The Longest-Reigning Diva's Champion & The Longest-Reigning Knockout's Champion

AJ Lee still holds the record for longest reign with the Diva's Championship. That stands at 295 days. Nikki Bella is knocking on the door, and it looks like she will just walk right through. She has held it for 281 days. Unless she loses it before Night of Champions, she is going to hold it at least until September 20th. And that will give her the record.

Should AJ's record be broken? You have probably heard all kinds of talk as to why Nikki has been holding the title for so long and will likely beat the record. It's Vince McMahon's ego. It's her boyfriend playing politics. It's Total Divas ruining the diva division. There is no denying Vince McMahon has an ego. A woman he pushed extremely well and allowed to get away with certain things essentially walked out on him. Yeah, I can imagine someone being bitter about that.

I would make the decision to have someone else break AJ's record. It has nothing to do with ego or backstage politics. It is about sending a message to your workers. AJ Lee was given a ton in just a few years. I do not think any diva has been pushed that hard in such a short time. She had backstage issues and they still treated her well. She took a shot at Stephanie McMahon on Twitter and they still let her get the win at Wrestlemania a few weeks later. Right after that, she retires. What kind of message does that send to your workers? That workers can get away with acting like that? I would sometimes read reports that Vince McMahon saw the "bigger picture" with AJ Lee. Really? Vince might need glasses. He couldn't see this woman was likely going to side with her husband and leave? A lot of people were expecting it since last year. I never would have even let AJ do all the things she did. If you are going to act like that, you better be someone I should be afraid to lose. I like it when wrestlers being mistreated stand up for themselves. When a wrestler being pushed very well and the company is very loyal to complains or causes issues, it sometimes comes off like they are being greedy or betraying that loyalty. I believe workers that are bringing great results and are loyal to the company should be allowed to make history and have the major accolades. Send that message to your workers. Don't let a worker that is not bringing the results that match her push and might not be loyal to you walk all over you.

Nikki Bella might not be the poster girl to deserve the record. But if the WWE wants to take a shot at AJ Lee by giving the record to someone else as quickly as possible, she is the obvious choice to have break it. She was holding it at the time AJ left. She had already held it a few months. Don't forget she is the likely new centerpiece of the diva division. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets the record.

Fans are not liking Nikki Bella breaking the record. #ThingsBetterThanNikkisReign was trending a few days ago. That was soon followed by #NikkiDeservesTheTitle. Even then, a lot of the tweets were still negative. Will this cause the WWE to put an end to Nikki's run sooner? Unless that Twitter negativity turns into something from the crowds in the arenas, I doubt it will. But it would be interesting to see Nikki bragging about beating the record the Raw before Night of Champions, then having some diva come out, talk Nikki into defending the title right there, and Nikki ends up losing. That would tie AJ's record, not break it. In terms of just storytelling, that is the kind of thing you would want to see a heel experience. But this is a diva division. This is the WWE. I don't think the WWE will end the reign early.

How about that negative fan reaction? Honestly, if it wasn't for those recent diva matches not being respected by the live audience and that report that John Cena was the reason Nikki was still holding the title, I don't think a lot of fans would be complaining about Nikki Bella as hard as they are and saying the diva revolution is failing. They would still be mesmerized by the longer matches, new NXT divas, and everything else the WWE has been doing. The fact that things are not working has brought an end to the honeymoon.

Prior to 2015, Gail Kim held the record for longest reign with the Knockout's Championship at 210 days. Taryn Terrell entered the year with the title and went on to break Gail Kim's record. Her reign ended at 279 days. She lost to Brooke, with some help from Gail Kim.

Does it matter? Does it feel important? Does Taryn Terrell feel like she has gone to another level by getting this record? This isn't even a question of whether or not she deserves it. It is a question of how TNA has handled it. And I would say they dropped the ball. How can you have someone make what should be considered a major piece of history and not follow through better? Taryn has just looked like a coward since losing the title. She has looked very weak. They are not putting proper individual focus on her. And Brooke? The woman she lost the title to? Gail Kim has since gotten back the title.

The whole feud has been handled poorly. Why not have Gail Kim win the title from Taryn? Brooke wins it? I have seen some fans question why Awesome Kong did not win it. She was the one screwed out of the title the night Marti and Jade aligned with Taryn to form The Dollhouse. It would have made more sense for her to finally get what she was screwed out of. And they really didn't do anything much with Brooke during her run. Next thing you know, Gail Kim ends up with it again. And the way her feud with Taryn Terrell ended was just mediocre. A backstage segment? This was arguably the best feud the KO division had going this year. It was very heated. It should have ended a lot better than that.

Back to Taryn Terrell breaking Gail Kim's record and TNA not handling it properly. I do not care if Gail Kim is okay with it, suggested it, or whatever, the woman that breaks her record should be someone the company intends to push as the next top star of the division. This should be considered a major record and accomplishment. It should be followed up with a lot better. Instead, they break Taryn down and continue to just juggle around their women.

This is an example of why I say TNA does not really have a centerpiece and does not do a good job creating stars. If Gail Kim was the centerpiece of the KO division in the same way Trish Stratus was the centerpiece of the diva division, the woman that beat her record would be someone the company would follow up with at a high level. Moreover, Gail Kim would have been booked to win the title from Taryn. You develop credible jobbers to put over the centerpiece. I can't say that is what TNA has done in this situation. Gail Kim is obviously a legend in the KO division, but they are not booking her efficiently, and the same goes for everyone else in the division.

