Sheamus Finally Returns

After weeks of teasing his return, Sheamus finally returned on the Raw after Wrestlemania. New look. And he's a heel.

Yes, he does look stupid. It is a look that you'll just have to get used to. It is always good when a wrestler reinvents himself after a while. That usually means changing your attire, adding some new moves, changing your theme song, changing gimmick, or anything like that. It seems the only thing that has changed for Sheamus, aside from his alignment, is his hair. My nephew used to have an obsession with mohawks. Back when he was like 4.

The more important thing than his look is the fact that he is now heel. He was getting stale as a face. I just have a feeling it will not take long for him to get stale as a heel. It seems like you have too many former World Champions in the midcard. But adding some heel depth will be good. There are a lot of top faces running around. I still feel like the return last night was a little flatter than it should have been. I do not know if that means the WWE will see heel Sheamus as a flop and lose interest in him. Right now, he should be used well.

New WWE Champion: Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins lost to Randy Orton at Wrestlemania, then went on to insert himself into the WWE title match and win the title. I am not surprised that the WWE would run with this decision. I brought it up last week. Roman Reigns would have gotten a terrible reaction if he had won.

Is this the end of Roman Reigns? Not necessarily. They could just decide to take more time to draw out his development. Will it last a few weeks until the next PPV? Or a year until the next Wrestlemania? Either way, it was probably a good move not to rush it.

How about Seth Rollins? All the talk has been on Roman Reigns being the next centerpiece. Rollins has become a brand-new WWE Champion. It does not mean he is the new centerpiece, but should he be? I still think he needs more time to be built up. I don't think he can stand on his own without The Authority. Speaking for myself, I don't buy him. Wrestling fans eat him up. I can see him becoming the kind of performer Edge and CM Punk were. Neither guy was the #1 man in the company, but both had great careers. Rollins isn't at their level yet at all, but that is where I think he is going.

And what about the third man in this match? Brock Lesnar lost the title without being pinned. Not only that, a lot was said about the rub the person that beats Lesnar would get. Lesnar had one of the greatest years ever last year. He looked amazing. Wasting it on a guy that couldn't properly get over was one worry. They didn't do that. Instead, no one gets the rub. Seth Rollins wins via briefcase. I would say one of the greatest years ever led to one of the worse investments ever. You put all that into Lesnar, but what did it really accomplish? Terrible ratings while he held the title. He didn't give anyone a proper rub by directly dropping the title to them. It just feels like they would have been better off doing something else.

Wrestlemania 31 Preview: Part 3

Two matches left to talk about. You have Sting vs. Triple H and Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns for the WWE Championship. Both are pretty good contenders to be the true main event of Wrestlemania. You might say the title match between Brock Lesnar and Roman Reigns is the obvious main event. A few problems. First, the build has been very poor for that match. Lesnar and Reigns did not interact enough. And their interaction at the end of Raw this week speaks for itself. Aside from that, the face in that match is likely to get booed to oblivion by the fans at the event. If Reigns does win, is that how you want Wrestlemania to end? The feud between Triple H and Sting started since Survivor Series last year. It has had its own development issues, but it might be a safer option to end the show.

Let me start with Sting vs. Triple H. Sting has pretty much looked untouchable this entire feud. Even Stephanie couldn't get a slap in on him. Can you imagine one person being so protected in a feud and still winning it? How will that make the other guy look? Luckily, the other guy in this situation is Triple H. He hasn't won a match in years. It never hurts his credibility. I can definitely see Sting winning this. And those rumors of Sting starting a feud with The Undertaker are alive. Having Sting look strong would help. I don't know how great match quality will be, but this match should still deliver for the simple fact that it is Sting wrestling at Wrestlemania.

Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar is not the match a lot of fans want to see. But they are getting it. This is more than just a title match. This is a match that can very well kickstart a new centerpiece. Some wrestlers have given their thoughts on the situation and they are pretty much acknowledging that Roman Reigns is the guy. You didn't see this kind of thing when Sheamus or Alberto Del Rio won the Royal Rumble. People know what the WWE is up to here and they are not even denying it. Wrestlemania will be packed with smarks from all over the world. Roman Reigns is not liked by those kind of fans. Brock Lesnar is staying with the WWE, so there is a good chance fans will be on his side. Does that also mean there is a good chance he retains? I would say he should not hold the title much longer. It just has not been a good investment. After all they did for him in the last year, the rub he gives someone will likely not lead to anything great. Brock will actually need to work in this match. A bunch of suplexes will not do. Roman Reigns is already limited in the ring. If he can dig deep and put on a monster performance, he might win the crowd. Not likely. Who do I think the WWE will book to win this match? Roman Reigns. And it won't be a pretty scene.

Should Seth Rollins swoop in and save the day? Should he cash in at Wrestlemania? Even though he is a heel, he would get a good reaction for screwing Roman Reigns. I would even expect "We Want Rollins!" chants. I don't know if Seth is ready, but that is not the point. The point is to create some buzz and end Wrestlemania on a good note. A heel screwing a face out of a title is a good note? It is in this situation.

Wrestlemania 31 Preview: Part 2

The feud development between Randy Orton and Seth Rollins could have been better. I can picture this feud going beyond Wrestlemania. I can also picture Orton beating Seth and Seth going on to cash in his briefcase to win the title. I know no dirtsheets are reporting that, but if the WWE is starting to realize that the main event is horrible, they might pull some kind of swerve to create some drama.

The Undertaker lost his streak last year, but he is still coming back for more. Bray Wyatt has been pestering him with promos for weeks and weeks. Match quality will most likely not be amazing here, but you have a legend fans love seeing and two guys with unique gimmicks. It would have been better if Taker was around to help push the feud. I will say The Undertaker wins.

