3 Hours Of Raw Entertainment?

This was the first regular 3-hour episode of Raw. Last week was special, since it was the 1000th episode. This week, back to business as usual. This time, however, with a whole extra hour to work with.

How did they do? Some people speculated that the first hour would be some kind of "pre-show" to hype up the regular two hours. That was not the case. It is indeed an extra hour of what you would expect from Raw. I am glad that they did not feature too much Tout moments on the show. That thing can get annoying very fast. Of course, they did bring up the fact that they had a fire multiple times during the show. I understand you can't completely ignore it, but mentioning it twice throughout the entire show would have been enough. There were a lot of recaps of various things throughout the show.

One of the things I was hoping with the extra hour is more midcarders getting used. How did they do in that department? I wasn't impressed. A few midcarders did get featured, like Sandow, Tensai, and so on, but they should be developing legitimate feuds and storylines with them. Besides that, keep in mind that there were some workers not featured. No Ryback? What about Sin Cara? What do you do when Wade Barrett returns? Only feature these guys on Smackdown? With a whole extra hour on Raw, you would think that at least 2 more midcard storylines or feuds get proper development.

There was one thing that was recapped multiple times on Raw that really annoyed me. Triple H and Brock Lesnar's confrontation. I can understand hyping the entire segment from last week. I can understand doing it again once more later in the show to hype Summerslam. But it is ridiculous when you stop and realize that this feud is becoming more hype than substance. You spend so many weeks hyping that Heyman is not going to have Brock face Triple H. Obviously, that leads to the moment the match is actually made. What are they going to do from now to Summerslam? Continue to show that same segment from last week? Have more promos about Brock destroying Triple H and Triple H not being afraid? The feud between John Cena and The Rock was much better than this. Giving my personal reason why, it is because The Rock went back to what he does best, entertaining. He brought those entertaining promos. For some people, the fact that the feud spilled over on the Internet may have helped. This feud did a better job at reaching out to the fans. Which side would the fans take? In this feud between Triple H and Lesnar, the guy you are supposed to cheer for is obviously Triple H. Can he conquer the beast? The path of this feud is just so dull. As of right now, it is not worthy to close Summerslam.

Velvet Sky Leaves TNA

Velvet Sky was pretty much TNA's version of a WWE diva. She had the image and the character that the WWE likes to push in their typical eye-candy divas. Was Velvet a phenomenal wrestler? No. Nevertheless, she was one of TNA's top Knockouts. And now, she is gone.

After her friend, Angelina Love, left a few weeks ago, it shouldn't be too shocking to see Velvet leave, as well. Honestly, they were treating Angelina a lot worse this year than they were Velvet. Winter also has good reason to possibly want to leave. What's the point of being with a company that does not use you right?

Was anything of value lost with Velvet leaving? As you will see in coming weeks, no big collapse should happen in the women's division. Ratings will be the same as they always were. Top faces of the division can include Brooke Tessmacher, Mickie James, Tara, and ODB. Heels can include Gail Kim, Madison Rayne, Sarita, and Rosita. Are they even going to use Winter? Point is, they still have women who have been there for a while. They can easily supplement that with women from the indies. And even though Velvet was over, TNA still has some over women in there.

Velvet to WWE? Mick Foley would like to see it. Honestly, since the diva division is broken right now, they might as well give Velvet a try. People can debate whether she's better than Kelly Kelly. Pushing this woman would not take the diva division in a new direction, however, since it would still be pushing an image above actual wrestling. Have to see what happens.

Antonio & Askana: Smackdown's Midcard Couple

Why am I talking about these two? To bring up another example of how the WWE could do better with their midcard? Not this time. Because I really love Antonio Cesaro? No, not really. Because I would rather see Askana with Jinder Mahal? They would make a cute couple, but that isn't it.

Askana has a periphery role with her relationship with Antonio Cesaro. She is not the centerpiece of the division, always getting the better treatment around the Diva's Championship in comparison to the other women. And she is definitely not a credible jobber. She is not being used to put over other women if feuds. She is a periphery diva, and yet, they are not pushing her hard. Why is that worth mentioning? Because it shows that a woman in a periphery role may still not be getting the major focus to be a major star. Askana can be use in romance angles like this until the end of her career. When you look back to think about how the WWE used her, she would be classified as a periphery diva. Her becoming a very over diva, however, will rest mostly on what she does in this position. If they give Antonio Cesaro a better push right now, Askana would be along for the ride. That will help her.

