Wrestlemania 33 Preview: Part 3

Today goes to the Smackdown matches. I will talk about Randy Orton vs. Bray Wyatt on Friday.

Let me start with the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. It is not Smackdown exclusive, but I will include it here. Big Show is in this. His match with Shaq is not happening. That is sad for Big Show and too bad for the WWE. This match would have been a draw. Even if the actual match was terrible, the hype would get mainstream attention, especially during NBA season, and it would draw. The WWE really has no great feuds likely to draw big this year. As for who wins this, it should be either Braun Strowman or Luke Harper. Both these guys had a lot of interest on them this Wrestlemania season. Many fans might see it as a little disappointing that neither are doing anything more important, I will say Braun Strowman wins.

Dean Ambrose defends the Intercontinental Championship against Baron Corbin. An actual singles match for the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania? I never thought I would see that again. I am not surprised to see Corbin getting this push, and I expect him to win. But I just feel it should have been Dolph Ziggler in the position Dean Ambrose is currently in. Ziggler had so much momentum when he won the title a few months ago. The WWE ruined that for no good reason and Ziggler is stuck with mediocrity for Wrestlemania. They ruined him. I am not saying it was intentional. They had planted the seeds for a heel turn since his WWE Championship feud with Dean Ambrose, but they should not have gone through with it. Fans have just not reacted to it very well. It should be Ziggler dropping the title to Baron Corbin. Free up Dean Ambrose for a better feud.

John Cena and Nikki Bella take on Miz and Maryse. Before I talk about what this match means for some of the performers, there is speculation that Cena might propose to Nikki after they win. I never thought this would be something I would preview for a match. It would be a huge Wrestlemania moment, but I will just leave that alone. If it happens, it happens.

What does this feud mean for Nikki Bella? This is a periphery angle. It is on the periphery of the title scene. The WWE created all their successful stars during the diva era through the periphery. The only woman during the previous era to get very over without proper periphery angles was Mickie James, and that was not because the WWE wanted it. But I would say this push is once again showing why so many women became stars in the periphery back in the day. Nikki Bella is looking good. She is getting a rub from one of the top stars in the company. She is knocking men around, even if they are jobbers. She is guaranteed a spot on the Wrestlemania card that is not on the pre-show. All these elaborate segments. Big Wrestlemania moment. This is how you push a woman as something special. I wish Mickie James had gotten these type of pushes back in the day, or even now.

Compare it to the mess that is the Smackdown Women's Championship match. It's Alexa Bliss vs. everyone. Naomi just returned. There might still be more women in this match. No one has gotten proper development here. It is just a cluster. This match is on the pre-show and it deserves to be on the pre-show. That is not an insult to these women. That is an insult towards how the WWE has handled the title picture here. No one should feel bad for Nikki Bella not being in this match. She is in a better place.

Does she deserve it? I think so. The WWE put a lot of work into her to make her into a star. She is not absolutely terrible in the ring. She is more over than some fans seem to want to admit. And since the WWE needs more women properly pushed as stars that can get over beyond just the wrestling fans, they should push her well.

What does this feud mean for John Cena? I will say that I feel Cena deserves better than this. When you think of all the big feuds they could have had this Wrestlemania season, Cena vs. The Undertaker was one. Or Cena could have continued his feud with AJ Styles to some sort of gimmick match at Wrestlemania. Or turn Ambrose heel and have him feud with Cena. I already said Dolph Ziggler should be in the spot Ambrose is in. Or a feud with Miz that isn't also about the women in their corner. John Cena will likely win this match, but I feel the feud is better for Nikki Bella than John Cena.

Lastly, AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon. This is another match that really does not need to happen. AJ Styles should be doing better than this. And Shane McMahon does not need to be wrestling every year. Yes, welcome back. You've been gone a long time. That doesn't mean you need to wrestle every Wrestlemania. Whether it is the WWE wanting Shane to wrestle because they think it would draw or it is an ego thing for Shane wanting to go out there and sacrifice his body for cheers and respect, just ease it down. Save it for special occasions, which will hopefully not be forced.

And that is what this feud is, forced. Someone has issues with an authority figure, so they have a match. Stephanie McMahon has had issues with Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Bayley in recent years. No matches ever came of it. You can run down the list of times a wrestler and authority figure have had issues and not wrestled each other. The WWE tried to force this feud through clumsy booking to make it seem like AJ Styles had a heated reason to want to destroy Shane McMahon. Yeah, some nice segments here and there, but it was still forced and not organic. Ignoring the botched battle royal result, AJ Styles wins a match to get a title shot at Wrestlemania, but then the WWE makes him put it on the line against Orton? How often does this happen? Usually, they just make a triple threat or some other situation where both guys get title shots. You would think that is what face authority figures would do. No, the WWE went with clumsy booking to sell this feud. The development has not been smooth.

What should AJ Styles be doing? As I said, he could still be feuding with Cena. And maybe it should have been for the WWE Championship. I have said before that I don't think Orton/Wyatt needs to be for the title. Why not send one of the best feuds of the last few months to Wrestlemania? Or they could have done Styles vs. The Undertaker.  Even Styles vs. Luke Harper might have been good, since it would have given Harper something meaningful and would have been a very good match. There were options.

Who wins? AJ Styles has still yet to win at Wrestlemania. He should have won last year. This should be the year. Shane McMahon does not need the win. As for match quality, Shane McMahon does have a history of going big in big matches. Let's just hope he doesn't injure himself.

Looking Back At The Elimination Chamber 2017 Women's Matches

The women's matches at this past Sunday's Smackdown PPV all ended in ways I did not expect. I am going to say what I do not like about these booking decisions.

First, Natalya vs. Nikki Bella ended in a double countout. This was the longest of the feuds going on for the Smackdown women and it just needed to end. All they have been doing for a lot of these past weeks is talking and brawling. They're brawling in the ring, outside the ring, outside the building, backstage, and I don't know where else. And there is really nowhere else for the promos to go. This isn't a great feud. It is being booked this way because of the poor depth.

Nikki Bella should have just won and moved on. Even if she had won, these two women might have still interacted after Elimination Chamber, but the feud with have reached its climax and they could really start moving on to something new. As it stands, this feud doesn't feel like it is over yet.

Becky Lynch defeated Mickie James. Mickie James should have won that match. She just looks terrible. She has only been back a few weeks, so it won't be hard to look back at what she has done in terms of momentum. She came back by screwing Becky Lynch. The week after that, she had that promo segment, which ended with Mickie and Alexa Bliss once again laying out Becky. Since then, it has been all downhill. She lost at the Royal Rumble. She lost on the Smackdown after that. The Smackdown after that was the contract segment, which ended with the faces standing tall. She had absolutely no momentum heading into Elimination Chamber. And she lost. That is terrible booking.

And this booking does not help Becky Lynch as much as it could. Go back to when Mickie James returned to TNA in 2010. I don't think TNA handled her right, but what they did with her was done better than what the WWE just did with Becky Lynch. Mickie James had a feud with Tara, the sidekick of Madison Rayne, the TNA KO Champion at the time. The feud lasted months and Tara, the heel, actually got a PPV win over Mickie. It culminated with Mickie James defeating Tara in a steel cage match on Impact, which was one of the best moments of her TNA run. I have compared how the WWE is using Becky Lynch now to how TNA used Mickie James back then before. TNA actually made it look like Mickie James had to overcome something back then. They actually developed the feud. This feud with Becky Lynch and Mickie James is the same kind of thing. Becky Lynch is feuding with the sidekick of the heel Champion that is in her way. But with Mickie James not looking like she had any real momentum at all, Becky Lynch does not look as amazing as she could have with a win over her.

They are just doing a terrible job with Mickie James. I said that the WWE should not bring her back. Okay, they brought her back. I said that the WWE should not make her a heel and have her be La Luchadora. Okay, they made her a heel and had her be La Luchadora. I said the WWE should not have her be this bitter, arrogant character. Okay, they had her be this bitter, arrogant character. And I said that the WWE should have Mickie James win at Elimination Chamber. And they didn't do that. They have just dug a deep hole. Going back to my first point, I did not want them to bring her back because I knew this sour, inefficient environment would not be good for her. And the WWE is proving me right.

