Seth Rollins Finds A Big Buddy

John Cena and Seth Rollins had a cage match on Raw. Brock Lesnar made an appearance and laid out Cena, helping Rollins win the match. Besides that, it would seem the WWE is teasing that Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman are all on the same page. Rollins had attacked Brock Lesnar a few months ago in an attempt to cash in on him, but they do have a common enemy in John Cena.

I have brought up the point before that Seth Rollins being with The Authority added to his credibility. When you take that away, he just doesn't seem as credible. The briefcase and the stooges just don't sell it. How about aligning him with Paul Heyman for a while? Or at least teasing it? That would make him seem like a bigger deal. I think it's a smart move.  If you keep developing him properly, Rollins should soon be able to stand on his own.

Rollins still has the briefcase and Lesnar still has the title. Are you likely to see Rollins take the title from his new ally? I doubt Cena wins the title from Lesnar, which would bring up the possibility of Rollins cashing in on him. You are more likely to see Roman Reigns win it and Rollins taking it from his former partner. That probably won't happen until Wrestlemania or after.

Intro To Charlotte & Earning It Vs. Taking It

Ric Flair's daughter, Charlotte, had a match on Raw last week to help promote the NXT special they would have later that same week. Some people had an issue with Charlotte losing that match to Natalya. There is nothing wrong with that. It is one match. She has not even officially debuted yet. One match either way does not define what type of career you are getting and will not make or break your connection with the fans. Cesaro had a huge Wrestelmania moment this year. He was hot. Since then, the WWE has not followed up with him properly and he is not as hot with most fans as he was at one time. Once again, I don't see anything horrible with that one booking decision by the WWE. It was not like they were going to start pushing her consistently on the main roster from that point to keep her momentum going.

How will Charlotte do when she does eventually get on the main roster? I am a Ric Flair fan. Been a fan of the guy for a long time. Bought his book back in 2004. Got it autographed by him. All that being said, I am not going to say that the WWE should hand his daughter the keys to the diva division just yet. She is good in the ring. That could be the makings of a credible jobber. I don't want to believe that the WWE would do that to Ric Flair's daughter. They do it to Natalya, a relative to Bret Hart. But Bret Hart has had some issues with those in power in the WWE. Ric Flair seems to be on better terms and I don't think they would want to do anything to offend him. Just give her a fair shot. I can see her getting a good career in the periphery. She can benefit from the current dark age to win a few titles. I don't think she'll be a 16-time Diva's Champion, but she'll do well.

Nepotism can get annoying in pro wrestling. It is especially worse when the child of a former great performer is made to be another version of the parent. Ted DiBiase Jr. never really stepped out of his father's shadow. You look at Randy Orton. He comes from a wrestling family. But he has a unique style and character. He isn't a cowboy. He has found his own self. How will Charlotte work out in that regard? She does do some of her father's old tricks. She doesn't really have his charisma, but that might not be a bad thing. Let her show her own personality. If she does connect well with the fans on the main roster after her official debut, I just hope it is because of her own merits, not just because of who her father is.

Let me switch topics slightly. You hear all these stories, especially recently, of guys having to go backstage and complain and put their foot down to get a better push or just to get one match outcome to go their way. You know some fans get very upset when one match does not go the way they would like. I always knew there were some wrestlers like that, but there seems to be more these days than I would have expected. And in some cases, I don't feel some of these guys have a right to demand anything.

Recently, the "brass ring" metaphor has been used again by certain individuals in wrestling. You ride a carousel and you reach for that elusive brass ring. If you grab it, you've earned it. That is success. That is success that has been earned. Now, can you imagine some spoiled brat going up to the worker operating the ride and just demanding to be given the brass ring? Just for the sake of avoiding a scene, the worker hands the kid the ring. All the kid has to do is take it. You can say that is success for that spoiled brat. But did he really earn it?

The job of a pro wrestler is supposed to be to go out there and perform to connect with the fans. If you succeed at doing that at a high level, you have grabbed that brass ring and you deserve the great career. It seems that too many people are getting ahead through backstage politics or intend to get ahead through that. Let me just make it clear, there is nothing wrong with speaking up to get a legitimate opportunity. You have to sometimes let your voice be heard to not be pushed around. But to do it just for preferential booking, that is something else. If you have earned it and are not getting it, that is one thing. If you have not done anything to earn it and you are just given it, that is a problem.

Back in the day, I used to hear from some dirtsheets that some wrestlers got mistreated because they are hard to work with when it came to storylines and booking. These days, the opposite seems to be true. The idea now is that Vince McMahon loves it when guys step up. Vince McMahon should love it when guys are getting over with the fans. You play all these backstage games to earn yourself a better career. You go out there after that and connect with the fans. But are they cheering you for the performer you are? Or for all the hype and creative investment you have? If you are really so great, why couldn't you overcome a bad booking decision or a mediocre career? I wonder just how much substance some of these guys have. How great are they? There is no shortage of guys on the roster being pushed, but ratings are still horrible, the quality of the product is still bad, some top stars still have questionable overness, and all those other issues are still there.

They key to success should not be complaining backstage to take a career you never earned and be hyped to greatness. The key to success should be earning it through doing your job and connecting with those fans. If the WWE thinks they can just hype anyone to success, they will never turn things around. Pro wrestling in general isn't as great as it once was. It needs to be more about entertaining, less about overrating.

