Does Smackdown Need More Authority Drama?

The Authority was a stable that many fans felt ran its course years ago. It just kept going. You had Triple H and his long speeches. You had Stephanie McMahon slapping everyone around and never getting her true comeuppance. Even though the stable is dead, Stephanie and Triple H are still very much involved in Raw storylines.

Smackdown has been a little different. There is no authority stable. The only storylines Daniel Bryan has been involved in, beyond just making matches, have involved him getting knocked verbally by other wrestlers, mainly The Miz. But that never really led to anything. It is a little refreshing to have that change compared to The Authority being involved so much in the big storylines like they were for years.

But could the WWE do more? There is definitely potential. Shane McMahon got attacked by Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. That looked like it might lead to something. Shane McMahon, obviously, is not afraid to still get in the ring. Even if he was not going to wrestle Lesnar just yet, or ever, they still could have used this for a storyline. How about Shane decides to bring in Goldberg to handle Lesnar for him? The way the WWE handled the creation of the feud between and Goldberg and Lesnar was a little mediocre. They just took advantage of their ESPN connection to start a storyline. What I do like is that Goldberg made himself sound like he was the good guy, the superhero, out to stop Lesnar. It is better than making this match feel like it was just thrown together, like Lesnar vs. Orton. Nevertheless, the WWE could have unlocked a lot more storyline potential that might have helped Smackdown to get some of the rub from Goldberg vs. Lesnar II.

Should the WWE do more with Smackdown's authority figures? It can help create more drama. The WWE just has to not make the mistake of going too far with it. They have to know when to cut it off and just ease up. They might get Shane and Danial Bryan more involved in storylines around Wrestlemania next year. Since Smackdown is only two hours, it might be a bad decision to really have authority figures take up too much time. If Smackdown does get an extra hour, however, utilizing the authority figures more might be a good idea.

Prefab Stars

Prefab. Makes me think back to when I would go on long road trips with my family when I was younger. I would sometimes see these houses being towed down the highway. I don't mean mobile homes. I mean actual houses. It was a sight to see back then. These houses would be taken to a site and set up there. Instead of building the home piece by piece at the site, most of the work is done elsewhere, the site is prepared, and then everything comes together. Seems pretty efficient.

What does that have to do with anything? I've been thinking about how the WWE has been handling the debut of new talent from NXT, and even the indies, in the last year. There is obviously a problem. I am not even the only one seeing it. I notice more and more wrestling fans bringing it up. The WWE just seems to be running on the assumption that people are watching NXT and know who these wrestlers are. If someone is making some noise in NXT, the WWE seems to act like they are automatically stars when they come to the main roster.

These are prefab stars. The WWE is treating NXT like it is just some kind of star factory. And it isn't. These performers are only connecting with a minority of the WWE's total audience. By treating these workers like they are already established, the WWE is alienating a lot of fans. They are either going to start following NXT, and likely subscribing to the WWE Network, or they will just get annoyed and stop watching. If they are having a tough time connecting with the product, why should they keep watching?

One of the things about prefab homes is that the site still has to be prepared. There is work to be done once the sections of the house get there. Workers don't just dump it and leave. The "site" these prefab NXT stars are coming to is obviously the main roster. And that is a mess. The brand split did not fix anything. If anything, some depth issues might have popped up due to the brand split. The WWE is inefficient on the main roster. Smackdown is a little more efficient than Raw, but that doesn't mean it is perfect. It has not been regularly getting more viewers than Raw, even with Raw going against football now. The main roster needs to be handled better to create a better foundation. All houses need a solid foundation. The same goes for the WWE.

Another reason the WWE should not be relying on NXT as a star factory, it is just better for fans to see that growth and development for themselves. There is entertainment value in that and that is what really helps someone get over. If the WWE just brings someone from NXT or the indies and starts talking about how great he is, the millions of viewers that don't follow NXT and the indies will just be hearing all this hype and might not be seeing the actual character development to help that worker get truly over. There is nothing entertaining about building a house. I have never built one, but I have been around when the house I am living in went through renovations. Very stressful. But this is pro wrestling. It is supposed to be entertaining. And building a star should be entertaining for the fans. Let me bring up a few names to illustrate my points further.

Look at AJ Styles. He didn't go through NXT, but he is an indies guy. Needless to say, wrestling fans loved this guy for over a decade. When the WWE debuted him, they hyped up how popular he was. Who is being targeted with that? Wrestling fans already love the guy. The wider audience is supposed to love the guy because other people do and the WWE is telling them to? The WWE then went through various motions with Styles and he has been heel for the last few months. If he was really so popular, why didn't his heel turn flop because fans refuse to hate him? Smarks will cheer for him because they cheer for guys like him, but the wider audience definitely does not appear to be sold on him.

Look at Daniel Bryan. The WWE wishes AJ Styles could be that over. Daniel Bryan was loved by wrestling fans even before coming to the WWE. They were the ones that really fought for him to come back after being fired. But he did not yet have A+ overness. How did he get it? Thanks to the whole "Yes!" and "No!" chants. And it all played out for the audience to see on the main roster. It was something that energized them and something they could play along with. AJ Styles has not done anything like that. #BeatUpJohnCena appeals to the smark crowd, the ones already loving Styles before he came to the WWE and that have been annoyed by Cena for the last decade. He has not done anything to become A+ over on the main roster.

American Alpha did go through NXT. If you think about it, these two are the kind of guys that wrestling fans should love. They are wrestlers. But they are pretty boring and have not gotten as over as the WWE might have expected. The WWE put that focus on this team when Smackdown became its own brand again. They looked like the obvious winners of the new tag titles that were being made. They flopped. Heath Slater & Rhyno rose. These two guys, unlike American Alpha, actually had an interesting storyline that played out for the general audience to see. American Alpha needs to be a part of some interesting angles. It is not as easy to pander to wrestling fans as it might sometimes seem.

Women's wrestling has been hot in NXT. Some women made a name for themselves down there. But how have these women done on the main roster. In terms of their performances, none of them have lived up to the hype, in my opinion. I just expected much better from these women after all the hype I have been hearing in recent years. And I don't just mean in terms of wrestling. Their promos are also often not as great as I expected. Their characters also do not seem that entertaining. Blame the WWE for certain things, but these women also need to improve. In terms of their overness, none of them are as over as they should be. One of the dumbest things the WWE has done with them in recent weeks was that Sasha Banks angle on Raw. Why even fake a retirement for her? I talked about it before, so I won't say much more. I will say that they put her in a position to draw and it flopped. If the WWE fell for the hype generated by smarks over Sasha Banks, they made a terrible mistake. Sasha Banks still needs to be pushed a lot better than she has for her to get over to the point where she might draw.

On the other side of that, look at Mickie James. She wasn't a big name in wrestling when the WWE signed her. OVW back then isn't like NXT now. There was no big hype for her when she debuted on the main roster. She eventually became the most over diva on the roster, connecting well with both wrestling fans and the general audience. And she did it without the hype that women like Sasha Banks and Bayley have gotten. How did she do it? She earned it on the main roster. Even when the WWE took away her psycho gimmick and gave her the inconsistent treatment of a generic credible jobber, she solidified her overness. She did it by just having qualities that could appeal to various types of fans. She was a solid in-ring worker that can get wrestling fans on her side. She had an appealing look that could attract fans interested in that. And she had a charisma that could also draw in fans. Sasha Banks has been pushed like a credible jobber in her rookie year on the main roster, which makes the WWE's decision to give her that fake retirement segment even more weird. Unlike Mickie James, she is not a credible jobber that has earned her overness on the main roster. She cannot simply rest on her success in NXT. And if the WWE is serious about her being a star, they can't make that mistake, as well.

Building a prefab house is not as easy as it may sound. There is still a lot of work to do, both at the factory and at the site. The same thing has to be true for prefab stars the WWE is creating in NXT or taking from the indies. Yeah, develop them in NXT, but there is still work to be done when they get to the main roster. There are millions of fans that did not see them in NXT or the indies and are not going to be sold on them right away. To treat these workers like they are already established is something that could lead to these fans not watching anymore. And the foundation on the main roster needs to improve. Without that, a lot of these prefab stars are just going to flop on the main roster. Just like a building needs a good foundation, so does the main roster. 

Miz Takes A Shot At Daniel Bryan, Gets Dolph Ziggler

Last week on Talking Smack, the little talk show segment that follows Smackdown, The Miz and Daniel Bryan had a heated exchange that got many fans excited. I didn't get to talk about it last week. There were a lot of other things to talk about. Since the WWE followed up with it to some degree this week, I might as well bring it up.

