Where Is Orton/Wyatt Going?

The feud between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt has been my favorite feud going. In an era where too many feuds seem to be based on real-life drama and are way too serious, this was a feud that just played with Bray Wyatt's gimmick. It had some interesting segments to it. It was just a good story.

Recently, however, I do not like how the WWE has been handling the feud. They had Kane disappear a few weeks ago. That was fine. Mix it in with Bray's gimmick. There were some fans thinking Kane might then return as a heel. Just pretend Bray Wyatt "brainwashed" him. Caskets came into play. Kane returned as a face. Last week, Orton attacked Kane and cost him a match against Bray. What is going on? Orton is following the "If you can't beat them, join them" philosophy.

What is my issue with the direction of this feud? First of all, it just seems like they are starting to do too many things with this story. I know they have a ton of time to kill and all that, but I feel like there have already been a few things in the last few weeks that they could have built on. Kane disappearing was something they could have built on. Turn him heel. Make the storyline about Orton trying to get Kane back. Even if they didn't want to do anything like that, they introduced the casket. Okay, that can build up to a casket match. Not exactly Bray Wyatt's specialty. This would be a match for The Undertaker. But if they want to build Bray Wyatt as the next Taker, and the two have feuded before, they can use this kind of match. But then they switch to Orton turning on Kane. It just seems like they are doing too much.

I have seen one fan like this feud because it has storyline progression. I wouldn't call this storyline progression. I have seen some storylines in the WWE where the WWE does something to get fans interested, then they just sit on that one thing and don't go anywhere for a while. That is a lack of storyline progression. Look at feuds where one person attacks someone else. Then they attack them again. And again. It takes a while for an explanation or for things to go to another level. That is not the problem here. The problem here is just doing too much with this one feud. This isn't progression. This is just jumping around to various things.

Another reason I do not like what the WWE is doing here is because I would say there is potential for feuds with a few of the storyline points you have used here. Why use it all just for this one feud? Will the WWE be able to create fresh feuds for Wyatt after this? Or will they just reuse the angles they have used in this feud? After a while, it just isn't fresh anymore. The writers obviously have some ideas, but all these ideas don't need to be used here. Not only is it a question of possibly muddling the current storyline with Orton, but it is an issue of whether these ideas will still be worth doing after the feud with Orton.

Last reason I do not like recent developments for this feud, is it even justified? Orton teasing going heel, is it justified? A few years ago, Daniel Bryan joined The Wyatts to get close to Bray, then got some revenge against him. The storyline worked better then. Daniel Bryan was getting beaten up by The Wyatts. It just looked like he was broken. Now? I don't see it. Bray Wyatt has not looked that dominant. He lost to Kane just a few weeks ago when Orton could not compete. Randy Orton has not looked that broken. He has looked strong at times in this feud. And it isn't like the numbers were really that against him. He had Kane on his side against Bray Wyatt and whichever one of his lackies is available. It is just hard to buy into this new direction.

Go back to last year. Randy Orton has done this kind of thing before. He was splitting with The Authority. He then pretended like he still wanted to be a part of them just so he can get his hands on Seth Rollins at the best time. That kind of angle just fit that feud. Orton is obviously a character that utilizes mind games, which makes this feud with Wyatt even better, but using that same kind of trick again? So soon? With Bray Wyatt? Yes, it is obvious Orton isn't truly turning heel. But why should Bray Wyatt even buy into him?

Is this the angle they will stick with for this feud? They can have Bray Wyatt do things to test Orton further. They can have Orton do things on his own to try to prove he is on Bray's side. Or they can just have Bray Wyatt see through Orton, drop the angle, and go in a different direction. I wish they would just stick with one direction and build on it. That would be progression.

Let me do a slight aside. A few weeks ago, the WWE went with Orton/Wyatt as a PPV main event. No titles were on the line. Nothing was on the line. This feud just didn't belong in the main event. It looked like the WWE was just scared of the presidential debate. Last night at Hell in a Cell, Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte headlined. I am not going to say anything about match quality or who won. Just the decision to put the women on last, was it really an honor? Hell in a Cell went against a good NFL game and a World Series game where the Cleveland Indians had a chance to clinch the title. That is heavy competition. Is it really an honor? Or should it be categorized in the same place as Orton/Wyatt headlining a PPV they had no business headlining? The product definitely isn't the same now as it was a decade ago and before that. Headlining a PPV back then would have meant more.

Previewing Seth Rollins Vs. Kevin Owens For Hell In A Cell 2016

This is the match that should be the main event. The Universal Championship is on the line. This feud is part of the bigger storyline between Rollins and Triple H. It has just gotten the main attention for a while now. Even then, there have been some issues that have ruined the feel for this feud. That is what I am going to start out talking about.

There are just some guys that do not have the ability to play serious characters and more comedic characters. Anderson & Gallows flopped as the WWE tried to figure out what kind of characters these guys should be. What about Roman Reigns? His issues over the last few years have been talked about very much. The WWE tried to take a guy that got over in a badass stable and turn him into this more witty character that he really couldn't handle. He doesn't have the mic skills. He's not The Rock, a guy that does have the ability to play various characters in an entertaining way, which is why he is so successful in Hollywood. I am not saying these other guys can never expand themselves to have that depth, but they just don't have it.

Even if someone does have that acting depth, there are just certain storylines where you should not want that person to drop a serious character and start acting like a bit of a clown. Pro wrestling is supposed to be about entertaining, but you don't need to be funny all the time to entertain people. Look at the heated feud Randy Orton and Triple H had a few years ago. Orton had attacked Triple H's wife, Stephanie. There was a storyline reason for Triple H to be intense and vengeful. If he started acting goofy, like he has proven he can over the years, especially with DX, that would have ruined the feel of the storyline.

What is the issue here in Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens? Specifically, look at Rollins. Some people don't like him as a face, but that happens a lot. A lot of smarks prefer heels over faces. This new face character for Seth may have some flaws, but I think the real issue is that the character he is showing recently is just inappropriate for this storyline. He's been goofing around a little, stealing The List of Jericho. Chris Jericho's list is probably the most popular thing in this storyline, but it really doesn't need to take over like it has.

Seth Rollins was screwed by Triple H a few weeks ago. He was intense about it. He was getting in Stephanie's face, even though there was no clear reason why Stephanie McMahon should be blamed for what Triple H did. He was attacking Kevin Owens. There was entertainment value in this intense character. And now, he just seems to have lost some of his edge. Without even considering whether his attempt to be more entertaining in a comedic way leans more towards The Rock's side or that of Roman Reigns, it just doesn't fit with what has been going on for all those weeks before that. That intensity over Triple H screwing him is gone. One of the issues is obviously that the WWE is dragging this on and Triple H has not given his motive yet, but I think the WWE could have done better.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with testing Seth Rollins by seeing if he can play this kind of face character. He has never been a solo face on the main roster. Challenge him a little. But doing it now hurts the feel of the storyline and the feud with Owens takes a bit of a hit because of it.

Onto the match. Who wins? Seth Rollins has failed to regain the title for months now. He needs to take a vacation from the title scene. I am expecting shenanigans in this match. It might not just be Chris Jericho, again. Triple H, himself, might once again pop up to give Seth Rollins a reason to intensely hate him again. The only way I can picture Seth winning is if he gets screwed again soon after. Think back to Daniel Bryan winning the WWE Championship a few times three years ago. All those reigns were short, The Authority screwing him out of the title multiple times. It would be better to just get Rollins out of the picture. Kevin Owens wins by shenanigans and something happens to add more fuel to Rollins vs. Triple H. That is what I am expecting. 

Let me do an aside about the WWE Network. The WWE recently revealed that they had close to 1.46 million subscribers for the last quarter. That is more than I was expecting, but still less than the WWE's own projections of 1.49 million subscribers. I had said a few months ago that the WWE should not be too confident to retain that much of the 1.52 million they had for Wrestlemania. This quarter, the return of Goldberg is something they will be leaning on to sell Survivor Series. Let's see if that investment leads to a gain in subscribers this time.

