The Ups And Downs Of Chris Jericho And The United States Championship

An unexpected title change at Payback was Chris Jericho winning the United States Championship from Kevin Owens. That sent Jericho to Smackdown. And he immediately lost the title back to Owens. Owens then destroyed Jericho so he can go back to his music career.

It seems like the only thing this whole thing accomplished was sending Jericho to Smackdown. He certainly didn't need another title run so soon, especially one so short. But was it really worth it? Send Jericho to Smackdown just to write him off? I have pointed out that Smackdown lost a lot of top guys and did not get the same number back from Raw. But a part-timer like Jericho might not really be the best option.

Even then, there were better ways to have handled the situation. They could have traded Jericho to Smackdown along with Owens. That might also settled the hypocrisy of Jericho getting his rematch for the United States Championship, while Bray Wyatt did not get his rematch for the WWE Championship. Jericho would be getting his rematch because he is on the same brand as Owens and the title, while Wyatt was not getting his rematch because he was on a different brand from Orton and the WWE Championship. They also could have had Owens retain at Payback and destroy Jericho there. Jericho gets written off and can eventually return one day on whatever brand Owens is on.

The whole thing just created a momentary distraction in the feud between Kevin Owens and AJ Styles. I would not have done it the way they did it. I can understand wanting another big name on Smackdown and I can understand needing to write off Jericho. But the whole situation could have been handled a lot better. Smackdown gains a guy that immediately takes time off. That sounds pretty dumb. In any case, the WWE can now move on and go back to the story they were building on Smackdown.

Previewing The Payback 2017 Undercard Matches

Even though this Raw PPV is missing the Universal Championship, there are still a lot of big matches on it. I am going to talk about the undercard today.

Enzo & Cass will take on Anderson & Gallows. Ideally, the tag titles would have been involved in this feud, whether it was Enzo & Cass defending the titles or finally winning them here. That isn't happening. The faces should at least win this match. Throw them a bone.

The tag titles will be defended when The Hardys face Sheamus & Cesaro. The Hardys just won the tag titles earlier this month. Is there a good reason for Sheamus & Cesaro to get another run? It might just be time for those two to split. The Hardys retain.

Moving out of the tag division, let's go to the cruiserweight division. Neville once again defends against Austin Aries. The WWE has been tossing this title all over the place since it was created last year. Austin Aries seems like someone likely to get it. Might as well happen here.

Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens is an interesting match. Not only is the United States Championship on the line, but these two will be switching brands if the title change happens. Will it? Probably not. Owens has a feud brewing with AJ Styles already. Jericho won't be here much longer. Owens wins.

Owens And Jericho Break Up

Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens have been partners for a few months. Their partnership included both winning some titles. They have had their ups and downs. Friction has been teased. Overall, there were a lot of good segments and most fans will call this a successful partnership. I wish the storyline between Chris Jericho and AJ Styles lasted this well. Anyway, it looks like it is over now. Owens turned on Jericho on Raw this week.

Did it need to happen now? I am not raising the question because I worshiped this partnership like some fans did. Just in terms of storylines, did it need to happen now? Kevin Owens has Goldberg as the next challenger for the Universal Championship. Shouldn't the WWE be trying to really put over that feud? After Owens loses to Goldberg, he can turn on Jericho the next night on Raw. Jericho was the one that put him in the position to face Goldberg. The two could then feud for the United States Championship for Wrestlemania. The way the WWE handled it, this could be viewed as a bit of a distraction.

Let me bring up another "distraction" so you can see what I mean. Go back a few months to when Seth Rollins was feuding with Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship. This was coming off of Rollins looking so heated off of Triple H screwing him. Pretty soon, that emotion just died. I will never forget Rollins goofing around with Jericho's list. It just ruined his character. Not all faces need to be pandering for laughs. And I have seen many fans say that The List of Jericho was burying Owens. It was more over than Owens. It just became a distraction. Yes, fans loved it, but it was one of the reasons the development of certain things back then got hurt. There were other factors, like the WWE just not pushing guys right, but it was part of the problem.

Of course, you probably need a distraction right now. You have a feud involving a part-timer, and those people tend to not be used every week to help further whatever they are involved in. What is Kevin Owens supposed to do? Just beat up Gillberg? They could have continued to tease the issues between Owens and Jericho, but just not pull the trigger on the break up yet. You now have more people interested in that this week than the actual feud between Owens and Goldberg. It is just not smooth feud development. It wasn't that necessary to have the betrayal happen now.

You also have Triple H involved in this. He is in the ear of Kevin Owens. There you see another part of the problem. With Seth Rollins injured for at least a few weeks, Triple H has nothing to really do. They have to come up with something for him. And this is what they decided to do. I still think they could have waited. But I will admit the WWE is in a tough spot with what happened to Seth Rollins.

Proper feud development matters. That is why I spent yesterday talking about Smackdown's women's feuds. You have a feud between Nikki Bella and Natalya that just needs to end already. You have a feud between Becky Lynch and Mickie James that could have been booked to be a lot better than it is. You have Alexa Bliss losing the title when it looked like they could have built her to be a great heel character. You have them rushing the title onto Naomi when they could have built up to it better. The wider audience are not going to tune in for a match just because it is stealing the show. As far as matches go, people will tune in based on how well it has been hyped and the development of the feud/storyline leading up to the match. The feud between Goldberg and Owens has not had great development. It is getting buried by the distraction of Owens turning on Jericho. The WWE is just going to run on the hype of Goldberg + Title Match = $$$. Okay, but it seems like Goldberg has already lost some of his luster in terms of drawing in viewers. Let's see what he does in terms of selling tickets and getting WWE Network subscriptions.

Previewing The Royal Rumble 2017 Undercard Matches

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

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

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

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

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



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


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




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

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

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

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

Chris Jericho Wins United States Championship

Roman Reigns has been feuding for the Universal Championship, while still holding the United States Championship. That changed on Raw this week. Chris Jericho has won the United States Championship.

Chris Jericho obviously did not need this title win to be considered an obvious Hall of Fame inductee. He could have retired years ago and be inducted into the Hall of Fame by now. He has won a ton of titles. He is popular. He is one of the best ever. The United States Championship is one of the few titles he had never held between the WWE and WCW. I would not have had him win it. He doesn't need it.

At this point in his career, Chris Jericho doesn't really need title reigns. He has spent the last few years as a jobber to the stars. He has jobbed to some people that just might make some fans sick of seeing him show up at all. Maybe they could have given him a title a few years ago. Maybe it would be better if he was pushed better during those previous runs.

The only situation where I would be all for a Jericho title run at this point is if it is part of a good storyline. Like what? Like when Jericho and AJ Styles were teaming last year. I would have been for them winning the tag titles. It would have helped to sell the relationship and make the storyline more interesting. I felt the WWE rushed that storyline and didn't really handle it right. Most fans won't care. You have two popular smark favorites. Nevertheless, that was a situation I would not have hated to see a Jericho title run. This recent situation with the United States Championship does not really involve a rich storyline where Chris Jericho needs the title.

Another reason I dislike this title change, go back to what I was saying recently about the Intercontinental Championship over on Smackdown. Dean Ambrose won the title. Miz held it before him. Dolph Ziggler held it before him. Ziggler won it from Miz. All these guys are former World Champions. I did not like that they are not letting midcarders hold the midcard title. They are treating the title like it is important, but maybe too important for the midcarders. Raw has not been that bad. Jericho is a former World Champion. Reigns is a former World Champion. But Rusev and Kalisto were the two United States Champions before that. Those are midcarders. The WWE really should be using the midcard titles to improve the midcard, especially in this brand-split era.

Who else was there to win the title from Reigns? How about Braun Strowman? He is a heel. He is a midcarder currently getting a monster push. He is currently involved with Reigns in some way. He was standing right there last night. He definitely could have been the guy to take the title off Reigns. He could then continue feuding with Sami Zayn, but now a title would be involved. I would say this would have been the better option for the midcard.

What does this loss mean for Roman Reigns? Some smarks dreaded the possibility of Reigns holding two titles at the same time. That is now unlikely to happen, but I would say the possibility that he does win the Universal Championship has gone up. I doubt Reigns takes back the United States Championship from Jericho.

Previewing The Roadblock: End Of The Line Top Matches

Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho, Roman Reigns, and Seth Rollins are the four top guys on Raw right now. That is not just a statement regarding their credibility. Their paths have been intertwined in recent weeks.