Honestly, I did not see the big deal. Daniel Bryan was talking some smack to Miz. Some people might say it was just kayfabe and Miz took it too far. Well, Daniel Bryan was starting to shoot on the "safe" WWE style and criticized Miz as someone that was afraid to get hit. Daniel Bryan pretty much left himself wide open to get owned. And he said it to someone like Miz, who is great on the mic. Put those two things together. What did people think might happen? Why wouldn't Miz remind Daniel Bryan of the fact that he banged himself up to the point that the WWE didn't want to let him wrestle anymore? Why should Miz let himself lose a war of words to Daniel Bryan over something that Miz can definitely hit back on and hit back in a hard way? Miz's great mic skills are pretty much one of the reasons this segment was so newsworthy.

Another reason it was so newsworthy was the guy being verbally stomped was Daniel Bryan. Everyone remembers when the WWE tried to treat this guy as a B+ player a few years ago. It backfired to an unbelievable level. Daniel Bryan has become a legend in pro wrestling. Miz berating him like he did was going to get a response.

Last reason this was going to get people talking, it's a pipebomb. Those things usually succeed in getting people talking. Someone is going to go out there and give a self-righteous promo. A few people have given these kind of promos in the last few years since CM Punk sat on that stage on Raw and complained. Miz's is probably at least second best to the initial one Punk did. Part of me enjoyed it more than any of CM Punk's pipebombs. I liked the intensity more than the trademark arrogance of CM Punk found in his pipebombs. I also liked that his argument was pretty much spot on. Criticize him for wrestling a "safe" style, but at least he is still wrestling, adding to his title resume, and contributing to the show in multiple ways.

Why did I not see it as a big deal? Take away the smoke & mirrors. Get to the core. Forget how popular Daniel Bryan is. Forget how good on the mic Miz is. Forget how these self-righteous promos do tend to grab attention. What was really the point? What could this possibly have led to that I should see it as a big deal? Unless the WWE has given Daniel Bryan the green light to come back for one more match or one more run, what is there to get excited about? Do people want Miz to get a better push? Problem is, AJ Styles is already the heel challenging Dean Ambrose for the WWE Championship. Do fans want to see Styles get screwed out of his spot so Miz can get it? Moreover, Miz kind of already is getting pushed. He is Intercontinental Champion. CM Punk's pipebomb felt like it shook the status quo, because it was aimed at the status quo. Miz's pipebomb was only aimed at Daniel Bryan. That's probably why I just didn't feel the same way about it as some fans.

Some fans expect that this will help Smackdown ratings. CM Punk's pipebomb didn't really help Raw back in the day. I would not expect Miz's promo last week to help the show this week get the most viewers of 2016. Ratings aren't out yet, so we will have to see.

Should the WWE try to turn Miz into the new CM Punk? He obviously lacks the wrestling skills. It is interesting how the WWE might lose a certain great worker and try to make another one later on. What usually makes a worker great is that he has more than one great attribute. That is why it is difficult to replace him when he isn't there. If greatness was so easy to replace, would it still be great? Look at those two guys I have been talking about, Daniel Bryan and Miz. One has the great wrestling ability that CM Punk also possessed. The other has the great mic skills that CM Punk was also known for. Individually, neither of these two can replace CM Punk. But if you take the best qualities of both, then you might just have another CM Punk. But as far as the WWE trying to make a new CM Punk with Miz, they probably shouldn't bother. It would screw up certain other guys on Smackdown. Besides that, Miz's pipebomb didn't exactly make him as beloved as CM Punk's pipebomb.

Some people are talking about whether Miz's promo last week was a work or a shoot. Judging by the mediocre way they followed up with it this week, they probably didn't expect anything big to come of it and just tried to make something of the hype. If they had planned to make a big angle out of it all along, I would have expected better. If it was a work designed to create buzz, why not follow through with it better? What they were going to talk about might have been scripted, but Miz's intense promo might have created more interest with smarks than the WWE expected. In any case, out comes Dolph Ziggler to kill the buzz.

Miz defends the Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler in two weeks at Backlash. Needless to say, this is a match just thrown together. There wasn't much time between Summerslam and Smackdown's first PPV of the new era. Ziggler was still partially involved in the WWE title scene up to last week. Miz could have continued his feud against Applo Crews. But this is the direction the WWE has taken.

Let me talk about Ziggler. He was involved in a face vs. face feud for the WWE Championship for Summerslam. It got a little heated at times. It looked like Dolph might turn heel. It looked like this was a storyline that should go beyond just Summerslam. People praise Smackdown for handling its show better than Raw, but I would say this is one of the first few mistakes Smackdown has made. That is all there is to the feud? Was there an actual payoff to the storyline? Even AJ Styles mocked Ziggler last week, who then only proceeded to lose to Styles in the main event. And now Ziggler is on to something else? If the WWE did not have any long-term intentions for Ambrose vs. Ziggler, why bother going with this feud? You had Bray Wyatt sitting in his rocking chair in the back for Summerslam with no match, he could have been the heel being used to put over Ambrose at Summerslam. It just seems like the Smackdown writers might have expected fans to react differently to Ziggler/Ambrose. When they didn't, they just did a poor job following through with the story. Some say that the Nikki/Carmella double-turn happened because Nikki got cheered when she returned. Some say the main reason was Carmella failing as a face. I just hope those writers aren't becoming too reactionary. Yeah, listen to the fans, but don't just kill the direction you are going when it doesn't work out the way you want it for a few weeks. Has Ziggler lost the storyline it looked like he was getting? Will Miz now get that storyline? In any case, there does appear to be some shaking up with the storylines on Smackdown.

Previewing The Shield Triple Threat At Battleground 2016 & Brief Brand Split Thoughts

Wrestling fans have been dreaming about a triple threat between the former members of The Shield for years now. They are getting it at Battleground. Dean Ambrose is the WWE Champion. Both Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins have held the title a few times already. Some fans are upset that this big match is happening on such a minor PPV. Regardless of the brand split, regardless of injuries, regardless of suspensions, and regardless of whatever else, I would not be surprised to see this match again in the future. Until then, let's look at Battleground.

Let me start with Seth Rollins. A year ago, I would say that Seth Rollins had not broken out on his own. He was a weasel. He has looked better since his return this year. I don't mean his physique. I mean his character. He seems more like his own guy and more like a true top star. He doesn't have an A+ connection with the fans, and I wouldn't say he has surpassed the likes of Edge and CM Punk, but he is better than he was a year ago. Even if he is going back to be allies with Stephanie McMahon, I think his character won't be damaged too much by that. If only he would drop the Pedigree as his finisher. He isn't Triple H's son. Triple H didn't train him. A guy as talented as Rollins should be able to come up with some finisher the WWE would allow.

What can you say about Roman Reigns? His suspension is recently up. Fans were throwing a party for it on Twitter. But don't expect him to get a positive response this Sunday. More importantly than his crowd reaction, is his time at the top over already? He wasn't the top draft pick for either Shane or Stephanie. I don't think you should read too much into that. I have seen someone shake his head at Natalya being picked before Cesaro, Sheamus, and certain others. I wouldn't expect her to be featured too much better than those guys. Moreover, the recent drug issues with Brock Lesnar and the WWE's reaction to it might indicate that they won't take away the centerpiece spot from Reigns. A guy they treat even more godly than Reigns is getting negative attention for the same kind of thing and they are still promoting him and look like they will feature him as well as they did before. Drafting a part-timer? Was it worth it? Anyway, I just do not think this is the end of Roman Reigns at the top.

Dean Ambrose is holding the title and had two title defenses in one week prior to Battleground. Is that a sign that it is time for him to lose? He seems to just be a transitional champion. His title reign has been better than Daniel Bryan's infamous first run with the WWE Championship. If the WWE had given him this kind of run Dean Ambrose is getting now, I don't think fans would have gotten so upset back then. They could have gotten away with not promoting him up to pushing him as an A player.

Which of these three guys wins this Sunday? The brand split does not need to be that big of a factor. The WWE has not laid down any solid rules when it comes to the World Championship situation and they may not even know what they want. If they want one title defended on both shows, they can hand it to anyone. If they want two titles, just give the title to anyone in the match, then do something to decide who the other Champion would be. None of these men absolutely needs to win the title to help the title situation. At certain times during the previous brand split era, there were sometimes some messy title situations where it just seemed obvious the WWE only had one option. This is not one of those situations. This should come down to feud development. What is the best booking decision for the WWE to run with the main title feud that they want? I would say they want to run with Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins, two guys that happen to be on the same brand. But they won't just hand the title back to Roman Reigns. It has nothing to do with the suspension. Part of the fun is making it a struggle to overcome your foe. Rollins can win it at Battleground and drop it at Summerslam or after that.

Onto the brand split. A lot of things happened this week in regard to that, but I was too busy talking about Battleground to say anything on that. I'll just bring up a few topics.

