Does The WWE Need Ryback?

Ryback does not seem too happy in the WWE anymore. He has been disgruntled about a variety of things. It looks like he may not be sticking around.

Ryback has been in the WWE for many years. His first big angle was being a part of Nexus. An injury took him out for a long time. He came back and got a big push. He was Goldberg-like. He had a few shots at the WWE Championship. He never won it. It took him a while to finally get a title in the WWE, but he got that last year. In between all that, however, he has been featured pretty well. You don't need to be involved in the title scene to be pushed well.

But should the WWE really try to get him to stay? I don't think so. He can talk. He is okay in the ring. He is somewhat charismatic. Overall, I do not think he knocks it out of the park enough to really warrant keeping him. The "Feed Me More" chant may have gotten over and he may have had a lot of momentum at one time, but I don't think he has an A-tier connection with the fans. I would let him go.

There are other guys on the roster to fill his role. Ryback is a big guy. Rusev can play that role. You have Big E. Luke Harper is a big guy a lot of wrestling fans love. It is obviously time for the WWE to move on from Big Show and Kane. With all the investment the WWE has put in Ryback and how long he has been in the WWE, it would have been ideal if he did stay, but I wouldn't bend too much to keep him. The WWE just needs to put that kind of effort into any other decent big guy they have and they should be able to fill the void.

How Goes Kalisto And His United States Title Reign?

Many fans would say John Cena helped the United States Championship. He elevated the title with his open challenges and the quality of matches he was putting on last year. Even his critics would praise him. He traded the title with the WWE Champion, Seth Rollins. The title just felt that important.

John Cena lost the title to the returning Alberto Del Rio. There wasn't a huge drop off. Del Rio won it in decisive fashion. The WWE tried to run some kind of gimmick between Del Rio and Zeb Colter. That flopped when the WWE ran with The League of Nations. Del Rio holding a title helped to give the group a bit more credibility. There might not have been regular open challenges, but the title still felt important.

Del Rio then traded the title with Kalisto. When it was all said and done, Kalisto was left still holding the United States Championship. The title definitely has been brought back down to mediocre levels. Kalisto did have that successful title defense against Ryback at Wrestlemania, but you cannot really say much else. He has been pushed as a tag-team wrestler with Sin Cara just as much as he has been pushed as a singles wrestler defending his title. I am not against one wrestler in a tag team holding a singles title, but what has been happening recently with the United States Championship shows why these kind of reigns should be short. Kalisto has two things going for him and the WWE isn't going far with either one.

Is he back feuding with Ryback? Ideally, the WWE should just have Sin Cara turn heel and have those two feud for the United States Championship. That would be a fresher feud. If they are serious about grooming Kalisto to be the new Rey Mysterio, he needs to break out on his own. He may be a great in-ring worker, but lack of individual focus on him will hold him back.

I do not think the WWE will be able to build him up to be the new Rey Mysterio. First of all, the WWE didn't really "create" Rey Mysterio. Mysterio was making a name for himself before the WWE signed him. He was having success in WCW. I'm not saying the WWE did nothing for him. He won a few World Championships in the WWE. Compared to Rey Mysterio, Kalisto does not have that kind of development pre-WWE. To make matters worse, the WWE was more efficient a decade ago when they had Rey Mysterio. Injury issues and the WWE becoming less efficient contributed to Rey being treated less spectacularly in his final years in the WWE. The WWE not being able to put proper individual focus on Kalisto is an example of inefficiency. Lastly, the WWE was willing to push Mysterio up the card. He went from winning Cruiserweight Championships to World Championships. How likely is it that Kalisto gets promoted? The WWE has a congested main-event scene, including part-timers and some guys currently injured. If they do not view Kalisto as an A-tier priority eventually, he will one day get lost in the shuffle for the sake of pushing some of these new NXT guys. And that's not how you make a new Rey Mysterio.

Previewing Wrestlemania 2016: The Undercard

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal has never led to a serious push for either of the first two winners. Big Show, last year's winner, certainly already has his career made. He's going to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Cesaro, the first winner, has had his career go up and down. He has gotten a number of titles and accolades in between depushes. I know about the rumors about Braun Strowman winning and getting a big push later on. Since that might hinge on what the WWE does with Roman Reigns and injury issues, I am not picking him to win. I could imagine someone in The Social Outcasts winning. Would that be an insult to Andre? A jobber winning this? Well, is putting this match on the pre-show insulting? The WWE might do some funny things with someone from the group winning. And I do not think anyone else currently in the match can really benefit from this. I'll go with Heath Slater.

The Dudley Boys face The Usos. This match does not feel big enough for Wrestlemania, but at least there are some feuds going on in the tag division that go beyond the tag titles. Since The Dudleys turned heel just a few weeks ago, logic might say they win this match and continue their push. I am going to go against logic and say The Usos win. The WWE has not pushed The Dudleys well since they returned. At the same time, The Usos have not won anything major since they reunited. I'll go with them.

