The Wyatts Keep Making Enemies

Bray Wyatt is a guy that can lose a feud and transition to something else like nothing happened. He is also a guy that has won feuds and transitioned to nothing immediately right after. His feud against Roman Reigns ended last Sunday. Reigns won. But Bray Wyatt's night wasn't over yet.

The Wyatts got involved with The Undertaker after his loss to Brock Lesnar. Bray Wyatt and The Undertaker did have a feud earlier this year. The Undertaker won. I think most people expected that to be the end of that. I did. Bray was used to put over The Undertaker at Wrestlemania and he got a little rub out of it. Whether the WWE intended to do this the whole time or not, the feud has been resurrected. I did not immediately like the idea of these two going at it again, but given Survivor Series is where The Undertaker debuted and the loss of certain stars right now, it is probably good to revisit this feud. This time around, Bray Wyatt has henchmen to help him.

The Undertaker is not completely alone. Demon Kane tried to get some of The Wyatts. That did not work out for him. Dean Ambrose still has issues with the group. Randy Orton will have unfinished business with The Wyatts when he returns. There are a lot of other random faces floating around that can be put into a match against The Wyatts. The WWE should have no problem creating a 4 vs. 4 match for Survivor Series. Considering some of the names involved, this should be a good feud.

Roman Reigns Back In The Title Picture

Roman Reigns won his feud against Bray Wyatt and is moving on. Seth Rollins won his feud against Kane and is moving on. The two are now on a collision course. And the WWE Championship will be on the line.

Everyone remembers what happened earlier in the year when the WWE tried to give Roman Reigns a big push. Smarks hated it. Instead of Roman Reigns winning the title at Wrestlemania, Seth Rollins cashed in and walked out with the title. His title reign has not been the greatest, but he has retained the title against a lot of top guys.

But the attention is back on Roman Reigns again. I have seen some fans upset about him once again in the title picture. You have certain top faces not around. Even if Cena and Orton were around, Seth Rollins already feuded against them. He feuded against Dean Ambrose. Dolph Ziggler, another guy some of these fans would rather see pushed than Reigns, has another storyline going on. Do people seriously expect Kevin Owens, a heel holding a title of his own, to get a feud against Seth Rollins? I can run through the whole roster, but Roman Reigns seems like a good choice to push right now. It is better than dragging out his feud with Bray Wyatt.

Has Roman Reigns improved? He has put on some good matches. Many might argue that he was carried. He is still not the greatest on the mic, but at least he is not doing awkward promos like last year. I think he has improved a bit. He is still not someone you would expect to earn a "Superstar of the Year" Slammy, but he has had a good year.

Has his connection with the fans improved? Go back to what I said a little while ago. I said smarks hated his big push. Smarks are a type of wrestling fans that tend to be very critical of the product and usually prefer workers like Daniel Bryan and Cesaro. All fans were not as negative to Roman Reigns. I would sometimes hear Reigns get an okay reaction or read a live event report that said he got a great pop. And this was during his controversial push. He isn't as hated as certain vocal fans might make it seem. He is in the same camp as John Cena. But has Reigns won over those haters? Some of them sound like they have given up. Some might think they can force the WWE's hand by being vocal against Roman Reigns again. In general, I do not think the same negativity is here right now as you had earlier in the year.

Besides the talent of Roman Reigns and how well he was connecting with the fans, another issue that influenced the situation earlier this year was that there was someone hotter that fans would rather see not getting the push. That would be Daniel Bryan. A lot of fans have said that it wasn't just Daniel Bryan and that the fans were upset about all their favorites getting mistreated in that Royal Rumble. I am sure that had a little to do with it, but I still say most of it was fans upset about Daniel Bryan, again. After he got tossed out, fans would have settled for anyone other than the WWE's new chosen one, Roman Reigns. They even would have settled for Rusev. Funny thing is, a year before that, fans would have settled for Roman Reigns over Batista.

There is no face (or heel) that has A+ overness on the active roster right now. None of the regulars are as hot as Daniel Bryan has been. That is another reason I do not see a problem with pushing Roman Reigns now and do not think he will get the same nuclear reaction he had before. If Cesaro was that hot, or anyone else, then it would obviously be a different story. Let the WWE build a star. Not everyone they push has to be a favorite of these vocal fans. Roman Reigns will never be a true A+ player until he wins them over, and will not earn the right to be pushed at that level. But what's wrong with just having him in the main-event rotation?

Speaking of rotation, some people might have thought the WWE would have some sort of rotation with Cena and Orton temporarily out. Have a "centerpiece by committee" approach. In football, some teams like to have one running back that will always be in the game, unless he gets tired, injured, does not need to be in the game any longer, or some other special reason. Some teams rotate running backs and have a "running back by committee" approach. They rotate guys to keep them fresh, depending on what down it is, depending on their skill set, and so on. The WWE could have pushed a group of faces in the spotlight. Have Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Kane chase after Seth Rollins. Have Cesaro be one of those guys. Have some kind of multi-challenger feud for the title. Then again, Survivor Series is coming up. They can easily not have a title feud at all. Just create some kind of big tag match. Seth Rollins would be captain of his team and go against a group of faces being pushed well for the next few weeks. Instead of spreading the spotlight around like that, it looks like the WWE is using this situation to put the spotlight on Reigns. Oh well!

Summer Rae Finds A New Guy

From the time she debuted, Summer Rae has been involved in a lot of periphery angles. Some featured her mostly dancing. Some did not last long. There has also been the issue of her just being lost in the shuffle in between some of these angles. Her recent angle with Rusev was the best she had ever gotten. That got spoiled. But how would the WWE handle her now?

