American Alpha Win The Titles

There was a title change on Smackdown this week. It just wasn't the titles I thought it might be. It was the tag titles. American Alpha won them.

Let's not sugarcoat it, American Alpha were flops. The WWE debuted them on Smackdown like they were just supposed to be the top team of the division. They did not connect with the audience well and Heath Slater & Rhyno just deserved to win the tag titles before them. But I have said that the WWE should go back to them and give them a proper push.

A proper push does not mean just dumping a title in someone's lap. There was no development for these guys to win the titles. Obviously, with Zack Ryder's injury, the WWE could not do what they originally would have liked to do. But doing a title change like this does not do American Alpha any favors. They need work. It reminds of Becky Lynch winning the Women's Championship a few months ago. She had no proper focus on her heading into that match to crown the inaugural titleholder. And she just won. Her fans will eat it up, but there are a lot of fans out there that might not care that much. Of the women that debuted from NXT in one night last year, Becky Lynch was the one pushed the least properly.

I am not saying the WWE should never have a title change come out of nowhere for someone that had no real build for the push. Normally, however, it should at least go to someone with prior credibility. Look at Sheamus winning the Royal Rumble out of nowhere a few years ago. There really was not much focus on Sheamus to legitimately win the big match, but he did. Of course, Sheamus had credibility from being a WWE Champion prior to that. I can also agree with creating some buzz by having someone win a title in their first match, like Paige did. The WWE obviously fumbled with Paige soon after, but that's another story.

Which category does American Alpha fall under? They didn't win the titles in their debut match to cause buzz. These are not guys that had credibility previously on the main roster to imply they have at least gotten a proper push before in front of the main audience. They are rookies that have not been pushed well and suddenly have the tag titles.

Some might think I'm crazy. Didn't I hear how some fans reacted when American Alpha got their moment? Yeah, and can you hear how all the other fans and potential viewers reacted to it? No, you can't. How about you stop and consider that? When certain wrestlers are in front of their hometown, they are likely to get a good reaction. When certain wrestlers are in front of smark crowds or wrestling-friendly crowds, they are likely to get a good reaction. Smackdown was in Chicago this week. I don't think I need to say anything else about that. No one should get fooled into thinking American Alpha are more over than they really are just because smarks like them. I pointed out in the past that these are the type of guys that wrestling fans would eat up. The WWE needs to put proper work in these guys to develop wider appeal.

How about the team that lost the tag titles? That would be The Wyatts. It was a very short title reign. Some people are unhappy about Bray Wyatt losing his title reign so fast. Face it, this title reign was more about furthering a storyline, not honoring Bray Wyatt. That should not be the issue for discussion here. What you should be talking about is whether the WWE pulled the trigger too soon on the title change. The feud between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt has a lot of creative potential, but I have pointed out in the last few months that the WWE has made some questionable choices. Even if you can forgive or ignore all that, this recent development is questionable. The WWE just didn't get enough off the title reign, even just talking creatively. It isn't really about building a dominant stable, since that is obviously not what the story is about. It is about playing with the relationships within The Wyatts right now. They could have done more before having The Wyatts lose the tag titles.

Renee Young Gets An Angle

Renee Young has really just been an interviewer/host for most of her time in the WWE. She is dating Dean Ambrose in real life. She is also now a part of Total Divas. She now seems to be doing even more. She has gotten involved in an angle with Miz and Maryse, along with Ambrose.

This is obviously a periphery angle. It seems like it has been a long time since I talked about an angle like this. Renee Young and Maryse are obviously not there for their wrestling ability. This is an angle on the periphery of the major focus of Smackdown's women's division. And there is nothing wrong with angles like this. The diva era produced stars in the periphery. Smackdown has shown a lot of the elements you would expect from the diva era. Alexa Bliss is arguably a diva. She is holding Smackdown's Women's Championship.

Or is this just purely Total Divas shenanigans? Total Divas, much like other WWE programming has been doing not so great in the ratings. Does the WWE feel they need to further promote the individuals on the show and the drama viewers can expect to see on the show? So far, it is at least not getting in the way of the women's feuds wrestling fans might be more interested in.

What does this mean for Maryse? For the most part since coming back, she has been just a valet for her husband, Miz. She would get involved in segments here and there, but storylines never really included her that much. This is a storyline that does put more focus on her. Nothing wrong with that. Maryse has the potential to be a great character. She never put it together during her first run in the WWE to get a proper reaction from the fans, but maybe she will do better this time.

And Renee Young? Back in the day, Lilian Garcia would sometimes get some angles here and there. Nothing wrong with that. Just don't make it a regular thing. It could get annoying. Not everyone that works for the WWE needs to eventually get in the ring. This angle might do some good for Renee Young, but she does not need to become Ambrose's valet. Both can move on after this angle ends.

Previewing Smackdown's Wild Card Finals

Some fans have said that tonight's Smackdown is like a PPV. I am all for Smackdown having special episodes, but here is another weird name to go with. In any case, I will be looking at the announced title matches. I will not talk about John Cena returning.

The tag titles are on the line. With Zack Ryder injured, the WWE has decided to go with three teams challenging The Wyatts. The Usos, American Alpha, and Rhyno & Heath Slater are getting the shot. What will decide who wins is whether or not the WWE is ready to go anywhere with the storyline between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton. They might just carry this story all the way to Wrestlemania. I doubt Orton turns on Bray Wyatt tonight. I also doubt they do anything to split Luke Harper from Bray Wyatt, which is another point you can expect this storyline to reach. Until they get to all that, the tag titles are likely not going anywhere. The Wyatts retain.

Alexa Bliss defends the Smackdown Women's Championship against Becky Lynch. Common sense might say that Alexa Bliss retains. She just won the title not too long ago. Becky Lynch seems to have the momentum heading into this match. But you can never tell these days with how the WWE treats title reigns. Everything is about history, whether that means long title reigns or juggling titles around to inflate the number of reigns. If they want this special episode of Smackdown to have a title change, I feel like this is the one that changes hands. But I will say Alexa Bliss retains.

AJ Styles is back in the ring after his injury and making up for lost time. He knocked off James Ellsworth last week. Tonight, he faces Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin. Baron Corbin? Where did he come from? I am all for other people on the card getting title pushes, and it looked like they were building Corbin up for a push, but the build up for this match just feels awkward. A lot of people praise Smackdown's writing and booking, but this show is still far from perfect. On the other hand, I don't mind little things like this now and then to shake things up. I just hope that is what they are doing. Don't make this kind of booking the norm. This is not how you build proper feuds. In just the few weeks since moving on from Dean Ambrose, AJ Styles has had to deal with James Ellsworth, Dolph Ziggler, and now Baron Corbin. Is it all filler? Or are they building something here? Oh, and as for who wins, AJ Styles.

When Should New Day Break Up?

I was watching Let's Make A Deal last week and New Day popped up. They weren't too bad.

Obviously, a few days before that, New Day lost the tag titles to Sheamus and Cesaro. New Day is not finished yet, however. But they will eventually break up. The question is whether the WWE should do it quickly, like in the coming weeks, or let the group last a few more months.

As I have said many times in the last year during New Day's reign of terror, they don't need the tag titles to do their act. And their act obviously has entertainment value. They weren't parading around with tag titles on Let's Make A Deal last week. They were playing along for the Christmas episode. And they can still be a part of some great storylines and segments away from chasing the tag titles.

On the other side of that, why might the WWE want to break them up? Depth might be the issue. There are enough tag teams to run the tag division on Raw well enough for a while. New Day is not necessary there. But are there enough singles wrestlers to push? New Day is made up of at least two guys that can be very useful as singles wrestlers, Kofi Kingston and Big E. Xavier Woods is probably best suited as a manager, as I have seen many other fans point out. Kofi Kingston and Big E can be useful chasing after the United States Championship down the road or being used as jobbers to the stars.

How do I think the WWE should handle it? Let New Day last a few more months. They can start breaking them up after Wrestlemania. But there is no need to have them last another year together. And they definitely do not need the tag titles back so soon. They already made history and all that. Time to move on from that, although the group might still have some potential as entertainers.

Should Drew McIntyre Return To The WWE?

The WWE released Drew McIntyre (Drew Galloway) a few years ago. He ended up in TNA and went through the motions there that you would usually expect from a former WWE performer like him going to TNA. TNA may have given him a run with their top title, but they didn't really push him that well. His deal is set to expire in a few months and the speculation can now begin about whether he will come back to the WWE.

The WWE gave Drew McIntyre a big push at one point. You have to wonder how far it would have gone. Were they grooming a legitimate main-eventer? Or just someone to work with a top star and then get demoted? Some people like to say issues with his wife, Taryn Terrell, ruined his push. How about the fact that he just wasn't getting over? Even after that incident in 2010, Drew went on to get a short run with the tag titles with Cody Rhodes. They didn't release him right away. He was stuck with the jobber group of 3MB, but he was still in the company for a while.

