Sting Returns In 2013

When it comes to talking about how TNA runs their product, the main theme is rotation. They rotate who the centerpieces of their various divisions are. I don't see that as a good thing. They also rotate something else, their legends.

Sting is returning in 2013. How many times has Sting returned and left during just his TNA years? The same goes with Hulk Hogan. How many times have the two rotated who is running the show? Sting and Hulk Hogan are the two top legends that are a part of this company. It is understandable why they would hype them coming and going, gaining and losing power, and everything else. But it does become old after a while. And lame.

I respect Sting, but what is putting so much on him and Hogan really doing? The ratings for 2012 were sad. While showing so much inconsistency in developing the guys underneath the two legends, going up and down with the two legends has led to nothing. TNA should get a small bump in the ratings for Sting coming back, unless fans have gotten tired of it and it has lost its ability to draw. But how will TNA keep the ball rolling after? That is where they will mess up. What then? Hogan bumps his knee on a trash can, goes away for 2 weeks, then TNA hypes the epic return to battle of Hulk Hogan? 

And now, I am going to talk about something completely unrelated to what I was just talking about. What is the difference between being one of the greats and being one of the greatest? Not just in pro wrestling, but in almost any field. I want to give my take on that with my final post of 2012. To me, the greats go out there and succeed. They reach that pinnacle of success. The greatest do it in interesting ways. They overcome the greatest obstacles. They go above and beyond the call of duty. Whether that manifests itself in reaching that height of success multiple times, beating opponents that everyone thought were unbeatable, or accomplishing something that goes beyond what they set out to do, the greatest go further than the pinnacle.

And with that, best wishes in the new year.

Layla Has Gotten Better

Layla is definitely the most improved eye-candy diva in terms of in-ring ability to be used as a credible jobber, never as a true centerpiece. Of course, 2012 has not been the year where she has been used the best. The WWE featured her best when she was teamed with Michelle McCool. That angle lasted over a year, but the bulk came in 2010. I want to compare that period in her career to the current one.

Teaming Layla with Michelle McCool was the biggest thing to happen to Layla. Prior to that, she was just a minor periphery diva. Alicia Fox was originally Michelle McCool's sidekick. Alicia went to Raw. McCool was still having trouble connecting with the fans in the manner you would expect of a centerpiece. It is not surprising that they would find another sidekick for McCool. And they actually treated her and Layla as a team. LayCool. Together, this pair was treated as the centerpiece. Layla won some titles and started to improve in the ring. When McCool left in 2011, the WWE tried developing Kelly Kelly as the centerpiece. Layla was soon out with a long injury.

Layla came back this year. She has really shown that she is better in the ring. Thing is, what are they pushing her as? LayCool was pushed as the centerpiece. When you take away McCool, who was pushed as centerpiece before Layla joined her, where would that leave Layla? Even though Layla won the title as soon as she returned and had a long reign, she was not featured properly during the run and has been lost in the shuffle since putting over Eve. That is pretty much the career of a credible jobber. The WWE is going to show more consistency with the centerpiece, less with the credible jobber. It reaffirms whom the WWE really wanted to be the top star of LayCool. If they really viewed Layla as McCool's equal, they would have featured her better during her last title run, at the very least. And I would imagine that they would try to find some periphery angle to keep her fresh and develop her. She doesn't need to be pushed as hard as AJ.

Out of Eve and Layla, who should be centerpiece? This is one of those situations where the woman you don't choose would definitely still have the ability to be a good centerpiece. Neither of them currently have the overness to be a truly successful centerpiece, but the WWE will eventually be successful in making it happen.

What Has Become Of The Tag Revival?

It was obvious that the revival of the tag division would only last for so long. I think you should still give the WWE some credit for keeping it going as long as they have. Recently, it seems like that revival has really slipped away.

Kane and Daniel Bryan are obviously still the top team. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow are still alive. Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio are not reliable right now. The Shield have more going on than just making the tag division look good. Other than these teams, just about every other team consists of lower-midcarders. Go back a few weeks to that 4-way match to find which team would face Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio at TLC. The Prime Time Players, The Usos, Primo and Epico, and Rhodes Scholars went at it. It was obvious who would win that match. The other three teams all had better interest on them when the tag revival first started. They are also lower-midcarders that frequently have gotten lost in the shuffle since then and used as jobbers to the bigger teams.

These teams and a few others still do get featured now and then, but a lot of it is just filler. No real feuds and angles involved. They just go at it in filler matches. It's worth about as much as filler singles matches. Would you be content with more diva matches if it was just filler? Imagine the WWE running two diva matches every show. One would involve either the centerpiece or a top periphery diva to further the top diva feud or storyline. The other would involve credible jobbers or eye-candy periphery divas in a filler match. These women would still get an opportunity to perform, but they are not getting the proper treatment to become as over as those centerpieces and top periphery divas would get and there is no guarantee that these same lowly opportunities would be there next week. No improvement in the diva division, even though they are featuring more matches. That is how I view the current state of the tag division. Yeah, more teams are getting featured, but a lot of it is filler or using the lower-midcard teams to put over the teams they want to be the stars.

There is really no hope to expect a better tag division revival. You really just have to hope that the WWE keeps together these big teams and possibly makes some new ones, which would then replace the ones that end up splitting. No offense, but if the WWE ever puts the titles on The Usos, or any other lower-midcard team, the revival will be even more dead than it is now. They will not treat them properly.

How Much Longer For Mysterio?

Whether it is injuries, suspensions, or other issues, you really don't see as much of Rey Mysterio in recent years than you might like. Going by how popular he is and the fact that he can still work well in the ring, the WWE must also not be liking the lack of 619.

How much longer does Rey have before he should retire? One more strike with drugs would send him away, but that is not something to predict. Even though this is a worker that the WWE should be trying to push and develop storylines for, the fact that he can no longer be a true regular would make them think twice about developing  anything too long-term for him. How many times has a wrestler in the middle of a big push gotten injured or suspended? It causes a lot of reshuffling. Recent months are filled with examples of what I mean. Should Rey work a limited schedule, like The Undertaker? Maybe not as limited as that, but the WWE should start only planning short, but still relevant, feuds for him sporadically. It's better than having more elaborate feuds ruined. Rey Mysterio is pretty much done as a regular full-time worker.

It would have been nice to see Rey and Sin Cara win the tag titles. It might still happen sometime down the road. You also have a lot of fans who want to see those two go at it at Wrestlemania. The WWE still might try that in a few months, but I don't think the build would be as good as it would have been if both Rey and Sin Cara didn't have issues. Sin Cara seems to already be following the path of Rey, and his career hasn't even gone to far in the WWE yet. He's another topic. Aside from the tag titles, I don't see a need to force another World title on Rey for a "thank you" run. Would be nice, and Rey definitely has the credibility to be a contender at any time, but I'm not a fan of tossing a title to every popular worker who is about to retire. It's not necessary. Save it to make it mean more in those special circumstances. I'm not going to say too much more about what the WWE should do with Rey before he does retire, including who his final feud should potentially be against. Point is, being semi-retired isn't the same as a full retirement. I just feel now is the time to just accept Rey as semi-retired.

And with that, Merry Christmas.

Big Show Heading Into 2013 With The Title

 

 It has been a while since I talked about Jinder Mahal. Not going to start now.

Aside from his ECW Championship run, this has to be the best reign Big Show has had with a World title in the WWE. His previous runs were short. His current run is going to head into 2013. He has also been winning some of his title defenses cleanly. You can compare it to the kind of title push Mark Henry got last year. Mark Henry was built up strong for a few months, inducting guys into his "Hall of Pain". He eventually won the World's Heavyweight Championship, had a good reign, and didn't exactly completely unplug him after. Big Show's monster push really started with his "iron-clad contract" angle. That dominance has carried over to where he is now.

What more should they be doing? I would say to move on from Sheamus, but injuries and other issues has taken away a lot of potential top faces. Other good choices are tied into feuds, like Kane and Daniel Bryan. This would also be a good time to have Ryback set his sights on Big Show, but CM Punk's injury prolonging his feud with Ryback and the feud with The Shield are in the way there. If they are serious with turning Alberto Del Rio face, a feud with Big Show would be good. I'm not talking about just one title defense. All things considered, the WWE is doing the best they can with what they have.

