Previewing The Two Main Non-Chamber Elimination Chamber Matches

United States Champion John Cena faces NXT Champion Kevin Owens at Elimination Chamber. The winner will likely be Cena. Owens has the momentum. This seems like just a foe built up for Cena to knock down.

What I would hope is that this mach leads to something bigger. I am not talking about the official debut of Kevin Owens on the main roster. I mean a good elaborate storyline for the summer. An NXT invasion? Sounds familiar, doesn't it? And yet, I think a lot of fans might like something like that. The WWE better not be banking on Brock Lesnar being their big attraction this summer. They put the title on him last year. He held it for this year's Wrestlemania season. Numbers were bad. Lesnar is a beast, but even he cannot overcome the poor product. Do something else. And it could very well start with John Cena vs. Kevin Owens.

The WWE Championship will be on the line, as Seth Rollins defends against Dean Ambrose. The Authority will get involved. It is not hard to imagine that Roman Reigns will get involved. When the dust settles, I would say Seth Rollins is still holding the title.

I felt that Rollins and Ambrose could have a nice feud for the title that went beyond one PPV. They were involved in a title match just a few weeks ago, although a few extra challengers were also involved. Now, they face each other in a singles match. Having this match come so soon wasn't what I had in mind. Should this feud spill over to another PPV? I think so. Make it a ladder match for the title. Fans should be pleased with that.

Previewing The Elimination Chamber Match For The Tag Team Championships

For the first time ever, the tag titles will be defended inside the Elimination Chamber. The New Day defends against Cesaro & Kidd, Lucha Dragons, Los Matadores, Prime Time Players, and The Ascension.

The issue with the tag division, as I have brought up before, is that a lot of these guys feel like jobbers that are getting a sudden push. It is hard to buy into them. And before you even get a chance to buy into some of them as getting a legitimate push, the WWE hands the titles off to someone else. I wasn't buying into Cesaro & Kidd. They won the titles. They held it a little while before dropping it to another team I wasn't buying into. You now have a bunch of teams it is hard to buy into in this one match. Instead of listing the teams I do not think are worthy of being in this match, it will be simpler to talk about the ones that are. The guys currently holding the titles are obviously worthy. Cesaro & Kidd also belong for the simple fact that they have been pushed rather well recently. And that's it. All the other teams feel like extra bodies.

Yesterday, I talked about adding Neville in the other Elimination Chamber match. Any teams I would add in this match? I have one. What about Rowan & Harper? They just got back together a few weeks ago. This is a team I felt should have won the titles a year ago. They just put them back together, but I still feel they have that credibility. Which team would I take out to put Rowan and Harper in? Any of the four I do not think should be in the match. I have seen some fans predict Rowan and Harper will attack one of the other teams and take their spot. I don't know if that will happen, but this is the team I would have liked to have seen in the match. They are also the team I would have had win it.

Out of the teams that are in this match, who wins? It seems likely that The New Day holds onto the titles. If Darren Young and Titus O'Neil were pushed better, I wouldn't mind them winning. Is there any good reason for Cesaro & Kidd to regain the titles? The other teams are not worth talking about. Going by how the WWE has been handling the tag division recently, I would not be surprised if one of these jobber teams do take the titles.

Previewing The Elimination Chamber Match For The Intercontinental Championship

Just a quick recap first. Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania. Not too long after that, his health once again became an issue. He had to surrender the title a few weeks ago. There will now be an Elimination Chamber match for the title. It will feature Sheamus, Ryback, King Barrett, Rusev, Dolph Ziggler, and R-Truth.

It is a solid group of midcarders. I would just make one change. No R-Truth. I know he was involved in the Intercontinental Championship feud for Wrestlemania, but he just isn't featured as well on a consistent basis these days. He seems out of place. I would put Neville in there. He was involved with Barrett recently. He was featured better in recent weeks than R-Truth. Neville still has something to do, but putting him in the Elimination Chamber might have led to some great spots. I am not saying he had to win the title, but just having him in there would be enough.

Who wins? If you go by Internet rumors, Sheamus has it won. But where is the fun in just accepting that? Who should win? I usually like saying that the person that is the freshest and has great momentum should win it. R-Truth definitely should not win it. I feel like Sheamus has lost momentum in recent weeks. They might book him to win it, but I don't like that. Rusev does not need a title reign again so soon. Ziggler? He had some title success not too long ago. Ryback has not. Thing is, I don't feel momentum is on his side. Barrett? Yes, I would say he should win it. He won King of the Ring recently. A great push is not always connected to that these days, but a midcard title would be nice. If they want to keep his push fresh, a title reign would help. I would have him regain the title.