John Cena Vs. Seth Rollins At TLC 2014

I am not going to do any type of final preview and prediction for the majority of the TLC card. A lot of these matches are obviously just extensions of what you had at Survivor Series. A lot of these feuds are likely to continue into January. I will say that the WWE did a little better job developing some of these feuds heading into TLC than they did heading into Survivor Series. It could be all the weapons flying around. Weapons usually make things more interesting. It could also be the fact that there was not much time between Survivor Series and TLC. Not much space for the WWE to have these feuds drag on and waste time.

The only match worth talking about is John Cena vs. Seth Rollins. This is a Tables match. This is also a match where John Cena's #1 contendership is on the line. If he loses, a new challenger to Brock Lesnar will be decided. That obviously makes this match worthy of the main-event slot at TLC.

No WWE title match, for the third PPV in a row. Has the WWE done a good job developing big matches to fill the void? You had John Cena and Randy Orton face each other inside Hell in a Cell to determine which of the two gets Lesnar. You had a Survivor Series elimination match with The Authority's reign on the line. You now have a Tables match with Cena's title shot on the line. The WWE has definitely been trying. But it isn't the same as having the title around. Brock Lesnar winning the title was supposed to create some mystique in the company for a few months. What would happen? To whom would the WWE give title shots? I imagined challengers stepping up to get at Lesnar. So far, John Cena is the only one getting a title shot. That mystique has just manifested itself in the WWE trying to come up with big matches and storylines for John Cena while the title isn't around. It has not turned out the way I had hoped.

Things can change at TLC. If the WWE books John Cena to lose, he loses his title shot and you once again have some uncertainty over who will face Lesnar next. Why would the WWE give Cena the title shot to just take it away? I am not saying the WWE planned this long-term. Nothing is written in stone when it comes to decisions the WWE makes. If they decide that there is someone else for Lesnar to face at the Royal Rumble, this can be a means to get that guy the title shot. I cannot think of anyone too deserving. Dean Ambrose? Could be a good filler title defense for Lesnar and help Ambrose look like a contender. Moreover, it would give fans a reason to tune in the next night. Brock Lesnar beating The Undertaker at Wrestlemania was a shocking moment. Lesnar beating Cena for the title at Summerslam, especially the way he did, was shocking. Sting's debut at Survivor Series was shocking. The WWE just cannot put on a quality product around these big moments. Would the WWE plan a big moment at TLC to create some interest?

Who do I think wins? I would go with John Cena. John Cena's last match against Lesnar did not have a decisive finish. The WWE might want to close that feud properly before moving Lesnar on. The feud between Rollins and Cena has been okay. Heyman has been involved slightly. They are trying to make Rollins look like a top heel. I just don't buy into him. He needs some major heel figure backing him. The Authority should come back.

Grading On A Curve

Getting sick of the whole grading thing? Well, you probably shouldn't bother reading this. Grading on a curve is a technique to help the grades of students that may not have done too well. One common method is setting a new standard. If the highest grade on a test was only a 70, you give everyone 30 extra points. Those students that got only a 70 now end up with a 100 and some that might have completely failed at least now pass.

How does that relate to pro wrestling? It relates to assessing how well the workers are connecting with the fans. Especially when it comes to the divas, I don't feel any of these women really have a major, consistent connection with various types of fans. Smarks obviously feel very strongly about some of these women. But the wrestling world does not revolve just around their desires. Moreover, it doesn't seem like one diva is really running away with their hearts. At certain times, it seems like AJ is the most loved and Paige has too many haters. At other times, the reverse seems to be true. And don't forget The Bellas. A lot of work has been put into them. Brie Bella was getting some good reactions when working with Stephanie McMahon. Heel Nikki Bella got a face reaction when giving a face promo recently. And yet, none of these women seem to be connecting as well as Trish and Lita did.

Is it really fair to grade these current divas in relation to Trish and Lita? I don't mean because Trish and Lita are so great and no one can ever be as good as them. Trish Stratus and Lita are not untouchable. Thing is, Trish and Lita just had certain things around them to help them succeed that are not here these days for the current divas. Trish and Lita had women with solid wrestling credibility being used as credible jobbers around them when the golden age started. Standards have declined. Eye-candy divas are now used as credible jobbers. Some of them do show potential, but the same respectability is not there. Trish and Lita sometimes get all the credit from some fans for the diva division looking respectable back then. Trish and Lita also benefited from a great periphery. The midcard was great, the tag division was great, the main-event scene was great, and that all opened up opportunities for women to be used in interesting manners during the dark age that Trish and Lita debuted. And even after things got golden, there were still good things going on in the periphery because things were working out in the men's division. These days, the periphery is a mess. The men's division is not being run efficiently, so it is not shocking that would trickle down to the divas. Finally, the WWE had not experienced failure with their diva division back then. Sable left, but the system had not really failed. In recent years, that same system that worked a decade ago is no longer working. It all really started when Mickie James, a credible jobber, got over and the WWE decided to keep going in the direction of what they wanted to work out, instead of giving Mickie James the career she should have gotten and opening up the playing field for female wrestlers. The WWE choosing to go in the direction of what they want to work instead of giving the fans what they want? Sound familiar? And when it leads to failure, it is going to have an impact on how the management of the company handles things. They do not handle failure well. If Trish and Lita debuted at a time when the WWE was determined to go in a given direction, even if it led to failure, and they were on the wrong side of that status quo, how far would they have gotten? These days, more women seem to be on the wrong side than the right side.