Previewing The Hell In A Cell 2016 Undercard

Enzo & Cass take on Gallows & Anderson. If the WWE had made a smart booking decision months ago, Gallows & Anderson would have won the tag titles back when they looked like they deserved it. This match would then be for the tag titles and Enzo & Cass would finally win some gold. Instead, this is just a filler match. Enzo & Cass are a popular team that should be winning more big matches than they have been. I would say they win here.

Speaking of the tag titles, New Day defend against Cesaro and Sheamus. This comes down to whether this Cesaro/Sheamus angle has really gotten hot. If it has, those two have a better chance of being booked to win the titles. If it has not, New Day continues to hold the tag titles hostage and every record known to mankind will fall at their feet. Cesaro and Sheamus have not looked that interesting. They will likely lose here. And what will the payoff of this storyline end up being? It might just end up being a feud the WWE tried too hard with.

TJ Perkins defends the Cruiserweight Championship against Brian Kendrick. This feud has been rather enjoyable. I might usually say that the WWE needs to stop taking advantage of real-life drama for storylines. But Kendrick acting like this is his last chance in the WWE and that he needs to win the title has led to a good midcard feud. I think he should win it. If he loses, I can imagine a face turn, but does that really seem necessary? Keep him heel and give him the title.

Even though it has not been made official, I can imagine Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman getting put somewhere on Sunday. I doubt Sami is being pushed to overcome Strowman. If this match happens, Strowman wins.

For a match that is supposed to be one of the main events of Hell in a Cell, Roman Reigns vs. Rusev is least likely to close the show. But you can never tell in this era. Roman Reigns just won the title a few weeks ago. Has the WWE gotten what they wanted out of this title reign for Reigns? And if Rusev does regain the title, it will likely be by some shenanigans. I can't imagine Reigns losing cleanly here. Will Lana get involved? I can't really see Rusev winning. The WWE might have someone else interfere to screw Reigns, which would then mean Reigns can move on to feuding with that person and the feud with Rusev would not have to drag on. But I don't see anyone on the horizon that would want to interfere to screw Reigns that he could feud with after Hell in a Cell. I'll say he retains.

Previewing The Hell In A Cell 2016 Women's Matches

History will be made when the WWE has women compete inside the Hell in a Cell for the first time. It will be Sasha Banks defending Raw's Women's Championship against Charlotte.

There was some teasing since last week that this match would be the main event of the PPV. That has since turned into this match being a part of one of those "triple main-event" deals. I would say there is at least some chance this match might still be the true main event. That is to say, the match that closes the show.

Should it be? No. The WWE just cannot force this women's revolution to be a thing. They have to let it be organic. They are not giving it a chance to work out. They are treating it like it is working out. And who are they going to listen to to see if fans are approving? The same fans that were all for women being treated this much better? Want to guess whether those fans will give a thumbs up or thumbs down? There are still a lot of fans out there not liking this. There are fans that have not really gotten the chance to connect with some of these women before they have been rushed to the top. Slow down, WWE.

The Universal Championship match between Seth Rollins and Kevin Owens should be the main event. It has had some issues and is not even the real feud fans should be interested in for Seth Rollins. That would be Seth vs. Triple H. Nevertheless, this match is for Raw's top title. This match will be used to further the top storyline going on. This match is the match I will be talking about on Friday.

If the WWE did put the women in the top spot this Sunday, will it really be that much of an honor? Look at what they did a few weeks ago at Smackdown's last PPV. The triple threat for the WWE Championship, the match that should have closed the show, went on first. Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton was the main event. I have said that I like this feud, but it did not deserve to close the PPV. That looks like just cowardice on the part of the WWE because of the presidential debate. What is the WWE scared of this Sunday? The Dallas Cowboys vs. the Philadelphia Eagles? They should be scared of the Dallas Cowboys. Is this just going to become a theme for even PPVs now? The WWE Network era cheapens the value of PPVs already, especially with the brand split back. If the WWE did choose to put this match on last, it wouldn't be the same as if they had done it a decade ago.

Who wins? Sasha Banks. Enough tossing the title around. Charlotte has her streak of PPV wins, but that statistic doesn't matter. I just hope they keep it safe. I have seen some fans say there needs to be blood in the Hell in a Cell matches, even this one. No, there does not need to be blood. If the WWE puts this match as the main event, these women might feel even more obligated to get crazy. And things have not always gone smoothly when expectations are high with these women.

What happens after Sunday? Sasha Banks can move on to Emmalina. Nia Jax is also an option, but I would go with Emmalina. The WWE has already murdered Nia's momentum. What about Charlotte? That will be interesting to see. Did they put all that work into her for the last year just to ditch her? That would be some TNA nonsense right there. They could put her in a storyline with Lana. There was some drama there between them a little while ago. It would obviously not be a serious wrestling feud, but not everything needs to go through the ring. Charlotte needs to do a better job with her character. Some storyline variety might help her.

Even though it is not yet official, Dana Brooke vs. Baylay might find itself somewhere on Sunday's card. These two have been feuding for the last few weeks. Why not put it somewhere on Sunday? It might be a kickoff match.

This feud has shown some of the things that are still wrong with this era. Go back to Raw last week. Dana Brooke got a clean win over Bayley. You can talk about Dana botching the finish and she was supposed to put her foot on the ropes all you want. Dana Brooke should not be pinning Bayley at all. Dana Brooke is not a good wrestler. That is not one of her assets. Bayley is one of the top female wrestling talents from NXT. Charlotte and Sasha pinning her is one thing. Dana Brooke? No. There are certain things that should be earned. Making history and headlining PPVs are things you would expect to fall into that category. Dana beating someone like Bayley is something that should be earned. She needs to improve her in-ring work. This would not be the first time she has messed something up. Just handing Dana a win over someone like Bayley does no one any favors. Wrestling fans are still not going to buy into Dana's in-ring work. Bayley doesn't look good. And people that want a better women's division are going to groan at this.

There are some exceptions to this idea that someone that isn't good in the ring should not be beating a woman that is good in the ring. If the female wrestler in question is a heel and the other woman is a face, you might let it go. If the heel does a great job in getting fans to want to see her get her comeuppance, they would love it if she gets owned even from someone that isn't someone you would expect to own her. Let it be some old person. Let it be some non-wrestler. Let it even be a diva. It leads to a good moment. That is not what you have here. Bayley is a face and Dana Brooke is a heel that needs to improve herself. Booking can't do it for her.

Look at TNA having Maria feud with Gail Kim. That was a feud I did not really love too much, from the standpoint of what wrestling fans would want to see. At a time when the WWE is hyping treating women's wrestling better, TNA pushes a diva against a respected female wrestler. Maria even won the KO title. It was all obviously to eventually put over Gail Kim, but you can see how these kind of feuds can hurt the respectability of the division, if you even care about looking respectable.

There are other ways to make someone look good in a feud without having them beat the person they are feuding against. Have Dana Brooke just attack Bayley. They have done things like this in recent weeks for this feud. There was no need to book Dana to get a win over Bayley.

This week on Raw featured another segment between the two. It was arm wrestling this time. Dana took advantage of Bayley's injury to get a win, then got owned the second time. A little brawl ensued. Bayley won that battle. That was a fine way to prolong the feud without having just another wrestling match.

There was a problem, however. Fans were not too respectful for the segment. Was it once again a case of antsy Lesnar fans waiting to see him? This same thing happened before in Minnesota. Some fans still just do not like what is going on in this era. Was the idea to have an arm wrestling match really such a terrible idea? I don't think so, as a writer. Bayley has a shoulder injury. Dana Brooke likes to show off her muscles. The segment just seemed obvious. The WWE doesn't have the depth to keep having multiple women's matches every Raw. Proper feud development involves some non-wrestling segments. How is someone like Dana Brooke supposed to build her character? She isn't great at wrestling.

