Is The Party Over For Adam Rose?

You are now getting reports that the WWE has given up on Adam Rose. You don't even need backstage sources to tell you this one. People see that Adam Rose has not been featured on main shows in months. It is just obvious that things do not look good for Adam Rose.

This should not be shocking at all. Before he even debuted, I said there were really two ways he could go. To put it another way, there were two ways the WWE could go with him. They could either use him like they have been using Bray Wyatt or toss him around for a little while and demote him like they did Fandango. The Fandango path was likely. It looks like the Fandango path is happening. And it is happening sooner than I would have expected. Nevertheless, not really shocking this is happening to him. The WWE never developed any proper feuds for him. They were pretty much telling you this would happen.

Adam Rose is another example of the WWE just tossing a gimmick out there and not doing anything with the performer beyond that. Creative investment is about more than just a gimmick. What about feuds and storylines? Considering how much the WWE loves gimmicks these days, I would not be surprised if they soon debuted some new gimmick to cause buzz for another 15 seconds. Adam Rose is not doing anything. You can say Bo Dallas is on the decline. You have some other gimmicks that were featured this year that now seem done. Yeah, I would say a new gimmick being featured is likely.

I hate how some people blame Adam Rose for failing. The guy was not given a fair shot. Makes me think back to Brodus Clay. He got a gimmick that surprised a lot of people. And that was really all he got. He won no titles. He barely got any good feuds. Adam Rose, much like Brodus Clay, had a fun gimmick that could have helped him connect with the fans. But the lack of feud development should tell you how much they cared about pushing him. That is true for Adam Rose, was true for Brodus Clay, and will likely be true for the next gimmick.

Random WWE Thoughts

A lot of small things going on right now that I want to give my thoughts on. First, Brodus Clay is back to being a heel. He was a heel prior to the whole dancing gimmick. This has also coincided with the debut of Xavier Woods. The supporting players, R-Truth and Tensai, also end up with something to make them relevant for a while. Given the WWE's lack of pushing midcard workers consistently, I would not imagine them to go too far with anyone involved in this feud. What was Brodus Clay doing prior to this push? Nothing. He will be doing that again soon. The same goes for Tensai. And R-Truth. As far as Xavier Woods, I cannot imagine great things for him. Nevertheless, give the WWE some credit for creating a storyline for some workers that have not been pushed well for a while.

"Bad News" Barrett. Wade Barrett has himself a gimmick. It is getting him some segment time. I like it. I really like his character. Of course, the obvious problem is that he is not getting any feuds or actual storylines, yet. All he has is this gimmick and a small amount of segment time to do his promo. This is better than nothing. He has not been relevant since he held the Intercontinental Championship earlier in the year. But it shouldn't be too hard for this to branch into a feud for Barrett. Just have him say something that offends one of the faces. The face comes out to confront him, and there is a feud. How long before they do that? Normally, I would say that doing the same thing over and over again will lead to things getting stale and you have to know when to develop things. In this case, I think Barrett handles these segments well enough to keep this going for a while. That is, as long as they have fresh material for him.

Alberto Del Rio suffered a concussion that has kept him away from wrestling recently. This seems to be the only December injury, so far. December has proven to be the month in recent years where you get injuries to big stars or performers that were in the midst of important pushes. Del Rio is a former World Champion, but he wasn't doing anything too important. He was involved in that mini-feud with Sin Cara. Seems like basic filler. Now that there is only one World title, what is a guy like Del Rio to do? A lot of fans say that this guy has always been chasing after a World title since he debuted. He has spent a lot of time doing that. They are going to have to think of something else for him. I have always said this guy's character has a lot of potential. Will they finally start utilizing that more?

Big Show and Rey Mysterio are a tag team. Another instance of the WWE simply sticking two guys together that they want to feature, but cannot come up with good solo feuds for at the moment. Moreover, they are in the tag title hunt. I am not going to complain about trying to get these two something to do, but the WWE continues to keep more legitimate tag teams down in favor of having these kind of tag teams made up of singles wrestlers getting the title feuds. Some fans point out that the WWE has so many tag teams. Some say that this is great for the tag division. Problem is, a lot of these teams are just being used as filler. Have Los Matadores gotten a legitimate feud yet? Are The Usos ever getting the tag titles? What can you expect from Xavier Woods and R-Truth? Having Kane and Daniel Bryan dominate the tag division for a while was acceptable, since there was a good angle between them, but I hope Big Show and Rey Mysterio do not last too long as a team.

