The Awesome Rebirth?

After taking out R-Truth last week, Miz follows up with taking out John Morrison this week. I already talked about Morrison, so this is going to be about Miz this time around.

They are selling this idea that Miz is taking out people who have held him back. The next man on his list will obviously be Alex Riley, who was shown backstage with John Morrison this week. Riley was Miz's sidekick for a few months. Back earlier this year, they had mistakes by Riley be the reason for Miz failing to regain the WWE title. This led to problems in the team, and Riley eventually turning face. Riley looked very impressive against Miz in some of their matches. I'm talking "Kofi Kingston Beating Randy Orton" impressive here. Remember where that one went? Absolutely nowhere for Kofi. He remained in the midcard. Following looking so good, the WWE also demoted Riley back down as well. Up to this point, he has done nothing too interesting. He now finds himself possibly once again in the path of his former mentor.

I like that Alex Riley is going to get used again. Some people can say that R-Truth turning face was meant to replace John Morrison, but you could have easily have just promoted Riley back up again and left Awesome Truth as a heel tag team. You can also have Mason Ryan who can be pushed even more as a face, if need be. Send over DiBiase from Smackdown to Raw more often. The WWE seems eager to get him over. Before I get too lost from what I'm talking about, let me pull it back in to Riley. If it had to take Awesome Truth splitting up and John Morrison leaving for Alex Riley to get used again, I can live with that. Point is, he will still be getting a chance to go out there. Obviously, when R-Truth returns, the WWE will pretty much have to have him feud with Miz. That will most likely make Riley's push just filler. Nevertheless, I hope it does not end up being Miz killing Riley on the stage next week in the same way he took out Morrison and R-Truth. Make it a real feud. Take it to TLC. That is what I am expecting. I doubt the WWE will push Miz against Big Show right now. Big Show was one of Miz's former partners, as well.

Miz seems to be getting a new character. He still thinks he's awesome, but his promo on Raw had less of that cockiness and energy to it. This Miz is colder. I like it. Do I think the regular fans will? No. That is why his actions will have to speak louder than his words. Having him be violent like this is good. Depending on how the WWE works this, Miz can be bringing something interesting in the midcard in the coming weeks.

The End Of John Morrison In The WWE?

Off of just the segment involving John Morrison and Miz, there are two things I would like to talk about. Since I will probably want to spend some time on both, I will split it up. Right now, John Morrison.

The Miz attacked Morrison from behind and took out his knee before their match officially started on Raw last night. Morrison went on with the match anyway, showing some guts. He looked impressive in holding his own for a while, but got taken out again on the stage. Medics then stretchered him out.

There was talk for a long time that John Morrison would not be staying in the WWE. When they gave him that win against Dolph Ziggler and looked to be pushing him again, it looked like things might have been settled or that the WWE was at least trying a little more to convince John Morrison not to leave. I guess it was not enough. John Morrison definitely looks like he has been written off. Looks like WWE may have lost him.

John Morrison is not the kind of guy the WWE would want to lose. Even if Rey Mysterio, Christian, Triple H, and whoever else were not out with injuries right now, or suspended because of the wellness policy, you still had dwindling star power, which was definitely being felt in ratings and other such indicators. Regardless of whether or not you even have a ton of talent or not, John Morrison is a unique performer. He can pull off a lot of crazy spots. Mistakes may happen now and then, but I feel it is a waste to even bring that statement up. Morrison was a solid worker in that respect. Some people may criticize his charisma and mic skills, but if you give this guy the room to do his own character his way, he can do fine. He definitely has the look too.

Judging by the fact that the WWE did not just terminate his contract and toss him out like garbage, they did not want to lose him. Did they do enough to try to keep him? Obviously, I do not work for the WWE and I am not going to be refreshing my favorite wrestling news site every 5 minutes for a report on the situation. I wouldn't blindly believe it anyway. Unless John Morrison himself cares to shed some light on what was going on with negotiations, I can only talk about what I can see myself. What did I see? A losing streak angle. You can make a lot of false promises and BS to your workers backstage, in the end, if their issue is how they are being pushed, not money or other such incentives, people can see for themselves whether or not the workers have a legitimate gripe. Again, a losing streak angle? Most of them lead to something good at the end, and Morrison's almost did, but I don't think they really did enough to convince this guy to stay. It looked like he would still be pushed around all over the place. Considering his potential, he deserved a push a lot more than some of the other guys.

The WWE made another dumb move. Not only would pushing Morrison better in his final weeks have been a good way to convince him to stay, it might have made for some good matches. In that way, even if Morrison still refused to stay, at least you got your money's worth out of him, or tried to. They just sent him out there in a lot of regular matches. He looked impressive here and there, but none of the really amazing spots you could usually expect from him when put in that kind of situation. When they announced what kind of match Miz vs. Morrison was going to be, I expected a spot that would work to write Morrison off, but I was also looking forward to Morrison being allowed to show some of that amazing ability of his that can really get fans interested. Nope. He showed heart in the story of the match, but no really cool spots from him. I can understand if the WWE does not want to treat Morrison as something too impressive, just to make fans even more eager to watch TNA, should he pop up there anytime soon, but was it really worth passing up an opportunity to make their own product look good? If this was their mentality, they might as well had released Morrison already, just sit him out until the contract expired, or have him end his run jobbing on Superstars. I understand that their decision was more for Miz's benefit than Morrison's, and I will get to that next time, but just in terms of using your workers properly to deliver exciting moments that can really draw the fans in, they could have done a lot better with Morrison in his final weeks.

To be fair, maybe the WWE never had a chance to really keep Morrison. Earlier this year, when I talked about the likely possibility that Melina would soon be released, the top reason I gave as to why the WWE may think twice about releasing her was her relationship with John Morrison. I am not going to talk about whether or not Melina has Morrison on a short leash, but the WWE did not seem to be giving Morrison any other great reasons to stay. If they had, he would still be there. Had Melina still been in the WWE today, maybe she would have convinced him to stay and continue to be stuck in the midcard. She was passionate about being in the WWE and did not want to leave. With no Melina and the WWE not providing any signs that great things are really to come, I could understand why Morrison might not want to continue there.

If some kind of other deal has been worked out and Morrison is just taking a short time off, that would be good for the WWE. If not, the WWE may have lost another good worker to TNA.

Nerdy Love

I haven't noticed any couple movies made by girls on Youtube yet, but Daniel Bryan and AJ Lee have had a few segments over the last few weeks on Smackdown.

