Bo Dallas Loses

Bo Dallas has taken his first loss. And to R-Truth. It was pretty much a fluke win, but it isn't like Bo's character is to be taken seriously. I knew it would be fun to see Bo react after he did lose his first match. Wasn't expecting it so soon. There were probably a few more jobbers he could have gone through.

What becomes of Bo Dallas now? Undefeated streak is over. Gimmick is still there. Aside from that, he has had no real feuds. You have a situation where you have a guy with a gimmick that can lead to good feuds, but nothing is being done with him. Should they start a legitimate feud with R-Truth? He's a lower-midcarder. I don't see how a feud with him will help Bo now. Maybe when he first debuted. Do you stick Bo with his brother? Probably too soon for that. I don't like the idea of putting a midcard title on him. He's too much of a comedy character. He's got his "Bolieve" catchphrase and the fact that he's annoying going for him, but I don't think he really deserves a title reign because of anything he has done. I'll just see how long it takes for him to get lost in the shuffle for the sake of some other gimmick they debut down the line.

Let me give my personal opinion of Bo Dallas. He looks creepy and he annoys me. In my eyes, he's down there with Fandango. He does have his moments here and there, but I still don't like him. And it isn't because he is such a great heel. I usually like great heels. He's not horrible in the ring, but he's not amazing. He's okay. Overall, I think time can be better spent on other guys. 

Brie Bella Vs. Stephanie McMahon At Summerslam

Stephanie McMahon coming out in jeans was a good sign that there was going to be a physical altercation. And there was. Brie Bella and Stephanie had a catfight at the end of Raw. And they will get physical again at Summerslam. Brie Bella vs. Stephanie McMahon. This is Stephanie's first real match in over a decade. And this whole situation in the diva division really is reminiscent of 2000 and 2001. I like this feud. Summerslam should be good this year.

A few months ago, Summer Rae seemed likely to one day be pushed as the new centerpiece. They were just putting the creative investment in her that you would see in a diva being developed to be the centerpiece. She has become somewhat stagnant since teaming with Layla. That is to say, she doesn't seem to be going anywhere. I haven't really gotten the chance to speak of the duo. A lot of other topics came up. These days, Brie Bella, who also is the kind of diva they would like to be centerpiece, is getting that better investment. This originally just looked like an extension of Daniel Bryan's feud with The Authority. He does not really seem to be an issue in this at all anymore. It is between Brie and Stephanie. Did Daniel Bryan's injury lead the WWE to warming up to putting major focus on Brie? Regardless, Brie Bella's stock has increased in value. She is getting the kind of main-event push that Trish Stratus had prior to being pushed as centerpiece.

How close is the WWE to turning this dark age into a golden age like they did back in 2001? They have a female wrestler being pushed as a top periphery diva. They have an array of credible jobbers. They have an eye-candy diva getting a major push that will likely get her over. It is because of things like what they are doing with Brie right now that I cannot bring myself to say they want to end the diva division. A lot of fans are talking about how great it is that all this stuff is going on for the divas right now. Wonderful. But are all these women getting a chance to connect with the fans and earn that better career for themselves? Or is the WWE picking and choosing? That is the issue that tripped up the first golden age and caused the collapse you have seen in recent years. The women they wanted over could not work out and the most over diva was a credible jobber that got over on her own. If that kind of thing happens again, you will see problems again. First things first, how long until they get golden?

Randy Orton Vs. Roman Reigns Or Randy Orton Vs. Kane?

It seems the WWE will run with Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns for Summerslam. The word a few months ago was that Roman Reigns would face Triple H at Summerslam. I have an easier time buying that than I do the idea the WWE was ever serious about Cesaro vs. Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. Cesaro has been demoted from that level, if he ever really was at that level. Reigns has also taken a slight demotion from facing Triple H, but facing Randy Orton is not bad. They should have had this match at Battleground. Save Summerslam for a rematch or moving Reigns up to Triple H. Still a lot of time to develop this feud, but I feel it had more momentum to it when The Shield first broke up and it looked like Ambrose would go after Rollins and Reigns would target Orton. All of a sudden, Reigns cared more about the title than getting Orton. And now, back to Reigns vs. Orton. The feud has lost some of that heat. But no big complaint here.

You have also seen some tension between Randy Orton and Kane recently. They could have easily have ran a singles feud between those two. Of course, they have feuded before and this option is not as fresh as Reigns vs. Orton. But it would feature a different story than what you had with the last time Kane and Orton feuded. The story here would involve friction in The Authority. Is it time for the group to break up and Stephanie and Triple H to be taken off TV for a while? Probably not. Just because they have that bit of friction between Orton and Kane, that does not mean Kane has to turn face. But what do you do with him? Another feud with Big Show? In the end, I am still glad they are going with Reigns as Orton's opponent over Kane for Summerslam.

Paige Turns Heel

That heel turn happened pretty quickly. They could have dragged things on a little further. Then again, why bother? Paige has turned. I am not going to do an actual comparison between this and Christian/Orton. But I will say that this turn does not have the same impact to it that Christian/Orton had. It really burned a lot of fans that the WWE mistreated Christian's push back then like they did. The heel turn and giving him back the title for a few weeks did not make it better. With Paige, she was not a veteran in the company like Christian was and her title reign lasted a few months. The same sympathy isn't there.

