Previewing The Summerslam 2017 Undercard Matches

A complaint I see from many fans recently is that the WWE was giving away too much of Summerslam this past week. They have had some matches that are supposed to also happen at the PPV. With the poor way a lot of the Summerslam matches have been developed, I am not too surprised that the WWE would try to shake things up in the final week before the PPV. That includes what happened to Baron Corbin on Smackdown.

New Day defend the Smackdown Tag Team Championships against The Usos. Nothing much to say here. New Day retain.

The Raw Tag Team Championships will be decided between Sheamus & Cesaro and the reunion of The Shield. Not only are the tag titles on the line, but there is a story here. I like that. I was just saying yesterday that some title feuds don't need a special story, while others can really use it. New Day vs. The Usos didn't need a special story. Just make it about the tag titles, let their gimmicks work, and then let them wrestle. With this Raw feud, there was potential for a story. Some might even say the story was necessary. Rollins betrayed The Shield years ago and Rollins and Ambrose had a heated feud. Could these two really come back together so easily? Should they win the tag titles? Some fans are already talking about the possibility of Ambrose turning on Seth. Too soon for that. Neither Rollins nor Ambrose have won a PPV match in a while, so I say they get the tag titles at Summerslam.

Akira Tozawa defends the Cruiserweight Championship against Neville. This was supposed to be Neville defending the title, but things got switched around when the WWE had the title match on Raw this week and allowed the title change. This was one of those matches that fans were scratching their heads about. This was a pretty dull feud. A lot of things about the cruiserweight division has been boring. If nothing else, having the unexpected title change shook things up. I would not be surprised at all if Neville wins it back at Summerslam. The WWE has shown they love this guy this year. They put a hold on tossing the title to random cruiserweights for his benefit. He has had a long reign. But he could very well become the first man to hold the title twice. Even though short reigns like this are rare, I will say Tozawa's reign does end.

Staying on Raw, Big Show vs. Cass. Enzo will be in a shark cage above the ring. They just did this with Jericho earlier in the year. I would say it is too soon to pull this trick out again. Prior to this year, it wasn't exactly used often in the WWE. Looking at parts of Cass's promo on Raw this week, he looks like he could be the next Edge. But he is missing something. I am not talking about his wrestling ability, even though that has not been that exciting. His promos just lack a certain intensity Edge had. And Big Show is tied into this situation. The WWE is already running a bit of an injury angle to make it look like Big Show is beatable. He should be losing this match. What will Enzo do? I think it would be for the best if he just turns heel and goes back with Cass. What else is there for Enzo to do?

Staying on the theme of Summerslam matches coming early, Bray Wyatt defeated Finn Balor on Raw this week. What happens at Summerslam? Demon Balor. This feud has been pretty dull, until this week. It started, then it got killed off. If they had done it smoothly, the match on Raw this week probably would have happened at the last Raw PPV. The WWE could then do a slower build to Balor going to his dark side to face Bray Wyatt. Things have definitely been rushed. But the WWE probably needed to do it. Balor wins here. Have to keep this gimmick looking strong.

Randy Orton vs. Rusev. This is one of those dry feuds. Not too interesting. I feel it could have been built up so much better. Even though signs point to Rusev possibly winning, I will say Orton wins. I will say why in a moment.

AJ Styles defends the United States Championship against Kevin Owens. Shane McMahon will ref. Is that really necessary? Well, it is what they are going with. These two have been feuding for a long time now. It should end here. AJ Styles retains.

Lastly, John Cena faces Baron Corbin. But the big news is that Baron Corbin cashed in the briefcase on Smackdown this week and lost. That's the end of that. This was one of those things that fans felt was wasted this week before Summerslam. Is Corbin in the doghouse? Is he suspended? No news of a suspension. And even if the WWE is not high on him, they could have still jobbed him out at Summerslam or a later date.

I was against Baron Corbin getting the briefcase in the first place. Needless to say, the WWE did not do that great of a job building him up since getting the briefcase. His feud development in the last month has been terrible. His feud against Shinsuke Nakamura should still be going on. This feud with Cena just lacked a great story. It just felt like both guys could have been doing something better. John Cena did have a small hand in Corbin failing to cash in, but the feud is still not that special. Pretty lackluster.

