What Do You Do With Rusev?

The WWE has shown a little bit of inconsistency since Summerslam. I only mentioned Rusev in the title, but this impacts a string of guys. After Summerslam, it looked like Rusev's feud with Jack Swagger was over. Swagger was moving on to a feud with Bo Dallas. Rusev had that segment with Mark Henry on Raw last week. Mark Henry, however, is also teaming with Big Show. Those two are feuding against The Wyatts. This week, it looks like Swagger still wants Rusev, Mark Henry has forgotten about Rusev, and Bo Dallas and Swagger are still feuding. This is messy.

Where do I start? Let me start with Mark Henry, Big Show, and the tag division. Should these two even be a tag team? Splitting them up could open up some singles feuds. Mark Henry feuds with Rusev and Big Show feuds with Bray Wyatt. What kind of match does the WWE want for the tag titles at Night of Champions? That is what it comes down to. If they want a simple match between The Rhodes and The Usos, no need to waste  time with Big Show and Mark Henry killing Bray Wyatt's henchmen. There are other ways to transition Big Show to a singles feud with Bray, if that is the eventual idea. If they are going for some multi-team match, which would be better and utilize all these teams you have floating around, then I can agree with continuing to run Big Show and Mark Henry together.

How about this triangle with Jack Swagger, Bo Dallas, and Rusev? Jack Swagger's feud with Rusev is not over. Or has it become his mini-feud, while his feud with Bo Dallas now is his main feud? Is Bo Dallas his mini-feud? It is messy. Without Swagger, Rusev would have nothing to do right now. I'll get to that in a moment. Just focusing on Swagger, I think it is good that he is being utilized well. I just think they are going overboard with having him be so valiant. They are trying too hard to force him as a hero. The WWE sometimes takes something that works well in connecting with the fans, then murders it. They don't follow up properly. I have seen someone bring up the idea that this feud between Swagger and Bo Dallas is part of Swagger's road to redemption and will eventually lead to him beating Rusev. I don't think that was the original plan at all. Is that where it will go since Swagger has started to connect well with the fans? I don't think Swagger needs to beat Rusev. He can be pushed well without that.

As for Rusev, it really looked like he was moving away from Swagger. It would be obvious to say that it came down to choosing where to go with Mark Henry and they decided with his tag feud, leaving Rusev with nothing. That is, except for going back to Swagger. In this whole situation, it really seems like Rusev is the odd man out. I spent some time thinking about what credible guys are free to enter a feud with Rusev. I couldn't think of anyone. RVD? He always comes and goes. They could have had a mini-feud with him and Rusev. Besides, Rusev has already beaten RVD, although not in an actual feud. RVD just has no momentum. I honestly cannot think of anyone good for Rusev to feud with at the moment.

It makes me wonder what will eventually happen with Rusev. They might revisit his feud with Mark Henry soon. After that? Big Show? After a while, you will run out of top guys. Raises the question, what is the point of this guy? Just to be built up and be fed to Cena? I can picture him losing relevance one day. Will he last? Look at Jack Swagger. He has been around for years. He has won a World title. He has been a jobber. You can say he knows what it is like to be at both extremes. But he still remains relevant. If the WWE is having a tough time developing something for Rusev now, it will only get worse down the line. They will eventually weaken him to being a jobber to the stars. I doubt they are grooming him to be an A player. He is just a gimmick and a monster to be overcome. You can only hope they do better with him until his eventual decline.

The Kind Of Periphery Diva Gail Kim Could Have Been

I have been talking about some divas that might have benefited from good careers in the periphery, whether because they earned it, had potential to be good periphery characters, or the WWE wanted them over and a strong push in the periphery might have helped. I want to talk about Gail Kim today. She obviously never had the overness to deserve it. The WWE did not want her over. Potential? Yes, I think she had potential to be good in the periphery. That is why I'll spend some time brainstorming what to do with her.

Go back to Gail's first run in TNA. This was before the KO division was really formed. Everything was periphery. That is to say, a lot of the women were getting angles alongside the men. There was no title to fight for. What did Gail Kim do during that time? She was with Jeff Jarrett and AMW. She was helping them win matches. She was getting physical with the men. She was going the Chyna/Lita route. You can say she was like the enforcer of that little stable. It helped to get her over even before the KO division was really formed.

Why not have her do something similar in the WWE? I understand you don't see men and women getting physical with each other that much in the PG days, but I still think they could have made it work in some way. They could always get a diva to feud against Gail and neutralize her in certain feuds. Besides, I remember Gail giving Chavo Guerrero an Eat Defeat during her last run in the WWE. Just have her do that kind of thing to guys that aren't jobbers. Have you ever seen any movies that had a hot Asian henchwoman alongside the main villain? Have Gail Kim play that kind of role alongside a main villain in the WWE. She can cheat for him here and there. Gail will get big rubs from working alongside top stars, just like she did in TNA.

This may sound similar to the idea I had for Mickie James in the periphery. Pair Mickie James up with a top heel or heel stable. What I would do with Gail is a little different. How? The idea I had with Mickie James did not really involve her getting physical. She would not really be some kind of enforcer. She would essentially just be a valet. Might sound like a waste of a woman with wrestling talent, but Mickie James has great charisma that could have been utilized more. Gail Kim lacks that charisma. If she had that kind of charisma, she might just be my favorite female wrestler. She is very good in the ring and is beautiful. And I think she would fit that enforcer role better than Mickie could, since it would be pretty much the same as she was in TNA. As far as look goes, I said Mickie would be dressing like Stephanie McMahon. She would be fitting in with suit-wearing heels. She would dress accordingly. It wouldn't make sense for her to be wearing wrestling gear when she didn't need to. For Gail Kim, it wouldn't be weird for her to wear wrestling gear when she's out there to support her guy. Chyna dressed up like a dominatrix even when she wasn't in a match. Gail Kim does not have to dress exactly like Chyna did. Some of her outfits may not have been PG. But something similar would work. Gail Kim was in a movie around the time she rejoined the WWE where she played a ninja. Why not use that as motivation to design her character? Don't make it goofy, but have that kind of style as you treat her as an enforcer. While Mickie's periphery character would be one of arrogance, Gail's would be one of more toughness.

