Previewing The Summerslam 2017 Undercard Matches

A complaint I see from many fans recently is that the WWE was giving away too much of Summerslam this past week. They have had some matches that are supposed to also happen at the PPV. With the poor way a lot of the Summerslam matches have been developed, I am not too surprised that the WWE would try to shake things up in the final week before the PPV. That includes what happened to Baron Corbin on Smackdown.

New Day defend the Smackdown Tag Team Championships against The Usos. Nothing much to say here. New Day retain.

The Raw Tag Team Championships will be decided between Sheamus & Cesaro and the reunion of The Shield. Not only are the tag titles on the line, but there is a story here. I like that. I was just saying yesterday that some title feuds don't need a special story, while others can really use it. New Day vs. The Usos didn't need a special story. Just make it about the tag titles, let their gimmicks work, and then let them wrestle. With this Raw feud, there was potential for a story. Some might even say the story was necessary. Rollins betrayed The Shield years ago and Rollins and Ambrose had a heated feud. Could these two really come back together so easily? Should they win the tag titles? Some fans are already talking about the possibility of Ambrose turning on Seth. Too soon for that. Neither Rollins nor Ambrose have won a PPV match in a while, so I say they get the tag titles at Summerslam.

Akira Tozawa defends the Cruiserweight Championship against Neville. This was supposed to be Neville defending the title, but things got switched around when the WWE had the title match on Raw this week and allowed the title change. This was one of those matches that fans were scratching their heads about. This was a pretty dull feud. A lot of things about the cruiserweight division has been boring. If nothing else, having the unexpected title change shook things up. I would not be surprised at all if Neville wins it back at Summerslam. The WWE has shown they love this guy this year. They put a hold on tossing the title to random cruiserweights for his benefit. He has had a long reign. But he could very well become the first man to hold the title twice. Even though short reigns like this are rare, I will say Tozawa's reign does end.

Staying on Raw, Big Show vs. Cass. Enzo will be in a shark cage above the ring. They just did this with Jericho earlier in the year. I would say it is too soon to pull this trick out again. Prior to this year, it wasn't exactly used often in the WWE. Looking at parts of Cass's promo on Raw this week, he looks like he could be the next Edge. But he is missing something. I am not talking about his wrestling ability, even though that has not been that exciting. His promos just lack a certain intensity Edge had. And Big Show is tied into this situation. The WWE is already running a bit of an injury angle to make it look like Big Show is beatable. He should be losing this match. What will Enzo do? I think it would be for the best if he just turns heel and goes back with Cass. What else is there for Enzo to do?

Staying on the theme of Summerslam matches coming early, Bray Wyatt defeated Finn Balor on Raw this week. What happens at Summerslam? Demon Balor. This feud has been pretty dull, until this week. It started, then it got killed off. If they had done it smoothly, the match on Raw this week probably would have happened at the last Raw PPV. The WWE could then do a slower build to Balor going to his dark side to face Bray Wyatt. Things have definitely been rushed. But the WWE probably needed to do it. Balor wins here. Have to keep this gimmick looking strong.

Randy Orton vs. Rusev. This is one of those dry feuds. Not too interesting. I feel it could have been built up so much better. Even though signs point to Rusev possibly winning, I will say Orton wins. I will say why in a moment.

AJ Styles defends the United States Championship against Kevin Owens. Shane McMahon will ref. Is that really necessary? Well, it is what they are going with. These two have been feuding for a long time now. It should end here. AJ Styles retains.

Lastly, John Cena faces Baron Corbin. But the big news is that Baron Corbin cashed in the briefcase on Smackdown this week and lost. That's the end of that. This was one of those things that fans felt was wasted this week before Summerslam. Is Corbin in the doghouse? Is he suspended? No news of a suspension. And even if the WWE is not high on him, they could have still jobbed him out at Summerslam or a later date.

I was against Baron Corbin getting the briefcase in the first place. Needless to say, the WWE did not do that great of a job building him up since getting the briefcase. His feud development in the last month has been terrible. His feud against Shinsuke Nakamura should still be going on. This feud with Cena just lacked a great story. It just felt like both guys could have been doing something better. John Cena did have a small hand in Corbin failing to cash in, but the feud is still not that special. Pretty lackluster.

Who wins? I will say Baron Corbin. Unless he did do something wrong, he should get the win. John Cena has not done that well at Summerslam in recent years. Baron Corbin might even destroy Cena after the match to send him on his next hiatus. The reason I said Orton beats Rusev is because I do not see both Orton and Cena losing to midcard heels in the same night. If one of them has to bite the bullet, I will say it is Cena. Orton has not won a PPV match since Wrestlemania. Cena beat Rusev just last month.

Previewing The Battleground 2017 Men's Matches

It is sometimes amazing how the WWE can hype a crappy kickoff match like it is something special on their website. Tye Dillinger faces Aiden English. I don't care. Dillinger wins.

Climbing the ladder of relevance, Mike Kanellis vs. Sami Zayn. This is just a rematch. Nothing too special. But this is another match I just don't care about. The gimmick Mike and Maria have might have some potential, but boring feuds against a midcard jobber like Zayn won't bring that out. I will say Mike Kanellis wins.

Baron Corbin faces Shinsuke Nakamura. The fact that Corbin has the briefcase means nothing. The WWE has a history of having the person with the briefcase lose a lot. On the other hand, the WWE has a recent history of overpushing people they are grooming to be main-eventers, like Jinder Mahal. But I don't think that happens at the expense of Nakamura this Sunday. He wins.

New Day get another title shot against The Usos. The tag divisions are just so terrible on both shows. There probably won't be a Twitter movement to turn things around. The WWE might as well let New Day win the titles. If The Usos do retain, who is left to take the titles off them? They could go back to Tyler Breeze and Fandango. They have been gaining momentum. But New Day will likely get a reign before them.

Kevin Owens tries to win back the United States Championship from AJ Styles. No reason for Styles to drop the title so soon. That is, no GOOD reason to do it. The WWE might do it if they want a lame excuse to prolong this feud. Just end it either here or Summerslam. Create some fresh feuds with these midcarders many people, including myself, don't care about.

John Cena takes on Rusev in a Flag match. I'll give them credit for a gimmick match. But these two? Again? They feuded with each other before. The rivalry just isn't fresh. I am going to tell you what I would have done with both guys a little later. As for this match, Cena wins.

And inside the Punjabi Prison, Jinder Mahal defends the WWE Championship once again against Randy Orton. This feud should have been over already. And it just wasn't heated enough to deserve this gimmick match. Some people are speculating The Great Khali will return to help Mahal. We'll see. If nothing else, this match should give Jinder Mahal further credibility. He should be retaining.