Nevertheless, there are some fans that roll their eyes at this kind of thing. There was nothing sexist about what the WWE did. This wasn't some kind of skin match. They do this kind of thing even with the men. Mark Henry has been involved in a lot of arm wrestling segments. And yet, all they care about for these women are wrestling matches. The WWE just cannot sustain what some fans want to see. Give the WWE a break. They cannot get by with just pleasing wrestling fans. They got to put work into these women to build them into more than just wrestlers and to create segments and storylines that can entertain more than just wrestling fans. But can they do it with divas still in this new women's division? Can female wrestlers and divas coexist? It would help if some fans eased up a little.

As for who wins this likely match, Bayley. Dana Brooke has already gotten enough wins over Bayley to last her the rest of the year.  

Does Smackdown Need More Authority Drama?

The Authority was a stable that many fans felt ran its course years ago. It just kept going. You had Triple H and his long speeches. You had Stephanie McMahon slapping everyone around and never getting her true comeuppance. Even though the stable is dead, Stephanie and Triple H are still very much involved in Raw storylines.

Smackdown has been a little different. There is no authority stable. The only storylines Daniel Bryan has been involved in, beyond just making matches, have involved him getting knocked verbally by other wrestlers, mainly The Miz. But that never really led to anything. It is a little refreshing to have that change compared to The Authority being involved so much in the big storylines like they were for years.

But could the WWE do more? There is definitely potential. Shane McMahon got attacked by Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. That looked like it might lead to something. Shane McMahon, obviously, is not afraid to still get in the ring. Even if he was not going to wrestle Lesnar just yet, or ever, they still could have used this for a storyline. How about Shane decides to bring in Goldberg to handle Lesnar for him? The way the WWE handled the creation of the feud between and Goldberg and Lesnar was a little mediocre. They just took advantage of their ESPN connection to start a storyline. What I do like is that Goldberg made himself sound like he was the good guy, the superhero, out to stop Lesnar. It is better than making this match feel like it was just thrown together, like Lesnar vs. Orton. Nevertheless, the WWE could have unlocked a lot more storyline potential that might have helped Smackdown to get some of the rub from Goldberg vs. Lesnar II.

Should the WWE do more with Smackdown's authority figures? It can help create more drama. The WWE just has to not make the mistake of going too far with it. They have to know when to cut it off and just ease up. They might get Shane and Danial Bryan more involved in storylines around Wrestlemania next year. Since Smackdown is only two hours, it might be a bad decision to really have authority figures take up too much time. If Smackdown does get an extra hour, however, utilizing the authority figures more might be a good idea.

Curt Hawkins: What's The Point?

One of the angles currently on Smackdown involves the return of Curt Hawkins. His return has mirrored the push Fandango was getting when that gimmick first debuted years ago. They spent time teasing his gimmick. They then debuted him, but had him backing out of matches. Nothing too fresh going on with Hawkins.

Will this go anywhere? Probably not. I already mentioned Fandango, but this push is just mirroring other things you have seen just this year. Look at Darren Young. They spent weeks teasing this new angle he was going to have with Bob Backlund. Those segments they had ended up being more entertaining than most of what they did since they officially started the push. And the push just fizzled out. That is what I think will happen with Hawkins.

Should this go anywhere? I don't really think so. Even though people complain about the lack of depth and the need to get more guys, there are still people on the roster right now with nothing meaningful to do. The WWE needs to learn to be more efficient with what they have. I don't think Curt Hawkins is amazing enough to deserve a long-term push. I don't think this gimmick he has is that amazing to deserve long-term attention.

What is he even there for? He will be a lower-midcarder. He will end up like Darren Young and Fandango. Smarks might even mark out if he starts an angle with Zack Ryder. Nothing too special. And when mass releases do eventually happen again, Curtis Hawkins is one of those guys likely to be under consideration to be let go. There will be more men debuting from NXT and the WWE will do more returns. That just pushes some people out the door.

The Decline Of NFL Ratings

Usually when I talk about ratings, it is primarily for the wrestling shows. The only reason to bring up football is to point out that it is a yearly obstacle for wrestling shows that fall on Mondays and Thursdays to overcome. This is a little different.

This season, even the NFL is taking a noticeable loss in the ratings. Monday Night Football has still averaged more viewers than Raw every week, but numbers are still down for the various networks and various nights. It has become a real issue now. Even commentators are bringing it up during games.

Why is it happening? There have been a number of reasons floating around. First, you have the drama involving Colin Kaepernick. He has been kneeling during the national anthem as a protest. Some fans hate what he is doing and have said they would stop watching as a protest. Second, you have the game just not being as fun as it used to be. There are way too many penalty flags flying all over the place. Players get penalized for little things that a lot of people feel aren't that bad. I know it takes me out of the game. Some people say it is a lack of stars. Peyton Manning is gone. Tom Brady was suspended for a month. A lot of the other star players from recent years are flopping, like Cam Newton. I don't personally buy this excuse. There are a ton of stars all over the NFL and more are drafted every year. But this excuse does lead into another point. A lot of these games are terrible. Whether you want to say the stars are under-performing or what, a lot of games are one-sided and terrible to watch, unless you are a fan on the right side of the domination. Aside from that, you have the general excuse that this is an election year and numbers are down everywhere.

There is one interesting thing to keep in mind for those people that want to downplay the NFL's struggles. College football has actually seen a slight increase through the first few weeks compared to that same time last year. A lot of people like to say that numbers are decreasing for every show or that no one watches TV anymore. And it just isn't true. The first presidential debate between Trump and Clinton saw record numbers. SNL ratings are up thanks to parodying the presidential debates. In an era where NFL ratings are noticeably declining, college football ratings are at least holding steady and sometimes showing a bit of an increase. It is still possible for TV shows to create buzz and draw an audience.

Now, I do want to tie it back into wrestling. Look back at some of those reasons I gave for why NFL ratings are down. How do those reasons fit with what is going on in the WWE?

Let's start with Colin Kaepernick. He has become a polarizing figure, and not even for his work on the field. As I pointed out, some fans hate what he is doing. Some fans, and players, respect it. People are joining in all over the country. In just about every NFL game, they seem to always look to the sidelines during the anthem and point out if any players are doing anything to protest. It has become something to look for. Kaepernick's jersey has sold well since he started protesting. But he is still hated by many and I pointed out that some say he is the reason they won't watch anymore.

Sound familiar? Sounds like John Cena. Cena is a polarizing figure. Some fans hate him, while others love him. You always hear reports about his merchandise selling well. You might even see reports claiming he is still a draw for the WWE in terms of house shows. Do those reports ever stop to consider how many fans Cena has lost? I know a lot of fans that have said they are done with the WWE every time they let Cena win, but these fans never seem to leave. But how about some viewers that aren't smarks? How about some of those viewers that get annoyed by Cena and choose to stop watching, not just complain on the Internet? Ever since John Cena has become the centerpiece, he has not energized the product. Just like Kaepernick has this attention on him, so does Cena. It is a kind of attention that does have the ability to get people interested in what you are doing, but also has the ability to drive people away. Cena may no longer be the centerpiece, but you always have to watch out for the next guy being groomed as the centerpiece.

A lot of these football games are just not fun anymore. Similarly, a lot of people just don't find the WWE fun anymore. I know I don't find it fun anymore. It is the main reason I don't want to watch anymore. Ever since watching what the WWE did to my favorite female wrestler, Mickie James, I just couldn't look at them the same way anymore. They went on to screw more of their workers, including Zack Ryder and Daniel Bryan. They just created this seedy environment of complaining and exploiting things going on in real life to try to create drama. The WWE has been a little better recently in terms of giving their workers better treatment, but it is pretty much too little, too late for me, and probably a lot of other fans. This is not what captivated me during the Attitude Era. Another reason it is not what it used to be is that they are making all these decisions designed to cater to wrestling fans and smarks. It has lost that mass appeal.

