Another Memorable Night In Brooklyn For Sasha Banks?

It wasn't that long ago that Sasha Banks was part of a great match with Bayley in NXT in Brooklyn. That great match made her more of a hero to wrestling fans. I saw some fans ready to crown her wrestler of the year, even ahead of some men. Fans would even chant for her during other diva segments.

The final Raw of 2015 was in Brooklyn, my hometown. The WWE booked Sasha Banks in a match. It was against Becky Lynch, who also happens to be talented in the ring. This match, however, was not received as well as that NXT match against Bayley. It got "boring" chants at one point. Same city. Talented opponent. Different results.

I would say the main problem here is it was given too much time. The match wasn't too awful, but it just dragged on for a while. Too many rest holds. I remember watching a match between Gail Kim and Lita. These are two women that know how to wrestle. This match was okay, but it also felt like it could have been better. It wasn't as exciting as it could have been. This match between Sasha and Becky was given even more time than that match. Aside from the finishing sequence and a few other spots here and there, a lot of this match just wasn't necessary.

I know a lot of fans care way too much about match time. That was one of the big issues with #GiveDivasAChance. People were actually timing matches on Twitter. Ten seconds is definitely too little time to give two women a chance to put on a good performance, but there is such a thing as having too much time to work with. The WWE does not manage diva matches well on the main roster. The average Raw diva match should last about 5 minutes. Save 10-minute matches for PPVs or special situations on Raw or Smackdown where the divas need and deserve the time. That diva match on Raw this week was not a special situation that called for a long match. If there was some special angle going on, maybe fans would have been more invested and the two women would have been able to feed off that to put on an even better performance.

I said a while ago that I did not think Sasha Banks would be able to live up to the high expectations placed on her by wrestling fans. That is not a comment on her talent. That is a comment on fans expecting too much and not taking into account the WWE not booking matches better. Ever since fans protested on Twitter and the WWE started giving divas longer matches, I have seen a few dull matches here and there. Not horrible, but just matches that dragged on. It seems like some fans just get more excited for how long a match lasts than the actual quality of the match. In this environment, it would not be likely Sasha Banks would succeed. Her only hope is for the WWE starting to put individual focus on her better. Once her character starts getting connected with the audience better, she will become more legitimately over. She is already over with wrestling fans as an in-ring performer, but there is more to it than that.

Roman Reigns: A Victory For The Status Quo?

The status quo in the WWE is not one in which everyone is given an equal, fair opportunity and it is up to each performer to be the best they can be and earn the top positions for themselves. It is one in which the company chooses whom they want to be their stars and grooms them to be stars. They will take advantage of people not getting opportunities to be pushed as top stars to put over top stars. They will stifle success they do not want to have. They will force things. Even if things do not look like it is working out, the WWE will stick with what they want. Not surprisingly, this status quo can sometimes lead to failure.

Roman Reigns is a benefactor of this status quo. Problem is, it looked like he would be a flop. He can connect moderately well with some fans, but there is a vocal fanbase out there that has crushed him at times. He seemed to win those fans over a few weeks ago and the WWE wasted no time in putting the WWE Championship back on him for a proper run.

Is this a win for the status quo? Considering the issues the WWE has had with John Cena's connection with the fans, it has been a while since they had a centerpiece with an A+ connection with the fans. But I am not ready to say that Roman Reigns has clinched that level of overness for himself. Fans reacted well to him attacking Triple H, but is the connection genuine? I have seen people get cheered just for doing a certain thing the fans loved seeing. It doesn't mean they were over. It is not always enough to truly make them over. But the WWE definitely wants to make Roman Reigns over.

The WWE might think they have found the winning formula. Fans seem to like it when Roman Reigns is a badass attacking authority figures. Sound familiar? People have already made the comparison between him and Austin. They say they are making him into another Stone Cold. He doesn't have the mic skills to be like The Rock. If the WWE can continue going in this direction and solidify the overness Roman Reigns has, it will be a win for the status quo.

What does that mean for guys on the wrong side of the status quo? There are some talented wrestlers out there that wrestling fans would like to see pushed better. With Roman Reigns possibly succeeding with his push as centerpiece, it is unlikely many of these guys will ever get a shot to be the top star.

Speaking of Austin, he seems to be a Cesaro fan. Cesaro is one of those guys on the wrong side of the status quo. He currently has injury issues. Austin suggested that Cesaro come back swinging and fight to get that better push. Easier said than done. Even if Cesaro does somehow reinvent himself and gets very over, will the WWE automatically push him at the level he deserves? No. Will they possibly use him to put over whom they do want over? They have done this kind of thing before.

In general, you usually see the WWE take someone that has the look and character they like, and usually lacks great wrestling ability, and then struggle to get that person liked by wrestling fans once they start getting pushed as the centerpiece. How about taking someone already connecting well with wrestling fans and groom him to get over with the wider audience? If someone like that is already getting a better reaction than pretty much anyone else on the roster, it would make sense to build around someone like that. Give him the creative interest and hype to connect with the wider audience. But that is not how the status quo of the WWE works.

Back to Roman Reigns. His storyline now involves Vince McMahon even more. You can't get a bigger rub than this. Sheamus will get his rematch for the title on Raw next week. Vince will be the referee. Big match for Raw. Does Sheamus regain the title? The odds may be stacked against Reigns, but that was the way things were when he won the title on Raw a few weeks ago. The WWE will find some way for him to retain again. I don't expect any heel turn for Reigns? Might Cena and/or The Usos get involved? Will Triple H show up? Let's see how it plays out.

Stephanie McMahon Never Gets Shut Down

Roman Reigns isn't the only person in the WWE that has been on a rampage recently. Stephanie McMahon has also smacked people around. She's done that for a long while. I see some fans getting tired of it. She never really seems to get her comeuppance. She never seems to really get put in her place.

