A Laptop Runs Raw

Week 2 of an "Anonymous GM" running Raw. It had some promise when it was first announced. Who would it be? What would he do next? The mystery is still there, but I am getting annoyed.

I am hoping the WWE intends for this guy to be a heel. If not that, they want him viewed negatively until he is revealed. That may be why they have Michael Cole reading the messages, not Lawler. The laptop gets a podium now? Even I found that to be too much. And that stupid noise...THAT NOISE. It irritates me.

I am still hoping that Michael Cole has a greater role in something, whether it be the GM angle or Nexus. He has been near to all the things so far. He would definitely be a guy you would not suspect easily to be the mastermind of anything. I wouldn't mind.

And They Won't Die Young

Reports say Wade Barrett is missing due to issues with his work visa. If you cannot tell, the guy is from Great Britain. The leader of Nexus, the winner of NXT1, is out of the picture, at least for the moment. That is a heart-breaker.

I said that the WWE did not need Daniel Bryan to have that NXT angle work. I stand by that. He was not the winner of the competition. He was doing more to make himself stand out in the initial attack than the WWE would have intended. Wade Barret was the one meant to stand out. He had his contract. Bryan and the other losers were all in the same boat. Barrett, who also had a title shot coming up sooner or later, was the one that the WWE had to build as a leader so they can credibly put him against a World Champion. Point is, Barrett was the one that mattered the most in this angle. Without him, what do you have?

And then there were 6. Who is the leader of the group? The group does need a leader. They cannot stay a unit forever. When they break up, the WWE must have invested more in some than in others. That is how they will get certain of them over more in relation to the rest. That is how they will build momentum in the ones they plan to really push. If the WWE just pushes them equally, who are the fans really supposed to latch on to? The black one? The sexy guy? The dude who does the cool flips? Even if that is how it works, the popular member may not have the momentum for a good push after the group if all are pushed evenly now. Moreover, they need someone to really give the group directionality and focus. Without it, they just seem even more mindless, which begs the issue that someone else has to be pulling their strings.

Who steps up? Assuming Barrett, who I liked as leader, is written out, that leaves 6 men. Otunga finished in 2nd place. He would be an obvious choice. Heath Slater looked like he could step up on Monday. Honestly, whatever they choose, the angle seems damaged now. They started with 8, did not lose much momentum at all after Daniel Bryan was released, but now lose their leader and the man who had the most credibility to gain, and had to gain, from being in front of a group like this. Sad. The chosen ones have dropped. Soon there may be only one left. Speaking of all that, how's Drew doing?

Why Do We Still Have Guest Hosts?

My first thoughts for tonight's Raw have nothing to do with the superstars or storylines of Raw. No. I am going to talk about Rob Zombie. Did you miss his 5 seconds out there? He was the guest host tonight.

The guy comes out to the ring, without even bringing The Bellas with him, talks about crap, names the people in Raw's Money in the Bank match, has a meaningless exchange of "who dumped who?" with Edge, and that was basically it. Never saw him again. HUGE disappointment. I hate guest host crap, but if you are going to bring them just for boring crap like that, it still gets on my nerves. Speaking for myself, as a horror fan, I may have been interested if he incorporated that into the show somehow. Nope. I would still be somewhat unhappy that time is being wasted on guest host nonsense, but at least it would be interesting nonsense. I do not know whether they had a better plan and changed, but this was a waste tonight.

Why would celebrities still want to host with Nexus running wild? That could be the kayfabe reasoning for ending this thing. Nexus could have easily have come after Rob Zombie tonight. He is not a superstar in wrestling. Maybe they will in the future.

Bischoff Should Have Stayed Heel

Many people are feeling that TNA is sliding into ruin before it even won a big battle against the WWE. Knockouts division is going down. TNA is giving away great matches on free TV, yet they cannot get great ratings. There are a lot of things I can talk about. All of that aside for now, I want to talk about one of the problems that deal more with storyline.

Flair's group is pretty lame. When was the last time any member won a really big match at a PPV? They get a few mediocre wins on Impact here and there, and sometimes not even enough of that. They are booked poorly. Moreover, how can these guys really compete against Hogan and the rest of management, who are all faces? They faces can try to be fair and all that, but "fair" to heels is usually what is "fair" to them.

They needed leverage. TNA teased having Eric Bischoff be heel and align with Flair months ago. That would have been so great for the group. What happens? Bischoff realigns with Hogan. Was that really necessary? Bischoff does not even come off as that believable a face a lot of the time. Hogan is way more popular than him.

Flair's group still needs that leverage. Can they still get it? Why not? Make this great battle really heat up. Make it seem like it will be more of a war. I think that will draw viewers' interests.

What's More Important Than The World Titles?

For both of the main WWE shows, the major thing going on in the main event seems to be storylines revolving loosely around the World Champions. Raw's NXT angle does not have to tie into the title scene, but it has. Smackdown's Taker angle does not have to either, but Kane's involvement in the match was responsible for a lot at Fatal Four Way.

On Smackdown this week, it seems the World Championship took a vacation from being the focus in the main event. Many can say there is a good reason for that, but I say you do not need Rey Mysterio there to hype the title in the main event. Jack Swagger is the former Champion. He gets a rematch. He had a match that night against a former top contender, Big Show. That could have been the main event right there, and I am not talking about dark matches. Instead, we get a wild brawl between CM Punk and Kane. The angle involving Kane is the most interesting thing going on in Smackdown's main event scene. That is what the WWE is pushing to draw the fans. Not a bad choice. Is Swagger getting screwed? I would say not.

