Previewing The Battleground 2017 Women's Match

 

There just comes a point where you get sick of complaining about the same thing. I have frequently criticized Smackdown for having too many multi-woman matches at PPVs. They fail to properly develop good personal feuds a lot of the time, especially for the big PPVs since the brand split came back. Recently, there have been a couple Smackdown PPVs in a row to feature multi-women matches.

I saw a dirtsheet report in the past week mention that the WWE is doing a ton of multi-person matches because it is just convenient for the writers and they believe it gives everyone heat with everyone else, or something along those lines. Did you really need a dirtsheet report to know the writers were being lazy? Even then, I would not say it is that bad. Most of the PPV main events are still singles matches. Even other title matches outside the main event are mostly singles matches. It is a little annoying how they frequently toss everyone together for the sake of finding #1 contenders, but even that isn't done all the time. But this issue with the Smackdown women's division is really annoying.

Battleground will not be anything new. Five women compete to find out who faces Naomi at Summerslam. If there is any silver lining, it is that this match will lead to a singles match at a big PPV. Even then, that does not kill the bad habit. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte vs. Lana vs. Natalya vs. Tamina. I don't think there are any fresh, smooth options here.

Naomi is a face, so it might make you wonder if they would really let Becky Lynch or Charlotte win. Would a face vs. face feud really be interesting? Would they turn someone heel just for the sake of this feud? Even then, you have a heel, Carmella, looming with the briefcase. Neither Becky nor Charlotte would make for a smooth feud.

Would Natalya vs. Naomi be considered a fresh feud? Natalya is not really fresh. She does not have much attention on her, creatively. I just feel like the other women seem to have more going than her.

Normally, I would say Tamina is Tamina. But the WWE has decided to give her a storyline. This is another example of a person that has not earned something getting something. This angle involves Tamina training Lana. If there was not a women's revolution going on and the writing was better, the story to tell would be that Tamina successfully trains Lana to finally beat Naomi for the title. After that, Tamina could want a title shot. Lana refuses. And a feud happens between the two, with Tamina going face. But how likely is it that Lana wins this? And Tamina is not worthy of getting a title shot at Summerslam.

Who wins? I think it comes down to the fact that this is Summerslam, one of the biggest PPVs of the year. Charlotte has not been pushed well since coming to Smackdown, but she has the most title credibility in this match. The WWE would likely give her the push. As for the awkwardness of face vs. face, the WWE will likely have Carmella cash in on Naomi prior to Summerslam, possibly even this Sunday, and the Summerslam match becomes a triple threat. And Smackdown continues its streak of multi-woman matches.

Lana Gets Another Shot

The Smackdown women's division has just become a saga in recent weeks. And I don't mean that in a good way. They are just stuck in the same situation and keep making a big deal out of it.

I already pointed out how Lana took issue to how her match ended on Smackdown last week against Naomi for the title. Daniel Bryan has granted her another rematch for the title. It will happen tomorrow on Smackdown.

Rematches happen, but this is kind of ridiculous. Should fans really get excited for PPV matches when they get rematches like this? Naomi should have already moved on to someone else. While Lana continues to get title shots, almost all the other women of Smackdown are stuck with just one thing to do. And that is be upset about Carmella and James Ellsworth breaking rules to win the briefcase. That is another saga I will not even get into right now. Those women just need to move on to something new. Less complaining, more entertaining. Less repeating what happened two weeks ago, more freshness.

Should Lana win the title here? If they don't let her have it, what was really the point of all this? To bring Rusev back? I am sure they could have came up with another angle to do that. Prolonging this feud has just not been good. And Naomi has a fancier title belt right now, so that might make you think that she doesn't lose it. I felt like Lana might win the first time. I went with Naomi the second. And I will go back to Lana this time.

Did Smackdown Accomplish Anything This Week?

In terms of drawing, Smackdown obviously did what it needed to do. Ratings aren't out yet, but they hyped big matches for this week's episode. Developing angles and promoting matches and segments will lead to people being interested. But that is not what I am talking about today. The booking last night, did that accomplish anything?

First, Lana got a rematch against Naomi for the Women's Championship. It was a short match. Lana hit her finisher and Naomi just kicked out and went on to win. That doesn't really make Lana look good. A lot of people have been critical of Lana's wrestling ability. I would be one of them to some degree. But there are fans that were hoping for competitive matches in this new era. The WWE definitely could have told a different story in that match.

And is it really over? Lana has had a lot to say on Twitter.

I obviously did NOT get pined! I want a FAIR title match! Clearly the ref & all of @WWE are cheaters & favor @NaomiWWE over me! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/puUUrbWIap

— CJ (Lana) Perry (@LanaWWE) June 28, 2017

Does this lead to Lana complaining next week and getting another rematch? Should it? On one hand, it would be nice to just move on already, especially if the WWE is not planning to give Lana the title right now. On the other hand, it is at least a real possibility that the WWE continues this, especially now that fans on social media have gotten wind of Lana not having both shoulders down.

Second, the briefcase ladder match. No Ellsworth this time. Of course, he still got involved. This time, however, Carmella took the briefcase down herself. Ignoring the Ellsworth ban and it being violated, this is how the match should have ended at the PPV a few weeks ago. Ellsworth tries to cheat. He gets taken out. Carmella gets the briefcase. The whole controversy of a man grabbing the briefcase in a match that is supposed to be about the women does not exist.

Once again, is this really the end of it? There was once again a controversial finish that might lead to another segment featuring the women complaining. And they would have a point. James Ellsworth was banned. He violated the rules. Shouldn't something happen?

This is exactly like what happened last year with Seth Rollins. Rollins was getting way too many title shots. On an episode of Raw, he got a shot against Kevin Owens, with Chris Jericho banned from ringside. Jericho ended up still finding his way to ringside and he interfered. Owens ended up retaining. As much as I hated Seth Rollins getting so many title shots, isn't this a situation they created where he should have gotten a rematch? There was a rule and that rule was broken, resulting in Rollins losing the match. It just seems like bad writing.

It seems like the WWE has once again written themselves into a bad situation. They obviously should not do the ladder match for a third time, but it does seem pretty stupid that they created this rule, the rule was broken, and Carmella ended up benefiting to win the match. The previous situation with Seth Rollins was not handled in the smoothest way, and I expect this situation to not be handled in the smoothest way.

I made a point last week that there would be no reason to redo these two matches if the outcome would be the same. And it seems the outcome was exactly the same. Not only did the same woman win both matches, but both matches ended in a possibly indecisive or controversial fashion that makes you wonder if it is all over yet. That is why I would say the booking of these matches did not accomplish anything. It was just a bunch of hype for no big developments in these storylines. They could have used the situation to give the briefcase to someone new, while Carmella carried her momentum from the whole controversy into a title feud with Naomi, who could have definitively been free from Lana, who is complaining on Twitter about how the match ended.

Moving on to the men, Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley took on The Usos. If the faces won this match, they would have gotten a shot at the tag titles. I was all for this happening. But the WWE had The Usos win. A triple threat feud also involving New Day would have been good. It would have made things more interesting.

It just feels like everything is as it was coming off Money In The Bank. The women's ladder match ended with Carmella winning and controversy involving Ellsworth. That is where we are at right now. The women's title match ended with Naomi retaining and Lana having a complaint she believes warranted a rematch. That is where we are right now. The tag title match ended in a way in which it was obvious New Day was not finished with The Usos yet. And that is where we are right now. Nothing has changed. All Smackdown accomplished last night was maintaining the status quo. It remains to be seen what direction they will go with this, but last night's Smackdown didn't serve to progress anything in a fresh direction.

Redoing The Money In The Bank 2017 Women's Matches

The last few days have not been very smooth for the Smackdown women's division. Money In The Bank featured two women's matches. Carmella won the briefcase, thanks to a controversial assist to James Ellsworth. Lana failed to beat Naomi for the Women's Championship. This week on Smackdown, the outcomes of these two matches seem to have been voided. Carmella was stripped of the briefcase and there will be another ladder match next week to decide who gets it. Lana gets a rematch for the Women's Championship against Naomi.