Seth Rollins had been getting title shot after title shot for a while now. Chris Jericho finally screwed him out of the title to a point that Rollins is moving on to feuding with Chris Jericho. Roman Reigns, having finished his United States Championship feud with Rusev, is now in the title hunt for the Universal Championship against Kevin Owens.

Even though I am all for Seth Rollins getting out of the title picture, I don't like how it was done. Go back to that title match on Raw Rollins and Owens had. There was a stipulation that Chris Jericho could not come out to ringside and interfere. What happened? Jericho put on a mask, attacked Rollins from the crowd, and did end up at ringside to interfere enough to help Owens retain. How can you make a rule that Chris Jericho can't interfere, have the rule be broken, and not say Rollins has a legitimate claim to a rematch? If the WWE never made that stipulation, there would be no issue. Jericho interferes and that transitions to Jericho vs. Rollins. But the stipulation was there. What's the point of having that rule if it is broken that easily? No, it is not still real to me, dammit, but it is bad writing. How you start a feud matters as much as how you end a feud. And all the stuff in between matters, as well. The WWE could have handled the storyline development smoother.

Who wins between Jericho and Rollins? Rollins. The part-time jobber to the stars has picked up some wins this year that he obviously did not need, but that is just to build him up to put over the stars. After losing so much, the WWE probably will give Rollins this win just for the sake of some momentum.

Onto the Universal Championship match. If Roman Reigns wins, he is a dual Champion. Some people are groaning like it is going to happen. I don't see it happening. Roman Reigns is obviously not in the doghouse for his suspension earlier this year. But I just don't see him winning the title.

Will Chris Jericho get involved? The WWE has been teasing tension between Owens and Jericho for a while now. It is likely that Jericho will show up during this match. But whose side will he be on? I will say he once again helps Owens retain the title.

Previewing Seth Rollins Vs. Kevin Owens For Hell In A Cell 2016

This is the match that should be the main event. The Universal Championship is on the line. This feud is part of the bigger storyline between Rollins and Triple H. It has just gotten the main attention for a while now. Even then, there have been some issues that have ruined the feel for this feud. That is what I am going to start out talking about.

There are just some guys that do not have the ability to play serious characters and more comedic characters. Anderson & Gallows flopped as the WWE tried to figure out what kind of characters these guys should be. What about Roman Reigns? His issues over the last few years have been talked about very much. The WWE tried to take a guy that got over in a badass stable and turn him into this more witty character that he really couldn't handle. He doesn't have the mic skills. He's not The Rock, a guy that does have the ability to play various characters in an entertaining way, which is why he is so successful in Hollywood. I am not saying these other guys can never expand themselves to have that depth, but they just don't have it.

Even if someone does have that acting depth, there are just certain storylines where you should not want that person to drop a serious character and start acting like a bit of a clown. Pro wrestling is supposed to be about entertaining, but you don't need to be funny all the time to entertain people. Look at the heated feud Randy Orton and Triple H had a few years ago. Orton had attacked Triple H's wife, Stephanie. There was a storyline reason for Triple H to be intense and vengeful. If he started acting goofy, like he has proven he can over the years, especially with DX, that would have ruined the feel of the storyline.

What is the issue here in Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens? Specifically, look at Rollins. Some people don't like him as a face, but that happens a lot. A lot of smarks prefer heels over faces. This new face character for Seth may have some flaws, but I think the real issue is that the character he is showing recently is just inappropriate for this storyline. He's been goofing around a little, stealing The List of Jericho. Chris Jericho's list is probably the most popular thing in this storyline, but it really doesn't need to take over like it has.

Seth Rollins was screwed by Triple H a few weeks ago. He was intense about it. He was getting in Stephanie's face, even though there was no clear reason why Stephanie McMahon should be blamed for what Triple H did. He was attacking Kevin Owens. There was entertainment value in this intense character. And now, he just seems to have lost some of his edge. Without even considering whether his attempt to be more entertaining in a comedic way leans more towards The Rock's side or that of Roman Reigns, it just doesn't fit with what has been going on for all those weeks before that. That intensity over Triple H screwing him is gone. One of the issues is obviously that the WWE is dragging this on and Triple H has not given his motive yet, but I think the WWE could have done better.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with testing Seth Rollins by seeing if he can play this kind of face character. He has never been a solo face on the main roster. Challenge him a little. But doing it now hurts the feel of the storyline and the feud with Owens takes a bit of a hit because of it.

Onto the match. Who wins? Seth Rollins has failed to regain the title for months now. He needs to take a vacation from the title scene. I am expecting shenanigans in this match. It might not just be Chris Jericho, again. Triple H, himself, might once again pop up to give Seth Rollins a reason to intensely hate him again. The only way I can picture Seth winning is if he gets screwed again soon after. Think back to Daniel Bryan winning the WWE Championship a few times three years ago. All those reigns were short, The Authority screwing him out of the title multiple times. It would be better to just get Rollins out of the picture. Kevin Owens wins by shenanigans and something happens to add more fuel to Rollins vs. Triple H. That is what I am expecting. 

Let me do an aside about the WWE Network. The WWE recently revealed that they had close to 1.46 million subscribers for the last quarter. That is more than I was expecting, but still less than the WWE's own projections of 1.49 million subscribers. I had said a few months ago that the WWE should not be too confident to retain that much of the 1.52 million they had for Wrestlemania. This quarter, the return of Goldberg is something they will be leaning on to sell Survivor Series. Let's see if that investment leads to a gain in subscribers this time.

Previewing The Clash Of Champions 2016 Main Event

This match seems pretty straightforward. The winner seems obvious. But I will also take this time to look ahead to what the WWE should do with the Raw main-eventers after Clash of Champions.

First, you have Seth Rollins. He obviously has his drama with Triple H. Rollins is slowly turning into a full face. What some people might not be thinking about is the fact that Seth Rollins has been in every World title PPV match for about a year and a half now that he could possibly be in, not counting the time off he took for being injured and the recent Smackdown-only PPV. It made sense when he was WWE Champion last year, but he has just gotten title shot after title shot this year. He has even gotten some non-PPV title matches in recent months. It is just too much Seth Rollins. Even if they have decided to groom him as the centerpiece over Roman Reigns, it is too much.

In the other corner, you have the Universal Champion, Kevin Owens. He just won the title a few weeks ago. He won it in a cheap way, Triple H pretty much handing him the title. Kayfabe aside, he has not been built up for this big push like certain other guys are prior to a World title win, like Rollins and Reigns. But there is nothing wrong with that. There is nothing wrong with a surprise big title win like this. The WWE shouldn't telegraph everything they are going to do. Fans will complain about them being predictable.

When these two come together this Sunday, who wins? It makes sense for it to be Kevin Owens. If Triple H screwed Rollins on Raw a few weeks ago, he's not going to let him get the title at Clash of Champions. The WWE should keep the angle going of Rollins being screwed. But will Triple H show up and do the same thing he did on Raw a few weeks ago? Will he Pedigree Rollins and hand Owens the title? Some variation of that? Will Stephanie McMahon be the one to screw Rollins? He has been taking out his anger verbally on her. Whether the story is about Stephanie legitimately not knowing her husband would screw Rollins or not, Rollins is giving her a reason to screw him herself. No matter how exactly it goes down, Kevin Owens will end up retaining the title thanks to shenanigans.

What happens after that? Seth Rollins really should move on from the title for now. He would want to get revenge on Triple H, or Triple H and Stephanie, depending on how the WWE handles the story. The WWE might try to drag this all the way to Wrestlemania, so don't expect Triple H vs. Seth Rollins for Survivor Series. What does Seth do in the meantime? What about Roman Reigns? He was also screwed by Triple H a few weeks ago out of the title. Moreover, he just beat Kevin Owens in a cage match on Raw this week. Does that create an argument for him getting a shot at the Universal Championship?

Let me start with Roman Reigns. Let him win the United States Championship from Rusev and continue that feud for a little while longer. No need to put him in a feud for the Universal Championship. Wrestling fans would dislike that even more than the endless title shots Rollins has been getting.