What about the lack of stars? A popular philosophy I see some people bring up is that the WWE doesn't need draws because the brand is the draw. That is the kind of thing I might have felt would be true for NXT. They just have to appeal to smarks. Just have a few talented wrestlers, promote wrestling, and don't do anything too stupid. And yet, even NXT cannot be a draw in itself. It needs stars. And the same goes for the main roster. The WWE obviously believes they need stars. That is why they rely on part-timers. Goldberg helped them get a ratings boost this week for Raw. But the WWE has failed to sustain these ratings boosts. Where are the full-time stars? Who are the full-time stars? There is definitely a lack of stars. Most of the blame goes to the WWE for not featuring their talent better.

A lot of the football games, especially the ones in prime-time, are terrible. Whether they are sloppy or plain blowouts, they can get viewers to tune out. The issue with the WWE isn't really sloppy matches or too many squash matches. But they are sloppy in terms of how they handle the shows and manage their talent. They are inefficient. If the audience cannot connect with what they are seeing, they might stop watching. I always see fans saying Raw is unbearable. The WWE has made some improvements, but the WWE has not really learned how to be efficient with what they have. They just keep on bringing in all these people. I question what they are doing from a business standpoint. From an efficiency standpoint, this is not what they should be doing. And if some of this is not helping them to draw on a steady basis, they should consider cleaning themselves up.

As far as the election excuse, it is a real factor. Even if Raw or Smackdown don't go directly against a debate, primary, rally, or whatever, there is always analysis and reporting before and after these events that people do watch. This has been a terrible year for the WWE, especially Raw. They are going to just tell themselves that it was the election year. They are going to hope things will improve next year.

In the end, you cannot just pin things on the election. That goes for both the WWE and the NFL. Stop and look at yourself and you will see faults. The NFL obviously does not have as much control over things as the WWE. The NFL cannot predetermine aspects of a game in the same way the WWE can try to manipulate what goes on during their scripted broadcast. The NFL cam make all these rules, but that doesn't mean the rules won't be broken. You can debate whether NFL refs rig games, but that is just part of the show when the WWE does something like that. The WWE is just in a better position to control their product and could do better.

Goldberg Returns

Goldberg returned to Raw last night. He will be facing Brock Lesnar. It is no real shocker. The WWE had been teasing it for the last few weeks. These two, of course, had an infamous match at Wrestlemania in 2004.

Let me start by talking about the potential quality of this match. Match quality obviously doesn't matter too much. The WWE is just relying on hype for this match to sell tickets and get more subscribers. Nevertheless, it could be interesting to see what happens here. Brock Lesnar has been pushed as too much of an unstoppable force for a while now. Some of his matches have just become stupid due to the WWE either trying to protect him or trying to sell him as so dominant. Goldberg, on the other hand, is not the man he used to be. He just had surgery this year. He might not be able to do some of the things fans might like to see. Does that mean the WWE just has Lesnar dominate like he usually does? Goldberg beat Lesnar already. To just have Lesnar dominate here would be disappointing. Nevertheless, they can't do the same thing they did at Wrestlemania over a decade ago. Fans did not appreciate it too much, to say the least.

How about the WWE once again relying on part-timers to sell big PPVs and help them make money? This time, it's part-timer vs. part-timer. The WWE doesn't have faith in their full-time roster. And they shouldn't. The WWE has just done a terrible job with them. I once said that the only former talent the WWE should bring back are big names that could give them a boost. The WWE has obviously not done that, bringing back the likes of Jinder Mahal. But Goldberg does fit the profile. Nevertheless, the WWE should stop looking for easy answers and start doing a better job building new stars. Goldberg is almost 50. How many guys currently used full-time can you imagine coming back when they are 50 and really drawing for the WWE? These guys have enough trouble drawing in a consistent audience now. Shift focus to the talent under 40.

Emma To Emmalina

Emma has been out with an injury for a few months now. She is close to making her official return. Not only that, she looks like she will be repackaged. Emma is transforming to Emmalina.

Vignettes of the new gimmick have been airing recently. Emma is basically turning into a diva. I have seen one fan say that Emma was pretty much turning into Raw's version of Eva Marie. I wouldn't argue too much against that. Eva Marie isn't a great wrestler, but she is hot. And that is what this new gimmick for Emma pretty much leans on, her hotness.

I have said before that the diva era may be over, but there are still diva elements around. I think what they are doing with Emma is a poor decision. The WWE should have some unique gimmicks and personalities out there. If they could not come up with some unique gimmick for Emma that they were willing to push well, they should have just left her with her heel character she had prior to her injury. Let her enter some kind of story involving Dana Brooke, her former partner, and Charlotte, Dana's new mentor. They never got as much as they could have with that heel character. Prior to that, Emma had her face character that was not going anywhere. This was during the diva era and her angle with Santino, who was a lower-midcarder at this point, was not going to take her far. She was a low-tier credible jobber. She stands a much better chance of being featured well in this era, but it would do her some good and the WWE some good to let her have a different gimmick.

I can see what her first feud might be. Once Sasha Banks is done with Charlotte, she will need a new heel to face. Nia Jax has become irrelevant. Emmalina might get a push against Sasha right away. Seeing as how the WWE loves to give Sasha a platform to push the feminist direction the women's division is going, they can have Sasha rip Emmalina for trying to get by with her looks instead of her talents. What else does the WWE know what to do with Sasha Banks? And what else can the WWE be planning with Emmalina? Pairing Emma with a returning Melina? The name does sound like something you would expect for a tag team. But I am not too excited for whatever happens here.

Mickie James Back To NXT

A few weeks after Mickie James left TNA in 2013, the WWE brought her in to be a guest trainer in NXT. Beyond that and an interview she did for WWE.com, she didn't do anything else with the WWE for a few years. Of course, she had a baby, got married, and had a brief return to TNA, in addition to other matches on the indies. It has now been announced that Mickie James will face Asuka for the NXT Women's Championship at the next NXT special next month.

Let me take this opportunity to say a few things about NXT. NXT has obviously been a bit of a weapon for the company over the last few years. They have used it to generate hype with smarks. It has been an expected draw for the WWE Network. The brand tours all over the world. They sell merchandise. The WWE even acts at times like people that debut from NXT are established stars. I have said many times how that is not smart business, but the WWE obviously treats NXT as more than just a developmental territory.

In recent months, however, NXT has lost some of its luster. There was a report that viewership was down for NXT on the WWE Network. NXT events aren't always selling out, despite not regularly being held at the large venues the main roster events are held. And it just seems like the brand has lost a lot of its star power. Triple H cannot take top talent from the minor leagues as quickly as he needs to in order to keep NXT as hyped up as it once was. Key injuries there can also cripple it, much like how key injuries hurt the women's division on the main roster. Hideo Itami recently suffered another big injury.

I find it interesting how certain workers are draws for NXT, but then they come to the main roster and they really haven't helped to draw for the main roster. Ratings are still sinking. Raw and Smackdown are not regularly selling out. The WWE still relies on these big part-timers to help draw subscribers to the WWE Network. Goldberg is now added to that rotation. And just going by fan reactions, these NXT stars don't regularly get amazing reactions, unless they are in a smark city, especially PPVs. It just goes to show that the WWE needs to put in better work in these talent. Getting over in a brand that only interests a fraction of your overall audience is not enough to make you a true A+ star.