Women today do not have the same solid foundation, do not benefit from a hot men's division, and have to work within a system that has not worked right since 2006. Is it fair to expect them to bring in an A connection with the fans in the same way that two women did that did benefit from a solid foundation, did benefit from a hot men's division, and did not have to be mistreated in a damaged system? I don't think so. What do you do? Grade them on a curve.

I have said before that I have a tough time saying that AJ Lee really has an A connection with the fans. Nevertheless, you might argue that she is among the most over divas on the roster. I have said before that she has a B+ connection with the audience. Grading her just in relation to her peers, you can say she is an A player. Bump up a few more divas. I would say Paige is an A/A-. The Bellas are an A-. Most of the other divas after that would fall in the B-tier.

No A+? A is as high as it goes. The way I look at it, for a wrestler to have an A+ connection with the fans, they either have to be extremely over or be bringing A-tier results from a mediocre or worse career. How can someone getting poor treatment possibly maintain that strong of a connection with fans on a consistent basis? If they can, they deserve the extra credit. I don't think any of the divas in that division right now are that extremely over and none of the credible jobbers or mistreated periphery divas are overcoming it to be considered A+ players.

This all isn't really about lowering your standards because you feel bad for the divas today. To hold them up to Trish and Lita's level just isn't fair. If Trish and Lita had to make it in this current diva division, they would probably not have gone as far as they did go. Instead of having this attitude that the majority of your workers suck and you are going to treat them badly because you don't believe in them, assess them in relation to their peers. Determine whom your most over workers on the roster really are. You might not have a Rock or Austin, but if you find someone that is the best you have got right now, develop them to be a star. They just might end up like a Rock or Austin. First things first, you have to know what you have.

Remember Roman Reigns?

Roman Reigns won the "Superstar of the Year" Slammy on Raw last night. The awards were supposed to be voted on by the fans. How likely is it that the WWE rigged the poll? When you leave it in the hands of the fans, it essentially becomes a popularity contest. They will vote for the superstars, matches, and moments that they enjoyed the most and they talked about the most. Who has been hotter this year than Daniel Bryan? I am not saying Roman Reigns is not over, but Daniel Bryan is more over and had a bigger year that more fans are likely to vote for. Roman Reigns won no titles this year, didn't win the Royal Rumble, didn't win anything major at all, and spent most of the year either as part of The Shield or injured. Dean Ambrose has been hotter this year than him. Ambrose held a title for part of the year, had a singles feud that was hotter than any singles feud Reigns has had, and just seems like a more likely winner than Reigns. Even John Cena seems like a more likely winner. I can't think of any fan group that would give Roman Reigns enough votes to win this. It wouldn't be the first time the WWE possibly rigged the results of a poll. I know fans sometimes rig polls, but I can't picture Roman Reigns being the benefactor of fans rigging a poll for him.

Before you accuse someone of doing something, it helps to make sure they have a motive to do whatever you are accusing them of. That might help your argument be stronger. Why would the WWE want to make Roman Reigns look like a big deal by handing him this big piece of hype? It has been said for a while that this is the guy they want to be a major star. Even during his days in The Shield, he had some moments where they put big focus on him. He has been in some WWE Championship matches this year, although they were all multi-challenger matches and he never won. He was a likely candidate to win the Royal Rumble even before the Slammy win. If they are grooming him to be a top star, and possibly be the next centerpiece, hype is a key ingredient and there might be no greater piece of hype, outside of title reigns, than saying he was the superstar of the whole year.

Will all this work out? You are giving him all this hype, but what if he does not properly connect with the fans? It is easier to hype someone when they naturally connect with the fans. When you use hype as a tool to make stars, it may backfire. You might overrate whomever you are trying to hype. Roman Reigns might end up like John Cena and Batista, and I don't mean that in a good way. He is a WWE guy.

When A+ Leads To Failure

If you are being pushed as an A+ player in the WWE, you are being pushed as an absolute top star. The centerpiece of the company is an A+ player. The centerpiece of the diva division is an A+ player. You even have certain part-timers treated as big deals that can be considered A+ players. You are being hyped and pushed to be the best and be great.

How can such treatment possibly lead to failure? Is it an issue where certain wrestlers can't handle the pressure and just crumble? You might think that. But that is really not the issue. I have never seen an A+ player fail because of that. Various wrestlers have flopped as A+ players for various reasons. Funny thing is, they were actually doing better prior to being pushed so hard or could have done better if they were not pushed so hard. Let me bring up a few names.

John Cena is a good choice to start with. He is obviously the face of the company. He is the centerpiece. He is an A+ player. And he also happens to have an issue connecting with the audience. Certain fans out there hate him with a passion. And it is a large enough number to be noticeable and even get mentioned in promos and storylines. There was a time when Cena was not this hated. In fact, there was a time when he was very popular. That was back in his rapping days on Smackdown. I never liked him, but I will not deny his overness. What went wrong? They made him the centerpiece of the company. They changed his character to something they can hype as someone great that can overcome odds and little children love. People want him to turn heel. I doubt that will really fix him at this stage. Bring back the rapper gimmick? I don't know if that will work, either. How about depushing him slightly? That might kill some of his hate. He won't be as overbearing. In the end, John Cena is an A+ player that brings questionable results.

As far as divas go, there are a few examples. Let me start with Candice Michelle. I don't think fans even realize that she was supposed to be the one following in Trish's footsteps after she retired. The division was revolving around her. Credible jobbers were revolving around her. Because she got injured so much and regressed in her in-ring ability, they gave up on her. Prior to all that, she was sexy and charismatic. She was what you would want an eye-candy periphery diva to be. A lot of divas get over like that. But when you become the centerpiece, you have to wrestle serious matches more frequently. She just couldn't avoid injuries. If they had just kept her as a periphery diva, she could have had a very nice career. Instead, after failing as centerpiece, they never did anything meaningful with her again.