Thinking about this couple made me think about Victoria and Stevie Richards. After Victoria lost her first Women's Championship, she still got featured now and then through her angle with Stevie Richards. Was Stevie Richards being pushed hard during this time? Midcarder, at best. You can say the same thing for Antonio Cesaro. Even though Victoria did turn face during her relationship with Stevie, she never got the storyline focus and rubs as someone like Lita got multiple times in her career. And after the relationship with Stevie did end, Victoria got lost in the shuffle even easier.

Point is, Askana and Antonio have potential to be mutually beneficial to each other. You can even compare them to Maria and Santino. Giving Maria chances to showcase character is one of the things that helped her get over. Making Santino a comedy character helped things. If they give Antonio and Askana more segment time and storyline development, Askana could get over well, and without the major attention AJ has gotten. Considering Askana probably won't be elevated to being the centerpiece or used as a credible jobber anytime soon, they might as well do more with her. Might as well make more diva stars during this dark age the division is currently in.

In an unrelated note. I came across the dirtsheet explanation for why Kharma was released. Weight issues and being difficult to work with. History is repeating itself. Same kind of crap they said with Mickie James. It really needs to stop. It was obvious even before she officially debuted that she was going to have limited options. When you get down to it, it was either periphery or release. They would not let her be centerpiece and using her as a jobber her entire career would be a waste and senseless, especially after you debut her by having her destroy your eye-candy divas. Just leave the matter alone.

CM Punk Back To Being A Heel?

There was some talk that the big summer angle would start at the end of Raw's 1,000th episode. What happens at the end of the show? John Cena became the first person to not be able to win a World title off the briefcase. Big Show screwed him. There was something more interesting than that. CM Punk did not try to save Cena from Big Show. When The Rock came out to save Cena, moreover, Punk attacked The Rock. Heel turn?

John Cena failing to cash in for the title is obviously not a big storyline. So what if the centerpiece has this blemish on his record? As long as the WWE continues to push him hard, he remains the centerpiece.

The Rock announced that he would go for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. I don't consider that a summer storyline. It is big, but not really an angle for the summer. It is more similar to the build Rock vs. Cena at Wrestlemania had, only in less time.

Big Show throwing his weight around? No big summer angle there.

That leaves CM Punk turning heel. That is big. He is the WWE Champion. Outside of John Cena, Punk is the top guy on Raw. However, I really hope the WWE does not think turning him is a big summer angle in the same style as Nexus or the "pipe bomb" last year. John Cena turning heel would be a bigger deal. CM Punk turning will lead to some elaborate storyline, but they need to do a lot more than that to sell this as a huge story. Having CM Punk say that he was bitter about being overshadowed by John Cena all these months and jealous of The Rock would be such a mediocre way of turning him. I'm sure he will pull it off amazingly to please the fans in his promos, but in terms of the actual storyline, it would be weak.

Raw had a 3.84 this week. Amazing. When I saw that the show averaged over 6 million viewers, I was expecting around a 4.0, but 3.84 is the best number they have seen since last year. This was Raw's first regular 3-hour show. Those 3-hour specials they would do here and there in the past have usually been hit or miss. That extra hour sometimes drags ratings down, but the hype for the specials sometimes leads to better ratings, as well. And hype is definitely what did it for them this time. They hyped a title match. They hyped that legends would be on the show. The Rock, the man who helped raise ratings to a 3.9 last year with his return, was going to be there. People knew that. Problem is, how will the WWE do without all that hype? The Rock will not be there every week. The WWE title will not be defended every week. They will have to go back to featuring the likes of Jinder Mahal without The Undertaker to make an appearance. Ratings will drop. Until then, this week got the job done.

Your New GM: AJ Lee

I felt like ripping something to shreds. It was one of those moments where you just wish you had a bunch of 8x10 photos of Jinder Mahal lying around. AJ Lee was named by Vince McMahon as the new GM on Raw last night.

