Charlotte Vs. Natalya At Payback 2016: Family Feud

Charlotte and Natalya have been feuding for the Women's Championship. Ric Flair has helped his daughter retain the title against Natalya already. Natalya is utilizing one of her relatives for their next match coming up at Payback. Bret Hart will be in her corner this Sunday.

I have seen some fans say that the WWE's recent development of this feud shows a lack of confidence in the women. Does the WWE feel they need two legendary men to keep the fans interested in this women's feud? Well, I'm sure smarks would be more interested if Sasha Banks was in the match. That aside, I wouldn't have much confidence in this feud. Charlotte just debuted less than a year ago and has not really broken out on her own very well, even before she was paired with her dad. She also has not shown the charisma that will help her get over with fans that aren't going to be sold on her just for her athleticism. Natalya has been around for years and inconsistently pushed. I actually think she's starting to really connect better with the audience, but it's hard for some fans to care about someone that was completely lost in the shuffle not too long ago.

Back in the diva era, the WWE never created a truly successful star without some rubs from the men. Could Trish Stratus have been able to get over without interacting with the men? How about Lita? AJ Lee? Regardless of the answer, these women did have some big angles in the periphery that had a hand in their development.

Whether you want to think the diva era is over or not, the WWE is still relying on men in their women's matters. It probably is bad timing to do this so soon after they dropped the "diva" from their division and are trying to make it more respectable. The first feud should be purely between two solid workers. I would not say the WWE has made this too much about Ric Flair and Bret Hart, which is something some fans were dreading, but it is still not a great thing to do. This isn't your traditional periphery usage. You don't have a woman managing a man, involved in a romance angle with a man, or a woman even wrestling a man. This is two legendary men being in the corner of the women. It does seem a little more respectable than what the diva division is usually about, but it is still the WWE relying on men to help the women get over. And most likely, it is Charlotte they really care about getting over.

What happens in this match? Bret Hart will probably knock out Ric Flair, but I would expect Charlotte to retain. She just got the new title earlier this month. If anyone should beat her for it, it should be Becky Lynch or Sasha Banks. But I will say that Natalya does deserve to eventually get another title run. I would say she deserves it even more now than she did back when she won the Diva's Championship. She seems to have just broken out into her own more since then. Thank Total Divas for that? She just seems like a performer that is about more than just wrestling ability. That has helped her overness. Even if the WWE does not give her the title this Sunday, it would be nice for them to remain consistent with her with a periphery angle or a secondary women's feud outside the title picture. As for Charlotte, she can move on to Becky or Sasha.

Raw Meets Football 2011

I want to talk about Raw's rating this week and pick up on the scraps of certain other things that happened on Raw that I did not mention before. First, Raw received a 2.72. That actually does not surprise me at all. Football is back on Mondays. NFL, the big stuff. Tom Brady, a bigger draw than CM Punk. Raw will rebound in the weeks to come, but its yearly average will be damaged. The Rock will be coming back to bail them out in a few months.

In comparison, TNA Impact received an 1.02 in the ratings last week. Football was a factor there too. TNA did not drop below that 1.0. I am not talking about quarterly ratings or hourly ratings. I am talking about the overall average for the whole show. How long can Impact go without dropping below that benchmark? Raw has already dipped below that 3.0 several times in 2011. Just for the sake of mentioning it, Smackdown has rebounded well in the ratings recently.

What did the 2.72 Raw feature? WWE knew what they were up against, so what did they pull out to try to make their show stronger? There is also the fact that a PPV is coming up. Let's start with Bret Hart. Raw was in Canada, so they brought in a Canadian legend to please the live audience and try to draw viewers that way. The fact that Raw could not average over 4 million viewers against football should not say anything about Bret Hart no longer being a draw. In terms of the quality of performance Bret brought with him, I would have changed the channel myself. Wasn't TNA the retirement home for wrestlers? If you want to have Bret cut a promo or ref a match, fine. Still trying to sell this guy like he can still go in the ring creates a pathetic illusion. He is not Shawn Michaels.

The tag title match got hyped and furthered pretty simply. Heels cut a promo, beat faces in a singles match, and that is it. Aside from the promo, nothing really stood out.