Kalisto defends the United States Championship against Ryback. Ryback went a few years without ever winning a title. There was a time when he seemed credible enough to win the WWE Championship. That never happened, bu he did win the Intercontinental Championship last year. I would say he does not really need another title reign again so soon. On the other hand, how serious is the WWE in pushing Kalisto as the new Mysterio? Having him bring this up in interviews and talking about him like he is the next Mysterio doesn't mean as much as booking him consistently. If his title reign ends this Sunday and he gets sent back to the tag division with Sin Cara, I doubt he will end up as the new Mysterio. I will say he retains the title.

Another multi-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. Kevin Owens faces Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Sin Cara, Miz, and Stardust. Some of these guys are just extra bodies. This match should have just been between Owens and Zayn. I would say those are the two favorites to win. I would have Owens retain and lose the title later to Zayn in a singles feud.

The New Day take on The League of Nations in a handicap match. Just a few weeks ago, The League of Nations destroyed New Day and actually looked like great heels. They actually looked like a group the WWE was serious in pushing again. Since then, it feels like they have lost some of that intensity. I still hope the group ends up winning the tag titles. Until then, I will say they beat New Day. They should. 

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho is a match that I do not think needed to happen again. This is the fourth match in a rivalry that is only two months old. This is a rivalry that featured them teaming up and eventually becoming contenders for the tag titles. This is a rivalry that featured the team splitting and one guy turning on the other. All in two months. You would think this kind of story takes a lot longer than this to develop. And yet, here we are.

I want to say a few things about how this feud has been developed since Chris Jericho turned heel. I have seen some fans criticize the WWE for taking so long to make this match official. They waited until the final Raw before Wrestlemania. I do not have a problem with that. The story is that Jericho was trying to avoid facing Styles again. Styles had to get Jericho to agree to it. This isn't bad storyline development.

The other part of this storyline that I want to bring up is the WWE bringing up "AJ Styles" chants. That supposedly annoyed Jericho. The issue I have isn't really the fact that Jericho is pretty over in his own right, even as a heel.This is about Styles. They obviously want the guy over. They are not burying his popularity. But how about they stop pointing out that fans like him and actually take advantage of what makes him phenomenal and develop his character better. Push him better. Fact is, I am not impressed by those chants. Maybe my memory is going bad, but I am sure I remember times when fans have reacted to wrestlers better. Those "AJ Styles" chants can be better. The WWE needs to put more work into AJ Styles. Smarks will cheer for him because he is great wrestler. Marks will cheer for him because he is pushed as a face. Beyond those fans that are either always criticizing the product or buying into it rather easily, how about the general audience? AJ needs to win those fans over. The WWE needs to do more than run a storyline about people chanting for him. He's not Daniel Bryan.

As far as the winner, it has to be Styles. Jericho is a jobber to the stars.

Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar is a big match, but not one of the likely two candidates to close the show, despite the presence of Brock Lesnar. Not to knock Ambrose, but this feels like the weakest Wrestlemania opponent Lesnar has had yet. It is a great push for Ambrose and will help elevate him, but Lesnar has faced guys with more star power or where there was something on the line in his other Wrestlemania matches. This is still a match many wrestling fans will look forward to.

And it is going to be a street fight. On the one hand, I like that the WWE has really made a storyline out of the match type. Hardcore legends have been utilized to push this feud. On the other hand, I think the WWE could have told a better story. Brock got mad at Ambrose for getting in the way of Brock getting a title shot. He attacked Ambrose in the parking lot the night after that. Just build on that intensity that was there. I feel how the WWE has handled the story these last few weeks has highlighted the match type more than the intense emotion that was there. Either way, should be a fun match.

The wildcard in this match will be The Wyatts. Dean Ambrose obviously has a history with Bray Wyatt. Brock Lesnar, moreover, was supposed to have a mini-feud with Bray. Bray was injured and that match got ruined. I doubt the WWE will have it end like that. They will go at it down the road. Will the WWE use this match at Wrestlemania to build up to that future match? The Wyatts don't have anything else going for them right now. Because there will be no disqualifications in this match, you can definitely imagine The Wyatts getting involved. Will it be a poor way for Dean Ambrose's feud with Brock Lesnar to end to just use this match as a stepping stone for another feud for Lesnar? That's another issue. Let's see how the WWE actually handles the match and what comes after.

Who wins? How often does Lesnar lose? Network specials aside, Brock Lesnar has not had a PPV win in a while. He lost at Fast Lane. He lost at the Royal Rumble. Is Vince McMahon going to be worried about Lesnar possibly starting to look weak? Some fans say that they cannot imagine Ambrose beating Lesnar cleanly. Well, can you imagine it with weapons involved? An extreme spot? It could happen. Of course, as I said, interference is likely. Cleanly or not, Lesnar has not won a big match in a while and I think he will win one here.

The Wyatts Lose At Fastlane 2016

No title changes at Fastlane last night. The main event didn't feature any swerves. Nothing too exciting happened at all. What I want to talk about is a match I did not preview last week, The Wyatts vs. Big Show, Kane, and Ryback. If the heels had won, there would be nothing to talk about. They lost.

