Pass, Interception, Interference

Yes, another comparison between football and the diva division. Usually, I like to say that the centerpiece of the diva division is like the quarterback of a football team. For the sake of what I am going to say this time, forget about that. And if you have never followed football in your life, I apologize in advance for some terminology I might be throwing at you. I know I would hate it if I was trying to understand something and someone used references to things I couldn't relate. The focus of this blog entry will be the relationship between the centerpiece and credible jobber.

One of the most basic plays in football is the quarterback passing the ball to his receiver. There is also the idea of the running game, but any quarterback that is only good at handing the ball to a runner or running it himself may not be so great. You might have Tim Tebow on your hands. And I just get more excited for passing plays than running plays. From my few years of watching football, most of the big plays I have seen from an offense come from passing. The quarterback gets the ball snapped to him, he puts it in the air, and he hopes his receiver catches it.

There is more to this picture than just the quarterback and the receiver. There is the defense. Their job is to limit how far down the field the offense can go, limit the points the can score, and possibly even take the ball away. When a defender is going against a receiver, his main job is to pressure that receiver to not be able to catch the ball or limit the yards the receiver gets. That's what keeps the game so competitive.

Now, let's make this less competitive. Imagine if a defender was there just for show. He never gets anywhere near the receiver to ever pressure him to miss a catch or bats the ball away. He isn't even close enough to tackle him. He doesn't even try. Hard to imagine, right? I've never seen it happen, and probably never will, but I could imagine it. Just like you might hear stories of boxers being paid off to take a dive to make someone else look good, what you can have in this imaginary football scenario is a defender being influenced to just not even try. Imagine if all the defenders were like this. What's the point? How about to just put up a facade that the receiver has to really overcome someone else to be able to catch the ball? You want the receiver to shine. He is going to shine more if it looks like he is overcoming something than if it is just the quarterback throwing the ball to him with no defense at all on the field. This imaginary situation would basically be a facade of competitiveness.

Bring that back into the diva division. The quarterback represents the WWE. Specifically, I'm talking about those individuals that ultimately decide whom the big stars will be and how to develop and feature them. The receiver represents the centerpiece of the diva division. The football represents success. That's not so hard to believe. Scoring in football revolves around the ball. You get a touchdown for taking the ball into the end zone. You get a field goal for kicking the ball through the crossbars. Even the rules on safeties revolve around the ball. The ball is success. It is what it is all about. In the WWE, overness is what it is all about. That is success for them. They are not about simply featuring wrestling matches. They are about getting whom they want to be over that success.

If the WWE choosing whom they want to be a success and developing them to be over is comparable to a quarterback eying his receiver and passing the ball to him, what represents the defense? It would be stupid to have a defense, wouldn't it? A defense's job is to hinder the offense. Why would the WWE want to have someone in the picture to hinder the development of their centerpiece? My comparison falls flat? I'm not finished yet. Go back to that imaginary situation I gave about a defender that is just there to put up the illusion that things are going to be tougher for the receiver than they really are. They are just there to make the receiver look good. They are just there to put them over. Put them over? Things starting to sound a bit familiar now? The faux defenders represent credible jobbers in the diva division. They are not there to make things difficult for the success of the centerpiece. They are there to help the centerpiece be a success. Their primary purpose is to be jobbers to the centerpiece, as well as interim centerpiece. Outside of that, they get mediocrity that does not allow them to be as successful as those pushed to be the centerpiece or periphery divas are meant to be.

Imagine another situation on the football field. Jinder Mahal goes up to play quarterback, he gets the ball snapped to him, drops back, puts it in the air, and...INTERCEPTION! Mahal has been picked off! That sounds more like the story of Tony Romo.

Back to business, an interception is when a guy on the defense is the one who catches the ball. Not good. In almost every situation, the quarterback would rather no one catches his pass than have it intercepted, or picked off, by the other team. An interception is probably the biggest play a defender can make. He can also force a fumble, but the offense might have the opportunity to still recover the fumble. When a defender gets an interception, the ball is in his hands. He has it. After forcing a fumble, you still have to get the ball. And the possibility of interceptions is another thing that makes passing the football more exciting.

What would an interception look like in the diva division? The WWE is the quarterback. The centerpiece is the intended receiver. The ball represents success. The credible jobber being used to put over the centerpiece is the defender. Imagine a credible jobber intercepting success. That has happened. I believe the woman who did that has a birthday coming up. Mickie James was not supposed to get over against Trish Stratus. She was not supposed to get cheered as a heel. The thing about Mickie James, she didn't just intercept the WWE once during her career. After her success, they continued to use her as a credible jobber, as a faux defender. They continued to use her as a jobber to the centerpiece and interim centerpiece. The WWE tried to pass the ball to Candice Michelle. It was the woman that they were pushing as interim centerpiece while Candice Michelle would be out due to injury that was succeeding. They pushed her to put over Maryse and used her as filler when Maryse was injured. Once again, she kept succeeding. Her final feud had her being used to put over Michelle McCool. The WWE tried to take advantage of Mickie's overness there to get McCool finally over. Didn't work out as well as the WWE would have liked. McCool could not hang on to true overness. Mickie James remained the woman the fans really cared about. That uproar when she was released shows that. Mickie James intercepted success 4 times in her career. That includes against the greatest centerpiece, or star receiver in terms of the football analogy, the diva division ever had, Trish Stratus. Now, interceptions are not a blemish that appears on the stats of the receivers in football, even though the pass may have been intended for them. Interceptions are a blemish for the quarterback, the guy actually passing the ball. How do you think quarterbacks like Mark Sanchez or Tony Romo feel when they throw an interception? Those two have thrown 4 interceptions in one game before. How do you think the WWE would feel if one credible jobber did this to them against 4 different centerpieces? And after so many years of having never experienced this?