Let me give another example. Look at Brock Lesnar ending The Undertaker's undefeated streak at Wrestlemania. A lot of fans say the WWE botched by doing that. It could have been worse. Let's say that happened, then the WWE follows up by making Brock's next feud against Sheamus. Sheamus looks godly during the entire build up of the feud. When the match comes around, Sheamus wins cleanly and decisively. Basically, Brock gets buried. Fans would be wondering what Brock did wrong. He had to have done something wrong for the WWE to do that. This is just not something the WWE would do. They handed him one of the biggest accolades they could. How can you follow up by having him feud with someone like Sheamus? And have Sheamus dominate the feud? And beat Lesnar cleanly? Just to make it worse, let's say they do that with Sheamus, then go back to treating him as mediocre. It's just not what the WWE does. They followed up with Brock by having him destroy Cena for the title. He has gone on to continue his feud with The Undertaker, which had better hype to it around Summerslam than Wrestlemania last year. This is what the WWE does.They use these accolades to build stars and build up to bigger feuds. I am not saying they never seem to drop the ball. The first-ever Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal winner was Cesaro. Yeah, they dropped the ball with him. But The Streak is a lot bigger deal than that.

I am not saying being the longest-reigning TNA Knockout's Champion is the same as ending The Undertaker's undefeated streak at Wrestlemania, but it is one of the biggest accomplishments a woman in TNA can be given. How do you not properly follow through with the woman that breaks the record and use the situation to create a better feud with a better payoff between the woman that breaks the record and the woman that held the record before her? These are wasted opportunities that define TNA.

Let me just look at Gail and Taryn. I once talked about Gail Kim playing a ninja-like character. Gail Kim is not great when it comes to charisma. It is her only real weakness. She needs a gimmick to help her look more interesting. The gimmick she has had since returning to TNA has been something like I had in mind. She is playing a serious character, but her attire and the whole appearing and disappearing thing works. She is sexy and is playing a cooler character. I'll give them credit for this.

How has Taryn Terrell been doing as a heel and with this gimmick? Once again, I will give them credit. She has been doing a better job than I expected. She has the sex appeal and the charisma to pull it off. Always having her run away from Gail has not been good. Booking Seth Rollins as a weasel and having Kevin Owens walk out on matches aren't helping those two in the WWE. But at least Taryn Terrell is more entertaining with her cowardly act. And The Dollhouse is not done yet. Hopefully, TNA can come up with some fresh stuff for Taryn to do, for however longer she is with them.

Kevin Owens Or Cesaro: The Next Daniel Bryan?

Kevin Owens won his match at Summerslam against Cesaro. The way some fans were talking before this match, the winner was in line for a huge push. I saw some fans pencil in Cesaro as the winner of the Royal Rumble in a few months. Some said he was the hottest guy in the company.

These two are similar to Daniel Bryan. All three have similar roots. They are great wrestlers. Wrestling fans love them. And Kevin Owens and Cesaro also appear to be around that "B+ territory" Daniel Bryan was said to be in a few years ago before his big push. These two are in the position to possibly do what Daniel Bryan did. They can become very over and pressure the WWE to promote them up the ranks.

Just to make it clear, neither of these two are there, yet. I have seen some fans and writers act like both of them are, or were. Some people were writing eulogies for Kevin Owens after he tapped out to John Cena. Fans have questioned why Cesaro is not pushed better. The thing about Daniel Bryan is that he was connecting well with wrestling fans even before he debuted in the WWE. What makes his story something for other guys to strive for is that he went beyond just being over with wrestling fans to connecting with the general audience at a high level. He earned A+ overness. "Yes!" and "No!" helped with that. I do not feel either Cesaro or Owens ever had that level of overness. People make a big deal of Owens beating Cena clean a few months ago. Cena fans being stunned by that and smarks eating it up does not mean Owens is really over.

Out of the two, I would say Cesaro is more likely to break through. He seems like a likable guy. His big swing is a popular move fans can get behind. His mic skills are less than amazing, but that did not stop Daniel Bryan. But Cesaro still needs something to help him break through. The whole "Cesaro Section" thing is not enough. It cannot be forced. I think the WWE wouldn't mind if Cesaro did get popular. But if he gets that crazy popularity Daniel Bryan had, it would be interesting to see how they react.

A New Wyatt Debuts

Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose picked up the win at Summerslam, but things are not over yet. There was a rematch on Raw. A new Wyatt debuted to take out Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. This is a big guy. It's Braun Stowman.

First, let me talk about the feud between Reigns/Ambrose and The Wyatts. There are two ways I would have went with it after Summerslam. First, end it. It had already lost the personal feel it had to it when it was just Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt. The other option, if they had to continue it, just break it back down to Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt. Have Dean Ambrose do something else. Have him return to his singles feud against Luke Harper. Have the two of them take each other out for a few weeks to finish the Reigns/Wyatt feud. Go back to that personal feud.

Instead of ending it or removing some of the players, the WWE went the route of adding someone into the feud. The Shield and The Wyatts had some matches a few years ago that were very good. Does that mean the WWE needs to run that rivalry for all it is worth? I doubt this will break down to a 3-on-2 feud. The new guy they just debuted seems too dominant. Who joins Reigns and Ambrose? Let's just see how the WWE plays this out.

What does this mean for Bray Wyatt? The guy really has gone in a circle. When he debuted, he had two henchmen with him. He currently once again has two henchmen. If Rowan had not gotten injured, he probably would have been right in there already. They cannot handle this guy properly. After he debuted, they protected him until he put over Cena. After that, he has just gone all over the place. He wins a feud against Chris Jericho and gets lost in the shuffle for a while after. He loses his henchmen. He comes back strong again to put over The Undertaker. He has a random feud against Ryback. He wins that and once again gets lost in the shuffle. He has been feuding with Reigns since then. The fact that he is invested in again only makes me wonder one thing.  Who is he jobbing to next? Reigns? Is that why they debuted that brute? For Reigns to overcome him? I would not be surprised to once again see Cena feud with The Wyatts just to overcome Braun.