Fifteen years ago, it wouldn't be unusual to see Stephanie McMahon do her heel act and to actually be on the receiving end of a finisher for it. These days, it is extremely rare to see a man hit any kind of move on a woman in the WWE. You would think the WWE would still come up with better ways for some of these guys Stephanie has manhandled to stand up for themselves.

There have been moments where Stephanie McMahon has been embarrassed, like when she got arrested during her feud with The Bellas or when it looked like The Authority were out of power. Problem is, it never really hurts her that much. She comes back and slaps more people around. It just becomes overbearing for some fans.

Comeuppance for Stephanie McMahon has to be more than her just getting laid out by someone she is trying to intimidate. It has to be her actually being shut down, at least for a while. Make it look like the face that puts her in her place actually accomplished something. Have her take a break for a few months, be used less on Raw, or just act like she has been put in her place for a while. It has to be about more than a moment.

Since it likely won't be a man that shuts Stephanie McMahon down, you have to look to the divas. If AJ Lee was still around, she might be an obvious choice. Fans were anticipating some kind of feud when she called Stephanie McMahon out on Twitter earlier this year. That was not kayfabe. The Bellas have feuded with Stephanie before. The WWE can turn them face and revisit that feud. This time, have the sisters overcome Stephanie. Or they can push Paige against Stephanie. Have Paige call her out on who really started the revolution. If the WWE is going to continue to protect Stephanie so much, they can build her up to eventually put a diva over.

This situation with Stephanie McMahon reminds me of what you had with LayCool. With only them being featured prominently in the diva division for a long span, they just became overbearing. They would never really get shut down. There were moments where it seemed like a face put them in their place, like Mickie James or Natalya did. The two heels just always bounced back like nothing really happened. They were still featured as the top stars. That is because McCool was the centerpiece. After the two split and Layla went over her, the WWE just never followed up with Layla at a high level. Even after injuries, they had the opportunity to. Stephanie McMahon is not the centerpiece of the diva division like Michelle McCool was. That makes the WWE protecting her too much even more needless.

Even though fans are supposed to want to see heels get what they have coming, there are still instances where you would like certain heels to be dominant for a span just because there might be some great storyline potential there. Look at Bray Wyatt. How many major feuds has this guy won? How many storylines actually make him look like a winner? He seems to win just to be built up to put over someone else. A lot of fans want to see him actually accomplish some of the things he talks about. Or is he just a babbling loser? He would still be eventually used to put a face over, but he would look strong and intriguing until that time comes. Considering he is fresher talent than Stephanie McMahon, this is a character the WWE should feature stronger.

I like Stephanie McMahon. There was a span over a decade ago where she was my favorite woman in the company. But that was also back when she was put in her place more often. Her character never got as overbearing as it can sometimes be these days. She can go on the mic and she can be charismatic and fun, but as a heel, she does need to let a few faces shut her down more often.

What Do You Do With Ziggler?

Dolph Ziggler moved on from his feud with Tyler Breeze and found himself a part of the feud between Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens. It is a title feud. The Intercontinental Championship is involved. But it is unlikely Dolph Ziggler will win the belt from Ambrose, who just won the title himself.

It just feels like the WWE really didn't have anything for Ziggler and plugged him with Ambrose and Owens. Should they have continued his feud with Tyler Breeze? I don't think so. It just doesn't feel like that feud was going anywhere interesting. A feud with Alberto Del Rio? I think that would have been a good option. That would have been a title feud. These two have a history. Ziggler would also be feuding with a member of a top stable right now. That would elevate him better than this Intercontinental Championship feud. Even if it is leading to main events on Smackdown, it is still just a midcard feud. A feud with Alberto Del Rio and the rest of his buddies would have been bigger, if done right.

Look ahead a month. The Royal Rumble is coming up. Is Ziggler a favorite to win there? At the 2015 Royal Rumble, some fans said that the mess wasn't just about Daniel Bryan losing and Roman Reigns winning. Ziggler was supposedly a guy they were pulling for and it was upsetting when he lost. I doubt fans will be in too much of an uproar if Ziggler loses again. If the WWE does want to give the win to someone with some credibility that no one really expects to win, it might be Ziggler. It can be an underdog win. I doubt it happens. It will be interesting to see what they do choose to do with Ziggler for Wrestlemania season. He had the opportunity to leave the company this year. He stuck around. Was it just for the money? Or is some kind of big push in his future? Better than he is getting recently would be nice.

I will probably skip blogging for Christmas. If you regularly read my blog, don't expect anything. Merry Christmas!

Nikki Bella Wins Diva Of The Year

The Slammy Awards were last night. Unlike last year, nothing stood out as too awkward in terms of the winners. Last year, Roman Reigns winning "Superstar of the Year" was awkward. Before I do get into Nikki Bella winning a Slammy last night, let me go back to last year and talk about the Slammies in general.

The way I see some fans reacting, they think the WWE predetermines every Slammy winner, despite the fact that the awards are supposed to be voted on by fans these days. I wouldn't go that far. First of all, some of these awards are really meaningless. You have lower-midcarders winning some of them. No push needs to be attached to them. It just leads to a segment and everyone moves on in many situations. Even at a time when the WWE did decide the winners, no big push needs to come of it. Beth Phoenix was the winner of "Diva of the Year" in 2008. That wasn't decided by fans. She got pushed as a credible jobber in 2008. She got pushed that way in 2009. She never stopped being pushed like that. The Slammy didn't mean too much.

Another thing to keep in mind is that whatever is likely to win is something or someone that was popular or talked about the most in a given year. There are also situations where something that just happened might be fresher in people's minds and they would vote for that. There are multiple explanations why something or someone might get an award as voted on by fans.