How would I have done things with the last two matches I just talked about? Switch the opponents around. Jinder Mahal could have been entering a feud against John Cena. It could have been the same pro-USA feud you have in Rusev/Cena. Meanwhile, Rusev feuds with Orton. That is a fresh feud. These two have never feuded. Rusev was wanting a title match a couple months ago. Just have Randy Orton go out there after losing to Jinder Mahal at the previous Smackdown PPV and start talking about wanting another shot. Instead of getting it, however, Rusev shows up to continue his angle of wanting a title shot. Those two then feud. If the WWE wanted to put a title opportunity on the line, fine. It would have taken things in a fresh direction and not messed up the storylines that were going on too much.

Previewing The Money In The Bank 2017 Men's Ladder Match

Whether the WWE puts the men's briefcase match in the main-event slot or Orton/Mahal, this is the main match of Money In The Bank. It features two guys that were WWE/Universal Champions just a few months ago. It features guys that may very well be on their way up to main-event status. AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens vs. Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Baron Corbin vs. Sami Zayn vs. Dolph Ziggler.

AJ Styles has already been WWE Champion. But there is more for him to do in the WWE. Will he one day win the Royal Rumble? How about that United States Championship he was going after a few weeks ago? Right now, he has the chance to win the briefcase, which is certainly a pretty big accolade. Some might say he does not need the briefcase to chase after the title because he has already been WWE Champion. That didn't stop John Cena, Kane, Sheamus, and other former World Champions from winning the briefcase. AJ Styles definitely stands a chance.

Kevin Owens has had more title success in the WWE than AJ Styles. He is holding a title right now. He has never won the briefcase. Would the WWE let him hold a title and the briefcase? It could happen. But I just don't think he needs it at all. He was Universal Champion just a few months ago. He won the United States Championship shortly after that. He lost it and won it back. There is no need to always keep this guy in the title scene.

Shinsuke Nakamura just debuted a few months ago to a lot of hype. His debut match was not as great as some would have liked. But he is finding his place. One thing I hate about the WWE these days is that they just rush certain people. They don't give them a proper chance to get established and they do not work out. American Alpha is an example of that. They just handled them the wrong way when they first debuted, killed their push for a while, still gave them a title run, and they have not been featured that well since losing the titles. Go slow with these new guys. Help establish their characters. Pro wrestling should be more about entertaining, not overrating. Will giving Nakamura the briefcase be going too fast with him? Well, it isn't like he will have to cash in immediately. They would still have time to build him, while he holds the briefcase.

I see a lot of people thinking Baron Corbin is a favorite to win. I think that would be a terrible idea. This guy is a midcarder. He is a midcarder that deserves a good push in the midcard, including a midcard title. The problem with giving him the briefcase, and possibly the title, is that they would be rushing too many first-time World Champions. Jinder Mahal just became a first-time WWE Champion a few weeks ago. Nakamura will eventually be a World Champion on the main roster. You are going to end up with main-eventers all over the card. That means less good opportunities for the pure midcarders. And because it often looks pathetic to have a former World Champion hanging around with nothing to do, the WWE will have pressure to give these guys things to do. The WWE needs to slow down on giving titles to new guys and be more selective.

I can repeat a lot of what I just said now for Sami Zayn. He does not need the briefcase and a big main-event push. Give him a midcard title. Worry about a main-event title next year and beyond.

Dolph Ziggler has been a World Champion before and he has won the briefcase before. I would say he is least likely to win here, but at least giving him the push would not be creating a new World Champion. He already has some credibility. Maybe if his storyline about him being a loser had worked out better, this would be the point where they turn things around and started pushing him well again. But I don't think it would be right to do it now.

I will say Shinsuke Nakamura wins. He is not the person I would want to win, but the WWE does have that recent history of rushing people, so I would not be surprised to see him get the briefcase this quickly and eventually cash it in down the road.

One last thing to consider, will the winner of the ladder match cash in that same night? Why bring this up? The card is so thin, the WWE might try something special to take up space. The ladder match would obviously not close the show in this situation. But I don't think it will happen. The WWE will wait a while.

Previewing The Backlash 2017 Undercard

Let me continue previewing this lackluster PPV with Sami Zayn vs. Baron Corbin. Both of these guys should be doing better. Which one of them can afford to lose this feud? I can see this one lasting another few weeks. I will say Baron Corbin wins this encounter.

Luke Harper faces Erick Rowan. I remember some fans groaning when Rowan beat Harper a little while ago. Some fans defended it by saying Rowan needs momentum. Why? There are ways to build a feud without having the two sides involved actually pin each other. Harper is likely to win here.

The tag titles will be defended. The Usos defend against Breezango. I am all for new tag teams getting the spotlight. Breezango's current gimmick is just stupid. It is hard to take them seriously. The Usos have not done much since winning the tag titles a few months ago. I will say they retain against the comic relief and eventually defend them against New Day.

Kevin Owens defends the United States Championship against AJ Styles. This feud is still too young to feel as major as it should. You also had Owens having to finish his feud against Jericho. Those two juggled the title between themselves. I won't say it hurt Owens vs. Styles too much, but it was there as a distraction. AJ Styles should not win the title here. I would say he should not win it at all. He doesn't need it. Give the midcard titles back to the midcarders. AJ Styles does not need this to be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, which is an excuse some of his fans might make for why he should get it. Sting got inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. Sting never won a title in the WWE. Sting never even won a PPV match in the WWE. AJ Styles is already doing better in the WWE than him. I will say Owens retains here. It might be by DQ or by getting counted out.

Has Smackdown Lost Its Edge?

Despite rarely beating Raw in the ratings since the brand split came back last year, Smackdown has been the preferred brand for most vocal wrestling fans. These fans praised the writing and the booking, as well as the talent on the roster. Recently, however, I see more fans asking what went wrong with Smackdown. They don't think it is as great as it used to be. They might still think it is better than Raw most weeks, but it feels lacking to them. Has Smackdown lost what made it so great?

Let me start with the overall roster. Obviously, there were some big moves last month. Smackdown lost three of their top men to Raw. You saw all three of those top men in the Raw main event this week. I am talking about Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt, and Miz. All Smackdown really gained was Kevin Owens. You can include Chris Jericho, but he isn't even around right now. I said Smackdown had gotten the short end of the stick in those trades. Obviously, there is more to it than just the talent.

How is the talent being utilized? How about the writing and booking? In that regard, Smackdown was always overrated. Just because it was better than Raw did not mean it was really that amazing. Some bad things still happened over there. How the women's division was being handled is one example. I would also throw in how Wyatt/Orton ended up being handled. Some people expected Jack Swagger to be utilized better when he went to Smackdown. That did not work out. Let me just look at a few specific things that fans ate up last year that are not as great right now for Smackdown.

