Ziggler & Company Losing Speed

It's not unusual for the guy with the briefcase to get a bit of a losing streak prior to cashing in. It happens sometimes. Dolph Ziggler hasn't exactly been on a huge roll right now. He lost to Ryback this week and doesn't even seem to have a feud brewing heading into Wrestlemania. Again, no need to panic for Ziggler. And yet, I think the WWE is stupid for doing it.

A few months ago, Dolph Ziggler was getting pushed so well, I was wondering if there would be anything left for him after he eventually did win the title. After winning Money in the Bank, he was looking impressive against some big names. He retained his briefcase against Chris Jericho and John Cena. He was looking like something major. They could have kept that momentum going by having him win the title at any time in the last few weeks. Instead, they let all that momentum fizzle out. I find that stupid. You invest all that in him to make look credible, then you make him look this mediocre again? It was all to make Cena look good, right? If and when Ziggler does win the title, going by the recent trend of rotating centerpieces on Smackdown, Ziggler should get a good push again. Until then, they could be using him better as they head into Wrestlemania.

I have never really said anything about Big E Langston. What can I say? I like that pose he does by the barricade after he gives someone Ziggler is facing a cheap shot. You sometimes see a heel the WWE is developing to be a big star get a sidekick. Miz had Alex Riley. Ziggler has Langston. That's more than a sidekick. That's some muscle. I can't say I picture anything great for this guy's future after Ziggler, but when Ziggler does get his run as Smackdown's top guy as World Champion, Langston will be more relevant than he is now.

What about AJ Lee? For almost all of 2012, she was the best pushed of all the divas. She was developed as a periphery diva. She still is a periphery diva. But her momentum has definitely taken a hit. I frequently say that a periphery diva will benefit from whatever the guy she is aligned with is doing. She gets a rub by association. The bad side of that? What happens when the guy she is with starts getting booked poorly? Ziggler isn't being buried. If anything, the entire company is having trouble keeping the ball rolling for all the guys they want to push. I can understand that. They have a lot of guys to push and cannot always come up with good ideas. They also have trouble figuring out who to prioritize at times. No matter what suggestions people can come up with to fixing the diva division, it seems it will never be as great as it was until the WWE can also fix the problems with their men's division to make things as hot as they were prior to this recent staleness and reliance on past stars to help draw. Nevertheless, the WWE put themselves in this position with their diva division. It did not have to be this bad. A decline may have been unavoidable, but it did not have to look like the diva division you have today. And I don't feel bad for AJ Lee. With the exception of Vickie Guerrero, AJ is still in a better position than any woman on the roster.

Triple H Vs. Brock Lesnar II

Brock Lesnar defeated Triple H cleanly at Summerslam last year. You just had a feeling that it would not end like that. When Brock Lesnar returned a few weeks ago and saved Paul Heyman from Vince McMahon firing him, that was a huge step towards the rematch. This week, Triple H returned to officially restart the feud.

This is actually a rematch I do not have a problem with. Their match last year did not have this huge hype that it would be once in a lifetime. It is true that Brock is not exactly facing a wide variety of opponents. The Rock has faced John Cena already, CM Punk in title matches, and teamed with Cena to face R-Truth and The Miz. Brock faced Cena and Triple H. They definitely could do more with Brock. Then again, who would really have been a better opponent for Triple H at Wrestlemania? It beats rushing a new feud for him. This feud already has some anticipation to it. Rock/Cena II has some anticipation to it also, but adding CM Punk still would not have been too awkward and would have made it different from the encounter last year. In any case, both rematches are going to happen.

I haven't talked about ratings in a while. I'll just talk about Raw's ratings now. It's Wrestlemania season, so you would expect Raw's numbers to be good. Are they? The 2013 average so far, not counting last night's number since it is not out yet, is a 3.28. The highest number for the year so far is a 3.67. The lowest is a 3.0. Raw is actually doing fine, when you compare the numbers to how they were doing prior to all the hype. Some might say these are great numbers. I would not go that far. You have to keep in mind that ratings are usually at their best around this time. If you are comparing these numbers to how Raw was doing against football, yes, they look great. If you look at them in a different context, keeping in mind that this is the biggest time of year, numbers look okay at best. Not spectacular. Raw will take a hard hit when the hype dies down.

Ice Cream & Horror

I'm going to give another analogy to explain the diva division. I have given a lot of those. And this one just might be the lamest one I will ever come up with. I don't care, I think it might be useful.

Yes, it's ice cream. The frozen dairy treat many analysts credit for the meteoric rise of CM Punk. Specifically, you have an ice cream cone. The diva division can be compared to an ice cream cone.

What are the main parts of that ice cream cone? You have the ice cream, the cone, and the additional toppings. The main thing there is obviously the ice cream. The cone is what holds the ice cream. Those additional toppings, they help to make it look more appealing and taste even better. They're optional. You can have sprinkles, crushed nuts, a cherry on top, or whatever else. Many options. And when you put it all together, you have something great.

What do I always say are the main positions or careers in the diva division? That would be the centerpiece, the credible jobbers, and the periphery divas. The main diva in the diva division is the centerpiece. That is whom the WWE develops to be the top star. That is like the ice cream. To help put over the centerpiece and act as interim centerpiece to keep the diva division running when the centerpiece is not around, you have credible jobbers. They support the diva division in the same way the cone holds everything up. Other divas the WWE develop and feature to be stars are always getting that treatment on the periphery of the main star. Those are the periphery divas. Those are like those added toppings on the ice cream. They help to make the diva division look more interesting and be more productive.