The booking in the last few weeks has not helped anyone as much as it could have. Mickie James does not look good. The feud does not look as great as it could have been. And Becky Lynch has not been put over as best as she could have been. Yes, the feud can still go on, but it would just look pointless at this point. Becky Lynch already has her revenge and that's that. I heard some rumors say that the reason Becky Lynch vs. Mickie James might be a short feud is that Nikki Bella and whatever she is involved with is getting a Wrestlemania spot. And yet, Nikki Bella's feud with Natalya was the one that did not get closure at Elimination Chamber. I doubt it will be Nikki vs. Natalya at Wrestlemania. With the WWE running at least 3 women's angles on Smackdown, the Nikki excuse does not have merit. The WWE could have booked Becky/Mickie to end at the first Smackdown PPV after Wrestlemania, while Nikki Bella still has her storyline.

And Naomi defeated Alexa Bliss to win Smackdown's Women's Championship. Once again, I would say this is a feud that didn't help either woman as best as it could have.

Let me start with Alexa Bliss. Everything I just said about Mickie James lacking momentum in the last few weeks applies to her partner in crime, and it might even be worse for Alexa. Alexa was the one being pinned in all those tag matches. She just had no momentum heading into the match. Alexa Bliss is obviously not a great wrestler, but the WWE could have put a lot more work in her to make her look like a great heel. They had just paired her with Mickie James less than a month ago, now the duo looks absolutely pathetic. How is that building a strong heel duo, which can then really put over some faces down the road?

As for Naomi winning the title, I felt that Naomi should one day get a good push. Now is just not when I would have done it. She just came back from her second injury in a year that required her to miss time. The WWE should wait and see if she can stay healthy for a few months. Moreover, the build to that title win should be better. Instead, she comes back on Smackdown, pins Alexa Bliss at the Royal Rumble, pins Alexa Bliss on Smackdown, wins a brawl a week after that, and then wins the title. I've talked about women losing momentum before, but it seems the WWE just rushed Naomi to look credible. She never looked weak. It was just a 3-week steamroll. Yes, there are a lot of Naomi fans out there that are happy, but you always have to think about that wider audience. The WWE didn't really have any time to gauge how her push was really going. They just gave her the title. I don't care if she is from Florida and Wrestlemania is in Florida this year, this whole situation could have been handled better.

All of the Smackdown Women's Champions so far have been mediocre. I am not talking about talent. I am talking about how they have been built and the quality of their title reigns. Becky Lynch had no proper build whatsoever prior to winning the title. Her reign lasted a few months, featuring her missing out on a title defense due to a medical issue. Many did not think she would lose the title to Alexa Bliss. That happened. Alexa Bliss had just been on the main roster a few months and never really had any other storyline prior to that feud with Becky Lynch. And she's also not a great wrestler. Just when it looked like her title run might lead to her being featured as a great heel character, Naomi returns from her injury. And I just talked about the rushed job she got. The WWE needs to start developing these women better prior to their title wins and let them have title reigns that are better than this. They are not developing any of these women properly. It is as terrible as the cruiserweight division.

Smackdown's entire women's division just looks weak. No one really stands out that much. A lot of people like to talk about Nikki Bella having backstage influence, but she has not won the title yet on Smackdown and can't even get a decisive win against Natalya at Elimination Chamber. Natalya is getting a storyline, but she never goes far and has not held a title in about 7 years. Becky Lynch, the inaugural Smackdown Women's Champion, had no proper hype prior to winning it and the title reign was not that amazing. Mickie James, a legitimate A+ player a decade ago, in terms of how well she was able to connect with the fans from just being pushed as a credible jobber, is as big a loser in the last few weeks as my Brooklyn Nets. Alexa Bliss looked like she could be a great heel character, but she immediately dropped the title last Sunday. Naomi just got a rushed push, and there is nothing to suggest that this will be a long-term thing for her. Meanwhile, when you look at Raw, Charlotte is a long-term thing. Even Sasha Banks has managed to look somewhat more relevant than the Smackdown women. Even when she loses, there is a story there about her being a fighter. There is her potential heel turn. When these Smackdown women lose, for the most part, it is just a loss. There might be all these storyline floating around, but the actual women don't look strong over time. It is just a juggling act of momentum. Oh, and Carmella has Ellsworth. That is all that needs to be said.

Previewing The 2017 Elimination Chamber Women's Matches

Smackdown has a PPV this Sunday, Elimination Chamber. I believe this is the first time a brand PPV will feature 3 women's matches. The Royal Rumble a few weeks ago had 3 (between the kickoff and the main show), but the Royal Rumble isn't a brand-specific PPV. Many might say that this is huge for the women, but look at it a little more realistically. This is just practical booking. The Elimination Chamber match will feature six guys. Even though that match will kill a lot of time, there are still a lot of spots on the card to fill. Also keep in mind that match isn't the only multi-man match on the card. The situation just calls for multiple women's matches.

Nikki Bella and Natalya have been feuding for a few months now. They tried to make it more interesting by treating it like Nikki was attacked by some mystery individual a few months ago at Survivor Series. The feud hasn't really gone anywhere that interesting since then. They are just talking and brawling. Very few matches. Blame it on the terrible depth. The promos are pretty sour. A lot of talking about John Cena. I wonder if the WWE ever considers this might hurt his image. I don't think it is doing anything too great for either woman involved. Thankfully, this feud will likely end at Elimination Chamber.

Nikki Bella should be beating Natalya. This is a feud for the face to just shut up the heel after all these months. A Natalya win would just be pointless, unless they continue this feud, which they shouldn't. I'll go with Nikki.

The feud between Mickie James and Becky Lynch has been going on for only a few weeks. I have said on multiple occasions that I dislike how the WWE has handled Mickie's character. I will give them credit for certain things, like giving her quality promo time. But in terms of her actual character, this is not the best way to handle Mickie James. She should be a face, or even an entertaining heel. This bitter, arrogant character is not best for her. I see some fans not even understanding what she's doing with her promos. Maybe I'll go into that another day. She is still showing her charisma, but this is just not a great situation.

What about Becky Lynch? These past few weeks, they have been treating her like all she's good for is chasing titles and seeking revenge against sidekicks screwing her out of titles. Does that sound familiar? It should. That is the same thing I criticized TNA for doing to Mickie James when she returned in 2010. I believe Becky Lynch has the potential to be even more over than she is. But she's not going to do it with the way the WWE has been featuring her. Let her personality shine more outside of these serious feuds.

Who wins this match? Becky Lynch has not won a singles match at a PPV since coming to the main roster. When it finally does happen, it would be nice for it to come in a more meaningful situation than this. As for Mickie James, she has not won at all since coming to Smackdown. All her losses have been in tag matches where she was not pinned, but it is still pretty bad for her to not win at all. Is she going to follow the path of The Dudleyz? I will say Mickie James wins here.

The title feud between Alexa Bliss and Naomi is the youngest feud of these three. Naomi came back from her injury and just immediately got this push. She has been pinning Alexa Bliss to gain momentum. I think that makes the outcome of this match obvious. Naomi has all the momentum, so it is just likely Alexa Bliss retains. Naomi should eventually get a title reign, if she can stay healthy, but I don't think it happens this Sunday.

State Of The WWE Women's Division: December 2016

The band split is back, so I have two divisions to talk about. Aside from that, I will talk about the overall direction of the WWE when it comes to the women.

Let me start with Raw. The title shot back to Sasha Banks last week. Beyond that, Ric Flair came back. It just felt like the WWE went back a year. We are back to Ric Flair being involved in the women's division because his daughter is getting a big push. Everyone is expecting Ric Flair to turn on Sasha Banks and help Charlotte regain the title. Enough of Ric Flair. Start better utilizing the full-time talent already on Raw.

How about the WWE just juggling Raw's Women's Championship around? I find it disgusting. There are other women that have just been hovering around in limbo for the last few months. Bayley has not gotten a proper push. Nia Jax is just there. I see people making jokes about the debut of Emmalina. Is she going to show up with a dancing gimmick, like Brodus Clay? The debut is supposed to be coming next week, but you can never tell with this company. And forcing so much "history" between Sasha Banks and Charlotte is also disgusting. Save some for the rest of these women. People are going to look back and say that this feud did so much for women's wrestling. This feud was forced.

I have seen other fans talk about it and there is a point that I like that I have seen them bring up. This feud has had no real development to it. It is just these two women swapping the title and talking about history. The addition of Ric Flair only adds another supporting player in the same story. The creative interest here needs work. Too much hype. These women can wrestle, but there are a lot of fans that are not going to be interested based on wrestling alone. And there are also some fans that are annoyed by all the hype and this feud still going on. The WWE just cannot keep it fresh in a proper way.

