Telling Too Many Stories In The Ring

TNA continues with the same booking scheme when it comes to the title reign of Mickie James. She faces off against two heels, gets beaten down, the heels start to break up, Mickie overcomes. There are even more heel pairings on the sidelines for TNA to continue this.

This is all holding Mickie James back, in my opinion. Not just her character, but also potential match quality. Match quality is not determined by how good an individual wrestler is alone. Who are they going against? How much time is given to the match? Is there any story the workers must tell that may take away from overall match quality? People may not understand what I mean by that last one. Let me give an example from this past Raw, just to also show that TNA is not the only company that does this. Remember that CM Punk vs. Kane match? It was definitely not match of the night. It was not a botchfest or full of sloppy or awkward spots, but it was not that awesome. Why is that? CM Punk is definitely a strong worker in the ring. That is an understatement. Kane is no slouch. In fact, he dominated most of the action. The match was not given too much time, but I have seen shorter matches in the WWE that were more exciting. The match suffered in quality because of the story being told. Not just the finish, which consisted of CM Punk walking out to sell the idea that he couldn't handle Kane and didn't even need to win this match, since he would be leaving the WWE and already had his title shot. The way they were able to get to that finish was through the story of the match itself. As I said, Kane dominated. That created the whole story of the match, from the start, through the bulk of the action, and to the finish.

Back to Mickie James. Go back to her recent match with Winter. They fought all the way from the backstage area to the ring. Just when the action was getting hot in the ring, Angelina interferes, Winter wins, and that is all. Two problems here. First, not enough time given to the match. Second, the story between Angelina and Winter influenced match quality. Let me go back and correct myself. Angelina getting involved really is no big deal. Storyline has to get furthered. The real thing I do not like was how short the action was. Nevertheless, both of these factors still had a major influence over the match you saw last week. Given more time and a cleaner finish, you may have had a better match. I strongly believe that.

This week, 6-person elimination tag. Let me give TNA some credit. If that was a WWE diva match featuring many women, the majority of women would not have even seen any legal time in the ring. I have even seen some 2-on-2 diva matches where at least one woman was never tagged in at all. Miss T., Tara, Mickie James, Madison Rayne, Angelina Love, and Winter all saw some time in the ring. There you see a little trouble right away. First, Miss T. and Madison are not the greatest workers in the ring. They did not do too much wrestling, but that still impacts the match. Second, given the amount of time the match was given, having so many women also impacted the action. Did each woman really get to show their best? Or just a few spots and storytelling each? After Miss T. and Tara were eliminated, then the real storytelling took over this match. Angelina and Winter turned on Madison, unhappy that she stole a pin. They let Mickie eliminate her. Winter and Angelina then teamed up on Mickie for the rest of the match, having her beat at one point. But Winter refused to let Angelina get the pin. Mickie managed to recover and beat Angelina, then Winter. Mickie eliminated all three heels. As a Mickie James fan, excellent! But I can understand how many would not like this. You tune in for total-nonstop action, but you get storyline advancement in the ring taking the place of wrestling action.

Of course, only a moron, or the average pro wrestling critic, would blame Mickie James for this. Since I would like to believe I'm more of an analyst than a critic, I understand more that there are some things that are just out of her hands. Match time? Advancing the storyline TNA is pushing? She's doing what she has to. One way to fix this would be to give more time for actual promos. Separate wrestling from storyline development more. That would improve KO matches a lot more. Of course, I am still waiting for TNA to develop better storylines for Mickie James. Take better advantage of that charisma she has.

Cena Should Run For President

Next week's Raw was taped this week, so I decided to talk about how the CM Punk issue has developed now. That means I'll be spoiling what happens on Raw next week.

After Raw went off the air to end the first taping on Monday, it was announced that CM Punk was "suspended" for his promo. In the second taping, which airs next week, Vince McMahon himself comes in to further the angle. A new contender for the WWE title is named. John Cena comes in as the moral champion he is, and says some little thing about freedom of speech. He still wants to face Punk. Whole lot of drama over it. In the end, Cena gets his wish. Vince adds in a small bit more. If Cena loses the title to Punk, he's fired.

Wow. John Cena annoys the hell out of me for this very reason right there. They push him as this moral, honest guy. If that is how he honestly is and wants to be in real life, fine. But marketing it as they though? It just makes me, speaking for myself, not buy it. And this whole storyline is now starting to bring back memories of what they did with Barrett's Nexus last year. They sold Cena as this guy who would not sacrifice his integrity to screw Orton out of the title. Cena then got fired, didn't sell it, went on to beat Barrett, and Nexus pretty much fell to pieces after that. Even under Punk, it was not as good. Even the Corre failed to be built as well as Barrett's Nexus. Then there was also the little bit of John Cena looking like a champion to children everywhere by having a little kid cost R-Truth the WWE title last week. I am still annoyed at how that match was the main event of the PPV. Cena overcoming R-Truth? Really? Cena overcoming a powerhouse like Batista or crafty heel with a sidekick like Miz can be seen as real title matches worthy of ending a show. But Cena against R-Truth? That is why the children aspect was there. Added more to the story. Actually made Cena's character look good. Better than squashing crazy R-Truth, or doing his typical "overcome the odds" thing, would have done for him. Now the WWE is pulling another card from the same deck with this CM Punk thing. Face it, if Punk wasn't leaving, his future after the title match would have looked just like Wade Barrett's after Nexus or R-Truth's now. R-Truth may have beaten Cena, but Truth is on the periphery of this feud. Just a pawn, like I have said Sheamus was for Christian/Orton. Truth really has no real focus on him as much as he did just a few weeks ago. And Alberto Del Rio is already in line for his shot to work with Cena. Back to Punk, and I do apologize for jumping all over, he would have gotten the same treatment. Even had he won the title, they would not stop pushing Cena as centerpiece. Even if it would mean pushing Cena vs. Vince McMahon himself, while Punk feuded with Rey Mysterio and Alberto Del Rio, Cena would still be above Punk, getting more attention. Even in the best case scenario of Punk never leaving and winning the title like this, but still following WWE's typical booking, Punk's reign would be in the same neighborhood as his first title reign on Raw. Crap.