Let me say why I do like this comparison. I believe it can get you thinking about just how important credible jobbers are. They don't get the same focus on them as the centerpiece, but they keep everything up and running in an important way. Who buys an ice cream cone just for the cone? That better be a very fancy cone. The ice cream is the main thing. And yet, you can have a real mess on your hand with no cone, assuming bowls are not around, or when the cone gets too soggy and starts to fall apart. The cone is important. Credible jobbers, although they almost never become as over as the centerpiece, are important.

The comparison also helps to sell the idea that periphery divas are optional. After Trish and Lita left, the WWE didn't try to develop another female wrestler as a periphery diva like Lita for years. No big problem. That's not what caused the collapse. You have AJ Lee now, but that is not fixing the division. When you order that ice cream or make it yourself, those additional toppings are optional. You have a lot of choices, and you don't even need to choose any. The WWE can develop a periphery diva with a female wrestler, eye-candy diva, or even a non-wrestler like Vickie Guerrero. They can be valets, be used in romance angles, be the bosses of the shows, have wrestled the men more regularly in the past, and so on. A lot of options. The more diva angles you have going on, the more divas you are featuring that are connecting well with the fans, the better the division will look. And yet, it is that relationship between the centerpiece and the credible jobbers that really decides the ultimate fate of the division.

Lastly, can you imagine a cone filled with sprinkles, strawberries, and all your other favorite toppings, but no ice cream? Weird, isn't it? Sounds like some kind of joke. You are missing the most important ingredient. That is the diva division you have now. You have credible jobbers. You have various periphery divas. You don't have a woman being developed as the centerpiece. Unless the WWE starts developing Kaitlyn, she will most likely be eventually phased out, and that means she is an interim centerpiece. The diva division is missing the most important ingredient. As awkward it is to imagine an ice cream cone with all the toppings and no ice cream, that's how bad the diva division is looking without a centerpiece. It also doesn't help that the cone seems to be crumbling and the toppings the WWE are using are not the fans' favorite enough to make them forget the other shortcomings. 

Changing the subject, I don't remember if I have gave my favorite way of explaining what happened to Mickie James in the WWE on this blog. I remember saying it at least once somewhere. After writing hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of blog entries, I start forgetting some of the things I wrote in them. Whether I have said it before to you or not, since it is my favorite, I think I have an excuse to say it again.

Freddy Vs. Jason is one of my favorite horror movies. Let me tell you the basic story between the two supernatural murderers in the movie. First, both are "dead" when the movie starts. Freddy cannot return to kill people in their dreams because no one is thinking about him. He devises this scheme where he pretends to be Jason's mother and brings him back to kill again. As Jason kills teenagers, people start to think that it's Freddy. They start talking about him. He is back on their minds. They dream about him. And if you have ever watched the movies, that's where he kills. The problem is, Jason was a killing machine that Freddy never anticipated. He is taking Freddy's victims. You ever play a video game with people across the Internet and someone steals your kills? If that ever annoys you, that's basically the same idea. Freddy soon turns his attention to taking Jason out. And that leads to their epic confrontation.

You might wonder why Freddy would turn on Jason like that. Keep in mind, they were never really friends or partners in crime. Freddy was just trying to take advantage of Jason for his own purposes to further his own agenda. After Jason did what Freddy wanted of him, Freddy didn't really care what happened to him. Jason got in the way of Freddy's goals by taking his victims. They were never really on the same team. And Freddy wanted Jason out of the way.

What do I like to argue happened with Mickie James in that diva division? The diva division has a history of using female wrestlers to put over the eye-candy diva they develop as centerpiece. Once they are done being used as jobber to the centerpiece or interim centerpiece, they get depushed and another credible jobber is moved in. The only female wrestlers developed to be successes get it as periphery divas. Mickie James came into this diva division as a female wrestler. She was not getting pushed as Chyna, Lita, and AJ Lee. She was getting pushed as Jackie, Molly Holly, and Beth Phoenix. She was getting pushed as a credible jobber. The WWE doesn't need to tell her that. They can't tell her or any of these women that. How would it look to tell them that they will never get pushed properly? Fact is, they don't need to tell them. Just push them and they can control their overness. That's what it is all about. But they could not control the overness of Mickie James. She was not supposed to get over against Trish Stratus. When they were not even pushing her in 2007, how could she have stayed over? And then she got filler pushes around Candice Michelle getting injured and eventually got used as jobber to the centerpiece again against Maryse and Michelle McCool. But she remained more over than the women the WWE was developing to be the top diva. If they really wanted that, why not actually develop her to be the top diva and stop pushing eye-candy divas so hard? The WWE definitely turned their attention to burying Mickie James, and while still using her like they always would. They used her up, then got rid of her.

Everyone seems to wonder why the WWE turned on Mickie James like they did. Mickie James was never someone they wanted over. Just like Freddy was just using Jason to further his own schemes, not to give him a fair opportunity to take his kills, the WWE was using Mickie James in the same way they have used female wrestlers since the WWE started the diva division. They just did not anticipate Mickie James being able to do what she did and the women they were counting on not working out. A jobber being more over than the centerpiece is not what the WWE is about. If they were, they would have given Mickie a career of success, whether as centerpiece or periphery diva. And after they were done using her, they definitely got her out of the way.