That was an idea on how to push Gail Kim as an A player. There was also a way to feature her well in the periphery without pushing her alongside top stars. Remember that romance angle she had with Daniel Bryan. The WWE did not do as much with that as they could have. Daniel Bryan was not being pushed hard back then. You can say he really was a B+ player back then. Pairing Gail Kim with him did not make Gail a true periphery diva. You have to be featured as a star in the periphery to be a periphery diva. Women like Victoria and Katie Lea were paired with a guy for much of their careers, but were not featured well to be considered periphery divas. They were credible jobbers. And Gail Kim's angle with Daniel Bryan was even worse. It didn't have to be. This was a romance angle. Gail Kim would not have to be featured as Daniel Bryan's enforcer. She would not have to dress in any particular way or have any special gimmick. Just have her go out there and support her man. Feature them in a lot of mixed-tag matches. Their styles are very similar. Both rely on agility and also have some great submissions. They would compliment each other well. And as Daniel Bryan did grow in popularity, Gail Kim would be alongside him for the ride. She could have ended up doing some of the things AJ Lee ended up doing alongside Daniel Bryan. Gail could have gotten mowed down by Big Show. Gail could have been berated by Daniel Bryan. Gail could eventually have stood up for herself. Probably no psycho gimmick. She does not have the charisma to pull that off. But she is great in the ring and could move back into another midcard romance angle after moving away from Daniel Bryan or be used in minor diva feuds. If they don't want to push her as the centerpiece, there are still options for Gail Kim, especially after the character they would have been developing for her alongside Daniel Bryan. She is being put over as a female version of Daniel Bryan and getting creative interest that could help get her over.

Why spend time talking about creative ideas for women to be pushed in the periphery? I usually just talk about whether this woman or that woman should be centerpiece. Stars seem to be born in the periphery in the diva division. With the exception of Mickie James, all the women to become very over in that diva division since it got started have gotten developed in the periphery. You could bring up Kharma, who was connecting well with the fans, but did not last long, but she most likely would have ended up a true periphery diva had they kept her. And it is in the periphery that you usually have unique characters and interesting storylines that go beyond a chase for the title. There is just a lot of potential here. Will I do more of these? I did not expect to do Michelle McCool after I did Mickie James. I did not expect to do Gail Kim after I did Michelle McCool. Since I just mentioned her, I'll probably do Kharma as a periphery diva one day.

Brock Lesnar's First Challenger: John Cena

The first contender for Brock Lesnar's title is the obvious one. John Cena gets his rematch at Night of Champions. And the story to this feud is also an obvious one. After Lesnar destroyed him, can Cena bounce back and overcome? They brought in legends to talk about it. They had Cena show he could do the kind of thing Lesnar did. I'll talk about that more in a moment.

Should John Cena be the one to conquer The Conqueror? After last night, I definitely got that feeling that they could go in that direction. Cena's back is to the wall. The odds are against him. There is more interest in this feud than I feel was there before Summerslam. John Cena should not be the one to beat Lesnar for the title. Give that to someone else. But with Lesnar being a part-timer and Cena being who he is, I wouldn't be too shocked if Cena won his 16th World title at Night of Champions.

How about that match between Cena and Bray Wyatt? That was bad. I understand the story they were trying to sell. Cena was channeling his inner Lesnar and trying to prove a point. But I hated how that match played out. I don't like John Cena, but I don't think I needlessly blame him for everything. And I'm not going to blame him for this. That was just bad development on the part of the WWE. Wyatt was getting destroyed. It just looked awkward. He looked like he was just paralyzed for most of the match. All of a sudden, he's good again. A little while after that, the match becomes a tag match. Cena wins. But just the story of the Cena/Wyatt match was bad. I could also complain about Cena destroying The Wyatts after, but I won't. It is one thing for Cena to get destroyed like he did at Summerslam. Part of his character is that he endures huge beatings and bounces back. Bray Wyatt going through that after he has looked strong against certain individuals, like Daniel Byan, just felt awkward. The flow of that match was horrible. I'll say it a million times, it was just awkward and bad. Since there is still time until Night of Champions, I would hope the WWE does not have more Cena matches like what they had last night. That story does not need to be told over and over again.

Let me focus just on Bray Wyatt for a little. After Chris Jericho returned to essentially put over this guy, he basically gets fed to John Cena. Some people actually thought the WWE was developing The Wyatts to be stars. More like they are there to put over stars. They just need some credibility invested in them every now and then to make them look strong. Jericho gave Wyatt a little bit of credibility. The WWE spent it for the benefit of Cena last night. Does Jericho actually think he is helping anyone get over and become stars? It means nothing if the WWE does not follow through. I cannot picture Wyatt going anywhere.

Is The Party Over For Adam Rose?

You are now getting reports that the WWE has given up on Adam Rose. You don't even need backstage sources to tell you this one. People see that Adam Rose has not been featured on main shows in months. It is just obvious that things do not look good for Adam Rose.

This should not be shocking at all. Before he even debuted, I said there were really two ways he could go. To put it another way, there were two ways the WWE could go with him. They could either use him like they have been using Bray Wyatt or toss him around for a little while and demote him like they did Fandango. The Fandango path was likely. It looks like the Fandango path is happening. And it is happening sooner than I would have expected. Nevertheless, not really shocking this is happening to him. The WWE never developed any proper feuds for him. They were pretty much telling you this would happen.

Adam Rose is another example of the WWE just tossing a gimmick out there and not doing anything with the performer beyond that. Creative investment is about more than just a gimmick. What about feuds and storylines? Considering how much the WWE loves gimmicks these days, I would not be surprised if they soon debuted some new gimmick to cause buzz for another 15 seconds. Adam Rose is not doing anything. You can say Bo Dallas is on the decline. You have some other gimmicks that were featured this year that now seem done. Yeah, I would say a new gimmick being featured is likely.

I hate how some people blame Adam Rose for failing. The guy was not given a fair shot. Makes me think back to Brodus Clay. He got a gimmick that surprised a lot of people. And that was really all he got. He won no titles. He barely got any good feuds. Adam Rose, much like Brodus Clay, had a fun gimmick that could have helped him connect with the fans. But the lack of feud development should tell you how much they cared about pushing him. That is true for Adam Rose, was true for Brodus Clay, and will likely be true for the next gimmick.

Bella Vs. Bella II

Stephanie McMahon won at Summerslam. And it was thanks to interference from Nikki Bella, who turned heel and turned on her sister. This feud is obviously not over.

This is not the first time The Bellas have feuded against each other. During their first run in the company, they had a little feud against each other. Very minor. Didn't last long. They soon got back together. This one, however, has a more serious tone to it and is getting more of the spotlight. If they are serious about one day featuring Brie Bella as the centerpiece of the diva division, not only is separating her from her sister not a shocking move, but a storyline like this is just the kind of thing you would expect. You had Sable stand up to her husband. You had Trish stand up to Vince and Stephanie. You now have Brie Bella standing up to Stephanie and her own sister. This was the kind of thing I was waiting for with Summer Rae, back when I felt she was the likely option for the new centerpiece. Standing up against Fandango was not major enough. What they are doing with Brie Bella is major.

