Wrestlemania 31 Preview: Part 1

I'm going to spend the rest of the week previewing Wrestlemania. I will start with the least important matches first.

The diva match is the least important match on the card. That is not a shot at the women in the match. The WWE has just not made a great match here. Nothing is on the line. No legends are involved. It just hasn't been treated as anything too important. They have tried to tie in #GiveDivasAChance into it, but that protest has lost momentum, not gained it. I would say the faces should win. Let me take it one step further. While surveying #GiveDivasAChance last week, I saw a fan say she hoped AJ Lee got her Wrestlemania moment this year. I told her AJ already got her moment last year. She said AJ should have another one. Okay. That's nice. Not that it matters at all, but I would let Paige get the pinfall/submission for her team, if they are winning. Just a nice gesture.

The tag titles are on the line in the pre-show. Tyson Kidd & Cesaro defend against Los Matadores, New Day, and The Usos. The Champions just won it last month. No need to shoot it back to The Usos, who are the only team I think has the credibility to win it. The Prime Time Players and The Ascension should have been in this match. Not that it matters. A lot of sloppy development in the last few weeks.

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal is in its second year. Winning this isn't anything too major, but things like this can still be fun. Who wins? A lot of possibilities. Axel? Sandow? Mark Henry? Miz? These are the guys I think have a good shot to win it. I would like to see Mark Henry win it. Of course, I can also see him being the last guy eliminated. Axel or Sandow would get a big pop for winning. Let's see if this year's winner ends up with a better push after Wrestlemania than last year's winner.

Axelmania

Many fans once thought Randy Orton would never get over. He did. They said the same thing about Jack Swagger. He did. Add Curtis Axel to the list?

His current comedy storyline is getting a positive reaction. I wouldn't say he has A or A+ overness, but the reaction is better than no reaction. A lot of guys get good reactions with comedy gimmicks. Sandow did. Santino did. Some of these gimmicks do flop now and then, but it does not change the fact that a lot of guys get over with this type of gimmick. Some people say comedy is the lowest form of entertainment. I am sure most horror movies are also down there. I am still a fan of horror movies. But as far as Curtis Axel goes, the good connection he is developing now does not mean he has to be pushed hard. And I would not expect the WWE to push him hard. There are guys that are better in the ring. There are guys that are better on the mic. There are guys that are just more deserving.

Should he win the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal? There is no huge push associated with this win. Cesaro won it last year and the WWE didn't push him properly after. If anything, it would be good for a short burst of momentum. In terms of the storyline, I would let Curtis Axel win. I was talking about guys that are more deserving, but most of them won't be in this match. Axel was never eliminated at the Royal Rumble. Axelmania. The gimmick is working out. I think they might as well go for it. It isn't really about rewarding him as much as it is developing and delivering on a good storyline. If they once let Santino win a diva battle royal at Wrestlemania, I would not be surprised if they let Axel win this battle royal in a few weeks.

While scouting #GiveDivasAChance a few days ago, I noticed someone say that he couldn't wait to see a diva do what Ryder, Sandow, and Axel have done. What did he mean by that? He didn't make it clear. I asked him, but he never responded. Okay, just have to figure it out on my own. They are all guys that got over through comedy-orientated gimmicks. Ryder was not even being pushed and had to do it on his Youtube show. Sandow did it by imitating people, particularly Miz. I already brought up Axel. And this guy on Twitter wants to see a diva do that. There have been some divas with that kind of gimmick that could have stolen the show. Jillian had a comedy gimmick. Emma did. But no low-tier credible jobber with that kind of gimmick ever has gotten over.

Honestly, I do not find it too impressive. Out of those three men that guy brought up, only Ryder really impresses me because he wasn't even getting an opportunity and made something happen for himself. Of those three, I can only picture Sandow being a credible performer without the gimmick and being a good upper-midcarder, if not main-eventer. If you have a gimmick that is working out and the WWE allows you to go out there and do your act, you are not really overcoming the WWE's mistreatment of you. If they ever took the gimmick away, would you still remain over? Even with the gimmick, are you still connecting with all types of fans in a good, consistent manner? That is what determines whether or not you have A or A+ overness, or if you are just a B+ player that the fans will one day lose interest in.