Even though I am disgusted by Cena angles like this, it does cause controversy, and that will draw. Just like Nexus got people talking, this current angle will get people talking. In my mind, it is the same stale garbage, just reworked. It will still draw. I am hoping for some kind of swerve. Punk wins title, but MitB winner screws him. Cena aligns with Vince and turns heel. Repeat of what happened with Bret Hart over 10 years ago. The WWE can definitely capitalize on the controversy further. The worst thing they could do is just use this storyline to sell Cena as a good guy who stands up to his boss for the sake of the fans and a guy who is his enemy, and then have him go over Punk cleanly. What would Cena have really accomplished? Overcoming a hostile Chicago crowd? I don't think beating Punk like that will silence the crowd.

Mark Henry Worth More Than Christian/Orton

The topic I should be talking about right now is CM Punk's promo to end Raw. He brought up some points that directly tie into what I have been saying about the WWE deciding who they want to be the real stars, using other people to put them over, not really pushing these credible jobbers the same as the real stars, and so on. I'm going to let this one slide. I do not feel like repeating myself so soon after I just talked about this in relation to Chavo's release.

That being said, I am surprised by how they are pushing Mark Henry. It is a pleasant surprise, not a bad one. Yes, they have given Mark Henry strong, short pushes all through his many years in the company, but they frequently do elaborate and big things with him. Recently, he has been laying out Big Show and Kane. He did it again tonight. This time, we saw a little of Mark Henry vs. the cage. He even through Big Show right through the cage, after Alberto Del Rio once again beat Show. A lot of hype on Mark Henry right now. They are booking him to face Randy Orton on Smackdown.

Question is, for whose benefit is Mark Henry getting this push? Who will be the man to benefit from all this momentum? Big Show? I do not see it. Big Show is often used as a credible jobber himself, as he is already helping Del Rio look good. I liked seeing how Del Rio was kicking away at Big Show in their match. I could actually buy him. But that is not the topic right now. Using Mark Henry to simply put over Show would be a waste. Having Mark Henry eventually enter a real feud with Randy Orton? Maybe. What if Mark Henry is even booked to win a MitB match? Big push for him. He is already getting built hard. There has to be some reason for it. Once again, I doubt it is just for Big Show. I also doubt it is to develop him as a centerpiece. One thing for sure, I find it more interesting than Smackdown's current main-event feud.

Christian/Orton: Week 8 & Chavo Guerrero Released

I'll make the comments on Orton and Christian short. Orton is still World Champion, but Christian will get another shot. A lot of people are predicting Christian will win the title and immediately lose it to a MitB winner, and I wouldn't put that beyond the WWE. In any case, what I find more interesting is that the WWE is actually doing a good job of building Christian's main-event credibility recently. In the past few weeks, he has been in main events and has pinned former, or current, World Champs. He pinned and eliminated Orton last Raw, although his team ended up losing the match. You can say that the WWE is doing a better job building him up for his next title win than they did for the one he got a few months ago. However, I still do not feel they are building it up in an entertaining way or building it up to mean as much as it should for Christian and his fans. Will it feel as epic? I can talk about building credibility until the sun goes down and rises again several thousand times, that does not mean credibility takes the place of entertainment in pro wrestling. With how the WWE is building him, Christian will fit right in as a CM Punk of Smackdown in the coming months.

CM Punk is not the only guy who wants out of the WWE. Chavo Guerrero has asked for, and received, his release. Chavo comments on his release here. Look back to what I said about Chavo here. It surprised me that Chavo's reasoning for wanting to leave are close to what I said about his last "push" against Sin Cara. He said that he was no longer happy about the WWE using him to make other people look good. That is pretty much what I said the purpose of his last feud was. What he said about Eddie also matches up with what I say about the WWE being able to push men anywhere and everywhere on the card, even after they may have a main-event push, and even after they may win a World title. To bring them back into the discussion, just look at CM Punk and Christian. Punk has been pushed all over the card since his first major World title win in the WWE. Christian's future, I can almost guarantee it, will mirror this.

Obviously, the loss of Chavo is nothing huge. I am not being unsympathetic to the guy. What was he doing anyway recently? WWE is not losing something they were treating too important. Once again, NXT is irrelevant. I know Chavo can be treated better wherever he ends up. I think he deserves that. This is a proud man who did not deserve his last elaborate feud to be against a midget.

