Corre Going Places

Wade Barrett won the Intercontinental Championship last week. Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel have the tag titles. Zeke is around. To say the least, Corre is looking better than Nexus over on Raw. What Nexus? Is this a demotion for Wade? This guy won NXT. He has had multiple shots at the WWE Championship. He has been in the main event of multiple PPVs. He has worked with multiple main-eventers, and pinned a few of them. And now? Intercontinental Champion? A midcard title? This is his first title. Can't complain. If the WWE books him right, this could indeed be his stepping stone to a real World title reign in the future. And I do like how they are booking him and his group. Feuding with Kane and Big Show? Ignoring Santino and Kozlov, Kane and Big Show are both former World Champions. Corre is still getting a huge rub from laying waste to these two and going at it every week. It may not be a feud against Edge, the top face on Smackdown, or even The Undertaker, the legend that he is, but Kane and Big Show still have value. As for Nexus, or those guys who were dropped from the group last year or got punted by Orton this year, I wouldn't mind seeing some of them join up with the Corre. Sure, not enough titles to go around, but they can really raise hell again like they did on Raw. Has the moment gone? I just hope Corre does not end like Nexus. The group is still fresh and has potential to draw interest.

Taker, HHH, HBK In One Ring

The segment to hype Taker/HHH this week on Raw was a lot better than the one last week. The obvious reason for that was it wasn't just Triple H talking to himself and squashing some random afterthought. This promo tonight had emotion. It had respect that didn't sink to sappy levels. It then tossed that out and had some actual bite to it too. Shawn Michaels also made a return. Shawn had harsh words for Triple H. Triple H thinks he can do what Shawn couldn't does he? Triple H did not dance around that he was out there to win, not steal the show. Taker brought up how he pretty much ended Shawn's career. HBK ended up walking out in the end, having once again lost his smile. This promo really took the hype for this match to that other level for me. Something finally did. Before this promo, it seemed like The Undertaker would be the obvious choice for me to choose as who wins. Now the emotion seems different. Will Shawn really get involved to prove some kind of point? I am finally starting to buy Triple H in this whole feud now. It definitely is a contender to close the show in my eyes now. Better than four women catfighting in some bar.

Afterthought Syndrome Is Spreading

Triple H came out on Raw for a long, dry promo on ending The Undertaker's streak. Pretty much everything you would expect from a guy like Triple H. He's done everything there is to do. Just needs to end that streak before he goes on to do something else left to do. There's always something. The fans were not really into it that much. Still, you can say the hype was customary and necessary.

That brings out Ted DiBiase for the customary and necessary destruction at the hands of Triple H. Easy way to plug how intense the match might be at Wrestlemania. In any case, this was where the first bit of excitement in the segment came from. Yes, Ted DiBiase got squashed, but it was action. Before DiBiase did the job, he gave a promo about being an afterthought. Sounds like Gail Kim? Look at DiBiase's career over the last year. Gone downhill. He goes from an angle where he is breaking up with Maryse to doing nothing at all. Whether the WWE starts pushing him after Wrestlemania or not, his last push is not exactly an indicator that things will go well.

Speaking of Maryse and Gail Kim, Raw actually featured two diva matches. Two diva matches?! The return of Trish Stratus really opened the gates to heaven, didn't it? I will not say anything about the match quality, but consider something else. Not one diva used in either match had actual pro wrestling experience and training prior to signing with the WWE. None were real wrestlers. None were credible divas, as I like to call them. Maryse and Eve were both products of the Diva Search. Layla and McCool were Diva Search participants as well. Trish Stratus was a model when the WWE hired her, and her becoming a solid wrestler after joining the WWE has become the standard by which drives the WWE to still push a "diva" division. Vickie Guerrero needs no explanation. Just a minor thing. Meaningless? About as meaningless as the women the WWE hires for their wrestling ability? As meaningless as Melina, Gail Kim, Natalya, Beth Phoenix, and if I am missing anyone, meaningless! They're all just afterthoughts. You want to see them, watch Superstars. Enjoy it until they cancel it. The division revolves around an image, not wrestling ability or even entertainment.