Now, let me get to the final part, and the part that I really wanted to talk about the most. I have been saying that the defender's job is to try to hinder the receiver from moving the ball and scoring. However, there are rules and penalties to the game. Specifically, there are pass interference rules. You have to give the receiver a fair opportunity to make a play at the ball. For one thing, you cannot grab the arms to stop them from having any chance at catching the ball. You always hear the commentators say that the defender needs to look back for the ball. Play the ball, not the receiver. I'm not going to go through all the rules and analyze them. Fact is, the receiver still has to have a fair chance to make a play. Sounds fair. When a defender does something illegal in this regard, they get a defensive pass interference penalty. That can be a heavy penalty. Now, there is something that I really found weird when I first heard it. Pass interference also applies to the receivers. When the ball is in the air, the receiver that the quarterback is hoping to catch the ball cannot do too much to interfere with the defender to catch the interception. Defensive players have as much right to the ball as the offensive players. Maybe that does not impress you as much as it did me. When the quarterback is throwing the ball, the last person he would like to catch the ball has to be given a fair chance at it? Really? If the intended receiver ends up interfering with the defender, that is offensive pass interference.

Apply that to the diva division. The WWE, the quarterback in this story, puts the ball in the air for the centerpiece. There is a credible jobber there. But the credible jobber doesn't get a fair chance to come up with the ball, to come up with success? They are not allowed to get over and move on to a better career? In football, both the receiver and defender have to be given a fair opportunity to make a play at the ball. That sounds very fair. In the entire history of the diva division, you have never had a credible jobber get over while being pushed to put over the centerpiece and stop being pushed as a credible jobber. You have never had a credible jobber being pushed as interim centerpiece get over and take the spot away from the person she was filling in for. Are these women, the ones pushed as credible jobbers, being given a fair chance to really make a play at success? The only woman to intercept success while being pushed this way did not get the better career. You can say that the officiating crew in this football game just happen to also be on the payroll of the quarterback. To put it another way, the WWE represents both the quarterback and the referees in the analogy. If a play happens that they don't like, it's no problem. The game is rigged in their favor. All their receivers have to do is catch the ball. And things still don't seem to be working out for them, as far as centerpiece issues go.

All Quiet On The Main-Event Face Front

In addition to this big angle of Triple H turning heel leading to a big push for Daniel Bryan, it has created this storyline where is supposed to be scared to speak out or act against the heel bosses. For the second week in a row, the whole roster stood by and watched The Shield and Randy Orton destroy Daniel Bryan. Special focus was placed on Big Show, Dolph Ziggler, and The Miz. These are all former World Champions who are now faces. Focus should be on them for this storyline.

Let's start with Miz. It would be nice if they just focused on this big storyline for him. Why bother having him feud with Fandango? Fandango may be a heel, but I have a tough time picturing him as a henchman for Triple H. I was hoping and expecting that they wouldn't even follow through with a feud between Miz and Fandango. I said just a few days ago that Fandango should be feuding with someone like R-Truth. He doesn't need a bigger feud now. A feud between Miz and Fandango would likely end up not doing anything much for either guy. Right now, Miz's involvement as a top face to stand against Triple H and his group is more important. Go back to earlier this year when it looked like Damien Sandow would have both a singles feud against R-Truth and tag feud that also involved the divas. The WWE dropped his feud with R-Truth. I am still expecting them to drop the feud with Fandango or write it off very easily. What then for Fandango? Summertime sadness? As I said before, just have him feud with R-Truth. It would be a better midcard feud.

Why isn't Mark Henry more involved in this storyline? He is currently a face, has been World Champion before, and has had issues with The Shield very recently. It almost looked like he would team with Big Show to go after the tag titles. And now, he is just in the background?

While I am on the subject of why certain people are not involved in this storyline more, what about Ryback? I said before that Fandango doesn't really fit as a henchman for Triple H, but Ryback does. I won't spoil Smackdown too much this week, but Ryback does get involved in this situation a little. Still, not enough for my liking. His bully gimmick isn't exactly leading to him getting any real feuds right now. Fit him better alongside The Shield as Triple H's personal henchmen.

Daniel Bryan's main target right now as far as feuds go is obviously Randy Orton. Where does that leave these other top faces and Triple H's henchmen? Assuming The Shield is feuding with these faces heading into Night of Champions and not some random match against a lower-midcard tag team, who should go for the tag titles? Remember when Big Show and Miz were actually a team? They won the tag titles before. It would be fitting for them to team again to go after the tag titles. If Mark Henry was involved in this thing more, I would also say that he is a possibility to team with Big Show. If the WWE was really thinking about still going in that direction, they are not doing a good job of developing Mark Henry for it. That would leave Dolph Ziggler to go after Dean Ambrose for the U.S. title. Big Show and Miz go for the tag titles and Dolph Ziggler goes for the U.S. title. And if the WWE does get Mark Henry and Ryback involved in this thing more, those two can face each other.

Let me do an aside. It is a follow up on the same aside I had yesterday. This is about the buzz that AJ Lee's promo has created. She criticized the way things currently are. Have people forgotten that The Bellas criticized the state of the diva division at one time? I believe they did it on Twitter a few months after CM Punk did his big promo. That didn't lead to them getting to do a big "shoot" on any of the major shows. A few fans gave them some respect points for that. How many respect points have they lost since then? Did they only say what they did so fans would respect them more? I won't sway you one way or another. Thing is, did AJ Lee say what she did because she really cares so much or the WWE wants her to create some buzz? She has gotten some of that Punk-like vibe now. AJ Lee is turning into a patchwork diva. A patchwork quilt is a quilt made of various pieces of cloth. When I use the term for AJ Lee, I am pretty much saying that she is starting to look like a bunch of other people stitched together. People have compared her to Lita, Mickie James, Stephanie McMahon, and even some men. She did the whole "Yes!" thing for a while. She is looking like CM Punk now. So far, she has not had one angle or gimmick that has lasted for more than a few months before the WWE cut it and moved on to something else or modified it in some other way. Her periphery career kicked in when she was with Daniel Bryan. They broke up and that transitioned into her getting involved with CM Punk and Kane, as well as Daniel Bryan. That briefly dropped back down to just Daniel Bryan for the wedding angle. She became GM for a few months. Enter John Cena. Her few months with Ziggler. She is now Diva's Champion. If that wasn't enough, you let her go out there and cut a promo like that? They are just going to keep adding patches to this woman. It would be better if they found one good position for her and just kept her there for a while to let these other women knit their own stories and positions in the company. It's only a matter of time before they make her look like a female version of The Undertaker for a couple months.