The diva match was stupid. Vickie Guerrero learning to take a few bumps and do a few moves does not mean she belongs in the ring at all. The only furthering the diva match at Night of Champions had was when Kelly Kelly escaped Beth Phoenix. Kelly Kelly looks strong on Raw. Considering she already beat Beth once, I expect the title to change hands. Big deal? No, not really. Beth winning will make the Buffalo fans happy. She is female CM Punk, isn't she? That would make Kelly Kelly a female John Cena. At the end of the day, Kelly Kelly will win it back and I doubt the WWE will push Beth Phoenix well on the periphery, so nothing will really change.

It surprised me that the WWE actually used the diva match to further the US title feud as well. Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger got into it again over Vickie Guerrero. They were also involved in a tag match earlier in the night. Alex Riley was the one made to look impressive in the match. John Morrison is the 4th man involved in this, and he seems like the odd man out. I see no reason at all for him winning this Sunday. The storyline between Ziggler and Swagger is the interesting thing here. Riley is the one they seem to be putting good attention on. Morrison is just there.

Randy Orton took on Cody Rhodes. Mark Henry once again did his thing. I'll probably talk about this feud again before Sunday, so let me not say too much about that. I will say that Cody Rhodes pinning Orton is a good sign for Cody.

There is only one thing left to talk about. John Cena and Alberto Del Rio. So sad. The WWE has been breaking Del Rio to pieces in the last few weeks. He starts out beating Rey Mysterio cleanly in the main event of Raw. The week after that, he attacks John Cena after Cena earns the right to face him for the title. Nothing the following week. When he returns, he talks a few heels into going after John Cena for him. After they fail to put Cena out, Del Rio tries to take advantage of Cena again and gets the AA. This week, Del Rio is trying to send Ricardo to do his dirty work. Del Rio is acting scared of Cena and isn't even getting fresh and credible people to stand between him and Cena. Del Rio looks so weak, I doubt he will lose the title to Cena just yet. Nevertheless, pretty sad direction after he looked so strong not too long ago. He is gradually becoming an typical heel again. I knew the WWE would do that to him eventually, but I was hoping they would at least keep him more fresh for the storyline.

Looking it over, Raw was not too horrible. There is an actual storyline going on in the midcard, they are bringing in legends, and young talent is still getting developed. It cannot stand against football, obviously. You need major excitement and suspense for that. But if Raw can keep up this minimal amount of attention, including the angle between CM Punk and Triple H, there is no way the show can be coming up with 2.72 every week. 3.2 will still bring the average down, but it is better than anything under a 3.0.

900th Raw Episode Thoughts

Videos to hype past moments. Expected that. Even expected the lame statistics. That has become a norm for the current WWE era. Instead of really showing how epic they are, they like to give numbers.

Bret Hart. Most annoying thing for me. Once again, the WWE continues to play that this man can have matches like any other wrestler. They put him against Undertaker? Of course, the match never happened. Nexus saved the day. Michael Cole is a poor replacement for JR? Well, he handles that job better than Bret Hart being treated as some kind of replacement for Shawn Michaels.

Nexus attacked Undertaker. Kane helped too. Honestly, after losing one member recently by injury, the five of them seem less intimidating. Why are people still scared of them? Why did no members of Team Cena save Taker? They weren't supposed to, I know, but it all seems a little pathetic now. The Nexus angle needs freshening up or it is heading to the toilet.

The greatest disappointment was no surprise legends. Bret Hart does not count. Maybe that was why WWE did not push hard for 3 hours. An extra hour of what? Yoshi Tatsu vs. Zack Ryder? This show was very disappointing.

Bret With Another Match?

John Cena and Bret Hart will face Chris Jericho and Edge next week. It is the same old annoyance, but it just gets on my nerves more and more each time the WWE does it. Bret cannot wrestle anymore. This is not some fake odds to overcome like when Shawn Michaels was really recovered enough to make a return many years ago, but the WWE pushed it like something from a storybook. If Bret really could wrestle well, he would have done it against McMahon or Miz. He is beyond painful to look at for me.

Is the WWE that desperate to find a legend to fill HBK's shoes on Raw? Are they happy that they alienated Ric Flair to the point that he would rather go to TNA than wait for the WWE? Even for his age, Ric Flair can still do more soundly in the ring than Bret Hart can right now. Flair does not need the joke of a gang wrestling a match for him, just for him to come in with one move in the end to win. Flair can take real punishment. If nothing else, he still has more charisma in his fingernail than Bret has in his entire body. I do not care if Canada goes wild when Bret comes out. I do not give a damn when someone from New York shows up unless I actually find the guy entertaining. How stupid does the WWE think the fans are? At least just admit that Bret Hart is no longer that great in the ring. Screw his stupid catchphrase. He is ruining his legacy. If the WWE really wants a legend that badly, go back in the phonebook and find someone better than Bret. He had his return and revenge against McMahon. Everything since then has been stupid.