First, what does this mean for Daniel Bryan? This angle is not necessary at all. The WWE may be trying to make him more appealing to a wider audience, but this guy can get over well enough through his intense wrestling ability. He was getting a lot of attention just last year. The Internet wrestling fans definitely love him. Does it really matter if the girls connect with him too? There have been guys a lot less over who have been handed World titles in the last year or two. There you have another reason why this romance angle is not necessary for him. He has something to do already that is a lot more important. He has the "Money in the Bank" briefcase. That puts attention on him. He is currently even going after Mark Henry. What did this same kind of angle end up doing for him back with Gail Kim? The WWE has not really been doing too much to push that he is a ladies' man. If that was really part of his gimmick, I would be more interested in this and be expecting great things to come.

And AJ Lee? Just a few months ago, she was involved in a romance angle with...Hornswoggle? Hornswoggle? Don't worry, it was on NXT, no one cared! She upgraded to Daniel Bryan and Smackdown. Nevertheless, I do not see this angle as being enough to get her over or as being a sign that the WWE really cares to make her over. She is getting the periphery treatment. Does this mean she is a periphery diva? For those who do not know what I mean, "periphery diva" is the term I use to describe women in the diva division who the WWE helped to make very over more on the sidelines of the major diva matters and title feuds. Lita became very over through being a valet allowed to mix it up with the men. Chyna became over through being allowed to wrestle the men so often. Vickie Guerrero, the most over female heel in the WWE, got that heat through all the WWE had her do and say during her time as a manager and GM. AJ is not currently chasing after a title and is not involved in a major diva feud exclusive to Smackdown. Her romance angle is on the periphery of the major diva matters. The WWE could definitely run AJ with romance storylines continuously to help get her over that way. That would be similar to what they frequently did with Maria. She was involved in romance angles with Santino, Festus, Dolph Ziggler, and so on. The most attention she ever got was through her Playboy push, which was still only a major diva matter for a month or two. Back to AJ. They are not pushing her relationship with Daniel Bryan with any real intensity yet. They may not even care to. That means it will fall on AJ to get very over through this angle, if she is even going to. The fact that she has wrestling experience, although not too much, also makes me believe this is just mediocre filler. Keep her busy until she is needed in a major storyline involving the centerpiece. If you take a look, she is also wrestling in filler matches here and there and used to put over the heels who are being pushed. This would sometimes happen to Lita a decade ago, but because she almost always had some other angle going for her to keep her looking good, the WWE could still help to make her and keep her very over. AJ may have that romance angle, but until it starts really doing something for her overness, it is not comparable to Lita being out there with the Hardys at all.

AJ Lee, the woman dirtsheets sold as the replacement of Mickie James, has been around for over a year now. How has she done? What has the WWE done for her? Obviously, AJ has not gained anywhere near the overness Mickie James had when the WWE let her go. Obviously, the WWE has done really nothing for AJ to get her major overness. She is not the centerpiece and not a priority to still receive proper periphery build. In other words, dirtsheets got it wrong again. The WWE does not want another Mickie James. Mickie James was a woman they brought in to be a credible jobber, who then gained great overness on her own and maintained it on her own. Why would they want that to be in the way of their own goals again? With their diva division lacking a diva with major overness, great wrestling ability, and whatever it takes to potentially draw in fans from across the board and make money for the WWE, you would think they would modify their goals. Judging by the type of woman they signed to be a new diva, nothing is changing for the better. Lingerie football? Really? Fact is, AJ has not filled that void left when Mickie was released until she has that overness. I sometimes get the vibe that she is trying to imitate Mickie James, but she has not gotten the overness yet. People can say that the WWE is holding AJ back, but they also tried pushing Mickie James as a generic face diva with no angles and hype to help her stay over. Mickie James stayed over.

Where will Daniel Bryan and AJ Lee go? Unless the WWE starts investing in this hard, including some mixed tag matches and major promos involving the two in the ring, this looks like a storyline that will be phased out easily. It will be no great sadness for Daniel Bryan. Whether he wins the title from Mark Henry, when he cashes in the briefcase, or whenever, I am sure he will be pushed to be a World Champion in the WWE sooner or later. In the meantime, his overness will be built up. AJ Lee has the most to gain from this angle, but she has to do it on her own. Of course, even if she does gain that overness, it will most likely be buried when the angle gets killed. Remember what I said before about Lita usually having another angle going for her to keep her looking good on those nights she was being used to put over another diva? In this current romance storyline, Daniel Bryan is the one with something else going for him with more value. AJ is the one with nothing good to fall back on. Nothing to fall back on and a weak periphery diva storyline. They don't want her to be very over.

Big Show vs. Mark Henry- Survivor Series Aftermath

Decisive or indecisive? I hate it when I have one of those moments and mix those two words up. In any case, the match between Big Show and Mark Henry at Survivor Series ended indecisively. DQ finish. That is not surprising. It also guarantees that this feud is not over yet.

How did this title match match up with the previous encounter? That was one of the major questions I tossed around about this feud for a while. After these two broke the ring, how can they and the WWE top it? Putting them in another regular match did not seem like an interesting way to handle a feud like this, especially after they killed the ring in the first regular match they had for the World's Heavyweight Championship. The match at Survivor Series had its moments, although nothing as epic as what happened before. Then the DQ happened. Disappointing? As I said before, it guarantees that they will face each other again. You can call it a necessary disappointment. However, the really good stuff happened after the match. Big Show injured Mark Henry. Revenge. Makes the feud even more interesting. I still say it was dull booking to have their rematch at Survivor Series be another regular match, but still good progression for the feud.

And then there was Daniel Bryan. He came very close to being the new World's Heavyweight Champion. Teddy Long did not allow the title change. Bryan still has his briefcase. Daniel Bryan then earned a shot at Mark Henry for the title. I see him playing the same role right here that Sheamus played in Christian/Orton and Orton himself has played a little while Mark Henry has held the title. The main title picture on Smackdown is still between Mark Henry and Big Show. Their feud can still continue without the title, but it would be more interesting with the title. Even though Daniel Bryan still has his Money in the Bank briefcase, it would not surprise me if he was booked to win the title. Should he lose the title a while later and fail to regain it with a rematch, he can cash in on whoever has the title whenever he chooses. Wouldn't it be funny if he loses the rematch, beats down whoever the Champion is himself after the match, then cashes in to win it? Still, I see Daniel Bryan still being used as just a filler defense in the larger feud between Big Show and Mark Henry. Don't forget that Big Show is still in the title picture too. His feud with Mark Henry is not over yet and he is still in the title picture. It would only make sense for Mark Henry to retain against Daniel Bryan.