Outside of the female wrestlers, you have Lana in the periphery. She has that angle with Enzo. Some fans are entertained by these segments they have been having. Some are annoyed. It is kind of like the angle with Ziggler, Summer Rae, Rusev, and Lana last year. Most fans hated it, but it had potential. At least Rusev and Lana are getting a storyline.

Over to Smackdown. Alexa Bliss won Smackdown's Women's Championship at TLC. That is not what I would have done. I have said Smackdown's women's division looks like the diva era's last stand. I am not too shocked that they would allow a diva to hold a title. Over on Raw, it has just been a show between Sasha Banks and Charlotte, two women with solid wrestling credibility. Alexa Bliss is not at their level. She has an interesting character and an appealing look, but I don't think she is at the level of Trish Stratus at her prime. Nevertheless, I do not see any heavy complaining from wrestling fans about her getting the title.

What about Becky Lynch? She just lost her title to her first real challenger for the title. Is this just so she can eventually win it back? I don't think so. That kind of booking is just annoying and it is bad enough that Raw is doing it. Alexa Bliss is just not a credible challenger. The WWE should have had Becky Lynch run through this feud and lose the title to a stronger heel. The fact that the WWE instead went with this title change may suggest that they have something else planned than just using Alexa Bliss to put over Becky Lynch. But the WWE should make an effort to still give Becky Lynch a proper push. She doesn't need the title to be featured well. She made history by being the first woman to hold that title. She wasn't getting that fantastic of a career prior to the big win. She wasn't even pushed well in the weeks leading up to Backlash where she won the title. She didn't really have a great overness to deserve the moment as a reward. The only way they can justify this booking decision is giving her that big career now. If not, it is just a wasted booking decision. Push her well until you have a good reason not to. I do not see that good reason.

Some people say Alexa Bliss won the title just to lose it to Nikki Bella down the road. Nikki won her match against Carmella. I would not be against Nikki getting a title reign. The WWE put a lot of work into her for a few years. She came back from a serious injury. She is more over than some people might like to admit. She is also more solid in the ring than some people might like to admit. The WWE has done well in featuring her well without the title these last few months. A title reign next year would not be horrible.

Over in Smackdown's periphery, Maryse is still with Miz. But she has not been utilized as well as Lana has recently. Is that a good thing or bad thing? As I said, some fans just dislike these periphery angles. But they can be done well. Whether or not the WWE comes up with something better for Maryse, she just remains some eye-candy to look at.

In general, both divisions lack a strong identity. What does the WWE want to be when it comes to women's wrestling? If they want to be about serious women's wrestling, giving Smackdown's Women's Championship to a Alexa Bliss so soon is not a move that makes sense. And if their goal is to push women's wrestling, why put so much focus on just Charlotte and Sasha Banks on Raw? They are not the only women that know how to wrestle on Raw.

And I didn't once bring up the word "centerpiece" when going through the two women's divisions. What does the WWE want in terms of a central focus, if there even will be one? I could say it is Charlotte on Raw, but then the WWE continues with this endless feud between her and Sasha Banks. Can you picture a world in 2017 where these two are not feuding? Over on Smackdown, it is even worse. By giving Becky Lynch the Smackdown's Women's Championship first, you would think she would be the centerpiece. But her development prior to the title win was poor, her title reign has not been that amazing, and now there is a chance she will be pushed out of the title scene. Is Nikki Bella the centerpiece? If so, why not just have her be the first Smackdown's Women's Champion? Or is the WWE going for the younger option, Alexa Bliss, to be the centerpiece of this diva-friendly women's division?

As I have said before, you have to wait a while to get a feel of what the women's divisions will look like in this new era. So far, it seems like even the WWE does not know what they want to be. You have Becky Lynch get poor development heading into Backlash and still winning the title. You have Bayley looking like she will finally get a title feud, then get ditched so Charlotte/Sasha can continue. The WWE has to be more decisive. That does not mean being stubborn. If you see someone is not really working out in getting over, don't force it. But they just look like they can't commit to things properly right now. And that is a huge problem.

A lot of fans are talking about women the WWE can sign, including Mickie James. I am a Mickie James fan, but I would not bring her back. Not right now. The WWE needs to look at the roster they have right in front of them and decide what they want to be and how they are going to go about becoming what they want to be. The WWE is just looking for easy answers to cause buzz for them, without actually improving how they manage their talent. No Ric Flair. No Mickie James. No Trish Stratus for just a guest appearance. Their primary concern should be what they have now. Even with the brand split, it is possible to be more efficient with the rosters they have. Without improving there, it is very likely that whatever other women they bring in will not be handled properly, and that will hurt their overness. Mickie James is only 37. She still has a few good years left. Let the WWE spend a couple months to a year getting their act together, then bring her in.

Previewing The TLC 2016 Women's Matches

Another brand PPV? So soon? Yes, Smackdown has TLC this Sunday. There are two women's matches scheduled for the PPV.

First, you have Nikki Bella vs. Carmella. This has been an endless feud, but I do like that it is No DQ. If you are going to have this feud get as intense as it has, even if there is no good kayfabe reason for it, you might as well end it in a match like this.

Who wins? It should be Nikki Bella. Again, the WWE has put a lot of work into her to make her into a star these last few years. It would be unlike them to just dismantle her and use her to put over Carmella. That is not even how Carmella would get over. Work on building her character. Wins and losses don't matter for her. But in regards to feuds and storylines, Nikki Bella should just win this and the WWE should end the feud.

Becky Lynch and Alexa Bliss have already had one official title match. Becky Lynch won, but there was some controversy. Seeing as how close to Survivor Series this Smackdown PPV is, it is no shocker that the WWE would have this feud boil over a few more weeks.

This is TLC. Some fans are unhappy that this match doesn't have some extreme element to it. On the one hand, does this feud really call for it? I just raise the question. Personally, I don't think it is an excuse. The WWE very well could make this a tables match. It's not like this would be the first time a women's match at TLC got in on the TLC fun. There was a women's tag team tables match back in 2010, during the declining years of the diva era. This is supposed to be a new era where women's wrestling is treated better. Why is all the "history" happening on Raw? Why is it that none of the Smackdown women have main-evented a show for their brand? People give Smackdown's booking and writing a lot of praise, but this is one area where they need to step up. I am not saying they should over-promote the women's revolution, but they could book these women better.

Who wins? It should be Becky Lynch. This would be her first PPV singles match win. Alexa Bliss has a lot of potential, but I don't think she's at that point where she deserves a title win. She deserves to be featured, just not necessarily get the title. Maybe the WWE not being too trusting of Alexa Bliss's wrestling ability is one of the reasons this match has not gotten a stipulation. In any case, Becky Lynch should not lose the title to Alexa Bliss here.

Survivor Series 2016 Preview: Part 2

I will talk about the women's match today. Aside from the actual match, I have to bring up the personal feuds on both brands with these women. It will obviously spill over to some degree this Sunday.

Let me start with Smackdown. Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch, Alexa Bliss, Carmella, and Naomi will be teaming up. Three faces and two heels. Aside from that, Nikki Bella and Carmella are coming off a feud that seemed to be more heated than it really needed to be at times. Carmella would be assaulting Nikki before matches even had a chance to start. And there was never any strong personal reason for that. Becky Lynch has been feuding with Alexa Bliss over the Smackdown Women's Championship. Becky may have retained it, but this feud is not over. But these will be two feuds that might spill over to the women's match at Survivor Series.

How about that decision to not make Becky Lynch, the Women's Champion of Smackdown, team captain? I still see some fans annoyed by it. Again, I am not going to shake my head at this decision. Becky Lynch was out for a while due to a medical issue. When she came back, she was immediately still tied up in that feud with Alexa Bliss. She was not really free to handle the angle of being team captain. Why not spread some of the attention around?

Over to Raw. Charlotte will be teaming with Sasha Banks, Bayley, Nia Jax, and Alicia Fox. Once again, three faces and two heels. Charlotte being the captain here is understandable. She wrapped up Sasha Banks at Hell in a Cell and the WWE got around to pushing her for this Survivor Series match right away. Even though both Sasha Banks and Bayley will be gunning for Raw's Women's Championship, a title feud has not been as active on Raw as you have had with Becky Lynch vs. Alexa Bliss on Smackdown in recent weeks. Nia Jax had lost a ton of momentum prior to this push. Alicia Fox was even further down the ladder than her. She was last relevant when being used to put over Nia Jax. But these two are really just extra bodies.

