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.

Does Smackdown Need More Authority Drama?

The Authority was a stable that many fans felt ran its course years ago. It just kept going. You had Triple H and his long speeches. You had Stephanie McMahon slapping everyone around and never getting her true comeuppance. Even though the stable is dead, Stephanie and Triple H are still very much involved in Raw storylines.

Smackdown has been a little different. There is no authority stable. The only storylines Daniel Bryan has been involved in, beyond just making matches, have involved him getting knocked verbally by other wrestlers, mainly The Miz. But that never really led to anything. It is a little refreshing to have that change compared to The Authority being involved so much in the big storylines like they were for years.

But could the WWE do more? There is definitely potential. Shane McMahon got attacked by Brock Lesnar at Summerslam. That looked like it might lead to something. Shane McMahon, obviously, is not afraid to still get in the ring. Even if he was not going to wrestle Lesnar just yet, or ever, they still could have used this for a storyline. How about Shane decides to bring in Goldberg to handle Lesnar for him? The way the WWE handled the creation of the feud between and Goldberg and Lesnar was a little mediocre. They just took advantage of their ESPN connection to start a storyline. What I do like is that Goldberg made himself sound like he was the good guy, the superhero, out to stop Lesnar. It is better than making this match feel like it was just thrown together, like Lesnar vs. Orton. Nevertheless, the WWE could have unlocked a lot more storyline potential that might have helped Smackdown to get some of the rub from Goldberg vs. Lesnar II.

Should the WWE do more with Smackdown's authority figures? It can help create more drama. The WWE just has to not make the mistake of going too far with it. They have to know when to cut it off and just ease up. They might get Shane and Danial Bryan more involved in storylines around Wrestlemania next year. Since Smackdown is only two hours, it might be a bad decision to really have authority figures take up too much time. If Smackdown does get an extra hour, however, utilizing the authority figures more might be a good idea.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Development Of The Brand Split Angle: Now With More Teddy Long

The WWE furthered the brand split drama this week. Most notably, they had Teddy Long come back and audition to be in charge of Smackdown when it goes live. That is, he was was hoping to audition for the job. It was a funny return.

Might it be a good idea to have more former authority figures return to try to get a job running either Smackdown or Raw? It might lead to more fun segments. Vickie Guerrero could return. There's John Laurinaitis. Paul Heyman could be used for this. There is a list of men and women that could take part. I doubt it would be a big draw, but it could be fun.

Overall, however, there still doesn't feel like the WWE has really done a great job creating a true storyline off of the brand split returning and Smackdown going live. It feels like all they are doing is promoting it and using it for some segments that might have entertainment value.

Look at how the WWE has handled the WWE Network. They have frequently been promoting it. It is even mentioned now and again in segments. Kevin Owens gave a little bit of that on Raw this week in that opening segment. But they never really made a storyline revolving around the WWE Network. Why would they? It isn't really something to make a storyline out of. It was a business move by the WWE and it would be awkward to make a storyline based on it.

The brand split is something else. This should not be treated as just a business decision. Go back to the first brand split. They had Ric Flair coming into some power after The Alliance crumbled. Vince McMahon and Flair couldn't get along. The rest is history. It was more than just a business decision. It was kayfabe. It was a storyline. It was a storyline that led to changes in how the shows were being featured. And the WWE should have been able to do something like that again. They could have continued having Shane and Stephanie not get along. Just have history play out like it did with Ric Flair and Vince McMahon, with some obvious differences, of course. Instead, it seems the WWE is going about this in a business-like way that lacks some of that storyline drama.

This looks like the WWE's big summer angle. The big summer angle is usually something that causes a lot of drama and shakes things up. The brand split coming back definitely falls into that category. I just wish they handled it better. The WWE's website and news sites breaking the news of the brand split and live Smackdown isn't as impactful as it playing out in a segment on Raw. And that New Day segment last week wasn't exactly an epic way to introduce it. Even Teddy Long coming back this week doesn't change things much. Let's see how the WWE improves things.