Los Matadores Are Coming

It looks like Primo and Epico are going to be gaining some relevance once more very soon. They are being repackaged and hyped as Los Matadores. The WWE seems to be going high on gimmicks lately. And what does this all mean for the tag division?

First, this isn't the first time this year that someone has been repackaged and re-debuted with a new  gimmick. Fandango? Bray Wyatt? Go back last year to Brodus Clay. You have The Shield debuting with their gimmick as a faction. The buzz off of which of these has motivated the WWE to continue to push new gimmicks? I like gimmicks. I used to feel the WWE lacked interesting gimmicks for some time. And now? I think they are doing too much. Yes, this is creating hype to draw interest, but how about doing better with the people you currently have on the roster? Just focusing on the guys on the roster with some unique gimmicks that debuted with a lot of buzz, where are they now? The WWE has not done a good job of keeping the ball rolling with these guys. They kill their momentum. A lot of fans say that guys like Brodus Clay deserve the depush because they got stale. Well, would they still have gotten stale if the WWE did a better job developing legitimate feuds and storylines for them? Instead of keeping the ball rolling with these guys, the WWE seems to find it easier to just shift focus to others, then run them through the same cycle. For that reason, I cannot get too excited for this new gimmick.

Second, what does this mean for the tag division? Former Tag Team Champions are getting focus again. I know Epico and Primo didn't exactly have a great run with the titles. Nevertheless, they were a part of the revival of the tag division. Is there another revival happening right now? Darren Young's coming out has led to his Titus and him getting a push. I didn't like seeing Jack Swagger lose on Raw like that, but that's another issue. The Usos were getting pushed until recently. Los Matadores will surely be pushed. But there is one big problem. Where are the tag titles? Still on The Shield. Without the Tag Team Champions being involved more with these other teams, all you really have is a bunch of teams with various gimmicks rotating around each other. There is no real direction. The WWE invests in a team to make them look good, pulls the plug to do this for another team, and then repeats. While that is going on, The Shield is leagues above everyone else. If another upper-midcard team does take the titles off them, which is most likely, that won't help matters anytime soon.

And one last thing on something not related. Fans are acting like AJ Lee dropped a "pipe bomb" last night on the cast of Total Divas. If you say something that neckbeards agree with and throw in a few edgy remarks, that is now considered a "pipe bomb" to some people? Okay, I'll keep that in mind. I honestly didn't find anything too shocking about what AJ Lee did. This wouldn't be the first time that a heel diva slammed the extra-curricular activities that other divas were getting. A heel diva has never spoken out against another diva getting a Playboy push? In another note, I may not watch Total Divas or have any desire to, but the show has been a success. More viewers than TNA Impact Wrestling usually gets. Was AJ Lee edgy? A bit. Fact is, just speaking personally, if CM Punk's big promos from 2 years ago didn't make me a fan of the guy, what AJ Lee did this week isn't going to move me. Instead of focusing on a feud between just Natalya and AJ right now, it looks like the WWE will instead be developing something involving AJ and all the cast of Total Divas, not just Natalya.

Fandango's Summertime Sadness

What has Fandango been doing lately? Nothing much. Months ago, I remember talk about how much Vince McMahon loved this guy and the gimmick. Even Chris Jericho mentioned it in an interview. And yet, he is lost in the shuffle lately. That is why I don't like putting too much worth into what is being said, whether it is dirtsheet rumors or direct sources saying things in interviews. I am not implying Chris Jericho lied. The fact is, with the problems the WWE has had with pushing a great midcard in recent years, it seemed very likely that Fandango would suffer a bit of a depush.

What should Fandango be doing right now? Obviously, he doesn't need a main-event push. He doesn't need an upper-midcard push against guys like Mark Henry or RVD, even if they were available to feud with him right now. Right now, he is where he should be. He is a midcarder. They teased developing a feud between him and R-Truth. And why now? Their gimmicks are similar in the dancing aspect, but contrast from there. It would be great to have them get a legitimate feud. This is one of those situations where the storyline might even write itself. They can even give R-Truth a diva to be his dancing partner.

And let's look back at the age-old question. Is Fandango over, or his theme song? You can still see fans doing that little dance. But that's pretty much it. I still don't see this guy being legitimately over. Some comedy characters, even heel ones, eventually do get over. Will Fandango ever be as over as his theme song?

How Will Kane Return This Time?

Bray Wyatt and his group took Kane out. How will Kane return? We have already seen the heel stable take him out once before and Kane came back for revenge. Now, you would hope, Kane will come back as a brainwashed member of the stable. That would be the interesting way to handle this. That is the expected way to handle this. Does that mean Kane loses the mask again? Grows a beard? Starts dressing like a janitor or garbage collector, like the rest of Bray Wyatt's pals? As I have mentioned before, the return of Kane with the mask caused a lot of buzz. I could only imagine that people will be talking again for whatever big return Kane has.

Another issue, what does the WWE do with Bray Wyatt until Kane is ready to return? Kane's involvement with the group is probably the biggest thing to be eager for as far as Bray Wyatt goes. He beat R-Truth on Raw. Nothing huge there. Will the WWE ruin Bray's momentum by just having him run through jobbers? Having the other two guys run through tag-team jobbers won't make things that more fresh. Unless the WWE has some other good star they plan to develop a real feud with against Bray Wyatt right now, nothing too interesting might happen with this gimmick until Kane comes back.