And then you have Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns winning that award last year was very suspicious. He had not accomplished anything memorable in 2014. He was over, but obviously not as over as the WWE would have liked. He was out for weeks prior to the Slammy Awards last year, so you can't say that he had just returned and done something to get fans interested in him. Seth Rollins winning that same Slammy this year makes sense because he held the WWE Championship longer than anyone this year and retained it against some big names. He is not extremely popular, but I can buy into him winning. Fans bought into his booking. But would those same fans that voted Roman Reigns last year really pick Seth Rollins this year? If popularity is supposedly the driving force behind the "Superstar of the Year" Slammy, you might expect someone like Dean Ambrose to win this year. He has never been World Champion, but neither was Roman Reigns when he won the Slammy last year. And if Roman Reigns was supposedly popular enough to win it last year, when he didn't really accomplish anything and was out for a while, why wouldn't he win it again this year? He was here all year. He actually won the WWE Championship, twice. He seemed to win his haters over at TLC and the night after.

Why would the WWE rig the Slammies for Roman Reigns last year? To hype him up prior to his big push. People could see his big push coming even before he won the Royal Rumble this year. Problem is, he was out for a few weeks, which hurt his momentum. Giving him that Slammy would be a way to hype him up big again as the WWE continued his big push, which ended up backfiring. I do not think the WWE rigs all their polls, but this is a company that tries to build stars, sometimes forcibly, and is known to screw people. I definitely believe the WWE would take advantage of a Slammy win, or non-win, to make someone look great, or sell that someone else is not that popular.  

Onto Nikki Bella. I do not find her winning a Slammy suspicious. If you can accept fans voting for Seth Rollins because he was WWE Champion for most of the year, you can use that same logic to buy Nikki Bella winning her Slammy. She broke the record for longest reign with the Diva's Championship. PWI named her #1. Some fans buy into booking for awards like this.

Just to make it clear, this is not a sign that Nikki Bella is popular. I remember fans on Twitter being very against her breaking AJ Lee's record. And even a hashtag about her deserving to break the record was full of more negativity towards her than positive comments. But if you want to talk about which diva has had the best year, it is Nikki Bella. I have seen divas win polls based on how well they were booked at the time or for the year. It doesn't always come down to a popularity contest.

Another reason I do not find Nikki Bella winning suspicious, who is really the most over diva on the roster? There isn't one diva knocking it out of the park right now. Sasha Banks obviously has her fans, but I have said before that those chants do not mean she is as over as some people might expect. Paige is also liked by many fans. Charlotte is currently holding the title and there was a time when people were actually looking forward to seeing her debut and get pushed. I think her support has died down a bit. Despite fans wanting to say that Nikki Bella slept her way to the top, there are still people that like The Bellas out there. I am not surprised Nikki Bella won. I can imagine a lot of fans looking at how she was booked all year and hearing about her beating AJ's record and deciding to vote for her. There was really no one diva in the whole roster that was so over that you would expect her to win instead, despite Nikki's booking.

The fact that there isn't one diva that is that over is a problem. If the WWE had a worker with the in-ring talent to connect with wrestling fans and the charisma and look to appeal to a wider audience, they can build around her. That's the centerpiece. Push other eye-candy divas in the periphery to also appeal to viewers that want to see something sexy or glamorous. Push a female wrestler in a unique way in the periphery to draw some unique interest there. Have a strong foundation of credible jobbers to keep things respectable. The WWE really had a great system at one time, but it has unraveled. They have not had workers they were willing to push as stars connect with the fans at a great level since Trish and Lita.

Even going back a year to when AJ Lee was still around, they did not have someone bringing A+ results. I remember paying attention to polls in 2014. After Paige debuted and won the title from AJ Lee, I would see fans voting Paige as hotter and better than AJ. Soon after AJ returned and won back the title, that love went back to her for a while. I have seen this kind of swing just on one message board. AJ was obviously the diva they wanted to push as a star, while Paige is a credible jobber. Some fans have criticized AJ's wrestling ability. They say she just wasn't interested during her last year in the WWE. I think part of that was her aloof character. And yet, she was the closest thing to a great star the WWE created in the diva division since Trish and Lita.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Yeah, I would not mind seeing AJ back in the WWE. But she is just at her best as a periphery character. Pushing her in wrestling matters just ruined her edge. I already pointed out many fans criticizing her wrestling ability. And her character just made her hard to buy into for some feuds and storylines. In the periphery, however, she wouldn't be that annoying. She works well as a character performer. She has charisma. She is attractive without looking like the typical diva. Depending on how they would handle her, AJ Lee might have ended up a better periphery diva than Lita.

To top it all off, I do not even mind Nikki Bella coming back. The diva division has been sour the last few months. Most of the blame should go to the WWE and their creative ideas. Moreover, things probably still would have been bad even with The Bellas pushed during that time. But I am starting to think even The Bellas can be more useful and possibly get over. But it will take more than a long title reign and a Slammy to get it done.

John Cena Will Be Coming Back

John Cena took some time off from the WWE for an outside project. The WWE would be hypocrites if they still had him give self-righteous speeches about always being there and the company being his life. I'm sure he'll be singing that tune again one day. Regardless, what might happen once he does return?

The last time he was seen in the WWE, he had just lost his United States Championship to Alberto Del Rio. The obvious push for Cena when he returns would be to give him his rematch. But would he regain the title? I doubt it. It is probably time for him to move on. There might not even be an actual feud here. Just have Cena vs. Del Rio on an episode of Raw. Have Del Rio's new friends help him retain.

Would that lead to John Cena feuding with The League of Nations? He has had feuds with the members of the stable already. If he is going to feud with the group, he would need allies. Would he be siding with Roman Reigns, who has issues with Sheamus? Regardless of who stands by him, I can picture Cena feuding with the stable, especially if the WWE is not ready to put him in a WWE Championship feud again.