Gail Kim: Loaded With Championships

Within just weeks after returning to TNA, Gail Kim won more titles than she did from her second coming to the WWE about 2 years ago to her walking out this year. With Madison Rayne, she won the Knockout Tag Championships from Tara and Brooke. She then went on to beat Velvet for the Knockout's Championship. That is a sign of appreciation right there.

The gauntlet match on Impact last week showcased almost every woman in the company who might want a shot at Gail Kim. It looked good. According to quarterly ratings for that Impact, the segment which contained the second half of that match scored a 1.41, making it the top segment of the night. That segment also contained a backstage segment involving Bully Ray that lasted 2 minutes at most. 10 minutes of women wrestling or 2 minutes of Bully Ray, which really had the most to do with that high rating? Eye candy either way, isn't it? To put things in perspective, the second highest quarterly rating for that night was reported to be a 1.19. That is a huge difference. It looks like the Knockouts still have some power to draw. Impact scored a 1.15 overall, and this was against NFL action. Thanksgiving will be the biggest test to see if it can stay above 1.0.

Mickie James won the right to face Gail Kim. Like I said before, you can see that TNA does care about Mickie James. They didn't just book her to win, they also allowed her to go over 6 other women straight. That made her look good. This is the first televised match she has won since September. Everything else has been a few losses in tag matches and that Bound For Glory match, just being used in promos, or not being featured at all. I could say that I am bringing that up to show that TNA is not using Mickie James well enough, but this is actually for those who may say that she is used too much. She hadn't won an important match in over a month. If TNA really wanted to, they could have definitely have even inserted her in the title match between Gail Kim and Velvet Sky. I wouldn't say they are using her too much. And it is not just a matter of how much they use her, but also how well they are using her. That is another issue.

Gail Kim vs. Mickie James. You can see that TNA has to have this feud. Even before that 2009 match on Raw, people wanted to see these two feud. The WWE did not run with a feud. They teased that Gail might turn heel, dropped that angle, just tossed a random title match, and I am sure many remember what happened. TNA now has a chance to put these two in a real feud. Judging by how they treated Mickie James vs. Madison Rayne, this feud is going to be stretched out. That is a good thing, as long as they keep good focus, do not stretch it out for too long, and do not follow the exact same pattern as Mickie's only two major feuds in TNA so far. She feuds with the sidekick of the major heel, moves on to the major heel, and still has to contend with the sidekick, as well as foreign objects. Gail Kim obviously has a sidekick in Madison Rayne. I just hope they don't have Gail pick up some kind of weapon to be associated with her. Loaded glove, mist, and then? Duct tape? Am I serious?

Gail Kim is definitely in a better place now. With her, TNA is in an even better position to keep their women's division fresh, and with workers who are mostly experienced and solid. If they just do a better job at rotating who gets pushed, you can continue to have excellent feuds. Keep in mind, however, that they should always keep women like Gail Kim and Mickie James relevant somehow. Don't ruin their own ability to draw for you.

R-Truth Suspended

R-Truth has been suspended, which explains Awesome Truth breaking up on Raw this week. Same thing that got Evan Bourne. R-Truth will be out for a month.

In my opinion, this is much worse that Evan Bourne being suspended. Even though Evan and Kofi Kingston have the tag titles, Miz & R-Truth were the top tag team in the WWE. They were higher up the card, were being given more interesting storylines and feuds, and had a lot more potential. The real problem here is that the WWE actually broke up the team. They did not have to do that at all. Have the two heels try to attack Cena. Have Cena take care of them both. Considering that this is Cena, it would have been completely believable. Then have Cena put R-Truth through the announce table, or something like that. Use that to write R-Truth off with a kayfabe injury. Treat it as Cena being enraged at what The Rock had done to him at Survivor Series. This can then branch off to Miz seeking revenge for his tag partner being taken out by Cena. Did I mention tables? Table Match at TLC between Miz and Cena. Don't want to use tables? Even though there is a possibility that Big Show and Mark Henry might take the chairs, have Cena take out R-Truth with several chair shots. Have Miz attack Cena from behind with a chair the following week. Chair Match at TLC between Miz and Cena. Since the announce table has been used in the feud between Big Show and Mark Henry, you could easily continue in that direction to have their match be the Tables Match. In the end, Awesome Truth would not be broken up. In terms of storyline and creativity, the WWE could have handled this better.

There is one last point I want to make, which relates back to what I talked about yesterday about CM Punk still being outside the main event, despite winning the WWE Championship. This segment with Cena and Awesome Truth was the closing segment. Was it worth it? I believe not. Cena's promo was dull. I am not knocking his promo skills, but what he was out there to do was just not too exciting. He basically put over The Rock. After that, the way he led to Miz and R-Truth splitting up was also dull. Unless the WWE pulled the trigger on suspending R-Truth and writing him off like they did without much time to prepare, this was not a good promo for a closing segment. How about the attack on R-Truth itself? Once again, not too much. Had the WWE done more to develop these two guys, their eventual split and turning on each other may have been something epic enough to warrant closing the show. The way things turned out, I would have switched Punk's match with Cena's promo with Awesome Truth. That's right, demote Cena out of the main event segment for at least a night. After Punk defeated Dolph Ziggler, have Alberto Del Rio come out and either attack Punk, try to attack Punk and fail, or just stare him down from the stage. Hype the rematch. That would have been a smarter way to close Raw.

CM Punk: New Midcard WWE Champion

The only point I want to make now is simple and obvious, but it is one of the major things I am always bringing up when talking about the WWE and how they push their talent. CM Punk defeated Alberto Del Rio to win the WWE Championship once again. Noticed where his match with Dolph Ziggler was on Raw? Midcard.

Ziggler and Punk had a great, long match. I know wrestling fans loved that. Not going to complain. But looking at the positioning of the match in the card, you get an idea of where CM Punk still stands. He is the World Champion of Raw. He has a match against the U.S. Champion. Champion vs. Champion. Where is this match? Start of the second hour. Doesn't get the main-event segment and overtime. That illustrates what it really means to be a centerpiece. If the WWE was not so centerpiece-driven, Punk would be ending the show. Being WWE Champion does not automatically give you that attention. To put it simply, it may be a different World title, different opponents, and a different hairstyle, but this is 2008 for Punk all over again.

