Summer Rae Gets Her Feet Wet and The Devil Made Him Do It

The issue the WWE had in the diva division recently was not developing a variety of diva angles outside of just the title matters. I thought they should get the title off AJ and move her onto another angle, which would lead to both AJ and Brie Bella getting separate angles. The WWE didn't go that route, but they did make a good move.

Summer Rae and Mr. Summer Rae have recently entered a little feud with The Great Khali and Natalya. This is Summer Rae's first real diva feud since debuting alongside Fandango. Considering this is a woman they may eventually want to develop as the centerpiece, it was bound to happen sooner or later that she would get a diva feud.

I wouldn't say things will now skyrocket for Summer Rae. This has not exactly been too serious of a feud. But if they like what they see, they may eventually start pushing her in the diva division more consistently. She will eventually ditch Fandango. Will they give her an even bigger angle in the periphery? That is something to look out for. They may want to actually get her over as more than just a beautiful woman prior to tossing the title at her.

Let's do a little comparison to the first dark age of the diva division. To whom would I compare Summer Rae and Natalya? Summer Rae is obviously comparable to Trish Stratus. Some people might want to smack me for comparing the greatest diva ever to a woman that dances around Fandango. Keep in mind Trish debuted as a valet/manager during the first dark age. She was a periphery eye-candy diva. That is what Summer Rae is now. Just like Trish developed her wrestling ability, so will Summer Rae. What about Natalya? I would say she is comparable to Molly Holly. During the first dark age, Molly Holly benefited from getting angles in the periphery. She was alongside Hardcore Holly & Crash Holly, had a romance angle with Spike Dudley, and ended up with Hurricane Helms. Once the dark age ended, they did not remain consistent with her in the periphery and she was used as a credible jobber. During this dark age, Natalya has been alongside The Great Khali. He has not exactly been pushed too well, but you have at least seen Natalya on TV more often than if she had not gotten this angle. Prior to this dark age, Natalya has been pushed as a credible jobber. Even though she was a part of The Hart Dynasty, she has never been developed to be a periphery diva. Being a periphery diva means you are actually being developed or featured in the periphery to be a star, not just paired with the guys for a few months, then phased out. And of course, Natalya has been a part of the extracurricular activity that is Total Divas. You can say that Natalya has been treated worse than Molly Holly during their respective time in the dark ages, but you can say she is treated a little better in some ways. In the end, I would say the two women are comparable. Molly Holly just seemed to benefit from a stronger midcard back then that is not here now.

This has been a busy week, so I am going to cover another topic today. How about that Bray Wyatt? I am not going to say too much about Kane, which will definitely be a topic for another day, but if they were willing to repackage him now, why not do it as part of his storyline with Bray Wyatt? That is what a lot of people were anticipating and wanted to see how it would turn out.

His angle with Kane seems done. His feud with Miz seems like it may not go anywhere. On Raw, they had The Wyatts attack both Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. Daniel Bryan is coming off that feud against The Authority. CM Punk looks to be just about done with Paul Heyman. Why just randomly go in this direction? I hardly believe an injury to Curtis Axel caused them to shift everything around like this. Daniel Bryan has an obvious reason to still be involved in the main storyline because of what Shawn Michaels did to him. I don't like CM Punk's feud with Heyman ending here. Even if they did want to split Kane away from The Wyatts, why not have Wyatt just continue feuding with Miz? As the sun seems to be setting on The Shield, which look to be having some friction, enter The Wyatts to be henchmen that randomly attack different people?

I would say this is another example of overshadowing. The larger corporate angle has been making it difficult to keep other storylines and feuds going at an interesting level. That corporate angle looks to have stolen Kane. And "The Devil" made Wyatt do it? If it turns out The Wyatts are soon going to be used as henchmen for The Authority, which would be stupid due to their weird gimmick, that is just more overshadowing. Is all this just to set up a Survivor Series tag match? Whatever the case may be, I am back to not having high hopes for The Wyatts.

Injured Cena Wins, Then Wins Again

John Cena returned at Hell in a Cell and took the World's Heavyweight Championship from Alberto Del Rio. The story was the typical Cena match. Could injured Cena overcome a vicious foe? Yep.

The fun didn't stop there. On Raw, the first 30 minutes were devoted to Cena. After his return promo, Damien Sandow cashed in on him, after brutalizing Cena's injury even further. Could a hurting, one-armed Cena possibly overcome a fresh and unexpected threat to his title? Yep.

This is the kind of thing that might make you want to change the channel to the World Series or Monday Night Football. There were also some horror movies on, if you like that kind of thing. The only reason I had to look forward to seeing Cena return was a fresh player coming into the major storylines. Instead of getting some of that, you get Cena overcoming the odds. If they do have him wrestling on a regular basis, I hope all his matches aren't focused on his opponents exploiting the injury, then Cena pulling off the win in the end.

What does this mean for Sandow? He is the second man to cash in and fail to walk away with the title. But look at the first man to fail and the match in which he failed. It was John Cena, who had held World titles multiple times prior to getting the briefcase and went on to win the title again after that failure to cash in and win. And Cena wasn't even pinned or submitted in that match. Big Show interfered. Sandow is actually the first man to get beaten when he tried to cash in. Couldn't have happened to a better guy? Sandow could have been the first brand-new World Champion in almost 2 years. They weren't developing him very well for it, so it is not shocking to see him not get the title. Many might say that he didn't deserve it. Fact is, if they had developed him better, not as many people would be saying that. Do I think Sandow will eventually get the proper build to be a World Champion and get the title run? Personally, I don't see it happening. Still, would be nice if they eventually gave this guy some kind of midcard title run.