Speaking of improvements, I have mentioned various things that have happened on Raw, but what about Smackdown? Smackdown going live will help it, but there is also the roster split to hinder it a bit. The WWE will need to be efficient with the roster and start having big things happen more frequently on the show. Have they become more efficient with Smackdown to prepare for the brand split. Looking at spoilers this week, there doesn't seem to be anything to talk about. And that will have to change. Is the WWE just being lazy now because they don't plan to put effort into the show until it goes live? You can't always flip a switch and expect magic to happen. Some of the WWE's bad habits might not go away easily.

Smackdown Gets An Upgrade

The WWE has announced that several changes will be made to Smackdown. First, it will be going live on Tuesdays. Second, there will once again be a brand split. That has a lot of fans talking about which titles will go where and which McMahon will run what show.

The best decision the WWE made here was to make Smackdown live. Regardless of anything else, that should help the show's ratings. A lot of fans just read spoilers and skip the show. Fans can just read a recap of the show and still skip it, but it seems more likely that more fans will now tune in to watch it live. Besides that, there will be no regular NFL action for the WWE to compete against on Tuesday.

How about the brand split? That is where I think there might be a problem. If this were a short-term brand split just for the sake of pushing a feud between Shane and Stephanie McMahon, then it would be fine. A long-term split is another issue. The WWE couldn't handle the brand split that ended just a few years ago. Their star power on the roster has not really improved since then.

Raw stands to suffer more from this than Smackdown. Important things are going to start happening on Smackdown. Raw, the show where big things are usually expected to happen, will be losing its full deck of talent. How can they fill three hours with the guys they will have left? Some fans are speculating that Raw goes back to two hours. That might be a good decision to further put Raw and Smackdown on equal ground. If they do not do it, Raw's ratings might suffer even more than they already are.

Let me bring up something else I do not like. I do not like how this whole thing just came about. The WWE just said it is going to happen. It is on their website. Why not have an angle? Announce it in a segment. They had a segment a few weeks ago where Vince McMahon named both Shane and Stephanie in charge. He could have made them both in charge of their own brand. They could then later announce on one of the shows that there would be a draft. The McMahon running Smackdown can announce making Smackdown live so it could be better competition for Raw. Everything that was announced on WWE.com could have played out in segments on TV. And it should have. Instead of making this feel like a storyline, it just feels like a business decision.

The WWE has had Stephanie McMahon act friendly towards her brother. The idea many fans expected was that Stephanie would eventually betray her brother. That payoff will not matter now. If the two McMahons go their separate ways with their own brand, then whatever angle the WWE had planned here doesn't matter anymore. Why not continue to tease tension between the two? Act like they cannot coexist sharing power. Have Vince McMahon come back and say that the only way to stop the chaos between the two is to have a brand split. That would have been a better way to handle things.

Go back to Wrestlemania. Shane McMahon had to beat The Undertaker to get control of Raw. He lost. The next night on Raw, Vince just gave Shane control. That was a mediocre way of handling things. You just made the storyline irrelevant. I feel like recent developments fall into the same area as what happened back then. The WWE is not doing a good job creating a storyline with this power struggle. After acting like he hated his son, Vince McMahon just hands him power. After acting like there was tension between Shane and Stephanie, which should have led to an obvious brand split, the WWE announces the brand split without the televised drama that might actually have had some entertainment value to it.

Of course, fans don't care too much about this stuff I have brought up. They are busy making mock drafts and talking about what they should do with the titles. I won't do that. From the standpoint of a writer, the WWE didn't handle this in a creative, linear way. Let's see if they make up for it in the coming weeks.

The New Era In The WWE

The WWE is saying that there is a new era in the company. Some fans are pessimistic about things and think there is no real change. There are a few things going on that would suggest this is a new era. Roman Reigns is officially the new centerpiece of the company. Shane McMahon returned and now has power, despite losing his Wrestlemania match to The Undertaker, and is sharing control with Stephanie McMahon. The overall product seems to be more open to wrestling talent that vocal wrestling fans love. AJ Styles debuted this year and has definitely not been underutilized. And if you are going to pander to wrestling fans with the men's division, you might as well do it with the women's division. There have been changes there, as well. But how many of these changes are genuine and how successful is this new era going to be?