As far as divas go, I would not be too impressed if any diva got over off a certain gimmick. Keep in mind that a lot of divas are inconsistently pushed. Those would be the credible jobbers. These days, that is even a few periphery divas. So what if you get over off a certain gimmick? If the WWE does not really want you over, they will pull the plug. That is what they did with Mickie James. She had a psycho gimmick that was tied to a feud designed to put over Trish Stratus, the centerpiece of the diva division. Once that storyline ended, the gimmick ended. Mickie James was getting over off that gimmick. Guess what? Taking the gimmick away did not stop her from remaining over and becoming the most over diva on the roster. That's impressive. People make a big deal out of guys getting over off of comedy gimmicks. Some even want to see divas do that. How about those individuals that can connect in a great way with the fans without being pushed or without being pushed with any gimmick? When you are put in a position where you are not likely to get over, that is the situation where getting very over should be impressive. When you are put in a position where people do get over, simply getting that over is not too impressive. Can you go above and beyond? When they pull the plug on you, can you still overcome that? These are the things that are impressive.

I will wait a while before I say this Curtis Axel thing is impressive. They'll turn him face and push him well for a while. But let's see how he lasts. I doubt this is anything near what you had with Daniel Bryan. Regardless, it is one of the interesting things about this year's Wrestlemania season.

Sheamus Vs. Cesaro At Payback

What else does Curtis Axel 2.0 need? He has Paul Heyman as a manager. He is getting a mediocre push. A midcard title! Curtis Axel won the Intercontinental Championship last year while aligned with Paul Heyman. And Cesaro stands a chance at regaining the United States Championship at Payback.

Sheamus will defend against Cesaro at Payback. Cesaro was supposed to be someone that did not need generic midcard title feuds to stay interesting. I said Curtis Axel got a mediocre push last year. Some might disagree. He wrestled top guys like Triple H. Thing is, that push was more hype than substance. He was getting fluke wins. No one in their right mind could really take him seriously. Cesaro is better than that. I would rather he was getting those rubs with top stars. And I'm not talking about fluke wins. Sheamus is a former multi-time World Champion, but he doesn't have that credibility right now. He's a midcarder. He's a B+ player. And that is the same type of treatment Cesaro is getting. It is better than where he was a few months ago, but he should get more.

Who wins? Sheamus just won the title a few weeks ago. Did they really give it to him just to shoot it to Cesaro? Losing could hurt Cesaro's momentum even more. Could this be a good feud if they carry it beyond Payback? Sheamus somehow retains at Payback, but Cesaro stays in the hunt and eventually wins the title. If developed properly, this might not be a bad feud to extend. Hornswoggle vs. El Torito is a bad feud to extend. Yes, I'm an old man and I hate fun. No, not really. You could just be devoting that time to pushing other guys better that could really use it or deserve it. As for this U.S. title match, I think Cesaro should win. They need to do something to improve his push.

One Night Sums Up The WWE Tag Division

This week's Raw featured a match between The Usos and The Rhodes. Ryback and Curtis Axel were on commentary. They are being developed for a title feud. Looking at that, you can just get the feeling that things might be picking up for the tag division. They are actually developing a feud for the tag teams.

That feeling just doesn't last. That same night, the WWE teased friction between The Rhodes. Cody Rhodes and Goldust will likely be splitting up soon. I wouldn't have minded seeing them split up a few months ago for a match at Wrestlemania. It could have been a great midcard match. Goldust is a legend and Cody Rhodes is very good in the ring. And there could be a good story there. Regardless, a split will happen. That means one less tag team in the division. And this is a tag team that looked so hot a few months ago.

What happened in that segment on Raw pretty much sums up the tag division these days. They can show promise in how they are treating the teams here and there, but they are never consistent. Aside from chasing after the tag titles, the only thing most teams can look forward to is splitting up. The Shield and The Wyatts are special teams. You can argue that they are above the tag division. They are busy working with main-eventers. Being stuck in the tag title chase would be a demotion for them. These other teams, however, are pushed very inconsistently.

Should Ryback and Curtis Axel win the tag titles? In my opinion, this would be the worst team to hold it in quite some time. The Usos won it when they were hot. The New Age Outlaws are legends and got a good reaction from those fans nostalgic about the Attitude Era. The Rhodes won it when they were hot and in the midst of a big storyline. The Shield were being booked strong when they won it. Daniel Bryan and Kane were definitely a top team to win it. That is over a year of good decisions in passing the titles around. I am not saying it was great. It was good. The New Age Outlaws are old and all that other negative stuff you can say about them, but they didn't hold the titles long. But Ryback and Curtis Axel? I won't even call them by their team name. They are not that hot. The WWE can develop them to have momentum in this feud, but that does not mean that momentum is translating well in connecting with the fans. I do not think they should win the titles. And I don't think they will. This is most likely a filler title defense for The Usos.