What will Triple H try to save his pet project? There are a still a number of workers out there that would appeal to the NXT fanbase, but it is also an issue of whether these workers are willing to come to the WWE. The WWE obviously is not going to give them all big contracts. There might be some other promotions out there that can hold onto these great wrestlers by offering them better deals. Will Triple H rely on part-timers to cause buzz for NXT, much like the main roster relies on part-timers? Jushin Thunder Liger worked in NXT before. Details have not been released on how long Mickie James will be working with the WWE. This could just be a one-time deal because NXT women's division lacks credible contenders for Asuka. It certainly is causing some buzz. It might lead to more past female wrestlers getting this type of use. Outside of part-timers, the only other thing I can imagine is sending some main roster talent to NXT. They have done that before. Certain guys being underutilized might do better in NXT. Apollo Crews? Even Sami Zayn looks like he is just floating around. A return to NXT might be an option to him. It would not be a demotion. NXT needs help and he might be able to help them.

Overall, it just seems too problematic to treat NXT like a brand. Not only does the WWE have to deal with various issues trying to get the main roster shows to draw, but those same issues are now being exposed in NXT. Key injuries are making things difficult. There is a lack of star power. There is a reliance on part-timers that could hurt the development of the overall roster. I just think that NXT should not be its own brand. I sometimes see fans having these big discussions on the booking of NXT and things they need to. They talk about what might hurt or help the credibility of certain workers there. Relax! Why put so much thought into the developmental territory? A lot of these workers come to the main roster and lose a lot of the edge they did have in NXT. Even if some of them keep the edge with smark fans, the wider audience is obviously not immediately impressed. The WWE has to put the work in on the main roster. That is where it really counts. These fans getting so worked up about what is going on with the NXT booking sometimes reminds me of parents getting worked up for little kids playing flag football. It's not the NFL. It's not even college football. Just relax! There is no need for smarks to get so worked up about NXT. But because Triple H has done the job he has done with NXT, some fans now take it that seriously.

Back to Mickie James. She is the first credible jobber back since this "new era" philosophy started in both the women's division and the overall company. It is obviously a good choice to bring her in, even if just for one match. She was the most popular credible jobber the diva era ever had. She was the most over diva on the roster at one time, connecting with fans even better than the women pushed as the centerpiece. No one ever even considers whether Mickie James getting in the way of the status quo back then had anything to do with her mistreatment and release. They should. But it is a new era now.

I do not think Mickie James should spend any long time in NXT. There are so many talented women in the indies that would love to be in NXT, and eventually the main roster. What about Taeler Hendrix? What about Santana Garrett? What about Tessa Blanchard? These kind of women have worked for the WWE to some degree in recent years, but how about actually signing them and building them up to be stars for NXT? Don't just use them as jobbers. NXT should not be looking for easy answers in the same way the main roster sometimes seems to do. Stop hunting for workers that are only making a ton of buzz on the indies or these former WWE talent that are liked. Take a chance on these other talent and put that worth into them. And if they can't do that, NXT is definitely not that star factory the WWE might hope it was.

Mickie James should be on the main roster. The depth in both women's divisions on the main roster is not too great. But it shouldn't only be about using her to work with the talent already there. This woman earned the career of a star, but was in the WWE at the wrong time to get what she earned. Even this era has some issues. She would be a great periphery diva, but the periphery is pretty much not an option for female wrestlers these days. I helps to build stars and create entertaining storylines. Sadly, I still don't think Mickie James will get the career she deserves. It isn't even about the WWE trying to screw anyone these days. It is just them focusing too much on pleasing wrestling fans and not enough on working on the wider audience.

James Ellsworth Gets Title Shot Against AJ Styles

James Ellsworth, the chinless local jobber that Braun Strowman squashed weeks ago, has made a few more appearances for the WWE since then. That includes this week on Smackdown. Cocky AJ Styles brought him out for a match. Dean Ambrose ended up being the special guest ref for this match. That led to Ellsworth winning. He will now get a title shot against AJ Styles on Smackdown next week.

Obviously, Dean Ambrose is still in the picture against AJ Styles, while Cena takes his break. James Ellsworth is not going to win the WWE Championship. No need to spend too much time previewing this match.

What about how they have been using James Ellsworth? I think it is a sign of how desperate the WWE has become. Ellsworth is not a quality performer. He's not a guy that got over from spending years in the indies. He's just a guy that caused a little buzz from how he looks.

Despite how the WWE has treated him, Jim Ross frequently defends the company. If I remember correctly, back when the mistreatment of Zack Ryder was still an issue, I believe Jim Ross said Ryder only had a "cult following". He was downplaying his overness. I can agree that Ryder wasn't really A+ over. No one said he needed to be pushed as a main-eventer. But going by that logic and using Ryder as some kind of standard, what can you say about James Ellsworth? He's not even over like Ryder was. I wouldn't even say he has a cult following. He's just someone that got attention for looking and acting awkward. And he's getting a title shot at the most important title on Smackdown? If Zack Ryder had gotten over on his own in this era like he did years ago, the WWE probably would have had no problem handing him an amazing push.

What really annoys me about the situation is that you have a roster full of guys that need to be featured better. It is one thing for full-time talent to take a back seat to part-timers like The Rock and Brock Lesnar. But to sit in the back and watch a guy that was only supposed to be a local jobber get used in multiple segments for a few weeks like this? The WWE needs to do better with what they have. A guy like Apollo Crews flopped. Instead of the WWE spending some time trying to give him a proper opportunity, since this is still only his rookie year, a jobber that just got over for his lack of a chin and awkwardness is getting a push. The WWE didn't even help this guy to get over. But they are just treating him like he's a hit.

Will he draw? Of course not. He's not a star. The WWE shouldn't even bother signing him to a contract. They have proven that they can get workers like him to connect with smarks very easily. Sandow did it. Slater did it. It is not that hard to get Internet fans hooked on something. And it will get chants at live events. Those fans just don't exist in front of their computers. When your full-time workers go through a process to earn that overness, then they deserve at least a fair push. James Ellsworth, as I have said before, only caused some buzz for being awkward. The WWE should spend time developing quality stars. Get to a point where they don't have to rely on high-priced part-timers. Will promoting a title match for next week at least draw? Maybe. It at least stands a better chance than just promoting James Ellsworth.

Since I am on the subject of Smackdown and the WWE Championship, go back to No Mercy. A controversial decision from that PPV was having the WWE Championship match go on first. Many fans speculated why they did that. Would there be some kind of rematch later in the show? Would Ziggler vs. Miz, a heated feud with Ziggler's career on the line, close the show? They went with Orton vs. Wyatt closing the show. I like that feud, but it didn't deserve to main event No Mercy. It seems the WWE really did do that awkward booking because of the presidential debate that same night.

To me, that is just the ultimate act of cowardice. It is obvious the WWE sometimes doesn't put the segment that deserves to close the show in the main-event slot of  Raw, especially during football season. That third hour almost always loses viewers. If the WWE wants people to watch a certain segment, it is better off not at the end of the show.

But this is a PPV we are talking about. Ratings do not matter. What matters is if you got people interested enough to pay to see it. Thanks to the WWE Network, fans can go back whenever they want to watch it. As long as fans are interested in the WWE Championship match, Ziggler/Miz, Orton/Wyatt, or whatever else on the card, they will watch. And if they are already paying the $9.99 for a Raw PPV this month or just a few weeks ago, they are already giving the WWE their money.

It reminds me of December to Dismember a decade ago. It was a flop. Funny thing is, fans were chanting "Change the channel!" at points. For those fans that paid for the PPV, it doesn't really matter. They already paid for the PPV, whether they decide to watch every minute or not.

The WWE just did not need to do it at all. They could have booked the WWE Championship match where it belonged, in the main event. Or they could have went with Ziggler vs. Miz to close the show. It would have at least looked more respectable. The WWE just had to worry about creating hype prior to the PPV. They had all those weeks to do it. And if the little stunt did get a few more people to hand over $9.99, they are also getting Hell in a Cell. The WWE doesn't need to go overboard to try to sell that PPV with any cheap tricks. It being a specialty PPV should be enough. Nevertheless, it was stupid of the WWE to allow the presidential debate to shake them like this. I doubt they really gained much, if anything at all.