Cena comes one step closer to tying and breaking Ric Flair's record for most major World title wins. Ric Flair's official record is at 16. It doesn't seem likely that Cena is going to retire in a few months. It doesn't seem like the WWE is souring on him in the main-event scene. He will definitely take the record. That has a lot of fans talking about whether he deserves it. Some say he is not as good as Ric Flair. Some say he deserves it because he is the top guy. Some say it doesn't matter because title reigns are meaningless. Pro wrestling is a funny business. Wrestlers typically "make history" by having it booked for them. There is a slim chance that an injury or botched finished can screw them out of what they were booked to get, but it happens not that frequently. So should you make too much out of these records? Is it all trivial? Let me say this, if a wrestler goes out there and accomplishes something for the company or industry that sets him apart from his peers in a major, positive way, he deserves to be booked to make history. Is he a top draw? Is he amazingly over? Has he introduced a style that is revolutionizing the industry? Is he truly paving the way for future stars that are influenced by what he did? If you are only getting booked to make history because the bookers want people to think you are that great, then it really isn't an honor. It is a tool to get you over. Moreover, I don't think people should be booked to break major records just because they are a solid worker or just because they were a loyal worker. Hand them a midcard title, but save the better treatment for those who earned it by excelling. Getting right to the point, do I think Cena deserves to break Ric Flair's record? Going by what I just said, whether you like him or not, Cena is a top star in the company. One of those little kids that love him so much may grow up to be the next big star in pro wrestling. I am not going to be upset if Cena breaks the record. This is coming from a true Ric Flair fan. Cena breaking that record won't make me prefer Cena over Flair, but Cena is definitely someone who has earned making history.

Kane Returns At Hell In A Cell

You don't have to wonder when Kane will be returning any longer. He returned at Hell in a Cell to attack The Wyatts. And Miz.

No new gimmick or aligning with The Wyatts for Kane. This is a mediocre way to further the feud. Go back a few months. The Wyatts took Kane out for a short period. He came back to get his revenge and this led to a match against Bray Wyatt, which Wyatt won. They then took Kane out, again. He was out for a longer period this time. How does he return? Just like he did the first time? They had the opportunity to take this storyline to an interesting direction. They are not making the most out of Bray Wyatt's gimmick.

Is there still a chance of them making some kind of storyline swerve? How about Kane attacking Miz? Heel turn? More like Kane being Kane. What if Bray Wyatt once again gets a win over Kane, then they choose to have Kane join them? I feel like if they were going in that direction, pulling the trigger last night would have been the right time. I am not getting my hopes up for this one.

How Long Until Cena Faces The Authority?

John Cena returns at Hell in a Cell. But I am not really going to be previewing his match against Alberto Del Rio. I am going to look ahead. CM Punk is not the only guy you can anticipate eventually getting involved against the corporate heels, The Authority. How about Cena?

John Cena was involved in this major storyline when it first got started. It all started with Vince McMahon not thinking Daniel Bryan was good enough to be the WWE Champion. John Cena was the WWE Champion at the time and the guy that picked Daniel Bryan to get the title shot. Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were faces back then, but have since turned heel and picked up Vince's mentality. John Cena is coming back to get a title shot against Alberto Del Rio, who has not really been involved in the major storyline too much. John Cena had a rematch coming to him for the WWE Championship, but that is not the only reason to get Cena involved in this storyline. This storyline just screams for a guy with Cena's character to get involved and stand with Daniel Bryan against the heels. It is only a matter of time after his return that Cena does get back into that storyline.

What is one way things can go down? Survivor Series is coming up. Why not speculate on another big tag match they can make? Team Cena vs. Team Orton. What would it mean for Randy Orton to win the WWE Championship and Cena to win the World's Heavyweight Championship, then they both captain their own teams to face each other? Randy Orton & The Shield vs. John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Goldust, and Cody Rhodes. If you want, you can stick Alberto Del Rio with the heels. Let the faces get Dolph Ziggler. What about Alberto Del Rio's rematch? Either book that for a Raw or Smackdown prior to Survivor Series or save for after the event. I think this can be a great main event. You still have Triple H vs. Big Show and CM Punk's feud with Paul Heyman to also go on the card, plus diva action and other filler matches. And if Cena isn't really 100% ready to go yet, a big tag match might be right for him.

I am actually looking forward to Cena getting involved in the big storyline. I am not a Cena fan. I just feel that the corporate angle has gotten very stale in the last few weeks. Not to take anything away from what Daniel Bryan and The Shield can do in the ring, but I am a little bored of seeing them so much in the main-event scene. That is the same problem people have with Cena, and I'm saying he is the guy to make things fresh with this current storyline? It would be a change of pace, if nothing else. And the thing about how they book Cena, at least they would rotate the heels feuding against him. The Shield have been doing the same thing and being featured in the main spotlight for a long time now, even before they aligned with The Authority. They are stale. I am not criticizing them as much as I am the WWE's handling of them. If the WWE had done a better job of developing more heels to be a part of the group, things would be better. It cannot just be The Shield and Randy Orton. Daniel Bryan is also getting stale. His whole story has been about proving people that don't believe in him wrong and beating up The Shield. They need something different to mix things up a little. How ironic is it that something different might end up being the same old thing from John Cena?

AJ Lee Vs. Brie Bella At Hell In A Cell

Not surprisingly, the title feud between AJ Lee and Brie Bella will continue to Hell in a Cell. Getting right to it, who should win? I still believe they should move the title onto Brie Bella. I think it is less likely that they will run some angle where Daniel Bryan has to choose between costing Brie the title and the WWE title, but having a face diva holding the title will be more interesting for the major storyline currently going on, especially given the relationship between Brie Bella and Daniel Bryan.

