Mick Foley Out As Raw GM

The writing was on the wall for a while. Especially after last week, when Mick Foley attacked Triple H, you just knew he was going to get fired as Raw GM. And they did it this week. Stephanie McMahon fired him.

This, of course, will not be the end of Mick Foley. He will probably be a part of Wrestlemania. He'll show up now and then down the line. But the guy obviously needed to take some time off. There were multiple reasons why, including a lack of freshness.

I will say that I liked the relationship Stephanie and Foley had when this first got started. Heel Stephanie McMahon and face Mick Foley? How is that going to work? But it looked like they were actually on the same page for a while. They might have had Stephanie turn back into her tough heel character too soon. It's a little refreshing to see her be something else besides this heel character that rarely gets her comeuppance.

Should Mick Foley be replaced? Maybe down the line. Right now, it just seems pointless. With Triple H back, Raw still has two on-screen authority figures. Bringing in a third, whether that person in aligned with Triple H and Stephanie or not, might just be too much. Down the line, however, you can bring up guys like Sting, Kurt Angle, and so on. Lana might get promoted. Lots of options. But no need to rush to that now.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So Many Legends, So Little Impact

The WWE has been bringing in legends on a regular basis this year. Seems to be a monthly thing. You have Hulk Hogan always plugging the WWE Network. You have guys like Ric Flair and Mick Foley coming back for no other reason than to give a promo and prediction for an upcoming PPV match. It usually isn't anything major. Just an isolated appearance.

I like old people. I like Ric Flair and Mick Foley. They are two of my favorites. But I just see this trend as a waste of time. If you are going to incorporate these guys in the show, incorporate them in a more meaningful, long-term manner or don't bother doing it at all. What is the WWE hoping for? A ratings spike? As I have said before, the WWE will not be able to stop the bleeding enough to see Raw's annual ratings average not drop below a 3.0. You can say that these legends come back to give a rub to stars currently being developed. I think the best way of doing that is to have those guys be treated as stars or work with stars you have now in a proper manner. You can talk about it being meant to add more to some of these feuds, like when Hogan, Flair, and Shawn Michaels returned to talk about Cena vs. Lesnar, but that feud already seems to be dragging on. These prediction promos just seem like filler.

What can you be doing with this time? How about giving it to your midcarders? Treat a few more of those lower-midcarders as legitimate midcarders. Tyson Kidd is getting a push now, but it seems like nothing more than filler. Kofi Kingston should be pushed again. R-Truth is still there. You can even use that time to treat other upper-midcarders better. The WWE has done fine in previous years without having these monthly legend visits, so why can't they make things work with guys on the main roster? Even with all the injuries and issues, they have a lot of talent.

Traditional Survivor Series Tag Team Mess

Things really became messy last week as far as the major feuds heading into Survivor Series go. Things didn't get separated cleanly this week. Usually, I like when feuds mix a little bit. It makes things less one-dimensional. The problem with recent developments is that it was not originally planned to mix things up like this. These are all drastic changes, but with the WWE still trying to connect everything.

The biggest thing I don't like was the huge changes to the traditional elimination tag match. The angle with Miz and putting in Barrett are fine changes. But this started out as Team Foley vs. Team Punk. Pulling out Punk was huge. Once he's out, it only made sense that Ryback would be still feuding with him, so he's out, too. What's left? Team Foley vs. Team Ziggler? Why?

On this week's Raw, they were still pushing the issues between Punk and Mick Foley. Mick Foley was involved in the main event. You have Paul Heyman still involved in an angle with Brad Maddox, judging by the tease they had on Raw, but it would have been better if Heyman was still involved more in the tag match. If Mick Foley can captain a team he will not actually be a part of as a wrestler, why can't Heyman? Heyman vs. Foley. That would make it easier to connect Foley to CM Punk's matters.

You then have other issues. Cody Rhodes may be injured. Hope he's not, but there are also kayfabe (storyline) issues. Miz coming into the match seems to be leading to an angle with him and Kane and Daniel Bryan. Orton and Del Rio are still going at it. Some of these other guys just seem left out. And Ziggler is definitely one of them. He was just made leader. He didn't even have a real reason to feud with Mick Foley. And when you take a step back, there is no overall reason for this whole feud to be happening. The Miz involvement has promise. Wade Barrett getting this push is good. But beyond things like that, what's the overall reason for this match? Before all these changes, back when it was CM Punk feuding with Mick Foley, you had some overall focus for this match. Now, it's just a mess.

Who wins? With all honesty, I don't even care. Nothing is on the line in this match. It is such a mess and built so badly, I can't really get interested in this. Don't know if I'm just speaking for myself on that one, but I believe the better the development, the more potential to deliver. The triple threat for the WWE title will obviously be a bigger draw, but they really messed up the potential of this tag match. As for who wins, I will go for the faces. This can be the match that really solidifies Miz as a face. I don't think this is a fake turn.

Team Foley Vs. Team Punk

Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio will be on opposite sides of a traditional Survivor Series match, but not in the way I was expecting. It will be Team Foley vs. Team Punk. Team Foley will comprise of Ryback, Randy Orton, Kane, Daniel Bryan, and Kofi Kingston. CM Punk's team will include himself, Alberto Del Rio, Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes, and The Miz.

I'm not going to play booker and say that I would have tried to put in guys like Wade Barrett, Rey Mysterio, and Sin Cara, among others. The match they have now looks good. It should make for a great main event at Survivor Series.