You have a 7-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. This is the match many predict will steal the show. Barrett vs. R-Truth vs. Ambrose vs. Ziggler vs. Harper vs. Stardust vs. Bryan. I wouldn't mind Ambrose winning the title from Barrett, but then they added in all these other guys. I think it will be either Ziggler or Bryan.

There is a chance a main-eventer might also be winning the other midcard title. John Cena vs. Rusev for the United Stated Championship. Rusev has the momentum. He already beat Cena last month. This one seems obvious. Cena regains the title. 

Wrestlemania 31 Preview: Part 1

I'm going to spend the rest of the week previewing Wrestlemania. I will start with the least important matches first.

The diva match is the least important match on the card. That is not a shot at the women in the match. The WWE has just not made a great match here. Nothing is on the line. No legends are involved. It just hasn't been treated as anything too important. They have tried to tie in #GiveDivasAChance into it, but that protest has lost momentum, not gained it. I would say the faces should win. Let me take it one step further. While surveying #GiveDivasAChance last week, I saw a fan say she hoped AJ Lee got her Wrestlemania moment this year. I told her AJ already got her moment last year. She said AJ should have another one. Okay. That's nice. Not that it matters at all, but I would let Paige get the pinfall/submission for her team, if they are winning. Just a nice gesture.

The tag titles are on the line in the pre-show. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro defend against Los Matadores, New Day, and The Usos. The Champions just won it last month. No need to shoot it back to The Usos, who are the only team I think has the credibility to win it. The Prime Time Players and The Ascension should have been in this match. Not that it matters. A lot of sloppy development in the last few weeks.

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal is in its second year. Winning this isn't anything too major, but things like this can still be fun. Who wins? A lot of possibilities. Axel? Sandow? Mark Henry? Miz? These are the guys I think have a good shot to win it. I would like to see Mark Henry win it. Of course, I can also see him being the last guy eliminated. Axel or Sandow would get a big pop for winning. Let's see if this year's winner ends up with a better push after Wrestlemania than last year's winner.

The Right Amount Of Aggression

When I am watching a basketball game, I sometimes hear the commentators praise players for being aggressive. They also praise players that pass the ball well, allowing someone in position to make a better shot get that opportunity or just to be nice in some situations. Of course, I do sometimes hear them criticize a player for not taking a good shot and passing the ball to someone that ends up not scoring. When it works, it works. Passing the ball is nice, but you have to be aggressive and try to score, as well.

The WWE has issues. TNA has issues. They do not have the same issues. In fact, I would say that their respective main issues are completely opposite. I am going to discuss it in terms of being aggressive.

The WWE and being aggressive? I do not think it is hard to believe that their problem is that they are too aggressive. If they really want a certain thing to work out, they will force it, even if it does not work out. In the last decade, they have not been aggressive to try to give the fans what they want. They have been aggressive to push what they want to work out. John Cena was the best example of that for a while. He was connecting well with the fans prior to his big push. Soon after getting that push, fans started to become split with him. He gets a bad reaction. Ratings have not been strong with him. You can just see he is not the greatest performer to be pushed as the centerpiece. And the WWE has just continued to force him.

In case you ever wondered if it was possible for things to be worse than they have been under John Cena, you have the rise of Roman Reigns. They are being more aggressive with him than they were with Cena during this stage of his career. Cena was not even getting these issues back at this point of his career. Fans are already treating Roman Reigns like he has been centerpiece for years. The WWE still had him go over Daniel Bryan at Fast Lane. They are having people put him over big time in promos, as well as interviews outside of kayfabe. They are really defending their decision to stick with him and forcing it, even though many vocal fans dislike Reigns. He is obviously not a great performer, and there are better choices available. They can let Reigns win the title from Lesnar, but that does not mean they should push him as the new centerpiece. They are being too aggressive. They should pass the ball and give another performer a chance to be the top guy.

There was a time when the WWE was too aggressive with their diva division. These days, it is easy to say they don't care. They can't even push women they want to be stars properly. Fans have to protest just to get them pushed better. Between the time Trish and Lita left and the division really collapsing into this dark age, you had the era of failed centerpieces. Creating a new Trish was their top priority. They had Playboy pushes and other short-term things like that, but their primary concern was a new centerpiece. They were not developing a new Lita during this time. And what happened when they were so focused to create a new centerpiece? They all flopped. Whether due to injury, deteriorating in-ring ability, failing to get over, or just not sticking around long enough to get anywhere, all the eye-candy divas pushed in this position flopped. Even Roman Reigns looks like an awesome option to push standing next to some of these women. And the WWE just kept forcing it for years. What impact did all these years of failure have on their drive to run a successful diva division? Well, you are currently in the worst dark age the diva division ever had.

While the WWE was being so aggressive with getting the diva division to work the way they wanted it to, Mickie James, a woman pushed to put over the women meant to be the centerpiece and used as filler when they were not around, became the most over diva. They didn't even start pushing her in the periphery, like they did Lita. They just remained focus on what they wanted to work. Mickie James being more over than the women meant to be the stars is not going to make her a great asset to what the WWE wanted to accomplish. People often overlook this when talking about why she was released. Fans talk about the WWE being so aggressive with Roman Reigns leading to guys like Daniel Bryan being held back. In the diva division, the problem is worse than just being held back.