As for AJ Lee, I really think they can do more with her than just title feuds, regardless of whether she keeps the title or not. Go back a few weeks to when she was out with an injury. It was just one week with her not there, but the booking was sloppy and unfocused. It was obvious filler. If the WWE starts doing a better job of developing more diva angles, you limit the risk of things getting messy should something happen to one of the divas in the main angle. Brie Bella getting the title does not mean AJ Lee is done. Have AJ Lee really become a part of The Authority (corporate heels). Have her get paired with another top heel in the men's division. You can even have her feud with Tamina for a while. This is a woman they developed to be a success and they are not going to ditch her that easily. It may take them a while to come up with something, if they have not already, but she will end up somewhere good. And they need to spread it around. If AJ and Brie are the two women they are focused on featuring well, then for the sake of making the diva division interesting and not putting yourself in a position for an easy collapse, both of them should be treated well.

One last thing, some AJ fans may not want to see her title reign end now or to Brie Bella. You have to look at what's best for the diva division. Face it, now is not a time when they are interested in featuring great title feuds in the division. Just about everything of interest for almost the entire year has been in the periphery. If the WWE keeps the title on AJ, I don't think it is a safe bet to believe they will develop these solid women's wrestling feuds over the title that these kind of fans would love to get. AJ may be someone they want over, but the other divas on the roster may not be pushed well against her in title feuds. You are in a dark age. The WWE is not trying to get themselves out of it. They are not likely to make things look respectable, but that does not mean that they won't develop interesting angles. I think AJ fans should want her pushed in an interesting manner than have her hold a title and get these dry feuds.

Miz Finds A Worthy Foe

I think it is a step up from a filler push from Fandango. I am talking about Miz's current feud with Bray Wyatt. Bray Wyatt wasn't doing anything too important. Miz wasn't feuding with anyone. Why not stick the two together?

Let me tell you why I like this feud. First, there is an actual storyline and the reason for this feud isn't that random. Bray Wyatt did a good job of putting over why he doesn't like Miz in his promos. Second, I buy Bray Wyatt more easily than Fandango. Bray Wyatt enters this feud having never lost yet. Fandango did not have that heading into his feud with The Miz. The fact that they can sell that Wyatt took out Kane is another bonus for his credibility. Third, I have a feeling that Bray Wyatt won't get lost in the shuffle after this feud. That is what happened with Fandango. If they had been consistent with him, I would say the purpose of the feud was to build up his credibility. They weren't. I just had a feeling it would be filler. With this feud between Wyatt and Miz, it is likely Wyatt will win to continue his momentum. Meanwhile, I doubt Miz will get buried away after this feud.

And where is Kane? Just like Kane's return a few years ago was a popular topic, people wanting to know when Kane is coming back this time are visiting my blog off those searches. I even had one person search something like "did bray wyatt kill kane?' and end up on my blog. No, Kane is not dead. He was making a movie. I read somewhere that he finished it. That would lead me to say that Kane should be coming back sooner rather than later. And because Kane getting involved again with Bray Wyatt when he returns seems so likely, that is another reason for Bray Wyatt to win the feud with Miz and not get buried away after. Depending on how they follow through with things, it looks like the WWE is taking this Wyatt angle back in a good direction.

Has CM Punk Found Yet Another Friend?

If the WWE is planning to have the Punk/Heyman feud lead to a big tag match at Survivor Series, CM Punk may have found another member for his team. Big E Langston turned face on Smackdown last week to stand with CM Punk against Heyman's guys.

Is this a good thing for Big E? Obviously, in terms of a short-term push, this is great thing for the guy. However, in terms of the long-term potential of what will likely happen, I would not expect too much. How many years now has the WWE had an issue with keeping the ball rolling properly with midarders? Even though Big E is getting pushed and a part of a storyline, he is merely a supporting player in someone else's storyline. Don't make too much of that.

Should he win the Intercontinental Championship from Curtis Axel? I wouldn't be surprised if he did, but I would have chosen to give it to R-Truth. Big E is still in his rookie year on the main roster. R-Truth as never held this title before and he has been almost as solid a midcarder as Kofi Kingston. Do more with R-Truth. Big E will still have time to solidify his overness. If they rush the title on him, I can picture things going for him as they did Big Zeke. Remember his run with the Intercontinental Championship? No? If they do give Big E the title, hopefully they make his reign a little more memorable.

Does The WWE Title Find A Home At Hell In A Cell?

The feud between CM Punk and Paul Heyman isn't the only major storyline that might or might not find some closure at Hell in a Cell. Will the WWE Championship finally go to either Daniel Bryan or Randy Orton? This will be a Hell in a Cell match, which I mentioned before usually have that idea of closure. If that wasn't enough, Shawn Michaels, the special guest ref, has promised a Champion.

Just because the conditions are right for one of these two guys to finally get back the title, that doesn't mean it has to happen. They can still come up with some crazy way to have this match end without a clear winner. They could prolong this until Survivor Series. Some fans are talking about doing a tournament to crown a new WWE Champion. It has been done before. I don't think they need to repeat that story here, even if they felt they had the depth to run with that properly.

Do I think a new Champion will be crowned at this PPV? Yes. I am not one of those people that think that having no WWE Champion is leading to bad ratings. However, I don't think that running this storyline is actually drawing interest. It isn't hurting things, but it isn't helping. I don't think the storyline here has been developed as best as it could. The title has been vacated. You would expect a certain vibe of uncertainty over what is going to happen. I just feel like it is being overshadowed by other things. The Rhodes angle and Big Show drama have been getting better focus recently. They might as well put the title on someone and carry things to another direction in the feud at Survivor Series. Have the person that wins the title have a final rematch against the loser, make them captains of teams for a big tag match, or whatever.