When will Big Show lose it? Dolph Ziggler is still waiting around. Will Sheamus win the title back, then immediately lost it to Ziggler? That can branch into a feud between those two. You can imagine the change happening at Elimination Chamber. After that grueling match, whoever has the title then has to defend it against Mr. Money In The Bank. Fact is, the WWE still has a few months to tease Ziggler doing it. Until then, Big Show's run will only be good as long as they have fresh opponents. If they can't deliver, end it and let a new face feud with some of the heels, especially younger ones like Wade Barrett.

Last thing I want to talk about, this year has featured no new World Champions in the WWE. CM Punk held the WWE Championship all year. Daniel Bryan came into the year with the World's Heavyweight Championship, lost it to Sheamus, who was a former WWE Champion, and he lost it to Big Show, who has also held World titles before. The WWE had an opportunity to put the title on Ryback, even if just to shake things up a little before giving it back to Punk to face The Rock at the Royal Rumble. Are these long title reigns and not putting the titles on new stars a good thing? I think it is making the product even more stale. Who will be the first completely new Champion of 2013? Ziggler doesn't count. It would be horrible if the WWE went another year without developing new main-eventers.

Alberto Turned Face?

Heel one minute, face the next. Alberto Del Rio has been playing the face role over the last few days, teaming with Miz. That came out of nowhere. Was it a response to Randy Orton being sidelined with an injury? You lose a face main-eventer and a heel main-eventer suddenly starts acting like a face.

I wouldn't say anything is solidified just yet. Without spoiling what happens on next week's Raw, which has been taped already, Del Rio seems to still be in tweener territory. Whether they are drawing out his turn, which would be better than a random turn out of nowhere, or just testing things while Orton is out, Alberto Del Rio is not yet fully a face.

Ricardo did get attacked by The Shield. That should bring Del Rio into that feud. You might even say that is more evidence that Del Rio is taking Orton's spot. Randy Orton had gotten attacked by the group prior to his injury, and then again to write him off. It would be interesting if the WWE had the stable attack a few heels more often. It would sell the idea that they really don't have any allegiances. Whether that turns out to be a swerve or not, it will get people wondering if they really are in it for themselves.

Back to Del Rio, can't really say what I think about this sudden turn. The guy had a lot of potential as a heel. I think they could have done a lot more with that side of him. Once that started to get stale, or some really good reason came up, then you can talk about a face turn. Is an injury to a top face a good reason? Considering there was no huge shortage of faces right now, I don't think so. I think you need more top heels right now. As long as the WWE doesn't push too hard with this face or tweener run, it will be interesting to see if the fans start cheering Del Rio.

One last note on Raw's ratings. It was a 2.9 this week. This week was their best shot to get a 3.0 or better before the year ends. The remaining Mondays are going to hurt. This week's football game was weak. Moreover, Raw had the Slammy Awards. They had some hype to that. It was great seeing Ric Flair. Things were in their favor. And yet, fell short of a 3.0. That streak of low ratings continue.

Eve And AJ Are Heels

Eve is the centerpiece of the diva division. She is the one being developed as the chief star of the actual diva division. AJ is a periphery diva. She is a diva developed to be a star away from that main focus of the diva division. And now, both are heels.

Starting with Eve, it looks like her feud with Kaitlyn is not over yet. I still don't think Kaitlyn is as good in the ring as other credible jobbers, or jobbers to the centerpiece. Of course, that is not something that will be written in stone. I'm sure she will get better in time. Until then, it is very likely that they may put the title on her. There was no need to force this feud to continue. They had other options to develop to feud with Eve. They had a battle royal on the TLC pre-show filled with possibilities. Kaitlyn did not win there, but it does not matter too much. She beat Eve on Raw. Eve is showing more character these days. In time, she may get the overness you would expect of the centerpiece.

AJ just turned heel. She turned on Cena. This woman has just been pushed extremely hard. Yes, I seem to say that every time I talk about her, but the WWE is showing no signs of backing down. She has been involved with the World Heavyweight Champion at one time, Daniel Bryan. She has been involved with the WWE Champion, CM Punk. She is now involved with John Cena, the centerpiece of the company. The obvious question? What's left? How long can they legitimately keep her so high at the top? It is going to become a headache to keep her going sooner or later. They will have to drop her momentum one day. They will probably be hoping her overness carries through for whatever angle she ends up with after this big storyline. Until then, this all shows just how much is invested in developing some periphery divas. Some can get just as much invested in them as the centerpiece, even though they do not hold the same position in the diva division.

With both women being heels, you will not see a title feud between just the two of them. I still don't doubt for a second that AJ will eventually win the title. I can picture Kaitlyn winning it and eventually dropping it to AJ. Where will that leave Eve? Will the WWE switch to a system where they have a model and wrestler switching off centerpiece duties? While one is positioned as centerpiece, the other gets periphery angles? From the time Trish became centerpiece in 2001 to her retirement in 2006, the WWE did not really split the centerpiece spotlight between her and Lita. Difference between then and now, the current diva division is struggling. A change could happen. Nevertheless, there are female wrestlers out there who deserve opportunities like this more than AJ Lee.

No Ryder At TLC

Instead of talking about who you did see in action at TLC last night, I want to first talk about who you did not see in action. TLC was in New York City, where I call home. Another New Yorker a lot of WWE fans care about is Zack Ryder. Was Ryder in a match? No. Was Ryder unhappy with this? Yes.

Usually, the excuse would be that the WWE could not fit him into a feud, so how could they fit him into a match easily at the PPV? These days, there is usually filler matches on PPVs. TLC this year was no different. Ryder could have easily been featured in a match.

Ryder definitely deserved to be featured. It was at TLC last year that he won the U.S. Championship, after months of the WWE trying to dance around giving him a legitimate push. More importantly, the guy is over and is from the area. How many fans in attendance may have been eager to see the guy? I'm not a fan of the guy and don't blindly support NY sports teams or celebrities, but he deserves better than that. I'm not saying they need to push him in the main-event scene or ruin someone's push for his sake, but can't you even feature him a little better?

Should Ryder just quit? He gets over on his own, gets taken advantage of to make Cena look good, and then goes back to being mistreated. He got that over just to become a lower-midcarder who gets to job on Raw more often than he did before? What's the point of staying? The guy must be an annoyance to the WWE. Fans love him, they are not pushing him, and how long can all that continue? Will the WWE succeed in burying or will Ryder be gone. Ryder getting treated better isn't even an option I am willing to put out there. I don't usually say this, but I think TNA would be a good destination for this guy. Even if he only gets a few weeks in the legitimate spotlight before the depush, it is better than being frustrated in the WWE.

John Cena Vs. Dolph Ziggler For The Briefcase

With CM Punk not defending the WWE Championship at TLC, Dolph Ziggler defending his "Money in the Bank" briefcase against John Cena in a ladder match seems like a good option to close the show. Many people may say that Cena doesn't deserve to be above the World's Heavyweight Championship match, but there is a way things can turn out that can make it worth it.

Technically, Dolph Ziggler could cash in his title shot prior to his match with Cena. Assume the Smackdown World title match happens early on the card. No matter who wins that title match, the loser beats on the winner. Ziggler runs in, wins the title, and thinks he has screwed Cena out of getting the briefcase. The WWE has been running this angle where Vince influences Vickie into making decisions. Building off that, Vince pressures Vickie into defending his new title against Cena in a ladder match in the main event. You end up with a main event that does involve a World title, as well as the centerpiece of the company. Should this happen, it would be a horrific flashback for Ziggler if his title reign ends the same night he won it. Nevertheless, it is a swerve a lot of fans are expecting and they can really use something big happening on this PPV.

All that build for Dolph Ziggler, and he loses to Cena like that? Wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened. Does Ziggler deserve better? I'm pretty much running on the assumption that Cena wins, no matter what is on the line in that ladder match. Cena has not won a PPV match in a while. They have had Ziggler look very impressive in recent months against the likes of Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and so on. He definitely could be developed to be a top star on Smackdown. On the other side of that, he could also end up losing his push and going back to the midcard. The Royal Rumble is also coming around, so he might win that after putting over Cena. If Dolph does eventually regain the title from Cena, assuming Cena wins it, that would be huge for him. Dolph can definitely become the next Edge, in terms of position.  

Orton Injured & The Shield

I guess I shouldn't have said anything about watching out for injuries in the month of December. Randy Orton suffered an injury a few days ago. I waited a while to talk about it to see how serious it would be. On the Smackdown taping this week, the WWE had Orton attacked by The Shield as a means to write him off. Yes, looks serious. Randy Orton was a face main-eventer. He wasn't in the middle of a feud or storyline, but it looked like he was going to be inserted into the matters with The Shield, as they attacked him last week. Nevertheless, that is another top star unable to compete at an already tough time for the WWE.