She has transitioned rather well to another periphery angle. She is now with Tyler Breeze, a new debut from NXT. He is getting a feud against Dolph Ziggler, who was also involved in the storyline with Rusev and Summer Rae recently, as well as Lana. This is a pretty good way to handle things.

The problem you have to consider is how far Tyler Breeze will go. When you are a periphery diva paired with a guy, you will only go as far as that guy goes. Lita benefited from being paired with guys that were being pushed well for most of her career. Summer Rae was once stuck with Fandango, a guy that wasn't really going anywhere at that time and is in an even worse place now. Feuding with Dolph Ziggler is pretty good, but how will they follow up with Breeze? I can see him becoming another Fandango. You have a crowded roster that is only getting bigger. Neville debuted a while ago and already appears to be losing steam in terms of how he is pushed. How long will it be before that happens to Tyler Breeze? Will Summer Rae be along for the ride if he gets demoted? Will she get lost in the shuffle on her own? Will she transition to another angle as Breeze sinks? I just cannot imagine Tyler Breeze becoming a main-eventer and Summer Rae being able to benefit from that kind of rub.

I would say Summer Rae does deserve to be featured well. As far as eye-candy periphery divas in this era go, she is no Lana, but she has shown some potential. The WWE needs more diva angles going on outside of the "diva revolution" mess. A better periphery can help keep some of these women relevant, and possibly get them over, while cleaning up the messy situation in the main angle. As I have said before, periphery divas are like the toppings you add to your ice cream. They make it look more appealing and add some flavor. I think Summer Rae can help with that.

Alberto Del Rio Returns At Hell In A Cell 2015

John Cena had his open challenge at Hell in a Cell. It was answered by the returning Alberto Del Rio, who is now aligned with Zeb. Not only did Del Rio win the United States title, he did it cleanly.

On the one hand, justice is served. Alberto Del Rio was fired last year while standing up for himself against a racist WWE employee. If he had to be punished for that, fining him or suspending him would have been one thing. They fired him. He has continued to wrestle since then. The racism issue in the WWE was brought up with this whole situation. They bring him back, immediately give him a title, and even have him go over John Cena, the top star of the company. Pretty good return.

On the other hand, I would not have brought him back, yet. I like Alberto Del Rio. I think he's entertaining. But the WWE has an issue right now. They are not releasing workers on a consistent basis and they keep on hiring and bringing back all this talent, both for the main product and NXT. They are not efficient with the roster they have and they keep bringing in more guys. That is not a smart thing to do. The priority right now should be developing the stars they already have and becoming efficient again. Alberto Del Rio definitely deserved a return to the WWE. I would have just waited another year or so. He would have been about 40 by then, but he wouldn't exactly be a rookie. He has already held multiple World titles, as well as other accolades.

I have said that the only people the WWE should bring back are those sure to create a spark and draw for them. Seeing as how so many big part-timers cannot get the job done for them, I am starting to believe they shouldn't bring anyone else back for a while. As I said before, get efficient with the roster you have now first.

As far as bringing back people that can create a spark, I would say Alberto Del Rio does not fit in that category. I like the guy, but I cannot deny he didn't get as over as he should have with the way the WWE was pushing him in his previous run. A lot of fans are buzzing about what happened last night, but that will wear off. And what will you be left with? Another former World Champion in the midcard? He is there to draw in the Latino audience? There were guys already on the roster that could have done that. Instead of treating some of them better, the WWE brings in someone else. It will only be a matter of time before the WWE starts messing up with how they push Del Rio. That will not help them improve their numbers and energize those fans on a consistent basis.

Brock Lesnar Vs. The Undertaker At Hell In A Cell 2015: Final Preview

Brock Lesnar defeated The Undertaker at Wrestlemania last year. Time went on without any further altercation between the two. Lesnar went on to win the WWE Championship. The Undertaker came back at Wrestlemania this year to defeat Bray Wyatt. Next thing you know, The Undertaker comes back again to screw Brock Lesnar out of regaining the WWE Championship. This leads to a Summerslam match, which had a horrible finish. You just knew it wasn't over yet.

It will end at Hell in a Cell. These two will go at it inside Hell in a Cell. These two went at it in this type of match before. That was over a decade ago. Match quality will probably be poor, but there are other Hell in a Cell matches on the card that are sure to be much better. The best you can hope for in this match is that Taker does not suffer any major injury. 

Speaking of Taker, he looked bad at Summerslam. He won the match, but it looked so cheap. It is probably a good thing that the horrible finish has not been brought up more. Has the WWE really done enough to make The Undertaker look better since August? He hasn't really been around much. Lesnar has been around more. Both were there on Raw this week. Taker gave pretty much the typical promo you would expect from him. No low blows? Probably saving it for this Sunday.

And Lesnar? One thing fans have said is that he looked like the face in this feud and Taker looked like the heel. Lesnar definitely has played a face role more often in recent months, but how about Raw? He backed away from having a physical confrontation with The Undertaker. You can say Heyman talked him out of it, but Lesnar had no problem going back to take out Big Show on Raw a few weeks ago. Lesnar backing down like that is something he has only really done as a heel. A shift back to making Taker look strong? Once again, I would still say this is a feud where you should toss face/heel discussions out the window. It is just two big names going at it.

Who wins? This match won't give Undertaker back his streak. He doesn't have much time left. Does he really need the win? After the cheap finish at Summerslam, the likely outcome would be Lesnar getting the win. They have protected him very well. I cannot imagine them having him lose again to The Undertaker. If he does, it will have to be another screwy finish or a big spot during the match. But seeing as how Lesnar is like a part-time centerpiece now, I will say he wins.

Seth Rollins Vs. Kane At Hell In A Cell 2015: Final Preview

Seth Rollins will defend the WWE Championship against Kane at Hell in a Cell. That is not the only thing that is on the line. If Kane loses, he loses his authority position.