There is creative interest around title matters in the diva division. You did not have that during Paige's reign. You did not even have that for much of AJ's reign. Even that Wrestlemania match this year seemed like something just tossed together at the last minute. Not literally, but that kind of feeling was there. I would say that there was not good creative interest in title matters since a year ago, when AJ was feuding with Kaitlyn. Is this a summer thing? Summerslam is the second biggest PPV of the year. You have had Brock Lesnar popping up around this time of year in recent years. You usually have a big summer angle. It's not hard to imagine that the WWE would try to make diva matters interesting around now. It is what happens during fall and winter that is likely to be dry. Or is this all a coincidence? This creative interest could all be really just for Paige's turn. There are just a few situations where you can automatically expect some kind of creative interest to be present. One of them is when tag teams break up. You usually get a feud out of that. And part of that usually involves a turn. Usually, someone turns either face or heel. Cesaro breaking from Swagger did not feature that, but that's an exception to the rule. Turns are another situation where there is creative interest. Given how dry AJ has been pushed with the title in the last year, I wouldn't rush to say that this creative interest being put into her feud with Paige is a sign she is the centerpiece.

Let's focus on Paige. Do I think this heel turn will be good for her? This isn't about whether or not she will regain the title. This is about whether she will connect better with the fans. It hasn't exactly been weeks since she turned heel. Just giving my initial reaction, I don't think this will work out for her. I am not saying she can't play a good heel. I am saying this current character and storyline isn't a good fit for her. She needs something more to stand out. Am I changing my mind about believing she has great talent and potential? No. I still believe it. The WWE just needs to push her better. They likely won't. In which case, she needs to find her natural groove to connect with the fans.

Brock Lesnar Vs. John Cena & Seth Rollins Vs. Dean Ambrose

No surprise as to what the main event of Summerslam is going to be. Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman came back on Raw and Brock will get his title shot against John Cena. And I think it was the best choice, even if it was a little obvious and spoiled. Some fans say that this match should not have been for the title. What would have been the point if it was not for the title? The Authority wants to take the title off Cena. If they had done that at Battleground, mission accomplished. Cena would get his rematch. Brock Lesnar would then screw over Cena in the rematch to set up the big match between the two? There is more hype to it when the title is on the line. Will Brock win? Too soon to talk about that.

Some were saying they should  put the title on Rollins at Battleground and have him feud with Ambrose or Reigns. That plan cannot work so well when Ambrose is always attacking Rollins. What did happen at Battleground with Seth Rollins? No match. He just brawled with Ambrose. That upset a lot of fans. They were really looking forward to this match. This is the hottest feud going for them. I still don't care too much for it. Nevertheless, I don't like the idea of the WWE not having some kind of match. You could have had them both get counted out and have it turn into a huge brawl that would last throughout the show. It would still build up to Summerslam. Obviously, no one is going to riot over how the WWE chose to do things. The feud isn't over. It should lead to an intense match at Summerslam, which will still please many fans.

Your Former Heyman Guy: Cesaro

The business relationship between Cesaro and Paul Heyman seems to be officially over. Cesaro broke ties with Heyman on Raw last night. Heyman now has Brock Lesnar to manage again. But Lesnar is for another day. Today is about Cesaro.

Now that it is over, was it really worth it? Cesaro had so much momentum right after Wrestlemania. He was getting over. And along comes Paul Heyman. Do I blame Paul Heyman? No. I blame how Cesaro was pushed while being paired with Heyman. Even Curtis Axel looked better with Heyman than Cesaro did. I wonder if they really were serious with wanting Cesaro to make it. Or was this just something to keep Heyman on TV for a few months while Lesnar was away? If the WWE was serious about developing Cesaro to be a star, they would show it in how they pushed him. You can tell they are serious about someone like Seth Rollins. Aside from Cesaro's feud with Jack Swagger, they really didn't develop any proper feuds for him since putting him with Heyman. And that feud was pretty much a given. They had to do it. After that, they just pushed him as a B+ player. He was pushed a little better than the typical midcarder, but they didn't really take him to that next level. He never got the kind of focus on him that the former members of The Shield currently have. Those are A- players that will likely end up A players one day. I don't blame either Heyman or Cesaro for Cesaro not keeping that connection with the fans. He wasn't pushed right.

What now? He did win last night. Problem is, it was the loser of the match that looked better than the winner. Cesaro is still a jobber. It's too late to just toss him back with Zeb and Swagger. They turned face. Should Cesaro turn face now? I don't see the point in doing that for him now. I wouldn't even recommend a title reign. He needs his momentum back. Just tossing a midcard title on him when he is pretty much lost in the shuffle is not going to help him. It's one thing to toss a title on Miz or Sheamus, but Cesaro seems like he really needs to reconnect with the fans and a title reign won't help. And without Heyman, I cannot picture any great feuds for him.

Jericho Wins Round 1 Against Bray Wyatt

Chris Jericho got the win at Battleground. The feud is obviously not over just like that. Match quality wasn't as epic as it could have been, just like the quality of this feud has been lacking, but it should get better.

Let me be picky. Should Jericho have won that match last night? In the end, who really cares? But just for the sake of feud development and developing Wyatt, was it the right decision? Bray Wyatt has not exactly been losing left and right since his debut. John Cena was the only guy to beat Wyatt in a singles match before Chris Jericho. You can expect that kind of thing from John Cena. A lot of guys are developed to put him over and slide down the ladder after that. What is happening with Bray Wyatt should not be surprising at all. Nevertheless, was this the right decision for the sake of the feud? This isn't just about Wyatt getting a win over Jericho. This is about the storyline. Wyatt is tormenting Jericho. He is trying to get inside his head. He is trying to make himself look superior to Jericho. And you just have Jericho beat him in their first match? I would have had Wyatt win the first match. That would really get inside Jericho's head. Jericho could go on to win the second encounter. And in the final encounter, have Wyatt win again. I think it would have been better for a guy like Bray Wyatt to win the first encounter against Chris Jericho than someone like Fandango did a while back.

