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.

How Goes The Enzo/Cass Drama?

One of the big storylines going on in recent months involves Big Cass turning on Enzo. I already gave reasons why splitting these two was a bad idea. The WWE did it. The storyline is still continuing. Big Show is involved. Let's take it from there.

It has not been a good storyline. And the WWE insists on giving it main-event attention. I know being in the main event these days is really not special. The WWE are cowards when football season comes along and are showing cowardice even when it isn't football season these days. The third hour always has that massive drop, so they don't put what deserves to be closing the show in the final slot. And this storyline with these three guys just does not deserve the attention. You can say Enzo & Cass earned it by becoming a popular act, but not every act that gets popular needs to be main-eventing. Not every good pitcher in baseball is going to be a starter. Some are just best as relievers. Some wrestling acts are just best in the midcard. When you try to take them and turn them into something bigger, you ruin them. The WWE spoiled John Cena in a lot of ways. He was a popular midcard act that is now a polarizing main-eventer. It looks like the WWE is spoiling a popular tag team with this split and storyline.

Big Cass was supposed to be the breakout star in this storyline. He is not that great in the ring. You can say he has a decent look. And his mic skills are not that great. Yes, he gave a very good promo when he first turned on Enzo a couple weeks ago. But he can't just be that guy all the time. There are some situations that just don't call for it. Moreover, it would be nice if he could be entertaining on the mic. Passionate and serious is nice, but there is more to it than that. Cass lacks depth. He lacks that range of emotion. If he has it, he hasn't shown it. Someone like Mickie James has that depth. A lot of fans remember her as the bouncy, happy face diva. But she could also cry when a storyline called for it. She could do serious promos. She can get nasty as a heel. Some of her range doesn't even get appreciated. Cass needs to improve himself, or he might lose this push and just be a jobber to the stars. That is already a possibility for him.

How about Enzo? There are all these rumors about huge backstage heat. I don't care. I am just talking in terms of how he is used creatively and his potential. He is not great in the ring. But he can certainly do a better job on the mic than Cass. And yet, what can they possibly do for him after this storyline with Cass ends? You can speculate on sending him to 205 Live or NXT, but he is not great in the ring. So what does he do there? He needs to be paired with someone, whether as a manager or tag team.

And Big Show? He is in the last stage of his in-ring career. It is kind of sad for him to go out with this kind of storyline. Putting over young talent is admirable and all that, but putting over talent that is being misused and likely not going anywhere is a waste of time. I am not saying Big Show deserves a "Thank You" title run. I am not even saying he should win his final WWE match. But using him better than this would be nice.

Overall, this whole storyline just does not look like it was worth it. It hurt the tag division. It isn't leading to anything too great for anyone involved. It just feels like a waste of time. It might be best for Enzo and Cass to just get back together.

The Wyatts Lose At Fastlane 2016

No title changes at Fastlane last night. The main event didn't feature any swerves. Nothing too exciting happened at all. What I want to talk about is a match I did not preview last week, The Wyatts vs. Big Show, Kane, and Ryback. If the heels had won, there would be nothing to talk about. They lost.

I have said before that the WWE should push The Wyatts better now that many top stars are out and they do not have many great top feuds going. Having them lose to three jobbers to the stars isn't going to do it. The feud wasn't that amazing to start with, but the heels should have won and gone on to something better. They did not get involved with Lesnar later in the night. Bray Wyatt didn't job, but this booking still slows down the group's momentum. Are they building these guys up for something big at Wrestlemania? Recent booking might not suggest that.

Think back a few months to when The Wyatts feuded against four guys from ECW. The Wyatts won that feud and The Dudleys soon became jobbers. The faces winning there might have been a nice gesture. The Dudleys have not won a feud since coming back. Would that loss have ruined the group's momentum? I do not think it would have been worse than the needless loss they took last night. The Dudleys were fresher. Let's just see how the WWE follows up.

What Do You Do With The Wyatts?

The WWE is a game of priorities. Some wrestlers are treated as more of a priority than other wrestlers. To make things worse, the WWE does not give all their workers fair opportunities to earn being pushed as more of a priority. It is not unusual to see someone getting a great push that does not seem to be connecting well with the fans, while someone that seems to be connecting better with the fans is not pushed as a top priority.

There is not enough space to push a dozen full-time top priorities. It takes resources. They need quality segment time every week. Writers have to spend time thinking about what to do with them. Other workers will be developed to put them over. Some people will have to always eventually be depushed, but top priorities will consistently be featured at a high level. That is why there are so few of them. There is just not an unlimited amount of space and resources to push everyone at a high level.

The current situation in the WWE has been talked about a lot. There are a ton of injuries. It isn't just midcarders that are injured. Some of the WWE's top priorities are out. John Cena is out. Randy Orton is out. Daniel Bryan has not been cleared. Seth Rollins, a guy being groomed to be a top priority, is out.

Roman Reigns has been given the biggest push of his career. His run as the centerpiece has started. Outside of him, how many top priorities do you have being featured on a full-time basis? How many proper feuds do you even have going on? Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens have their title feud. There is the diva feud between Becky Lynch and Charlotte. Outside of that, there are not a lot of strong feuds going on. Everything seems to be messy. Part of the problem is obviously injuries popping up. Outside of Roman Reigns, there feels like there is no top priority being pushed. You can usually accept this kind of thing leading up to the Royal Rumble, where everyone has their sights set on winning that, but this year feels worse than previous years.

What are they doing with The Wyatts? These guys are not A-tier players, even though Bray Wyatt has had some big feuds. Most of those feuds have been about using him to put over someone else. Outside of that, it is not unusual to see Bray Wyatt win a feud and get lost in the shuffle right after. That is what has happened once again. It seemed The Wyatts won their feud against Team ECW. But have they had any clear direction since? Could they have gotten a feud against Big Show? Are they back with The Dudleyz? Are they henchmen for Vince McMahon against Roman Reigns?