Who wins? I will say Baron Corbin. Unless he did do something wrong, he should get the win. John Cena has not done that well at Summerslam in recent years. Baron Corbin might even destroy Cena after the match to send him on his next hiatus. The reason I said Orton beats Rusev is because I do not see both Orton and Cena losing to midcard heels in the same night. If one of them has to bite the bullet, I will say it is Cena. Orton has not won a PPV match since Wrestlemania. Cena beat Rusev just last month.

Previewing The Great Balls Of Fire 2017 Midcard Matches

Neville defends the Cruiserweight Championship against Akira Tozawa. If Austin Aries couldn't win the title in a million tries, Neville might as well retain here.

Cass takes on Enzo. This was an elaborate storyline. That is a good thing. But they broke up one of the best face teams they had on Raw. That is a bad thing. Cass should be winning this feud, but how long will the feud last? Will the WWE take this to Summerslam? I will say Cass wins this Sunday.

The Hardys get a rematch for the tag titles against Sheamus & Cesaro. This time, it will be a 30-minute Ironman Match. The WWE has really forced this rivalry by extending it like they have and including so many gimmick matches. Have to kill time. Not too many tag teams, especially if the WWE keeps killing them off. Are we really supposed to eventually buy into Titus & Apollo as contenders for the tag titles? Rhyno & Heath Slater are not that interesting anymore. If the heels retain here, what do they move on to? If the faces regain the titles, after retaining against Sheamus & Cesaro to end the feud, they can move on to The Revival. Those guys look terrible right now. That is why I believe The Hardys should be getting the titles back, even though the idea of these two getting so many title runs in just a few months back leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Dean Ambrose gets his rematch for the Intercontinental Championship against Miz. Why does Miz get so many title reigns? Contrary to what fans might chant, no, he does not deserve it. This is his third run with the Intercontinental Championship in the last year. Dean Ambrose doesn't exactly need the title back. And since the WWE has invested a lot in The Miz recently, he is probably keeping the title.

Seth Rollins vs. Bray Wyatt in an overrated feud. They probably would have gotten a better story out of Balor/Wyatt. Seth Rollins will win this feud against Bray Wyatt. Bray is just a jobber to the stars. The question is whether this will be an extended feud or just a 1-PPV thing. If it is extended, they might give Bray Wyatt the win here to give him momentum. If it is a short feud, Rollins wins and Bray can move on to Finn Balor. I will say Rollins wins.

Previewing The Extreme Rules 2017 Undercard Matches

This will be the third try for Austin Aries against Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship. There are some feuds where a great chase to the title would be nice. I felt AJ Styles should have had a chase to his first WWE Championship. TNA had Mickie James take three tries to finally win her first KO title, and her hair was on the line in that match. They raised the bar and made it interesting there, although I wouldn't have waited so long in that situation. Austin Aries is not someone I feel should be chasing after the title like he has. The WWE has shot the Cruiserweight title all over the place since last year. Having Neville hold it for so long is an improvement, but he should be feuding with fresh people, if Austin Aries is not meant to get the title right now.

Who wins this submissions match? I have seen some fans scratching their heads at the cruiserweights doing submissions. Even before this match, a lot of them were busting out submissions. That is not what cruiserweights are known for. High-flying moves are what they are known for. If they are going to wrestle like a lot of other guys on the regular roster, there is nothing special about them. I hear everyone talking about 205 Live not doing well and the cruiserweights frequently getting poor reactions. If they are just normal guys that have not been properly introduced to the main audience, they are going to get poor reactions. I digress. I'll say Austin Aries finally wins the title.

The tag team titles will be defended in a match that is a little more extreme. The Hardys vs. Sheamus & Cesaro inside a steel cage. How have The Hardys been doing? Like a lot of things, they are losing some of their luster. They pretty much need the "Broken" gimmick to appease certain fans. I see fans pointing out Matt Hardy just does not look good in the ring. To them, the "Broken" gimmick at least gives an excuse for his sloppiness that some fans are critical of.

I doubt the title reign ends here for The Hardys. Sheamus and Cesaro are a team that can do fine even if they break up. They do not need another run with the tag titles. They are likely just killing time until The Revival is good to go. I will say The Hardys retain.

I had said that some matches on this card are a little lackluster if you are looking forward to "extreme" matches. For the Intercontinental Championship match, if Dean Ambrose is disqualified, he loses the title to Miz. Not too impressive. Moreover, these two were feuding on Smackdown over the title just a few months ago. They come to Raw and are still feuding for the title. Fresh matches would be nice. And it would be nice if actual midcarders might get in the picture.