The outcome of this match seems obvious. Seth Rollins finds some way to retain and Kane leaves the group. The WWE just cannot have Kane and Seth Rollins coexist in The Authority after all the issues they have had. They might be stupid enough to try it, given how they love to tease endless friction within the stable, but I will still say Seth retains. Face Kane will also be needed now that certain top faces are likely to not be around for a while. I will also say it is too soon to discuss Seth Rollins possibly breaking CM Punk's record with the WWE title.

Does Sheamus cash in here? He still has a ton of time to do so. I wouldn't have him do it. I do not expect him to do it, although it might once again be teased. Sheamus still needs better treatment.  I would not have had him win the briefcase in the first place, but they made the decision and should be following through better than they have, especially recently.

Back to the storyline you have between Seth Rollins and Kane. You have Kane with the mask on and Kane in the suit. You have Demon Kane and Corporate Kane. I would expect a lot of  fans to say this is cheesy. I see a little of that, but I see mostly positive comments about it. They like it. One criticism is that it is just a copy of TNA's angle with Abyss and Joseph Parks. TNA never did it the way the WWE is doing now. Moreover, before TNA did that angle, the WWE ran the creepy angle with Kane and Fake Kane. That was a flop, but this angle the WWE is running now is working out better than that angle did. It is one of the better Kane storylines he has had in his career.

Should someone take Kane's spot in The Authority? I think so. It would be a great position to have. Besides, The Authority is struggling to look like a legitimate stable. I have frequently brought up Lana as someone that should join The Authority or be given authority powers. Given recent developments with her and Rusev, I do not know what the WWE will do with her. Back to being a heel? If so, put her and Rusev in The Authority. I do not think it should be Brad Maddox. Big Show has been treated as an unofficial member of the group the last few months. Kevin Owens? I am thinking someone that could play an authority figure, as well. The great thing about Kane for the last few years is that he could be an authority figure and wrestler. Replacing him as a wrestler and authority figure in the group would be nice. It does not have to be one person serving both roles. Get a non-wrestler to be the authority figure and find some brute to be the muscle of the group.

Hell In A Cell 2015 Preview

I will talk about Kane/Rollins and Undertaker/Lesnar later. I'll just say a little about the undercard for Hell in a Cell now.

Kevin Owens defends the Intercontinental Championship against Ryback. This is where this feud should end. Owens retains.

The New Day defend the tag titles against The Dudleys. I still say the WWE should have had the title change happen in New York weeks ago. It will probably happen here.

Charlotte defends the Diva's Championship against Nikki Bella. As long as Nikki Bella stays in the WWE and nothing happens to ruin her position, she should be regaining the title one day. I just doubt it will happen so soon. Then again, Paige can screw Charlotte out of the title somehow. I will say Charlotte retains and goes on to feud with Paige.

John Cena has an open challenge for the United States Championship. That is not surprising. Given the rumors of Cena taking time off, a lot of fans might expect that Cena will lose the title here. I will not even speculate on the outcome. I will also not speculate on whom the WWE sends out to face Cena. It really can be anyone. As long as it isn't Chris Jericho, it should be good.

The kickoff match has changed. The WWE has dumped a bunch of guys into one match. It will be Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro & Neville vs. Sheamus, Rusev & Barrett. Yeah, this feels like a kickoff match. Might as well let the faces win.

Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns will meet inside Hell in a Cell. This feud has had its ups and downs. Has the WWE done a good job of bringing up that personal heat that was there. That Raw segment last night was a good try. This is another feud that should end here. It would be nice if this match had no shenanigans. Just let the two go at it. None of the other Wyatts need to get involved. No spooky tricks from Bray Wyatt, even though Halloween is so close. Momentum seems to be on the side of Roman Reigns, but I still feel he will win at Hell in a Cell. If he does lose, will this feud continue even longer? The WWE can build some kind of Survivor Series match with this feud. They can then have some kind of gimmick match at TLC to end the feud. I would not be too surprised if the feud does continue, regardless of Sunday's outcome.

The New Velvet Sky

Another dive into the topic of charisma. I'll be talking about someone in TNA this time. That would be Velvet Sky.

Velvet Sky has been in TNA for years, leaving and coming back a few times. She has pretty much been TNA's version of a WWE diva for the longest time. She is there for her looks, not wrestling ability. And for much of her time in TNA, her charisma was tied to her sex appeal. Not only did she have the look and frequently dressed in a sexy manner, but she had a playful character that frequently centered around being sexy. She let the pigeons loose on a frequent basis.

This year has been different. She left TNA for a while. When she came back, she reinvented herself. She is a face, but she has a more toned-down character. She is playing a more serious character. She changed her outfit. She is using the stunner. Yes, she has reinvented herself.

I do see some fans that do not like the new character. Specifically, I saw one guy complaining about how she dresses. It isn't sexy enough for him. I think a woman can be sexy without dressing in outfits that show a lot of skin and without acting too slutty. Velvet Sky has done that before. She is doing something different now.

I like the change. I was never a big fan of Velvet Sky. I am still not a big fan, but I like this new character. I think she plays it well. Besides that, you have other women to play the role Velvet Sky used to have. The Dollhouse play playful characters that dress sexy. Brooke is also pretty much in the role Velvet Sky has held in the past. Brooke is sexy and she has a fun character that draws on that sex appeal. Nothing wrong with having Velvet Sky be something different.