First, John Cena. Yes, smarks have hated him for a number of years. Many still do. For the most part, Smackdown used him in a way that appealed to smarks. He went to Smackdown with his feud against AJ Styles still going. The fact that he lost to Styles a few times just made smarks extremely glad. AJ Styles was also ripping him in many promos. Even though Cena did get a title reign, it was short. After that short title reign, Cena entered a feud with Miz, who once again ripped him a little bit on the mic. And fans ate that up, once again. With Cena not around right now, fans can't get excited over him jobbing cleanly to guys like Nakamura or getting ripped on the mic by someone like Kevin Owens.

Part of the problem definitely seems to be that smarks don't have that person they hate that they can get excited to see get beaten up or humiliated. That is one of the reasons many of these fans love Braun Strowman. He's been destroying Roman Reigns. If the WWE had Roman Reigns job cleanly more often and had those storylines where other wrestlers ripped him on the mic, smarks would eat it up and talk about how "amazing" it all is. I have seen it before. I hate these kind of storylines, but smarks love them. And the lack of a target makes it hard to create these storylines to please them on Smackdown.

Look at AJ Styles. He is someone wrestling fans respected for a long time now. But he seemed like a real A+ player on Smackdown as a heel. Has he lost his edge as a face? He had that heated feud with John Cena. He then went on to another heated feud with Shane McMahon. Currently, his feud with Kevin Owens lacks that heat. Everyone said he was like a pit bull during his heel run, and that is why he was able to be successful. What happens when you turn him face? Can he be as appealing? Or does he get boring to some fans?

I do not think a face turn has to ruin someone's edgy character. Look at "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. As a face, this guy still raised hell and was one of the best centerpieces of all time. Look at The Rock. As a face, this guy still owned people on the mic like no other and has transcended wrestling. I am not saying AJ Styles is like those two. But he does not have to be boring as a face. Wrestling fans will continue to love him, but the lack of edge might bore certain other fans.

I would say Smackdown has lost some of its edge. The reality-based storylines that excited so many fans are not there right now. John Cena, someone smarks could enjoy being a symbolic punching bag, is not there right now. AJ Styles has lost his heated character. It was always going to be difficult to sustain what Smackdown was doing for the last few months since the brand split came back. Is it that smarks are too demanding and can be unreasonable? Probably. Nevertheless, Smackdown is coming back down to Earth and it remains to be seen how the writers will respond.

Raw Gets Shook

When the WWE said they were shaking things up, they weren't kidding. A lot more people than I expected moved from Smackdown to Raw. In addition, a lot more of Smackdown's top men moved from Smackdown to Raw.

I would have just had 4 or 5 individuals/teams make the move between brands. One would be a top star. One or two would be midcarders. A female wrestler. And a tag team. Also throw in one or two bodies from NXT. The WWE did about double what I would have done, in terms of numbers.

In terms of some of the names Smackdown loses, the three big ones are Bray Wyatt, Miz (and Maryse), and Dean Ambrose (with the Intercontinental Championship). Now, what makes both of these brands different is obviously how they are run, but certain individuals also help to make the show what it is. It is understandable that not all these individuals will get to stay on the brand they have been in prior to the shake up, but Raw taking so many guys is something.

Bray Wyatt was the WWE Champion just a few weeks ago on Smackdown. I don't think he should ever have lost it to Randy Orton. It is unlikely he wins it back now. I just feel like there was more he could have done on Smackdown. I do not know how likely it is he does these things on Raw.

Miz is a guy that seemed to reinvent himself on Smackdown. He looked like he could be a serious contender for the title again. He never got that serious push for the WWE Championship. On Raw, I doubt he will be getting it anytime soon, especially with Brock Lesnar holding the top title. Even if Brock shows up and Miz is the guy he feuds with, can you imagine that feud? I can't.

Dean Ambrose? Ignore the fact that he has a title for a moment. This seems like a good move. He held the WWE Championship a few months ago, but he really has not done anything fitting of him since then. He did not need a midcard title. He could be refreshed on Raw. I am not going to complain about that. Now throw in the fact that he is Intercontinental Champion. It creates a bit of controversy to have the title switch shows, if that is the path they are going. But I think they will work things out so Smackdown does not get screwed over.

A lot of fans were expecting AJ Styles to be sent to Raw. I don't know if that was based on just speculation based on his heated feud with Shane McMahon, backstage rumors, the WWE intending to do it and changing their mind, or whatever. I say that you should judge people based on the decisions they make, not what they could have decided to do. AJ Styles going to Raw might have been good for the sake of reuniting him with The Club, but some fans also dread that Raw won't feature his character as well as Smackdown does. Either decision the WWE made would have been okay. They chose to keep him on Smackdown, for now.

Smackdown will obviously gain some bodies tonight to balance out what they lost. I will talk about the big names sent there tomorrow, and which brand I think really might benefit from the moves in the long run.

Wrestlemania 33 Preview: Part 3

Today goes to the Smackdown matches. I will talk about Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt on Friday.

Let me start with the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. It is not Smackdown exclusive, but I will include it here. Big Show is in this. His match with Shaq is not happening. That is sad for Big Show and too bad for the WWE. This match would have been a draw. Even if the actual match was terrible, the hype would get mainstream attention, especially during NBA season, and it would draw. The WWE really has no great feuds likely to draw big this year. As for who wins this, it should be either Braun Strowman or Luke Harper. Both these guys had a lot of interest on them this Wrestlemania season. Many fans might see it as a little disappointing that neither are doing anything more important, I will say Braun Strowman wins.

Dean Ambrose defends the Intercontinental Championship against Baron Corbin. An actual singles match for the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania? I never thought I would see that again. I am not surprised to see Corbin getting this push, and I expect him to win. But I just feel it should have been Dolph Ziggler in the position Dean Ambrose is currently in. Ziggler had so much momentum when he won the title a few months ago. The WWE ruined that for no good reason and Ziggler is stuck with mediocrity for Wrestlemania. They ruined him. I am not saying it was intentional. They had planted the seeds for a heel turn since his WWE Championship feud with Dean Ambrose, but they should not have gone through with it. Fans have just not reacted to it very well. It should be Ziggler dropping the title to Baron Corbin. Free up Dean Ambrose for a better feud.

John Cena and Nikki Bella take on Miz and Maryse. Before I talk about what this match means for some of the performers, there is speculation that Cena might propose to Nikki after they win. I never thought this would be something I would preview for a match. It would be a huge Wrestlemania moment, but I will just leave that alone. If it happens, it happens.

What does this feud mean for Nikki Bella? This is a periphery angle. It is on the periphery of the title scene. The WWE created all their successful stars during the diva era through the periphery. The only woman during the previous era to get very over without proper periphery angles was Mickie James, and that was not because the WWE wanted it. But I would say this push is once again showing why so many women became stars in the periphery back in the day. Nikki Bella is looking good. She is getting a rub from one of the top stars in the company. She is knocking men around, even if they are jobbers. She is guaranteed a spot on the Wrestlemania card that is not on the pre-show. All these elaborate segments. Big Wrestlemania moment. This is how you push a woman as something special. I wish Mickie James had gotten these type of pushes back in the day, or even now.