Sasha Vs. Charlotte Inside Hell In A Cell

Many fans wanted it. They are going to get it. For the first time ever, two women will perform inside Hell in a Cell. Sasha Banks will defend the Women's Championship against Charlotte at the Hell in a Cell PPV.

Certain things have to be earned. Competing inside Hell in a Cell is one of them. Usually, you might just talk about credibility. Are the wrestlers credible enough to deserve this match? Is the feud credible enough to deserve this match? Darren vs. Titus was not a feud you would expect to see ended inside Hell in a Cell. Neither of these guys are worthy of this big match type, and their feud didn't even earn a proper finish.

The WWE has done a lot of work to make these women look credible in the last few months. It has just felt forced at certain times. Charlotte has been getting the build since last year. Sasha Banks has been pushed inconsistently in that time, but the WWE has picked it up in recent months. They are the two most credible women on Raw right now. Their feud has also gone on for months and featured the title being tossed between them. The WWE has also tried making it look more personal with Charlotte supposedly trying to take Sasha out. If you look at some of the matches, it looks like Sasha is trying to take Sasha out, but that is not something the WWE will mention. I can buy that this feud has credibility.

There is another aspect to consider. It is usually not something you bring up when discussing whether certain workers should get this type of match. Are they safe workers? Hell in a Cell is a match type where you expect some crazy spots. Shane McMahon leaped off the top of the structure at Wrestlemania this year. The matches that have popped up at the Hell in a Cell PPV over the years are typically lamer, disappointing a lot of fans, but the WWE seems to be willing to give their workers a little more freedom in the new era. And the women are especially given some freedom to try hard these days. But there are two ways I can see this match not being good.

First, let's say the WWE holds the women back and the match ends up being lame and overrated. There will still be some fans out there amazed just by the fact that women are in this structure and they will say it is the best thing ever, but a lot of fans will just shrug it off. I remember an I Quit match between Melina and Beth Phoenix. You usually expect those type of matches to be extreme. This match between these two women was really just a submission match. It was pretty lame, if you were expecting something extreme. Nothing wrong with submission matches, but they just should have booked a submission match. If the WWE holds back the women in this Hell in a Cell match, it will be disappointing.

On the other hand, moving to the second way this match might not be good, maybe they should hold these women back. Sasha Banks and Charlotte have not exactly put on the safest matches this year with each other. And Sasha Banks seems to have a scary spot in every big match she has had since last year. She is not made of iron. She has had to take time off multiple times in the last year for various injury issues. If the WWE gives these women the freedom to do whatever they want, and these women do not take it easy, there very well could be some terrible spots that can result in far worse than match quality being hurt.

I would not have given these two women a Hell in a Cell match for the next Raw PPV. It isn't an issue of whether they are credible enough or whether the feud is credible enough. They need to prove they can be safer than they have been. This is a dangerous match environment and expectations will be high to see something amazing with these women. These two women will likely want to go all out. And results aren't always the smoothest for them when they go all out even in regular matches. Challenge them to clean up their performances, first. After that, I don't see anything wrong with giving them a hardcore match, submission match, or some other gimmick match where expectations are not as high as a Hell in a Cell match. If they pass that test with flying colors, then put them inside Hell in a Cell. These two would obviously not be having a Hell in a Cell match this year, but maybe next year. Maybe at Wrestlemania. Maybe two other women will get it. The WWE should not just give these women too much without them proving they really deserve it. And these women have more that they need to prove. Yeah, they can do some great high-risk spots, they have great agility, and all that. But they also have some scary botches that can result in serious injury. Mistakes will happen. But it is these scary mistakes that you have to really pay attention to. And when they become a theme like they have with some of these women, a real issue pops up. Giving these women this type of match before they have proven they can perform safer is not something I would do.

No Women's Championship Match At No Mercy 2016

Becky Lynch was supposed to defend the Smackdown Women's Championship at No Mercy against Alexa Bliss. Because of a medical issue, Becky could not compete. The WWE instead went with the filler match of Alexa Bliss vs. Naomi. Naomi won.

Let me start with this booking decision. Okay, Becky Lynch cannot compete. Okay, you will still go with a second women's match. Okay, it is going to be Naomi taking Becky's place against Alexa Bliss. Here is where the "okays" stop. Alexa Bliss lost? That is not okay. The WWE did this same thing at the previous Smackdown PPV. It was supposed to be Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt. Randy Orton had a medical issue and did not have the match. They went with Kane vs. Bray Wyatt. Wyatt lost. That guy loses needlessly at times. Alexa Bliss, the #1 contender, losing to Naomi is not good for maintaining her momentum. You can talk about not wanting to be predictable, but there are some booking decisions you just have to do to help someone look good for a feud. I have already pointed out that this feud between Becky and Alexa seems a bit off. Alexa is not credible enough to really deserve this push. And this booking decision is not helping her. Does it even do anything for Naomi? Is she going to be treated as a serious contender now or soon? More than likely, Alexa Bliss will get her win back against Naomi on Smackdown.

Onto the issue of another medical issue popping up in the women's division. A few weeks ago, it was Sasha Banks needing to take time off and dropping the Raw Women's Championship back to Charlotte. She has since taken the title back, but it has been sloppy booking. Becky Lynch will defend the title in a few weeks against Alexa Bliss during the European tour, but the WWE definitely could have considered stripping her of the title. That would be the second inaugural titleholder to have that happen in the last few weeks. It happened to Finn Balor after he won the Universal Championship. You can say that her medical issue is obviously not as serious as Balor's injury, but the division is still being held up when the person holding the title cannot compete in scheduled title matches, especially PPV title matches. If you are a Becky Lynch fan, you are glad they aren't taking the title away from her so soon. As an analyst, however, this is a problematic situation and the WWE did not handle it in a way that was best for the division. Short-term, it looks ugly. Long-term, things will hopefully work out.

If there were two issues that could legitimately make the WWE reconsider some of the things they are doing with this women's revolution, those two issues would be how well it is connecting with the fans and injury issues. It has gotten mixed reviews from the fans. In terms of injuries or other medical issues, this is just another thing to add to the list. Count how many medical issues there have been with the women in the last year. Nikki Bella had a serious injury that could have ended her career. She's back now. Sasha Banks has had multiple injury issues, including the title mess I just brought up. Paige has been out with an injury for a while. Natalya had some teeth knocked out, although that wasn't too serious. And now this Becky Lynch issue. And there are more things I am not even mentioning.

One of the reasons the diva era started to fail was because of injuries. Centerpieces got injured. Credible jobbers got injured. The depth in the division was hurt. The WWE started to make stupid decisions. And injuries are starting to become an issue again. I would not say these are isolated incidents. You also have injuries piling up again in the men's division. Seth Rollins, the man that was involved in that injury to Finn Balor, has his own injury issues. And with the WWE shooting themselves in the foot by allowing certain workers to take time off now and then for outside projects and movies, their depth will be challenged again, both in the women's and men's divisions.

This is one of the reasons I felt the WWE should not make a second Women's Championship for Smackdown. All it takes is an injury here and there to key players and things become a mess. The WWE ends up pushing people they might not want to push. Women that are getting pushed have their pushes ruined or botched. And the WWE could just lose interest as things continue to look sloppy. And there is an added pressure now that wasn't there during the diva era. It is that pressure to feature women's wrestling. The WWE has a poor periphery right now. You can extend the careers of some of these women if you gave them angles alongside the men or just storylines with themselves that did not lean so much on being physical. Moreover, these periphery angles might help these women show more character and help them get over beyond wrestling fans and smarks. It might also save the WWE from stale feuds and matches. Face it, the women's rosters are too limited to just continue to push all these women as in-ring performers. They cannot debut women fast enough to keep things fresh. The answer isn't to bring in local jobbers. These are obvious filler matches that the majority of viewers will not appreciate. The WWE needs to slow down, both for the health of these women and for the quality of the division.