Is CM Punk getting screwed? Kane is getting an angle he probably would not have gotten had Taker not been injured, so I am not crying for him. CM Punk seems like just an innocent body they threw in Kane's path to prolong the angle. Yeah, Punk is heel, but I am guessing he is innocent as far as the guy who beat up Taker goes. Punk could have been involved in an angle involving the development of his own group. He could have been hanging on the fringes of the title scene, at least until Swagger got his rematch. He could have been doing a lot of things besides this. Point is, he may be getting the short end of the stick. I will be watching how the feud develops, but Punk has beaten Kane and Kane has beaten Punk. There is no fresh statement to really make there. What will be said for Punk?

Swagger Reborn?

Jack Swagger lost his World title to Rey Mysterio last Sunday. That was the end of a reign that saw Swagger drop the usual goofy demeanor he had since he came to the WWE in ECW. Even though he lost his title, however, he continues down the path of being a serious contender.

On Smackdown, in addition to saying when he will be taking his rematch, he faced Big Show. Big Show is a man Swagger has had really no luck against. When they first started this feud, I was hoping that Big Show would be used to show that Swagger can hold his own against a real main-eventer. That did not happen, until tonight. Ankle lock? Swagger showing a vicious attitude to get himself DQed and "injure" Big Show? It took losing the title to have the WWE push this intensity in him? This is what the fans need to see. I think it is a great development.

Make all the comparisons to Kurt Angle you want. When I first saw Jack Swagger, with his cocky gimmick and that pose he did, I thought of him as a Randy Orton dunked in toxic waste. He was a clown. Now he has definitely developed further to follow the path of Kurt Angle. Excuse me. The WWE has developed him further to follow the path of Kurt Angle. Honestly, he is a poor man's answer to Kurt Angle. He is going to have to develop himself further to really stand on his own, not to mention really surpass Kurt Angle. The WWE can try their little tricks to get the job done, but I doubt that will do it for me. It may con some of the fans. If it needs to be said, this is coming from a Swagger fan. I like him. I would rather the WWE stop using certain people to be answers to what TNA has, but that is another issue.

Poor Desmond Wolfe?

A lot of them hardcore wrestling fans out there would think Desmond Wolfe should be the centerpiece of TNA. It is those fans who voted this guy to get a title shot against Rob Van Dam a while ago. I like what I like. Should I be shedding tears for Desmond Wolfe?

Desmond Wolfe is pretty much on the same level as Daniel Bryan and Kaval when it comes to how hardcore of a fanbase they had before even making it into a major promotion. Honestly, I am liking Desmond more than some of the other things internet fans like to push down my throat. As I have said before, I only started to pay real attention to TNA once Hogan hype developed. I had not much of an impression of Desmond Wolfe before then. All that I knew was that the internet loved him. I saw him, and he has grown on me. Again, maybe it is the British thing.

Besides the fact that he has not had a big, significant win in I don't even know how long, I now see rumors popping up that the new TNA management is not very high on him. Boo hoo? In all honesty, yeah, boo hoo! I think this guy at least deserves a good push in the midcard. I could complain about how Flair's whole group is being booked too weakly overall, but that is too great a matter for right now. If they do work Desmond Wolfe completely away from the group, I am having a tough time saying that he will have many options in the midcard. So much on the show already revolves around either matters involving Flair's guys or narrow title feuds involving the lesser titles or other main event matters, I do not think Wolfe would get anything. Too much attention right now seems to be put on the ranking system. Too much attention on the main event. TNA should develop the midcard better. That is where a guy like Wolfe can come in.

Of course, I am not saying to keep him in midcard hell. Build him up there. In a perfect world, what this guy has already done in TNA would have earned him the right to be in Flair's group. But if the rumors are true, Desmond Wolfe has to be pushed well in the midcard or he may be treated even worse than some have been complaining about.

Savannah Released

Savannah (Angela Fong) has been released by the WWE. You may know her as the announcer on what used to be ECW and now NXT. Only those who cared to look it up would know that she was training to become a wrestler. She was wrestling in FCW. She got released before her first official match in the WWE. I am not counting tag matches in house shows.

This woman was rated extremely well by many while she was still just in FCW. They said she had a lot of natural talent. The fact that she was nothing more than an announcer in the WWE is very disappointing. She did not even get to develop her character anywhere, not to mention wrestling in televised WWE matches. She did not get a proper break at all. Lilian Garcia got more of a chance to develop her character in angles than Angela Fong did. Hell, Lilian even performed in more "matches" on WWE TV than Angela Fong did, and Lilian does not even have Angela's level of skill in the ring.

I would have released Rosa Mendes. She had her shot to develop both character and her style in the ring. She not only failed to get over with that, she brought down the quality of matches on more than one occasion. A woman like this had enough chances, which other women are not getting. How do you solve the problem of Smackdown losing pretty much the only heel diva jobber they have? They could have started an angle to transition Savannah from announcer to Smackdown diva, and as a heel. She gets her shot, and if the WWE really needed to release someone, Rosa Mendes would be free to go.

I do not think there is a chance of the WWE wanting her back. If Angela Fong is still serious about wrestling, that hype she garnered while in FCW may interest TNA in developing her further. Whatever the case, I am not happy about this choice from the WWE. Should have given her a fair chance to be something first.

A Midcard Hero

Miz regains the U.S. Championship. After disposing of R-Truth as a threat to his title, what does he do now? Pretty much forget that the U.S. Championship is something to be defended, not a prop to hold. Excuse me, that is the WWE's booking really, not necessarily Miz's choice.