Shawn Michaels will be a wildcard. Will he call it down the middle? Or will he turn heel and side with his buddy, Triple H? I think you would have a better chance of Shawn Michaels going heel than John Cena. Of course, this match doesn't need any big swerve. As I mentioned before, the WWE is treating other angles well that can draw interest for them. In addition, you have Cena being hyped to return. There is no need to get too tricky with Shawn Michaels.

Does Punk/Heyman End At Hell In A Cell?

The issues between CM Punk and Paul Heyman continue on to another pay-per-view. At Hell in a Cell it will be CM Punk vs. both Ryback and Paul Heyman inside Hell in a Cell. Is this where the feud ends?

Hell in a Cell matches used to be the kind of match that mark the climax of a feud. That is probably the only real reason to think that it will end here. It has lost that big feel over the years. And is the cell supposed to be what keeps Heyman in and Curtis Axel and any other potential Heyman guys out? It has been proven over the years that people not meant to be inside the cell can still get in and the guys involved in the match can somehow get out.

There is one big reason why this should not be the end of the feud. You have Survivor Series right around the corner. That is one of the biggest PPVs for the WWE. What better place to end it or make things even more interesting? Hell in a Cell isn't at much of a throwaway PPV as Battleground, where it just seemed too obvious that nothing was going to be ended there, but the feud just doesn't seem like it is ready to end so easily.

Does another Heyman guy debut? The last time Punk was close to beating Paul Heyman at a match, Ryback entered the picture. This time around, it wouldn't be hard to picture some other Heyman supporter finding his way inside the cell and costing Punk the match. Will it be Brock Lesnar? Another star returning from injury? Someone from NXT? Curtis Axel? Probably not Axel. Time to raise the bar, not lower it.

Another reason I don't think this feud is going to end, the emotion just isn't there. CM Punk seems too jolly. The momentum isn't really against him. The WWE still has time to change that before the PPV, but the feud just doesn't seem like it has reached that moment for it to end. I still find it disappointing that the feud doesn't have the same fire that it once had. They did get creative on Monday to decide the stipulation, but that does not overshadow the emotion. The WWE may not make the feel of this feud as intense as it once was, but I still don't think it ends at Hell in a Cell.

Creative Interest

Just a little talk about analyzing the diva division in general this time. Before I go into that, the last time I talked about the diva division, I was bringing up the main issues that had been causing the division to look sloppy recently. I went on and on, so it might have gotten confusing what I meant. Just want to make it clear what I was doing. There are two problems. First, the WWE is not spreading interest around properly with various divas. Second, the WWE does not have a strong foundation with women with good wrestling credibility to at least help to keep things looking respectable. The first problem is comparable to putting all your eggs in one basket. The second is comparable to relying on a basket that isn't strong. Just in case the comparisons confused people, just know that my overall point is the lack of developing multiple diva angles properly and not having good wrestling credibility.

When I analyze the career a diva is getting to understand what the WWE is doing with them, the three things I look at are consistency, hype, and character/storyline development. If the WWE wants a diva over, they are going to develop them with focus in those three categories. I know I have brought up those three things before at least once somewhere. I just want to change a bit of the terminology. Character/storyline development? That is a little wordy and lengthy. I am going to start calling that creative interest or creative investment. If the WWE wants someone to be a major success, they are definitely going to unleash the writers to come up with ideas for that person.

What is the difference between hype and creative interest? The way I use it when I analyze, hype is more about putting over someone as great or certain qualities they have as great, while creative investment is more about making them look interesting and entertaining. Giving someone a title reign or win streak is a way to hype them up. Giving them a unique gimmick or an elaborate storyline that lasts for months is a way to make them look interesting. The WWE always hypes Mark Henry's strength and gives him segments to put over his strength. When you want to talk about creative interest for Mark Henry, his "Hall of Pain" gimmick and storyline against John Cena are the best work he has done in recent years. To put it another way, hype can sometimes help you look credible, while creative interest isn't really about that. When they are investing in you creatively, it is usually to make you stand out to entertain. I typically believe it is better to develop someone to be over through making them look entertaining rather than building their credibility with title reigns, wins over top stars, and other forms of hyping them up. Once they do get over, then hype them. They would have earned it and it would not be so forced.

Examples in the diva division? Look at Michelle McCool. Having her make history on multiple occasions was a means to hype her as something great. That didn't get her over. What they tried next was giving her a huge gimmick. That was a big creative investment in her. She never got the overness to match all they put into her.

As I frequently say, eye-candy periphery divas used to get over so easily. The WWE did not have to do much for them at all. Just put over how hot they are and put them in situations to show it. Their sexy looks and general characters just got them over. You didn't really need to invest too much in them creatively. Of course, that does not mean the WWE never did anything for them when it came to gimmicks and storylines. Stacy Keibler has had some interesting angles in the periphery, including her involvement between Scott Steiner and Test. She never won the Women's Championship, but that never mattered. It is not about hyping these women as great wrestlers, unless they are being pushed as the centerpiece. It is about putting over their looks and hotness.

Will there sometimes be some grey area between hype and creative interest? Sure, but there is no need to kill yourself over it. The point is to take both things into consideration, as well as consistency. Some fans seem to think that the WWE tossing a title on a diva means they love her. Not so fast. If they are not doing anything else with her to help her get over other than having her hold the title, then I wouldn't make too much of that title reign. A title reign is only one form of hype, and it isn't enough to draw the conclusion that the WWE is really high on someone. Credible jobbers get title reigns. They always have. That doesn't mean they are getting developed to be stars. You look at AJ Lee. With all the creative interest they put in her, she really never needed the title to connect with the fans or to make you know they want her to connect with the fans. In a lot of situations, it might be more important to pay attention to how they are investing in someone creatively than how many title reigns and wins they are actually getting. And of course, never forget to look at how they are being pushed over time and in relation to the other women in the division. When you take it all into account, you can figure out what the WWE is doing with these women.