How about Braun Stowman? There are certain individuals in wrestling that are just there for their presence. They aren't great in the ring. They will likely not get very over. But they can destroy some people to look dominant and eventually be someone to overcome. They are intimidating. I have seen some fans complain that this guy is too green. Well, he's here to add to the storyline and just be an intimidating presence. As long as he does not become a botch machine and starts injuring people, he can serve the role. Not everyone that debuts from NXT is going to be a Kevin Owens or Sasha Banks.

Let me do an aside on Nikki's title reign. She is closing in on the record for longest reign. I will talk more about that another day, but there are rumors that John Cena is the one that has her holding the title for so long. I am not denying that Cena has backstage swing and does sometimes take advantage of it. But you can't blame this guy for everything. I have read reports that The Bellas themselves have influence. Many say it is because they are on Total Divas. I have read reports in the past that Vince McMahon is high on them. Looking around, I don't see anyone else being pushed as the centerpiece. If anyone is going to break AJ Lee's record, I would expect it would be someone the WWE wants to push as a star, not a credible jobber. That eliminates a ton of women. Lana is not a wrestler. Eva Marie is busy training. You also have the fact that Nikki was holding the title when AJ left. It is just easier to take away the record with her. Is there any need to bring Cena into this?

Another part of the rumor was that Cena doing this ruined Charlottes's debut push, which included her already winning the title. First of all, back when Charlotte lost to Natalya on Raw and people were upset about that, the report was Vince McMahon made the call to do that. No one wants to speculate Vince McMahon is making the call to hold off on giving Charlotte the title now? Regardless, what kind of push do people really think they would have seen? This is a diva division and the WWE is not showing any signs of stopping. That means The Bellas, two models, are the likely top stars. Charlotte does not have the look. She has wrestling ability. That means she is a likely credible jobber. You are not likely to see her pushed well. I read a rumor that they would have debuted her and some of the other NXT divas as some kind of dominant force. Yeah? Like the Divas of Doom? Or like Kharma? The Divas of Doom was a tag team featuring Beth Phoenix and Natalya. They were not as dominant as the name might imply and the group started to fizzle out even before Beth suffered an injury during that run. They were credible jobbers. They eventually got demoted. And Kharma? She went out there and destroyed all the eye-candy divas. Except Kelly Kelly. That storyline would have gone in favor of Kelly Kelly, the woman being groomed as the new centerpiece. And that is how you should expect this supposed feud between the NXT women and the WWE divas to go. The WWE would have taken advantage of it to put over whom they wanted to put over. It would have eventually have fizzled out. Don't assume the WWE really had amazing things planned for Charlotte.

One last aside. This one on ratings. Raw got a 2.72 this week. Viewership was 3.72 million. That is down from the previous week. Just consider that this was a Raw after a PPV, which usually sees an increase. The best number all year came for the Raw after Wrestlemania. This Summerslam was featured like the biggest PPV of the year, aside from Wrestlemania. It featured The Undertaker wrestling in a PPV besides Wrestlemania, a rarity these days. It featured a celebrity match. It featured a celebrity host, who also got involved in a major angle. It featured a World title match where another title was also defended. They hyped it well and developed all the matches on the card. The controversy over how the Lesnar/Taker match ended and what Jon Stewart did, which did get picked up by the general media, should have been enough to draw. You don't even need to bring up the returns and debuts that happened on Raw. And yet, there was a drop.

Yes, Raw did go against a football game. I don't really see that as a big excuse. It was a preseason game. It featured teams that are not that great. The game was not even that competitive. The point? It could have been much worse. And it will get worse in a few weeks when the regular season starts.

Ratings have been bad all year. I brought up how January was mediocre. That translated to a mediocre Wrestlemania season. Raw after Wrestlemania getting over 5 million viewers was huge. I see that as a sign that they still have potential to be better than they are. But they continued to be horrible since then, without even any real competition. NFL season should bring some interesting numbers. They won't drop all the way to TNA's level, but it could get horrible. And I don't want to hear that no one watches TV anymore. Fear The Walking Dead broke the record for highest-rated debut for a cable series just one night before Raw. The WWE is lucky Raw doesn't have to go against football and zombies every Monday.   

The Dudleys & Sting Return

The Dudleys made their return to Raw and put themselves right in the middle of the tag division. After having said for almost a year that the tag division was mediocre, filled with lower-midcarders and midcarders that are really not going anywhere, THIS is something that can cause some excitement.

But let me look at some of the cons to this. The WWE once again shows that they have to rely on part-timers and guys that were stars at the turn of the century to create hype for them right now. That is a lack of confidence in their current talent and failure to properly develop them. I cannot imagine any team in the WWE tag division this year before The Dudleys came back that can generate that kind of hype in 10 years. You can talk about The Dudleys giving a rub to these teams, but it probably won't work out as you would like. A rub means nothing if the company does not follow up. I do not expect the WWE to follow up with any of these younger teams after The Dudleys do go away again.

Weighing the pros and cons of The Dudleys return, I would say it is great overall. I have said that the WWE should stop signing and bringing in all these guys because they have so many already and cannot use them efficiently. The only exception to bringing in guys from other promotions is if they can really create a boost in your main product. NXT does not need it as badly as the main product. The Dudleys can help the tag division. The tag division needed this boost badly. The Dudleys are not the future of the tag division. They aren't even the present of the tag division. They are both over 40. But they can create some excitement for a while. The New Age Outlaws did it a few years ago. I expect The Dudleys to be used in a similar way.

Sting also returned on this week's Raw. He will be challenging Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship at Night of Champions. He loses his only match in the WWE earlier this year, and now gets a title shot? Sting is a legend, so I'm willing to overlook that.