Finally, let me talk about Layla. Layla? She's not doing anything. What is there to talk about? Well, I think she should get something to do. Of the divas currently on the roster, she is my favorite. That was not true during her first few years. Maybe I just didn't like her hair? And I didn't like her during her run in LayCool. Not only did I not like the gimmick, but Layla and McCool did not perform it well to make me like it. They were often too dry and annoying in their execution. A little more arrogance/cockiness and youthfulness would have been nice. They were the kind of heels that made me want to change the channel, not like them, which I usually do for good heels, or see them get owned by the faces. Enough of that. Since then, Layla has grown on me. I liked her face run after that. Nice fresh spirit. She has definitely become very good in the ring. And she is sexy. Of course, she is an eye-candy credible jobber, so I don't need to ask why the WWE is not pushing her. Nevertheless, I still believe the WWE needs more creative depth in the diva division right now. Give Layla something meaningful to do. Periphery angle or an in-ring push? I don't know how well she would work in a periphery angle. If the WWE starts developing a better midcard, that might make things better for a periphery angle for her. Give her a feud. I would make her face. Given the WWE's desire to push eye-candy divas as the centerpiece of their diva division, I would have Layla get that position. Not happening. I wouldn't be surprised if Layla is not kept around by the WWE. They aren't exactly treating her as someone they would keep around.

Wrestlemania 29's Diva Match

This is the worst diva match at Wrestlemania in a long time. That is really not a shot at the women involved as much as it is a criticism of how the WWE has been developing those involved. Tons of Funk and Naomi and Cameron will take on Rhodes Scholars and The Bella Twins.

Brodus Clay and Tensai have been lower-midcarders prior to the recent push they are getting. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow are solid midcarders. The problem with them is the WWE has not been able to decide whether to push them as a team or solo over the last few weeks. Cameron and Naomi have been eye-candy periphery divas since their debut. This is their first real push. The Bellas just returned a few weeks ago. This match was just randomly developed over the last few weeks, but at least there is development.

When you look at the past diva matches in recent years, the quality of the feud and match have been brought down by having too many divas involved and sometimes bringing in celebrities. This is another multi-diva match, but at least no celebrity is involved. Nevertheless, in terms of star power, the divas in this match are pretty weak. Should they have ran with the feud involving AJ and Kaitlyn? I would say so. Even if not a title match, get them involved in some kind of diva tag match. AJ Lee is the top diva right now, as a periphery diva. I doubt the WWE will be developing any of the women in this tag match as the next centerpiece. Who wins? Should be the faces.

Last thing to consider, should this have been the match bumped off the card and put on the pre-show? Would it really have upset Diva-Dirt that much? This is the only match on the Wrestlemania card that does not involve a former World Champion. The Intercontinental title match deserves to be on the card more. That is a title match. What is really on the line in this 8-person tag? Nothing. This is one of those matches that would be fine at any other PPV of the year, but just doesn't seem big enough for a Wrestlemania. 

Brodus Clay Is A Jobber

Has Brodus Clay gotten stale? When the WWE were not properly pushing him earlier this year, it was likely that he would go stale. All he was doing was squashing jobbers. Is it all catching up now? One thing is for sure, with his current treatment, it is much easier to bury him.

Not only is Brodus still not getting pushed properly, but he isn't even winning as much these days. He is the one who is jobbing. Losing to Heath Slater really is a far drop from once running over former World Champions. Brodus will still get meaningless wins against jobbers below him, but they really could have done better.

Some people might say that Brodus being used in this current way is no big deal because he didn't have an angle, anyway. Well, he never really had a fair chance to show what he can do in a legitimate feud and storyline. The closest thing he had to a major feud was his brief interactions with Big Show. Instead of developing a good feud between the two, Big Show ended up getting a win over Brodus and moved on from there to still be pushed hard. Since then, Brodus hasn't really gone anywhere.

It was pretty obvious that this kind of thing might happen. How can you expect someone to stay fresh and keep momentum when they are being pushed in a way that is not fresh and you are killing their momentum? The shouldn't have done this with Brodus. The guy had potential to be a little more than a dancing fool, even with his current gimmick. They could have kept the gimmick and still given him real feuds. He still has the gimmick, but how long will that last?

R-Truth And Kofi Kingston Split

They were the Tag Team Champions back when it looked like the WWE would revive the tag division through putting better focus on those teams that were being poorly featured. And now, after losing the tag titles and knocked out of the tournament to find new #1 contenders, R-Truth and Kofi Kingston are splitting up. Just as easily as they came together, they separate. And it doesn't look like either will turn heel.