And what about The Shield? Because of recent circumstances, it seems they will be getting featured better than they might have. Sound familiar? When Cena was out for a few weeks from performing in the ring, Ryback benefited. He is still benefiting. New faces are getting better treatment with established stars getting injured. I would still say that Cena vs. Ziggler should be the main event of TLC, but would it be out of the question for the WWE to really close the show with Ryback, Kane, and Daniel Bryan facing The Shield? That would be big for the new guys.

Who wins? This is the first official match in the WWE for The Shield. In this kind of match, a TLC match that will end by pinfall or submission, there obviously must be a winner. You have a similar situation to what you had with Ryback at Hell in a Cell. There had to be a winner in that WWE Championship match. Ryback ended up taking his first loss. Will The Shield lose in their debut? For the sake of keeping them dominant, I would have them win here. Have a team consisting of Cena, Orton, and some other face beat them down the road.

Del Rio And Rosa Not Going Anywhere

A few weeks ago, it looked like Rosa Mendes and Alberto Del Rio would get some kind of storyline together. As I said back then, lack of interest would most likely kill it. I was talking about from the company, not the fans. The fans barely had anything to really connect to before the WWE did not even bother following through. I am not going to blame this one on the writers. This situation would not exactly have been difficult to come up with ideas to actually get it going. If the bosses really wanted to do more with the divas, they could have followed through with this easy angle. I want to list three possibilities that could have happened with Rosa and Del Rio.

First, the easiest of them all, just make Rosa Mendes Alberto Del Rio's valet. Simple. It doesn't even have to turn into a major romance angle. Having an eye-candy diva cheering Del Rio on and occasionally interfering in his matches would not make anyone look too bad. Del Rio gets another sidekick and Rosa gets featured more.

Second, take the previous idea and give it a little upgrade. Have Rosa have a little feud with Ricardo Rodriguez. Have Del Rio's valet/girlfriend have some issues with Del Rio's personal ring announcer. Have Rosa push Ricardo around like Del Rio does. Have Rosa and Ricardo argue during Del Rio's matches about whom he prefers better. And in the end, have Del Rio choose between the two. It could have been a very interesting storyline.

Third, combine Rosa's two angles. She would have both a romance angle with Del Rio and be the valet for Primo and Epico. Combining that, have Alberto Del Rio lead his own stable consisting of himself, Ricardo, Rosa, and The Colons. I know Primo and Epico are not Mexicans, but it could still work. Del Rio could have some real henchmen. Depending on whether or not they wanted to add more members, you could have an even better stable. They don't have to reach the level of Evolution, but it makes Del Rio look good and gives some lower-midcarders a temporary promotion.

Which would have been the best idea to go with? It would come down to what the WWE wants out of Del Rio right now, since he is the top star involved in this situation. If they only want to use him to put over other stars and stay a little bit credible by beating jobbers below him, which would be how they are treating him now, just make Rosa his valet. If they want to find a way to make him look like a strong heel, having him lead a stable would be good. If they want to keep his character interesting and create an actual storyline, just keep it between Del Rio, Rosa, and Ricardo. The difference between the last two ideas really comes down to whether they would want to develop his credibility or his kayfabe character. I would go with creating an interesting storyline over trying too hard to develop his credibility. The guy is already credible. He needs good storylines now to let him feature that character. Sadly, the WWE does not look like they will be doing any of this. Del Rio still ends up featured better than Rosa.

Mickie's Year Away From The Title

Tara retained the Knockouts Championship last night against Mickie James. Unless something happens on Impact, this will be the first full calendar year Mickie James has not held a title since her arrival on the big stage in 2005.

I know I talked a few weeks ago about Cena's year away from the title. Look at that span again. Cena goes over a year without the title. Although he has been injured for a very small portion of that time, he has not been held away from the title because of that. Yet, has it hurt him? In the time he has not been Champion, how many PPV main events has he still been in? A lot more than CM Punk, who has held the WWE Championship for the bulk of the time. Cena has still been involved in major storylines. That is why you can't be too quick to assume this guy is done as the face, or centerpiece, of the company and CM Punk is the new guy.

What has Mickie James been doing since her last run? Although she also had a very small amount of time taken away due to injury, that does not account for the bulk of the year. She has been jobbing. She has been used to put over Gail Kim, then to put over other women who put over Gail Kim, and so on. And what about storylines to keep her looking good. That is where the real disappointment is. Nothing. They almost turned her heel, but didn't follow through. Even if they do turn her heel now, there is no reason to have faith in TNA to handle this properly. They will probably turn her heel, give her the title, use her to put over Velvet Sky, then cycle her back out to nothing. That is what they have done with Gail Kim and Brooke Tessmacher. And they will eventually do it with Velvet Sky.

This system of running their women's division, as well as their overall product, is very stupid. I hear it all the time still that KO division is so great and such a major draw for TNA. What is it really amounting to these days? A 1.2 for the KO segment rating, if they are even that lucky? And when you look at the overall average of the show, it's still as mediocre as it has always been. No growth. Yes, they let their women wrestle, but who are the stars? Everybody! Okay, but who are the jobbers to those stars? Everybody! And which of these women really end up being the major draws? Nobody! Velvet Sky's leaving did not lead to any noticeable dip in the numbers and her return will not lead to any major increase. The company can get rid of every KO currently on the roster and haul in new ones, including some who got attention from the WWE and were never in TNA before, and their KO division would do just as fine with the new women as the old ones. I honestly believe that. It's this idea that the KO division features better women's wrestling and allows the women to work that really amounts to the success, as well as some beautiful women. The specific women are not making the difference. How could they? TNA is not consistent enough with them to build any of them into draws and rely on them as draws. And when they continue to run the same philosophy for their entire show, it is no surprise that they haven't really gone anywhere in the ratings for all these years.

I tried to have an open mind when TNA got Mickie James. I gave them a chance when they put her against Gail Kim. Gave them another chance when it looked like they might turn her heel to keep her fresh. Now that I am seeing how they like to handle their KO division, there is no reason to have hope that they will handle her properly. They don't handle anyone properly. How long will her title drought last? A legacy in pro wrestling goes beyond title reigns. TNA is not doing enough with Mickie James in that respect.

Tamina Moves Up

Tamina has been more relevant in recent weeks. She has been working as a heel since her return. Heel credible jobber. She is obviously the choice to take Beth's place, at the moment. There is still a shortage of credible jobbers. I can't really get too excited for Tamina. It is clear that the WWE has just been using her to put over AJ Lee, who is still embroiled in that bigger storyline involving Vickie Guerrero, John Cena, and Dolph Ziggler. Nothing major will come of this for Tamina.

You would have expected the WWE to want to debut and develop a female wrestler to be a face credible jobber to eventually be used to put over Eve. That is where they are really lacking. I was expecting them to use Tamina in that manner, but recent developments for her make that unlikely. They can try doing it with Natalya. AJ Lee will definitely be winning the title eventually, and it might be from Eve, but that is the kind of match you would hope they left for Wrestlemania. The Diva's Championship has never been defended there. What better opportunity than the centerpiece of the division taking on the top periphery diva? But how do you keep the title matters going until then?

CM Punk Is Injured

You didn't have to wait too long to see if anyone major would suffer an injury this December. CM Punk had knee surgery yesterday. This has been reported by the WWE themselves, so you can believe it more than if it was just dirtsheet reports. The WWE has even changed the TLC card. Instead of CM Punk defending the title against Ryback, Ryback will join Daniel Bryan and Kane to face The Shield.

Of all the top stars to be put in this kind of situation, it had to be CM Punk, the guy who has held the WWE Championship for well over a year, was already booked in a title defense for a PPV just a few weeks away, and looked like he would just roll right into the Royal Rumble to face The Rock. It does look like Punk will get to hold onto the title. No word on whether he would be forced to relinquish it. Only the match change has been announced. This kind of situation obviously called for changes to booking. Compare that to the inconsistency the WWE showed for just last month's PPV. No such excuse there.