Start with the change in overall philosophy of the company. They are doing better with wrestling talent. NXT was the initial source of a lot of that buzz. The WWE will be doing other specials catered towards wrestling fans on the WWE Network. And the main roster has a number of great wrestlers that are being featured. I mentioned AJ Styles. How about Kevin Owens? People were ready to write him off as buried after he lost his feud against John Cena. He has done pretty well since then. Seth Rollins will likely be featured at a high level when he returns from injury. He was in the midst of a lengthy run with the WWE Championship when he got hurt. There's talent everywhere in the men's division.

Over in the women's division, there have been changes to make things look more respectable. There are still divas. There are still women there primarily for their looks. But female wrestlers are still getting the opportunity to shine. Charlotte appears to be the centerpiece of the new division. I always have to wonder what would have happened if Nikki had not gotten injured. This isn't like Tamina getting injured. Nikki Bella was the centerpiece just last year. Losing her was big. In any case, fans are excited for the new emphasis on wrestling in the women's division.

Despite embracing wrestling like they have, the WWE still has issues. The roster is too full, both the men's and women's rosters. And it is just going to get more crowded when guys return from injury and more debut from NXT. It is even worse in the women's division. How can you have so many women in the roster and only have one legitimate women's feud going? Maryse and Lana have periphery angles, but there are still other women not being featured well at all. The WWE needs to improve there. It is inefficient. Who cares about that? It is annoying to fans of these women and likely can get irritating for the women too. It gets even worse when dirtsheets come up with dumb reasons why these women are not treated better. The atmosphere may be more respectable than it used to be, but the WWE has to utilize all this talent better.

Roman Reigns is the new centerpiece. This is not just a filler push because Cena took time off to do something else and got injured soon after returning. While Cena can be moved out to the kind of role Shawn Michaels had in his last run with the WWE, Roman Reigns is the new guy. He has already had three runs with the WWE Championship. If he stays healthy, he should be able to get to ten in a few years. His character isn't exactly the same as Cena's. You would think fans might appreciate that. No, they hate him. Some might say he is more hated than Cena. And yet, the WWE will stick with him. The best you can hope for is they turn him heel one day.

Consider the direction the overall product is going and consider the centerpiece choice. Does it really fit? The centerpiece should either be someone that best represents what you want your company to be about or someone that energizes the company. The WWE is making a lot of decisions that would please wrestling fans, but they pick a centerpiece that is not a great, respected wrestler and just irritates wrestling fans. It just does not seem to be a smart choice. Just because Roman Reigns gets loud boos a lot of the time does not mean he energizes the product. The WWE sells Roman Reigns as the leader of the new era, but he really may not be the best representative of this era. Is the WWE making a lot of these decisions that please wrestling fans just in hopes that they lighten up on Roman Reigns. That might not work the way they hope.

The centerpiece choice in the women's division is also questionable. Charlotte is not that over. She is obviously in the position she is in because of who her father is. Not a nice thing to say, but speaking realistically, just being a solid in-ring worker is not enough to get the kind of push she is getting. And she doesn't have much else going for her as a performer. A lot of fans would rather Sasha Banks get the push. I wonder what happens if Charlotte suffers some serious injury. The WWE has fumbled over the years when their centerpiece in the diva division went down. What happens if one of the divas still there now becomes solid enough in the ring? Revert back to a diva status quo? If these changes in the women's division hinge mainly on Charlotte, then things can easily become terrible again. Of course, all the WWE has to do is send two great in-ring workers out there and let them steal the show and wrestling fans won't care about anything else.