Kofi Kingston looks like he is entering a feud with Miz over the Intercontinental Championship. Kofi Kingston has held many midcard titles, aside from the tag titles. For as long as I can remember, he just seems to be passing from one title feud to another. While a lot of people might say that it is great that the WWE is loading him up with all these titles, what's the point? I would rather see him getting more feuds like the one he got with Randy Orton a few years ago. Kofi looked very credible there and it showed a different side of him. He still proved he can get aggressive on Raw when he attacked Miz, but the Kofi you had in that feud with Orton had more attitude. Instead of loading him up with titles, more character development would be nice.

As for R-Truth, he seems to be the odd guy out. Whenever a tag team splits, a lot of fans try to figure out who the "Marty Jannetty" will be. That is to say, who will be the less successful guy? It is probably too soon to judge, but on that same Raw that had Kofi Kingston enter a title feud, R-Truth only had a comedy segment with Brodus, which then got cut short by Vince McMahon. And what about Brodus Clay? He doesn't seem to have focus on him, either. Why not pair up Brodus and R-Truth? Since the tag division is turning into this playground where you team up midcarders and upper-midcarders, why not give it a go? They can enter a feud with Heath Slater's band. If they don't want to team up R-Truth with someone else, how about have him feud with Antonio Cesaro, who is also without a good opponent? There are good options for R-Truth. He should not be lost in the shuffle.

Brodus Matures

Brodus Clay is still undefeated. Otunga did not defeat him in the pre-show match last night. More importantly, Brodus was an instrumental part in Big Show's loss in the main event. Obviously, Big Show made a few enemies during the course of the storyline, and that came back to haunt him.

This is the kind of Brodus Clay that I was hoping for 2 or 3 months ago. This is more than just squash matches against the regular jobbers on the roster. The WWE is finally having this guy show he is more than just a dancing comedy character. This is good character development. From here, Brodus can continue to be used in more regular feuds.

Where should he go from here? An obvious answer would be a legitimate feud with Big Show. I don't see any need to continue Cena/Show. As everyone knows, those two have already been in various feuds over the years already. I would also say that now would be the time to finally develop a midcard title feud for Brodus, but there is an obvious problem with that. The U.S. and Intercontinental Championships are held by faces. A heel would have to win them first, then eventually transition to a feud with Brodus. That would take a while. Big Show and Cena does not need to continue, and some fans may hate if it does, so a feud between Big Show and Brodus Clay would be great. Start developing a new big man.

And in something completely unrelated, I was watching one of those old-time shows. It wasn't a wrestling show. The host passed along some interesting words of wisdom. He said, "A rumor is like a check- don't endorse it until you're sure it's genuine." Probably heard it before, but just keep it in mind.

Who Should Brodus Lose To?

It has become pretty obvious that the WWE just will not develop anything good for Brodus Clay to do. I've spent time talking about potential feuds they could develop with heels like Miz and Jack Swagger, but the WWE just cannot keep the ball rolling properly. What's left to talk about for this undefeated big guy? Who the WWE will have him lose to.

Obviously, the best choice would be to have him lose to Lord Tensai. Tensai has also not lost a match. Having him end Brodus Clay's streak would give him even more momentum. In other words, they can use Brodus to build up Tensai further until Tensai is used to put some top face over.

Other options? Ryback has been picking up wins on Smackdown. Would Brodus vs. Ryback be the clash of the undefeated midcarders? How about Miz? I know Miz just lost to Brodus, but to give Miz back some kind of momentum, I could see them having him beat Brodus.

And what happens after Brodus does lose? The whole gimmick does not have to go away. Knowing the WWE, he will definitely lose steam. Some people can say he has already lost steam from not being developed right. But after one loss, more losses will come. He will soon become a jobber used to put over other guys. That will mean less time for his own playful antics. His dancers will become generic divas. And where will Brodus be left? I'm not saying all this will happen in one month, but just thinking about the future.

Brief Raw 4/30/12 Notes

A lot has been happening recently, so I am going to have to touch on a lot of subjects on one go.

First, Brodus Clay went back to the jobber circuit on Raw. He beat JTG. Of course, this was a special Raw. Most of the matches were dedicated to finding a new #1 contender. Next week, the WWE should be back on track to something. He can continue his feud with Jack Swagger. But after that? The WWE really seems lost with this guy. It's not like he's a major priority. Just give him time to dance and do his act, and everyone will be happy. I would have had Miz win the U.S. title and feud with Brodus. It seemed like they were finally going somewhere with the guy. Just pick a direction and go with it.