Wyatt Developments

The main event of Smackdown last week was Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. Bray Wyatt's two henchmen, The Captain and Tennille, or whatever they are called. The bald one is Tennille. This was a main event. I do not agree with booking it in that position.

First of all, I like that the WWE is developing midcarders right now and getting them involved with the big corporate storyline. However, that does not mean you need to shoot them to the main event. I understand The Rhodes are over and are most likely getting built for the tag titles, but does that mean you have to book them in the main event in a match that really doesn't call for that kind of attention? I don't think so.

What should be getting the main-event attention on Smackdown? How about the World's Heavyweight Champion, who also happens to be getting a storyline with the centerpiece of the company? I could understand not giving Del Rio much of the spotlight when you were pushing him boringly and having him overshadowed by Daniel Bryan, Randy Orton, and The Shield, but if there was ever a time to give him back major focus, a feud against John Cena would be it. Whether or not the WWE pulls some kind of swerve, they should at least build up Del Rio in better focus to sell to the fans that this is something major. One way you hype that up is by giving it the main-event spotlight.

Let me now turn to just The Wyatts. One of the reasons this tag match didn't call for as much focus as it got was because The Wyatts don't have that much credibility and momentum. I am talking more about Bray Wyatt's henchmen than Wyatt himself. And yet, this was their first loss. That's the big reason that this deserved to be in the main event. The Shield losing for the first time was something that deserved to be in a main event or on a PPV. Wyatt's henchmen losing? Not so much. They don't have the credibility that The Shield had, and still have. I cannot remember The Wyatts beating a strong team since their debut. Their biggest win was Bray Wyatt beating Kane, but in terms of tag action and his henchmen, nothing. And these two facing The Rhodes was supposed to be a big deal? Maybe if they had been developed as well as The Shield. Critics, analysts, and neckbeards will one day look back at this Wyatt angle to think about whether it was a success or a flop. Handling the stable's first loss like this is going to definitely tilt things in the wrong direction.

Here is something I did not expect to talk about when I first planned to discuss this match. Bray Wyatt is injured? He suffered some sort of injury over the weekend. Of all the individuals in this stable to get injured, it had to be the leader? Even if the injury is serious enough to keep him out of wrestling, the good thing about this angle is that he usually just sits there. He can still do his creepy promos backstage. The WWE can definitely make this work without him having to wrestle. You also have Kane coming back sooner rather than later. Will the injury change plans? The best thing to happen would be for Kane to come back as a member of the group. After the team just suffered a loss, that can lead to some storyline reason to debut a brainwashed Kane. If the WWE was planning to bring Kane back to seek revenge on Wyatt, the injury will spoil that.

AJ Lee Suffers Concussion

AJ Lee suffered a concussion at Battleground. She didn't get used this week on Raw and Smackdown. But that's not even the real issue I am going to talk about now. The WWE's booking of the diva division this week has been very messy. A lot of multi-diva matches, no good storyline development for these matches, and the line between faces and heels seems to be getting blurred needlessly. I can understand The Bellas going face, but some of this other booking just seems stupid. I am talking about Raw, Smackdown, and the minor shows that they taped this week. Very sloppy. No sense of true direction. It would be easy to say that the injury to AJ Lee has led to this sloppy week.

You might hear people say that you shouldn't put all your eggs in one basket. Let me take that a step further. Imagine if that basket you are going to bank everything on is already worn out and in horrible condition. The handle is falling off, there is a hole in the bottom, and it is just simply ready to fall apart on you. This is the kind of basket that might make you think twice about putting one egg in there, let alone all your eggs. That is pretty much the current state of the diva division.

The fact that the WWE seemed to have no proper direction this week off of AJ's concussion seems to make it obvious that whatever angle they might have had planned revolved around AJ. Even though she is not the centerpiece, she is their top periphery diva. During this dark age, she is as good as a centerpiece, in terms of what the WWE is doing with her. A situation like this is another reason I feel they should have been developing other divas to be stars aside from AJ. They are obviously not following up properly with Brie Bella alongside Daniel Bryan. Even though I am not a fan of AJ Lee, that is not the reason I think they should spread things around better. Putting all your eggs in one basket like this, only having what you want to be your one real diva angle revolve around AJ Lee, just sets you up for a sloppy situation when something happens to her. If the WWE was developing a better storyline for Brie, I would imagine her facing someone in singles action this week, or at least a regular 2-on-2 tag. You have had two 6-diva tags this week. Pushing quantity over quality is not always a good thing. It's not going to help these women get over. It is not a sign that you really care about their success. That is not how the WWE develops divas they want to be a success.

And this is the absolute worst time that you would want to do something like this. This is not the first time in the diva division that the WWE did something close to figuratively putting all their eggs in one basket. After Trish and Lita left, their top concern was creating a new centerpiece. Aside from that, they weren't doing much to develop anybody to be a star. They paid the price for putting all their eggs in one basket back then, since all their attempts to make a new centerpiece flopped, and they ended up with a diva division that would look very dry at times, but it didn't look as bad as it did now. Why? In terms of the little allegory, the basket was still strong back then. You had a wide array of good credible jobbers. Your most over diva was even one of these credible jobbers. Even though they would sometimes do these multi-diva matches, things still looked more respectable than they do now.