First, you have the decision to have General Managers under Shane and Stephanie. Is it necessary? I think it is a good move. Take advantage of some popular/legendary non-wrestlers associated with the WWE. It also makes this feel like a real sports organization. Sports teams have a hierarchy. You have your owner(s). He will have his executives around him, including GMs. You have a head coach and his coaching staff. And then you have players, including possible team captains and those players that are leaders even without an official title. I like what the WWE has chosen to do.

Shane McMahon picked Daniel Bryan. Good choice. If not him, I would have gone with Sting. Both of them were never utilized to their full potential in the WWE, and injuries suffered last year really hurt their careers. But they can still be useful in non-wrestling matters. Daniel Bryan is getting something big to do. Hopefully, Sting might one day get a brief run as GM.

Stephanie McMahon picked Mick Foley. Interesting choice. A heel picks a lovable face. It can have some interesting storyline value down the line. It is more likely you see tension between these two before you see serious tension between Shane and Daniel Bryan.

Overall, I see fans complaining that Smackdown got the short end of the stick in the draft. I don't see it like that. I brought up that Raw is at a disadvantage because it has to go head-to-head against Monday Night Football soon. Being live and being its own brand on a night with no football, Smackdown is going to see an improvement from what it was getting in the ratings the last few years. It had a higher viewership than Raw this week. I don't think it will be the last time that happens before the year ends.

I wouldn't have even given Smackdown John Cena. I understand it has some storyline value with how AJ Styles is also there, without The Club. If that wasn't an issue, keep Cena on Raw and send Cesaro or Sami Zayn to Smackdown. Ratings aside, some fans bring up how Cena doesn't regularly work house shows anymore. Who will draw for Smackdown? They will just have to create stars on Smackdown. They might take a hit until then, but the brand split should be an opportunity to build new stars, anyway.

All things considered, I do not think the Smackdown roster is that terrible when it comes to what the WWE needs to do to draw. They have some level of star power and can make stars out of guys that may be loved by wrestling fans, but still need some work to break out. AJ Styles falls in that category, whether smarks want to admit it or not. Don't forget that the WWE will also bring back some workers from the past. Jinder Mahal could be the face of Smackdown and it would still draw more viewers than it has in the last few years. I don't see anything wrong if the WWE wanted to buff up Raw a bit with the draft. They could have shafted Smackdown even worse than they did.

Daniel Bryan Retires

Daniel Bryan, who has been dealing with serious injuries the last two years, officially retired yesterday. The WWE allowed him to close Raw in his home state with a farewell speech.

Daniel Bryan had been giving the impression that he could still go and wanted to return to the ring. The WWE's medical staff would not clear him. You obviously cannot compare injuries, but there are a lot of guys that have suffered more injuries in their WWE career than Daniel Bryan, but the WWE keeps bringing them back. I know very well concussions are a serious thing. Given the recent bad luck of Daniel Bryan these last two years and his wrestling style, I can understand the WWE not wanting to risk it.

I still would have brought him back for one more chance. His last chance. If he suffered another major injury within a few months of his return, the WWE would have every right to never let him wrestle again. And if he refused to settle for a non-wrestling role with the company, they would have every right to let him go. Some fans might be upset about that, but what other option would there be?

Something Daniel Bryan would have to do on his end, if they brought him back, was tone down his style. He doesn't just bring energy and enthusiasm with the "Yes!" and "No!" chants. He wrestles with that energy and enthusiasm. And there is a price to pay for it. I remember watching a Daniel Bryan match last year and one specific spot sticking with me. It was a missed diving headbutt. That just looked like something that could eventually injure him again. Injuries aren't something you can easily predict, but it was just going to be a matter of time before Bryan got injured again, especially given his style. And if he did not change, that last chance I would have liked him to have, and many fans would have loved him to have, would only end in another injury.

I see many fans saying that the WWE pushed him into retiring because they do not want him back to get in the way of Roman Reigns. I would not say that. It is no secret that this is not someone the WWE wanted to push as an A+ player. Even after giving in and letting him win the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania a few years ago, it was no guarantee that he would be pushed as the new centerpiece. CM Punk held the title for 434 days. And he was never pushed as the centerpiece of the company. That was still John Cena. Despite all that, I do not think the WWE refused to bring Daniel Bryan back because he would be a distraction.

Go back to last year. Did Daniel Bryan coming back really ruin the push Roman Reigns was getting? No. The WWE had Roman Reigns go over Daniel Bryan to retain his title shot at Wrestlemania. Daniel Bryan was still arguably the most over guy in the company. He got a nice consolation prize, winning the Intercontinental Championship in a ladder match at Wrestlemania. But the WWE did not let Daniel Bryan fans get exactly what they wanted. Daniel Bryan had said he would have liked to face Brock Lesnar. I am sure many fans would have loved to see that for Wrestlemania last year. But the WWE did not give in. If the WWE did bring Daniel Bryan back this year and it seemed like his overness might be an issue again, they could just hold an iron fist like they did last year. That's the beauty of the men's division. There is still plenty of space to build and feature stars outside of the centerpiece position.

Another thing to realize, it is not Daniel Bryan's fault that Roman Reigns has issues connecting with smarks. Those issues will be there even without Daniel Bryan. Roman Reigns is not a great in-ring performer. He has a character many fans criticize. And he's the guy the WWE wants to push better than every other full-time performer. That's a recipe for trouble. It is the same story as John Cena. John Cena has not gotten a mixed reaction during his decade as the centerpiece because there is any one specific performer fans would rather see get his spot. A lot of vocal fans just do not like Cena and how he has been pushed. Same thing with Roman Reigns. And that is just the way it is going to be with or without Daniel Bryan. The WWE might have less pressure now without Daniel Bryan, but having him around really did not stop them from doing what they wanted and he is not to blame for Roman Reigns not working out properly.

Who takes Daniel Bryan's spot? I think the WWE has already prepared for that. They have some talented wrestlers that would appeal to the type of fans Daniel Bryan was appealing to even before his debut. Specifically, they have AJ Styles. He is a talented in-ring performer. They already seem to be trying to push him to fill the void Daniel Bryan has left.

In terms of overness, who replaces Daniel Bryan? In terms of position, anyone and everyone can be replaced. In terms of the results someone can bring from that position, some people are not easy to replace. Daniel Bryan was the only A+ player in terms of overness that comes to mind on the full-time roster. And what makes his story great is that he did it without being pushed as an A+ player. Roman Reigns definitely isn't that loved. AJ Styles is not there, yet. If he is ever going to get there, he needs to eventually step up and come into his own. He has all the tools to connect with wrestling fans. He needs to go that extra mile and get over with the wider audience, like Daniel Bryan did. Will this end up being an example of the WWE taking something for granted and never being able to properly recapture that level of success?

AJ Styles Continues His Lackluster Debut

Hard to believe she just turned 39.

But this is about someone else that will be turning 39 this year. AJ Styles made his WWE debut at the Royal Rumble. He has had matches on Raw and Smackdown last week. He had a segment with Miz on Raw this week, which will lead to a match on Smackdown. Some fans are still amazed AJ Styles is in the WWE. I am amazed AJ Styles is getting such a mediocre debut in the WWE.

I have said before that the WWE needs more creative depth right now. The big storyline is obvious. Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, and Brock Lesnar all want a shot at Triple H for the title at Wrestlemania. Two top faces are tied into this, including one holding the Intercontinental Championship. The two heels don't wrestle on Raw. That means other heels will have to be utilized to work with Reigns and Ambrose. The WWE has used New Day, The Wyatts, and the crippled remains of The League of Nations to serve this role. That means feuds for these heel groups may not get the proper focus every show that they deserve.

Outside of that, what big storylines do you have? Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler? There is no big storyline there. It is just two guys with nothing really to do that the WWE just tossed together. Big Show vs. The Wyatts? Again, there does not feel like there is a big storyline here.

The debut of AJ Styles is it. The WWE is in a tough spot with so many top stars out. It is no surprise that they are hyping this guy up to be phenomenal. And that's the problem. Too much hype.

What is the actual storyline? Great wrestler debuts and has to prove himself to Chris Jericho? That is boring. This guy should not get some rookie storyline. He'll be 40 next year. He has been in the business for a long time. He has shown what he can do. This is a guy I felt can make an immediate impact, but the WWE isn't pushing him like that. The hype is there, but the way they are pushing him is lackluster.

He has not really had quality mic time. Miz wouldn't let him say anything on Raw last night. I understand that was the point and it was part of the storyline, but it is dumb. The comparison to Daniel Bryan is there. Miz, who was paired with Daniel Bryan on NXT, brought it up.