Bully Cole

Even though the WWE continues to try to make this feud between Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler more and more personal as possible, it is still enjoyable. I can talk about how it guarantees Stone Cold Steve Austin will be involved in Wrestlemania in a direct way. I can also talk about how it is putting attention on Jack Swagger. But I still just want to focus just on what is going on here between Cole and Lawler.

I have seen many bully angles or angles simply involving an annoying heel going against a serious. These storylines are built with the overall idea that the fans will want to see the bully or annoying heel get put in his place. That is what is going on here. I know there are some fans who stray from the pack and simply wants whoever in entertaining to win. Keep one thing in mind. If the serious face did not act that way to try to sell the annoying one and let them shine, that heel would not even get the spotlight as much as he could. Respect that. Another thing about this particular feud, Lawler is not crying to put over Michael Cole. Cole can get his own heat from how he handles himself. Lawler can get his own respect from his year's in the business and the character he still is. These two are both commentators. This is not about trying to really get one over at the expense of another. Remember when Kofi feuded with Orton? Kofi had more to gain from that feud than Orton did, win or lose. It was the rub that mattered. Cole can still go on to be GM or something like that, but it would not be because of the rub from Lawler. I have also seen bully feuds where an over face was used to try to get a heel the WWE wanted to look great get over. They used Mickie James to do it for McCool. They used Matt Hardy to do it for McIntyre. As I said before, this is not going on here. Cole and Lawler can both connect with the fans on their own. This feud truly is mutually beneficial for both. This feud is entertaining.

Gail Kim: From Invisible Afterthought To Standing Afterthought

Things have really picked up for Gail Kim since The Bellas caught her making out with Daniel Bryan and called her an afterthought, haven't they? No, not really.

For the last two weeks on Raw, all Gail Kim has done is stand around for other wrestlers' matches. She was in Eve's corner during her title defense two weeks ago. Last Raw, she was in Daniel Bryan's corner. Both times, she did nothing. I actually had to go back and look if she actually did come out for those matches or if it was just my imagination. That sounds like a stupid joke, but it is true.

Gail Kim goes from not being used at all on Raw for weeks and weeks to just standing there outside the ring. Whether she gets screen time or not, she is still an afterthought with this kind of treatment. But who is complaining? It has been clear for years that she is just there to serve the primary purpose of bringing credibility to the division and put over centerpieces or put over who is putting over centerpieces. The meaningless waste she gets now is just filler in a jobber career.

But I do want to make a point of something. I want to play WWE writer for a moment and show how easy it would have been for Gail not to be an afterthought recently. Go back to Eve's match. Gail Kim did nothing of worth. How hard would it have been to plan a spot where the Bella not involved in the match gets on the ring apron to distract the ref, but Gail saves the day? Have Gail leap off the top rope and take the Bella out. If done right, exciting spot. That would get the fans alive and shut up Michael Cole. Have Eve win by rolling up Nikki while she is distracted by her sister getting taken out. After Eve wins, have Nikki still attack. Gail once again makes the save and sends Nikki out of the ring. Cap it off with Gail laying out Eve with her finisher. What? Is Gail turning heel? Is she just signaling that she wants the title? Whatever the case, it would get fans talking about her. She would be showing some actual tough, pugnacious character. Fans will like that.

What about Daniel Bryan vs. Sheamus? Gail does not have to get too involved to mess up the action in the match. Just have a brief moment where Sheamus, frustrated at being unable to beat Bryan thus far, goes for a chair. Have Gail pull it away and stand up to Sheamus. That's all. Let the rest of the action really be between the men. Gail Kim does not look like she doesn't matter much and some fans may even gain respect for her if she does stand up to a guy like Sheamus. It lets her show character. Even better, if this was another era of the WWE, actually have her hit one of her aerial moves on Sheamus while the ref is distracted. Treat her like a Lita. Treat her like how TNA did.

