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.

Charlotte As The Centerpiece

Donald Trump winning the election this week wasn't the only recent event to leave some people stunned. Charlotte regaining the Raw Women's Championship from Sasha Banks was also something that has left some fans a little upset.

It was not the booking decision I would have made, but it is not too surprising. The WWE has a history of building their men's and women's division around one individual. That person is going to dominate the title scene. Even when that person is not in the title scene, it is not unusual for that person to still be treated better than the person holding the title. That person is the centerpiece. It seems Charlotte truly is the person the WWE wants as the centerpiece.

I have said before that what the women's division will look like in the new era will take time to develop. You can't just jump to the conclusion that they are going to do things a certain way. And I will say that it has really started to develop, for Raw's women's division, anyway. Some fans obviously jumped to the conclusion that the women's division would go through Sasha Banks. Even if just for a few months, she would be featured like Charlotte was featured for the last year. That is obviously not happening, as Bayley is now being rotated in as the credible jobber that will work with Charlotte.

If you analyzed the treatment Sasha Banks was getting since she debuted last year, you probably saw some signs that this depush would come for her. Despite her win streak, which was ultimately meaningless, she was pushed inconsistently. The 3-stable war was mainly about PCB and Team Bella. To be more specific, it was about Charlotte and Nikki Bella. Fans were upset that Sasha was not pushed better. When Sasha showed up to attack Charlotte at the Royal Rumble this year, her fans were ready to party. Another depush followed after Wrestlemania. After a concussion issue, Sasha got that push that led to two short title reigns. But there were two periods of mediocrity prior to her big recent push. And then you take into account that she only seemed most relevant when feuding with Charlotte. Credible jobbers will seem that relevant when being used as a jobber to the centerpiece or interim centerpiece. Even though signs were there, what you would hope for is that a new era meant things would be done in a new way. The only thing that seems to have changed is that the WWE is no longer as determined to have an eye-candy performer as their top star. They are still running a centerpiece-driven system. At least, that is what they are showing on Raw.

As I said, this was not the booking decision I would have made. Some morons have accused me of not liking Sasha Banks, or whatever. It has nothing to do with liking or disliking anyone in particular. It is about seeing these individuals get fair opportunities and get what they deserve. As a fan, I will have people I like or don't like. As a critic, I will point out strengths and weaknesses, and it may sometimes sound like I hate someone I actually like, or vice versa. As an analyst, I try to be objective. And as an analyst, I would say the WWE didn't really give Sasha Banks a legitimate opportunity at all. She has had two title reigns on the main roster, but both were really short. Charlotte was obviously the centerpiece the whole time. The WWE should want to give multiple women fair opportunities to show what they can do in the spotlight to determine which of these women truly deserves to be the centerpiece. They can't just predetermine what they want to do and try to make it happen. When a quarterback predetermines where he wants to throw the ball, that can sometimes lead to trouble. He might get intercepted. He needs to understand what's going on in front of him. Analyze. Think. It's even worse when the WWE is so determined to force something to happen. Look at John Cena. Look at Roman Reigns. Look at multiple failed centerpieces in the diva era that led to that era's collapse. I would have let Sasha Banks hold the title for a few months, possibly all the way to Wrestlemania. Have her get some successful feuds against the likes of Emmalina and Nia Jax. Give her a chance to show if she deserves to be the centerpiece. Contrary to what some of Sasha's fans might think, she is not as over as they might think. But she deserves the opportunity to expand her game and show what she can do when the spotlight is on her, beyond just wrestling. The WWE did not give her that shot.

Bayley is likely in for the same treatment Sasha Banks just had. You have already seen Bayley go through a period of mediocrity. She was floating around for a little while during Charlotte vs. Sasha. They gave her a feud with Dana Brooke, but it seemed like mostly filler, although the WWE did put some work in developing it. Fans didn't like it so much. Bayley will eventually get a title run. But how long will she hold it until Charlotte gets it back?