Is The Authority dead? Fans complained about them ruining Raw for years. Shane McMahon to save the day? Stephanie McMahon is also back from a few weeks off after getting speared by Roman Reigns at Wrestlemania. Triple H has yet to return after losing the title. The Authority isn't fully gone. One of the reasons that group became irritating was because of the bickering within the stable. It just became annoying. With Shane and Stephanie both running things, things can get annoying again. And there will eventually be some kind of angle to oust one McMahon. Is that when The Authority retake full control? Overall, I would not say this new era has really changed much as far as authority figures go.

I do not think the WWE has reacted well to fan criticism. For years, the WWE treated "wrestling" like it was a bad word. People accused Vince McMahon of being out of touch. They pointed the finger to John Laurinaitis. Then Kevin Dunn. Well, the WWE has now given these fans a lot of things they want. Not everything. A heel turn or depush for Roman Reigns and push for Sasha Banks are probably the only two things these fans seriously want. Nevertheless, between NXT and changes to the main roster, the WWE has given these fans a lot.

You ever have someone accuse you of not listening to them? It isn't because you are too busy listening to Miley Cyrus on the radio. You can hear them. You are just not agreeing with them or don't want to do what they want you to do.

After years of fans accusing the WWE of not listening to them, the WWE has just started giving them a lot of the things they want. I do not think that is the right thing to do. Listen to them, give what they want a fair opportunity, incorporate it into your own way of doing things, and see if it works. I do not think the WWE has done a great job of that. Look at AJ Styles. He debuts a few months ago and the WWE already treats him like he's established. He has not broken out like CM Punk or Daniel Bryan did. The WWE either needs to do a better job of helping him do that or he needs to step up and connect with that wider audience his own way. You can also look at lot of guys that just debut from NXT and are treated like people already know who they are. A lot of people don't.

The problem with listening to these vocal wrestling fans is that they are really not representative of all fans out there. Just because they are getting certain things to trend on Twitter does not mean they are really that popular. The WWE cannot get fooled by listening to these fans. They still have to do what they do to make and feature stars. I think they have just started to lose their way with that a bit. Wrestling is not as popular as vocal wrestling fans will lead the WWE to believe. The WWE still needs star power, entertaining storylines, and an overall entertaining and exciting atmosphere. The WWE still has a lot to improve on, and let's not forget their issue of not giving all workers fair opportunities to earn better spots for themselves.

I would say the decline in ratings will continue. Some people say ratings don't matter. Ratings are still an indicator. The WWE's lifeblood is their network? That's all they care about? Well, what is the big draw for the WWE Network? There is a reason Wrestlemania season typically sees the most subscribers. People want to see the big event. And the WWE still builds and promotes their PPVs mainly on Raw and Smackdown, not really on the WWE Network. The WWE can do all these cruiserweight specials and whatever else do please wrestling fans, but isn't the archives and NXT enough to please them? What do they need to do to get the wider audience interested enough to keep subscribing? You need to sell those PPVs. That's where big matches happen and storylines reach their climax or get taken to a new level. And if Raws and Smackdown are not interesting these fans, what are the chances they will subscribe?

The WWE really does need to stop focusing so much on wrestling fans. They are pushing away a lot of other fans. It is not just the decline in ratings. If they did a great job in bringing these fans in, they would be likely to subscribe to the WWE Network, as I mentioned, buy tickets to events, buy merchandise, and just really help the WWE make even more money. Does the WWE not want their money? Vocal wrestling fans will give money to the WWE even if the WWE irritates them. Other fans will just lose interest and change the channel. If the WWE doesn't please that wider audience, they will have to raise prices, add more commercials to the network, have to add more shows, which will result in workers working more and increase the possibility of injury, make pay cuts, possibly start releasing people again, and all those other decisions that will be needed to make more money and cut costs. This may not be a great era for the WWE, although wrestling fans seem excited.

Both Shane And Stephanie In Control

Vince McMahon made his decision at Payback. Which of his children would be in control? Both. Both Shane and Stephanie McMahon get to run things.

I would have had Shane run Raw and Stephanie run Smackdown. Same thing as both sharing power? No. They are going to directly be stepping on the other person's toes now. You got a little taste of that in the main event of Payback. Imagine them getting into it for multiple decisions on a single Raw. That can get annoying. This situation can become just as bad as The Authority became very quickly.