AJ is the most overpushed female wrestler in the periphery of the diva division there has ever been. She has gotten rubs from main-eventers. She has been featured in main events. She has gotten multiple elaborate segments devoted to putting her over, including the wedding segment on Raw. Lita got these kind of things over the course of her roughly 6-year career. AJ has gotten it in less than a year since the WWE first paired her with Daniel Bryan on Smackdown. And now they raise it to another level by naming her GM.

They are keeping her on the periphery. Could they have developed her to be the actual centerpiece of the diva division? That would mean taking the division in a direction it has never been to since it became a diva division. As General Manager, she will not be wrestling much. Even during her romance angles, she was not wrestling a lot of televised matches. That is what it means to be a periphery diva. You get that build and focus mostly outside of regular diva matches on a consistent basis, and when you do get diva feuds, they might just be lesser pushes than the centerpiece would get.

This overpush annoys me. Keeping her with Daniel Bryan would have been fine. Even finding another guy to pair her with would have been okay. But shooting her even higher than that. Too much focus. They pushed her hard to get over and are pushing her hard to keep her as a star of the diva division. I can never picture her ever being used as just a credible jobber.

Nothing Without Laurinaitis

Back when I was talking about the end of John Laurinaitis in power, I don't think I did proper justice to what would happen to his two sidekicks, Eve and Otunga. I should have. Obviously, without Mr. Excitement in that GM role, Eve and Otunga would not be featured as prominently as they were before. That is exactly what happened.

When Eve returned, she found herself without that gimmick she had alongside Laurinaitis. What has she done instead? She has been involved in the storyline with AJ, but AJ is obviously the one getting the major push right now. Eve doesn't really have that strong purpose. Pairing her with Miz regularly might be a good move. Personally, I was expecting a feud between Eve and Layla over the title. Why not? Eve is a heel and Layla is a face. Both won a Diva Search. It could be a good feud, but the WWE needs to actually go in that direction. Just making a basic title feud would be dull. There is room for potential.

Otunga doesn't have anyone to play an attorney for with Laurinaitis gone. He did have that brief minor feud with Brodus Clay, but the WWE was inconsistent with even that. Brodus Clay is back to beating jobbers, who are now putting up more of a fight. Once again, there was potential to do something good here. Didn't happen.

I still would have continued having Laurinaitis be GM for a few more months. The longer it lasted, the better the feuds and storylines for his sidekicks. The way things went down, nothing great was really developed for either Eve or Otunga before the plug was pulled, and the WWE has been inconsistent since. With a heel GM backing those two, feuds would have been risen to a whole new level. The faces who feuded with them would have something to actually overcome and the fans would love seeing the heels get it in the end. Only Laurinaitis really got it, and too soon to build up the other two properly.

TNA's Nexus

Aces & Eights. This is just a glorified Nexus. They first came on the scene when they attacked Sting a few weeks ago. Recently, they attacked Hulk Hogan too, before moving on to other members of TNA's roster. Brutal attacks for apparently no reason by some group? That's Nexus.

Back when the WWE ran the Nexus storyline, TNA did have this thing where former ECW guys were making an impact, but that fizzled off rather easily. It looks like TNA is reworking the idea again, and it looks like they are doing it better this time.

On the one hand, you have another blatant example of one promotion taking an idea from the other or trying to top something the other did. For that reason, you can say TNA is being it's regular pathetic self. On the other hand, I have to give them credit for once again trying something that might draw in more than their regular fans. That's what they need to do, especially now that their programming has been dropped for many viewers.

Will it work? There is the intrigue of who these guys are and what their goals are, but they will most likely be workers most critics will say are rejects from the WWE or nobodies from the indies. Question is, will TNA allow this thing to really change their landscape? Go back to Nexus two years ago. The WWE used that angle to put over Cena. After that, the group fizzled down and out. Wade Barrett, who many considered to be the one the WWE was trying to get over with that storyline, went back down to being a midcarder. He was starting to be moved back up to the upper-midcard through his feud with Randy Orton. And it seems like they were building him up and hyping him for a big push, before his injury. Fact is, the Nexus storyline itself just put over Cena when it was at its height. It did not change the actual landscape. TNA doesn't really have anyone like Cena. They have no real centerpiece of the whole company that they push like that. They could use this current storyline to put over Hogan and Sting, which would anger a lot of fans who want to see the younger guys get built up. Personally, I would like to see them use this storyline to really try to change the direction somehow. Don't just use it to put some legends over, then go back to the same old thing. The same old thing is not leading to the company expanding across broader types of fans. That is why they are getting poor ratings. They need something new. Funny how I am hoping that something new comes from some old idea they are taking from the competition?