What if they are looking for Cena to get into the title mix? He is advertised for the Royal Rumble. He has won the Rumble match twice already. John Cena vs. Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania is definitely a match you can see happening. There is still a lot of time for the WWE to decide and more names that can be in the Royal Rumble that could legitimately win, but John Cena is an early favorite.

Tyler Breeze Going Nowhere

Most wrestlers will get some kind of undefeated streak when they just debut or get repackaged with a new gimmick. Even if they are just running through opponents and there is no real development for them, which would suggest they will soon be lost in the shuffle, they at least get that. Tyler Breeze has not gotten even that. I felt this guy would end up like Fandango, but he has hit mediocrity even faster than I expected.

Breeze has beaten a few jobbers. He got a win against Dolph Ziggler. But he has pretty much lost that feud and has lost to a few guys you would not expect someone that just debuted to lose to. He now finds himself in a feud against Goldust. This just feels like a lower-midcard feud. Goldust spent most of the year out with an injury. He came back a few weeks ago. But he's really not someone that needs to win feuds at this stage of his career. This is a feud for Tyler Breeze to win. This feud feels like what you had between R-Truth and King Barrett. You have a veteran face with a goofy gimmick that does not get pushed often feuding against a heel to put him over in the end. Neither guy is going anywhere far, but it has some entertainment value.

I do not feel as bad for Tyler Breeze as much as I do for Summer Rae. She has just bounced from one periphery angle to another her entire career on the main roster. Her angle with Rusev was her first real shot at something good. That got ruined. It transitioned to another angle, but that angle is just really weak right now. Eye-candy divas do serve a purpose. She is still being utilized as part of a storyline and getting to work with someone with a gimmick, which helps, but this situation could be better.

Goldust has a history of interesting angles with women. How interesting should this feud get? It could simply lead to Tyler Breeze going over Goldust and nothing more. Or should the WWE have Summer Rae end up with Goldust? No need for that. As I said before, Goldust doesn't need to win feuds at this stage of his career. His career won't go much further. But the WWE might still manage more interesting encounters between Goldust and Summer Rae, not to mention Breeze.

Team ECW Just Cannot Beat The Wyatts

The Wyatts beat Team ECW at TLC. That was not too shocking. That was followed by another brutal match the next night on Raw. This was an Extreme Rules match. The Wyatts once again won.

Should the WWE have let the ECW guys win that match in Philadelphia on Monday? That is ECW country. The Dudleys, Tommy Dreamer, and Rhyno are all over 40. It's not like they need the rub. But it might have been a nice gesture. It might have been a nice moment. As I have said before, these ECW guys are not as legendary in the WWE as someone like The Undertaker, who has gone over Bray Wyatt twice this year already, but Raw might have had another nice moment if the ECW guys had won.

Then again, maybe it is for the best that The Wyatts look strong again. The story of Bray's career on the main roster has been looking strong against people at his level and below him, then being used to put someone over. Sprinkle in some periods where it seems creative has nothing for him and those times he has lost feuds and moved on to another like nothing happened. These old ECW guys were definitely below him. Perfect group to put him and the rest of his guys over.

Where will The Wyatts move on to? Whenever Bray Wyatt is looking good, you have to wonder whom the WWE will feed him to. Roman Reigns in an eventual title feud? There really aren't many top stars around. To make matters worse, Bray Wyatt has already feuded with a lot of the top stars on the roster. Randy Orton is injured. Are there another four guys for The Wyatts to feud with as a group? I doubt the WWE goes with The Wyatts vs. Roman Reigns and his pals. If the WWE has no long-term plan, those ECW guys might end up putting over a stable with nowhere to go after.

New WWE Champion: Roman Reigns

The WWE could probably smell the blood in the water at TLC. They went in for the kill on Raw last night. At TLC, despite not winning the title from Sheamus, Roman Reigns seemed to win the crowd over with his assault on Triple H. The WWE didn't take too much time after that to give Roman Reigns a rematch on Raw, where he finally captured the WWE Championship. It looks like this reign will last longer than 5 minutes.

I like that they had a title change happen on Raw. That does not happen often. They should do exciting things like that to help ratings.

The WWE didn't simply give Roman Reigns the title. It is how they did it that deserves to be mentioned. At TLC, the WWE saw that having Roman Reigns attack Triple H helped him win the rowdy fans over. They gave a little more of that on Raw. This time, it was Vince McMahon himself out to screw Roman Reigns. And if Reigns lost, he would be fired. The League of Nations would also once again get involved. The odds were just stacked against Roman Reigns. And he overcame it all himself. He even knocked out Vince. If attacking Triple H got fans to cheer him, knocking out Vince shouldn't hurt too much. The WWE has certainly put work into creating Roman Reigns.

Where does this leave Sheamus and his group? Sheamus was obviously a stepping stone. He will get his rematch. But how will the WWE continue The League of Nations? The group has only been official for a few weeks. I am getting the feeling it might already be starting to fall to pieces. I definitely do not see it remaining a main-event stable for long. If it does survive any meaningful length of time, it will be an upper-midcard/midcard angle. I have said before that I dislike when the WWE invests in a group when it is obvious they might not last long. They come up with a stable name, a group theme, and whatever else. And then the group just falls apart. I would really hate for that to happen here, especially so soon. This group had potential, despite some issues. I was going to talk about the WWE's handling of Lana in relation to the group, but I now have to wonder if the group will be around long enough to even bother bringing that up.

Back to Roman Reigns. This might be the true start of his centerpiece run. Yes, John Cena was not around the last few months, but this has not been a filler run. A few years ago, John Cena had to take time off due to injury and Daniel Bryan got pushed as filler in his place. Cena came back, won a World title, was in a match to unify the titles, and then you had Batista. While that went on, Daniel Bryan was getting phased out. That is how you know his push was just meant to be filler. Circumstances and fan backlash led to him getting back in the title picture. Roman Reigns is someone they actually want to be a top star.