Could this all be for the purpose of creating drama for Total Divas? Big storyline to create some drama, then dump The Bellas after. You saw this kind of thing with Cameron and Naomi. They had a storyline about their split. Now both are lost in the shuffle. Not shocking at all. But I don't expect that here. The Bellas are being pushed like A players. I doubt this huge investment in them is just for the sake of a short-time angle for Total Divas. The WWE has a lack of stars in their diva division. They are making stars. And these stars are getting to work with the bosses in a close manner. When it comes time to pushing a new centerpiece, it is not hard to imagine that Brie Bella will be at the top of the list.

Why am I not talking about Nikki possibly being the centerpiece? She does have the bigger boobs. Speaking of boobs, she is in a relationship with John Cena. Aside from all that, I can't think of any reason why she should be pushed above her sister. Brie has almost always been featured more prominently than her sister, especially this year. Neither Bella is amazing in the ring, but I would say Brie is the better of the two. And she has Daniel Bryan at her side. She can learn from him. You have seen a little bit of that. Brie just seems like the better choice and the likely choice of the two.

Assorted Topics

Dolph Ziggler beat Miz for the Intercontinental Championship at Summerslam. That's great. When Ziggler and Barrett had that great match for the title on Raw, I had a feeling Ziggler would eventually win it. Barrett suffered an injury. Miz ended up getting it. And his title reign did not last that long. I would have had Miz retain at Summerslam in some cheap fashion and have Dolph win it at Night of Champions. I can't think of any title changes that might happen at that PPV that will give you that "feel good" moment. Fans like Dolph Ziggler and wanted him to get some gold. Extending the journey to that title win for another month would not have been that bad. Ziggler still would have gotten the title and it might have been a great moment for Night of Champions. It isn't like Summerslam lacked moments and title changes.

Speaking of title changes, Paige regained the Diva's Championship. That was quick. Birthday gift? Or was there more to it than that? The title was on AJ Lee. She dropped it to Paige. Paige dropped it back to AJ Lee. AJ Lee dropped it back to Paige. That is peculiar booking. It is not unusual for a centerpiece to win consecutive title reigns like that, but she's usually trading it with different women and not the same woman over a matter of months. I know I compared this feud to Orton/Christian, which featured Christian regaining the title before dropping it back to Orton, but I didn't really feel they needed to drop it back to Paige, especially so soon.

Is there more to it? There are rumors that AJ Lee will be leaving the WWE, possibly for good this time. Jim Ross predicted that Paige would regain the title at Summerslam and AJ would distance herself from the WWE. That is a bold prediction to make. He didn't make it sound like it would definitely happen, but half his prediction came through. If it looks like AJ really is leaving, I'll talk about it more then.

How about Jack Swagger? That wasn't a true flag match he had with Rusev at Summerslam. That was disappointing. The way they had the match, I can agree with Rusev winning. And the feud is now over. How is the WWE handling Swagger after this feud? He was obviously connecting well with the fans during that feud. It was going to be interesting to see what they did with him after. They took Zeb away from him. He seems to be getting a losing streak. He does seem to be entering a feud with Bo Dallas.

Burial? Are they slowly deflating him? Are they taking the training wheels off to see how Swagger can do on his own? Is it a lack of good opponents to develop for him? I don't see this as a true burial or anything bad for him. Some guys go on losing streaks for months that eventually turn into some kind of storyline. After his loss on Raw this week, it was obvious Swagger was already in a storyline and feud. And that is good for him. You have some former World Champions that just seem to float around aimlessly. Sheamus, despite having a title, seems lost in the shuffle. Swagger has an actual story going for him. I see Bo Dallas as a future lower-midcarder, unless they do something different with him, but he is still relevant right now. And this is a feud I can picture Swagger winning. That is, if they are serious about giving him a fair opportunity. If Swagger continues to connect well with the fans, they might start pushing him up again. I am not going to complain about what they are doing with Swagger now.

TNA is switching Impact Wrestling to Wednesdays. That kind of ruins my predictions for how their ratings will do this year. It is actually a smart move. No NFL on Wednesdays. If the WWE should move Smackdown to Thursdays, which would have killed TNA, TNA won't end up having to deal with that. I don't think their ratings will jump all the way to a 2.0, but they will avoid competition that would have hurt their ratings a lot.

Would Michelle McCool Have Benefited From Being Pushed As A Top-Tier Periphery Diva?

I did this kind of thing for Mickie James a few weeks ago. What kind of top-tier periphery diva could she have been? Let me do this for Michelle McCool this time. Why bother? She did not have the overness to deserve such an amazing push. She has not shown the charisma that would make you believe she could be a great character in the periphery. Let's say you are a writer in the WWE and Vince McMahon comes up to you and demands you come up with an idea to finally get this woman over. Title reigns are not enough. Handing her history is not working. It will take some real creative interest to get her over, not just hyping her up as something great, which is essentially overrating her.

Look at how they are pushing Brie Bella now. That is almost exactly how I would have had Michelle McCool pushed in the periphery. Almost. Brie Bella's current push is obviously an extension of her relationship with Daniel Bryan. Michelle McCool was obviously in a relationship with The Undertaker back when she was around. But I am not saying they had to have acknowledged that and paired her with him. Might hurt Taker's gimmick, even if they tried to give McCool a similar gimmick. And it may not be believable. Brie Bella is a face working against heel authority figures. That is the kind of push McCool should have. How do you get her in that situation in the periphery? Put her in a kayfabe romance with a main-eventer or have her form some kind of friendship with a main-eventer. When that guy is being tormented by the heel authority figures, McCool would be at his side to get a rub and look good by standing by him.

Why a face and not a heel? I don't think she can play a great heel. Many fans might say she was an awesome heel during her LayCool days. Is that because of the kind of performer she was? Or because of how hard she was pushed and what the writers were having her do? Michelle McCool and Layla tried, but they could not garner a consistent, great reaction from the fans. They should not try to get this woman booed. Try to get the fans to like her. Try to get the fans to cheer what she is doing. You see Brie Bella standing up to both Stephanie McMahon and her husband. She's knocking around Triple H. Her own sister turns on her, which she will overcome. She is doing things that will get the fans connected to her. A lot of critics have pointed out that Brie Bella does not have a great acting ability or mic skills. In this situation, it does not matter. She is not getting over because of her own abilities as a performer, but by how they are pushing her. Imagine if Michelle McCool feuded against Vickie Guerrero back then. How about John Laurinaitis? How about Triple H and Stephanie? How about Vince McMahon, himself? Depends on how long McCool would have stayed around and what was going on at the time. To put it simply, I think it would have been better for them to try to make her look like a hero doing things that would get her cheered than a heel pushed hard and still not getting good heat. If they are getting some measure of success by doing this with Brie Bella, it would have been great to try this with McCool.