The WWE cannot think that they can build AJ Styles into a star by treating him like Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan got A+ overness organically. He had the wrestling ability to get over with wrestling fans before he even signed with the WWE. But what got him over with the wider audience was his energy. The "Yes!" and "No!" chants were things all fans could enjoy getting behind. And the WWE just shot themselves in the foot with that storyline about Daniel Bryan not being good enough. That got fans to side with Daniel Bryan even more. The WWE wasn't trying to create a big star here.

What is going on with AJ Styles right now isn't organic. Wrestling fans love him and will chant for him. But what impact will simply hyping this guy up without proper creative investment do? Will the wider audience just find him overrated? They should have come up with some kind of debut angle that let Styles debut with some kind of character. Putting over how great of a wrestler he is will not do anything new for fans that are already into this guy. For the casual fans that care more about the entertainment aspect of the WWE, there might be nothing there to say that AJ Styles is really that big of a deal.

I brought up the debut of Chris Jericho last week. Let me bring up another debut for the sake of comparison. Look at how Nexus debuted on the main roster. These guys were a bunch of true rookies. Daniel Bryan was initially with the group, but he only lasted about as long as one of his runs with the WWE Championship. These guys debuted by just attacking everyone. That was great. It came out of nowhere. It got people buzzing. Why were they doing it? Who was behind it? Who would be attacked next? That was a summer angle that actually led to a bit of a ratings boost. Look at what the WWE was able to accomplish with guys less known in the wrestling business than AJ Styles. It all came down to the storyline that they ran with them. It wasn't all hype. It was destruction and a storyline that left fans wondering what was going on.

The debut of AJ Styles has been nothing like that. The WWE has been hyping this guy a lot. They put videos up of him arriving at the arena. They list his debut pop at the Royal Rumble as one of the loudest ever. But this is really a mediocre debut. There is nothing big going on with him. There is no intriguing storyline. I feel the WWE has just wasted an opportunity at a time they really could have used a boost.

I am not saying AJ Styles won't be eventually winning titles, including the WWE Championship. This isn't about that. This isn't about whether he's getting a big paycheck. This isn't about whether the WWE will give him the career that will solidify his spot in their Hall of Fame. Unless something horrible happens, all that will happen. This is about utilizing talent properly to deliver for you. At a time when ratings are not great, there are a ton of injuries, the company is struggling to create a new centerpiece, and they have issues all over, the WWE needs to create new stars and they need more big storylines to draw for them. Putting everything on Roman Reigns and whatever he's involved with will not do. They seem to want AJ Styles to look like a big deal. But they need to cut down the hype and be more creative with him.

Previewing The 2016 Royal Rumble Match

The last two Royal Rumbles have been terrible. The Royal Rumble isn't supposed to be a popularity contest, but the WWE just made decisions that were definitely not popular with the vocal fans. And those vocal fans let the WWE hear it and definitely made things look bad.

Will that happen again this year? I do not think so. First of all, Daniel Bryan, the man many fans wanted to see possibly win the Rumble match in the last two years, has not been cleared to compete. I doubt fans will be going crazy in anticipation of him. Moreover, there is no one as hot as he was right now, so you don't have to worry about fans rebelling if that person gets tossed out to soon. You also have the fact that this is an intriguing Royal Rumble match this year with the WWE Championship on the line. With the odds so against Roman Reigns, who is still in the process of winning over his haters, it is likely he will lose. That should make angry smarks happy.

Moving on to the possible candidates to win the title, let's at least look at Roman Reigns to start out. He is the guy currently holding the title and he is the new centerpiece. But that does not mean he will retain here. He won the Royal Rumble just last year. It is unlikely he wins two in a row. He will also be the #1 entrant. The odds are just too against him. I have seen some fans groan that Reigns will retain. I think they are just being pessimistic. Austin and Cena, two other centerpieces, were put in certain situations where their back was to the wall and did not overcome. They would eventually usually still get the title back, and that is what you can expect with Reigns. He will lose the title and win it back at Wrestlemania as part of his first successful Wrestlemania moment as the centerpiece. And those groaning fans need to realize that Roman Reigns will still be the centerpiece regardless of who wins this Sunday.

Looking at the list of potential new WWE Champions, should the title change happen, Brock Lesnar has to be at the top. It isn't just because he is pushed as such a dominant guy. The WWE went with Reigns vs. Lesnar last year for Wrestlemania. That got spoiled and the WWE continued to work on Roman Reigns. They have since pulled the trigger on Reigns as the new top star. They would definitely want to revisit this feud now. The Rock beat John Cena at Wrestlemania in a match that was supposed to be once in a lifetime. The WWE ended up doing it again one year later. Cena won the rematch, which also happened to be for the WWE Championship that time around. I would not be surprised to see Roman Reigns overcome the beast he did not beat at Wrestlemania last year at this year's Wrestlemania, and get his title back in doing so.

There is Triple H. He is on no one's radar, officially. He is not in the Royal Rumble. The WWE has not teased that he will be in the match. And yet, it would not be shocking to see him get involved. Roman Reigns attacked him a few weeks ago and he has been out since. He will want revenge. Triple H being in the Royal Rumble would be a shocker many fans probably expected would happen. At the very least, you might see him run out and try to screw Reigns out of the match. The WWE would definitely want to have some kind of feud between Roman Reigns and Triple H. Whether that is for Fast Lane or Wrestlemania is the question.

How about The Wyatts? Specifically, Bray Wyatt. He has looked strong the week heading into the PPV. Is that just a red herring to get fans thinking he stands more of a chance than he does? Are they actually building up to Brock Lesnar vs. The Wyatts? Or is this just to make the group look strong heading into the match and have Lesnar have his revenge there by decimating them? I'm expecting the last option. History shows The Wyatts only look strong to usually put over someone else. When I said the WWE should push them better, I meant separate to the main angle going on. That is how you create creative depth. They deserve their own top angle. A feud with Ryback isn't it. Let's see what happens with them after Sunday, but I am not expecting Bray Wyatt to win the title. I also doubt his henchmen do it.

Let's look a little more at some unlikely possibilities. AJ Styles is looming. Many anticipate his debut to come after the Royal Rumble. If he should debut at the PPV, should he win the Royal Rumble? That would be a big way to debut. Not only does he win the Royal Rumble, he wins the WWE Championship. I do not think he is likely to start so high. There are too many other priorities, even with the injuries right now. Roman Reigns potentially could be feuding against either Brock Lesnar or Triple in the coming months, possibly both. And the title will be involved in that story. To just insert AJ Styles in that would ruin the potential storylines already there. AJ Styles is likely to get a feud against someone like Jericho.

The most unlikely possibility of all that fans would love to see is Daniel Bryan in this match. He may not be cleared by the WWE, but he thinks he's ready to go. Will the WWE have a change of heart and put him in this match? Will they go so far as to put the title on him and give him that Rumble win he's never had? I do not think that would be the end of Roman Reigns being pushed as the centerpiece, but it might go a long way in pleasing smarks. There is a lot to be said about this possibility, but why bother if it is not likely?

Consider how the match should play out. Specifically, if Roman Reigns is #1 and not likely to win, when should he be tossed out? Stamina in a match like this matters. If the WWE exposes Roman Reigns too much and he irritates fans with his performance, that can be a setback in his getting over. He got cheered by just destroying people. It is unlikely the WWE just has him beat everyone up the entire Rumble match. They can run some angle where he is out of the match unofficially for a good portion of it. For example, have him chase after Vince McMahon ten minutes into the match and not show up again until the final minutes. It would be a cheap trick, but something they might do if they want him in there that long. Or they can just have him eliminated in the middle of the match. Would it ruin the story? It might create suspense that the fans are guaranteed a new WWE Champion. Just as good.

One more thing I want to say about this whole situation. This is how The Authority should have been for years. Vince and Stephanie are just evil. They are out to screw Roman Reigns. That is their main focus. The Authority with Triple H and Stephanie has just not been a strong heel group. They would regularly play with tension within the group. Most of the time, it would not even go anywhere. If the WWE was writing the current storyline the same way they have in recent years, Vince and Stephanie probably would have started turning on each other last week. It is just inconsistent storytelling. It can be confusing to fans. Moving forward, Triple H and Stephanie should be that focused on screwing their face enemies or helping their heel allies.

Understanding All That Crowd Noise

I remember watching a football game between the New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys a few seasons ago. It was a home game for the Giants. And yet, the Cowboys actually got cheered, especially at the end of the game when they won it. It was very noticeable. Even the commentators heard it. One of them said it was because the Giants were doing poorly that year and many Giants fans sold their tickets to Cowboys fans. I am not sure how serious he was being, but that's what he said.