And She Says Yes

It looks like there is going to be a wedding after all. Without any titles to gain from having AJ, Daniel Bryan has gotten back together with his former kayfabe girlfriend. He proposed to her. And she accepted. That makes for another elaborate segment for the 1000th episode with great potential to draw.

I mentioned Daniel Bryan in passing yesterday. Chris Jericho was turning face. There were signs that the WWE might be doing the same with Daniel Bryan. That would make for possibly too many top faces. I'm glad I held off on jumping to that conclusion. It seems Daniel Bryan is in fact back in tweener territory for this storyline. He played a face on Raw, but things will be a little different on Smackdown this week. So what is he trying to accomplish? Getting AJ back on his side to have someone to help him win matches and distract his adversaries down the road? Playing with AJ's mind so he can just dump her at the altar? That would be a strong heel move.

As for AJ, the WWE continues strong development for this woman. She is getting better treatment than any other woman on the roster. Most importantly, there is no woman in this storyline that AJ is being developed to put over. Eve was more of a pawn or supporting character in this story, thus far. There is no centerpiece in the division. AJ is the one they are building into a star. No doubt about it. And there was a certain word that Michael Cole mentioned at least twice on Raw when talking about AJ. Courageous. He was talking about AJ coming back out to finish reffing that title match last Sunday. It was almost like he was reading it right off a script. This is an idea they want to sell for this woman. And she is still getting a major rub from Daniel Bryan. And since I don't care if I repeat myself, as I just said, none of this is being done to develop AJ for the benefit of another woman. She is not a credible jobber here.

About a week or so ago, I came across this "report" from a wrestling site that said the WWE was developing AJ to be a major star along the same path as Ms. Elizabeth and Sable. Quotation marks of doom? Why? First of all, it was already obvious before they said anything that AJ was being developed to be a major star. Stating the obvious to readers who most likely could see it for themselves is news? Second, I completely disagree with the comparison to Ms. Elizabeth and Sable. Ms. Elizabeth was a non-wrestler at a time before the WWE turned their women's division into a diva division. Treating a non-wrestler as a non-wrestler? Shocking! No, not really. And Sable? Sable was the first centerpiece of the diva division. That means she was getting developed right before the diva division was really created. Once it was created, she was the focal point, and in a major wrestling capacity. She was the predecessor of Trish Stratus and Michelle McCool. Unlike Ms. Elizabeth and Sable, AJ was hired with some wrestling experience. Moreover, unlike Sable, Trish, and McCool, she does not have that image you associate with the centerpiece of the diva division. To put it simply, it's one thing to treat a non-wrestler in a non-wrestler role, but for AJ to get treated like that is different. This is just like what happened to Lita. At a time when there was no centerpiece, the WWE developed Lita in the periphery, alongside the men. Now that the division has collapsed again, they are pushing AJ in the same manner they did Lita. That, in my honest opinion, would be the proper comparison to make. This is comparing a woman with wrestling experience not being developed as a star as the centerpiece in the diva division to another woman with wrestling experience not being developed as a star as the centerpiece in the diva division.

Chris Jericho Finally Going Back Face?

Dolph Ziggler, who won a briefcase at the recent PPV, was running his mouth on Raw. Chris Jericho came out, obviously to run his own mouth. But Ziggler beat him to the punch and mentioned Chris Jericho's failure since returning. When was the last time he won a meaningful match? Jericho had no verbal response. He did take out Ziggler. Face turn coming? Looks like it. I actually liked that entire segment.