Can you consider this version of Velvet Sky charismatic? The old version of Velvet Sky definitely had charisma. You might watch a movie or TV show that has this strong, silent hero that is just portrayed as a badass. A lot of action movies have characters like that. It is not unusual to see a woman with this type of character. There are a lot of female heroines with this kind of character. They don't act slutty. They don't have comedy characters. They aren't jovial. They don't come off as crazy. They just have these cool characters. These women can definitely be charismatic. Both men and women can be drawn to these type of characters. The new version of Velvet Sky is somewhat like that. It might sometimes be a tough role to play, but I think she is fine at it.

It is not unusual for TNA to have a face KO play a serious character like this. I remember when Mickie James played this kind of role when she went to TNA in 2010. She would still show signs of her usual energetic charisma now and then, but for the most part, she was playing a more serious character in TNA. I saw some fans wondering what was wrong with Mickie James. Nothing. If you looked at her appearances on the independent scene around this time, she was still her charismatic self. And when she later turned heel, she was once again showing that fun charisma. I felt it was a mistake for TNA not to take advantage of that charisma more. It is one of her best qualities. Few people will get very over by wrestling ability alone. Charisma is something that helps connect with the wider audience. Having Mickie James play that serious face character was just a waste.

I would say Velvet Sky actually plays this role better. Given the situation TNA is currently in, it is probably a waste to talk about it. Nevertheless, it is an example of a different flavor of charisma that has the potential to interest an audience. You have energetic, fun psychos. You have creepy psychos. You have women relying on their looks. And even a serious character has potential to be charismatic. And I have to give Velvet Sky credit for the change.

Does Cena Deserve Better?

I talked about whether the #2 guy in the WWE is in a position that is beneath him right now. How about the #1 guy? John Cena is back to holding the United States Championship. Does Cena deserve better than his current position?

One thing to keep in mind is that Cena's title reign and open challenge is all he has going for him. During his previous title reign, you would see him running that angle, while the WWE still developed a real feud for him. While feuding with Rusev and Kevin Owens, he still did his open challenge. I felt that doing both took away from the potential that was there. There were some nights his feud seemed like an afterthought. There were some open challenges where the guy he was feuding against ruined the finish of the match. That is not going on now. Cena has had issues with New Day, but they have their own feud. I do not see a problem with Cena not having one real opponent. That usually means you are lost in the shuffle, but Cena is still be featured prominently thanks to holding that midcard title.

If the WWE really wanted to, they could come up with a feud for Cena, in addition to his open challenges. They could have forced a feud between Cena and Sheamus, which would have been better than what Sheamus is doing now. But does anyone really want to see that feud? It would be good from the standpoint of developing Sheamus while he has the briefcase, but many fans might not be interested in the actual rivalry. No, I think Cena is fine without a feud.

There is also talk about Cena taking time off. Every time he defends that title, it feels like some fans are holding their breath, sure that this is the night he will lose it. Cena has taken time off before. He was out with an injury a few months ago, while still holding the United States title. If the amount of time he is gone, if he does go, is short, they might keep the title on him. I think the WWE will survive without him. He is banged up, stale, and whatever other issues he has, any kind of break will do a lot of people good.

In the end, I do not think Cena deserves better than he is being pushed now. It is rare to see him without a proper feud, but he is still holding a title and the WWE has shown that they will still book him in the main event above Seth Rollins. The WWE is attempting to make more stars. But John Cena is still centerpiece until they get rolling with someone else in that spot.

Does Orton Deserve Better? (2015)

 

Last year around this same time of year, I talked about how Randy Orton was being pushed and whether he deserved better. A few weeks ago, I thought about writing the 2015 version of that. After seeing the WWE was still pushing Orton against The Wyatts, I decided not to. After seeing that he will be in the kickoff match, I decided to go through with it.

Randy Orton and Dean Ambrose will face Braun Strowman and Luke Harper in the Hell in a Cell kickoff match. In recent years, the kickoff match has involved people that were not being push well. A Wrestlemania pre-show match might sometimes feature something more important, but the pre-show for the smaller PPVs might feature something like El Torito vs. Hornswoggle.

Dean Ambrose is also in this match. Despite never holding a World Championship in the WWE, he has been in the main event of some WWE PPVs. He was in the main event of Hell in a Cell last year. This year, he's in the kickoff match. At least he is getting a match and has some sort of direction. There have been times when he was lost in the shuffle.

But for Randy Orton to be in this situation is something else. For the last decade, he has arguably been the #2 guy. It might have been CM Punk at one time, but he left. It could have been Daniel Bryan, but he has injury issues. Roman Reigns is being groomed to be a top guy. Orton has won multiple World titles. He has main-evented Wrestlemania. And he's now in the kickoff match of a minor PPV.

Is it really that insulting to be in the kickoff match? If the WWE had done a better job of mixing the guys used there and the feuds featured there, it wouldn't be. As I have said, a lot of the matches there have been unimportant. You would expect Neville, Barrett, Stardust, or Cesaro to be featured in the Hell in a Cell kickoff match. Even Sheamus, given that he has been pushed in a mediocre manner recently. But this Wyatts vs. Orton/Ambrose match seems too important for that.

I would say Orton does deserve to be featured better. Hopefully, this is not an indicator that the WWE will continue to give him mediocre treatment for any long period of time. He has gone through stretches of that. I don't think any of those instances have resulted in a kickoff match.

Who wins this match? They can go two ways. Either give the faces the win or continue to make Braun Strowman look strong. If the faces win, Luke Harper will likely be the one taking the pin. The WWE could use this match to make Orton look good and have him feud with Bray Wyatt next. If they want to keep Strowman strong, he can go over either face in this match to look impressive. But what are they building him up for? Given that this has been made a kickoff match, I am saying the faces win. One of those faces is Randy Orton, so that might make it easier to bet on the faces. Or will they have a top star lose in a kickoff match?