The storyline with Roman Reigns is similar to the storyline with Daniel Bryan back then. Authority figures don't want a certain face to win the title and screw him. But what happened with Daniel Bryan wasn't just a storyline. The WWE legitimately did not want to push him at the level he deserved. Running the storyline they did was the dumbest thing they could have done. It just riled fans up even more. Danial Bryan was already connecting with the fans very well prior to that whole thing getting blown up further. The WWE should not have messed with that. This is not the kind of storyline you should do with someone you do not intend to eventually get a proper run at the top, especially when that someone is as hot as Daniel Bryan was.

The WWE has obviously pulled the trigger with Reigns, but what if they didn't? What if they had him win, then had Vince somehow strip him of the title right after? What if they actually had him lose and get "fired"? Would fans threaten to riot or start a petition to get him rehired? What if they screwed him out of the title and just moved on, like they tried to do with Daniel Bryan a few years ago? Would there be that same backlash? Roman Reigns may have gotten a great reaction at TLC, but you never make too much out of one thing. I would not yet say he is as hot as Daniel Bryan was back then. If the WWE decided to play with this situation and dragged it out, it probably would have not worked. They wasted no time in pulling that trigger. Probably a very smart move.

Roman Reigns Attacks Triple H

Roman Reigns did not win the WWE Championship back at TLC last night, but it is what he did after the match that matters more. He assaulted Triple H. And he got a pretty good reaction for doing it.

Many people have said ever since Roman Reigns was having issues with his big push that he should just turn heel. I never agreed with that idea. A heel turn is not always the answer. The WWE just had to find a proper face character for Roman Reigns. The guy can get a good reaction from some fans, but it is those smarks he needed to win over. As you usually get at a PPV, the crowd was filled with smarks last night. And the WWE found a way to get Roman Reigns to win them over.

He did it by simply going out there and destroying a heel authority figure. A lot of fans love seeing violence and destruction. You do not need to have a comedy gimmick to get over. One of the reasons The Shield worked out is because they were going out there and taking people out. Nexus did the same thing and that angle worked. Kharma went out there and destroyed eye-candy divas. That worked in creating interest in the diva division. It is not surprising that an intense, destructive Roman Reigns would get a positive reaction. I have said before that this guy should play a badass face. Do not push him as a face character he cannot handle. It is still questionable whether he deserves to be the new centerpiece, but they can at least start doing a good job winning his haters over.

What the WWE did last night is a good example of what they are about. They do not just dump a title on someone. They want to get that someone connecting with the audience. They put work into getting someone they want to be a top star over. It is something TNA does not do. They just rotate titles around. In their women's division, they just seem to always give the title to Gail Kim. But they do not really put the work in to get her more over. Building a centerpiece is about overness even more than it is about title reigns. Those title reigns do not mean much if the person winning them isn't connecting with the audience the way the company wants them to. If Roman Reigns didn't have issues, he would probably be a 2-time or 3-time WWE Champion by now. But the WWE is still in the process of building him.

Let me switch to Roman's buddy, Dean Ambrose. He won the Intercontinental Championship. I felt that there would be a title change at TLC. I just felt it would be Roman's other associates, The Usos, winning some gold. Dean Ambrose didn't really look like he needed a title right now. Kevin Owens only really had that one successful title feud against Ryback, the guy he won it from. I saw one fan say Owens can now move up to a better feud. With whom? What top face will he start feuding with? Let's see what happens to him. Even if Ambrose didn't win the title, I wouldn't have been too worried about him getting lost in the shuffle.

Roman Reigns Vs. Sheamus At TLC 2015: Final Preview

Whether some fans like it or not, Sheamus is currently the top heel and Roman Reigns is the top face. And there are a lot of fans that do not like that. They view these two as benefactors of backstage politics, nepotism, or continuing the same old status quo they hate. Their favorites, like Cesaro and Daniel Bryan, are not around. The current situation in the WWE is like a nightmare for some fans. Regardless, Sheamus and Reigns will have a TLC match this Sunday for the WWE Championship.

Raw ended with a promo and brawl between Reigns and Sheamus. Let me start with what I like about that. Raw ended the way it should, promoting the main event of TLC. The WWE was having a tournament to crown a new WWE Champion last month and I said the WWE should have featured these matches better. Let them go on last. So what if it's football season? So what if the third hour does poorly? You have to give top focus to something as big as a TLC WWE Championship match. This segment definitely deserved to end Raw.

Let me say what I don't like about the segment they had on Raw. I can understand getting a little physical to promote Tables, Ladders & Chairs, but I would be careful about how brutal things get. The WWE has a lot of top stars not around. Neither Sheamus nor Roman Reigns can be considered huge stars, but they are the two being pushed right now. Do you want to risk injury less than a week before their title match? I would have toned it down a little. It has nothing to do with PG. It is about avoiding injury. I think more fans would be unhappy with a safe, lame TLC match this Sunday than a brawl on Raw to promote the match being a little less brutal. Both Sheamus and Roman Reigns have had to take time off due to injuries in recent years. If an injury does end up happening at TLC, well, at least they made it to the match. Better than getting injured on Raw and the WWE having to scramble to work through it on short notice. Thankfully, no injuries to hinder the match.

There is no longer a need to ask if Roman Reigns is ready. He is being pushed as the top face. Granted, it is coming at a time when other top faces are not around. Because of that, you would think some people might be more willing to let him get his push. Daniel Bryan was pushed in a filler role as top face a few years ago when Cena took time off due to an injury. The WWE ended up eventually trying to phase Daniel Bryan out. That did not work well. I do not think the same thing will happen to Roman Reigns when Cena returns again. If it does, will fans riot to get Roman Reigns back in the title picture? I doubt it.