Could he bring anything to the WWE? Did he really improve himself in TNA? He definitely has potential. Maybe part of the problem during his WWE run is that they pushed him as the wrong kind of heel. They spent too much time hyping him and not enough time just letting his character really shine.

Of course, this is a different era in the WWE. Not only has the WWE's attitude towards certain things changed, but the fans watching are different. The WWE has driven away a lot of fans over the years. Of those fans left, smarks have become a lot more vocal and energized. These type of fans might be all for a guy like Drew McIntyre. At the very least, he will be better off than his first run with the WWE.

I would not be surprised if the WWE at least showed some interest in Drew. They have already shown a willingness to bring back certain other wrestlers they had released that they felt at the time they no longer needed. They even brought back Jinder Mahal! They obviously have depth issues with the brand split back. I have said many times that I feel the WWE should do better with the roster they have before rushing to sign more people, but if they are going to sign more people, Drew McIntyre would not be a terrible choice to bring back.

Roman Reigns Continues Against Kevin Owens

The Universal Championship match between Kevin Owens and Roman Reigns obviously did not end cleanly and decisively last Sunday. That means Reigns will get a rematch at the Royal Rumble next month. They are also trying to make it more interesting by putting Jericho in a cage so he can't interfere like he usually does.

There is one problem. Roman Reigns is still the United States Champion. I don't like it when titles get hijacked. I didn't like New Day's long reign that recently ended. I didn't like the title being stuck between Charlotte and Sasha Banks for almost half the year, although that has also come to an end. Roman Reigns getting one title opportunity against Kevin Owens while still being United States Champion is nothing to get too upset over. It is better than the endless title matches Seth Rollins has gotten. It created an interesting feud. Would Roman Reigns end up holding two titles? But prolonging it becomes problematic. Other people could be chasing after the United States Championship in this time Reigns is feuding for a more important title.

Of course, the WWE can have Reigns lose the title in the coming weeks due to interference from Kevin Owens. It adds a little heat to the feud and gets the title off Reigns. Chris Jericho might seem like the obvious choice, but it really does not need to be him. Pick another heel. Braun Strowman? Rusev doesn't need the title back right now. There are other heels on Raw, although some of them may lack credibility. People said a few months ago that Raw won the draft. Maybe in terms of numbers, but questionable in terms of quality. When it comes to midcard heels, they need to do some work. Maybe getting the midcard title off a main-eventer and putting it on a midcarder would help.

John Cena winning the United States Championship last year was refreshing. Even smarks, his biggest critics, liked it. Why hasn't this title reign for Roman Reigns worked out anyway like that? I think one of the biggest differences is that you did not have the brand split last year. Rosters are limited now. Seth Rollins has been getting endless title matches. Who takes his place that has the credibility to go after the title? It would have been nice if the WWE took a chance on a midcarder, like Cesaro, but not too shocking that they did not. Even in terms of just looking at Roman Reigns and the United States Championship, the brand split hurts the number of free challengers he can have. Last year, Cena was having title matches with a variety of guys. Right now, as I just pointed out, you have a lot of midcarders already tied up with something or just lacking credibility. Does anyone want to see Jinder Mahal get a shot at Roman Reigns? Roman Reigns is needed to give the Universal Championship scene someone new. The heel midcard pool isn't too great. Brand split just hurts the depth. The WWE needs to make better use of the roster. Just signing guys is not the answer, especially if they are not handled right.

Raw's Women's Division Finally Moves On

Charlotte regained the Raw Women's Championship last Sunday. Not shocking. What is also not shocking is that Charlotte is now moving on to Bayley and Sasha Banks gets Nia Jax.

Question is, what took them so long? I don't care if you are a Charlotte fan, Sasha fan, Bayley fan, or whatever. I don't care how much you like or dislike the WWE's handling of the women's division since #GiveDivasAChance made them look bad. I don't care if you enjoyed the wrestling from Charlotte and Sasha these last few months or not. You have to admit, that last title reign Sasha Banks had was just pointless. They extended the feud for no good reason. They were already showing signs of rotating in Bayley to face Charlotte. They killed that just to do another juggling act with the title between Charlotte and Sasha.

If you are in the camp that says Charlotte and Sasha are putting on great matches, you mean to tell me Bayley can't wrestle? She is one of the highly-regarded NXT women. The WWE really hurt her momentum with that sloppy booking over the last month. Moreover, even without the the title on the line, or at least not changing hands, Charlotte and Sasha could still have faced each other and put on matches wrestling fans can enjoy. The issue is having so many title changes and just continuing this feud too long.

Nia Jax has been another woman stuck in limbo while the WWE kept going with Sasha Banks and Charlotte. She gets something to do. Moreover, Sasha Banks, who was just used as a jobber to the centerpiece, gets a feud for herself outside the title picture. In the previous era, you couldn't count on something like this. Credible jobbers would get lost in the shuffle after putting over the centerpiece or filling in for the centerpiece. This feud is obviously not a title feud or bigger than the title feud, but it is still something for Sasha Banks to do. And there is a chance it gets featured well. At the very least, it might get featured better than the mediocrity credible jobbers would get in the diva era.

Injuries Impacting Smackdown's Title Scene

December has sometimes been a terrible month for the WWE. Not only is this a month you typically get terrible ratings with the holiday season and all, injuries have sometimes struck in this month. I am talking key injuries. Injuries to top stars or people involved in the title scene. It seems this December has already given that gift to the WWE, particularly on Smackdown. I just want to mention these situations.

AJ Styles suffered a minor injury at TLC a few weeks ago. He is obviously still holding the WWE Championship, but it has hurt the storylines they were going with in an obvious way. Moreover, Smackdown has not had its top Champion to wrestle at house shows. There is no need to strip Styles of the title, but this situation has obviously made things difficult for the WWE.

Last time I talked about Zack Ryder, I said he should get a push. I might have jinxed him. I was talking about a solo push, but the WWE did look ready to give him a push in the tag division, alongside Mojo Rawley. And then Ryder got injured. They just get the push, and then this happens. There are other teams they could push. There are other individuals that could team with Mojo. Why should he get screwed out of the push just because his partner got injured? Either way the WWE slices it, they have options to work around this. But once again, it is obviously making things difficult for the WWE.

Brings up the question, is this brand split really a good idea? This brand split is different from the last brand split you had. This is an era where the WWE is giving their workers more time to wrestle and giving them certain more freedoms. Yes, they still ban some moves. Overall, however, this can be considered a more wrestling-friendly era than you have had from the WWE in the past. But that comes with a price. Injuries. I only brought up two recent injuries on Smackdown impacting title feuds. I could have brought up Finn Balor. I could have brought up numerous women. And the WWE wants to do a long-term brand split? This era also features less legitimate star power than the previous era involving a brand split. All it takes is a few key injuries here and there to really mess up what is going on. I don't think giving your workers more freedom in the ring mixes well with a desire to have a brand split. Yes, the WWE could pluck someone from wherever that would be eager to work for them, and wrestling fans would probably love it, but that person will likely not have the star power to appeal to the wider audience. And that leads to the WWE needing to rely again and again on old part-timers. It is terrible situation.

Previewing The Roadblock: End Of The Line Top Matches

Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins are the four top guys on Raw right now. That is not just a statement regarding their credibility. Their paths have been intertwined in recent weeks.

Seth Rollins had been getting title shot after title shot for a while now. Chris Jericho finally screwed him out of the title to a point that Rollins is moving on to feuding with Chris Jericho. Roman Reigns, having finished his United States Championship feud with Rusev, is now in the title hunt for the Universal Championship against Kevin Owens.

Even though I am all for Seth Rollins getting out of the title picture, I don't like how it was done. Go back to that title match on Raw Rollins and Owens had. There was a stipulation that Chris Jericho could not come out to ringside and interfere. What happened? Jericho put on a mask, attacked Rollins from the crowd, and did end up at ringside to interfere enough to help Owens retain. How can you make a rule that Chris Jericho can't interfere, have the rule be broken, and not say Rollins has a legitimate claim to a rematch? If the WWE never made that stipulation, there would be no issue. Jericho interferes and that transitions to Jericho vs. Rollins. But the stipulation was there. What's the point of having that rule if it is broken that easily? No, it is not still real to me, dammit, but it is bad writing. How you start a feud matters as much as how you end a feud. And all the stuff in between matters, as well. The WWE could have handled the storyline development smoother.

Who wins between Jericho and Rollins? Rollins. The part-time jobber to the stars has picked up some wins this year that he obviously did not need, but that is just to build him up to put over the stars. After losing so much, the WWE probably will give Rollins this win just for the sake of some momentum.