Rusev/Summer Rae Gets Spoiled

Last week, they had Summer Rae propose marriage to Rusev. Rusev laid down his own terms. He wanted a title before he would agree to marry Summer Rae. This week, the WWE admitted Rusev was engaged to Lana and just murdered the angle it looked like they were developing.

Let me tell you how I imagined this storyline could have gone. The tag titles should be the Championship Rusev ends up getting. Have Summer Rae recruit someone to be Rusev's partner. Anyone would do. There are so many guys without a true direction that could serve this role, even if it means turning someone heel. The wedding segment is eventually set. That is when Lana pops back up and Rusev ends up going back to her. Summer Rae, however, would not be left out in the cold. She could continue to manage the man she recruited. You would have a feud between Rusev/Lana and Summer Rae and her guy. You would also have drama in the tag division.

I don't care if TMZ did whatever. This was a storyline. The fact that people know Rusev isn't really dating Summer Rae and is even engaged to Lana does not have to ruin the storyline. Everyone knows Kane does not really have demonic powers, but the WWE still pushes that as part as kayfabe. This is a situation where the WWE should have blocked out what is going on outside kayfabe and not let it influence the storyline. It wasn't like crowd chants were ruining the storyline. Even then, Bray Wyatt still sometimes gets "Husky Harris" chants, but you don't see the WWE devolving him back to that. Simply put, I do not have faith the WWE will handle things well from here.

What will become of Summer Rae? This was the best usage she has had in the diva division. She was getting mic time, character development, part of a storyline that looked like it was going somewhere, and just used regularly and well. And if done the way I imagined it working, this angle would transition to another role for her. Will she eventually be deflated, again? That's not how you build stars. The only individuals that can survive being pushed like that are established stars. I really think she could have gone somewhere this time.

Another thing to consider, who ends up looking like the heel after last night's segment? Rusev, who has been pushed as a heel his whole time since debuting, is engaged to Lana, a face he recently had issues with. That segment last night made it look like Rusev and Lana getting engaged was unfair to Summer Rae. You would think people would feel sympathetic towards her, but I do not think she is as likable as Lana. If the WWE had done things the way I would have, Rusev would have gotten a face turn that might have made better storyline sense. Just tease that Rusev is having second thoughts about marrying Summer Rae and treat her as overbearing heading up to the wedding segment. That would make fans enjoy Rusev going back to Lana even more. After last night, he looks like a womanizer. He deserved to be slapped. How does Lana end up looking? In kayfabe, she was supposed to be involved with Dolph Ziggler. Recent events should make Rusev and Lana look like heels. I do not like it going that way. Let's see how fans actually react heading forward.

I really think the WWE messed up an opportunity to have a great elaborate storyline. This storyline could have involved supporting players being used meaningfully, title drama, elaborate segments, character development, and just about everything else you want from an elaborate storyline. Since it was involving divas, it could have made the diva division more interesting, providing more creative depth than just the "diva revolution" storyline. The tag division would have gotten involved. There was so much potential with this storyline. I'll admit it, it was my favorite thing about the WWE right now. But I now do not have that much confidence in what will happen next.

What Do You Do With Sheamus Now?

The WWE once felt like it had too much filler. Sheamus was one of those guys during this time that was getting filler matches, getting no real direction. He eventually won the Royal Rumble and the World title. The WWE once again feels like it is heading down the realm of filler. It feels like there are some guys that are just there. The WWE has to find something for them to do. You often either see them feuding for someone way too long or just left with no real direction at all. They might get tossed into someone else's feud.

What about Sheamus? He may have the briefcase, but does he have a true direction? He had a feud brewing with Randy Orton around the time he won Money in the Bank. That feud just got boring. Thankfully, it is over. I am definitely not suggesting the WWE continue that feud. Randy Orton has moved on. Sheamus is just there. What would I suggest for him?

How about going to your reserves and having Sheamus feud with a former World Champion that also won Money in the Bank once? He's a face, so that should make it even easier to set this feud up. I am talking about Jack Swagger. And I am not talking about just one random match on Main Event. Develop a true feud here. It is obvious Swagger would lose the feud in the end, but he can at least do for Sheamus what he did for Rusev last year. Not only would it be giving Swagger something to do, it might help Sheamus look a little more interesting.

A wrestler with the briefcase does not need to look interesting to successfully cash it in. There are a lot of instances where Mr. Money in the Bank looked pretty mediocre and still won the title. Then there is Sandow. He did not look good and he is the only man to win the briefcase and never have held a World title in the WWE. Sheamus has already held World titles. The mediocre treatment does not suggest he will fail to cash in, but I think it does suggest that they are not grooming him to be an A+ player. If they were doing a worse job with him than they are, I would be more confident that they wouldn't actually give him the title. And that would be such a waste of the briefcase. Until he does cash in, however, they are wasting the situation by not doing more with him.

TNA To Crown New World Champion

TNA seems to always have issues. They have issues with their network. They have issues with their event schedule. They have issues with their roster. I am not even going to get too far into the mess that has led to this situation now.

Matt Hardy won the TNA World Championship at Bound For Glory last Sunday. He then vacated it. It seems TNA did not immediately have any new taping dates to follow through with the storylines they were developing. Instead, they are just going to air matches that were taped weeks ago. But under what context? Just random filler matches? No, these matches are part of a tournament to crown a new World Champion.

I like what they are doing. You can criticize them for getting themselves in this kind of situation, but they have created a storyline out of their troubles. And it isn't like they are unethically exploiting the situation to do something many fans might be turned off of. They are running a tournament to find a new Champion.

Another thing I like, the women are also involved in this. They have their own bracket. I do not expect to ever see a woman win a World title in TNA, but the fact that they are including them in the tournament is a nice move. They could have just kept the tournament to the men's matches and have the KO matches as filler.