Nikki Bella Vs. Paige Vs. Naomi

Paige returned recently and you are getting the diva feud for Elimination Chamber that you probably expected. Nikki Bella will defend the Diva's Championship against Paige and Naomi. Paige wants revenge on Naomi for taking her out and wants her title shot she never got. Naomi has been in the title hunt recently. The feud basically writes itself, especially with so little time until Elimination Chamber.

Who should win this match? It would make sense for Naomi to win the title and the feud to shift to her and Paige. Build up to Paige regaining the title after being attacked last month, while also getting her revenge on Naomi. The Bellas seem to have another storyline developing for them. Stephanie McMahon, again? That is another issue for another day. Nikki does not need the title.

What is the WWE likely to do? Both Paige and Naomi are credible jobbers. Those performers usually get the shorter end of the stick. Even if they win the title, they are not featured as prominently on a consistent basis as the real stars. I can imagine Paige and Naomi getting the kind of mediocre feud that you saw at times last year. Nikki Bella will continue to hold the title into whatever larger storyline the WWE is working on. Will Nikki eventually break AJ Lee's record with the butterfly title? I wouldn't be surprised if she did. Regardless, I am expecting her to retain.

Mid-2015 Ratings Review

I was going to wait a few more weeks before talking about ratings. Since there is talk again about TNA being cancelled, I decided to look at the numbers now. I am going by the numbers at Gerweck and Wrestlingdata.

Let me start with TNA. Viewership numbers are so low, you typically do not even see actual ratings numbers. Since moving to Destination America, the magic number seems to be 400,000 viewers. I would go by the numbers from Wrestlingdata for TNA. Some of the numbers on the chart at Gerweck are just way off for TNA. Impact Wrestling has seen a few numbers above 500,000. A few more below 400,000. The majority seems to be in the 400,000s. The average for the year up to this point is 416,000. That is far below what they had on their previous network, but it is to be expected. I get Destination America, but most viewers do not. You have the show moving to Wednesdays now. Have to wait to see how that plays out.

Then you have the talk about TNA getting cancelled again. If it has anything to do with ratings, it is kind of unfair. They have not even been on Destination 6 months yet. Whatever the rumors are based on, you cannot jump to the conclusion that TNA is dead or out of business. I see a lot of fans acting like that. Stupid. They still have television deals in other countries. They can still find another network in the United States. They are still announcing dates for events. People jump to conclusions. They acted the same way last year. TNA found another home. Is this all a sign of TNA succeeding? No. But they are not selling out to Vince McMahon, yet.

Onto Smackdown. The 2015 ratings average so far is 1.85. Ratings and viewership are steady with what you have had the last few years. Consistency might seem boring, but it is better than a steady decline. Of course, Smackdown will be up against NFL action on Thursdays in a few months. That will hurt their numbers. Aside from that, the WWE continues to produce a product on Smackdown that draws a consistent number of fans. And that is okay.

Raw continues to be the issue. I have seen some fans and wrestling journalists act like it is a big deal that Raw has gotten bad numbers recently. Well, 2015 started out poorly for the WWE's main show. Wrestlemania season brought mediocre numbers. What did people think would happen when Raw went against the NBA and NHL playoffs? This was just easy to see coming. When that competition is not there, numbers will improve a little. When football season returns, Raw will likely be destroyed.

Looking at the actual numbers, the 2015 average is 2.88. The average for all of 2014 was around 2.95. Raw is already below that average without even entering football season. Yeah, that does not look good. They are struggling to get Raw to the magic number of 3.0 this year. There is really nothing they can do to stop the bleeding. There are too many things wrong with the product. Instead of improving the main product, the WWE continues to bolster NXT, which has become a brand in itself, in addition to being their developmental territory. When these guys come to the main roster, they are part of a sloppy product and are not all utilized efficiently. That provides no boost. Celebrities can't do it anymore. Part-timers? That doesn't work as well anymore. Again, there is nothing they can do to save this year. You might see a very interesting final average when the year ends.

John Cena Vs. Kevin Owens At Elimination Chamber 2015

John Cena came out for his usual title defense on Raw. That never happened. The segment ended up being used to promote NXT and set up a new feud for Cena heading into Elimination Chamber. Kevin Owens, NXT Champion, interrupted Cena and laid him out.

Let me get a few things out of the way. I do not watch NXT. I do not care to watch NXT. I am not a fan of Kevin Owens. Aside from a few bits, I have not watched any of his work. I have never been a fan of Cena. All that out of the way, I like this feud. I think it has a good feel to it. It reminds me of when there were two (or more) World Champions in the WWE and they would sometimes face each other. You had the WWE Champion, World's Heavyweight Champion, and the ECW Champion, if you want to count that. John Cena is not the WWE Champion right now, but he is still the centerpiece until the WWE gets rolling with someone else. He has been the top guy for a decade. He is feuding against the top guy of NXT right now. John Cena is holding the United States Championship right now, but that title seems unimportant against the bigger story of NXT's top guy against the WWE's top guy.