Onto the Universal Championship match. If Roman Reigns wins, he is a dual Champion. Some people are groaning like it is going to happen. I don't see it happening. Roman Reigns is obviously not in the doghouse for his suspension earlier this year. But I just don't see him winning the title.

Will Chris Jericho get involved? The WWE has been teasing tension between Owens and Jericho for a while now. It is likely that Jericho will show up during this match. But whose side will he be on? I will say he once again helps Owens retain the title.

Previewing The Roadblock: End Of The Line Midcard Matches

Can Sami Zayn survive 10 minutes against Braun Strowman? If nothing else, this feud has taken an interesting turn. How often do you get a match like this? But how good will the match really be? Will it just be Sami Zayn trying to avoid Strowman for most of the match? Will he actually take the fight to the big guy? Zayn will obviously have some kind of impressive showing. And even if he lasts 10 minutes, Strowman does not necessarily have to take a pinfall loss. Or will Zayn look weak and eventually end up on Smackdown? That is another issue, but I will say he does survive this Sunday.

There has been an interesting story playing out with Rusev, Lana, Enzo, and Cass. This Sunday, it is Cass facing Rusev. This feud won't end that easily. And this just seems like a feud where the faces should come out on top. Until then, however, Rusev should look strong. He should be beating Cass at Roadblock: End of the Line.

The Cruiserweight Championship will be on the line. Rich Swann defends against Brian Kendrick and TJ Perkins, the only other two people to have held the new title. I have said before that I don't think Rich Swann is really a long-term Champion. The WWE has not put proper work into him. But does the title go back to Kendrick or Perkins? I say Kendrick wins it back.

New Day have their record. Does that mean the reign of terror ends? Cesaro & Sheamus will get another shot at the titles this Sunday. On one hand, New Day really does not need the titles anymore. On the other hand, Cesaro & Sheamus don't feel like they really deserve it right now. Cesaro has held a title or accolade every year he has been on the main roster. He won the United States Championship in 2012 and held it into 2013. He won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2014. He won the tag titles in 2015. Will 2016 be a dead year for him, as far as titles and accolades go? And Sheamus is Sheamus. The WWE loves giving him title pushes you would not think he actually deserves. I will say these two win the titles.

Previewing The Roadblock: End Of The Line Women's Match

You know the WWE has way too many PPVs now when they are pretty much recycling event names within a year. Sasha Banks defends the Raw Women's Championship against Charlotte for the last time in an Ironman match.

There has just been so much to criticize with this feud. First, it has been endless. There have been too many title changes in the last few months, which has warranted rematch after rematch. There have been multiple women that could have gotten proper title feuds that have just been floating around during these last few months. Bayley was added to a triple-threat a few months ago, but that is not the same as Bayley getting a singles push. Moreover, you have to wonder if she even would have been in that match if the WWE had things work out the way they intended. You also have Emma(lina). She hasn't debuted. Nia Jax has been made to look strong and has nowhere to go with it.

No rematch for the loser of the match this Sunday? Okay, if that is the way it has to be to end this feud. Don't be surprised if Charlotte and Sasha Banks still face each other in 2017, and possibly for the title. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn supposedly had their "final" encounter a number of months ago. They have faced each other a couple times since then. If anything, at least, this stipulation means a fresh feud will be starting after this Sunday.

Another thing to dislike is that history has just been stuffed between these two women in this short time. First two women to main-event a PPV. First two women to wrestle inside Hell in a Cell. First two women to have an Ironman match on the main roster. It is just abrasive to listen to some of these promos during this feud. The company is just trying way too hard. Relax. Worry about entertaining the fans, not hyping things up that the majority of potential viewers out there are not going to buy into to tune in on a consistent basis.

Who wins? I think the next potential feud might give a clue. Bayley looked to be on the road to a push against Charlotte for the title. That push got blocked when the WWE tossed the title back to Sasha Banks. Charlotte will likely get the title back so that she can continue her feud with Bayley.

And how many title reigns will Charlotte get handed to her off of her next feud? Her father won titles over the span of decades. Her father was also a lot more charismatic and deserved to be pushed at a high level and treated like a legend. Charlotte is going to win as many titles as her father and in half the time. It is disgusting. And if the WWE does juggle the title around Charlotte next year like they have these last few months, it will be vomit-inducing. Even if Charlotte had the overness to deserve this type of career, it is annoying booking for anyone to have. It's like stat-padding in sports. A player just keeps on putting up numbers when the game is out of hand, whether his team is winning or losing. Whenever it happens, some fans out there always roll their eyes. Overrating Charlotte with all these title reigns and history is not going to get her over. And if she can't get the overness to deserve the big career she has gotten, how about giving someone else a chance?

Does Anyone Deserve A Shot At Miz?

Miz retained the Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler at TLC. He retained against Dean Ambrose on Smackdown last week. Who's next?

I have seen some fans talk like there is no one else for Miz to feud against. They talk like Smackdown has no midcard. That's not true. Nevertheless, there might not be a lot of credible faces with momentum to enter a feud with Miz right now. As I said a while ago, had Dolph Ziggler won the Intercontinental Championship back and retained in the rematch, he could have moved on to a feud against a heel like Baron Corbin. But what about a face challenger?

There are faces. You have Kalisto, Apollo Crews, Jack Swagger, and so on. The WWE could also dip into the tag division. Remember when Zack Ryder won the Intercontinental Championship earlier this year and lost it to Miz? The two of them entering a proper feud would be nice. I would like Swagger to get the push, personally. In the end, there are not a lot of midcard faces with momentum now, but there are midcard faces available.

I have also seen some fans say that they would have liked Miz to get promoted to the main event. He just looks like he has regained his credibility that might have been lost for a few years now. It would have been nice if Ziggler did keep the Intercontinental Championship. AJ Styles vs. Miz might not have been a practical feud. It is heel vs. heel. But just toss a face in there to make it a 3-way feud. Ambrose? Kane? Ellsworth? I would agree that a main-event push probably would have been better than just giving him back the Intercontinental Championship.

What Do You Make Of John Cena?

When John Cena feuded against The Rock a few years ago, one of the talking points was Cena hating that The Rock just left the WWE. Was Cena truly upset about it? Or were the two of them just trying to cause a little drama? Whatever the case may be, Cena has become a part-timer, himself. Is he a hypocrite? Has he seen things a different way? Whatever it is, he isn't around that much.

When Cena came to Smackdown, that was supposedly a plus for the show. Cena is supposed to be this huge draw for the last decade. People talk about him drawing at house shows. They can pull up numbers for that. But do they pull up numbers for fans that have just gotten sick of Cena and stopped watching or coming to events? Is it a net gain or net loss when it comes to John Cena?

Of course, part of the problem has been how the WWE has chosen to use John Cena. There have been nights where he could have been used on the televised portion of Smackdown and the WWE chose not to. They have not hidden the fact that Cena is not there every night. Cena used to give these self-righteous promos about being there every night. It wasn't true when he said it then, and if he tries to say that kind of thing again, he's definitely a liar.

In terms of viewership, Smackdown has just been underachieving. With or without Cena, they have not been beating Raw. In fact, some of their recent viewership numbers are in the same area you had earlier this year, when they weren't even live. All things considered, I think that is a sign of underachieving.

In terms of feuds, what can you say about the lack of Cena? With the brand split back, there are two ways the WWE could handle limited rosters. One way is to have long feuds involving the same people. The other way is to rotate guys that would normally not get certain pushes. Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens is an example of a long feud. If the WWE had chosen to bring in someone like Cesaro to feud with Kevin Owens, that would be an example of rotating guys to make fresh feuds. The WWE is obviously going with long feuds, not rotating guys properly. If Cena was around, that would be another guy to be used in the main-event scene, which is something Smackdown needs, especially if they are not going to rotate fresh talent. It looks like Dean Ambrose is moving away from AJ Styles, which is a good thing. James Ellsworth is another story. But there are so many other guys on the roster that could be used better.

You also have to keep in mind the number of faces. Cena is not around. Randy Orton is playing a heel, whether that is a long-term thing or not. Someone like Dolph Ziggler could be elevated, but the WWE might not be interested. Dean Ambrose, who seems to be the real face that runs the place right now, has already been feuding with AJ Styles for too long. Some call him stale. Some point out him getting booed. Some say he should turn heel. Well, they can't do that right now. Who would they push as top face? AJ Styles? Just because smarks like him? That might ruin a lot of feuds the WWE has planned going forward.

So, what do you make of John Cena? Is he someone the WWE needs right now? He won't fix the ratings issue, but he will make life easier in terms of depth and refreshing some feuds. The WWE put themselves in this predicament. If they utilized the entire roster more efficiently, there would not be a discussion about Cena needing to come back. Let him make all the Hefty commercials he wants.

