When Should New Day Break Up?

I was watching Let's Make A Deal last week and New Day popped up. They weren't too bad.

Obviously, a few days before that, New Day lost the tag titles to Sheamus and Cesaro. New Day is not finished yet, however. But they will eventually break up. The question is whether the WWE should do it quickly, like in the coming weeks, or let the group last a few more months.

As I have said many times in the last year during New Day's reign of terror, they don't need the tag titles to do their act. And their act obviously has entertainment value. They weren't parading around with tag titles on Let's Make A Deal last week. They were playing along for the Christmas episode. And they can still be a part of some great storylines and segments away from chasing the tag titles.

On the other side of that, why might the WWE want to break them up? Depth might be the issue. There are enough tag teams to run the tag division on Raw well enough for a while. New Day is not necessary there. But are there enough singles wrestlers to push? New Day is made up of at least two guys that can be very useful as singles wrestlers, Kofi Kingston and Big E. Xavier Woods is probably best suited as a manager, as I have seen many other fans point out. Kofi Kingston and Big E can be useful chasing after the United States Championship down the road or being used as jobbers to the stars.

How do I think the WWE should handle it? Let New Day last a few more months. They can start breaking them up after Wrestlemania. But there is no need to have them last another year together. And they definitely do not need the tag titles back so soon. They already made history and all that. Time to move on from that, although the group might still have some potential as entertainers.

Previewing Money In The Bank 2015: Part 2

There hasn't been much time since the last encounter between John Cena and Kevin Owens. No big deal. The feud is still fine. The United States Championship is also once again not on the line. I do not see that as a problem. I felt forcing these title defenses might not be practical. What's the point of Cena holding the title if he doesn't defend it at PPVs? Relax, it isn't as bad as Lesnar holding the WWE Championship a few months ago. This feud between Cena and Owens isn't about winning titles.

But is it about developing Owens to be a star? That is what some fans are thinking. Others are saying he will end up like Rusev and Bray Wyatt. There is talk about some in the WWE not wanting Owens to lose so soon to Cena. Regardless of whether he wins or loses this feud, how will you follow up with the guy? If you can't follow up with him properly, it doesn't really matter who wins this feud. Cena will definitely continue to be featured well. Owens still has his NXT Championship. But people should not jump to the conclusion that he is being groomed to be a main-eventer right now. The main-event scene is full. You have guys being groomed to be top stars. You have former World Champions that could potentially find their way back in the title picture, if only to put over someone else. Cena isn't done in the main-event scene. Daniel Bryan will one day return. Will fans want to see him back as a top star? Yes? At best, Kevin Owens will be an upper-midcarder. He might get some undercard matches against other great wrestlers, but don't expect too much.

Who wins this match? Regardless of the winner of this encounter, this feud is likely to continue. If Cena wins, you need the rubber match. If Cena loses, the odds are even more against Cena. Can Cena beat Kevin Owens? I would have Cena lose this one. Have him lose cleanly. If fans were legitimately stunned by Cena losing clean before, build on that further. If they bought that, maybe they will buy Cena really has lost his touch or Owens is that great. Either way, it will build to the third encounter.

Onto a match that does involve someone the WWE is building to be a star. The Money in the Bank ladder match features Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Kane, Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston, and Neville. You have a nice array to put on a great match. You have a few guys that have won it before. But the guy being developed to be a star is Roman Reigns. The WWE has put much of this story on him. He had to overcome the odds just to get in the match. He is the one likely to win.

The WWE Championship will be defended in a ladder match between Seth Rollins and Dean Ambrose. Some fans complain when you see the same guys feuding against each other. Rollins and Ambrose were feuding less than a year ago. I see no one complaining about them feuding again. Having Ambrose steal the title is also a nice touch. You can complain about how you had title theft with the Intercontinental Championship for Wrestlemania. Once again, I do not see anyone complaining. It is a good feud.

There are a few different scenarios you can have, especially when you bring in Roman Reigns likely winning the briefcase. The main one is Dean Ambrose winning the title in a grueling match, then Roman Reigns cashing in on his friend right after. That can then lead to a heel turn for somebody.

Problem is, Brock Lesnar is looming. He never got his rematch. Keeping the title on Rollins might make the best sense. Have Roman Reigns cash in during or after that match. Get some payback on Rollins for doing that to him at Wrestlemania. Dean Ambrose winning the title might just make the whole storyline messy. The Shield vs. Brock Lesnar? All of them would have a reason to be in the title picture.

What scenario will I go with? I think Rollins retains through some shady means and Roman Reigns does not cash in yet. No need to rush it.

A New Day In The Tag Division?

The WWE made the decision to put the tag titles on The New Day. This is a weak decision. It was just a few years ago that the WWE did a good job of passing the titles on to teams that had momentum on their side. In the last few months, they have stopped doing that.

Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Big E were faces when the group officially debuted. They didn't get a very good reaction from the fans. The WWE turned them heel. But they won't turn Cena heel after all these years? Anyway, is any reaction better than no reaction? Fans weren't reacting negatively because they wanted these guys to turn heel. They hated the act. If the WWE thinks they have something of value here, they need to realize that they need to put more into it. You can go on Twitter or some message board and see fans reacting a certain way to something. Vocal fans in the arenas might also make you believe that the fans feel a certain way about something. But there are a lot of casual fans that may not be buying into it the same way or buying into it at all. You have to invest in what those vocal fans are wanting and make them into true draws for you. And if those things really cannot deliver, then you have every right to drop it and move on.

The New Day is a joke. I thought they had potential when they started. Didn't go anywhere. I also did not think they should get the titles unless the WWE was serious about developing them. It does not look like it. They are still a joke. I know this is the PG era, but not all the heels need to be like this. It is about entertaining the fans, but a variety of different characters would help. The WWE is just getting too gimmicky. Besides that, by not developing the group as a more serious threat, you are not doing the tag division any favors. All the teams feel like they are made up of guys that were jobbers not too long ago. Just pushing them well for a few weeks and tossing titles on them does not make it better. You need to develop their credibility better.

This is Kofi Kingston's first heel run in the WWE. It is disappointing that it has to be as part of a stable turning. It would have been nice if it was treated as a bigger deal. He gets another title reign added to his name, but what is this doing for his connection with the fans? This was a guy that was pretty over. Not A+, but very respectable. The gimmick seems to have hurt that. If he had a serious heel role, that might be better for him. Instead, he has this stupid gimmick and is stuck in a poor tag division.

Been a while since I did an aside. Let me do one. It is NBA playoff time. Coaches are willing to pull out any trick in the book. That includes intentionally fouling certain players they know are horrible at free throws. That causes the opposing team to possibly have a possession where they get no points, if the player misses both free throws. These kind of players can be a real weak link for their team. Why not kick them off the team? Why not make them bench players? Because they are still so good at other aspects of the game, such as defense. That is why they are still valued. And some of them are still used as starters. Even with their weaknesses, they still get valuable playing time. And they help their teams to succeed.

What does that have to do with anything? When the WWE mistreats a worker the fans want to see get pushed, they always seem to have an excuse. He lacks mic skills, he lacks charisma, or some other thing like that. It is no excuse. Who is perfect? Cena? Reigns? If they were, I don't think they would have had issues connecting with fans when pushed as top stars. When you have someone that is really connecting with the fans very well, you should take advantage of that. So what if he has certain weaknesses? He still brings you great results to help your product succeed.

This is also something for a lot of fans to keep in mind. They complain about certain performers not being great wrestlers. Okay, but they still have other attributes to help draw in other fans. For the most part, I don't really see fans saying Cena or Reigns should be fired. They just want them depushed or pushed differently. That's fair. It is only in those situations where these type of performers are really not living up to the manner they are being pushed that you should consider a hard depush and possibly letting them go. If you are bringing great results in connecting with certain fans, your shortcomings can be accepted. But if you are not bringing those great results in any area, why should you be kept around? With fans always complaining about you, you are just more trouble than you are worth.

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.

Miz & Sandow Win The Tag Titles

Miz and Damien Sandow won the tag titles at Survivor Series. Am I supposed to call him Mizdow? I'm not going to call him Mizdow. That is Sandow's first real title reign in the WWE. Good for him. What about Miz? It wasn't too long ago that this guy was holding a title. He does not need them. Unless the WWE is out of business by then, Miz will eventually be inducted into their Hall of Fame. It isn't because he earned it. It is because they gave him a career that will obviously end up in the Hall of Fame. And part of that is all these title reigns they keep on giving him.

I have mentioned many times that the WWE had been good about giving the tag titles to teams with momentum in recent years. Giving it to Goldust and Stardust was a step back. They may have had more momentum a few months ago when Cody Rhodes first debuted the new gimmick, but they had cooled down by the time the WWE finally gave them the titles. And their short time with the titles this year was not too great. Is giving it to Miz and Sandow a step back in the right direction? I don't think so. This is not a legitimate team. This is just two guys in the midcard that were tossed together a few months ago. You can easily see them feuding with each other soon. They were pretty much at that point where they either got the tag titles or started feuding with each other. Even though Sandow is getting over with the fans with his comedy gimmick, as a team, momentum wasn't really there for them to win the tag titles as it was for many other teams in the last few years. The tag division has not really regained that momentum.