The Importance Of NXT

Why should I even be talking about NXT? Being honest, I don't even watch the show. However, I do follow the spoilers. I do know what is going on over there, even if I do not find most of it worth remembering. Nevertheless, I am aware that I may sometimes say a certain wrestler is not getting pushed, treated well, or doing anything relevant, but yet that person may be looking like the most important person in the universe on NXT. That is why I want to explain why I may not mention NXT angles when I talk about someone like Zack Ryder or Maryse.

I think I can pretty much end the discussion as quickly as I have started it. Remember WWE's ECW? Especially during the final year or so? I believe I have spoken about this before. Men and women made to look like they were a vital part of that show were then made to look like mediocrities when they would later go to one of the major brands. Zack Ryder was treated as a serious contender for the ECW title at one time. There was a huge difference between that and his "title shot" against Sheamus on Raw last year. But even jobbing to Sheamus got him more camera time on Raw than where he is at now. I could run down a list of names, including Christian, Katie Lea, Tiffany, Rosa Mendes, and so on. Very few people go from being a part of the ECW roster to being a well-pushed main-eventer. Different people may have different definitions for what a "well-pushed main-eventer" is, but let me just say that no one in the position of a John Cena or Randy Orton would be wasted on the ECW roster. If you even examine most of the ECW successes, you will see that they are the type of main-eventers developed frequently to put over someone the WWE would rather have as a centerpiece, then they get depushed. Look at CM Punk. Need I say more?

Back to NXT. NXT pretty much took over where ECW left off. I am talking about more than just the time slot. At first, it featured important stars as the Pros. I would say things started to go downhill after Season 2. Now look at it. Zack Ryder? Hornswoggle? Poor William Regal? Maryse? In case anyone has forgotten, Maryse used to be pushed at the centerpiece diva of Raw. After I saw her performing not as seriously and solidly as she should have since her return in late 2009, I am not surprised they did give up on her. Instead of releasing her, they have found a purpose for her on NXT. She actually looks relevant there. Back on Raw, she has not looked like she matters since Kharma attacked her over a month ago. The major focus is off her. The same goes for the men. In almost every case, the men do not have two angles going for them. They do not have an important NXT storyline and a Raw/Smackdown feud that has any real meaning. Back when NXT first started, guys like Miz would have angles going on for NXT and Raw. Things would mix. It was more interesting.

I would say that almost everyone on NXT right now would have probably been a candidate for release if the show wasn't dragging on. The few exceptions are those with connections with people in high places, like William Regal, and possibly those who are only there to act as comic relief anyway, like Hornswoggle. They are not really that relevant. Interestingly enough, there may not have been a huge, regular Spring Cleaning of the roster, but some of the releases that did take place a few weeks ago were indeed NXT Rookies. Nice coincidence there.

To wrap it up, just because a wrestler is being pushed on NXT, that does not mean the push actually matters. When you hear people complaining about Zack Ryder not being used right, they don't want to see him getting used on Superstars or NXT. They want to see him on Raw in a real feud. Stars are pretty much almost being buried if all they have is this web show. It is obvious that the WWE is not putting as much interest in it either. The last winner deserves to be released. I can go without his crappy promos, and he does not seem too unique either. Kaitlyn is not doing anything useful. Wade Barrett still has some promise, although he was the winner back when NXT was still something. Kaval got released for Christmas. If the Rookies are pushed like this, what hope do the Pros have, especially when this is all they pretty much have in many cases to stay over?

Kelly Kelly Takes The Butterfly Title

I said the WWE was building Kelly Kelly to be their centerpiece. They have finally pulled the trigger on the move, in my eyes, that puts the real focus undeniably on her. Tonight, she defeated Brie Bella to win the Diva's Championship.

Kelly Kelly will follow in line in what the WWE has tried to do with Candice Michelle, Michelle McCool, Maryse, and whoever else I might be overlooking at the moment. They will try to repeat the success they had with Trish Stratus with her. This time around, there will be no credible diva jobber who got over on her own to stand in the WWE's way for their plans for Kelly Kelly. Of course, Kharma was originally part of this build for Kelly Kelly. Needless to say, Kharma going out did not mean Kelly Kelly could not still be booked to win the title.

Even though I am not a fan of the diva division in respect to how it works and what it does, I think the WWE failed to deliver. They failed to build the moment up properly. Yes, they can say the fans "voted" Kelly Kelly into her title shot, in which she would win the title. But what about building up the Champ? What about making it seem like Kelly actually overcame something. Twin Magic did not play as much of a role as it could of. The match was better quality than most Raw diva matches, including last week's match, but it was not epic. The finish to the match was good, but not built up to as well as it could of. The reason why I am being so critical of this is because Kelly Kelly is pretty much it. If she should fail as the centerpiece, what other fresh model options are there who are even at her level in the ring and who the WWE might be willing to treat as a centerpiece. Not only does she have to bring it in the ring and her segments outside the action, the WWE has to book things right and someone has to make sure she learns how to make the most of her time out there. Kelly Kelly will never be able to say she accomplished what Mickie James did in the WWE, but the WWE is counting on her. So will she fail the WWE, or will they fail her?