What about Alberto Del Rio? Obviously, he is not going to get released now. He still has a rematch with Punk. The WWE really has been ruining his character for a while now. The least they can do is hold Cena down for one night and have the Punk/Del Rio rematch be the main event of Raw. Even if Punk does retain, let Del Rio save some main-event credibility.

Big Show Vs. Mark Henry At Survivor Series

On this week's Smackdown, both Big Show and Mark Henry continued on their own individual paths of destruction. That is very good build for the title rematch coming up at Survivor Series. They are both monsters who are being built up as unstoppable.

That all being said, I will repeat my original complaint about this feud. It is leading up to another regular match at Survivor Series? It still seems like such a wasted opportunity to me. They broke the ring at their last PPV title match. Everyone knew a rematch would be coming. How could Big Show and Mark Henry possibly top that? That is the question that would draw. While building up to that rematch, you have them destroying other wrestlers to hype the collision that may be coming between these two. If you are going to put so much into this feud, which I do like, how could you have them go at after all this in another regular match? Last Man Standing would have been a good option, but that was already used recently. Still, I am sure the WWE could have thought of something. No Holds Barred?

So, how could the two possibly top breaking the ring in their last match? It would be stupid for the WWE to have the same exact thing happen again, just to lead to something like a Tables Match at TLC. I am still hoping for this match to once again end indecisively. Take it to TLC. Make it something extreme. After everything these two have been through this year against each other, how can it not be? Even if Big Show wins, a rematch for Mark Henry would still be coming. The worst thing that could happen is for Mark Henry to get the win on Big Show and move on to someone new at TLC. It can't end like that.

One last note, I see Beth vs. Eve is now a Lumberjill Match. Well played, WWE. It may not be that huge tag match I thought would make more sense either before Survivor Series or on the PPV card itself, but it gets those other women out there. More importantly, it might allow for the WWE to casually push Kelly Kelly back into the picture against Beth a little more. Only a matter if time before Kelly Kelly does regain the title, no matter who it is from.

Beth Phoenix Vs. Eve At Survivor Series: Eve Doesn't Even Matter

Eve is getting another title shot against Beth Phoenix at Survivor Series. I'm surprised they didn't just bother having the title match on Raw and pushing for a big tag match featuring divas from both brands at the PPV. If you are going to draw a feud out like this, it would be nice to actually develop it.

What was pushed on this week's Raw? Kelly Kelly and Maxim. Once again, I doubt the WWE has given up on her as centerpiece. But did they really need to feature her in even the diva match on Raw? It was a short match, but Kelly Kelly still won it. What about Eve? She was just there. If they didn't want to go for a tag match at Survivor Series, they should have least have had a tag match on Raw or Smackdown that featured Eve, Kelly Kelly, Alicia Fox, and possibly another one or two faces going against Beth Phoenix, Natalya, Tamina, and possibly Rosa or The Bellas. I've read the Smackdown spoilers. Nothing from Eve. The heels gained some momentum, but that does not mean too much here. Kelly Kelly has more hype around her right now than the face going after the Diva's Championship.

It would be really funny if Eve, with all the lack of attention and build she has gotten, is booked to win the title. I could say that I don't understand why the WWE is treating Eve like this, but that would be untrue. Eve is the face credible jobber here. She is Kelly Kelly's sidekick. The WWE could easily do more to give Eve fairer hype and a better chance to get over, but they do not. That is not how the diva division has worked for over 13 years now, and it doesn't look like it is changing for the better. Given that the WWE is still promoting Kelly Kelly, the only reason for a title change would be if someone was turning heel. Having Eve win it just to drop it to another heel to drop to Kelly Kelly would make sense too, but seems too convoluted. Beth's momentum may have been running dry recently with how the WWE is pushing her, but she is still top heel and Kelly Kelly might still stand to look best by going over her to regain the title. Eve, once again, just seems to be filler.

Morrison Continues Against Ziggler

Following John Morrison's losing streak being snapped against Dolph Ziggler last week, John Morrison was once again involved in Ziggler matters this week. He tossed Ziggler back to Mason Ryan after Ziggler had lost that match by DQ.

Love that. The WWE is following through with John Morrison, and in the same direction that would make most sense after he beat the United States Champion. Will this whole storyline go in the same way as the one Sheamus got earlier this year? Remember that losing streak? Sheamus ended up winning the same title. Titles are not everything, but putting a title on Morrison right now might make it easier to keep good attention on him. Having him enter a feud with Alberto Del Rio or something with Miz & R-Truth may be worth more, but I'm sure Morrison fans would rather want a title now. Considering that Ziggler has held the title for a while and looks to be entering his own losing streak, he may be dropping that soon.

There is, however, a dark cloud. Woo Woo Woo, You Know It! Sorry, I just don't like that guy. Not that my opinion matters. As far as my analysis goes, he has still earned his overness and has been mistreated by the WWE. Having him beat Ziggler for the title might be a great moment. The fact that they a had a brief segment with him to mention his petition for another title shot pretty much shows that he is not out of the picture completely.

Three-way feud coming up? Ziggler vs. Morrison vs. Ryder? I didn't mention Mason Ryan being put back into the title hunt, but I really do not want to see it. He looks like a waste of time. Why waste time on filler when two over faces are there with more potential? Besides, you will have 3 faces going after one heel Champion. Not unheard of, but aren't there other heels you can add in? How about Jack Swagger himself? That would help push the split in that little team. And Brodus Clay? He's coming any week now. Six-pack match for the United States Championship. How about you hang it high enough that you might need a ladder to get it? Sounds like a good match for TLC. Still, I would rather it just stay with Ziggler vs. Morrison vs. Ryder.

Mick Foley Returns To Raw

Mick Foley made his televised return to Raw tonight. It was a special Raw featuring The Rock, so why not? He had a segment with John Cena which was a repeat of what he did with The Rock over a decade ago. John Cena, This Is Your Life! Pretty crappy segment, but it was meant to be. It made it even better when The Rock came out and gave Mick Foley the Rock Bottom. I may be a Mick Foley fan, but that is what made the segment great.