He interrupted Randy Orton, who was giving a promo about winning the WWE Championship down the road. Miz mentioned that no man has held both the WWE Championship and U.S. Championship at the same time. Anyone who knows Miz knows that he thinks the U.S. title is only good to hold along with another title to make history. Other midcarders can mess around with Jericho. I cannot say that I am upset that Miz is being elevated a bit by associating with Orton and Edge. I did have a feeling that they would do something like this for him after his alliance with Jericho would end. However, I am not happy that they had to bring the U.S. title back into the picture. Miz really does not need it for this.

So will Miz stand a chance of winning Money in the Bank? Could be a good way to really push him into the main event. Even should he fail, getting involved with Randy Orton and Edge cannot hurt. What if Edge and Miz team up? Win some tag gold? This will be another top heel giving Miz a rub by tagging with him. Big Show did it before. Edge can do something similar. Problem is, once again, the U.S. title does not need to be involved here. They are not building Miz to be a great Champion. Just holding the title for a long time does not make you great by itself. Some fans may be stupid enough to believe otherwise, but it is not true.

NXT Got Vince!

First, Bret Hart is fired as GM. I am glad. As bad as this guy was in the ring since his triumphant return, I thought I could put up with him as GM. He was not doing a good job. If he returns to the WWE again in the future, we will see what happens. Until then, things get more interesting.

The new GM sends e-mails. Also, looks like guest host crap may be done. Now we have a mystery over who the new GM is. This is the stuff that attracts viewers. There were those rumors about The Rock coming back. That is the only guess I have right now.

As one mystery rises, another folds. Vince McMahon revealed that he had a hand in NXT1's attacks over the weeks. Sadly for him, they attacked him too! Love that! They show no allegiance except to themselves. Thing is, they already have their contracts and were a bit apologetic. They even had the boss on their side. Why would they screw that? Were they upset that Vince thought he could use them too? That is what I am expecting to be the reasoning, but I do wish there would be something more to it. In any case, the plot developed well tonight.

Fatal Four Way Thoughts

Chris Jericho vs. Evan Bourne: A bonus match. Just like much of the rest of the card, not really much great hype to this. The only real build was that Bourne could not get the pinfall win on Raw, so why not have a rematch here? They continue the angle of Jericho being on a losing streak. I do not mind. John Cena got his start somewhat like this in the WWE. How far will Bourne go?

Harts vs. Usos: Another bonus match. Mixed-tag match. Women got to do something. Good way to progress the feud. Wrestling news sites were saying this would be for the tag titles. Really? The Usos never win a real contenders match, but they get a title shot so soon. It has happened in the past, I will admit that, but tonight is another example of not always taking everything dirtsheets say as fact. Of course, they will fall back on the old excuse of WWE changing their plans every five seconds. If not that, then they will say WWE found out that their plans were foiled so changed them. Really, no. It would just be awkward to have the tag titles on the line now without any hype to the match. Usos deserve better than that. All they have gotten so far is am introduction. A real path to the gold is needed. Harts win when Natalya gets the pin.

Diva Title Match: I was right about Eve losing the title, wrong about who would win. Alicia won. Interesting choice. She should not have won. Poor build for her. She was not that much of a credible contender. Fans should become invested in someone somewhat before that person wins a title. The title should not be a tool to build that basic overness. It cannot be. It fails. Not only that, she is not that great in the ring. She shows promise and all that, but she is a risk. She almost broke herself in half taking a DDT from Mickie James last year. She proved that was no fluke when she almost broke herself in half taking a move from Gail Kim a few months ago. She was out with an injury after working with Melina at a house show. Then again, as long as she does not work hard, she should be fine. That is the diva division you have today. Layla, Eve, Alicia. It is like the WWE is just phasing out the credible wrestlers and injecting steroids into the division to build new stars. They are building the wrong stars in the wrong way. Models do not deserve this until they are truly solid.

U.S. Title Match: Pretty much what I expected.

IC Title Match: My first prediction did not go through, but my lesser one did. Kofi wins thanks to Matt Hardy. Teddy was there too. All in all, I do not think it was an interesting twist enough. WWE could have done better.

Smackdown's World Title Match: Rey Mysterio wins after Kane gets involved to cost Punk the match. I am not complaining. Rey deserved a title win for some of the matches he has put on against big names. I am not talking about a midcard title. Besides, he took Taker's spot at a time when the WWE needed him. He could have taken the time off. I feel bad for Swagger, but he is not dead yet.

Raw's World Title Match: NXT did indeed get involved. In all the mess, Sheamus wins. Well, guess Triple H will be back sooner or later and want the title. The NXT involvement was the only thing that really interested me here.

There were some chants for Daniel Bryan. My fellow New Yorkers are a lovely bunch. Smarks. I still stand by my opinion that Daniel Bryan did not really get over in his time in the WWE. He benefited from earning his way in the indies, gaining a large amount of fans since then. He then benefited from the WWE hyping him as something special while he was in NXT. Just because a person is hyped to be great does not mean he is great and does not mean the fans will buy it. I am not denying Bryan is great, but I am denying that the average WWE fan really even had enough time to give a damn about this guy. I think he deserves a shot to come back. Considering who trained him, he probably will be back. But who do you really blame? The WWE for being PG and having Linda run for Senate? Or Daniel Bryan for forgetting the WWE was PG, getting lost in the moment, not caring, not knowing what it actually means, or for whatever reason, deciding to choke a guy with a tie sadistically? Yeah, blame the WWE. Daniel will be back and tapping out to Cena's STF in a matter of time.