Onto Charlotte. I don't think she has shown enough to prove that she deserves to be the centerpiece. Yes, she can wrestle. But the centerpiece of a division in the WWE, a company that has been interested in more than just pleasing wrestling fans for a long time, should be strong in more than just wrestling. She doesn't have that natural charisma that helps a lot of people to get over with a wide audience. She does try, but trying is not the same as getting it done. I failed every test in a Calculus class I took. I got a D. That's because the professor saw that I tried and put in effort. I should have gotten an F. In terms of her charisma and the effort she puts into showing character, I would not give Charlotte a D or an F, but there are women that could do better that also happen to also be good in the ring. Why not give these women, like Bayley or Sasha Banks, a legitimate chance? I am not going to critique her looks. The WWE is pushing that women's revolution stuff, so emphasis should be given to in-ring work and overall character. If there was a woman on Raw that was good in the ring, charismatic, and beautiful, it is likely she would have the overness to deserve to be centerpiece and I would recommend her. As it stands, the WWE is sticking with Charlotte, and she has not shown she really deserves to be pushed this well.

Just stop and look at how Charlotte has been pushed. Counting her NXT title win and holding the butterfly title, she is a 5-time women's titleholder. Toss in her undefeated streak at PPVs, including wrestling in the first women's Hell in a Cell match, which also happened to be the first time women main-evented a PPV. She is over-pushed. She will be a 10-time Champion before the end of 2018. She will likely be the first woman to have held both the Raw Women's Championship and the Smackdown Women's Championship. I haven't seen anything like it since Michelle McCool. Michelle McCool was another solid in-ring worker that lacked natural charisma. It just doesn't energize the division to have someone that isn't that popular dominate like this. It is deflating for many. The WWE should still leave the playing field open to give other women a chance to earn this big career Charlotte is being given.

Brian Kendrick Vs. Kalisto For The Cruiserweight Championship At Survivor Series

Ziggler/Zayn won't be the only inter-brand match for a title at Survivor Series. Brian Kendrick will defend his Cruiserweight Championship against Smackdown's Kalisto. To sweeten the pot, if Kalisto wins, the division goes over to Smackdown.

There is a very real chance this move can happen. Tuesday is becoming a cruiserweight night. It would help if the cruiserweights were on Smackdown. I don't like how these guys in this division are treated like they are chained to it, but that's another issue. It is still a big shake up.

If this title changes shows, I think there is a good chance the Intercontinental Championship changes shows to balance things out. Sami Zayn can win it and actually take it to Raw, instead of coming over to Smackdown. There is still some time to see how things progress and to put more speculation into all the possibilities. I would say the WWE has created an intriguing situation here.

Sami Zayn Gets The Shot At Dolph Ziggler At Survivor Series

The WWE is running an angle where Dolph Ziggler would defend his Intercontinental title against someone on Raw at Survivor Series. They settled it on Raw this week. Sami Zayn beat Rusev to get the title shot. I already talked about whether Rusev should get this push, so I won't talk about that again. Let me look at some other issues.

First, it is kind of lackluster to announce an open challenge and not really make it a surprise by having someone answer the call at Survivor Series. Regardless of whether it was Zayn, Rusev, or someone else, the WWE could have just had that person show up at Survivor Series. Build up some hype on which Raw superstar it would be. The way the WWE handled things, there is no surprise value in this angle anymore.

How about the decision to give Sami Zayn this push? Not a bad idea. He has been lost in the shuffle for a while, lacking a clear direction. He beat Kevin Owens and ended up like this. Pretty sad. I think he needs this push now more than Rusev does.

Is this a way to get Sami Zayn over to Smackdown, where he is likely to be used better? With the cruiserweights on Raw, that means just less time for certain people. Zayn might get a better chance to be featured well on Smackdown, where they still rely on tag teams that were relevant decades ago and chinless jobbers to fill out their roster.

On the other side of that, this match could just be fan service for wrestling fans. Sami Zayn and Dolph Ziggler are two guys capable of putting on the match of the night. Some people consider one of the matches Zayn and Owens had this year to be match of the year. Ziggler arguably had a match of the year with Daniel Bryan a few years ago. Zayn and Ziggler could steal the show at Survivor Series.