I just feel that something should be on the line in this kind of match. This match was pretty much made off of these ideas about respect and tradition, but what else is there? Mick Foley will lead his team, but he is not in the actual match. I think they can do a lot more with his involvement. CM Punk is on this crusade for respect. If his team should win, how about Mick Foley being forced to say that CM Punk is the best in the world? It sounds weak, even to me, but I still feel something more needs to be done to make this match mean more. It seems a little awkward to just have Mick Foley stand there.

How about Ryback? The WWE ran a finish that involved him getting screwed by the referee at Hell in a Cell. He still got revenge on Punk after the match. But it seems like he is the focal point of Mick Foley's team. Considering that Randy Orton is one of the faces on that team, it really is interesting. It's way too early to call it, but I could see the WWE having Ryback win at Survivor Series and facing Punk for the title again at TLC. Punk can pick up a more decisive win there, then move on to The Rock. If they didn't put the title on Ryback last Sunday, I doubt they will do it before The Rock gets his title shot. Until then, it feels good to have a fresh face getting the main attention.

Mick Foley Returns To Raw

Mick Foley made his televised return to Raw tonight. It was a special Raw featuring The Rock, so why not? He had a segment with John Cena which was a repeat of what he did with The Rock over a decade ago. John Cena, This Is Your Life! Pretty crappy segment, but it was meant to be. It made it even better when The Rock came out and gave Mick Foley the Rock Bottom. I may be a Mick Foley fan, but that is what made the segment great.

And what really made the segment awful? It was more promoting how great and respectable John Cena is. Was that really necessary? I especially love how John Cena said that he does not tell the fans how to feel about him. I will agree, that is true. Problem is, by having John Cena say things like that, side with Zack Ryder, admit that he's hated and he rises above it, and all those fancy tricks, the WWE is pretty much trying to convince the fans that John Cena is a respectable guy. Telling someone something, whether you do it yourself or have someone do it for you, is not often enough to convince them of that thing. Actions speak louder than words. Have Cena act better than this.

Obviously, it will not work. It never works. It gets really annoying that they keep doing this. It is not refreshing to bring in Mick Foley to do it, Triple H, Jim Ross, Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan, or whomever else the WWE might have in mind to put Cena over as a guy you must respect. It sure is not entertaining either. Main question is, is it drawing? Is this John Cena a John Cena who can draw? I'm not saying turn him heel, but if this stale method of making him look respectable is not working to silence his boos, how about you seriously go a different path?

Changing subjects to something not entirely related to pro wrestling, this is for any Mickie James fans out there. Did you know Mickie James topped the Itunes Country music chart in Finland one day last month? Proof is here. That website has been keeping track of Itunes charts from 23 countries across multiple genres since 2010. I came across it back in September. Mickie James had not yet topped any charts yet. Not that I never thought she would ever get there, but I expected one of her future songs would get there, provided it would get good promotion. I was pleasantly surprised to see her get there now. Just look at that chart. "Hardcore Country" is #1 on a legitimate music chart containing names like Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, and other legends and heavyweights of mainstream Country. A song with lead vocals by Mickie James, which also happens to be her TNA theme song, has topped a chart. Wow! Being an independent musician doesn't just mean that you are not making big bucks, it also means you are usually not getting the big hype and ability to promote yourself as well as the big names. For Mickie James to get there, even if for only a day and only in Finland (no offense to Finland), she should be proud. I'm not sure if she knows about it or not. I don't recall her mentioning it on Twitter. I never saw wrestling news sites or message boards mention it. I even made use of that mighty ancient Hindu deity, Google, but did not see anyone talking about it. If she can get better luck promoting herself in the future, she can definitely have even more success. Whether or not it works out, Mickie James is a chart topper.

ECW Meets TNA

All he had to do was stand there to distract Abyss, but it was great to see Mick Foley back in TNA. I figured he was pretty much done as far as storyline went. Mick Foley was a part of ECW. That is the major angle going on for TNA now.

Dreamer, Rhino, Raven, and Stevie Richards attacked Abyss. Other wrestlers and officials then joined into the mix. Some sided with the attackers, who are all from ECW fame, and others tried to fight them off. The segment ended with Dixie Carter saying she was the one who asked the ECW guys to come. Not too horrible. It still leaves the question, "Why would you do that, Dixie?"

I have read some people compare this to the Nexus attack, saying it was better than what WWE did. I watched the attack with that in mind. I will say that the attack is somewhat in the same class, but I would not say it is better. The Nexus attack was a lot more intense. Moreover, Taz was ruining the ECW attack a bit by not acting completely shocked by it. He is an ECW guy himself, so that may play into the future, but it ruined the moment a bit. The way the WWE commentators acted sent a better message. The TNA attack seemed too much like a common brawl. The Nexus attack was a destruction. When they did brawl with WWE guys, those segments lacked the appeal of what made the angle great, the intensity. You pretty much just have Nexus getting beaten down in the brawl segments and running when things get tough. That is not what their destructions have, and it is their destructions that draw viewers. To that person who thought TNA did a better job, I say not yet.

Even though I am saying that the TNA angle is lacking things that made the WWE angle great, I am not putting it down. TNA should not be trying to copy WWE exact move by exact move. They have to do their own thing. If they want to play the WWE's own game and outdo them, that is something else. That does not mean they are copying them to the letter. For what they are doing, I like it. WWE took 7 (8 if you count Daniel Bryan) rookies and made them look like a big deal in one night. That is not what TNA is doing. TNA is pulling on the history of ECW, on already established stars. This is more comparable to ECW return angles in WWE, not to Nexus. Still, I am hoping TNA can make it their own. Judging by the spoilers I read for next week, they take a good step in that direction.