A lot of people have been liking how they have used Cena in the last few weeks. He has been defending his title in good matches against NXT guys. This is better than just having him go through random midcarders. Of course, they can't keep it up too long. Aside from running out of good opponents, it might become stale. They'll need to mix things up more. They are showing signs of doing that. Again, I would say what matters here is that these new talent are working with the centerpiece, not necessarily the United States Championship. Nothing wrong with that.

Why Lana And Not Summer Rae?

Lana looks like she's being paired with Dolph Ziggler. Not what I would consider a "big push" for her, as rumors were saying. Nevertheless, it is a smooth transition from a good position she had with Rusev to another position with a solid performer.

That is more than you can say for another blonde. How about Summer Rae? Last year around this time, I was thinking they might start giving her a good push. Didn't really happen. Much like Lana, she has gotten periphery usage. She was dancing alongside Fandango. That transitioned to an angle with Layla, which didn't really go anywhere. She was last seen involved with Miz and Sandow. Lana doesn't even wrestle and she is in a better spot than Summer Rae.

Why Summer Rae is not being pushed as well as Lana isn't even the question I want to talk about. Why is it that Lana was able to connect so well with the fans and Summer Rae hasn't really been able to? They do have things in common. They are blonde periphery divas. Lana can go away for a few weeks and fans start chanting for her. Summer Rae has also missed some time, but no one seemed to care too much. Why this difference in overness?

First, the way these two women have been pushed definitely is part of it. Neither of them has been pushed as the centerpiece of the diva division. Neither of them has been pushed as a jobber to the centerpiece or interim centerpiece. They have both been pretty much periphery divas during this dark age. But Lana has been pushed better. She has been paired with a guy that has been pushed better. Rusev had a long undefeated streak. He won the United States Championship. He had defeated several former World Champions. And Lana was along for the ride the whole time. Meanwhile, Summer Rae was stuck working with Fandango. He wasn't going anywhere. Her angle with Layla didn't go anywhere. Getting involved with Miz was her first real shot to do something that mattered, but then Miz goes to make another movie. Dolph Ziggler, despite being popular, is someone I would consider a step down from how well Rusev was pushed in the past year. But even he is better than anything Summer Rae has gotten. And if the sun is setting on Rusev, then pairing Ziggler with Lana definitely is a good choice.

Aside from how they have been pushed and the individuals they have been paired with, look at the women themselves. Look at the kind of performers they are. Wrestling ability is obviously not comparable. Is Lana hotter than Summer Rae? I think so. Looking around, I think a lot of other fans have that belief. That is definitely part of why she got over. Summer Rae isn't ugly, but Lana just seems sexier. Then there is character and overall charisma. Lana is in a position where she frequently gets mic time. She has a unique character that people can be drawn to and she plays it well. Summer Rae never got most of that for the bulk of her run on the main roster. She was a dancer. A lot of divas have been utilized that way. Unless you are stripping on ECW like Kelly Kelly, it is not too interesting. But that is where your own charisma has to take over and shine. And Summer Rae has just come off as too generic. I could have probably compared her to Michelle McCool. Lana is what an eye-candy periphery diva is supposed to be. She has the sex appeal and the kind of personality to get very over.

I wouldn't say Lana is someone that really got over against the status quo of the diva division. I am not taking anything away from her getting over. I just want to point out that the diva division is built on women like her. Yes, she was a heel that got cheered, but she was being pushed well and the WWE is running with her. If she really got over against the grain, they would not have done that so easily. Until she starts wrestling, no need to consider whether she is the next centerpiece. I doubt Summer Rae is in the running for that. But the success of Lana might give the WWE some motivation to keep that status quo going. Is that a good thing? Probably not.

On Samoa Joe Coming To WWE

Before I get to the main topic, let me just give an overall impression of last night's PPV, Payback. It was lackluster. I am not talking about match quality. Just in terms of swerves or match outcomes that might shake things up, nothing seemed to be there. If the outcome of Cena vs. Rusev was supposed to be controversial, it was a controversy many fans could have anticipated. No title changes. Many of the matches seemed like something that belonged in the midcard of Raw. How are you supposed to get your fans intrigued to tune in with mediocrity?