But you still have to wonder, is the WWE handling this correctly? No WWE title match at TLC, after they had started to develop one? Cena vs. Ziggler now looks like a PPV main-event match. In a situation like this, where a title match is set and the Champion cannot compete, can you just cancel the whole title defense? The WWE can make up any kayfabe excuse for this, but I think there were still ways to work around this. I remember when there was a series of matches to crown a new U.S. Champion between Booker T and Chris Benoit. When Booker T got injured, Randy Orton substituted for him. Why couldn't the WWE just have Punk and Heyman come up with a substitute? Yes, that might involve switching up some other plans, bringing in Brock Lesnar, or some other attempt to bring in a credible opponent for Ryback. I think it would have been worth it. The current situation is cheap. If the shoe was on the other foot, if it was the challenger getting injured, I cannot imagine the WWE not finding a new one and letting the WWE Championship still be defended. They obviously don't want to vacate the title just like that, but they are putting themselves in a tough spot for TLC. That's what happens when major stars get injured.

Will Face Miz Make It?

The WWE has followed through with Miz's face turn. There was that slight possibility that it could have been a fake turn to screw the face team at Survivor Series. And now? Miz doesn't seem to have a legitimate feud going for him. He is still getting featured well, as evidenced by how they used him on Raw. Just because The Shield attacked him, that does not mean he will team with Kane and Daniel Bryan to feud with them. Randy Orton was also a victim. That's four faces and three heels. I'm not counting Ryback because he has his feud with Punk. Back to Miz, did the WWE miss some opportunities?

At Survivor Series, the WWE really could have made a big deal out of playing up whether the face team could trust Miz. And then, have Miz be the guy to really come through for his team. Not unheard of, but depending on how they teased and developed it throughout the match, it could have been good. Instead, the heel team won it, furthering Ziggler's own development. Of course, if the WWE did go this way for Miz, it might have been too much. Too forced? In the end, although it might have been a good story, it was not entirely necessary just to change Miz's character.

While developing the Survivor Series traditional elimination tag match, the WWE inserted Miz into the storyline involving Kane and Daniel Bryan. If they had chosen to continue in that direction, that would have given Miz some kind of focus. Kane and Daniel Bryan are already dysfunctional, but inserting a third guy would have increased the possibilities. Now that Kane and Daniel Bryan are feuding with The Shield, the WWE is selling this idea that Kane and Bryan are now more on the same page. That would have ruined the idea of inserting Miz to cause more drama. Nevertheless, if they had gone in that direction, I think they could have made it work without ruining whatever tag title feud the WWE decided to run with for the Champions. Miz would just make it more interesting. Would he cost them the tag titles? Would Daniel Bryan getting distracted by Miz cost them the titles? In the end, all three could hug it out.

What should Miz be doing now? Using him as a minor character in the bigger feud between CM Punk and Ryback is an obvious possibility. So is having him actually team with Kane and Daniel Bryan now against The Shield. Where does that leave Orton? That's another issue. A feud I would like to see would be Miz feuding with a heel who has no real feud going at all, Damien Sandow. They seem to be developing him as a singles wrestler again. He has this angle going about asking him questions. Okay, I like gimmick development, but how about a feud? Both of these guys were on the same team at Survivor Series, then Miz switched sides. Both have interesting characters and momentum right now. A feud would be great to try.

Will December 2012 Be Frigid For WWE?

December is officially here. December 2011 was a very tough month for the WWE. I just want to give a slight preview for some of the things I will be looking out for.

First, you have to talk about ratings. Right now, the WWE is running a long streak of Raw ratings being under a 3.0. Everyone is blaming it particularly on the third hour, which has almost always seen a drop of viewers since Raw added the extra hour. Thing is, this is not the first time in recent years that Raw has had a streak of weekly ratings under a 3.0. December 2011 never saw a 3.0 or better. It was the first full month of CM Punk's now yearlong title reign. The month did not feature John Cena too prominently in the main spotlight. Could those things have factored in? After that month, things got back slightly on track and Raw went back above a 3.0. What can you expect this time? Considering the current streak and how stale the product is becoming, there will be no relief in December for Raw's ratings problem. Raw wasn't even 3 hours every week back last year. To make matters worse, you have Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve falling on Mondays this year. The average annual rating for 2012 so far is a 3.05. Depending on how terrible the numbers are this month, there is a possibility that it could drop below a 3.0. The perfect holiday gift for the WWE?

Now for the superstitious stuff. December has not been good when it comes to injuries. A few wrestlers got injured last December, including Alberto Del Rio. In 2010, John Cena suffered a minor injury that still had an impact on the Nexus storyline. Melina got injured while holding the Diva's Championship in 2009. The year before that, Maryse got injured shortly after winning her first title. Will anyone get injured this month this year? Cody Rhodes suffered an injury a few weeks ago. We will see if anyone else suffers an injury. Not a thing you like to watch out for, but still something to wonder about.

Just like last December, it looks like the major focus on Raw will be CM Punk and his title feud. He should be in the main event at TLC. Another title shot for Ryback. As I said when I was talking about Survivor Series, Hell in a Cell would have been the time to put the title on Ryback. They didn't do it at either of the previous two PPVs, and having him win it now and face The Rock is not likely. CM Punk is a better choice to face The Rock than Ryback. The WWE could very well have Ryback win the title at TLC and drop it back to Punk the next night, but that would be stupid. It would only serve to break Punk's long run with the title. If they were going to do that, it would have been better to do it at Survivor Series, before it could last a full year. Nevertheless, still good treatment for Ryback. Have to wonder what they would have been doing around now if Cena never got that injury that brought Ryback in.

A Shield Against Injustice

This looks like it might end up being very stupid. The Shield seems like a cross between Right To Censor and Nexus. At least, based on their promo on Raw and their actions since their debut, that's how I see it. They have demolished a few guys, mostly Ryback. They say that their motive is to be these moral warriors against injustice. Of course, people aren't supposed to be buying it. It is just them stretching for reasons to justify their attacks.

Are they trying to hide the fact that they are working for CM Punk? I like how they are teasing him as the leader. Playing with who was the mastermind was a very possible way to make this angle a little different from the Nexus angle. If it is not Punk, is it Brad Maddox? Paul Heyman? Will Dean Ambrose end up looking like the leader? Seth Rollins? Roman Reigns? I don't think it should be one of the three. Of course, if the WWE really wants to sell the idea that CM Punk is not the leader, they may have Punk be a victim of the group. Could still be a swerve, but might be something you could be seeing.

Why did I say that this might end up being very stupid? If it ends up that this group is really about the farfetched reason these guys gave, it would be a tough pill to swallow. They could legitimately come up with a reason to get involved in almost every match, destroying everyone involved, including the referees. They would have reason to attack the commentators. Have the fans ever shown any kind of disrespect or unfair treatment towards a wrestler. The Shield would have a reason to attack the fans. And yet, all that is not going to happen. It is just not a premise that you can really buy into. It would be very stupid for this to be it. That being said, even if the WWE does go the likely route of soon revealing their true motives and alliances, they cannot keep this farfetched premise going for too long. It can get annoying. You just get this obvious feeling that these guys are up to something more than they are saying, but the WWE still drags it on. And that can make this whole thing seem very stupid, as well. And after the reveal, how will the WWE follow through? I don't have a lot of faith in this one. First thing, they have to develop it to that next step and reveal what these guys are really about as soon as creatively possible.

Sandow Without Rhodes

It is funny how Damien Sandow now finds himself just floating around recently. He is still winning some matches. He is still facing good opponents. Problem is, he has no real direction. He is in the same type of spot Wade Barrett was in prior to his recent push.

What brought about this little depush? The injury to Cody Rhodes. Before that, both were getting pushed in the tag division. Had Cody Rhodes not gotten injured, and going by how the WWE loves extending many title feuds these days, it's not hard to imagine that the heel team would still be in the hunt. You might have finally gotten a 3-way feud between those two, Kane and Daniel Bryan, and Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio. When Rhodes does return, it will be interesting to see if the WWE continues in that direction or would have come up with something just for Sandow by then.

This is just a situation where you don't need dirtsheets to tell you what might or might not be going on backstage. It is pretty obvious what has happened with Sandow. No doghouse. This is just a matter of waiting for Rhodes to return or not being able to figure out a better way to push Sandow for now. No, I'm not saying you should blame the writers. It's not exactly easy to force a new feud just like that for someone who is not as much of a priority as John Cena. As I said before, it took Wade Barrett weeks to finally get the push and direction he now has. Things don't happen automatically for midcarders. Until Rhodes does return, at least Sandow is still featured. No tears needed for him.

Alberto Del Rio And Rosa Mendes

Alberto Del Rio and Rosa Mendes looked like they started an angle on Raw last night. Del Rio got involved in Rosa's issues with Hornswoggle. After that, during Del Rio's match with The Great Khali, Rosa was shown watching.