Who wins? There is obviously a ton of personal feuds on both teams that can influence the story of this match. There will be a lot of talk from the commentators about how all these women can coexist. But I think Raw's team will win this one. I wouldn't be surprised to see Bayley as one of the survivors, if not the sole survivor.

Survivor Series In The New Brand Split Era

November means Survivor Series. Survivor Series means those multi-person elimination tag matches. With the brand split back, there can once again be some warfare between Raw and Smackdown.

I have seen some fans groan at Raw vs. Smackdown so soon. What do you expect? It pretty much writes itself. Survivor Series is traditionally the PPV for these big tag matches. It is always better when there is some theme to these big matches. If I was in charge, this would be the PPV where I would have ended the brand split. Have Stephanie's Raw team face Shane's Smackdown team. The winning McMahon wins control of both shows and this problematic brand split ends. Of course, the brand split looks like it will be a long-term situation.

I also see some fans uninterested because nothing is on the line in these Smackdown vs. Raw matches. I saw someone bring up a good point. Why not have the winning brand of each of these matches be able to draft someone from the losing brand? Champions will be off limits, but that is still a way to make these matches more interesting and possibly shake up the rosters a little bit. These matches are always more fun when something is on the line and there very well could easily be something on the line here. The WWE should consider making these matches be about more than just bragging rights.

One last thing I want to bring up that I have seen fans criticize. Charlotte will lead Raw's women's team. Nikki Bella will lead Smackdown's women team. Why not Becky Lynch, Smackdown's Women's Champion? Is it a sign she will lose her title to Alexa Bliss? Did her recent health issue spoil plans for her? Regardless of all that, I do not have a problem with Nikki Bella getting some attention like this. The WWE put a lot of work into her. Even if reality shows were not an issue, you cannot expect them to just ditch her. She is more over than some smarks want to admit. Besides, you don't want to just feature one woman as a star in the division. You should want to have some depth. Creative depth is always a good thing to try to have. While Becky Lynch is busy with Alexa Bliss, Nikki Bella has something important to do.

Previewing The No Mercy 2016 Women's Matches

I had forgotten No Mercy was this Sunday. That is a little embarrassing. It just seems too soon for another PPV. The WWE definitely should not have so many PPVs. Prior to the brand split, the WWE could devote two shows a week to build and hype a feud, both Raw and Smackdown. Now, that is pretty much cut in half. Rare inter-brand feuds will get promoted on both shows, like Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar did, but that is not the norm. And it just makes matters worse when they insist on having brand PPVs every month. They should have them every other month, with the exception of major PPVs that will feature both brands, like Wrestlemania. Things would just balance out better that way.

The WWE will once again feature two women's matches on PPV. And I just feel something is off with both of them. I will talk about that today and go through the notable men's matches on Friday.

First, Nikki Bella faces Carmella. This feud has been pretty one-sided. Carmella has mostly dominated it. And I also feel like the WWE has tried too hard with this feud. Carmella has just been way too aggressive and there is no good reason why this feud should be that heated. I have seen grudge feuds in the men's division that don't feature some of the things this feud has had. They had Carmella attacking Nikki Bella when a tag match was supposed to happen, resulting in the match being called off. Obviously, a lot of the things the WWE does with the women on Smackdown are to just tease that matches are going to happen when they really don't intend to go through with the match, whether because they don't have time for it, know that they don't have the depth to feature fresh matches, or whatever. Eva Marie made a gimmick out of backing out of matches. Some fans were starting to think that Natalya attacking other women before matches was her new gimmick. She's not the only heel that has been doing that in the last few weeks. It is really just a cheap trick. I wish the writers could come up with something else. Is every heel's gimmick simply that they are aggressive? Except for Eva Marie, of course.

What really feels off to me about this feud is that it doesn't really seem good enough for Nikki Bella. She was the last eye-candy centerpiece of the diva era. She did not win the Smackdown Women's Championship, but she has still gotten her own feud for herself. But she's feuding with a woman that just debuted from NXT a few months ago and has not really gotten that over at all. Whether haters of Nikki want to admit it or not, there are fans out there that like her. I see it on Twitter. I see it in how fans have reacted to her on Smackdown. But it just feels like the WWE is underachieving with this feud for Nikki Bella. It is probably the best they could do, if all they could do is think in terms of wrestling feuds. They should make better use of the periphery. Just looking at how they are pushing Nikki Bella seems off because it is so mediocre. I would have expected better from the WWE.

Who wins? This is a feud for Nikki Bella to win. What will determine whether she wins this match or not is if the WWE wants to extend the feud. Survivor Series is next month. I do not think this mediocre feud deserves to go all the way there. Just let Nikki win here and move on to something else. This feud has already gone on long enough. It started soon after Nikki returned at Summerslam. It went through Backlash. This can already be considered a feud that will go through multiple PPVs after this Sunday. So just end it.

Onto the title match. Becky Lynch defends against Alexa Bliss. Guess what this feud has already featured? Yes, Alexa Bliss attacking Becky as she is coming out to the ring. If you are a heel diva on Smackdown, it seems that automatically becomes one of your tactics. That is not the only thing Alexa has in common with Carmella. Alexa also just debuted a few months ago on Smackdown. She has done a better job connecting with the audience, but she still has a way to go before really being that over.

What feels off to me about this feud is that it just doesn't really make sense for the WWE to run with it. Becky Lynch is the woman that just became the first Smackdown Women's Champion. She had wrestling credibility before even coming to the WWE. She made some noise in NXT. Her first title defense is against a woman that is pretty much an eye-candy diva. Going by the status quo you had in the diva era, it would be Becky Lynch being built up to put over Alexa Bliss. Going by the status quo you would expect in this new era, you would think the WWE would feature a respectable women's wrestler for Becky to feud with, or at least a diva with more credibility than Alexa Bliss. The WWE has done a lot to make her seem credible in recent weeks, but you would think it would be wiser to go with someone else. I have said before that Smackdown's women's division seems like the diva era's last stand, and this feud definitely supports that. But how will the WWE balance the diva era with the feminist era?

Who wins? Becky just won the title a few weeks ago. This is her first title defense. If the WWE is serious about building her to be a star, which they should be seeing as how they just handed her history, the least they can do is let her retain here. But they really should do even better than that with Becky Lynch. Just like I feel the WWE should come up with something better for Nikki Bella, I would say the same thing for Becky Lynch. I would say she does retain against Alexa Bliss, but it will be interesting to see how the WWE treats Alexa after that. 

Previewing The Smackdown Women's Championship Match For Backlash 2016

Before I actually talk about the match to crown the first ever Smackdown Women's Champion, let me just talk about the name. Nothing fancy, but I like that. The Universal Championship has been the target of many jokes in the last few weeks. One of the reasons for that is the name. I believe I suggested just naming it the Raw World Championship. You want the two World Championships to be on equal footing? How about naming them pretty much the same thing, only distinguishing between what show the title will be featured on? Should the person holding one title ever end up on the other brand, the title would just get vacated. Not only could it have worked, the WWE is doing pretty much the same thing with the women's division titles.

Six women will fight for the new title. Every active in-ring worker in Smackdown's women's division will be in this match. It will be Nikki Bella vs. Becky Lynch vs. Naomi vs. Natalya vs. Alexa Bliss vs. Carmella. No Maryse. She has not wrestled since returning this year. Eva Marie, of course, has her suspension. Most fans would probably have dreaded her being in this match, anyway.

Being the first person to hold a new title is a major piece of history. You want to get the title lineage off on a good foot. You should put the title on someone that has the major overness to deserve it, has already made a great impact to deserve it, or someone that is at least pretty much guaranteed to be given a legendary career following that big moment. This is the kind of accomplishment that likely gets someone into the Hall of Fame, so it would be nice if that person also has other things going for him or her to make it even more clear that this is a legend.

Go back a few weeks to Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor to crown the first Universal Champion. Both of them would have been good options. Seth Rollins has made an impact in his WWE career. He was a part of one of the best stables in WWE history. He was the first member of that stable to become WWE Champion. He held two titles at the same time for a while. He never officially lost the WWE Championship during that first run. And he has continued to be treated as a big deal since returning this year. Had he won the Universal Championship, it would be another big accomplishment on his resume. Finn Balor, on the other hand, had just debuted on the main roster. Nevertheless, I think the WWE would have put in work on him to make him a legend. His injury has ruined that, for now. Regardless, my point is that both guys had things going for them.