F4W Predictions

Diva Match: Eve is losing the title. Not only does she have the momentum going in, but did you notice that tag match on Raw? No Gail Kim needed at all for Eve to win it. That is a "gold watch" victory right there. Looks like they are ready to put the title on Maryse again and have her feud with someone. Anyone returning soon? If this is true, it is obvious Eve was used as filler. She did not really work with any other women in real title feuds. I can compare this with what happened to Mickie James and her Diva's Championship reign, in which the WWE did not build any great opponents for her and just had her pass through opponents who gained title opportunities without much more story to it, but I do not write a diva blog anymore. Prediction: Maryse wins.

U.S. Title Match: Simple. Miz just won it a few days ago. Why would he lose it so fast? It would be stupid booking. R-Truth does not need two U.S. title reigns so fast. Prediction: Miz wins.

Intercontinental Title Match: Kofi won the title from Drew McIntyre in a singles match. If I remember correctly, Drew already had a rematch. However, Kofi has not been booked to really work with any other midcarders. Do you see a theme here? In all the title matches I have mentioned so far, the Champions (or former Champion in R-Truth's case) have not really had the opportunity to build there reign by going against a variety of opponents, who are built well, and in well-developed feuds. The main story with Drew is really his issues with Matt Hardy. I can see Drew regain the title so he can feud with Matt over it. However, if he does not win the title, Drew will probably lose due to some Matt Hardy action. That prolongs their feud, but it is the same thing we have been seeing for weeks now. I hope the PPV match offers something more special than that. Prediction: Drew wins.


Smackdown's World Title Match: Big Show probably has the least chance of winning. The WWE would put a World title on him now? He seems to just be there to give Swagger a good rub and to add his unique size and strength to the match. Rey Mysterio? Well, he does deserve another run. Does not mean he will get it. If he does, it can lead to an interesting turn if he feuds with CM Punk again. I can see them putting the title on CM Punk at this PPV. The guy gave up his hair. You owe him. If he wins, this can also lead to a good turn in his feud with Rey. Swagger. This is the man they want to build as a main-eventer. He did not defeat Big Show at the last PPV. Letting him win now would be a safe choice. Prediction: Swagger wins.

Raw's World Title Match: I doubt Sheamus will win. The WWE has the Irish fans hooked in, so I doubt they need to give it to Sheamus again for a while. Or is he still best friends with Triple H? I can see Orton win it. The story is that he was injured, has the odds against him going into this match, but battles through to win it. Edge is the top heel in this match. He holds seniority over Sheamus. If any heel is going to win it, it may be him. Cena always wins, right? Aside from Batista, he has not really had any successful title feuds in his current reign. He does not need them, especially if you look at how he traded the belt with Orton last year, but I do not think his reign will end like this. Prediction: Cena wins.

Five matches? Not like I was planning to buy it anyway, but the number of matches is not the only thing that bothers me. I mentioned how Drew and Kofi have faced each other before, and having Matt Hardy run out is not exactly new and exciting. Miz and R-Truth have faced each other in a good match recently, but I doubt they can really pull out something more epic at the PPV. The diva match will be a diva match with a few good spots here and there, but not enough to save it. All these matches have pretty much poor build. In almost all, the story is that of a basic title feud. Even in Drew/Kofi, the one possible exception, it is still a basic title feud within the larger story between Drew and Matt. The World title matches have more build to them, but even they have been somewhat overshadowed and made dull a bit. Kane is where it is at for Smackdown. NXT is the real hype on Raw. How will these things influence the PPV? That is what interests me. I would not mind Wade Barrett walking out with Cena's title.

Kane: Tweener Defined

Although Kane seems to be going after anyone he feels may have wanted to take out The Undertaker, that does not make him a heel. He is not fully face either. Tweener. Kane loves being tweener.

A PPV is this Sunday. Kane may not have a match, but he has a rich storyline that I am sure they will have to develop in some way. The NXT storyline seems to be focused mainly on Raw right now, which is good in a way. Things balance out. Smackdown has this thing with Kane. Could you imagine what would have been happening if Taker was not injured? You would probably see a basic title feud with Taker in Rey Mysterio's spot, not that Taker is not a worthy draw. Kane would probably be off jobbing to Vance Archer. Things are a lot more interesting like this. The WWE took a bad break and made something great out of it. For that, I give them credit.

The fact that Kane is a tweener means you do not know exactly who he may target next. Neither faces nor heels are safe. Will he pull an NXT and target commentators and ring crew next? Will he go as extreme as the NXT extremists? The WWE can continue to push Kane as a tweener up to the point of Taker's return. At that point, the plot will really have to be revealed further. I am thinking the obvious option is for Kane to fully turn heel again. Taker and Kane have not had a feud in years. They can get a good 2 or 3 PPV matches out of this between the two, including at least one gimmick match. Undertaker does have that DVD out, right? Might be too late to hype it by the time he returns, but they can always work on content for the next DVD. Until then, Kane keeps things interesting for the moment.

Ric Flair And Jay Lethal

That Ric Flair segment on TNA tonight was the most entertaining wrestling segment I have seen in I do not know how long that did not have someone getting beaten up. Some shoes and clothes may have taken a bump here and there, but you do not have to wreck everything at ringside or beat up everyone to entertain me.

Ric Flair was his usual energetic self. I found the idea of creating "Fortune" interesting, although I do not like the name. That is another issue. Things went crazy when Jay Lethal came out. He continued his act of pretending to be Flair. Just seeing them play off each other was great. This was a great comedy segment, but also had heart, intensity, and real purpose to it. I do not like outsiders, like guest hosts, doing it so often. Real wrestlers can do it too, and for reasons I like. I do not need a complete comic wrestler, like a Santino, creating just a joke segment or match almost every week. Wrestlers showing a little more seriousness or respect can do just a good a job. I know Jay Lethal is somewhat of a comic guy, but there is that element of respect to his character. He is not a complete joke. You are still supposed to take him somewhat seriously. I respected this more than most of the comedy segments the WWE attempts these days.