Battleground 2014 Preview: Part 2

Nothing has really happened since I last talked about the WWE title match. Ric Flair came back and gave Cena the thumbs up. It's not like there has been a ton of time in between PPVs to develop an interesting title feud. It is still likely Cena wins. That feud against Brock Lesnar seems imminent. Some fans say Brock Lesnar can interfere at Battleground and cost Cena the title, which will branch off into the feud between the two for Summerslam. I don't agree with that idea. This would be the third PPV encounter between the two. The first was over a decade ago and was for the WWE Championship, but Cena was not yet a big star back then. The match they had after Lesnar came back was at Extreme Rules. How do you raise the bar for the third encounter? With nothing on the line and no special gimmick to the match? I don't think so. Put the title on the line. That means Cena wins at Battleground.

The feud between Bray Wyatt and Chris Jericho has been disappointing. I am not just saying that because I didn't like this feud from the start. It has just remained in that cryptic stage. Why is Bray Wyatt doing what he is doing? It looked like he could almost give a great promo to develop this feud on Raw, but then he just started going off in vagueness. You can get a sense of what might be the kayfabe reason for the feud. Bray Wyatt thinks Jericho is a hypocrite. He claims he will save the fans, but never does anything. Bray can sell himself as the true savior. This feud will obviously go on beyond Battleground, but they better do a better job telling the story. Bray Wyatt will probably win at Battleground.

The feud between Jack Swagger and Rusev has not disappointed. Not only do I like it, the fans seem into it, as well. I can say that I would love for this feud to spill over to Summerslam, but I don't even know if the WWE can keep it going in an interesting manner. Having supporting players sometimes helps to prolong a feud in an interesting manner. You have Zeb and Lana. They have been the mouthpieces for their respective wrestler. It will really be up to what they do with them to help prolong this feud in a great way. Having back-and-forth debates that lead to brawls between Rusev and Swagger can only be done so often before it becomes stale. If they are going to prolong this feud, Rusev doesn't need to win this match. He shouldn't. I am not saying Swagger pins him or gets him to tap. Let the match end in a DQ or count-out. Keep Swagger looking strong here.

I want to spend some time on the diva match, which is why I left it for last. Paige gets her rematch against AJ Lee. Some people might say that there is no real feud here. They seem to be on the same side. Are you getting the kind of vibe that was there for Orton vs. Christian on Smackdown a few years ago? Christian finally won the big one, in terms of his WWE career, and loses the title right away to Randy Orton. That developed into a heel turn for Christian. Paige won the title, they can run this storyline where she is frustrated with people not believing in her and her inability to regain the title, and she snaps and turns heel. Just like they prolonged Christian's heel turn during that storyline, they will likely do the same thing now. Regardless, it just makes sense for AJ Lee to retain at Battleground.

Should Paige turn heel? I pointed out even before AJ Lee returned that there was horrible heel depth, especially with credible jobbers. Cameron turned heel, but that is no big help. You have Layla turning on Fandango and going face. AJ Lee might be turning face with the way things are going. You have had a lot of tweener action going on recently in the diva division. Very messy. No, I am not going to say that the diva division is the worst it has ever been because of that. There is still better creative depth now than a few months ago. You can say that all these storylines going on is the reason the line between faces and heels is so blurred. Okay, but I would also say bad depth also has something to do with it. They need a heel turn from someone with good wrestling credibility. Paige is a face credible jobber that is likely to turn heel. She should turn heel.

Is a heel turn necessarily a good thing for Paige? If a performer can't get over as a face, turn them heel. That is the philosophy of many fans. They sometimes overlook whether the WWE actually wants the performer over. I agree that heels sometimes have a better chance at connecting with the fans, but that is not the issue here. The issue is how the WWE will actually push Paige. I don't want to compare it completely to Orton/Christian. If the WWE ends up doing the same kind of storyline for Paige, I may end up doing an entry just comparing Christian back then to Paige now. Nevertheless, Christian's heel turn didn't exactly mean they were ready to treat him better. This possible heel turn for Paige isn't really an opportunity to get her over with the fans so she can get better treatment. This seems really meant just to cover depth issues.

How about AJ Lee? This is the best creative interest put into a diva title feud in a long time. The WWE just had Paige cycling through feuds. Some of those feuds were more about something else other than the title. Paige vs. Naomi wasn't as interesting as Cameron turning heel. Paige vs. Alicia Fox wasn't as interesting as Alicia's crazy gimmick. Paige vs. Tamina wasn't interesting at all. And AJ Lee had a lot of dry feuds prior to Paige winning it from her. Is the fact that they are investing in an AJ Lee title feud now a sign she is the centerpiece of the diva division? Paige is a credible jobber. They are developing what will likely be an elaborate feud. The WWE also gave AJ Lee a very good feud last year against Kaitlyn. That feud was also an extension of AJ's periphery matters with Dolph Ziggler and Big E. They need to show better consistency with AJ Lee in developing credible jobbers to put her over before I am ready to say they want her to be the centerpiece.