Even though I liked the segment, I should take a step back and look at the bigger picture. I am glad that they are going somewhere with Jericho losing so much. They are turning it into a storyline, turning Jericho into a face, and developing a feud between him and Ziggler, which is fresh. However, all that does not let them off the hook for not capitalizing on the hype earlier this year. If you want Jericho to lose a lot, that's one thing, but you can definitely have done more with swerves or surprises when Jericho did return. They didn't. Whether you want to put the blame on Jericho or the WWE for not pushing for more, all the hype led to absolutely nothing. Not even some clever plan. It was just hype. When they finally did move on to a regular feud between Punk and Jericho, they inserted this idea that Jericho would make Punk drink. He was playing mind games with Punk. He actually had a plan this time. It failed, but it was still something to get fans interested as it was working out. Jericho's return, it didn't have that bite to it. He still could have lost at the Rumble, but seeing some kind of plan to make it a big storyline, similar to his feud with Punk, is what I was hoping for. And having it work out like that wouldn't have really ruined things much to get to where we are now. They could simply sell the idea that Chris Jericho came up with all these plans, talked so big about getting the job done, and failed every time. The hype failed, the plans failed, and Jericho failed. It still could have worked, and possibly might have done a better job of drawing in the fans.

As for Jericho most likely going face, not a bad decision. Then again, you also should bring up Daniel Bryan's recent actions, but that is something for another day. Jericho has been a heel for years. Having him turn makes sense. You frequently see turns coming off of losing streaks. A frustrated face would turn heel. A heel who has failed too many times will go face, especially when another heel is mocking them.

What about Ziggler? For a while, it looked like he would be the one turning face and breaking away from Vickie. Should they have gone that path? If this is a situation where it was either Jericho or Ziggler that had to turn, I think Jericho should have been the one. His character was already heading there and he can connect with the fans as a face or heel. Ziggler is starting to connect with the fans, but if they turn him face too soon, his new character may have gone sour. Let him be developed as a good heel. A good main-event heel. Everything being considered, I think the WWE made the right choice with the set up for this feud.

Nice Tag Division Development

When you look back at last night's Money in the Bank PPV, you will see that the tag-team division got featured pretty well. Not only did R-Truth and Kofi Kingston win a pre-show match, but the actual PPV featured a tag match, as well. Primo and Epico took on Darren Young and Titus O'Neil. You can say it is weird that the Tag Champions didn't get on the actual PPV card for their match, but the challengers did. However, this is good to get the focus on other teams that need it.

There is something that is even more surprising than good focus on the tag division last night and the Champions performing on the pre-show. The challengers to the tag titles actually lost. Epico and Primo are not being buried, yet. I like that. That means that you have a lot of potential here for a good feud in the tag division.

Go back to last year, when the WWE hyped that there was going to be some kind of revival of the tag division when Kofi and Bourne won the titles. I didn't buy it. They didn't have enough resources for a proper revival. More importantly, they didn't really push a proper revival. Even before Bourne had his issues, possibilities were running dry. Now, however, I see some kind of proper revival happening. Actions are speaking louder than words. How long will it last? Unless they create more teams when the time comes or start signing more teams, it will run dry sooner or later. Until then, the WWE is continuing to push the tag division better. And it isn't just hype.

Kharma Released

Kharma has confirmed that she is no longer going to be with the WWE. What could you possibly say about it? She definitely had potential. She had hype to her even before the WWE debuted her last year. They debuted her with a storyline that connected her with the fans in a huge way, having her demolish almost every eye-candy diva in her path like a one-woman Nexus. And then she had to take her hiatus due to her pregnancy. After the misfortunes, she seemed ready to work her way back to the WWE. And nothing.

This should not be shocking, of course. Given that the WWE wants to maintain their diva division, the only hope I saw for Kharma would be if they had transitioned her to some angle in the periphery after her debut storyline, which had seemed to be developing in a way to put over Kelly Kelly, who was being built to be the new centerpiece back then, in some way. It would seem that they just could not come up with anything that they would be willing to do. Had they not gone with the periphery treatment, like having her wrestle the men regularly, the only option was phasing her out. She would not be developed as the top diva or centerpiece. Using a woman like her as just a regular credible jobber would be stupid. It is a shame they did this, but not a shock.