Who wins at TLC? Sheamus is not the one being groomed to be centerpiece of the company. That is Roman Reigns. But that does not mean the WWE will rush the title back on him. They might make it more of a journey. Besides, Sheamus just created a stable a few weeks ago. How would it look if he lost the title so soon? The League of Nations should find some way to get involved. I doubt Roman Reigns loses cleanly. But I do think he will lose here.

Previewing The TLC 2015 Undercard Title Matches

All the titles will be on the line at TLC this Sunday. I will talk about the WWE Championship match next time. Right now, I will look at the matches for the Intercontinental, United States, Tag Team, and Diva's Championships.

A common theme in the matches I am about to talk about will be multiple angles going on for some of these wrestlers possibly holding back the potential of the title feuds. I talked about that recently. The League of Nations was just formed, with some of those guys already having something going on prior to the stable becoming official. Then The Usos and Dean Ambrose came out to help Roman Reigns, bringing up the possibility of a stable there. The diva division is a mess, as usual.

Let me start with the Intercontinental Championship match. Dean Ambrose goes against Kevin Owens. I said that this was a feud that did not really need a fancy storyline to it. I did not imagine when I said that that things would work out like they have. Owens was not able to get involved as best as he could for a while. Dean Ambrose got involved with Roman Reigns against The League of Nations. The feud just became an afterthought. They will have a contract signing on Smackdown this week. My initial reaction was that this feud does not really need that, but it is probably a good way to give this match some hype prior to TLC. I still feel Owens retains. Given how things have worked out, extending the feud a few more weeks after TLC would not be too horrible.

Jack Swagger goes after the United States Championship held by Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio retains, but it is really a shame what has happened to this feud. This was the midcard title feud that had potential for a good story. But putting Del Rio into The League of Nations has ruined the storyline they could have had here. It will be a chairs match, but the feud could have been better.

The tag titles will be decided in a triple-threat ladder match. Considering the men involved, it should be a great match and give the main event some competition for match of the night. The New Day defend against The Usos and Lucha Dragons. The Lucha Dragons are probably just there to make the match more exciting. It is unlikely they win. But it is a shame that they have not been featured better in the feud. Winning a match here and there isn't enough. It is all about how you are actually featured. The New Day have been associating with Sheamus and his group. The Usos have obviously sided with Roman Reigns. If Sin Cara & Kalisto were not involved in this title match, there would be no problem. As it stands, it feels like they are getting the short end of the stick. It seems like a lot of these title feuds have gotten the short end of the stick for a while for the benefit of furthering Reigns vs. Sheamus. Do The Usos win the titles here? It is only a matter of time before they do. I will say they do win them.

The diva division is a mess. The feud between Charlotte and Paige has been horrible. I have said that they probably should have ended it already. Move on to something else. They have continued it and only seem to make it worse. Already teasing friction between Charlotte and Becky Lynch before the feud between Paige and Charlotte is done just takes away from the feud. If Paige was the one forcing the wedge, that would be one thing. She's not. Even Team Bella has stirred the pot.

And the WWE brings back Ric Flair to get involved even more regularly. I do not think that is fair. How many wrestlers have a legendary father at the level of Ric Flair to give them a rub? It wouldn't be right for The Rock to carry a certain family member of his that has issues connecting with the fans, so I do not think the WWE should do too much with Ric Flair for Charlotte's benefit. She needs to do it on her own. If they wanted to bring Ric Flair in to work with Charlotte in a certain storyline that really deserved it, that would be great. That is not what they are doing here. This is just trying to give Charlotte a rub. I am still not convinced they really want to make her a star or are just pushing filler right now and creating the impression they really want her over. Either way, Charlotte has still not proven that she should be pushed as a top star.

As for Paige, I have brought up before that this push she has been getting may not necessarily be to make her into the new AJ Lee. It could be more similar to what happened to Melina when she turned heel for the last time to feud with Natalya over the title. The feud got treated poorly. Melina was not built up well, she lost to Natalya, and the WWE just moved on. I read Paige loses to Becky Lynch on Smackdown this week. The last show before the PPV and she loses. It has happened before that credible jobbers lose like that and go on to lose when they get their title shot soon after.

I would expect Paige to lose at TLC. The WWE has already started to tease Becky vs. Charlotte. Unless Becky is the one that costs Charlotte the title, the title will still be involved for the storyline between Becky and Charlotte. Why put the title on Paige? She is a heel. Sasha Banks is a heel. Nikki Bella, whenever she returns, will likely be a heel. Are there any faces that Paige can genuinely feud with? I doubt the WWE would dig Natalya back up to go against Paige. No, I say the title stays on Charlotte as she goes against Becky Lynch.

Understanding All That Crowd Noise

I remember watching a football game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys a few seasons ago. It was a home game for the Giants. And yet, the Cowboys actually got cheered, especially at the end of the game when they won it. It was very noticeable. Even the commentators heard it. One of them said it was because the Giants were doing poorly that year and many Giants fans sold their tickets to Cowboys fans. I am not sure how serious he was being, but that's what he said.

This kind of thing happens all the time in sports. A visiting team might sometimes appear to have more support than the home team. It usually happens when the home team is not very good. If they do not give their fans something to cheer about, they will be quiet and fans of the other team will be vocal. If that poor home team cannot get it together during the game, that will just send a lot of their fans heading for the exits before the game even ends. And if that team is consistently lousy, their fans might not even bother coming to the games in the first place, leaving lots of seats for any fans of the road teams to show up.