Christian/Orton: Week 7 - How's The Head, Randy?

It is always interesting when something in real life spices up a wrestling storyline. When I say that, I do not mean kills off the storyline completely or sends it into a horrible direction that the general audience hates. I am thinking about the recent storyline with Kharma and last year's farewell angle they gave Mickie James. When I say "spices up", I am thinking more along the lines of when Undertaker got injured last year and they made an elaborate storyline out of it, which led to Kane winning a World title again for the first time in years.

Recently, according to Randy Orton himself, the current World Champion over on Smackdown suffered a concussion. The angle they were pushing on Raw and Smackdown this week is based on facts it seems. No worries, Orton seems good to go for his title defense. Nevertheless, I found the injury angle a little interesting. It definitely raised questions that might interest viewers to tune in. If Orton cannot get physical, will he lose control and still get in trouble? Will he be fine, in terms of storyline, for his match? I can picture them working that concussion angle into the match. That being said, do not expect it to be as amazing as their previous matches. Both Christian and Orton were faces there too. Different story to the match.

The storyline also looked a little more interesting on Smackdown. Heel Christian took on heel Sheamus. Face vs. Face happens more often than heel vs. heel, even though both are not norms and frequent in the WWE. Orton also punted Sheamus. Depending on how long the WWE will sell Sheamus being out, that may have been a questionable decision. Who is heel Christian suppose to team with if Sheamus and Mark Henry pretty much got taken out? Is Wade Barrett going to drop his title and get pushed up the card again?

To the most important matter. The PPV is here. Christian gets another rematch. I want heel Christian to win, but I am not feeling it quite yet. I think they should build up the moment a little more. Have this match end without a decisive winner. Even if they do hand Christian back the title, the feud with Orton will probably not end there, assuming Orton's health does hold up throughout everything. Either way, the elaborate storyline will continue. Having Orton win clean and leave it at that would be the worst end to the match. How could they continue the feud interestingly enough after doing that? If Orton does sneak out a win with an RKO out of nowhere, at least have Christian attack him after the match. Even then, I don't think Orton needs to beat Christian 3 times clean in the last few months in title matches. Christian already turned heel. The storyline does not need booking like that until Orton is possibly ready to win the title back from a well-built heel Champion Christian.

The Underused Zack Ryder - WWWYKI?

Let me get the unimportant, personal opinion out of the way. I am not a Zack Ryder fan. I have never been a Zack Ryder fan. I do not even watch his little show. I do not hate the guy. He is simply not my taste. However, I will not deny that he is a solid worker. I will not step into any argument against a Ryder fan to argue why they shouldn't be a fan of this guy. He definitely has earned his fanbase. That is one reason that, although I am not one of his fans, I can respect him a bit. He got over without the WWE wanting it to happen and trying to make it happen.

It would be a crime for someone like me, a blogger trying to support this idea that the WWE picks which divas they really want to succeed and uses the rest as jobbers and filler, to pass by talking about Zack Ryder. I was thinking about bringing him up when there was that incident about a Ryder fan getting their sign taken away. More recently, the WWE was in Long Island, NY, not too far from where I live myself. More importantly, it was Ryder territory. He was not used for anything at all on Raw. He was used on Superstars, where he won a match. But how relevant is that show? More or less than NXT? And what happens to NXT winners? They get released for Christmas? Point is, Superstars is the jobber show. Any other week of the year, any other city, I can see using Ryder on Superstars. But in his own hometown? A 3-hour Raw? Given that he has been gaining popularity? Here is the real kicker for me. Over the past few weeks, he has been having these meaningless segments with John Cena. They couldn't even hand him one of those, but with a little more lines so he can at least be entertaining? Many people can see this as a snub. It is insulting.

Not only have fans talked about it, but so have a few wrestlers. Over the last few weeks, guys like CM Punk, Steve Austin, and Chris Jericho have been talking well of Ryder and poorly of the WWE's use of him. It has not gotten him much. Those meaningless segments with Cena have pretty much been it. And if that itself ends abruptly with no proper finish or point, which it probably will, it would have been as effective for the person opposite Cena as his romance angle with Mickie James in 2008. And let me say something again, until I see otherwise, I do not see legitimate proof that Cena and Mickie really dated outside of that storyline.

Back to Ryder. It is obvious this guy is only in the WWE to be a jobber. Jobbers can be released easily and replaced. Look at Funaki. In fact, it probably is just connections Ryder may have that are keeping him in the company. Combine that with the fact that, as a man, if they ever did choose to push him, there could be multiple spots for him. Without even getting him near a World title match, you can push him for a midcard title, pair him with someone who the WWE is more interested in pushing and have them go after the tag titles, or put him in a non-title feud, even a lower-midcard one like Swagger/Bourne. Build up his credibility and put him in a triple threat or other multi-wrestler match for the US title. I think that last choice seems like the best option out of everything else I have said. Sad fact is, Vince isn't choosing to do any of it. I don't blame "Creative" for anything. If Vince McMahon really wanted someone pushed, he could override pretty much anyone in the company to get some kind of push going.