Compare it to the mess that is the Smackdown Women's Championship match. It's Alexa Bliss vs. everyone. Naomi just returned. There might still be more women in this match. No one has gotten proper development here. It is just a cluster. This match is on the pre-show and it deserves to be on the pre-show. That is not an insult to these women. That is an insult towards how the WWE has handled the title picture here. No one should feel bad for Nikki Bella not being in this match. She is in a better place.

Does she deserve it? I think so. The WWE put a lot of work into her to make her into a star. She is not absolutely terrible in the ring. She is more over than some fans seem to want to admit. And since the WWE needs more women properly pushed as stars that can get over beyond just the wrestling fans, they should push her well.

What does this feud mean for John Cena? I will say that I feel Cena deserves better than this. When you think of all the big feuds they could have had this Wrestlemania season, Cena vs. The Undertaker was one. Or Cena could have continued his feud with AJ Styles to some sort of gimmick match at Wrestlemania. Or turn Ambrose heel and have him feud with Cena. I already said Dolph Ziggler should be in the spot Ambrose is in. Or a feud with Miz that isn't also about the women in their corner. John Cena will likely win this match, but I feel the feud is better for Nikki Bella than John Cena.

Lastly, AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon. This is another match that really does not need to happen. AJ Styles should be doing better than this. And Shane McMahon does not need to be wrestling every year. Yes, welcome back. You've been gone a long time. That doesn't mean you need to wrestle every Wrestlemania. Whether it is the WWE wanting Shane to wrestle because they think it would draw or it is an ego thing for Shane wanting to go out there and sacrifice his body for cheers and respect, just ease it down. Save it for special occasions, which will hopefully not be forced.

And that is what this feud is, forced. Someone has issues with an authority figure, so they have a match. Stephanie McMahon has had issues with Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Bayley in recent years. No matches ever came of it. You can run down the list of times a wrestler and authority figure have had issues and not wrestled each other. The WWE tried to force this feud through clumsy booking to make it seem like AJ Styles had a heated reason to want to destroy Shane McMahon. Yeah, some nice segments here and there, but it was still forced and not organic. Ignoring the botched battle royal result, AJ Styles wins a match to get a title shot at Wrestlemania, but then the WWE makes him put it on the line against Orton? How often does this happen? Usually, they just make a triple threat or some other situation where both guys get title shots. You would think that is what face authority figures would do. No, the WWE went with clumsy booking to sell this feud. The development has not been smooth.

What should AJ Styles be doing? As I said, he could still be feuding with Cena. And maybe it should have been for the WWE Championship. I have said before that I don't think Orton/Wyatt needs to be for the title. Why not send one of the best feuds of the last few months to Wrestlemania? Or they could have done Styles vs. The Undertaker.  Even Styles vs. Luke Harper might have been good, since it would have given Harper something meaningful and would have been a very good match. There were options.

Who wins? AJ Styles has still yet to win at Wrestlemania. He should have won last year. This should be the year. Shane McMahon does not need the win. As for match quality, Shane McMahon does have a history of going big in big matches. Let's just hope he doesn't injure himself.

Orton Vs. Wyatt Development

Now that I'm done previewing Fastlane and talking about Beth Phoenix, I can get to the big development on Smackdown last week. I am, of course, talking about Randy Orton officially stabbing Bray Wyatt in the back, something you just knew would happen.

Let me start with something I like. The segment with Randy Orton burning Bray Wyatt's compound was nice. They need more segments where they are doing more than just talking, especially just "shooting" against each other. And they need segments that take place in different places. One of the reasons TNA had success with the Matt & Jeff Hardy drama last year was because of this kind of thing. And one of the reasons I liked the Orton/Wyatt storyline when it started last year is because it had that potential to be more than just the regular storyline you see these days.

Now that Orton stabbed Bray in the back, was all this worth it? I am talking about having Randy Orton join The Wyatts. I had pointed out numerous times how poorly it was done. It was like Orton just randomly decided to do it. Bray Wyatt had not done anything to really "break" Randy Orton to make it believable that Wyatt had won him over. And this storyline direction was where I started disliking what they were doing.

I don't think it was worth it. First of all, Bray Wyatt just looks like a big idiot. How could he have trusted Randy Orton? He knows Orton has done this kind of thing before. He did it just a few years ago to Seth Rollins.

Another thing to keep in mind is that the WWE spent the Royal Rumble victory and the WWE Championship on this feud. Was that worth it? Fans sometimes discuss whether a certain feud needs a title to be involved. Some say Lesnar vs. Goldberg going on right now does not need the title. I would say Orton vs. Wyatt needs it even less. You have a great elaborate storyline here, even with the WWE trying to get too fancy. There is fire here (no pun intended) even without the title.

That Royal Rumble victory could have gone to some other feud to help develop that. The WWE Championship could have been kept on John Cena or given back to AJ Styles, or even given to Miz, who many say has regained a lot of credibility in the last few months. It could have really helped other feuds. This feud between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt did not need it. You now have certain individuals getting mediocre Wrestlemania feuds, while a feud that already had a lot invested in it gets the Royal Rumble winner involved and the WWE Championship.

I mentioned AJ Styles. He has to face Randy Orton to decide the #1 contender. It is obvious how this is going to end. Orton will win. This is just dumb booking. I know AJ Styles doesn't fit into this storyline, but you would usually expect in a situation like this for a triple threat to be made. And after Styles loses, what does he have left? A rumored feud against Shane McMahon? Why? Because a heel wrestler has issues with a face authority figure? This kind of thing happens all the time. You don't always get a match out of it. Even though Shane McMahon has stepped up in some matches in his years in the WWE, this is just a lackluster feud for AJ Styles for Wrestlemania season.

Another supporting player in the Orton/Wyatt drama has been Luke Harper. Many might wish he was in the spot AJ Styles is in right now. Many might also wish it was a triple threat. Luke Harper looked like he legitimately won the battle royal a few weeks ago. He might be viewed as a sympathetic character for being pushed out the stable. Some might argue he has been screwed over by the WWE. If they WWE didn't try to get fancy with Orton/Wyatt feud, they might have avoided this problem.

What's wrong with AJ Styles vs. Luke Harper for Wrestlemania? Yes, these two already faced each other not to long ago, but the same can be said for Goldberg and Lesnar. But you would have two smark favorites in this feud, so those fans should be more than content with the Wrestlemania match these two can put together. As it stands now, Luke Harper does not have a match of his own for Wrestlemania. Instead of throwing him into a battle royal or having him just interfere in Orton/Wyatt, a feud with AJ Styles might be better.