Speaking of Rollins, he should not be getting another shot at Kevin Owens so soon after Clash of Champions. Enough of Seth Rollins in the title scene. But if you cross that out and are not giving him Triple H immediately, what's left? How about a feud with Chris Jericho? He is friends with Owens. He might even be the one to screw Rollins this Sunday, which would make that feud even more obvious. Even if he doesn't screw Rollins, he can come out and rub it in that Rollins lost to Owens. He can mock Rollins for getting screwed. There is no real stable around Triple H and Stephanie McMahon anymore. If there was, Seth Rollins could just feud with their henchmen. He's not going to wrestle Mick Foley. The next best thing is feuding with another top heel outside the title picture. That's Chris Jericho.

Where does that leave Kevin Owens? Roman Reigns is busy with Rusev. Seth Rollins is busy with Chris Jericho. Have Owens face Cesaro. Remember him? He should be winning that series against Sheamus, and the winner gets a title shot. I have seen fans come up with some interesting scenarios with that Sheamus/Cesaro match. The WWE has been a little vague with what "title shot" actually means. Which title? I have seen one fan bring up that Cesaro will take his title shot and use it for Smackdown's World title. I have seen some fans talk about one of the two men winning the series, then being informed by Mick Foley that the title opportunity that he won was for the tag titles and his partner will be the guy he just beat at Clash of Champions. There is some room to get fancy with this angle, but I don't think there is any need for that. Give Cesaro a shot at Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship.

Wrestling fans have been wanting Cesaro to get that big push for years. I am not against him winning the series and getting this big push. I just hate the booking of the series. I can understand a face overcoming the odds, but the odds were just annoyingly against Cesaro in the series. And I would say this is the perfect time to give someone like Cesaro the push. It obviously wouldn't be the biggest story going on Raw. That would still involve Seth Rollins, but he does not need to be involved in the title chase for that story. Even Roman Reigns might still be featured better than Cesaro, but people would be happy that Reigns is out of the Universal Championship hunt. There is enough going on to still keep things going. And with the WWE Network, it's not like the WWE really needs to work hard to sell each individual PPV. For $9.99, just in terms of PPVs, you get one for Raw and one for Smackdown in a given month. The WWE's success in October does not have to hang entirely on Cesaro. But this will be a push wrestling fans can enjoy. And the WWE does seem to be interested in feeding those fans these days. 

Previewing The Clash Of Champions 2016 Undercard Matches

There was a time for a while in the WWE where they just did a poor job building up their PPV cards. They would just put most of their focus on a handful of major matches. Everything else got mediocre development. You would even see random filler matches on these PPVs. The WWE then improved themselves a little bit. But it looks like they might be going back to their old ways with the brand split back. I can hardly believe Clash of Champions is already here, but it is.

Chris Jericho faces Sami Zayn. This is a feud they just threw together in recent weeks. You can say that the injury to Finn Balor shook things up. Chris Jericho cannot continue his tag-team run with Kevin Owens in the manner the WWE might have wanted to. Owens has Seth Rollins, so Jericho is left with Sami Zayn, who had been without direction for a few weeks before that. But this is a feud for Sami Zayn to win. Jericho doesn't need this win. Yes, I said the same kind of thing before Summerslam, where Jericho and Owens beat Enzo & Cass, but I am sure that feud would have continued to give the face team the win later on. I do not think Zayn/Jericho should be an extended feud, so let Zayn win here and move on.

Sheamus vs. Cesaro has been flavored filler. These guys will have the grand finale of their "Best of Seven" series at Clash of Champions. The winner gets a title shot, but it has still been a long feud. Even wrestling fans have been giving this feud mixed reviews. Some love it because these guys can go in the ring. Others hate it because of how stale it is. And I just hate the booking of these matches. Sheamus won 3 straight. The odds were against Cesaro. There was even an injury angle involved. And Cesaro bounces back to win 3 straight. Is Cesaro going to come out to John Cena's theme song this Sunday? The Swiss Cena probably should. That's how this feud is making him look, especially if he wins. I think Sheamus should win this just so he doesn't look pathetic. But I will say the WWE will have Cesaro win.

New Day vs. Anderson & Gallows is another feud that has been going on for a long time. The issue with this feud isn't really staleness. It is just terrible segments and the WWE not knowing what to do with Anderson & Gallows. Are they destructive monsters? Or are they comedians? Destructive monsters that moonlight as comedians? Whatever it is, it hasn't worked out very well. I have talked about them and this feud a lot in recent weeks. The WWE missed their chance to put the titles on these heels when the timing was better. But they will probably win it here. If Jericho/Owens was still a force in the tag division, I would say have New Day retain this Sunday and lose the titles to them. Not going to happen. No other great heel teams on the horizon. Give the titles to Anderson and Gallows. 

The Cruiserweight Championship will be defended at Clash of Champions. TJ Perkins defends against Brian Kendrick. And this just feels like something thrown together. Yes, there was hype for the cruiserweights for months, but this actual match just popped up the week before the PPV. People criticize the WWE for how they handled the debut of the division on Raw this week. Where's TJ Perkins? Where are all the other guys that will be in the division? Where is proper development for the guys that were there? It is like the WWE just tossed them out there to be wrestlers and is not putting in the work to make them stars. The WWE is obviously not planning to sell the PPV on this feud, but the cruiserweight division could have gotten off to a better start. As for the winner of this match, TJ Perkins. Why would they have him lose the title so soon after getting it?

Roman Reigns vs. Rusev for the United States Championship is the only undercard match to get great development. That is because it involves Roman Reigns. This match could be considered one of the top matches for Clash of Champions. It has gotten some main-event focus on Raw. I could have talked about it Friday. But I'll just talk about it here. The only flaw in the development of this feud was Rusev taking some time off. He just got married to Lana a few weeks ago, so I am not going to criticize him for taking time off. I am just saying that there was some time where the feud kind of got lost in the shuffle. That left time for Roman Reigns to be involved in the drama over the Universal Championship. Maybe that added a little to the feud. Rusev ran out last week to screw Roman Reigns out of a match that would have given him another shot at the Universal Championship. Overall, one of the better feuds on the card this Sunday.

Who wins? Rusev seems to have momentum. He attacked Roman Reigns after that cage match this week on Raw. Rollins ran out for the save, mostly to also take out Kevin Owens, not save Roman Reigns. The only way I can picture Reigns losing this match is so he can get involved with Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship after Clash of Champions. A main-eventer like Roman Reigns does not necessarily need a midcard title. He's not at that stage of his career that John Cena was when he won the United States Championship twice last year. And Reigns doesn't feel like one of those former World Champions that gets demoted back to the midcard to win titles there, like Miz. I know it looked like he would get demoted after his suspension and getting pinned cleanly a few times, but the WWE seems to be back to pushing him as a major player. If he does lose to Rusev, it won't be cleanly. And it would have to be in a way that still ends the feud to free him up to face Owens, if they want to go in that direction. I will just say Reigns wins this Sunday.

New WWE Universal Champion: Kevin Owens

Around this time last year, many people seemed to be writing the career eulogy of Kevin Owens. He lost a feud to John Cena and some people acted like he was buried. He went on to win a feud against Cesaro and get a few midcard title runs. He has been featured consistently. He lost his feud against Sami Zayn, but has ended up being featured better than Zayn since then. And to top it all off, he won the Universal Championship on Raw last night.

He did have a lot of help. Not from Chris Jericho, his partner. Nor from Rusev, who had issues with Roman Reigns recently. Enzo Amore didn't do anything. Triple H made his return and screwed Roman Reigns. It then came down to Seth Rollins and Owens. Triple H teased helping Rollins, then screwed him, handing the title to Kevin Owens.

It is probably for the best that Finn Balor got injured, as for as creating excitement goes. The WWE created an exciting moment last night and now have people wondering why Triple H did what he did and what will happen to the various people involved in this drama, including Reigns, Rollins, and even Jericho. The "Demon King" gimmick had potential, but the WWE didn't handle it well. They didn't treat it dominantly enough. If Finn was around now, they probably would have had a very mediocre angle going for him.

Some might say that the reason they cannot book Demon Balor as something dominant is because they will book themselves into a corner. Why wouldn't Finn just use it all the time? Just have him explain in an interview that it takes a lot out of him or that he's afraid of what he might do when he goes into that zone. By doing something like that, the WWE provides a reason for Balor not going into his dominant side more often and makes that side look more intriguing. It's not like the WWE is afraid of dominant characters. Look at Brock Lesnar.

