonsense, I would say he should be punished. He needs to learn. You can do something wrong and apologize, but if you keep on doing the same kind of thing, or worse things, what is the use of apologizing?

Strip him of the title? Have him lose it earlier than they originally planned? Suspend him? Fine him? Whatever they do, they should do something. I'm sure Punk is sorry he did it, but he needs to stop doing this kind of thing.

0.84 And Vince To Return

A while ago, I talked about the possibility of TNA's annual ratings average falling below a 1.0. Last week, TNA took a good step in making that possibility a reality.

0.84. That is the worst number of the year for Impact. Sounds like the same kind of story you had for Raw last week, doesn't it? Once again, you can blame football. Problem is, it was once again not a big game. Worse may come. Thanksgiving will not be friendly to TNA. Will the yearly average really drop below that 1.0 marker? They had some good things going for them recently, which I am sure I mentioned at times, but the overall product is still not as great as some fans might think. I see some fans say that TNA is better than WWE right now. Problem is, they are still failing to draw a wide audience. Viewership was at 1.058 million last week. Can you imagine it dropping below a million? I can. They scored a 0.3 in the 18-49 demographic, down from a 0.4 last week. You can check the numbers here. Yes, Impact is all the way down on the list for shows that day. Just about every sign points to them doing poorly. If they do not make changes, when the tougher competition does eventually pop up, they are screwed. TNA would probably love to be getting a 2.54 right now.

Mr. McMahon is going to do it Gangnam Style! No, not really. He is going to address the state of the WWE. After that 2.54 last week, you had to wonder how the WWE would react. Anything around a 2.5 is a nightmare. Can Vince bring a boost? Will it be enough to shrug off football and get back up to a 3.0 for one night? Vince is no Dwayne Johnson, but you also have some hype that Vince may make a big announcement. He may do something to shake things up. They need to shake things up.

If this fails? Whether this is the start of an attempt to get fans tuning in more regularly or just a shot to get some boost for a night, if the WWE still ends up with a 2.5 or worse tonight, that would be crushing. They cannot count on The Rock to boost the ratings and Lesnar to get more PPV buys on a regular basis. If tonight fails, they definitely have to realize that their product cannot get the job done.

Paul Heyman Being Underutilized?

I know a lot of fans are in love with Paul Heyman. I am not one of them. Nevertheless, I don't like how they are using Paul Heyman recently. He is being underutilized.

When he made the surprise return to align with CM Punk, that opened the door for a very interesting partnership. CM Punk had lost a lot of his edge. I would be the first to point out that there was no great ratings bump for Raw during his big summer angle in 2011. He was still edgy, however, and that got a lot of fans talking. It sold merchandise. By bringing Paul Heyman, who was mentioned in that memorable promo last year, into the story, that should have opened up possibilities to make things edgy again and get fans eager to tune in again. I still wouldn't expect a great rise in number of viewers, but I don't believe Raw would fall under 4 million viewers so easily. What does the WWE have Heyman do? Hold up that title and say that CM Punk is the best in the world. Okay. That's nice.

What should the WWE be having Paul Heyman and CM Punk do? I am not saying they need to dump the entire bag of tricks out every week or be way too edgy, thus pushing the boundaries of PG. They should be doing more to capture the tone that they had last year. I am not talking about CM Punk being bitter and complaining about everything. He is still doing that now. They need to create that feeling that some kind of change might happen. It obviously won't, given the WWE's record of not easily changing the status quo, but just like a lot of fans fell all over it last year, the WWE might get them again this year. And inserting Paul Heyman can definitely make that fresh again. But they are not doing anything good with that. They are just using Paul Heyman to give CM Punk a rub and make him more of a heel, but they are passing up on an opportunity to try to make this situation draw more.

2.5

2.5. Is that the rating for the best Smackdown of the year? How about the rating for what TNA would score if...well, never? 2.5 is the number for this week's Raw, which was a non-holiday Raw.

When I saw the viewership numbers, I expected a disastrous number for the ratings. Not a single hour of Raw averaged even 4 million viewers. A 2.54 is not good. When you round it down, it looks even worse. These are the kind of numbers that Smackdown was getting not too long ago. Bad ratings and bad viewership.

Blame football? Well, of course. Cowboys vs. Bears. Those two teams have a ton of fans. However, I could picture some games that could have drawn even more viewers than that. Neither of those two teams were undefeated this season. Neither of them really featured a top 5 quarterback. This game, even though every game in the regular season is important, was not that crucial. Point is, Raw didn't even go up against the biggest possible threat that football could have presented, but they still end up with the worst number for a non-holiday Raw in 15 years, according to reports.

Blame the lack of Cena? I don't think so. Cena has suffered two major injuries since becoming centerpiece. Coincidentally, both happened around this same time of year. I am referring to 2007 and 2008. He was out for months for both those injuries. This time, he is only out for a few weeks. He was even on Raw last week. They still mention him a ton on Raw. The current major storyline for CM Punk is his possible match with John Cena at Hell in a Cell. Even though Cena got injured during football season in 2007 and 2008, Raw's ratings did not really seem to flop, not in the manner you are having now.

Blame the lack of creativity? Yes. I pointed out yesterday that there are really no good storylines going on for singles wrestlers in the midcard. You have this tag tournament going on, which is good, but would anyone really expect it to draw? Even without Cena, the WWE is still banking on the main-event scene to draw for them. Aside from teasing Punk vs. Cena, they have Punk having these encounters with Ryback, interacting with legends to try to get him to face Cena, and had him face Kane and Daniel Bryan this week. That is a lot of Punk. How about spreading some of that focus to more midcarders? Not to sound like a CM Punk hater, but I don't think he can get the job done in drawing in a wide audience, especially around this time of year.