There is still a lack of contenders. A lot of the teams on the main roster do not have a lot of credibility and are obvious lower-midcarders. Enter New Day. The New Day is a stable consisting of Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods. They look to be faces. It is not hard to imagine that two of these guys might eventually be going after the tag titles. I just think the gimmick is stupid. It is a good move to give your workers gimmicks and not push them as generic characters, but the WWE is just going overboard. Creative interest goes beyond just a gimmick. What about feud and storyline development? That is where the WWE often fails these days. And you just have too many stupid gimmicks floating around and not going anywhere. What you have these days is gimmicked lower-midcard filler. Guys like Tyson Kidd and Fandango are relevant again. Are they really being pushed? Or is this just filler? Main-event depth is not the only issue in the WWE. Midcarders like Barrett and Bo Dallas have also been injured. Who takes up their spot? Adam Rose and his Bunny? A lot of the things going on right now feel like El Torito vs. Hornswoggle. The WWE obviously did not follow up on those two. That is the same feeling you should have for a lot of these gimmicks you see now. They are just rotating these gimmicks. And this might be a low point in Kofi Kingston's career in the WWE. He looked very credible at one time. He might have been better off when he was generic. What will this gimmick do with his connection with the fans? As for those other two, this is a step up from what they are typically used to. Overall, the tag division is not too great right now.

Money In The Bank 2014: Previewing The Briefcase Ladder Match

When they first announced that there would still be a ladder match for the briefcase, I didn't like the idea that much. They had already put in so much top talent in the other ladder match. They were going to end up tossing in guys in this ladder match that should be facing each other in singles matches. They were not going to have enough guys left over for other matches to fill up the card. Now that all the participants have been named, I am not going to complain about it. Aside from Rollins and Ambrose, none of these other guys really had anything going for them. And there are still other matches to fill up the card. I am going to talk about the participants in the order I think they stand a chance of winning.

Remember that time I said I was going to talk about the participants in the order I thought they stood a chance of winning? I lied. I have to start with Bad News Barrett. Yes, there is bad news for Bad News Barrett. He got injured on Smackdown. There is a very good chance he will not compete in the ladder match this Sunday. Where would he have landed on my list had he not gotten injured? He would have come in second. Yes, I think he stood a good chance of winning. He has talent and has seemed to be on the fringes of a major push at times in his career. He shouldn't be stuck rotating around the midcard forever. Who takes his place? I'm not going to speculate on that. The WWE may not even need to replace him. There are still a lot of guys in the match.

Seth Rollins seems like the likely choice to win. He is in the midst of a great turn in his career. He is aligned with Triple H and being groomed to be the future golden boy. I almost want to say that he does not need the briefcase. His feud with Ambrose will obviously last beyond Money in the Bank. The type of treatment he is getting now pretty much guarantees he will be featured well. Nevertheless, he seems like the most credible option to get the briefcase.

Dean Ambrose is also hot. But he seems to just be there for the benefit of Rollins. Rollins is the one being developed to be a future star. Ambrose is likely just the one there to feud with him for the moment. Rollins will continue to be groomed well in the future, assuming he does not flop, but Ambrose is likely the one that will get lost in the shuffle. The only reason I could picture him winning the briefcase is to further the feud between him and Rollins even more.

Dolph Ziggler is very popular. But does he need another briefcase win? He has won it before and successfully cashed it in. It is not unheard of for someone to win the briefcase twice, but I don't see the need for Ziggler to win this. There are so many other names to push to be future main-eventers. Assuming Barrett is not injured for long, Ziggler could eventually regain the Intercontinental Championship by beating him. They had a great match on Raw. If the WWE ever does get serious about pushing Ziggler in the main-event again, it shouldn't be difficult since he held the World title before. He does not need the briefcase.

Rob Van Dam returned at Money in the Bank last year. What has he really done? He seems to be just enhancement talent. Why in the world would they book him to get the briefcase? He is likely just there to pull off some cool spots.

Jack Swagger. The only reason I am not putting him at the bottom of the list is because he has won the briefcase before and won the World title once.

Kofi Kingston, much like RVD, is likely just there to pull off some fancy spots. He has done nothing important for months.

Grading Kofi Kingston

Kofi Kingston is a solid B. He is a B player. He is a midcarder. He is the king of the midcard. Even during this age of the midcard in the WWE being such a mess, the WWE's treatment of Kofi Kingston pretty much exemplifies what it means to be a midcarder these days. You get pushed well for a period of time, get lost in the shuffle, job to bigger stars, and you just wait around to be pushed well again. It wasn't that long ago that Kofi Kingston beat Randy Orton. Big moment for Kofi Kingston. And how has the WWE followed up? They haven't. That is what it's like in the midcard these days.