A few weeks ago, I gave the WWE credit for how they handled Nikki Bella breaking a record. They made an angle out of it. They made steps to at least create some suspense out of what was going on. I said TNA should have handled Taryn Terrell breaking a record a lot better. I am not someone that blindly bashes TNA. Let me turn things around now for a moment.

TNA just took what were essentially meaningless matches and gave them a meaning. Look at how the WWE has handled the diva division the last few months. Is there some kind of revolution going on? Really? Most of it has been a lot of meaningless filler matches. There will be a lot of fans interested in these matches because they care about match quality and want to see how these women do. But for a lot of other fans, however, what should interest them about these matches? Three new divas that have not gotten any proper development on the main roster? Lack of a real storyline? The WWE should have made these matches worth more. I said that before and pointed out what TNA has done in the past as a way the WWE could have made these matches worth more. And TNA is doing what I had in mind right now. Why not have some kind of points-based tournament? That is how you get these meaningless matches to actually matter.

Yes, I have to give credit to TNA here. There are times when sports teams face great adversity, both on and off the field. Commentators, analysts, and fans all bring it up. Can the team work through the circus and the drama? TNA has shot itself in the foot multiple times, but I think the company took a bad situation and have handled it in a positive way. I am not saying it will work out marvelously for them, but I like what they have set up.

Paige: The Next AJ Lee?

I once talked about whether Paige would be the next Mickie James. What does that mean? The WWE has a history of running the diva division in a certain way that most female wrestlers just get used to put over the eye-candy diva being pushed as the centerpiece or get pushed as filler. I call female wrestlers pushed like that credible jobbers. Because of the inconsistent and mediocre treatment these divas get, they don't really get very over. Mickie James took that career and became the most over diva on the roster, while the eye-candy divas pushed as centerpiece flopped. But the WWE continued along the path they wanted to work out.

When Paige debuted last year, it looked like she was getting the same career Mickie James had. There was no eye-candy centerpiece in place when she debuted. Dark age right now. But Paige was still used as filler and to put over AJ Lee in 2014. And I felt she had what it takes to overcome this kind of career to get very over. She has wrestling credibility, she has the look, and she has charisma. And there was really no stars in the diva division knocking it out of the park to bury her.

This year is different. AJ Lee, the only female wrestler the WWE has pushed as a star since Lita retired, left the company. You also have the rise of the diva revolution era. Since it is mostly wrestling fans that were complaining about the quality of the division, the WWE should push someone for them to really get behind. I have said before that Paige might be a good option to replace AJ Lee. What has happened in recent weeks to suggest the WWE might develop Paige to be the next AJ Lee? Paige dropped a pipe bomb. AJ Lee did one of those promos a few years ago.

What does it mean to be the next AJ Lee? As I said, AJ was the first female wrestler the WWE pushed to be a star in the diva division since Lita. All the others have been credible jobbers or didn't last long enough to go in any direction, like Kharma. AJ got her big push in the men's division, where just about every periphery diva is born. She was pushed alongside multiple main-eventers, including a few months as Raw GM. She then went on to hold the Diva's Championship a few times.

Even though Paige did that promo, she hasn't yet been pushed at the level AJ Lee was. She has not gotten anything in the periphery. Then again, one of the things about the diva revolution era is that there is all this interest in the actual diva division. Those vocal fans are that interested in the wrestling matters of the division, not so much the periphery matters, like Summer Rae and Rusev. It is possible to make stars off of regular wrestling feuds in the diva division. The WWE has never created a star like that. They have all come from the periphery. The eye-candy divas came from the periphery. Chyna, Lita, and AJ were made in the periphery. Mickie James got over on her own. Moreover, the WWE never pushed her as a star even after that. Without exception, the periphery has been where the WWE creates stars in the diva division. If the WWE is serious about Paige being the next AJ Lee, they can just bypass pushing her alongside Cena, The Authority, or any other top stars in the company.

They could, but I don't think they should. One reason, just because those vocal wrestling fans will react to Paige if she is pushed well within the diva division, that does not mean the wider audience might buy into her as well. You just usually have divas pushed uniquely in the periphery. That can really help Paige. Another thing to keep in mind, the diva division is just so congested right now. 3 vs. 3 vs. 3 was bad enough, but turning Paige heel just made things more problematic. She has not aligned with any other group. Natalya has taken her spot alongside Charlotte and Becky. The three stables still have issues with each other. You now have Paige having issues with everybody. The result? 3 vs. 3 vs. 3 vs. 1. Even though the WWE could now make stars through diva feuds, they are not going to do it with things this congested and sloppy. It might not be easy to think of a smooth way to do it, but I would get Paige out of this mess and push her alongside a top star in the men's division.

Or did the WWE just turn Paige heel and break her away from everyone else to make it easier to bury her? I don't think she was over enough that the WWE would need to go out of their way to bury her. But that is another thing about the diva revolution era. The WWE can easily bury any diva. They can just give someone a meaningless win without any direction, like they have Sasha Banks, or stick someone as just a sidekick, like Becky Lynch. These women are still getting featured, but they are not really getting pushed. The WWE can just juggle around these women as they see fit. No one treated like that will really get over. It is like an evolved version of how credible jobbers are typically treated. It is being done with more women at the same time. The WWE has not followed up with Paige well so far. Is that simply because they have so many divas to push? If Paige was the new AJ Lee, she would be pushed as a priority over almost all those women. The only exception would be The Bellas.