You have talk about TNA getting Kharma back. I don't think I need to say much there. Go back to what I said about Angelina Love leaving. You have too many women to push well and they are not doing it. If Kharma did return, she would be on the same show as Gail Kim, Mickie James, Brooke Tessmacher, Velvet Sky, and other women who deserve to be featured prominently. Just tossing all these women into multi-woman matches is not featuring them right. This is not how you develop stars. A lot of potential will be wasted. A lot of potential is already wasted.

The last thing I want to say is on Sara Del Ray. She is coming to the WWE. I am going to be honest. What I am about to say may sound offensive, and I apologize, but this is what I honestly think. Whenever I would read something saying that this woman wants to come to the WWE, I would think that this woman is an idiot. Can she not see what has been going on in that diva division in the last few years? The division has collapsed. This is not a good women's wrestling division. She might think that she will be going there to make it better, or maybe her fans believe that more, but she will be there to be used as the WWE sees fit. Of course, she will benefit from the fact that the division has fallen apart. Had she been signed at a time when there was a centerpiece in place and solid, she would most likely be used as a credible jobber. With the current state of affairs, she stands a chance of being used properly. Not properly in terms of good wrestling on a regular basis, but properly in not being completely wasted in terms of use. Since I usually like holding out that small benefit of the doubt, it could be that the WWE will start rebuilding a good wrestling division for their women with Sara Del Ray, but I am not counting on it. If they were going to, they would do more to keep Kharma.

Just Say No To Marriage

I haven't been eager about talking about this storyline involving AJ, CM Punk, and Daniel Bryan. I have nothing against AJ Lee personally, but this overpush annoys me. Nevertheless, it has to be brought up.

If nothing else, at least this is getting CM Punk and the WWE title back into the main event. For a while, it looked like the WWE may legitimately just completely bury the title feud for the sake of the Money in the Bank ladder match dedicated to the briefcase for the WWE title. And why would they? That ladder match features the centerpiece, John Cena. They may still book Cena's match as the true main event of the PPV, but it is refreshing to see Raw close with the WWE title feud being progressed.

There is, however, a problem with the WWE title picture. Last week, Raw ended with AJ standing tall. This week, it ended with AJ looking the strongest. She is the big story in this feud. Months ago, I remember saying that a feud between Daniel Bryan and CM Punk was not something the WWE would have to work too hard to make work. It was a feud that a lot of wrestling fans would love to see. Given the history these two have, it was a feud that could easily write itself. Just give these guys the mic and have them make the feud happen. It is starting to get stale to see them wrestle each other so much, but inserting AJ like they have is what is really hurting this feud.

I am sure that I am not the only one who noticed how long that opening promo dragged on this week. AJ really likes to pause, doesn't she? Zack Ryder could have changed a tire with a psychotic monster stalking him in less time than it took AJ to get through her promo. Okay, maybe Ryder can't, but it was still very obvious that AJ was taking way too long. It's because of her psycho gimmick? I don't think so, but I am willing to give that benefit of the doubt.

Looking at the purpose of the promo itself, it was meant to sell the idea that AJ wanted to marry Punk, while Daniel Bryan wanted to manipulate her into siding with him. She is the special guest referee of their match. CM Punk, being the nice face he is, refused to play with AJ to get his way in the match. That got him a slap in the face. Daniel Bryan didn't have any luck getting AJ on his side. He got a slap in the face. So what will AJ do at the PPV? That has become the draw for this match.

Who wins? Other than AJ? There will be some kind of screwjob finish. No matter who wins, I can picture them being the victim of the briefcase, whether it be in the same night or the weeks to come. It is only a matter of time before John Cena wins the title back, no matter how he does it. As for Bryan and Punk, neither of these guys will get completely screwed over in respect to the other after this push. They are equals in the company. One is not really being used just for the benefit of the other. The WWE will not be consistent in pushing both as hard as they have been in the months to come, but at least one guy won't be left out in the cold. If anything, both will be out in the cold. When Cena gets back the title, it will happen. If I were booking it, I would have Daniel Bryan somehow win and then get cashed in on right after by Cena, or have Cena do it at the 1,000th episode.

And The Anonymous Raw GM Is...