First, let me start with the controversy. The controversy isn't really that Ellsworth grabbed the briefcase. He didn't go rogue and do anything he wasn't supposed to do. The controversy is that the WWE had this happen. A moment that should have been about the women ends up being about a man that got in the way. But the WWE is acting like mere interference is the issue. As Carmella mentioned in her promo and Daniel Bryan also brought up, these matches are No DQ and interference has happened before. But that was not what made how this match went down so annoying.

The WWE has done this kind of thing in the past. There is a kayfabe controversy that the WWE tries to push over the legitimate issue. Remember when Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble? He got an assist from The Rock. The fans gave that match a nuclear reaction. They hated it. The WWE tried to sell the controversy as The Rock getting involved. No, the issue was that fans hated how the match was booked, including Roman Reigns getting that big push over Daniel Bryan, besides the growing resentment against Reigns.

Mistakes are going to happen. The women will botch in the ring. The writers will come up with dumb ideas. Vince McMahon will want something done that fans just hate. But you should try to limit these things. As I have mentioned before, the women's revolution has not gotten over as well as it should. The WWE is not helping with some of these dumb things that they do, like having Ellsworth be the most talked about individual coming out of that women's ladder match. Fans have more of a reason to get excited for this guy doing something than the women doing anything. This is not the kind of controversy the WWE should be doing.

I mentioned that promo Carmella did. I went back to look at it. Fans were talking about how great it was. It was decent, but nothing that great. It was the typical self-righteous speech a person gives about being held back and slamming those people that are supposedly ahead of the individual. Smarks eat this stuff up, so I am not surprised they like this. Just talk about working your ass off and scream for respect. You don't even need to try to be entertaining. AJ Lee, Paige, and other women have done similar promos.

How about the decision to redo two PPV matches next week? Well, Smackdown's viewership was terrible last week. It got the second lowest number since the brand split came back. And there was no good reason for it to be so low. It did not go against any major sports competition. No huge political drama that night, even though news shows did well that night. And yet, Smackdown flopped in terms of viewership. I can see why they would try to drum up some controversy to draw for them this week, and then create some big matches for next week.

But does redoing these matches hurt the value of anything? I see a lot of fans complaining about all these rematches. Why bother watching PPVs? Were the matches meaningless? Does this hurt the value of the first-ever women's Money in the Bank ladder match? The second one is coming so soon. I can understand fans being annoyed by the situation. Some rematches are obviously going to happen, but redoing the ladder match, and on free TV, is kind of awkward. The WWE just better hope it draws.

Another thing to consider, what is the point of redoing these two matches if both end in the same way? Carmella wins the briefcase back and Naomi once again retains against Lana. Seems like a whole lot of trouble for nothing. There is a chance at least one match might end differently.

A lot of people are talking like Carmella was screwed. I don't feel that way at all. It isn't like she's lost a push. Focus is still on her. The only reason I was okay with Carmella winning the briefcase in the first place is because the WWE needs to develop a fresh heel that can go in the ring to work with the faces. Natalya is a veteran. Tamina is not that great and not fresh. Lana isn't great in the ring. Smackdown doesn't structure their women's division very well. They seem to try to push too many women and they can't do it. Raw's division is looking even more like a mess these days, but that is a different story. Carmella should just be built as a credible jobber. If attention is now on her for the cheap way she won the briefcase and she is starting to get a reaction and even smarks are feeling bad for her, she is set for a push, with or without the briefcase. I would have no problem with another woman getting the briefcase.

Getting down to it, if another woman is going to get it, it should be either Becky Lynch or Charlotte. Whether you like it or not, Charlotte has gotten the career of a star. Getting the briefcase is something you would expect the WWE to do for her. Personally, I do not think she has proven she deserves to be the centerpiece and some other woman should get a legitimate shot. I would go with Becky Lynch winning the briefcase next week. For all the talk about her being the first woman drafted to Smackdown and being the first Smackdown Women's Champion, her career has been mediocre. She lost a PPV match to Natalya. She had no proper focus heading into the match where she won the title. Her reign was short and mediocre. She won a feud with Mickie James and went nowhere from there. She has not regained the title. She has not won the briefcase. She has not done anything noteworthy. She should be the top female star of Smackdown. Some people can talk like she is, but she is not booked like it at all. Getting the briefcase can be a good start.

What about the other women's match? Lana gets another shot against Naomi. The fact that Lana is not great in the ring might not necessarily stop the WWE from giving her the title. You would think in an era that is supposed to be about women's wrestling, standards would make it unthinkable that Lana would get the title, but she could. And it just feels like Naomi has run out of steam in this title reign. They made her look untouchable when feuding with Alexa Bliss, but she has looked more human since Alexa Bliss left Smackdown and Charlotte came. I will say Naomi retains. If Carmella fails to get the briefcase back, she can get a title shot against Naomi.

Will the woman that wins the briefcase cash in that same night? Probably not. The ladder match will likely be the main event, not the women's title match.

Previewing The Money In The Bank 2017 Women's Matches

Of all the women to get a shot at the Smackdown Women's Championship at Money In The Bank, it is going to be Lana. It would be easy to write her off. She's a diva. She's not that experienced in the ring. She just debuted last week on Smackdown. There is no way the WWE will have her beat Naomi for the title.

I remember when Alexa Bliss was feuding with Becky Lynch for this same title. I remember some fans saying that it was obvious that Alexa Bliss was just there to be a successful title defense for Becky Lynch. Alexa Bliss ended up winning the title. Even I wanted to give the WWE a fair chance back then. I wasn't a fan of the self-righteous tone of the new era in women's wrestling, but I thought the WWE was more serious about it than it seems now. Smackdown was a throwback to the diva era in some ways, but it still does not seem right to give the title to eye-candy divas in the manner the WWE has been doing since the brand split returned.

How about Naomi? She steamrolled Alexa Bliss for the title. I hated that booking. She won every match and never looked weak even in brawls. It is not that I like Alexa Bliss. I just hate the booking. And I don't recall any other fans criticizing it back then or even making a topic out of it. Recently, the WWE pulled the same kind of booking on Bayley, having Alexa Bliss pretty much steamroll her. Now I see fans asking if Bayley has been buried. Some are upset about how she was booked. Some are chuckling at it. There are always people like that. It is nothing new or weird. They did it to Alexa Bliss. But back to Naomi. After making her look so good for a couple months, including ignoring her injury history, she now looks mediocre. I am not surprised. It makes the big push she got even more irritating. If they were doing this to make a star or create someone to put over someone in a big way, it would be different. It doesn't feel like either of those two things are true. Naomi looks very beatable right now.

Should Lana win the title? On the one hand, it would seem bad to have her lose so soon, like how she lost her first main-roster match at Wrestlemania last year. On the other hand, she shouldn't win the title so soon. I don't care if she is good in the ring, have her prove it to the main audience first, then worry about giving her the title. But the WWE has shown that they don't have proper standards. They dumped title reigns into the lap of Naomi, despite her issues staying healthy. Lana should lose here, but I will say that she wins.

Onto the match fans probably are more interested in. The women are getting a briefcase ladder match. Charlotte vs. Natalya vs. Carmella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Tamina. I will say a little about each woman.

Charlotte seems like the popular choice to win. The WWE has already shown a desire to push her hard and hand her a ton of history. Since coming to Smackdown, however, she has not looked as glorious. Alexa Bliss made history by being the first woman to hold the two Women's Championships that were recently created. I am sure Charlotte will make history again by being the first woman to have held those two titles and the NXT Women's Championship, for whatever that is worth. But I don't think it is a guarantee she makes history on Sunday.