A year or so into this current dark age, you had the rise of AJ Lee. She got over through angles in the periphery, much like Lita did. In fact, AJ has been pushed better than any female wrestler since Lita. Difference is, Lita's push was more natural and not as forced. With AJ Lee, it was obvious the WWE wanted her to be a star. They were aggressive with her. She was consistently pushed in the main-event scene for months. She was GM. She was involved with a lot of top stars. Of course, that would have to come to an end sooner or later. They took the training wheels off. They sent her out there in the Diva's title hunt. She has benefited from this dark age. But how over is she? Looking around, I would say Paige, a credible jobber, is more over than AJ. Heel Nikki Bella once cut a promo against AJ and got cheered for it. AJ is more likely to get fans chanting for her husband when she is out there than her on most nights. The WWE is so aggressive to make someone into a star, but when it comes to that person actually delivering, they don't seem to get the job done as well as they should. I am not saying AJ should be a top draw, but her overness with the audience should be better.

TNA is not as aggressive when it comes to making stars. They don't shove people down the throats of their fans in an attempt to make them into huge stars. On the contrary, they just pass the ball around. They make someone look good for an amount of time, then they pull the plug and move on to something else. They do this in both their men's division and women's division. It is like they are just going through the motions. And these men and women that were pushed as something amazing for a period of time, they do not have that momentum once they get unplugged. How can you push someone well for a certain amount of time, get your audience invested in them, and then just move on to something else? You are relying on wrestling itself to be a draw, but you should also be relying on creating and featuring stars.

There are many guys that win the TNA World Championship that obviously did not deserve it. Most of them are very good wrestlers and connect with the wrestling audience, but does every solid wrestler deserve a World title? No. You have to have more appeal to be pushed at the top. TNA does not even have a centerpiece like the WWE has. They do not groom top stars. Instead, they just pass the title around. Some guys just did not deserve to win the title. Chris Sabin is one. He didn't even hold it long. They didn't even develop him as well as the WWE would.

The KO division is not handled much better. It is respectable. As long as they maintain this status quo, you are unlikely to have fans protest how the women are being treated the same way the WWE has experienced. Regardless, this women's division has issues. Are you actually creating stars? Are you properly featuring them? I read in the results for the next set of tapings that Taryn Terrell seems to have turned heel. Okay. Is that to help her connect with fans better? Or are you just building her up for a face to conquer and get her few months in the spotlight? Is Taryn going to lose her momentum? Probably. Every woman in this division is interchangeable. 

When you are being aggressive with something, you better hope what you are doing is working out. If not, you are forcing something that is likely hurting you. There is a difference between being determined and being pigheaded. The WWE needs to learn this. It has cost them their diva division and it is leading to the development of men to be top stars that are not deserving. As for TNA, they need to stop passing the ball and make a shot. In basketball, you have a certain amount of time to get that shot off. You can say TNA has all the time in the world. You can also say that not getting their act together will eventually lead to them going out of business.

What do you do? Find a middle ground. Do not be so aggressive that you will force something that is just not working. At the same time, pay attention to who is working out and build around those individuals. Just like in any sport, if a coach sees that one strategy isn't working, he tries something else. He does not force what is not working out. Both the WWE and TNA have issues and nothing is being done to fix those issues. TNA needs to be more aggressive when it comes to making stars, while the WWE needs to be less aggressive.

What Is Rusev Without Lana?

Lana is taking some time off to make a WWE movie. That leaves Rusev alone as he continues his feud with John Cena. Is this the beginning of the end for Rusev? Some might say that entering a feud against John Cena was the beginning of the end for Rusev.

Rusev has been pushed well since his debut last year. Very well. He has been climbing up that ladder of opponents. He has won a title. But what really makes him credible and interesting right now? He has his undefeated streak. He has the United States title. He has his gimmick. He had a manager. Just because Lana is away now does not mean the duo is completely done. But losing his manager is not the only issue. Rusev stands to lose his undefeated streak and title next week. Once you take that first defeat, more will come. I can imagine Rusev taking losses to Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, and even Jack Swagger before the year is up. Even if the gimmick is still there, he will not be pushed with the same focus.

There have been many men like Rusev. I mean heels pushed very well for a certain period that even had managers or some type of sidekick. Umaga. Lord Tensai. The Great Khali. And not all have been big monsters. Alberto Del Rio had a sidekick. Jack Swagger had a manager. No pairing seems to last forever. Does Rusev have what it takes to stand on his own? Without even bringing up the likely depush, is he a good enough performer to be interesting without his manager? He is not completely incompetent on the mic. He can talk. As for his in-ring ability, he is good. I always see fans praising him for his selling ability. Lana definitely helps to make him more interesting, but he is capable on his own.

What is Lana without Rusev? Look back at those other men I just mentioned that had some type of manager or sidekick. Once the pairing broke up, nothing too major happened with the manager. Some of them were wrestlers, but the WWE didn't really push them too well. It seems they were only there to serve a purpose. Once they were done serving that purpose, their character was phased out. That is what usually happens. There are a few exceptions.

Lana should not end up like those guys. Lana is what an eye-candy periphery diva is supposed to be. She might be the best eye-candy periphery diva since the days of Stacy Keibler and Torrie Wilson. She is hot and she can play a great character. Fans are interested in her. If a depush does come for Rusev, I would not bother pairing her back up with him. I don't think she should become a wrestling diva. It is obviously up to her and the WWE, but I cannot imagine her being featured well in this messy diva division where they cannot even be efficient with divas they want to be stars. Pair her up with another guy to manage. Possibly make her an authority figure one day. You can also have her change her gimmick. This is not a woman they should just lose in the shuffle.

Lucha Underground

TNA is still arguably the closest wrestling competition the WWE has, but there are these other feds popping up that are picking up stars and might one day make some noise. Lucha Underground is one of those. It started just last year.