I think it's good to give Rosa a storyline. I still have a bad taste in my mouth for ever being eager to see how she would do in the ring when she first debuted. She has never been the centerpiece of the diva division. She does not have the credibility to be a credible jobber and has never been pushed in that manner. She is an eye-candy periphery diva. That's how she should be used. Now that she is not in the ring as much, I have warmed up to her again. A romance angle with Alberto Del Rio would be the biggest angle she has ever had. Not only that, but it can make the diva division a little more interesting. AJ Lee is still being pushed hard. Meanwhile, the WWE still has to overcome their issues involving centerpiece and credible jobber matters. A few more angles in the periphery won't directly help Eve, but it will give people more to talk about for the divas.

What does this mean for Alberto Del Rio? This may seem like a step down for him. Since his debut, he has feuded with Rey Mysterio, chased after the World titles, and has just recently feuded with Randy Orton. In between all that were injuries. If you look at it, he has been at the top or near the top since his debut. He's definitely credible. Now would be a good time to do more things with his character. That would make him more interesting. I don't think a romance angle with Rosa Mendes will be too awful. They don't need to overpush her to the main-event scene, but neither do they need to kill Del Rio's character by bringing him down to the level of Primo and Epico.

Will the WWE follow through? Alberto Del Rio had an angle with The Bellas last December. His injury killed that off. There was a legitimate excuse for that ending. Lack of interest may kill off the current romance angle. I am not talking about lack of interest from the fans. I mean from the company. Rosa is not pushed as hard as AJ. There is no reason to push her that hard. Eye-candy divas used to be the easiest to connect with the fans. These days, a little more storyline and character development for some of these women would be nice. The eye-candy diva being pushed as the centerpiece shouldn't be the only one getting it. If this current angle does get killed off, it is easy to see that Del Rio will still go on to be pushed well and Rosa will be the one demoted back down. 

Cena Vs. Ziggler Back On

This just makes the crazy changes in the weeks prior to Survivor Series even more dumb. Prior to a triple threat being made for the WWE Championship, you had Cena and AJ Lee feuding against Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero. Cena gets added back into the matters between Ryback and CM Punk. Ziggler randomly becomes captain of the team CM Punk was supposed to lead at the PPV. Cena loses and Ziggler wins. Now what? Cena and Ziggler are back feuding again. In terms storylines, it makes everything seem pointless. It didn't really lead to any big payoff. Even in terms of trying to draw in buyers for the PPV who might want to see whether or not CM Punk could hold the title for a year, there were other ways to set up a title match without the sloppy changes to Cena/Ziggler. Cena did not need to be there at all.

This really is a big feud for Dolph Ziggler. I like developing someone prior to just tossing them into the main-event scene, but I'm still wondering if they are trying too hard. Ziggler will definitely connect well with the fans, but what will he have left after he does cash in? That's the problem I keep bringing up. Do they see this guy as a possible successor for John Cena? That would explain wanting to push him this hard. Or will he end up like Miz? Miz was developed well in the midcard and moved up prior to winning the WWE Championship. He then put over John Cena and went back down to the midcard. It all comes down to how the WWE now views John Cena and their overall product. Things are not working too well.

And what about Cena? Will this be another one of those pay-per-views where Cena is in a non-title main event that trumps title feuds for either World Championship? I don't think this feud between Cena and Ziggler is important enough. Even if they were to put Vickie's job on the line or Ziggler's Money in the Bank briefcase, the WWE Championship should still take precedence. Then again, you could probably have said the same thing for this year's Money in the Bank PPV. Cena was in the main event, not WWE Champion CM Punk. That one was ridiculous. Not as bad as Cena vs. Kane at Elimination Chamber trumping the World title matches, but still up there. How the WWE handles this feud will really say a lot about how they view Cena now. Are they still banking everything on him? Will they spread the attention better?

No Help From The Sideline

I don't remember if I ever made the analogy between what it is like to be the interim centerpiece in the WWE diva division and what it might be like for a backup quarterback to not get the same support in an NFL game as the starter. If I didn't, I'll be talking about it for the first time now. If I did, I at least have a little visualization to illustrate my point this time.

That cartoon was created by cartoonist Rob Tornoe earlier this month after a game in which Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was hurt and his rookie backup, Nick Foles, had to play the rest of the game. The tall guy in the cartoon is Foles. The guy that looks like all hope is lost is Andy Reid, the head coach. The cartoon implies that Foles is taking over a team in which the head coach has already given up.

In football, the quarterback is allowed to get ideas for what play to try from the coaches on the sideline. In the NFL, there is a communication device in the helmet to facilitate this. The quarterback still has the overall control on what he does out there, but getting some help from the sideline does alleviate some of the stress of trying to think up of everything on the fly. It's not cheating.

Now, could you imagine how fair it would be for the coaching staff to just completely give up after the main quarterback gets injured? Go back to the example of the Eagles. Let's say the coaches were giving full support to Vick to deliver. After Foles takes over after the injury in that same game, the coaches either then completely don't help him or don't give him proper support to help him deliver. The cartoon seems to comically imply that kind of thing happening. Foles, obviously, did get some support from the coaching staff. Reid is playing for his own job.

Would it be fair to compare the performance of a veteran starter with support from the sidelines to that of a rookie backup not getting any support from his coaches? There is an obvious imbalance there. And what if the backup quarterback did go on to do it all on his own? Winning the game? That didn't happen in the case of Nick Foles, who lost the game in which he took over for Vick and a game where he took Vick's place for the entire game the following week. Nevertheless, that would be a truly impressive accomplishment.

Tie that back into what goes on in the diva division. I have said before that the WWE successfully creating a centerpiece is like scoring a touchdown. In terms of what the centerpiece represents in the diva division, you can say she is the quarterback. Just like the quarterback can get injured and need to be replaced by the backup in a football game, the same kind of thing does happen in the diva division. Aside from injuries, you also have flops and centerpieces leaving the company that leads to a backup being needed prior to the WWE planning and developing on who they want to take the spot regularly.

You don't really need to ask what would happen if the WWE does not show the same support to the interim centerpiece that they would to the woman they really wanted to be centerpiece. It happens all the time. Prior to Eve winning the title, Layla was being pushed as an interim centerpiece. She was holding the title, but was not being developed to be a star or even featured regularly on TV. That is not how you properly push a centerpiece. That makes it harder for Layla, as well as so many other divas, to deliver for the company. That makes it harder for the diva division to be as great as it could possibly be. These are problems that are coming from the sidelines, or backstage in this instance. The bosses are not delivering properly for the workers. If that wasn't bad enough, they have this kind of attitude at a time when the diva division is at its lowest, much like many can say the Eagles are at their lowest now. Being like this will not help matters at all.

Go back to what I said about it not being fair to compare a starter with support from the coaches to a backup not getting that kind of support. How does that work out in the diva division? It comes down to comparing centerpieces and periphery divas to credible jobbers. Credible jobbers are those women the WWE pushes mostly as filler or to put over the centerpieces. They don't get the proper support to be over. It is obviously not fair to compare a woman like that to someone being developed to be a draw, whether they are pushing them to be great or a unique character.

You look at the career of Mickie James. She was always a credible jobber. She came in to put over Trish Stratus, had multiple pushes as interim centerpiece when the women they would rather be pushing got injured or retired, and had her career end by putting over Michelle McCool. She was not getting the same kind of support throughout her career as Trish Stratus and Michelle McCool. And what did she do with that career? She gave every reason in the world why the backup should have become the starter. It didn't happen. And the WWE still continues to deny women like her, female wrestlers, the legitimate opportunity to be the centerpiece.

Last comparison to make, the Eagles are currently having the worst losing streak under Andy Reid that they have ever had. It's like a sinking ship or wrecked car, going back to the cartoon. I think it is very easy to relate that back to the diva division. They have never witnessed failure to recreate a great centerpiece like they have been having since Trish Stratus left. Whether it is because of injuries, flopping in the ring, not sticking around long enough to solidify the position, or just failing to get over, none of the chosen divas to be centerpiece have gotten it done. It's not so much the women failing more recently as it is the company not making the right decisions. Andy Reid will most likely lose his job at the end of this season. Who in the WWE loses his job for this failed women's division? How about that same guy who probably came up with the idea to create the diva division in the first place? It won't happen.