Who wins? It seems like a situation where it would be easy for Miz to win. A lot of smarks loved him on Smackdown. But he has lost his luster on Raw. Is there a reason to give him back the title, again? I will say Ambrose retains.

Previewing The Payback 2017 Undercard Matches

Even though this Raw PPV is missing the Universal Championship, there are still a lot of big matches on it. I am going to talk about the undercard today.

Enzo & Cass will take on Anderson & Gallows. Ideally, the tag titles would have been involved in this feud, whether it was Enzo & Cass defending the titles or finally winning them here. That isn't happening. The faces should at least win this match. Throw them a bone.

The tag titles will be defended when The Hardys face Sheamus & Cesaro. The Hardys just won the tag titles earlier this month. Is there a good reason for Sheamus & Cesaro to get another run? It might just be time for those two to split. The Hardys retain.

Moving out of the tag division, let's go to the cruiserweight division. Neville once again defends against Austin Aries. The WWE has been tossing this title all over the place since it was created last year. Austin Aries seems like someone likely to get it. Might as well happen here.

Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens is an interesting match. Not only is the United States Championship on the line, but these two will be switching brands if the title change happens. Will it? Probably not. Owens has a feud brewing with AJ Styles already. Jericho won't be here much longer. Owens wins.

Wrestlemania 33 Preview: Part 2

I will be talking about the Raw matches today. Goldberg vs. Lesnar will be saved for Friday.

Neville defends the Cruiserweight Championship against Austin Aries. Austin Aries can be seen as TNA's answer to CM Punk. He was definitely a poor man's CM Punk. He knows how to wrestle. In the WWE, he currently finds himself in the cruiserweight division. Even though I dislike too many multi-man matches, I wouldn't have minded a few more cruiserweights in this match. It just seems too soon to push Austin Aries. And yet, the WWE has shown that they will push men in this division too quickly, then pull the rug out from under them. Let's say the tradition continues. I'll say Austin Aries wins.

There will be a multi-man match for the tag titles. Anderson & Gallows defend against Sheamus & Cesaro and Enzo & Cass. Enzo & Cass should have won the titles since last year. This is the stage for them to do it. I will say they win.

The United States Championship match will not be a multi-man match. This is a personal feud. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens has arguably been developed better than any other feud. It does not feel rushed. The development has not been inconsistent. Injuries have not screwed it over. This is what I had hoped for with the Jericho vs. Styles feud from last year. Owens and Jericho were friends for a good while. They both held titles at the same time, although not the tag titles. There were a few great elaborate segments. They just developed things well, building up to the obvious split and match coming up.

Who wins? It just seems obvious that Kevin Owens will win. Jericho doesn't need the title anymore. Moreover, he already got a Wrestlemania win he did not need last year against AJ Styles. No need for two in a row. I have seen some fans say Jericho will retain here and lose it to Samoa Joe after Wrestlemania, likely due to Owens interference. There is also the point of Owens eventually going back after the Universal Championship. But that will probably happen down the line. Right now, let Owens get his Wrestlemania moment. This feud is fit for a title change.

Roman Reigns vs. The Undertaker was another feud that just felt thrown together in the weeks leading up to Wrestlemania. That might be because it was just thrown together in the weeks leading up to Wrestlemania. And it has been a pretty lame feud. The WWE is once again selling it like this can be Taker's last Wrestlemania. They did the same thing last year to try to draw in more fans. There are also dirtsheet rumors about it. As I have seen other fans point out, if this is Undertaker's last Wrestlemania, the WWE has done a terrible job making this feud feel more special. I do not think The Undertaker's career ends here. The WWE has been pretty mediocre with a ton of things these days, but I doubt they treat the end of The Undertaker's career with such mediocrity. A feud over whose yard it is? Passing the torch to Roman Reigns? No, I would expect something bigger. Then again, that feud leading to Lesnar ending Taker's Wrestlemania streak was also pretty mediocre.

Who wins? Reigns winning this could very well make him hated. Would they then turn him heel? I don't know if he can even carry beating The Undertaker, and possibly retiring him, like Lesnar could carry ending The Streak. I don't know how much that rub would do for him. But I will still say he wins. This can build up to Undertaker's last match next year.