Of course, this is a situation that won't last for years. There will eventually be something to decide which McMahon gets overall control. When should that be? Ideally, it would be Survivor Series. Have an elimination tag match to settle things. Problem is, I don't think the WWE can keep this thing going for that long. I am sure fans will be irritated by it before the end of May. If the WWE is able to make this truly enjoyable, I would love to see how they do it.

Shane Keeps Rolling

Wins and losses really don't matter. Shane McMahon lost his Wrestlemania match to The Undertaker, losing the chance to run Raw. Vince McMahon still let his son run Raw, giving in rather easily last week. Shane was pretty much an afterthought. Shane did such an amazing job at that, they let him do it again this week.

This week, at least, he looked more like the guy running the show. That is an improvement from last week. But it has been a little bit boring. The show just feels too face-friendly. The WWE is putting emphasis on wrestling and letting new talent shine. But things just don't feel that exciting. It might be heaven for wrestling fans, aside from Roman Reigns being pushed, but I do not feel the WWE is doing what they need to do to excite the wider audience.

So far, has Shane been better or worse than The Authority? It's always good to shake things up a little now and then to break the monotony. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with giving fans a break from Triple H and Stephanie McMahon. I wouldn't say those two really became just boring. They became irritating. Shane is at least fresh. There hasn't really been any big change with him that will blow you away, but he isn't as annoying as The Authority became. Because of that, I would say Shane being in control is better than The Authority.

I don't think the problem with either Triple H or Stephanie McMahon is that they were terrible performers. The WWE just portrayed them in a terrible way. And because Triple H and Stephanie do have backstage power, perhaps they do deserve some of the blame for this. Their characters are just inconsistent. Back when there was a legitimate stable around them, they were frequently teasing tension with guys on their side. They often looked like they were making the kind of decisions or announcements that a face authority figure would make, even though they were heels. Example? How about when Stephanie McMahon was a part of the debut of Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks? Are fans supposed to like her for caring about the women's division? Are they supposed to view her as just feeding her own ego? It was just until these last few months that they really started to embrace the heel characters they should have been playing all along. Don't tease being heels. Be heels. And just throw in regularly getting their comeuppance, these two could have been better heel authority figures.

The angle many fans are expecting is for Triple H and Stephanie to come back and feud with Shane over control of Raw. Sounds like the makings of a good summer angle. Thing is, why didn't they just have Shane win at Wrestlemania? They are working around the fact that he lost. They could have had him win and work around the fact that Undertaker can never compete at Wrestlemania again. It could have made for a big angle for Undertaker to somehow get another Wrestlemania match later on. It would have been better than the mediocre way they had Vince let Shane run Raw. I have seen someone suggest that Vince just decided to let Shane run things a few hours before Raw last week. Whatever the case, the WWE needs to plan things better than this.

Is That All, Shane?

Shane McMahon jumping off the top of the Hell in a Cell and crashing into the announce table was one of the most memorable moments of this year's Wrestlemania. But he ended up losing the match to The Undertaker. That was a disappointing outcome. A lot of changes could have taken place if the WWE did decide to go in a new direction. You have had some changes with the women's division, but there could have been more.

On Raw, however, it seemed like there was still a chance for something to happen. Vince McMahon came out to start the show and gloat. He got that lock box. He's still in control of Raw. Shane McMahon came out for one last farewell. Vince decided to let Shane run Raw for that night. For a little while, it looked like something big might still happen. This was the Raw after Wrestlemania. These Raws are known for big things happening, in addition to the rowdy crowd.

More disappointment followed. It didn't feel like Shane really left his fingerprint on Raw. A 4-way match was made to decide a new #1 contender for the WWE Championship. Sami Zayn was taken out by Kevin Owens. Cesaro replaced him in the main event. Wrestling fans love Cesaro, but this isn't really a big return. Nothing big happened. Shane didn't really seem to make an impact.