I would like to see how the Wrestlemania audience reacts to Orton/Wyatt. Randy Orton is a popular guy, but let's not ignore that there have been times smarks did not love him that much. Daniel Bryan just buried his overness a couple years ago around this time. Will the Wrestlemania crowd be more sympathetic to Bray Wyatt for how he has been made to look? Will they be chanting for Luke Harper? The WWE still has a few more weeks to develop this feud and try to make it less likely fans react in a way the WWE might not want.

Who Won The Battle Royal?

Smackdown had a battle royal to decide who will face Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania for the WWE Championship. The match came down to AJ Styles and Luke Harper. Both men got eliminated at the same time. Things will be settled on Smackdown next week.

Or did both men really get eliminated at the same time? Fans are pointing out that it obviously looked like AJ Styles had to have gotten both feet down on the floor before Luke Harper. And judging by how the WWE were not eager to show a replay, it makes it even more likely that the ending was botched. Luke Harper should be the winner of the battle royal.

There have been some instances where a botched finish led to the WWE going in a direction they did not intend to go. A couple months ago, Bayley got added to a title match between Sasha Banks and Charlotte because of a botched finish. Of course, the idea here was for Luke Harper and AJ Styles to have a controversial finish and have a little mini-feud between the two. But if Harper obviously won the match, the WWE's plans look stupid. There is a controversy here, but it is over the fact that the WWE won't acknowledge what really happened. The kayfabe controversy is just overshadowed.

I will admit that I felt that the WWE was doing too much with the storyline between Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt. The development for what they were doing was also weak at times. But even I am starting to want to see Luke Harper stay involved in this feud to get in the title match at Wrestlemania. It looks like he legitimately won the battle royal. His character is starting to look strong. With how much smarks love him and the momentum he is getting, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets a reaction at Wrestlemania that buries both Orton and Wyatt. It would probably be a mistake to take him out of that picture. I am not saying it would be as terrible as what the WWE tried to do with Daniel Bryan years ago, but it might upset certain vocal fans.

Previewing The 2017 Elimination Chamber Men's Matches

First match to talk about will be Dolph Ziggler vs. both Apollo Crews and Kalisto. This might be another instance of the WWE trying to get too fancy with a feud. This match could easily have been just Ziggler vs. Crews. It might not be too interesting, but this PPV is featuring an Elimination Chamber match. That is the big selling point right there.

Or is the WWE planning something more with this match? The odds are against the heel. They could pull a swerve and have Apollo Crews turn heel and help Ziggler win. Ziggler is no stranger to having some muscle at his side. You can also say this heel turn for him has been a bit forced or that he might be trying too hard. Maybe the WWE will give him a sidekick to help him. As for Crews, he hasn't really done anything important in the longest while. A heel turn might at least give him a chance to show a different personality, which might help him.

Who wins this? There are a lot of possibilities and a lot of things to consider. I just brought up the heel turn option. Ziggler is the one being pushed, so he should win. At the same time, two faces would look bad if they lost this match without major shenanigans, although Apollo Crews and Kalisto aren't exactly too important. I will say Ziggler wins.

Randy Orton faces Luke Harper. Forgetting the Royal Rumble win for Orton, this match was just the logical step in the storyline Orton has with Bray Wyatt. Randy Orton drives away Bray's top disciple, then the path is cleared for Orton to turn on Bray. Randy Orton seriously did not need that Royal Rumble win.

Who wins this? I don't see Luke Harper in line to get a huge push moving forward. If he was, I might say he wins this. Since that is not the case, Orton wins.

American Alpha defend the tag titles against The Usos, The Ascension, The Vaudevillains, Breezango, and Heath Slater & Rhyno. Did I miss anyone? The tag division is probably something else I should try to take time out to talk about in this hectic Wrestlemania season. A lot has been going on in the last few weeks, including title changes. Is the WWE making good booking decisions? Are they developing teams properly? Well, there are a bunch of jobbers in this match. The WWE might have done better by just building a feud between American Alpha and The Usos.

I think this match might just come down to those two teams. One of them will win. The title reign of American Alpha is still young, so they should retain here. However, the WWE has had some questionable title changes in the last few months. It's not just with the Cruiserweight Championship. It would be nice to let more of these title reigns develop more. No need for reigns of doom, but a few months and successful title defenses would be nice. I will say American Alpha retain.

And the main event will be John Cena defending the WWE Championship inside the Elimination Chamber against Bray Wyatt, AJ Styles, Miz, Dean Ambrose, and Baron Corbin. There is a lot I would have liked to have said about this match, including running down each of these guys, but I've already talked about a lot today and I'll just save time by talking about three guys. Keep in mind, the winner of this match likely faces the Royal Rumble winner, Randy Orton, unless some huge swerve happens.

If you're going by what Dave Meltzer's sources are telling him, Bray Wyatt is winning the title and facing Randy Orton. I can just end it right here and go make a sandwich. Whether the WWE does it or not, this is a terrible booking decision. It is amazing how the WWE could take what was my favorite storyline going on at one time and ruin it by just trying to do too much. I thought the way they had Randy Orton just join The Wyatts was bad enough, but this was just not a feud that needed to involve Randy Orton winning the Royal Rumble and Bray Wyatt winning the WWE Championship. I am not against Bray Wyatt finally winning a top title, but now is not the time for it.

Look at the incumbent. Look at the guy holding the title heading into the PPV. That would be John Cena. He just won the title a few short weeks ago. I wouldn't be too shocked if he lost it so soon. Moreover, Cena retaining would mean Randy Orton vs. John Cena. They just faced each other in a singles match this week. These two have never faced each other in a singles match at Wrestlemania, but I think a lot of fans can live with not seeing it. Going in this direction would also put the Orton/Wyatt angle in an interesting position. What happens there?

The last name I will bring up is AJ Styles. He held the title prior to Cena. A feud and match between Randy Orton and AJ Styles would be fresh and something I have seen some fans interested in. The main problem here is that it would ruin the Orton/Wyatt feud. I can have an easier time imagining Orton vs. Cena with Bray Wyatt hovering in the background than Orton vs. Styles with Bray Wyatt hovering in the background.

Who wins this? Because of all the crappy possibilities, I am not even going to take this seriously. I'll say Jinder Mahal beats up Baron Corbin before the match, takes his spot, and wins the title. Randy Orton just should not have won the Royal Rumble. I am a fan of Randy Orton. I don't own a lot of wrestling merchandise, but Randy Orton is one of the guys I have bought merchandise of. But it is just hard to get excited for this push for him when so many epic feuds could have been built with someone else winning the Royal Rumble. I would rather see John Cena vs. The Undertaker at Wrestlemania for the title. The feud between Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton just didn't need all this.