This women's match this Sunday does not feature six women that all have things going for them to make them all worthy or likely to win. That is just the truth. I will talk about all of them, from least likely to win to most likely.

Alexa Bliss is a diva. She is there for her looks. She has improved in the ring in NXT, but none of her matches really blow me away, aside from about two spots or so. She is not the only diva in the match, but she is just too new and has not been given great focus. She does not seem like someone the WWE is really ready to invest in yet, although I do see even smarks loving how hot she is.

Natalya is a female wrestler. In this era, you might hope someone like her gets the title. Coincidentally, Natalya was in the last match to crown an inaugural Champion in the WWE women's division. She lost to Michelle McCool 8 years ago in a match to crown the first Diva's Champion. And she will probably be losing again. Fans know by now that Natalya is not really going anywhere. She had one mediocre title run and has not done too much before or after that. She is not way over. If the WWE loses their minds and puts the title on her this Sunday, I am not confident it would be the start of great things for her.

Naomi is someone I think deserves a title run one day. She has been around for years. She can be fun to watch, albeit not the greatest in-ring worker. Regardless of that, I think there are some fans that will be very happy if she wins. I just do not think she needs to be the first woman to hold this new title. Again, this major piece of history should go to someone that is very over, is already established as a top player, or is likely to be pushed great after the win. Naomi does not fit in any of those categories. But it would be nice if she gets a title run later on.

Carmella is only ahead of those other women because she has better individual focus on her heading into Backlash. She turned heel recently and has been attacking Nikki Bella. She looks like Charlotte. Charlotte looks like Michelle McCool. I don't want to make it sound like I'm being insensitive to Michelle McCool. I know she is dealing with cancer. But all these women just have this droopiness to them. It hurts their charisma as performers. They have all had issues connecting with the audience. Michelle McCool had a huge gimmick and made history numerous times, but never really became beloved during her time in the WWE. Charlotte just seems robotic at times. People say Carmella turned heel because of her inability to connect with fans as a face. Both Michelle McCool and Charlotte made history by becoming inaugural titleholders. Will the third member of this sorority follow their lead? Carmella does not deserve it at all. The only way I could see her winning it is to feud with Nikki Bella, but since major history is on the line here, I don't see things being booked like that.

Becky Lynch might just be the smark favorite to win. She is the only member of the Four Horsewomen on Smackdown and the only woman out of them to never hold a title in the WWE, including NXT. It just sounds amazing to have her be the first woman to hold this new Smackdown Women's Championship. Like Naomi, I would like to see Becky win it one day. If Eva Marie was the sixth woman in this match, not Nikki Bella, Becky Lynch would be the last woman I bring up and the woman I say deserves it the most and is likely to get it the most. But that is not how things are working out. Becky Lynch has her fans, but she is not A+ over. She has also not had that big career. What you have to ask yourself, if they give her the title, will they follow through properly with her? Raw has been the division where female wrestlers get featured better than the divas. Becky Lynch looks like she is already taking a backseat to face Nikki Bella. If they give her the title now, I do not imagine them giving her the career someone that makes big history should get. In which case, they might as well not do it at all.

Nikki Bella is the favorite to win. I would say she should win. It has nothing to do with John Cena or reality shows. Unlike any of the other women in this match, Nikki Bella has been pushed as a top star on the main roster. She held the butterfly title longer than anyone else. She is not an A+ player in terms of overness, but the positive reaction she got when she returned at Summerslam must have been surprising even to the WWE. Why shouldn't they try to capitalize on that? They did it with Roman Reigns last year to get the title on him right after it seemed fans were on his side. Most importantly, she is someone you know the WWE will not toss aside like a mediocrity eventually. Smackdown is the brand that does not treat women's wrestling as seriously as Raw. Having Nikki Bella be the centerpiece there would be good for a change of pace. And if she is the centerpiece, she might as well make history this Sunday.

Nikki Bella Returns To Smackdown

Last year, Nikki Bella ended up holding the old butterfly title longer than any other woman. But it came with a bit of a price. She had some serious injury issues that took her out. As the WWE usually does when a star drops out, they used the time to build a new star and to even change the overall philosophy of their women's division. If Nikki had not been seriously injured, you have to wonder how much would have changed. There was even a good chance she would never wrestle again. She is back, however, returning at Summerslam recently to take Eva Marie's spot in the Smackdown women's tag match. She got a good reaction that night. Even though she returned in a heel spot, they have since turned her back to being a face.

Even though the diva era is dead, Smackdown does seem like the diva era's last stronghold. And if Nikki Bella is coming back, where better to push her as the top star? She was the last centerpiece of the diva era. Is it wise to keep the diva element alive in this way? I think so. There are two reasons I say that.

First, the NXT women haven't exactly been flawless. The new era represented in Raw's women's division scares me more than the dying days of the diva era. Yes, you would get some sloppiness and matches you couldn't respect during those days before #GiveDivasAChance, but you never got this theme of dangerous sloppiness that you have seen with Sasha Banks and Charlotte, two of the Four Horsewomen. Smackdown's women's division is obviously a little tamer, and I do not have a problem with that. Just in terms of overness, these NXT women have not won over everyone. I have said before that this feminist atmosphere isn't for everyone. And you shouldn't have to risk breaking your neck to get a pop from these fans not liking the atmosphere on Raw. There definitely still are "divas" that can get a positive reaction without needing to be great wrestlers.

Second, keeping the diva philosophy alive on Smackdown just helps to make the show different from Raw. I have said before that Smackdown should not just be a 2-hour version of Raw with a different roster. So far, they have done a good job with Smackdown. They are more efficient with their roster. I remember seeing fans complain about how Smackdown got the short end of the stick during the draft, but a lot of these same fans are enjoying Smackdown more than Raw. One problem I will bring up, forcing two women's matches in one night is just something they can't do, even if they do weasel out of having the matches by having someone get attacked or Eva Marie do her gimmick. They are going to run through their possible combinations for matches very quickly. Then what? Change up who is face and heel and repeat the same matches? It is still the same people facing each other. Smackdown needs to do a better job showcasing these women beyond wrestling matches.

How about the decision to make Nikki Bella centerpiece of the diva era's last stronghold? They could do worse. I think it is a good decision. It has nothing to do with Nikki dating John Cena or whatever reality show she is on that I won't be watching anyway. She is a good representative for a division that will lean more to the diva side of things than Raw's women's division, which is leaning more towards respectable women's wrestling. She has the look. She knows how to wrestle. The WWE already invested a ton into her, including that long run with the Diva's Championship last year. The WWE isn't the kind of company to want to invest so much into someone and just toss them aside for no good reason. They didn't hand Nikki that record only to be petty to AJ Lee. Lastly, she's over enough. It is mind boggling in this era of treating female wrestling with more respect that someone like Nikki Bella, a true diva, can still get a positive reaction. Smarks might shred her at Backlash, but the world doesn't revolve around those fans. I have said before that I did not think The Bellas were as bad as some people made them out to be. They had some supporters. They have gotten cheered at times you would not expect them to get cheered, like when heel Nikki did that promo against face AJ Lee a few years ago. The positive reaction Nikki got recently just falls in that same area. It would be wrong not to feature her well.

Previewing Battleground 2016 Women's Matches

It is one of those occasions where a PPV will have two women's matches. Despite that, the Women's Championship will not be on the line for the second PPV in a row.

First, Natalya faces Becky Lynch. It is a decent secondary feud. Could be a lot better. The WWE has tried to make it like the story here is that all of Becky's friends turn on her. Not much to buy into here. Just seems like a lame story.

To make this feud mean more, I wouldn't have minded them making this some kind of gimmick match. No DQ? Falls Count Anywhere? Natalya has been brutalizing Becky for a while now. You want to sell this as a heated feud? Add something more to the match. Right now, this just feels like a match you would get on a Raw or Smackdown. And I don't think it will continue all the way to Summerslam. If it does, it will likely be on the pre-show. 

Who wins? It just seems obvious Becky Lynch should win. She is the fresher talent of the two. It is obvious by now Natalya is not going anywhere. She has dominated the feud against Becky. It just seems like Becky is winning this Sunday.