Triple H faces Seth Rollins in an unsanctioned match. On paper, this should have been the best feud this Wrestlemania season. You can say it was years in the making. Triple H chooses Seth Rollins to be the next big star. Seth Rollins fails to deliver. Triple H betrays him. Wrestlemania match. But the WWE just did such a terrible job after Triple H screwed Seth Rollins last year. Triple H never showed up. Seth Rollins lost his edge. There was even a span where it seemed Seth Rollins had forgotten Triple H. What was the story? Triple H didn't want to fight Seth Rollins? If you don't want to fight him, why screw him out of the title? Because you don't want him as Champion? Okay, so why didn't you try to screw him those other times he got title shots? And you are still going to fight him now? They just took what could have been an amazing feud and ruined it, and for lame reasons. Seth Rollins getting injured also hurt things, but you can argue that it added some value back into the feud.

What can you expect in this match? Samoa Joe will likely get involved. He doesn't have anything else to do. Stephanie McMahon will also likely be around. She might take a bump, like she has at Wrestlemania recently. Mick Foley might even show up to stick a sock in her mouth. As for the winner, part of me believes Triple H should win here and this feud should continue to Summerslam, where Seth defeats his former mentor. But I'll go against that and say the WWE has Seth Rollins overcome the odds to win it.

Previewing The Fastlane 2017 Undercard Matches

The Raw Tag Team Championships will be decided between Anderson & Gallows and Enzo & Cass. Enzo & Cass deserve an eventual title win. Last year might have been a good time for it, but New Day happened. Anderson & Gallows just won the titles not too long ago, however, so they should win here. Build up the feud to make the eventual title change mean something more.

Neville defends the Cruiserweight Championship against Jack Gallagher. This is another title where they have just been tossing it around in recent months. I will say Neville manages to hold onto it for a little longer.

Samoa Joe faces Sami Zayn. This is obviously not the first feud the WWE would have liked for Samoa Joe on the main roster. He had a feud with Seth Rollins right in front of him. That would have been a bigger deal than this feud with Sami Zayn. No offense to Sami Zayn. These two can put on a great match, unless the WWE just wants to sell Samoa Joe as a destroyer and have him wreck Zayn. Either way, Joe is going to look strong. I will say he wins.

The feud between Roman Reigns and Braun Strowman is the top Raw feud outside of the Universal Championship feud. Some might say it has been treated even better than that feud. The contract signing for this match closed Raw this week, the last Raw before Fastlane. And it's not like this is football season, where they sometimes do some questionable booking. They could have ended the show with an angle to hype Goldberg/Owens. Even Seth Rollins could have closed Raw. There was a nice brawl between Reigns and Strowman that saw a bit of destruction, but I don't think that meant the segment had to go on last.

It seems like it is a sign that Reigns is still the centerpiece. John Cena frequently went on last even when he was not involved with the main title matters, and sometimes at the expense of CM Punk. But I don't think the WWE should be doing this with Reigns right now. His push has obviously hit multiple snags. Even Cena's rise to the top was smoother than what has been going on with Reigns. I would keep him in the midcard, especially when he is only feuding with Braun Strowman. Wait until he has a bigger feud, like what might be coming for Wrestlemania.

Some fans are dreading that Braun Strowman will lose to Reigns and get buried. They point to Rusev, who has lost to the likes of Cena and Reigns and suffered depushes after. He has now been stuck with Jinder Mahal, a fate worse than being fired. Some guys only get great pushes because they are being built to put someone else over. And after that push, they typically will get some kind of depush. It is just the way things are. It happens all the time in the women's division. It is one of the reasons most female wrestlers did not become very over in the diva era. Once they were done being pushed to serve whatever purpose, they got depushed and lost their momentum. There is more space for men to be featured, so don't cry too much for a depush that Strowman will eventually be getting one day. He can at least get something to do elsewhere.

Who wins this match? Let it be Reigns. If Strowman gets this big win, where would he go after? Would he be the one feuding against The Undertaker? Will he be added to Lesnar vs. Goldberg? Does he have any great possibilities? If not, what's the point in giving him this kind of win? He would have all that momentum and nothing to do with it. Let Strowman just be a jobber to the stars in this feud. If there was a good storyline reason for Reigns losing, then I would say he would lose. I just can't picture it. Reigns wins.