Michelle McCool was also centerpiece of the diva division. She is the only centerpiece since Trish to actually last a while in that position. Her issue wasn't really injuries. Her issue was connecting with the audience. I was looking at some of her matches back in around 2008 last week. She was hotter back than. Aside from that observation, I also saw she was getting some good reactions back then. A or A+ overness? I wouldn't go that far. Overness is about more than just crowd reactions. It is about how much fans are really willing to support you. Besides, if Michelle McCool was really getting A-tier overness, she wouldn't have lost it so easily, especially considering they started to treat her better, not worse. I would say she was showing a respectable B connection with the fans. What went wrong? She just didn't have the charisma to pull it off. Even though she became very solid in the ring, she was not amazing enough to get over and stay over with that. Prior to being pushed as centerpiece, she was pretty much in the spot Torrie Wilson held on Smackdown for a few years. Torrie Wilson was the top periphery diva on a show with no title. She was an A- player. What's wrong with being pushed like that? Nothing. Torrie Wilson got over with the fans and things worked fine. Michelle McCool was doing fine with this type of career. Maybe she never would have connected with the fans as well as Torrie Wilson did, but at least it was better than overpushing her and doing damage to the overall diva division. If she was connecting better with the fans as an A- player, then the fans would have bought into her more naturally when they hyped her up to be the centerpiece.

Let me bring up one last diva. Maryse was the centerpiece on Raw after Candice Michelle. She also looked like she was following in the path of Candice Michelle. Injuries became an issue for her and there were a few matches here and there after her return in 2009 where things got a little awkward. Sometimes, it just looked like she cared too much about showing her character than putting on a good match. How can fans connect with an eye-candy diva as the centerpiece when she cannot maintain a respectable performance in the ring? Instead of completely giving up on her, they pushed her back in the periphery. Not too hard, however. I would say she was a B+ player. I honestly believe she had potential to be better than that. Don't get me wrong, she annoyed me a lot when she was pushed as the centerpiece, especially in her final months as an A+ player, but when she was used differently, then I could enjoy her more. She is very sexy and she has a great character and charisma. She should have been pushed like an A- player. Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler had great careers in the golden age as A- players. And I think Maryse could have been better than them. I am not even talking about looks. She has a personality that stands out more in comparison to Torrie and Stacy. She has the French thing going for her and has a little attitude to her charisma that makes her fun. I am not saying she has the acting depth of Denzel Washington, but she had what it takes to get over. Problem is, trying to push her as the centerpiece just was not the place for her.

I talked about 3 divas and only one guy. Let me bring up Triple H. He was obviously the centerpiece at one time. These days, he is a part-timer. He is a part-timer that can find his way in main events whenever he wants. He is an A+ player. Prior to being pushed as centerpiece, I would say Triple H was connecting well with the fans. DX helped with that. Since being pushed as centerpiece? Well, he hasn't gotten Cena-like reactions. Nothing near that. There are a few fans annoyed with how he seems to hog the spotlight. Mostly smarks. There also seems to be a few wrestlers that are irritated with how A+ Triple H does things. Although it has not really screwed Triple H's connection with the fans too much, would these issues ever exist if Triple H was never pushed as top star and given the power he has? He would still win a few world titles here and there, but he would not be as overbearing as he seems to be to a few people. In the end, I think more people can put up with Triple H in the position he is in than they could put up with John Cena in the position he is in.

Moral of the story? Some people are just better off not being pushed as A+ players. I have brought up individuals that were connecting well with the fans prior to an A+ career ruining it or might have connected with the fans well had that A+ career not come up. Not everyone needs to be the quarterback on a football team or the boss in a company. You can do great from whatever position you hold. In some situations, a person getting an A- career might bring better results than a person getting an A+ career. Did the WWE have a right to push these individuals I brought up as A+ players? Sure, but the problem was not making better decisions when they saw things were not working out right. John Cena should have been depushed long ago. Maryse should have gotten a better career in the periphery than she did end up having. These bad decisions are what have led to the quality of the product going down and workers not being pushed right. Push the right workers in the right positions. If a C+ player in the diva division definitely deserves to be pushed as an A+ player, give her the opportunity. On the other side of that, if the A+ player of your entire company cannot get the job done, take him out of that position.

Rusev And Swagger Meet Again

Rusev is now feuding with a familiar foe. That would be Jack Swagger. These two had a great feud a few months ago. I have seen some fans complain about Rusev going back to Swagger so soon. Rusev has not been on the main roster for even a year and he has already gone back to feuding with someone he already feuded with. There are depth issues, which seems to be something I bring up 921,456 times a week. Nevertheless, there were other options for Rusev. If they had shuffled things around differently, Rusev could have been defending that United States title against Dean Ambrose, Ryback, or possibly Erick Rowan. These are guys he has not feuded with. You would have had a fresh feud.