Taking that a step further, is the diva division over? The diva division is a women's division that revolves around a centerpiece and this idea that eye-candy divas should be featured prominently. Since 1998, they have wanted an eye-candy diva as the centerpiece. Developing AJ Lee as the centerpiece could be the end of the diva division. And yet, that does not mean the dark age is over. The dark age ends when things get efficient and respectable again. Things are still too messy, even with AJ Lee around. And with so many eye-candy divas around, including Summer Rae and The Bellas, I don't think the WWE has given up on the desire to create another centerpiece that will follow in the line of Sable and Trish Stratus. They need to do a lot more with AJ Lee and all the other divas, including hiring more female wrestlers, before I am ready to say the status quo has truly changed.

Battleground 2014 Preview: Part 1

Cameron and Naomi, former partners and friends, will face each other this Sunday. You have had 4 diva feuds being featured recently. Paige and AJ Lee are in a title feud. Stephanie McMahon has been making life miserable for Nikki Bella. There were issues between Layla and Summer Rae, which have since branched into a partnership between the two. And this feud. I don't even remember how many times you have had this many during the golden era. Obviously, the WWE will not be consistent with all these women. And these two women in this match are likely to eventually be lost in the shuffle again. This is only a kickoff match. Naomi wins.

Seth Rollins is good to go against Dean Ambrose. A lot of fans are excited for this match. I really don't care too much for it. Just my personal opinion. I think the feud between Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow after Sandow betrayed Cody last year and won the briefcase was more fun. They have had Dean Ambrose get beaten down a lot recently. Is this going to be a situation where the face overcomes and gets revenge against the heel that betrayed him? The story of this match could ruin the quality. I know a lot of fans would rather these two just go at it. You might have a story here where Ambrose is broken and trying to fight uphill all match. Hopefully, this feud continues to Summerslam and they can put on an even better match there, regardless of outcome and quality at Battleground. Seth should win this match.

You have a huge battle royal to crown the new Intercontinental Champion. And Barrett will be there to hand over the title. How great would it be if he drops some bad news on whoever wins the match and tells them he isn't injured anymore and is keeping the title? It would be a good way to set up a feud between him and the winner. Let's say nothing fancy happens. Who wins? Probably not Sheamus. He doesn't need it. It would be nice if Dolph Ziggler wins it. He can feud with Barrett down the line. I just feel like a heel should be holding it now. The Miz is a good choice. He just came back and it would be an easy way to keep him relevant without actually pushing him. It would also be nice if Cesaro gets it. The guy needs something. Without going through anymore names, I'll say Miz wins the title.

The Usos once again defend the tag titles against The Wyatts. And this is a 2-out-of-3 falls match. Just like I gave the WWE credit for upgrading the US title match between Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio on Main Event last week to a Last Man Standing match, I'll give them credit for making this match more than just a basic tag match. These two teams can put on a great match. This match type should make things more interesting. The Flying Eduardo Brothers should finally be winning the titles this time. Wyatts win.

Seth Rollins Injured?

Seth Rollins appeared to suffer an injury on Raw. You had Randy Orton suffer a minor injury last year after winning Money in the Bank. Obviously, it was nothing major and he went on to win the title through the briefcase at Summerslam 2013. Let's hope the issue with Seth is nothing major. Just for the sake of discussion, let me look at some of the other scenarios that may play out.

What if this is all a work? Reality Era shenanigans? I remember saying last year that they could have ran an angle with Randy Orton being out with an injury and have him cash in and win the title out of nowhere. You can say his heel turn and joining Triple H's side was still a swerve, but a lot of people saw it coming. Will they try anything fancy with Seth Rollins right now? I don't think that's it. I think it was a legitimate injury. How serious? I don't know. But to plan an injury angle days before a PPV and mess up the card would just not make sense.

Let's say Seth Rollins is injured and it is only a minor injury. Obviously, no need to take the briefcase off him. He has a year to use it. Might it screw up his match with Dean Ambrose? They ran an injury angle with Ambrose on Raw. That you know was an angle. But I don't get the vibe at all that they were trying to write off this match from the Battleground card. A lot of fans were interested in this match. Some say this feud was the hottest thing going on right now. I don't agree with that, but it was a good feud that was getting some development. Where would it leave Ambrose if Rollins is not cleared to compete? Toss him into the battle royal for the Intercontinental Championship? I don't think so. Have The Authority put Ambrose in some other match against a heel. You have a few midcard heels that could face Ambrose. Most are already involved in the battle royal, but having one guy wrestle two matches that night won't be bad. When Rollins is healed up, continue the feud between Rollins and Ambrose.

And if the injury is worse than just a minor one? What if it is so bad that he will be out an extended time? It is not unheard of that the guy holding the briefcase loses it to someone else. Kennedy lost it to Edge, who went on to successfully use it to win another World title reign. Will Rollins even be good enough to compete in a short match to drop the briefcase? Better question, who gets it? Ambrose is right there. I don't think he is the guy they would have liked to give this kind of push to. Both Rollins and Reigns seem to be bigger priorities than him. If they want a heel to hold it, Cesaro is an option. Giving him something would be nice. And what happens to Rollins when he comes back? Would they have moved on from him by then? Injuries could have spoiled Evolution early on. But both Batista and Randy Orton continued to be developed as stars. I would have good hope that the same would happen with Rollins, if this injury is serious.

WWE Signs KENTA

Am I supposed to capitalize every letter of his name? I'm not good with names. The WWE has signed a major Japanese star in KENTA. And they have made a big deal out of it. This is a signing that will excite many wrestling fans. But how well will this guy be used in the WWE? Let's not be optimistic. Let's not be pessimistic. Let's try to be realistic. There are a few things to look at.