And what really made the segment awful? It was more promoting how great and respectable John Cena is. Was that really necessary? I especially love how John Cena said that he does not tell the fans how to feel about him. I will agree, that is true. Problem is, by having John Cena say things like that, side with Zack Ryder, admit that he's hated and he rises above it, and all those fancy tricks, the WWE is pretty much trying to convince the fans that John Cena is a respectable guy. Telling someone something, whether you do it yourself or have someone do it for you, is not often enough to convince them of that thing. Actions speak louder than words. Have Cena act better than this.

Obviously, it will not work. It never works. It gets really annoying that they keep doing this. It is not refreshing to bring in Mick Foley to do it, Triple H, Jim Ross, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan, or whomever else the WWE might have in mind to put Cena over as a guy you must respect. It sure is not entertaining either. Main question is, is it drawing? Is this John Cena a John Cena who can draw? I'm not saying turn him heel, but if this stale method of making him look respectable is not working to silence his boos, how about you seriously go a different path?

Changing subjects to something not entirely related to pro wrestling, this is for any Mickie James fans out there. Did you know Mickie James topped the Itunes Country music chart in Finland one day last month? Proof is here. That website has been keeping track of Itunes charts from 23 countries across multiple genres since 2010. I came across it back in September. Mickie James had not yet topped any charts yet. Not that I never thought she would ever get there, but I expected one of her future songs would get there, provided it would get good promotion. I was pleasantly surprised to see her get there now. Just look at that chart. "Hardcore Country" is #1 on a legitimate music chart containing names like Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, and other legends and heavyweights of mainstream Country. A song with lead vocals by Mickie James, which also happens to be her TNA theme song, has topped a chart. Wow! Being an independent musician doesn't just mean that you are not making big bucks, it also means you are usually not getting the big hype and ability to promote yourself as well as the big names. For Mickie James to get there, even if for only a day and only in Finland (no offense to Finland), she should be proud. I'm not sure if she knows about it or not. I don't recall her mentioning it on Twitter. I never saw wrestling news sites or message boards mention it. I even made use of that mighty ancient Hindu deity, Google, but did not see anyone talking about it. If she can get better luck promoting herself in the future, she can definitely have even more success. Whether or not it works out, Mickie James is a chart topper.

Team Orton Vs. Team Barrett At Survivor Series

I said to expect inconsistencies and things to get a little messy around Survivor Series, but I never expected this. The big Survivor Series elimination tag match at the PPV will be Team Orton vs. Team Barrett.

Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Barrett is getting the push. But these are the captains of the teams? Orton and Barrett? I first figured it would be Christian and Sheamus. They had been feuding for months now. Not only that, they have both held World Championships in the WWE multiple times, as well as other honors. They had the credibility to lead teams. I know about the reports of Christian being injured recently, but they still were not heading in the direction of booking the match like this prior to the injury. If they want to make Randy Orton a captain, I can understand that. He is still top face of Smackdown. But how about making the captain of the heel team the guy he was just feuding with, Cody Rhodes? Not only would it make sense in terms of some continuity, but Cody is the Intercontinental Champion. That gives him some credibility. Barrett has the credibility of being a former Intercontinental Champion, former leader of Nexus/Corre, and has been in some PPV main events. But what has he done lately? They were just starting to rebuild him. This is a huge step in that rebuild. I also think it is unnecessary.

What would I have done? Team Orton vs. Team Rhodes. Wade Barrett would definitely be in the match too, but he does not have to lead his team. Have him be the soul survivor of the victorious heel team or last heel eliminated by the winning face team. That still makes him look impressive. He could then branch off to a feud with Orton.

Orton's feud with Cody Rhodes was disappointing. I knew not to expect great things to branch off from this for Cody Rhodes. But how the feud itself progressed was pretty dull. Good workers. Cody looked good at times. The problem? Just ended too soon and development was held back at times by Orton still going after Mark Henry. Cody looked a lot better during his feud with Rey Mysterio earlier. I hope they at least start giving him a good Intercontinental title feud now.

In a completely unrelated topic, I heard a "report" that Natalya and Beth Phoenix are going to enter a feud over the Diva's Championship. Given the source, I will wait to see what happens. 40% of me does not believe that these two will be entering a feud over the title. 40% of me believes it will be as mediocre as Jillian/Melina or Natalya/Melina, not to mention still be overshadowed by possibly Kelly Kelly. 20% of me believes this may be actually the turning point of the diva division to something respectable. Are all those poor ratings on Raw leading to a change? Is TNA's KO division developing even further leading to the WWE making better use of as much of their diva roster as possible, similar to TNA? It could happen. I'm just not convinced just yet. The partnering between Beth and Natalya definitely would have to end sooner or later. With Natalya losing so much recently, some may make the assumption that the split will happen now and you will have some kind of feud similar to LayCool earlier this year. LayCool were centerpieces. Beth and Natalya are credible jobbers. That is what really makes me doubt that I will see an elaborate storyline between these two heels.

Roode/Storm And Orton/Christian

This feud between Robert Roode and James Storm in TNA has this Orton/Christian-like vibe to it. Since I spent so much time talking about Orton/Christian earlier this year, I pretty much have to look at Roode/Storm.

Roode was the one who won the opportunity to face Kurt Angle for the World title. Even though Angle was hurting, he still retained the title there. Next thing you know, James Storm, the other half of Beer Money, is the one getting the title shot. He beats Kurt Angle for the title. Angle is off to heal, but that is another story. What about Roode? TNA had spent so long building up his title match against Kurt Angle. He was the face, the TNA Original, who was finally going to get the opportunity he deserved. He failed to win, but his partner didn't. Roode gets the opportunity against Storm, cheats, wins the title, and is now heel. James Storm's title reign ends abruptly.

Sound familiar? It is not an exact clone of what happened with Orton/Christian, but it is similar. Christian was a face who had just won his first major World title in the WWE. Fans were excited. The WWE books him to lose the title a few weeks after he loses it to Smackdown's new centerpiece, Randy Orton. This leads to a long, elaborate storyline that involves Christian turning heel and eventually regaining the title for a few weeks, only to lose it back to Orton.

First of all, you have short title reigns involved. A lot of people viewed WWE's booking of Christian as an insult. Especially when you consider the guy he was feuding with, it was clear who mattered more in the WWE's book. Storm's reign was short, but that is something TNA is known to do a lot. They have given short title reigns to Sting, Anderson, Jeff Hardy, Mickie James, Winter, and other such names. Obviously, these people are not being screwed over for the benefit of one centerpiece.