I am not going to complain about going back to Jack Swagger. Swagger deserves something to do. These two had a great feud. I would say this could be the greatest midcard rivalry of the decade, if the WWE handles it right. A midcard rivalry for the WWE usually means two midcarders are going to wrestle each other too many more times than they need to. No real storyline. A lot of the matches feel like filler or are obviously meant to give one guy momentum. The gimmicks Swagger and Rusev have just beg for a great rivalry to happen. And there is so much more they can do with this rivalry. Can they get away with turning Swagger heel and Rusev face and having them feud against each other? How about forcing them to be on the same side? How about having them naturally want to be on the same side? Is there a common enemy Americans and Russians have? One of the reasons the rivalry between Trish and Lita was so great is because they were on the same side here and there. That adds to the story when they would feud against each other. That is the kind of thing they could pull with Swagger and Rusev. Not necessarily now, but in the future. Right now, their feud gets elevated because the US title is involved.

Once again, should Jack Swagger be the guy to hand Rusev his first official loss since debuting? This time around, that would likely involve Swagger winning the US title, a title he held before. Unless they are just building Rusev up for Cena or a pert-timer to beat him, Swagger is the best option. It may not happen this month, but I think it should happen with this feud. Swagger has gotten over and he is worthy. It would be another chapter in their rivalry.

Tag Division Developments

There are a few things going on in the tag division. That is good. First, the Tag Team Champions, Miz and Sandow, are feuding against The Usos. There also happens to be a storyline there. Second, you actually have a feud developing outside of the title scene in the tag division. That is between The Dust Brothers and New Day.

They had a match on Raw to determine new contenders for the tag titles. When The Usos won, I anticipated that this would just be a dull jobber push for them. They would be developed just to put over Miz and Sandow. And you might get a little tired seeing so much of The Usos in the title scene. However, they are actually developing a little bit of a storyline with this feud that goes beyond the titles. Jimmy Uso is married to Naomi. They are running a little jealousy storyline with Miz involved. You can just chalk it up to a heel playing mind games with a face, but it is still good to put some creative interest in these tag feuds. Would these kind of storylines be going on right now if Total Divas was not around? Would this creative interest be here if Miz was not involved? He is someone the WWE wants to push as a star. That's fine. I just do not think he needs to be handed so many titles. His overall overness may not be great, but he can make for some interesting storylines. And the fact that Naomi is involved shows how divas can make men's feuds interesting. You have to improve that periphery.

The other feud being developed is between Stardust & Goldust and New Day, the new faction consisting of Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods. When New Day did not win that #1 contenders match on Raw, I was thinking the WWE would drop the ball with them. No, it looks like they will develop a feud for them. It is obvious the faces will win this feud. They just debuted the new gimmick. Stardust & Goldust are not top priorities now. New Day will still likely be facing the Tag Team Champions down the line. This can just build some momentum for them. Smart development.

Which of these two feuds should involve the tag titles? Let's say you had the option of undoing the title change that happened a few weeks ago and everything else stays the same. The feud between The Usos and Miz and Sandow is just a grudge feud over Naomi. The feud between The Dust Brothers and New Day is for the tag titles. Would you make the switch? Obviously, you do not want to rush the titles on New Day. On the other side of that, if you are going to put the titles on them, you don't want to wait too long until they lose that momentum. That is the mistake they made with Stardust and Goldust. Reading about the kind of promo that happens on this week's Smackdown, I just got the feeling like this is a feud between good and evil with New Day and Stardust & Goldust. You can say every face vs. heel feud is like that, but this really feels like it is just the good, righteous guys against the bad guys. Would that feud mean more if the tag titles were involved? I think it also would have been a defining feud for The Dust Brothers recent title reign. That title reign was very brief and lackluster as it was. They could have kept the titles on them and this feud right now would have been a step back in the right direction. Where does that leave Miz, Sandow, The Usos, and Naomi? A lot of great storylines have been over women, without any real title focus. Remember the triangle you had between Test, Scott Steiner, and Stacy Keibler? That story wasn't focused around a title at all. They could have had a non-title tag feud right now that put great focus on Naomi. As it stands, she might end up just being a pawn Miz is using to help him retain the tag titles. Nice story, but you could have told it without the tag titles. And the story might have ended up being even better. As it stands, I think either way of doing it would be good. This is a step in the right direction for the tag division.

How about the diva division? You are seeing a little right now how divas can be utilized in the periphery to help make storylines more interesting. This is a dark age. The first dark age remained interesting primarily because of periphery divas. It is about time they start doing more with these women, outside of AJ Lee and The Bellas. What more can the WWE do? More mixed-tag matches. Trish and Lita wrestled a ton of those during the first dark age. Lita was paired with Matt and Jeff Hardy. Trish was with Test & Albert. They also teamed with multiple other guys, including main-eventers. Naomi is unlikely to get into any mixed-tag matches with the current storyline she has, but a feud against Tyson Kidd and Natalya might happen. Tyson Kidd might have Cesaro as a partner for that. Outside of the tag division, you can pair some of these women with midcarders you are willing to push. And I don't just mean Lana with Rusev. Pair some of the other divas without anything to do with guys. Ivory was a part of Right To Censor during the first dark age. Why not add a diva to some kind of midcard or upper-midcard stable? Could a diva have fit in with New Day? As for your A-tier periphery divas, now might not be the good time to pair a diva with a top star. The Authority is gone, a lot of main-eventers are still out, the depth at the top is bad, and it just might not be smooth to do right now. But these are the kind of things they need to do to make this dark age as interesting as the first. You are not going to have women parade around in their thongs and expose their breasts like you did back then, but you can be more efficient in how you utilize them.

Let me go back to what I was talking about yesterday. I was talking about how having an ego can be a problem, but can also be good to some extent. I want to bring up one last example to consider.