Let's start with his wrestling style. I am not going to pretend like I have been watching this guy for years or I just watched hours of his matches to prepare myself to talk about him. I have seen what wrestling fans have said about him. I have seen some clips of him. I know he's good. In terms of wrestling ability, he will be up there with Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. But how well will his style mix with what the WWE likes to push as their style? One of the things that ruined the potential of the original Sin Cara was that he botched too much. He became a joke to many fans. I don't think that will happen with KENTA. Some fans are already looking forward to him wrestling Sheamus. He can wrestle a stiff style that many wrestling fans like. And if they just let him wrestle his style, he should work out great. He can work well with a lot of guys on the roster. And given how they have let guys like CM Punk and Daniel Bryan go in the ring, I can imagine they will let KENTA be just as good.

How about the fact that he is Japanese? How can that possibly matter? I can say no one will ever accuse the WWE of being racist, but people do say it. When was the last successful Japanese wrestler in the WWE? Yoshi Tatsu went nowhere. Kenzo Suzuki had a run with the tag titles. Funaki? KENTA is better than them. The worst thing they could do is stick him with some stupid gimmick based on him being Japanese. Remember Lord Tensai? He obviously wasn't really Japanese, but he wrestled there for years and they gave him this Japanese-related gimmick. I think it just made a lot of his matches awkward. His mannerisms just didn't click with me. Just let KENTA wrestle. Develop good wrestling feuds for him. What about mic skills? You can say that limited a lot of Japanese wrestlers in the WWE. Does he need a manager? Should they keep him off the main shows until he masters English and can pull off promos like he's CM Punk? Again, just let the guy wrestle. You can develop a lot of good feuds with him that will appeal to wrestling fans. Overall, I don't think the fact that he is Japanese should hold him back. The fact that they hyped his signing like this should mean they want him to work out.

Let me get to the main problem that might hinder this guy. And it has nothing to do with the kind of performer he is or anything about him at all. What is the current state of the WWE? They are doing a lot of things better recently than they have in the last few years, but you still have problems. The WWE still has John Cena as their centerpiece. That will likely not change with KENTA one day debuting. Outside of John Cena, the WWE is busy trying to make new stars and finding ways to keep other stars relevant. They have a ton of gimmicks floating around, but they often fail to create great feuds in the midcard and fail to remain consistent with many guys. KENTA will not debut to be pushed as an A+ player. That is just obvious. The best you can hope is that he is pushed at least as a B+ player. Push him as an upper-midcarder. Actually develop good feuds for him. But they have so many guys to push, there is always a chance he does eventually gets lost in the shuffle. I think the WWE needs to slow it down with all these debuts, gimmick changes, returns, new signings, and all these other things they are doing that create short-term buzz. You just do a bunch of things that you cannot follow up on properly. Do better with the guys there now and try to bring the best out of them and give them better opportunities to better connect with those fans.

Do I think KENTA will do well in the WWE when he eventually debuts? Or is this another Sin Cara? The WWE has shown signs of wanting him to be a big deal already, although you should not make too much of that. I think he has a style that can make him a great success. They should be willing to push him well. It all comes down to where he falls in the roster. There will be stars above him that will be treated as top priorities. In the end, I think the WWE might just lose momentum with him. The fact that he appeals so much to the Japanese audience would mean nothing. The Great Khali is there because he appeals to the large market in India. How do they push him? Alberto Del Rio is supposed to appeal to the Mexican audience. He is not pushed as well these days as he was in the past. A lot of it might come down to how over KENTA becomes with the general audience, but there is no reason to think this guy will be shot to the stars too soon.

Grading Emma

Emma caused some buzz recently with her arrest, release, and quick rehire. Why did the WWE even bother bringing her back? It isn't like she is a top diva. Is it for the Australian tour coming up? Is it because they felt they were looking too harsh or too hypocritical in the eyes of the media? Whatever the case, it isn't like she was really in the way of what they are trying to do. Some fans thought you would be more likely to see CM Punk return to the WWE before Emma did. Some people thought she would come back after this thing blew over. It's just too hilarious that the WWE hired her back the same day. Let me take the opportunity to analyze what type of career she is getting, look at how much talent and potential she has, and assess how well she is bringing results.

Emma is a credible jobber. The fact that she has had this angle with Santino means nothing. A few female wrestlers have had angles with Santino. Beth Phoenix was a top-tier credible jobber. Tamina was a low-tier credible jobber. Just having that angle with a man does not make you a periphery diva. It is about whether they will remain consistent with you in the periphery and treat you as a star on the periphery of the centerpiece. No centerpiece right now. Perfect time to treat other divas better. And yet, Emma has not really been one of them. Even before the drama surrounding her arrest, she was not being used well. She is a low-tier credible jobber. She is a C- player.

How about her efficiency? Does she have what it takes to succeed? She is definitely beautiful. Her main thing is that dancing bit she does. I wasn't sold on it at first, but it is cute. How about her overall charisma? She has this ditzy gimmick. I don't think it's doing her any favors. How about how she is actually playing the role? I don't think it's that great. Again, it's just a bad gimmick to have. I won't blame her too much. And her mic skills? You don't hear her much in recent months. As I said with Paige, before you criticize someone for their mic skills, keep in mind the kind of character the WWE is having them play or the situations they are putting them in to do promos about. If they did not let AJ Lee run with as much freedom as they have, including letting her be heel and giving her strong storylines earlier after her debut, her promos would not be that great. Still, Emma isn't that impressive on the mic. I won't overrate her. As for wrestling ability, this is a female wrestler. She debuted having had wrestling training before signing with the company. She was not signed to be an eye-candy diva. Once again, her gimmick is hurting her. Most of her matches since debuting have been comedy matches. That's what you get with teaming with Santino so much. That ditzy gimmick does not let her show how good she could be in the ring. I hear a lot of fans say she was so much better in NXT. I'll give her the benefit of the doubt. Nevertheless, she is not showing A-level potential and ability. I would give her a C+.