I have said before that the WWE should push The Wyatts better now that many top stars are out and they do not have many great top feuds going. Having them lose to three jobbers to the stars isn't going to do it. The feud wasn't that amazing to start with, but the heels should have won and gone on to something better. They did not get involved with Lesnar later in the night. Bray Wyatt didn't job, but this booking still slows down the group's momentum. Are they building these guys up for something big at Wrestlemania? Recent booking might not suggest that.

Think back a few months to when The Wyatts feuded against four guys from ECW. The Wyatts won that feud and The Dudleys soon became jobbers. The faces winning there might have been a nice gesture. The Dudleys have not won a feud since coming back. Would that loss have ruined the group's momentum? I do not think it would have been worse than the needless loss they took last night. The Dudleys were fresher. Let's just see how the WWE follows up.

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.

Kevin Owens Moving On To Ryback

Kevin Owens won his feud against Cesaro. He won at Summerslam. He won again on Raw recently. And that seems to be the end of that.

Owens is moving on to Ryback, who is still the Intercontinental Champion. Some people were ready to stick a fork in Kevin Owens after he tapped to John Cena. It looks like he's getting the Intercontinental Championship. Yes, I think he will be winning it from Ryback.

I do not like how the feud between Kevin Owens and Cesaro ended. I would have continued it a few more weeks into Night of Champions. Have Ryback defend against either Miz or Big Show for Night of Champions. I am not saying Cesaro needed to win the feud, but prolonging it a little longer might have been good. There was a time when this felt like one of the best feuds they had going. It was fresh and featured two guys that could go in the ring. This is a feud that could have lasted two PPVs.

How about Cesaro? He seems to be lost in the shuffle again. Moreover, I do not like how he's acting recently. He's trying to be a clown. It just isn't natural. It seems someone backstage told him he had no charisma and how he's acting is a response to that.

Charisma does not come in one flavor. Charisma is something about your personality that helps you to connect with people. The Rock had charisma. It especially showed when he was on the mic and doing promos. Jeff Hardy is considered a charismatic guy. It's in how he dressed and acted. His mic skills, however, were not that great. Mickie James didn't get the mic much during the majority of her WWE run. And they pretty much left her generic after the psycho gimmick. But she had an energy and wit to her that a lot of fans connected with. That was the source of her charisma. Then you have someone like Roman Reigns. As a badass, this guy has the potential to get fans to like him. But when you try to make him into the next Rock, he just cannot do it.

Cesaro is not the greatest on the mic to be on the same level as The Rock. He doesn't have the mannerisms of Jeff Hardy. Skipping around like Mickie James would be silly. He doesn't need to be a serious badass like Roman Reigns. I have said that he seems like a likable guy. He doesn't need to yodel and he doesn't need to wear JBL's hat. Just let him play a character he feels natural playing. He already has fans loving him for his wrestling ability. His swing move is something fans can get excited for. The answer for a lot of fans is to turn someone heel. I think Cesaro can play a face. He has some wit. Just don't turn him into a clown.

Summerslam 2015 Preview: Part 2

Even though I felt even adding some kind of gimmick to the Summerslam match between Randy Orton and Sheamus could not save it, I still think it is a bad decision to not even do that much. This is a boring feud that should have ended last month. The highlight since then was probably the two men costing each other the WWE Championship on Raw recently, but even that must have seemed a bit telegraphed to many fans. They knew it was coming. As far as who wins this, I will go with Sheamus this time. Why continue the feud if he never wins a match? Regardless of the outcome, how likely is it this feud continues?

Ryback is back and will defend the title against Miz and Big Show. Going by how much the WWE loves giving Miz title reigns, I would not be surprised if he won this. It is like they can't think of anything else for him. Big Show should be in The Authority. What does he really have going for him?

The Wyatts vs. Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. Could they pull a swerve with this match? Dean Ambrose turning heel? Not only have him turn on Reigns, but how about having him join The Wyattts? That would be an interesting twist to things. If nothing like that happens, the faces should win. This was a feud for Roman Reigns to win when it first got started. The WWE extended it by adding in Luke Harper and Dean Ambrose. The only good thing that could come from ruining the personal feud between Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt is Dean Ambrose turning heel.

I would say the Cesaro/Owens feud is the best midcard feud they have going. Not only does it feature two guys that can go in the ring, it has been fresh. Cesaro has been looking pretty good. Kevin Owens has been broken down a little, but that was to be expected. Who wins? Owens has looked so weak at times recently, I think he will get the win at Summerslam. Cesaro can survive a loss in a great match. He has had some great matches with John Cena last month, came up short, and still has his momentum.

On Recent Injuries

Ryback is recovering from a staph infection. It took him out of the title defense he was supposed to have at Battleground against Miz and Big Show. He is still not back. Did the WWE make the right decision by not having a new Intercontinental Champion crowned? If this was TNA, I could imagine them going on with the title match and giving the belt to someone else. Of course, TNA has a lot of needless title reigns. I didn't actually write about this when it was first revealed, but I was thinking the WWE could insert a face that didn't have a match at Battleground into this match and possibly have him win the title. How about Ambrose? Neville? It didn't come to that. I can understand the WWE does not want to take the title off Ryback probably because they had just taken it off Daniel Bryan due to an injury. Nevertheless, Miz and Big Show just seem to be waiting right now. I probably would have gone on with the match and crowned a new Champion.