I have been following my alma mater's football team regularly since last year. They have a quarterback that is very good and has helped them reach the FCS playoffs two years in a row. As the story goes, this quarterback was actually at a college in Connecticut. The coaches there would not let him be the starter on the football team. What does he do? Does he put up with being a backup? He transfers to my school in New York City. I cannot imagine making a decision like that hinged primarily on whether I can be a starter on a football team. Of course, I never played sports in college. Students make decisions based on sports every year. Would you say that quarterback must have had a somewhat high opinion of himself? Did he make a little bit of an ego decision right there? Thing is, he actually went out there and proved himself. He has won awards. He has broken records. If he ever gets a Wikipedia page, there will be a lot of positive stuff on there that might not have been there if he had chosen to stay in Connecticut. He thought he was worth more than staying in someone else's shadow and he happened to be right. Instead of waiting around for an opportunity to possibly come to him, he made a decision and moved on. You have to know your worth. Don't sell yourself short. That is how you are often able to go out there and do great things.

Now, let's look at a different scenario. Let's say some other quarterback in the same situation turns out a little different. He doesn't get to be a starter on the school's team. He thinks he's better than that and transfers to a different school just because he feels he is good enough to be a starter. What happens? He sucks. He gets benched. He switched schools just to get benched. What would you think of a guy that thinks so highly of himself, makes a big decision like that, and then fails miserably? He's a big doofus? Well, you might say that. As I said last time, having an ego can be a problem when you have this high opinion of yourself and you are really not that good. Knowing your own worth does not mean thinking you are better than you really are.

Back to Vince McMahon. Whether you believe his problem rests in he thinks he knows what the fans want, thinks he is some kind of genius, thinks he can make a star out of anybody, or whatever, that problem is magnified due to his ego. If he didn't have such a belief in what he was doing, he might be more open to doing things differently or stepping aside to let someone else do it. You look at what Vince McMahon is ultimately responsible for. I don't want to blame him for everything, but some major blame has to fall in his lap. Does the quality of that product look like it is the work of a man that believes in himself and his ability to know what the fans want, believes in his intelligence, and believes in his ability to make stars? Or does it look like the work of someone that has that high opinion of himself and really isn't that great? Is Vince McMahon essentially just a big doofus?

The Rise Of Erick Rowan & Assorted Thoughts

Raw ended with Erick Rowan looking like a hero. A while ago, I mentioned that some fans were saying Dolph Ziggler was looking like an A+ player because of how much focus he was getting during Team Authority vs. Team Cena. Although I have not seen anyone say the same thing for Rowan, could you say the same thing? A few weeks ago, this guy had no direction. He was the weakest member of The Wyatts. Thanks to Sheamus being out, a space has opened up that has benefited Rowan.

Think about what the WWE is currently doing. Lower-midcarders are being pushed in the midcard. Midcarders are being pushed as upper-midcarders and main-eventers. Ryback is feuding with Kane. Rowan is feuding with Big Show. John Cena and Seth Rollins will face each other. This is all due to depth. Some of these guys will definitely be depushed when guys like Roman Reigns and Randy Orton return. Until then, is this way of doing things good? There is some good. There are some fresh feuds here. However, they are still not developing good storylines for a lot of these lower-midcarders in the midcard. Why bother, right? Nevertheless, they could do better.

Let me do a few asides. I recently opened up a new Twitter account. I am using it primarily for trying to get what I say about the diva division out there. That has manifested itself in me frequently dropping a wall of tweets on some people. Vince McMahon, Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Mick Foley have been recipients of that. When it comes to talking about the diva division, I do not like being contained to 140 characters or less. I enjoyed doing flash fiction when I was taking writing courses in college, but I don't like limits like that when I am trying to argue a point. I know it can get annoying when you tweet a lot like that. I'll apologize for doing it, but I want to get the message out. Prior to creating that new Twitter account, I spent a few weeks e-mailing wrestling news sites to try to get them interested in this. I was not aggressive. I was not rude. I was civil. I never got back one reply. Maybe I got sent straight to junk mail. Whatever happened, I decided to try something else. Not going good so far.

Anyway, while I was checking on things on Twitter last night, I noticed a "#WeWantPaige" hashtag going. And people say that she's not over? Of course, you cannot mistake that Twitter support for true A+ overness. How well can she connect with fans across the board? How many A-tier fans does she really have? These are the kind of things you have to consider when determining how over someone really is. Right now, I would still say Paige has a B connection with the fans. A few hardcore fans only count for so much. Funny thing is, she's only been not featured for about a week. She was a part of Survivor Series last week, although it was only in a filler match. And some of those fans are already irritated? You should be more irritated that she is a credible jobber like Mickie James and is only getting filler and jobber pushes. Mickie James is another diva that had a "#WeWant" campaign back in the day when she was released. As I have mentioned before, Paige could very well follow the path of Mickie James. There are already a few fans crazy for her. If she can connect better with a wider range of fans and at the same level as AJ and The Bellas, or better than them, then you might really have another Mickie James on your hands. Expect Dave Meltzer to botch analyzing what is going on and end up making Paige look like it is all her fault that she is being mistreated. It has happened before.

A lot of people say that Vince McMahon's problem is that he is out of touch. I wouldn't say that. I am out of touch. I can admit that. I don't keep up with the latest technology. I don't follow the latest fads. There are celebrities out there today that I never heard of. I don't know how they got famous. I don't care. I am perfectly fine without keeping track of all that. Moreover, I don't go around criticizing people that do keep up with the latest trends. I don't try to get people to be like me. Being out of touch does not automatically mean you have to let that dictate your relationship with others.