Women pushed as top-tier periphery divas hardly ever seem to fail to connect with the fans. They are being pushed in a unique manner, being pushed hard, and getting to do things on a consistent basis that fans are going to love seeing. You have had centerpieces flop in recent years, mostly because of injuries and failure to connect with the fans. Being sexy and glamorous is not enough to get over anymore. But women pushed as top-tier periphery divas go beyond that. That is why you have a better success rate with those kind of pushes.

Let me make a football analogy. In football, a lot of the best plays the coaches draw up are the ones designed to confuse the other team. A little bit of trickery can fool a defense and lead to a big play. Just for the sake of the discussion, let's say that the end around typically leads to a gain of at least 20 yards 80% of the time. All you need to know is that the end around is a football play that involves some trickery to try to throw off the defense. It doesn't matter which teams are doing it or which players are doing it, it has this great success rate. Now, is that necessarily because the players doing it are just so awesome? Or is it because the way the play is designed leads to this great success? As I have laid out the situation, if it seems any players can have this level of success with the play, it really is in the actual play, not necessarily the performer. All you have to do is not be horrible or be up against some defensive players that are too good.

Being pushed as a top-tier periphery diva is like making that football play that seems to work almost all the time. The way the WWE has been acting in recent years, you might think crazy gimmicks are also a recipe for success. How about Alicia Fox? Not surprisingly, she's depushed. I have not seen anyone talk about her in a while. She was doing things that were getting people talking about her. Perfect example of why the manner you are being pushed is more important than a gimmick. After completely dropping Alicia, her momentum is all gone. Back to talking about top-tier periphery divas. Because they are pushed with so much creative interest and hype, working alongside top stars, and doing things the fans love seeing, it isn't hard to believe that they will gain A-level overness. Is it because they are necessarily amazing performers? Or is it in how they are being pushed? When you are being pushed like that, you don't have to be amazing. The manner you are being pushed is amazing. And that is what is ultimately getting some of these women over. They are being put in a unique position and being allowed to do unique things. Michelle McCool might have benefited from this.

Let me make one more point with that football analogy. With the situation I invented with the end around being so successful, just because essentially any idiot can look great doing, that does not mean they are great players. It just means the play is great. So what does define who the great players are? How well can these guys do with plays not likely to succeed? How well can they do with busted plays? How well can they do when it looks like they will get nothing? Can they take average plays and be amazing with that? If you can only succeed with plays with a high success rate, you probably are not an amazing player. But if you can still succeed in those situations I just brought up, that is when you are showing your own worth.

I am not going to say too much about tying what I just said back to pro wrestling. Let me just say, if Michelle McCool had gotten A-level overness off of being pushed as a top-tier periphery diva, it probably would not have been because she is so amazing. But the WWE wanted this woman to be a star. If I had to come up with an idea to make her a star, I just gave you the type of push I think would have worked.

Brock Wins & The Current Situation In The Tag Division

Brock Lesnar did indeed win the WWE Championship at Summerslam. He dominated Cena in a way I was not even expecting. That surprised a lot of fans. Brock is being built to look unstoppable. The man that eventually does beat him will get a huge rub and might just be the next centerpiece of the company, assuming the WWE does not do something stupid, like have Lesnar drop the title back to Cena. Now you can start speculating on when Brock should drop the title and which guy will be taking it off him.

Let me say what should not be happening and probably won't be happening. Brock should not be dropping the title tonight on Raw tonight. I know he is a part-time guy, which might make it an issue to keep the title on him for an extended time. Over the last year, however, you have had situations where no one was holding the WWE Championship or the Champ was not around due to injury, in the case of Daniel Bryan. The WWE survived. They can survive with someone like Brock Lesnar holding it for a while. And Brock should not be beaten by John Cena. You might picture a story where John Cena acts like this is the worst thing in his career, somehow bounces back, and regains the title. It wouldn't be that different from his story with The Rock. Since Brock dominated Cena even worse than The Rock did, I don't want to see Cena overcome him. Give this to another guy, preferably one being developed to be a star.

When should Brock drop it? Who should win it? I am not going to bring up any names. As the WWE brings up the feuds, then I will discuss whether or not that wrestler is worthy and the likelihood of him winning. As for when he should drop it, it definitely should be a big PPV. Wrestlemania would be obvious. Of course, there is the issue of the part-time status of Brock Lesnar. Compromise? How about Survivor Series? Brock could still have some PPV title defenses in between now and then. How much can you really have Brock mow down guys like he did Cena? He did that to the WWE's top star and a guy whose whole character has been enduring and overcoming. How many credible challengers can they develop for Brock after that? You can do the whole discussion about the WWE backing themselves in a corner, but they could make it worse for themselves depending on how long they prolong this.

Changing topic, the tag division is currently stale. I am not just saying that because you had all 1-on-1 matches at Summerslam. The Usos have been pretty irrelevant for the last month. They should have given the tag titles to Uncle Grandpa and Pizza Steve. There were just no credible, fresh heel challengers left. The Wyatts still may not have defended the titles at Summerslam, but at least you would have seen them around more on the main shows and they would have been more relevant than The Usos have been.

What does it mean that Big Show and Mark Henry are a tag team now? I don't see that as a good thing. Those are just two former World Champions with nothing to do that have been tossed together. I can definitely picture them winning the titles. I don't think that will necessarily be good for the titles. I like real teams holding the titles. In some situations, it makes sense for two former World Champions to get the titles. I would have been fine with Orton and Batista winning the titles a few months ago. It would have brought Evolution some credibility and they could have dropped the titles to The Shield. The WWE had different plans. Big Show and Mark Henry winning the titles, I cannot think of why they really need it or how that will help the current tag division. You just have a lot of teams with no real momentum. To put it simply, I can picture Tag Team Turmoil for Night of Champions and Big Show and Mark Henry winning.

For a few years, the tag division has been very good. Not great, but good. It was a great choice to put the titles on Kane and Daniel Bryan. They were hot. They dropped it to The Shield, who were hot. They dropped it to The Rhodes, who were hot. They dropped it to The New Age Outlaws, which was worth it for how popular they were back in the Attitude Era. They dropped it to The Usos, who were hot at that time. Things have gotten stale now. And Big Show and Mark Henry are not hot. None of the current tag teams are currently hot or too deserving. The Wyatts were hot. They should have gotten it last month. Now, nothing to get excited about in the tag division. 