It is something different. It has that lucha twist to it. But it does not showcase only Latino wrestlers. It does have some former WWE guys, including Alberto Del Rio (Alberto El Patron) and John Morrison (Johnny Mundo). El Patron is a guy I can imagine being pushed as the top star of that company. He is no spring chicken, but this is not a guy that needs to be groomed to be a star, like Roman Reigns in the WWE. He is a good in-ring performer, he can talk, and he has charisma. With more freedom in Lucha Underground and a target audience that will be drawn to him and his story, he should be great. As for Johnny Mundo, he is obviously amazing in the ring and can help appeal to an even wider audience.

As far as women's wrestling goes, they do not really have a women's division. That does not stop them from having some women on the roster and utilizing them. They have Karlee Perez, who was Maxine in WWE. I liked her. But the true star for their women is Sexy Star, a Mexican talent. Lucha Underground actually has their women wrestle the men. I think that is a great idea. They are not in a position to just feature women's wrestling like TNA does. And they do not need to build top stars at the expense of people they do not want to be top stars like the WWE does. One day? Maybe. Right now? Just make do with what you have. And they are doing that. They have valets and they have women wrestling the men, which I previously mentioned. Although Sexy Star is not the only one that does that, I feel she would be the best choice to really feature as a top star. They have Ivelisse Velez, who was in the WWE briefly, but Sexy Star has been around longer and has had more success.

It seems the promotion does not want to keep their women's division that small. There were reports as recently as last month that Torrie Wilson and Victoria were in talks to join the company. Jim Ross even brought this up. Let's say these two women were to join Lucha Underground. I mentioned that Alberto Del Rio is not a young guy right now. Both Torrie Wilson and Victoria are older than him. Torrie Wilson will turn 40 this year and Victoria turned 44 last month. And yet, signing either one would be great. They have been around mainstream wrestling in the United States longer than any of the other women already on the roster. Torrie Wilson is still beautiful and can be a great manager/valet. I can imagine Victoria being useful in how the company utilizes female wrestlers. She can mix it up with the men.

Can Lucha Underground ever be real competition for the WWE? Or is it just an alternative? Some people might say that it will only appeal to a Latino audience. Keep in mind that it is also pro wrestling and features some mainstream names and good action. That would make it a draw even to wrestling fans. This promotion is not just trying to aim at one demographic. They still have a lot of growing to do, but they can be an exciting promotion that does one day makes some noise. If nothing else, I can buy them eventually taking TNA's spot as the WWE's closest competition.

Sting Appears Again

Sting made another Raw appearance this week. He helped out Randy Orton at the end of the show when The Authority was ganging up on him. It was a nice scene.

I have not really talked about this feud at all. It is a feud that you might say writes itself. Triple H vs. Sting. WWE vs. WCW. You can debate whether or not there was anyone better to represent the WWE than Triple H, but he's the guy they are going with. I also feel like this feud should have the kind of feel that Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon had. You have a personal feud that is over a decade in the making. And yet, this feud does fall short. Blame the overall atmosphere right now. It ruins the feel of a lot of things. And this feud just is not as genuine. The same genuine emotion is not there. I feel like this story should be developed even more.

Does that mean this feud should continue past Wrestlemania? Triple H did face Brock Lesnar a few times. I wouldn't be surprised to see more than one match between Sting and Triple H. I would rather see Sting move on to feud with someone else. How about start teasing him and The Undertaker going at it right after Wrestlemania in a two weeks? You will have a year to play with it before Wrestlemania next year. Might be a good idea. Start getting fans excited for the feud they wanted to see more than Sting vs. Triple H.

How Goes Lesnar Vs. Reigns?

Look at everything the WWE has done for Brock Lesnar in the last year. Look at everything the WWE has done for Roman Reigns in the last few months. Put those two things together. Those two guys are now feuding. On paper, you should have something epic on your hands. The rub Brock Lesnar gives to whomever beats him should be amazing. Roman Reigns is being groomed to be a top star.

And yet, this feud feels very weak. The same can be said for a lot of the feuds currently going on. One of the reasons for that is that part-timers are a big part of the major feuds this year. That really should not be a big excuse. The Rock and John Cena feuded two Wrestlemanias in a row. The Rock was a part-timer. That feud still felt better than what you have going on right now.

Paul Heyman is arguably carrying this feud, but he is not enough. One of the reasons that Rock/Cena was good is because both of those guys are better on the mic than either Reigns or Lesnar. It does not even feel like Reigns and Lesnar are feuding. They are not interacting enough. Last week, I talked about some feuds currently going on that I would have waited before pulling the trigger on certain things. This is not one of those feuds. Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar should already have been interacting more. Last year, you had Lesnar feuding with The Undertaker. That feud was also not too great. The reason why poor development now is even worse is because Roman Reigns is not established. The Undertaker was already established. You could even say that feud sold itself. Paul Heyman could do his thing and the feud would be passable. Not this time. Not only should the WWE be trying to develop a feud that entertains and draws in viewers for Wrestlemania, they should be developing a feud that helps Roman Reigns look more legitimate.

There is not a lot of time left. I do not think the WWE can salvage this feud. If this was a feud likely to go on after Wrestlemania, I would say there was hope for things to get better. Regardless of whether Lesnar stays or goes, this feud will probably not go into April. This feud does not feel worthy of main-eventing Wrestlemania.

The Bellas Vs. Paige/AJ At Wrestlemania

At last year's Wrestlemania, you had a battle royal for the Diva's Championship that was just tossed together in the final days before the big event. There was no great development there. Battle royals are not personal feuds. That was the first time this title was defended at the big event, but it was not the best situation.

Just a few months ago, you had two major diva feuds going on. You had Paige and AJ Lee feuding over the title and The Bellas and Stephanie McMahon involved with each other. You could complain about bad acting and stupid storyline development, but you had creative depth in the diva division and the WWE was featuring them very well.