Nikki Bella is apparently injured. That is why her match with Becky Lynch did not happen on Smackdown. Is that supposed to be some kind of excuse as to why no diva match happened on Smackdown? It is no excuse. How hard is it to do some kind of promo to get yourself out of the match you advertised and into another match? They had Becky Lynch vs. Brie Bella for Main Event. They could have put that on Smackdown. The Bellas are heels. Heels backing out of matches is not uncommon. Brie Bella could have done a promo and set up her match with Becky Lynch on Smackdown. If the WWE is serious about the diva division, they have to put better effort into still featuring them properly even when their centerpiece gets injured. If they do not, it isn't hard to imagine that the diva division will collapse again. Centerpieces not working out is what led to the collapse a lot of fans got sick of this year. As far as Nikki Bella dropping the title early due to her injury, I don't think they will take it from her. They are trying to have her break AJ Lee's record.

The most gruesome injury from the WWE this week goes to John Cena getting his nose broken by Seth Rollins on Raw. Cena's good looks is one of the things that keeps him as popular as he is with the ladies. Seth Rollins busted that up. There is still plenty of time until Summerslam, so the WWE will probably not change their plans for Cena. The build to Summerslam will be altered. The WWE might want to protect Cena a bit. If nothing else, this adds more heat to the feud. Aside from holding the WWE Championship, did Seth Rollins really hold any advantage over John Cena? Seth Rollins at least looks a little more dangerous now. There is something there for Cena to overcome, if they plan to have him win. The WWE can take a negative and turn it into a positive with this injury.

Previewing Money In The Bank 2015: Part 1

The New Day defend the tag titles against The Prime Time Players. There was a time I felt The Prime Time Players definitely should win the tag titles. They have since split up, gotten back together, and are once again in the title scene. The WWE has started putting the titles on teams that lack a strong build to really deserve them. That might make a title change a strong possibility. But I am going to say New Day retains.

The Intercontinental Championship match is just between Ryback and Big Show. Miz has been involved in the storyline, but he is not in the match. They probably should put him in the match to make it more interesting. That is not to say he should win it. Same thing with Big Show. I do not picture him winning it. Ryback just won it. He should be retaining it.

The diva feud is just between Nikki Bella and Paige. The storyline has been all about #GiveDivasAChance, again. The WWE really just should stop it. They are not bringing in any legitimate change. They have even regressed to short matches. Fans are complaining on Twitter again, although I do not believe they have gotten #GiveDivasAChance trending again. The WWE is just taking advantage of it for storyline purposes. It is what many should have expected. I find it horrible when the WWE does this kind of thing. They mistreat their own workers, and even their fans at times, make storylines out of it, and don't bring about any real change. Zack Ryder's storyline led to nothing lasting for him. He was used in a bigger storyline involving Cena, then dumped. CM Punk did these promos about change. Nothing actually changed from the WWE. And they are doing it again with the divas. People have said that Total Divas makes it difficult to create storylines. I never bought that. You now have the entire diva division blanketed in a storyline that can last forever. Just bring up #GiveDivasAChance in every promo. Point to some face as a hero fighting for fair opportunities. Point to some heel as the one holding the diva division back. It would be nice if someone actually did a promo admitting it is the bosses in the back that are really holding back the diva division. Then again, a promo is all it would be. CM Punk knows all about that.

Paige is the face hero in this feud. She gave a promo about change. Nothing to take too seriously. I do notice some fans rolling their eyes at Paige frequently being in the title picture. I also feel the WWE should develop some fresh feuds, but I do not think #GiveDivasBesidesPaigeAChance is too fair. I prefer using #GiveOtherDivasAChance. Thing is, Paige isn't really getting a chance. She has been pushed as a credible jobber since debuting. I am not convinced that the WWE is developing her to be the next AJ Lee. They are not doing it until they are doing it. How they push Paige after this title feud will be telling. As for the diva that is next pushed in Paige's spot, she will likely just be used as a credible jobber, as well.

Some fans seem to want every diva to get an opportunity at the title. The WWE obviously does not operate like that. They like developing a centerpiece. But I actually think they should break the division down. Enter the preseason. I have said that TNA is always stuck in the preseason. They rotate everyone, give everyone pushes all over, but never commit to whom they want their top stars to be. The WWE should rotate their women, but to assess who is their best and give these women a chance to get very over. Once they pick the absolute best of the best, push that woman as centerpiece. Periphery divas and credible jobbers will fall into place around her. Not only is doing this a fair way to rebuild, it might please those fans that want to see Paige and The Bellas out of the title scene.

As for this match at Money in the Bank, I would say Nikki retains. If Paige wins, that would just prolong this feud longer. I do not think fans would like that. I also think the WWE wants Nikki to hold the title for about 300 days. I would say the title stays where it is and the WWE starts going in a new direction.

On Ryback And Eva Marie

When Daniel Bryan and John Cena won the midcard singles titles at Wrestlemania, a lot of fans got excited for what might happen in the midcard. As far as Daniel Bryan goes, his injury made things a little depressing. He didn't really get a chance to do anything with the title. Ryback has now won it.