Final No Mercy 2016 Preview

Jack Swagger jumped ship to Smackdown and finds himself in a feud with Baron Corbin. This will be the pre-show match for No Mercy. Both of these guys have potential, but Corbin really needs to look a little better in his rookie year. Let him win this.

The tag titles will be defended when Heath Slater & Rhyno face The Usos. Normally, I would say that the person or team that just won a title will obviously retain so soon after the win. But the smart thing to do would be to give the titles to The Usos. Giving the titles to Slater & Rhyno was not a mistake. That angle involving Heath Slater was the best thing going for a while. It deserved the tag titles. But the WWE should not make the same mistake here that they have made with New Day. A lot of teams that had momentum and could have used the tag titles for their own credibility and to create fresher feuds were passed up so New Day can still hold the titles. Heath Slater had his moment. Rhyno is over 40 and got to make history in the wrestling business one more time. The Usos were stale as faces for a while, but have been refreshed since turning heel. There is also the fact that American Alpha is a project the WWE is working on and a feud between them and The Usos might just be a better title feud. It's not like Slater & Rhyno just won the titles and are dropping them immediately. Not even counting house shows, they had a successful title defense on Smackdown against The Ascension. It would be no tragedy if The Usos won, especially while they still had the freshness.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Miz has everyone guessing. I have seen speculation and rumors for every possibility. Some say this feud is obviously building up to Ziggler getting his moment and winning the Intercontinental Championship. Some say Ziggler is really leaving the WWE. Some say he is just taking a break and will be repackaged when he returns. Remember when there was all this speculation and excitement for CM Punk when he got his big push? Would he win the title? Would he leave the WWE with it? That was for the WWE Championship. This is for the Intercontinental Championship. I still feel it is a waste to spend all this emotion just for a midcard title Ziggler has held multiple times. He's not breaking the glass ceiling here. But this has still become a very heated feud. Many fans might say that this is classic booking. You build a heel up to look terrible, the face gets his revenge, and everyone is happy. I would rather see Ziggler lose. I don't hate Ziggler. I don't love Miz. But I just feel Ziggler winning would be kind of dull, and for the same reason I just gave. This is just a midcard version of what they did with CM Punk. It is not as exciting. The WWE has tried to make it heated with these big segments, all the emotion, and everything else, but I just don't care for it as much as others. I would have Miz retain. The WWE, however, might have Ziggler win.

Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt has been one of the more enjoyable feuds for me. That is obviously not the popular smark opinion. Them fans love them some complainin'! If you are a smark and love those "Reality Era" storylines that feature all that complaining and drama based off real events, that's you. Don't mean to offend anyone, but I even joke about myself sometimes, so people should know I am not just being a jerk. I have seen some fans irritated by this feud because it doesn't make sense. They are trying too hard to read into the segments. Why does it need to make sense? The Hardys have been having success these last few months off of a gimmick leading to matches that don't always make sense. Some fans want Bray Wyatt to bring up the history he and Randy Orton have. Orton had punted Bray Wyatt back when he was still Husky Harris. Those fans seem to want this feud to just be Wyatt complaining about Orton doing that to him. I am glad the writers have not gone in that direction. Just feed off of Bray's gimmick. I love that they are having Orton play the same games. Is it possible to still have an intriguing storyline that is not tied to some real-life drama? Here's one that has been doing a pretty good job. As for who wins, Randy Orton has still not won a PPV match in a year. Bray Wyatt has also not had the best win-loss record this year, but he has been on the winning side of some PPV matches. Let Orton finally win a PPV match here. Either way, the feud might likely continue. And smarks might finally see the storyline turn more real and Bray mention getting that punt years ago. Until then, it has been my favorite current storyline.

The WWE Championship will be on the line when AJ Styles defends against John Cena and Dean Ambrose. This feud seems pretty routine. There have been some heated promos. You've seen that a lot these days. I already pointed out that these kind of storylines and segments just don't do it for me. Cena has stuff to do outside the WWE. I hear Ambrose is taking time off to make another movie for the WWE. AJ Styles just won the title a few weeks ago. No need to take it off him so soon. Just to keep talking about this match a little more, who takes the pin? A lot of people are saying Ambrose is just in the match to get pinned. It just seems like this feud will not end with AJ Styles looking so good against Cena. I would say Ambrose does take the pin, leaving Styles/Cena to eventually continue their feud. Cena might be the guy to win the title from Styles at Wrestlemania next year.

Previewing The No Mercy 2016 Women's Matches

I had forgotten No Mercy was this Sunday. That is a little embarrassing. It just seems too soon for another PPV. The WWE definitely should not have so many PPVs. Prior to the brand split, the WWE could devote two shows a week to build and hype a feud, both Raw and Smackdown. Now, that is pretty much cut in half. Rare inter-brand feuds will get promoted on both shows, like Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar did, but that is not the norm. And it just makes matters worse when they insist on having brand PPVs every month. They should have them every other month, with the exception of major PPVs that will feature both brands, like Wrestlemania. Things would just balance out better that way.

The WWE will once again feature two women's matches on PPV. And I just feel something is off with both of them. I will talk about that today and go through the notable men's matches on Friday.

First, Nikki Bella faces Carmella. This feud has been pretty one-sided. Carmella has mostly dominated it. And I also feel like the WWE has tried too hard with this feud. Carmella has just been way too aggressive and there is no good reason why this feud should be that heated. I have seen grudge feuds in the men's division that don't feature some of the things this feud has had. They had Carmella attacking Nikki Bella when a tag match was supposed to happen, resulting in the match being called off. Obviously, a lot of the things the WWE does with the women on Smackdown are to just tease that matches are going to happen when they really don't intend to go through with the match, whether because they don't have time for it, know that they don't have the depth to feature fresh matches, or whatever. Eva Marie made a gimmick out of backing out of matches. Some fans were starting to think that Natalya attacking other women before matches was her new gimmick. She's not the only heel that has been doing that in the last few weeks. It is really just a cheap trick. I wish the writers could come up with something else. Is every heel's gimmick simply that they are aggressive? Except for Eva Marie, of course.

What really feels off to me about this feud is that it doesn't really seem good enough for Nikki Bella. She was the last eye-candy centerpiece of the diva era. She did not win the Smackdown Women's Championship, but she has still gotten her own feud for herself. But she's feuding with a woman that just debuted from NXT a few months ago and has not really gotten that over at all. Whether haters of Nikki want to admit it or not, there are fans out there that like her. I see it on Twitter. I see it in how fans have reacted to her on Smackdown. But it just feels like the WWE is underachieving with this feud for Nikki Bella. It is probably the best they could do, if all they could do is think in terms of wrestling feuds. They should make better use of the periphery. Just looking at how they are pushing Nikki Bella seems off because it is so mediocre. I would have expected better from the WWE.

Who wins? This is a feud for Nikki Bella to win. What will determine whether she wins this match or not is if the WWE wants to extend the feud. Survivor Series is next month. I do not think this mediocre feud deserves to go all the way there. Just let Nikki win here and move on to something else. This feud has already gone on long enough. It started soon after Nikki returned at Summerslam. It went through Backlash. This can already be considered a feud that will go through multiple PPVs after this Sunday. So just end it.

Onto the title match. Becky Lynch defends against Alexa Bliss. Guess what this feud has already featured? Yes, Alexa Bliss attacking Becky as she is coming out to the ring. If you are a heel diva on Smackdown, it seems that automatically becomes one of your tactics. That is not the only thing Alexa has in common with Carmella. Alexa also just debuted a few months ago on Smackdown. She has done a better job connecting with the audience, but she still has a way to go before really being that over.