How about The Usos? I talked about Cody Rhodes and Goldust looking so great a few months ago. The Usos also felt so great a while ago. They are still being featured pretty consistently, but they just don't seem as hot as they were. They feel stale. I am not criticizing them. I am criticizing how the WWE is featuring them. The issue is a lack of good creative investment. Creative investment helped Cody Rhodes and Goldust look so amazing a while back. A lack of it has killed them and gotten some fans to say the WWE messed up with them. And it looks like the WWE will mess up again with The Usos.

Curtis Axel And Ryback To Go After The Tag Titles?

Last week, I mentioned some teams I would like to see feud against The Rhodes for the tag titles. I did not mention Curtis Axel and Ryback. It did cross my mind to mention them. They are heels. They aren't exactly lower-midcarders. Why didn't I mention them? To put it simply, this was not a team I wanted to see The Rhodes go against. Since it looks like the WWE is going in this direction, I should talk about them.

Why exactly did I not care about seeing these two get a title shot? For one thing, in comparison to Swagger & Cesaro and The Wyatts, this team has barely been around for long. Curtis Axel was aligned with Paul Heyman. A few months ago, Ryback joined Heyman and a partnership was formed. This is still a pretty new tag team. But it is more than just this idea of seniority, if you want to consider it that. Ryback and Curtis Axel have no real gimmick together. The Real Americans have a clear gimmick that links them. The Wyatts have a clear gimmick that links them. Curtis Axel and Ryback's bond is based on the fact that they used to be aligned with Paul Heyman. Heyman is gone now. They have no common gimmick. This is pretty much two midcarders that they still want to feature for a while and a tag team is a convenient way to do it. More teams are deserving.

Should this team win the tag titles? I don't think they will, but should they? I am not against Ryback winning a title. Curtis Axel has already held some titles in the WWE. But why would this team need the tag titles? To drop it off to another deserving face team? It would be a waste of time. There are more deserving heel teams that could be used for that. I would say that this feud will just amount to The Rhodes getting a successful title defense, then moving on to better things.

Even though I do not like this tag team, I am not saying that Ryback and Curtis Axel should have nothing to do. Why not have them feud against each other? Their current angle might lead to that. Turn one of them face. I would pick Curtis Axel for that. Ryback makes for a very good heel. Many might say that Curtis Axel would never make it as a face. Well, he isn't exactly becoming a major star as a heel, is he? Try something different with him. If it does not work, start depushing him. But having these two feud against each other could make for a good non-title midcard feud.

Big E Langston: Big Face Jobbber To The Stars

One of the bad things about not following through with Team Heyman vs. Team Punk at Survivor Series is that guys that could have benefited from being supporting players in that feud are left with nothing important to do. One of these individuals is Big E Langston. He turned face during this storyline. He looked like he would enter a feud with Curtis Axel over the Intercontinental Championship. That didn't work out.

What has he been doing? Pretty much being used as a jobber to the stars. He wins here and there against guys at his level and under him, but he also got used to put over Randy Orton recently. No storylines or legitimate feuds. That is what it means to be a midcarder these days. It was obvious that this would eventually happen to Big E Langston after his face turn, but having him actually remain involved in the feud between CM Punk and Paul Heyman would have made him look more interesting for a little while longer.

What about the other supporting players in that feud? Some of them are in an even worse position than Big E Langston. Both Kofi Kingston and R-Truth feuded against Curtis Axel in recent months, and both would have been obvious choices to keep in the storyline. Nothing from them now. Ryback is lost in the shuffle just like Big E, while also being used as a jobber to the stars. And then there is Curtis Axel. He still has his title. Many are left wondering why. He is also not doing anything major. In the end, all this was to be expected. Would have been better if they booked Heyman/Punk better.

Has CM Punk Found Yet Another Friend?

If the WWE is planning to have the Punk/Heyman feud lead to a big tag match at Survivor Series, CM Punk may have found another member for his team. Big E Langston turned face on Smackdown last week to stand with CM Punk against Heyman's guys.