Before I move on, let me just mention how this guy got over. For those fans who only watch Raw, you may not see the big deal. You may not have even cared that much for the guy even when he was booked SO much better on ECW. It is the internet. Twitter and videos. He is showing the charisma and character to connect with the fans. This is how he was able to get over on his own. He is interactive. He is becoming a successful pro wrestler without even getting anywhere near the booking to get the job done. I am not talking about kayfabe success. True success in pro wrestling is judged by how well you can perform out there to connect with the fans. Let me go back and eat my words. Is Ryder really a successful pro wrestler then? He isn't getting over by how he handles himself when he comes out on Raw. Granted, that is because he is not even being booked to come out on Raw. But with so much value already in this guy, and value he made on his own, I think he deserves at least a shot to see how well he can carry it into a push. Let's see how strong that connection with the internet fans is.

Now, moving on to the divas. I just talked about a man the WWE obviously does not want to become as over as possible. I am always saying that there is a class of diva in the diva division that the WWE does not want to become as over as possible. These are the women they use to put over the women they do want as over as possible. Let me point out another thing about Ryder. Not only do they not want him to be as over as possible, they are not going to let what overness he has earned himself or what potential he may have lead to a push for the guy. This is pretty much a variation of what happened with Mickie James. Mickie James belonged to that class of diva meant to put over the centerpieces. Through her own performance and ability to connect with the fans, she became very over and stayed that over. Unlike Ryder, Mickie didn't do it with the internet. Also unlike Ryder, Mickie would still get used more often than he would. As I have pointed out many times, if you analyze the pushes Mickie did get, however, you would see she was often just being used to put someone else over, being given a filler push because the person the WWE wanted to push was away, or not getting a storyline that would see a finish at all. In other words, the WWE still wasn't really interested in doing her any favors to be as over as she was, and yet she stayed that over. It is like Ryder's meaningless segments with Cena or winning on Superstars. That will not help his overness go to monster new levels. Back to Mickie, the WWE did not let that overness Mickie earned, or what potential she may have had to go to another level if pushed like either a Lita or Trish, change the fact that she was a credible jobber. In her final feud, her farewell feud, she put over Michelle McCool, a centerpiece, in a feud designed to get McCool the heat she could never get on her own. Mickie James then hit a spiked ceiling and was released. If she could turn into a meaningless jobber and accept the fact that she was never meant to be great, she may have been around to this day. She would have been one of the extras standing around during the huge diva tag last Monday and danced like a moron after.

Zack Ryder will probably not end like Mickie James in the WWE. As I just pointed out, it does not have to. It would be so easy to push this guy in some way on Raw without ruining the push of major guys. Even one good segment on Raw this week would have been respectable. Nothing. Why should a jobber get something? I would like to see how the WWE reacts to the bad press this may bring. Will he get a short-term push just so the WWE can sell the idea that they care about the fans? Yeah, and he'll be back on Superstars and Twitter a week after it all ends. Internet Champ! WWWYKI!

The Amazing Return Of John Morrison

After weeks on the shelf due to injury, John Morrison made his epic return to Raw. He was shown backstage when Austin put him in a match against R-Truth. Later on, when the match came around, it was revealed that R-Truth took Morrison out backstage. He then went there and took a few more shots. Epic. Really? No, not really.

Obviously, Morrison was not ready to come back for real just yet. Was bringing him back like they did even necessary then? Well, it makes some kind of use of him. It is better than randomly being seen backstage, playing with your cellphone. It adds a little more to the story between R-Truth and John Morrison. Do not for a second think that R-Truth will win the WWE title, continue on in the main event, and never have to face John Morrison again. When R-Truth gets his depush, just like Miz did, just like Kane did over on Smackdown a few months ago, just like diva credible jobbers, Truth will be doing something back in the midcard. Why not finish that feud with John Morrison? Wait a minute. Did I just say that this is the same thing that happens to the divas? They get PPV matches and elaborate feuds with their former sidekicks, go on to win tag title within months of losing a major title, or have a feud that is literally months in the making? No. This is not the norm for these credible jobbers. R-Truth be blessed he was born a man.

Let me talk about the divas. What did they do on Raw? What did former Champions like Eve, Natalya, Beth Phoenix, Melina, and Gail Kim do? Eve, instead of getting some kind of proper finish to her feud with Brie Bella, got some mic time! So much better! Yeah, especially when she announced that the face divas were going to be Rockettes. This is the diva division the WWE wants? One thing is for sure, with the lack of a centerpiece in place, proper credible jobbers to put the centerpiece over, and any interesting storylines, this is the diva division they must live with. And what happened to Kharma is no excuse. You still have many women on Raw to use, and better than they did tonight. Tonight was just pathetic. John Morrison looked more impressive just standing backstage with Austin than that diva segment looked. Cold shoulder, injury, heat with Melina, whatever issue people may want to bring up with Morrison or not, this guy is still easily in a better position than pretty much every diva on the roster.

Christian/Orton: Week 6 - The Cole Effect

If you had your doubts about whether the WWE wanted Christian to get the boos a typical heel is supposed to get, seeing Michael Cole standing in the ring with him for his promo on Smackdown should have made you think otherwise. Even though Cole got humiliated a few weeks ago by Jerry Lawler, Cole is still a heel. He is a heel that can get heat from just simply existing. Having Christian do his promo with Cole was a simple, effective way to further his heel character. I also like that Christian has not completely turned into a serious, dry heel. He still has some cockiness and charisma to him. Remember what happened to Swagger after he won the World title last year? Complete change to his character. I was worried the WWE might have Christian follow a similar path, since it is obvious Christian the heel must get booed in the feud against Orton the face. Instead of that, they bring in Cole. It would be interesting if they bring Cole in even more. Just so he can get an RKO?