This kind of thing happens all the time in sports. A visiting team might sometimes appear to have more support than the home team. It usually happens when the home team is not very good. If they do not give their fans something to cheer about, they will be quiet and fans of the other team will be vocal. If that poor home team cannot get it together during the game, that will just send a lot of their fans heading for the exits before the game even ends. And if that team is consistently lousy, their fans might not even bother coming to the games in the first place, leaving lots of seats for any fans of the road teams to show up.

The reason I bring this up now, because it was something I have wanted to bring up for a while, is because I just read a report that a lot of fans left before the end of Raw last night. I didn't watch all of Raw, so I cannot tell how accurate the report is. I then saw some fans try to spin it to make it sound like fans walked out rather than see Roman Reigns or that the positive reaction he got should be taken with a grain of salt.

The overness of Roman Reigns is definitely something to talk about. He is not as popular as The Rock or Austin were in their prime, but it would be wrong to think that all he gets is nuclear heat, like he got earlier this year. Smarks dislike him. Many dislike him with a passion. Crowd reactions are still one of the best ways to tell how over someone is, but you have to understand the crowd. Roman Reigns has gotten terrible reactions from crowds packed with smarks. And there are still pockets of smarks that will give him a negative reaction here and there in more balanced crowds. But there are also a lot of fans that do cheer him. In the end, I still do not think he has A+ overness.

Take Sasha Banks. She is the opposite of Roman Reigns. Wrestling fans love her. You sometimes get chants for her. But I refuse to believe she is really extremely over. She once had a match on Raw that got a negative reaction because fans were more interested in Brock Lesnar. She went on to have an amazing match at NXT. Ever since then, she has pretty much solidified her legendary status. That is, with wrestling fans. Those NXT fans travel well. Those kind of fans aren't just found in Florida. They are found all over the world. And they do get very vocal. And their opinion, moreover, might sometimes be quite different from what the WWE wants. Sasha Banks has not done anything on the main roster to get over with the general audience. The WWE is mostly to blame for that. They have not pushed her well. I once read on a message board that Sasha Banks got an amazing reaction on a Smackdown. When I went to take a look, I did not see it and I did not hear it. Again, I am not convinced she is really that over.

Why do I say Daniel Bryan really did have A+ overness? Because the reaction he was getting was clearly amazing on a consistent basis. Not only could you hear it, you could see it. You could see fans waving their hands along with Daniel Bryan. This guy was over with wrestling fans before he signed with the WWE, but energizing the rest of the fans like he did is what makes him A+. No one else was doing that, including John Cena, the centerpiece for about a decade, and including Roman Reigns, whose overness should be scrutinized. It is just obvious how over this guy was.

Why do I say Mickie James was the most over diva on the roster? Because she consistently got cheered. It wasn't just in front of smark-filled PPV audiences and her hometown crowd. She got great reactions wherever the WWE went. She would come out on top in a lot of polls I have seen. Aside from fan reactions, polls and contests/tournaments that fans sometimes have on the Internet are also an indicator of how much a wrestler is liked. And when she got released, there was a backlash that no other diva that has been released has gotten. When you compare her connection with the fans to that of the other divas that were around her, no one else was connecting with both wrestling fans and the general crowd as well as her.

Silence can be drowned out very easily. And when that happens, you might be fooled into believing something that isn't true. If a sports team does not give their fans something to cheer about, the road team might end up looking more popular than they really are. If smarks just give up and leave, Roman Reigns might end up looking a lot more popular than he really is. If casual fans have no reason to cheer for Sasha Banks, a lot of wrestling fans still will and create the idea that she is more popular than she really is. Before you crown someone as over or not over, you should stop and think about that reaction they are getting.

Seth Rollins Injured

Seth Rollins suffered a serious injury while working with Kane at a house show recently. He will be gone a few months and will have to vacate the title. The WWE has already announced that there will be a tournament and a new WWE Champion will be crowned at Survivor Series.

It is obviously horrible that Seth Rollins has suffered such an injury. What makes it worse for the WWE is that a number of top stars were already not available. However, this is where it might pay off for the WWE to have such a loaded roster. They have a lot of former World Champions and other guys on the fringe of being main-eventers or upper-midcarders that can legitimately win a World title. I am thinking about Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Alberto Del Rio, Bray Wyatt, and so on. A tournament should be exciting.

Another problem you can see in all this is that it ruins the WWE's original plans. Not only does it ruin their plans for Rollins/Reigns, but also the feuds they were developing for guys that will likely now be a part of this tournament. Time will tell exactly which feuds are effected and how. But I will not criticize the WWE too much for whatever happens. This was just a bad situation and they are trying to make the most out of it. Coincidentally, it is not so different from what has been going on with TNA recently. But I doubt the divas will get a shot to be in this tournament.

This injury will also hurt Seth Rollins in terms of his development up the card. He was getting a lengthy title reign. We will never get to the point where I discuss if he might break CM Punk's record. During his reign, he retained the title against some big names. He held the United States title, in addition to the WWE title, for a while. He also injured a few guys accidentally. Karma? Despite how he was being pushed, I do not think he had solidified himself as an A+ player. He has wrestling talent, but I do not think the wider audience really saw him as a superstar. It is a combination of sloppy booking and his own limitations. I would say most of the blame should go to the WWE. How will the WWE handle him when he returns? Face turn? Back with The Authority? He might be treated better without the title.

What about The Authority? I have said for a long time that this stable looks horrible. Well, the "stable" is now Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. It's over. Will they select a new guy to be their "guy" in the group? Roman Reigns? That would be a nice swerve. I will talk about that more closer to Survivor Series. Until then, the current situation is an example of why the WWE should have done better in keeping the stable looking strong and like a stable. Now, all you have are two authority figures that switch between being faces and being heels like it is nothing. They might as well just go away and let someone else run things.

Ratings have been horrible all year. The WWE just lost their WWE Champion. How will this impact ratings? Well, I do not consider Seth Rollins a draw. As I said before, he never really solidified himself as an A+ player. This tournament probably stands a better chance to generate interest than Seth Rollins vs. Roman Reigns. Until the new WWE Champion is crowned, the WWE will live. Last year, they put the title on a part-timer for over half a year. There were times when it felt like there was no WWE Champion. The WWE did that to themselves and worked through it. So far, they seem to be working through this situation.

I will not say too much about the tournament itself now, but let me bring up one name. What about Daniel Bryan? He says he's ready to go. The WWE says otherwise. Might the WWE change their mind given the loss of Seth Rollins? It isn't like they are bringing him back to perform in a ladder match. He does need to take it easy. But he has worth and he still wants to wrestle. This isn't a guy that should be pushed into retirement and get lost in the shuffle until he gets put in the Hall of Fame. The WWE does not have anyone that hot. Even if John Cena and Randy Orton were around, they still do not have anyone that hot. Regardless of how they use him, Daniel Bryan should be coming back in the coming months.

Speaking of injuries, Nikki Bella is also suffering through some injuries. That is not as big a deal. Why? First of all, she is no longer holding the title, anyway. Second, the WWE loves pushing quantity over quality during the diva revolution era, so there are still plenty of other things going on. Third, they can feature Brie Bella in her place. The WWE can push both Bellas as the centerpiece in a way they have never done with a duo. LayCool were pushed as the centerpieces at one time, but it was really Michelle McCool that was the centerpiece and Layla that was the sidekick. After McCool retired, Layla never really was pushed well, despite a title reign and a mediocre periphery angle with Summer Rae. Both Bellas were pushed hard last year, although Nikki Bella came out with the better position. Is it time for more Brie? I cannot imagine Team Bella being lost in the shuffle for long.

Speaking of Nikki Bella, she was named #1 by PWI. That just goes to show what their criteria is based on. Nikki Bella has not been the most talented female wrestler this year. She has not been the most over female wrestler this year. But she has broken the record for holding the most important women's title in the most important wrestling organization longer than anyone. PWI often just reaffirms booking. As a fan, you love it when someone you like ends up being #1, but often turn around and say these lists don't matter when they select someone like Nikki Bella. Should it have been Taryn Terrell, who also broke a record? Should it have been Sasha Banks, who put on some great matches in NXT? Whomever you pick, it was Nikki Bella that got the top spot.

Kevin Owens Or Cesaro: The Next Daniel Bryan?

Kevin Owens won his match at Summerslam against Cesaro. The way some fans were talking before this match, the winner was in line for a huge push. I saw some fans pencil in Cesaro as the winner of the Royal Rumble in a few months. Some said he was the hottest guy in the company.

These two are similar to Daniel Bryan. All three have similar roots. They are great wrestlers. Wrestling fans love them. And Kevin Owens and Cesaro also appear to be around that "B+ territory" Daniel Bryan was said to be in a few years ago before his big push. These two are in the position to possibly do what Daniel Bryan did. They can become very over and pressure the WWE to promote them up the ranks.