Enter Samoa Joe? Wrestling fans are pumped about this guy soon debuting for the company. Okay, but what will he do for drawing interest for the general audience? He's not a big name. He left TNA and will soon be coming to the WWE, but he's not Sting. He used to have an undefeated streak, but he's not Goldberg. The WWE already has a ton of great wrestlers to appease rabid wrestling fans, including those on NXT. Even with Daniel Bryan's injury issues, there are a lot of other guys to push that these type of fans like. One of them is currently holding the WWE Championship. In terms of depth, having Samoa Joe will not hurt. But I do not think this will help them start going in the right direction.

If I was managing the WWE, I would stop with all these signings for a while. You have a ton of talent in NXT, you're doing Tough Enough, and another Diva Search is looming. A bunch of those involved in the latter two projects will likely be signed. And the WWE does not release people on a regular basis anymore. There is no rule written in stone that they won't release people as part of budget cuts. They did it last year when financial analysts were criticizing them. But if you don't do it on a consistent basis and keep signing more people, things are going to get congested. Are you going to make more people part-timers? Are you going to send them away to make movies when you can't think of how to push them? The part-timer thing isn't exactly working very well anymore. You developed feuds for a lot of them for Wrestlemania season and ratings were still horrible. And WWE movies aren't exactly killing it.

The WWE needs to focus on what they have. It doesn't matter who is on the roster or who is signed to be on the roster. If they cannot utilize the talent efficiently to connect with the wider audience, things will continue to be bad. If things are boring, ratings will continue to be bad. Ratings are not everything, but they are an indicator of how hot the product is. The diva division is so bad, fans had to finally snap and do some heavy complaining on Twitter a few months ago. The tag division is going backwards from where it was just 2 or 3 years ago. The midcard is bad. The whole product is bad. If they cannot start being efficient with what they have now, how will signing more people really help them?

The only exception I would make to not signing anyone new for a while is if there is some major star available. I am talking about someone that can really generate some major hype or is at least very popular. You need someone that can energize the product, especially when the company is struggling to do it themselves. I just do not feel Samoa Joe falls in that category.

WWE Payback 2015: Final Preview

I am not going to talk about every match on the card. A lot of it is just filler. The outcome is just not too important or interesting. I will say that the WWE has done a better job developing the build for these matches than some PPV matches you have seen in the last 5 years. I have talked about most of the feuds going on already. I just want to go back over two of them.

There have been no real changes in the feud between Cena and Rusev since I last talked about it. But how the match ends and how the WWE handles Lana's story with Rusev are interesting. Putting those two things together, there is a great way to end the I Quit match. Have Lana throw in the towel to lead to Rusev losing. It is not really a matter of protecting Rusev by not having him actually quit. It is a creative way to further the storyline. That will be the breaking point for Rusev and Lana. If they do decide to do something like that, I just hope the beating Cena gives Rusev warrants Lana throwing in the towel. Nothing mediocre. It would be similar to a segment they had a few months ago on Raw where Cena was destroying Rusev and Lana gave Cena a title shot to convince Cena to stop the attack. This time, it will be a match where this happens. And this time, there will be no turning back. As far as a swerve goes, I am not expecting Lana to screw Cena and stick with Rusev.

The main event has gotten some development since I last talked about it. They have tweaked this match a lot. Kane has been involved in the story for a while now. But if Seth Rollins does not retain at Payback, Kane loses his position as Director of Operations. On the one hand, this is the perfect way to break Kane away from The Authority and have him feud with Rollins. On the other hand, would the WWE really have the reign end so soon? If they don't, then this tension between Kane and Rollins will likely continue. And that can be painful.

Who wins? Ambrose? Orton? Reigns? If the title is going to change hands, Reigns might be the obvious choice. They have been grooming him for that big win. He didn't get it at Wrestlemania. Will he get it a few weeks later? I would have thought they would wait until Summerslam. Wait for a big PPV. I would expect the WWE to keep the title on Seth Rollins and continue teasing that tension with Kane. They love doing that kind of thing.

Elimination Chamber Returns

Elimination Chamber will be returning in a few weeks. It will be exclusively on the WWE Network. I would consider this more of a special event than a real pay-per-view. This is the kind of thing they should have done since last year more often. They had title defenses here and there to hype the WWE Network, but nothing big ever really happened. You could make the argument that subscribers are getting two big events in one month for just $9.99. The WWE seems to be giving away too much for free. They are trying to draw in more subscribers.