The most important thing, how well is she connecting with the fans? I sometimes see some fans doing that dance she does. She has some fans liking her. Do they like her because they genuinely like her or because her dance is just fun to do? Some people debate whether Daniel Bryan is over or it is just his "Yes!" and "No!" chants that are over. If Daniel Bryan was not over with the fans, they would not have cared so much about the guy getting pushed better. He is over. The chants helped him get as over as he is, but he is still over. Emma's dance isn't really helping her get very over. Again, I am not blaming her for her inability to get over. She has been pushed as a credible jobber, has a gimmick that is not doing her any favors, and the WWE obviously does not care about her being over. She might get a great reaction when she returns to Australia, but that doesn't count for everything. I would give her a C.

What can they do to help her? Let's pretend the WWE actually did care about helping their talent succeed. I am not saying they need to shoot her to the moon like they did AJ Lee. Just do a better job putting her in a position to succeed. The main thing they should do is take away the gimmick. Leave her without a gimmick. Push her as a serious face. That might sound bad. I don't think it is. Taking away a great gimmick that is helping someone succeed and leaving them generic might be viewed as bad, but when someone has a bad gimmick that is not helping them at all, I don't think taking that away would be bad for them. Let her keep her dancing thing as part of her entrance, a taunt during matches, and something to do when she celebrates. But kill the overall ditzy gimmick. Maria, an eye-candy diva, might have been able to play that kind of character better. They eventually ended that for her. Emma should not have that kind of gimmick. She has real wrestling experience that is being underutilized. I want to see the kind of performer she can be as a generic face. No need to turn her heel. Some fans' answer to everything is a heel turn. All I think Emma needs is to be allowed to show the audience what kind of competitor she could be. And the gimmick isn't helping.

Hollywood Heel Miz

Before I talk about Miz, let me talk about Main Event last night. No title change, but I like that they upgraded the match to be a Last Man Standing match. That is the kind of thing the WWE has to do to make people think the WWE Network is worth getting and keeping.

I have only really mentioned Miz recently when talking about Chris Jericho's return. That's not fair. Miz is a former WWE Champion. He is a direct-to-DVD movie star. Most fans still don't like him, but I'm sure his goldfish have changed their opinion of him. Let me talk about his return and his new gimmick.

You can tell that this is an era in the WWE where they like gimmicks. Miz returned with a slight character change. Aside from the fact that he has been in movies, has a slight change in his entrance, and how he dresses, what is really special about Hollywood Heel Miz? Nothing. He seems like the same old Miz to me. When The Rock came back with a similar gimmick, he actually was entertaining. That is because he has better charisma than Miz. I don't think anything will come of this gimmick.

Should the WWE try to develop any good feuds for Miz? Aside from being an era where they like gimmicks, this is an era where they frequently fail to develop proper feuds for the majority of the roster. Should Miz be made a priority? If they are not going to have him feud against Chris Jericho, which I still think would have been a better choice than Jericho and Wyatt, I don't think they should bother trying to develop a feud for Miz. I am probably sounding like a hypocrite. I want to see guys getting good storylines and feuds. Why am I saying not to bother with Miz? I don't think he's really worth it. You have so many other guys to push, both young talent, like Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns, and veteran talent that still connect well with the fans, like Jericho and RVD. If I thought Miz's gimmick had more potential, like I feel about Rusev's gimmick, I would say he should be a priority. I just can't think of a good reason why he should be pushed well. Hand him a midcard title and let him rotate around aimlessly like Sheamus. With Barrett injured, you can say that Miz will fill his spot. And that's good enough for him.

Sheamus & His US Title: What Is & What Could Have Been

Alberto Del Rio won the right to face Sheamus for the US title. Should Del Rio win? I would say the fact that Sheamus is not really doing anything interesting with the title should mean that they should pass it on to someone else. Of course, they probably wouldn't do anything interesting with Del Rio as US Champion. And there is potential for Del Rio to be an interesting US Champion. How likely is it that Del Rio will win? I think there is a chance they might book him to win it. Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio faced each other in a title match recently. They are having another one so soon. The WWE is giving away a free preview week for their WWE Network. What better way to make people believe that big things happen on the shows there than having a title change on Main Event? I think it would be smart.

But what could have been? Instead of Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio for the title, what could you have had? I am thinking about Sheamus vs. Bray Wyatt. It looked like they could have gone there last week. Instead, Bray is feuding with Jericho. I think a good midcard title feud between Bray Wyatt and Sheamus would have been good. While Bray Wyatt goes after that title, Jumpin' Jack Flash and Swivel Hips McGhee could chase after the tag titles. Swivel Hips McGhee? Is it any wonder I don't get more readers? Point is, all three heels in that stable could be holding titles. That would be good. Where would that leave Jericho? Would a feud against Miz have been so bad?

Battleground 2014 Main Event

You have to love Reality Era villains. The Authority made the main event for Battleground last week. It's another multi-man match. You had one at Elimination Chamber, Wrestlemania, Money in the Bank, and now Battleground. Granted, some of this came about due to circumstances the WWE would not have liked coming up. More personal 1-on-1 feuds would be nice. In any case, John Cena defends against Kane, Randy Orton, and Roman Reigns.