Ric Flair will face Jay Lethal. I know Flair is old, cannot go as well as he is used to, and all that, but I am still looking forward to this match. This goes back to what I said about not minding old people in TNA. I think Flair can really do something good for Lethal. Lethal gets to work with a real legend. That is something to tell the grandchildren about in years to come. By then, Jay Lethal may be something of a legend himself. Who knows? And these days are what helped to build that.

Guest Hosts Don't Have A Price

A slap from R-Truth gave Ted DiBiase Jr. a concussion. That was weeks ago. I do not think that excuse still holds as to why they are using Ted in the particular way he has been used over the last few weeks. What do I mean? Ted has been involved in minor angles involving the guest hosts. Vintage guest host crap! It is not as bad as Chavo jobbing to Hornswoggle and Bob Barker, but Ted is kind of stagnant.

I will admit that I enjoyed the story with the A-Team last week. The thing with him wanting the fan's eye was a bit weird. Overall, I do like that it is letting this guy show some character. Many will say that it is his father's character he is showing, but the son still has the potential to make it his own. Can he be like his dad? Well, he is mingling with top celebrities in an attempt to find out.

What am I really complaining about then? Virgil is getting used. Ted is looking like a heel leader in a way. What is lacking is good enough focus and direction for Ted's treatment. He is almost left with nothing to do in terms of real feuds and pushes. If you look at wrestling for only your own sake, assuming you are an average fan, you just want an entertaining show. Ted is helping to provide that with his gimmick and involvement with the guest hosts. For those who want to see more serious action or Ted get a good push, then you should not be smiling too much over what the WWE is doing with him. Is it that they have no real opponents for him to feud with? Goldust vs. Ted may not be very good, keeping in mind that one is pretty much a jobber. Are all the other names so caught up in their own angles, that the WWE needs Ted to work with the guest hosts to provide some kind of quality minor issues for the hosts? To look at it another way, it is almost like Ted is being treated like Santino sometimes is. Santino has a storyline now, but there have been times where he is only good for going out in a given night to do his comedy act. There is no real push or long-term goal for what he is doing in that night. Ted DiBiase Jr. does not do a comedy act, but his gimmick definitely does provide an act.

I am not ready to complain too much yet. I doubt he will end up like Chavo on Raw. I hope the WWE plays this minor idea out to the point where Ted does get to host Raw in some way, just to still be foiled or something. I was hoping R-Truth would keep the U.S. title and feud with DiBiase. Could have been interesting. Not going to happen. I was excited for the possibilities with Ted DiBiase at one point. Now? I am waiting.

Crashing A Limo Around Is More Family-Friendly Than Choking With A Tie

The NXT angle progressed greatly last night. The rookies attacked again. Wade was "fired" by Bret Hart. More was developed on the Daniel Bryan situation. A lot happened.



Let me start with Wade's speech. First of all, he basically implied Daniel Bryan had second thoughts for the huge attack last week, so they beat him up and kicked him out the pack. There is something hilarious about that. Daniel Bryan arguably went further than most of those other rookies last week. He spit on Cena. He trashed him verbally. And he is the one regretting his actions? Obviously, this is just a reason to cover up his release. Wade also said something about management treating them like animals. If you treat someone like an animal, they are going to act like animals. Storylines like these are great. An intelligent person cannot completely blame the rookies. They were disrespected. Just passing around some petition would not get their respect back. They went out there and made a statement. That statement is what brings them their hate. It is a good story. And their side does hold merit. I had said long ago that these guys were being treated like divas. Animals...divas...same thing? In something not directly related, let me just say that if you treat women like they are divas, you are making it easier for them to act like divas and think they really are just that. Does not matter now.



Daniel Bryan. Unless he is driving the limo, or unless the WWE is leaving the door open for him to return as face to feud against the rookies, he is gone for real. As I said before, he was not vital for this angle. Barrett can play leader. I am still thinking that these guys have to have some supporter in the WWE for this storyline to really work, but that "leader" can be revealed later. I want to talk about how some fans are viewing Bryan. They are saying he made a huge impact in a short time. He became very over in a short time. I disagree. There are two things you have to consider in the idea that he was so over. First, Bryan Danielson wrestled around the world for years before coming to the WWE. The internet really is crazy about him. He developed a great following from all those indies. Before he even showed his face on a WWE program, he was already insanely over in the hearts of many. Thing is, I am talking about people who already knew him. To the general WWE audience, this guy really is new. Second, many may confuse this guy as being insanely over based on how the WWE used him. The WWE was hyping that this guy is respected by many before he even won an official match in the WWE. Miz was doing it. Michael Cole was doing it. They were putting special attention on this guy from the start. Even after he was eliminated, and after being ranked in the top spot despite never being booked to win a match, he was still appearing regularly in big ways. He attacked Michael Cole! They were still investing in this guy. They were still treating him in a special way. Unlike certain instances where they build a guy up just to pass momentum on to someone else, they seemed to have been doing this for his own sake. This special treatment of Daniel Bryan and his huge following pre-WWE are the reasons he appeared to be so over. He really was not to the general audience. Call me deaf, but when Barrett mentioned him on Raw, I did not hear that great of a reaction. The WWE was hyping how great fans already found this guy, as if that would be enough to sell him to the regular audience, and it was not working that awesomely. Now Danielson's strong fanbase is petitioning to get him back. Fine. But he did not really accomplish anything in the WWE to really be that over. I think he deserves another chance and all that, but he did not become that crazily over in a short time, as some fans want to believe.