Natalya is a veteran heel. It just seems like a heel should win the briefcase. Natalya has been featured better since the women's revolution really got rolling than she was prior to that. But when it comes to winning titles or anything major, she hasn't gotten anything in the last year.

Carmella seems like a good choice as the next fresh heel credible jobber. Charlotte can eventually win the title from whichever heel and Carmella can immediately cash in on her. That would give Charlotte a fresh singles feud and inflate her title history even more when she wins the title back from Carmella.

Becky Lynch has not really been pushed that well. She won the Smackdown Women's Championship when it was first created, despite not having any proper focus on her. After losing it to Alexa Bliss, the only thing Becky accomplished was winning a feud against Mickie James. And Becky went nowhere after that. The fact that she doesn't seem like a favorite to win this match doesn't mean she should be counted out. Winning the briefcase might revitalize her.

And Tamina is Tamina.

Of the five women, I am going with Carmella. What the WWE has a history of doing with Charlotte does not mean anything. Everyone knows Nikki Bella was someone the WWE was serious about pushing very well. She had more focus on her prior to the match to crown the first Smackdown Women's Champion than Becky Lynch. She did not win it and has never won it. Charlotte has not been buried on Smackdown, but she is not getting the same push she got on Raw. I can see Smackdown spreading out some of the accolades. Carmella winning would just help to set her up as a fresh heel to push that can go in the ring. Lana does not have any credibility, yet. And Natalya, as I said, is a veteran. The WWE needs to aim to build someone young. I just feel that person is Carmella. And needless to say, Tamina is not young. She is 39, the oldest female wrestler on the main roster. Carmella just seems like the best choice. She was the person I was going with before the WWE had Lana pop up last week and get a title shot. We will see how that influences things.

Smackdown Women's Money In The Bank

The WWE is going back to hyping history for their women. Money in the Bank, a Smackdown-exclusive PPV this year, will feature a women's ladder match for a briefcase. It will be Charlotte vs. Natalya vs. Carmella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Tamina.

The "cookie cutter" response would be to say how great this is for the women. They're getting to do something only men have been allowed to do in the past. History. Historic. Amazing. Yeah. That's nice.

I am not impressed. This is once again a situation where all the Smackdown women are tossed into the same picture. There is no creative depth and the booking is lazy. I have pointed out numerous times that Smackdown has a tendency to do this ever since the brand split returned.

You want to talk about being treated as equals to the men? Do you see all the men that have nothing else to do being tossed into the Money in the Bank Ladder Match for the men's briefcase? No. That's not the way it works. That has never been the way it works.

My issue is that the WWE is relying on hype and not properly developing any of these individual women to be stars. Where's the proper character development? Where are the great personal feuds?

The WWE can release every woman on the main roster and nothing of value would be lost. I honestly believe that. Just replace them with women from NXT and the indies. Tessa Blanchard can replace Charlotte. Melina can replace Mickie James. Mandy Rose can replace Alexa Bliss. The replacements might not come in all at the same time, obviously, but the WWE can just phase all these women currently there out and keep doing what they are doing. That is because they are just relying on hype to draw for them. They are relying on quantity over quality. In the case of Alexa Bliss, they are relying on sex appeal with character. Just help Mandy Rose develop a character. Or Lana can get some time being pushed as the new Alexa Bliss. There is a lot of underachieving in the women's division these days and no one is bringing A+ results. And a lot of the blame has to go on the poor way the WWE is handling these women. The WWE can just bring in these new women and start handing them whatever history is left to be had.

I have nothing against a ladder match. Women in TNA have had them all the time. And if the WWE had done a better job creating personal feuds for the Smackdown women prior to this, I would probably be all for it. But they have not, so I cannot get excited for more of the same that I have come to expect from Smackdown.

Lana made her Smackdown debut this week. She tried to get in the match. She ended up attacking Naomi. She will face Naomi in a singles match for the title. Will she win? Whatever way they go, they are putting her in the same picture with everyone else. Moving forward, there will obviously be some separation, but I hope it comes sooner rather than later.

What do you make of Lana? I would say she fits right in with the brand that is keeping the diva era alive. Of course, Alexa Bliss is bringing a diva revival over on Raw. How far will Lana go? She has been training to wrestle. She's beautiful. She has charisma and a great character. She can be another Alexa Bliss. That will appeal to many fans, but also annoy wrestling fans. I do see fans annoyed by how Alexa Bliss has been pushed on Raw. They feel the quality of the women's division there has been slipping in the last few months. The WWE switched a centerpiece that was very good and respected in the ring, Charotte, for one that just isn't, Alexa Bliss. And it shows. Smackdown isn't really as centerpiece-driven, so Lana will not have the same impact here as Alexa Bliss is having on Raw. That is, unless certain backstage officials love Lana so much that they start having everything revolve around her.

And just one aside to end the day. One thing really bothered me on Raw. Mickie James and Dana Brooke went out there to get some of Alexa Bliss. What happened after was Nia Jax just pushed them aside to get some of Alexa Bliss for herself. She then pushed them down again after when they confronted her about shoving them aside. And what does the WWE have Mickie James and Dana Brooke do? Just go and stand in the ring with Nia Jax as Alexa Bliss is walking away. And Nia Jax beat them up, again. Why would Mickie and Dana do that? It is just incredibly stupid. A woman that is not your friend and was just knocking you around is standing in the ring. What do you do? Go stand with her! What else would you do? How about just stare down Alexa Bliss and Nia Jax from ringside? How about get in the ring and at least try to fight back against Nia Jax for shoving you around? It was just incredibly stupid.

That is one of the reasons it is hard for many fans to care about Mickie James during her current run in the WWE. Her character is terrible. It was terrible on Smackdown and it might be even worse on Raw. Having her job so much is one thing. But putting her out there to be knocked around and do stupid things like what happened on Raw is not helping her. I would say it is doing even more damage than having her lose. She just looks terrible.

Lana To Smackdown

A few women were sent to Smackdown, but only one is worth talking about in any depth today. I don't mean Charlotte. I already talked about her moving a couple days ago. And I don't mean Tamina. Not much to say about her. She is not over and not a great worker. The WWE should use her as a supporting player on Smackdown. If she wants better, she needs to step up and do more. Of course, in this new era, and especially on Smackdown, they will probably try to give her some kind of meaningful angle even if she doesn't earn it.

I am talking about Lana. Rusev also moved to Smackdown. It would be easy to say that these two are simply filling the void Miz & Maryse left. Thing is, it looks like Lana will get some special individual attention. At least, that is what it looks like for now.

I have seen some fans question whether what they are doing with Lana is good or bad for the women's division. Some people just don't pay attention. Ever since Smackdown became its own brand again, it soon took up the identity of the diva era's last stand. They tried to do something meaningful with Eva Marie. Alexa Bliss got some runs with the Smackdown Women's Championship. Nikki Bella and Maryse got big pushes in the periphery recently. These are all divas. Smackdown's women's division has not been treated as being as elite as Raw's women's division. They still featured some female wrestlers feuding against each other, like Mickie James vs. Becky Lynch, but you have not gotten the hype that Raw has. I am not surprised at all that they would be willing to put some individual focus on Lana, and not be afraid to let that individual focus be based on her sex appeal. As far as I am concerned, this is just more of the same from the last few months.

Does Lana deserve it? I think so. Unlike some women, she has actually shown potential to connect well with the fans. Back when this new era was getting started and fans were complaining on the Internet for better treatment and respect for women's wrestling, Lana, an eye-candy diva that wasn't even wrestling, was having fans in the audience chanting for her. It just shows how polarizing this era is. Not everyone out there cares about it as much as some fans might think. Regardless, Lana has also been training in the ring. No one should expect her to be able to put on great matches, but Smackdown is the brand for her to be featured like this and not really ruin the identity they have.