The WWE is doing this angle in the Raw/Nexus feud in which Team Cena is falling apart. I hope they write Bret out somehow next week. I don't want to see the guy hurt. I also do not want to see him wasting time that could be going to something really entertaining. If the WWE does somehow take him out of the team, they can still pull some swerve in which the whole team still comes back together for the match at the last second. If that happens, it happens. Until then, I am rolling my eyes at next week's match.

Bret Back On Raw...Again

Why do they keep bringing this guy back? Bret Hart was named as a member of Team Cena for the Summerslam match. The last few months have proven that Bret is a joke in the ring now. He was not a very good GM either. He got his revenge against Vince and even got a gold watch he did not need (U.S. Championship). He keeps coming back!

If this is his last run, fine. I would say he could stick around with a non-wrestling role, but he already tried that. Who could they have chosen instead? How about Vince? How about the Hart Dynasty instead of Bret and one other team member? They could represent Bret, and they are tag champs too. What is done is done. I just hope they do not have him do too much before the PPV.

NXT Got Vince!

First, Bret Hart is fired as GM. I am glad. As bad as this guy was in the ring since his triumphant return, I thought I could put up with him as GM. He was not doing a good job. If he returns to the WWE again in the future, we will see what happens. Until then, things get more interesting.

The new GM sends e-mails. Also, looks like guest host crap may be done. Now we have a mystery over who the new GM is. This is the stuff that attracts viewers. There were those rumors about The Rock coming back. That is the only guess I have right now.

As one mystery rises, another folds. Vince McMahon revealed that he had a hand in NXT1's attacks over the weeks. Sadly for him, they attacked him too! Love that! They show no allegiance except to themselves. Thing is, they already have their contracts and were a bit apologetic. They even had the boss on their side. Why would they screw that? Were they upset that Vince thought he could use them too? That is what I am expecting to be the reasoning, but I do wish there would be something more to it. In any case, the plot developed well tonight.

Crashing A Limo Around Is More Family-Friendly Than Choking With A Tie

The NXT angle progressed greatly last night. The rookies attacked again. Wade was "fired" by Bret Hart. More was developed on the Daniel Bryan situation. A lot happened.



Let me start with Wade's speech. First of all, he basically implied Daniel Bryan had second thoughts for the huge attack last week, so they beat him up and kicked him out the pack. There is something hilarious about that. Daniel Bryan arguably went further than most of those other rookies last week. He spit on Cena. He trashed him verbally. And he is the one regretting his actions? Obviously, this is just a reason to cover up his release. Wade also said something about management treating them like animals. If you treat someone like an animal, they are going to act like animals. Storylines like these are great. An intelligent person cannot completely blame the rookies. They were disrespected. Just passing around some petition would not get their respect back. They went out there and made a statement. That statement is what brings them their hate. It is a good story. And their side does hold merit. I had said long ago that these guys were being treated like divas. Animals...divas...same thing? In something not directly related, let me just say that if you treat women like they are divas, you are making it easier for them to act like divas and think they really are just that. Does not matter now.



Daniel Bryan. Unless he is driving the limo, or unless the WWE is leaving the door open for him to return as face to feud against the rookies, he is gone for real. As I said before, he was not vital for this angle. Barrett can play leader. I am still thinking that these guys have to have some supporter in the WWE for this storyline to really work, but that "leader" can be revealed later. I want to talk about how some fans are viewing Bryan. They are saying he made a huge impact in a short time. He became very over in a short time. I disagree. There are two things you have to consider in the idea that he was so over. First, Bryan Danielson wrestled around the world for years before coming to the WWE. The internet really is crazy about him. He developed a great following from all those indies. Before he even showed his face on a WWE program, he was already insanely over in the hearts of many. Thing is, I am talking about people who already knew him. To the general WWE audience, this guy really is new. Second, many may confuse this guy as being insanely over based on how the WWE used him. The WWE was hyping that this guy is respected by many before he even won an official match in the WWE. Miz was doing it. Michael Cole was doing it. They were putting special attention on this guy from the start. Even after he was eliminated, and after being ranked in the top spot despite never being booked to win a match, he was still appearing regularly in big ways. He attacked Michael Cole! They were still investing in this guy. They were still treating him in a special way. Unlike certain instances where they build a guy up just to pass momentum on to someone else, they seemed to have been doing this for his own sake. This special treatment of Daniel Bryan and his huge following pre-WWE are the reasons he appeared to be so over. He really was not to the general audience. Call me deaf, but when Barrett mentioned him on Raw, I did not hear that great of a reaction. The WWE was hyping how great fans already found this guy, as if that would be enough to sell him to the regular audience, and it was not working that awesomely. Now Danielson's strong fanbase is petitioning to get him back. Fine. But he did not really accomplish anything in the WWE to really be that over. I think he deserves another chance and all that, but he did not become that crazily over in a short time, as some fans want to believe.