I have to repeat what I said before. This is another example of the WWE relying on part-timers and guys that were stars at the turn of the century to create hype for them right now. Utilizing Sting for big PPVs is one thing. This is Night of Champions. You don't have faith in your own guys? Your full-timers? Cena? I am not saying Cena needs to be gunning for the WWE Championship, but do you need a part-timer to do it? Why is Sting even still mad at The Authority? He shook Triple H's hand after their match at Wrestlemania. Don't ask me why. The Authority hasn't even been too heelish in recent months. Of course, given how poorly the WWE has created new stars, there are really no fresh options for Seth Rollins and his WWE title defense. I'm fine with Sting.

Let me do an aside. The divas once again got a bad reaction during their match on Raw this week. They weren't in Lesnar Country this time. They were in Brooklyn, my hometown. New York is a smark city. It also does not help that NXT put on a show just a few days ago in Brooklyn where the women's match arguably stole the show. Sasha Banks was in that match, which explains why some of those Brooklyn fans wanted to see her. The match on Raw was not that exciting. Moreover, none of the divas involved have gotten that over with the fans. Paige has shown signs of being capable of becoming very over, but has not clinched it. Charlotte being the daughter of Ric Flair will not carry her. The Bellas have shown promise, but the WWE has not handled them properly, and they are not going to be liked in a smark environment. Alicia Fox is Alicia Fox. I don't know what to say for Becky Lynch.

I have seen some of these women criticize the fans for how they act. I won't say the fans never should be criticized. There are some situations where they definitely are asses. And they definitely should not be allowed to attack the performers, like what you had with Roman Reigns a few weeks ago. But I do not think the fans should be criticized for how they acted on Raw. If you want to keep their attention and get a great reaction, you have to earn it. What you did on NXT should not carry you on the main roster. And it won't. I am not saying the blame should go entirely on the women for a mediocre match. Blame the WWE for poor character and storyline development. Blame the WWE for not demanding better from these women in the ring. How can these women that put on amazing matches on NXT look so mediocre on the main roster? They have some impressive spots here and there, but it is not enough. The WWE needs to raise expectations. It is not enough to just increase match time.

If these women want to criticize someone, they should criticize their bosses. This is not about being insubordinate or selfish, which sometimes seems to motivate certain workers to criticize the company. This is about demanding to be used properly. They don't need to do it on Twitter or riot in the streets. Do it backstage. Do it professionally. But do it sternly. If that fails, then go on Twitter. This whole thing wasn't even started by these women standing up for themselves. It all started because Emma lost a quick match and that was the straw that broke the camels back. Fans complained. And now some of these women and the fans of the diva movement want to criticize bored fans? It's not their fault. These women are not delivering. And I blame the WWE, not them. But they need to demand better from the company or things will never really get better. The WWE can shrug of fans very easily. I doubt they can do the same to a strong stand from their own workers.

The Undertaker/Lesnar Summerslam Controversy

What do you make of that? There is a controversy over the finish of the Summerslam main event. It was scripted, but it is still getting talked about. Lesnar had Undertaker in his submission. The ref was out of place to see whether Taker would tap. The timekeeper saw Taker tap and rang the bell, giving Lesnar the win. The ref explained that he did not call for the bell. Taker takes advantage with a low blow and locks in Hell's Gate. Lesnar passes out and Taker gets the win.

That was a stupid finish. When has it ever happened that the timekeeper just ends a match because he sees someone tap or get pinned? I can't even remember a legitimate botch happening where the timekeeper prematurely rang the bell before the ref called for it. Not saying it never happens, but I cannot recall it. If you want to do controversy, that's one thing. There are some controversial angles that are just stupid. What the WWE did just makes the timekeeper look clumsy. You are creating a controversial angle based on clumsiness. That isn't intriguing.

Let me bring up another Undertaker match. There was once a match between Taker and Kurt Angle where Angle had Taker in a submission. Taker managed to turn it into a pinning predicament, but he tapped out at the same time Angle had his shoulder down for the 3. That was a controversial ending that didn't come off as clumsy. That was an interesting finish.

I would have rather this match end in a more decisive way, but if the WWE had to have shenanigans, why not just have interference? People talked about Kane interfering. If he was not available, how about having Paul Heyman accidentally distract Lesnar to set up the finish? Lame? But is it as bad as having the absurd finish that they did go with? Maybe it isn't as controversial, but it would be less stupid.

Should this be seen as an Undertaker heel turn? Unless the WWE runs an angle where Taker possessed the timekeeper to ring the bell, I don't see how Taker is responsible for what went down. He just took advantage with his new favorite move, the low blow. There have been some faces that can use low blows and still get cheered. Ric Flair comes to mind. He is a charismatic legend. If the WWE did want to go the route of Taker going heel, they aren't making him look like a great one. He just looks like a guy that took advantage of a stupid mistake. 

Where do they go from here? If they had a decisive finish, Taker and Lesnar could just go their separate ways. The way the match did end, you just feel like they need to do it again. But they might not. There are rumors again of Sting showing up. Time for Taker vs. Sting? If Taker and Lesnar do face each other one more time, the main problem with that is that it takes away from other feuds Taker could be having. The Undertaker's career is coming to an end. His best days are behind him. Why waste so many of his final matches with a guy he faced a few times already over 10 years ago? And yet, if they don't continue the feud, I would just feel like it got a poor finish. 

Summerslam 2015 Preview: Part 3

When the feud between Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar got started, there was this great promo from Triple H about whether Seth Rollins could handle the pressure and turn into a diamond. That could have led to a "make or break" moment for Seth. Instead, the WWE just continued to push him as a weasel. He retained the title and moved on to John Cena. There was another great promo on Raw this week. This one was John Cena talking about Triple H's relationship with Ric Flair and Triple H's relationship with Seth Rollins. Once again, the potential is there for something great to happen. This time, I am not going to even expect them to do anything great. That is, nothing great that will really help Seth. You will likely see Ric Flair again as John Cena does one day tie and break his record.