John Cena has become the prime target for The Authority. This would have been Daniel Bryan's feud. He is injured. I think you can forgive the WWE for putting Cena back in this position a little. This isn't as bad as Cena being the one that ended the reign of terror of John Laurinaitis a few years ago. That should have been CM Punk. He wasn't injured at that time. They could have developed that feud for him. He was more anti-establishment than Cena.

What about Roman Reigns? This is a good sign that they are serious about pushing him. They could have just made this match John Cena vs. Kane vs. Randy Orton. They could have tossed Sheamus into the match. They put Reigns in. In terms of storyline sense, how much sense does this make? Roman Reigns is an enemy of The Authority. He should not have even been in that title match at Money in the Bank in the first place. He won a battle royal he was not originally supposed to be in. I am not saying he should not be put in this match, but would it really be bad to have him win some kind of match to get that spot? I think it would have been better.

Orton and Kane are the only two real heels in this match. Kane is pretty much there to help Orton win. You saw this at Money in the Bank. Both Kane and Randy Orton should be doing better than this. I think a personal feud between Orton and Reigns, which seemed to be the original plan, would be better for both of them. As for Kane, who knows what the WWE had planned for him after his feud with Bryan. This title match does not really have me hyped.

Swagger Vs. Rusev: An Actual Midcard Feud To Be Proud Of

I wasn't going to say anything after Emma's arrest. When she got released, I figured I would have to spend today talking about that. Same day, she gets rehired. Let's leave that there.

When Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger came out to confront Lana and Rusev, that got me excited. And the fans were really into it. Jack Swagger looked great in that segment. This midcard feud has great potential. I like Jack Swagger. And I have said before that I think they can do some great things with the character Rusev has. And what happened on Raw is an example of what I was thinking of. Some fans have been questioning when the WWE would get around to this feud. It pretty much writes itself. Here it is. And I think it will be great.

Not to speak too soon, but it seems like this is a feud Rusev would normally win. Jack Swagger has been jobbing a lot for most of his career in recent years. It would be obvious to say Swagger is just being developed here to put over Rusev. If Swagger can continue connecting well with the fans through this push, I would hope the WWE changes plans and lets Swagger beat Rusev. Why let Cena get all the wins against well-developed opponents? And it might also be too soon to say this, but if Swagger can continue that momentum, it would be nice to see him be World Champ one more time.

What if the WWE does not like how the fans are reacting? I just said that it seems obvious Swagger is just being developed to be a challenge for Rusev to go through. He is the one they are really interested in pushing. It all comes down to how badly they want to stay the course. Would the WWE purposely "botch" this push for Swagger? Am I saying the WWE would purposely try to mess up the career of one of their own workers if they get more over than the WWE would like? Sure, why not? Fans are interested in this feud. The WWE should be happy with that. Let it grow. Go in the direction of what the fans want. What the WWE does with Swagger after this feud will be interesting to see. They should try to find something for him.

AJ Returns And Gets Back Her Title

Okay, let's not run on the assumption that AJ Lee is pregnant. AJ Lee returned on Raw this week, along with a few former World Champions, and got her second run with the Diva's Championship. She won it in a similar fashion to how Paige won the title from her.

The diva division regains the only major star the company has created since Trish and Lita retired. Obviously, that is great. The diva title matters were getting stale. That's not Paige's fault. The WWE was not developing great feuds for her. Tamina was not developed well in her title feud against Paige. Alicia Fox's gimmick overshadowed any real development for Paige. And her recent title feud with Naomi seemed to be just an extension of the issues developing between Naomi and Cameron. Paige has gotten very little creative investment for her own sake. Oh, she got the title! Yeah, but a boring title reign is not going to help you get over. And even AJ Lee was getting a very dull run with the title for a few months. Luckily for her, she had been pushed hard in the periphery long before that long title reign. And she was still allowed to show a good character. Pushing her as a heel helped.

How long will this title reign last? Her last title reign broke Maryse's record. Her last title reign also featured her running through every challenger, climaxing with beating all the divas at Wrestlemania. Some fans complained that she lost too much. She would retain her title when it counted the most. And I cannot picture the WWE going through that again with her. That's not centerpiece booking. That's just going through the motions. That is the kind of thing they were doing with Paige. That is the kind of thing they were doing with Mickie James during her run with the butterfly title. To debut even more women from NXT just to go through this cycle with AJ Lee would be dull. These aren't well-developed feuds. Don't expect AJ to break her own record with this reign.

What does all this mean for Paige? I have seen some fans talk like they will be sending her back to NXT. That is a retarded idea. Pardon my language. It's just stupid. The girl is a wrestler. She knows how to compete. They are not going to send her back to NXT just because she has not gotten over. It's their own fault that she was pushed as she was. Besides, they need credible jobbers and it seemed likely even before she debuted that she would be mistreated. I said that back in January. And as I have said before, if Paige had somehow taken that mediocre treatment she was getting and become monster over, it would have been an absolute miracle.