What feels off to me about this feud is that it just doesn't really make sense for the WWE to run with it. Becky Lynch is the woman that just became the first Smackdown Women's Champion. She had wrestling credibility before even coming to the WWE. She made some noise in NXT. Her first title defense is against a woman that is pretty much an eye-candy diva. Going by the status quo you had in the diva era, it would be Becky Lynch being built up to put over Alexa Bliss. Going by the status quo you would expect in this new era, you would think the WWE would feature a respectable women's wrestler for Becky to feud with, or at least a diva with more credibility than Alexa Bliss. The WWE has done a lot to make her seem credible in recent weeks, but you would think it would be wiser to go with someone else. I have said before that Smackdown's women's division seems like the diva era's last stand, and this feud definitely supports that. But how will the WWE balance the diva era with the feminist era?

Who wins? Becky just won the title a few weeks ago. This is her first title defense. If the WWE is serious about building her to be a star, which they should be seeing as how they just handed her history, the least they can do is let her retain here. But they really should do even better than that with Becky Lynch. Just like I feel the WWE should come up with something better for Nikki Bella, I would say the same thing for Becky Lynch. I would say she does retain against Alexa Bliss, but it will be interesting to see how the WWE treats Alexa after that. 

Sasha Banks Regains Women's Championship

The feud between Sasha Banks and Charlotte has continued. This week on Raw, the Women's Championship was on the line in the main event, a rarity in the WWE. And Sasha Banks once again won the title.

Let me start with the fact that this feud is still going on. Some feuds become candidates for "Feud of the Year" awards because they are forced. The promotion just keeps going to it even if it isn't that great anymore. Yes, Charlotte and Sasha have been involved in some highly-praised matches, but there are other women to get to. The fact that a title change just happened means a rematch will also happen. That means the feud continues for another few weeks. These women will end up feuding for at least four months, not even counting earlier this year. Some fans are hoping this feud goes to a Hell in a Cell match. I will talk about that if it happens. Until then, there are some women in limbo until this feud ends. How about giving some of them a chance to steal the show and possibly get over with more than just wrestling fans?

Looking at the match itself, it was what you would expect from these women in a big match. Great spots. A little cleaner than I have seen from some of their other performances. Nevertheless, still sloppy at times. And Sasha Banks did her customary awkward dive out of the ring. If she was as close to being indestructible as you can be, I would probably not hang on this issue so much. She's not indestructible. She has taken time off on a few occasions over the last year for injuries. There are enough big spots in the women's matches these days that might result in serious injury, so I don't think it is too much to ask for Sasha Banks to stop doing this one spot where it looks like she might literally be broken in half. Either clean up how you do it or stop doing it.

Now, the decision to put the women in the main event. Much like Lita/Trish main-eventing Raw, it came during football season. One major difference, both Trish and Lita had big main-event rubs prior to that big match. Lita had defeated Stephanie McMahon for the Women's Championship in the main event of Raw. Trish Stratus had interacted with men like The Rock and Triple H for years. They were built the right way. Charlotte has had some main-event segments already in the last year. She also had her legendary father with her for a few months. Still, the WWE could do more work with her. Sasha Banks has gotten even less main-event credibility than that. I don't think I would have put this match in the main event just yet, but seeing as how Raw has issues now, including various injury issues to main-eventers, I am not going to condemn this decision so much.

Why is it so important to build stars the right way? It is not just about giving these women main-event credibility prior to putting them in the main event. There is also entertainment to be found in the interactions between these women and the top stars. Women like Lita, Trish Stratus, Chyna, and AJ Lee had some very big and entertaining interactions with men. And people sometimes talk about maintaining the credibility and importance of titles. How about maintaining the credibility and importance of the main-event spot? You want people to tune in for the end of the show? You have to maintain it as something important. The best match of the night will not always be put at the end of the show. The top stars or the angle with the most hype are likely to trump two amazing workers that will be given the time and green light to steal the show. If the WWE is serious about Sasha Banks and Charlotte being top stars, they need more work. The fact that smarks love them is not enough.

Will it draw? It is a shame they don't report on the quarterly ratings breakdown anymore. If some fans see an increase in viewers from last week, they will likely jump to the conclusion that Sasha Banks is a draw or women's wrestling is a draw for the WWE. Hold on, not so fast! Remember that last week went against a huge presidential debate, as well as football. It is to be expected that ratings will bounce back. If not, there is something seriously wrong. What you should look for is how many viewers the third hour lost, if any. Compare the overall viewership for this week to the Raw from two weeks ago. Don't expect amazing numbers, but let's just see how this show did.

The WWE Should Do Better With Lana

Lana has been involved with Rusev, her husband in real life, throughout her time in the WWE. Even during that brief period last year when she turned face and sided with Dolph Ziggler, the storyline still involved Rusev. On the main roster, the pair started out with Lana doing most of the talking and Rusev doing the heavy work in the ring. Lana got over with the fans during the era of wrestling fans protesting how female wrestlers were being treated. I know I have brought this up before, but it deserves repeating.

In recent weeks, it looked like focus on Lana was on the rise again. They had that segment where Lana ended up with cake on her face. The story was then about Rusev fighting for Lana's honor for a while. She was more than just that woman in Rusev's shadow. Since then, however, she's back to being a bit of an afterthought. I remember a recent episode of Raw where Rusev came out to attack Roman Reigns. The camera cut to Lana standing in the aisle for a moment during that attack. The announcers pretty much said, "Oh, and there's Lana!" Not literally, but close enough. Even though the story between Rusev and Roman Reigns involves Lana to some degree, she is no longer actually featured that prominently in the story. Simply having the announcers bring up Lana's involvement is not enough. Even minor instances of interference is not enough. She doesn't do much these days.

Ideally, you should want workers that are well-rounded. They can wrestle well enough to connect with wrestling fans, they have an appealing look to connect with fans interested in that, and they have the charisma to connect with fans beyond that. The WWE lacks great workers right now. Even the highly-praised women coming out of NXT have their shortcomings. That's okay. If you can't have the ideal situation, the next best thing is having various workers with various strengths. The WWE obviously has various women good enough in the ring to connect with fans interested in serious wrestling.

Lana's strengths are her looks and her character. She can play an entertaining character. Lana and Maryse are the two hottest periphery divas in the WWE right now. In terms of who is better and has more potential, it is close, but I would go with Lana. On Raw, it is no competition. Summer Rae can be utilized better, as well, but Lana has more potential. The WWE needs someone like her to add some variety to the women's division. Not everyone is entertained by serious women's wrestling. The WWE needs to ease up and start entertaining again. If they won't do that with the female wrestlers, do it with the divas.

What can the WWE do to improve their treatment of Lana? The little things count. Let her do promos on a consistent basis again. Rusev can still talk for himself, but his ramblings during matches are enough to get wrestling fans to know he has a personality. And it would be nice if she did more than just stand there so much of the time. Let her be more vocal and active during Rusev's matches. Just doing these things helped Lana to become so over a few years ago. Not letting her do these things might be seen as a burial, whether intentional or not.

Beyond that, it is a shame that the WWE acknowledged the marriage of Lana and Rusev. Letting Lana break out on her own might be less likely. Letting her manage someone else might refresh her. Outside of that, Lana looked good when she was the leader of her own group earlier this year. The WWE might want to consider something like that again. The depth might be an issue due to the brand split, but the WWE can just get two women from NXT and let Lana manage them. Lana can even get in the ring again on rare occasions. Give her an angle separate of Rusev. Because this angle with Rusev is no longer consistently doing anything for her.

And what happens when the sun sets on Rusev? I feel like I have brought this up before years ago. He already lost the United States Championship to Roman Reigns. Let's say he does not win it back. Then what? Will he get depushed? Will he be moved to some angle where Lana might actually get featured better? I know many wrestling fans hated the storyline with these two, Dolph Ziggler, and Summer Rae, but the WWE needs some storylines with drama to them. Rusev can be entertaining without being pushed as a beast. Whatever happens to Rusev, Lana will likely be along for the ride. And taking him away from the title scene might actually lead to Lana being featured better, or possibly being featured even less.