I think the numbers may have sank as far as they will go for now. They will rebound next week. The WWE product is still weak and hasn't really created proper hype to get fans to tune in. It is getting so boring, they may start losing more regular viewers. With so little confidence in the WWE product, how can I think ratings will be better next week? I don't think every football game will draw as well as this week's. A 2.5 is so low, I cannot imagine it dropping further so soon. Maybe in December it will, but not now. If it does drop to a 2.4, you have a real crisis on your hands and the WWE needs to reevaluate itself.

A Playground Or A Revival?

A tag-team tournament. Very nice idea. It is putting even more emphasis in the tag division. However, who is really going to benefit in the end?

You have a lot of random teams consisting of guys who became established through singles careers. By pairing them together and putting them in the tag division, that may needlessly take attention away from the more legitimate teams that have not been established properly at all. That has been my main problem with recent developments in the tag division. I have said it numerous times, but I still have to repeat myself in hopes of making it clear or clearer. The Prime Time Players still have some attention on them. They even beat down Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara a while ago. However, are they developing that heel team to be stars or put over stars? There are a ton of instances of what I am referring to. Just look at the history of the diva division. Let me pick out one example. Jazz would sometimes look dominant against Trish Stratus in some segments. Some might have thought the WWE was going in a whole new direction. But who ended up still being developed to be the greatest centerpiece the diva division has ever had? And who rejoined the ranks of credible jobbers? I would love to see the WWE follow through and give the Prime Time Players the title shot, and eventually the titles. Are the non-established tag teams going to be given proper opportunities in a division that now includes a lot of top stars? That is what will separate this division from being either a true revival or a playground for midcarders and upper-midcarders.

If you actually look at what else was going on last night on Raw, paying attention to the midcarders, there is really nothing else going on for the singles wrestlers. You had a lot of filler matches. There are no interesting storylines going on for the solo guys. I see Heath Slater getting his own stable, but that isn't a solo thing now. No interesting midcard title feuds are developing. The bulk of the midcard attention is on the tag division. Because of all that focus on it, I find it harder to believe a lower-midcard team will win the tournament. Looking at how much main-event attention Kane and Daniel Bryan are still getting, I cannot picture a lower-midcard team winning it. As of now, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara or Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow look likely to win.

State Of The WWE Diva Division: October 2012

Before recent developments, I figured my next post about the diva division would only be about the current storyline they are running. Now, it seems some fans think the sky is falling.

Let me still start with the current storyline involving the divas. It is the most elaborate storyline you have had in quite some time. Who took out Kaitlyn? Was it a blond diva? Eve in a wig? Rikishi? Not only is Eve involved, but Kaitlyn, Layla, a number of other suspects, and this might be Beth Phoenix's last act. She will likely put Eve over in the storyline. And even after that, they might still run the storyline longer to include Eve vs. Kaitlyn. The characters are rather weak in this elaborate storyline, but it is still better than anything you have seen with Layla and Beth's previous reigns this year. I need not mention the reign in between those two. The fact that they are investing this much into Eve makes me believe further that she is the centerpiece.

One person who it will not be, Kelly Kelly. She is officially released from the company. When I look at some of the reactions by some fans, it seems so ridiculous. They act like this is a big development. She hasn't been around in weeks. And when she was there, it was only for a single televised appearance. Prior to that, she was gone for a long time. And if you go back even before that, the WWE had already given up with her as centerpiece. Did her desire not to be committed to the WWE lead to them giving up on her? I am not going to act like I work backstage and know exactly when she first gave notice to the WWE. As far as I was concerned, Kelly Kelly was already finished with the company the first time she left. When she did return, had she expressed interest to be more committed, they might have ran with her again. Fact is, you can't have a centerpiece who is not going to be around prior to even solidifying her position. Kelly Kelly was no longer being pushed as something vital to the diva division. Because of that, they did not really lose anything that will force them to take a bigger blow than they have already taken in recent years.

Sara Del Rey might just be a trainer for the WWE. I believe I already said what I thought about Sara Del Rey wanting to be in the WWE. I am not going to repeat it.

I hope you can see how the current diva division is different from what you had a few months ago, when the focus was mainly just on developing AJ in the periphery. The diva division itself was not being featured properly. Now, you have a storyline that actually involves the title and numerous women. That is interest in the diva division. That is what it is like to have a centerpiece. That is the most important position in the division. You can't really blame the WWE for wanting a new centerpiece so badly after Trish and Lita left. A centerpiece is worth more than a periphery diva. Let me put it this way, in football, a field goal is only worth 3 points, while a touchdown is worth 6 (plus a chance for an extra 1 or 2 points). When a football team works their way down the field, they would love to get a touchdown, if they are able. That has the most value. Developing a centerpiece is like scoring a touchdown. Having to settle for a periphery diva is like settling for a field goal. It still has worth, but it doesn't have the same worth as the centerpiece. With a centerpiece, you have real interest in the actual division. That is the woman they want to be the top star of their division.

Is the sky falling? That is the say, is this the end of the diva division? As I have said before, if the WWE has 9 out of their 10 divas in the division being real female wrestlers, but that odd woman out is an eye-candy diva being pushed as a centerpiece, the division still stands. That is not exactly the division you have now. You have the typical centerpiece, but not a lot of good female wrestlers to really revolve around the centerpiece. That makes for a messy division. The division had already collapsed. They are now trying to rebuild. If it collapses again, I would love to see how the WWE reacts. How much can they take before they realize that this style of a women's wrestling division no longer works?