Will Cena tie it this Sunday? His title and Seth's title will both be on the line. Shenanigans can still happen that result in both guys holding onto their titles. It would be a cheap way out. The WWE just pulled a cheap way out at the last PPV. Brock Lesnar won the match due to DQ, but Seth Rollins retained the title. I know the WWE is purposely booking Rollins like this, but I do not think they will do it here. Let there be a true winner that walks out with both titles. Between these two, I would expect Cena to win.

There is a wildcard. Will Sheamus cash in? Many fans are expecting it. They are talking about Sheamus not even waiting for the match to end. He will use the briefcase to insert himself into the match. Seth Rollins did that to win the WWE Championship. Depending on how the WWE handles it, this can be a way out to get the title off Rollins without having Cena tie Ric Flair's record, yet. And Cena would still have his United States title. I do not think it should happen. Let Sheamus hold onto the briefcase.

I feel the current feud between Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker is better than the feud that was there when Lesnar beat Taker at Wrestlemania. It feels more heated. Back then, it felt like the development was so mediocre, there was no way Lesnar would win. If Taker was going to lose, the build would be more exciting. Lesnar did win, and that leads to a rematch more than a year later that will headline Summerslam.

Is The Undertaker the heel in this feud? I have seen some fans talking about that. The WWE is having him bust out low blows to get the advantage on Lesnar, which can be seen as heelish. I saw this feud as legend vs. legend. In those kind of feuds, it sometimes does not matter which guy is the heel or face. I am not convinced the WWE really wants to portray Taker as the heel. They had him do a promo after he cost Lesnar the title where he said he was okay with The Streak ending, but Lesnar and Heyman continuously rubbing it in angered him. I can buy that. If they wanted him to be a heel, they would have had him sound more petty. And Heyman kind of was running his mouth again on Raw this week when Taker finally came out to go after Brock. I don't view Taker as a real heel here.

Who wins? When this match was first taking shape, it seemed obvious Taker would get his revenge. It does not seem that obvious now. Taker has the momentum heading into Summerslam. That means Lesnar wins? Of course, Lesnar had the momentum heading into Wrestlemania last year. Vince McMahon decided to have him win then. You hear speculation of interference that might occur. You have such a strong, personal feud right here. Why would they ruin the match with interference? Of course, this match cannot be all Suplex City. It cannot be all about Brock Lesnar being dominant and possibly a low blow and Tombstone finishing him off. If The Undertaker has a truly great match left in him, this would be an occasion to pull it out. I will say Taker wins. A loss here will not bury Brock Lesnar.

Another thing to bring up is the reaction The Undertaker got on Raw. It wasn't his greatest reaction. They were in Lesnar Country and he did attack him. The Undertaker is a guy I would say has A+ overness. The fact that he did not get loud cheers for attacking Lesnar does not change that. There are a lot of ways you can describe A+ overness. It is legendary-tier overness. It is the kind of overness where you have a great connection with the fans and can possibly draw in more viewers. It is the kind of overness where you have a strong, consistent connection with the fans and you are doing it without even proper support from the company. The Undertaker is a legend the WWE treats as a draw. That reaction he got on Raw, especially given the circumstances, does not change that he has A+ overness.

The diva match before Lesnar came out also did not get a good reaction from the fans. No A+ players were in that match. Moreover, it was heel vs. heel. That sometimes throws some fans off. Sasha Banks is used to performing in the highly-respected NXT women's division. The general WWE audience is not 100% NXT fans. Nikki Bella once got a good reaction as a heel when she did a promo against face AJ Lee. The WWE has failed to build on that. I am not too surprised fans were not more interested in this match, even if it was two Champions going at it. Fans were antsy for Lesnar and the whole "Diva Revolution" storyline has been weak. Maybe if Sasha Banks gets some better personal development on the main roster, she will have an easier time keeping fans interested, even as a heel. Depending on how well she plays her character, she can very well be the kind of heel that gets cheered. But she just debuted a few weeks ago and has not gotten great focus. In the end, I would not make too much of this.

Summerslam 2015 Preview: Part 2

Even though I felt even adding some kind of gimmick to the Summerslam match between Randy Orton and Sheamus could not save it, I still think it is a bad decision to not even do that much. This is a boring feud that should have ended last month. The highlight since then was probably the two men costing each other the WWE Championship on Raw recently, but even that must have seemed a bit telegraphed to many fans. They knew it was coming. As far as who wins this, I will go with Sheamus this time. Why continue the feud if he never wins a match? Regardless of the outcome, how likely is it this feud continues?

Ryback is back and will defend the title against Miz and Big Show. Going by how much the WWE loves giving Miz title reigns, I would not be surprised if he won this. It is like they can't think of anything else for him. Big Show should be in The Authority. What does he really have going for him?

The Wyatts vs. Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. Could they pull a swerve with this match? Dean Ambrose turning heel? Not only have him turn on Reigns, but how about having him join The Wyattts? That would be an interesting twist to things. If nothing like that happens, the faces should win. This was a feud for Roman Reigns to win when it first got started. The WWE extended it by adding in Luke Harper and Dean Ambrose. The only good thing that could come from ruining the personal feud between Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt is Dean Ambrose turning heel.

I would say the Cesaro/Owens feud is the best midcard feud they have going. Not only does it feature two guys that can go in the ring, it has been fresh. Cesaro has been looking pretty good. Kevin Owens has been broken down a little, but that was to be expected. Who wins? Owens has looked so weak at times recently, I think he will get the win at Summerslam. Cesaro can survive a loss in a great match. He has had some great matches with John Cena last month, came up short, and still has his momentum.

Summerslam 2015 Preview: Part 1

The Lucha Dragons, New Day, Los Matadores, and Prime Time Players will meet for the tag titles. The tag division continues to feel like a playground for lower-midcarders. It is hard to really care for these teams when it is likely they will soon get lost in the shuffle again. As for which team wins, the Prime Time Players already had a successful title defense, so that must mean they will drop it. No team has held the title for too long this year. The New Day seems like a good choice to win it back. I do not think any of the other two teams matter too much. Not saying that wouldn't stop the WWE from putting the titles on them.