Back to Kevin Owens. I would say giving him the title is a good choice, beyond just creating drama. He can wrestle. He is charismatic. He has credibility. His only real negative is his look. They say Vince McMahon likes big men. They don't mean guys like Kevin Owens. It's not like Vince McMahon has never allowed a top title to go to a fat guy. Mick Foley held it a few times. But one hasn't held it in a while. Of course, this is a new era. Vince McMahon is more open to giving big pushes to men that would usually only get it if the fans complained heavily on their behalf or there was a whole bunch of backstage complaining.

Is he the centerpiece? Holding the top title does not always automatically make you the top star of a company, brand, or division. Let's face it, Finn Balor was supposed to be holding the title right now. If that was the case, I would be asking if he was the centerpiece. Is Kevin Owens the centerpiece? Is he interim centerpiece? Is it Seth Rollins, who will likely be turning face? Is it still meant to be Roman Reigns, who was dominating last night when Triple H came out and screwed him? Despite his title win, I would say there are too many other top guys ahead of Owens to say right away that he is the centerpiece. Nevertheless, he is going to be the longest-reigning Universal Champion so far. He is going to get some credibility. His son is going to have a new title belt to play with.

What about Seth Rollins? This will be his first face run since going solo. More importantly, he now officially gets separated from The Authority. That will be good for his development. Making him look like a weasel for so long just hurt his character. More importantly, he can finally drop the Pedigree as his finisher. A guy that talented should be able to come up with his own finisher, and hopefully one that isn't too dangerous.

And Roman Reigns? As I said, he was starting to look dominant in that match before Triple H cut him off. And it wasn't Rusev that screwed Reigns? A lot of fans were expecting that. What happens to that feud? Both Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns have a reason to want some of Triple H. Both have an argument that they were screwed out of the title. There are a couple possibilities for Roman Reigns. You can say the WWE has overbooked things, but that's what they chose to do off Finn Balor's injury. A lot of angles they had planned will have to get changed.

I am not going to leave out Big Cass. I noticed he was getting a pretty good reaction. Should the WWE accelerate his push? Should he be a WWE/Universal Champion by this time next year? No. Slow down. I remember when John Cena was getting a pretty good reaction as a midcarder and the WWE eventually gave him a big push. The fans turned on him. The WWE turned him into something that the fans hated. I can picture that happening to Cass. He is not really that great on the mic. His wrestling ability is not that amazing. Take away his gimmick, he is pretty much exposed. Start by giving Enzo & Cass the tag titles. If it wasn't for Owens winning the Universal Championship, I would say New Day should retain the tag titles against The Club, drop them to Jericho and Owens, and have them eventually drop them to Enzo & Cass. I am sure they will be holding titles one day. The wait will make the moment mean more. But as far as Cass getting a big solo push, not yet.

Previewing The Sumerslam 2016 Undercard Matches

Cesaro and Sheamus are going to have a "Best of Seven" series, the first match happening at Summerslam. These two have already faced each other multiple times. This is a boring feud that did not need to be extended this long. I would have expected this feud to end at Summerslam and both men to move on to other things. This was not even a feud that felt heated enough to need a gimmick to it, like I have said about certain other feuds, like Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn. There is a feud where a "Best of Seven" might have been more appealing. In any case, who wins this Sunday? Doesn't matter. I will say Sheamus. Let Cesaro have to come from behind. This is flavored filler for a few weeks, I'll give the WWE that.

Enzo & Cass take on Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens. I am not going to call the heels by their team name. These kind of teams never last long and there is no point getting hooked. Enzo & Cass are a hot act and I will say they win here. The heels have the momentum heading into Sunday. I will also say that the feud continues past Summerslam. There is more potential for good promos here than with Cesaro vs.Sheamus, one of the things that makes extended feuds more bearable and even enjoyable.

New Day defend the tag titles against The Club. No Big E in this match. New Day already has the record, so the WWE might as well take the titles off them. I just don't think Anderson & Gallows look that great right now. I have talked about it before. Are they destructive badasses, which helped groups like The Shield be successful? Or are they a new kind of DX? I see some fans a little unhappy with how they are now being featured. Other fans like the humor. Either way, most wrestling fans would probably like them getting the titles, and they probably will.

Miz defends the Intercontinental Championship against Apollo Crews. I just don't feel like Crews has really broken out yet. He probably will win the Intercontinental Championship one day, which won't help him break out, but I will say Miz retains here. Make it a journey for Apollo Crews. Maybe that will help fans buy into him more.

Outside of the title feud between Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler, Smackdown's big feud is AJ Styles vs. John Cena. And it has been pretty routine. It feels like a weaker version of Cena vs. CM Punk. Styles is following in the path of workers like Punk and Daniel Bryan. But those two workers just had pushes that helped them to break out, whether the WWE wanted it or not. AJ Styles just feels like a guy that has gone with the flow of wherever the WWE had taken him this year. Although they have treated him pretty well, Styles does not look like an A+ player. As for who wins this match, AJ seems likely to win. Cena destroyed him on Smackdown this week. Besides that, Cena will eventually take time off again. Will Styles be the one to write him off eventually? If that is the case, maybe they will let Cena win at Summerslam and let AJ Styles look even more impressive down the line against Cena when they do give him time off. For now, I will stick with AJ Styles winning at Summerslam.

Raw's big match, outside of Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor, is Roman Reigns vs. Rusev for the United States Championship. It has even gotten the main-event slot the last two weeks. Is that because the WWE still wants Roman Reigns as the centerpiece? Or do they just realize the third hour is doing poorly most of the time and will stick their #2 feud there? Whatever the case, Roman Reigns is still being pushed better than some fans might have expected.

He might even be getting pushed better than some fans actually want. I see some fans talking about how it would send a terrible message if they let him win the United States Championship. What do some fans want? Reigns fired? He served his time for what he did. He did not win back the WWE Championship. He is not in the main event of Summerslam. William Regal screwed up when he got suspended in 2008, but they still gave him a run with the Intercontinental Championship a few months later. Some fans are just not being fair. Yes, a lot of fans hate Roman Reigns, but that doesn't mean the WWE needs to punish him even more than they have.

Back to the feud with Rusev, the WWE had them go at it on Raw this week. That match will probably be better than PPV match this Sunday. And they had Reigns win on Raw. Does that mean he loses at Summerslam? It might. Prior to this week, it just seemed like giving him a midcard title run might be likely. Cena gained some points with smarks last year when he was depushed and defending the United States Champion. A depush has eased the hatred towards Reigns in the past. It just made sense that a depush and a solid run with the U.S. title would do him some good.

The other story the WWE might want to tell is that Roman Reigns is having the worst year of his life. Remember when Cena lost to The Rock at Wrestlemania and the year he had that followed? The WWE sold it like Cena needed to redeem himself, and he obviously did it when he beat The Rock one year later for the WWE Championship. Roman Reigns lost the WWE Championship. He got suspended, something the WWE acknowledged even in kayfabe, and has been moving downwards ever since. Failing to win the title this Sunday would just further drive that point. Will they keep holding him down for a whole year? Or just until Wrestlemania next year where he might regain the the top title, likely the Universal Championship, and be the top guy again? The WWE might hope fans are sympathetic towards Reigns and it helps him get over better. Tricky plan, but the WWE might try something like that.

Which way will the WWE go? Solid midcard push? Or the redemption story? Going by how they let Reigns win the non-title match on Monday, I will say he loses to Rusev and they go with some kind of redemption story. Whether it lasts a year, a couple months, or a few weeks, the WWE might want to try the sympathy route. Let fans believe he is being punished and try to make him earn his spot back. Might not work, but they still might try it.

Brock Lesnar Vs. Randy Orton For Summerslam 2016

There was a time I would have said Brock Lesnar vs. Randy Orton would be a dream match. They faced each other during Brock's first run in the company, but that was before Randy Orton broke out as a top guy. The match has been made for Summerslam next month. Is it everything I hoped for?

So far, it doesn't feel right. The WWE just made the match and it is going to happen. Randy Orton has been out with an injury for months now. I am not even wondering about Lesnar possibly injuring him again. I just don't like that there was really no proper reason given for this match.

You see this kind of thing in MMA all the time. An opponent is named for someone and they just do some interviews and trash talk to build up to the match. You sometimes spend a whole bunch of time talking about a match and getting hyped for it, and then it only lasts about a minute.

You have seen the WWE do this kind of thing for special events for Brock Lesnar. They would just name an opponent for him and Brock would go on to beat the guy. This is a PPV. Summerslam is one of the WWE's biggest PPVs of the year. I don't have a problem with them doing this for WWE Network special events, but when you are trying to sell a major PPV, you have to do better than just that.