I think Ryback is a good representative of the midcard. He is a good choice to be Intercontinental Champion. His current feud is said to between both Big Show and Miz. They have already shown some interaction. I am not excited for this feud. I would like to see midcarders feuding for these titles. Let these former World Champions do something else.

Not that I expect Ryback to drop the belt so soon, but what good would either of those two heels winning it do? Miz gets too many needless title reigns whenever he comes back from doing a movie. Big Show certainly does not need it. I remember when Kane won his first Intercontinental Championship. It didn't feel like Kane was being demoted to the midcard. It felt like the Intercontinental Championship was in a good place. Nowadays when a former World Champion wins a midcard title, it does feel like he has been demoted to the midcard in most situations. The current title reign for Cena is obviously an exception. But most of these guys feel like they are taking the spot of guys that have not had the kind of title success they have had. As I said, I would expect Ryback to retain the title. I would still rather see a title feud between him and Bray Wyatt.

Eva Marie has been training. But NXT fans gave her a horrible reaction recently. Is that fair? Is that #GiveDivasAChance? I have seen what some fans had to say about it on message boards and Twitter. There is a mixed reaction. Did a wall-of-tweets for about an hour. First time I did that in a while. I really did intend to do it more often. The motivation just is not there. When people don't seem to care, that can ruin your motivation. And I know I might end up looking stupid or crazy with what I am saying. I'm not ignorant. Why even bother speaking out?

Eva Marie does seem to have motivation. There are clips of her training. Of course, as I have seen some fans point out, she needs to prove it in the ring in front of the audience. I remember when the WWE showed some clips of Maryse training and tossing around some guy. It was stupid. This was around the end of her centerpiece run in 2010. Nice to know she knows how to defend herself, but you need to put on quality matches in front of those wrestling fans to get their respect. Eva Marie has not put on quality matches in the past. But how many opportunities has she had since #GiveDivasAChance started? How many has she had since training seriously? And very negative reactions can screw her up early.

When #GiveDivasAChance started, I felt fans would, or should, wipe the slate clean and actually give these divas a fair shot to prove themselves with an open mind. One of the reasons the diva division, and the company in general, is in bad shape is that they have all these people on the roster that they do not utilize properly. Because of that, it often feels like they have no one fresh to push and you see stale feuds and matches. The WWE has pretty much made up their mind on certain individuals, like Emma, and they are stuck where they are. Fans were complaining about these other women not getting featured. They are essentially asking for the WWE to wipe the slate clean and approach these women with an open mind. Give them a chance to be pushed. Thing is, how can you demand that of the WWE when you are not willing to do it yourself? Yes, Eva Marie has been bad in the past. But you start complaining about the WWE treating their divas unfairly, then you don't let a diva that has been training to improve get a fair shot. It seems hypocritical.

As a fan, I can like Eva Marie because she's hot. As a writer, I would push her as an eye-candy periphery diva (valet, romance angle, etc). As an analyst, I understand how dangerous the situation can be. If she is horrible, then the quality of the diva division will suffer and a lot of fans will complain. If she is very good, that might motivate the WWE to continue this division that shows favoritism to eye-candy performers over legitimate female wrestlers. If she is just average, which might be the best scenario, things just continue regularly. As a critic, I'll approach her with an open mind. I know she has a history of being bad, but she's been training seriously and if you are going to talk about giving divas a chance, I think it is the right thing to do. Wipe the slate clean. Give them all a second chance. Start proving yourself now.

Assorted Thoughts

The big news in wrestling outside the WWE might be ROH coming to Destination America on Wednesdays. TNA is going to have some company. I think this is a great thing. There are a lot of interesting things TNA and ROH can do together. This is also a step in ROH growing. I know a lot of wrestling fans hold ROH in high regard. A lot of great workers have wrestled there. But the company has never felt like competition to take that #2 spot, until now.

Ryback won the Intercontinental Championship. It's about time he won something. I think it is a good move. He is liked. Maybe the WWE can soon pick back up that feud against Bray Wyatt and one day let Wyatt hold a title.

Someone you did not see in an Elimination Chamber match last Sunday was Damien Sandow. He has been teaming with Curtis Axel. Did they have a chance of getting in the match for the tag titles? No, they're not worth it. Considering some of the teams that were in this match, that's saying something. They are a comedy team. The thing about Sandow, he was very over a little while ago. He had so much momentum, they could have given him a great singles push and even put him in the Elimination Chamber match for the Intercontinental Championship. And yet, he gets nothing.

This is something you see a lot. A worker the WWE wants to feature well is given a sidekick. No partnership seems to last forever. When the split happens, you usually see the sidekick get lost in the shuffle and the other continue in a good position. Sandow was paired with Miz. Sandow got very over. The WWE has not properly followed up. You need a proper midcard to help draw for you. Just running an efficient system is half of it. The other half is having workers that are over. There are a lot of guys that are over, or were over, that could help the midcard. The WWE cannot take things like that for granted. They cannot think that they got those guys over through how they pushed them and they can do the exact same thing for everyone. Once some fans get connected to a wrestler they like, they might not just sit there and watch their favorites always get demoted like this. There is plenty of space that you don't have to see Roman Reigns so much on a 3-hour show. Treat guys like Sandow, Cody Rhodes, Jack Swagger, and Zack Ryder better.