I always say Kofi Kingston deserves to be raised up to better pushes. But how would I actually grade him? As a wrestler, Kofi Kingston is definitely fun to watch. What stunt Kofi Kingston will pull off at the Royal Rumble is something I see some fans speculating on every year now. But he's not just good for a few good spots. He can put on great matches. His mic skills? He doesn't exactly get much of a chance to talk. His feud with Randy Orton allowed him to show an impressive side. He definitely has potential. But how high can you really grade him? The common criticism I see fans bring up for Kofi Kingston is his overall character. He is a generic face midcarder. That isn't his fault, but it's hard to say he is demonstrating A+ talent. I honestly believe he has the potential to do a lot better. A+ potential? I wouldn't say that. I wouldn't even say he has shown enough to be a regular main-eventer and be pushed as an A player. I would give him a B+.

How is he doing in terms of overness? Kofi Kingston is a likeable guy. He has definitely impressed a lot of wrestling fans. He has a fun character that kids can like. He can get a reaction and get fans going in his matches. All that being said, he isn't exactly bringing the results Daniel Bryan brings. Although people like him, how strongly do they feel about him? The WWE constantly depushes Kofi Kingston. I don't see fans chanting for Kofi when he isn't even in the ring. I can imagine Kofi Kingston eventually being let go quietly, fans being a little surprised they didn't re-sign him, but no huge plans for riots and protests starting. Definitely can't say he has an A+ connection with the fans. At the same time, he has not failed to make a positive connection with the fans. I would say he is getting a respectable face reaction. He is getting the kind of reaction from those fans that you would want a midcard face to get. He is not really going above the call of duty. I believe he has the potential to, but he doesn't have the connection with the fans that would help to argue for him getting pushed as an upper-midcarder.

Let me switch to the diva division for a moment. I sometimes might make it sound like credible jobbers never get over at all. That is a generalization some fans make about this wrestler or that wrestler all the time. Alberto Del Rio is not over. The Bellas are not over. Nobody likes Miz. He's not over with wrestling fans. He's not over with casual fans. He's not over with his hometown fans. He's not over with his family. His goldfish hate him. He may not be very over, but is it fair to say no one likes him at all? That is why I like grading the overness these wrestlers have like I have been doing recently. You are not stuck with either saying they are over or they are not over. A+ overness? F? Somewhere in between? The thing with credible jobbers, they can definitely connect with actual wrestling fans easily. A lot of times, they can get that respectable face reaction that I mentioned before with Kofi Kingston. I have seen some of these women get that level of a reaction as faces, like Ivory and Natalya. Do these women become the most over diva on the roster? Well, they are not supposed to. Mickie James did. I will talk more about the diva division when I grade AJ Lee next week.

I am going to end it with one more example of what I mean about saying that someone is not over not meaning no one likes them. And it is an extreme example. Back when he first debuted, Cody Rhodes was pretty generic and dull. Not a lot of people cared too much about him. He wasn't too over.  Here is a classic gif of his entrance.



One fan cared. Is it fair to say no one cared about Cody Rhodes at all? He had a fan. Would that fan be enough to drown out the fan support Daniel Bryan gets today? No. Cody has obviously become more over since then, as you would expect that he would. Obviously, this was an exaggerated example. Point is, just because someone is not bringing A-level results, or even B-level results, that doesn't automatically mean they have failed to connect with any fans to some degree. It takes time for some wrestlers to grow on the fans. And there are different types of fans with different types of tastes. Those fans may not always make as much of an impact as the majority or a vocal minority, but they still count. Don't get me wrong, I would definitely give Cody Rhodes a D or an F back then, but that is because he had not connected with enough fans in a strong manner, not because he failed to connect with anybody. Getting one question right out of a hundred on a test does not mean you passed.

Miz Goes Back To Being Heel

I have not even mentioned Miz's recent heel turn. Let me talk about that now. It has come about with this feud involving Kofi Kingston. Before focusing on Miz, let me talk about this as it relates to Kofi Kingston. Kofi Kingston has gotten a feud against a former top star that does not involve a title. The last time he got a major feud like this was against Randy Orton a few years ago. It showed a great side of Kofi Kingston. He showed a great attitude. This feud against The Miz isn't as great as that feud against Orton, but it is something for Kofi to do.

Moving onto Miz, can you say his face run flopped? I usually do not like saying something like that. I usually feel the WWE did not do a proper job developing the superstar. This is not one of those situations. I thought Miz had the potential to be a good face. He could be a face character with some edge. He just has not connected well with the fans. Certain instances of him getting negative reactions from the fans during his face run have been made clear. The WWE has not really pushed him down the fans' throats, so I can't blame them for that. I cannot blame them for not giving him anything to do. He has been featured well, although not as great as certain other main-event faces, obviously. I really cannot blame the WWE for turning Miz heel again.