Just to make it clear, neither of these two are there, yet. I have seen some fans and writers act like both of them are, or were. Some people were writing eulogies for Kevin Owens after he tapped out to John Cena. Fans have questioned why Cesaro is not pushed better. The thing about Daniel Bryan is that he was connecting well with wrestling fans even before he debuted in the WWE. What makes his story something for other guys to strive for is that he went beyond just being over with wrestling fans to connecting with the general audience at a high level. He earned A+ overness. "Yes!" and "No!" helped with that. I do not feel either Cesaro or Owens ever had that level of overness. People make a big deal of Owens beating Cena clean a few months ago. Cena fans being stunned by that and smarks eating it up does not mean Owens is really over.

Out of the two, I would say Cesaro is more likely to break through. He seems like a likable guy. His big swing is a popular move fans can get behind. His mic skills are less than amazing, but that did not stop Daniel Bryan. But Cesaro still needs something to help him break through. The whole "Cesaro Section" thing is not enough. It cannot be forced. I think the WWE wouldn't mind if Cesaro did get popular. But if he gets that crazy popularity Daniel Bryan had, it would be interesting to see how they react.

Daniel Bryan Could Not Compete

Daniel Bryan did not defend his Intercontinental Championship against Barrett at Extreme Rules. He was too hurt. It was the worst-case scenario. Barrett faced Neville in a non-title match.

Earlier in the year, history repeating itself was an issue with Daniel Bryan. The WWE did not book him to win the Royal Rumble, or even look too impressive in it. Fans were unhappy. He was then put in a feud against Roman Reigns to decide who would get to face Lesnar at Wrestlemania. That was a repeat of last year. But the WWE booked Reigns to win that match. Go back to last year. A few weeks after Daniel Bryan got his big Wrestlemania moment, he faced an injury that forced him to surrender his WWE title. Is Daniel Bryan in that position again?

Daniel Bryan has not been the same since returning a few months ago. Many of his matches have not felt the same. It might be for the best if he did take some extended time off again. That would mean taking the title off him. It would be up to his health whether that means stripping him of the title, like last year, or having him work a match to drop the title.

Who should take his spot in the midcard? How about Neville? He just debuted. He is an exciting performer. He can be a solid replacement for Daniel Bryan. If the WWE does go in that direction, this would be something good to come out of this bit of bad luck. Neville probably would not have gotten too far without these depth issues. Because of these issues, his chances of being used better increase.

Extreme Rules 2015: Final Preview

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Wrestlemania 31 Preview: Part 2

The feud development between Randy Orton and Seth Rollins could have been better. I can picture this feud going beyond Wrestlemania. I can also picture Orton beating Seth and Seth going on to cash in his briefcase to win the title. I know no dirtsheets are reporting that, but if the WWE is starting to realize that the main event is horrible, they might pull some kind of swerve to create some drama.

The Undertaker lost his streak last year, but he is still coming back for more. Bray Wyatt has been pestering him with promos for weeks and weeks. Match quality will most likely not be amazing here, but you have a legend fans love seeing and two guys with unique gimmicks. It would have been better if Taker was around to help push the feud. I will say The Undertaker wins.

You have a 7-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. This is the match many predict will steal the show. Barrett vs. R-Truth vs. Ambrose vs. Ziggler vs. Harper vs. Stardust vs. Bryan. I wouldn't mind Ambrose winning the title from Barrett, but then they added in all these other guys. I think it will be either Ziggler or Bryan.

There is a chance a main-eventer might also be winning the other midcard title. John Cena vs. Rusev for the United Stated Championship. Rusev has the momentum. He already beat Cena last month. This one seems obvious. Cena regains the title. 

The WWE Wins The War Against Daniel Bryan Fans

There have been a lot of controversies to pop up in recent weeks. I don't mean just #GiveDivasAChance, which I already talked about. I will get to some of these other issues next week. Today, I want to wrap up another controversy.

Daniel Bryan did not defeat Roman Reigns at Fast Lane and will not be in the WWE title match at Wrestlemania. A lot of fans feel deflated. Fans in Philadelphia hated what happened at the Royal Rumble and there was the expected Internet backlash. What followed was that feud between Reigns and Bryan with the winner getting Lesnar for the title. The WWE made the decision to stick with Reigns. And you even had Daniel Bryan go out there the night after on Raw and put Reigns over. That is a rub. And that is also why rubs are often overrated. Fans still are going to dislike Reigns. His win from Daniel Bryan and people talking about how great he is will not be enough to win over enough fans.

I think the WWE made the right decision. As I have said before, fans just did not want it bad enough. Last year, fans were so crazy and intense, I felt like the WWE might look like absolute villains if they did not treat Bryan better. There were even a few moments I felt fans might legitimately snap and something big would happen. This year, I did not get that same feeling outside of the Royal Rumble and the immediate reaction from that. Daniel Bryan is more over than Roman Reigns, but you are not just looking for a majority ruling here. To be inducted into some Hall of Fames, you have to have at least 75% or 80% of the vote. It is some high percentage, depending on what exactly you are talking about. A little more than 50% is not enough. Why should the WWE have such high requirements in this situation? Because you just had this issue last year. You not only spoiled your Wrestlemania plans, but you did it for the benefit of the same guy that you might be spoiling them again this year. And if you are going to do that again, the fans better want it as badly as they did last year. I don't feel they did. Reactions were not the same. I even saw some Daniel Bryan fans say that they would not enjoy a repeat of last year. That was probably not what the majority of his fans would say, but some fans that were excited for last year definitely did not want a repeat.

I have read a little of what other fans and pundits have said. I think some people are overreacting. Some make it sound like the WWE has been out to bury Daniel Bryan and his fans since the Royal Rumble. No. The WWE booked Daniel Bryan fairly leading up to Fast Lane. They did not run a storyline where Daniel Bryan was being humiliated every step of the way. They did not make his character look so awful. If you want to blame the WWE for mistreating Daniel Bryan last year, you have a point. If you want to blame the WWE for not booking the Royal Rumble this year better, you have a point. If you want to blame them for Roman Reigns getting a big push he does not deserve, you have a point. If you want to criticize them for the match they are likely to give Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania this year, which I will get to, you can do that. But do you want to say that they purposely tried to ruin Daniel Bryan's overness in the last few weeks? Do you honestly believe they are intentionally boring their fans so they will be less lively and the pops for Daniel Bryan would be softer? Problem with that theory, it is also the WWE's chosen ones that are hurt by this. Not being able to put out an entertaining product is hurting crowd reactions, not a desire to bury one guy. The WWE never wanted to push Daniel Bryan as an A+ player. That is true. But if the fan reactions were really that intense for him, there would have been a lot more pressure on the WWE to change plans in his favor. It is not just a matter of the Daniel Bryan fans being beaten into submission. Some of them just did not want it to happen again. A lot of them are just bored with the product in general. Even though Daniel Bryan is still someone I say has A+ overness, it has died down a bit since his return. Again, the same pressure just was not there this year that was last year. And I do not think the WWE tried to bury Daniel Bryan during that feud with Reigns.

Since his return, I have also noticed that Daniel Bryan isn't exactly the same in the ring. He can still put on a solid match, but I feel like he can do more. There was also one certain spot during Raw this week that caught my eye and made me want to talk about his ring work right now. That missed diving headbutt. That looked like it hurt. This guy just returned from surgery a few weeks ago. It is those kind of spots that will lead to him needing more time off. On the one hand, you want him to be careful to stay healthy. On the other hand, if he doesn't wrestle that certain style that excites fans, will he start losing some of them? Most wrestling fans will always respect Daniel Bryan. They know what he has done and he still performs well enough for them to love him. Other fans? That is where some support might diminish.

Now that Daniel Bryan is out for the WWE title match, you have to wonder what the WWE really has in store for him. A multi-challenger ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship has been announced. Daniel Bryan was involved in that scene on Smackdown this week. No, not what Daniel Bryan deserves. When thinking about the title feud between Ambrose and Barrett, I did not feel this feud was worthy of leading to the rematch at Wrestlemania. It just didn't seem big enough and didn't seem like what the WWE would do. Making it a ladder match and throwing in a few more bodies? Yeah, that makes it big enough and seems like what the WWE would do. Regardless, Daniel Bryan deserves better than being in this match. It is not only a question of whether the Intercontinental Championship is beneath him. This guy is arguably the most over full-time performer you have. Why shouldn't he have some kind of personal singles feud? If not that, get him involved is some other feud that is going on that is more important. You are having him get involved in a midcard feud between Dean Ambrose and Wade Barrett. I would rather he face Sheamus. There is also the issue of his health, which I just brought up, but I'm sure he'll know what he's doing in this ladder match, if that is how things go.