Another item of note is that the Intercontinental Championship and the Tag Team Championship will be decided in Elimination Chamber matches. That has never happened before. This type of match has always been a main-event type of match. In general, I like doing it this way. It makes these titles feel even more important. The WWE had done a pretty good job with the Intercontinental Championship recently, despite Daniel Bryan's recent misfortune. The tag titles need the help more. A lot of these teams are made up of lower-midcarders or midcarders randomly put together. You can't treat someone or a team mediocrely, or possibly worse, for a while, then just start pushing them and think everyone will be excited for them. Yes, certain fans will get excited for Kidd and Cesaro getting a push, but that does not mean those guys have that great connection with the wider audience. And the feud and storyline development in the tag division has been poor. It is like the WWE just tosses a gimmick on some guys and gets lazy after that. Having special matches like this can help things.

Just one issue you might bring up. Think about Hell in a Cell. Such an iconic, legendary match type. So many great moments. Heated feuds would culminate there. What does the WWE do? They make a PPV devoted to it. Feuds that shouldn't necessarily be put inside the cell are put in there. You have a lot of matches in recent years that have been disappointing. The match type has lost its mystique. Will that happen to the Elimination Chamber? Will it lose value now that midcard matters are being decided there? Have to wait and see how the matches play out. Regardless of what happens to the image of this match type, the midcard and tag division stand to benefit. 

Tom Brady Suspended Four Games

The New England Patriots had some drama this year about deflating footballs. They went on to win the Super Bowl. Tom Brady denied any wrongdoing. A recent investigation shows that it was likely that Brady did know what was going on and lied. As part of the team's punishment, Brady will be suspended for 4 games.

Keyword? Likely. Likely? Yes, likely. They are going by what was probable. They have no confession. They have no concrete evidence to hang him with. And yet, he will be punished. Does it seem obvious that he had to have known something? It seems very probable. I will admit that much. But is it enough to punish someone? Regardless, that is the ruling, which will be challenged. Have to see how that plays out.

This is a pro wrestling blog, right? I sometimes forget. How does any of this relate to pro wrestling? Go back to Mickie James. Go back to the drama around her mistreatment and ultimate release. You hear a lot from the media as to why she went through all that. Did people actually analyze what was going on even before her release and all that mistreatment. With the Brady drama, you had investigators doing interviews and checking cell phones. I am not saying anyone had to do an investigation with what happened with Mickie James. How about analysis? It's not as difficult.

Analyze the diva division. Analyze what the WWE has a history of doing with the various women. Analyze the career of Mickie James. Fit her into what they have a history of doing. Look at how they would push her. Look at the depth of the division. I have done this many times. You have a women's division that likes to build around eye-candy divas. The majority of female wrestlers get pushed to put over that eye-candy centerpiece and are used as filler. During Mickie's time in the WWE after Trish and Lita retired, the WWE was only interested in creating a new eye-candy centerpiece. No female wrestlers were developed as stars until AJ Lee in 2012. Mickie James was pushed as a credible jobber. She was used to put over the stars and used as filler when they were not around. Depth was horrible at the time, leaving Mickie James as the only face with wrestling credibility in many situations. Mickie James got over off of this type of career, which had never happened before since the diva division started, and the WWE continued along in the direction they wanted to work out, even though their chosen women did not work out.

Given what the WWE has a history of doing in the diva division and how they were pushing Mickie James throughout her career, what seems like the obvious explanation for what happened? Mickie James was doing something horrible to warrant the WWE's mistreatment? Or the WWE is doing something horrible with their diva division and Mickie James got in the way? If you need something more to consider, keep in mind later dramas with guys like Christian, Zack Ryder, and Daniel Bryan.

You want to talk about what is likely or probable or obvious? Tom Brady is found guilty of something based on it seeming obvious he is guilty. To me, what happened with Mickie James is even more obvious. A woman gets over off a type of career where no woman ever does get over. The WWE continues to treat her the same way they would had she never gotten over. The women they want to be stars are flopping. The WWE has shown in recent years that they will mistreat men that they do not want to push as the fans want to see. When you put it all together, it seems very obvious why Mickie James was released. The WWE just didn't want to have to push her anymore. Dirtsheets botched. And it is not just about one woman. The problem is still there for more women to have to endure. And no one talks about it. I think this is more important than deflated balls.

State Of The WWE Diva Division: May 2015

There are no signs that the WWE is ready to quit on the diva division. They still want to run a women's division that leans towards eye-candy divas. I have read all these reports of eye-candy divas the WWE is high on. Looking at how the divas are being pushed, it also seems like no female wrestlers are in a great position. At the same time, this is still a dark age. The WWE has not become truly efficient again.

Paige has her plate full when it comes to extracurricular activities. She's getting things to do outside of actually performing on the wrestling shows. Never make too much of that. The WWE builds the people they want to be stars on the wrestling shows, not just in their movies and Total Divas. I would like to believe the WWE wants to start pushing Paige better with AJ Lee gone, but I will wait to see it actually happen.