Is she the replacement for Alexa Bliss? I talked about the fact that Alexa Bliss cannot really replace Charlotte on Raw. She is not good enough in the ring. Maybe that is why Mickie James also went to Raw. But who replaces Alexa Bliss on Smackdown? Charlotte doesn't have the look Alexa Bliss has, which is one of her best traits. But Lana does have the look and has been trying to improve her in-ring work. This just seems like a clear replacement.

Will Lana have the title success on Smackdown that Alexa Bliss had? Smackdown's standards would obviously make it more likely than if Lana was still on Raw. Problem is, Charlotte is someone I can picture the WWE booking to dominate the division, no matter which show she is on. Will Smackdown's identity trump her tendency to be pushed hard? Or will her tendency to be pushed hard impact Smackdown's identity? If it is the latter, it is less likely Lana has any title success. If all else fails, she can always lean on Rusev again. I think Lana is in a very favorable position.

What To Do With Lana

Rusev once again is out with an injury. When this happened a couple years ago, he still showed up to try to help the storyline he was involved in with Dolph Ziggler and Lana. This time around, he wasn't involved in anything too important. His partnership with Jinder Mahal is nothing worth talking about.

But what about Lana? Without her man, she serves even less of a purpose on the main roster. Yes, she is training in NXT, but I'm talking about the main roster right now. Last year, there was a span where she was pretty much an afterthought. She gained relevance again when Rusev feuded with Roman Reigns, and then the storyline with Enzo & Cass. It was good stuff for a periphery diva, but it is obvious she is really tied to her man.

One option might be to give her more people to manage. Jinder Mahal? Unless they plan to properly push him, it is pointless to seriously pair Lana with him. Find someone else on the roster? Debut someone from NXT and have Lana manage them? I don't like any of the options right now.

They could try putting her in matches on the main roster now. With the women's revolution, I don't know how wise that would be. It might just lead to poor matches. This women's revolution shouldn't just be about forcing women into the ring or forcing them to follow a certain path. It should be about fair opportunities and using these women to the best of their own abilities and characteristics.

The option I like is one I have brought up before. Use her as an authority figure. Now would not be the best time. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H are tied up with Wrestlemania matters. But in a couple weeks, they might consider it. Lana has already looked like a boss in the past with her strong heel character. It is one of the reasons she did get over for a while.

It might be refreshing for when Triple H and Stephanie take a break. And they should take a break. They can be overbearing after a while. But what do you do when they take that break? Bring in a legend to run things? Yeah, or you can #GiveDivasAChance. Women have held authority roles before, besides Stephanie McMahon. Why waste Lana when Rusev is hurt?

The fact that she is training to wrestle will only add to her as an authority figure. She can take some bumps and occasionally wrestle the other women. It will add value to her matches. She can be a younger, fresher Stephanie McMahon. Could be very good for her.

What Does Rusev Do Now?

Rusev did not regain the United States title from Roman Reigns last Sunday. To make matters worse, he was used as fodder to make Goldberg look good on Raw this week. His stock is falling a bit.

Is it really that terrible? In the somewhat short time Rusev has been on the main roster, he has already had some ups and downs. He started off strong. He won the United States Championship. He was used to put over Cena. He was part of that storyline with Lana and Dolph Ziggler that got ruined for various reasons. It took a while until he was relevant again with that stable also featuring Sheamus, Barrett, and Del Rio. He regained the United States title after that group ended. And he was just used to put over Reigns. I don't think it would be so terrible for him to suffer a little depush. The WWE will likely go to him again in a big way sooner or later. Until then, other midcard heels get a chance to possibly be pushed better. Rusev has talent and potential, but I do not think he has broken out enough to deserve to be pushed with the consistency that an A-tier player should.

Of course, some fans still are unhappy that Rusev is depushed. What can you do with the guy? Forget about Survivor Series being a PPV that begs for multiple bodies being used. What personal angle or feud should he be getting? I have seen some fans say he should pick up Dolph Ziggler's challenge and go for the Intercontinental Championship. He can win that and go to Smackdown. As I said, Rusev is not a guy that needs to be pushed well all the time. I think he'll live if he doesn't go 5 minutes without a title feud. If circumstances were different, he could be the brute feuding against Seth Rollins. Give Seth Rollins a break from Owens and Jericho. But there does not appear to be any good personal feud for Rusev now.

Lana is along for the ride. If the sun does once again set on Rusev, that will not be good for Lana. If there was a face couple on Raw with nothing to do, they could just work an angle with Rusev and Lana. Lana is limited in the ring. She can still work some kind of angle with the women. But in terms of long-term usage, her fate is tied to Rusev.

The WWE Should Do Better With Lana

Lana has been involved with Rusev, her husband in real life, throughout her time in the WWE. Even during that brief period last year when she turned face and sided with Dolph Ziggler, the storyline still involved Rusev. On the main roster, the pair started out with Lana doing most of the talking and Rusev doing the heavy work in the ring. Lana got over with the fans during the era of wrestling fans protesting how female wrestlers were being treated. I know I have brought this up before, but it deserves repeating.

In recent weeks, it looked like focus on Lana was on the rise again. They had that segment where Lana ended up with cake on her face. The story was then about Rusev fighting for Lana's honor for a while. She was more than just that woman in Rusev's shadow. Since then, however, she's back to being a bit of an afterthought. I remember a recent episode of Raw where Rusev came out to attack Roman Reigns. The camera cut to Lana standing in the aisle for a moment during that attack. The announcers pretty much said, "Oh, and there's Lana!" Not literally, but close enough. Even though the story between Rusev and Roman Reigns involves Lana to some degree, she is no longer actually featured that prominently in the story. Simply having the announcers bring up Lana's involvement is not enough. Even minor instances of interference is not enough. She doesn't do much these days.

Ideally, you should want workers that are well-rounded. They can wrestle well enough to connect with wrestling fans, they have an appealing look to connect with fans interested in that, and they have the charisma to connect with fans beyond that. The WWE lacks great workers right now. Even the highly-praised women coming out of NXT have their shortcomings. That's okay. If you can't have the ideal situation, the next best thing is having various workers with various strengths. The WWE obviously has various women good enough in the ring to connect with fans interested in serious wrestling.

Lana's strengths are her looks and her character. She can play an entertaining character. Lana and Maryse are the two hottest periphery divas in the WWE right now. In terms of who is better and has more potential, it is close, but I would go with Lana. On Raw, it is no competition. Summer Rae can be utilized better, as well, but Lana has more potential. The WWE needs someone like her to add some variety to the women's division. Not everyone is entertained by serious women's wrestling. The WWE needs to ease up and start entertaining again. If they won't do that with the female wrestlers, do it with the divas.

What can the WWE do to improve their treatment of Lana? The little things count. Let her do promos on a consistent basis again. Rusev can still talk for himself, but his ramblings during matches are enough to get wrestling fans to know he has a personality. And it would be nice if she did more than just stand there so much of the time. Let her be more vocal and active during Rusev's matches. Just doing these things helped Lana to become so over a few years ago. Not letting her do these things might be seen as a burial, whether intentional or not.

Beyond that, it is a shame that the WWE acknowledged the marriage of Lana and Rusev. Letting Lana break out on her own might be less likely. Letting her manage someone else might refresh her. Outside of that, Lana looked good when she was the leader of her own group earlier this year. The WWE might want to consider something like that again. The depth might be an issue due to the brand split, but the WWE can just get two women from NXT and let Lana manage them. Lana can even get in the ring again on rare occasions. Give her an angle separate of Rusev. Because this angle with Rusev is no longer consistently doing anything for her.

And what happens when the sun sets on Rusev? I feel like I have brought this up before years ago. He already lost the United States Championship to Roman Reigns. Let's say he does not win it back. Then what? Will he get depushed? Will he be moved to some angle where Lana might actually get featured better? I know many wrestling fans hated the storyline with these two, Dolph Ziggler, and Summer Rae, but the WWE needs some storylines with drama to them. Rusev can be entertaining without being pushed as a beast. Whatever happens to Rusev, Lana will likely be along for the ride. And taking him away from the title scene might actually lead to Lana being featured better, or possibly being featured even less.