These are guys that should be made to be top priorities right now. Even if it is just until bigger stars return, this is a group that should be pushed better. It is wrong to just put so much of the main focus on Roman Reigns and weaker midcard title feuds. All it would take is one serious injury to Roman Reigns and the WWE is in serious trouble. That is an understatement. Bray Wyatt, despite never holding a title, has credibility. There is a gimmick there with great potential. This is a guy and this is a group that should be given top focus outside of the saga involving Roman Reigns and Vince McMahon.

How do you do it? There are plenty of guys without clear focus. The Wyatts do not need to go back to their feud against ECW. A feud against Big Show would not have been too horrible. Have Bray act like he actually accomplished something with his feuds against The Undertaker and Kane and is looking to take out another monster. Give Big Show a few partners, or even have him do this feud against the group by himself. Dolph Ziggler is also around. He would definitely need a team to feud with The Wyatts. Point is, the WWE can start something now, have it go through the Royal Rumble, and finish it at Fast Lane. If they are really able to create a big feud, they might take it all the way to Wrestlemania.

At a time when there are so many injuries and the WWE is very sloppy with the roster they do have, it might be a good idea to start pushing others at a high level. This is not a situation where they need an interim centerpiece. This is a situation where they need filler for the top spots around the centerpiece. There are not enough A players. They need better creative depth. And The Wyatts might be the answer until roster depth improves.

Brock Lesnar's Tour Stops By Big Show

Before facing The Undertaker at Hell in a Cell, Brock Lesnar gets Big Show in New York City. And the WWE has been doing an okay job developing this. That's the kind of thing they need to do for these network exclusives.

The WWE could have stuck Lesnar with any jobber and just have him crush him. Instead, the WWE puts him against Big Show, the man that did beat him to put an end to his first title reign. But will the overall outcome still be any different? Lesnar should be getting the win here.

Could the WWE pull any swerve? Specifically, how about Heyman siding with Big Show during the match? That is how Big Show beat Lesnar that first time. I do not expect any shenanigans like that. I doubt the ring will get killed, either. I am expecting just a typical match between these two, with Lesnar getting the win.

Last thing to consider, does this match ruin the personal feel in the Undertaker/Lesnar feud? That feud seemed like it was getting really good a few months ago. The WWE has done an okay job developing some heat for the match between Lesnar and Big Show, but it still gets dwarfed by Undertaker/Lesnar. Even after this match, there will still be plenty of time to go back to hyping Undertaker/Lesnar, so I do not see this match coming up in New York as any kind of distraction. The worst thing the WWE can do is actually have some kind of swerve to make this match between Big Show and Lesnar more than it needs to be. That is how the development of Undertaker/Lesnar can get ruined. After everything those two have been through since last year, it is time to get to the conclusion of the feud. Just give it the proper focus it deserves.

Summerslam 2015 Preview: Part 2

Even though I felt even adding some kind of gimmick to the Summerslam match between Randy Orton and Sheamus could not save it, I still think it is a bad decision to not even do that much. This is a boring feud that should have ended last month. The highlight since then was probably the two men costing each other the WWE Championship on Raw recently, but even that must have seemed a bit telegraphed to many fans. They knew it was coming. As far as who wins this, I will go with Sheamus this time. Why continue the feud if he never wins a match? Regardless of the outcome, how likely is it this feud continues?

Ryback is back and will defend the title against Miz and Big Show. Going by how much the WWE loves giving Miz title reigns, I would not be surprised if he won this. It is like they can't think of anything else for him. Big Show should be in The Authority. What does he really have going for him?

The Wyatts vs. Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. Could they pull a swerve with this match? Dean Ambrose turning heel? Not only have him turn on Reigns, but how about having him join The Wyattts? That would be an interesting twist to things. If nothing like that happens, the faces should win. This was a feud for Roman Reigns to win when it first got started. The WWE extended it by adding in Luke Harper and Dean Ambrose. The only good thing that could come from ruining the personal feud between Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt is Dean Ambrose turning heel.

I would say the Cesaro/Owens feud is the best midcard feud they have going. Not only does it feature two guys that can go in the ring, it has been fresh. Cesaro has been looking pretty good. Kevin Owens has been broken down a little, but that was to be expected. Who wins? Owens has looked so weak at times recently, I think he will get the win at Summerslam. Cesaro can survive a loss in a great match. He has had some great matches with John Cena last month, came up short, and still has his momentum.

On Recent Injuries

Ryback is recovering from a staph infection. It took him out of the title defense he was supposed to have at Battleground against Miz and Big Show. He is still not back. Did the WWE make the right decision by not having a new Intercontinental Champion crowned? If this was TNA, I could imagine them going on with the title match and giving the belt to someone else. Of course, TNA has a lot of needless title reigns. I didn't actually write about this when it was first revealed, but I was thinking the WWE could insert a face that didn't have a match at Battleground into this match and possibly have him win the title. How about Ambrose? Neville? It didn't come to that. I can understand the WWE does not want to take the title off Ryback probably because they had just taken it off Daniel Bryan due to an injury. Nevertheless, Miz and Big Show just seem to be waiting right now. I probably would have gone on with the match and crowned a new Champion.

Nikki Bella is apparently injured. That is why her match with Becky Lynch did not happen on Smackdown. Is that supposed to be some kind of excuse as to why no diva match happened on Smackdown? It is no excuse. How hard is it to do some kind of promo to get yourself out of the match you advertised and into another match? They had Becky Lynch vs. Brie Bella for Main Event. They could have put that on Smackdown. The Bellas are heels. Heels backing out of matches is not uncommon. Brie Bella could have done a promo and set up her match with Becky Lynch on Smackdown. If the WWE is serious about the diva division, they have to put better effort into still featuring them properly even when their centerpiece gets injured. If they do not, it isn't hard to imagine that the diva division will collapse again. Centerpieces not working out is what led to the collapse a lot of fans got sick of this year. As far as Nikki Bella dropping the title early due to her injury, I don't think they will take it from her. They are trying to have her break AJ Lee's record.