Later in the night, Christian attacked Orton again. Heel tactic. It was to be expected. More importantly, Christian will get another shot at Randy Orton's title. Even though Sheamus was still slightly in the picture, or majorly in some sense for this past Smackdown, he is still just a supporting character in the greater feud between Christian and Orton. I kind of feel bad for the other guy that was involved in this, Mark Henry. It seems he has already fallen out. But what else was there really for him to do? This thing is really between Christian and Orton.

Am I entertained? Aside from the little bit of Michael Cole, this storyline still lacks some kick to it. If you are going to screw Christian out of a proper first World title run for the sake of a larger storyline, shouldn't it be better than just a heel turn storyline? I keep hearing about poor Smackdown ticket sales and I see Smackdown ratings have not touched 2.0 for a while now. Is this storyline really drawing interest? I am not going to make the mistake of pretending the undercard doesn't matter. Yes, they have Sin Cara for the Mexican audience. They have Wade Barrett feuding with Zeke. They have AJ doing nothing too outstanding for Smackdown's diva division. Just looking over what I just listed, I can see why Smackdown is at the level it is at right now. Fact is, Christian/Orton doesn't seem to be helping matters enough to overcome the rest of the mediocrity. I do not feel I am the only one not entertained and drawn to this. They are spreading the segments with these two all across the show. If the storyline was really a huge draw, that would be smart move. It would keep people tuned in or coming back to see how things develop. But this is still the best they can do? They have a good strategy to promote the storyline, but the storyline does not seem to be drawing as well as it should be. Then again, maybe they like Smackdown not having 2.0 with Randy Orton as centerpiece?

Chavo's 15 Nanoseconds Of Fame

I want to talk about Chavo Guerrero's recent feud with Sin Cara. Not because I found the feud very interesting, Sin Cara's issues in adapting very interesting, or really care too strongly about either of the two guys involved. I'm being honest. I want to relate it back to the things I am always saying about the diva division.

Chavo Guerrero recently had a push against the new Mexican phenom of the WWE, Sin Cara. I know, some people may call me crazy for calling what they did with Chavo a push. Going from 0 to 5 in 60 seconds may not be as impressive as going from 0 to 100 in the same amount of time, but at least you are still going somewhere. Even if you get sent back to 0 right after the 60 seconds, at least you still went somewhere. That cannot be denied. And that is what happened with Chavo.

Chavo was doing pretty much absolutely nothing prior to the small build and matches with Sin Cara. After he served his purpose, he is back to doing clearly nothing at all. What was his purpose? Why the push? I think that this is a very clear example in the men's division of a talent being used primarily to put over someone else. The WWE wasn't pushing Chavo against Sin Cara so Chavo could be the one getting as over as possible. That was not their aim. For months now, since he came on board, you could see and read the reports of Sin Cara not clicking with a lot of workers in the ring. Why not pair him with a WWE veteran who is more used to the style Sin Cara brings? Chavo could help him adapt a little better than someone like Kane might right now. They could have feuded Sin Cara with anyone on Smackdown for his first PPV match, but they did choose Chavo for a reason. Sin Cara has now moved on to aligning with Daniel Bryan against Rhodes and DiBiase. Those two reuniting is another issue I should talk about one day, but what about Chavo? Nothing. Even if the matches were 100% spotless and Chavo got monster over somehow from the feud, it would have still been likely that he would get this depush. He was only being pushed to serve the purpose of putting someone over. You can say he put Sin Cara over in two ways. Not only did he provide a victory for Sin Cara over a credible WWE wrestler, he also must have tried breaking in Sin Cara a little to the WWE's own style.

For months now, I have been saying that the majority of diva feuds, especially those involving a diva centerpiece and a title, revolve around a woman hired with prior wrestling ability being used to put over a woman hired for her looks whom the WWE wishes to build as awesome. Once the real wrestler (credible jobber) serves her purpose, she gets depushed. The eye-candy diva they wish to make into a star (centerpiece), on the other hand, continues to get hyped properly and get more feuds and storylines. This should be sounding at least a little like what I just pointed out about Chavo and Sin Cara. One major difference, it happens a lot more with the women than it does with the men. Of course, the WWE is not as mediocre in building the feuds for the women as they were with Chavo. The title is frequently involved. How else can the centerpiece get that title count up? Helps them to look awesome. And how would it look if Trish is losing her title cleanly to an Ashley, instead of a developed threat and credible jobber as a Mickie James? One of the things that I always point out about the men used like this is that there is always something else they can potentially do after they put someone over. In the case of Chavo, and much like the average diva feud, the WWE doesn't care about doing anything to keep the credible jobber as over as possible. I mentioned Cody Rhodes before. A few months ago, this guy feuded with Rey Mysterio. This guy beat Rey Mysterio, and at Wrestlemania. After they built him up as such a heel, they had Rey go over him. Rey Mysterio is still being pushed well over on Raw. What has Cody been doing lately? Better than Chavo. He at least has a tag feud going on. He has the opportunity, moreover, to still push his character. That will help him stay over and possibly get more over. Not so for Chavo right now. And that is what it is like for most of the women with real wrestling ability at the time of signing with the WWE. They get built up to put over someone else, do the job, then face a depush that. No diva pushed in this manner has ever been able to break through the cycle and achieve solid overness. And it is overness, that connection with the fans, that pro wrestling is supposed to be about, not the titles and wins and streaks and storylines that writers and bookers decide. Those are just means to an end. Did I say no diva has ever broken through this cycle and became a legitimate success instead of a pawn for the WWE's own desires? There was that one diva...think she's over in one of them other promotions now...I need not mention her name.