Previewing The Elimination Chamber Match For The Intercontinental Championship

Just a quick recap first. Daniel Bryan won the Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania. Not too long after that, his health once again became an issue. He had to surrender the title a few weeks ago. There will now be an Elimination Chamber match for the title. It will feature Sheamus, Ryback, King Barrett, Rusev, Dolph Ziggler, and R-Truth.

It is a solid group of midcarders. I would just make one change. No R-Truth. I know he was involved in the Intercontinental Championship feud for Wrestlemania, but he just isn't featured as well on a consistent basis these days. He seems out of place. I would put Neville in there. He was involved with Barrett recently. He was featured better in recent weeks than R-Truth. Neville still has something to do, but putting him in the Elimination Chamber might have led to some great spots. I am not saying he had to win the title, but just having him in there would be enough.

Who wins? If you go by Internet rumors, Sheamus has it won. But where is the fun in just accepting that? Who should win? I usually like saying that the person that is the freshest and has great momentum should win it. R-Truth definitely should not win it. I feel like Sheamus has lost momentum in recent weeks. They might book him to win it, but I don't like that. Rusev does not need a title reign again so soon. Ziggler? He had some title success not too long ago. Ryback has not. Thing is, I don't feel momentum is on his side. Barrett? Yes, I would say he should win it. He won King of the Ring recently. A great push is not always connected to that these days, but a midcard title would be nice. If they want to keep his push fresh, a title reign would help. I would have him regain the title.

Bray Wyatt Targets Ryback

How long until Bray Wyatt is giving cryptic promos to set up a rivalry with Zack Ryder on Superstars? Until then, those promos Wyatt was doing in the last few weeks ended up being used for Ryback.

This is a letdown. Bray Wyatt did these promos to set up a Wrestlemania feud with The Undertaker. After he lost there, he went back to doing more promos. I would have expected his next feud to be with another A-tier player. A lot of fans expected that. I also see a lot of fans have high expectations for Bray Wyatt. They expected this guy to be developed to be a legitimate main-eventer. This feud is definitely disappointing for them. As a fan, I don't care about Wyatt being pushed that hard. I just want to be entertained by his gimmick. I think they can do better in that regard.

Let me give the WWE credit for something. This is a solid feud for the midcard. Neither guy has been WWE Champion. No title involved. This is a non-title midcard feud. They probably will not push this feud to its full potential, whatever that might be, but it's something.

What does all this mean for Ryback? He didn't exactly have any clear direction. I do not imagine him winning the feud, but this is at something for him. Does Bray Wyatt need another sidekick? Can that be Ryback? Ryback is the kind of guy that can fit the role. Since they have nothing better to do with him, might it be a good idea to have Wyatt "brainwash" him? I do not imagine right now that the WWE will go in that direction. Let's see how they develop things.

Randy Orton Gets Seth Rollins At Extreme Rules

Randy Orton, Ryback, and Roman Reigns faced each other on Raw to decide the #1 contender for the WWE Championship. The three guys had a busy night even before that main event. There was also interference from The Authority during the match. When the smoke cleared, Randy Orton had won the match.

Randy Orton had defeated Seth Rollins at Wrestlemania. Rollins went on to win the WWE Championship later that same night. It is not surprising that this feud would not end with just one match. The outcome of this match seems obvious. The WWE will use Randy Orton to put over Seth Rollins. Rollins did just win the title. A lot of guys have had short reigns with their first World title win. But the WWE might be saving Rollins for something else.

That something else might be Roman Reigns. He did not win on Raw to get another title shot, but that just gives the WWE more time to work on him. And he really does not seem to be as totally hated as some might believe. No need to turn him heel or completely give up on his push. Exactly what to do with him is a subject for another day.

Cena Vs. Rusev

Because of weather issues, there was no regular episode of Raw this week. I could talk about the interviews Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan gave, but I have already spoken about that situation a few days in a row. Let me talk about a different feud going on.

John Cena is starting his feud with Rusev. This was a likely feud for a while. Even before rumors and reports, it was a feud you could have just anticipated. Rusev was being kept strong. His undefeated streak stands. The WWE just loves creating situations like this to put over Cena. If this feud only lasts up to Fast Lane, that is one thing. If this spills over into Wrestlemania, which is a possibility, that is another issue. For the sake of discussion, let's say this is a feud that lasts a few months.

This would be the second year in a row that John Cena has feuded with an upper-midcarder for Wrestlemania. He feuded with Bray Wyatt last year. And it was very similar to what you have now. Bray Wyatt attacked Cena at the Royal Rumble last year. Issues going on at the time led to them killing the development of the feud for a few weeks. Cena and Rusev had a confrontation this past Sunday. Much like Rusev, Bray Wyatt was also protected and made to look strong heading into that feud with Cena.