There will be a celebrity match at Summerslam. Neville teams up with Stephen Amell to face Stardust and King Barrett. It is likely the faces will win and it seems just as likely Barrett will take the pin. I understand the drama between Stardust and that actor. Stardust has had a little feud with Neville recently. Barrett being there just seems like something done out of necessity. Well, at least he's on the card.

Dolph Ziggler returned this week on Raw and he will face Rusev at Summerslam. Would it have been better to wait until after Summerslam? That would give the WWE plenty of time to develop things for the next PPV. I do not think that is necessary. Things are developed enough. These two have had a storyline going on for months now. Through injuries and not even being there, the storyline has been progressing. No need to drag it on. Have a singles match at Summerslam. I doubt it ends at Summerslam. Dolph Ziggler just returned. The right thing to do might be to let him win. I'll go with him winning.

What Is Left For The Authority?

The Authority has been one of the worst corporate stables the WWE has ever had. They started teasing friction within the group almost immediately after it was formed. They never stopped teasing that friction. I have a hard time even considering them a stable right now. Aside from Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, there is only Seth Rollins. This isn't a stable.

To make matters worse, Triple H and Stephanie often come off as tweeners these days. They'll do certain things that seem to make them look like faces or neutral, then turn around and make a decision that is obviously heelish. What does that make the alignment of this supposed stable they are supposed to be in charge of? I have seen some fans say that the characters these two play are just exaggerated versions of how they act backstage. I won't argue against that. In the end, however, I would rather they just be heels. I am the kind of fan that typically likes heels over faces. I find Triple H and Stephanie's characters right now to be dull. For other fans, they might not know what to think of these two. Should we boo them? Cheer them? It can get annoying.

Outside of deciding what they want the leaders of the stable to be, there are two ways for The Authority to go. They have no real members to be considered a legitimate stable. Either add members or drop the angle and also drop Stephanie and Triple H as on-air authority figures. Is it really necessary to do that? The WWE just cannot make up their mind with these two, so I think introducing another authority figure might make things fresh.

If they decide to stick with the stable and add more members, whom should they add? Rusev and Summer Rae come to mind. He is a good brute. There is also Kevin Owens. Many consider him one of Triple H's guys. How about Noble and Mercury? Those guys were pretty much jokes. Kane? If Kane comes back and just reconciles with Seth Rollins, I may officially quit. Teasing friction is one thing, but Seth Rollins attacked Kane while he was already down. To just have Kane shrug that off and rejoin the group is pathetic.

If the WWE goes the path of ending the stable and get someone fresh to run things, whom should that be? Not Kane. He doesn't need that angle. I also would not go with Brad Maddox. I would still go with Lana. Some fans heard she was getting a big push and just expected to see something the WWE was never showing any signs of doing. But having her run Raw and Smackdown for a while would be quite possibly the biggest push she could get.

Which way would I go? I would officially end the stable and get someone new to run things. Remember the days when the McMahons would be around for a while, take a break, come back, and just repeat that cycle? Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were gone for a few weeks last year, but it was like they never left. The main angle still revolved around Seth Rollins trying to get them back. That has been roughly 2 years of these two running things and teasing all this tension with people that should to be on their side. Enough is enough. They have gone stale. Their inconsistency is annoying. I cannot think of one good reason why they should not take at least the rest of the year off. Come back for Wrestlemania next year. In the meantime, something fresh might happen.

Three Vs. Three Vs. Three For Summerslam 2015

The main diva match for Summerslam is what many probably expected. You have 3 teams of 3 divas feuding. The PPV match will be 3 vs. 3 vs. 3. It will be The Bellas & Alicia Fox (Team Bella) vs. Paige, Charlotte & Becky Lynch (PCB) vs. Naomi, Tamina & Sasha Banks (Team B.A.D.). The WWE has added the extra wrinkle of making this an elimination match. That is fine.

The WWE has really not done anything interesting in developing this feud since the last time I talked about it. I do not expect them to do anything interesting next week before the PPV. It will be more of the same. There will be some matches featuring some combination of these women. There might even be another standoff. The hype that there is a revolution going on and having these NXT divas around will be enough to keep many fans interested. As long as the WWE gives these women proper time to work, there should be no problem. The WWE will get away with still being pretty mediocre with the booking of the diva division.

When the dust settles, who will be left in the spotlight in this match? Even though this is a team match, I do not expect the WWE to use this match just to put over a team. They will use this to put over one of the divas. The title is not on the line in the match. There is no need for Nikki to come out looking too strong. I would also say there is no need to have Team Bella win at all. The WWE will likely use this match to put focus on the diva that will be taking the title off Nikki. That is not likely to be a heel. Someone from PCB will likely get the attention. The sun is likely setting on Paige. Becky Lynch seems like the diva at the bottom of the group. That leaves Charlotte. She is the one I expect to shine with this match.

TNA Vs. GFW

TNA and GFW are having an inter-promotional angle. On paper, that is a good idea. GFW gets more exposure as they try to grow. TNA gets a bit of a summer angle. It is a situation that could benefit both sides.

Of course, one of the main issues is that TNA tapes so many episodes in just a few days. Because of that, it seems like this angle might be over just as quickly as it started. Not everyone reads spoilers, but the results are still out there. Aside from that, doing things this way does not give fans a chance to really connect with something before TNA has already moved on to whatever direction they had in mind, in many cases. It just doesn't help a lot of wrestlers in getting over, proper storyline development, and the overall product.