If Cena still remains a part-timer, which is likely, how should the WWE treat him? Should he be paid the same as The Rock and Brock Lesnar, guys that are expected to create a buzz when they show up? John Cena isn't that kind of part-timer. He isn't special like that. Maybe if he took a few years off, then came back to be a part-timer. If anything, and I'm sure the WWE won't do it, I would pay Cena less. Restructure his contract to be more friendly to the company. Sports stars do it all the time. If Cena cares about the company so much, he would put aside his individual monetary gain and help the company to properly afford other talent. With Cena getting all these gigs outside the WWE, it isn't like he needs to put the WWE on the spot financially.

State Of The WWE Tag Team Division: December 2016

I talked about the cruiserweights. I talked about the women. I might as well talk about the tag teams.

Over on Raw, New Day is still dominating the tag division. If they retain the tag titles against Cesaro & Sheamus and Anderson & Gallows next week, the record is theirs. Will it happen? Probably. Neither of these other two teams really feel like they deserve it. I feel like they have both lost their momentum. The WWE didn't put the titles on them when it would have been best to do it. The WWE might as well let New Day retain.

Years ago, it felt like the WWE was doing a great job in giving the tag titles to teams that had momentum on their side. The WWE then entered a stretch of putting the titles on teams that didn't really look like they were hot, became hot during the reign, but then lost it to another team that didn't look hot. That led to the reign of terror New Day has been on. As I have mentioned multiple times, so many other teams or angles could have used those tag titles, whether as a reward, to give them credibility, or create some freshness. The Dudleys could have used them. The League of Nations could have used them. There was even a time when The Club looked a lot more deserving. But the WWE never pulled the trigger. New Day did not need to hold the tag titles this long to do their act.

How long after they lose the tag titles will New Day last? Even though I just said New Day does not need the tag titles to do their act, I can picture the WWE breaking them up within a few weeks after losing the tag titles and losing their rematch. I don't think it will be such a tragedy. I will talk about it more when it happens.

The only other team I want to single out is Enzo & Cass. This is another hot face team that could have used the tag titles. New Day aren't the only popular face team on Raw. On the one hand, it is great that Enzo & Cass have still been getting storylines. Enzo has his storyline with Rusev and Lana. Cass was once a contender for the Universal Championship. On the other hand, these guys seem to lose more than they should. Not only would it be nice to see them win a meaningful feud, eventually getting the tag titles would be nice.

Switch to Smackdown. Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt won the tag titles. This is Bray Wyatt's first title reign, but it seems more like a title reign to further a storyline, not a reward. This guy should eventually be a serious contender for a World Championship. As for Randy Orton, it is only a matter of time before he breaks out of the group. If the WWE doesn't go in that direction, this storyline was just dumb. Orton doesn't really fit in The Wyatts and The Wyatts didn't really do enough to "break" him to make him joining the group believable.

The first two titleholders for Smackdown's Tag Team Championships were not traditional teams. Heath Slater and Rhyno just got paired together. Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt are only together because of this storyline. There are traditional teams on Smackdown, like The Usos and American Alpha. I am sure these teams will get the titles one day.

Overall, I do not like how traditional teams have been treated on Smackdown so far. The WWE just did not handle American Alpha well at all. This is the kind of team you would expect wrestling fans to like. But the WWE just dumped them on the main roster and acted like they expected them to be bigger deals than they were. You can't blame American Alpha not working out better so far all on them. The WWE didn't handle them right. They didn't give them a proper chance. As for The Usos, after becoming stale faces, they refreshed themselves with that heel turn. It would not have been terrible if The Usos had been the heels to get the tag titles off Rhyno & Slater.

Another issue is the WWE bringing back teams that were relevant decades ago and using them ahead of some of their full-time teams. That is not something they should be doing so soon after the brand split started. Get the ball rolling properly with what you have, then go to these other teams, if you have to. Some people are wondering if the WWE should re-sign The Headbangers or The Spirit Squad. I am going to say the same thing I said when talking about the women, no, do not bring anyone back. Not yet. It is kind of insulting to the teams you have on the roster now to just go so quickly to old teams. And these aren't even teams as legendary as The Dudleys. The Dudleys also didn't come back during the start of the brand split and get pushed ahead of guys that were just starting out on the main roster or had just been refreshed with a heel turn.

Something I have been talking about with the cruiserweights and women recently is how to follow up with workers booked to make history, like TJ Perkins and Becky Lynch. Heath Slater and Rhyno were booked to make history. They were the first Smackdown Tag Team Champions of this new brand split era. Should the WWE keep the ball rolling on them? No. That title win was more taking advantage of Heath Slater having so much momentum back then. He was arguably the hottest act in the WWE at one time. The WWE did not make a mistake in giving him that moment, but there is no need to make more of Heath Slater than they should. As for Rhyno, he is no young guy. He might be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame one day. Whether he is or isn't, it will be okay for him to just be a midcarder until he retires.

Both tag divisions seem to have a similar problem. A lot of teams are being underutilized. On Raw, New Day's reign has just smothered a lot of teams. On Smackdown, traditional tag teams have taken a backseat to singles wrestlers being thrown together, as well as old teams not even signed getting TV time. But I have more confidence in the tag division getting better without much worry than the women's division. New Day's reign will come to an end soon. Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt will eventually break up. The tag titles will find their way to other teams on the roster and fresh feuds will start.

State Of The WWE Women's Division: December 2016

The band split is back, so I have two divisions to talk about. Aside from that, I will talk about the overall direction of the WWE when it comes to the women.

Let me start with Raw. The title shot back to Sasha Banks last week. Beyond that, Ric Flair came back. It just felt like the WWE went back a year. We are back to Ric Flair being involved in the women's division because his daughter is getting a big push. Everyone is expecting Ric Flair to turn on Sasha Banks and help Charlotte regain the title. Enough of Ric Flair. Start better utilizing the full-time talent already on Raw.

How about the WWE just juggling Raw's Women's Championship around? I find it disgusting. There are other women that have just been hovering around in limbo for the last few months. Bayley has not gotten a proper push. Nia Jax is just there. I see people making jokes about the debut of Emmalina. Is she going to show up with a dancing gimmick, like Brodus Clay? The debut is supposed to be coming next week, but you can never tell with this company. And forcing so much "history" between Sasha Banks and Charlotte is also disgusting. Save some for the rest of these women. People are going to look back and say that this feud did so much for women's wrestling. This feud was forced.

I have seen other fans talk about it and there is a point that I like that I have seen them bring up. This feud has had no real development to it. It is just these two women swapping the title and talking about history. The addition of Ric Flair only adds another supporting player in the same story. The creative interest here needs work. Too much hype. These women can wrestle, but there are a lot of fans that are not going to be interested based on wrestling alone. And there are also some fans that are annoyed by all the hype and this feud still going on. The WWE just cannot keep it fresh in a proper way.

Outside of the female wrestlers, you have Lana in the periphery. She has that angle with Enzo. Some fans are entertained by these segments they have been having. Some are annoyed. It is kind of like the angle with Ziggler, Summer Rae, Rusev, and Lana last year. Most fans hated it, but it had potential. At least Rusev and Lana are getting a storyline.

Over to Smackdown. Alexa Bliss won Smackdown's Women's Championship at TLC. That is not what I would have done. I have said Smackdown's women's division looks like the diva era's last stand. I am not too shocked that they would allow a diva to hold a title. Over on Raw, it has just been a show between Sasha Banks and Charlotte, two women with solid wrestling credibility. Alexa Bliss is not at their level. She has an interesting character and an appealing look, but I don't think she is at the level of Trish Stratus at her prime. Nevertheless, I do not see any heavy complaining from wrestling fans about her getting the title.

What about Becky Lynch? She just lost her title to her first real challenger for the title. Is this just so she can eventually win it back? I don't think so. That kind of booking is just annoying and it is bad enough that Raw is doing it. Alexa Bliss is just not a credible challenger. The WWE should have had Becky Lynch run through this feud and lose the title to a stronger heel. The fact that the WWE instead went with this title change may suggest that they have something else planned than just using Alexa Bliss to put over Becky Lynch. But the WWE should make an effort to still give Becky Lynch a proper push. She doesn't need the title to be featured well. She made history by being the first woman to hold that title. She wasn't getting that fantastic of a career prior to the big win. She wasn't even pushed well in the weeks leading up to Backlash where she won the title. She didn't really have a great overness to deserve the moment as a reward. The only way they can justify this booking decision is giving her that big career now. If not, it is just a wasted booking decision. Push her well until you have a good reason not to. I do not see that good reason.

Some people say Alexa Bliss won the title just to lose it to Nikki Bella down the road. Nikki won her match against Carmella. I would not be against Nikki getting a title reign. The WWE put a lot of work into her for a few years. She came back from a serious injury. She is more over than some people might like to admit. She is also more solid in the ring than some people might like to admit. The WWE has done well in featuring her well without the title these last few months. A title reign next year would not be horrible.