Comparing Rusev now to Bray Wyatt then, I personally think this is a step down for Cena. Bray Wyatt did not have any title credibility then. And I will admit that Bray Wyatt is not as great in the ring as Rusev. But Bray Wyatt had his stable and a gimmick that made him look like some kind of demented threat. Rusev has a midcard title and a manager. His gimmick is really one of a foreign heel people are supposed to hate. He got a positive reaction from fans on Sunday, but that is really because of what was going on in that match. Aside from that, I just don't think he has been properly protected. He has had a few losses, although not by pinfall or submission. And he doesn't really look unbreakable. Bray Wyatt was not 100% undefeated back then, either, but he just seemed like he was better built. Rusev has looked very beatable against some guys. The WWE can try to spin it however they want, but this is not the biggest threat in Cena's career. He has overcome worse.

What about the United States Championship and Rusev's feud with Ryback? Cena will obviously not need a midcard title. Ryback winning it would be nice. But should that happen during or after Cena's feud with Rusev? You can have Cena help Ryback win the title. Problem is, that's the end of Rusev's undefeated streak. That is something they would want to give to Cena. Of course, they could have Rusev drop the title in some multi-challenger match and not get pinned. The problem with having Rusev hold the title until after he is done with Cena is that you could have some other guy holding it and defending it during that time and it could leave Ryback with nothing to do for a few months if he's left waiting for that feud to end. The midcard is not good these days. He could feud against Barrett. Either way, it would have been nice to bring proper closure to the feud between Ryback and Rusev before starting to tease Cena vs. Rusev.

John Cena is the top guy. It is Wrestlemania season. Does he deserve better than this? I have already said that I felt Rusev is a step down from last year's opponent, Bray Wyatt. Any other time of the year, it would be a great idea to have this kind of feud. If they wanted to have Cena be the guy to beat Rusev, I would have done it last month. But this as Cena's Wrestlemania feud? What else is there? They can try forcing him into the WWE title feud, but he is not the answer to that situation. The only feud I think he can fit in would be Triple H vs. Sting. It has been over a year since Sting's last match in TNA. He will be 56 by the time Wrestlemania gets here. Maybe for the sake of match quality, you would want to turn it into a tag match. Ease Sting into the action. John Cena and Sting vs. Triple H and his partner. Who? Ric Flair? Probably not. Shawn Michaels? That would be epic. How about Hulk Hogan? He has said he wants to wrestle one more match. A tag match would be safe. Just pair Triple H with a legend to go with Cena's legend. That is something worthy of a Wrestlemania for John Cena. And it still keeps him out of the title picture for the big event. And there is an obvious story there. Cena has had issues with The Authority in recent months. I think it would be better than Cena feuding with a guy that is not at Cena's level. Save that for any other PPV.

Barrett & Rusev

The WWE midcard continues to have issues. I am just going to focus on the two midcard heels currently holding the midcard titles.

Wade Barrett regained the Intercontinental Championship from Dolph Ziggler. They did not follow through with a face turn for him. That exchange he had with Cesaro was probably either meant to take a shot at CM Punk or just humiliate Cesaro. There were other ways they could have brought him back, especially if they intended to keep him heel. Or is this just very bad inconsistency? They could have had him return to confront Ziggler in some manner. Barrett did deserve a title shot since he never lost the Intercontinental Championship. Just not good development.

The man you would expect him to be feuding with, Dolph Ziggler, is currently fired as part of a storyline. What is left for Barrett? A minor feud with Sin Cara? And it is very minor. It feels like Wade Barrett has already lost the momentum he had when he returned. When he returned the way he did, that got a lot of fans interested in him. Is he really turning face? He also had some freshness on his side. Even keeping him heel and giving him back the title was not necessarily horrible. The problem has been everything since then. It seems like he is back in the same position he was in last year prior to his injury. Sin Cara is not a guy that can elevate him. That is just filler.

Rusev is still holding the United States Championship. Much like Barrett, the guy Rusev is supposed to be feuding against is not around. That would be Ryback. It was only a matter of time before Rusev ran out of worthy opponents to go against the kind of gimmick he has. I think they have reached that point. Is John Cena the last guy left? Another thing, the WWE was doing a good job of taking Rusev up that ladder. He started off beating clear jobbers, then Big E, then Jack Swagger, then Mark Henry, and then Big Show. He beat Sheamus for the US title. He was a part of Team Authority at Survivor Series. But after all that, where do you really go with him? His feud with Ryback seems like a step back down from some of the guys he was feuding against. The climb up the ladder was good, but it seems the WWE's desire to prolong his push like this might hurt his momentum.

There is also the fact that he is undefeated in terms of never being pinned or tapping out. He has gotten some cheap finishes here and there. And he isn't exactly completely dominant. There have been a few nights where he has been made to look human. To put it simply, I do not think he has been developed to be the dominant threat that he should be. If this guy is really supposed to feud with John Cena, does he have the credibility? Or is he really just an overrated midcard act?

Go back to when I was talking about TNA's Havok recently. They built her up to be dominant. It wasn't just about winning matches. They had her destroy other KOs. The only issue was her not being around long and TNA not having enough time to monitor if she was connecting well with fans prior to making decisions on her. On the other side, you have TNA's Crimson. His main claim to fame is an undefeated streak that most fans would agree was lame. He really wasn't that dominant and never really got over.