State Of The WWE Women's Division: July 2016

This is my first time doing a general overview of the WWE women's division since they made "diva" a bad word. Have things really changed that much? First, I am going to run through the main players in the women's division right now. After that, I'll look at the two feuds going on.

Let me start with Summer Rae. She is a diva. And she is a diva that has been getting in the ring probably too much. Most of her singles matches this year have been losses, so wrestling fans aren't going to complain about her burying anyone. This is a new era and I don't think seeing someone like Summer Rae get so many matches is what many wrestling fans were hoping for. Not only are some of these matches the WWE is booking not as great as some fans might hope, it just gets stale seeing Summer Rae always in this position. She needs a periphery angle. That's where she can do her best work and be more useful.

One step above of Summer Rae would be Dana Brooke. She is another eye-candy worker. But she is a little more relevant than Summer Rae by being the sidekick to Charlotte. Michelle McCool had Layla and Charlotte has Dana Brooke. Again, this is a worker wrestling fans probably did not expect to get as much in-ring time as she has when this new era started. She is not the greatest in the ring. She is charismatic. That's probably her best strength. She should be a sidekick. It is a good role for her. But the WWE needs to get some better in-ring workers to help make these filler matches a little more appealing for wrestling fans.

Switching to some eye-candy divas that aren't getting in the ring, let me start with Maryse. Miz is back from filming another movie, so his wife gets to be relevant again. Maryse hasn't been used in a big way, but she has gotten involved here and there in segments. That's good. I would say they are using her about as well as they could an eye-candy diva in this era aligned with a midcarder.

Lana is a different story. When Rusev and Lana first came on the main roster, Lana really stood out. Rusev was the brute that destroyed people and Lana was his charismatic, sexy mouthpiece. She had a strong character that got over, even as a heel. Rusev has grown since then. He now speaks for himself. He is his own guy. Lana is still in the picture, but she is really an afterthought. If she wasn't a sexy woman, she would probably be phased out and eventually released like certain other sidekicks over the years. But the WWE can use her for Total Divas, photoshoots, and other things like that. She has been learning how to wrestle. The WWE could develop an in-ring feud for her. Don't treat her like Summer Rae, but do more to let her character really stand out again. There have been some beautiful women in the history of the WWE that may have hurt their overness by getting in the ring and not being good enough to keep wrestling fans on their side. I don't think it would hurt Lana to get in the ring a little more often. If not that, find a better way to incorporate her into Rusev's angles.

Switching to the actual wrestlers, let me start with Paige. Paige is more relevant for angles associated with Total Divas than she is for actual wrestling angles. She is a credible jobber. No shocker with how she is being pushed. I have said before that she deserves better. Push her in that spot AJ Lee had. Push her as the top female wrestler in the periphery. I think she has what it takes more than any other female wrestler on the roster right now.

Natalya is also a credible jobber. She had her recent heel turn and feud with Becky Lynch. Eventually, she might be the one serving the purpose Summer Rae now serves. After the brand split, just keep Natalya on the show with the title to be a heel credible jobber there. Let Summer Rae go to the other show and get periphery angles there.

Becky Lynch is pretty much the face version of Natalya. She is a face credible jobber. I would say she is another one being underutilized. Getting a feud is better than nothing, but there was a great story between her and Charlotte that has gotten ruined. The WWE may never be able to regain the momentum that was there, even if they wanted to try in the future.

Sasha Banks is the face credible jobber currently being used as jobber to the centerpiece. Most wrestling fans want to see her win the title. The WWE might as well do it. Don't play with fire. Just give her a title reign, go through the motions with her for a few months, and then drop it back to Charlotte, or whomever they want the centerpiece to be by then. By that time, Bayley will probably be debuting and wrestling fans will be calling for her to get a title push. Sasha Banks can then get phased out easily. I have seen the WWE do this many times in the last almost two decades. No one ever catches on. Fans will just say that Sasha Banks had her push and Bayley deserves her opportunity. They won't stop to realize that, while all these women are being rotated around, the WWE is attempting to treat one woman as a constant.

And that constant appears to be Charlotte. She is the centerpiece of the new era. She just is not a great centerpiece. Some fans point out that she is getting heel heat. Okay, but is most of that reaction she is getting based on her being a great heel? Or is it mainly fans not liking her or her act? Is Roman Reigns a great heel because he gets booed? Problem is, he's a face. If the WWE turned him heel and fans still hated him or his act, he would get booed. It wouldn't be heat because he's a great heel. It would be heat because fans just don't like what they see. That's the kind of thing I am wondering with Charlotte. Even if she does get genuinely over as a heel, what happens when they turn her face? Do fans buy her? A centerpiece should have the versatility to connect with fans as a face or a heel. If fans boo a heel because he does a great job playing the heel role, that's good. If fans cheer a heel because he is so entertaining or a wrestler they will respect no matter what, that is also good. But if they turn that heel face and fans don't care or hate him, that's a problem. While Charlotte may be working as a heel, there are women on the roster that can be great as a heel or a face. One of them should be the centerpiece.

Let me go to the feud between Charlotte and Sasha Banks. It really isn't that amazing of a feud. Since Sasha Banks is involved and has a chance to get the title, many fans are buying into this as something more amazing than it really is. I can see Charlotte retaining at Battleground and Sasha winning the title at the next encounter, probably at Summerslam.

Becky Lynch vs. Natalya is another feud that really isn't that spectacular. But it is getting heated and fans are buying into it. Natalya is dominating the feud so much, the outcome seems obvious. While creative depth is always good, I hope the WWE doesn't make every secondary women's feud just a heel beating up a face until the face wins. More of a story would be nice.

Let me close by going back to the issue of certain women that aren't that great in the ring getting put in matches too much recently. That is a depth issue. The WWE has had to deal with some injuries to some women in the last few months. This is just reminiscent of issues they had in the diva era. A lack of depth led to the WWE pushing women they probably would not have wanted to push. You can say the WWE could have just rushed the debut of someone from development. They didn't. They made do with what they had. How about recent months? Has the WWE been in a situation where they should have rushed a debut? I am not talking about Bayley or Asuka. I mean someone that would be an obvious low-tier or mid-tier credible jobber. It would make for some fresher matches and likely better matches. Fact is, they didn't. That's not something they do. They make do with what they have. It will be interesting to see what they do with the brand split and should issues arise in the two women's divisions after the split occurs. If the roster gets thin again, how will the WWE react?

Previewing Wrestlemania 2016: The Diva Matches

It is not often that Wrestlemania will have two diva matches. Both of the matches this year are multi-woman matches. It is also not often that the Diva's Championship will be on the line at Wrestlemania. This is only the second time it has happened.

I'll start with the 10-diva tag match. Brie Bella, Alicia Fox, Paige, Natalya, and Eva Marie vs. Lana, Summer Rae, Emma, Naomi, and Tamina. Eva Marie? Where did she come from? NXT. The face team was short a member. Some fans speculated that it might be Bayley that joined the team, since she is a face. But many fans also did not want that, believing Baylay deserves a better debut than that. It ended up being Eva Marie. The face team also happens to be Team Total Divas.

There is talk that Brie Bella's retirement might be coming sooner than expected. If that is the case, and assuming Nikki is done wrestling, I would say the WWE really didn't need to debut (or bring back) women from NXT just to fill their spots on the roster. They already have so many women and are not using them efficiently. The WWE should be hoping some women leave just to make it easier to manage the women that are left. After they do a good job with that, then start bringing in new women. In any case, if the WWE is looking to create a new eye-candy centerpiece, they might have two options in Eva Marie and Lana.