Another Year, Another Nexus

I'm not against reusing old angles. After a while, it should pretty much be expected that old angles will be revived with little variations to make it something different. Those variations can possibly even make the new angles even better than the old ones. What I am not liking with current WWE events is the fact that they have not even waited a good enough period of time before reusing an old angle. I talked about pacing just yesterday. The WWE didn't pace this out very well.

I am, of course, talking about the WWE's decision to have guys from NXT randomly show up and go on a rampage. That's Nexus, the big summer storyline from 2010. It continued into 2011, with CM Punk leading a watered-down version on Raw and Wade Barrett leading his own faction on Smackdown. 2010, 2011, and now 2012. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns have arrived. And with a huge impact? That's how the WWE will sell it. If it wasn't pretty much a weaker version of what happened in 2010, I would care more. I know a lot of wrestling fans love some of these guys. I don't judge wrestlers by how they were in the independent circuit or development. If I am going to like these guys, it is going to be based off their work on the main roster. They are already coming in with some hype and in a big storyline, so that should benefit them with connecting with some fans out there.

One thing that the Nexus angle lacked that a lot of fans were expecting was a leader from the main roster. Who was behind the attacks? It turned out Nexus was in it for themselves. This time around, the WWE might have an actual leader. It would be too easy for CM Punk to take credit for this. Paul Heyman? Brad Maddox will likely be it. Why not? He has issues with Ryback. Ryback has been the chief target of the NXT thugs. If the WWE did try to run the exact same angle as 2010, it would look stupid. Three rogues from NXT? Three? Nexus had more than double that amount during their prime, not to mention forcing John Cena to join. Who would buy three guys as that kind of threat as Nexus? No, the best way to go with these guys would be to develop them with a leader.

As I said before, pacing counts. Had the WWE tried another NXT/Nexus storyline in 5 years, that would be one thing. But they have done this kind of thing every year since it started in 2010 now. I have pointed out many times that the Nexus angle was successful in bringing in good ratings for Raw in the summer of 2010, so it should not be too surprising for them to want to go to that again when their ratings need a boost. How many more tricks do they have left?

Kofi/Barrett And A Look At Ratings

It looks like there will be a feud between Kofi Kingston and Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship. They put on a very good match on Raw. This should turn out to be the best thing for Barrett since his return. Even though it is just a basic title feud, and one that has happened before on Smackdown, I just have this feeling like it is fresh. Barrett has developed a lot on his own now. This guy has a lot of potential to be a big star. And this feud doesn't even need a fancy storyline to it. They both have the skills to go in the ring. The WWE just has to pace it out a little bit. Don't rush the title match for next week, then kill it all off. At the same time, don't drag it on for months. If they pace it properly, this should be a great feud for the midcard.

How about the ratings? Haven't talked about that in a while. Smackdown's numbers are down from last year. The yearly average was  1.95 in 2011. It is currently at a 1.89 this year. I don't think it's that huge of a tragedy. Most of the bad numbers have come about for those live editions they had this year. Live editions did do well last year, but have been drawing lower ratings this year. If the WWE had not done those live editions this year, Smackdown's numbers wouldn't look too bad. That's why you really shouldn't worry too much for Smackdown.

Raw is on a roll. A roll all the way down. They have not seen a 3.0 in 11 weeks now. December will not be kind. There is no way they will be able to avoid this being their worst year in the ratings in over a decade. Did I say that same thing last year? Well, they would need to get this year's average up to a 3.2 to meet the 2011 annual average. They are currently at a 3.06. It cannot be done, especially with the recent trend of ratings below a 3.0. They are pretty much just fighting not to have the annual average drop below a 3.0. That is at least a possibility, and an embarrassing one.

TNA's ratings have dropped from last year, but that's not what I want to talk about. Last week's rating was a 1.1. So what? That's the highest number they have gotten since August. Yeah, and? Last week's episode was a taped episode and did go against football. A taped episode that went against the NFL still saw a better number than some of the live episodes this year that did not go against that kind of competition. Part of it is probably due to this episode coming off a PPV, but the ratings for similar episodes in recent months haven't been as high as a 1.1. It makes you wonder, going live was supposed to gain more viewers from those who would rather read spoilers and skip the show if it doesn't look interesting, but a taped show ends up getting you a good number? Don't expect this week's ratings to be any indicator of a trend, since it is Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, would it even matter if TNA decided not to be live anymore?

What's Left For Ryback?

CM Punk retained the title at Survivor Series. I am not going to repeat my entire argument why the match should not have had that outcome. Let me just say, you basically had a situation where the ends would have justified the means. I don't think the way the WWE handled the booking and storyline development really makes up for the sloppy build to the PPV. Oh well, move on.

What about Ryback? He is an a similar situation as Kozlov was back in 2008. Kozlov came on as a dominant heel, got a few title shots on Smackdown, then slowly fizzled out. Aside from the fact that Ryback is a face, the big difference between Kozlov back then and Ryback now is overness. Ryback is a lot more over at this point than Kozlov was during that big push. But will Ryback still fizzle out? That is to say, will the WWE slowly let the air out and bring him back down. After that first loss, a lot of momentum is lost. Than another loss comes up. And others. Before you know it, Ryback is a comedy character holding the tag titles with Santino Marella.

What should the WWE do with Ryback? Obviously, based on what went on at Survivor Series, there will be possibilities for him immediately. But what would I have rather seen? Have him feud for the World's Heavyweight Championship. Put an end to Big Show feuding with Sheamus and bring in Ryback. When Ryback was feuding with CM Punk for the WWE title, a lot of people in the wrestling world were saying that it would be a good idea to have Ryback win. He didn't. The moment has passed. He has been taken down a notch. Well, why not have him feud for the title that is a notch below the WWE title? Depending on how well he handled the feud, you might have even had him win the title. Take proper advantage of the situation while there is still some hype and momentum.

Cena's Year Away From The Title

Since there is a possibility that John Cena's year of not being WWE Champion could come to an end this Sunday, I decided to talk about that today. It also reminds me of something from the diva division. And to close up, I'll talk about the WWE title match at Survivor Series.

When CM Punk beat John Cena for the title last year, some people acted like this was the first time John Cena had ever lost the WWE Championship. CM Punk went on to lose the title, but he then regained it. He has now held it for almost a year. As far as Cena goes, that means he has not held the title for over a year. Unheard of? Just like John Cena losing the title to CM Punk last year was not the first time that happened, John Cena not holding the title for over a year has happened before.

Go back to 2007. Cena was having a title reign that lasted over a year. It ended when he had to vacate it due to injury. About a year after Cena dropped it, he suffered another injury. When he returned from that injury, he won the World's Heavyweight Championship from Chris Jericho. He ended up not holding a World title for over a year. Aside from the injuries keeping him away, Cena did feud for the title, have a brief run with the tag titles, feud with JBL for a few months, and have a brief feud with Batista. Meanwhile, the World Champions on Raw during this time included Randy Orton, Triple H, CM Punk, Batista, and Chris Jericho. On some nights, John Cena's feuds still trumped title feuds. He never really stopped being the centerpiece of the company. They just gave him a brief rest from title matters.

Compare 2007/08 to 2011/12. He is once again going a year without a title. Despite that, he has often trumped CM Punk's title feuds over the past year. Big difference between this period and the previous period, to me, is the variety of World Champions you have had during Cena's drought. You had 5 different guys trading around the WWE Championship or World's Heavyweight Championship in the previous period. In the current one, all you have is a brief run for Alberto Del Rio and Punk's long run. Couldn't some people argue that 2008's title scene was fresher? No Cena. Various guys were holding the title. And yet, people still act like what's going on now has never happened before in any way since Cena became centerpiece. Don't get me wrong, you can still argue things are stale and Cena is overpushed, but there are some criticisms people come up with that are really not true. Cena hasn't always been holding the title prior to Punk "saving" the WWE. He's had a 1-year drought before.