What is Vince McMahon's problem? I would say it is ego. Being out of touch is one thing, but that does not mean you have to allow your philosophy on things dictate what is going on. Some people are able to put their personal views aside to run things in a great way. In some situations, they delegate those responsibilities to others. The way Vince McMahon runs things, he just creates a rigid system. He goes in the direction of what he wants to work. If it works out, then things go great. If it doesn't, you have big problems. A lot of fans get annoyed. Workers get annoyed. Ratings and other numbers decline. Is the company really making as much money as it could? If Vince McMahon cannot go beyond what he personally wants and what he personally sees, that is a problem. And if he insists on being in control, that is an ego problem.

You might say that it is easy for me to talk because I have never been a boss of a big company. That is true. I have never really been any kind of boss. The closest I came was when I went back to work as a temp at my college library for a few months. I was a supervisor. And on Sunday nights, I was the only supervisor there. I had to empty the cash register, close the computer lab, and all that other stuff. I was also the only one there to supervise the student-workers. I never pushed my weight around just because I could. I never handed them any busy work just to stop them from doing their homework while they sat there. I never did my homework when I was sitting at the circulation desk when I was a student-worker. But I'm not going to force my own work ethic on anyone else. As long as they were there to help the patrons and no problems came up, I just let them do their thing. I only stepped in when they asked me to or when I felt they needed help. I have known some supervisors that have given student-workers things to do just to stop them from doing homework. In most situations, I didn't feel they were being egotistical and just ordering people around because they could. Most situations. But I was never like that. And that is the only experience I have being a boss. For one night a week for a few months, I was in charge. And that's now on my resume.

A meaningless personal story? I don't think so. Why can't the WWE have that same kind of "laissez faire" approach? Not completely, but their role should be to just oversee things more. Let their workers do their thing and connect with the fans. Have a true GM whose job it is to keep track of how well these performers are getting the job done and push the best to be the best. Guys like Vince McMahon should only step in when things are going horribly or when asked for input. Even if Vince McMahon is out of touch, is it really a problem if he's not the one making decisions on who is pushed and how they are pushed? The fact that Vince McMahon wants to have so much control over things is the problem. And I see that as an ego problem.

One last thing I want to bring up about Vince McMahon. He was obviously on Austin's podcast last night. That is one of the reasons I am talking about him today. One of the points he made was pretty much burying the majority of the roster. Some of them lack ambition, charisma, or some other thing. He is making excuses for why they are not pushed better. And I don't think it is an excuse. If they lack things to be top stars, fine. What about pushing them better in the midcard? The midcard is a mess and could use popular guys getting good pushes there. The midcard should not only be a building ground for future main-eventers. A guy like Zack Ryder could have made a solid midcarder. I would agree that he is no main-eventer, but is that really what fans wanted back then? I never saw one fan say they wanted Zack Ryder to win the WWE Championship. A midcard push would have been fine. But the WWE acted like that was like getting a tooth pulled out. 

Just reading some of the things Vince said, I was reminded of a football analogy I once made. Imagine a head coach that puts all his effort in when his starting quarterback is out there. When the starting quarterback is injured and the backup comes in, the coach pretty much quits on him. No help from the sideline. That is essentially quitting on the team. I have seen some players show that lack of emotion during some games. I don't think I have seen a coach be that way. Would you say he is egotistical? It is either his way or no way. With the attitude Vince McMahon put out there last night, he will put his effort into someone if he sees what he likes in them. For others, they get the short end of the stick. And that's not fair. It's not fair to them, not fair to the fans, and not right in terms of maintaining the quality of the product. You are supposed to motivate your workers. Instead of wagging your finger at their weaknesses, how about doing more with their strengths, especially if fans want to see them? That is what good head coaches do. That is what good bosses do. 

Let me just make it clear, there is nothing wrong with having a little bit of an ego. It can motivate you to want to succeed and do great things. It is good for mental health. When you succeed or are good at something, why shouldn't you be proud? Other people are usually going to be proud of you, so why shouldn't you be proud of yourself? When ego becomes a problem is when you become too arrogant. Moreover, if you suck at something and have this attitude that you are still good at it, that can get annoying sometimes. You should be honest with yourself. And in situations where you are in power and hold the livelihoods of others in your hands, that is where having too much of an ego can be a problem. You have to put your self aside and do what is best for your workers, patrons, and the overall company. Dare I say it? You have to do what is best for business. One of the things that make The Authority heels is that they say they do what is best for business, then further what they want ahead of what is best for business. And it is not all a kayfabe problem. Ego is a driving force for those heels, but it is also a driving force for the problems behind the scenes.

Nikki, AJ, Brie

A lot of title changes happened in November. That includes Nikki Bella winning the Diva's Championship from AJ Lee. Brie Bella had a hand in her sister winning. There are a few things to talk about with these recent developments in the diva division.

First of all, what is going on with this storyline? Nikki Bella was the obvious heel. Brie Bella, a face, was forced to do what her sister wanted her to do. AJ Lee, a face that leans more to being a tweener with her character, held the title that Nikki Bella wanted. I pointed out before that this storyline was not being developed well even before the title change occurred. You have Brie Bella kissing AJ Lee to help her sister win at Survivor Series. Brie Bella hasn't really been acting like a frustrated face being forced to work with a heel recently. Moreover, Nikki gave a promo on Smackdown that led to her getting a face reaction. That promo was edited on the actual airing. What does the WWE really want to happen?