Of course, none of this happened. Why? Because Gail Kim does not have the drive to do it? No. Because that is not what the WWE wants to push. They do not want to focus on Gail Kim in a major way at all. Even if they do push her, it will only be to serve a short-term purpose and they will not push her hard to get over. If Gail just blatantly steals the spotlight by attacking people like I just said but without it being planned, she will get in trouble. The only way she can have this proper attention on her is if the WWE itself gives it to her. You know what the really sad thing about it is? She's right there! She's in the position to do something and look like a Lita. As I said before, you know she is willing and capable of doing it from her TNA days. How can you not have her do it? I already answered that question.

A Match That Comes Only Once A Lifetime: HHH Vs. Taker At Wrestlemania

For a match that may legitimately be the main event of Wrestlemania, the feud between Triple H and Undertaker is pretty pathetic. Where's the build?

Yes, I know very well that these two men already faced each other at a Wrestlemania. I think you can figure out who won. How do I feel about the WWE not mentioning that this thing happened? What's new? If they will pretend individuals never existed or that certain guys never lost matches, what really stops them from downplaying that HHH already lost to Taker at Wrestlemania?

They have Shawn Michaels coming in to give his take on this "epic" encounter. Fine. Nice to see Shawn. Honestly, is he really saying anything that insightful and unique? The commentators have probably made several of those same remarks about both men over the years. Why not bring in other men who have faced both Taker and HHH at Wrestlemania? Kane? Randy Orton? Batista not willing to appear live via satellite like The Rock? Have different characters and personas weigh in on this. It would make it more interesting.

Nevertheless, past competitors can only hype a feud concerning two other men so far. What are HHH and Taker actually doing? Staring at each other and taunting? An overused promo about the streak here and there? Triple H beating up Sheamus? I just don't feel HHH wants it that badly. I don't feel the intensity in the feud. If they don't want them to really mix it up in the ring before Wrestlemania, I can buy that, but the promos and hype from these two is falling flat. Contrary to what the WWE may want to to push, this match does not sell itself.


And just an afterthought on the Jeff Hardy situation, based on what little is known so far, I'm throwing my vote on the side that it was a work. TNA wanted to create some controversy, so they pulled this stunt. Hogan had said before somewhere that things were about to get "real" in TNA. That pretty much means TNA would pull some fake crap and try to sell it as real. The fact that Matt Hardy, Jeff's own brother, did not sound too concerned about it in a tweet after the incident makes me feel it is just an act. Whatever the case, the main event from last Sunday still was upsetting.

Thoughts On Jeff Hardy And Diva Matters On Raw

Wow. First TNA PPV of the year I did not order, and I'm not sure whether I regret it or not. The fans were screwed out of a real main event, but the circumstances are so controversial, it was definitely something I wouldn't have mind seeing as it happened.

Sting vs. Jeff Hardy. Whether this was some kind of work or not, it definitely felt real. Jeff comes out looking like he is not at 100%. Sting comes out ready to entertain the fans. Eric Bischoff comes out to change the match. Of course, he sold it as making it No DQ to screw Sting. When he held the mix away, he spoke privately to the men involved. He was changing the match. Sting was definitely not happy about it. Jeff Hardy seemed somewhat defiant about it all. Quick and awkward finish. Poor main event.

Fans gave the "Bullshit" chant. Sting said that he agreed. Got to give him credit for that. After a disaster like that, you can't pretend like it was awesome. You want to go out there and give an entertaining performance the fans want to see. A guy like Sting knows that. That wasn't entertaining.

As for Jeff? I find the whole thing both hilarious and sad. If this is all real, Jeff needs to get himself together for the good of himself, his family, his fanbase, and the good of TNA itself. At the same time, this has a Charlie Sheen air to it. So many people are getting a laugh out of that guy's antics. And Jeff was such a moron out there.

As for TNA, if they are using this just to get people talking, just another low for them. And how about how they handled the situation? The commentators played it off as a respectable thing for Sting to win like that. Let them. That's their job. Sting showed more respectability to the business, as I said before.