John Cena Vs. Brock Lesnar At Summerslam: Final Preview

Believe it or not, Stephanie McMahon vs. Brie Bella will most likely not be the main event of Summerslam. A feud between two guys that have barely interacted in the last few weeks will headline. The third PPV encounter between John Cena and Brock Lesnar. This one is for the title. They had a title match many years ago, but Cena was not at the level he is at now and you can say even Brock Lesnar is at a better place now. You have a few gimmick matches on the card already. I have said that I felt at least one more match could use some sort of stipulation to it. This title match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar does not need that. The title is on the line, the hype is there, and this match should get people interested without any fancy gimmick.

Let me talk about the build more. The build has been very poor. They are pretty much running on hype. The build between Lesnar and The Undertaker earlier this year was also poor. It was so poor, I didn't think they would dare let The Streak end on a feud like that. We all know how that turned out. I feel the build has been worse for this feud now. Part of it is probably due to the few weeks you had to build it in comparison to around Wrestlemania. It doesn't help that Brock and Cena were only on Raw at the same time once during the development of this feud. And there was no physical altercation between the two. It has been all hype and talk. And the talking on Lesnar's part has come from Paul Heyman. I know the guy is great on the mic, I will not take that away from him, but it seems like some of these promos just drag on and come close to him just rambling to kill time in the segment. If I sometimes get annoyed with Bray Wyatt talking so much and saying nothing in particular, I cannot let Heyman off the hook for doing something similar. Great mic skills, but there comes a time where a feud needs more of something else besides promos that say essentially the same thing. I am not letting Cena off, either. But his promos were what you would usually expect of him. I do not blame any of these performers. The WWE just should have come up with a better way to develop this feud. How much could Heyman really say about a feud with poor development like this one? It's all hype. He did his best, so I don't mean to imply that I am blaming him for anything.

To me, the winner of this one seems obvious. It has to be Lesnar. The whole point of this match is to cause some buzz. What better way to cause buzz than to put it on a guy with all this hype on him? I know Cena has a history of killing those with a lot of hype and momentum, but that is what it means to be the centerpiece. Would they do that in this situation? Develop a beast that beat Taker at Wrestlemania just to put over Cena? I cannot picture what good that would do. Create a situation where Brock destroys Cena for beating him to set up Seth Rollins using the briefcase? I do not think now is the time for Seth. Brock winning the title would create buzz. How long should he hold it? I'll wait to see whether or not he does win it before I talk about that.

Let me talk about the PPV in general. This is Summerslam. This is one of the big four PPVs of the WWE every year. This is the biggest PPV of the summer. Did they really create an awesome card? I just talked about their top match. Great match to have on the card, but the development has been dry. Outside of that, your next top match is Stephanie McMahon vs. Brie Bella. Really? Yeah, it has been developed well and given great focus. Your other top matches are Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose and Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns. These are feuds months in the making. The former was said to be the hottest feud in wrestling by many fans. Both feuds have seemed to lose momentum. And the other matches on the card aren't worth bringing up in this discussion. Yes, that includes Jericho vs. Wyatt. Not a lot of great feuds and matches going on. I understand they lack stars. CM Punk is gone. Daniel Bryan is injured. You have former World Champions floating around. What kind of situation would the WWE have been in if either Cena or Lesnar had gotten injured before Summerslam? The whole show would have collapsed. With initial subscriptions to the WWE Network expiring soon, you would expect the WWE to really try around now to create an exciting product to keep those subscribers, in addition to getting more. Mentioning "$9.99" too much isn't doing it. This has been a horrible road to Summerslam.

One more thing I want to bring. It has nothing to do with Summerslam. Chael Sonnen was recently on Chris Jericho's podcast. He's an MMA guy. I don't follow that stuff. But he said something interesting as it pertains to the WWE. The WWE called to tell him they were not interested in him. That in itself sounds weird. But it gets interesting. The person that called him told him that they would be interested in the event TNA is interested. We don't want you, but we will if someone else wants you. Wonderful.

It made me think back to something I said a few months ago when I talked about GFW. I said the WWE might pull some maneuvers to stop top talent from going there. What happened with Sonnen isn't GFW going after him, but it is the same idea. You have someone the WWE does not want that they do not want some other promotion to have. What kind of things can you do to try to stop the competition from getting great workers or workers that can cause some buzz? This story with Sonnen is a blatant example of what I mean. They are literally saying that they will try to grab him up only if the competition wants him. There is no doubt in my mind that the WWE would try other things to keep talent they don't really want out of the competition. And I think it is horrible.

AJ Lee Vs. Paige At Summerslam: Final Preview

This feud between AJ Lee and Paige definitely has not turned out like Orton/Christian. It is still the same general story. A face loses a title and eventually snaps and turns on the face that is holding the title. But it just doesn't have the same intensity to it. Of course, that feud on Smackdown a few years back involved Smackdown's centerpiece, which would mean the feud would get featured hard. Moreover, fans were into it because many felt Christian deserved better. Paige is still not getting great reactions. I actually believe she might have done better as a face, but booked better, of course.

As for the storyline that is in this diva feud, you have Paige being a little bit crazy. You look at Mickie James and think it is that easy? There were psycho, lesbian, and fan-stalker gimmicks and storylines in the diva division prior to Mickie James, but none of those divas became as over as Mickie James. And she remained over even after they pulled the plug on the gimmick and pushed her as a generic face diva. It comes down to charisma. Mickie James had a unique charisma. Paige is allowed to show more character now that she is feuding with AJ Lee, but she does not have that charisma Mickie James had. I think she would be great if they let her play a different role. I just said I felt she might have been better off as a face, but she could also make a great heel, if she was allowed to play a character that wasn't obviously about putting over AJ Lee. She does not have the versatility to make any character work amazingly. Versatility is a quality the greatest have to possess. It is something that separates the A+ players from the A players, in terms of talent and potential. I had said before that I would grade Paige as a A-/B+ in terms of talent and potential. She is young and can get better. She can find her groove and become a versatile performer. Chris Jericho is a versatile performer. He annoyed me for years, whether he was a heel or a face. I started to like him when he became this serious character in 2008. He showed some versatility.

Who wins this match at Summerslam? It seems pretty obvious. Paige has all the momentum. Her whole character is about imitating and mocking AJ Lee. You can say this is a watered-down version of what you had with Trish Stratus and Mickie James. Mickie James was a credible jobber there and Paige is a credible jobber here. AJ Lee wins.

What do they do with AJ Lee after Summerslam? I doubt the issues between Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella will just die at Summerslam. If they are serious about developing Brie to be centerpiece, she will eventually be in the title hunt. But it might not be happening in September. That leaves AJ Lee to feud with some other diva. Continue with Paige? Or move on to someone like Alicia Fox? I don't think they will debut someone new and toss them into a title feud. I don't think they should bother continuing with Paige. That isn't to take anything away from Paige. I just think it is time to move on. She has been built up as something for AJ to overcome. Let AJ do it and move on. I don't think they can keep  a feud between AJ and Paige fresh much longer. Even though I don't think they should bother doing it, they just might.