That is the second thing. Orton mattered more to the WWE in the Orton/Christian saga. Who matters more in Roode/Storm? Is there really a centerpiece involved? TNA is usually better at passing the ball around. Had the WWE been more like that, Christian's first reign, as well as his second, would have been better booked. In what has been going on in TNA right now, I don't feel you have one person unfairly treated for the benefit of the other guy. I don't feel you have one person being built up to put over another who is truly meant to surpass him by far. While the WWE screws over the booking of some individuals to let a centerpiece shine, TNA is once again showing that it is a little more fair than that. That does not mean they are necessarily entertaining, pushing the right people the right way, or build things up properly, but they are not trying to create a WWE-like centerpiece in what is going on.

You also have a heel turn. Christian's heel turn was drawn out over weeks and weeks after his first title reign ended on Smackdown. They developed it to the point where he attacked Orton and officially turned heel, then kept feuding for the title. TNA did something a little different. The heel turn for Roode came a short time after he failed to win the title from Angle, and it came at the very moment when he actually did win his first TNA World Championship. But there was development for that turn as well. It came while Roode was feuding with Angle. TNA did a good job of building up Roode to win the title, including having other wrestlers put him over. When he failed to beat Angle, you could almost feel his disappointment. A lot of TNA fans definitely did. And then his own partner and friend, James Storm, wins the title? There is your reason to have him turn heel. The WWE really did not do a great job building Christian up in this same way prior to beat Alberto Del Rio to win the title for the first time earlier this year. How could they? It was supposed to be Edge's push, but he was retiring. Nevertheless, that was still Christian's moment. If the WWE really did care about taking advantage of the situation to create the type of storyline Roode/Storm have now, they would not have had Christian win the title back from Orton in the crappy way he did and still screw over the booking of the second reign. Roode's character looks much stronger than Christian's.

Which feud do I prefer? Not that I am a huge TNA fan or big fan of any of these guys, except Orton, but I prefer how TNA has handled their storyline over how the WWE handled Orton/Christian. Again, I am not saying it is entertaining or TNA is flawless in how they are handling every aspect of this, but I like how it seems to be going so far. I am sure TNA hardcore fans love that TNA Originals are now holding the World title again.

CM Punk's Feud Against Alberto Del Rio

I'm not going to complain about more lack of focus and straight direction from last night's Raw right now. I'm going to switch gears and talk about something that does have a clear focus. CM Punk will feud with Alberto Del Rio over the WWE Championship.

Issues between these two have existed in kayfabe for months now. Del Rio won his first WWE Championship from CM Punk at Summerslam. After Hell in a Cell, I still would have built Punk to continue a singles feud against Alberto Del Rio, who had won the title back from John Cena. Have John Cena's feud with Miz & R-Truth (Awesome Truth) develop since then. In other words, I would have switched around how the WWE did end up handling things. Whatever the case, we still end up with Del Rio and Punk feuding and Cena and Awesome Truth feuding. Not surprisingly, Cena's feud is the main feud.

That is the main point I want to make. CM Punk is involved in a midcard feud over the WWE title, while Cena/Rock gets the build in the main event. I'm not complaining about that. The Rock is more important than CM Punk right now. But this is 2008 all over again for CM Punk. That year, CM Punk's first World title reign on Raw was treated as a midcard push. He was still being trumped by John Cena's feuds, made to look weak frequently, rarely got featured in the main event unless someone the WWE cared more about was also in some way part of the segment, and how the reign ended just speaks for itself. This current feud is not as horrible as that, but it is still under John Cena. How far have we come since that magical night in Chicago? This all does not surprise me at all.

Even though this feud with CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio has a clear direction as compared to many other rivalries developing, it still seems to be lacking the hype a WWE title feud should presumably get. It has a storyline to it. Alberto Del Rio is playing a cowardly heel who does not want to face Punk and his hiding behind his ring announcer. Not the character I like seeing from Del Rio, but so be it. Even though some may complain about CM Punk losing a lot of steam, he is still getting multiple segment time, although what he is doing right now is not as controversial and more tamed. In other words, it probably will not draw. When you come right down to it, this is still one of the best things going on Raw right now. Only Rock/Cena is being pushed better than it. Too much poor focus on the "Michael Cole Challenge" and Brodus Clay. Nothing is coming up there as of yet. The WWE should really consider developing the WWE title feud more. So much potential there that has not yet been completely lost sight of.

John Morrison's 2011 Losing Streak Ends

As I said last week, you can usually expect things to be a little messy around this time of year. I don't mind leaving a little room for that and not being too hard on the WWE. Nevertheless, this Raw once again looked like an inconsistent mess. The direction the WWE seems to be going for several storylines seems very shaky.

With so much I could talk about, I decided to bring up John Morrison's losing streak coming to an end through his victory over Dolph Ziggler. He had been losing for months, which led many to speculate on him possibly being punished, on his way out of the company, and even potentially being the one jobbing to Brodus Clay tonight. I'm glad the losing streak is finally over. Wasn't very entertaining. The commentators were putting over that losing streak, and even though he did go over the United States Champion, I still feel more could have been done to develop this first victory to be worth more. The match was good, but I have definitely seen Morrison in better, without even bringing in his fancy stunts.

One thing I could not believe, they actually teased Dolph Ziggler possibly having a losing streak now? He lost to Zack Ryder last week. So what if he loses to John Morrison this week? There have been a lot worse than that. This can all be leading to the split of Ziggler from Vickie Guerrero and Jack Swagger, who won his match on Raw.

I have to bring up that inconsistency with who Ziggler is feuding with. Riley, Ryder, Ryan. It seems like the WWE is still building back up for a rematch with Zack Ryder again, but the development in that direction could have been better. Ryder was in the main event tonight, teaming with Cena to face Miz & R-Truth. A good enough feud is not really developing between Ziggler and Ryder in terms of a storyline. It's all Internet, isn't it? Having Morrison beat Ziggler tonight just makes things even more complicated. If you wanted to end Morrison's losing streak, there definitely were other options. If they wanted him to go over someone with some credibility, not an absolute jobber, have him be the one beating Swagger tonight. Have Ziggler beat Santino. Or have Morrison enter a feud with Otunga and beat him on Raw. The way things are working out, they might as well have Morrison feud with Ziggler over the title too. What else does Morrison have to do? Seems rushed and not built well at all. It almost looks like the WWE is more concerned with what may be coming up after the title feud, not developing a good title feud itself. If they fail to develop a good rivalry between Ziggler and Swagger over this, a good midcard title reign for Ryder, or John Morrison entering a good midcard feud after his losing streak was broken, this lack of clear focus would not have been worth it.