Let me go back to the point I made about keeping this open challenge a surprise until Survivor Series. Combine that with Sami Zayn being lost in the shuffle on Raw. They could have turned that into an angle. Let Zayn get frustrated at losing or being left off cards. The WWE would obviously be telegraphing who the "surprise" challenger would be, but there would be a story there that would culminate at Survivor Series. The way they handled things, the story isn't as great.

Becky Lynch Vs. Alexa Bliss: Take Two

Becky Lynch was supposed to defend Smackdown's Women's Championship against Alexa Bliss a few weeks ago. A health issue spoiled things. The match will happen on Smackdown this week. And it will probably mean more now than it would have a few weeks ago. The WWE is currently on their European tour. It will be somewhat of a homecoming for Becky Lynch.

This is obviously the first real title defense for Becky Lynch since becoming the inaugural titleholder. Retaining just seems likely. There are two situations where I can imagine her losing to Alexa Bliss. One is if there is still some lingering health issue and Becky Lynch will need to eventually take some time off after Survivor Series. She'll work through it, then take a break. First step would be dropping the title.

The other situation is if the WWE wants to transition to Nikki Bella getting a title push. A heel holding the title would just make sense in this situation. Nikki would feud with Alexa Bliss, after Alexa finishes with Becky. Nikki Bella has not seen her last title win, unless another serious injury happens or something like that to ruin her career. I just do not think now is the time for Nikki Bella to be in the title picture again. What was the point of giving Becky Lynch the title in the first place if you are not going to build her to be one of the stars in Smackdown's women's division. Becky Lynch does not need a title to be pushed as a star, but doing more with the title should help her. She has not been pushed that consistently well for her first year on the main roster. And her health issue just ruined these last few weeks where you would expect things to pick up for her.

I still say Becky retaining is the likely result, but should Alexa Bliss still eventually win a title? She is not as undeserving as Dana Brooke, but I would say she still has a way to go. If she does win the title, she would be the first "diva" to win the title since the diva era ended. She is there primarily for her looks, not for her wrestling ability. She does have some fans. She has some people that want to see her win the title. With this new era, you would hope the WWE maintains some standards that would appeal to wrestling fans. Don't pander to them too much, but don't irritate them. If Alexa Bliss wants a title win, work to improve even more in the ring. Her looks and charisma may be enough to warrant her being featured well, but save the title reigns for women with more wrestling credibility.

That Charisma

That gif is from the NXT promo Mickie James did last month. What I like about it is that it really shows that charisma Mickie James possesses.

I have always said that charisma was one of the strengths of Mickie James. It helped her to get as over as she did. Wrestling ability can only take you so far. Even when you can't hear what she is saying, Mickie James is still fun to watch just with the emotion she puts into a lot of what she does.

There is this site here that features a lot more Mickie James gifs and pics. I like watching gifs of Mickie James. And I am not talking about sexy gifs or even gifs of her wrestling moves. She has obviously had some big spots in her career, like jumping off the top of a cage in TNA. But this site just features mainly gifs of her entrances, celebrations, taunts, and just that overall emotion. And that is good enough for me.

Even without a gimmick, Mickie James was still able to be very charismatic. A gimmick usually helps a performer to stand out. Being generic and inconsistently pushed is the hardest position to be in. It really comes down to the performer's own ability to entertain. The promotion is obviously not doing that person many favors. How far would AJ Lee have gone without the gimmick she had and the WWE being so consistent with her at a high level? But AJ Lee is someone that could at least play a gimmick and stand out. If the WWE had continued pushing Mickie James with some sort of unique gimmick, that only would have allowed her charisma to shine even more.

When I look at certain other women, it just looks like they have faces of plastic. I am not talking about plastic surgery. They just do not do a good job putting emotion into what they do. I won't mention any names. I probably already have mentioned some of them in the past. More often than not, I have seen these women fail to get over. I have seen these women get criticized for their promo skills. Even if they are solid in the ring and attractive, there is still room for improvement for these women and they just don't reach that top level.