Does the negative reaction mean Miz is a great heel character? Or do the fans just dislike him as a performer? You watch a movie and dislike a certain character in the movie, possibly the villain. Do you hate that character because of how well the actor makes you hate that character? Or do you hate how the actor is performing? When I watch a movie, I usually am not too critical of anyone's acting. Miz is heel. He will probably still get booed. Are those fans booing him because he does a great job playing that heel character? Or do they just don't like him as a performer? This isn't even a question about whether they don't like him as a human being. That's just stupid. Even though I think Miz has potential to be a great heel, I think there are a lot of fans out there that hate him because they don't like how he performs, not because his skills are drawing that emotion from them.

Now that Miz is heel again, what can you do with him? I'll just bring up one possibility. If the WWE still eventually pulls the trigger on Randy Orton separating from The Authority, how about Miz takes his place as the corporate heels top star? He isn't the worse choice. It is a possibility. And yet, it is a possibility I do not like. I don't think he has enough credibility to pull it off. He has only been WWE Champion once. And he has not been deeply involved in major storylines in a while. To toss him into that position would not be wise. You would have to build him up first. Nevertheless, just wanted to mention it.

Big E Langston: Big Face Jobbber To The Stars

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

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

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

Assorted Thoughts On Summerslam 2013

Christian gets one more match. Will he win the World Championship from Alberto Del Rio? If you look at how the WWE has developed this feud, Christian looks way too strong over Del Rio. Momentum is on his side. What does that mean? You usually see the person with so much momentum lose. Or is the WWE developing Christian's credibility so he can be a credible Champion when he wins the title? He didn't look too credible against Randy Orton a few years ago when they feuded over the title. Is the WWE trying to make up for that now? With the way they have been treating Christian, I wouldn't be surprised if he does win the title.

And what about Damien Sandow? His match against Cody Rhodes is just a grudge match. The briefcase will not be on the line. Will Sandow cash in and win the title, regardless of who wins between Christian and Alberto Del Rio? I don't think so. I just talked about how much the WWE is developing Christian's credibility recently, but the same cannot exactly be said for Damien Sandow. You go back to when Dolph Ziggler had the briefcase last year. They developed his credibility by having him feud with the likes of Chris Jericho and John Cena. Who has Sandow been feuding with since getting the briefcase? Just Cody Rhodes. Sandow had that feud against Sheamus prior to Money in the Bank, but I only remember him beating Sheamus in a 2-on-1 handicap match. Not too impressive. I can't imagine him cashing in at Summerslam. He may attempt to, but Cody Rhodes might spoil it again. I can't picture Sandow beating either Alberto Del Rio or Christian just yet. He is still being treated too much as a gimmick and a midcarder. The WWE will probably groom him better prior to cashing in. And having him cash in just to lose at Summerslam would be a waste.

Let me talk about something that may not be happening at Summerslam. No Kofi Kingston vs. Ryback? Kofi would have a reason to want to face Ryback, the man who took him out in terms of kayfabe. In terms of just booking, it isn't like either guy is doing anything right now. It is very stupid to not develop a feud between them. Ryback has been featured regularly at PPVs now for a long time. And he has had some big matches. A match with Kofi may be seen as a drop back into the midcard, but it is still better than no feud at all. Kofi Kingston would not have had to win this match, but a feud would help to make things interesting in the midcard. What are the odds it gets added during the show as a filler match?

Just a general note on the divas that doesn't even have too much to do with Summerslam. It seems they are developing Natalya. AJ is going to need a fresh challenger for Night of Champions. They are phasing Kaitlyn out and rotating in Natalya. It really isn't hard imagining that. What other faces are there in the diva division? Even though it is too early to say anything, should Natalya win the title? As I said, not a lot of face options. AJ dropping the title back to Kaitlyn is an option, but would they have a reason to do that? Natalya is fresher. Besides, that can potentially then lead to Natalya transitioning the title to one of The Bellas.

And one last thing that doesn't really have to do with the WWE at all. Recently, I brought up analyzing TNA's KO division in terms of what is getting primary focus, secondary focus, and minor focus. A while before that, I mentioned that TNA's agenda for the division may be forced to change if they don't bring in more women. How can they feature those women so much if they are so few of them? Bring those two ideas together. Pretty soon, if things don't change, you won't be talking about primary, secondary, and minor. You will only have major and minor. What is the top focus of the KO division and what is the other feud? They really need to integrate more women into the division. Integrate? What do I mean? Don't just debut them, use them scarcely over a few months, then release them. Bring them in and actually make them a part of the division. That is the only way to properly keep up the division you have had for so many years. And no matter how you choose to read the KO division, never forget the golden rule. They are always going to rotate everyone. What is in the major focus and minor focus will always be changing. But how well will it work with so few women?

Sheamus Injured

This injury looks a little more serious than what happened with Randy Orton recently. Sheamus has been injured and will be out for a few months, possibly half a year. He had been used scarcely in recent weeks since that injury at Money in the Bank. However, I really do not see this as devastating as Randy Orton, Mr. Money in the Bank, possibly having suffered a serious injury. Sheamus wasn't really in the midst of a big angle right now.