I didn't even plan on talking about anything WWE related here. But that diva angle was worth mentioning. Snooki got a better reaction than Trish Stratus. Vickie got a better reaction than Trish. The commentators and everyone else were hyping Trish as a legend and quite possibly the greatest diva of all time. Jim Ross got a better reaction than her. Del Rio had more fans behind him in his match against Cena than Trish. Maybe Trish should go back to being a blond? In any case, Trish, John Morrison, and Snooki (NOT KELLY KELLY) will face LayCool and Ziggler at Wrestlemania. Trish gets another Wrestlemania match. McCool gets the rub from working with Trish AND a major celebrity. You know, there's one person Trish did get a better reaction than tonight. Michelle McCool still continues to fail. And what are all these rubs and attention going to do for her? Will she walk out with the same level of reaction Trish garnered tonight?

Let me talk about the match specifically. I got a little bit of my old diva blog still in my veins. It was a comedy match. What would you expect from a match with Vickie Guerrero? They played with Vickie's shoes. Yes, shoes. Trish spanked her with it. As far as comedy matches go, Vickie was the star here. She made this match work. She puts the heart into her work and has being annoying and taking humiliation down. That helps to make her a great heel. Trish, honestly, was just there. Vickie won thanks to LayCool. Vickie is now officially on Raw. There you have diva movement in between the Drafts, although not what I had expected, as I said before.

To wrap it up, the WWE should really rethink what they are doing with their diva division. The most over person, in terms of who can get a great reaction, is a manager. She doesn't wrestle. It's Vickie Guerrero. Their current major centerpiece is getting pushed for more than she is worth and is failing. This is Michelle McCool. The woman they hype to be the greatest diva of all time, the woman they have treated other real wrestlers like jobbers for, got rid of women who might have stepped out of her shadow, and truly is a product of the WWE, came back to a Raw she was hyped to be a part of and did not get the reaction of a legend at all. Should I find this more pathetic than the Jeff Hardy thing?

Miz Vs. Cena Vs. Rock

In terms of the actual match, it is not a 3-way. Miz will defend his WWE title against John Cena at Wrestlemania. In terms of how they are building things, Miz, Cena, and The Rock are all at each other's throats. More specifically, it is a war of the words between all three, with Miz laying out Cena here and there.

Since so many other people are talking about this thing, which has proven to be a draw for the WWE, I'll just toss in my two bits. First of all, The Rock's return was great. He still had it. But last week? Didn't like it. From referring to himself in the 3rd person to "Me! Me! Me!" just like that. I can understand that The Rock was trying to make it more personal, not like an absolute entertaining bash of someone like he is famous for, but it just didn't work that well. Cena's "Final KO", his response, was pretty poorly delivered. His execution just lacked either entertainment or even real emotion. The words were not too bad. The bit about The Rock just needing to show up to prove he is The People's Champ was good.

Then that segment got saved. Miz came out and laid out Cena. I mentioned before about emotion, and Miz had it in his promo. And mocking The Rock? Added gold. I am not one of those fans who says whoever is entertaining in a feud should be the one to win a feud. The heel is often the one who has to be annoying, and thus often look entertaining to many, for the fans to want to see him or her get it from the face. The face has to hold back to allow the heel to shine. Combine that with the fact that Miz's reign has included several title defenses already, I still wouldn't mind too much if he loses to Cena at Wrestlemania. Sooner or later, Cena will win it. But as far as the build goes, I wouldn't say Miz is looking as forgotten as some might want to say. He's still got a ton of momentum.

Dolph And Vickie To Raw

When one of the last things I said on my old diva blog was that there would be some kind of diva movement between last year's WWE Draft and this year's, my rationale being things would get stale in the two divisions, I did not expect Vickie Guerrero moving to Raw to be one of them.

To be fair, it is not true in terms of storyline definitely yet. Dolph Ziggler is now on Raw. Vickie appeared on Raw to introduce him and push that she would be his manager. The Raw GM revealed that Vickie would earn a contract if she beats Trish Stratus next week. Yep, WWE is pulling out all the legends they've got to draw fans for Wrestlemanie hype.