The most gruesome injury from the WWE this week goes to John Cena getting his nose broken by Seth Rollins on Raw. Cena's good looks is one of the things that keeps him as popular as he is with the ladies. Seth Rollins busted that up. There is still plenty of time until Summerslam, so the WWE will probably not change their plans for Cena. The build to Summerslam will be altered. The WWE might want to protect Cena a bit. If nothing else, this adds more heat to the feud. Aside from holding the WWE Championship, did Seth Rollins really hold any advantage over John Cena? Seth Rollins at least looks a little more dangerous now. There is something there for Cena to overcome, if they plan to have him win. The WWE can take a negative and turn it into a positive with this injury.

The Extended Family Of The Authority

The story of Big Show in The Authority has been pretty messy. He was there almost from the start. They forced him to join. He never really was heel during that time. He eventually got his freedom. He spent some time away from that storyline. He then turned heel and aligned with the group again. It looked like he was a real member. There was even the vintage tension between him and other members that The Authority angle always seems to have. He took some time off. When he returned, instead of being a simple henchman for the stable, he was gunning for the Intercontinental Championship. Now, they refer to him as an "extended family" member of The Authority. They really could do better with this stable.

Of course, there is one good thing about Big Show not being featured prominently alongside The Authority anymore. He gets to work against some different guys, while some different guys can be used in his place. You have seen Sheamus getting some of the matches you would expect Big Show to get if he was still in the stable. Sheamus, however, is not a member of the group. Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury have also been featured more, but that is not necessarily a good thing.

If the WWE really wants to freshen up their top heel stable and the main-event scene in general, they  really need to push someone new in Big Show's place. You are just looking for some intimidating brute. Mic skills are not important. Rusev would have been a great choice, but he is injured and still working with his storyline with Lana and Ziggler. Could the WWE debut someone from NXT to fill the role? You can talk about Kevin Owens, but he is a guy you would want to see actually be pushed as a star, not just as an enforcer in the stable. When Seth Rollins one day leaves the group, then you can bring up Kevin Owens to fill his position. Mark Henry is too old and injury-prone. Regardless of what the WWE does, the freshness just is not there right now in The Authority.

Previewing Money In The Bank 2015: Part 1

The New Day defend the tag titles against The Prime Time Players. There was a time I felt The Prime Time Players definitely should win the tag titles. They have since split up, gotten back together, and are once again in the title scene. The WWE has started putting the titles on teams that lack a strong build to really deserve them. That might make a title change a strong possibility. But I am going to say New Day retains.

The Intercontinental Championship match is just between Ryback and Big Show. Miz has been involved in the storyline, but he is not in the match. They probably should put him in the match to make it more interesting. That is not to say he should win it. Same thing with Big Show. I do not picture him winning it. Ryback just won it. He should be retaining it.

The diva feud is just between Nikki Bella and Paige. The storyline has been all about #GiveDivasAChance, again. The WWE really just should stop it. They are not bringing in any legitimate change. They have even regressed to short matches. Fans are complaining on Twitter again, although I do not believe they have gotten #GiveDivasAChance trending again. The WWE is just taking advantage of it for storyline purposes. It is what many should have expected. I find it horrible when the WWE does this kind of thing. They mistreat their own workers, and even their fans at times, make storylines out of it, and don't bring about any real change. Zack Ryder's storyline led to nothing lasting for him. He was used in a bigger storyline involving Cena, then dumped. CM Punk did these promos about change. Nothing actually changed from the WWE. And they are doing it again with the divas. People have said that Total Divas makes it difficult to create storylines. I never bought that. You now have the entire diva division blanketed in a storyline that can last forever. Just bring up #GiveDivasAChance in every promo. Point to some face as a hero fighting for fair opportunities. Point to some heel as the one holding the diva division back. It would be nice if someone actually did a promo admitting it is the bosses in the back that are really holding back the diva division. Then again, a promo is all it would be. CM Punk knows all about that.

Paige is the face hero in this feud. She gave a promo about change. Nothing to take too seriously. I do notice some fans rolling their eyes at Paige frequently being in the title picture. I also feel the WWE should develop some fresh feuds, but I do not think #GiveDivasBesidesPaigeAChance is too fair. I prefer using #GiveOtherDivasAChance. Thing is, Paige isn't really getting a chance. She has been pushed as a credible jobber since debuting. I am not convinced that the WWE is developing her to be the next AJ Lee. They are not doing it until they are doing it. How they push Paige after this title feud will be telling. As for the diva that is next pushed in Paige's spot, she will likely just be used as a credible jobber, as well.

Some fans seem to want every diva to get an opportunity at the title. The WWE obviously does not operate like that. They like developing a centerpiece. But I actually think they should break the division down. Enter the preseason. I have said that TNA is always stuck in the preseason. They rotate everyone, give everyone pushes all over, but never commit to whom they want their top stars to be. The WWE should rotate their women, but to assess who is their best and give these women a chance to get very over. Once they pick the absolute best of the best, push that woman as centerpiece. Periphery divas and credible jobbers will fall into place around her. Not only is doing this a fair way to rebuild, it might please those fans that want to see Paige and The Bellas out of the title scene.

As for this match at Money in the Bank, I would say Nikki retains. If Paige wins, that would just prolong this feud longer. I do not think fans would like that. I also think the WWE wants Nikki to hold the title for about 300 days. I would say the title stays where it is and the WWE starts going in a new direction.

Extreme Rules 2015: Final Preview

I have already said all I want to say about John Cena vs. Rusev and Seth Rollins vs. Randy Orton. I will talk about the other matches today.

Dean Ambrose vs. Luke Harper. If Dean Ambrose can't win this feud, there has to be some kind of running gag here. There is no reason to bury him. He is over, but there is no heavy protest to see him get pushed. Luke Harper is not going anywhere. Give the win to Ambrose.