The Shield: Corporate Henchmen

The Shield pretty much came onto the scene as henchmen for Paul Heyman. Their attacks were focused on protecting CM Punk's title reign. After that, their attacks became more random. They lacked proper direction and were often supporting players in the storylines of others. They did pick up a lot of gold, but no good feuds for them since then. And now? They are the henchmen for this corporate stable now formed.

My initial reaction was to once again shake my head at the inability to push the group properly in their own spotlight. Thinking about it further, this is probably the best thing for them. Don't make this a 1-time deal. Make them the henchmen for Vince McMahon and his circle right now. This is giving them some kind of focus. They may still be supporting players, but this is probably the best place to be off of being treated like that. They are a part of a legitimate main-event stable. I doubt they will get the same rub as Batista and Randy Orton in Evolution. They might even end up like The Spirit Squad when they were used to do Vince McMahon's dirty work years ago. Nevertheless, it is still big focus.

You have all these bad guys, but where are the good guys? The Shield attacked Daniel Bryan in front of all those superstars, but no one came to his aid. There definitely are people that are feuding with The Shield right now. Why no help from them? Because everyone is scared of Vince McMahon? Didn't so many wrestlers speak out against what Triple H did to Daniel Bryan? Why didn't they save him from the attack? You have a good heel stable forming, but it would be nice to see a united group of faces to stand up to them. Don't make this all about Daniel Bryan going through all these henchmen to get back at Triple H and Randy Orton.

Even Stephanie Turns On Daniel Bryan?

The opening segment for Raw featured Daniel Bryan and Stephanie McMahon. Always nice to see Stephanie McMahon getting involved in storylines. Reminds me of the good old days. Aside from that, two things are worth mentioning with that segment.

First, Stephanie McMahon is obviously siding with her husband and father. The final segment of the night solidified that. She is a heel now. Question is, was that necessary? A while ago, you had Vince McMahon,Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon all mixing it up. Stephanie was caught in the middle of her father and husband at some points, but also seemed like she was on her own in some segments. And now, they are all on the same side? I don't want to make it sound like the odds are against Daniel Bryan, but all the authority figures are against him. Would it have made things a little more interesting if there was someone with power on his side and standing against Vince and Triple H? That would create a power struggle, which would compliment the title feud between Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton. Right now, all the spotlight is really on Daniel Bryan to overcome. Good for him, but some people complain when they do this with Cena. And I still think it would have been a more interesting storyline if there was someone with power standing in Daniel Bryan's corner. And why not Stephanie?

Second, just think about what the overall point of that promo was. What was best for business? Not everyone can be the face of the company? Daniel Bryan doesn't have the look to deserve the spot that Triple H screwed him out of, in terms of the storyline? They are pretty much saying that Daniel Bryan cannot be the centerpiece of the company. And even though he is getting a great push right now and it will continue for a while, he won't be the centerpiece. Cena will return. But just switch what Stephanie McMahon said to the diva division. That justification that Stephanie gave as to why Daniel Bryan was screwed out of the title can pretty much be given by the WWE as to why the diva division is run like it is. Just like people like Daniel Bryan cannot be the face or centerpiece of the company, female wrestlers can't be the centerpiece of the diva division. Why does the WWE mistreat female wrestlers like that? They are just doing what is best for business. Not every woman can be face of the division. These women just don't have the look to deserve the spot. Didn't Stephanie McMahon even mention something about supermodels in that promo? They were almost begging for the comparison to be made.

It might as well have been Mickie James standing in the ring in Daniel Bryan's place. Of course, what happened with her wasn't a storyline. It was reality. Mickie James was a woman they did not want as the centerpiece of the division. Why did they push her so much? They were using her to put over the centerpiece and used her as filler when the centerpiece was not around. And this woman became the most over diva on the roster off this kind of treatment. She got in the way of what the WWE really wanted out of the diva division. And who in their right mind would have believed they would have kept on pushing her and handing her titles? How many years now have I been saying that the WWE didn't want Mickie James over? Even before this storyline with Daniel Bryan. Even before CM Punk's big storyline. I knew it even before she was released. But I made that mistake of not realizing that they were going to release her. Point is, Stephanie McMahon might as well have been talking to Mickie James last night. Just as some people might say the heels' explanation for screwing Daniel Bryan was BS, you can say the same for how the WWE would legitimately try to justify their diva division and what they did to Mickie James.

Of course, Daniel Bryan isn't trapped in a diva division. As I said before, Cena will return to be the top guy. What happens then? Daniel Bryan will eventually get rotated out. He might get a better reign with the WWE title coming up, but that is not the same as being the centerpiece. Moreover, Daniel Bryan can and will get a good career without being centerpiece. For female wrestlers, not being allowed to be the centerpiece means you better hope to be a periphery diva, if you want to be pushed as a success. And in the entire history of the diva division, not one woman has ever become very over off being pushed as a credible jobber and moved on to a career in the periphery. Even if screwing Daniel Bryan out of the WWE title was real, I would still feel worse for all these female wrestlers than just one Daniel Bryan.

Layla Goes Heel

Nothing happened at Summerslam to really grab my attention too much. Yeah, you had the big heel turns, but that was pretty much anticipated. Instead of anything having to do with last night, let me just briefly go over a topic a few weeks late. Layla is a heel again.

Layla turned on Kaitlyn and aligned with AJ Lee a while ago to turn heel. Should you make too much of that? I wouldn't. There was some speculation among fans that they might form a legitimate partnership between these two heel divas, much like Michelle McCool and Layla. I don't see that happening. It looks like they really only turned Layla heel to move her from being a face eye-candy credible jobber to being a heel eye-candy credible jobber. It's better than not being featured on the main shows at all, like some divas are.