Previewing The Royal Rumble 2017 Undercard Matches

I talked about Raw's women's matches yesterday. Smackdown has since added a women's tag match, but it is really just filler, lumping together the various feuds they are developing there, so I'm not going to go back to talk about that. Today is about the men's matches at the Royal Rumble, outside of the actual Royal Rumble match. I will get to that on Friday.

Sheamus & Cesaro defend the Raw Tag Team Titles against Gallows & Anderson. And the WWE is highlighting that there will be two refs for this match. There are just times when the WWE tries to get too fancy. It is nice that they are trying to develop a storyline for a title feud that goes beyond just the titles, but this is a pretty dumb story. It is based on a story of clumsy officiating. You had an awkward ending to a match a few weeks ago between these two teams, and that has led to this rematch with two refs. The awkward ending you had to Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker at Summerslam a few years ago was one thing. But the WWE needs to realize that they didn't strike gold with angles like this.

If you can ignore the ref drama, there are two teams fighting for the tag titles. Sheamus and Cesaro just really got the reign started. Anderson & Gallows still don't feel like they deserve a title run. I will say the titles stay with Cesaro and Sheamus.

Not everyone that gets a title reign is being groomed to be a star. Some people are given title reigns so they can drop the belt to the person the WWE intends to be a star. Some people are given title reigns just for the sake of filler, such as when a star is injured and the WWE is just killing time until they return. When I look at the cruiserweight division, I don't think the WWE is trying to make stars at all. None of the three men that have held the title so far look like stars. It looks like the WWE is just going through the motions with everyone. I won't say too much about that here. Maybe another day.

The Cruiserweight Championship will be on the line between Rich Swann and Neville. Neville turned heel and is getting the best push he has gotten on the main roster. He was on the main roster before the cruiserweight division returned. He has had his ups and downs, including an injury and coming back to not much of a response from the fans. But he is at least refreshed by this heel turn. Given what I just said about the WWE not developing stars in this division, I don't think they will have a problem taking the title off Rich Swann and putting it on Neville. But will it happen here? I will say the title change happens.



Onto the World Championship matches. For Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens, the match will be No DQ. Oh, and Chris Jericho will be locked in a shark cage above the ring. Here is the WWE just going too goofy again. I'm surprised they are not forcing Chris Jericho to also dress up as La Luchadora. Why not? He wore a mask a couple months ago to screw Seth Rollins. I am sure they can work the angle in there somehow. The WWE definitely should do more to make the atmosphere more fun, but there are just some ideas that are really stupid. They can ruin a storyline or hurt the performers themselves. There was a serious, strong storyline with Seth Rollins for a while, and that was good. But then the WWE couldn't sustain it and Seth started acting goofy at points, losing his edge. That storyline between Seth Rollins and Triple H, which I will talk about another day, has definitely lost value. As for individuals not working out when they get a goofy angle, remember Gallows & Anderson trying to be comedians? That flopped.


Chris Jericho being locked in a cage is bad enough. And then suspending it above the ring? I know this kind of thing is not unheard of, but it still seems dumb. Why not just say Jericho will get fired if he gets involved in any way? He has a title now. Why not say he will be stripped of the title? Why not say Kevin Owens will be stripped of HIS title if Chris Jericho even thinks about getting involved? Face it, Jericho is still likely to find a way to get involved anyway. They just wanted to come up with a goofy angle for this feud. In some cases, it could be a distraction.




If people watching this Sunday can direct their attention a few feet below Chris Jericho, they might see a match going on for Raw's top title. I cannot picture Kevin Owens heading into Wrestlemania as Universal Champion. I can picture him facing Chris Jericho for the United States Championship, which will be a feud featuring their friendship finally coming to an end. For that to happen, Owens must lose the Universal Championship. Losing it to Reigns at the Royal Rumble just makes sense. They can have their rematch next month, where Jericho will inadvertently screw Owens and set their feud up. Roman Reigns then moves on to a bigger opponent for Wrestlemania.

John Cena faces AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. Cena needs one more World title win to tie Ric Flair's record. He has had multiple opportunities to do it over the last few years. It is going to happen sooner or later.

Before considering the match, look at the feud between AJ Styles and John Cena. It has been the same complaining and self-righteousness you have seen a lot over the years with John Cena. It caused some buzz when CM Punk did it. It didn't draw, but it created buzz with smarks. And smarks are once again eating this stuff up. They have done it multiple times now. It isn't fresh anymore. It isn't entertaining. It isn't helping the WWE's numbers. If anything, I am getting to the point where I am ready to say that all this is laziness on the part of the WWE. They cannot come up with entertaining storylines, so they just look at smarks and base their promos and storylines off of what they want to hear. And they keep rehashing the same thing. There might be a different variation here and there, but it is all pretty much the same thing. There is a reason the Nexus angle led to a better ratings bump than the summer angle of CM Punk dropping pipebombs and walking out on the company. The Nexus angle did not even lead to any of the members becoming as big a star as CM Punk ended up, ignoring Daniel Bryan, who was kicked out of the group early. The Nexus angle was pure kayfabe, rookies going crazy and trying to take over. CM Punk's angle was based on reality, his issues with not being pushed better. AJ Styles is definitely following in the path of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, another guy that got a big push involving real issues of the company not wanting to push him better. But the whole storyline just doesn't work as well here. AJ Styles has not been held back like other guys have been for years in the WWE. John Cena has not been pushed as annoyingly as he has in the past. A lot of these promos with Styles and Cena is just beating a dead horse. They are not really saying anything new to spark interest.

As for the match, the outcome might not matter. Smackdown has already announced an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship. I don't think John Cena will have to wait much longer for his next title run. But I think AJ Styles will retain at the Royal Rumble. Cena can then win it inside the Elimination Chamber.

Who Should Be Smackdown's Centerpiece?

Last time, I talked about Raw and the centerpiece picture there. You can argue for either Roman Reigns or Seth Rollins being centerpiece over there. What about Smackdown?

You can start by immediately crossing John Cena off the list. He has been the centerpiece of the entire company for a long time. There are a few reasons why he should not, and will not, be the centerpiece of Smackdown. First, he's a part-timer. In terms of title reigns, 2016 was a dead year for Cena. He was injured. He took time off for projects outside the WWE. It seems all he did was put over AJ Styles last year. Besides his part-time status, he is also old. He will be 40 this year. Without even going into his issues connecting with fans over the years, he just does not look like someone you would push as the centerpiece.

He looks like he can really fit that role Shawn Michaels had in his last few years with the WWE. Shawn Michaels still won titles and had some big matches, but he was more of a "special attraction" kind of guy. Other guys were really featured as the centerpiece, whether you want to talk about Triple H or John Cena. John Cena will still be pushed and win titles, but he won't be featured as annoyingly as he has been in previous years. Hopefully, that can lessen some of the complaining. It gets old after a while. Of course, smarks will still complain if he beats AJ Styles for the title.