Many women in the WWE today are benefiting from the women's revolution and new era. They are getting more chances to talk than they might have in previous eras. Some of them are getting elaborate entrances, like Bayley. But it is still up to them to take advantage of these things to help facilitate their own charisma. They have to put emotion into what they do. It can't always be that feminist tone. It can't always be that serious, self-righteous emotion. They can't just be screaming at fans to respect them, both literally and figuratively. Mickie James was in the WWE during an era where she did not get a lot of the things that certain women are getting now. And she still got over. With so much segment time, elaborate entrances, hype, and whatever else, today's women can benefit more than she did.

What Does Rusev Do Now?

Rusev did not regain the United States title from Roman Reigns last Sunday. To make matters worse, he was used as fodder to make Goldberg look good on Raw this week. His stock is falling a bit.

Is it really that terrible? In the somewhat short time Rusev has been on the main roster, he has already had some ups and downs. He started off strong. He won the United States Championship. He was used to put over Cena. He was part of that storyline with Lana and Dolph Ziggler that got ruined for various reasons. It took a while until he was relevant again with that stable also featuring Sheamus, Barrett, and Del Rio. He regained the United States title after that group ended. And he was just used to put over Reigns. I don't think it would be so terrible for him to suffer a little depush. The WWE will likely go to him again in a big way sooner or later. Until then, other midcard heels get a chance to possibly be pushed better. Rusev has talent and potential, but I do not think he has broken out enough to deserve to be pushed with the consistency that an A-tier player should.

Of course, some fans still are unhappy that Rusev is depushed. What can you do with the guy? Forget about Survivor Series being a PPV that begs for multiple bodies being used. What personal angle or feud should he be getting? I have seen some fans say he should pick up Dolph Ziggler's challenge and go for the Intercontinental Championship. He can win that and go to Smackdown. As I said, Rusev is not a guy that needs to be pushed well all the time. I think he'll live if he doesn't go 5 minutes without a title feud. If circumstances were different, he could be the brute feuding against Seth Rollins. Give Seth Rollins a break from Owens and Jericho. But there does not appear to be any good personal feud for Rusev now.

Lana is along for the ride. If the sun does once again set on Rusev, that will not be good for Lana. If there was a face couple on Raw with nothing to do, they could just work an angle with Rusev and Lana. Lana is limited in the ring. She can still work some kind of angle with the women. But in terms of long-term usage, her fate is tied to Rusev.

Survivor Series In The New Brand Split Era

November means Survivor Series. Survivor Series means those multi-person elimination tag matches. With the brand split back, there can once again be some warfare between Raw and Smackdown.

I have seen some fans groan at Raw vs. Smackdown so soon. What do you expect? It pretty much writes itself. Survivor Series is traditionally the PPV for these big tag matches. It is always better when there is some theme to these big matches. If I was in charge, this would be the PPV where I would have ended the brand split. Have Stephanie's Raw team face Shane's Smackdown team. The winning McMahon wins control of both shows and this problematic brand split ends. Of course, the brand split looks like it will be a long-term situation.

I also see some fans uninterested because nothing is on the line in these Smackdown vs. Raw matches. I saw someone bring up a good point. Why not have the winning brand of each of these matches be able to draft someone from the losing brand? Champions will be off limits, but that is still a way to make these matches more interesting and possibly shake up the rosters a little bit. These matches are always more fun when something is on the line and there very well could easily be something on the line here. The WWE should consider making these matches be about more than just bragging rights.

One last thing I want to bring up that I have seen fans criticize. Charlotte will lead Raw's women's team. Nikki Bella will lead Smackdown's women team. Why not Becky Lynch, Smackdown's Women's Champion? Is it a sign she will lose her title to Alexa Bliss? Did her recent health issue spoil plans for her? Regardless of all that, I do not have a problem with Nikki Bella getting some attention like this. The WWE put a lot of work into her. Even if reality shows were not an issue, you cannot expect them to just ditch her. She is more over than some smarks want to admit. Besides, you don't want to just feature one woman as a star in the division. You should want to have some depth. Creative depth is always a good thing to try to have. While Becky Lynch is busy with Alexa Bliss, Nikki Bella has something important to do.