Tyson Kidd & Cesaro vs. Big E & Kofi Kingston. The tag division is looking almost as sloppy as the diva division. I am talking about how it is managed, not the quality of matches. I would expect Kidd and Cesaro to retain. If the WWE is serious about developing The New Day as something credible, and I mean really SERIOUS, I can picture them giving them the titles. I do not think they care. It does not matter whether they are heels or faces. They have been mediocre too long.

Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett. Why don't I ever call him Bad News Barrett? Anyway, Daniel Bryan's health continues to be an issue. Is he badly hurt? If he is not that hurt, he will retain. If he is hurt but can still go, he will work the match and Barrett will regain the Intercontinental Championship. If he is too hurt for even that, you are going to have a repeat of what happened last year. Regardless of Daniel Bryan's health, I still feel he could have been utilized better in the last few weeks. There are some guys that are so over that just being out there is enough for the fans. They do not need to wrestle every night. The product has felt a little weak lately. Daniel Bryan could have helped fix that to some degree.

Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler. Sheamus just made his return a few weeks ago. They seem more interested in pushing him right now than Ziggler. Ziggler just seems to be in the position to put Sheamus over. I do not see them hurting the momentum Sheamus is developing. He likely wins this match. I do not want to imagine what will happen with the "kiss me arse" aspect of this match. Crass.That's the word I'll give it.

Roman Reigns vs. Big Show. There will be rowdy Chicago fans at Extreme Rules. You can imagine some of what they will do. They will love Cesaro and Kidd. Cena will get booed. As far as this match goes, you have two guys that smarks do not like. "Please Retire" chants for Big Show? Will Roman get mugged as he tries to make his entrance through the crowd? I usually get excited for Last Man Standing matches, but a lot of hardcore-style matches have been weak in recent years. The WWE is trying to be more edgy again. There is also no reason to be too interested in who wins. Roman Reigns is the guy they are developing to be a star. Big Show is a jobber to the stars. It will be more interesting to see how fans treat this match than anything else.

I have saved the diva match for last. Nikki Bella vs. Naomi for the Diva's Championship. Naomi is the heel and Nikki is the face. Paige had won a battle royal to get a title shot. Naomi turned heel that same night and took her out. Paige is out filming a movie. The WWE pretty much took out their top face right now. They fix it by turning The Bellas face. This is sloppy, inconsistent booking. I do not think you can put all the blame on AJ Lee retiring. They could have kept all the alignments the same and developed face Naomi to take on heel Nikki for the title. Have The Bellas take Paige out if she has to take time off.

How about the decision to turn The Bellas face? Given the hole the WWE dug for themselves, this is an okay move. You have two faces with one turn. There are still other divas they can treat as faces. More faces will eventually debut. The main issue is how randomly they did it. Not developed well. In one year, The Bellas have gone from being faces to being heels to being faces. Paige has gone from being a face to a heel to a face. AJ Lee was a heel, turned face, and if she had not left, would have turned heel again. Some people complain about how long John Cena has been face, but you can bring up the opposite complaint about the diva division. Stop turning them so much. A lot of these turns are done because of depth issues, not for the sake of good creative investment.

I would not make too much out of Paige starring in a movie for the WWE. Extracurricular activities do not determine your place on the roster. Brodus Clay also starred in a movie for the WWE. Where is he now? TNA. Things like movies and Total Divas usually do not do the most for helping you to get over. Not everyone can get over through extracurricular activities like Zack Ryder did. It comes down to how you are actually pushed. Let's see how Paige is pushed when she returns.

Who wins between Nikki and Naomi? I would say Nikki. After that, you will probably eventually get a triple threat involving those two and Paige. Paige will still have a title shot coming and Nikki will probably still be face. Face vs. face? Insert heel Naomi. I would not be surprised if the WWE books Nikki to hold the title long enough to break AJ Lee's record. She's almost halfway there.

Tag Division Developments

Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns ran through a portion of the tag division on Smackdown this week. I will use that as an excuse to discuss the division. The Usos are still Tag Team Champions. I am just going to look at three heel teams that could be taking the titles off them.

First, the team they are actually feuding against. That would be Kidd & Cesaro. These are obviously two jobbers. The WWE has paired them up and given them a push. Should they win the titles? I don't think so. This would be a step down. They need more momentum I just do not think the WWE is willing to give them. Even should they win the titles, I cannot imagine the WWE doing anything great with them. Right now, Kidd & Cesaro seem to be there just so The Usos can go over them in this feud. There are more legitimate and credible teams deserving of the titles.

How about The Ascension? This is a legitimate tag team. This is not two guys in the midcard with nothing to do being tossed together. As far as credibility goes, the WWE is still protecting them. It might not really mean anything. Most guys that debut from developmental or guys on the main roster that get repackaged with a new gimmick get a little win streak. The WWE usually fails to develop proper feuds or runs out of guys for them to beat in a lot of these situations. The Ascension has still not had one great feud since debuting. And yet, they are undefeated. Are they being protected to eventually feud for the tag titles? Or to be fed to Cena next year as the undefeated act used to put him over? No, probably not that. With a team like this hanging around, it makes me believe even more that The Usos will keep the tag titles to eventually feud against them. I don't think they will win the titles, but it should be a fresh feud.

The last team Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns had to face on Smackdown was Big Show and Kane. Tension was teased between the two heels, which led to their downfall. I do not think this was a sign of a split coming anytime soon. This was just for the sake of the story of this one match. Regardless, Big Show and Kane should not be forced against Bryan and Reigns so much. I'll get into that more next week. And I also hate even teasing tension between Big Show and Kane like this. I didn't complain about it at the Royal Rumble. I can let that go. But again? So soon? They did this with Randy Orton and The Authority back when the stable was being formed. They just had this on-and-off relationship that didn't lead to that split they were teasing until what happened in 2014 with Orton and Seth Rollins. After a while, it just gets annoying. Instead of keeping your heel stable strong and feuding against all these faces out to run them out of power, the heel stable is having trouble from within. How can you strengthen the group? How about give them more titles? How about give Big Show and Kane the tag titles? Back in the day, The Corporation held a lot of titles. It wasn't just their main guy holding the World title. Present day, The Authority just does not compare. Outside of hounding after the World title at times, the group has not done a good job trying to get titles for their other members. It is like all those guys around Seth Rollins are there just for his benefit and he is the only one meant to be pushed in the group. That is probably the point, but for the sake of making the group look better and creating better feuds, you cannot be that limited. Big Show and Kane have held the tag titles before. I know a lot of fans despise seeing these guys these days, but putting the titles on them could be good. Not only does it help the stable look better, but it can really put over the team that beats them. It is the same idea as The Rhodes beating The Shield for the tag titles. It leads to a big moment. I am not saying it is likely to happen, but I think it would be a better option than what you have going on currently.