You can even compare this to the first dark age. Things looked bad for a while after Sable left. You had some credible jobbers, but they weren't being used very well for the most part to help the division look respectable. Difference is, the WWE did a better job of spreading things out. They had multiple periphery divas to feature, including eye-candy divas, and they did it well. These days, eye-candy periphery divas aren't as effective as they once were and are being treated worse than they were back then. You can say that this was a situation where the basket was weak and close to breaking, but the fact that the WWE spread the eggs better, or spread the attention better, saved things from getting too ugly.

Things are getting ugly. Look at those two eras in the diva division I just talked about. Look at what made them good. The WWE had a strong foundation with their credible jobbers to prevent a bad collapse when the centerpieces weren't working out. The WWE had a lot of periphery angles going on to keep things interesting even when they weren't going for a solid women's division. Now, take that all away. That is the situation you are getting right now. You do not have multiple good diva angles going and your structure is the weakest it has ever been. Not only are they putting all their eggs in one basket, the basket isn't strong.

One last thing I want to mention. About a year ago, I talked about a situation in football where the starting quarterback might get injured, they send in the backup, and the coaches don't even bother supporting the guy filling in. That can be found here. Obviously, what is going on now is not the exact same thing. You don't have a centerpiece the WWE is trying to develop to be a star going down and the WWE treating the interim centerpiece mediocrely. It is close enough. The WWE's top periphery diva, who also happens to be holding the Diva's Championship, gets injured, the WWE features a whole bunch of women as filler, and you can see that they are not trying to be productive with what is going on. They are not exactly showing a winning attitude.

Has CM Punk Found A Friend?

A while ago, I said one of the likely things to do with this feud between CM Punk and Paul Heyman was to give CM Punk someone to help him against Heyman's henchmen. Two against one just screams for that lone guy to get a friend, or get one of the antagonists out of the way or be prepared for one to conquer two. Getting CM Punk a friend just seemed like the best option. Recently, R-Truth has been thrown into the mix. He teamed with Punk on Raw. He has been feuding with Curtis Axel. Is this the start of a beautiful relationship?

Part of me likes how things went down on Raw in regards to this storyline. The story in the tag match was pretty good. Punk actually acted pretty friendly towards R-Truth. If they are going to start pushing these two as a team as long as Ryback and Curtis Axel are a team, this is a good way to get things started.

Part of me also dislikes how things went down on Raw in regards to this storyline. This feud between CM Punk and Paul Heyman had so much heat to it. It looked like a lot of fans and critics would be naming this the feud of the year. They still might, but it has taken a step back. CM Punk was talking and acting like he was out to murder Paul Heyman for weeks and weeks. This week, that emotion was not there. I would be the first to say never jump to conclusions after just one week, but if CM Punk was so determined to get Heyman, didn't he have a good chance on Raw? He takes out both Axel and Ryback, leaving R-Truth to clean things up and win the match, and doesn't chase after Heyman? Not to blame the writers, but I wonder if the WWE knows how to progress things from here between CM Punk and Paul Heyman in a good way.

Lastly, assuming they do run with R-Truth in this angle, is he a good choice? Considering I was saying they should run with Kofi Kingston, I wouldn't say picking R-Truth instead is a bad idea. Considering that this storyline could lead to Curtis Axel eventually dropping the title to someone aligned with CM Punk, why not R-Truth? He has not held as many midcard titles as Kofi Kingston. They just need to get him involved a lot more in promos. Make this thing more interesting. If they don't do that, and they don't bring back that fire between Punk and Heyman, this storyline may not be as great as it could have been.

Cena Returns At Hell In A Cell?

I was wondering what Alberto Del Rio was doing at a hot spot last night on Raw at the top of the hour. He has not been featured prominently on a regular basis for a while now. I had also been wondering what other contenders the WWE could push against Del Rio if they did not transition the title to someone else at Battleground. One thing I was not wondering about, when is Cena coming back?

Put it all together, JOHN CENA will challenge Alberto Del Rio for the World's Heavyweight Championship at Hell in a Cell. When Vickie first announced it, I thought it was some kind of trick so Ricardo could pick up the cheap win. It looks like it isn't a trick. Wasn't Cena supposed to be out for a couple of months? It has barely been 2 months since he left.

I have been complaining here and there about the WWE not developing anything too great for the other World Championship. I am not going to complain about Cena feuding against Del Rio. I think it is good for both Del Rio and the title's credibility. Keep in mind, Cena never got his rematch for the WWE Championship. They could have very easily have inserted him against Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton. All three men have a claim at that title. At the very least, they could have named Cena as the special guest referee for that match. None of that. I think it is good to spread Cena around like this. Even though Cena is still in a World title match, they are spreading around the spotlight better like this.

Is it a swerve? Will Cena really compete? Or are they just baiting fans in, then will pull some swerve? Christian coming back? Rey Mysterio? Mark Henry? How healed up is Cena? The original report said he would be out about 4 months. You can pretty much picture this being just one match, then Cena going back to recover. They can have Sandow cash in on Cena, should they book Cena to win the title. Even I can't picture Damien Sandow beating John Cena, but it is an option and it might be a hard shot of credibility for Sandow. Seeing as how the WWE is not developing Sandow any other way, it is either the hard way or they won't give him the title at all.

The reaction to many might be that the WWE is eager to get Cena back quickly due to poor ratings. I think it would be foolish for the WWE to have that thinking. Ratings were going to drop around this time of year. Raw cannot compete against Monday Night Football. Even with Cena around, ratings have still been declining. That very low rating the WWE had a few months ago, it came at a time when football was not a factor and Cena was still around. And December will be most unkind to the WWE, with or without Cena. Does the WWE think hyping Cena now will save them from having 2013's annual ratings average drop below a 3.0? I would hope that they know better. Nevertheless, if they are going to save themselves, it would help to have the centerpiece back.