The WWE is still losing a top face for a few months. Which wrestler should get that spot while Sheamus is away? It might sound crazy, but how about Kofi Kingston? Replacing a top face, a former World Champion, with a midcarder? Sounds stupid, but Kofi Kingston is a guy who deserves a better push. I've been saying that for a long time. This is the kind of mentality the WWE should have in the coming months. Pretend Sheamus is still around. Whoever would get a feud against Sheamus, give that guy a feud against Kofi Kingston. Sheamus vs. Ryback? Turn that into Kofi Kingston vs. Ryback, which would have been a good feud right now. Sheamus vs. Bray Wyatt? Turn that into Kofi Kingston vs. Bray Wyatt. Go as far as Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio? Yes, even turn that into Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio.

Some people might say that this is a matter of Kofi Kingston needing to step up, or whoever else might stand a chance to get pushed better with Sheamus out. I don't see it like that. The WWE needs to step up and push these other guys better. The NFL preseason is getting started. I always hear talk about young talent needing to step up to impress the coaches to earn a spot on the main roster when the season starts, and possibly a starting spot. What would it mean for some of these guys to be extremely impressive and the head coach to stick with players that may be struggling? It's not a one-way street. Impressing and getting the job done does not automatically lead to you getting a spot or a push. Kofi Kingston has proven his potential already. The WWE has just lost a top face that can work very well in the ring. Kofi Kingston can work very well in the ring and fans like him. You can earn something, but someone actually has to give you what you earn in these situations. A bump to the upper-midcard for a few months would be better than Kofi Kingston chasing after midcard titles, getting lost in the shuffle, or worst of all, squashing Jinder Mahal on Superstars every week.

Should Kofi Kingston Drop The Title To Dean Ambrose?

Is the WWE thinking of starting a feud between Kofi Kingston and Dean Ambrose over the United States Championship? Dean Ambrose is the member of The Shield who has been seeing some singles action as of late. It wouldn't be surprising for him to get a solo push, while the other two members of the group chase after the tag titles.

I wouldn't like the idea. The Shield seems like the best group to get the tag titles off Kane and Daniel Bryan. But to load them up with titles? Having all three members hold the tag titles and rotate who defends them is one thing, but holding the tag titles and the U.S. Championship is something else. I think that would be unnecessary overkill. Another possibility would be for Ziggler's group to be holding a whole lot of titles. I think that would be overkill, as well. A midcard heel like Damien Sandow has never held a title in the WWE yet. Why not have him feud with Kofi and possibly win the title? Dean Ambrose does not need that title. The Shield as a unit can use the tag titles to further their own credibility.

The King Of The Midcard Retakes His Throne

Kofi Kingston has regained the United States Championship. It was definitely a good match. Kofi Kingston is definitely a good worker. But this is just stupid. Kofi Kingston really should be beyond this cycle of either holding a midcard title or putting over other people. This guy should be getting actual storylines with bigger names. I am not saying he needs to win the WWE Championship. And how the WWE handled the situation also shows the main problem I have with the midcard. Couldn't they have developed some kind of legitimate feud? The midcard needs some actual storylines.

Did Kofi even deserve the title? Doing promotional work for the WWE gets you a midcard title run? What other options were there? If the WWE really wanted to sell the idea that no American could beat Cesaro for the title, that would leave out Zack Ryder. What about Santino? Too much of a joke character? The WWE needs to start developing their midcard faces more. The likes of Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes, Fandango, and Wade Barrett seem fresher than the faces. A lot of the faces seem to be lower-midcarders, like Santino and Ryder, who sometimes get featured on Raw.

Changing topic slightly, and it might be too early to say it, Fandango doesn't seem to be the one who is over. It looks like it really was just his theme song people liked. During his promo on Raw, people seemed more interested in his theme than him. It looks like the WWE would like to run with it. Will it eventually get Fandango over? Now that a face is holding the U.S. Championship, will Fandango be in the title hunt soon?

Where Is Kofi?

Where has Kofi Kingston been since losing the Intercontinental Championship to Wade Barrett? I had a feeling he would get lost in the shuffle. He is currently not involved in any title feuds. While we're at it, he's currently not involved in really anything. He is being used to put over others. He did get his moment at the Royal Rumble.

At the time I last talked about Kofi, I was expecting Elimination Chamber to feature a multi-man match for the WWE Championship, or at least #1 contendership for that title. Neither of those are options now. If it still was, I figured Kofi would be involved in that. He usually is. The multi-man match for Raw looks like it will involve The Shield, John Cena, Ryback, and Sheamus. Kofi doesn't fit in there.