Onto the tag match. Charlotte and Dana Brooke vs. Sasha Banks and a partner of her choice. Let me start by talking about the WWE's decision not to have the title defended at Battleground. I am not a believer that a title has to be defended every PPV. I wouldn't even throw a fit if the WWE gave the Champion a rare night off to give the spotlight to two other women that have something else great going on. But this is the second PPV in a row that Charlotte is in a tag match and the title is not being defended. I am sure the WWE won't make too much of a habit out of this, but this new era for the women's division hasn't been working out as well as many fans would hope.

How about the decision to make Sasha get a partner to face Charlotte and Dana? That angle had some potential. They could have legitimately have sold it as no one wanting to team with Sasha, either because they don't want to cross Charlotte and Dana or women on the roster have not fully grown to trust Sasha after being a heel as long as she was. Problem is, the WWE had Becky Lynch team with Sasha on Raw this week to face Charlotte and Dana. Becky obviously won't be teaming with her on Sunday, but it kind of kills the potential of this angle by showing other women are willing to face Charlotte and Dana and tag with Sasha.

The only thing this angle still has going for it is the mystery element. Who will the partner be? Looking around, the top three options I see fans bringing up are Paige, Nikki Bella, and Bayley. The WWE going with Paige is not likely. There is no real impact there.

How about Nikki Bella? I have said before that she has not officially retired and could be coming back. She is not the partner Sasha Banks would pick if she had the power to pick her own partner, but the WWE might pick Nikki to get her back in the picture. And if she is back in the picture, it won't be as a jobber.

Bayley seems like the likely option. NXT will be represented in the draft on Smackdown tonight. Bayley and Sasha have a history. Wrestling fans would love to see her. But they are dreading one thing. What if Bayley debuts and gets lost in the shuffle soon after? With the brand split, it might be less likely that happens. Nevertheless, I do see some fans saying they would rather it be Paige so Bayley can debut at a better time and in a better way. If Bayley does debut and gets this match, what are the chances she gets added to the title feud between Charlotte and Sasha Banks? That would be unfair to Sasha. I thought it was unfair to insert Sasha Banks into the storyline that was there between Charlotte and Becky Lynch, and you might get the same kind of situation again where Sasha gets the short end of the stick. I would just like the WWE to see a feud for one of these new women to a proper finish before inserting another new woman.

The WWE could have avoided a lot of this dread if they just kept the feud between Sasha and Charlotte simple. Put the title on the line in a singles match at Battleground. Charlotte retains through cheating. Sasha wins the title at Summerslam. Bayley can debut a little later. Let one of the divas debut from NXT tonight, like Alexa Bliss. Some fans have brought up Nia Jax. Bayley is still the favorite to debut, but it would be nice if she wasn't inserted into the feud involving Sasha and Charlotte just yet. Sasha has enough face partners on the main roster already to tag with her against Charlotte and Dana. There was no great need to treat this like she needs to find someone special. Because you are left wondering what will happen to that person she does find. If she gets lost in the shuffle, that is something to complain about. If she ruins Sasha's push, that is something to complain about. Let's see how that plays out.

As for the winner of the match, it would be a shame to have a debut or return and have Charlotte and Dana win. The only way I can picture the heels winning is if it is someone like Paige that gets picked. I will say Bayley debuts and the face team wins.

What Happens If Nikki Bella Returns?

Nikki Bella, the last eye-candy centerpiece of the diva era, hasn't wrestled since last year due to serious injury issues. With her out, the WWE has been working on developing Charlotte as a star. That is usually how the WWE operates. When a star drops out, they work on making a new one, or possibly more. This is also a new era. This is an era where the WWE is supposedly going to treat women's wrestling with more respect.

Despite her injury issues, Nikki Bella never officially retired. Her sister did. I wouldn't be surprised to see Brie back again in the WWE ring one day. As for Nikki, she seems to want to come back. She is also going to change up her in-ring work a bit to avoid further aggravating her injury.

What happens if Nikki Bella does come back? I am not talking about Total Divas or Total Bellas. Total whatever. What impact will it have in the division? This isn't some low-tier credible jobber coming back. This is a former centerpiece coming back. She is still in a good relationship with the WWE. I don't need to bring up who her boyfriend is. There are reasons why she will likely be treated well, if she comes back.

First thing to consider, will she get her centerpiece spot back? Will this be the end of Charlotte at the top? Neither woman really knocks it out of the park when it comes to connecting with the fans. Some fans say Charlotte has gotten over as a heel. I wonder how much of that is her being a great heel and how much is her being someone fans just don't like. Whatever the case, there definitely are women that could do better with the push Charlotte is getting. But does that mean Nikki gets it back? The WWE might be hesitant with her injury issues. Moreover, she is not a great representative for what the new era in the women's division should be. That's the kind of thing I have said about Roman Reigns and why he shouldn't be the top star of the entire company. He's just not a good fit. Same thing with Nikki Bella.

Of course, the brand split is coming back. I could see Charlotte staying on Raw with the title and Nikki Bella going to Smackdown to be the top star there. No title necessary. This could be like the good old days of the diva division. People praise that golden age for women's wrestling, but the division on Smackdown during this time revolved mostly around the periphery. It was Torrie Wilson pushed as the top star there. Sable, a former centerpiece, came back and was pushed there. Even Stephanie McMahon was involved in a few angles and matches during this era on Smackdown. I don't know exactly how the WWE would choose to push Nikki on Smackdown. Smackdown GM? Probably not. Embrace her relationship with Cena and have the two involved in storylines together? Probably not. They could just have her get light feuds against women like Maryse and Lana. Have her get some non-title wrestling feuds with whatever female wrestlers end up on the same brand as her. There are possibilities.

Last thing to consider, does she even deserve to come back and be featured as a star? Smarks dislike The Bellas. I don't think they are that bad. I am not going to watch whatever reality show they are on. I am not a big fan of either of them. They have been part of some bad segments. I know they are not the greatest workers. But they are good to look at and can be fun characters at times. Nikki Bella would be good for the periphery. Besides, the WWE has invested a lot into Nikki Bella and it would be kind of bad to throw it all away. She isn't as bad as Roman Reigns. Depending on how they push her, she can connect better with the fans.

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.

State Of The WWE Diva Division: January 2016

Has the diva division gotten worse than a year ago? It certainly has not improved. One major problem is that there are really no stars in the diva division right now. AJ Lee, who did not have the perfect connection with the fans, left in 2015. Nikki Bella, the diva that looked like the new centerpiece of the diva division, has been out for months due to serious injury issues. Lana, who looked like she would be the best eye-candy periphery diva in years, is not featured as well as she was when she got over. The WWE never got where they should with any of these women, and then issues happened to mess things up further.

What does the WWE have to work with now? They are running with Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte. I have seen some people confused by how they have been pushing Charlotte in the last few months. It is a prolonged heel turn. Call it pushing her as a tweener. They did this same kind of thing for Michelle McCool. Handling a heel turn like this is better than some heel turns I have seen in the diva division in recent years. I have seen a diva do something that just made it clear that she had turned on her face pals, then the WWE backtracks on the heel turn, and then they pull the trigger again. The development of this turn has better than what I have seen in recent years.

That is probably the only good thing I can say about it. Problems? First, is Becky Lynch going to be your only face featured on a regular basis in the diva division? Everyone else will end up being heels. Even with the grey area the WWE pushes in the diva division these days, having some heels play tweeners and feud against other heels, this whole situation is just not going to work. Will they turn Paige back to being a face? Will they use Natalya better? Time to turn Sasha Banks face? I doubt Bayley will debut anytime soon. Regardless of what the WWE does, they have created a messy roster.

How would this strategy the WWE is now using have worked at another time when roster depth was a problem? I am thinking back to when Mickie James was the only face credible jobber in some situations. The WWE ended up pushing her more than they would have liked, especially with centerpieces not working out left and right. Difference is, there are more women with wrestling credibility in the division these days than there were back then. The roster split is one reason why you had this issue back then. And the WWE was not as comfortable pushing eye-candy divas as credible jobbers as they are now. The diva roster on Smackdown was even more horrible for a while in 2008 and early 2009. This strategy actually makes better sense now than it would have back then. There are plenty of women with at least decent wrestling ability and there is no roster split to limit possibilities.