Seth Rollins Gets Added Into The Mix

Seth Rollins has been placed into the Royal Rumble WWE Championship match between John Cena and Brock Lesnar. Fans are already speculating that Seth is only in there to get pinned by Cena so he can win back the title without beating Lesnar. I am not going to talk about match outcome today. Plenty of time left until I should give my final preview for that match. Right now, I just want to talk about the decision to make it a triple-threat match and adding in Seth Rollins.

Since winning the title from John Cena, Brock Lesnar has not feuded against anyone but John Cena. And these two had feuded against each other even before 2014. This is definitely a waste of Lesnar. Cena had already won a match to get another shot at Lesnar and retained his right to face Lesnar recently in a match against Seth Rollins. He is definitely facing Lesnar. That being the case, I think it was a great decision to make this a triple-threat match. Even if Cena has to be in the title hunt, get another fresh body in there. It might even help to make this match more competitive than the previous two encounters between Cena and Lesnar. In those matches, the story they were trying to tell ruined match quality. Most fans loved Cena getting squashed in the first encounter, but many disliked the cheap finish in the second. The match at the Royal Rumble should be a better match. Adding in a third guy might help that.

But did it have to be Seth Rollins? This guy has a briefcase that guarantees him a title match whenever he wants it. He is unofficially a part of every WWE Championship match as long as he has the briefcase and it is still valid. He already tried to cash in the last time Cena and Lesnar went at it. And now, while still having Money in the Bank, he is officially a part of a WWE Championship match. Seems like a waste. They could have given that spot to someone else. Not only is there no shortage of men, but there is no shortage of men with the credibility to be put in this kind of match. No one says you have to force a lower-midcarder into this situation.

Let's look at some of the pros to Seth Rollins being in this match. First, his style will obviously add to the quality of the match. Second, there is a good storyline reason for him to be in there. Beyond that, if he was not in the match, what would he have to do at the Royal Rumble? Enter the Royal Rumble match? There is obviously no rule against that, but it would be a waste. Of course, he could demand to be entered with the intent of making sure Roman Reigns does not win, or some similar reason. He could "have the night off" and just do backstage segments and tease whether or not he would cash in on the winner of Cena/Brock. I think it is better to have him wrestle. And even this match is a good idea. I sometimes point out that putting someone in World title feuds is a good way of developing their credibility. Regardless of whether they win or lose, they get elevated to that level. All that remains is whether or not the WWE will be consistent with them after that point. For some guys, it is obvious they are just jobbers to the centerpiece. In the case of Seth Rollins, this is a star they are developing. This kind of match will help him.

Even though I just defended the decision to put Seth Rollins in this match, who are some other guys that might have been added in? First of all, heel or face? The Authority is back and doing their usual thing. They are being vindictive towards the faces that took them out of power. Why would they reward one of their enemies? Moreover, they would try to screw Cena further. It would only make sense to add a heel in this match. The Authority does have other henchmen than Seth Rollins. Doing a little reshuffling, they could have added Big Show. Reward him for defecting. Kane is still around. If you really want to screw John Cena and make sure he does not regain the title, it might be more believable to add in a big brute than someone like Seth Rollins. Regardless, just making it a triple-threat match is good. And Seth Rollins is still a choice I can understand.

Big Show Vs. Rusev At Hell In A Cell 2014: Final Preview

The feud between Big Show and Rusev is definitely one of the top feuds heading into Hell in a Cell. They have faced each other a few times in recent weeks. All those matches ended indecisively. It is not shocking that they would have a PPV encounter.

Rusev should be winning this one. But does Big Show deserve to beat Rusev? With the job Jack Swagger was doing with his feud against Rusev, I felt it should at least be considered that he should be allowed to hand Rusev his first real loss. Even Mark Henry's feud against Rusev was pretty good. How does Big Show stack up? Big Show is definitely over. He was over before even entering this feud. He is a good performer. He is good on the mic. All that being said, this feud just doesn't grab me like Rusev's last two feuds. Is it that this kind of storyline is getting old? Is it that they were a little bit inconsistent with this feud, including bringing in The Rock for that one appearance? If they didn't let Swagger or Mark Henry beat Rusev, I don't think there is a good reason to give this to Big Show. He doesn't even need it.

There will be some kind of storyline coming out of this match with Rusev at Hell in a Cell. I felt the WWE had to have had something more planned when they scheduled that match between Rusev and Big Show on Raw. Mark Henry came out to support Big Show. No heel turn happened, but I feel the seeds have pretty much been planted for someone to turn. Does Mark Henry cost Big Show the match? Does Big Show lose cleanly and snap and take out Mark Henry? Another possibility I was thinking of was both Big Show and Mark Henry remain a team and someone debuts to join Rusev or someone on the main roster teams with him. That would help extend focus on Rusev. He has to be running out of credible opponents. But I don't think the WWE will go that route. A heel turn is more likely. After having Mark Henry look so bad against Bo Dallas, I would expect Mark Henry to turn. I am more interested to see what happens between Big Show and Mark Henry than the actual feud between Rusev and Big Show.

Big Show And Rusev Will Try It Again

The Rock made a surprise return last week and had a segment with Rusev and Lana. You don't need me telling you that. That means the match that was advertised between Big Show and Rusev on Raw last week did not happen. They will supposedly have it this week.