Back to the actual storyline now. The radicals attacked Bret Hart this time. They crashed him around in a limo. Many fans are wondering who was driving the limo. Can be a good plot detail to keep fans tuning in. The fact that Barrett and his guys want a decision by Sunday may even raise interest for the poorly hyped PPV. I like how it seems like it is the entire WWE against these guys, but how can they possibly win a war like that? I want to believe that they have to have someone more on their side. Vince? Someone! If not, it may become too difficult for this angle to last without them getting their contracts. Will that be the tough decision Bret must make? Once again, bring in Vince McMahon?

I Hope R-Truth Had Fun With That U.S. Title

Miz regained the United States Championship on Raw in a four-way match. He lost it to Bret Hart about a month ago in a joke match. He lost a match to crown a new Champion after Bret became GM. R-Truth then enters the story. R-Truth defeats Chris Jericho in a non-title match. Last week, R-Truth and John Morrison lost a tag match to Miz and Ryder. Those four men competed this week, and I told you what happened.

First, what did R-Truth really do with the title? He won it, had no epic, successful title defenses, and seemed to lose it without much more to it. I feel bad for him. He does get a rematch this Sunday, but I cannot picture them trading the title around so much.

As for Miz, awesome? I enjoyed seeing him win it, I will admit that. I guess I am a bigger Miz fan than I would have liked to admit. But I was hoping that the WWE would do more for him than keep him in midcard hell. For months, they have done a number to make him stand out. He pinned Shawn Michaels. He held to Championships at the same time. He was in a main event here and there. Now what? I do not see that same rise happening now. Midcard hell may not be so bad. I can see him feuding with Morrison. Fans will love that. Besides, I cannot argue well against anyone who may say that pushing Miz too hard right now is too soon for him. Main event is too stacked as is.

TNA Has Another Former WWE Talent

My choices for tonight were either to talk more about the Daniel Bryan saga, which now includes John Cena, or talk about TNA's huge surprise tonight. Obviously, I am going with the minor issue. I do not feel like getting into a heated rant about what John Cena had to say right now.

Tommy Dreamer. That is your surprise. He is now in TNA. Obviously, I do not predict anything great for TNA because the ECW legend is now there. However, it is interesting to note that Dreamer is another WWE talent who defected to TNA after leaving the company somewhat on his own terms. He had a final match with Ryder on ECW. He lost, but he wanted to leave anyway. He now shows up in TNA. Why would he go and do something like that? Money is not everything. Respect and fair treatment mean more. The WWE may have been close to releasing Dreamer after ECW ended anyway. At least he got to leave there on his own.

I am glad to see him still in wrestling. He does not need to win titles, but I am sure he will not be treated exactly like the WWE treated him.

The NXT Angle Is Not Dead Yet

This was a controversial week. Raw had the best ending I have seen in a long time. Few days later, Daniel Bryan, one of the NXT attackers, gets released. The word going around is that it was for his choking of Roberts. That is a whole other issue I do not want to touch yet. What I want to say is that I still look forward to this NXT angle. I do not believe Daniel's release, work or not and rehired or not, will stop the potential.

Yes, Daniel did push himself a bit much on Raw to make sure special attention was put on him during the attack, but it is not like that automatically makes him the NXT leader of the attack. Wade Barrett won the thing. He was the first man out. When it comes to interviews as to why NXT1 did this, and before a potential WWE talent is revealed as the overall mastermind, Wade is the man who can speak for the group. I do not believe Daniel Bryan is essential for this storyline at all.

I have to admit that the WWE did push him better from the start than any of those other rookies. Yes, he lost a lot, but he had hype on him. He had attention on him. If Cole is revealed to be the mastermind behind the attack, the WWE can easily write Daniel off as Cole not wanting him in the group. If the WWE chooses to push it as him never existing, that will be interesting to see.

To those treating this guy's release as if it is the end of the WWE world, get over it. Odds are, the WWE would have held him back greatly anyway. I got over the release of one of my favorite superstars a few months ago. I will never stop liking this person, but I will still watch Raw until the last drop of entertainment is not there for me anymore. The WWE mistreats much of their talent. They are hypocrites. They do not know what true professionalism is, yet people criticize talent who do not act professionally in the WWE environment. How is that even possible? Danielson will wrestle again. WWE did not need him. He does not need them.

Daniel Bryan Gone?

This is a shocker. Has a lot of people thinking that it may be a work (part of the storyline). I do not know what to make of it just yet. Bryan Danielson, the highly-rated wrestler from the indies, has been released by the WWE. People treated this guy like he was some kind of god. The WWE pushed him with a very unique angle and focus before they did any of those other rookies in his class.

That all being said, part of me just felt that they were going to treat him like crap sooner or later anyway. The WWE is not always about pushing great wrestling to the top, or having something like that really be their centerpiece. Bryanson would have his talents and potential wasted in the end. What will you be impressed by? Having him spam 3 or 4 submissions, but then get beaten down for most of the match and do mediocre moves you can see from The Miz? Many may not have ever appreciated his skills. Maybe the hype from the WWE would have filled in for that, but it is not the same in my book.

If this is real, what was the last straw? Spitting on Cena? Choking a guy? Making himself stand out to much in the ending segment of Raw? Backstage issues? Being too cocky? I look forward to reading those dirtsheet rumors.

Cena Has Two Feuds?

One of the many things that made the NXT attack on Raw shocking was that it focused on John Cena. If there was going to be any huge attack to end Raw, the typical thing would be for Sheamus/Edge to run out to get Cena, Rey Mysterio/Big Show run out to stop the heels and get some of Punk, and Swagger to run out to join the fun. In other words, have the eight men in the title matches go at it, with or without Orton. That is not what happened. The WWE threw a curve ball. Cena is supposed to have his three opponents for the PPV on his mind, right? Now he has NXT to deal with? That is two angles in my book.