Is this a good thing for Big E? Obviously, in terms of a short-term push, this is great thing for the guy. However, in terms of the long-term potential of what will likely happen, I would not expect too much. How many years now has the WWE had an issue with keeping the ball rolling properly with midarders? Even though Big E is getting pushed and a part of a storyline, he is merely a supporting player in someone else's storyline. Don't make too much of that.

Should he win the Intercontinental Championship from Curtis Axel? I wouldn't be surprised if he did, but I would have chosen to give it to R-Truth. Big E is still in his rookie year on the main roster. R-Truth as never held this title before and he has been almost as solid a midcarder as Kofi Kingston. Do more with R-Truth. Big E will still have time to solidify his overness. If they rush the title on him, I can picture things going for him as they did Big Zeke. Remember his run with the Intercontinental Championship? No? If they do give Big E the title, hopefully they make his reign a little more memorable.

Has CM Punk Found A Friend?

A while ago, I said one of the likely things to do with this feud between CM Punk and Paul Heyman was to give CM Punk someone to help him against Heyman's henchmen. Two against one just screams for that lone guy to get a friend, or get one of the antagonists out of the way or be prepared for one to conquer two. Getting CM Punk a friend just seemed like the best option. Recently, R-Truth has been thrown into the mix. He teamed with Punk on Raw. He has been feuding with Curtis Axel. Is this the start of a beautiful relationship?

Part of me likes how things went down on Raw in regards to this storyline. The story in the tag match was pretty good. Punk actually acted pretty friendly towards R-Truth. If they are going to start pushing these two as a team as long as Ryback and Curtis Axel are a team, this is a good way to get things started.

Part of me also dislikes how things went down on Raw in regards to this storyline. This feud between CM Punk and Paul Heyman had so much heat to it. It looked like a lot of fans and critics would be naming this the feud of the year. They still might, but it has taken a step back. CM Punk was talking and acting like he was out to murder Paul Heyman for weeks and weeks. This week, that emotion was not there. I would be the first to say never jump to conclusions after just one week, but if CM Punk was so determined to get Heyman, didn't he have a good chance on Raw? He takes out both Axel and Ryback, leaving R-Truth to clean things up and win the match, and doesn't chase after Heyman? Not to blame the writers, but I wonder if the WWE knows how to progress things from here between CM Punk and Paul Heyman in a good way.

Lastly, assuming they do run with R-Truth in this angle, is he a good choice? Considering I was saying they should run with Kofi Kingston, I wouldn't say picking R-Truth instead is a bad idea. Considering that this storyline could lead to Curtis Axel eventually dropping the title to someone aligned with CM Punk, why not R-Truth? He has not held as many midcard titles as Kofi Kingston. They just need to get him involved a lot more in promos. Make this thing more interesting. If they don't do that, and they don't bring back that fire between Punk and Heyman, this storyline may not be as great as it could have been.

CM Punk Vs. Paul Heyman & Friends

Unlike last time, where I compared two wrestlers and gave an opinion about which of the two I think deserves a push right now, I am actually going to be talking about a feud this time. Mr. Ice Cream vs. The Walrus. Of course, Paul Heyman has two full-time roster members on his side, Ryback and Curtis Axel. How should the WWE handle this feud now that Punk has even more henchmen to work against?

Punk has to contend with two wrestlers against him. The obvious answer would be to give him a partner to help him feud against Ryback and Curtis Axel, which would then lead to Punk getting further in his quest to get Heyman. But who? If Rob Van Dam was not still feuding against Alberto Del Rio, I believe he would have been a great choice. Who else? How about Kofi Kingston? When ever I sound unhappy about Kofi Kingston getting all these midcard title feuds, it is because I think this guy deserves better pushes here and there. And this would be a better push for him. Would Kofi fit into this storyline? He did win the tag titles with CM Punk before. Not a lot of people bring that up. They have some kind of history, even though it is not that storied. Moreover, Kofi was having a little mini-feud with Axel a few weeks ago. Even though Kofi Kingston may not be the best choice to team with CM Punk, he seems like the best out of those that are available.