What is the feud I would go for with Brock Lesnar? Lesnar vs. Wyatt. It was the feud they were going for earlier in the year. It got ruined. Bray Wyatt is back from his injury. Just have him finish goofing around with New Day at Battleground and have him face Brock Lesnar for Summerslam. There is already a story there. There is unfinished business there. I would feel more hyped for this match than I currently do for Lesnar vs. Orton.

Speaking of Orton, he will be back at Battleground for an interview segment with Chris Jericho. Someone likely has an RKO coming in their future. Orton and Jericho can then have a mini-feud, since Brock is a part-timer and Orton will need something to do when he is not there.

Let's get to the news concerning Brock Lesnar that everyone is talking about. He is being investigated for possibly doping. For the sake of discussion, let's do the worst-case scenario and say he is guilty.

I have brought up a few times this year the hypocrisy and double standards when it came to people getting suspended. Titus O'Neil gets a heavy suspension for something he did without any malicious intent and that didn't make the company look bad. Roman Reigns, the new centerpiece of the company, gets suspended for violating the wellness policy. People are now wondering whether his top spot should be on the line.

Brock Lesnar, being a part-timer, is sort of above the law when it comes to the WWE's wellness policy. This isn't like Hulk Hogan making racist comments and the WWE firing him. The WWE will not fire Brock Lesnar over this. But should the WWE hold Brock accountable in some way? Suspend him for 30 days? Lesnar would probably laugh that off. It is no punishment at all for a part-timer like him. He would still make it for Summerslam. Paul Heyman could just carry the feud with Randy Orton until then on Brock's behalf. And don't forget Chris Jericho.

The WWE might just look like hypocrites if they don't do anything to Brock. Their wellness policy does not force them to, but they would still look like hypocrites if they let Brock off without any repercussions. You shouldn't have this policy just for the sake of having it. You should have it to protect your workers from something that can have a negative impact on them and to protect your company's image. If Brock Lesnar was to be found guilty, it would just make the WWE look bad to do nothing to him, especially when Roman Reigns is currently suspended for drug use. Is there a double standard? Is it okay for Brock Lesnar to do it and only get a slap on the wrist, if he even gets that?

Some say this will hurt Lesnar's ability to draw for the WWE. I would question his ability to draw even before this scandal. It certainly doesn't show in the ratings. Does it show in PPV buyrates and subscriptions to the WWE Network? I think more people were interested in the drama between Shane McMahon and The Undertaker this past Wrestlemania than Lesnar vs. Ambrose. I think more wrestling fans buy into the hype of Brock Lesnar than the general audience. In himself, Lesnar will not draw. The WWE needs to create a big situation to draw, like they did with Taker/Shane. Having Lesnar definitely helps the WWE get more media coverage, but if it doesn't translate to many more people being interested in the product, what's the point? Moreover, when Lesnar gets caught in something negative, the WWE is going to have to deal with that baggage.

I would say the WWE should hold Brock Lesnar accountable, if he is found guilty. The WWE might just face negative attention if they let him off without any penalty, while other workers have to face suspension for drug use. Billy Gunn got let go not that long ago after failing a drug test. He wasn't even an active wrestler for the WWE anymore. Brock Lesnar does wrestle for the WWE. Again, they won't fire him, but he should be punished to send a message on accountability. Fine him? Take away his Summerslam match? As I said, a simple suspension wouldn't do. If one of your workers does something to hurt the image of your company, you should do something. And if you don't, that might hurt you even more.

Money In The Bank 2016

Six men are already in this year's Money in the Bank ladder match. Dean Ambrose, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, and Alberto Del Rio are all in the match. Why not do an early preview?

I see a lot of fans talking like Kevin Owens wins this. I don't see why he should. Of course, it is not unusual for someone that you would not expect to win the briefcase to end up winning it. Did Sheamus really deserve it last year? Kevin Owens can win it and continue his singles feud with Sami Zayn.

Chris Jericho was in the first Money in the Bank ladder match. He has never won one. Even though he is a part-timer, would having him win be so terrible? Imagine him winning it, taking a few months off, then returning out of nowhere to successfully cash in. I'm not saying it will work out like that, but it would be a fun idea.

Alberto Del Rio has won the briefcase before. He wouldn't be the first guy to win it twice, but I do not see him winning this.

How about Cesaro? Wrestling fans love the guy and would love to see him get pushed. Sadly, he was not able to get the Intercontinental Championship from The Miz. Having him win Money in the Bank would be huge for him. I think he is as likely as Kevin Owens to win it.

What can I say about Sami Zayn? He is the newest guy on the roster of the six men here. That is why I doubt he wins. He has his feud with Kevin Owens. He can win a midcard title after that. No need to give him this big of a push at all by having him win the briefcase.

Of the six men in this match so far, Dean Ambrose just seems like the best option. Fans are always eager to see that Shield triple threat. You can have it very easily right now. Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins are feuding for the title. That feud can last a few months. Let Dean Ambrose win the briefcase and eventually insert himself into this feud. I think Ambrose deserves it. And if it can add to the current title feud in a way fans actually want to see, why not?

Previewing The Extreme Rules 2016 Undercard Title Matches

New Day defend the tag titles against The Vaudevillains. I have said before that New Day should have lost the titles already to other teams that had the momentum. I do not think they should lose it here. The Vaudevillains don't look like they are ready. Have New Day retain here and eventually drop it to Anderson & Gallows to give The Club some credibility. 

Kalisto defends the United States Championship against Rusev. Rusev looks monstrous again. They are even running an injury angle with Kalisto. Or is he really hurt? Can't even tell these days. Are they doing all this to make Rusev look dominant and give Kalisto a bit of an excuse when he loses the title? Or is this just to stack the odds against Kalisto so he can overcome them? Speaking of overcoming the odds, I see some fans dreading that the only reason Rusev looks strong again and might win the title is to drop it to Cena when he returns. That doesn't really make sense to me. Cena does not need a title to be pushed well. Beyond that, Alberto Del Rio was the guy that beat Cena cleanly for the title last year and retained it again against Cena prior to Cena's injury. Wouldn't it make more sense to give the title back to Alberto Del Rio so he can drop it to Cena, if the plan is for another United States Championship run for Cena? In any case, I will say Rusev wins the title at Extreme Rules.

The Intercontinental Championship will be decided in a fatal fourway. Miz defends against Cesaro, Kevin Owens, and Sami Zayn. Cesaro just felt like he had the momentum when he returned last month. It felt like he would eventually win the title from Miz. Inserting Owens and Zayn certainly confuses things. These two could have had their own gimmick match at Extreme Rules. Make it a Last Man Standing match, or something like that. Owens and Zayn do have that history together. Leave the title to be decided between Miz and Cesaro, where Cesaro would win it. The WWE can still have Cesaro win it, then feud with Miz, while Owens and Zayn go back to killing each other, but I think a lot of Cesaro's momentum is hurt. I will say Miz retains.

No title is on the line, but I want to talk about Chris Jericho vs. Dean Ambrose. This is an Asylum match. WWE must like Dean Ambrose a lot to let him have his own match. He might just be the new Mick Foley. Foley got a few runs with the WWE Championship, but he was never the centerpiece. That will be the story with Ambrose. He will eventually win the WWE Championship, but he will not take the true top spot. Until any of that happens, he has Chris Jericho. They have been murdering the other guy's favorite inanimate object. Might as well try to murder each other in an extreme environment. Logic might say that Ambrose wins this match since it is his match, but he seems to have too much of the momentum. I can see Jericho winning this to make the rivalry more interesting and extending it.

Roman Reigns Vs. AJ Styles: Really?

AJ Styles did not beat Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania. He did beat him the next night on Raw in the fatal four-way main event to determine the new #1 contender for the WWE Championship. AJ Styles is getting a feud with Roman Reigns. Right now, it is face vs. face.

I don't really like the recent booking. If they had Chris Jericho get the win at Wrestlemania, why not have him feud against Reigns for the title? Jericho is a veteran. He has the credibility of being a former World Champion. He had momentum from coming off a win at Wrestlemania, something no one else involved in that main event on Raw could say. He is a jobber to the stars, so losing to Reigns would not matter. And he also happens to be a heel, which would make for a smooth feud. People were negative towards Nikki Bella for saying in a promo that wins and losses don't matter. The WWE's booking sometimes says the same thing. I am not saying they should never have a person that loses a feud end up getting a better push than the person that actually won, but this is a situation where I would have liked to have seen the guy with momentum coming off of Wrestlemania get the push. He might seem more worthy. For the sake of not being predictable, you might sometimes have sloppy booking. Reminds me of TNA.