Reports say the WWE is high on Lana and Eva Marie. I have spoken a little about Lana already. How about Eva Marie? I once had a conversation with a guy on Twitter that was talking about how bad the division was after Lita left. He pointed out Ashley and how bad she was. I brought up Eva Marie as this era's answer to Ashley. He said it doesn't count because the WWE does not push Eva seriously. I wonder what he would say now. Of course, Eva Marie is getting great training and showing signs of improvement. That is the overall story of the diva division. Hot model-type performer develops wrestling skills and becomes the greatest in the division. I just wonder if she can overcome some fans that have already made up their mind about her and may not be willing to give her a chance. #GiveEvaMarieAChance? It isn't just about sitting through all her segments. It is about having an open mind. A lot of fans I have seen seem impressed by her training. But I wouldn't become a fan of anyone just by how they train. They have to make it work when it counts the most.

Aside from reports, you can just look at the division and see the WWE is still pushing The Bellas. Nikki is still holding the Diva's Championship. Is the WWE serious about sticking with them as the centerpiece? Lana and Eva Marie aren't the only ones that have the look and the background. But you might eventually have yourself a congested division. The WWE was able to balance things better back a decade ago when they had the brand split. These days, they need a better periphery to be able to push their stars well outside of their centerpiece.

Nikki is still feuding with Naomi. Tamina returned to side with Naomi. There is a family connection there. It could be interesting, but the WWE usually drops the ball with divas that are not priorities to them. I am not convinced Naomi and Tamina are priorities. They are credible jobbers.

Credible jobbers still win titles. Will Naomi win the title? She lost the encounter a few weeks ago. It is not unheard of for the centerpiece to drop the title in the second encounter. You also have the fact that Paige had won a match to get a title shot and Naomi took her out. Forgetting what the diva division is about for a moment, just thinking about how you might develop a feud, it would make perfect sense for Naomi to win the title and eventually feud with Paige. It writes itself. But this is a company that buries what might make sense for the benefit of what they want. Paige and Naomi can end up with a non-title filler feud, while Nikki continues to hold the title. I would not be surprised to see that.

A New Day In The Tag Division?

The WWE made the decision to put the tag titles on The New Day. This is a weak decision. It was just a few years ago that the WWE did a good job of passing the titles on to teams that had momentum on their side. In the last few months, they have stopped doing that.

Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Big E were faces when the group officially debuted. They didn't get a very good reaction from the fans. The WWE turned them heel. But they won't turn Cena heel after all these years? Anyway, is any reaction better than no reaction? Fans weren't reacting negatively because they wanted these guys to turn heel. They hated the act. If the WWE thinks they have something of value here, they need to realize that they need to put more into it. You can go on Twitter or some message board and see fans reacting a certain way to something. Vocal fans in the arenas might also make you believe that the fans feel a certain way about something. But there are a lot of casual fans that may not be buying into it the same way or buying into it at all. You have to invest in what those vocal fans are wanting and make them into true draws for you. And if those things really cannot deliver, then you have every right to drop it and move on.

The New Day is a joke. I thought they had potential when they started. Didn't go anywhere. I also did not think they should get the titles unless the WWE was serious about developing them. It does not look like it. They are still a joke. I know this is the PG era, but not all the heels need to be like this. It is about entertaining the fans, but a variety of different characters would help. The WWE is just getting too gimmicky. Besides that, by not developing the group as a more serious threat, you are not doing the tag division any favors. All the teams feel like they are made up of guys that were jobbers not too long ago. Just pushing them well for a few weeks and tossing titles on them does not make it better. You need to develop their credibility better.

This is Kofi Kingston's first heel run in the WWE. It is disappointing that it has to be as part of a stable turning. It would have been nice if it was treated as a bigger deal. He gets another title reign added to his name, but what is this doing for his connection with the fans? This was a guy that was pretty over. Not A+, but very respectable. The gimmick seems to have hurt that. If he had a serious heel role, that might be better for him. Instead, he has this stupid gimmick and is stuck in a poor tag division.

Been a while since I did an aside. Let me do one. It is NBA playoff time. Coaches are willing to pull out any trick in the book. That includes intentionally fouling certain players they know are horrible at free throws. That causes the opposing team to possibly have a possession where they get no points, if the player misses both free throws. These kind of players can be a real weak link for their team. Why not kick them off the team? Why not make them bench players? Because they are still so good at other aspects of the game, such as defense. That is why they are still valued. And some of them are still used as starters. Even with their weaknesses, they still get valuable playing time. And they help their teams to succeed.