Back to the actual storyline now. The radicals attacked Bret Hart this time. They crashed him around in a limo. Many fans are wondering who was driving the limo. Can be a good plot detail to keep fans tuning in. The fact that Barrett and his guys want a decision by Sunday may even raise interest for the poorly hyped PPV. I like how it seems like it is the entire WWE against these guys, but how can they possibly win a war like that? I want to believe that they have to have someone more on their side. Vince? Someone! If not, it may become too difficult for this angle to last without them getting their contracts. Will that be the tough decision Bret must make? Once again, bring in Vince McMahon?

Mr. McMahon Is NOT Dead!

Just a week after I asked how long it would take Mr. McMahon to get directly involved in Bret Hart's angle as Raw GM, Vince McMahon returned to Raw tonight. I enjoyed seeing him back. Did anyone actually believe those reports that his character was done?

He definitely did plant some seeds of still wanting to screw Bret Hart. It is not too clear what his plan is, but he was his usual energetic self with his promo. It is not like he has to answer to and please those creative writers. He can do pretty much whatever he wants. But what does he have planned for Bret? It seems like he wants Bret to fold under the pressure of being GM. He wants to kill Bret's enjoyment in his job. So far, nothing has really materialized to push Bret in that direction. Will Mr. McMahon have a heavy hand in creating these problems? That question is what will keep the storyline interest going.

New Raw GM? Bret Hart!

Not only is Bret Hart not going away, he has been made the new GM of Raw. Well, there are a few good things from that. First, guest host crap should be less worse now. Second, Bret Hart will probably not be "wrestling" as much now. He should not have been in matches in the first place, but at least now he has a role that will see him facing people less. Third, he vacated the U.S. Championship.

R-Truth defeated Miz to win the vacated title. About time R-Truth won a title since coming back to the WWE. He is popular and entertaining in the ring. The WWE seemed interested to push him for a while now, but giving him the title will make that easier. I do feel bad for Miz. Loss after loss. They had built him up so well a long time ago. I am not saying they are undoing him. He lost in a good match and had promo time before the match. I just hope they find something for him. As for the title itself, I think it would have been more creative to prolong a feud until the PPV to crown a new Champion. Do something like they did for the Diva's Championship, only not kill the hype in favor of Smackdown's Trish Stratus.

Back to Bret Hart. Vince McMahon does still run things, right? All the reports about them killing his character off aside, even if it was possible to wipe him out of history without faking another death, he is still the figurehead. Just like the WWE continues to bring up Trish Stratus's name as some kind of diva goddess every other woman must strive to be like, Vince is still being brought up. Sooner or later, he will return. I am anticipating some kind of good swerve. In terms of storyline, what evil motivation led to Vince allowing Bret to be GM? This may not come to fruition for a while, if at all, but I guess that is what will keep viewers tuning in.

Bret, Just Leave

Bret Hart's "match" at Wrestlemania was bad enough. I could let that go as something needed for a storyline that was overdue by a decade. I could even stomach him hanging around after that if it meant helping the Hart Dynasty out a bit in their face turn and finally getting over. Those two missions were accomplished. I was looking forward to this being the end of Bret tonight.

The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. Is that not hype some people would love living on? Why would they want to ruin it? That is what Bret Hart has done. Bret Hart defeated The Miz to win the United States Championship. Once again, the "match" was pathetic. It was a glorified segment, not a real match. I hope Canada enjoyed it.

WWE does not need Bret Hart the same way TNA needs these old guys who will not quit. TNA is trying to draw with big names to be able to compete. WWE is already the powerhouse. They have built Cena extraordinarily, not to mention others. Can Bret Hart really draw that well on his own? And at least guys like Flair can get beaten up in a match and get in to some fights without it looking too PG. All Bret can do is his Sharpshooter? Oh, and summon people to do everything else for him? This is how he wants to go out?