There is a path that doesn't really seem too likely. Ditch Axel. That sounds a bit harsh. The fact is, CM Punk has already proven that he could get through Curtis Axel. The next step should be to prove he can get through Ryback. How do you write off Curtis Axel? It depends on how the WWE wants to progress the feud after Ryback. Is this leading to a tag match at Survivor Series or not? If it is, you might want Axel back in the picture for the big PPV. That would mean simply writing Axel off for a few weeks, which would mean an injury angle. Have CM Punk destroy Axel. Would that mean the Intercontinental Championship would be vacated or not defended during that time. Not necessarily. Have Axel drop the title, then have Punk destroy him. If the WWE is not thinking about a Survivor Series elimination match for this feud, why not have Heyman simply drop Axel as a client for not living up to his standards? That would be simple. By doing things this way, the feud becomes just between CM Punk and Ryback for a while. You wouldn't have to think about who can help Punk against Heyman's henchmen.

The last possibility that I should bring up, the WWE does not get CM Punk a partner to help him and does not get Axel out of the picture. The heels are obviously not going to crush CM Punk in this feud, so you are going to have CM Punk overcoming the odds and doing it all himself. I hope they don't do that. That sounds like Cena. Then again, I don't think most fans will complain about it.

Your New Heyman Guy: Ryback

The feud between Paul Heyman and CM Punk is not over yet. Punk did not get sweet revenge at Night of Champions. Someone did indeed come out to help Heyman. That someone would be Ryback.

Something you might be wondering, why didn't I speculate that it would be Brock Lesnar coming in to rescue Heyman? He has so many times before. I just wasn't feeling it. First, you just had CM Punk and Lesnar going at it a month ago. It just seemed too soon to bring him back. It also seemed just too obvious. Moreover, it would kind of be a step back. It would be like a roller coaster. Having Punk feud with Lesnar was huge, then you drop down to feuding with Curtis Axel, then you quickly zoom back up back to Lesnar. The development and progression of the feud would be better if you develop up to that moment CM Punk finally gets his hands on Heyman without anyone interfering.

And bringing in Ryback is good development to this feud. How many people actually took Curtis Axel too seriously? Ryback is obviously not Brock Lesnar, but he is a good step up from Curtis Axel. And that is a good way of building this storyline up. I was hoping that there would be more Heyman guys in between Punk and Heyman. If they just left it at Lesnar and Axel, the typical way to build this feud would have been to just have Punk knock off Axel on his way to a match or two with Lesnar, then get Heyman. Inserting more guys on Heyman's side makes this more elaborate, which I like.

What does this mean for Ryback? He was lost in the shuffle for around two months now. I was saying that he should get more involved in the corporate stable currently being pushed. If they are not running with that, having him align with Heyman is great for him. I think they are progressing this feud well.

Heyman & Axel Vs. CM Punk At Night Of Champions

This one isn't about titles. This one is personal. And it isn't even really about Curtis Axel, the Intercontinental Champion. The issue here is really between CM Punk and Paul Heyman. But will it end at Night of Champions?

CM Punk just seems to have all the momentum heading into the PPV. Paul Heyman has already sold that he doesn't believe Axel will be enough to save him and he is likely to get destroyed by Punk at Night of Champions. Having it work that easily just isn't believable. Go back to when John Cena was going to have a match against John Laurinaitis. Things just seemed too in the favor of Cena. What happened? Big Show screwed Cena. Who will come in to save Heyman? I am not even going to bother speculating on that. Fact is, if they were really developing this to be the end of the feud, I think they would have done a better job in giving the heels the momentum or spreading it more evenly. Right now, everything just seems too good for Punk. He can beat Axel. After that, there's Heyman.

Assuming the feud does continue, Survivor Series would be the perfect PPV to finally end it, in my opinion. Team Punk vs. Team Heyman. I miss Survivor Series matches where something is actually at stake. If Punk's team wins, Heyman is either gone or has to finally get in the ring with Punk without any help from Axel and whoever else. If Heyman's team wins, Punk is out of the WWE or is forced to once again work for Paul Heyman. One of the ideas coming up in promos has been that Heyman has been somewhat leaching off of Punk. Why wouldn't he want to leach some more? We were the best in the world? That was CM Punk. Heyman was just along for the ride. Problem is, can they prolong this storyline properly until November? I think it is possible. Just have Punk feud against the next Heyman guy in line. Could be good.