What does that have to do with anything? When the WWE mistreats a worker the fans want to see get pushed, they always seem to have an excuse. He lacks mic skills, he lacks charisma, or some other thing like that. It is no excuse. Who is perfect? Cena? Reigns? If they were, I don't think they would have had issues connecting with fans when pushed as top stars. When you have someone that is really connecting with the fans very well, you should take advantage of that. So what if he has certain weaknesses? He still brings you great results to help your product succeed.

This is also something for a lot of fans to keep in mind. They complain about certain performers not being great wrestlers. Okay, but they still have other attributes to help draw in other fans. For the most part, I don't really see fans saying Cena or Reigns should be fired. They just want them depushed or pushed differently. That's fair. It is only in those situations where these type of performers are really not living up to the manner they are being pushed that you should consider a hard depush and possibly letting them go. If you are bringing great results in connecting with certain fans, your shortcomings can be accepted. But if you are not bringing those great results in any area, why should you be kept around? With fans always complaining about you, you are just more trouble than you are worth.

King Barrett & Former King Sheamus

King of the Ring 2015 was indeed won by Wade Barrett. I still feel the WWE could have done more to make the tournament feel more important. I know they are trying to promote the WWE Network, but this felt like a "Wham, Bam, Thank You Ma'am" situation. In any case, it's done.

How will Barrett do with this gimmick? How far will the WWE go with him? Barrett usually plays his roles well. He was good as the leader of Nexus. The "Bad News" gimmick was great for him. Even when he is left as a generic heel, he still does that well. Winning King of the Ring sometimes leads to bigger pushes. Barrett has held the Intercontinental Championship a few times, but he can do better than that. The WWE Championship is currently held by a heel and the faces chasing after him are many. I do not imagine Barrett being pushed as a contender any time soon. On the other side of things, winning King of the Ring might have been only a gimmick change for him and he will remain in the same midcard position he was in prior to winning it. The least they could do is give him another midcard title run sometime this year. I think he can play the gimmick well, but the worst thing the WWE can do is have him job too much.

Sheamus is a former King of the Ring. He has been teaming with Barrett lately. The topic I want to talk about, does it feel like Sheamus has lost momentum since his return? When he returned, he seemed like a strong heel. He seemed to have reinvented himself. Yes, he looks stupid, but he was fresher than when he was last around. He has lost a few matches. I am not a fan of Sheamus, but I feel they dropped the ball. They could have developed him to be a true force. They could have then used him to put over Roman Reigns, feud with John Cena over the United States Championship, or work with some other worthy face that can use the rub. I am not saying he needed to win this year's King of the Ring. There are a lot of ways they could have had him lose his match. But it just seems like he has found his old, usual spot on the roster.

Fatal Fourway At Payback 2015

Seth Rollins must defend the WWE Championship against Randy Orton, Roman Reigns, and Dean Ambrose at Payback. This match and feud seems like it is overbooked. Given the short amount of time you now have left until the PPV, that makes the decision to add Ambrose even more questionable. You also have them teasing tension between Kane and Rollins. Without even bringing up Kane just yet, let me just talk about the other guys in this match. If Rollins had to defend the title in a singles match at Payback, which of these three faces should get the shot?

Roman Reigns would be at the bottom of the list. He does not need to be put back in the title picture so soon. Don't rush. Save it for Summerslam. If the WWE had booked other things differently, there would be options for Roman Reigns. He could have been the guy feuding with Bray Wyatt right now. If the WWE had ended the feud between Rusev and Cena, which is something I thought they should have done, Rusev could now feud with Reigns. Even Kane vs. Reigns is an option, if they still want to keep Reigns near the Authority.

Randy Orton just had a title shot at Extreme Rules. I would have ended the feud right there. Move Seth Rollins on to something else. Randy Orton could feud with Wyatt or Kane. Kane was involved in the match at Extreme Rules. It would not have been hard to transition to a feud between the two.

Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship. Yeah, I think that would have been the best singles match. These two had a big feud last year. It was pretty likely they would meet again down the line. Now is a good time to develop a feud between them. It might have even been a 2-month feud. Ambrose is in the picture now, but I think a singles match would be better.

Now, let's talk triple threat. A lot of fans have been dreaming about a Shield triple threat. This is it, just with Randy Orton also involved. Kind of kills the mood. Take Orton out. Is now the time for Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns? I would have saved it for a bigger PPV. If they wanted to do a triple threat now, I would go with the match that made storyline sense. You have Seth Rollins feuding with Randy Orton. Kane is also involved, playing a tweener character. This should be your triple threat. Will Kane finally snap in this match and turn against The Authority? Will he help Rollins win? This could even transition to a singles feud between Rollins and Kane. You do not want to drag on this tension between Kane and Rollins too long. It might get annoying.