If they are developing Rusev to be a top star or put over a top star, his dominance should be leaning towards how TNA has handled Havok. Instead, it is starting to lean towards Crimson. They were doing a better job for a few months, but right now, Rusev needs better focus. Feud development is hurt with Ryback involved in a bigger angle. His gimmick isn't leading to anything fresh. His dominance is questionable. And I don't think that undefeated streak is enough to carry him.

Ziggler, Ryback & Rowan Fired

Raw ended with a little bit of a cliffhanger last week. Dolph Ziggler, Ryback, and Erick Rowan were "fired" to further the current storyline with The Authority. It creates a bit of drama, furthers the storyline, and will likely create another situation for John Cena to look like a hero.

Great move? Pointless? Somewhere in between? Raw ended with something that might create some buzz for the following week. This week, they are going against a big college football game that might murder them. Has the WWE done something worth combating that? Although the angle itself can cause interest, I do not have too much faith in the guys involved. I am not talking about their in-ring ability and other talents. In terms of overness and how much you consider these guys stars, will running this kind of angle with them really draw interest? I am not saying they are not over. Ryback can get a reaction. Ziggler is very popular with wrestling fans. Rowan is there. But none of them have that A overness. As far as whether or not they are being pushed as stars, none of these guys are top stars. Ziggler is on the fringes of being an upper-midcarder (B+ player), Ryback is a solid midcarder (B player), and Rowan is a guy you might imagine dropping to the lower-midcard as time goes on (B- player). That averages out to a B. Some of these guys have obviously benefited from some other stars not being around. And I feel an angle like this would be bigger if it did involve those kind of guys that are pushed better on a consistent basis or might have an even stronger connection with the fans.

Go back to the Attitude Era. You had your corporate heel stables back then. You also had a rebel stable for a while called The Union. It consisted of Mankind, Ken Shamrock, Big Show, and Test. It didn't last too long and I wouldn't consider it an epic group. But it was fun while it lasted and made things more interesting for a while.

I am not saying the WWE is trying to recreate a stable like that now to go against The Authority. I am not necessarily saying they even should. I am just bringing up the idea. When The Authority was formed as a heel group, I was hoping they would get around to creating some great feuds between a strong corporate heel stable and rebel faces, besides John Cena. What happens? The stable has friction in it soon after it is formed. It doesn't seem to start to get solid until 2014. Triple H and Stephanie lose power, then regain it. You never really had time to develop that strong face front. Until now? Things got interesting around Survivor Series. Midcard faces were looking like big deals. The only issue was that storylines outside of the main feud were getting mediocre build or worse. Regardless, you are once again in a position to do something interesting with those hero rebels that helped put The Authority out of power, even though it was not for good. If all they do is use this situation to put over John Cena, it will be a giant waste.

Ryback Vs. Rusev

Rusev has now moved on to Ryback. You have a feud developing there. Will Ryback be the one to finally defeat Rusev and take the United States Championship?

Should he be? Rusev has been involved in so many USA-themed feuds since his debut. This feud between Rusev and Ryback is not one of them. This is really brute vs. brute. I am not against Ryback winning a title. He should have one eventually. But for him to be the guy that knocks of Rusev? I still think it should be Jack Swagger. If a heel still held the Intercontinental title, Ryback can go after that and leave Rusev and Swagger to still feud.

How about Dolph Ziggler winning back the Intercontinental Championship? I don't like it. Fans wanted to see him get pushed again. He finally did. He won the title, lost it back to Miz, then won it right back. That was stupid booking, but fine. He then lost it to Harper. Okay, that could be the start of pushing some fresh midcarders around that title. Nope! Back to Ziggler. Ziggler could be feuding with upper-midcarders in non-title matches. They might have even considered having him get a title shot against Lesnar instead of always putting Cena in that spot. Ziggler stuck in the midcard title scene is a waste of him and not good for other midcarders. This US title feud is good in that it features midcarders, but you could have started developing something fresh with the other midcard title.

All Eyes On Ryback

The WWE continues to put good focus on various superstars as they develop the main event for Survivor Series. Focus was on Ryback on Raw this week. He started off as a member of Team Authority. Tension between him and Kane led to Ryback attacking the heel team by the end of the night. Although it was not made official right there, Ryback is now obviously joining Team Cena.

Whose side should Ryback be on? To put it another way, should he be face or heel? He can get a great reaction from the fans. That is a reason for him to be a face. The Authority can always use someone like him as some added muscle. That is reason for him to be a heel. If he does join The Authority, he is guaranteed to be featured well for as long as he is in the group. If he stays face, how long until he is lost in the shuffle again? Even though logic says being a heel in The Authority might be the best option for Ryback, he has momentum as a face right now. I would have him join Team Cena and continue to be pushed as a face.

Will there be a swerve at Survivor Series? You have already had a swerve once with Ryback. Will he turn his back on the faces at Survivor Series and help the heels win? Although I am thinking some kind of betrayal is likely at the PPV, I don't think it is likely to be Ryback turning. You are more likely to see him enter a feud with Kane.