Cena "broke his silence" on Twitter. On Twitter, he sold his injuries. Many fans criticize Cena for not selling well during shows. The fact that he is writing about his injuries on the web does not exactly take the place of real selling, but he is definitely furthering the angle.

This all makes me even more interested in how Raw's main event will progress. Will the title match build be hurt? Will the NXT angle have to take a side road for a while? If they can coexist well, I would like to see what that looks like.

How Did Miz/Jericho End Up?

A few weeks ago, I talked about what may happen after Miz/Jericho got their title shot against Hart Dynasty. Where would Miz go after that? I think enough time has went by to see some kind of direction now.

I had said that I could not picture this group sticking around for long if they did not win the gold. Night after they failed to win it, they were already moving on to separate things. I have to admit, even though I was right about this team not sticking together for long, I was hoping for the end of the partnership to have a little more story to it. I was hoping that they would last a bit longer after the loss to Hart Dynasty.

I was not too concerned with what Chris Jericho would do after the team split. When I wrote about this topic last month, I said Jericho can step into a main-event feud and no one would find it strange. The night after the team split, Jericho was in the main-event, competing for a shot at the World title. He lost. I said Jericho could go after a midcard title and no one would scratch their head in confusion. The week after his loss on Raw, he had a match with the new U.S. Champion, R-Truth. The commentators pushed the idea that Jericho could become a contender for the title if he could win that match. He lost. I said he could step into a feud with Randy Orton (or any top face). This week on Raw, he continued his minor issues with Big Show. Oh, and he lost again. In about three weeks, the WWE ran through all the things I said they could do for Chris Jericho, but failed to build any of it properly. Of course, there are reasons for all these losses. The WWE can definitely push an angle around Jericho losing so much. Zack Ryder has been winning more matches than Jericho recently! The fact that Jericho did look broken after his loss to R-Truth is an indication that something will happen. I am not ready to count what the WWE has planned for Jericho out yet.

Miz was my concern. In a way, you should probably feel worse for Jericho. The guy is losing and does not have a definite feud at the moment. Miz, however, picked back up his hunt for the U.S. title this week. Being stuck in midcard hell was an option I brought up for Miz. I was hoping his alliance with Jericho would last longer, until after Cena was freed up to feud with either Jericho or Miz and the man left out could either feud with Orton or form another partnership with a top heel. I thought the WWE would do better for Miz, but I guess they are not ready to monster push him like they did others, although many of these other guys had not even been in the main WWE roster as long as Miz. There is nothing wrong with developing a feud between R-Truth and Miz. Probably a good idea. The winner gets the title, but what happens to the loser?

Both Miz and Jericho are singles competitors again. Will their partnership manifest itself again, somewhat like R-Truth and John Morrison had a reunion this week? In the end, not enough magic was invested in these egomaniacs to make me think a reunion would be that epic.

Matt Hardy Rises Again

Matt Hardy picked up a great win last night. Yes, it was not really against a World Champion or a guy like that. Yes, he has technically beaten Drew McIntyre before. Yes, I nothing really was on the line in the match. Point is, the win meant a lot.

This whole angle of Matt Hardy being suspended and fighting his way back in to get revenge should remind everyone of what happened to him a few years ago. That was a little more real than what is going on now, but that angle was a great push for him back then. This current angle is no different. The fans are behind Matt. No surprise. But just like a certain diva angle recently, this story is also designed to get Drew McIntyre over as a great heel. Drew has been one of those guys who gets golden silence during his entrance. However, Matt Hardy is not being personally attacked or humiliated in this storyline. His suspension, if you cannot tell, is kayfabe. Nothing is really being done to humiliate his character, but Drew is still making Matt's life hell and wants to hurt him. Matt wants to pay that back.

The only thing I want to see is where this goes from here. Matt got his win on Raw, but it cannot end there. If Drew still had the IC title, I could see him eventually dropping it to Matt. However, the WWE inserted Kofi Kingston as another victim of McIntyre's alliance with Mr. McMahon a few weeks ago, so he had a claim to the title too. I hope for a match with a hardcore gimmick or interesting stipulation for winner/loser. This feud is leading to that.

NXT Meets ECW

I am not one to overrate a lot of things. I like to try to call things like I see it. Speaking honestly, that ending to Raw tonight was the best thing I have seen in too long in wrestling. That was surreal for me. That was awesome.

It was John Cena vs. CM Punk in the main event. Wade Barrett walks out near the end. I figured that was no big deal. Wade gets a title shot, so I figured the WWE is teasing things from now. All of a sudden, all the NXT losers come out from all over the place. Well played, WWE. They attack CM Punk and Luke Gallows. They completely surround Cena. They all beat him down.

The fun did not stop after the match was thrown out. They destroyed the ring, announce table, staff at ringside, and showed what true havoc is. They then continued the attack on Cena. One of my only complaints can be that some of the beatdown seemed to drag on lamely, but I guess the WWE wanted all the guys out there to do something. Makes for a more interesting video package in the future. CM Punk even tried to get involved again to stop things, and he got beaten up more. That was awesome too. It shows these NXT guys will not take it easy on heels. They attack whoever is in their cross-hairs. The thumbs up from Cena was also something I did not like, but whatever.

This reminded me somewhat of the whole Alliance angle. A group "outside" the WWE attacked and raised hell for WWE wrestlers, whether face or heel. Of course, the WWE soon became the face group in the war. This, however, had so much more carnage tonight. Not what I would expect from a PG show. It was like ECW. I am talking about the real ECW. Whatever happens, I look forward to seeing how it plays out.