I am not upset about Miz losing the title. He held it for a long time. Like many people who hold a title for a long time in the WWE, he was not defending it much. I can even understand a heel like Miz taking a humiliating loss. It happens. But I do not think Miz should have lost it to Bret Hart. What happens to all those fans who thought Bryan Danielson would take Bret's place and take the title? Did not happen. For months, many fans wanted this guy's first WWE win to be taking the title off Miz. Will not happen now. His first win was a tag match on Raw before he got eliminated. Miz can still regain the title and lose it to Danielson, but the long reign has already ended. Some of the fuel is lost.

What is done is done. Moolah got a final joke reign, so why not Bret? I am not saying these legends do not deserve to be honored, but handing them wrestling titles after there time is done is not always the way. In my mind, it is more of a disappointment with Bret Hart. So much hype over his wrestling ability. He talks about guys who will not quit when they should. If Bret Hart cannot do anything in that ring to really grab the fans' respect anymore, I do not want to see him.

I Like Old People

One constant criticism I see coming up against TNA these days is that they push fossils and overlook the younger talent. I disagree.

Look at what TNA is trying to do. They are actually trying to compete with the WWE. There is nothing wrong with that. Problem is, how should they go about it? Frankly, if all they feature is good wrestling among names that are not very popular in the mainstream, they may never make it at all. Even I, a wrestling fan for so long, would have rather watched WWE over TNA in any given week at one time. Kurt Angle did not draw me. Knockout hype did not actually make me tune in. Mick Foley, one of my first favorite wrestlers, could not break my habit with the WWE. If anything, I would just read spoilers and watch what I wanted on Youtube. I occasionally would watch a segment or two of Impact, but I never stuck around for long.

I fell for the Hogan hype. On the day he was to make his big return, the WWE planned on the return of Bret Hart. Like it or not, fossils still seem to be a draw. But I actually was more interested for Hogan than Bret. I was never a huge fan of Hogan. I never gave him that much thought at all. I prefered Ric Flair. For some reason beyond me, it was still Hogan I was interested in at first, not even Flair. Back on WWE, I knew what to expect from Bret Hart. He was coming back to end what started a decade ago. I did not know what exactly to expect from Hogan and his crew. I only knew they would be sticking around. I actually felt the hype over on TNA. On Raw, what happened that night was a big disappointment for me. No huge swerves. Nothing really exciting. One kick, show's over. I did not like how the rest of the feud was developed, not to mention Bret's matches against Vince McMahon and equipment.

Am I happy that almost every impact seems to end with Hogan now in some way? No. Am I glad that Ric Flair refuses to leave the memories alone. Honestly, I would have respected him more if he did stay out, but I have not lost respect for him since he did return. He may not be exactly what he used to be, but I like to know he is still a part of the show, if he truly feels that is what he wants.

Last time I checked, the fossils have not been winning the TNA title since they came back a few months ago. They are not here for that. And new guys are being built up. I see it. I never knew what to think of AJ Styles, but after seeing Impact for a few weeks, I am liking this guy. I used to think Desmond Wolfe was completely overrated. After seeing him, some people may still overrate him, but I am liking him too. These are guys who never made a name for themselves in WWE and went to TNA. These are guys who made it in TNA. That is what TNA is going for. Draw the casual fans with big names like Hogan and Flair, but push the younger talent in a good way to create the hype in the next generations.

It is not like the WWE lacks fossils as well. Maybe not as old as Hogan and Flair, but the shows are built around the same draws. Cena? Triple H? Rey Mysterio attracts the Hispanic audience. And I am not even liking how they are pushing the younger talent in the WWE. They seem so generic so often. Many times, they just do not seem built properly. But the idea is still the same. The idea behind NXT was that top guys like Jericho and Christian would be involved, so the fans can think some star power would be there. You tune in for the draws, but also fall in love with the rookies. Last time I checked, NXT is not doing so well.

Impact may not be doing so well either, but the WWE had a huge head start over them. Will they ever catch up? I do not know. Whether they do or not, I do not latch on to the flavor of the week. I am a fan of what I enjoy. I am enjoying TNA. I will still watch parts of Raw out of habit. I am going to ignore Smackdown entirely from now on. No draw there for me. I can just read spoilers. Nevertheless, I am still waiting on something more refreshing. I think it is possible.