On The Cruiserweight Division

There is a PPV coming up this weekend. I usually like to spend three days talking about PPV matches. One day for the women's matches, one for the men's undercard matches, and the last for the main match(es). But I wanted to take some time out to talk about the cruiserweights. With this being Wrestlemania season, featuring debuts, injuries, and whatever else, I wasn't sure when I would get a chance. Might as well make it today.

Is the cruiserweight division working out? I would say not. You have regular reports of fans leaving before 205 Live on Tuesdays. Trying to advertise special dark matches featuring John Cena isn't enough to get fans to stay. You also have fans dead for a lot of cruiserweight matches. This is an age where you are likely to either get dead audiences or rowdy smarks, but it seems even a lot of smarks cannot always bring themselves to care about the cruiserweights.

Why is the cruiserweight division not doing better? I would say there are numerous reasons. First, they need to stop treating these guys like they are something different. Enough of the purple ropes. Just incorporate them better into the shows. WCW had a cruiserweight division. TNA has their X division. The WWE used to have this kind of division a long time ago. It became a joke. You can also argue that the division was never handled as well as it was in WCW and even TNA. But the WWE is just making the opposite mistake now. They are taking it too seriously. It is kind of like the problem with the women's division. Yes, you are guilty of mistreating female talent for many years, but that doesn't mean you create this feminist atmosphere that just isn't entertaining. As for the cruiserweights, just let their in-ring ability speak for itself and incorporate them more smoothly with the other guys on the roster.

Another problem is that the WWE is just dumping talent in and not really developing them well. Try to put yourself in the place of a casual fan. To a lot of these fans, a lot of these matches look almost as bad as two local jobbers going at it. They don't know who a lot of these guys are. They need storylines, and storylines on 205 Live are not going to cut it. Most people don't have the WWE Network. And even with those that do, not all of them care about the cruiserweights. For the most part, those fans that care about 205 Live have already bought into the cruiserweights and the WWE is not gaining anything more.

Last issue I am going to bring up, the WWE is doing a terrible job with the Cruiserweight Championship. They are not using it to build stars. They are just juggling it around. The title is only a few months old and four men have already held it. And the WWE has not done a good job at all keeping momentum going for any of the men that have held the title already. What is even the point? Yes, titles are supposed to help feuds and storylines seem more interesting, but is that idea even alive here? I would say there have been some interesting feuds over the title here and there, but this isn't about whether I like it. Is it really helping the wider audience get interested in this division? I don't think so.

Just look at the current Cruiserweight Champion, Neville. He was on the main roster even before the cruiserweight division came back. He was featured regularly after he first debuted. He was allowed to do his style. You would think this would be one of the most over men in this division. But he suffered an injury. And his overness was just never the same when he came back. The WWE turned him heel and still put the title on him. The smart thing to do would be to worry about actually helping him get over. I see a lot of smarks loving his heel character. Smarks loving a heel character? Shocking! If history is any indication, Neville will drop the title in a few weeks and eventually be rotated out.

The WWE obviously cannot continue along this same path for a long time. They are either going to improve how they feature the cruiserweights or they are going to just cut back on the focus they are getting. Maybe a little bit of both? For one thing, 205 Live should end. I never felt it would be a show that stays around forever. Overall, I would not be surprised if the WWE views this division as a flop and loses a lot of interest. I am not saying they dump the title right away, but they do cut down on the focus.

When you are talking about the success of a division, show, or entire company, you are not just looking at one thing. You want an atmosphere that can draw. You want star power that can draw. You want entertaining storylines that can draw. What does the cruiserweight division have going for it? The cruiserweight style, which has been showcased here and there even before the cruiserweight division came back, is not drawing. The WWE is doing a terrible job building stars within the division. The storylines can be decent at times, but nothing really amazing so far. This whole thing is just a flop.

Previewing The Royal Rumble 2017 Undercard Matches

I talked about Raw's women's matches yesterday. Smackdown has since added a women's tag match, but it is really just filler, lumping together the various feuds they are developing there, so I'm not going to go back to talk about that. Today is about the men's matches at the Royal Rumble, outside of the actual Royal Rumble match. I will get to that on Friday.

Sheamus & Cesaro defend the Raw Tag Team Titles against Gallows & Anderson. And the WWE is highlighting that there will be two refs for this match. There are just times when the WWE tries to get too fancy. It is nice that they are trying to develop a storyline for a title feud that goes beyond just the titles, but this is a pretty dumb story. It is based on a story of clumsy officiating. You had an awkward ending to a match a few weeks ago between these two teams, and that has led to this rematch with two refs. The awkward ending you had to Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker at Summerslam a few years ago was one thing. But the WWE needs to realize that they didn't strike gold with angles like this.