Who wins this match? Brie retiring would obviously influence things. You would think the WWE lets her win her last match. She is a face and on good terms with the company. But I could imagine her team losing at Wrestlemania and Brie winning her final match on Raw the next night. The other thing to consider, this is Lana's in-ring debut. Would they have her lose? She wouldn't be the one to get pinned. That would probably be one of the heels on the team that the WWE has not shown to be too high on. You have four possibilities right there. But I will say Lana wins her debut.

The match more wrestling fans probably care about is Charlotte defending the Diva's Championship against Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. These are the three women that debuted from NXT last year. It seems fitting that they should get this match. It helps that no healthy centerpiece is around. I would like to see what the WWE would have done if Nikki was healthy.

The development of this feud has been pretty simple. Nothing amazing. I might even say it has been a little lackluster. But expectations are high for the match these three can put on at Wrestlemania. And that hype is enough to make it worthy for the big event. Hopefully, they do not disappoint.

Neither of the challengers have looked too much stronger than the other. If the WWE is planning a title change, they have not really built up a new Champion well. Title changes at Wrestlemania are usually something special. I do not feel they have built up anything special here. There will still be tears if Sasha or Becky win. But I would not be surprised if the WWE lets Charlotte hold onto the butterfly title and drops it in a singles match down the line to either woman. That will likely be Sasha. The WWE had potential for a great feud between Charlotte and Becky, but they have ruined the momentum. The WWE might as well go with Sasha, who some wrestling fans view as the greatest wrestler in the world. I do not think most fans would be unhappy with Sasha getting the push.

How A Credible Jobber Is Like A Quarterback

I usually like to say that the centerpiece of the diva division is like the quarterback of a football team. Just like the quarterback is usually the most important player on a football team, the centerpiece is usually the most important player in the diva division. The only time that is not the case is during a centerpiece-less dark age. Things just revolve around the centerpiece.

I want to come up with a different analogy using the quarterback position. If you think about it, the quarterback is really a facilitator. He normally will not get all the yards and score all the touchdowns himself. He will get the ball in the hands of those players that will get yards and score. Yeah, he could run the ball, but it is rare to see a system where the quarterback is running most of the time and not mostly passing or handing it off to the running back.

Who are the facilitators in the diva division? Who are the ones that really help the division to move and make it possible for the WWE to have their stars and feature them? Those would be the credible jobbers. Those would be the ones with wrestling credibility used to put over the centerpiece and used as filler when the centerpiece is not around. Yes, they will get pushed, win titles, and get their moments here and there, but they are not pushed the way the WWE pushes stars. They are not pushed to get over. They are not pushed to "score" for the WWE. They just help to keep the division going and put over the centerpiece. They facilitate.

Of course, this is an era where the facilitators are shining more than ever since the diva division started. The WWE has failed to maintain the diva division they like to feature for a decade. A recent Internet uproar last year has put more emphasis on these women with wrestling ability. It also helps that there is no healthy centerpiece around. If the quarterback is the star of the football team, it might even make more sense to see these women with wrestling credibility as the stars of the women's division. There is no one female wrestler pushed as a true centerpiece, but fans seem content with them just being used like facilitators. The WWE can rotate them around like they usually do and fans will probably remain content. Just give them proper match and segment time.

Let me go back to what I said about the quarterback not usually being the one gaining most of the yards and scoring himself through rushing. It does sometimes happen where a quarterback might be the leading rusher. You might even see a system here and there where they like the quarterback running more than passing. But it's rare. Usually, a quarterback really is just looking to get the ball to someone else. As I have said before, they are facilitating.

What is an example of this in the WWE diva division? What is an example of a facilitator bringing the results of those actually being pushed to score in connecting with the fans? Obviously, you have the current era, which I already brought up. But you also have to take things with a grain of salt, since you cannot tell just how over these female wrestlers are. All you know is that a lot of vocal fans want them pushed more and they are getting it.

As far as individuals go, how about Mickie James? She came into that diva division back when they were running the regular system. She was a facilitator. She was a credible jobber. She was there to keep things moving and put over whom they wanted over. It is to be expected that a credible jobber will pick up some fans, just like the average quarterback will pick up at least some rushing yards once in a while. But Mickie James became the most over diva on the roster, connecting with wrestling fans and the more general audience. And the WWE was never really able to get the women they were pushing to be stars to actually work out. What Mickie James did during her run in the WWE is as rare as that quarterback that does the majority of the work himself. The receivers and other running backs on the team will still get some plays, but the majority of the offense rests on this quarterback. In the case of the diva division, other women were getting some fans. It isn't that no one else was connecting with the fans. But the woman succeeding the most was a woman doing it from a position that never leads to that kind of success.

What does the future of the diva division hold? With the recent attention to the women traditionally pushed as facilitators, it could motivate the WWE to push some of them the way they push stars. Or they could just rotate them around. As I said before, wrestling fans would probably be content. The WWE has no healthy centerpiece being pushed. There is also speculation that Nikki Bella, the woman they were pushing as the centerpiece, might be done. Of course, there is Lana. She has the look and is learning to wrestle. If the WWE does want her as the new centerpiece, there are a lot of credible jobbers to facilitate her rise to the top. In terms of overness, Lana has already scored in getting over as an eye-candy diva. The credible jobbers around her could help her look even better.

The 2016 Rise Of Lana?

Aside from the title feud involving Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch, this Wrestlemania season is featuring another diva feud. Brie Bella has been having issues with Lana recently. On Raw this week, Lana even attacked Brie, laying her out with Brie's own finisher.

Lana was training to make her in-ring debut last year. An injury ruined that, as well as adding another nail in the coffin of that whole storyline that also involved Rusev, Ziggler, and Summer Rae. After that, I pretty much put Lana in the back of my mind. The WWE couldn't feature her alongside Rusev as well as they once did. He was tied up with The League of Nations. And I didn't consider they would still bother with her as a wrestler. They had Nikki Bella. The diva revolution was putting more focus on solid in-ring workers. Moreover, injuries have spelled doom for many eye-candy divas. Candice Michelle got injured twice in less than a year. Nikki Bella has a serious injury right now. Even Trish Stratus, the greatest centerpiece the diva division ever had, was starting to accumulate some injuries during the final years of her career that resulted in her missing some time. But it looks like the WWE won't let Lana's minor setback last year ruin her push.

Could the WWE still be interested in grooming her to be the next centerpiece? She has the look. And if she just becomes solid in the ring, it is possible the WWE will push her ahead of all those female wrestlers coming up from NXT. With Nikki Bella recovering from a serious injury, the WWE might be looking to prepare the next eye-candy centerpiece. Lana is already pretty popular. If she can win over wrestling fans with some solid in-ring work, she could make an easy argument as to why she should be the new centerpiece. Right now, I don't feel there is one performer stealing the show better than any other woman. The field is wide open.

I have seen many fans talk like the future is Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and all those other women with wrestling training. I have seen some say that Charlotte is the new top star because of her last name. These fans are just jumping to conclusions. The diva division has existed since 1998. Since then, the WWE has gravitated towards an eye-candy diva as the woman they wanted to dominate the title scene. There have been times where it seemed like the WWE was high on a female wrestler, but that was usually because the centerpiece wasn't around or the WWE was grooming a new one. Charlotte hasn't even been on the main roster for a full year yet. Her title reign is only a few months old. An eye-candy diva, Nikki Bella, was holding the title before her. That eye-candy diva is currently out with a serious injury, which is having a major impact on what the WWE would be doing right now. And when you take into account the push Lana is currently getting, it is even more absurd to think the status quo of the diva division has really changed to be what many wrestling fans want it to be. Enjoy the female wrestlers getting pushed, but don't jump to the conclusion that things have really changed. The WWE does not give up that easily.

The League Of Nations

Sheamus has had an affiliation with Barrett and Rusev for a few weeks now. It was nothing too official. The WWE made it official on Raw this week, and tossed in Alberto Del Rio. The League of Nations is formed.