It surprises me how I have honestly never come across any other wrestling fans who have connected the dots about what the diva division is really about. Every week, I see people asking why Melina or Beth Phoenix are not being pushed. I see people acting like AJ has a chance to actually be treated better than the likes of those women I just mentioned. They believe every dirtsheet explanation for a diva depush, mistreatment, or release. I think a lot of wrestling fans can see the purpose of Chavo's push. Many might have predicted that he would get his depush even before the feud even ended. I do not think it is too hard to connect things back into the diva division like I tried to do here. I was also planning on writing a similar entry/rant for what just happened with Miz's big push. I may not now. But this is what I am going to be doing whenever I get the chance. I am going to analyze what the WWE is trying to do with their pushes with the men and tie it back to the diva division. I am going to keep doing it until I see someone finally getting it. It is going to get boring and repetitive. Yes, even more so than the lovechild of NXT and John Cena. Any regular readers I may have, that is what you're in for.

Swagger Should Be Missing Cole About Now

After Jack Swagger was separated from Michael Cole a few weeks ago, it looked like he might have been given a serious push. That same night, he faced John Cena in the main event of Raw. He looked strong. Where has he gone since then?

He's feuding with Evan Bourne. No offense to Bourne, but the WWE treats him as a jobber. For Swagger to be feuding with a guy like this, that is a huge downgrade. At least with his storyline involving Cole and Jerry Lawler, he was a part of something being given great hype. There are many things better than that, but this thing with Bourne is not one of them.

Tonight, Swagger got a match against Booker T. This was Booker T's first match back on Raw in years. I was glad to see him back. It is clear why the WWE did it. But what about Swagger? I can talk about rubs and future feuds with Booker T, but this looks like a one-shot thing that was used as an extension to the feud between Swagger and Bourne, who came out in the end. Swagger does not look as great as I was hoping when he first left Cole.

Question is, did this have to happen? Was this the only option available for Swagger at the moment? If nothing else, he could have easily have been the one feuding with Kofi Kingston right now. Leave Ziggler to do his angle with Vickie Guerrero or have the feud with Bourne. The WWE is hyping that Ziggler and Kofi have a history, but Jack Swagger and Kofi have faced each other before as well. And how hard would it be to put the All-American American American American American in a feud for the U.S. title? Not hard at all. Both Ziggler and Swagger could be in this feud against Kofi. Where would that leave Bourne? Back on Superstars. Once again, no offense, but the WWE treats the guy as a jobber. The push he receives now against Swagger will not elevate him to too much more.

Christian/Orton: Week 5 - The Turn

After weeks of building the turn, the WWE has finally turned Christian into a heel. During Randy Orton's title defense against Sheamus, Christian was the ref. After? He attacked Orton. Other than a heel turn, where else do you go with that?

From what I have read, Christian got a pretty good response from the live audience. You know the internet is on his side more than they may be for Orton over this issue. I like that. It should send a good message to the WWE. Also, for weeks now, one of my major concerns was that the WWE will not build this feud properly to make Christian regaining the title mean as much as his first title win and reign should have meant. If Christian can keep the crowd on his side, and I doubt it will be easy for him to lose them, it is going to be the crowd that really makes Christian's next big moment mean something, no matter the build from the WWE. And how will the WWE try to edit and downplay that?

Now that the turn finally happened, was the build up to that moment worth it? I've been bored by how they were building this elaborate storyline from almost since Christian lost the title, but was it all worth it? Honestly, they probably could have had Christian turn a few weeks ago and the results in terms of crowd reaction would have been the same. Obviously, kayfabe results in match booking and where the storyline went would be different, but all this is booked and written is meant to have an effect on the crowd anyway. It is done for a reason. That being said, the storyline has been really dry, and now I can say it really has been needlessly so for all these weeks. With the heel turn, things can really pick up now. I would just ditch Sheamus and Mark Henry. Have them feud with each other for a few weeks. Have Mark Henry feud with a microphone. Sheamus can squash jobbers and complain for a while. Let this personal issue between Orton and Christian really get even more personal between each other now. Let Christian really take the spotlight. Right now, even as a heel, Christian still looks weak in that he has already lost to Orton twice recently. What credibility will he have heading into another match? If the WWE does extend things further by tossing in Mark Henry and Sheamus to make it a four-way match, it will still have to come down to Orton and Christian again later on anyway. Stop wasting time and just go there now.