Let me switch gears to something that has to do with the diva division in general. I talk about centerpieces and periphery divas. The centerpiece is that woman around whom the WWE wants to develop the division. The periphery divas are the stars developed and featured on the periphery of that centerpiece. I talk about jobber pushes and filler pushes. A jobber push might manifest itself in a credible jobber putting over a centerpiece in a title feud. A filler push may be a credible jobber playing interim centerpiece while the true centerpiece is injured. What would I say about divas involved in Total Divas? That does not really define what position they hold in the actual diva division or what type of push they might be getting while doing that. But what term would I give to that? Another term? Do I really need to come up with another term for something? This one won't be tough and I probably won't talk about this too much again. These women are getting extracurricular activities. If you have ever applied to college or will apply one day, you know that a lot of them look at your extracurricular activities to see what you are doing outside of the regular schoolwork. And that's what things like Total Divas are. It also includes Playboy, Tough Enough, charity events, appearances in other TV shows, and so on. A lot of divas have gotten these in the history of the diva division. Ivory was a part of Tough Enough. Mickie James did a lot of extracurricular activities for the WWE. It doesn't change the fact that these two women were still pushed as credible jobbers. These extracurricular activities do not determine automatically what is going on in the actual diva division. How the WWE actually chooses to push these women on the shows determines what the actual diva division is about. Yes, extracurricular activities do often lead to angles or at least segments on the shows at times, but it is still up to the WWE to make the decision to incorporate things like that. You can say that these extracurricular activities are on the periphery of true diva division matters. If that confuses you, just forget it. I only bring this up to point out that you should focus more on how the WWE pushes these women in the division to see what kind of career they are getting, not get lost in these extracurricular activities.

Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan, Or John Cena: Who Turns Heel?

It is kind of funny when you look at John Cena's history with injuries around this time of year. I am talking about from the middle of summer to the middle of fall. He suffered an injury in 2007 and put an end to his lengthy title reign. He suffered another injury in 2008 that took him out of a title match, although he was gone for less time. Last year, an injury once again took him out of a title match. He still managed to make most of his Raw appearances. It would seem he is seriously injured again. That makes it even more likely that a title change is happening? Not only does Cena have a history of getting injured around this time of year, but it also impacts the title scene. Funny coincidence? I'm sure WWE.com will be writing an article about that in a few years. They have to be running out of ideas for top 10 lists.

But talking about who walks out of Summerslam with the title is only part of the story you have with Daniel Bryan and John Cena, and also Randy Orton. Conditions are right for a heel turn. I've been saying for a long time now that the WWE lacks top heels. This is the perfect opportunity to create a top heel. Whoever that top face will be in the coming months, assuming Cena takes a good amount of time off, he can use a good heel to make things interesting. But who turns?

Let's just get this out of the way now. Will John Cena be turning heel? Turn him heel by siding with Vince McMahon, then have an angry Daniel Bryan take him out to let him handle his injury, and Cena comes back still a heel? Even if an injury was not in the discussion, John Cena isn't turning heel. After so many other great opportunities in the past to pull the trigger on a heel turn, this current situation isn't one of them.

I've mentioned before that Randy Orton has shown potential to be the one who turns heel. Since bringing that up, based on how the WWE has handled things, I'm not so sure that is the likely turn anymore. Obviously, it is still an option. Vince McMahon does not want either John Cena or Daniel Bryan to be WWE Champion? Who does that leave? Randy Orton. Randy Orton can cash in and win without joining the dark side and becoming a heel, but with the current lack of top heels, it would be better to have him turn, if no one else will.

After the segment on Raw, a heel turn for Daniel Bryan really can be something I see happening. He has come to the conclusion that John Cena does not respect him. How far would Daniel Bryan be willing to go to be WWE Champion? Would he sell out to Vince McMahon? That would mean cleaning up his look and definitely cutting out the "Yes!" and "No!" chants. Screaming that is what helped him to become so popular. Can he pull of true disdain for fans who still chant that when he is out there? Can he be a heel the fans will really want to dislike? I think it would be a good character change to have. If he does win the WWE Championship and turns heel, you have to believe a feud against face CM Punk will be coming up at some point. CM Punk can bring back his whole gimmick about being against the establishment to feud against someone whom he knew so well that has sold out to the establishment.

There is a wildcard in all this. Triple H is the special guest referee. It must be asked, would he turn heel? Would he help Daniel Bryan win and reveal he was on Vince's side the whole time? That would be a bigger swerve than Triple H vs. Vince McMahon in this power struggle. And I could actually see it all playing out like that. With Cena possibly being gone, you will need something to create buzz to draw. A storyline like this might do it.

Assorted Thoughts On Summerslam 2013

Christian gets one more match. Will he win the World Championship from Alberto Del Rio? If you look at how the WWE has developed this feud, Christian looks way too strong over Del Rio. Momentum is on his side. What does that mean? You usually see the person with so much momentum lose. Or is the WWE developing Christian's credibility so he can be a credible Champion when he wins the title? He didn't look too credible against Randy Orton a few years ago when they feuded over the title. Is the WWE trying to make up for that now? With the way they have been treating Christian, I wouldn't be surprised if he does win the title.

And what about Damien Sandow? His match against Cody Rhodes is just a grudge match. The briefcase will not be on the line. Will Sandow cash in and win the title, regardless of who wins between Christian and Alberto Del Rio? I don't think so. I just talked about how much the WWE is developing Christian's credibility recently, but the same cannot exactly be said for Damien Sandow. You go back to when Dolph Ziggler had the briefcase last year. They developed his credibility by having him feud with the likes of Chris Jericho and John Cena. Who has Sandow been feuding with since getting the briefcase? Just Cody Rhodes. Sandow had that feud against Sheamus prior to Money in the Bank, but I only remember him beating Sheamus in a 2-on-1 handicap match. Not too impressive. I can't imagine him cashing in at Summerslam. He may attempt to, but Cody Rhodes might spoil it again. I can't picture Sandow beating either Alberto Del Rio or Christian just yet. He is still being treated too much as a gimmick and a midcarder. The WWE will probably groom him better prior to cashing in. And having him cash in just to lose at Summerslam would be a waste.