Dolph Ziggler is a former World Champion. That is pathetic. I am not saying the guy does not deserve to one day be a credible World Champion, but that is not what happened. He never won the title from Edge in a match, gets it handed to him, then loses right back to Edge. In terms of titles, he has that credibility now of having held a major World title in the WWE, on paper anyway. In terms of actual build, this guy really went nowhere. I have a feeling Raw will not do much more for him either. Instead of building a great Wrestlemania feud for John Morrison, they feed him to Ziggler tonight. I honestly believe Ziggler should have stayed on Smackdown. He would do better there.

Trish Stratus competes again? And against quite possibly the most over heel female in the WWE? Yes, Vickie cannot wrestle, but she is over, a heel, and a female. Back to Trish. Diva of the Decade? I remember that. She had not even been in the WWE for more than 5 years, had not even had more than 5 Women's Championships, yet the WWE knew they were going to build her to be better than everyone else. They did. That award was just one piece of the hype. And Josh made an interesting statement when he said Trish held the Diva's Championship more times than anyone else. Trish never held the butterfly title. Botch or phasing out the idea that the two titles are really separate? Back to my days of writing my diva blog, and this I cannot remember whether I actually said on there, I just had the feeling that the two titles would become interchangeable when it came to talking about how many titles reigns a certain diva had, especially when the Women's Championship would be retired. The WWE does not usually separate how many times Triple H was WWE Champion from how many times he was World's Heavyweight Champion. Just lump them together to get 13. But this thing with Trish, as I said before, she never even held the title. You can argue that the two titles now share the same lineage, but if you really think about it, one is retired and the other is alive. That is what happened at Night of Champions last year. In any case, it is a good thing the WWE released a certain someone last year. Had they not, she would have had the same number of female title reigns as Trish by now. Maybe? Maybe even break that record? As far as I am concerned, this just lends more fuel to my belief that the woman in question was let go to protect Trish's legacy. Not blaming Trish. But thank you, WWE. Who would I ever know who to like if you didn't overhype them for me to know?

That leaves Vickie Guerrero. I would love to say that Ziggler does not need her at all. That is probably true. Vickie, however, does make it slightly easier for Dolph to be used correctly in some ways on Raw. Vickie is a woman the WWE loves using. If she is still latched onto Dolph, that may make it easier for him to be showcased and not become lost in the shuffle as some. Whether she gets the contract next week or not, they may turn it into an angle where Vickie does eventually become an official member of Raw. When that happens, a woman would have officially moved in between Drafts, just like I predicted. Still, not who I had in mind.

The Bella Push

Brie & Nikki go from being prostitutes for guest hosts to being the main heel divas on Raw, at the moment anyway. Alicia Fox is irrelevent. Melina, who had just feuded with Natalya for the title not too long ago, is also irrelevent. If they had turned Natalya back into a heel, that would make it so much easier to release Melina, but that is another issue. Maryse is around. Can't tell whether they actually want to turn her face by having her separate from DiBiase or not. If they are going to do it, they need to do a better job than they are doing.

The Bellas first turned heel by having issues with Gail Kim. Meanwhile, the title picture on Raw consisted of Natalya and Eve. Proving that the WWE can rarely push two diva angles on the same show at the same time without one eventually getting the short end of the stick, title matters have merged with the new heel twin angle.

I doubt the one going for the title will actually win it from Eve. This is just a filler feud to give Eve something to do until McCool is ready for her title back. I also have my doubts about this supposed Wrestlemania match being rumored. Daniel Bryan w/Gail Kim vs. Sheamus w/The Bellas? I see the connection between Bryan and Gail. They teased issues between the two men last week, then had Triple H kill Sheamus and Miz kill Daniel Bryan this week. And Sheamus with Brie & Nikki? When are they going to start pushing that idea? How can they when the Bellas have a title shot coming up? How do you push the men into that picture? Just seems like a mess.

I am glad these two are getting a serious push. It is even giving Gail Kim something to do. Should they win the title, the division shifts further into a model's paradise. They don't need the titles at all. Even if the WWE wants to transition it to Gail in some way, they are not building Gail properly to have her connect with the fans, so giving her the title will do nothing for her but appease straight wrestling fans who think Gail deserves it. Title doesn't work like that. No, this is the Bellas' moment. Let them have it while it lasts.