The biggest disappointment of 2012 for me is still Chris Jericho's return, but the WWE's revealing of Hornswoggle as the Anonymous GM from over a year ago is definitely a good candidate for second place. Hornswoggle? Could Jinder Mahal not fit under the ring? On the one hand, I should be happy that they actually brought closure to that storyline. It could have easily have ended up as one of those phased out and forgotten storylines that get made fun of years later.

If you think about it, it is senseless. Vince McMahon chose Hornswoggle to run the show? Vince feuded with Hornswoggle years before that. And Hornswoggle was playing a heel GM? While being a face character? He even cost Jerry Lawler a win on Raw this week. It really is just crazy.

Thankfully, it seems very unlikely that the WWE will choose this little guy as a permanent GM. This whole thing was obviously just comedy. So who will become permanent GM? If not Paul Heyman as part of the feud with Triple H and Brock Lesnar, Teddy Long still seems like the safest choice. Right now, he is just around. He has no real purpose. Vickie is a manager. The WWE can try to make Teddy a manager again, but the GM role just suits him better. Of course, that would not be a controversial or surprise option. I am not going to list all the possibilities there. I will only say, it would be the stupidest decision in the world if they did go with Hornswoggle.

Triple H Vs. Lesnar Drags On To 1000

Last week, Paul Heyman announced that Brock Lesnar will address Triple H at the 1000th episode of Raw. Saving a big name like Lesnar for the big show makes sense. My issue is that this feud really is starting to drag on. All Paul Heyman really did to progress the storyline last week was to push it off further and hype this stupid idea that Triple H wants to be destroyed by Brock Lesnar. He wants to look like a hero who falls in battle. Didn't Triple H already kind of look like that at Wrestlemania this year against The Undertaker? And Triple H still came back. Heyman is great at doing promos, but the storyline advancement is just not there. They are taking too long and not raising the bar big enough, yet. When Brock comes back, I am thinking things will get bigger. He will have to do more than just accept the match. If he wins, he and Heyman get to run the two major brands? If he loses, lawsuits dropped? These stipulations seem like the obvious direction.

Looking at what else is currently going on, I still see no signs of a big summer angle. I still don't see anything really getting shaken up. It still looks like Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar will be it. They have got to raise the bar, if that is what they are planning as the big thing this summer. I do not see anything on the horizon that could draw big. Then again, who really saw Nexus or CM Punk's big promo coming? But if the WWE is planning some big surprise, where is it?

Ryback Wants More

Tensai has fallen. Brodus Clay has lost, although he is not yet buried. And what about Ryback?

Similar to the other big men that came this year in the WWE, Ryback has been demolishing smaller, weaker opponents. His unique jobber path has had him beat multiple local jobbers each time. He is now showing signs of moving on from that. To be honest, I don't really care about this guy too much. Tensai and Brodus have actual gimmicks. Ryback is just dominant. That's it. And it cannot last forever. Once it goes, what will he have left? They'll elevate him to be a regular upper-midcarder?

In the meantime, they might as well keep developing him with a good streak. I would have kept him as a tweener. Tensai is a heel. Brodus is a face. The fact that Ryback just dominates people would make me say he should be neutral. He wants more competition? Let him get it from both sides, faces and heels. If the fans cheer him, fine. If they boo, okay. If they want Goldberg, then the WWE might eventually be able to put these two together. And that is where Ryback's eventual value may lie. And while he is undefeated, why not have him pick up either the U.S. or Intercontinental title? I could picture Santino being demolished by this guy. Yes, Ryback would probably then end up squashing people as U.S. Champion, but I think it is better than having the title wasted on Santino.

Alberto Del Rio Vs. Sheamus: Take 3

Alberto Del Rio has been on the trail of Sheamus since he returned in April. First, it was pushed slightly to the side for the benefit of ending Daniel Bryan's feud with Sheamus. Next, it got overshadowed by Randy Orton and Chris Jericho being added to it. When they tried to develop the feud again, Alberto Del Rio suffered a minor injury and was replaced by Dolph Ziggler. And now, Del Rio finds himself once again booked to face Sheamus for the title on PPV. This will be the third PPV in a row that this match is supposed to happen.