It made me think about Trish Stratus and her centerpiece run. Trish is obviously the greatest centerpiece the diva division ever produced. Remember how she got her first four reigns. She won the vacated title, lost it to Jazz, won it from Jazz, lost it to Molly Holly, won it from Molly Holly, lost it to Victoria, won it from Victoria, and lost it to Jazz. That is how she won 4 title reigns in about 2 years. I wasn't an Internet wrestling fan back then, but I wondered if people complained about that. Regardless, after losing the title to Jazz for the second time, Trish didn't regain the title again until the following year. Meanwhile, Trish got angles involving Lita, Chris Jericho, and Christian. The women who did hold the title during that time included Jazz, Gail Kim, Molly Holly, and Victoria. Fresh. Four credible jobbers held the title. You look at the five guys who held the World title on Raw during Cena's first year away from the title. All are legends. People can debate whether what I am about to say is true for Batista, but all those guys will one day be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Can you say those kind of things for the four women who held the Women's Championship during Trish's break from the title? You can say it, but who would really buy it? Point is, giving John Cena a break from the title is nothing unheard of. It has even happened in the diva division with the centerpiece there. A break from the title doesn't mean you stop being the centerpiece. More than likely, they will eventually regain it. Trish went on to win 3 more title reigns. Cena has won about triple that number since his first drought.

Who wins at Survivor Series? If they were going to put the title on Ryback, Hell in a Cell would have been the place to do it. If they do not put the title on Cena, then the whole switch they made in their plans would have been stupid. You put John Cena in a title match just so CM Punk can retain the title, instead of following through with your original Survivor Series plans for Punk and Mick Foley? The sloppiness would have been for nothing. I know the popular response is Cena being in the title match is a draw. Well, if Cena is such a draw, shouldn't the fact that he was going to end up on the card facing Dolph Ziggler as part of an elaborate storyline involving Vickie Guerrero and AJ Lee still draw? It would make it worth it if this was all done to get the title on Cena. If not, what a waste. And keep in mind, Cena's title drought in 2008 ended with him winning the title at Survivor Series. Will the same thing happen?

Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Mess

Things really became messy last week as far as the major feuds heading into Survivor Series go. Things didn't get separated cleanly this week. Usually, I like when feuds mix a little bit. It makes things less one-dimensional. The problem with recent developments is that it was not originally planned to mix things up like this. These are all drastic changes, but with the WWE still trying to connect everything.

The biggest thing I don't like was the huge changes to the traditional elimination tag match. The angle with Miz and putting in Barrett are fine changes. But this started out as Team Foley vs. Team Punk. Pulling out Punk was huge. Once he's out, it only made sense that Ryback would be still feuding with him, so he's out, too. What's left? Team Foley vs. Team Ziggler? Why?

On this week's Raw, they were still pushing the issues between Punk and Mick Foley. Mick Foley was involved in the main event. You have Paul Heyman still involved in an angle with Brad Maddox, judging by the tease they had on Raw, but it would have been better if Heyman was still involved more in the tag match. If Mick Foley can captain a team he will not actually be a part of as a wrestler, why can't Heyman? Heyman vs. Foley. That would make it easier to connect Foley to CM Punk's matters.

You then have other issues. Cody Rhodes may be injured. Hope he's not, but there are also kayfabe (storyline) issues. Miz coming into the match seems to be leading to an angle with him and Kane and Daniel Bryan. Orton and Del Rio are still going at it. Some of these other guys just seem left out. And Ziggler is definitely one of them. He was just made leader. He didn't even have a real reason to feud with Mick Foley. And when you take a step back, there is no overall reason for this whole feud to be happening. The Miz involvement has promise. Wade Barrett getting this push is good. But beyond things like that, what's the overall reason for this match? Before all these changes, back when it was CM Punk feuding with Mick Foley, you had some overall focus for this match. Now, it's just a mess.

Who wins? With all honesty, I don't even care. Nothing is on the line in this match. It is such a mess and built so badly, I can't really get interested in this. Don't know if I'm just speaking for myself on that one, but I believe the better the development, the more potential to deliver. The triple threat for the WWE title will obviously be a bigger draw, but they really messed up the potential of this tag match. As for who wins, I will go for the faces. This can be the match that really solidifies Miz as a face. I don't think this is a fake turn.

William Regal Is Alive

William Regal, one of my favorites, has been seeing more time on Raw and Smackdown lately. A lot more time. More interestingly than that, they just seemed to randomly turn him face in the process. And yet, it doesn't seem that forced.

Regal is being used as a supporting character or pawn in the bigger feud between Big Show and Sheamus. Big Show used Regal on Raw to send Sheamus a message.

Could this lead to anything more with William Regal? After this week, it can be easy to imagine him just being phased back down and out as easily as he came into this feud. But can they do something more? They don't need to develop Regal to be a contender for the World's Heavyweight Championship. It would be nice, but there are a lot of young guys who need that push. It was interesting to see the WWE develop this relationship with Regal and Sheamus. If Sheamus does not regain the title, could a regular partnership with Regal be in the works? It could give Sheamus an angle to work with. Before Sheamus entered the title scene earlier this year, all he was really doing was picking up wins. He wasn't getting any real feuds or storylines developed. Sheamus is already over and credible. Now would be the time to start giving him more creative angles to work with. A partnership with Regal could be interesting. Of course, on the other side of that, you could see Regal screw Sheamus at Survivor Series. Why would he? Because he's bitter at Sheamus not protecting him from Big Show? And that can lead to a feud between the two. It would easily give Sheamus something to do after Big Show.

R-Truth Follows Kofi's Path

Before I talk about what I want to, let me go back to what I talked about last time. I went on and on, so it may have been hard to get my point. My point was, when looking at how the WWE is currently using Askana and Kaitlyn, you could either view it as the WWE's standards are dropping for their diva division or eye-candy periphery divas are being used s credible jobbers because of a shortage of real female wrestlers. Lowering of standards or credible jobber shortage? Is the problem a mix of both? Which is worse? You can argue that one is leading to the other. Point is, before you can solve your problems, it helps to know exactly what your problems are. Just saying the WWE diva division sucks is a generalization which will not help too much.

Onto R-Truth. He is in a feud with Antonio Cesaro, the U.S. Champion. It looks like he is following in the path of his former tag partner, Kofi Kingston, who is now holding a  midcard title.

Should R-Truth win the title or just be used to put over Cesaro. I don't find Cesaro too interesting, so maybe I should be saying R-Truth should win the title. And yet, I don't think he really needs it. He and Kofi just had a long run with the tag titles. R-Truth is popular and has held the U.S. title before, but I don't think tossing him a title just to save him from getting lost in the shuffle is the way to go. There are other good workers in the midcard who could use a title run to either reward them for solid work, develop them to move up the card, make midcard matters more interesting, or whatever other reason there might be. As for R-Truth, it shouldn't be hard to develop some kind of non-title feud for him.

Let me tell you how I would have handled Kofi and R-Truth after they lost the tag titles. Have both of them feud against either Miz or Cesaro. Triple threat. Neither of them would have to turn heel, but the possibility that it could happen would get fans talking and interested in the feud. At Survivor Series a few years ago, you had The Undertaker defending his World title against Big Show and Chris Jericho, who were a team at the time, and John Cena defending his World title against Triple H and Shawn Michaels, who were a team at the time. Would trying this kind of thing in the midcard have been that bad? I don't think so.

Askana & Kaitlyn: Two New Credible Jobbers?

Askana and Kaitlyn were both a part of that NXT season that featured new divas. Kaitlyn won that season. Askana has had a few storylines alongside the guys. In this current dark age of the diva division, however, they find themselves being used as credible jobbers.

With Beth Phoenix gone, you had to wonder who they would push to fill her spot as heel credible jobber. Eve is the centerpiece, and also a heel. Natalya is a heel credible jobber, but she is not fresh at all. When you get right down to it, it seems Askana is the heel they are teaming with Eve in tag matches. She doesn't have much credibility at all. I don't really want to consider her a credible jobber, but they may actually use her in that role. She definitely doesn't have anything going on for her in the periphery. Askana really reminds me of one of those eye-candy periphery divas you would have a decade ago, like Stacy Keibler. You never had to invest too much creative interest into women like that. Their beauty and sexy/cute characters got the job done by themselves. In this current diva division, with issues in developing a centerpiece and a shortage of real credible jobbers, Askana can't have the same kind of career that someone like Stacy Keibler had. If the WWE had been more consistent in teaming her up with the guys, like Cesaro, or keeping her involved in GM storylines, I would say Askana was a periphery diva, without any doubt. Right now, she is not getting the development and seems to be getting used more as a credible jobber.

Kaitlyn seems to be still in the title picture. I mentioned before that a storyline like you have going on right now would usually involve the face getting payback against the heel by taking the title. Problem is, Kaitlyn really isn't a great wrestler. I don't even want to waste time arguing whether she is better than Askana. Eve is definitely better in the ring than both. And yet, without considering promoting a female wrestler from developmental, you don't really have any good options to take the title off of Eve. In terms of the storyline that is going on, Kaitlyn would be the obvious choice. I don't want to say that they will give her the title. I don't want to believe that their standards are dropping that far. No offense to Kaitlyn, but I don't think she's even at the level Layla is currently at.