I have looked at how some Daniel Bryan fans have reacted to this potential Wrestlemania match for their guy. I haven't come across many complaints. Some are already anticipating United States Champion John Cena vs. Intercontinental Champion Daniel Bryan to unify the titles. Okay. That's nice. I won't get into that now. I will say I am a little bit disappointed. They don't think Daniel Bryan deserves better than this match? They are settling so easily. And if they will settle so easily, then the WWE pretty much made the right decision by not forcing Daniel Bryan into the WWE title match. They can get those fans interested for Wrestlemaia and watching without even pushing Daniel Bryan in a top feud. The WWE just won. The WWE didn't need to beat these fans into submission. They are already open to settling.

The WWE won the war against Daniel Bryan fans. This war wasn't even against Daniel Bryan. He doesn't seem to care too much about being pushed as an A+ player. If he was bothered so much about it, he would probably leave. The thing is, the WWE gave the fans a fair chance to be as demanding as they were last year. They just did not show up. And if they are going to settle the way they have, it is obvious that the WWE can just keep on going the way they are. Daniel Bryan is not buried to oblivion. The fans are not buried. They are still getting things they like seeing. Cesaro and Tyson Kidd, two guys these kind of fans love, just won the tag titles. They won the titles the same night the WWE supposedly stuck the dagger into the hearts of all the smarks. The WWE won and they won very easily. Fans just did not want it bad enough.

Roman Reigns Vs. Daniel Bryan At Fast Lane: Final Preview

Fast Lane? Fastlane? Should I throw a "WWE" in there somewhere? Whatever you want to call it, the main match this Sunday will be Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan. The winner faces Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania for the WWE title. A lot to talk about here.

I said the WWE could approach this match in two ways. Either use it as a way to help put Roman Reigns over or put Daniel Bryan in the title match, if fan support for him was that insane. Let me start with that second possibility. Has fan support been that insane for Daniel Bryan? I would still say Daniel Bryan has A+ overness, but it feels like a few cracks in his armor have appeared. I have been paying attention to how fans have been reacting to him in recent weeks. It isn't as huge as it was last year. Again, he is still very over. I am not denying that. It just appears the fans have cooled a little. Is it because they find this whole thing stale? Are they just bored right now? Whatever the exact reason, I would stick with Roman Reigns in the title match at Wrestlemania.

I am not saying that because of any kind of favoritism for Roman Reigns or hatred for Daniel Bryan. If the shoe was on the other foot, I would make the same decision to stick with the original result. If Daniel Bryan had won the Royal Rumble, got a negative reaction for winning, Roman Reigns was the guy that they seemingly wanted to win, and everything else played out the same, I would stick with Daniel Bryan. Fan reaction isn't crazy enough to force the change. It is like when the referee reviews a play in football. If there is reason to believe that the original call might have been wrong, but there is not enough evidence to be sure, the ruling on the field stands. Wrestlemania plans already got messed up for the benefit of Daniel Bryan last year. He deserved it last year, but again this year? The fans better want it bad enough. And I do not see enough there that they do want it that badly. For the sake of not repeating last year and at least trying to make a new star, I would stick with Reigns.

Now that I have already said that they should stick with Reigns, let's talk story of the match. Putting over Roman Reigns in this match doesn't just mean Daniel Bryan loses. Roman Reigns has to give an impressive performance if he hopes to win over some of his critics. Daniel Bryan is a great worker to put against Reigns. This has to be a back-and-forth match. If Daniel Bryan is going to lose, you can imagine him dominating most of the action and Reigns pulling it out in the end. This match has to be about more than just putting Roman Reigns over a former World Champion prior to facing Brock Lesnar. Help him connect with the fans even better. Make him work.

I have seen more than one fan bring up the possibility of Sheamus returning this Sunday as a heel and costing Daniel Bryan the match. That sets up Sheamus vs. Bryan for Wrestlemania. That would be an even worse idea than having Roman Reigns get beaten down all match and still pulling out the win cleanly. Roman Reigns is supposed to be a face. If you have him win like that, and against a guy as popular as Daniel Bryan, you are only giving fans more reason to hate him. The logic is that Sheamus would absorb that hatred because he was the one that actually cost Bryan the match and he is heel now. But you are not doing Roman Reigns any favor with this match outcome. Do you want fans to respect him more or not? If they really want to turn Sheamus heel and have him go after Daniel Bryan, start that feud the Raw after Fast Lane.

Just to summarize my prediction, I think Reigns will win. If not that, I think you are more likely to get some situation that sees both guys go on to face Brock Lesnar than to see just Daniel Bryan getting the match. Fan reactions have not been scary enough to make me believe the WWE will change their original plans. But as important as who the winner will be, how they handle the actual match will also be important. If you want to help Roman Reigns, let him work. If he cannot, he might really need more time before he is the next top star of the company.

I already said everything I wanted to say about the match this Sunday, but let me talk about the feud development. It has been pretty lackluster. Some fans might even say it was worse than that. Always putting Big Show and Kane against Reigns and Bryan has been repetitive and boring. Some fans simply hate Big Show and Kane these days. Reigns and Bryan did not need to wrestle these two guys so much. They did not even need to be feuding against The Authority so much right now. There were other heels they could have worked against. Have The Authority put better focus feuding against Ziggler, Ryback, and Rowan, which would be better development for that match at Fast Lane. I would even say that Reigns and Bryan did not need to be wrestling so much as they have recently. There have been some nights where they were featured too much. I brought up how they ran through much of the tag division. I get that they want to tease the idea that they can't get along, but it was not done in a fresh manner.

This whole feud has been kindergarten. I don't want to imply that it was childish. It has been basic and simple. It is what you might expect from a face vs. face feud. You could have done better. I have mentioned that fan reactions don't seem to be as killer as they used to be. Ratings also indicate that the product is not on fire right now. The WWE is struggling to get Raw to average over 4 million viewers. During Wrestlemania season? Really? The WWE needs to do something to wake these fans up. Simply having Sting around is not creating that hype. You have to do more with your full-time performers. And it definitely starts with the top feud you have going on, especially when there was so much room for improvement.

What would I have done? You go back to the Royal Rumble. You go to the night after. There was some real tension there. There was real excitement there. And I am not talking about The Rock coming back and getting involved to help Roman Reigns. That is the kayfabe controversy the WWE utilized to help create the lackluster feud you have been getting. The real controversy was over the WWE once again pushing what they want to work out over what the fans want to see. Fans were upset that Daniel Bryan lost the way he did and Roman Reigns won. They even talked about this the night after on Raw. Why wouldn't you make a storyline out of that? Let this feud be based on something real. Instead, you have a feud based on The Rock saving Roman Reigns from two guys that were already eliminated from the Rumble and Daniel Bryan seemingly forgetting he deserved a rematch for the title he never lost and instead entering the Rumble. Base this feud on the real tension that was there. That should get the fans interested. Create a "pipe bomb" atmosphere. Neither guy would have to turn heel. CM Punk did not turn heel back then. Cena remained Cena. Some fans love it when someone goes out there and gives a self-righteous speech. Nikki Bella went out there and gave a promo on Smackdown a few months ago that got her cheered. She was a heel at the time. She just went out there and spoke in that kind of tone that some fans love and respect. Have Daniel Bryan talk about busting his ass to finally get to the top, then having to lose it because of injury. Have Roman Reigns talk about never having the kind of opportunities Daniel Bryan has had. Embrace the fan reactions. Play off of it more. I am not saying either of these guys are like CM Punk on the mic, but Nikki Bella was able to go out there and get a positive reaction from the fans with this kind of promo. This feud between Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns needed less matches, more promos, and more working off the real controversy. What kind of "Reality Era" is this? They are not even trying and it is not energizing the fans and drawing.

A Trip Down Memory Lane

Did you know there was a site that archives web pages? It obviously cannot get them all. There is an infinite amount of pages on the Internet. More are made every day. It is called the Wayback Machine. I found out about it the other day and took a look at it. I had deleted my old diva blog when I made the full switch to this one in 2010. I looked to see if any of it still survived. Yeah, a few pages from the first half of 2009 are on there. Not a lot, but you can at least see that I was talking about the diva division since then. You can go to this link to see the dates they have archived and read some of my earlier blogs. I am going to talk about a few things about my earlier diva blog.