How about Summer Rae? She is still getting developed in the periphery. They could easily have ended that feud between her and Layla/Fandango at Money in the Bank. They have extended it and are developing it further. That is what the WWE does for a centerpiece. They develop feuds better than they would people they don't care about holding a top spot. Of course, Summer Rae is not in that spot yet. And they might seriously want to take their time or come up with a better plan. If they run with AJ Lee vs. Summer Rae, Summer might just get killed. I am not talking wrestling ability. I am talking about connecting with the fans. Summer winning the title from AJ Lee in the coming months might end up being flat. Fans got excited when Paige won the title from AJ Lee because of the shock value. You can say the same thing with AJ Lee's recent win, combined with how well she had been pushed in the periphery. What does Summer Rae have going for her? She needs better character development. She needs more of the kind of development Brie Bella has been getting. Put her in there against some main players. Having her feud against Fandango and Layla makes storyline sense, but for the sake of pushing her in a position with more hype, periphery angles alongside top stars would be better. Right now, she is in a B+ position. I wouldn't toss the title on her until she gets a run in an A position, like AJ Lee has gotten. Trish Stratus got that before winning her first title and being pushed as centerpiece. The WWE has done a good job not rushing a diva to be the centerpiece since 2012. They just need to develop them better.

I never gave my speech on fine wine. It was something I was going to bring up around Wrestlemania, but Paige debuting and putting an end to that title reign AJ Lee was getting changed what I was planning on talking about. I think it applies to what I have just talked about, so let me bring up that analogy now.

They say that fine wine must age. You don't just crush some grapes and drink it right after. That's just grape juice. What does that have to do with the diva division? It's about how they push the divas, especially the centerpiece. If the WWE wants to develop a diva to be their centerpiece, they don't just toss a title on them and have them run through opponents. That is what they did with Mickie James during her run as Diva's Champion, AJ Lee for much of her first run, and what you just saw with Paige. It's a process, much like making wine. The WWE actually develops a credible jobber to put over a centerpiece in your typical title feud involving the centerpiece. Sable feuded with Jackie for months. Trish Stratus would feud with her opponents for months. The credible jobber is built up, typically going over other credible jobbers or eye-candy periphery divas en route to winning the title. Even after the title win, she still gets that momentum developed further until she drops the title back to the centerpiece, or whatever else the WWE might have planned.

You can analyze how these divas are being pushed to figure out which diva is the centerpiece. You don't just look at that diva you think is the centerpiece. You look at the women that are feuding against that diva. Look at how they are being developed. The WWE knows how to create a centerpiece. Problem is, it just doesn't work out sometimes. And that failure and other distractions could hurt their attempt. With so many steps in making a fine bottle of wine, one botch along the way can ruin it. Same thing with developing a centerpiece. The WWE already has elitist standards when it comes to whom they develop to hold the top spot, which is very stupid. When something goes wrong, it can really hurt the quality of the division. And it has.

In the end, the main point I want to make is that the WWE develops title feuds better when the centerpiece is involved. You can say they let it age, like fine wine. When the centerpiece is not around, things look more like they are going through the motions. They are just making grape juice. Which is more appealing? I don't like drinking wine. I don't even like grape juice. Regardless, a fine bottle of wine will usually be worth more than grape juice. Centerpiece title feuds will usually be treated better than non-centerpiece title feuds.

Chris Jericho's 2014 Return

Last night's Raw was great. It had that feel you usually get for the Raw after Wrestlemania. I'm not talking about the crowd. You had some returns and the start of some great feuds. That one Raw will leave me with enough to talk about for the rest of this week.

Chris Jericho's return is today's topic. How many times have I gotten excited for what might happen with Chris Jericho's return just for mediocrity to ensue? It is too early to tell whether this run will be like that. He returned to interrupt The Miz, who was also making his return. After taking him out, Jericho fell victim to The Wyatts.

I was actually hoping he would feud against Miz. There would be nothing wrong with this feud. Both are former World Champions. Both have done things outside of wrestling. Both can come up with some great promos against each other. Most importantly, this was a feud Jericho likely would have won. I am not a huge fan of Chris Jericho, but him putting over talent is just getting irritating. Yeah, nice of him to do that, but most of the guys he has put over in the last few years either got dropped back to the midcard by the WWE or didn't really need him to make them look good. Fandango is a midcarder. Ryback is a midcarder. Dolph Ziggler is a midcarder. CM Punk was already connecting with the fans very well without Jericho feuding with him. I don't see why Miz would need to go over Chris Jericho in a feud. Miz's time is pretty much done. He should be used to put over face stars or faces being developed to be stars. He should be a heel jobber to the stars. This was a feud Jericho would win.

And then the lights went out. Bray Wyatt and his followers hit the ring and attacked Jericho. Here is a feud I can picture Jericho losing. Bray Wyatt is a guy some still view as a future main-eventer. Why wouldn't Chris Jericho put him over? Don't get me wrong, this will be a great feud. The outcome of a feud does not always ruin the build of the feud, but seeing Chris Jericho not do anything really meaningful is getting annoying. They do it with Rob Van Dam. It is probably worse with him in how dryly he is pushed, but I think the fact that Chris Jericho could do much better makes it worse for him.

One last thing, just because that Raw felt so good last night, that does not mean the WWE will keep the ball rolling. They cannot have surprise returns every week. I remember feeling things were good around Extreme Rules about 2 months ago. What happened between then and recently? Things got stale. You can't blame it all on Daniel Bryan getting injured. And there was inconsistency. The breakup of The Shield could have been handled better. Didn't it look like Roman Reigns would feud with Randy Orton? That has been forgotten and now Reigns only has eyes for being Champion. Go back to when I talked about Stardust. Great change for Cody Rhodes. Problem is, how long before things get stale with him? The Rhodes are feuding against the same team every week. There needs to be change there. The returns of some top guys will definitely help cover the depth issues you had with Daniel Bryan and CM Punk dropping out, but it is still up to the WWE to create interesting feuds and storylines and keep the ball rolling.