Jack Swagger Vs. Rusev: Fun With Flags

Jack Swagger's feud with Rusev continues to be very good. They will have a flag match at Summerslam. And the development has been solid. All four individuals are doing their thing well. Swagger and Rusev may not be bringing it on the mic, but that is why Zeb and Lana are there. Jack Swagger is obviously very good in the ring. Rusev is a Russian monster. Nothing to complain about here.

Who wins at Summerslam? The obvious answer would be Jack Swagger. Swagger can win this match and Rusev will remain undefeated in terms of pinfall and submission. I cannot think of one good reason why Rusev should win this match.

Will the feud continue to a third PPV? I think there is a good chance of that. Problem is, I don't know if they will be able to keep it fresh. If you just rehash the same promos too much, this will get stale. Inserting the flag theme has helped to keep this feud going in an interesting manner. What can they do next? If they do go to a third PPV match, that will most likely be where the feud ends. There is definitely no need to continue it after that. I am sure they would have freed up some other face for Rusev to feud with by then. And there are heels for Swagger to feud with, if the WWE decides to continue his push beyond just using him to put over Rusev.

Assorted Topics

The Alberto Del Rio situation messed up what I originally had planned to talk about in the final days heading into Summerslam. Because of that, I will talk about a few different things today.

I was including the "$9.99" thing in my titles for a while. I would have done it more had Alberto Del Rio not been fired. I would have done it on Friday and again today. Of course, it is a reference to what the WWE did last week on Raw. Triple H playing with it in his promo was one thing. I could enjoy that. Matches the character he is playing. But continuing to run with the gag after that? That is when it started to get lame. Including "$9.99" in my blog entry title once may have been okay. But continuing to force it? That is when the whole thing might just get stupid. That was the idea I was going for. Kind of doesn't work when I only got to do it twice. And, yes, I am not afraid to make myself look bad to make a point. It is just this kind of thing that makes the quality of the product not seem as entertaining.

The WWE Network is obviously on the company's mind. They are now making it available internationally. Okay, that's good. If I understand it correctly, however, that million-subscriber benchmark was a goal they were aiming for before even releasing internationally. They were aiming for that many subscribers domestically. When they make it available to more countries, that is when you would expect a higher benchmark. The numbers released recently showed that the WWE Network is not a big hit. It lost a lot of subscribers, but still gained a lot to remain on the plus side of things. Still, not a big gain since they last released numbers. There are a lot of fans worldwide that are hungry for the WWE Network. But will the WWE be able to keep them? That is the issue they are facing domestically, in addition to getting new subscribers. I don't think this one venture will run them out of business if it is not successful, but it is a headache.

Dean Ambrose won the right to decide what type of match he will have with Seth Rollins at Summerslam. What did he choose? What type of match will fit the intensity of this feud? What type of match will stop Seth Rollins from always running away? What type of match will excite these fans? A Lumberjack match? Really? Well, I guess it can stop Seth from escaping. But it is such a dull choice. A lot of fans are unhappy with this. After everything these guys have done to each other, I was expecting some kind of hardcore-style match. What would I personally have gone with? Strap match. It would stop Seth from escaping and have some brutality to it. The kind of match they are having this Sunday, I cannot picture this feud ending at Summerslam. I can imagine it going over into Night of Champions. They might even have Seth put the briefcase on the line there.

What about the third former member of The Shield? He has his feud with Randy Orton. This is a match I think should also have some kind of gimmick to it. Roman Reigns faced Kane in a Last Man Standing match last week on Raw. They are overdoing it with that match type. Point is, I feel his match with Randy Orton should also be taken to another level. It has lost some of that heat to it. It felt more personal a few months ago when The Shield first broke up and Orton attacked Reigns like he did. This is another feud that might spill over to Night of Champions. I would rather it didn't, but it likely will. They probably can't come up with anything else for either guy to do.

Let me revisit the Del Rio situation. I did not bring up the possibility that this could all be a work. When CM Punk walked out on the WWE, part of me was wondering whether this was some stunt. I didn't have that feeling for this current situation. Why? There are some signs that it might be some angle. Del Rio is a victim of racism and was just standing up for himself. That is the idea that could make fans feel sympathetic towards him and support him. It could be a big work, like CM Punk's pipe bombs were. Thing is, why bother doing this with Del Rio? He has been pushed hard to be a star and not gotten it done. Moreover, you have other guys that already seem to be getting groomed to be stars. I am talking about guys like Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose. A huge angle with Del Rio could take away the attention from these guys. Back when the WWE ran with CM Punk, Edge had just retired, Randy Orton was moved to Smackdown, John Cena was his usual self, and you really lacked other stars. It made sense to let Punk do what he did to make him into a megastar. With Punk gone, Daniel Bryan injured, and John Cena still his usual self, you can say that the situation is perfect for the WWE to pull another big angle to make someone into a star. But with these other guys being groomed to be stars, I don't think the WWE would try it. I don't think this is a work.

But for the sake of discussion, let's say this is a work. This is all an elaborate plan to make Alberto Del Rio into a star due to the current lack of stars. It would be similar to what you had with CM Punk. Could what the WWE is doing be viewed as insulting to CM Punk? What do I mean? That angle in 2011 was what made CM Punk into a top star. He became a legend after that. Does the WWE honestly think that they could make a star out of anyone simply by giving them a big, controversial storyline? I am not saying they are purposely trying to take a shot at CM Punk. I am asking whether this might cheapen what CM Punk did. If you can take a guy that cannot connect with fans very well like Alberto Del Rio and make him into a big star so easily, was there anything really unique about what CM Punk did? Just like controversy the WWE created would lead to Del Rio becoming a star now, controversy the WWE created back then was what led to CM Punk becoming a star. He is a WWE guy. Does that still make CM Punk such an "anti-status quo" guy? Or was what he did all just the WWE's plan to make him into a star, and they would like to cause the same buzz again to make another star?

Alberto Del Rio Fired

Alberto Del Rio has been let go by the company. Although there has been a flood of releases over the last few weeks to cut costs, this release does not appear to be one of those. The WWE rarely just releases former World Champions. Will that become more frequent in this age? That is another issue. With Alberto Del Rio, there seems to have been a backstage altercation. If they really wanted to get rid of Alberto Del Rio for budget reasons, I doubt they would make up that story.