Over in Smackdown's periphery, Maryse is still with Miz. But she has not been utilized as well as Lana has recently. Is that a good thing or bad thing? As I said, some fans just dislike these periphery angles. But they can be done well. Whether or not the WWE comes up with something better for Maryse, she just remains some eye-candy to look at.

In general, both divisions lack a strong identity. What does the WWE want to be when it comes to women's wrestling? If they want to be about serious women's wrestling, giving Smackdown's Women's Championship to a Alexa Bliss so soon is not a move that makes sense. And if their goal is to push women's wrestling, why put so much focus on just Charlotte and Sasha Banks on Raw? They are not the only women that know how to wrestle on Raw.

And I didn't once bring up the word "centerpiece" when going through the two women's divisions. What does the WWE want in terms of a central focus, if there even will be one? I could say it is Charlotte on Raw, but then the WWE continues with this endless feud between her and Sasha Banks. Can you picture a world in 2017 where these two are not feuding? Over on Smackdown, it is even worse. By giving Becky Lynch the Smackdown's Women's Championship first, you would think she would be the centerpiece. But her development prior to the title win was poor, her title reign has not been that amazing, and now there is a chance she will be pushed out of the title scene. Is Nikki Bella the centerpiece? If so, why not just have her be the first Smackdown's Women's Champion? Or is the WWE going for the younger option, Alexa Bliss, to be the centerpiece of this diva-friendly women's division?

As I have said before, you have to wait a while to get a feel of what the women's divisions will look like in this new era. So far, it seems like even the WWE does not know what they want to be. You have Becky Lynch get poor development heading into Backlash and still winning the title. You have Bayley looking like she will finally get a title feud, then get ditched so Charlotte/Sasha can continue. The WWE has to be more decisive. That does not mean being stubborn. If you see someone is not really working out in getting over, don't force it. But they just look like they can't commit to things properly right now. And that is a huge problem.

A lot of fans are talking about women the WWE can sign, including Mickie James. I am a Mickie James fan, but I would not bring her back. Not right now. The WWE needs to look at the roster they have right in front of them and decide what they want to be and how they are going to go about becoming what they want to be. The WWE is just looking for easy answers to cause buzz for them, without actually improving how they manage their talent. No Ric Flair. No Mickie James. No Trish Stratus for just a guest appearance. Their primary concern should be what they have now. Even with the brand split, it is possible to be more efficient with the rosters they have. Without improving there, it is very likely that whatever other women they bring in will not be handled properly, and that will hurt their overness. Mickie James is only 37. She still has a few good years left. Let the WWE spend a couple months to a year getting their act together, then bring her in.

State Of The WWE Cruiserweight Division: December 2016

The cruiserweight division is getting some momentum. 205 Live has kicked off. And it has kicked off with a title change. Rich Swann defeated Brian Kendrick for the Cruiserweight Championship.

Let me start off with this title change. I just feel like it is going to be one of those short title reigns. Kendrick will likely win it back this week or the next Raw PPV. The title change only really happened to create some buzz for the new show.

Onto the new show. 205 Live. They had it after Smackdown last week. And it may not have worked out the way the WWE would have hoped. A lot of fans left after Smackdown ended. They did not stick around for the cruiserweights. One of my favorite tweets from someone that was there that night mentioned the fans leaving, but also mentioned a lot of fans still there around him being drunk. Yeah, that's how I picture a lot of wrestling neckbeards. You can say that all the WWE has to do is schedule things better, but the problem may be deeper than that.

I mentioned that the cruiserweight division is getting some momentum, but is it organic? Or is the WWE kind of forcing this? Wrestling fans tend to love this style of wrestling. But has the WWE really done enough to get this thing over with the wider audience. A show on the WWE Network is not going to do it. The WWE is just preaching to the choir. Wrestling fans that have been subscribing already saw the Cruiserweight Classic. They are already invested. What does the WWE gain from 205 Live? This will likely not be a long-term show. It will be like Mick Foley's recent show on the WWE Network. It will be around for a few episodes, then get rotated out for something else.

This show is just not likely to draw in new subscribers for the WWE. Fans that would be interested in these cruiserweights are the same ones that are hooked on NXT. They are the ones that would want to be watching the main roster PPVs to see guys like AJ Styles and Kevin Owens. The WWE already has their $9.99. How much more are they really gaining? If someone is paying the WWE $9.99 to subscribe for a month, the WWE has their money whether they watch just the brand PPVs or everything else on it. They have their money whether they use the WWE Network once a month or several times a week. It is really just fan service.

I do not think the WWE even knows what a fair opportunity looks like. This is a company that is guilty of not giving their own workers fair opportunities in the past. There is no denying it. Workers have gotten over and found themselves in the same position they were in as if they never succeeded. Meanwhile, workers that were not connecting well with the audience have been forced down throats to make them look great. You sometimes see failing agendas continue to get pushed, not just individuals. To top it all off, you have had people that got over organically and not get the better push for themselves be used to put over the WWE-backed individuals not getting over. It is just a terrible situation that led to failure.

The WWE is taking things that smarks like and just treating them like they are big successes. I am not just talking about certain individuals, like AJ Styles. I mean agendas, like the women's revolution and the cruiserweight resurgence. Giving these things a chance doesn't just mean you treat it like it is established already. You have to give these cruiserweights a chance to get over with more than just smarks. If they do that, then you give them 205 Live. That way, they are more likely to draw in a wider audience for the WWE Network. It isn't about just rewarding them. It is about properly creating and utilizing draws.

The WWE needs to stop treating these cruiserweights like they are something different. Stop with the purple stuff. Yeah, it is great that the division is back, but just incorporate it into the show. Treat them in a more organic manner. They might have an easier time working out that way.

Let me close by just focusing on one specific cruiserweight. Where's TJ Perkins? This is the first Cruiserweight Champion of the new title. I have said in the past that having someone make history like this should be justified. Perkins was not a big name prior to the title win. He wasn't extraordinarily over. The only way you can justify his big moment is if the WWE legitimately put an effort in to get him over and make him into something great. I don't think they did a great job of that during his title reign. And they have not followed up with him properly since he lost the title. Would it have been so terrible if he was the one that got the title shot last week and won the title back. Since he is the first man to hold this title, he should be treated as the centerpiece of the division, until he flops, something better comes along, he does something terrible, or he leaves the company. The WWE just did not give him a good opportunity so far. He might be a good centerpiece. But the WWE isn't helping him.

Previewing The TLC 2016 Main Event

AJ Styles will defend the WWE Championship against Dean Ambrose in a TLC match this Sunday. But the wildcard will be James Ellsworth. He has been involved with these two for the last few weeks.

This can go one of two ways. Either Ellsworth will purposely cost Dean Ambrose the title or he will inadvertently cost Dean Ambrose the title. If it is the latter, you have to start wondering if this will lead to Ambrose eventually turning heel or Ellsworth snapping and turning heel later on. Either way you slice it, AJ Styles is retaining the title, and hopefully moving on to a fresher feud than this one with Ambrose.

Let's say Ellsworth was not a factor and this whole story was just between Styles and Ambrose. Is there a reason to give Ambrose back the title now? I don't think so. I would have waited a little longer to give Styles the title, but he has it now and there is no reason to give it back to the man he beat for the title a few months ago. Styles can move back to his feud with John Cena, when he eventually returns. The WWE might have The Undertaker get a title shot. They might just come up with some filler feud until Styles is ready for something better. Whatever they do, Dean Ambrose doesn't seem to need the title heading into Wrestlemania season. In this new smark-friendly era, the WWE might want to keep the title on Styles a little longer into the new year. Both Styles and Ambrose are favorites of smarks, but Styles is much more a favorite.

Let me do an aside. I recently tried to once again have a discussion with wrestling fans about the career of Mickie James in the WWE. You can see my failed attempt here. I remember one time trying to talk about it on another message board years ago and literally getting a headache trying to get through to "smart" fans. I am trying to have an objective, analytical discussion based on how the women are pushed in relation to each other and over time, and all people can do is repeat the same things people have said in dirtsheet reports and backstage rumors. People ignore what is going on right in front of them. I am not even going to bother trying again.

I started blogging in 2008. I do not plan to be blogging in 2018. I'll stop some time next year. Until then, I still have at least a few more months to go.

Previewing The TLC 2016 Undercard

Before I talk about the men's matches, let me update something I talked about yesterday. When talking about the women's matches, I said Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch should have a stipulation for TLC. Later that day on Smackdown, they made it a tables match. Good move. It still feels like Smackdown needs to catch up with Raw's women's division, but this is a start.

Moving on to the men's matches, Kalisto vs. Baron Corbin is a feud I like. It is a non-title midcard feud. No former World Champions involved. It is pure midcarder vs. midcarder. I like how it has been treated these past few weeks. And it is a chairs match. The WWE could use good midcard feuds outside the title picture. As for who wins, Corbin is the one that seems to be on the rise.