The situation right now is in between those two periods I just talked about. The main diva feud is between AJ/Paige and The Bellas. It will be a tag match for Wrestlemania. This tag match is not worthy of Wrestlemania. This is something you would expect on a Raw. This match does not even feel like a climax in this feud. It doesn't feel like any important moment in this story. It just seems like a filler match. The development is better than what you had for Wrestlemania last year, but the WWE was actually doing a better job with the diva division a few months ago. But #GiveDivasAChance, right? That has been brought up as an element in this feud. It might as well have not been. It feels weak. The protest is essentially dead. You are just beating a dead horse at this point.

A lot of fans would rather have seen a title match. Nikki vs. Brie vs. Paige vs. AJ. You easily could have had this match a few months ago when the two feuds you had going on started to mix. The WWE did not go for it then. Building up to it now would have been great. Any chance the WWE changes plans to create some type of title match? If it does happen, it will be entirely up to the WWE. There is no real pressure from fans to change anything. The protest really is dead. 

Cena Gets Rusev At Wrestlemania

When his back's to the wall, he might do anything at all. John Cena could not get onto the Wrestlemania card. He couldn't get Rusev to give him another shot. He assaulted Rusev on Raw this week and forced Lana to give him what he wanted. Cena will get another shot at the United States Championship against Rusev at Wrestlemania.

Considering whether the WWE should have waited a while to have Randy Orton snap on Seth Rollins was brought up yesterday, and the same idea holds value today. Should the WWE have waited a little while longer to make this match official? They have created a situation where Cena is in a predicament and must overcome it. That is the typical story for Cena. This time the possibility of being left off Wrestlemania was the issue. Most fans would realize that Cena would end up on the card. Just to tease it a little longer and play with those few fans that are buying into the storyline, wait until the last Raw before Wrestlemania to have Cena get his match. Make it look like he was barely able to accomplish it. There is still time to kill now. Considering this is John Cena, the WWE probably will not drop the ball in keeping things interesting. Regardless, continuing to sell it as Cena's back being to the wall until the final Raw might have made things more tense. It might have made things better.

Cena put on his serious face on Raw this week when he was attacking Rusev. Some fans saw some heel signs in him. He won't turn here. Cena also got some good reactions for the attack. This is the Cena a lot of fans want to see. And he didn't even turn heel. It just goes to show that a character change can make someone look good without a face/heel alignment change. Just have Cena go out there and show that ruthless aggression. Of course, it would probably get old if he did that every week, so don't expect it. He will be his normal self soon enough.

Orton Snaps

It was only a matter of time before the WWE pulled the trigger and had Randy Orton attack Seth Rollins. Most fans had to have realized that something was going to happen. And it happened this week on Raw. With no one from The Authority around to protect him, Seth Rollins got destroyed by Randy Orton in a lengthy attack to close Raw.

Time for a few criticisms. First, I would have waited another week before having Orton do what he did this week. There still would have been plenty of time left to have him go against other members of The Authority prior to facing Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania. There is no need to rush. Of course, it is just a week. No need to nitpick. I just feel they could have spent a little more time playing with it. Things also seemed to be telegraphed last night. It seemed obvious what they were building up to as the night went on. That is not always a bad thing and not always something that can be avoided. But some fans do complain when things are just obvious. The last thing I would criticize is the length of the beatdown. It just seemed to drag on too much. They had some cool spots, but it just lasted too long. And it doesn't help that the crowds are deader these days than previous years. There were reactions, but they could have been better. And it might have helped the segment. In general, I like the feud and am hoping for a good match at Wrestlemania.

Switching gears, let me talk about ratings. I found another site that lists ratings. They go back further than Gerweck does and includes the viewership for the recent episodes, which as always handy. They also let you sort the data either by chronological order or rating. They do not provide a convenient yearly average like Gerweck does, and they do not separate it neatly by years like they do. Regardless, it is a good chart to look at.

Just look at Raw's ratings. The best numbers since Raw debuted are all from 1999 and 2000. Not surprising. That is the Attitude Era. According to the data provided, the worst is mostly from the few years prior to the Attitude Era picking up steam. There are a few recent dates sprinkled in between. That's right, some of Raw's numbers in recent years are as bad as they were prior to their big boom period. You can talk about how bad Raw's ratings are now, but it is good to get a sense of how that compares to year's past and the charts provided by this site can help you with that. You always have to keep in mind that times have changed. You have more channels, DVR, and all that stuff. I have not done any in-depth analysis with all these numbers, but these numbers do show how far the WWE has fallen. I still think a lot of it could have been avoided. There is no reason for things to be as bad as they are.

Axelmania

Many fans once thought Randy Orton would never get over. He did. They said the same thing about Jack Swagger. He did. Add Curtis Axel to the list?

His current comedy storyline is getting a positive reaction. I wouldn't say he has A or A+ overness, but the reaction is better than no reaction. A lot of guys get good reactions with comedy gimmicks. Sandow did. Santino did. Some of these gimmicks do flop now and then, but it does not change the fact that a lot of guys get over with this type of gimmick. Some people say comedy is the lowest form of entertainment. I am sure most horror movies are also down there. I am still a fan of horror movies. But as far as Curtis Axel goes, the good connection he is developing now does not mean he has to be pushed hard. And I would not expect the WWE to push him hard. There are guys that are better in the ring. There are guys that are better on the mic. There are guys that are just more deserving.

Should he win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal? There is no huge push associated with this win. Cesaro won it last year and the WWE didn't push him properly after. If anything, it would be good for a short burst of momentum. In terms of the storyline, I would let Curtis Axel win. I was talking about guys that are more deserving, but most of them won't be in this match. Axel was never eliminated at the Royal Rumble. Axelmania. The gimmick is working out. I think they might as well go for it. It isn't really about rewarding him as much as it is developing and delivering on a good storyline. If they once let Santino win a diva battle royal at Wrestlemania, I would not be surprised if they let Axel win this battle royal in a few weeks.