Curtis Axel's Slowed Momentum

I've spoken about Curtis Axel recently mainly in terms of being a possible opponent for faces to feud with. But how has the Intercontinental Champion been doing?

Things certainly have slowed for him since that big push started. No angle with Triple H. Lost to Chris Jericho. No real feud for him right now. After so much hype for the guy when he first aligned with Paul Heyman, it seems like he is not living up to the push. I don't blame him. I have my doubts about how serious the WWE was about this push to start with. Having him pick up these fluke wins would get him over? Really? People would buy into him just because certain top individuals put him over in promos. I don't think so. They didn't keep the ball rolling by having him get proper feuds with top stars. If they built up his credibility better, he might have stood a better chance of getting over. He still might not have gotten over, but he would have had a better chance. This guy isn't good enough to get over without a proper build.

Right now, he is a pawn in the issues between CM Punk and Paul Heyman. That is not a bad thing. I like how that feud is set up. I wish there were a few more Heyman guys on his side for Punk to run through before Brock Lesnar and eventually Heyman, himself. I also wish they had not wasted Curtis Axel's first loss on Chris Jericho. Save it for CM Punk on his road to Heyman. It would have meant more. I don't need to say too much about potential feuds Axel could have been getting now. RVD and Miz are two options I have already mentioned in recent days. Despite no personal feud, Curtis Axel may have lost momentum, but he's not entirely buried, yet.

Payback 2013 Title Matches

The Intercontinental Championship match for Payback was originally supposed to be Fandango vs. Miz vs. Wade Barrett. An injury took Fandango out. Had it not been for that injury, Fandango was the favorite to walk out with the title. Given the attention he has gotten thanks to that fad, a title run would be a good way to continue pushing him. Miz didn't seem likely to take the title. Miz has been away here and there in the last 12 months, but he has still managed to win the Intercontinental Championship twice. Another reign from the guy he already traded the title with was not likely. Enter Curtis Axel. He is taking Fandango's place. If they are developing this guy as something special, there is no doubt that they are not going to have him lose so soon. All his wins against stars above him have been flukes, but they do not seem to want to bury him. A title reign is likely for him. Even though this was one of the last people I would want to see get this big of a push, this is the kind of guy I would like to see hold the Intercontinental title. I don't like seeing former World Champions holding midcard singles titles too much. And I also don't like seeing the same people winning those titles. Moreover, Curtis Axel isn't the kind of guy I picture them handing the title to and then losing him in the shuffle easily. I actually think the WWE would do a good job with a title run for him.

Dolph Ziggler has returned to defend his title against Alberto Del Rio. Based on how boringly this feud has been handled while Ziggler was out, it would be easy for me to say that Del Rio won't win it. If he was going to win it, they would develop him better. On the other hand, how good to go is Ziggler? If he is not, they may put the title back on Del Rio more out of necessity than actually wanting to. Having a World Champion that can go in the ring is worth more than having one that cannot.

John Cena vs. Ryback. Three Stages of Hell. This match will most likely end the feud. Who wins? The answer to that one is obvious. But should Ryback win it? Does he deserve to be the first new World Champion in the WWE in over a year? If this was back when he was feuding with CM Punk, my answer would be different. He had so much momentum back then. That would have been the best time to give him the WWE Championship, even though it would mean giving CM Punk's big title reign a sooner demise. Now, however, Ryback does not have that same momentum anymore. He is there to put Cena over. Not that it matters, but if I were to predict who takes each fall, Cena wins the first, Ryback wins the second, and Cena wins the third to retain the title. What about the potential swerve of CM Punk hiding in the ambulance? He doesn't show up for his match with Jericho, but does show up later in the main event. That is an idea many fans have mentioned. It can be a way to restart the feud between CM Punk and Cena. That epic feud between the two started around this time of year. What better time to restart it? I'm not expecting any swerves in the main event. Let's just see what happens.

Triple H Feuds With Curtis Axel

The WWE actually brought back Vince McMahon and Stephanie McMahon to Raw this week. LeBron James must have been on their minds. The McMahons were united to stand against Triple H facing Curtis Axel. The rematch did not happen, but supposedly will next week.

It is an interesting storyline. They have made it personal. They are treating it as something major. You have Stephanie even referring to Triple H by his real first name. The way they are setting the whole thing up is something I like.