Dolph Ziggler lost the Intercontinental Championship back to The Miz a few weeks ago and gets a rematch. It is a ladder match. I hate how the WWE has been tossing certain titles around recently. Remember how much emotion there was in Ziggler's title hunt these last few months. Then there was the big payoff when he finally won the Intercontinental Championship. You can't toss the title around like this and expect the fans to always be as emotionally involved. I was all for Ziggler heading into Survivor Series to defend against Sami Zayn. That did not happen. Now what? Toss the title back on Ziggler. That seems like what the WWE might do, but I don't like it. Build up your Champions to look good before losing the title. I don't mean that everyone needs to have a title reign of doom like New Day, but some of these title reigns just don't get a chance to get established before it comes to an end, and ending at the hands of the person that was just beaten for the title. I am not saying this kind of booking should never be done. You don't want to become formulaic, but this is just too much. I don't think it really adds anything to the feud or storyline. The WWE is just forcing things to be extended because of the brand split. Anyway, I would say Ziggler gets back the title and eventually drops it off to Baron Corbin.

The tag titles will be decided when Heath Slater and Rhyno defend against Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton. Bray Wyatt has been on the main roster for years and has never won a title. If he wins it here, however, it will be more about furthering a storyline than really putting him over. When will Randy Orton strike and turn on Bray Wyatt? One possibility is obviously to have Orton cost Wyatt the tag titles this Sunday. I do not think that is the way things will go. Have Orton help Wyatt win the tag titles, further proving his loyalty to him. Once Wyatt is manipulated to truly think he and Orton are partners, then Orton strikes. This storyline has not been set up as smoothly as it could have, but there is still potential to do something interesting heading forward.

Previewing The TLC 2016 Women's Matches

Another brand PPV? So soon? Yes, Smackdown has TLC this Sunday. There are two women's matches scheduled for the PPV.

First, you have Nikki Bella vs. Carmella. This has been an endless feud, but I do like that it is No DQ. If you are going to have this feud get as intense as it has, even if there is no good kayfabe reason for it, you might as well end it in a match like this.

Who wins? It should be Nikki Bella. Again, the WWE has put a lot of work into her to make her into a star these last few years. It would be unlike them to just dismantle her and use her to put over Carmella. That is not even how Carmella would get over. Work on building her character. Wins and losses don't matter for her. But in regards to feuds and storylines, Nikki Bella should just win this and the WWE should end the feud.

Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss have already had one official title match. Becky Lynch won, but there was some controversy. Seeing as how close to Survivor Series this Smackdown PPV is, it is no shocker that the WWE would have this feud boil over a few more weeks.

This is TLC. Some fans are unhappy that this match doesn't have some extreme element to it. On the one hand, does this feud really call for it? I just raise the question. Personally, I don't think it is an excuse. The WWE very well could make this a tables match. It's not like this would be the first time a women's match at TLC got in on the TLC fun. There was a women's tag team tables match back in 2010, during the declining years of the diva era. This is supposed to be a new era where women's wrestling is treated better. Why is all the "history" happening on Raw? Why is it that none of the Smackdown women have main-evented a show for their brand? People give Smackdown's booking and writing a lot of praise, but this is one area where they need to step up. I am not saying they should over-promote the women's revolution, but they could book these women better.

Who wins? It should be Becky Lynch. This would be her first PPV singles match win. Alexa Bliss has a lot of potential, but I don't think she's at that point where she deserves a title win. She deserves to be featured, just not necessarily get the title. Maybe the WWE not being too trusting of Alexa Bliss's wrestling ability is one of the reasons this match has not gotten a stipulation. In any case, Becky Lynch should not lose the title to Alexa Bliss here.

Sexy Star Makes History

Lucha Underground recently aired an episode this month where Sexy Star won their top title. That is the first time a woman has won a top title in a major televised wrestling promotion. Sexy Star has since lost the title and moved on to other things.

There have been other women that have won top titles in other promotions. These promotions, however, are not really considered major televised promotions. Lucha Underground has obviously not reached the heights of the WWE, but they are a televised promotion that has caused some buzz in the last few years. I also like that they have a unique identity. They are not trying to copy the WWE, like TNA has been accused of doing at times. They are also not a mess like the current state of the WWE.

Will this help Lucha Underground grow? I doubt it. It will cause some buzz, but that is not always enough. The WWE caused some buzz when they had Sasha Banks and Charlotte wrestle inside Hell in a Cell. If that couldn't help them fix their poor ratings and hasn't really turned either of those women into true A+ stars, this title win for Sexy Star won't do too much for Lucha Underground. But they do gain some respect points.

What does this mean for women's wrestling? Whenever fans talk about a woman one day winning a World title in a major promotion, they usually say it has to be someone like Chyna or Awesome Kong. It has to be someone big and intimidating. I never agreed with that idea. Someone like Maria Kanellis would not be a believable World Champion, but a woman doesn't need to be a beast to be a believable World Champion. Look at what TNA did last year around this time of year. They had a tournament to crown a new World Champion and they let the women get involved. Even though they did not pull the trigger, I think Gail Kim could have made a believable TNA Champion. It is not all about power moves. Use agility & speed and submissions to put on a believable match against the men. Lucha Underground did pull the trigger on a woman winning their top title. For the most part, I don't see fans giving it the thumbs down.

What does this mean for Sexy Star? As I said, she's moved on to other things. Nevertheless, this is a huge accomplishment for her wrestling career. I felt like she was the top woman in Lucha Underground when I first talked about the promotion, even though they did not have a real women's division. I am not too surprised that the company would have a woman accomplish this, and even let Sexy Star be the woman. No complaints.

Is James Ellsworth Helping Or Hurting?

James Ellsworth has a contract with the WWE and is still very much involved in Smackdown matters. Is the WWE handling him right? How far will he go? A few things to look at.

I do see some fans getting annoyed by him. Some are happy for him. But, much like virtually everyone, he does have his critics. Do his critics have a point? Some people have complained that this Ellsworth stuff has ruined the title push AJ Styles has been getting. I have seen some fans say they should just put Styles out of his misery and take the title off him. The issue isn't that AJ Styles is flopping as WWE Champion. The issue, as far as these fans go, is that Ellsworth's awkwardness and looking good at the expense of AJ Styles on occasion is just not good for Styles. I would agree that Styles could be pushed better. A heel Champion does not need to be protected too much and all that, and AJ Styles has been pushed very well in his rookie year in the WWE, but the WWE should provide a better storyline than this. James Ellsworth does not need to be involved in the main-event scene.

Go back to Zack Ryder. When that guy got over and fans wanted to see him get pushed, no one said it absolutely had to be a main-event push. I never said that. I honestly cannot recall any fans I have seen say that. A proper midcard push would have been enough. Of course, the WWE acted like that was as bad as pulling teeth. You can also throw Santino into the conversation. He got over with a comedy gimmick. He got a lot of midcard title success. No one ever said he needed to win a World title. I saw some fans saying it would be nice if he won it during the last few years of his career, but it is no tragedy that he did not.

James Ellsworth just became a thing in the WWE a few months ago. Why is he already involved in a top-tier storyline on Smackdown? And how does his overness really compare to that of Zack Ryder and Santino Marella? People were going crazy for Zack Ryder to get a push. I don't think anyone was going crazy for Ellsworth in the same way. People were just laughing at his awkwardness on the Internet and the WWE has ran with it. It doesn't really mean that he is popular. It just means he is some kind of fad.

I have seen some fans unhappy that certain guys on Smackdown have nothing important to do, like Jack Swagger and Apollo Crews. I have seen some fans roll their eyes at Ellsworth main-eventing, while guys like Neville and Sami Zayn are not. There are definitely guys on both brands that have been with the company a lot longer than Ellsworth that are being underutilized. People used to say that Smackdown was better than Raw in featuring talent. They would wish certain guys being mistreated on Raw could go to Smackdown. Even I might have recommended that for certain guys. But people on Smackdown are taking a backseat to this guy, and that isn't really right.

The WWE is obviously going for a storyline that has some shock value. An oddity like James Ellsworth is causing all this buzz. A local jobber with no chin is shooting up the ranks. People are talking about it. But it obviously is not drawing. The WWE is just pandering to a fanbase that already has so much to talk about. And it is coming at the expense of other guys not getting proper opportunities, like I just pointed out. This is just not a good investment.

How far will he go? I doubt the WWE will be dumb enough to put the WWE Championship on James Ellsworth. Miz, a heel, is once again Intercontinental Champion. I can imagine Ellsworth winning that title in the kind of upset you would expect Santino to have back in the day. But I even question if he really deserves that much. He will be a lower-midcarder in time. Meanwhile, guys that worked their way through development and have been not pushed anywhere near the level Ellsworth has are just there.