If you can ignore the ref drama, there are two teams fighting for the tag titles. Sheamus and Cesaro just really got the reign started. Anderson & Gallows still don't feel like they deserve a title run. I will say the titles stay with Cesaro and Sheamus.

Not everyone that gets a title reign is being groomed to be a star. Some people are given title reigns so they can drop the belt to the person the WWE intends to be a star. Some people are given title reigns just for the sake of filler, such as when a star is injured and the WWE is just killing time until they return. When I look at the cruiserweight division, I don't think the WWE is trying to make stars at all. None of the three men that have held the title so far look like stars. It looks like the WWE is just going through the motions with everyone. I won't say too much about that here. Maybe another day.

The Cruiserweight Championship will be on the line between Rich Swann and Neville. Neville turned heel and is getting the best push he has gotten on the main roster. He was on the main roster before the cruiserweight division returned. He has had his ups and downs, including an injury and coming back to not much of a response from the fans. But he is at least refreshed by this heel turn. Given what I just said about the WWE not developing stars in this division, I don't think they will have a problem taking the title off Rich Swann and putting it on Neville. But will it happen here? I will say the title change happens.



Onto the World Championship matches. For Roman Reigns vs. Kevin Owens, the match will be No DQ. Oh, and Chris Jericho will be locked in a shark cage above the ring. Here is the WWE just going too goofy again. I'm surprised they are not forcing Chris Jericho to also dress up as La Luchadora. Why not? He wore a mask a couple months ago to screw Seth Rollins. I am sure they can work the angle in there somehow. The WWE definitely should do more to make the atmosphere more fun, but there are just some ideas that are really stupid. They can ruin a storyline or hurt the performers themselves. There was a serious, strong storyline with Seth Rollins for a while, and that was good. But then the WWE couldn't sustain it and Seth started acting goofy at points, losing his edge. That storyline between Seth Rollins and Triple H, which I will talk about another day, has definitely lost value. As for individuals not working out when they get a goofy angle, remember Gallows & Anderson trying to be comedians? That flopped.


Chris Jericho being locked in a cage is bad enough. And then suspending it above the ring? I know this kind of thing is not unheard of, but it still seems dumb. Why not just say Jericho will get fired if he gets involved in any way? He has a title now. Why not say he will be stripped of the title? Why not say Kevin Owens will be stripped of HIS title if Chris Jericho even thinks about getting involved? Face it, Jericho is still likely to find a way to get involved anyway. They just wanted to come up with a goofy angle for this feud. In some cases, it could be a distraction.




If people watching this Sunday can direct their attention a few feet below Chris Jericho, they might see a match going on for Raw's top title. I cannot picture Kevin Owens heading into Wrestlemania as Universal Champion. I can picture him facing Chris Jericho for the United States Championship, which will be a feud featuring their friendship finally coming to an end. For that to happen, Owens must lose the Universal Championship. Losing it to Reigns at the Royal Rumble just makes sense. They can have their rematch next month, where Jericho will inadvertently screw Owens and set their feud up. Roman Reigns then moves on to a bigger opponent for Wrestlemania.

John Cena faces AJ Styles for the WWE Championship. Cena needs one more World title win to tie Ric Flair's record. He has had multiple opportunities to do it over the last few years. It is going to happen sooner or later.

Before considering the match, look at the feud between AJ Styles and John Cena. It has been the same complaining and self-righteousness you have seen a lot over the years with John Cena. It caused some buzz when CM Punk did it. It didn't draw, but it created buzz with smarks. And smarks are once again eating this stuff up. They have done it multiple times now. It isn't fresh anymore. It isn't entertaining. It isn't helping the WWE's numbers. If anything, I am getting to the point where I am ready to say that all this is laziness on the part of the WWE. They cannot come up with entertaining storylines, so they just look at smarks and base their promos and storylines off of what they want to hear. And they keep rehashing the same thing. There might be a different variation here and there, but it is all pretty much the same thing. There is a reason the Nexus angle led to a better ratings bump than the summer angle of CM Punk dropping pipebombs and walking out on the company. The Nexus angle did not even lead to any of the members becoming as big a star as CM Punk ended up, ignoring Daniel Bryan, who was kicked out of the group early. The Nexus angle was pure kayfabe, rookies going crazy and trying to take over. CM Punk's angle was based on reality, his issues with not being pushed better. AJ Styles is definitely following in the path of CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, another guy that got a big push involving real issues of the company not wanting to push him better. But the whole storyline just doesn't work as well here. AJ Styles has not been held back like other guys have been for years in the WWE. John Cena has not been pushed as annoyingly as he has in the past. A lot of these promos with Styles and Cena is just beating a dead horse. They are not really saying anything new to spark interest.