Wrestlemania might be even tougher to find a spot for Kofi. No Money in the Bank there. Can they make up some large tag match? Maybe something involving whatever is left of The Shield after Cena has his way with them? Kofi can get involved in that. If not, he'll probably get involved in some pre-show battle royal. I don't see the road to Wrestlemania featuring Kofi prominently.

What should the WWE try to do with Kofi now? Honestly, I think they have a good reason to not be pushing Kofi Kingston well right now. It's tough this time of year. Moreover, the WWE has a right to also feature some of these other guys. Kofi Kingston is a good worker and is over, but he is not at the level of a Chris Jericho or CM Punk. You could try forcing him into a feud with Cesaro for the U.S. title, but it is not really necessary. You would just be trying too hard. Kofi has worth outside of these title feuds. Hopefully, they start using him better after Wrestlemania. Right now, no tears needed for Kofi. He's not being punished. 

Wade Barrett Wins The Intercontinental Championship

Kofi Kingston has lost the Intercontinental Championship to Wade Barrett. This is a very good move to still keep some attention on Barrett. It is true that this is pretty much the same spot he was in almost two years ago. He beat Kofi Kingston to win his first IC title. He beats him again to win his second IC title. What does that tell you about the midcard? I would say that pushing some new guys would be nice. Nevertheless, this may not be the same as touching the main-event scene's fringes, as Barrett was doing prior to his injury last year, but a good title reign can help transition him back into that bigger push, when the time is right.

And what about Kofi? I just finished saying that a good title reign can help transition Barrett to a bigger push. Kofi Kingston is a guy that seems to be always moving in and out of title reigns, but he has always been a midcarder. I am not expecting a bigger push for him now. He will probably get another good show at the Royal Rumble, but he will still be in the midcard. There are too many top guys right now ahead of him. After Kofi finishes up with Barrett, should he move on to Antonio Cesaro? If they don't develop some singles feud for him, I can picture him once again getting lost in multi-man matches.

Kofi/Barrett And A Look At Ratings

It looks like there will be a feud between Kofi Kingston and Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship. They put on a very good match on Raw. This should turn out to be the best thing for Barrett since his return. Even though it is just a basic title feud, and one that has happened before on Smackdown, I just have this feeling like it is fresh. Barrett has developed a lot on his own now. This guy has a lot of potential to be a big star. And this feud doesn't even need a fancy storyline to it. They both have the skills to go in the ring. The WWE just has to pace it out a little bit. Don't rush the title match for next week, then kill it all off. At the same time, don't drag it on for months. If they pace it properly, this should be a great feud for the midcard.

How about the ratings? Haven't talked about that in a while. Smackdown's numbers are down from last year. The yearly average was  1.95 in 2011. It is currently at a 1.89 this year. I don't think it's that huge of a tragedy. Most of the bad numbers have come about for those live editions they had this year. Live editions did do well last year, but have been drawing lower ratings this year. If the WWE had not done those live editions this year, Smackdown's numbers wouldn't look too bad. That's why you really shouldn't worry too much for Smackdown.

Raw is on a roll. A roll all the way down. They have not seen a 3.0 in 11 weeks now. December will not be kind. There is no way they will be able to avoid this being their worst year in the ratings in over a decade. Did I say that same thing last year? Well, they would need to get this year's average up to a 3.2 to meet the 2011 annual average. They are currently at a 3.06. It cannot be done, especially with the recent trend of ratings below a 3.0. They are pretty much just fighting not to have the annual average drop below a 3.0. That is at least a possibility, and an embarrassing one.

TNA's ratings have dropped from last year, but that's not what I want to talk about. Last week's rating was a 1.1. So what? That's the highest number they have gotten since August. Yeah, and? Last week's episode was a taped episode and did go against football. A taped episode that went against the NFL still saw a better number than some of the live episodes this year that did not go against that kind of competition. Part of it is probably due to this episode coming off a PPV, but the ratings for similar episodes in recent months haven't been as high as a 1.1. It makes you wonder, going live was supposed to gain more viewers from those who would rather read spoilers and skip the show if it doesn't look interesting, but a taped show ends up getting you a good number? Don't expect this week's ratings to be any indicator of a trend, since it is Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, would it even matter if TNA decided not to be live anymore?

R-Truth Follows Kofi's Path

Before I talk about what I want to, let me go back to what I talked about last time. I went on and on, so it may have been hard to get my point. My point was, when looking at how the WWE is currently using Askana and Kaitlyn, you could either view it as the WWE's standards are dropping for their diva division or eye-candy periphery divas are being used s credible jobbers because of a shortage of real female wrestlers. Lowering of standards or credible jobber shortage? Is the problem a mix of both? Which is worse? You can argue that one is leading to the other. Point is, before you can solve your problems, it helps to know exactly what your problems are. Just saying the WWE diva division sucks is a generalization which will not help too much.