First, a little self-critiquing. I definitely was not a great analyst of the diva division back then. I have definitely improved. There were a few things I said back then that I can now look back and wonder why I said that. I once said that Trish was used to give other women a rub and get them over? With more time to look at it and actually pay attention to which divas are truly getting over and how they are getting over, no divas ever got over because the WWE wanted them over and used Trish to get them over. Lita got over in the periphery prior to feuding with Trish. Mickie James getting over was not because the WWE wanted it. No other female wrestlers during the time Trish was there got very over. The eye-candy divas that worked with Trish didn't really need her, since it was their own sex appeal that was their main asset. And none of them really worked out as well as Trish. What is the point of giving some of these women a rub if you don't follow through properly? I think I was probably being a little too respectful towards Trish and not being realistic enough. In general, I sometimes don't like the tone I used back then. Not realistic enough. A little too much speculation at times.

I used to blog every day back then. And primarily about women's wrestling. I think it is good that I widened my subject matter and am taking a few days off a week. Don't force myself to blog. Moreover, it is good to pay attention to what happens in the men's division. Issues that exist there also exist in the women's division. Paying attention to that could have helped to sharpen my ability to read the diva division. There were a few blog entries I wrote on my old blog that might have been meaningless. Of course, the divas were my main subject, so anything related to what they were doing back then was open material.

Did I talk about Mickie James too much back then? Aside from being my favorite diva, what was going on with her was worth talking about. No one seemed to understand what was going on back then. The most over diva on the roster is not being pushed like it. Who is to blame? What is going on? Mickie James was for the women's division back then what Daniel Bryan is for the men's division in recent years. You have a man not being pushed as an A+ player that is going out there and connecting with fans better than a lot of guys meant to be ahead of him. That was the story of Mickie James. I always see people discussing Daniel Bryan. They talk about why the WWE mistreats him, whether he deserves that better career, what the WWE can do to make stars out of these other guys they actually want to push, how his fans are reacting, and so on. Not enough people were talking about this for Mickie James until it was too late.

On February 27, 2009, I talked about Mickie not being pushed as someone the WWE would want to be over and why they should want to do it. I "blamed" her for how she was being treated. I was being sarcastic. I tend to use that tone frequently. This was also the entry where I said Trish was used to get other women over, as I previously talked about. Moreover, I said that Mickie James rose the bar for the divas back then, or should have. Other divas actually have to work and step up if they want to get over and earn those better careers. Of course, the WWE was not even pushing Mickie at the time, so they didn't want to raise the bar. You can see that is obviously the case with the diva division now. The bar is so low, Eva Marie executing a dropkick properly would probably get her a standing ovation.

I would say Daniel Bryan is also a guy that raises the bar, or could be used like that. It is not enough to be pushed to be a star. You really want to get over? You have to steal it away from Daniel Bryan. If you want to be as over as him and earn the career he deserves, you have to be the kind of worker he is. You have to have the talent, you have to work hard, you have to be passionate, and you have to be something the fans love seeing. The WWE's ability to create stars has been weakened. They have not created a successful centerpiece in the diva division since Trish Stratus left. They are having issues developing Roman Reigns. Who should be blamed? How about Daniel Bryan? He can go sit in the corner with Mickie James. You can see how having someone you never intended to become that over can be a problem. This is two years in a row now that you have had a controversy around Daniel Bryan and how he is being pushed. Having someone like that just forces the WWE to work harder. They should allow their workers to work harder to compete against Daniel Bryan.

One more blog entry I want to bring up. On April 14, 2009, I talked about Mickie's 4th title reign, which she won one year prior to that. I called it a little "conspiracy theory" back then. In retrospect, I don't even like putting it that way. If you are ever going to examine what happened to Mickie James in the WWE, that fourth title reign cannot be overlooked. This is the reign that Ken Doane likes to say Mickie James slept her way to the top of and got over off of. Aside from what he says, this was the push that made it obvious to me the WWE did not want to push Mickie James as someone they wanted over.

That blog entry lacked proper historical analysis, which would have helped to support my point even more. Since the first dark age ended, the WWE never gave the title to an eye-candy diva not being pushed as centerpiece. It was one of the things that helped to keep the division respectable. Mickie James was the only face credible jobber at the time on Raw. Add in at least two more facts. First, she was already over prior to that push in 2008. Second, she was feuding with Beth Phoenix prior to Candice returning in early 2008. That feud never got a proper finish. If they had done anything else other than give Mickie James the push, it would have looked awkward and suspicious. Problem is, not handling the whole thing smoothly and killing her push when Candice Michelle would pop back up still points to something being wrong. I am glad that blog entry survived, even though I have probably brought it up again since then and argued it better.

Good to reread some of my old blogs. I wouldn't say I was wrong about everything back then, but I have gotten better. And some things definitely still hold true. Some things I once said for Mickie James years ago might apply to Daniel Bryan right now. Issues in the WWE that impact the divas also impact the men.

Daniel Bryan Gets Another Shot To Headline Wrestlemania

It was not hard to predict that Roman Reigns might be in for a rough time during this push. He is limited in the ring, was in line for a big push, and was going to be pushed ahead of certain wrestlers vocal fans love. That is a recipe for disaster. Of course, I did not think the reaction would be that horrible. Looking at how fans reacted at the Royal Rumble and immediately after, I was ready to say I was wrong about that. This week, it looks like the fans have mellowed down a little. Roman Reigns is not the most hated man in the WWE. It is not as bad as it was for Batista last year. I think there might even be a good amount of fans who want him to get this push and not Daniel Bryan. But I am not going to change my tune every week. I'll just wait until Fast Lane is closer to give my final thoughts on how the fans seem to be reacting.

Daniel Bryan won a match to earn the right to face Roman Reigns to decide who will face Brock Lesnar for the title at Wrestlemania. This is like last year all over again. If Daniel Bryan had just been booked to win this year's Royal Rumble, that would be one thing. Sure, let him go on to face Lesnar. But to have him possibly get there by the same kind of story you had last year just annoys me. Blame the WWE booking, not Daniel Bryan or the fans.

I am not going to predict right now who wins this match. I will say that there are two different ways the WWE can use this match. First, if the fan reactions continue to be extremely one-sided for the sake of Daniel Bryan and Roman Reigns is getting crushed, the WWE can use this match as an easy way to change things. Second, if the WWE is bent on pushing Roman Reigns, they could use this match to really put him over.

Let me look at the first possibility. Last year, it was a match with Triple H at Wrestlemania that propelled Daniel Bryan to the main event later that night. This year, it could be happening at Fast Lane against Roman Reigns. I would say this is a chance for the WWE to legitimately pay attention to the fans. If the fan support remains as insane as it was last year, you pretty much have to put Daniel Bryan in. If it does not? Stick with Reigns. I have said before that he does have fans. He is over. He just doesn't have the kind of overness that Daniel Bryan has. But if the Daniel Bryan fans cannot really make as big a scene as they did back then, why should the WWE go down the same path with Daniel Bryan two years in a row? If the fans want him that badly, give him the push. If enough fans still support Roman Reigns, let him have this match to himself. But the WWE actually has to pay attention to how fans are reacting.

The second option involves the WWE already making up their minds. Roman Reigns is getting Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania and Daniel Bryan will do something else. The match at Fast Lane will just be meant to put Reigns over. I have seen some fans say that Roman Reigns putting on an amazing performance might warm him up to those fans that are against him. Who better to help him look amazing than Daniel Bryan? If Roman Reigns is putting on a monster performance against Daniel Bryan, the smarks will cheer him out of respect. Just keep in mind that John Cena, despite not being an amazing in-ring performer, frequently is involved in some great matches. He can get those kind of fans to respect him during a great match at times. Problem is, it doesn't last. He still continues to get those mixed reactions. True overness isn't just about getting a good reaction on one night or after doing one certain thing fans like. It is that consistent connection with the fans. Putting on the match of the night at Fast Lane may help Roman Reigns earn a few respect points, but it does not mean he will have A+ overness.

One of the things mentioned on Raw was that Daniel Bryan never lost his World title and should have had a title shot coming. Instead, they brought him back and booked him into the Royal Rumble match. And we all know how that worked out. That is actually a good point. Instead of people debating how the Rumble match could have gone down to appease Daniel Bryan fans and help Roman Reigns connect with those fans better, why didn't they work him into the WWE title match that night? It was already going to be a multi-man match. Would one more person have hurt it? Considering that one more person happens to be Daniel Bryan, I do not think it would hurt. He gets his rematch, might help the match be even more exciting, gets to go at it with Brock Lesnar, even though it is not the same as a singles match, and you probably shut down that issue with no problem. Brock Lesnar would still retain. No one would complain because Daniel Bryan gets a title match at the Royal Rumble, which is better than competing in the Royal Rumble match just to earn a title match and being eliminated. You could have even had The Authority force Daniel Bryan to beat someone like Kane to get into that title match, just to make the road seem more difficult. Further his underdog character. It really might have been smarter to not put him in the story with Roman Reigns.