Maybe what I am saying is too dramatic. I could be entirely wrong. In that case, I would be guilty of misleading those few who trust what I say. I'll apologize for that in advance, should that ever turn out to be the case. On the other side of that coin, if the WWE is running an unfair women's division, it would be beneficial to everyone involved for them to end it. It's not even profitable to them anymore. In the end, looking at that diva division, it sure does look like Freddy dropped his ice cream.

The Rock Vs. CM Punk Vs. John Cena: Once In A Lifetime?

Before I actually talk about the big match coming up on Raw, how about John Cena this week? I love how the WWE basically has Cena shrug off that loss at Elimination Chamber and has him move right into title matters. Just proves that one "bad" night does not have to ruin a centerpiece, whether it is the top guy or the top woman. John Cena lost a PPV match on the road to Wrestlemania and it was essentially to a bunch of rookies. He is now moving on to headlining Wrestlemania. This will probably be one of those instances I always bring back up when arguing that a centerpiece does not have to be booked hard 24/7 to be the centerpiece. Cena not having a match at TLC 2011 is another example.

Moving on, John Cena is putting his title shot on the line against CM Punk on Raw. I said before that a triple threat would be a good option for Wrestlemania. This will probably be the last opportunity to follow through with that. How is that possible? This match can end in a draw. Have them pin each other at the same time. Have them both get counted out. There are ways to have the finish be indecisive, which would then lead to a triple threat at Wrestlemania. Cena said that CM Punk and The Rock were guys he could not beat, so beating them both at Wrestlemania to end his title drought would mean a lot.

What about the two simple options? That is to say, what if CM Punk wins or Cena wins? What if there is no draw? Cena didn't come this far to not be involved in the title match. If only one guy can go on to face The Rock, it will be Cena.

And I'll end it with a word on Jack Swagger. This is not how I would have liked to talk about Swagger's new push. I like him. He got arrested and drugs were in his possession. That's really bad publicity for the WWE. Will this screw up his push? He has been pulled from some events, but it seems like they are still pushing the gimmick. I'm not saying he should not be punished, but I just hope he still gets the push. Assuming he does lose it, who gets it? Mark Henry might just be the best choice. A lot of momentum there. Of all the free heels, he is the best choice. Pushing Ziggler against Del Rio by having him successfully cash in before Wrestlemania and giving Del Rio a rematch at the PPV is also an option. No need to completely shuffle the plans they have. Mark Henry is not doing anything too major right now. Nevertheless, with the gimmick already in motion, Swagger should keep the push.

The Shield Is Still Alive

The Shield was victorious against Cena and friends at the Elimination Chamber PPV. They also won a match on Raw. Good and good. They still have a ton of momentum heading into Wrestlemania. That is creating a great obstacle for someone to overcome at the big event.

That leaves the question, who should be the guys to finally hand this group a loss? Ryback is definitely in. As I was saying when I first said that The Shield should win last Sunday, Ryback finally getting his revenge against this group at Wrestlemania could be a big moment for him. But who joins him? I have a feeling they won't have some kind of gauntlet match or 3-on-1 handicap match. Ryback will have partners, just like the last few times he has faced the stable. Cena is out. He is getting a title shot. Sheamus looks like there is a possibility he will feud with Barrett. How about Jericho? He seemed to just randomly join the cause on Raw. It also seems like his feud with Ziggler is being cut. Why not make him a member of the team to face The Shield at Wrestlemania? Kane and Daniel Bryan, who faced the group in their first match a few months ago, are busy now. There are a few other upper-midcard possibilities to face The Shield, but how about going right to The Undertaker himself? If the WWE is selling this idea that The Shield can work so well together to even knock off a team that John Cena was a part of, how can a team consisting of a bunch of guys lower than Cena possibly win? It might have been better if Taker could wrestle a top star in a singles match, but his health is always an issue. Besides, if The Shield continues to get developed well, they could be sold as a legitimate threat to Taker's streak. This could really all lead to a great story heading into Wrestlemania.

What about the actual gimmick and the storyline? The gimmick has definitely been weakened. I'm glad that they are not pushing that injustice angle, so maybe the weakened gimmick isn't too bad. Just build up their credibility to lead to a good Wrestlemania feud. But what about storyline development? Building up someone to be knocked down by others isn't rich storyline development. I still think they could have and should have aligned the group with Heyman and Punk officially. It would have added another dimension to things. As of right now, things seem simple. They are building the group up to eventually put some stars over. The gimmick isn't as interesting as it might have been anymore and good storyline development may be lacking in the weeks to come.

Team Hell No More

It looks like Kane and Daniel Bryan are breaking up. It was obviously going to happen one day. That's what you have in this current tag division. Besides, these are just two top guys you knew would be on their own again soon.

I usually like long major feuds that climax at Wrestlemania. However, this feud they are restarting with Kane and Daniel Bryan is not one of them. They were working together well for a little while, mainly around the time they were feuding with The Shield. Before and after that, you saw them having issues with each other. These two already fought each other on PPV before. They were also part of that big storyline involving CM Punk and AJ Lee. There is definitely a lot of history there in the course of a little less than a year. But does that mean it should culminate at Wrestlemania?