Instead of a singles match or triple threat, you have a messy storyline that involves everything I talked about. Kane has tension with Rollins. The Shield members are facing each other. Randy Orton is still in the picture. They are just doing too much. And it has not all been developed very well. There is also not a lot of time left to try to make it better. Then again, the WWE probably would have messed this up more if they had more time.

John Cena Vs. Rusev: I Quit Match

If Rusev had regained the United States title from John Cena, that would have been an obvious reason to continue the feud between the two. That did not happen. And yet, the feud continues. They will have an I Quit match at Payback.

The spacing between PPVs is obviously an issue, but I do not like that this feud is still continuing. This will be the 4th PPV encounter between these two. Rusev won the first. Cena won the last two. John Cena is in an interesting position right now. He is holding a midcard title. You can set up a feud for him in the midcard. He also has the main-event credibility of being the centerpiece of the company for a decade. You can place him in the main-event scene again, even if he is holding a midcard title. You have him doing this open challenge. Even if you can't come up with a proper feud for him for a while, which is unlikely, just having him defend the title is good enough. So many possibilities. I would say continuing the feud with Rusev is at the bottom of the list. Cena does not need to be involved in the story between Rusev and Lana.

Cena has never lost an I Quit match. That should spell automatic doom for Rusev. I said there was a story between Rusev and Lana. Looks like they are breaking up. Will Rusev threaten to hurt Lana if Cena does not quit? That is pretty much the only way Cena will give up. I have seen fans bring up the possibility of a swerve. Rusev and Lana continue their issues. Rusev threatens to hurt Lana at Payback. Cena quits. Then Lana reveals it was all a trick to get back the title.

I do not like the idea of a fake turn for one reason. That was the kind of thing you had just last month between Miz, Sandow, and Summer Rae. That feud obviously was not as major as what you have with Rusev and Cena, but they already told this same kind of story. It is way too soon to do it again. People criticize the writers for so many things. Isn't rehashing a storyline so soon worthy of criticism? Do something different.

This probably will be the end of Rusev and Lana. You see the storyline going on. You hear reports that the WWE wants to give her a big push. Some fans have brought up what is going on with Rusev/Lana is similar to Marc Mero/Sable almost two decades ago. Sable went on to be pushed as the centerpiece of the diva division shortly after. What will happen with Lana? If she doesn't start wrestling, this "big push" won't be to develop her as the centerpiece. That void will still be in the diva division. Even though fans like her and she plays her role well, simple pushing her in a periphery role will not do much to make the diva division efficient again.

Taryn Turns Heel

The Dollhouse is here. Taryn Terrell turned heel and TNA's new KOs, Jade and Marti, have aligned with her. They helped her retain the title against Awesome Kong last week.

This is another situation where a heel KO Champion is paired with at least one partner in crime. Since I started paying attention to the women's division of TNA more closely, it seems the majority of heels that win the title have some kind of sidekick, whether female or male. It is a good thing in some situations. But it does seem forced sometimes. Some exceptions in recent years were heel Mickie James and heel Havok. Havok just went out there like a monster. That's enough to treat her as a heel. Mickie James has the charisma to play a heel character well. Not every woman in TNA can be pushed as a dominant monster in a believable way and not all have a great charisma.

Taryn has never played a heel. In fact, all she has ever really been was a generic face. She was generic prior to turning heel. She was just a ref prior to that. She was a face in WWE. Even when she was on ECW back then in an authority role, she was generic. She has not been pushed with an interesting gimmick before. She obviously has that now, as well as some sidekicks. But does she have what it takes to play a great heel character? In terms of looks, she's hot. In terms of wrestling ability, she has improved well. But in terms of charisma, she has never really stood out. Luckily, the gimmick and the stable will help her right now. It would be nice if TNA pushed more heels that could stand on their own better.

I have said before that Taryn Terrell might be the perfect choice to push as the centerpiece of this KO division, if they wanted to make a diva-like division. But TNA has never committed to one woman as the centerpiece. A centerpiece is given that great push because she has that amazing overness or you want her to have that amazing overness. Taryn is over, but she really doesn't have that outstanding overness. Is turning her heel and giving her this current push a step in trying to help her get more over? Or are they just going through the motions and building her up for some faces to conquer? I am expecting the latter. If Taryn does have a breakout and really shines with this push, will TNA do the right thing and stick with her as the centerpiece? The other women, like Awesome Kong and Gail Kim, can still be featured well. TNA usually does well having multiple angles going. Maybe even bring back the tag titles? They just need to commit to one woman that really delivers for them in getting them to that next level and build around her.