This is not the first time this year that a Diva's title feud had bad storyline development. I am not even talking about the string of feuds Paige had during her first title reign that were not developed properly. AJ Lee vs. Paige was not developed well. It looked like it was progressing to the logical end, heel Paige vs. face AJ. Paige had turned on AJ. Instead of running things from there, they regressed and just had the two play with each other for no good storyline reason. Bella vs. Bella was getting better focus at that time. They then paired Paige with Alicia Fox. That was nothing to make too much of. All it led to was a filler match at Survivor Series. It really only served the purpose of extending the feud between Paige and AJ so Paige could get her rematch. It wasn't that great. That is two elaborate feuds in a row to have questionable development.

In both those two feuds I just talked about, you had the WWE featuring some lesbian elements. Or at least teasing it in some situations. How PG is that? Besides that, it just seems like the WWE is throwing certain things into these storylines that are just not called for. Cheap tricks. It is a dark age, so it is not shocking that they would do these things. They are never going to have another golden age if they keep relying on these things, however. Is that how they have to keep fans interested? Is that how they have to try to get stars over? Lesbian elements, psycho gimmicks, finisher theft, and dressing up as your opponent. Sound familiar? Those were all things you saw in the feud Mickie James had with Trish Stratus. You can say those things helped to get Mickie James over, but how do you explain her staying over when left as a generic face diva? It comes down to the worth of the performer vs. how the performer is being pushed. Paige has been involved in the kind of storyline Mickie James had. Paige has not become as over as Mickie James. I think Paige has potential to do it, but the WWE is really in a better position to make sure no credible jobber ever does what Mickie James did again. Besides, Paige really needs to find her own groove she is comfortable with. She did that one promo a few months ago that made her look like a boss, but the WWE did not follow up with her. Never make too much out of one thing when analyzing what is going on.

While the rivalry between Trish Stratus and Lita was the greatest in the history of the diva division, the greatest diva storyline just might be the one between Trish Stratus and Mickie James. Unlike some storylines that are really extensions of things going on in the men's division, this was a diva storyline. The main players and main supporting players on the roster were all divas. It is like how fans credit Trish vs. Lita on Raw as the first diva main event on Raw, even though Stephanie McMahon vs. Lita happened years before that. The latter also featured The Rock, Triple H, and other guys indirectly involved, so that is why some fans disregard that. The reason Mickie/Trish was so good isn't just because of the players. It was developed well. The storyline made sense and was developed well. The lesbian elements fit into the storyline. The psycho gimmick fit. Finisher theft fit. Dressing up as the other person fit. It fit the character Mickie James was playing. And when Trish turned the tables on Mickie, it made sense for Trish to do some of that. The feud didn't even end properly and it was still that great. Injuries could have screwed it up, but it didn't. Lack of depth could have been an issue, but it wasn't. The WWE should look at that feud and remember how to tell a story. Instead, they seem to be looking at it and just taking some of the small elements out of it. It isn't that easy. If the progression of the storyline is not good, fans are not going to connect well, not know what to connect with, and might even connect the wrong way. Moreover, not all these women currently being pushed have the kind of charisma Mickie James had. The WWE didn't develop Mickie James to get over, so I hope they don't think they can just hand all these storyline and character elements to some other diva and expect the same results. Their execution is lacking.

Eve Torres was the last centerpiece of the diva division. She left. Kaitlyn got a title run. She was a credible jobber. She dropped it to AJ Lee, the top periphery diva in this dark age. AJ Lee and Paige traded it a few times. Paige is a credible jobber. Now, Nikki Bella is the Diva's Champion. Is this the WWE's first attempt at a centerpiece since Eve left? Nikki Bella is the kind of diva they like to push like that. There is also Brie Bella, but they are not really developing her outside of her sister's shadow right now. They could next month, after this feud with AJ ends. Even though depth is still bad, they have credible jobbers on the main roster already that they could revolve around Nikki. It doesn't mean that the dark age ends just like that, but they can go back to trying to step out of it.

Is Nikki Bella a good choice as centerpiece? She has improved over the years. Both Bellas have. To me, this second dark age started when they gave Brie Bella her first title reign. Michelle McCool was still centerpiece at that time. Kelly Kelly was in that spot after she left. Brie Bella was pretty much just a credible jobber. And she wasn't even doing anything with the title for a while. Moreover, she wasn't that great as a performer. That was a clear sign of collapse to me. Nikki Bella got a short reign a while after that. Now, things are different. They are better. Will they flop like all the other centerpiece attempts since Trish left? I doubt they will leave the company any time soon. Injuries are not a big issue with them. I doubt they will regress in their in-ring abilities. All that leaves is how over they will become. I could say that it all rests on their shoulders to get over, but it doesn't. As I pointed out before, the WWE is making some mistakes in how they are pushing these women. Those mistakes might screw them over more than the issue of their own skill and potential. Regardless of which Bella gets pushed as that A+ player, if either do, there will still be issues in this diva division.

Speaking of issues, where does all this leave AJ Lee? She is a top-tier periphery diva. She is an A player. She is in the position Lita had. The WWE can just put her back in the men's division alongside some top star. I won't brainstorm ideas of what to do with her. Of course, there is drama between the WWE and AJ Lee's husband, CM Punk. How much of a strain is that putting on things? Will she leave the company? There will always be speculation on that. I won't talk about whether or not this would be a huge loss for the diva division until she actually does leave. Should that not happen, and should a Bella get pushed as centerpiece, just don't be surprised to see AJ back to getting angles alongside the men.