That little interruption from The Rock did not really hurt this feud between Rusev and Big Show. As I pointed out last week, there is plenty of time to build up this feud between Rusev and Big Show. I was wondering why they were so eager to have another match between the two. Save it for Hell in a Cell. They had to have had something more planned with this feud. I doubt it was an appearance from The Rock. Nevertheless, they had that extra time available there to have The Rock come back and have a great moment. More surprise moments like that might help ratings in the long run. As far as Rusev/Big Show goes, the WWE can go back to developing that and there is still time to do it well.

Should The Rock be the man to beat Rusev? The only full-time performer I can imagine beating Rusev is John Cena. It would also be nice if Jack Swagger was considered to still do it, since his gimmick fits so well against Rusev and he has done a good job in getting over. I do not think that one is likely. The Rock is a part-timer. Would it be a waste of all they have put into Rusev to have The Rock beat him? Should that go to a full-timer? The Rock obviously does not need the win. And I doubt that confrontation last week needs to lead to a feud. You also have the issue of how much longer the WWE can keep Rusev undefeated before he runs out of credible opponents. I am definitely not saying they should feed him The Rock just to make him look good. I do not think there is any need to follow up on that confrontation from last week at all. The WWE will definitely be mentioning it to create interest that The Rock might come back, but I doubt he will for a feud against Rusev.

Brock Lesnar Vs. Nobody At Hell In A Cell 2014

It is disappointing that Brock Lesnar will not be defending the WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell. When he first got in the title hunt, I was looking forward to a variety of title feuds being developed for Lesnar against guys that were not John Cena. Since winning the title at Summerslam, John Cena is the only guy to feud with him. And their match at Night of Champions ended in a manner that might make you believe that Cena will be back in the picture against Lesnar soon. I understand he is a part-time guy. I was hoping they would work something out that Brock would actually defend his title more often than it will end up being. No one says he has to work house shows. No one says he has to appear every Raw. But is defending the title every PPV too much to ask for?

Let's do some armchair booking. What could Lesnar be doing now? Obviously, his match against Cena last month ended in a manner that could lead to Cena vs. Lesnar at Hell in a Cell. Put them inside the Cell. They had Seth attack both guys at Night of Champions. Put him in the match, if they want to make things a little more interesting. Speaking for myself, I am tired of Cena vs. Brock. I would have moved on to different challengers. Lesnar was destroying Mark Henry earlier in the year. That went nowhere. How about giving Mark Henry a title shot against Lesnar? You can even add in Big Show. Big Show has history with Brock Lesnar. Where would that leave Rusev? I am sure they can come up with something to keep him busy. Developing title feuds for Brock would be a bigger priority.

The absence of Brock Lesnar does not only mean that there is no title feud going on and no title match at Hell in a Cell. It means even less things going on and one less possible match at Hell in a Cell. You can say the WWE is covering for that by having Cena/Ambrose pull double-duty at the PPV. Okay, but what about the rest of the card? Aside from Big Show vs. Rusev and the diva feuds, I don't feel any real development for any of the other feuds. They are not building up to matches at Hell in a Cell that I am looking forward to.

How is the time being spent on the weekly shows? As I said, none of that time is being used to develop a title feud involving Brock Lesnar. You have to combine that with a lack of other stars, like Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns. I think it is obvious that the WWE is featuring a lot of filler. Instead of just regular filler, however, they do seem to be trying to make it look like there is some kind of story or rivalry to what they are doing. It is flavored filler, but it is still filler. It is obvious some of these guys are not being pushed because the WWE is developing them to be stars or featuring them as stars. They will be depushed very easily. And I see this as a sign that the WWE is really not in a great place right now. You know they are in trouble when they have to push Tyson Kidd on the main roster.

Brock Lesnar getting a feud right now would not fix everything. Nevertheless, I think it can make things more interesting. Give fans more to be interested in than just whatever Cena is involved with and whatever Rusev is doing these days. Brock Lesnar winning the title was supposed to inject some hype and momentum into the product. It does not feel like it. I do not blame Lesnar. How can the guy deliver for you when he isn't doing anything for so so many weeks? They should have worked out a better deal with him.

Big Show Vs. Rusev

Rusev won his feud against Mark Henry. The story continued past Night of Champions with this angle of Mark Henry being devastated about the loss. Enter Big Show to feud with Rusev.

Let me start with what I like. I like how they transitioned from one feud to the other. Big Show and Mark Henry were teaming together. It was likely that Rusev would move up the ladder and feud with a guy like Big Show after Mark Henry. How they did it was pretty good. I also like how this is not just another patriotism story. That was getting old and they were going to run out of options very soon. Having Big Show trying to avenge his friend is a nice element to add to the story of this feud.

I would have held off on putting Big Show in there. There is still time until the next PPV. Big Show and Rusev could have had their next encounter there after the initial encounter they ended up having on Smackdown recently. Have the feud between Mark Henry and Rusev go on a little more. Sell that story a little longer. With how much time you have left, they might not develop this feud with Rusev and Big Show well.

Or is there more to it than just a feud between Big Show and Rusev? Can you imagine Mark Henry snapping over his recent failure and turning on Big Show? Is that the match they will go for at Hell in a Cell? I don't think they should. These two have feuded before. I don't think they need to feud again, especially so soon. And with a lack of top faces with Roman Reigns now out, I don't think you should turn a top face heel. Could you imagine Big Show and Mark Henry having a friendly feud over who gets to face Rusev? That sounds familiar. Cena and Ambrose both want Seth Rollins. I don't think what you have going on with Big Show, Rusev, and Mark Henry needs that. Nevertheless, I am expecting something more from the story you have with Big Show and Rusev. They faced each other last week and a rematch is already set for next week. After that, what happens with the story?

What Do You Do With Bray Wyatt Now?