New Tag Team Champions are Kofi Kingston and R-Truth. Giving them the tag titles is not shocking at all. I would have given them the tag titles long ago. What about Primo and Epico? I really don't think they will be going anywhere special with Abraham Washington, but it will be interesting to see what the WWE at least attempts.

Layla returned at Extreme Rules and won the Diva's Championship. On Raw, she retained in a quick match against both Bellas. Later on, it was announced that Brie and Nikki were fired. Obviously, their contract did run up and they are not staying. The firing is a kayfabe way of writing them out. Could they have just let them leave and be forgotten? Probably, since they have done things like that before. I'm not going to criticize them for the way they handled things. Waste of time. However, the recent title changes just seem like a mess. This is an even more awkward exchange than what happened last year at the beginning of 2011. The title went from heel Beth Phoenix to Nikki Bella, then to face Layla. Why did they bother with Nikki at all? Makes you wonder why they didn't give John Morrison a reign last year before he left. He was more deserving. Did the WWE think Kharma was going to be back? And I read those reports that Beth's injury was fake. That makes things even more awkward. Why would you fake an injury like that? And in a Lumberjill match, where they could have easily have had the same kind of injury made from a shot to Beth's ankle during a bunch of divas attacking her? And the fact that Beth being taken out of the picture doesn't really do much? Beth is out and The Bellas are gone. Those are three heels right there. This is a mess.

Speaking of a mess, John Cena seemed to be taking a break after Extreme Rules. Having him return to Raw to give an update and say a farewell would have been one thing, but they actually build who he will be facing at the next PPV? John Laurinaitis was definitely a shocking choice. I, like many others, felt it would be Tensai going against Cena, so Cena could avenge that loss from a few weeks ago. Having Cena face the GM is more interesting. But what about that injury? The guy gives this emotional speech, then pops back up like everything is okay and will be competing at the next PPV? What? And they beat him down again on Raw, focusing on his arm. Can he stay down this time? Just for two weeks? Let's really see how the WWE can do with CM Punk as top face of Raw, without Cena on the show. Can two weeks really kill you?

Brodus Finally Has A Purpose?

Last week on Raw, Brodus Clay was not featured in his regular squash match. Instead, he came out to help Santino when Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger were going after him. Two comedy faces look like they are teaming up. It finally gives Brodus some direction. For that, I am happy about this. It might even freshen up the tag division, if this team remains together for a while. So far, Epico and Primo have not really feuded with a lot of good teams. Kofi Kingston and R-Truth look like they may not continue as a team. The Usos are used poorly. All the other random pairings that can pop up won't heat up the division properly. What I like about a team like Santino and Brodus is that they have something in common, slightly. As I said before, they are both comedy guys. They can entertain the fans. I really think this can be a productive team, and a good chance for Brodus to do more.

I just have one slight issue. Will they eventually win the tag titles? If they do, why should Santino be loaded with that and the U.S. Championship? I would hope they get the title off Santino before really pushing him in the tag division. Give it to a heel who could use it and defend it more regularly. I know Santino is popular, but he does not need so many titles to build his credibility.

Brodus Dances His Way Back Into Our Hearts

After weeks of not being on Raw, Brodus Clay made his return. Reports were that Vince McMahon was not happy with his work in the ring. If that is the case, not too much really changed last night. Brodus Clay squashed Jinder Mahal. It could just be the obvious. The guy was not a priority during the weeks needed to build Wrestlemania feuds. They did not have a plan for him and were running low on jobbers. Keep in mind, if the WWE had devoted legitimate time to Big Show vs. Cody Rhodes on Raw in some fashion, you probably wouldn't have had Brodus Clay squashing Jinder at all.

Finally! A chance to talk about Jinder Mahal! Well, his pre-match ritual was more interesting than anything he did during the match. And with that, I've run out of things to say about Jinder Mahal.

Back to Brodus. Last time I remember talking about the guy, I was saying that the WWE needed to develop him or he will run stale or get lost in the shuffle. He definitely was lost for a while. And he hasn't really developed anything new or fresh this time. I think his dancers came out with new outfits, but does that count? He won with a splash, instead of the crossbody. But as far as the gimmick and developing him goes, he didn't get that this week. He might be a part of the tag match between Team Long and Team Laurinaitis, but there was definitely better potential than that in the weeks they wasted him. Oh well, settle for what you get. I wonder if he can make it jiggle to "Mr. Saxobeat."