While scouting #GiveDivasAChance a few days ago, I noticed someone say that he couldn't wait to see a diva do what Ryder, Sandow, and Axel have done. What did he mean by that? He didn't make it clear. I asked him, but he never responded. Okay, just have to figure it out on my own. They are all guys that got over through comedy-orientated gimmicks. Ryder was not even being pushed and had to do it on his Youtube show. Sandow did it by imitating people, particularly Miz. I already brought up Axel. And this guy on Twitter wants to see a diva do that. There have been some divas with that kind of gimmick that could have stolen the show. Jillian had a comedy gimmick. Emma did. But no low-tier credible jobber with that kind of gimmick ever has gotten over.

Honestly, I do not find it too impressive. Out of those three men that guy brought up, only Ryder really impresses me because he wasn't even getting an opportunity and made something happen for himself. Of those three, I can only picture Sandow being a credible performer without the gimmick and being a good upper-midcarder, if not main-eventer. If you have a gimmick that is working out and the WWE allows you to go out there and do your act, you are not really overcoming the WWE's mistreatment of you. If they ever took the gimmick away, would you still remain over? Even with the gimmick, are you still connecting with all types of fans in a good, consistent manner? That is what determines whether or not you have A or A+ overness, or if you are just a B+ player that the fans will one day lose interest in.

As far as divas go, I would not be too impressed if any diva got over off a certain gimmick. Keep in mind that a lot of divas are inconsistently pushed. Those would be the credible jobbers. These days, that is even a few periphery divas. So what if you get over off a certain gimmick? If the WWE does not really want you over, they will pull the plug. That is what they did with Mickie James. She had a psycho gimmick that was tied to a feud designed to put over Trish Stratus, the centerpiece of the diva division. Once that storyline ended, the gimmick ended. Mickie James was getting over off that gimmick. Guess what? Taking the gimmick away did not stop her from remaining over and becoming the most over diva on the roster. That's impressive. People make a big deal out of guys getting over off of comedy gimmicks. Some even want to see divas do that. How about those individuals that can connect in a great way with the fans without being pushed or without being pushed with any gimmick? When you are put in a position where you are not likely to get over, that is the situation where getting very over should be impressive. When you are put in a position where people do get over, simply getting that over is not too impressive. Can you go above and beyond? When they pull the plug on you, can you still overcome that? These are the things that are impressive.

I will wait a while before I say this Curtis Axel thing is impressive. They'll turn him face and push him well for a while. But let's see how he lasts. I doubt this is anything near what you had with Daniel Bryan. Regardless, it is one of the interesting things about this year's Wrestlemania season.

Tag Division Developments

I did not think the WWE should put the tag titles on Kidd and Cesaro. They just did not have the momentum that so many teams have had in recent years that won them. The WWE gave them the tag titles. They aren't as bad as McGillicutty and Otunga, but they were not the best options. Of course, wrestling fans will rejoice at these two holding the titles. Great in-ring workers. And people want to say that the WWE hates those fans because of what they did to Daniel Bryan recently? The WWE toss these fans a bone now and then. And you have also gotten some fresh diva action between Natalya and Naomi as this team feuds against The Usos.

Let me talk about the other teams in the division. The Ascension have tasted defeat. The Prime Time Players are back. The Rhodes have split. Miz and Sandow are having issues. Even though you do have some teams, you have to realize that the WWE does not treat all their workers equally and give them equal opportunities. I would agree that workers have to earn those top-tier positions, but just for the sake of freshness, you should treat your workers better in certain areas, like the tag division. Right now, I do not see any team worthy of winning the titles off Kidd and Cesaro, except for the team they beat to win the titles. I would like to see Titus O'Neil and Darren Young get them, but I do not think the WWE will develop them properly to deserve it. What's the point of giving someone a title reign if the fans aren't too interested? The tag division is not as hot as it once was. Tossing together two lower-midcarders for a short push will not help.

Just focus on Cesaro for a moment. There are still some fans out there chanting for the WWE to push him. They are pushing him. He's holding the tag titles. Those fan obviously mean a solo push. Some fans are just too demanding. Cesaro does not have the overness that Daniel Bryan has. In time, there might be some controversy that propels Cesaro to become a legend. Maybe. Until then, he's featured on a consistent basis and at least he is not jobbing as regularly as he did a few months ago. And did I mention he's holding the tag titles?

How Did #GiveDivasAChance Work Out?

This was the first Raw after the Internet protest after last week's Raw featured a short diva match. How did the WWE respond? You saw a title match, in addition to a tag match that featured minor diva action, and a return. I will talk about the title match and the return.

I did not watch the match as it aired on Raw. I was paying attention to what fans were saying about it on Twitter. They were talking like it was something amazing. They were talking like it tore the place down.

I then went back and watched it on Youtube a few times. I watched it once without the sound on just to form my own opinion without crowd reactions distracting and swaying me. I then watched it with the sound on to see how the fans liked it. That match was solid. That is all. It was not amazing. It was not the match of the night. The WWE did give them time and they treated it like a proper title match. Without even talking about the finish, the body of the match could have been so much better. I would have liked to have seen more and better counters. Did Nikki even get a chance to go for her finisher? Paige has numerous finishers, but you only say her go for the PTO. I really do not consider myself a tough critic. But when you talk about a match in the men's division being awesome, you are usually talking about a lot of finisher tries, close calls, and great counters. Are we supposed to have lowered standards for the women? That match was not amazing. These women are capable of better.