Instead of just complaining about what could have been, let's look at the feud that is here. Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles. This feud is suspicious. The obvious reason why is that it is face vs. face. Some people say that Styles is just here to be fed to Reigns. Well, you could have picked a heel to do that. Even with injury issues and whatever else, there were still options. I mentioned Jericho. Both Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio are former World Champions, as well as being heels. Their feud with The Wyatts is another issue. It did not need to happen. Instead of choosing a heel, the WWE went with a face. Both Roman Reigns are in interesting positions that makes this feud even more suspicious.

First, you have Roman Reigns. He is the new centerpiece of the company. Much like the previous centerpiece, he has issues connecting with the fans. Some might say Reigns is worse than John Cena. What is the WWE thinking putting him against someone his haters love? Reigns will be shredded by smarks even more. The obvious thing to say is that they will turn Roman Reigns heel. He has been acting a little more cocky this week. He's not a bad guy. He's not a good guy. He's just THE guy. I'm sure the WWE will be slapping that on T-shirts. If they don't fully turn him, this new character might just ruin him further. Smarks will continue to hate him. Some of the fans that do like him may sour on his cocky character and start disliking him. If the WWE can think they can give Roman Reigns a heelish face character that smarks will be drawn to, it may backfire.

AJ Styles has also been in an interesting position since debuting. The WWE obviously wants him over. They are not hiding that fans like him. They often promote it in an awkward way. Even though wrestling fans view him as a wrestling god, I am not sold the wider audience loves him as much. He is definitely not as hot as Daniel Bryan was during his peak. Is that the level of overness they hope to recapture to try to spark their declining product? No, they didn't want none when they had Daniel Bryan two years ago, but they might feel they need to manufacture that now. If advertising that fans like AJ Styles is not catching on with other fans to make him hotter, what can you do? How about act like you are holding him back like you did Daniel Bryan? The WWE had AJ Styles lose to Chris Jericho at his first Wrestlemania. Jericho himself has said he "buried" AJ Styles. Just great heel work or a new character trait for Jericho? Many fans also feel Roman Reigns will "bury" AJ Styles. Reigns himself is talking like Styles can't beat him. Is this all to make Styles seem like the underdog the company wants to hold back? It would not be as organic as what happened with Daniel Bryan.

It has only been a week. It is too soon to say what direction the WWE is going. But this is a suspicious setup with two men in interesting positions. Are they going for a heel turn? Is this to help one of these guys get to another level in terms of overness? Will they use this feud to debut certain individuals? I doubt the WWE just wants to treat this as filler. Let's see how they continue it.

Previewing Wrestlemania 2016: The Undercard

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal has never led to a serious push for either of the first two winners. Big Show, last year's winner, certainly already has his career made. He's going to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Cesaro, the first winner, has had his career go up and down. He has gotten a number of titles and accolades in between depushes. I know about the rumors about Braun Strowman winning and getting a big push later on. Since that might hinge on what the WWE does with Roman Reigns and injury issues, I am not picking him to win. I could imagine someone in The Social Outcasts winning. Would that be an insult to Andre? A jobber winning this? Well, is putting this match on the pre-show insulting? The WWE might do some funny things with someone from the group winning. And I do not think anyone else currently in the match can really benefit from this. I'll go with Heath Slater.

The Dudley Boys face The Usos. This match does not feel big enough for Wrestlemania, but at least there are some feuds going on in the tag division that go beyond the tag titles. Since The Dudleys turned heel just a few weeks ago, logic might say they win this match and continue their push. I am going to go against logic and say The Usos win. The WWE has not pushed The Dudleys well since they returned. At the same time, The Usos have not won anything major since they reunited. I'll go with them.

Kalisto defends the United States Championship against Ryback. Ryback went a few years without ever winning a title. There was a time when he seemed credible enough to win the WWE Championship. That never happened, bu he did win the Intercontinental Championship last year. I would say he does not really need another title reign again so soon. On the other hand, how serious is the WWE in pushing Kalisto as the new Mysterio? Having him bring this up in interviews and talking about him like he is the next Mysterio doesn't mean as much as booking him consistently. If his title reign ends this Sunday and he gets sent back to the tag division with Sin Cara, I doubt he will end up as the new Mysterio. I will say he retains the title.

Another multi-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. Kevin Owens faces Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Sin Cara, Miz, and Stardust. Some of these guys are just extra bodies. This match should have just been between Owens and Zayn. I would say those are the two favorites to win. I would have Owens retain and lose the title later to Zayn in a singles feud.

The New Day take on The League of Nations in a handicap match. Just a few weeks ago, The League of Nations destroyed New Day and actually looked like great heels. They actually looked like a group the WWE was serious in pushing again. Since then, it feels like they have lost some of that intensity. I still hope the group ends up winning the tag titles. Until then, I will say they beat New Day. They should. 

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho is a match that I do not think needed to happen again. This is the fourth match in a rivalry that is only two months old. This is a rivalry that featured them teaming up and eventually becoming contenders for the tag titles. This is a rivalry that featured the team splitting and one guy turning on the other. All in two months. You would think this kind of story takes a lot longer than this to develop. And yet, here we are.

I want to say a few things about how this feud has been developed since Chris Jericho turned heel. I have seen some fans criticize the WWE for taking so long to make this match official. They waited until the final Raw before Wrestlemania. I do not have a problem with that. The story is that Jericho was trying to avoid facing Styles again. Styles had to get Jericho to agree to it. This isn't bad storyline development.

The other part of this storyline that I want to bring up is the WWE bringing up "AJ Styles" chants. That supposedly annoyed Jericho. The issue I have isn't really the fact that Jericho is pretty over in his own right, even as a heel.This is about Styles. They obviously want the guy over. They are not burying his popularity. But how about they stop pointing out that fans like him and actually take advantage of what makes him phenomenal and develop his character better. Push him better. Fact is, I am not impressed by those chants. Maybe my memory is going bad, but I am sure I remember times when fans have reacted to wrestlers better. Those "AJ Styles" chants can be better. The WWE needs to put more work into AJ Styles. Smarks will cheer for him because he is great wrestler. Marks will cheer for him because he is pushed as a face. Beyond those fans that are either always criticizing the product or buying into it rather easily, how about the general audience? AJ needs to win those fans over. The WWE needs to do more than run a storyline about people chanting for him. He's not Daniel Bryan.

As far as the winner, it has to be Styles. Jericho is a jobber to the stars.

Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar is a big match, but not one of the likely two candidates to close the show, despite the presence of Brock Lesnar. Not to knock Ambrose, but this feels like the weakest Wrestlemania opponent Lesnar has had yet. It is a great push for Ambrose and will help elevate him, but Lesnar has faced guys with more star power or where there was something on the line in his other Wrestlemania matches. This is still a match many wrestling fans will look forward to.

And it is going to be a street fight. On the one hand, I like that the WWE has really made a storyline out of the match type. Hardcore legends have been utilized to push this feud. On the other hand, I think the WWE could have told a better story. Brock got mad at Ambrose for getting in the way of Brock getting a title shot. He attacked Ambrose in the parking lot the night after that. Just build on that intensity that was there. I feel how the WWE has handled the story these last few weeks has highlighted the match type more than the intense emotion that was there. Either way, should be a fun match.

The wildcard in this match will be The Wyatts. Dean Ambrose obviously has a history with Bray Wyatt. Brock Lesnar, moreover, was supposed to have a mini-feud with Bray. Bray was injured and that match got ruined. I doubt the WWE will have it end like that. They will go at it down the road. Will the WWE use this match at Wrestlemania to build up to that future match? The Wyatts don't have anything else going for them right now. Because there will be no disqualifications in this match, you can definitely imagine The Wyatts getting involved. Will it be a poor way for Dean Ambrose's feud with Brock Lesnar to end to just use this match as a stepping stone for another feud for Lesnar? That's another issue. Let's see how the WWE actually handles the match and what comes after.

Who wins? How often does Lesnar lose? Network specials aside, Brock Lesnar has not had a PPV win in a while. He lost at Fast Lane. He lost at the Royal Rumble. Is Vince McMahon going to be worried about Lesnar possibly starting to look weak? Some fans say that they cannot imagine Ambrose beating Lesnar cleanly. Well, can you imagine it with weapons involved? An extreme spot? It could happen. Of course, as I said, interference is likely. Cleanly or not, Lesnar has not won a big match in a while and I think he will win one here.