What would I like to have seen them do at Wrestlemania? How about actually defend the tag titles against another top team or multiple teams? Remember those tag titles? They have taken a backseat to the storyline between Kane and Daniel Bryan. This storyline can obviously lead to the two losing the titles and finally splitting, but how about saving that final meltdown for Wrestlemania? I don't think that is what the WWE is planning. They will most likely go for a singles match at the PPV. I'm not too hyped for it.

Would losing the top team be a blow for the tag division? No, not really. The tag division is not too major these days. Besides, it looks like the returning R-Truth will team again with Kofi Kingston. The only way to make Kofi relevant is to team him with his former partner? Well, I guess it is better than nothing. Aside from that, I wouldn't be surprised to see The Shield win the tag titles down the road. You still have some options.

State Of The WWE Diva Division: February 2013

The WWE managed to squeeze in a diva match into last night's PPV card. Kaitlyn retained against Tamina. Nothing shocking. This feud had not gotten proper development in a while. Online segments and this new App crap they have isn't anything major. Major developments in storylines and star development happen on the televised shows. If nothing else, they hype these online segments and news hard for those stars they want you to care about on the televised shows. This diva feud did not get that development. To put it simply, this was a filler feud.

I had a feeling that the WWE would be without anyone they would be willing to develop to replace Eve after she left. I don't see anyone being developed to be the new centerpiece. Some can argue that the WWE is busy with Wrestlemania matters right now. They can't fit in developing new diva stars. Problem is, going back to last year around this time of year, the WWE was developing both Eve and AJ Lee. AJ Lee is still a periphery diva and Eve went on to be pushed as a centerpiece. Eve left before she could do too much as centerpiece. Nevertheless, if the WWE did want to develop a new centerpiece, they could attempt something. It all comes down to the decisions they make. The first step is picking that woman they want to develop. After that, they start planning and executing that plan. I would say the hardest part for the WWE is actually picking the diva, not developing the plan. They don't pick just anybody.

I do notice that the WWE has been doing slightly more with the periphery divas and credible jobbers. You just saw Tamina get a title shot. Natalya is still teamed with Khali and Hornswoggle. They could do more with that group. Naomi and Cameron are getting featured more. Rosa is getting a little more relevance. AJ Lee is still with Dolph Ziggler. That's pretty much it, but it would be good if the WWE also at least tried to find real angles for divas like Layla and Aksana. Maybe not with all the Wrestlemania storylines being pushed, but after.

And through it all, you still have a very messy women's division. Right now, I just want them to find themselves an eye-candy diva to be centerpiece and start using female wrestlers like they did a decade ago. You may call me a hypocrite for that. I used to say that I wanted to see female wrestlers to get opportunities to become the centerpiece. This current diva division is such a mess, I think you first have to get it back to where it was when it was solid before you can worry about treating female wrestlers better. Trying to change everything from where they are now would probably require a huge overhaul. It would be easier to just go one problem at a time. What's the first problem the WWE should tackle with their diva division? To them, it's probably finding that next star to be the centerpiece. To me, it's getting more female wrestlers to help the division at least look respectable again and have that solid base. Until either of those two things happen, the WWE will just coast along.

The Rock Vs. John Cena: Twice In A Lifetime?

The main event for Elimination Chamber will have to be The Rock defending the WWE Championship against CM Punk. That is not how I exactly framed the title for this blog entry. The winner of this match will defend the WWE Championship against John Cena at Wrestlemania.

When The Rock and Cena went at it last year, that was sold as a match that you would see only once in your lifetime. After Cena lost and they sold this whole idea about 2012 being the worst year in Cena's life, the popular belief would be that Cena could turn it around by winning the title from The Rock at Wrestlemania. From the time The Rock announced he would go after the title, a lot of people were anticipating the rematch. However, Cena's promo after winning the Royal Rumble actually made the possibility of facing CM Punk at Wrestlemania a possibility. Cena has beaten Punk before, but he failed to beat him to regain the title. And there is definitely a great rivalry between those two. By having Cena give that promo and choose to challenge for the WWE Championship rather quickly, CM Punk does not get buried away under an obvious rematch between The Rock and Cena.

Should this big match happen again? Given the fact that they have given CM Punk vs. Cena some credibility, I would rather not see The Rock vs. Cena II. It's not because it would be obvious to go that route. I just think you should leave the first encounter alone. Never before, never again? Let's keep it that way. Besides, if they do go that path for the WWE title match, Cena would obviously be regaining it. Wouldn't that mean The Rock has a right to a rematch? Then what? Three times in a lifetime? It loses more of the hype.

Of course, there is another option. CM Punk wins back the title somehow. Punk vs. Cena at Wrestlemania, but what about The Rock's rematch? Waste it on a Raw before Wrestlemania? That might bring some ratings, but how about a triple threat at Wrestlemania? CM Punk has the title, The Rock has a rematch coming, and Cena has a title shot through winning the Royal Rumble. That would not be the same as Rock vs. Cena II. Cena made it sound like both CM Punk and The Rock were guys he could not overcome, so why not put them both in the match for Cena to overcome? Seems very possible.

Smackdown's Elimination Chamber 2013 Matches

Smackdown actually has two big matches at the Elimination Chamber PPV. One is the Elimination Chamber match to decide who will challenge for the World title at Wrestlemania. The other is the World title match between Alberto Del Rio and Big Show. You also have the wildcard of Dolph Ziggler and his briefcase.