How about AJ Styles? Should he be centerpiece? Well, John Cena isn't the only one turning 40 in 2017. Brock Lesnar is also reaching the milestone. And Gail Kim. Besides those three, AJ Styles will also be 40. If I brought it up for Cena, I have to bring this issue up for Styles. He doesn't look 40, but he is. He stays relatively healthy, despite his injury issue last month. But with the style he likes to wrestle, you have to wonder how many years he really has.

I am not saying AJ Styles doesn't deserve to be pushed as a main-eventer. He can still be pushed as an A-tier talent. But this is about whom the WWE should groom to be the true central focus of Smackdown. I don't think that's AJ Styles. Aside from his age, the WWE has not done a good job developing him to be a star for the wider audience. They have just put him out there as a great wrestler that has been doing this for a long time and are resting on that. Wrestling fans may be eating it up, but if AJ Styles had been pushed better, maybe he would be helping Smackdown better.

Let me stay on the age issue for a moment. I remember fans complaining when wrestling promotions would rely on old talent. I have seen fans say WCW failed because they started to rely on old talent and didn't groom new stars. When Hulk Hogan, one of the people blamed for WCW's demise, went to TNA, I saw the same complaints again. 40 isn't ancient, but a wrestler at this age is certainly not a youngster anymore. Are we entering another era where older talents are going to be relied on to be top stars? Is that what some wrestling fans want, as long as these old wrestlers know how to wrestle? I don't think so, but the WWE does have to do a better job grooming younger guys.

How about Dean Ambrose? Here's someone that's not yet close to 40. He is a former member of The Shield. His two friends are the top choices to be centerpiece of Raw. Is Dean Ambrose the Smackdown equivalent? He looks like it, but he doesn't really seem that great of a choice. As I have said before, The Shield looked amazing as a group, but none of these guys have achieved their full potential on their own. Dean Ambrose is just one of those guys. Again, I am not saying he should not be a main-eventer, but it just looks like his overness isn't where it should be. A lot of smarks prefer AJ Styles over him. He might have a unique personality that will help him stand out more, something that Styles does not have. Overall, he doesn't look like he should be the centerpiece.

I would say Smackdown should just go without a centerpiece for now. Split the spotlight between the likes of John Cena, Dean Ambrose, AJ Styles, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, Miz, Dolph Ziggler, and so on. In other words, continue doing what they have been doing. Despite the praise Smackdown gets from smarks, it still has issues. They are efficient, more than Raw is, but they still have to work on their overall atmosphere. Is this a show that wants to please wrestling fans? Is this a show aiming for the wider audience. I don't see a clear identity. They need to build around what they want to be. After that, they can worry about building stars and a centerpiece. Right now, they are really just going with guys that were established for years. All those men I mentioned were getting major pushes even before 2016. In the case of AJ Styles, it came in promotions all over the world. Despite all that praise, can Smackdown make stars and go beyond just pleasing smarks?

Previewing Smackdown's Wild Card Finals

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

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

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

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

Injuries Impacting Smackdown's Title Scene

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

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

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

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

Previewing The TLC 2016 Main Event

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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.

Prefab Stars

Prefab. Makes me think back to when I would go on long road trips with my family when I was younger. I would sometimes see these houses being towed down the highway. I don't mean mobile homes. I mean actual houses. It was a sight to see back then. These houses would be taken to a site and set up there. Instead of building the home piece by piece at the site, most of the work is done elsewhere, the site is prepared, and then everything comes together. Seems pretty efficient.

What does that have to do with anything? I've been thinking about how the WWE has been handling the debut of new talent from NXT, and even the indies, in the last year. There is obviously a problem. I am not even the only one seeing it. I notice more and more wrestling fans bringing it up. The WWE just seems to be running on the assumption that people are watching NXT and know who these wrestlers are. If someone is making some noise in NXT, the WWE seems to act like they are automatically stars when they come to the main roster.

These are prefab stars. The WWE is treating NXT like it is just some kind of star factory. And it isn't. These performers are only connecting with a minority of the WWE's total audience. By treating these workers like they are already established, the WWE is alienating a lot of fans. They are either going to start following NXT, and likely subscribing to the WWE Network, or they will just get annoyed and stop watching. If they are having a tough time connecting with the product, why should they keep watching?

One of the things about prefab homes is that the site still has to be prepared. There is work to be done once the sections of the house get there. Workers don't just dump it and leave. The "site" these prefab NXT stars are coming to is obviously the main roster. And that is a mess. The brand split did not fix anything. If anything, some depth issues might have popped up due to the brand split. The WWE is inefficient on the main roster. Smackdown is a little more efficient than Raw, but that doesn't mean it is perfect. It has not been regularly getting more viewers than Raw, even with Raw going against football now. The main roster needs to be handled better to create a better foundation. All houses need a solid foundation. The same goes for the WWE.

Another reason the WWE should not be relying on NXT as a star factory, it is just better for fans to see that growth and development for themselves. There is entertainment value in that and that is what really helps someone get over. If the WWE just brings someone from NXT or the indies and starts talking about how great he is, the millions of viewers that don't follow NXT and the indies will just be hearing all this hype and might not be seeing the actual character development to help that worker get truly over. There is nothing entertaining about building a house. I have never built one, but I have been around when the house I am living in went through renovations. Very stressful. But this is pro wrestling. It is supposed to be entertaining. And building a star should be entertaining for the fans. Let me bring up a few names to illustrate my points further.

Look at AJ Styles. He didn't go through NXT, but he is an indies guy. Needless to say, wrestling fans loved this guy for over a decade. When the WWE debuted him, they hyped up how popular he was. Who is being targeted with that? Wrestling fans already love the guy. The wider audience is supposed to love the guy because other people do and the WWE is telling them to? The WWE then went through various motions with Styles and he has been heel for the last few months. If he was really so popular, why didn't his heel turn flop because fans refuse to hate him? Smarks will cheer for him because they cheer for guys like him, but the wider audience definitely does not appear to be sold on him.

Look at Daniel Bryan. The WWE wishes AJ Styles could be that over. Daniel Bryan was loved by wrestling fans even before coming to the WWE. They were the ones that really fought for him to come back after being fired. But he did not yet have A+ overness. How did he get it? Thanks to the whole "Yes!" and "No!" chants. And it all played out for the audience to see on the main roster. It was something that energized them and something they could play along with. AJ Styles has not done anything like that. #BeatUpJohnCena appeals to the smark crowd, the ones already loving Styles before he came to the WWE and that have been annoyed by Cena for the last decade. He has not done anything to become A+ over on the main roster.