Let me talk about something that may not be happening at Summerslam. No Kofi Kingston vs. Ryback? Kofi would have a reason to want to face Ryback, the man who took him out in terms of kayfabe. In terms of just booking, it isn't like either guy is doing anything right now. It is very stupid to not develop a feud between them. Ryback has been featured regularly at PPVs now for a long time. And he has had some big matches. A match with Kofi may be seen as a drop back into the midcard, but it is still better than no feud at all. Kofi Kingston would not have had to win this match, but a feud would help to make things interesting in the midcard. What are the odds it gets added during the show as a filler match?

Just a general note on the divas that doesn't even have too much to do with Summerslam. It seems they are developing Natalya. AJ is going to need a fresh challenger for Night of Champions. They are phasing Kaitlyn out and rotating in Natalya. It really isn't hard imagining that. What other faces are there in the diva division? Even though it is too early to say anything, should Natalya win the title? As I said, not a lot of face options. AJ dropping the title back to Kaitlyn is an option, but would they have a reason to do that? Natalya is fresher. Besides, that can potentially then lead to Natalya transitioning the title to one of The Bellas.

And one last thing that doesn't really have to do with the WWE at all. Recently, I brought up analyzing TNA's KO division in terms of what is getting primary focus, secondary focus, and minor focus. A while before that, I mentioned that TNA's agenda for the division may be forced to change if they don't bring in more women. How can they feature those women so much if they are so few of them? Bring those two ideas together. Pretty soon, if things don't change, you won't be talking about primary, secondary, and minor. You will only have major and minor. What is the top focus of the KO division and what is the other feud? They really need to integrate more women into the division. Integrate? What do I mean? Don't just debut them, use them scarcely over a few months, then release them. Bring them in and actually make them a part of the division. That is the only way to properly keep up the division you have had for so many years. And no matter how you choose to read the KO division, never forget the golden rule. They are always going to rotate everyone. What is in the major focus and minor focus will always be changing. But how well will it work with so few women?

Oh, There's Big Show

Big Show finally returned. He returned on Raw during a segment involving The Shield, Rob Van Dam, and Mark Henry. The segment was very similar to something TNA had recently with Tito Ortiz. I'm not going to say more about that. However, it does look like Summerslam is taking shape even more.

First, you have the fact that Big Show is face again. He started the year as a heel, went face briefly to feud with The Shield, turned heel again, disappeared, and then comes back as a face again to feud with The Shield. I have been saying for weeks now that the WWE does not have a lot of top heels. Was turning Big Show face a good idea? Someone better be turning heel at Summerslam in that Cena/Bryan/Orton situation.

Rob Van Dam won a battle royal to get a shot at Dean Ambrose's United States title. Better than a random filler match for RVD. It would have been nice if they actually developed this feud, but this is still good. It was after that battle royal that The Shield came out to get Mark Henry and Rob Van Dam. Big Show came out. Big Show and Mark Henry going for those tag titles.

Question is, is it time for The Shield to drop the gold? All the gold? Some of the gold? You have some other tag teams in the division now. There are some other heel teams that could deserve more of the spotlight right now. Swagger and Cesaro? Bray Wyatt and his group can also be in that picture. The WWE has not done a great job in keeping The Shield looking interesting. Taking the tag titles off them would not be so bad. Considering a possible alternative would be having Big Show turn on Mark Henry and go heel again, a safer bet would just be to give the faces the titles. What's the point of giving The Shield a big win against two monsters, who have both been World Champions before, if you can't keep doing anything great with them after that? The Shield is just no longer fresh to keep the tag titles on them and the WWE is failing to try better. Where does that leave Ambrose and RVD? I can't picture the group losing the tag titles and Ambrose still out there with his title. It could be the start of an angle to split the group. Moreover, it really isn't unimaginable that RVD can lose here. It's not like he is still undefeated since his return. Would a short title run for RVD be good? The WWE has not really pushed him well since his return. I would have The Shield lose all their titles.

Reading TNA's KO Division System

I was an English major in college. I also had a double major in Social Science. I don't talk about that one much. You could take courses in so many areas. My college doesn't even offer that major anymore. Anyway, you can say that English was my primary major and Social Science was my secondary major.

Moving on to wrestling matters, it is obvious that TNA may never run the kind of women's division that the WWE runs. They may never have a system that revolves around just one woman continuously. If that is the case, why talk about centerpieces, credible jobbers, and periphery divas for the KO division? With the way they rotate women, they will never have a true centerpiece. Women used to put over other women may eventually be the ones getting the spotlight, meaning that there are no true credible jobbers. And TNA does not do a great job with developing stars in the periphery. All that being said,  I decided to try to come up with a way to talk about how TNA runs their KO division that actually matches how they run things, not comparing them to how the WWE runs things. I don't know how much I like this attempt at that. If I ever come up with something better, I'll talk about that. Don't know if I will. I prefer talking about the WWE more than TNA.

Hopefully, you are going to see why I made that aside about what my two majors were in college. TNA typically has 2 angles going on for their women. Sometimes more. One is usually given more focus than the other, typically the one for the KO title. Whichever feud is over the KO title, call that the primary focus. Whatever feud comes in second, call that secondary. Whomever Mickie James is feuding with over the KO title, most likely Velvet Sky, that is the primary focus. Gail Kim vs. ODB, that is the secondary focus. There is really no need to figure out who is the centerpiece in each feud and who is the one being used to put over the centerpiece. With the way TNA rotates everyone, it is useless in the end. I think it is more relevant to just pay attention to what feuds are getting focus. As I have mentioned in the past, you will often see someone involved in the secondary feud transition up to the primary feud, or vice versa.