It would not be unusual for eye-candy periphery divas to sometimes be used to put over a centerpiece or credible jobber, who would then be used to eventually put over a centerpiece. Stacy Keibler was used in that role a few times. Maria was used like that just a few years ago. The main difference between that time in the diva division and now, as I already mentioned, is you had a lot of real credible jobbers back then. With a shortage of real female wrestlers and the WWE relying more on women who came in as eye-candy models to be jobbers to the centerpiece and act as interim centerpiece, women like Askana and Kaitlyn can legitimately be used as credible jobbers. Another way of trying to put what is currently going on, women like those two are still eye-candy periphery divas, but not as effective as a diva like Stacy Kiebler was a decade ago. They definitely do not have the overness. When you combine how ineffective they are with all the other problems in the diva division, they are being called upon more often to fill the duties of true credible jobbers. If the WWE had more female wrestlers or eye-candy divas with solid wrestling ability to be credible jobbers, these eye-candy divas who are not at that level in the ring yet would be getting featured a lot differently. They would be pushed more as periphery divas. It might also help if PG went away.

Miz To Turn Face?

Coming off this week of major changes to the major storylines on Raw, it seems Miz may actually be turning face. They are definitely teasing it. A few months ago, when Miz was doing commentary on Raw, I remember thinking that this guy may actually do well with a face turn. That is character development. That is making him interesting again. This can be really good.

However, there is something else to consider. What if this is a trap? What if the story will be about the face team trusting Miz enough to let him join them, but then he turns on them to help the heels win? It would fit with Paul Heyman's reputation of being an evil genius. There is another guy I think they have been under-utilizing. This little bit of uncertainty can make this tag match even more interesting and possibly branch off to a great storyline after.

Face turn or trap? Which direction do I like better? Honestly, I think either would be great. No matter what, Miz gets used better. No matter what, you have something that may connect well with the fans. As long as the WWE develops it properly, this is a situation that will most likely lead to something good.

Cena Vs. Punk Vs. Ryback

Unless there is some big injury or a major star just walked out of the company, you really do not see the WWE just be so indecisive with major matters. Last week, you had one clear direction for everything related to Raw's top stars. This week, everything seemed to change. I am glad that Wade Barrett now has focus. Aside from that, you have some major changes. A Survivor Series tag team match that was good enough to be in the main event and possibly have more at stake has gotten demoted drastically. John Cena, who appeared to be out of both the main-event scene and title picture for Survivor Series, will now be getting a title shot against CM Punk, along with Ryback. This triple threat is what I want to talk about here.

I am not against CM Punk vs. John Cena vs. Ryback. It would have been great for the previous PPV. I was looking forward to a rest from John Cena. I was preparing myself to say that CM Punk had gone from taking the spot Randy Orton left on Raw when he went to Smackdown to becoming something like what you had with The Rock over a decade ago, alongside Steve Austin. With the WWE throwing in John Cena into the scene, I am going to hold off on saying that. The WWE is still making it clear who the obvious top guy is.

What about Ryback? His issues with Punk were obviously not over. It is good that he is still in the picture. Had they not made any changes to Survivor Series, they could have had Ryback be the star of his team. That would branch off to a title shot at the following PPV, and that is where you could have pushed in John Cena to make it a triple threat. That would have been a neater way of doing things.

Given the fact that they are rushing this title match, it raises the question about whether this will be the end of Punk's reign. If it is, the title probably won't be going to Ryback. With Cena in this match, and with The Rock in the background, you can easily figure out who would win at Survivor Series. Cena wins, retains against Punk at TLC, and then faces The Rock and the Royal Rumble. If that is not what the WWE is planning, I think it is foolish to mess up their plans so much.

You might constantly hear fans saying that the WWE doesn't really worry too much about their ratings and neither should the fans. Raw is still watched by millions of people every week. The WWE is easily beating TNA. The WWE is making a ton of money. Fact still is, the WWE is going in the wrong direction in some ways. Ratings are an easy indicator, albeit not the only one. If they do not like the direction they are going, they might make drastic changes or invest a ton in certain wrestlers, while ignoring others. There are a ton of mistakes that could be made. Vince McMahon has been regularly on Raw for a few weeks now. The classic idea is that Vince would bring in the ratings. Has he? Well, Raw still has not reached a 3.0. I believe these drastic changes from last week to this week show that the WWE is aware of the decline, wants to do something to change things around, and they just cannot get it together properly. Will they eventually end 3 hours? Will that help?

Wade Barrett Is Jobbing To The Stars

Wade Barrett is currently being used as a jobber to the stars. Most people might disagree, since he did exchange some victories with Randy Orton in recent weeks. Problem is, Wade Barrett has only beaten Randy Orton when Alberto Del Rio was there to cost Orton the match. Wade Barrett is just a supporting character in the larger feud between Orton and Del Rio. These two are still going at it. Both are a part of a major Survivor Series match. Wade Barrett does not have any real direction at all.

If Wade Barrett had his own proper feud going on, I would not be saying he is a jobber. He would be getting development for that feud, regardless of wins and losses. It is tough to watch this, if you are a Barrett fan. He had so much momentum prior to his injury. And now, he is getting shuffled around. If Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton were the captains of a traditional Survivor Series match, I don't think it would be hard to imagine that Wade would be one of the heels involved in that match. It wouldn't be the same as a personal feud for him, but it would be better than getting meaningless wins as part of some other guys' feud.

What could Barrett have to look forward to? The Royal Rumble is still two months away, so I won't mention that. What can they do for him in the coming weeks? That Intercontinental Championship is finally on a face. Yes, that face is tied into the same big tag match that Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton are a part of. Kofi Kingston might even end up defending the title against Miz again. After that, why not make the next contender Wade Barrett? I know these two feuded over the title before, but it's still fresher than seeing Kofi face Ziggler. As of right now, that seems like the best option for Barrett.

AJ Lee And John Cena = AJ Styles And Dixie Carter

You have another example of the WWE and TNA taking each other's ideas. AJ Lee and John Cena have this possible affair going on. This is similar to what TNA had with AJ Styles and Dixie Carter. Very similar. If you remember, that TNA storyline almost ended with it being revealed that Styles and Dixie Carter were doing a good deed by helping the woman involved in the angle. They prolonged the storyline after that, but that reveal was just sickening to me. It tried too hard to make them look like the good guys. Trying too hard to make someone look like a good guy? Is it any wonder the WWE would use this with Cena? It is branching into Cena/AJ vs. Ziggler/Vickie.

The only thing I like about this whole affair is that it is keeping Cena out of both main-event matters and the title chase. This is not the first time that has happened, so don't make the assumption that Cena is done as centerpiece. Nevertheless, it is still making things a little fresh. To think, if Cena had not gotten injured, would this still be happening?

Dolph Ziggler gets to work a feud with another top name. He still has not cashed in the briefcase. I still wonder, even after he eventually does win the title, will he have anyone fresh left to work with? He worked with CM Punk earlier this year. He feuded with Jericho. He went against Randy Orton. He is now feuding with the company's top face. The guy has the credibility to win the World's Heavyweight Championship. But after he wins, will they be able to develop good feuds?

AJ Lee vs. Vickie Guerrero. This is periphery diva vs. periphery diva. Do you consider Vickie Guerrero a true "diva"? That's not relevant now. They continue to do a ton more for AJ Lee than they have done for any female wrestler in years. She is the first female wrestler developed as a periphery diva like this since Lita. Vickie Guerrero is obviously a non-wrestler, but she is hated. She gets great heat. Working against her can definitely make AJ look good, as well as the rub from Cena.

Aside from Cena getting a break from more important things, I hate just about everything associated with this storyline. It will most likely be another attempt to get Cena looking like such a great guy. Regardless of how it turns out, AJ Lee continues to get more than she has actually earned. Keeping her as a manager/valet for some wrestler or in a romance angle would have been fine, but they are pushing her hard and harder. Lita was never pushed this hard. Keep in mind that it has only been about a year since AJ's angle with Daniel Bryan started. It was from there that the WWE developed AJ further to get over. It is true that Lita won her first Women's Championship in less than a year after debuting, but she was never pushed this hard in terms of storylines, character development, and rubs in her first year. What they are doing with AJ is very forced.