Alberto Del Rio was one of my favorites. Most fans, whether marks or smarks, did not care too much for him. Now that he is gone, whom should you blame for his inability to get over. I have always said that the WWE was not pushing him right. They pushed him hard, but not properly. Less hype, more creative investment. That is what he needed. In the end, however, Alberto Del Rio was pushed amazingly well for years. He should be the one that ultimately gets blamed for not maintaining a high level of overness. Honestly, I think he did try. It just didn't work.

Will the WWE bring him back? Alberto Del Rio does not have a strong connection with the fans that you would expect them to threaten to riot or sign petitions to try to get him back. I doubt the WWE would want to bring him back. They don't need him. They already have more main-eventers than they know what to do with. Their two midcard singles titles are currently held by former World Champions. Getting rid of Alberto Del Rio might actually make things easier for them.

TNA? I don't think so. Alberto Del Rio does not need that. He may not have gotten very over with the domestic WWE fans, but he can do great in Mexico. I would think he would go back there.

For Just $9.99, Stephanie McMahon Will Come To Your House And Give YOU A Pedigree!

For the second week in a row, Raw ends with Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella. What else is it supposed to end with? A title feud between two guys that have yet to appear on the same night since the feud started? That is an issue for another day. As for the feud between Stephanie and Brie, there is good and bad to it.

Personally, I enjoy this feud. As a fan, I think it is fun and it reminds me of when I first started watching wrestling regularly. Stephanie McMahon is doing great. She's actually doing a legitimate finisher now. And her Pedigree is pretty good. As a fan, I cannot complain about this feud.

I have seen what other fans are saying. There are a lot of complaints. And the fact that the third hour of Raw has lost a lot of viewers in the last two weeks might be support for their criticisms. I haven't seen a quarterly breakdown to know how each segment has done, but the fact that the third hour is losing that much is worth pointing out. I remember a few weeks recently where the third hour actually did pretty well. There is a lack of star power right now. Although I do like Stephanie McMahon, how much of a star is she? Especially when she is feuding against Brie Bella? I think the number of fans that don't like this feud might just outnumber the number that do love it.

I still think this feud will help Brie get over. I have seen some fans say this feud is just filler until Daniel Bryan gets back or fans are only cheering for Brie because of Daniel Bryan. This is more than just about Daniel Bryan. He has become an afterthought in this feud. Brie is saying things the fans like hearing, she's smacking around Triple H, and she is just in a situation that can get her over. Thing is, will it be Brie Bella the performer getting over or Brie Bella the character getting over? Are fans connecting with her because of how great a performer she is or what her character is being allowed to do? I have already said that I don't think this is just a Daniel Bryan rub. Why does it matter? Personally, I respect those that can get over for the type of performer they are more than those that are built to be over. They are pushing Brie Bella so hard, it would be embarrassing for the WWE if she did not get over. I said a few days ago that the WWE would not need to go overboard with Mickie James had she gotten pushed as a top periphery diva. She has the ability to connect with fans through the type of performer she is. Are they going overboard with Brie? Regardless, she would not be connecting well with the fans without this treatment. It still remains whether they will push her as the centerpiece.

Who wins at Summerslam? I probably should wait to see who has the momentum on Raw next week, but I'll say Stephanie wins. With Nikki Bella possibly turning on her sister, that will be a great way to start a feud between them. Have Nikki screw Brie. Match quality won't be amazing, but you can cross your fingers for AJ Lee vs. Paige being good.

Bray Wyatt Vs. Chris Jericho: Jericho's Got 99 Problems, But The $9.99 Brothers Won't Be One

The feud between Chris Jericho and Bray Wyatt continues to disappoint. How has it been developed since the last time I brought it up? Jericho has managed to beat Wyatt's two henchmen. Due to his victories, those two won't be at ringside when Jericho faces Wyatt at Summerslam. And? That's pretty much it. That's not spectacular. That's dull. The storyline development has just fallen flat.

It reminds me of what happened with Cena and Wyatt. It looked like the storyline between those two would actually go somewhere. All of a sudden, The Usos come in to neutralize Rowan and Harper, Cena overcomes Bray, and it's all over. There was potential for the storyline between Bray Wyatt and Chris Jericho to go somewhere. I don't think they went as far developing that potential as they went with even Cena/Wyatt. But it looks like this feud will still limp in for a mediocre finish.

How will Wyatt win this match at Summerslam? He has to get some kind of victory against Chris Jericho. Jericho doesn't need to win feuds if he's never around for long. Besides, momentum is now on Jericho's side. Wyatt winning is likely. Remember how Wyatt got his win over Cena during their feud? Will the WWE pull out anything interesting like that at Summerslam? They should. It would make things interesting.

Let me talk about Rowan and Harper. No tag titles for them. And it doesn't look like they will win it anytime soon. The Usos still have them, and don't seem to be doing anything interesting with them. Giving the titles to The Wyatts would have brought some more credibility to the group and freshened up the division. Not to take anything away from The Usos, but there is nothing left for them right now. You are at that point where a title reign just drags on.

The Kind Of Periphery Diva Mickie James Could Have Been

I once talked about why the WWE couldn't just start pushing Mickie James as a periphery diva at the end of her WWE run in 2010 instead of releasing her. To just give one reason, it would have been awkward to transition her to that all of a sudden after so many years of pushing her only in the title scene as a credible jobber and never doing anything good with her in the periphery. I want to do something different today. I am going to put on my creative writer's hat and talk about the kind of character they could have developed for Mickie James as a periphery diva, ignoring all the status quo issues in the diva division.

The first thing you might want to consider is whether or not Mickie James deserved to be pushed as a periphery diva. Why give a great push to someone who does not deserve it? Mickie James definitely had the overness to deserve to be pushed as star, and not just be used to put over the stars and used as filler when they were not around. She was more over than the women they were developing to be centerpiece after Trish Stratus left. She was connecting better with fans than even eye-candy divas. She was not simply over with wrestling fans and Internet fans. Definitely had the overness. She also has great charisma, which helped her to get over. And that charisma can come in handy for periphery angles. Periphery divas are typically getting angles in the men's division and not constantly wrestling in serious women's matches. That is, unless you are in a dark age, like right now. During a dark age, all bets are pretty much off. Combine Mickie's overness and her potential to do more outside of just wrestling diva matches, I would say she would deserve to be pushed as a periphery diva.

What kind of periphery diva? When it comes to careers in the diva division, I typically like to say that eye-candy periphery divas are the B-range players, sometimes A-. Those periphery divas that are treated as more than just eye-candy and get the major storylines and rubs, those are the A players. I am not thinking Mickie James should have been an eye-candy periphery diva. She is beautiful, but she deserves more than just the basic romance angles and valet treatment that eye-candy periphery divas typically get. She deserves to be treated as a top-tier periphery diva.