What Do You Do With The Tag Division?: The Rhodes & Los Matadores

The Rhodes were indeed victorious at Battleground. They got that "feel good" moment by overcoming The Shield. The tag titles were not on the line. Some fans are saying it was the match of the night. Given the story heading into the match and the fact that the guys in this match are good, that is not surprising at all.

I would hope that this is not the end of the issues between The Rhodes and The Shield. That can be an even better feud than it has been. The tag titles should be on the line. Let me play writer for a moment and tell you how I would have handled this feud. First of all, I don't like The Usos just being overshadowed recently, even if it is briefly. I don't think they are the team to win the tag titles at this point, but better continuity in their feud with The Shield would have been nice. Booking The Rhodes vs. The Shield at Battleground with only the careers on the line is fine. But I would have The Usos get their title shot on the Raw or Smackdown prior to the PPV. A successful title defense builds up The Shield's momentum. As for the PPV itself, I would have it end in a way that makes that "feel good" moment not feel so good. Either have The Rhodes win by DQ or win and still get destroyed by The Shield. They get their jobs back, but still have a clear reason to still want to go after The Shield. That sets up a rematch at the next PPV where the tag titles would be on the line. Just for the sake of being evil, you can even have Triple H and Stephanie force The Rhodes to once again put their jobs on the line. Careers vs. Titles. When The Rhodes win this one, then you have something to really feel good about.

What else is going on in the tag division? Los Matadores debuted. And they have a midget in a bull costume. That can make for some great comedy segments. Comedy. What are the odds the WWE will put the tag titles on a team like this? I can imagine Primo and Epico, or whatever they call themselves these days, going the path of Tons of Funk, while their midget amigo ends up getting a better career than they end up with. It would be really nice if the WWE started transitioning the tag titles back down the card so teams like this might have a legitimate chance to win it. I can understand not wanting a lower-midcard team knocking off The Shield for the tag titles after how strong they have been made to look in roughly a year, but you have all these tag teams just revolving around and not doing anything major. If the WWE treated these teams better, I would have better hopes for Los Matadores. Until then, they are just here for comedy.

Alberto Del Rio Vs. Rob Van Dam At Battleground

Battleground hasn't had a ton of time to be built. Some of the matches are rematches. You have some filler. And it just doesn't seem like anything really deserves to be settled at this PPV. The rematch between Alberto Del Rio and Rob Van Dam for the World's Heavyweight Championship may be one exception. This is a match that might end the feud between the two.

You also have the fact that it is hardcore rules. That makes this match more special. What will RVD do in this environment? They have hyped that for this match. That is another reason why this might be one of the best matches on the card. I remember having great expectations for a match between Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger a few months ago. That didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. Nevertheless, RVD is still impressive with some of the spots he can do and ADR has that vicious side that should combine for a good match in terms of quality in a hardcore environment.

Will this be the point Ricardo finally goes back to Del Rio? I can't picture him staying with RVD after this feud. RVD just doesn't need a ring announcer. I am still anticipating a heel turn for Ricardo.

Will Sandow finally cash in? He has been pretty quiet recently. To put it another way, the WWE has been pretty dry with him recently. Not much being done. Yes, he will face Dolph Ziggler this Sunday, but no feuds or storylines for him. You can easily picture that setting up Sandow cashing in out of nowhere, but I don't like it. You should be developing this guy as someone worthy of holding a major title. At least one great feud with a main-eventer would be nice. Having him win the title now will just cement the title more as a midcard title. Nevertheless, because this match is hardcore rules, it isn't hard to see the exhausted winner having the briefcase used on him right after the match. The situation is perfect for it.

Who is likely to win between RVD and ADR? If Alberto Del Rio does retain, and assuming there is no cash in, who is there for him to feud with? Most of the top faces are either injured or involved in some major angle. I could see Dolph Ziggler going back to feud with him, but they just feuded a few months ago. It just feels like it is about time for Alberto Del Rio to lose the title. Let Rob Van Dam get it so he can join the few that have held the WWE Championship, World's Heavyweight Championship, and ECW Championship in the WWE. He can then drop the title to Sandow, back to Del Rio, or some other upper-midcard heel. A title change should be coming sooner rather than later.

Randy Orton Vs. Daniel Bryan At Battleground

The WWE Championship has been held in abeyance. That is to say, it has been vacated. At the PPV this Sunday, either Daniel Bryan or Randy Orton may be walking out with it. What are some of the scenarios that can play out from this?

Let me start with what I mentioned yesterday. The WWE has brought Brie Bella, Daniel Bryan's fiance, into the storyline. Both of them have title matches at Battleground. Have Brie win the Diva's Championship and have Daniel Bryan once again get robbed of the WWE Championship. He comes out the next night on Raw and complains about getting screwed, demanding another title shot. He even says nothing is worth more to him than that title and he would do anything to get it back. Enter Triple H. To build on what I said last time, imagine if the heels put Daniel Bryan as the  special guest ref in the rematch between AJ Lee and Brie Bella. If Daniel Bryan wants another title shot, he must do "what's best for business" and cost Brie the title. It can lead to great storyline development. What will Daniel Bryan do? Will Brie make things easier by surrendering the title? Will Triple H still come up with some loophole to screw Daniel Bryan? Will we ever see the return of Jinder  Mahal and his fancy flute? All these questions, more or less, can make for an intriguing situation.