Sheamus needed this. I have been saying for a while now that Sheamus just did not look credible. I did not believe he deserved to successfully cash in because he had looked so poor. How would fans buy into him? And with Seth Rollins out and no great top heels around, fans would need to buy into him. Having him get a rub from Triple H would not be enough. The Authority is hardly a stable anymore. Giving someone some lackeys is probably one of the oldest tricks in the book. They did it with Michelle McCool during her centerpiece run. It can help someone seem more interesting or make them look more important. And this stable can help Sheamus look more important. He has some thugs to help him.

But what about the other three men in this stable? Sheamus will likely be the chief benefactor of this new stable, but what does this mean for each of the other three heels?

Alberto Del Rio is still the United States Champion. He had this gimmick going on with Zeb Colter that I talked about recently. There was potential for the WWE to do something with him in that position. On the one hand, it is a shame that gimmick didn't get played out better. On the other hand, this is a better position for him. He is a part of a top stable now.

Rusev just got back his Lana on Raw. Again, there was creative potential there. At one point, I would have said it would be a shame if the WWE just went backwards and put Lana and Rusev back together. Given everything that has happened, it now seemed like the best decision to make. What does Rusev now joining this stable do to his angle with Lana? I feel there might be more wasted potential here than with Del Rio joining the group.

There is not debate when it comes to Barrett joining this group. It is good for him. It gives him something meaningful to do. He had no real direction. This is a step up for him.

Rusev/Summer Rae Gets Spoiled

Last week, they had Summer Rae propose marriage to Rusev. Rusev laid down his own terms. He wanted a title before he would agree to marry Summer Rae. This week, the WWE admitted Rusev was engaged to Lana and just murdered the angle it looked like they were developing.

Let me tell you how I imagined this storyline could have gone. The tag titles should be the Championship Rusev ends up getting. Have Summer Rae recruit someone to be Rusev's partner. Anyone would do. There are so many guys without a true direction that could serve this role, even if it means turning someone heel. The wedding segment is eventually set. That is when Lana pops back up and Rusev ends up going back to her. Summer Rae, however, would not be left out in the cold. She could continue to manage the man she recruited. You would have a feud between Rusev/Lana and Summer Rae and her guy. You would also have drama in the tag division.

I don't care if TMZ did whatever. This was a storyline. The fact that people know Rusev isn't really dating Summer Rae and is even engaged to Lana does not have to ruin the storyline. Everyone knows Kane does not really have demonic powers, but the WWE still pushes that as part as kayfabe. This is a situation where the WWE should have blocked out what is going on outside kayfabe and not let it influence the storyline. It wasn't like crowd chants were ruining the storyline. Even then, Bray Wyatt still sometimes gets "Husky Harris" chants, but you don't see the WWE devolving him back to that. Simply put, I do not have faith the WWE will handle things well from here.

What will become of Summer Rae? This was the best usage she has had in the diva division. She was getting mic time, character development, part of a storyline that looked like it was going somewhere, and just used regularly and well. And if done the way I imagined it working, this angle would transition to another role for her. Will she eventually be deflated, again? That's not how you build stars. The only individuals that can survive being pushed like that are established stars. I really think she could have gone somewhere this time.

Another thing to consider, who ends up looking like the heel after last night's segment? Rusev, who has been pushed as a heel his whole time since debuting, is engaged to Lana, a face he recently had issues with. That segment last night made it look like Rusev and Lana getting engaged was unfair to Summer Rae. You would think people would feel sympathetic towards her, but I do not think she is as likable as Lana. If the WWE had done things the way I would have, Rusev would have gotten a face turn that might have made better storyline sense. Just tease that Rusev is having second thoughts about marrying Summer Rae and treat her as overbearing heading up to the wedding segment. That would make fans enjoy Rusev going back to Lana even more. After last night, he looks like a womanizer. He deserved to be slapped. How does Lana end up looking? In kayfabe, she was supposed to be involved with Dolph Ziggler. Recent events should make Rusev and Lana look like heels. I do not like it going that way. Let's see how fans actually react heading forward.

I really think the WWE messed up an opportunity to have a great elaborate storyline. This storyline could have involved supporting players being used meaningfully, title drama, elaborate segments, character development, and just about everything else you want from an elaborate storyline. Since it was involving divas, it could have made the diva division more interesting, providing more creative depth than just the "diva revolution" storyline. The tag division would have gotten involved. There was so much potential with this storyline. I'll admit it, it was my favorite thing about the WWE right now. But I now do not have that much confidence in what will happen next.

Lana Suffers An Injury

Some fans believe blood can add to the story of a match. Going by that logic, an injury might add to the story of a feud. And that is what you have in the feud between Ziggler/Lana and Rusev/Summer Rae.

The breakup storyline between Rusev and Lana has had its ups and downs. Some people say the WWE intentionally screwed Lana for getting over. I would disagree. But they have made some mistakes. And there were just some things that happened that were out of their control.

Lana suffered an injury recently. It has impacted the storyline and feud development. As far as Lana's well-being goes, the injury is obviously bad news. But in terms of the storyline, this might add more to the drama. Rusev had suffered a real injury a few months ago. Dolph Ziggler was written off with a kayfabe injury for a while. During these two situations, the storyline still continued. Rusev was still there with his crutches while he was injured. While Dolph was away, Lana was still around. Ziggler, Rusev, and Summer Rae have carried on while Lana is away. Part of me wishes this feud ended already, but all these circumstances popping up does give the WWE more time to develop things and possibly have more interesting segments.

Before Lana's injury, it looked like the storyline was going in a poor direction again. They had Summer Rae teasing that Dolph Ziggler tried to come onto her. It was trashy. It was similar to what you had last year with The Bellas and Stephanie McMahon. I don't think they need to go in that direction. They could have just built a simple story heading into Night of Champions. Lana's injury obviously adds to the story, but what they were trying to do just turns off a lot of fans. It might have gotten really annoying depending on how far they pushed it.

Lana's injury will hinder her training. Injuries is one of the reasons many eye-candy divas do not go far, especially those that the WWE has tried to push as centerpiece. Candice Michelle got injured too much and regressed terribly in her wrestling ability. Maryse suffered an injury and just did not seem to be as good in the ring after she did return. Even Trish Stratus, the greatest centerpiece the diva division ever had, suffered a few injuries in the final years of her WWE career. There were reports that Lana was in line for a huge push. Those reports failed to take into account other women that are already ahead of her and the fact Lana does not wrestle. When there was no huge push, those reports were dropped. Now that Lana might still get in the ring, how will that influence how she is pushed moving ahead? Some divas are just better in the periphery than going at it in the ring regularly. Lana might be one of those divas. And if she is injury-prone, even more of a reason to not even consider pushing her as the centerpiece. 

What Is Left For The Authority?

The Authority has been one of the worst corporate stables the WWE has ever had. They started teasing friction within the group almost immediately after it was formed. They never stopped teasing that friction. I have a hard time even considering them a stable right now. Aside from Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, there is only Seth Rollins. This isn't a stable.

To make matters worse, Triple H and Stephanie often come off as tweeners these days. They'll do certain things that seem to make them look like faces or neutral, then turn around and make a decision that is obviously heelish. What does that make the alignment of this supposed stable they are supposed to be in charge of? I have seen some fans say that the characters these two play are just exaggerated versions of how they act backstage. I won't argue against that. In the end, however, I would rather they just be heels. I am the kind of fan that typically likes heels over faces. I find Triple H and Stephanie's characters right now to be dull. For other fans, they might not know what to think of these two. Should we boo them? Cheer them? It can get annoying.

Outside of deciding what they want the leaders of the stable to be, there are two ways for The Authority to go. They have no real members to be considered a legitimate stable. Either add members or drop the angle and also drop Stephanie and Triple H as on-air authority figures. Is it really necessary to do that? The WWE just cannot make up their mind with these two, so I think introducing another authority figure might make things fresh.