Back to issues with the current diva feud. One reason why fans might have been confused by what the WWE was doing with Charlotte is that they started building her heel turn while she was still feuding with Paige. The WWE had Paige say things that caused a bit of controversy. Definitely heelish statements. You would think that would make fans sympathetic towards Charlotte and want to see her crush Paige. Before that feud can be ended, the WWE starts having Charlotte act like a heel. How are fans supposed to feel about Charlotte? In terms of her character, it is hard to now feel sympathetic towards her. In terms of Charlotte as a performer, she is not great enough to get over through her talents alone. She needs booking to go her way.

And she has her legendary father to help her. That is an unfair advantage. There are two directions the WWE can go with Ric Flair being involved in this.

First, I am thinking back once again to the diva division in 2008 and early 2009. Raw had Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix as a couple. And yet, the whole thing felt like it was more about giving Santino a storyline to do his comedy act. Beth Phoenix did not really benefit from working with Santino. She got lost in the shuffle again soon after that angle. She was always a credible jobber. This was back when Candice Michelle was flopping as the centerpiece. What better time to let Santino run wild?

At a time when the diva division lacks real stars, Ric Flair might be biggest star involved in the division. Is the WWE just using the situation to feature Ric Flair? Is giving Charlotte a rub and building her to be a star not the real priority? I have seen some fans loving Ric Flair in this storyline. Flair is one of the greats. The greats in pro wrestling usually find a way to stand out. Regardless, is it fair to the diva division to have him involved?

The other possibility here is that Ric Flair really is here to give his daughter a rub. The WWE has never built a star in the diva division through regular diva feuds. Stars are made in the periphery. Chyna got over from angles alongside men. Lita got over from angles alongside men. That is where AJ Lee got her big push. Trish Stratus got rubs in the men's division prior to being pushed as the centerpiece. You have your other eye-candy periphery divas. The angle with Charlotte and Ric Flair is not your typical periphery angle. It is still another instance of a man being used to get a woman over, if the WWE is aiming for that.

I would not put too much effort into Charlotte. She reminds me of Michelle McCool. McCool did not fail as centerpiece because she regressed in her wrestling ability or injuries ruined her. She is the second longest-lasting centerpiece the diva division has ever had, behind Trish Stratus. She just could not get over. And the WWE was just overbearing with how they pushed her. I said that the heel turn Charlotte is getting reminds me of what the WWE did with Michelle McCool. They also look similar. I would say McCool was hotter. They are both solid in the ring, just not amazing enough to get over through that alone. In terms of charisma, I would give Charlotte the edge. Even then, she is just not great enough to get over. If she cannot get over as a face, as a heel, and even with her legendary dad helping her, she does not deserve a million more chances.

One of the main reasons the Charlotte is even getting the focus she is now is most likely Nikki Bella not being around. When the centerpiece is not around, that is when the WWE will either push filler or start building new stars. The first dark age led to the rise of Trish and Lita. The WWE started developing both AJ Lee and Eve Torres at a time when it looked like they were moving away from Kelly Kelly. AJ Lee, even though I do not consider her being pushed as the centerpiece during her years with the title, took a break in 2014. The WWE wasted no time in starting to push The Bellas better, in the periphery. If Nikki Bella was not seriously injured, the WWE would likely just treat her hiatus as a time to feature filler. A more serious injury would lead to them thinking about developing a new star. The diva division would definitely look different if Nikki Bella was around.

The rest of Team Bella are lost in the shuffle. The WWE should consider pushing Brie Bella better.  Or are they worried about fans associating Brie with Daniel Bryan? Even if Brie Bella is not amazing in the ring, she has to have some value in the periphery.

Sasha Banks and her two pals are only in a slightly better position than Brie and Alicia Fox. Sasha Banks has her win streak. It is pointless. I already talked about her matches on Raw not living up to the high expectations many had for her. If the WWE ever does decide to move away from Charlotte, give the spotlight to Sasha Banks for a while.

How about Paige? When she debuted a few years ago, I felt she had potential to do what Mickie James did. The WWE definitely has been pushing her the same way they did Mickie James, as a credible jobber. Paige just has not broken out. She is over, just not over enough. Her push is also over. Becky Lynch has been rotated into the spot Paige held. Because depth in the diva division is better than it was when Mickie James was there, and combined with the WWE's strategy of pushing tweeners and constant turns, Paige does not have to be pushed again for a very long time, unless the WWE has a change of heart. If they do not, expect mediocrity or nothing at all.

Becky Lynch is the credible jobber currently getting pushed. She will get a title shot on Smackdown. Good of the WWE to have some title matches on the first Smackdown of the year. This should be the match where Charlotte cements her heel turn. There will likely be a rematch at the Royal Rumble. Becky Lynch is someone else I would like to see pushed better than this. I do not feel she has the potential to overcome being pushed as a credible jobber to get very over. She might prove me wrong.

Lastly, how about the diva revolution? I would say the reaction that match between Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch on Raw last month got shows the direction it is going. The WWE really should just phase out talking about it. Give the divas a respectable amount of time to work. Just do not give them more time than they need. That is not a shot at the women. Even some men have matches that seem to last too long. The whole thing was a mess. It was more hype than substance. Have the fans on Twitter learned their lesson? The next time the WWE has a Raw diva match last under a minute, will there be another protest? I hope not.

Nikki Bella Wins Diva Of The Year

The Slammy Awards were last night. Unlike last year, nothing stood out as too awkward in terms of the winners. Last year, Roman Reigns winning "Superstar of the Year" was awkward. Before I do get into Nikki Bella winning a Slammy last night, let me go back to last year and talk about the Slammies in general.

The way I see some fans reacting, they think the WWE predetermines every Slammy winner, despite the fact that the awards are supposed to be voted on by fans these days. I wouldn't go that far. First of all, some of these awards are really meaningless. You have lower-midcarders winning some of them. No push needs to be attached to them. It just leads to a segment and everyone moves on in many situations. Even at a time when the WWE did decide the winners, no big push needs to come of it. Beth Phoenix was the winner of "Diva of the Year" in 2008. That wasn't decided by fans. She got pushed as a credible jobber in 2008. She got pushed that way in 2009. She never stopped being pushed like that. The Slammy didn't mean too much.

Another thing to keep in mind is that whatever is likely to win is something or someone that was popular or talked about the most in a given year. There are also situations where something that just happened might be fresher in people's minds and they would vote for that. There are multiple explanations why something or someone might get an award as voted on by fans.

And then you have Roman Reigns. Roman Reigns winning that award last year was very suspicious. He had not accomplished anything memorable in 2014. He was over, but obviously not as over as the WWE would have liked. He was out for weeks prior to the Slammy Awards last year, so you can't say that he had just returned and done something to get fans interested in him. Seth Rollins winning that same Slammy this year makes sense because he held the WWE Championship longer than anyone this year and retained it against some big names. He is not extremely popular, but I can buy into him winning. Fans bought into his booking. But would those same fans that voted Roman Reigns last year really pick Seth Rollins this year? If popularity is supposedly the driving force behind the "Superstar of the Year" Slammy, you might expect someone like Dean Ambrose to win this year. He has never been World Champion, but neither was Roman Reigns when he won the Slammy last year. And if Roman Reigns was supposedly popular enough to win it last year, when he didn't really accomplish anything and was out for a while, why wouldn't he win it again this year? He was here all year. He actually won the WWE Championship, twice. He seemed to win his haters over at TLC and the night after.

Why would the WWE rig the Slammies for Roman Reigns last year? To hype him up prior to his big push. People could see his big push coming even before he won the Royal Rumble this year. Problem is, he was out for a few weeks, which hurt his momentum. Giving him that Slammy would be a way to hype him up big again as the WWE continued his big push, which ended up backfiring. I do not think the WWE rigs all their polls, but this is a company that tries to build stars, sometimes forcibly, and is known to screw people. I definitely believe the WWE would take advantage of a Slammy win, or non-win, to make someone look great, or sell that someone else is not that popular.  

Onto Nikki Bella. I do not find her winning a Slammy suspicious. If you can accept fans voting for Seth Rollins because he was WWE Champion for most of the year, you can use that same logic to buy Nikki Bella winning her Slammy. She broke the record for longest reign with the Diva's Championship. PWI named her #1. Some fans buy into booking for awards like this.

Just to make it clear, this is not a sign that Nikki Bella is popular. I remember fans on Twitter being very against her breaking AJ Lee's record. And even a hashtag about her deserving to break the record was full of more negativity towards her than positive comments. But if you want to talk about which diva has had the best year, it is Nikki Bella. I have seen divas win polls based on how well they were booked at the time or for the year. It doesn't always come down to a popularity contest.