Ever since he debuted, Bray Wyatt has been featured pretty consistently at PPVs. He didn't have a match at last year's Survivor Series, but his lackeys did. At this year's Night of Champions, neither he nor his guys had a match. And he still seems lost without anything meaningful to do.

Ever since his feud with Cena ended, you can make the argument that they really haven't had anything meaningful for Bray to do. He was in a ladder match at Money in the Bank, but that was really just as an extra body. How about that epic feud against Chris Jericho? If they had not brought back Jericho for that feud, Bray Wyatt probably would have been lost in the shuffle earlier than he ended up. Not surprisingly, Jericho put Wyatt over. And the WWE has no way to follow up. It kind of makes that feud with Jericho seem even more like filler. Bray Wyatt has beaten all these top stars. He has all this credibility. He has all this momentum. And he has nothing to do with it.

Should Bray Wyatt be treated as a priority? I am not saying he should be pushed as a main-eventer right now, but you have room in the midcard to push some interesting characters and develop good feuds. Moreover, the WWE has lost some guys they might have been interested in pushing recently. Aside from Daniel Bryan, you have Roman Reigns getting injured and both Rob Van Dam and Chris Jericho leaving again. Problem is, all these guys are faces. If you wanted to talk about whom they could push to full the void from losing those guys, you would probably have to list faces. They could turn The Wyatts face, but is now the time for that? I think you can do more with them as heels. And I do think they are good enough to deserve to be featured in some kind of storyline.

What do you do with them? You had Rupert and Murdoch feuding against Big Show and Mark Henry in a pointless rivalry. While that was going on, Mark Henry also had issues with Rusev. Mark Henry losing to Rusev has left him a broken man. You also had some signs that Big Show might feud with Bray Wyatt. Let's combine this all. Mark Henry is broken. Bray Wyatt comes in an gets him to join his side. Enter Big Show to save his tag partner. What does that leave Rusev to do? Forget about that for a moment. This is just about what to do with Wyatt. All of a sudden, things tie together a little better. Mark Henry and Big Show's feud against The Wyatts does not look as pointless. You transition what happened with Mark Henry in his feud with Rusev into another angle with another heel. Big Show now has a more creative reason to feud against these guys. I am not implying at all that this was the plan all along, but I think it is a plan that can make the WWE look more clever than they may really be. And this can culminate in Big Show and Mark Henry facing all three members of The Wyatts. The WWE featured some 3-on-1 handicap matches last year, so 3-on-2 should not be so unbelievable, especially when the guys that seem to have the numbers disadvantage are Big Show and Mark Henry.

They really should do more with Bray Wyatt from a creative standpoint. Some fans complain that The Wyatts are booked badly. What exactly do they mean by that? They don't win matches or just win against jobbers? Bray Wyatt has won some big matches. His two guys looked like legitimate contenders for the tag titles a while ago. The issue isn't wins and losses. It is more about the storylines than how they are actually booked. Bray Wyatt winning matches means nothing if you are not pushing him in an interesting manner. He'll get a cheap pop from mentioning what town he's in and his entrance has become a fad. But when it comes to how he is actually being pushed, they can be better creatively with him.

Night Of Champions 2014: Previewing The Tag Titles Match

Aside from the Diva's Championship match, none of the title matches at Night of Champions features multiple challengers going for the title. I think that is disappointing. You could make some of these title feuds and matches seem more interesting by making it look like a number of challengers stand a chance to win a title. The tag title feud heading into Night of Champions easily could have led up to a match with multiple challengers. I thought it would. Wrong about that. Instead, it is just between The Usos and The Rhodes.

Let me start by talking about some of these other teams. Specifically, how about Big Show & Mark Henry and The Wyatts? That is still going on. Why? This is the most annoying thing for me since Miz vs. Fandango last year. It seems pointless. Mark Henry has something else going for him. Big Show could easily have something else going for him. Porcupine Pete and Aardvark Dan don't need a feud. They can just be an extension of whatever Bray Wyatt is doing. Have Wyatt feud with Big Show. And if you are going to feature these two teams so regularly, why not put them into the tag title feud? Because Mark Henry would not be able to feud with Rusev? I already brought up the depth issue right now, but I am sure they could have thought of another angle for Rusev.

The Rhodes get the title shot. I am not surprised they would get a title shot. I just figured it would be The Wyatts winning the titles and feuding against The Rhodes. You would have had two eccentric tag teams feuding with each other. Could have been pretty good. Instead, The Rhodes turned heel to feud with The Usos. I don't think this feud is as entertaining as you could have had with a multi-team feud or a feud between just The Wyatts and The Rhodes. When Cody got this new gimmick, he was fresh back then. Now, some of the freshness has faded. The WWE waited too long to push him and Goldust.

Who wins? For a while now, the WWE has been pretty good in handing the tag titles off to teams that had good momentum. That is not The Rhodes. Not now. And yet, The Usos have held the titles for a long time now. Tough one. I don't feel either team should be holding it. It just feels like a filler period right now. Give it to The Rhodes.

Everything Tossed Into One Smackdown Ring

When I was reading the Smackdown spoilers last week, I took a few minutes to just stare at the main event they had made. I was trying to make sense of it. Okay, this guy is feuding with this guy. Those guys are feuding with those guys. Wait, isn't this guy also feuding with that other guy? Does that guy over there even have a feud? Where's Jinder Mahal? It was a little messy.

Let me fill in some names to make this picture clearer. The match was John Cena, Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, Big Show, and Mark Henry vs. Seth Rollins, Kane, Bray Wyatt, and Wyatt's henchmen. John Cena is feuding against Brock Lesnar, which is an extension of his feud with The Authority, which makes the involvement of Seth and Kane make sense. Cena also obviously has his history with Bray Wyatt. Chris Jericho has been feuding with Bray Wyatt recently. Roman Reigns is involved with The Authority, specifically Randy Orton. Recent developments have him setting his sights on Seth Rollins, who was feuding with Dean Ambrose. Big Show and Mark Henry have been feuding with The Wyatts, specifically Harper and Rowan. Mark Henry also has a feud going on with Rusev. Does Kane really have anything specific for him? Not really.