I have overlooked Orton himself. The Smackdown centerpiece is not looking too great. I am not talking about booking. The fans are supposed to be siding with him, the face in the storyline. I am seeing things in common between this feud and a certain diva feud that happened a few years ago. This is not the end of Orton. I am not predicting he will be depushed to being Tyson Kidd's manager on Superstars. He has not really lost the fans either. The WWE just needs to work this one storyline well, then split Orton and Christian. Let Christian have a good reign. Orton can do something else for a month or two. When the time is right, and if the WWE wants it that bad, then work some way for Orton to once again regain it. That is how you book a centerpiece.

Kharma And Karma

Outside of anything related to wrestling, I hope Kharma has a beautiful and healthy baby. I am happy for her.

Now, moving back into wrestling matters, Kharma announced on Raw that she was pregnant. That was the reason for the emotional breakdown the week before. She is being written off. I am not really going to debate whether or not the WWE handled it the right way or not. Assuming she still wants to be a part of the WWE in a year and the WWE wants her too, the WWE can always find some impactful way to have her return. I do not believe that is a big problem.

As for the current state of the diva division, the big angle is lost. Kharma was supposed to bring a lot of interest back into things. Moreover, her angle was tied in somehow with the push Kelly Kelly was getting. All is not lost for Kelly Kelly. Her feud for the butterfly title isn't over yet. Only now, it is a basic title feud featuring eye-candy diva vs. eye-candy diva, with her twin sister. The twin aspect may sound good on paper, but Kelly Kelly has already beaten and lost to Brie. How can they liven things up now? Honestly, I am not angry at Kharma at all. She really couldn't save the division in any long-term way anyway. How long can being a bully to the models last? What do you do with her after? The WWE would have definitely have reverted to the typical crap sooner or later. With the Kharma angle on hold, the typical crap comes sooner.

When was the last time the real female wrestlers of Raw had a match on Raw? I am talking about Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, and Melina. If I am forgetting anyone, I'm sorry. Last week's "match" doesn't count. It turned into a glorified segment to start the end of Kharma's character and the real female wrestlers still didn't really wrestle. When was the last time these women actually wrestled on Raw? Some people can argue that these divas were put on hold so Kharma could look more intimidating against the weaker eye-candy divas. Problem is, the real wrestlers were getting the shorter end of the stick for weeks before Kharma debuted. The last time I can remember a match featuring a real female wrestler actually wrestling was Eve going over Natalya in a title match. If there was one after that, it slipped my mind. How can it be that ALL these women are in the "doghouse" for so long? They didn't do anything wrong. You are just seeing their importance. When the WWE has a use for them, they will be used. With Kharma gone, I would hope that use comes soon.

What is karma? Not the person, the idea. Without getting into religion too much, karma is this idea that your past actions will determine your future fate. If you are an Alicia Keys fan, what goes around comes around. I am not a very superstitious person. However, it is interesting to map the luck the diva division has been having in just the last year. Recently, Kharma got pregnant and the elaborate diva angle got killed off abruptly. A short while before that, Layla, who was being treated as the sole centerpiece of Smackdown, gets taken out with an injury. AJ has been called up to be filler. In other words, nothing interesting going on for Smackdown right now. Before that, Michelle McCool, pushed as centerpiece for over a year and flopped through it all, leaves the WWE. After everything the WWE did to make her look great, I always doubted the investment would pay off. I cannot say whether her leaving is a good thing in that respect or bad, but all that work, even more work than they put in with Kharma, just goes up in smoke. Before that, Smackdown suffered a series of unfortunate events last year. Beth Phoenix got injured and had to lose the title, Tiffany got suspended and released, and Kelly Kelly almost suffered a serious injury at a house show. Had that injury been more serious, who would have been pushed as top face there? Rosa Mendes? Over on Raw during this time, the WWE finally gave up on pushing Maryse as centerpiece and slowly phased her out. After that angle she had with DiBiase, she has done pretty much nothing meaningful. What happened right before all this? The WWE released Mickie James. You can say Mickie suffered her own bad luck with her knee infection, but she bounced back from that faster than many expected and showed her dedication to the WWE, which they rewarded with her eventual release. I have pointed out many times that the WWE did not want to treat Mickie James as a performer with that kind of overness deserved, but she was always an option there for years. Isn't it funny that this whole series of unfortunate events should follow her release? Raw is left with a flopped centerpiece and no proper replacement, faces over on Smackdown are dropping like flies, Michelle McCool leaves without ever paying off what the WWE invested in her by becoming properly over, her sidekick and centerpiece replacement, Layla, gets injured and written off for a while before she can really put herself out there to get over, and now Kharma is gone for the rest of the year? Any bad luck that has seemingly happened to Mickie James has usually worked out in her favor. Her working through and bouncing back from injuries has shown her real toughness and dedication. Her release from the WWE has allowed her to make history in the wrestling business, to work for a company that is booking her a little bit better than WWE, and more honors will come her way in coming months. If she was in the WWE right now, she may be where Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, and Melina are right now. Where? On the shelf for no good reason. Point is, the WWE's poor treatment of Mickie James has been followed by poor luck for the women they have tried to push as centerpieces and for major angles they have attempted to revitalize the division. They had gold and treated it like crap. And now, karma is taking it out on the diva division. Is Kelly Kelly next?