Two Endless Rivalries

Seth Rollins has been feuding with Kevin Owens over the Universal Championship and Sasha Banks has had that feud with Charlotte over Raw's Women's Championship. Both feuds have been going on longer than they need to.

Let me start with the women's feud. It has been going on for longer than Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens. On the main roster, you can say Sasha and Charlotte have been feuding since that night they both debuted last year. In terms of feuding over a title since then, you can say they got started at Wrestlemania season this year. Becky Lynch was also involved back then. That feud took a hiatus as Charlotte went against Natalya. Sasha Banks then took back the feud. And they have been feuding since. They have already juggled the title between them a few times. Charlotte recently won back the title at Hell in a Cell last month. Sasha Banks never got her rematch. That is what she will get on Raw next week.

I was all for Sasha Banks retaining the title at Hell in a Cell. I don't think she deserves to be pushed as the centerpiece, but she certainly deserved the opportunity to legitimately show what she could do when the spotlight is truly on her and she's not just being used as a jobber to the centerpiece for Charlotte. Problem is, that didn't happen. She didn't retain the title. And since that is the booking decision that has to be lived with, they should not just shoot the title back to Sasha again. Not so soon. Charlotte is likely to retain against Sasha Banks, then move on to Bayley.

What about Sasha Banks? She can move on to Nia Jax. She is lucky she even has that to do. In the previous era, credible jobbers would be treated a lot more poorly. They would have complete mediocrity to do, if they were even lucky enough to have that.

Onto Seth Rollins and his never-ending quest to burn Raw to the ground and get back at Triple H. Or not. He just seems to get title shot after title shot. He had one on Raw this week. Pretty good match. But it ended in a controversial way that pretty much makes it obvious that he will still be feuding with Kevin Owens.

Now, Rollins and Owens have not been feuding as long as Sasha Banks and Charlotte have. But the problem is that Seth Rollins has been involved in every PPV World title match he could legitimately be involved in since first winning the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania last year. The only exceptions have been the period in which he was injured, Smackdown-exclusive PPVs recently, and Survivor Series recently, where neither World title was defended.

While on a message board recently, I came across another piece of trivia about Seth Rollins that shows just how overbearing his booking has been. Someone pointed out that he has been involved in every Universal Championship match. The title is only a few months old, but it is kind of ridiculous that this one guy has been in all the matches, despite never winning the title. This is worse than Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns never had a stretch like this.

Seth Rollins is supposed to be feuding with Triple H. That whole storyline has just lost almost all its edge. The WWE has failed to properly follow up with this at all. Some fans point out that it was created at the last minute when Finn Balor got hurt. So what? Injuries happen all the time in sports. The "Next Man Up" philosophy doesn't just mean you throw someone out there when an injury happens and let whatever happens just happen. You try to help the replacement to succeed. Okay, an injury happened to ruin what the WWE had planned. But they did a good job in laying the seeds of a big angle when Triple H showed up to screw Seth Rollins. But they have not nurtured this storyline well at all. I don't care if this is going to culminate at Wrestlemania, they should have handled these few weeks better. And if they had no intention to, they should have come up with a different angle when Finn Balor got injured to cause some buzz.When they eventually do go back to Triple H vs. Seth Rollins, I doubt that feud will have that same feel to it that it could have.

What could Seth Rollins have been doing now? Why is he not feuding with Jericho? Jericho has been a torn in his side. Those two could have feuded for one or two PPVs. By the time it was all over, it's Wrestlemania season and Triple H can take over against Rollins.

Where does that leave Kevin Owens and his title? Pick any legitimate contender in the men's division and have him go against Owens. The men's division has a lot more bodies than the women's division. In the women's division, moreover, there are just some women you would not expect to be treated as legitimate contenders for the title, like Lana. But there are so many options for the men. Why is it Seth Rollins, Seth Rollins, Seth Rollins, and Seth Rollins in the title picture so much? Especially in the brand split era, this kind of thing is just not going to work. There are so many guys being underutilized, while one guy just gets pushed in the title scene too much. I wouldn't even mind Roman Reigns getting a brief push against Kevin Owens again. He has taken a few months off from the World title scene.

Just like great booking can help a wrestler get over, terrible booking can hurt a wrestler's overness. I don't think either Sasha Banks or Seth Rollins have A+ overness, but the booking they are getting is not helping. Especially in the case of Seth Rollins, they are obviously not screwing the guy. He is a guy they want to be a top star. But they are botching. No one needs to be in the title scene this much. As a Mickie James fan, I have said in the past that I wish she had gotten some great periphery angles like Lita got. It would have helped to extend her career and take her to another level. But they only pushed her as a credible jobber. Being in the title scene so much for her was not a good thing. They were just using her to put over whom they wanted over or using her as filler. Sasha Banks looks like she is following in that path, although the new era will be kinder to her. But back to Seth Rollins, it is just so much easier to keep men relevant outside the title scene than it is for the women. There are so many men on the roster for him to feud with until Triple H continues the storyline. But this booking is just going to turn some fans against Rollins. I doubt he gets as bad as Roman Reigns, but he is not reaching his full potential.

Goldberg Still Dominant

When I previewed Bill Goldberg vs. Brock Lesnar for Survivor Series recently, I said a poor performance would hurt Goldberg more than a loss. Well, he won. And he also didn't have a poor performance. He dominated.

For the last few years, Brock Lesnar has never taken a decisive loss. He has not been pinned or made to submit. He lost some triple-threat matches where he was not pinned. He lost the Royal Rumble. He had that loss to The Undertaker last year with that crappy ending. He had been very protected. And the rationale for keeping him so strong for so long has always been that the person that finally gets that decisive win against him would get a great rub. Even I probably bought into that idea. I can't remember. Point is, starting with when he ended The Undertaker's Wrestlemania streak and dominated Cena to win the WWE Championship, Lesnar just started to get annoying with how he was booked. Obviously, the WWE deserves the blame for that.

But having Goldberg be the guy to crush Lesnar? I am not talking about just beating Lesnar. That's one thing. Goldberg was made to look like he truly is now the guy to beat. Lesnar passed the torch onto a part-timer that's even older than he is. I would have rather the rub go to a full-timer. And possibly a guy a little younger than Lesnar, who is nearing 40.

Does this hurt Lesnar's own mystique? Not a lot of guys can say they have beaten Brock Lesnar. Goldberg was one of them even before Survivor Series. It's not like Lesnar lost to someone beneath him. Lesnar can look dominant again very easily, but I would say that he does lose something from how he was beaten at Survivor Series.

But the man that gained from that rub is still around. Goldberg will be in the Royal Rumble. Still another 2 months before I get around to previewing that. Until then, does this win add to Goldberg's mystique? Definitely. As I said, he is now being made to look like he is the guy to beat. Will the WWE let someone truly deserving get that big win against Goldberg? Or will they make the kind of mistake they just made with Lesnar and hand it off to another old part-timer? What's wrong with that? How about using these guys to actually build the younger guys to be big stars that may one day be looked at to be draws, even part-time draws? The WWE is relying on guys that were big deals over a decade ago to still carry them today. And they are doing a poor job creating new stars. Let's see how Goldberg is used.

Undertaker To Smackdown?

When The Undertaker made his return to Smackdown last week, he made the impression that he was there for one last run, not just a special appearance. He threatened Team Smackdown to motivate them to win. Some people felt that meant Team Smackdown had to lose at Survivor Series to create some angle for The Undertaker. I did not think that was necessary, and Team Smackdown won last night. That doesn't mean The Undertaker cannot become a (semi-)regular member of Smackdown, at least for a while.

Should he? I think so. Undertaker is not a guy that needs to wrestle every week. His mere presence should help the show and help to set up his next Wrestlemania feud from now. Before you know it, Wrestlemania season is here. I don't think it is too much to ask for The Undertaker to work a few dates to help develop that Wrestlemania feud for next year, especially if he is willing.

There are also rumors that he will win the WWE Championship. Once again, I think this is something that should happen. Unlike certain other part-timers that left the WWE for years and popped back up to eventually get a title run, The Undertaker has been here on a regular basis. Brock Lesnar got a World title run a few years ago. The Rock got one. Remember the Batista fiasco? He won the Royal Rumble. Although he didn't win the title, things were obviously heading in that direction until Daniel Bryan and his fans killed it. I would say The Undertaker deserves it more than Batista did.

What does this mean for Smackdown? It should help them in the ratings department. In that regard, Smackdown has been underachieving. I frequently see Internet wrestling fans say Smackdown is the better show. Aside from that vote of confidence, Smackdown has John Cena, who is supposedly the top draw for the WWE of the last decade. They have AJ Styles, who is beloved by wrestling fans who may detest Cena. Smackdown also has guys like Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, and Bray Wyatt. Daniel Bryan, one of the hottest acts in the WWE in recent years, is also on the show as the GM. Smackdown does not go against football. Election Day obviously hurt the show's numbers, but even ignoring that day, Smackdown has not been drawing as well as a live show on Tuesday night featuring this supposed star power and a lot more efficient than Raw should. The Undertaker might help things. 