I once saw a fan suggest right after the protest started last week that the WWE should just make a tag match and give the women 15 minutes to wrestle. If the fans loved what they were seeing, you keep on giving the women that great amount of time. If the fans do not respond well, you can say you gave it a try and go back to what you were doing. I actually like that idea. I believe in these women and think they can win the crowd over. I saw another fan respond to that topic by saying the WWE should book it in a smark city so that the fans are more likely to enjoy it. No. That is not how it works. You are just rigging it in the favor of the women. The whole point is that they have to go out there and achieve and earn it. If you put them out there in a city already likely to eat up what they do, it just isn't the same. And I don't think the WWE would be stupid enough to not realize what was going on.

If that match on Raw was the match meant to give these women a fair shot to earn better, how did it do? It didn't go for 15 minutes. And it was in New Jersey, not too far from the smark city of New York. It might not have been the ideal conditions to judge them, but how did they do? There was some reactions from the fans, but I do not feel those reactions were strong enough. Crowds are deader now than times past, but that is why it is a challenge to win them over. Twitter ate that match up better than the crowd in New Jersey. And to repeat what I said before, I do not feel those two women really put out their best work. Solid match, but they are capable of more.

AJ Lee then returned. She is from New Jersey. A lot of fans were anticipating her. And she got some CM Punk chants. They were pretty much in her backyard and she still gets those chants. You have AJ Lee, Paige, and The Bellas. These are the four women they were pushing well for much of last year. You have to wonder if the WWE really would have done anything different if the fans had not protested. Great that AJ Lee is back? Personally, I could have lived without it. The WWE has done so much for her and I do not feel she is getting the level of reaction that she should. Meanwhile, other divas are not given a chance to earn that type of career. This whole issue finally bubbled over after Emma was squashed in less than a minute last week. Where's she this week? You get AJ Lee.

The WWE has seemingly taken control of #GiveDivasAChance. They have mentioned it in promos now. AJ Lee talked about it. The Bellas bring it up on Smackdown this week. The WWE has taken control of movements and exploited them for their own goals before. Zack Ryder got over, fans protested him not being pushed, they used him as a supporting player to benefit Cena, and then tossed him aside. Daniel Bryan got a monster reaction at one time. The WWE did not want to give him the better career. CM Punk walking out and continued fan protest led to them giving him a better push. Sold some merchandise, but they get the same backlash this year, though not as strong, and use Daniel Bryan to put over Roman Reigns. Bryan now looks like he's dancing around a midcard title. #GiveDivasAChance will be used to put over whom the WWE wants to be the stars in the diva division. I wouldn't even be surprised to see merchandise for this. But when it comes to actually giving these women a fair chance to earn better and get what they earn, nothing will change. Why isn't Emma, the woman that jobbed last week, the one in AJ Lee's spot right now? Have her ditch the stupid gimmick and push her a serious character that has had enough of being mistreated. Instead, a woman that got over through being pushed harder than any female wrestler in the periphery in years is made to look like a real rebel. #GiveDivasAChance is turning into #TreatYourDivaStarsEvenBetter.

Bray Wyatt Vs. The Undertaker

The Good Humor Man vs. Mr. No Streak. This is one of those feuds where one guy is not going to be there and it is up to the other guy to really carry it. At first, I didn't like this idea at all. How could Bray Wyatt handle this one-sided build? So far, it has been pretty good. There is still a lot of time left to kill, so we'll have to see if it continues to be good. You also have the issue of a lot of Bray's promos in the past seeming pointless. They didn't really fit the feud and the feud progression. They didn't really go anywhere. He was sometimes close to making his point, but just danced around it too much. This is one time when those kind of promos actually fit the best. The spooky tone and air of mystery just works when you go against The Undertaker.

A lot of fans felt The Undertaker would either retire undefeated at Wrestlemania or after his first loss. He lost last year and is still coming back. I have seen some fans say that they just don't care about it anymore now that he's lost. They'll probably still mark out when he makes his entrance. For the WWE to still bring The Undertaker back, and have him face an opponent that is so beneath him, they better have a good reason to do it. I can see this match going either way. There can be a strong motive behind either guy winning. I will look at both, then decide which way I would go with.

First, Bray Wyatt. Why should he win a Wrestlemania match against The Undertaker? This can be a huge rub for him. Not as big as actually being the first guy to beat The Undertaker at Wrestlemania, but it can be great from a gimmick standpoint. Will he be the new supernatural character to follow in the path of The Undertaker. This can be a "passing of the torch" match. They are not grooming him to be the centerpiece and I am not even convinced they are grooming him to be a true A player. This will help solidify him as an A- player. Solidify him as a top-tier upper-midcarder. There are too many guys around to fill up the main-event scene. And there has just seemed at times that they cannot find anything good for Wyatt to do. He was reintroduced a few months ago. Just before that, he had that feud with Jericho. What would he have done if Jericho was not available? And his overness can also be stronger. Yeah, people have their cellphones out when he comes out, but don't confuse a fad for strong overness for the individual. A victory over The Undertaker can help take him to that next level in a way that his feuds against guys even at the level of John Cena and Chris Jericho could not. And if the WWE does book him to win, I doubt they will drop the ball right after. They will continue to push him well.

Second, The Undertaker. After winning 21 matches at Wrestlemania without a defeat, are they really going to hand him 2 straight losses? He is getting really old now. His official retirement might really be coming. Will he go out on such a sour note? Whether he wins or loses against Bray Wyatt, can anyone picture this being his final match? I think more people would be accepting of Brock Lesnar being his last opponent. You can look at this match with Bray as just a means to build his momentum back up. Fans would still love to see him face Sting. Can the WWE manage that next year? I don't think they would do it with The Undertaker looking like a loser and Sting calling him out. That is kind of what you have going on now. This should be a feud between two respected icons. And it would help if The Undertaker got back some momentum heading into that kind of feud.