The End Of Y2AJ

Chris Jericho and AJ Styles (Y2AJ) failed to win the tag titles last week. Jericho then turned on AJ Styles. This is the end of Y2AJ. This is Jericho turning heel. This is the feud continuing. This is also another example of why I hate developing team names for teams you know won't last long. The WWE even made some shirts for the team. Well, Chris Jericho at least put those to good use last week. Adds some fire to the feud.

When you watched the turn, you could see some fans in the crowd upset by it. I don't believe WWE.com should be ranking this as one of the top 10 worst betrayals in wrestling history. The development of the team wasn't that rich. AJ Styles debuted at the Royal Rumble two months ago. Immediately after that, he started a rivalry with Chris Jericho. They traded wins and Styles picked up the third encounter. Since then, they have officially been on the same side and teaming up, until the recent betrayal. We are only talking about a few short weeks of being a team here. There were some moments here and there to help sell the relationship between AJ Styles and Chris Jericho, but nothing too major to make this turn feel like a dagger to the heart.

Think back to another heel turn that led to a Wrestlemania match. I am talking about a diva feud. This is a storyline that might just be the best pure diva storyline in the history of the diva division. I am talking about Trish Stratus vs. Mickie James. It wasn't the greatest rivalry. That probably belongs to Trish vs. Lita. And you might argue that there were some diva storylines that also involved men that were better. But out of those diva storylines that just involved women as the main players and no male superstars, this was the best. And it didn't even get a proper finish.

One of the reasons this storyline was so good is that it was developed well. Mickie James debuted to help Trish Stratus. She would continue to help her for a few more weeks after that. That led to Mickie starting to annoy Trish. She started to have issues with Ashley, another one of Trish's friends. Trish Stratus, the face, tried to do the respectable thing and tell Mickie they needed to go their separate ways. It was Mickie James that turned on Trish. By the time that happened, you had a relationship that was developed for months.

The rise and fall of Y2AJ just feels too rushed. No one is saying they had to last as long as The Shield and have the kind of demise they had. Those guys were together for over a year and been through a lot together, including winning titles together and turning face together. You also have to keep in mind that Chris Jericho is a part-timer and that will put some limitations on how his feuds can be developed. Still, just being honest, this feud has not gotten the kind of development as other similar storylines. Of course, it doesn't need to be a masterpiece. It features two respected wrestlers that will get cheered by wrestling fans. A storyline does not need to be perfect to win some "Storyline of the Year" award from some site at the end of 2016.

What could the WWE have done instead of this sudden betrayal angle? How about actually give them the titles? They could have won it last week, lost it at Wrestlemania, and then have Jericho turn on AJ there. They could have won the titles at Wrestlemania, lost shortly after, and then have the turn. How about just kill off the feud after Fastlane completely? I know a lot of fans were hoping for Owens vs. Styles for the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania. There were definitely a few options for AJ Styles. He did not need to face Chris Jericho for the fourth time so soon.

Another thing to consider, who is going to get cheered in this feud? Mickie James was an entertaining heel. That helped her get over with the fans and get cheered at Wrestlemania. Chris Jericho knows how to play a heel. He knows how to do promos. His current heel character is already looking like something that will likely get him cheered at Wrestlemania.

I am not saying AJ Styles will get booed at Wrestlemania. Wrestling fans love him. I am expecting chants for both guys. Thing is, AJ Styles is the guy they are trying to put over here. He is the one whose character has been kind of dull since he debuted. Most of the blame should go to the WWE for not debuting him better. I have said that before many times. I just feel Jericho's character might just bury him. Not intentionally. Jericho is just too good and Styles has not found his groove so far.

Should AJ Styles have been the one to turn? Let him be arrogant. Let him act like Jericho is holding him back. Let him show more character. That is the kind of thing they need to do. I am not a believer that a heel turn is always the answer. In this situation, given that they are running a betrayal storyline, Styles betraying Jericho might have been a good option. If the WWE cannot develop Styles better as a face, give him a heel turn. Fans will cheer Styles because of his wrestling ability. I just do not feel his connection with the overall audience is as strong as it could be.

Should Y2AJ Win The Tag Titles?

Chris Jericho and AJ Styles seem to be done feuding. But they are now officially partners (Y2AJ). After getting a few wins against New Day, they now seem to be on the path to possibly winning the tag titles. They will get a title shot next week.

Should they win the tag titles? Chris Jericho is obviously a part-timer, but a short run with the tag titles isn't out of the question. It would be the first title reign in the WWE for AJ Styles. I am sure there will be many more to come for him. He'll probably end up winning every title available to him before it is all over. I do not see anything wrong with getting him started now. I think they should win the tag titles.

Or could this be a way of setting up another encounter between AJ Styles and Chris Jericho for Wrestlemania? I think these two have faced each other enough times in one month. I wouldn't be surprised to see them go at it again, but give it a rest for now. There isn't any strong tension between the two right now. There is no need to have a heel turn. It would likely be Jericho turning on Styles. I do not see that as necessary. They can go back to feuding after they lose the tag titles. And after AJ Styles once again beats Jericho, Jericho can take another break from the WWE.

I will say that it would have been nice if there were a few more teams involved in the title match. Y2AJ could still win the tag titles in a four-way match. There are so many teams around. The Usos and Dudley Boys are feuding. The Lucha Dragons are around. I still say Kalisto should have lost his United States Championship back to Del Rio. There is nothing interesting going on with the title on him now. On Del Rio, it would at least give The League of Nations some credibility. And two members of The League of Nations also could have been involved in a match for the tag titles. How about The Wyatts? Some fans were looking forward to Enzo & Cass debuting from NXT to go after the tag titles. A lot of teams around. Hopefully, some kind of multi-team match happens for Wrestlemania. They can have a good one this year.

Previewing The Other Fastlane 2016 Undercard Matches

The Intercontinental Championship changed hands on Raw this week. Dean Ambrose lost it to Kevin Owens. That might make it more likely that Dean Ambrose wins his own match this Sunday, but that is a subject for next time. How about Kevin Owens getting the title back? For a guy that lacks the look and was having some people write his career eulogy after he lost his first feud against John Cena, he has done pretty well for himself in his first year on the main roster. He won a feud against Cesaro after moving on from Cena. He won the Intercontinental Championship soon after that. He entered a feud against Dean Ambrose. He lost the title to him, but has now gotten it back. In between that, he was getting a mediocre feud with Dolph Ziggler. I am not talking about match quality. I am talking about feud development. Well, a title is now on the line. These two will go at it again at Fastlane for the title. Since Owens just won it, I say he retains.

Did the title have to go back to Kevin Owens? He did just hold it a couple months ago. There were a few other guys in that match on Raw. There are other guys on the roster, despite all the injury problems. Dolph Ziggler hasn't held a title in a while. As I said, I doubt he wins it this Sunday. They could have taken the opportunity to kickstart a push for Tyler Breeze. I have seen some people say that Chris Jericho should have gotten it so AJ Styles could eventually win the Intercontinental Championship off him in their feud. Not a bad idea. There's always Miz. Kevin Owens is definitely not a horrible choice, but I don't think he really needed to be the guy to win it back. The WWE will probably not continue to feature him this well throughout his career, but fans shouldn't be complaining about how they push him for a while.

Onto the United States Championship. It will once again be Alberto Del Rio and Kalisto. This is a 2 out of 3 falls match. There is a pretty good rivalry developing here. They have already traded the title between themselves. Something to keep in mind is that Kalisto's partner, Sin Cara, is back. I am expecting Del Rio to get the title back. If the WWE wants to continue to push the Lucha Dragons as a team, it will be awkward with one guy holding a singles title. The New Day seem to be lacking a true direction at the moment. Could the WWE be saving them to continue that feud with Sin Cara and Kalisto? I think it is a possibility. I do not know how much further Kalisto can go in a singles push. The League of Nations will probably get involved here, helping Del Rio get the title back. There is another group without much direction. Four members and only one real feud for them recently. And it's against a midcarder for the United States Championship.