As for the match, the outcome might not matter. Smackdown has already announced an Elimination Chamber match for the WWE Championship. I don't think John Cena will have to wait much longer for his next title run. But I think AJ Styles will retain at the Royal Rumble. Cena can then win it inside the Elimination Chamber.

Summerslam 2015 Preview: Part 1

The Lucha Dragons, New Day, Los Matadores, and Prime Time Players will meet for the tag titles. The tag division continues to feel like a playground for lower-midcarders. It is hard to really care for these teams when it is likely they will soon get lost in the shuffle again. As for which team wins, the Prime Time Players already had a successful title defense, so that must mean they will drop it. No team has held the title for too long this year. The New Day seems like a good choice to win it back. I do not think any of the other two teams matter too much. Not saying that wouldn't stop the WWE from putting the titles on them.

There will be a celebrity match at Summerslam. Neville teams up with Stephen Amell to face Stardust and King Barrett. It is likely the faces will win and it seems just as likely Barrett will take the pin. I understand the drama between Stardust and that actor. Stardust has had a little feud with Neville recently. Barrett being there just seems like something done out of necessity. Well, at least he's on the card.

Dolph Ziggler returned this week on Raw and he will face Rusev at Summerslam. Would it have been better to wait until after Summerslam? That would give the WWE plenty of time to develop things for the next PPV. I do not think that is necessary. Things are developed enough. These two have had a storyline going on for months now. Through injuries and not even being there, the storyline has been progressing. No need to drag it on. Have a singles match at Summerslam. I doubt it ends at Summerslam. Dolph Ziggler just returned. The right thing to do might be to let him win. I'll go with him winning.

How Goes Things For Neville?

Neville debuted a few months ago on the main roster. He has picked up some wins. He has looked impressive in a match against John Cena. He has had some minor feuds here and there. He is what you would expect a midcarder in the WWE to be.

I will say they could do better. He had a very minor feud against Bo Dallas a few weeks ago. That could have been so much more. There was a little history there. They gave it a little build, but this is a feud that should have lasted longer. Non-title midcard feuds like this can help things be more interesting. When they only give a few weeks for a feud like this and do not properly follow up, it just comes off as filler. And Neville just seems to be bouncing around.

Should he win a title? Should he be pushed in the place of Daniel Bryan or possibly Dolph Ziggler? I am not even suggesting any of that. Just develop these feuds better. They are putting him against guys that can lead to some interesting feuds. They just need to open up these feuds more and let them last longer. A year from now, then I might start talking about him winning titles and whether he should move up the card. Right now, he can be a great midcarder.

Previewing Money In The Bank 2015: Part 2

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

King Of The Ring 2015

I am glad they brought back King of the Ring. I like things like this. It can raise some interest in the midcard.

But there are a few criticisms. First, it would have been nice if they brought back the King of the Ring PPV. If not that, devote an entire episode of Raw to the tournament. Make it a special. Second, there are too few guys involved in this. I would have added in a few more names. I think they have enough guys to make it interesting, especially if they are utilizing some guys that are obviously lower-midcarders these days. A 16-man tournament would have been nice. Last thing, Chyna is the only woman to have been involved in this tournament.  That was over a decade ago. I know the WWE isn't going to go far with male-female action these days, but it would have made it fun if a diva was included somehow. This issue is obviously not huge, but the first two things I mentioned could have helped this seem more important.

Who wins? Barrett. Sheamus won it before. I cannot imagine R-Truth making it to the finals. If Barrett, a heel, makes it to the finals, it is unlikely Sheamus, another heel, also goes that far. He will probably lose in some cheap fashion to Neville. I know I said Neville should be pushed well in Daniel Bryan's absence, but he just debuted. He does not need to win this. He's not the next Brock Lesnar. That leaves Barrett. Why not? I like that.

Daniel Bryan Could Not Compete

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

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

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

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