Promotion Denied

In my endless quest to articulate my diva theory in different ways in the hopes that new readers may find it easier to understand or some readers may one day use it in a discussion on the diva division to help others get a better understanding of what is going on, I want to talk in terms of certain job terms.

First, when it comes to understanding what the WWE is doing with the diva division, there are basically three classes of divas. There are centerpieces, periphery divas, and credible jobbers. That is my terminology. I am not getting this off of Dave Meltzer or Vince McMahon. What good is making up terminology without explaining what the words mean? The classes or positions within the diva division are dependent on whether or not the WWE wants the diva over and how they will support their overness, if they do want them over. If the WWE does not really want you around to push you to become over, you are a credible jobber. If the WWE wants you over by making you the prime focus of the actual diva division and title matters in the division, you are a centerpiece. If the WWE is supporting your overness through storylines, rubs, and hype predominantly on the sidelines of the main diva feuds, you are a periphery diva.

Second, the divas don't change positions weekly. A single diva may appear to be a centerpiece one week, being pushed on the periphery the next, and look like a jobber after that. What decides how the WWE really views them and is using them? You have to look at how they are pushed over time. Not a week or two, but months and months. Look at the circumstances in which they are being pushed. Look at the qualities they possess. Look at what seems to be the most consistent features of their use in the WWE. If they spend most of the time in the course of a year holding the title or chasing after it, centerpiece. If they spend the time mostly wrestling guys, not women, periphery. If it looks like an inconsistent mess of pushes, depushes, storylines that are poorly hyped and possibly end abruptly, Mickie James. Oh, excuse me! I mean, jobber.

Now, with all the terminology planted, let me move onto what I really want to talk about. There is sometimes movement between the classes. I don't know how good a job I've done in making that clear in the past. If I am going to talk about changing positions within a company, why not use job terminology?

Demotions. Instead of moving up the ranks, you are sent down. You cannot really be demoted below being a credible jobber. That is the lowest position. You can go from being a jobber who was built up to put over a centerpiece to a jobber without even that much attention, but you were still a credible jobber the whole time. The clearest examples of demotions come from failed centerpieces. Candice Michelle and Maryse are the two best examples of this. Both were pushed as centerpieces at one time, both suffered numerous injuries, both failed to maintain a solid performance in the ring, both lost the WWE's support to become and stay as over as possible, and both are now gone.

Promotions. Funny thing about that. Usually, workers get a promotion when they prove they deserve it and can handle it. In my weird world, that is how it works. Things are not exactly like that in the diva division. The best example of promotions in the diva division is the creation of centerpieces. Sable, the first centerpiece, was being developed well on the sidelines of the actual wrestling matters in the women's division before they promoted her and pushed her to win the Women's Championship. The exact same thing is true for Trish Stratus. Both women were given storylines to develop their character and sell their sex appeal even before becoming centerpieces. Both were used as valets and in feuds not involving the title at first. They were given periphery treatment. Instead of really proving that they are at the level of real wrestlers before the WWE desiring them to be centerpiece, the WWE already is intent on making them a success and will help to build them into great wrestlers through centerpiece booking.

What about credible jobbers being promoted to being centerpieces or at least periphery treatment? If you are wondering about women who seem to debut in the periphery (usually as valets) and become credible jobbers after that, keep in mind what I said before about having to pay attention to how a diva is treated over time. A lot of credible jobbers will debut with some hype in a position outside of the title feud. They are not needed to put over the centerpiece as of yet, but if the WWE is not pushing them to become as over as possible from their periphery position, it is only a matter of time before they start jobbing. Let me go back to part of the original question I just asked. Promoting a credible jobber to periphery treatment? If the diva has been loyal, is doing a great job, and is very over, giving them at least periphery treatment would be great. That has never happened yet. Lita was a real wrestler pushed on the periphery. Thing is, that is where she started out. There was no centerpiece in place when she debuted. She was not a credible jobber who got promoted to periphery treatment. Chyna was not a credible jobber promoted to periphery treatment either. Needless to say, no traditional credible jobber, which means those with wrestling experience prior to the WWE used to put over the model centerpiece, has ever been promoted to being a centerpiece.

Interim centerpieces. I've used that term before. If you follow any sports, you probably hear "interim" all the time. The WWE has even given some superstars "interim" positions of power in storylines. In football, you might have an interim coach. The position is just temporary. The same kind of thing happens in the booking of the diva division. When the centerpiece is injured, has flopped, left the company, is getting a storyline where they do not need to be in the title feud, or anything else like this, the WWE will push an interim centerpiece. Once again, just temporary. Let me step back for a second. Sometimes, if that interim coach does a really good job, they take the "interim" off and make him a regular coach. That is somewhat like a promotion. That never happens in the diva division. The WWE will frequently use a credible jobber to be an interim centerpiece when they need one. How many times has the "interim" come off for these women and they continue to be pushed as a real centerpiece, not just filler? Never.

If there was ever a woman in the diva division who deserved to be promoted up from being a credible jobber, it is Mickie James. That is not the Mickie James fan in me talking. That is the realist talking. I honestly believe people should have to earn promotions, not have them handed to them because the bosses want to make you into something awesome without you really proving you can handle it or deserve it first. Sadly, that is how pro wrestling sometimes works. Mickie James debuted as a credible jobber in an elaborate storyline designed to put over Trish Stratus. After that, she was used at least twice as an interim centerpiece and used to put over the likes of Michelle McCool and Maryse. Not only was she loyal to the WWE and hardworking, she brought the results centerpieces and periphery divas are supposed to get through the WWE's treatment of them. As a credible jobber, she was bringing these results without proper support from the WWE. I sincerely doubt Mickie's inability to get the promotion out the low class she debuted in was because of all the fancy stories dirtsheets have given. As I said before, no credible jobber ever gets promoted to the centerpiece position. Moreover, if you actually look at her career, those pushes and depushes she received match more closely to how they would have pushed her even if she was not over, not punishments or depushes because of injury. Besides that, just take a look at Zack Ryder and how hard it has been for that guy to get used right. He gained his overness on his own. Does the WWE automatically treat him well? Nope. Same thing with Mickie James. Instead of promoting her up the ranks, they used her up and spat her out. That was not smart business at all. It just goes to show how rigid and unfair the diva division is.