The reason I bring this up now, because it was something I have wanted to bring up for a while, is because I just read a report that a lot of fans left before the end of Raw last night. I didn't watch all of Raw, so I cannot tell how accurate the report is. I then saw some fans try to spin it to make it sound like fans walked out rather than see Roman Reigns or that the positive reaction he got should be taken with a grain of salt.

The overness of Roman Reigns is definitely something to talk about. He is not as popular as The Rock or Austin were in their prime, but it would be wrong to think that all he gets is nuclear heat, like he got earlier this year. Smarks dislike him. Many dislike him with a passion. Crowd reactions are still one of the best ways to tell how over someone is, but you have to understand the crowd. Roman Reigns has gotten terrible reactions from crowds packed with smarks. And there are still pockets of smarks that will give him a negative reaction here and there in more balanced crowds. But there are also a lot of fans that do cheer him. In the end, I still do not think he has A+ overness.

Take Sasha Banks. She is the opposite of Roman Reigns. Wrestling fans love her. You sometimes get chants for her. But I refuse to believe she is really extremely over. She once had a match on Raw that got a negative reaction because fans were more interested in Brock Lesnar. She went on to have an amazing match at NXT. Ever since then, she has pretty much solidified her legendary status. That is, with wrestling fans. Those NXT fans travel well. Those kind of fans aren't just found in Florida. They are found all over the world. And they do get very vocal. And their opinion, moreover, might sometimes be quite different from what the WWE wants. Sasha Banks has not done anything on the main roster to get over with the general audience. The WWE is mostly to blame for that. They have not pushed her well. I once read on a message board that Sasha Banks got an amazing reaction on a Smackdown. When I went to take a look, I did not see it and I did not hear it. Again, I am not convinced she is really that over.

Why do I say Daniel Bryan really did have A+ overness? Because the reaction he was getting was clearly amazing on a consistent basis. Not only could you hear it, you could see it. You could see fans waving their hands along with Daniel Bryan. This guy was over with wrestling fans before he signed with the WWE, but energizing the rest of the fans like he did is what makes him A+. No one else was doing that, including John Cena, the centerpiece for about a decade, and including Roman Reigns, whose overness should be scrutinized. It is just obvious how over this guy was.

Why do I say Mickie James was the most over diva on the roster? Because she consistently got cheered. It wasn't just in front of smark-filled PPV audiences and her hometown crowd. She got great reactions wherever the WWE went. She would come out on top in a lot of polls I have seen. Aside from fan reactions, polls and contests/tournaments that fans sometimes have on the Internet are also an indicator of how much a wrestler is liked. And when she got released, there was a backlash that no other diva that has been released has gotten. When you compare her connection with the fans to that of the other divas that were around her, no one else was connecting with both wrestling fans and the general crowd as well as her.

Silence can be drowned out very easily. And when that happens, you might be fooled into believing something that isn't true. If a sports team does not give their fans something to cheer about, the road team might end up looking more popular than they really are. If smarks just give up and leave, Roman Reigns might end up looking a lot more popular than he really is. If casual fans have no reason to cheer for Sasha Banks, a lot of wrestling fans still will and create the idea that she is more popular than she really is. Before you crown someone as over or not over, you should stop and think about that reaction they are getting.

The Wyatts Vs. The Dudleys & Friends

Outside of title feuds, the most interesting thing going on in the WWE right now is the feud between The Wyatts and The Dudleys. Bray Wyatt once again shows that wins and losses do not matter, having lost a feud to The Brothers of Destruction and just transitioning to another feud easily. As for The Dudleys, how can you have a TLC PPV and not include one of the teams that helped to make Tables, Ladders & Chairs famous?

What makes this feud even more intriguing is the fact that The Dudleys were outnumbered. There are four men in The Wyatts stable. The Dudleys recently recruited Tommy Dreamer to help them. Tommy Dreamer retired from the WWE years ago, but he has not been out of wrestling at all. He is likely to pop up in any wrestling promotion for a brief stint.

These former ECW guys are still outnumbered. Who will that fourth guy be to side with the faces against The Wyatts for TLC? Rhyno is down there in NXT. The WWE can bump him up for a week. There is RVD. Those seem like the two likely guys, since it is likely to be an ECW guy. If not, there is Kane. He was just feuding with The Wyatts recently. Anybody but Jericho.

One of the main criticisms I have had for the WWE for a while now is always bringing back all these people and signing more people, while not using the roster properly. Tommy Dreamer is certainly not a big draw. I doubt the fourth guy will be a big draw. Since this seems to be just for a short feud and the roster is so ravaged by injuries, I will not condemn the WWE for what they are doing here.

Who should win this feud? Bray Wyatt is obviously someone that has been treated as a jobber to the stars. He will beat people below him or at his level, but it usually is to build him up to feed to whom the WWE wants to put over. He just put over the legendary Undertaker for the second time this year. Will the WWE use The Wyatts to put over some ECW legends? I do not think the WWE is as high on ECW as they are on The Undertaker. The Wyatts should win this feud. The faces can get the momentum leading up to TLC, then The Wyatts win at the PPV.

Roman Reigns & The Family

The League of Nations was officially formed this week. I already talked about them. Four heels obviously creates a situation where you can have four faces to take them on. The four faces that have been going against these heels this week are Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and The Usos. Roman Reigns is related to The Usos. Dean Ambrose is like a brother to him. The Family is formed.

I just got done saying I dislike affiliations you just have a feeling will not last long being given team names and whatever else over-development. Why get worked up over something that might end very easily and quickly? The Family is not a group that should even be allowed to last long. Sheamus needs a group to help his credibility. A group will not do the same for Roman Reigns and his issues with smarks.

This group just seems like a loose affiliation that came together to stand against The League of Nations. Roman Reigns needed some backup. That just seems like something short-term. Why even bother treating it like it will be an official stable? Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose have been teaming now and then ever since The Shield broke up. Did the WWE come up with a fancy team name for them? No. No reason to add in The Usos and start treating this as a stable.