The Elimination Chamber match will feature Randy Orton, Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, Kane, Daniel Bryan, and Chris Jericho. Kane and Daniel Bryan have their own issues, so it is not likely either of them will win. With the current gimmick Jack Swagger is running with, a feud with Del Rio would make sense. That does not mean it needs to be for the title. Mark Henry already has a ton of momentum, but would they give him a title shot at Wrestlemania? Randy Orton has not had a big title match in a while. It would be good to see him get that again. In the end, Chris Jericho seems like the best choice to win this. I'll get to why later.

Big Show gets another rematch against Del Rio. When this feud was first getting started, I was hoping it would not drag on. Although they have extended it, they have done it well. A lot of good segments involved in this feud. But it is going to have to end. Who should win the title? Really no point in handing it back to Big Show now, although having him feud with Randy Orton over the title heading into Wrestlemania could be interesting. Let Del Rio retain here. He probably won't hold it much longer.

Ziggler has that briefcase. Why not finally cash in after the match between Alberto Del Rio and Big Show? Big Show gets mad about not winning the title, lays out Del Rio, and Ziggler enters for the win. Combine that with Jericho winning the title shot like I said earlier. That feud between Ziggler and Jericho started last year. It would be fitting to take it to Wrestlemania as a title match. Look at it this way, just as much as the WWE can sell Cena having a bad year last year, they can also sell Jericho having a bad year last year. That was part of the issue between Jericho and Ziggler when the feud started. Had Jericho lost his touch? Just like things can turn around for Cena at Wrestlemania, the WWE can push that same story with Jericho. To me, that would be the best option. Too predictable? Maybe, but what better way to handle this situation? Ziggler finally cashes in, the feud between him and Jericho gets taken to another level, and you have a Wrestlemania-worthy World title match.

The Shield Vs. Cena & The Gang

At Elimination Chamber, The Shield will face John Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback. Ryback has been feuding with this group for months. Sheamus entered the picture a few weeks ago. Cena turned his full attention to the group after he was attacked by them after the Royal Rumble PPV. Will The Shield once again be victorious?

Before I look at the actual match, let me talk about the storyline development for this stable. It was already revealed that they were being paid to help CM Punk. That kind of kills this gimmick about fighting injustice. And yet, the WWE is still having the group push that idea. In terms of that gimmick, the group is looking pretty weak right now. They should just have them properly align with Heyman and Punk. There hasn't been any interactions between The Shield and Heyman and Punk since the reveal. Why not? They might as well go for it.

Storyline momentum is not the only thing that has been lost. The Shield has gotten beaten by Cena and his troops for the second week in a row now. There is still Smackdown for The Shield to regain momentum before the PPV, but they are really making the group look bad.

Who should win? I am not a fan of any of the three guys in the stable, but I wouldn't mind them winning this one. Would it really kill Cena's momentum that much? He is getting a title shot at Wrestlemania no matter what happens at Elimination Chamber. Cena always has to look like the hero, and he is teaming with some other strong faces, so a face victory would not be surprising. It would be a little refreshing if this did not end up like the Nexus angle. Have The Shield head into Wrestlemania with two big PPV wins under their belts. It could be a big Wrestlemania moment for Ryback to finally get his revenge against the group at the big event. The Shield can provide a great story heading into Wrestlemania, if they have momentum.

Could Lita Or Trish Have Done What Mickie Did?

I just finished a short series thinking about whether Mickie James, Lita, and Trish Stratus could have succeeded in this current environment of the diva division. It is definitely not easy to make it in these conditions, even for women with WWE support to be successes. But this is not the only difficult position for a diva to go through to succeed. Mickie James also had to overcome difficult circumstances to have her success. Could Trish or Lita have done what Mickie James did?

First of all, what is it that Mickie James actually did? I'm not going to use the regular "credible jobber" and "centerpiece" terminology. You sometimes might get so lost in terminology, you lose the feel for what the words actually mean. Let me try to spell it out. From the time the WWE diva division started over a decade ago, the WWE has liked to develop a beautiful, glamorous eye-candy diva as the chief star of the division. They don't have any true wrestling training and experience when they get here, but they develop it over time while in the WWE. Where does that leave female wrestlers, those women who do come with actual wrestling skill and experience? The WWE typically uses these women to put over the eye-candy diva. They frequently get depushed, get mediocre treatment when not being used to make the main star look good or act as filler, and always get phased out. Only a few female wrestlers get great careers, always consisting a lot of angles with the men and on the side of the main star. And none of these female wrestlers to get these careers ever started out like the others, became very over off it, then got raised up. This is the division that Mickie James came to. She came in at a time when the WWE had a successful main star, a successful female wrestler developed as a star, no female wrestlers used to put over the main star ever getting too over, and no real problems at all. In time, Mickie James became the most over diva on the roster. The WWE never stopped pushing her the same way they always push the majority of female wrestlers. They continued to go to eye-candy divas to develop that main star. Despite mediocre treatment and being treated even worse later on, Mickie James remained successful. All other things being the same, could Trish or Lita have come into the diva division at this time, taken this type of career, succeeded, and survived the mediocre treatment that should dry up that overness?