Just skimming over the spoilers, as far as TNA vs. GFW goes, nothing really stands out. None of the names grab me. GFW has some very talented guys, but as far as actual star power goes, some of their biggest names involved in this storyline were nothing more than midcarders in the WWE. Jeff Jarrett better know how to actually build these guys to be stars. Of course, what makes this angle interesting isn't any of the names involved. It is the "corporate takeover" storyline. Go back to Nexus. None of those guys were huge stars. What made the angle great was that they were just going out there and destroying people. Why? Who would be next? Having stars isn't always necessary if you have an intriguing storyline. TNA vs. GFW has the power to intrigue. Still, it would be nice if these two promotions did a better job creating and featuring stars.

Let me do an aside. I have never really talked about Tough Enough. A lot of fans are unhappy with the format and people they like getting voted off. I don't watch the show. I don't vote for anyone. All I will say is that I wouldn't make too much about who wins. Don't be fooled into thinking the winners of this thing are really that over. Look at the Diva Search. A handful of divas have won that. I would not say any of them ever reached A+ overness during their WWE careers. They had enough fan support to get the votes to win, but things are different on the main roster. Those voters are only a part of the overall WWE fanbase. Even if Sara Lee wins Tough Enough, how over will she be when she eventually debuts? I am pretty sure she will not have A+ overness, especially with so many fans out there that are critical of her. To put it simply, don't make too much about Tough Enough.

Dolph Ziggler Waiting To Return

Dolph Ziggler has returned to house shows. The WWE is not ready to bring him back officially yet. When he does officially return, he will obviously be right back in his feud with Rusev and storyline also involving Lana and Summer Rae.

I usually dislike it when wrestlers take time off to make a WWE movie. It usually ruins the flow of what was going on. A perfect example of that is Paige taking time off a few months ago to be in a movie. Not only did that mess up the feud she was in a bit, but it left the diva division with pretty much no face divas. They had low-tier divas they could have utilized better. They didn't do that. They could have brought in a face from NXT. They didn't do that. What did they do? Turned The Bellas face for a few weeks. After that, they turned them back to heels. And I do not think the WWE handled the feud that should have been there between Paige and the woman that took her out, Naomi, very well. The whole thing was a very sloppy situation.

I am not going to complain about Ziggler taking time off. For one thing, you don't have the depth issues in the men's division that you had in the women's division back when Paige left. Beyond that, it actually adds to the story. Rusev had suffered an injury months ago. Even though Dolph Ziggler did not cause it, it became part of the storyline. You can say Rusev got back at Ziggler by taking him out a few weeks ago. I would not say the flow of this feud was ruined with Ziggler taking time off. Lana is still there to continue things. Rusev has not been left out in the cold. There has been no sloppy face or heel turns because of all this. This has been a solid story, even if one of the main players had to take some time off. And when Ziggler is officially back, there will be more heat to the feud. He'll want revenge on Rusev for taking him out.

Just one last thing about Lana. A while back dirtsheets said Lana and Eva Marie were in line for huge pushes. They are now saying the WWE has given up on Lana and are giving her push to Eva. What were these writers really expecting to see? Lana doesn't wrestle. Even if she had picked up some wrestling ability, the WWE is currently having Nikki Bella likely break AJ Lee's record with the Diva's Championship. Even if the WWE did want to push Lana against Nikki Bella, Internet fans would complain about it. They want to see women with real wrestling credibility get pushed. The only place to push Lana is in the periphery. And as far as "huge" pushes go there, I could only see them putting her in an angle with Cena, putting her in The Authority, or making her an authority figure. They never went with any of that. They have gone with a storyline involving her splitting from Rusev, which is obviously the logical option. Can some people say the feud has been mediocre? Well, one of the performers suffers a legitimate injury and another has to take time off to film a movie. That is going to slow things down. Even then, Lana is consistently pushed, something you have not seen with eye-candy periphery divas in a while. I do not see this as a matter of the WWE giving up on Lana. I would say this is just dirtsheets expecting to see something that the WWE was just not in a position to do and now saying some other woman will get that huge treatment. If Eva Marie stays on NXT for more than 5 seconds, will dirtsheets say the WWE has given up on her and are giving her push to Renee Young?

Paige's Sophomore Year

Paige debuted on the main roster in 2014. That would make this her second year as a WWE diva. A lot of fans were excited when she debuted. She is certainly getting plenty to do. She's on Tough Enough, Total Divas, and has made a movie for the WWE. But what about Paige in the actual diva division? How has she developed there?

The first thing to look at would be her actual performance. I always thought Paige had a lot of potential. In terms of in-ring work, I still think she can do better. She has some nice spots, but it would be nice if she showed more. How about character? I remember seeing her just not being natural in how she showed character in her matches at times. I would say she's improved there. She is more natural. She seems more confident. Once someone is confident in what they are doing, it becomes easier for them to go out and succeed. Depending on what the WWE actually wants out of her, that may or may not be a good thing.

How about the WWE? Have they changed in how they want to push Paige? Paige was a credible jobber in 2014. What has changed since then is AJ Lee leaving and a diva revolution supposedly starting. These things might pave the way for Paige to get treated better. They might start pushing her as a legitimate star. However, the WWE is still showing signs of wanting to push a diva division. They still seem to be revolving around eye-candy. With women like Charlotte and Sasha Banks on the main roster now, that might eventually lead to Paige getting phased out, even if just a little. That is how the WWE pushes credible jobbers. All those extra-curricular activities I mentioned really do not mean anything. Ivory did Tough Enough. She was a credible jobber. Natalya is on Total Divas. The diva revolution seemed to not include her. Brodus Clay did a movie for the WWE. He's in TNA now. It all comes down to how you are pushed on the main shows. Right now, Paige is the leader of her own stable. But that will not last forever. What the WWE does with her after that will be telling.