Let me just summarize what I did here. I laid out the three classes of divas in the WWE based on how the WWE treats them. You have centerpieces, periphery divas, and credible jobbers. I then talked about movement between these classes using terms traditionally used in discussing career advancement. You do a good job, you might get promoted. If you are not measuring up, you get demoted. If the company needs a temporary worker to do a job, you get someone to fill the interim position. The main point I wanted to illustrate is that the WWE is very classist in how they handle things. There are definitely divas in the WWE whose main purpose is to put over who the WWE wants to be the major successes, not be a major success themselves. In this articulation of my usual diva theory, you can say the major crime of Mickie James in the WWE to get her treated as she was simply was her belonging to the class that is never meant to succeed.

Evan Bourne Suspended

Wellness violation. He will be out for a month. One half of the Tag Team Champions will be out for a whole month. What will the WWE do? They can either write Evan off as "injured" and run an angle where Kofi continues defending the title with a replacement partner, or they can have the two drop the titles on Raw next week and have Evan Bourne's suspension officially start after that.

I would prefer they drop the titles. I think it is the smoothest way to go. But who gets the titles? Swagger and Ziggler? I don't think so. Not who I would give it to. I would give it to Miz and R-Truth. They are the main heel tag team in the WWE right now. They beat Evan Bourne and Kofi Kingston just last month. Yes, because they are the main heel tag team, in the main event, getting all that hype, and whatever else, that all does not mean they need the tag titles, but I think it will give them back some momentum heading into Survivor Series. That does not mean that their match against Rock & Cena will be for the titles. Was Orton vs. Rhodes from Vengeance for the Intercontinental title? No. It would just make the match more interesting. Can The Rock and John Cena coexist to defeat the Tag Champions? That is an interesting question, even though the answer is obvious. What is the alternative? Can The Rock and John Cena coexist to squash two guys John Cena could probably beat on his own? Yeah, just give Awesome Truth the titles.

I read a fan somewhere make the comment that Evan Bourne screwed up the revival of the tag division by getting himself suspended. That is not the case. The WWE did hype that Air Boom was revitalizing the division many months ago, but nothing was really coming off that. It was all hype and overrating the situation. There were not enough tag teams for a proper revival. Hell, the few tag teams who were getting pushed consisted of guys who are more known for what they have accomplished in singles pushes and who will most likely be pushed by themselves again before the end of next year. This is not a true revival at all. Bourne and Kingston definitely were losing momentum. They were still popular, but the WWE's booking of them was losing steam. Not surprising. Point is, I do not blame Evan Bourne for the "tag team revival" possibly failing. It was doomed to fail from the start and the WWE was already sending it downhill.

October is over. I want to talk ratings. Why not? The Halloween Raw is said to have scored a 3.1. The week prior to that had a very good 3.31. Average those two, not surprisingly, you get around a 3.2. Raw averaged around a 3.16 for October. Compared to some other years, that is somewhat better. Nevertheless, not good enough to save the WWE from having their worst ratings for Raw in over a decade. You should also keep in mind that the WWE has brought out some of their big guns heading into Survivor Series, including The Rock and Michael Cole. Michael Cole? Yep, they're screwed. Smackdown's average in October was above a 2.1, which is above the current yearly average. That helps to keep it strong. If ratings do get killed again when Orton eventually wins back the title, the WWE might want to consider permanently replacing him as centerpiece, or run a new model where they rotate centerpieces better. TNA rotates, but it does not seem to be helping too much in sparing them harsh criticism from their loyal fans. Impact has averaged about a 1.13 last month. It is still on track to having the best yearly average in the company's history and it has yet to drop below a 1.0 for a weekly rating. The WWE isn't in danger of failing anytime soon, but they need to do something to start heading back up in the ratings. If they start to panic when they see low numbers and make stupid mistakes, then things really can get bad for them.

Raw's Halloween Muppet Mess

You can usually expect things to get a little convoluted around Survivor Series. They have to start combining feuds to promote those tag matches coming up at the PPV. That is one thing. Looking over what happened on Raw last night, things seemed like an even more unexpected mess, and without even bringing in the Muppets.

First, Raw started off with The Rock answering John Cena's invitation to team with him at Survivor Series. He danced around it a while, then accepted. That is not surprising at all. In fact, given that it was already advertised that he would be wrestling at the event, you could just say it was all just useless ceremony to make it official for those who might not have seen it coming. Besides, you get to see The Rock live on Raw! Via satellite, of course.

They have a battle royal to find another challenger for Beth Phoenix. Eve wins. Again? They showed signs of building up Alicia Fox, but they go with Eve again? Nothing against Eve, but how about giving Smackdown's diva roster more shots at the title to make the feuds fresh? It is all just filler anyway. Once again, unless the WWE has lost confidence in Kelly Kelly or someone is turning heel, they are just building Beth's credibility and momentum up still.

Ryder or Ryan? Zack or Mason? Woo Woo Woo or Batista clone? Zack Ryder picked up another win against Dolph Ziggler, the US Champion. If they are planning to give him the title, fine. My problem is all this flip flopping. It is getting really annoying now. They could have developed a really good feud with either one of these faces, but they have created this mess. Who do they want the average fans to connect with? Zack Ryder is already over. He gained that overness on his own through his web show, which is why the WWE has not been very good on pushing him. They didn't want him over. Is this going to be one of those situations where the WWE bends to the desire of the vocal fans?

That brings me to the last point I want to make. The Michael Cole Challenge. It was postponed. Jim Ross commented that he was in Atlanta, where Raw was held last night, but was not used. Didn't seem like there was too much time for that elaborate segment anyway. Nevertheless, they still had Cole humiliate Jim Ross a little more to add heat to the feud. Cole has never been one who has had trouble getting a reaction, same goes for Jim Ross. Both are relative equals in how the WWE uses them. One is not being used to simply make the other look good. Still, all this bullying of Jim Ross is really getting old now. Not just in terms of the storylines, but just tossing him around when and where you want him in general. But let me get back to my main point. The WWE bending to the desire of vocal fans once again? They fired Jim Ross in kayfabe, then brought him back the next week. The reason being given is that fans hated what happened to Jim Ross. And now Jim Ross is being given a push? Do they really think that this is a good feud to push? I know Michael Cole got some high ratings earlier in the year against Lawler, but they are trying it with JR now? Let's see how this one plays out.