I can knock Trish Stratus out of this discussion easily. Trish did not come in with wrestling experience. She was an eye-candy diva. If she debuted in 2005, they would not have used a woman like her to put over the main star of the diva division in the same way they did Mickie James. You can talk about the possibility of Trish eventually becoming amazing in the ring and getting the kind of career Mickie James had, but while she is developing that wrestling ability, she is going to have a grace period where she is connecting with the fans just through her sex appeal. Remember Ashley? Trish probably would have gotten the kind of usage Ashley got on Raw in 2005. That is not the career Mickie James had. The diva division may be more open now to using eye-candy divas to do the jobs that those kind of female wrestlers used to do back then, but they weren't doing it that much back then. Trish would not even be in the position Mickie James was in when she debuted.

Lita was hired having had wrestling training. If she debuted in 2005, she most likely would have been used to put over the main star of the division. She is the kind of woman they like to use for that and she would be coming at a time when their division is pretty much set and solid. Could she have succeeded? If the WWE did not start treating her better, could she survive?

One of the things that helped Mickie James connect with the fans was definitely her charisma. Even when she was just being pushed as a generic face diva, her charisma helped her to still stand out more. What about Lita's charisma? You look at the career Lita did have, her character was always benefiting from rubs she got from the guys. She was aligned with a high-flying luchador, the extreme brothers, and a guy who was rated R. She also had that big storyline with Kane. Whatever gimmick her guys had, Lita got a little bit of that too. Take that away. Could Lita make it as a generic face diva? Hard to consider, right? Even if Lita did get over through the big debut angle she would get if she had debuted in 2005, I don't think she would have the charisma to stay connected with the fans when the WWE stops developing her character well and does not bother keeping it fresh.

Injuries are also an issue. The longest Mickie James ever was away in the WWE due to an injury or anything with her health was a few weeks. A lot of people did not think she would be able to perform at Wrestlemania that year. She came back and was a part of that diva match. Lita's history with injuries is larger. Lita's style in the ring has always been risky. Because she would not be getting all those angles with the guys, she would be called on to actually wrestle diva matches more often. Just like the character development she got alongside the guys helped to make Lita a star, so did her high-risk style. What if they took that away? People always talk about the WWE having their divas do less in recent years. Would Lita's style still connect her with the fans? What if they did not limit her? Would injuries have been an even bigger problem with Lita? If she was in Mickie's position, she would have to wrestle more often against the divas than she did in reality. And when the diva division started deteriorating and eye-candy divas started seeing more time, how well could Lita perform with these women? Injuries could become a real issue. And that could make it even easier to bury Lita.

Do I think Lita could have done what Mickie James did? No. Lita would be left as a generic face diva. It would be up to her own charisma to stay connected with a lot of fans out there. Maybe it is just because I find it hard to picture her character without matching her up to the guys she's worked with, but I don't think she has the charisma. Moreover, her wrestling style that helped her to connect with the fans over a decade ago may become limited by the WWE if she had to work in recent years. And because she would be seeing more ring time than she did in her actual career, that would open up the possibility for more injuries with that style. Because the WWE was frequently still developing her character, lack of wrestling did not have to bury Lita. She still stayed fresh through storylines. She could not count on that with the kind of career Mickie James had. Lita would follow the path of Jazz and Melina, two women who suffered some injuries in their careers. Both were also phased out and eventually released.

To succeed when circumstances are in your favor or even just fair and balanced is one thing. To succeed when things are against you, that is something else. You cannot take success for granted and you should pay attention to how individuals manage to succeed. Trish and Lita were successful, but you cannot take it for granted that it would have worked out in any situation they were put in. On the other side of that, Mickie James was successful, but you cannot make the assumption that her path in the WWE was similar to what Trish and Lita had. There are different roads to success.

Rhodes Scholars Breaks Up

Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes were two midcard heels who teamed up last year to steal the spotlight from the lower-midcard teams that had started the hype for the tag-team division revival. Blame the WWE for that, not the workers. And now, as you had to expect would eventually happen, the team is broken up.

Too soon? It seems like all they did was have a bunch of title shots and then break up. Cody's injury prolonged things. And now that the feud for the tag titles is over, they don't have a reason to team up together anymore, so they are going their separate ways. Seems reasonable, but I still feel they could have done more together. A true team remains together even outside those title feuds. That's how you make the tag division interesting. They were building these two up as a real team for a while. They had some kind of common gimmick and even a team name. Definitely could have done more.

How will they do as singles competitors again? It is going to be easier for them to get lost in the shuffle. They might get some random wins here and there, but also expect them to be used to put over stars above them. And this midcard you have now is not good with creating good midcard feuds and storylines. I would say that one of these guys should enter some kind of feud with Kofi Kingston, but I have no faith that it would be handled well. Since both midcard titles are held by heels, Rhodes and Sandow won't be entering a 1-on-1 feud for either title. You could just imagine the WWE eventually lumping together Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Kofi Kingston, and Bo Dallas in a feud for the Intercontinental Championship. Something like that will be a convenient way to get all these guys featured properly.

What happens to the tag division? The top heel contenders are now broken up. You have The Shield. It would seem Brodus Clay and Tensai are teaming up for a face comedy team, but how much can you really expect from that? That staleness is definitely returning to the tag division. Even Kane and Daniel Bryan seem to be feuding more with themselves again than getting a tag feud developed. Will the WWE fake another revival after Wrestlemania?

Would Trish Stratus Have Succeeded Today?