Another reason I do not find Nikki Bella winning suspicious, who is really the most over diva on the roster? There isn't one diva knocking it out of the park right now. Sasha Banks obviously has her fans, but I have said before that those chants do not mean she is as over as some people might expect. Paige is also liked by many fans. Charlotte is currently holding the title and there was a time when people were actually looking forward to seeing her debut and get pushed. I think her support has died down a bit. Despite fans wanting to say that Nikki Bella slept her way to the top, there are still people that like The Bellas out there. I am not surprised Nikki Bella won. I can imagine a lot of fans looking at how she was booked all year and hearing about her beating AJ's record and deciding to vote for her. There was really no one diva in the whole roster that was so over that you would expect her to win instead, despite Nikki's booking.

The fact that there isn't one diva that is that over is a problem. If the WWE had a worker with the in-ring talent to connect with wrestling fans and the charisma and look to appeal to a wider audience, they can build around her. That's the centerpiece. Push other eye-candy divas in the periphery to also appeal to viewers that want to see something sexy or glamorous. Push a female wrestler in a unique way in the periphery to draw some unique interest there. Have a strong foundation of credible jobbers to keep things respectable. The WWE really had a great system at one time, but it has unraveled. They have not had workers they were willing to push as stars connect with the fans at a great level since Trish and Lita.

Even going back a year to when AJ Lee was still around, they did not have someone bringing A+ results. I remember paying attention to polls in 2014. After Paige debuted and won the title from AJ Lee, I would see fans voting Paige as hotter and better than AJ. Soon after AJ returned and won back the title, that love went back to her for a while. I have seen this kind of swing just on one message board. AJ was obviously the diva they wanted to push as a star, while Paige is a credible jobber. Some fans have criticized AJ's wrestling ability. They say she just wasn't interested during her last year in the WWE. I think part of that was her aloof character. And yet, she was the closest thing to a great star the WWE created in the diva division since Trish and Lita.

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. Yeah, I would not mind seeing AJ back in the WWE. But she is just at her best as a periphery character. Pushing her in wrestling matters just ruined her edge. I already pointed out many fans criticizing her wrestling ability. And her character just made her hard to buy into for some feuds and storylines. In the periphery, however, she wouldn't be that annoying. She works well as a character performer. She has charisma. She is attractive without looking like the typical diva. Depending on how they would handle her, AJ Lee might have ended up a better periphery diva than Lita.

To top it all off, I do not even mind Nikki Bella coming back. The diva division has been sour the last few months. Most of the blame should go to the WWE and their creative ideas. Moreover, things probably still would have been bad even with The Bellas pushed during that time. But I am starting to think even The Bellas can be more useful and possibly get over. But it will take more than a long title reign and a Slammy to get it done.

Seth Rollins Injured

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hell In A Cell 2015 Preview

I will talk about Kane/Rollins and Undertaker/Lesnar later. I'll just say a little about the undercard for Hell in a Cell now.

Kevin Owens defends the Intercontinental Championship against Ryback. This is where this feud should end. Owens retains.

The New Day defend the tag titles against The Dudleys. I still say the WWE should have had the title change happen in New York weeks ago. It will probably happen here.

Charlotte defends the Diva's Championship against Nikki Bella. As long as Nikki Bella stays in the WWE and nothing happens to ruin her position, she should be regaining the title one day. I just doubt it will happen so soon. Then again, Paige can screw Charlotte out of the title somehow. I will say Charlotte retains and goes on to feud with Paige.

John Cena has an open challenge for the United States Championship. That is not surprising. Given the rumors of Cena taking time off, a lot of fans might expect that Cena will lose the title here. I will not even speculate on the outcome. I will also not speculate on whom the WWE sends out to face Cena. It really can be anyone. As long as it isn't Chris Jericho, it should be good.

The kickoff match has changed. The WWE has dumped a bunch of guys into one match. It will be Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro & Neville vs. Sheamus, Rusev & Barrett. Yeah, this feels like a kickoff match. Might as well let the faces win.

Bray Wyatt and Roman Reigns will meet inside Hell in a Cell. This feud has had its ups and downs. Has the WWE done a good job of bringing up that personal heat that was there. That Raw segment last night was a good try. This is another feud that should end here. It would be nice if this match had no shenanigans. Just let the two go at it. None of the other Wyatts need to get involved. No spooky tricks from Bray Wyatt, even though Halloween is so close. Momentum seems to be on the side of Roman Reigns, but I still feel he will win at Hell in a Cell. If he does lose, will this feud continue even longer? The WWE can build some kind of Survivor Series match with this feud. They can then have some kind of gimmick match at TLC to end the feud. I would not be too surprised if the feud does continue, regardless of Sunday's outcome.

Owens Continues To Walk

Kevin Owens defended his Intercontinental Championship against Ryback on Smackdown. The match ended the way a few Kevin Owens matches have ended in recent months. He walked out. He took the countout loss.

Let me bring up Nikki Bella for a moment. A few months ago on Raw, she said wins and losses don't matter. I saw some fans overreact to that and people that wanted to give their opinion on things just over-analyze it. A heel just lost a match where her title wasn't even on the line. The faces are out to enjoy the moment. What is the problem with the heel coming out and trying to make them feel like they accomplished nothing? That is what you would expect a heel to do. Nikki Bella did not say anything too awful. It isn't like she buried any individual personally to get a cheap reaction or insulted a group of individuals. She didn't insult the business. I am not saying Nikki Bella is a great heel, but she said what you would expect a heel in this situation to say. And as long as she is still holding the title, why should wins and losses matter?

Back to Kevin Owens. How does what I just said about Nikki Bella relate? What is Kevin Owens basically saying through his actions? He is saying wins and losses don't matter. Last week wasn't the first time he has walked out on a match. But as long as he is getting his title shot or retaining his title, why should he care about whether he wins or loses a certain match? He is doing what you would expect a heel to do. I haven't seen any fans react to him the same way they did towards Nikki Bella. People talk like what Nikki Bella said is one of the problems of the diva revolution. I don't see people criticizing what Kevin Owens is doing as a serious problem in the midcard or Intercontinental title scene. Ryback will obviously get another shot. They are just building up to it.

Personally, I do still see having Kevin Owens walk out on matches as a problem. It isn't insulting to his opponents, the fans, the business, or anything like that. How is it making him look? I think it is different when a guy that has already been established on the main roster starts walking out on matches like this. Kevin Owens just debuted on the main roster a few months ago. He hasn't really solidified himself. Yeah, he looked impressive when he beat Cena, but they have brought him back down since then. Even though he is holding a title, this kind of heel character might not do him many favors in getting over. Kevin Owens fans will continue to like him. Walking out of matches now and then might only annoy them, but they will still like him. But many other fans might just not care too much for him. It's not just walling out on matches. His whole heel character just doesn't feel strong. If this was a WWE veteran being pushed like this, it would be different.

Kevin Owens will eventually face Ryback in a match to put an end to his feud. It is likely Owens will retain. Where does he go after? How about Cesaro? They had a feud prior to Owens facing Ryback. Cesaro has been lost in the shuffle recently. Going back to that feud would be nice. I see some fans wanting it. The feud would be even better with a title on the line.

Let me just give one more example of a heel relying on the "wins and losses don't matter" idea. And it is another recent example. A few months ago, Seth Rollins retained his title against Brock Lesnar. He was disqualified when The Undertaker came back and attacked Lesnar. When that happened, the whole match seemed irrelevant. There wasn't even an official announcement on the finish. The next night on Raw, they had a segment where Seth Rollins had Lilian Garcia announce the finish. Seth Rollins was all smiles, still holding his WWE Championship. Lilian announced that Brock had won by DQ, but that didn't take the smile off Seth's face. The only part he wanted to hear was that he was STILL WWE Champion. Again, this is how you expect a heel to react. If this was a face, like John Cena, that retained like that, he probably wouldn't be so cocky about it. Seth doesn't care that he lost. All that matters is that he still had his title, much like Nikki Bella saying wins and losses don't matter, and much like Kevin Owens simply walking out on matches. Once again, I do not see people criticizing Seth Rollins the same way they did Nikki Bella. If any other heel did that same promo she did, they probably would not be criticized by certain fans. A heel acting like wins and losses don't matter is nothing new. Just ask Kevin Owens.