There have been three female wrestlers to be pushed as A players since the diva division started. Each had unique characters and styles. Chyna dressed like a dominatrix and is more famous for mixing it up with the men than anything else. Lita also had a unique look and went from being extreme to being rated 'R'. AJ Lee does not look like the typical diva and she has been allowed to run with a crazy gimmick.

I am not going to have Mickie James just copy one of those three women. Of course, Mickie James did come before AJ Lee. And she did have a psycho gimmick before AJ Lee. How about having Mickie continue to run with that gimmick in the periphery? I don't think so. First of all, you would have to take that lesbian element away. May not be practical. It may also not work in a PG environment. I don't think you really need to go overboard with Mickie James at all. If she had the charisma to stay as over as she did with the fans while being pushed as a credible jobber, she could play a good periphery diva without needing to think of something crazy for her.

All that being said, what kind of character would I have for her? I always imagined her being the heel diva in a heel main-event stable or alongside a heel main-eventer. Lita was alongside Edge and AJ Lee was alongside Dolph Ziggler, but I am thinking more along the lines of the suit-wearing kind of heels. Imagine if Evolution had a heel diva. Imagine if Alberto Del Rio had a heel diva alongside him. Think Stephanie McMahon, but without the authority power. For those occasions where the heels did encounter some faces with a face diva present, Mickie James would be a heel periphery diva that actually has wrestling ability. You have a feud going on between Stephanie McMahon and Brie Bella now. Neither are great wrestlers. As far as look goes, Mickie James would not be dressing as an anti-diva, but she wouldn't always be coming out in wrestling gear, either. Again, think Stephanie McMahon's kind of attire, but possibly even hotter. Mickie's own charisma and acting ability would have to make this character work. It would be somewhat like her TNA heel character, but without the delusional insincerity she sometimes had. Let her play an arrogant heel diva that is actually aligned with arrogant top-tier heels in the men's division. You have never really had a female wrestler play that kind of A diva in the diva division.

Of course, being a periphery diva means being consistently pushed to be a star in the periphery. I think they can make it work. Move her in between top heels. Turn her face. Pair her with an authority figure. Some eye-candy divas have gotten this kind of treatment, but as I said before, you never really had a female wrestler pushed with this kind of simple, but strong heel character as an A player. Mickie James would have gotten great rubs from being pushed like this, it would have made the men's division more interesting, and when she did feud with divas, the feuds would mean more.

TNA's TV Deal & The WWE Network

If you were wondering why I didn't bring up the hot topic from earlier this week about TNA possibly being cancelled, I was waiting for the numbers on the WWE Network to come out. Now that that info is out, I can talk about both.

Let me start with TNA. There were reports circulating that Spike TV has dropped TNA Impact Wrestling. The way some fans were acting, TNA is already out of business, the WWE has bought it, and Dixie Carter will be debuting the Raw after Summerslam to start an invasion angle. Slow it down a little. TNA still has time to negotiate their deal.

Let's assume they do lose the deal with Spike TV. That does not mean they are out of business. They can still negotiate with other networks. They are not dead yet. Let's say they have trouble finding another home prior to their final episode on Spike. Okay, they can run their shows on the Internet. That would be embarrassing, but TNA has been embarrassing before. Thing is, that would only be a short-term fix. They will eventually have to find a new TV deal. They will have to downsize to be able to keep going. They may not be able to afford the few true stars they have left. And that is when you would expect them to finally go out of business. We are not at that point yet. If they ever get to that point where they have no TV deal, I will talk about this again.

The WWE Network has 700,000 subscribers. From the last time they announced a number, they gained 161,000 subscribers and lost 128,000 subscribers. Because the WWE has done a lot to cut costs, they no longer need over a million subscribers to make a profit off this venture. Regardless, I still feel like holding them to that 1,000,000-subscriber benchmark they had put up for themselves. I am surprised they lost so much. I am not surprised there would be some people that would want to drop it before the 6 months ran out, but over 100,000 is more than I expected. Just a waste of money. And how many more will they lose when 6 months are up? I doubt they will be able to pull a million before the end of the year. They might even get to a point where they are losing more than they are gaining.

What kind of things can the WWE do to get more subscribers? They had offered another free trial a few weeks ago. They are now going to offer an option where you can pay $19.99 a month, instead of $9.99 with a 6-month commitment. Pretty much the same idea as just paying for whatever PPV you wish to see. That might appeal more to casual fans. They can also put up more content. I still think the best thing they could do is have major angles happen on programming exclusive to the WWE Network. Have title changes. Have big promos. If you put mediocrity on there, people won't feel like they are missing anything.

Scott Steiner recently did an interview and said some things that relate to the WWE Network.

All the social media and other things, a lot of it is manure. It doesn’t mean you’re going to draw or people are going to see you. You look at Charlie Sheen and then how many Twitter followers he had there and on Facebook. Then he tried to capitalize on it with a tour, and nobody came to watch him. Just because you have Twitter followers and Facebook doesn’t mean a whole lot and [doesn't mean] people are going to pay to see you. A lot of that is misjudged. Just because you have people on their phone or Internet doesn’t mean they are going to pay. Same for the Network. I think they misjudged the popularity of it.”

Just because somebody follows you don’t mean they are going to pay for it. A lot of people are misjudging the popularity of people or characters. It’s manure. I think they did the same thing. A lot of those wrestlers have a lot of Twitter followers, but all that combined they should be able to get $9.99 for the Network. They found out they don’t pay…When do you concede that you failed? They live in their own little box and think they are all geniuses. So when are they going to concede that they are not as smart as they think they are?

I agree with the idea. Just because you have a lot of Internet support, that does not mean that the support will translate when it comes to buying your merchandise, coming to see you, and really standing by you when it counts. I have a Twitter account. I don't follow a lot of people. I follow Ted DiBiase Jr., but don't ask me why. I have no idea. I'm not even a fan of the guy that much. My favorite singer, Shakira, recently became the first person on Facebook to get 100,000,000 likes on their page. Does that mean her music and videos and everything else is always #1? No. The music industry is still very competitive. Shakira is still successful, but the fact that she holds that record in social media does not mean too much. I don't care. She's still my favorite. 

It's the same idea I brought up months ago. Casual fans are not going to be that interested in the product to want to subscribe to the WWE Network. And a lot of those Twitter followers are just casual fans. The WWE misjudged the portion of their total fanbase that actually care enough to subscribe and are capable of subscribing. They will likely not meet 1,000,000 by the end of the year and had to cut a lot of expenses, including laying off workers, just to make their business more manageable. By trying so hard just to make the WWE Network a success, they may still end up putting themselves in a bad position.