American Alpha did go through NXT. If you think about it, these two are the kind of guys that wrestling fans should love. They are wrestlers. But they are pretty boring and have not gotten as over as the WWE might have expected. The WWE put that focus on this team when Smackdown became its own brand again. They looked like the obvious winners of the new tag titles that were being made. They flopped. Heath Slater & Rhyno rose. These two guys, unlike American Alpha, actually had an interesting storyline that played out for the general audience to see. American Alpha needs to be a part of some interesting angles. It is not as easy to pander to wrestling fans as it might sometimes seem.

Women's wrestling has been hot in NXT. Some women made a name for themselves down there. But how have these women done on the main roster. In terms of their performances, none of them have lived up to the hype, in my opinion. I just expected much better from these women after all the hype I have been hearing in recent years. And I don't just mean in terms of wrestling. Their promos are also often not as great as I expected. Their characters also do not seem that entertaining. Blame the WWE for certain things, but these women also need to improve. In terms of their overness, none of them are as over as they should be. One of the dumbest things the WWE has done with them in recent weeks was that Sasha Banks angle on Raw. Why even fake a retirement for her? I talked about it before, so I won't say much more. I will say that they put her in a position to draw and it flopped. If the WWE fell for the hype generated by smarks over Sasha Banks, they made a terrible mistake. Sasha Banks still needs to be pushed a lot better than she has for her to get over to the point where she might draw.

On the other side of that, look at Mickie James. She wasn't a big name in wrestling when the WWE signed her. OVW back then isn't like NXT now. There was no big hype for her when she debuted on the main roster. She eventually became the most over diva on the roster, connecting well with both wrestling fans and the general audience. And she did it without the hype that women like Sasha Banks and Bayley have gotten. How did she do it? She earned it on the main roster. Even when the WWE took away her psycho gimmick and gave her the inconsistent treatment of a generic credible jobber, she solidified her overness. She did it by just having qualities that could appeal to various types of fans. She was a solid in-ring worker that can get wrestling fans on her side. She had an appealing look that could attract fans interested in that. And she had a charisma that could also draw in fans. Sasha Banks has been pushed like a credible jobber in her rookie year on the main roster, which makes the WWE's decision to give her that fake retirement segment even more weird. Unlike Mickie James, she is not a credible jobber that has earned her overness on the main roster. She cannot simply rest on her success in NXT. And if the WWE is serious about her being a star, they can't make that mistake, as well.

Building a prefab house is not as easy as it may sound. There is still a lot of work to do, both at the factory and at the site. The same thing has to be true for prefab stars the WWE is creating in NXT or taking from the indies. Yeah, develop them in NXT, but there is still work to be done when they get to the main roster. There are millions of fans that did not see them in NXT or the indies and are not going to be sold on them right away. To treat these workers like they are already established is something that could lead to these fans not watching anymore. And the foundation on the main roster needs to improve. Without that, a lot of these prefab stars are just going to flop on the main roster. Just like a building needs a good foundation, so does the main roster. 

AJ Styles Vs. Dean Ambrose Vs. John Cena

AJ Styles won the WWE Championship at Backlash. It wasn't completely clean, but that doesn't really matter. I still say they should have waited. They kind of made it feel rushed. In any case, Dean Ambrose has a rematch coming.

There is more to the story than just that. John Cena came back on Smackdown this week to confront AJ Styles and throw his hat into the ring for the title. John Cena had "disappeared" after losing cleanly to AJ at Summerslam. Cena was never really gone. He showed up here and there, including working house shows. The WWE just tried to sell an angle by having Cena not be around. It gave AJ the free path to feud with Ambrose and get the title. Again, not how I would have handled things, but there you have it. AJ Styles has two faces chasing after him.

Dean Ambrose and John Cena are no strangers to chasing after the same target. A few years ago, both had their eyes set on Seth Rollins. That didn't lead to a triple-threat match. Dean Ambrose won the right to face Rollins first. Cena eventually still got Rollins. That was a heated feud back then, even before Cena was inserted.

I don't feel the title feud between AJ Styles and Dean Ambrose was as heated as Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose. And simply tossing back in John Cena doesn't make it that heated, but the WWE gave it a good try on Smackdown this week with that promo involving the three men. There were some exchanges last night that are the kind of stuff smarks will eat up. The WWE has just been relying on that kind of thing too much recently. Certain fans may always love hearing it, but if it is only this self-righteous chatter with nothing big coming of it, the wider audience won't care as much. The WWE has a lot of work to do to draw in those fans and keep them.

Previewing The Top WWE Backlash Matches

Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt is one of the top matches for the first Smackdown-exclusive PPV of the new era, Backlash. There was a time I would have been more hyped for this feud than I am. Even though the WWE has created some interesting segments with this feud, Bray Wyatt feuds have just become disappointing. He talks big, but has really not accomplished anything too interesting. He just floats around.

Who wins at Backlash? I don't think the feud will end at Backlash. With the brand split, they now have limited options for feuds. Ambrose and Styles will likely still be feuding past Sunday. There aren't too many other top guys to work with Wyatt or Orton in a fresh feud. I just get the impression that this will be an extended feud. Orton should win here. He should regain some momentum after being fed to Lesnar at Summerslam. Some people might say that Randy Orton should just be used to put over younger talent. Well, the guy he put over at Summerslam wasn't exactly younger than him. Give Orton a break. He has lost to a lot of guys cleanly in his career. He likely will take a loss to Bray Wyatt eventually, just don't groan at Orton getting one win at Backlash. He hasn't exactly won at a PPV in a while.

The WWE Championship will be decided between Dean Ambrose and AJ Styles. Styles has been in the WWE for less than a year. This will be his fourth PPV match for the WWE Championship in that time. He debuted in the Royal Rumble match, which was for the WWE Championship this year. He had two shots against Roman Reigns for the title. And now Dean Ambrose. Stuck in between those matches were big feuds against Chris Jericho and John Cena. No one can complain that they have underutilized AJ Styles. I think it would have been better if they did slow him down. Yes, he will be 40 next year, but if rushing him doesn't work in connecting him with the wider audience, you have to wonder if spending a few months building his character in the midcard would really have been a tragedy. They have just gone all over with his character. Debut him and treat him like he is so popular. Bring in The Club and work with that aspect of his background for a while. Take away The Club just after a few short months. Throw in a heel turn between all that. What is the wider audience supposed to make of AJ Styles? Wrestling fans already buy into this guy and love. They want to see him win the title. And they eventually will.

I just don't think it should be at Backlash. Let Ambrose retain here. Things just feel a little too rushed, given how there was not much time between Summerslam and this PPV. Give this feud more time. I am sure AJ will win it soon. And then probably back to Cena. Cena has been around, despite the WWE not featuring him on TV. They are obviously selling his loss to Styles at Summeslam. No Cena storyline can end like that. He will come back for Styles, likely when Styles has the WWE Championship. Until then, Ambrose retains here and the feud continues between him and AJ Styles.