The last match I will talk about is AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho. This match was made official on Smackdown this week. This will be the third encounter between these two. It will likely be the last in this feud. Styles will hopefully move on to something better for Wrestlemania. Might these two continue the rivalry down the line? That is another issue. Styles took the first encounter and Jericho took the second. It would make sense for the third encounter to be the end. And it will likely go to AJ Styles. He's the new star that just debuted. Jericho is a part-time jobber to the stars.

Some fans might be expecting a heel turn. Jericho snaps at his inability to beat Styles this Sunday and that continues the feud to Wrestlemania. If they were going to do something like that, they wouldn't have let Jericho beat Styles on Smackdown recently. Jericho has already proven he can beat Styles. Snapping at losing to him again would not make sense. I say this stays a face vs. face feud.

Even though I doubt this feud continues to Wrestlemania, I believe they could have developed it to be worthy of Wrestlemania. Have Styles vs. Jericho I on any Raw or Smackdown before Fastlane. Styles wins there. Have Styles vs. Jericho II at Fastlane. Jericho wins this one. That leaves Styles vs. Jericho III for Wrestlemania. And Styles would win that one. Build up to the matches better. It wouldn't have made AJ Styles' debut as amazing as it should have been, but it might have let a a feud that was developed a little better. This feud might end up just being a few weeks long. It could have gone all the way to Wrestlemania and led to a big match there.

Let me go back to talking about past debuts. I talked about Kevin Owens and his first feud against John Cena. Even though he lost that feud, his career did not take a hit. Moreover, that debut feud felt better than what you have with AJ Styles and Chris Jericho. I doubt it is only because a title was involved. They didn't just rush through their series of matches. It started with a promo between Owens and Cena. Owens can hold his own on the mic. That set up the first match, where Owens beat Cena clean. Owens, the top star of NXT at the time, beat the face of the WWE cleanly in his first match on the main roster. Again, things soon went downhill for him from there, but it was still a good debut and he has done well since.

AJ Styles is likely to win his debut feud, but this feud does not feel the same way as Owens vs. Cena. There was never that same in-ring segment to set up Styles vs. Jericho. AJ Styles debuted in the Royal Rumble match and was wrestling Chris Jericho the next night. And beating Chris Jericho cleanly really is not that impressive. Fans weren't reacting the same way to that as Owens beating Cena. There really was no big storyline or debut vignettes for Kevin Owens, but his debut was still better than what the WWE did with AJ Styles. 

AJ Styles Tastes Defeat In The WWE

Who says nothing important ever happens on Smackdown? Smackdown this week revolved heavily around AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho. At the end of the night, it was Chris Jericho handing AJ Styles his first loss in the WWE.

No one ever said AJ Styles should get a Goldberg-like undefeated streak. But having him lose in less than a month after he just debuted? I have been saying every week since he debuted that how they have been handling him does not feel special. He made a surprise debut at the Royal Rumble. How they have booked him since then has just felt bland. It's like he's just automatically in the mix. It feels like he's been there for years. One of  the reasons it feels like that is because there was no big debut storyline to work off of. And the storyline that is there will not generate a ton of excitement.

Whenever I have discussed AJ Styles since his debut, I have tried to bring up another WWE debut to compare it to. I am not going to get into that this time because there is a lengthy aside I will get to. But the point is that the WWE has been able to create some big debut storylines and segments. Having AJ Styles just debut at the Royal Rumble doesn't exactly take a lot of work on the part of the writers. It was a surprise for many, but it wasn't that creative. Just have him show up and wrestle. And the storyline since then has not blown anyone away. The WWE might have hyped the reaction AJ Styles got at the Royal Rumble as one of the best ever, but does how the WWE has actually handled his debut belong on any list of the greatest WWE debuts ever?

The feud against Jericho will obviously not end like that. Time for the rubber match, which Styles will likely win. Some fans have defended the booking by saying they needed to do it to develop the rivalry better. That is not what this is about. This is not about creating a feud that people will say at the end of the year was booked better than any other in wrestling. This is about creating a situation to create buzz and draw. Ratings are terrible. For Wrestlemania season, that is not good. Could the WWE have created some kind of bigger and better angle with AJ Styles to help create some buzz? I believe they could have. But they just haven't done it. This is a wasted opportunity.

Let me get to that aside. Titus O'Neil was suspended for 60 days (originally 90) for grabbing Vince McMahon on Raw during the retirement segment for Daniel Bryan. He was just goofing around, nothing malicious. When I saw it, that's how I and most other fans I saw read it. Nevertheless, if I had read that he was fined for what he did, I would not have been shocked. I probably wouldn't have even discussed it. Okay, Titus goofed off at the wrong time. He got punished for it. Nothing more to see here. Move on. But suspended for 90 days? It doesn't seem like the punishment fits the crime. Even if they lowered it to 60 days, it still does not seem fair. Chris Jericho once got suspended for kicking a flag, upsetting many fans, and making the WWE look bad. What Titus did does not seem to have been that upsetting to fans and didn't really make the WWE look bad. Regardless, it could be viewed as unprofessional conduct, so a fine would not have been shocking.

Will this hurt Titus O'Neil's push? He wasn't really getting pushed. A bunch of wins here and there without any direction does not constitute a push. You don't need to chase a title to be pushed, but you do need to be going somewhere. What Titus has gotten feels more like filler. It might have led to a push later on, but that's not for certain. As for Titus losing what standing in the company he does have, there are men that have been suspended for worse and still continued to be featured very well.

Titus O'Neil is not a bad guy. I see fans bringing up the good deeds he has done. And as I said before, what he did on Raw was obviously not meant to be malicious. I remember thinking he had potential during his solo heel run a while ago. It's no shocker the WWE didn't do more with that. He seems like a good person and a solid performer. Amazing in the ring? No, but good enough to keep around. If he had a history of being a jerk, then you might say he deserved to be punished.

You want to talk about unprofessional conduct? Let me bring up a different AJ. AJ Lee. During her time in the WWE, especially those last few years where she was pushed as a top star, there were some incidents that popped up that could definitely be viewed as unprofessional conduct. And these weren't instances where she was just goofing around. These were instances of showing a poor attitude. The biggest instance of this was arguably calling out Stephanie McMahon on Twitter during the #GiveDivasAChance drama. That wasn't part of a storyline.

How did the WWE punish her? They didn't. There was speculation that they would take the title away from her before she could beat the record for longest Diva's Championship reign. They didn't. They followed up with having her go over all the other divas at Wrestlemania. She would go on to get two more runs with the title. Even after the incident on Twitter, the WWE gave her another Wrestlemania win, leaving her undefeated at Wrestlemania. And she was the one that retired just a few days after that. They didn't fire her.

I have said before that I would have made the same decision to have Nikki Bella break AJ's record. It's not because Nikki is so amazing. It's not to be petty towards AJ Lee. It's about doing something to put your foot down with AJ Lee. A little too late for that? She probably isn't too upset about losing the record. Nevertheless, send a message to the roster that a worker cannot act like she did and get rewarded for it.

The WWE just seems like hypocrites at times. Unprofessional conduct with no malicious intent leads to a guy being suspended. On the other side of that, unprofessional conduct where it doesn't seem like just joking around leads to a woman continuing to be booked to make history. I don't care to read one day that AJ says management was unhappy with what she did and yelled at her backstage. For everything she did and continued to do, the WWE should have done more to put her in her place. They definitely should not have continued to book her so well. Some fans have said that the WWE should have just told Titus O'Neil off backstage and left it at that. Yeah, I think that punishment might be closer to the crime.Or, as I said before, fine him. I read that the WWE wants to send a message to workers to watch their behavior. You do that by picking on a guy so down the ladder as Titus O'Neil? Next time, suspend a top star for doing something like what he did.

There are some people that would say no one should be above the rules. Some coaches are respected for being just as tough on star players as they are with rookies and everyone else on the team. I am a little bit more loose than that. I would allow certain individuals that just bring amazing results or are so crucial to what you do that you would be doomed without them to get away with things here and there. Let them get away with murder? No, I won't go that far. Some talk about the power LeBron James has. He has the power to get coaches fired, supposedly. Considering how great he has been, you can understand why he has that power. I don't feel anyone in the WWE should have that power. No one is that great. Titus O'Neil is not above the law. AJ Lee certainly was not bringing A+ results. John Cena, with his mixed reactions and decade at the top while ratings have been going in the wrong direction, does not deserve to be above the rules. The WWE can lose anyone and still be in the same mess they are in. They need better management of their product. And if the WWE continues to treat individuals they want to be so great better than individuals that really are great, they will continue to be in trouble.