Survivor Series 2016 Preview: Part 4

Goldberg vs. Lesnar is the big match of this year's Survivor Series. The return of Goldberg has given Raw's ratings a bit of a boost. It will surely have some kind of impact on WWE Network subscriptions. But will it be what some people expect it to be? These two went at it over a decade ago. Goldberg won. What can people expect this time?

Goldberg's health has to be an issue. He is not as young as he used to be. He had surgery this year. For whatever his word is worth, he said he was banged up just from what happened on Raw this week. He can get really hurt in this match with Brock Lesnar.

That would obviously influence match quality. Fans shredded the match these two had years ago. Part of that was obviously due to both being on their way out. This time around, both are more beloved. But if the match turns sloppy, for whatever reason, fans might dump on this match again. If these guys don't put some effort in it, this match will once again get shredded. Fans have to realize that Goldberg might not be able to be that guy he was in WCW and when he first came to the WWE. Don't expect too much. This will likely not be the best match of the night.

As for who wins, I would go with Lesnar. Yes, Goldberg just returned. I would like to see him remain undefeated against Lesnar. But I don't think he is what he once was. A guy like him beating Lesnar would just make Lesnar look bad. And the WWE loves protecting Lesnar these days.

There is talk that Goldberg might work another match after Survivor Series. I don't think a loss would hurt his worth as much as a terrible performance might. If he looks sloppy or very human out there, that might ruin his mystique. He won't continue to be the draw he could be.

Survivor Series 2016 Preview: Part 3

I'll start with the Survivor Series elimination match featuring the tag division. A whole lot of bodies will be in this match. It might turn into a spotfest. I don't expect this to be match of the night. I'll say Smackdown's team wins this one.

I previewed the Intercontinental Championship match already, but there has been a change. Miz regained the title on Smackdown this week, so he will face Sami Zayn at Survivor Series. That is some really crappy booking. I did not even expect them to pull this. They better have a very good reason, like Ziggler has some injury, is suspended, or something like that. Yes, it is unfair to Dolph Ziggler. He just had his big moment of 2016 and it ended up being not much more than a moment, much like what happened with Daniel Bryan years ago. But it's more than that. Ziggler was the one that got this whole angle going, in terms of kayfabe. To take him out of this match like this is just terrible. And from the standpoint of match quality, I was expecting Ziggler vs. Zayn to possibly steal the show. Miz might still have a good match with Zayn, but not as good as Ziggler would have had with Zayn. I will stick with my previous prediction of Zayn winning the title.

Onto the elimination tag match that really matters. Team Smackdown will be represented by AJ Styles, Dean Ambrose, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, and Shane McMahon. Team Raw will be represented by Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Chris Jericho, and Braun Strowman. This is the match with all the top stars. And it also features a lot of infighting. AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose have obviously been feuding. Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt have been playing mind games with each other for months. Kevin Owens has issues with a few guys on his team. You've been seeing these guys attacking each other in recent weeks, then being forced to tag with each other. This dysfunctional booking has just not been that entertaining and takes away from the overall Raw vs. Smackdown story. The WWE should be glad they have Lesnar vs. Goldberg to lean on. Without that match, I don't think this Survivor Series would be good enough to draw subscriptions. I am not saying a little tension is bad in this situation, but the WWE has just handled things in a completely dysfunctional way that is not that great.

Which team wins? It is a shame nothing is on the line. We know which team The Undertaker wants to win. And I'll say Team Smackdown does win and wins the brand "war" for 2016. Kalisto and Sami Zayn winning their respective title matches will give Raw and Smackdown each one win. The women's elimination tag match will go to Raw. The tag division elimination tag match will go to Smackdown. And this match here will decide the overall victorious brand. Again, I'll go with Smackdown.

Survivor Series 2016 Preview: Part 2

I will talk about the women's match today. Aside from the actual match, I have to bring up the personal feuds on both brands with these women. It will obviously spill over to some degree this Sunday.

Let me start with Smackdown. Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Naomi will be teaming up. Three faces and two heels. Aside from that, Nikki Bella and Carmella are coming off a feud that seemed to be more heated than it really needed to be at times. Carmella would be assaulting Nikki before matches even had a chance to start. And there was never any strong personal reason for that. Becky Lynch has been feuding with Alexa Bliss over the Smackdown Women's Championship. Becky may have retained it, but this feud is not over. But these will be two feuds that might spill over to the women's match at Survivor Series.

How about that decision to not make Becky Lynch, the Women's Champion of Smackdown, team captain? I still see some fans annoyed by it. Again, I am not going to shake my head at this decision. Becky Lynch was out for a while due to a medical issue. When she came back, she was immediately still tied up in that feud with Alexa Bliss. She was not really free to handle the angle of being team captain. Why not spread some of the attention around?

Over to Raw. Charlotte will be teaming with Sasha Banks, Bayley, Nia Jax, and Alicia Fox. Once again, three faces and two heels. Charlotte being the captain here is understandable. She wrapped up Sasha Banks at Hell in a Cell and the WWE got around to pushing her for this Survivor Series match right away. Even though both Sasha Banks and Bayley will be gunning for Raw's Women's Championship, a title feud has not been as active on Raw as you have had with Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss on Smackdown in recent weeks. Nia Jax had lost a ton of momentum prior to this push. Alicia Fox was even further down the ladder than her. She was last relevant when being used to put over Nia Jax. But these two are really just extra bodies.

Who wins? There is obviously a ton of personal feuds on both teams that can influence the story of this match. There will be a lot of talk from the commentators about how all these women can coexist. But I think Raw's team will win this one. I wouldn't be surprised to see Bayley as one of the survivors, if not the sole survivor.

Survivor Series 2016 Preview: Part 1

With the exception of Goldberg vs. Lesnar, Survivor Series is all about Raw vs. Smackdown. The multi-person tag matches revolve around that theme. Even the two title matches revolve around that theme. I will talk about those two title matches today. I will also get into a side effect of this Raw vs. Smackdown theme.

With all this inter-brand fighting that is supposed to be happening, that has impacted the feuds going on for each brand. Or has it? You have still seen those issues the last few weeks. In a lot of cases, people on the same team have been fighting each other these last few weeks. These personal issues will obviously boil over at Survivor Series, but it seems to be a bigger issue at times than the actual Raw vs. Smackdown rivalry.

I do not like what is going on. Of course, it is somewhat unavoidable. The Raw and Smackdown superstars have not been appearing on both brands to help push these matches properly. So what are you supposed to do to kill time? If all these wrestlers acted like they really were on the same page as their team members, would there even be any matches? Certainly not many.

It just makes it hard to buy into the Raw vs. Smackdown rivalry. Both brands just look dysfunctional. Dysfunctional behavior was one of the irritating things about The Authority. They just looked terrible and hard to get into with how there would be this inconsistent unofficial feud within the group. Hopefully, this will just end this Sunday and everyone can move on.

What is something the WWE could have done to keep things fresh while still protecting what the common goal of these teams should be? Aside from having some guys from the other brand show up for singles matches or traditional 2-on-2 tag matches, they could have done some feuds exclusive to just Raw and Smackdown. Have some feuds that don't revolve around Raw vs. Smackdown. I am not talking about Lesnar vs. Goldberg. Those two part-timers aren't going to help since they don't wrestle on Raw. And I am not talking about lower-midcard filler with the likes of Bo Dallas. I mean meaningful feuds that would lead to a match at Survivor Series. The focus of these feuds would be clear. There would still be some infighting with some of these teams, but it wouldn't permeate the shows like I feel it has.

Onto the matches. Brian Kendrick defends the Cruiserweight Championship against Kalisto and Dolph Ziggler defends the Intercontinental Championship against Sami Zayn. Not only can titles change hands, they can change brands.

If one title changes hands, it just seems obvious that the other will change hands. I cannot imagine Smackdown ending up with two titles. They don't have space for it. They also are getting all those cruiserweights. Moreover, that just leaves Raw at a huge disadvantage. The whole point of having the cruiserweight division on Raw is that they had that extra hour they needed to fill. The cruiserweight division just made it easier, although they were doing okay in the few weeks prior to the division being born. I also cannot see Raw ending up with two titles. That would be unfair to Smackdown.

The titles will either stay where they are or switch shows. I think there is a good chance the switch happens. People have been talking about unifying certain titles. I will talk about that if the titles actually switch brands and Raw ends up with the two midcard singles titles. Until then, Zayn wins the Intercontinental Championship and Kalisto wins the Cruiserweight Championship.