If they decide to stick with the stable and add more members, whom should they add? Rusev and Summer Rae come to mind. He is a good brute. There is also Kevin Owens. Many consider him one of Triple H's guys. How about Noble and Mercury? Those guys were pretty much jokes. Kane? If Kane comes back and just reconciles with Seth Rollins, I may officially quit. Teasing friction is one thing, but Seth Rollins attacked Kane while he was already down. To just have Kane shrug that off and rejoin the group is pathetic.

If the WWE goes the path of ending the stable and get someone fresh to run things, whom should that be? Not Kane. He doesn't need that angle. I also would not go with Brad Maddox. I would still go with Lana. Some fans heard she was getting a big push and just expected to see something the WWE was never showing any signs of doing. But having her run Raw and Smackdown for a while would be quite possibly the biggest push she could get.

Which way would I go? I would officially end the stable and get someone new to run things. Remember the days when the McMahons would be around for a while, take a break, come back, and just repeat that cycle? Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were gone for a few weeks last year, but it was like they never left. The main angle still revolved around Seth Rollins trying to get them back. That has been roughly 2 years of these two running things and teasing all this tension with people that should to be on their side. Enough is enough. They have gone stale. Their inconsistency is annoying. I cannot think of one good reason why they should not take at least the rest of the year off. Come back for Wrestlemania next year. In the meantime, something fresh might happen.

Dolph Ziggler Waiting To Return

Dolph Ziggler has returned to house shows. The WWE is not ready to bring him back officially yet. When he does officially return, he will obviously be right back in his feud with Rusev and storyline also involving Lana and Summer Rae.

I usually dislike it when wrestlers take time off to make a WWE movie. It usually ruins the flow of what was going on. A perfect example of that is Paige taking time off a few months ago to be in a movie. Not only did that mess up the feud she was in a bit, but it left the diva division with pretty much no face divas. They had low-tier divas they could have utilized better. They didn't do that. They could have brought in a face from NXT. They didn't do that. What did they do? Turned The Bellas face for a few weeks. After that, they turned them back to heels. And I do not think the WWE handled the feud that should have been there between Paige and the woman that took her out, Naomi, very well. The whole thing was a very sloppy situation.

I am not going to complain about Ziggler taking time off. For one thing, you don't have the depth issues in the men's division that you had in the women's division back when Paige left. Beyond that, it actually adds to the story. Rusev had suffered an injury months ago. Even though Dolph Ziggler did not cause it, it became part of the storyline. You can say Rusev got back at Ziggler by taking him out a few weeks ago. I would not say the flow of this feud was ruined with Ziggler taking time off. Lana is still there to continue things. Rusev has not been left out in the cold. There has been no sloppy face or heel turns because of all this. This has been a solid story, even if one of the main players had to take some time off. And when Ziggler is officially back, there will be more heat to the feud. He'll want revenge on Rusev for taking him out.

Just one last thing about Lana. A while back dirtsheets said Lana and Eva Marie were in line for huge pushes. They are now saying the WWE has given up on Lana and are giving her push to Eva. What were these writers really expecting to see? Lana doesn't wrestle. Even if she had picked up some wrestling ability, the WWE is currently having Nikki Bella likely break AJ Lee's record with the Diva's Championship. Even if the WWE did want to push Lana against Nikki Bella, Internet fans would complain about it. They want to see women with real wrestling credibility get pushed. The only place to push Lana is in the periphery. And as far as "huge" pushes go there, I could only see them putting her in an angle with Cena, putting her in The Authority, or making her an authority figure. They never went with any of that. They have gone with a storyline involving her splitting from Rusev, which is obviously the logical option. Can some people say the feud has been mediocre? Well, one of the performers suffers a legitimate injury and another has to take time off to film a movie. That is going to slow things down. Even then, Lana is consistently pushed, something you have not seen with eye-candy periphery divas in a while. I do not see this as a matter of the WWE giving up on Lana. I would say this is just dirtsheets expecting to see something that the WWE was just not in a position to do and now saying some other woman will get that huge treatment. If Eva Marie stays on NXT for more than 5 seconds, will dirtsheets say the WWE has given up on her and are giving her push to Renee Young?

Is The Romance Fading?

Some fans seem to be souring on the romance angle involving Dolph Ziggler, Lana, Rusev, and Summer Rae. It has not worked as well as it should have. I have seen an article that said that the WWE purposely destroyed Lana for getting over. Some fans say this angle might ruin Ziggler. How have things been going?

First, this idea that the WWE intentionally tried to ruin Lana. No, I do not agree with that. If they had turned her face and pushed her alongside Sandow and Axel on whatever show those two are featured on these days, I would say they buried her. They paired her with a guy they feature consistently on the main shows. They are running a storyline with her. Have they changed her character? Yes. But I do not see it as the WWE trying to "destroy" Lana. This is a botch. Lana got over the way eye-candy divas in the company typically get over, her sex appeal and character. She was playing a heel character at the time. Because of her popularity and the WWE deciding to go with it, they would have to change her in some way. They did not try hard to force her as a heel, which might have been an obvious sign they did not want her cheered. Could they have pushed her as a face while still keeping her strong character. Would have been nice. I would have liked it. But might not be as easy to do as it seems. Moreover, she is an eye-candy periphery diva. And that is exactly how they are treating her now. She has had some moments here and there where she stood up for herself against Rusev. Overall, however, it has been a lot of making out with Ziggler and acting a little too lovesick.

What the WWE has done with Lana is nothing unusual. I would say it is the kind of thing that happened with John Cena. John Cena was a popular midcarder. He even gained that popularity while playing a heel. What happened? The WWE decided to push him as the top star of the company. They took him and turned him into something that many vocal fans hate. But you have to realize that this was not the WWE's intention. They didn't destroy Cena. His failure to properly connect with the audience is a combination of his own shortcomings and bad decisions on the part of the WWE. Lana's situation is pretty much all the WWE's fault from a botched creative standpoint. I am not even going to put anything on her shortcomings. This has just become a storyline that would be hard for any diva to handle, even Sable and Trish Stratus. But this isn't like what happened to Zack Ryder. The WWE wants Lana to be a top star in the periphery. Sadly, their inefficiency these days are messing up so many things, including diva matters, including this.

How has Ziggler been looking? Some fans say it might look heelish to pick on a crippled guy and taking his girl. Well, Rusev is healed up and he was a jerk to Lana first. Dolph Ziggler was one of the most over guys on the roster. This angle has started to hurt him slightly, but I do not think it is a big deal. I do not think the WWE was trying to bury him, either. Ziggler gets a storyline with Lana and a feud against Rusev. So many guys on the roster lack that much. Where's Jack Swagger? Sandow, who was also so over a few months ago, has nothing important now. Cesaro lacks true direction. Dolph Ziggler is definitely better off than some. If his character is taking damage, I would say it is inadvertent.

There has just been a few things to hinder this feud. First, obviously, Rusev's injury. Second, Lana is not an actual wrestler. If she was, that might open up possibilities and help her. Third, the WWE is PG. They ran this kind of angle when the diva division got started. Sable broke away from her man and stood on her own. And she was able to flaunt her sex appeal. That helped her. What is the PG version of that? I think you are witnessing it. Lana letting her hair down and making out with Dolph Ziggler. Some people might say that is the WWE ruining Lana, but it might just be the best they could come up with during this era. They are not simply trying to create some kind of strong, feminist character. They are looking to entertain. They are looking to push sex appeal. If Sable had to work in a PG environment, was as limited in the ring as Lana has been, and had to work against an injured Marc Mero, she might look a lot like Lana today.

There is hope as this feud moves forward. Rusev can go in the ring again. That means this thing does not have to drag on longer than it needs to anymore. And if Lana can take a few bumps, that might lead to a mixed tag match. Seeing her get a little physical should help her with the fans. She doesn't need to ever get as good as Trish Stratus. A lot of divas back in the day had no real wrestling ability and still were put in matches. You even had Vickie Guerrero getting matches in recent years. Let that be Lana.