What about minors? I didn't have any minors in college. Right now, TNA obviously does not have any minor angles going on. They have so few women, how could they? In times past, however, TNA did have minor focus on women getting angles that weren't getting major attention in the division. Remember Cookie? Toxxin? How about when Chyna came in briefly? Looking at how these women were utilized, if this was the WWE diva division, I would say they were periphery divas. Of course, this is TNA. They don't keep the ball rolling on anyone properly. Instead, I would say these women were given minor focus. None of them were really kept around long enough to make a bigger impact. You can talk about how much hype there was for Chyna, but in terms of how she was utilized by TNA in relation to the other women, she was not given primary or secondary focus within the division. She was given a minor angle.

Could you use primary/secondary/minor terminology when discussing the diva division? Sure, why not? When the diva division got started, Sable was given the primary focus. In the dark age you currently have, AJ Lee is given the primary focus. Back when Candice Michelle was getting injured so much, Mickie James was getting the primary focus. I think you can see why I don't like using this terminology for the diva division right away. It doesn't do a good job of explaining what type of career these women were/are getting. Sable was developed to be the centerpiece. AJ Lee is a periphery diva benefiting from there being no centerpiece right now. Mickie James was a credible jobber being pushed as interim centerpiece. You can also talk about "Total Divas" angles coming up in the division currently being in the secondary focus and Summer Rae just being used as Fandango's dancer being a minor focus, as far as what is going on right now is concerned. It is not as specific as it can be. But when it comes to talking about TNA's KO division, which is more about rotating who is in the spotlight and doesn't develop stars like the WWE does, this terminology might help to rank what matters most to TNA when they are pushing these women.

Just to make it clear, I still prefer the WWE's general system of doing things over TNA's. I like having a centerpiece, stars developed around her, and women with wrestling credibility rotating around to make the centerpiece look good and bring some respectability to the division. The problem is that the WWE does not give female wrestlers fair opportunities to be the centerpiece. And when the eye-candy divas can't get it done, the WWE will lose interest easily. TNA isn't like that. They will simply rotate who is getting the focus. That might sound like a nice way to run things, but it is not a good way to develop and feature stars and they could end up wasting talent that can deliver. You can call these "Flavor of the Month" pushes, but it usually lasts longer than a month and you will often have two sets of them going on at the same time. One is your primary focus, the other is your secondary focus. While the story of the diva division is about who is getting developed to be a star, the story of the KO division is who is getting focus at the moment.

And one last thing about that spiffy Social Science major. Sociology, obviously, was one of the disciplines that fell under that major. Sociology is the study of society. It is the study of the relationship between individuals and groups that make society what it is. What does that have to do with anything? When you are reading, or analyzing, the manner in which TNA and the WWE are running their women's divisions, you can view it as trying to understand the relationships between these women as by the manner those behind the scenes are having them pushed. It is like a mini-society. How am I able to say this woman is a centerpiece and that woman is a periphery diva in the diva division? I look at how they are pushed in relation to each other and against the overall division as a whole. How do I know TNA rotates the women getting major focus in the KO division? I look at what they have a history of doing with these women in relation to each other. History, that was another one of the disciplines that fell under that Social Science major. Point is, I just wanted to say that analyzing the divisions isn't something that cannot possibly be done. It can be grounded in whatever you may study in school. There is a basis for it. A little too academic? Should I stick to comparing things to ice cream?

Sheamus Injured

This injury looks a little more serious than what happened with Randy Orton recently. Sheamus has been injured and will be out for a few months, possibly half a year. He had been used scarcely in recent weeks since that injury at Money in the Bank. However, I really do not see this as devastating as Randy Orton, Mr. Money in the Bank, possibly having suffered a serious injury. Sheamus wasn't really in the midst of a big angle right now.

The WWE is still losing a top face for a few months. Which wrestler should get that spot while Sheamus is away? It might sound crazy, but how about Kofi Kingston? Replacing a top face, a former World Champion, with a midcarder? Sounds stupid, but Kofi Kingston is a guy who deserves a better push. I've been saying that for a long time. This is the kind of mentality the WWE should have in the coming months. Pretend Sheamus is still around. Whoever would get a feud against Sheamus, give that guy a feud against Kofi Kingston. Sheamus vs. Ryback? Turn that into Kofi Kingston vs. Ryback, which would have been a good feud right now. Sheamus vs. Bray Wyatt? Turn that into Kofi Kingston vs. Bray Wyatt. Go as far as Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio? Yes, even turn that into Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio.

Some people might say that this is a matter of Kofi Kingston needing to step up, or whoever else might stand a chance to get pushed better with Sheamus out. I don't see it like that. The WWE needs to step up and push these other guys better. The NFL preseason is getting started. I always hear talk about young talent needing to step up to impress the coaches to earn a spot on the main roster when the season starts, and possibly a starting spot. What would it mean for some of these guys to be extremely impressive and the head coach to stick with players that may be struggling? It's not a one-way street. Impressing and getting the job done does not automatically lead to you getting a spot or a push. Kofi Kingston has proven his potential already. The WWE has just lost a top face that can work very well in the ring. Kofi Kingston can work very well in the ring and fans like him. You can earn something, but someone actually has to give you what you earn in these situations. A bump to the upper-midcard for a few months would be better than Kofi Kingston chasing after midcard titles, getting lost in the shuffle, or worst of all, squashing Jinder Mahal on Superstars every week.

Orton Ready For A Heel Turn?

The seeds seem to be planted for Randy Orton turning heel. Not only did he RKO both John Cena and Daniel Bryan on Raw, but when The Shield came back in the ring, Orton just walked away. The turn has not happened yet, but they do seem to be aiming in that direction. As I have said before, they could use some new top heels. Turning Orton is an option.