I started with Mickie James, went to Lita, and I might as well end this little series of speculating whether past major successes in the diva division would have still succeeded today with Trish Stratus, the greatest centerpiece the division ever had and Hall of Fame inductee this year. I almost wasn't going to do it. I was going to just tack it on to what I was saying about Lita. Let me give the basic idea of what I would have said.

Would Trish Stratus still have made it today? Of course! She is the kind of woman they want to be centerpiece. She succeeded during the first dark age. It is with her that the WWE took the division out of the first dark age. She was a solid worker who became over. The WWE would love to have that kind of woman now.

After thinking about it, I realized that the answer might not be that simple. Trish and Lita both debuted in a dark age, but it was a different one from what you have now. Just like Lita benefited from a hotter company and male-female violence, so did Trish Stratus. I am not going to list all the things that Lita benefited from then that are not here now, which in turn might also apply to Trish Stratus. The career Trish Stratus had was different from that which Lita had. Trish was the centerpiece. This is not about simply whether Trish would get over or not. This is about whether Trish would still become as effective a centerpiece as she was.

Just like a quarterback needs reliable receivers to throw the ball to, the centerpiece needs good credible jobbers to help her look good. That is what really made me think twice about whether Trish Stratus debuting now and being developed as the centerpiece would have the same impact as it did over a decade ago. The diva division started with the use of female wrestlers as credible jobbers. When the WWE started pushing Trish as the centerpiece, that practice continued. After Trish left, the practice continued for a while. As centerpieces started failing, eye-candy divas started to become more numerous and solid in the ring, female wrestlers started to become more scarce, and a credible jobber developed herself to be the most over diva, the practice soon ended. Eye-candy divas are now used as jobbers to the centerpiece and interim centerpieces in a way that they have never been used before. That is a drop in standards.

How would that change impact Trish Stratus today? A decade ago, she had a ton of solid workers to work with her. That helped to bring the best out of her. Every woman she traded the title with had good wrestling credibility, a lot more than the current Diva's Champion. No offense to Kaitlyn. She still has time to improve. Nevertheless, how respectable a worker would Trish have become without solid workers like she had? How respectable would the division look?

There's also the issue of no centerpiece working out in about 6 years. What does that do to the WWE's enthusiasm to develop a new centerpiece? How about the woman being developed as the centerpiece? If she does not have confidence in how the WWE is going to treat her, based on the poor treatment the division has been getting, you can imagine her not being committed to this mess. Trish Stratus did not really have this issue a decade ago. She was inheriting the diva division from Sable. Sable did not flop as centerpiece. She just left at a time the WWE did not have a woman on the roster they were willing to develop as centerpiece. Commitment has been an issue lately. Who is to say that Trish Stratus would not have confidence in this diva division and quit for something better?

Do I think the WWE would be able to take the division out of this dark age with Trish Stratus if she was debuting now like they did a decade ago? No. This dark age did not just start when Eve left. By my analysis of things, the problems started when standards started dropping and women pushed to be the centerpiece could not deliver. Trish Stratus getting over will not be enough to fix anything. The WWE needs to start hiring and utilizing female wrestlers like they did a decade ago. Only those eye-candy divas who demonstrate a great talent in the ring should be used as credible jobbers. Leave the rest as periphery divas. Without good credible jobbers, you are not going to have a respectable women's division, no matter how Trish works out.

I am not going to do another blog entry for other past successful divas. Let me just rush through some. Eye-candy divas who got over years ago would most likely have trouble in this PG era where eye-candy divas are ineffective and not used properly. Chyna would most likely not be wrestling men regularly if she debuted today. Stephanie McMahon, just based on who she is, would succeed in any era they decided to bring her in.

Where Is Kofi?

Where has Kofi Kingston been since losing the Intercontinental Championship to Wade Barrett? I had a feeling he would get lost in the shuffle. He is currently not involved in any title feuds. While we're at it, he's currently not involved in really anything. He is being used to put over others. He did get his moment at the Royal Rumble.

At the time I last talked about Kofi, I was expecting Elimination Chamber to feature a multi-man match for the WWE Championship, or at least #1 contendership for that title. Neither of those are options now. If it still was, I figured Kofi would be involved in that. He usually is. The multi-man match for Raw looks like it will involve The Shield, John Cena, Ryback, and Sheamus. Kofi doesn't fit in there.

Wrestlemania might be even tougher to find a spot for Kofi. No Money in the Bank there. Can they make up some large tag match? Maybe something involving whatever is left of The Shield after Cena has his way with them? Kofi can get involved in that. If not, he'll probably get involved in some pre-show battle royal. I don't see the road to Wrestlemania featuring Kofi prominently.

What should the WWE try to do with Kofi now? Honestly, I think they have a good reason to not be pushing Kofi Kingston well right now. It's tough this time of year. Moreover, the WWE has a right to also feature some of these other guys. Kofi Kingston is a good worker and is over, but he is not at the level of a Chris Jericho or CM Punk. You could try forcing him into a feud with Cesaro for the U.S. title, but it is not really necessary. You would just be trying too hard. Kofi has worth outside of these title feuds. Hopefully, they start using him better after Wrestlemania. Right now, no tears needed for Kofi. He's not being punished. 

Kaitlyn: The Hybrid Diva

Kaitlyn is the hybrid diva. What does that even mean? Given the current state of the diva division and Kaitlyn's likely role right now, does a nickname even mean anything? There's probably a few things I can talk about off this. I never really talked about "anti-diva" gimmicks. I'll save that for another day. Since this is a dark age and Kaitlyn does not look like the centerpiece, let me go back to the first dark age.