Take 3. My problem has always been over how they would develop a good feud between these two. No matter how much of this was planned or just fate, I like how it turned out. Del Rio has been chasing after this 1-on-1 encounter for the title for months. That is a good story. Bring in the fact that they are allowing Del Rio to be vicious again, this feud can get good.

I am hoping Alberto Del Rio wins. Not only because I like the guy, but they need to keep developing new top heels. Sheamus is definitely a top face now. Daniel Bryan, even though he is a heel, can easily turn face at any time. Fans like him. Del Rio, even though he has held the tWWE title before, does not yet have the overness. It is similar to Sheamus during his heel run. Considering how hard they are pushing Del Rio, I wouldn't be surprised if he does win.

Christian/Orton: One Year Later

Since I talked about the big CM Punk angle that happened last year, I figured I should look back at the controversial Smackdown summer angle they had last year. To be fair, it probably was not supposed to be as controversial as it was. Randy Orton defeated Christian for the World's Heavyweight Championship just days after Christian won it. This upset a lot of fans. It led to an elaborate feud between the two men, including a heel turn for Christian. Christian regained the title, but Orton won it back soon after, again.

One year later, things have changed a lot. Going back to that Punk angle, one year after that, CM Punk is still doing pretty well for himself. Orton is suspended. If he had not gotten suspended, he would most likely have still been involved in an upper-midcard matter. He might have been involved in the WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, but even he would have been overshadowed by Cena. Christian fell even further, which is not shocking. He is holding a title, but it is a midcard title. And he is face again. Not a bad thing. To map it all out further, Christian started off being used to put over the centerpiece of Smackdown in an elaborate feud. After that, he got demoted to feuding with Sheamus, who had not yet won the World's Heavyweight Championship. He then got a series of injuries that kept him away. During that time, I believe it was teased that he may return as a main-eventer. Instead, he returns in the midcard. Be thankful Christian isn't a diva. After being used to put over a centerpiece, he would have most likely fallen off the face of television.

Did the WWE mess up the storyline? It wasn't really that much of a storyline. I still think they should have just given Christian a good 2 or 3 months with the title when he first won it. You look at title reigns Mark Henry, Daniel Bryan, and Sheamus have gotten in the last year. When I had faith that Christian would get a good run on Smackdown, I was basing that off the fact that the WWE usually passes the ball better on that show. Those three men I just mentioned prove my point with the reigns they received. It looks like it was just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Christian won the title when Randy Orton first moved to Smackdown to be the centerpiece there. I'm still sure Christian will win the title again down road, providing he doesn't get another serious injury.

Maxine Leaves WWE; Angelina Leaves TNA

She was my favorite from NXT, but it looks like Maxine is done with the WWE. I think she had some potential. Obviously, the WWE was not doing much with her for a while now. That is to say, not on the two major shows. Should she have waited it out? Considering that the diva division is currently in a dark period, waiting it out may have led to her getting some kind of angle on Raw or Smackdown sooner or later. However, this dark period isn't as productive as the one you had after Sable left, so the WWE still might have wasted Maxine.

Was anything of value lost? My personal bias aside, nothing of value was lost with Maxine leaving. I hope that doesn't come off as sounding rude. She had not become one of the most over divas in the company, she was not involved in anything too important, and her future really did not look too bright in this current messy diva division. I'm sad to see her go, but that is just another loss for the WWE that will not lead to them changing how they do things.

Angelina Love has left TNA. TNA was not doing much with her for a long time now. She was a multiple time Knockout's Champion and instrumental in the history of the division. TNA's inability to use her right over the last few months is another example of my point that TNA cannot keep the ball rolling properly for a lot of their workers. This is what damages them when it comes to creating draws. Angelina Love had a run as top face of the division in 2010, before Mickie James came in. After Mickie came in, they did not immediately kill Angelina off. She still had a storyline involving Winter going on. This eventually led to her winning the tag titles. They still kept the ball rolling, but it did not last. How hard could it have been to just book her in some relevant matches more often this year?

Was anything of value lost? On the one hand, Angelina Love has a great history in the division. On the other hand, they were wasting her. They have a lot of other women to use. I still think she has more value than some of these other women, but it was her choice to leave. If TNA is unable to start coming up with more storylines for their women that need it the most, they will be losing a lot more soon.