Aside from changing alignment, can this lead to even more change for Orton's character? Being heel/face isn't the whole story to a wrestler's character. Gimmick and emotion they showcase also counts. Look at Chris Jericho. He has played different heel characters throughout his career. The serious character he started playing in 2008 was definitely something new for him. What kind of change of character could be in store for Randy Orton? Vince McMahon seems to be looking for someone he likes to be WWE Champion. He is looking for that "corporate" Champion. What if Orton turns heel by aligning with him and develops a "corporate" gimmick. Could he pull it off? Start wearing suits? Shave? I could picture a younger Randy Orton doing it back when he was more cocky. Now? Can't tell. But a change in character would be good for Orton, beyond just a heel turn.

Damien Sandow Vs. Cody Rhodes At Summerslam

I like midcard feuds. In recent times, the WWE does not give you good ones unless a title is involved. This feud you have between Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes is a midcard feud with a good storyline and it has produced some good segments. Even though the briefcase is involved, this is not a real title feud. For all these reasons, I really like this feud.

Now, what do I not like about this feud? The Money in the Bank briefcase has become kind of a comedy prop in this feud. Not only is the storyline about the heel duo breaking up, but Cody is messing around with Sandow's briefcase, which represents that title shot. That is what has really made this feud interesting and led to some of those good segments from these two recently. And yet, is it really helping to build Sandow's credibility? I am a believer that some guys can have good careers in the midcard. For that, you don't need too much credibility and development. Just feature them to entertain. However, the WWE pulled the trigger on giving Sandow the briefcase. So many other heels could have used a push, since the main-event scene lacks fresh top heels. The briefcase could have been the first step in developing Sandow. I didn't like him winning it in the first place. It's hard to buy into him as anything more than a midcarder. His current storyline isn't helping.

I am not saying the briefcase needs to be held sacred. The fact is, after Summerslam, it would be nice if they did develop Sandow. I'll give them credit for a good midcard feud between Sandow and Rhodes, but how about actually developing a new heel out of the midcard? If they just keep treating this guy as a gimmick and give him these comedy segments, I find it hard to believe they will give him a successful cash in. That might end up being a waste of the briefcase. Who should he feud with? I won't say Sheamus. You have already seen that recently. I won't say Kofi Kingston, who has just returned. That would be another midcard feud. Kane is usually the easy answer in these situations, but I think his issues with Bray Wyatt should last after Summerslam. If Miz ever gets around to wrestling again, he should feud with Sandow. That would be a feud a little higher up the card than Sandow currently has.

Alberto Del Rio Vs. Christian At Summerslam

Christian gets one more match. He won a match to become #1 contender for the World's Heavyweight Championship. He will face Alberto Del Rio at Summerslam.

Even though I am not against Christian getting a title shot and even winning back the title, I don't like this match. It doesn't seem big enough for Summerslam. The WWE Championship match will be John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan, with Mr. McMahon hovering in the background, without even mentioning Randy Orton. John Cena is the top guy of the company. Daniel Bryan is the most over guy right now. Throw in the McMahons into the feud and you have something worthy of the biggest PPV of the summer. Alberto Del Rio vs. Christian doesn't have a big feel to it. Yes, Christian has won the title before, twice. But they were pathetic reigns. Yes, Christian has been on win streak as of late. How many credible jobbers in the diva division have been on win streaks, jobbed to a star above them, then fell into mediocrity? I am not denying Christian's ability in the ring. But for the sake of a big match for the World's Heavyweight Championship at Summerslam, they could do better.

How would I do better? Seeing as it may not be possible to add a great storyline into the feud they have now between Christian and Del Rio, I would throw in a few more bodies. Fatal four-way would be nice. RVD is still a guy I think should be in there. Who gets the final spot? Seeing as how Orton has the briefcase, I wouldn't pick him. Besides, I would still like to see him sell an injury angle. Dolph Ziggler is busy with his own feud. Mark Henry? Sheamus? Big Show? Jack Swagger?  Even Miz? Take any guy with nothing major to do and who has held a major title before. That guy, RVD, and Christian would challenge Alberto Del Rio. If it is an elimination-style match, have it come down to Del Rio and Christian. Alberto sneaks out the win, but Christian is able to earn a singles match for the title at Night of Champions, where he does win the title. There is more build that way and Summerslam gets a bigger match.

TNA's August 1 Reveal

TNA had been hyping the debut of someone for a few days now with these cryptic Youtube videos. They revealed it last night that the big debut was Tito Ortiz. There seems to be a lot of negative reactions to this.

Let me start by talking about this theoretically or optimistically, however you want to put it. In theory, this could be a good thing for TNA. They need to find ways to draw interest, make money, and get to the next level. They have failed to create hype to do it. Their storylines aren't interesting enough to keep the fans coming. They do not know how to properly develop and maintain new stars. Being a solid, amazing wrestler that a lot of true wrestling fans like, like Austin Aries, does not mean you are a star that can draw interest beyond those neckbeard fans. Bringing in Tito Ortiz can cause buzz and lead to some interest for TNA. I don't watch MMA, but I have at least heard about this guy. They released a whole bunch of wrestlers and brought in this guy. Looking at things optimistically, if this does lead to success, TNA might be able to afford to bring back some of those wrestlers down the road and bring in even more wrestlers that can draw interest. View this as an investment. Considering that some people speculated that they were bringing in Hardcore Holly, a guy who probably would have failed to draw in any interest whatsoever, Tito Ortiz isn't that much of a letdown.

Now, let's look at things realistically. TNA has an issue with dropping the ball with everything. They start angles or bring in top workers, but then fail to maintain momentum. They are obviously not aiming for Tito Ortiz to bring in interest with wrestling fans. They are aiming for a wider audience. They have to, but can this guy deliver? The WWE bringing back Brock Lesnar delivered for them. One of the reasons for that is because he was a pro wrestler before going into MMA. TNA sacrificed so many workers to summon a possible flop. Personally, I believe this is an investment that will fail for TNA.