Another issue I have with recent developments is that The Usos and Dean Ambrose have their own separate title feuds going. And those title feuds are not with any of the four members in The League of Nations. It is possible to have one wrestler or team have two angles at one time. It can be done well. It should not be done often. One angle might get the short end of the stick. You might not get the most out of either angle. That is one of the issues with the diva division right now. While Charlotte is still having issues with Paige, the WWE is already teasing friction between Charlotte and Becky Lynch. With recent issues, you can understand Dean Ambrose not being able to properly further his feud with Kevin Owens. And The New Day have been feuding with The Usos and have been aligned with The League of Nations. Right now, everything seems fine. But if the WWE does continue this stable, it better not become a Roman Reigns support group. I can picture the personal feuds The Usos and Dean Ambrose get down the line getting the short end of the stick for the benefit of pushing Roman Reigns. Not only might that hold back The Usos and Ambrose, it might hold back whomever they are feuding with and hurt feud and storyline development in those angles.

The Continued Demise Of PCB

I sometimes wonder why people even bother getting too invested in certain teams or stables that obviously will not last long. They come up with all these fancy team names. They come up with fanfiction that ends up better than anything the WWE will likely do. They sometimes just expect too much. I sometimes don't even bother using gimmick names for certain wrestlers or teams. I just feel awkward at times when I do. Whatever the angle is will likely not last.

PCB is another example of that. There were three teams in the diva division just a few months ago. PCB was the first to collapse. Paige turned on her group. The WWE dragged it out. They had her rejoin the group. Then they had her break away again. If the WWE wanted to do a good job keeping the stable stuff going, they could have plugged Natalya in with Charlotte and Becky Lynch officially. They didn't. You are left with Charlotte and her sidekick.

And even that looks like it might be coming to an end. The WWE has started to tease tension between Becky Lynch and Charlotte. Charlotte's issues with Paige aren't entirely finished, but it seems the WWE is also starting this up.

I would say the whole thing is stupid. There are a few reasons why I say that. First, it reminds me of one of the issues with Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt this year. They had developed this personal feud between these two guys, then they just started throwing in extra bodies and the feud lost that heat. And then they just discard the extra bodies and go back to Reigns vs. Wyatt to finish the feud inside Hell in a Cell. Charlotte and Paige were developing a personal feud, even though that certain segment they had a few weeks ago was just unnecessary and in bad taste. How about keeping it personal until the finish? I wouldn't have minded them ending it at Survivor Series, or the night after. That is not what they are doing. They are continuing it, while also bringing in the angle of issues between Charlotte and Becky Lynch. It hurts the feud you had between Charlotte and Paige.

Another issue, this really isn't fair to either Paige or Becky Lynch. Focus is on Charlotte. She is holding the title. She has issues with Paige and has something brewing with Becky. But what about Paige and Becky? This direction the WWE is taking is taking some of the momentum away from Paige. And that momentum isn't all on Becky. Neither of these two divas is getting proper development. Needless to say, neither is getting a real opportunity to succeed.

I am all for Becky Lynch getting a push, but do it right. The WWE is horrible at secondary feuds in their diva division. TNA does a better job in that respect, even though they are not perfect at it. Why not have Becky Lynch feud with Sasha Banks? I am talking about a real feud, not just having Becky job one Raw to Sasha and moving on. I was expecting the WWE to do a better job with Natalya against Sasha Banks. Didn't work out. Okay, but they could have done it between Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. A title does not need to be present to develop a proper diva feud. And this is something the WWE is going to need to do in this era of the diva division, especially after debuting too many women at one time. Filler matches are not good enough.

On a night when many fans might have been getting all excited over a ladder match being announced for the divas at TLC, the WWE begins the separation of Becky Lynch and Charlotte. And that is not something good. Not right now. Proper focus isn't on either Paige or Becky Lynch. The feud that was there between Paige and Charlotte will lose momentum. I didn't even mention how a heel turn might mess up the face-heel ratio right now. Too many heels, not enough faces. The WWE just cannot push quantity over quality. They are not going to get the most out of anybody. They are not going to make stars.

The League Of Nations

Sheamus has had an affiliation with Barrett and Rusev for a few weeks now. It was nothing too official. The WWE made it official on Raw this week, and tossed in Alberto Del Rio. The League of Nations is formed.

Sheamus needed this. I have been saying for a while now that Sheamus just did not look credible. I did not believe he deserved to successfully cash in because he had looked so poor. How would fans buy into him? And with Seth Rollins out and no great top heels around, fans would need to buy into him. Having him get a rub from Triple H would not be enough. The Authority is hardly a stable anymore. Giving someone some lackeys is probably one of the oldest tricks in the book. They did it with Michelle McCool during her centerpiece run. It can help someone seem more interesting or make them look more important. And this stable can help Sheamus look more important. He has some thugs to help him.

But what about the other three men in this stable? Sheamus will likely be the chief benefactor of this new stable, but what does this mean for each of the other three heels?

Alberto Del Rio is still the United States Champion. He had this gimmick going on with Zeb Colter that I talked about recently. There was potential for the WWE to do something with him in that position. On the one hand, it is a shame that gimmick didn't get played out better. On the other hand, this is a better position for him. He is a part of a top stable now.

Rusev just got back his Lana on Raw. Again, there was creative potential there. At one point, I would have said it would be a shame if the WWE just went backwards and put Lana and Rusev back together. Given everything that has happened, it now seemed like the best decision to make. What does Rusev now joining this stable do to his angle with Lana? I feel there might be more wasted potential here than with Del Rio joining the group.

There is not debate when it comes to Barrett joining this group. It is good for him. It gives him something meaningful to do. He had no real direction. This is a step up for him.