I have also said that Paige might be the next Mickie James. Mickie James was a credible jobber that took that career where no diva becomes very over and became the most over diva on the roster. Has my opinion there changed since last year? Well, it mainly comes down to how over Paige is. I am thinking the WWE will keep pushing her as a credible jobber, so will she be able to overcome that? I have already seen some fans turning on her. They don't like how she comes off on Total Divas and Tough Enough. And for those fans that gravitate towards in-ring work, they might start liking some of these fresher NXT women that have debuted. Nikki Bella also seems to be a much more competent centerpiece than many of the women the WWE tried to push as the top star after Trish left. She is not the greatest, but the WWE might have an easier time rebuilding the status quo of the diva division with her. That might not be good for many female wrestlers. Of course, Paige is still young and has time to get to the top. Until then, however, I am less confident she can be the next Mickie James.

The Tag Division Heading Into Summerslam 2015

You have most of the contenders in the tag division getting the spotlight right now. The Prime Time Players are still holding the titles. The Ascension, New Day, Los Matadores, and Lucha Dragons are in the hunt. I have mixed feelings on this feud. Initially, I liked that there was this kind of focus in the tag division. Spread the attention around.

After thinking about it a little more, why not save this for Night of Champions? Night of Champions is a PPV dedicated to titles. It would make better sense to have a tag-team feud that features so many contenders heading into that PPV. You can have Tag Team Turmoil there.

Thinking about it more, why have this feud at all? This is not the first time this year that the WWE has had a multi-team feud for the titles. They had it at Wrestlemania. They had it at Elimination Chamber. They are doing it again at Summerslam. They will probably do it again before the year ends. How about creating a personal feud between just two teams for the titles at Summerslam? I don't mean just a feud where the tag titles are on the line. Make it more personal. Make it mean more. When John Cena and The Rock went at it for the second time at Wrestlemania, it was about more than just the WWE Championship. It was about Cena bouncing back from his previous loss to The Rock. I am not saying the WWE can produce anything like that in their tag division, but create some kind of solid feud between two teams for the titles. That might make some of these teams feel like more than just lower-midcarders.

Seth Rollins Vs. John Cena: Winner Takes All

Even with John Cena out with that injury, the WWE is still continuing the feud between him and Seth Rollins. The match they are aiming for will have both Cena's United States Championship and Seth's WWE Championship on the line. That is certainly a big match with high stakes.

Prior to the injury, the way I imagined this feud going was Seth costing Cena the United States title in the weeks leading up to Summerslam. That would leave just the WWE Championship on the line at the PPV. This match is now an even bigger deal. I like it. It brings more drama to the feud. Who will win both titles? Will Cena even make it to Summerslam?

Will this be the end of Seth Rollins being WWE Champion? If only his title was on the line, I would say the odds would be better that he would retain. Both titles are on the line. You also have Seth Rollins being a pretty poor Champion and injuring the centerpiece of the company. What would holding both titles do for him? If Cena wins, I could imagine him vacating the United States title. Problem is, there is also the possibility Ryback will vacate his Intercontinental title. Having some kind of tournament to crown a new Champion would be good for Night of Champions. Having two vacated titles that need a new home? That's something else. As of right now, I would still say Cena wins, if he is healthy enough to go.

Orton Vs. Sheamus Continues

Randy Orton and Sheamus have been feuding for a while now. Randy Orton won the PPV encounter a few weeks ago. That is where I would have ended this feud.

It isn't over. They are still feuding. This is a pretty bland feud. I am not even going to talk about having a gimmick match with the two at Summerslam. I do not think even that can save this feud. The development has been mediocre. They have mainly just been involved with other feuds. They were a part of a match that involved the Wyatt/Reigns feud this week. Sheamus got involved in Orton's match with Kevin Owens last week. They were a part of another tag match the week before that. This feud just does not seem that personal. It does not have individual focus on it. That just leaves it feeling unimportant.

Let me talk about what I would have done with these two right now. Have Sheamus feud with Dean Ambrose. Leave Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt a singles feud. Reigns can overcome Luke Harper on his way to getting revenge on Bray Wyatt. Have Randy Orton feud with King Barrett. Wade Barrett wins King of the Ring and his biggest feud since then has been against R-Truth. Yes, I think they can do better. If The Authority actually had any members left, I would say Randy Orton could feud with one of them. That stable has become pathetic, if you can still consider it a stable. In any case, I do not think Orton/Sheamus is that great and the WWE did have options for something else.

Layla Retires

Layla has retired from the WWE. She was with the company for almost 10 years. She is currently 38, making her one of the oldest divas the WWE had on the roster. She had some title success, although never really being pushed as a top star. The highlight of her WWE career was teaming with Michelle McCool while she was pushed as centerpiece.

Layla definitely improved since she won the Diva Search almost a decade ago. She was pushed as just an eye-candy periphery diva before teaming with McCool. She improved in the ring and I would say she also became more natural with her character. No need to talk about looks. She was one of the hottest divas the WWE had. Even at 38, many fans would say she was the hottest diva on the roster.

Could the WWE have done more with her? I would say she was the best eye-candy diva to improve in the ring and be treated as a credible jobber. To put that another way, of all the eye-candy divas never pushed as the centerpiece, she deserved that top position the most. She improved in the ring. Fans find her sexy. She has charisma. The only thing that might make the WWE hesitant is her age, but she would have been a good choice to push after Eve Torres retired. Instead, Layla was juggled around some periphery angles in recent years and didn't do much at all in 2015. Retirement angle? Would have been nice. I am not saying they should have given her a title reign, but she was a good worker and might have deserved a proper sendoff.

Is this a blow to the diva division? Not really. Layla was one of those divas lost in the shuffle during all this #GiveDivasAChance stuff. You have 9 divas involved in the main diva feud and Summer Rae and Lana in a periphery feud. Outside of those women, Stephanie McMahon, and Lilian Garcia, how well are any other women featured on the main shows? There is no need to debut someone to fill Layla's spot. No need to discuss which NXT diva could fill that position. After all, the WWE did just debut 3 women.