Speaking for myself, all these feuds are bad. People say that the WWE usually stops trying when football season starts. That may be true, but not only was that Smackdown main event lazy booking, but these feuds all seem lacking. John Cena is feuding against a guy that is not even there every week. That's fine, but I am sure they could have developed things better with Cena in recent weeks. Those other guys in that match? That is almost all the top stars you have right now. Some of these feuds seem like they should have just ended already, like Jericho vs. Wyatt. There is no point in dragging that feud on much further. Big Show and Mark Henry vs. The Wyatts does not even feel like a feud. They call it a rivalry. I see it as a bunch of filler matches every week. The storyline for the feud between Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns just feels weak. Roman Reigns has not exactly been written to care too much about Seth betraying him and Dean Ambrose. He was supposed to be pissed at Randy Orton a few months ago. That soon turned into him caring more about becoming World Champion. It took some of the edge out of his feud with Orton when focus did turn to that. And where was he all those times Dean Ambrose was getting killed by Seth Rollins? Now he cares? Again, some of the edge has been lost there.

None of these feuds and storylines seem very good. I want to say that Brie vs. Nikki is better than any of the main feuds going on for the men. This is a feud that still has that edge to it. It is fresh. The storyline has been getting big development. I am not saying the performers in that storyline are amazing or that the type of storyline it is is my favorite. I am saying that the way it has been developed is better than anything going on with the top stars in the men's division. Those feuds for the men just seem stale or poorly developed.

What's more, it seems you might have some guys left with nothing to do for Night of Champions. Cena obviously has Brock. Seth and Reigns can feud against each other. Where does that leave Randy Orton? I wouldn't be surprised with leaving Kane off the card, but Orton? Have him feud with Jericho? I don't feel that feud. Don't care. Mark Henry has Rusev. Big Show? Wyatt also has nothing to do. Pair those two together? Once again, I don't feel that feud. These options are just not developed properly. What about Wyatt's henchmen? I feel they should have been involved in the title hunt for the tag titles. They might end up without a match. If this was Survivor Series coming up, you could just lump all these guys together for some kind of match that would make sense.

A few months ago, I gave the WWE credit for looking good. And this was after Wrestlemania. They had some great feuds going on and things felt fresh. This was without CM Punk. Even after Daniel Bryan needed surgery, things did not collapse right away. The WWE just could not remain consistent with that. They need to rotate around their main-eventers better. Don't just treat certain guys as jobbers to the stars or guys being developed to be stars. That can help them maintain some freshness.

What Do You Do With Rusev?

The WWE has shown a little bit of inconsistency since Summerslam. I only mentioned Rusev in the title, but this impacts a string of guys. After Summerslam, it looked like Rusev's feud with Jack Swagger was over. Swagger was moving on to a feud with Bo Dallas. Rusev had that segment with Mark Henry on Raw last week. Mark Henry, however, is also teaming with Big Show. Those two are feuding against The Wyatts. This week, it looks like Swagger still wants Rusev, Mark Henry has forgotten about Rusev, and Bo Dallas and Swagger are still feuding. This is messy.

Where do I start? Let me start with Mark Henry, Big Show, and the tag division. Should these two even be a tag team? Splitting them up could open up some singles feuds. Mark Henry feuds with Rusev and Big Show feuds with Bray Wyatt. What kind of match does the WWE want for the tag titles at Night of Champions? That is what it comes down to. If they want a simple match between The Rhodes and The Usos, no need to waste  time with Big Show and Mark Henry killing Bray Wyatt's henchmen. There are other ways to transition Big Show to a singles feud with Bray, if that is the eventual idea. If they are going for some multi-team match, which would be better and utilize all these teams you have floating around, then I can agree with continuing to run Big Show and Mark Henry together.

How about this triangle with Jack Swagger, Bo Dallas, and Rusev? Jack Swagger's feud with Rusev is not over. Or has it become his mini-feud, while his feud with Bo Dallas now is his main feud? Is Bo Dallas his mini-feud? It is messy. Without Swagger, Rusev would have nothing to do right now. I'll get to that in a moment. Just focusing on Swagger, I think it is good that he is being utilized well. I just think they are going overboard with having him be so valiant. They are trying too hard to force him as a hero. The WWE sometimes takes something that works well in connecting with the fans, then murders it. They don't follow up properly. I have seen someone bring up the idea that this feud between Swagger and Bo Dallas is part of Swagger's road to redemption and will eventually lead to him beating Rusev. I don't think that was the original plan at all. Is that where it will go since Swagger has started to connect well with the fans? I don't think Swagger needs to beat Rusev. He can be pushed well without that.

As for Rusev, it really looked like he was moving away from Swagger. It would be obvious to say that it came down to choosing where to go with Mark Henry and they decided with his tag feud, leaving Rusev with nothing. That is, except for going back to Swagger. In this whole situation, it really seems like Rusev is the odd man out. I spent some time thinking about what credible guys are free to enter a feud with Rusev. I couldn't think of anyone. RVD? He always comes and goes. They could have had a mini-feud with him and Rusev. Besides, Rusev has already beaten RVD, although not in an actual feud. RVD just has no momentum. I honestly cannot think of anyone good for Rusev to feud with at the moment.

It makes me wonder what will eventually happen with Rusev. They might revisit his feud with Mark Henry soon. After that? Big Show? After a while, you will run out of top guys. Raises the question, what is the point of this guy? Just to be built up and be fed to Cena? I can picture him losing relevance one day. Will he last? Look at Jack Swagger. He has been around for years. He has won a World title. He has been a jobber. You can say he knows what it is like to be at both extremes. But he still remains relevant. If the WWE is having a tough time developing something for Rusev now, it will only get worse down the line. They will eventually weaken him to being a jobber to the stars. I doubt they are grooming him to be an A player. He is just a gimmick and a monster to be overcome. You can only hope they do better with him until his eventual decline.