If the WWE is serious about pushing Paige as a star, I do not see this as an example of a woman overcoming being pushed as a credible jobber to get over and the WWE giving her the spot she earned. Even though I felt Paige had the qualities to do what Mickie James did, she never really got that over, yet. #GiveDivasAChance wasn't started for her. I have seen some fans this year get sick of her being pushed. Fans weren't really going crazy for her to force the WWE to push her better.  I have seen fans more eager for Sasha Banks to get pushed. If they give Paige the push, the fact that AJ Lee is gone and it would be smart to push some female wrestler as a star during the diva revolution would likely be the driving force for the push. AJ Lee got her big push at a time the WWE was failing to make stars and in between centerpieces. Circumstances helped her. Circumstances might be right once again for a female wrestler to get a big push. If the WWE sees it like that, Paige might be the female wrestler to get the big push.

If AJ Lee was still here, what would she be doing? They would definitely push her as a rebel. She wouldn't be getting meaningless wins or just playing a sidekick for long, if at all. This is someone they would want to stand out. She would be the one to do the promo bashing the other divas and the diva revolution. She would be the "1" in 3 vs. 3 vs. 3 vs 1. I don't know how well she would coexist with The Bellas and the overall diva revolution.

Summer Rae Proposes To Rusev

Summer Rae and Rusev had a segment on Raw where Summer proposed to Rusev. Rusev accepted, but with one condition. First things first, he wants a title.

I absolutely think they should get a title on Rusev, just to eventually lead to that marriage segment. The periphery has led to a lot of fun gimmicks, storylines, and segments in the history of the diva division. What they have here with Summer Rae and Rusev has potential to be great. As great as Lana was with Rusev, since she did get over off of that angle, Summer Rae can at least benefit just as much. This is the best creative focus she has ever had. As for Rusev, this is creative interest for him. Some guys get phased out or are left just being jobbers to the stars, but Rusev is still in a good position.

What title should he win? The obvious answer would be the United States Championship. Heels currently hold all the other titles in the men's division. John Cena has these open challenges that would make it easy for Rusev to get back the title on any given Raw. They can also wait for The Dudleys to get the tag titles, then have Summer Rae recruit a partner for Rusev to win those titles. That would be making more out of this storyline.

The other way this storyline could go is just for the two to split. Either one of them gets annoyed with the other and they break up. Summer Rae could get upset about Rusev wanting titles over her. Rusev can get frustrated at not winning a title. I do not want to see that happen. At least take it to the wedding segment. A lot of great things can lead up to that and they can make a great elaborate segment out of this.

Owens Continues To Walk

Kevin Owens defended his Intercontinental Championship against Ryback on Smackdown. The match ended the way a few Kevin Owens matches have ended in recent months. He walked out. He took the countout loss.

Let me bring up Nikki Bella for a moment. A few months ago on Raw, she said wins and losses don't matter. I saw some fans overreact to that and people that wanted to give their opinion on things just over-analyze it. A heel just lost a match where her title wasn't even on the line. The faces are out to enjoy the moment. What is the problem with the heel coming out and trying to make them feel like they accomplished nothing? That is what you would expect a heel to do. Nikki Bella did not say anything too awful. It isn't like she buried any individual personally to get a cheap reaction or insulted a group of individuals. She didn't insult the business. I am not saying Nikki Bella is a great heel, but she said what you would expect a heel in this situation to say. And as long as she is still holding the title, why should wins and losses matter?

Back to Kevin Owens. How does what I just said about Nikki Bella relate? What is Kevin Owens basically saying through his actions? He is saying wins and losses don't matter. Last week wasn't the first time he has walked out on a match. But as long as he is getting his title shot or retaining his title, why should he care about whether he wins or loses a certain match? He is doing what you would expect a heel to do. I haven't seen any fans react to him the same way they did towards Nikki Bella. People talk like what Nikki Bella said is one of the problems of the diva revolution. I don't see people criticizing what Kevin Owens is doing as a serious problem in the midcard or Intercontinental title scene. Ryback will obviously get another shot. They are just building up to it.

Personally, I do still see having Kevin Owens walk out on matches as a problem. It isn't insulting to his opponents, the fans, the business, or anything like that. How is it making him look? I think it is different when a guy that has already been established on the main roster starts walking out on matches like this. Kevin Owens just debuted on the main roster a few months ago. He hasn't really solidified himself. Yeah, he looked impressive when he beat Cena, but they have brought him back down since then. Even though he is holding a title, this kind of heel character might not do him many favors in getting over. Kevin Owens fans will continue to like him. Walking out of matches now and then might only annoy them, but they will still like him. But many other fans might just not care too much for him. It's not just walling out on matches. His whole heel character just doesn't feel strong. If this was a WWE veteran being pushed like this, it would be different.

Kevin Owens will eventually face Ryback in a match to put an end to his feud. It is likely Owens will retain. Where does he go after? How about Cesaro? They had a feud prior to Owens facing Ryback. Cesaro has been lost in the shuffle recently. Going back to that feud would be nice. I see some fans wanting it. The feud would be even better with a title on the line.

Let me just give one more example of a heel relying on the "wins and losses don't matter" idea. And it is another recent example. A few months ago, Seth Rollins retained his title against Brock Lesnar. He was disqualified when The Undertaker came back and attacked Lesnar. When that happened, the whole match seemed irrelevant. There wasn't even an official announcement on the finish. The next night on Raw, they had a segment where Seth Rollins had Lilian Garcia announce the finish. Seth Rollins was all smiles, still holding his WWE Championship. Lilian announced that Brock had won by DQ, but that didn't take the smile off Seth's face. The only part he wanted to hear was that he was STILL WWE Champion. Again, this is how you expect a heel to react. If this was a face, like John Cena, that retained like that, he probably wouldn't be so cocky about it. Seth doesn't care that he lost. All that matters is that he still had his title, much like Nikki Bella saying wins and losses don't matter, and much like Kevin Owens simply walking out on matches. Once again, I do not see people criticizing Seth Rollins the same way they did Nikki Bella. If any other heel did that same promo she did, they probably would not be criticized by certain fans. A heel acting like wins and losses don't matter is nothing new. Just ask Kevin Owens.