Onto R-Truth. He is in a feud with Antonio Cesaro, the U.S. Champion. It looks like he is following in the path of his former tag partner, Kofi Kingston, who is now holding a  midcard title.

Should R-Truth win the title or just be used to put over Cesaro. I don't find Cesaro too interesting, so maybe I should be saying R-Truth should win the title. And yet, I don't think he really needs it. He and Kofi just had a long run with the tag titles. R-Truth is popular and has held the U.S. title before, but I don't think tossing him a title just to save him from getting lost in the shuffle is the way to go. There are other good workers in the midcard who could use a title run to either reward them for solid work, develop them to move up the card, make midcard matters more interesting, or whatever other reason there might be. As for R-Truth, it shouldn't be hard to develop some kind of non-title feud for him.

Let me tell you how I would have handled Kofi and R-Truth after they lost the tag titles. Have both of them feud against either Miz or Cesaro. Triple threat. Neither of them would have to turn heel, but the possibility that it could happen would get fans talking and interested in the feud. At Survivor Series a few years ago, you had The Undertaker defending his World title against Big Show and Chris Jericho, who were a team at the time, and John Cena defending his World title against Triple H and Shawn Michaels, who were a team at the time. Would trying this kind of thing in the midcard have been that bad? I don't think so.

Wade Barrett Is Jobbing To The Stars

Wade Barrett is currently being used as a jobber to the stars. Most people might disagree, since he did exchange some victories with Randy Orton in recent weeks. Problem is, Wade Barrett has only beaten Randy Orton when Alberto Del Rio was there to cost Orton the match. Wade Barrett is just a supporting character in the larger feud between Orton and Del Rio. These two are still going at it. Both are a part of a major Survivor Series match. Wade Barrett does not have any real direction at all.

If Wade Barrett had his own proper feud going on, I would not be saying he is a jobber. He would be getting development for that feud, regardless of wins and losses. It is tough to watch this, if you are a Barrett fan. He had so much momentum prior to his injury. And now, he is getting shuffled around. If Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton were the captains of a traditional Survivor Series match, I don't think it would be hard to imagine that Wade would be one of the heels involved in that match. It wouldn't be the same as a personal feud for him, but it would be better than getting meaningless wins as part of some other guys' feud.

What could Barrett have to look forward to? The Royal Rumble is still two months away, so I won't mention that. What can they do for him in the coming weeks? That Intercontinental Championship is finally on a face. Yes, that face is tied into the same big tag match that Alberto Del Rio and Randy Orton are a part of. Kofi Kingston might even end up defending the title against Miz again. After that, why not make the next contender Wade Barrett? I know these two feuded over the title before, but it's still fresher than seeing Kofi face Ziggler. As of right now, that seems like the best option for Barrett.

R-Truth And Kofi Kingston Split

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

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

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

Friendship Prevails

Daniel Bryan and Kane have beaten Kofi Kingston and R-Truth for the tag titles at Night of Champions. That was not a shocking outcome at all. There are a few things to say about this.

First, what does this mean for the tag division revival? Legitimate interest was being put into the tag division for months now. The Prime Time Players looked to be the chief benefactors of it. It looked like they would finally win the titles. Had this storyline between Kane and Bryan not have come about, I think they would have won it. Kane and Bryan did not win the titles to improve the revival. The proper way to do that would be to bring in more legitimate teams. Do more with the teams you have. People can say that Young and O'Neil are not over, but how can you expect them to get over if you do not follow through with how you are pushing them? The titles were put on Kane and Daniel Bryan to further their storyline. The revival, if you ask me, is done.

Is Daniel Bryan face or heel? Kane seems to always be a tweener. Daniel Bryan seems to be in that zone again. He has been so entertaining with his current heel character, the fans are cheering for him. A true face turn should be coming for him very soon. Keep him heel by having him eventually turn on Kane? That is the other option, but you might as well just run this storyline to it's eventual finish and have them finally be "friends" in the end.

In less than one year, Kane goes from being a monster to being a comedy character. Aside from going from heel to face rather easily, that is something else you see the WWE do with Kane a lot. He can destroy multiple people is a single segment. When that's over, he can be involved in a comedy segment with Santino. I know a lot of people prefer the monster, but it is good to have that versatility. If nothing else, he's winning titles.

Finally, what happens to R-Truth and Kofi Kingston? After the rematch, assuming they do not win the titles back, where do they go? As I have pointed out before, if they were not paired together and holding the titles these last few months, they would have gotten lost in the shuffle. Good thing is, since the U.S. Championship and Intercontinental Championship are both held by heels, R-Truth and Kofi can eventually be challengers for that. How about both at the same time in a triple threat? Turn one of these guys heel? I don't think that's necessary. Point is, the WWE will either have to work something out for these two midcarders or they will be on Superstars more often in the coming weeks.