Shad's Time...Done?

I hear Shad, former member of Cryme Tyme, is working FCW recently. That is a clear sign that his push is killed, for now at least.

The WWE screwed up his push. They started him out great. They gave him promo time, had him get involved with his former partner, JTG, and could have really given him a good push. One of the first mistakes they made was having him lose to JTG in their PPV match. JTG could have gained momentum in tag matches, depending on how long the feud lasted and if they did not want to make it look too one sided. Losing to JTG their just started killing Shad's momentum just as fast as the WWE had built it.

I am not blind to the fact that Shad is not exactly a Kurt Angle out there. Is that the reason for the push kill? There is some hypocrisy in that. Maryse, among other women currently in the WWE, is horrible out there. Not only is her ass not back in FCW instead of stinking up Raw's ring, she is the main centerpiece of Raw's diva division. Moreover, if the WWE can monster push a guy like Sheamus, why not Shad? All Sheamus is really famous for when it comes to getting physical is spamming pump kicks. Shad had his big boot. He had some basic moves. He had a better charisma than Sheamus. He was so over as a face. Some wrestlers in the WWE have never been that over, whether face or heel. It is a bit of a shame to see them possibly prepping him for release.

There is the chance that they will repackage him again in the future. It has happened before. And what about JTG? He is still around. But they seem to be lacking a direction for him too. One black guy getting a great push on Smackdown is enough? Good luck to Kofi Kingston.

Finlay Resurfaces

Don't you just love how the injury of one wrestler may sometimes lead to the push of another? In the case of Finlay, it led more specifically to his return to TV from a few months absence. He was in the battle royal to find out who will get the vacated spot.

In case you missed it, The Undertaker was the one injured. This led to the battle royal, which in turn led to the need for extra bodies needed in the match to make it a little more interesting. May it possibly mean more than than for Finlay? Kane was the face jobber on Smackdown. Not only is he now getting a storyline and push, he may potentially be turning heel. What credible figure is going to work with heels now? Big Show is in the midst of a push himself. Is this what is leading to Finlay's use, and possible further use in coming weeks? Time will tell.

Mr. Anderson Is An A-Hole, We Get It!

Mr. Anderson (I still like thinking of him as Kennedy), delivered another good promo again tonight. He was once again pushing the idea that he is an a-hole, the fans are a-holes, and we should all be proud of that. This is a face? It's working. His helper tonight in pushing the idea was Christy Hemme. He was pretty much getting an eyeful of the sexy Ms. Hemme. Can you blame him? Christy did well in playing against him too.

I do have some criticisms. The first may not actually be an issue, but I have seen it happen a lot in the WWE. In the WWE, you would have a heel oozing great charisma, bringing it in the ring, and doing all else to become popular with the fans, whether that was the intention or not. The WWE does turn them face. Then, instead of letting the heel continue to do what made him so over, they turn them kind of lame, at least to many fans who originally liked them. Some people eat up a lame face. Another way of looking at it, why beat a point to death? Anderson is way over. The fans know what he is about. Instead of reminding them with segments like staring at Christy Hemme, have him show it in a more productive, but still entertaining, way. This is Kennedy, I know he can do it. That brings me to my other criticism. I think they really need to start pushing him against a single heel in a real feud. I am starting to think that they may not be building this turn as a swerve. If they were, they might have focused more on Kennedy and his direct target(s). Then again, an a-hole's direct target may be anyone he can sucker. I am just reading it as TNA really trying to make sure the fans view Anderson as a face, independent of his issues with Hardy or whoever. If I am wrong, TNA did a better job in developing this thing to sell him as a face before the swerve than I would have guessed. If I am not, I would like seeing him feud with someone big. A big heel. Having him be a part of the whole army against Flair's heels is only so much. If they have him turn on Jeff in the midst of all this, fine. But if not, I hope he gets a solid feud against a top heel soon. I think they already got the point across that some wrestlers are buying it in this storyline.

Which NXT "Reject" Should Return?

Wade won the whole thing. Kind of anticlimactic, but I am sure many are happy. What happens to the "losers"? Just like the Diva Search, it is not over for some of these men just yet.

The obvious name to bring up would be the man that beat Miz on Raw this week. It is so obvious, I am not even going to bring him up.

There is a lot of good talent, but I have my eye on what the WWE will do with Otunga. They invested a bit in him. He is somewhat of a celebrity. I have to believe the WWE will not write him off too fast. But where do you send him?

So many men will be released before they officially debut on either Raw or Smackdown. It has to happen. The WWE is already starting the next season. Talent will be shifted back to FCW. Not all of these men can be on the same roster without some people being cut. I do not feel like predicting cuts now, but it will happen again.

Undertaker Is Out...Already

Looks like I jumped the gun a few days ago with what I said about all the potential things that can happen with The Undertaker's return. That injury he sustained last week was a lot worse than I thought. He is out of the PPV match. I am not going to spoil too much of Smackdown, but the spot has been given to someone else already. No, not Kane.

I do like that the WWE decided to go with an elaborate angle to explain Undertaker's absence. People would not like a dull injury excuse. You can tell a lot about how much the WWE cares about a wrestler by how they treat that person during and right after an injury. Yes, they love Taker. Kane seems deeply involved in this angle. I am glad about that too. I was getting ready to write about how Kane feels pretty much useless and out of place these days. This storyline, aside from possibly turning him heel, can really let his character shine again. I look forward to that.

The WWE has really been on the ball as of late for many things on both shows. Pushing good talent in the midcard. Freshening up the main event a bit. Investing a little more in the tag division. There are still issues, but most are minor. There is one exception. The diva division still sucks.