State Of The WWE Diva Division: October 2015

Shakira in gazelle form. Still hotter than half the women currently in the WWE diva division.

How goes the WWE diva division currently? It is still a diva division. But something that you have now that was not there a year ago is the diva revolution. And I would say it has really had an impact on what is currently going on, not necessarily for the better.

This is still a dark age, but it is a different dark age. The diva division did not collapse right after Trish and Lita retired. The WWE maintained some efficiency for a few years. But failure at the centerpiece position led to the collapse you have now. That period between the golden age and the new dark age is the era of failed centerpieces. That's what I call it. I think this current era also deserves a separate name. This is the diva revolution era. The WWE didn't really want to be more efficient, but fans called them out on Twitter and the Internet support has never entirely gone away. First was just longer matches. The WWE went on to debut three women from NXT in one night. They made a storyline out of what is going on. Divas have gotten two matches some nights. There is definitely better emphasis in the diva division. But it still feels like a different creature from what you had from the first golden age.

One problem is that it is still sloppy. I had said earlier this year that it might be wise for the WWE to downsize. Just feature 8 divas in the division. Start being efficient with those women, which would include a mix of female wrestlers and eye-candy divas. Once you have things working out, build around what is working out. That is when you can bring in more women. Instead of running that kind of plan, the WWE debuted 3 divas from NXT and you had a 3 vs. 3 vs. 3 feud. Nine divas were being pushed in that one feud. That is around the same area I was talking about with 8 divas. But then you also have to bring up Lana and Summer Rae in a periphery angle. That is 11 divas. Natalya is now being featured again. I will get to that later. Has the WWE proven they can handle this kind of multi-diva feud properly? I do not think so. Some women seem to get meaningless wins with no real direction, like Sasha. You have rivalries mixing and some fans might be unsure how to connect with what they are seeing. The Bellas look like heels some nights, then play faces other nights. A lack of individual focus can also hurt some divas, like Becky Lynch.

Fan reactions are another problem. Fans on Twitter are not completely representative of all WWE fans. Twitter fans can seem heated about this. But a lot of them settled very easily for those longer matches the WWE gave them earlier in the year. It took them a while to realize things were still poor. The WWE debuted some NXT divas. These fans were content again. But again it was obvious that there are still issues. And again fans are wanting better. But while that is going on, there are a lot of fans, especially the live audience, that are not reacting the same way. They are not as passionate. There are some nights where the female wrestlers and the diva revolution get a positive reaction, but there are also some nights where these women do not get a good reception and the matches are not respected.

Another issue is the overall atmosphere. It is not fun. It is sour. It has a very self-righteous tone. Even though it was arguably the fans that really started this era, you have divas sometimes arguing in their promos about who started it. Paige dropped a pipe bomb. Those are supposed to sound self-righteous. And there is nothing wrong with that. But if that is all you do in the diva division for a year or longer, it is going to be painful. It might end up like LayCool's bully gimmick lasting longer than it should have. It did not help Michelle McCool get the overness she should have had and the WWE did not follow through with pushing Layla as a star. It is like listening to a feminist giving a speech about women's rights. You just might respect it, but what if that is all she ever does? After a while, it might get annoying. Too much negativity. Pro wrestling is supposed to be fun. Internet fans may be eating this up, but I do not believe the WWE is creating an environment the wider audience will enjoy.

How about overness? Is there one diva that is obviously stepping up and connecting with the fans better than the rest? Why is it important? I think it just makes things easier. Build around what works. Moreover, if you don't have one woman that is deserving of that treatment, you might have an even tougher time pleasing fans. Paige obviously has her fans. There are fans waiting for Sasha Banks to be more relevant. There are some fans that just want to see great wrestling. If any one diva gets pushed for too long, these fans might complain about it. And don't overlook The Bellas. They may be hated by many wrestling fans, but they do have people that like them, whether because of Total Divas, because of their looks, or whatever. Lana has also shown that she could get over. But just sticking with the 9 divas that have been pushed centerstage for the last few months, there are a couple women that are around the same level of overness. And the WWE cannot do all these women justice. Some fans are going to be left irritated, while a diva that may lack A-tier overness is getting opportunities other women are not getting a chance to get.

What is specifically going on now? Charlotte may have won the title, but Nikki Bella will still get her rematch. Outside of that, Paige has turned on her former teammates and Natalya has popped back up to feud with Paige. Sasha Banks continues to get meaningless wins. Does Paige turning heel make it harder for Sasha to get a real push? Paige is a heel getting focus. Nikki Bella is a heel and still appears to be the centerpiece. Another issue is that all these rivalries are still intertwined. The result isn't an elaborate storyline. The result is sloppiness. An elaborate storyline, like the one you had between Mickie James and Trish Stratus, still involves a clear story, just with supporting players properly being utilized, character development, and elaborate segments. This whole diva revolution storyline has been a juggling act. Paige has gotten some character development, but it all might backfire if the environment continues to be sour. There have been some elaborate segments, but a lot of them have been criticized. The whole story is that various groups dislike each other. The development has been Paige snapping. This really just sounds like a basic storyline, only with a lot of extra bodies involved.

The diva revolution era might lead to the end of the diva division and the rise of a respectable women's division. It can  also completely flop. Keep in mind that the entire company is still in a dark age. I doubt the diva division will be fixed without the WWE getting their act together in general. And as long as this diva revolution era continues, I would expect this self-righteous, sour environment to continue. Again, some fans on Twitter will eat it up, but there will be a lot of fans out there that will just get sick of it.