Brodus Clay Dancing Around Nothing In Particular

Funk is on a roll! That is to say, Brodus Clay is still undefeated since coming to Raw with this gimmick he now has. However, he has been doing pretty much the same thing every single appearance. Dance, squash, and dance. Everyone he has beaten has belonged to the jobber ranks. All his matches have been short. He didn't actually compete in the Royal Rumble match, but still had a squash match at the PPV. This kind of treatment is fine for 2 or 3 weeks as a way to introduce him with this gimmick, but if you do not step it up, it will run stale. With Wrestlemania matters formulating and taking time on the shows, Brodus Clay can easily get lost in the shuffle. I do see them trying to do things a little different each time. His dancers now introduce him, as opposed to the regular announcer when he first debuted. They added that disco ball. He changes up his moves now and then. Do I mean his dance moves or his wrestling moves? Fact is, there is some development, but it is very slight. After a while, this will get boring.

Brodus needs a feud. On Smackdown a while back, they had Brodus squash William Regal while he was dancing. On the Raw after that, Regal did commentary during Brodus Clay's match. Obviously, the WWE has not continued in that direction. I think that is a bad idea. Not only can Brodus gain credibility from working with Regal in a real feud and real 5-minute match, but William Regal definitely has what it takes to make this feud entertaining. If the WWE thinks this is a feud only worthy of Superstars, the only viable option left is Jack Swagger. Yes, a U.S. title feud. They have pretty much written off Ryder for a while. If he just pops up next week after all Kane has done to him, ready to compete, that would be so Cena-like. So why not have Swagger feud with Brodus for a while? At least to Elimination Chamber? They should take advantage of Brodus Clay's overness before it runs stale. Too many squash matches are not the way to do it.

Brodus Clay Arrives From Planet Funk

Okay, what can anyone possibly say after the kind of debut Brodus Clay got? Yes, after weeks and weeks, he finally did debut. However, although they were hyping him as a big monster, he debuted as a dancing fool. No one saw that coming.

I'm all for a return to gimmicks...but that?...Wow! Judging by how he can handle the gimmick and the crowd reactions, it might be a good thing in terms of giving the fans something they will like. And I guess you really did not need another monster heel. You have Mark Henry on Smackdown and Kane on Raw. This can make for some good storylines. Remember Viscera and his comedy runs? I can picture something similar now, as long as the WWE does not cut it short. Still, that was a debut that might just leave some staring dumbfounded for a while. After that, looks like fun.

Morrison Continues Against Ziggler

Following John Morrison's losing streak being snapped against Dolph Ziggler last week, John Morrison was once again involved in Ziggler matters this week. He tossed Ziggler back to Mason Ryan after Ziggler had lost that match by DQ.

Love that. The WWE is following through with John Morrison, and in the same direction that would make most sense after he beat the United States Champion. Will this whole storyline go in the same way as the one Sheamus got earlier this year? Remember that losing streak? Sheamus ended up winning the same title. Titles are not everything, but putting a title on Morrison right now might make it easier to keep good attention on him. Having him enter a feud with Alberto Del Rio or something with Miz & R-Truth may be worth more, but I'm sure Morrison fans would rather want a title now. Considering that Ziggler has held the title for a while and looks to be entering his own losing streak, he may be dropping that soon.

There is, however, a dark cloud. Woo Woo Woo, You Know It! Sorry, I just don't like that guy. Not that my opinion matters. As far as my analysis goes, he has still earned his overness and has been mistreated by the WWE. Having him beat Ziggler for the title might be a great moment. The fact that they a had a brief segment with him to mention his petition for another title shot pretty much shows that he is not out of the picture completely.

Three-way feud coming up? Ziggler vs. Morrison vs. Ryder? I didn't mention Mason Ryan being put back into the title hunt, but I really do not want to see it. He looks like a waste of time. Why waste time on filler when two over faces are there with more potential? Besides, you will have 3 faces going after one heel Champion. Not unheard of, but aren't there other heels you can add in? How about Jack Swagger himself? That would help push the split in that little team. And Brodus Clay? He's coming any week now. Six-pack match for the United States Championship. How about you hang it high enough that you might need a ladder to get it? Sounds like a good match for TLC. Still, I would rather it just stay with Ziggler vs. Morrison vs. Ryder.