Use The Undertaker to pass the torch to Bray Wyatt or use Bray Wyatt to make The Undertaker look good for his likely true final match? I would go for the latter. Bray Wyatt is already looking interesting from just feuding with The Undertaker. He does not need this win at the expense of Taker. The Undertaker's true retirement feud is going to be something better than this. And it would be good to have him look good heading into that feud when the time comes.

Thoughts On The AJ Lee & Brock Lesnar Situations

There was a lot of drama last week. Brock Lesnar supposedly had backstage issues regarding money. In the midst of the protest against the diva division, AJ Lee took a shot at Stephanie McMahon. These two situations are actually somewhat similar.

Let me start with Lesnar. Business issues supposedly led to Lesnar not being a part of Raw last week. Now people are wondering whether he will be a part of Wrestlemania. Even if he is a part of Wrestlemania, how will the match be handled? How will the fans react? Brock Lesnar's last Wrestlemania match prior to leaving the WWE many years ago was not something wonderful. Will history repeat itself?

Look at everything the WWE has done with Lesnar in the last year alone. He put an end to The Undertaker's undefeated streak. He squashed John Cena to take the WWE Championship. He has held the title without even showing up on a regular basis and not defending it regularly. The WWE has invested a lot into him. The vast majority of men do not get treated like this. Some of them earn a fabulous career and don't get it. I would say Lesnar should show some humility. It is those guys that are mistreated that I like seeing stand up for themselves more. And if this whole story in true, I doubt Brock is having these issues because he cares so much about the other workers.

The NFL season never ends for some fans. There is always something to talk about. This is the time of year that teams are cutting players they don't need, signing other players, and trying to re-sign their star players they do not want to lose. It still feels weird to me when a star player that is bringing the results still is asked to restructure his contract for the benefit of the team. You would think he could command top dollar. But it is about doing what is right for the team. And some top stars are willing to restructure for the very reason of wanting to win a Super Bowl. Even guys that are great at what they do cannot do it alone.

That being said, Brock Lesnar is not worth it. With the way they have treated this guy, he should be the biggest draw in a long time. The rub he gives to the man that beats him should be enough to make a true superstar. And yet, none of that is working out. Ratings in recent months are abysmal. Even if you want to use the football excuse for why ratings were so bad during the first half of Lesnar's reign, that is not an issue now and ratings are still poor for this time of year. Brock Lesnar winning the title was supposed to create this hype over what would happen and lead to some fresh feuds. None of that worked out. All the blame should not be on him, but if he cannot be utilized to really deliver, why should you pay him as much as he wants? I would give him a pay cut. If he does not want it, let him go.

As a fan, I would have loved to see Lesnar vs. Randy Orton. Being a little more objective, this situation is just not working out. The WWE got criticized last year by business analysts. Budget cuts followed. I think they should be criticized again. Treating someone like they are worth a million bucks is only fine if they are bringing results like they are worth a million bucks. Lesnar cannot be overvalued. Save some money and devote time and energy to utilizing full-time workers better. You need system repairs right now. No one person can bail you out of this mess.

How about AJ Lee? While #GiveDivasAChance had more momentum to it, she took a shot at Stephanie McMahon on Twitter to criticize how the WWE is running the diva division. No, this does not seem to be about setting up these two for a match at Wrestlemania. And she got a ton of respect points from diva fans. Call me cynical, but her husband is getting sued by a doctor affiliated by the WWE and the WWE themselves took a shot at Punk right after that by challenging he ever had that growth. Could AJ have just done what she did more out of bitterness than caring about the divas?

Regardless of her motives, AJ Lee, much like Lesnar, is someone I would say is not worth keeping around. Just like Lesnar, she has had a ton invested into her. No female wrestler has been pushed at the level AJ Lee was being pushed to get her over since Lita. All you have had between Lita and AJ are a bunch of credible jobbers. If the WWE had left her as a generic face diva, it is unlikely she would have overcome that at all to get as over as she did become.

But how over is she really? For much of last year, fans were more interested in chanting for CM Punk when she was out there than showing her actual support. I have brought up that time heel Nikki Bella did a promo against face AJ Lee and was actually getting cheered for it. Unlike Mickie James, the WWE has allowed AJ Lee to continue to run with a unique gimmick to help her stand out, even if they were no longer pushing her alongside main-eventers. They have consistently featured her. They have put a lot into her. How has that investment worked out for them? And after calling out one of her bosses the way she did, given the situation with fans protesting and given the situation with her husband, it is just not wise to have her in the company right now.

How do you fill her spot? And you should try to fill her spot. Fans are not in a good mood right now. If all you give them is The Bellas, that might not satisfy actual wrestling fans. The Bellas have started to become more over, but a lot of fans want to support an actual female wrestler. Develop Paige as a periphery diva. In terms of talent and potential, I feel she is better than AJ Lee. I think her connection with the fans is better. You would be replacing one "anti-diva" diva with another.

As a writer, I think AJ Lee can be a great periphery diva. They should go back to pushing her alongside the men. That is where she was at her best. She just lost her momentum in the title scene. But when I take a step back, just like with Lesnar, I do not feel AJ Lee is worth it. If she really was maintaining the best connection with the fans while she was still there, I would say the WWE should try not to lose her. A thousand "CM Punk" chants and one Nikki Bella promo later, this is just another bad investment by the WWE. If she does return, most of her overness is going to come from whom she is married to and what she said on Twitter. She made herself into a legend. That's not how you are supposed to do it. What happened to people having talent, getting over by entertaining the fans, and being given the legendary careers because the promotion wanted these performers to help them be successful?