The woman on the left is Debra. The woman on the right is Ivory. Those were the first two divas to hold the Women's Championship after Sable left. Debra was an eye-candy periphery diva and Ivory was a credible jobber.

Why would I bring those two women up in a discussion about Kaitlyn? I would say she might be viewed as a hybrid of those two. No, I'm not simply talking about a mix of their hair colors. I'm talking about her wrestling ability. She is showing herself to be more of a wrestler than Debra, but she is not at the level of Ivory.

What does it say about this current dark age that they let Kaitlyn win the title off Eve when Eve, their centerpiece, was leaving? The first dark age featured some questionable choices holding the title, including a mix of eye-candy divas and credible jobbers, as well as other periphery divas and a guy. This current dark age, they aren't doing anything too crazy, yet. I wouldn't say Kaitlyn was the best choice to give it to, as far as wrestling ability goes. Storyline-wise, she made sense. She was feuding with Eve. But this is still a step back for the diva division. An eye-candy credible jobber without great wrestling ability is interim centerpiece.

It might still be too early to call it, but I don't see the WWE doing anything with Kaitlyn to make me believe they want her to be the true focal point of their women's division. Development isn't there. Tamina is getting a push, which should please some fans who still have hope. I don't see anyone fitting the profile of what the WWE likes to develop as centerpiece getting built for the position. That makes this dark age even more like the first. I don't think they will go more in the direction of Debra as far as who they give the title to. Giving the title to a female wrestler might help make things look more respectable. However, they should also try to do something to actually entertain. The general audience won't always force themselves to cheer for something that is more respectable than entertaining. You want a hybrid? That mix of respectable and entertaining is what you want to go for. Where does that leave Kaitlyn? I don't consider her the hybrid diva that will help this diva division.

Trish Stratus will be inducted in the Hall of Fame. Does she deserve it? Yes. But now? That's what I have an issue with. The diva division is the worst it has ever been. It is neither respectable nor entertaining. You have less effective divas now than you did in the first dark age. And this is what Trish paved the way for? Speaking for myself, if I was ever being honored for something I helped to pave the way for, create, or had some significant impact on, I would not feel right about being honored at a time when that something is a mess. What kind of message would that send? I'm not saying you have to blame Trish Stratus for the mess. This is the WWE's fault for making poor decisions. But this is essentially the same division you had with Trish. Eye-candy centerpiece, women with wrestling credibility used as credible jobbers, and the only female wrestlers getting successful careers getting it in the periphery. The problem has been the women the WWE trying to develop to be the next Trish not getting it done, or the WWE not getting it done with them. So are you honoring Trish for paving the way to this current diva division or for the career she had? You can honor Trish for her career at any time. I just think it would mean more if you honored her at a time when you can legitimately say Trish paved the way for a great women's division. That's not now.

The Shield And Brad Maddox Reveal

It was finally revealed on Raw where The Shield and Brad Maddox fit into this whole drama involving CM Punk. Paul Heyman was indeed the mastermind. Vince McMahon had video evidence to prove that they were all working together to save CM Punk's title reign the numerous times they did. It wasn't for the weak reasons that The Shield and Maddox were trying to sell, which just about everyone figured. As you would guess, I have some complaining to do.

First, I am going to say what I like about what happened. There are two things I like. I'll get to the second one at the end. First, I was feeling for a long time that the WWE was under-utilizing Paul Heyman's character. I actually like how the story ended up. While Paul Heyman seemed to be not doing too much in front of the camera, he was actually scheming and up to no good behind the scenes. Clever. That actually paid off well. The ends justify the means.

Now, time to complain. The WWE went with the obvious direction with The Shield angle. Why were they attacking people? Because they were helping Paul Heyman and CM Punk. No swerve. That was kind of flat. I'm just glad they didn't try to drag this on any further. It was not a believable gimmick.

What's next for The Shield? That's something else to complain about. Cena now finds himself as one of the three guys feuding with the three-man heel stable. This wouldn't be the first time a threat is developed, fed to John Cena, and then dropped back to mediocrity. I wasn't liking this group, but going the obvious pattern by having them feud with John Cena doesn't make it better.

What about Brad Maddox? He got beaten up by The Shield. That's another guy I wasn't really caring too much about. At least The Shield can still serve some kind of purpose and then move on to possibly having good singles or tag-team careers after this storyline ends. I don't feel Maddox really has a place. He definitely served a purpose in the storyline, but what do you do with him now? I can imagine him going the route of Alex Riley.

After Vince revealed all this, he was prepared to fire Paul Heyman. What happens? The return of Brock Lesnar. That's the other thing I liked about all this. Brock laid out Vince. That should lead to Triple H returning for a rematch. This could actually lead to a better stable. A while back, I thought about whether The Shield should add members. No, I don't think Brock should join that stable. I think they should all combine with CM Punk and Heyman. The Heyman Guys? Call it whatever you want. I don't think now is the time where The Shield has to go rogue against Heyman. CM Punk does not need to go on his own now too, either. Let them all stay together for a while. What about Maddox? I don't think he's too necessary. You can have a strong, main-event stable at a good time of the year to have one. That is the best option, in my eyes anyway.