What don't I like? They are doing all this for Curtis Axel? Who has this guy legitimately beaten? Sin Cara? This kind of storyline would be believable if Brock Lesnar was the heel involved. When Brock broke Triple H's arm last year, I don't remember Vince and Stephanie absolutely refusing to let Triple H face him. I don't remember them blocking it from happening this year in their two matches. Brock Lesnar has proven to be more dangerous. Curtis Axel just benefited from Triple H still hurting from what Brock had done to him. I understand very well that the idea is Triple H may not be prepared to compete after what happened to him during his first match with Axel, but he is obviously going to recover sooner or later. He has been injured before. It is a nice storyline to have, but seems wasted at this moment.

Of course, on the other side of that coin, it is good that they are developing some kind of feud for Curtis Axel. Depending on how they handle this injury angle, they might even let him beat Triple H in a more decisive fashion next time. Triple H can always take the win back down the road. Curtis Axel has gotten too many cheap wins against top stars. His win against Cena this week is another example of that. How about actually having him pin one of these guys?  It does not have to be a clean win. How can you build up his credibility with these joke finishes?

Your New Heyman Guy: Curtis Axel

Over the last two days, I have been saying that I don't like overkill. Giving one person too much more than they may need at a time when many other people are not getting anything great can get annoying. It's okay to do it in moderation, especially in those situations where you would like to cause a shot of controversy to draw or honor someone that has really earned it. But if you do it too much, it might start losing value and not even be effective, in addition to leaving others with scraps. I talked about this with Dean Ambrose winning the U.S. Championship and AJ Lee likely getting the Diva's Championship. I don't hate Dean Ambrose. I don't think AJ Lee should be getting nothing to do at all. Right now, I feel what they are doing with Curtis Axel (former Michael McGillicutty) will become overkill.

Recently, there was a dirtsheet report that the reason Antonio Cesaro was depushed was because he was boring. That is believable. I even said that depushing someone if they are not connecting well with the fans is understandable. Funny thing is, I seem to remember the WWE burying Michael McGillicutty a few years ago for not being exciting. This was back when he was teaming with Otunga. And this was no rumor or something being reported by those sites. The WWE actually ran an angle with it. What exactly has this guy done since then to deserve what he is getting now? Right now, I don't consider myself a fan of either Antonio Cesaro or Curtis Axel. However, I would say that Cesaro actually deserves a better push right now out of the two.

Who can forget Chris Jericho's epic return in 2012? There was this aura of mystery around it. Why was he acting like that? Did he have a scheme to win the Royal Rumble? Would he win the WWE Championship? And nothing happened. All that hype, and nothing happened. To me, this week's Raw felt the same way.

With all that out of the way, let's go to the issue itself. The WWE hyped that Paul Heyman had signed a new client. When I heard that, I got excited about who it could be. A lot of people were thinking that it could be the return of Rob Van Dam or Batista. I didn't think it would be Batista. Would it be a midcard heel? Would it be Randy Orton turning heel? Zack Ryder getting that big push after all this time complaining? Jinder Mahal? No one ever expects Jinder Mahal. Heyman hyped it up so well, which is nothing unusual for him. And then, Michael McGillicutty comes up on the tron. I thought that it had to be some kind of swerve. Somebody bigger than that had to be coming out later in the night to save Heyman from Triple H. Nope. And I did not see anything special in his match against Triple H. Of course, it was Triple H he was going against and the story of the match was more about Triple H not being able to continue the match.

Does Curtis Axel deserve the rub of aligning with Paul Heyman and the debut match against Triple H? I am not against this guy getting an opportunity. How about repackaging him and bringing him back as a midcarder? Obviously, he stands a better chance of possibly succeeding with this kind of push he is getting now than a regular midcard push, but there are other individuals who are showing better potential who are already featured more regularly who can use the kind of push he is getting. And to repeat the three ideas I mentioned previously, this can end up being overkill, they are giving a big push to a guy they themselves buried for being boring, and all this hype may not lead to success. If this guy is going to succeed, I am going to hope it is going to be up to him, not Paul Heyman and the WWE carrying him. I will not like this guy just because Paul Heyman and whoever else praises him. I am not that kind of fan. For me, it doesn't really matter how good this guy is on the mic. Heyman will be his mouthpiece. But he does need to show a good character and step up in the ring. Of course, if people do buy into him without any real improvement from him and he gets over, then he has earned his spot. You don't earn a spot by impressing me.