What if things don't get settled at Battleground? What if the title somehow still remains vacated? This just seems like such a throwaway PPV to settle this. What if both men get counted out? What if one of them wins by DQ and Triple H does not award the title to that person? There is the issue of them not handing Randy Orton back the title. Now, was that really because they want to push Orton as more dangerous? Or is this part of an angle where there is tension between Triple H and Orton? To keep some controversy going, I could picture them keeping the title out of anyone's hands. Who will finally end up with the title? Will that draw? Ratings haven't been that great recently.

Putting aside all the controversy and thinking about what happens after the PPV, who would get the title just between Daniel Bryan and Orton? Daniel Bryan has already won the title at the last two PPVs. The reigns have all ended abruptly, but he's winning them. The chase is worth more than the finish. That is to say, the WWE is having Daniel Bryan chasing after the title be the big story here. He keeps on getting screwed, but he always keeps coming. When and how will he overcome? Because this is such a minor PPV, I don't feel it going to end here. If anyone of these two wins, it will be Orton. There will definitely be some kind of screwjob no matter the outcome, but it's just too soon for Daniel Bryan to really win in the climax of this storyline.

Should Brie Bella Be The New Centerpiece?

 

The diva division is currently in a dark age. That means that the WWE is not running things as efficiently as they would with a good centerpiece and good credible jobbers revolving around her. They have a lot of problems to fix if they really do ever desire to get the division back to what it was under Trish Stratus as centerpiece. One of those problems is finding a centerpiece.

Brie Bella is getting a title shot against AJ Lee at Battleground. The WWE is also taking advantage and Daniel Bryan and Brie's relationship for storyline purposes. The Bella's stock seems to be going up a lot. Both have held the title before, but neither have been pushed as the centerpiece during those reigns. They served more of the purposes you would expect of credible jobbers, being used as filler and to put over a woman they were developing as centerpiece, Kelly Kelly. Does that mean these two were credible jobbers? As I always say, it is how the diva is treated over time that determines what type of career she is getting, not just one push. The Bella Twins have been pushed as periphery divas for the bulk of their careers. Nevertheless, the WWE giving them those title reigns and pushing them as they did was a clear sign that a new dark age was here. I am not saying the two women are demons, but the fact that the WWE would make decisions like they did at the time just further leads to the collapse of the division. And now, they have a real opportunity to regain the title.

This time around, should Brie Bella be allowed to be the centerpiece? She is the kind of diva they like to do it with. Why am I not lumping Nikki in there? Because the spotlight seems more on Brie. I know a lot of fans seem to prefer Brie to Nikki. I have no preference between the two. Aside from being an eye-candy diva, many fans might say that her relationship with Daniel Bryan will help her get a great push. She wouldn't be the first centerpiece of the diva division to have a relationship with a top WWE star, assuming she does get pushed like that. Brie is not as solid in the ring as Michelle McCool, but I think she has the ability to connect with the fans better. However, the fact that they are pushing her relationship with Daniel Bryan is a sign of pushing her in the periphery. Regardless of whether they develop her as the centerpiece or continue pushing her in the periphery, Brie is in a great spot.

Should they turn The Bellas face? How can marrying the most over face in the company right now not make you a face? They can always pull some swerve and have Brie screw Daniel Bryan, but there is no need to get fancy. The line between who is face and who is heel has been blurred in recent weeks in the diva division. Who are your top faces, without bringing The Bellas into the discussion? Natalya? Kaitlyn? Credible jobbers. Some people have said that AJ should turn face, but it doesn't look like they will go in that direction. I think they should turn The Bellas face. From a storyline aspect, it would make sense. To balance out the diva division, it would also make sense. You have a top heel periphery diva in AJ Lee, now get some top face periphery divas. I also don't like The Bellas as heel. They remind me of LayCool. They annoy me. Isn't  a sign of a great heel that they get you to hate them? I usually like a great heel. They usually put a smile on my face. Heels like The Bellas and LayCool make me want to change the channel. When Brie came out to check on Daniel Bryan at the end of Raw, it just made me care more about what was going on. It's good for the storyline. It might make more fans care more about The Bellas and really get them over. I always found them sexy, but if you put more heart into what they are doing, that will get me to actually start liking them more.

Who should walk out of Battleground with the Diva's Championship? If they have AJ retain the title, she pretty much would have gone over all the viable face threats they have at the moment. And none of the heels are exactly too interesting to deserve a sudden push against AJ. Are they planning to debut someone fresh to feud against AJ? If not, just let Brie Bella get it. Don't try to force feuds that are most likely not going to be developed well. Aside from titles being something for wrestlers to fight over, they can also have storyline worth at times. For Brie's involvement in the corporate storyline, maybe her holding the title can lead to some storyline twists. What if Daniel Bryan fails to win the WWE Championship and Brie wins her title match, then Stephanie McMahon and Triple H put Daniel Bryan in the position where he must order Brie Bella to surrender her title if he ever wants another title shot? Putting faces in tough positions like that has been one of the themes of the current storyline. They have put Big Show in a tough position to do what the heels want or lose his job. The Rhodes have been put in an even tougher position this week, with Dusty's job on the line. Why not create a situation like that between Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella? I can see it happening. If the title would help to make it work better, give it to Brie.

And let me just say, should AJ lose the title, you don't need to cry for her. Do you want her to hold the title and the WWE to do nothing in terms of good title feuds? Move her on to her next periphery angle. Go back a few months to when Kaitlyn had the title. I said there was a good chance that either The Bella Twins or AJ could get the title. The WWE went with AJ over The Bellas at that time. AJ has her first title reign and it is very unlikely that they will completely bury her until they need a credible jobber for something. They have not developed her for that. They have developed her to be a star. As I have said before, AJ simply holding the title doesn't mean the diva division is going in the right direction. If they are not going to do anything worthwhile with her holding the title in the coming months, put the  title in a situation where it might have more creative value.