What would I have done differently? Where do I start? Here's an idea, how about Shane actually wins at Wrestlemania? No? Okay. How about Shane tries to create some drama with that lock box? How about he reveals what's inside to spite his father? How about he threatens to do it unless Vince at least lets him run Raw for the night? How about a bigger return in the main event of Raw than Cesaro? How about Raw ends in a controversial way to generate some buzz? The whole situation on Raw this week just felt like a huge disappointment.

One of the reasons it felt disappointing, the way they just had Vince so easily let Shane run Raw was just so weak. These two looked like they were having a real blood feud for a month. Vince was busting out the profanity. He was acting like Shane was no longer a part of his family. I don't care if Vince showed a little bit of heart towards his son on Raw prior to letting him run the show, simply letting it be so easy is dull. I also don't care if Vince thought Shane would flop if he ran Raw. Vince still let him do it that easily. It's like the WWE just decided to cruise through Raw.

Some fans have speculated that the WWE will run an angle where Vince is happy with how Shane runs Raw and they eventually do Shane McMahon feuding with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon for control of the WWE. I would say Shane did a mediocre job on Raw. If the WWE wants to sell that as amazing, I am not going to be surprised. Nevertheless, the WWE has to really handle this better. The story is not that intriguing.

What if that is officially it for Shane McMahon and this storyline? If it is over, then the WWE really did do this just to create drama to help save Wrestlemania. They didn't intend to create a big storyline off of this that would last months or even a year. They didn't intend to create legitimate, lasting change. They didn't even handle the angle right on the Raw after Wrestlemania. It was just a stunt to save the mediocre Wrestlemania season. I hope they are happy with the results.

Aside from the mediocrity of the night, how did the night after Wrestlemania do in terms of ratings? This is a night that does tend to do great numbers. Even last year, which was a mediocre Wrestlemania season in terms of ratings, saw the Raw after Wrestlemania get over five million viewers. Not this year. Just a little over four million viewers. Only the second highest viewership of the year, trailing the night after the Royal Rumble. 2.93 in the ratings. That ties the Raw post-Royal Rumble. The excuse is the college basketball championship game. Okay. NBA playoffs are coming up very soon. Raw will be in trouble there, too. It is pretty much all downhill from here. I doubt the WWE will create a great summer angle.

Something that stands out to me about the mediocre ratings this week is that the third hour lost almost 400,000 viewers. The last hour typically loses, but this last hour should not have lost that much. Sami Zayn was taken out of the match. Weren't fans interested in seeing who would get his spot? Cesaro is no huge star, but the situation should have drawn. You also have Shane McMahon running the show. Weren't fans wondering if he would do something controversial to end the show? He didn't, but once again, the situation should have drawn. And I don't think the WWE did anything in that third hour to get more fans interested for next week. As I said, it's all downhill form here.

Previewing Wrestlemania 2016: The Main Events

There are two big matches at Wrestlemania this year. Two matches with high stakes. One of them is obviously the WWE Championship match between Triple H and Roman Reigns. The other match is even bigger. Shane McMahon faces The Undertaker inside Hell in a Cell. If Shane wins, he gets control of Raw. If Undertaker loses, moreover, no more Wrestlemania for him. It is obvious which match should go on last and be the true main event.

Let me start with Triple H and Roman Reigns. A few months ago, Roman Reigns seemed to be getting over with the fans. He attacked Triple H, the hated face of The Authority. He went on to win the WWE Championship from Sheamus. A little while after that, Roman Reigns lost the title at the Royal Rumble to Triple H. Triple H has attacked Reigns and took him out for a few weeks. He has done the typical heel promos against Reigns. And Triple H, the beloved mastermind behind NXT, has gotten cheered for it. What is going on here? Fickle fans? I would not say that. Many fans hate The Authority. Even smarks hate the group. But these same smarks love NXT. They love what Triple H has done to it. You can say Triple H is in a polarizing position. And this does not make it easy for Roman Reigns, the guy they actually want as the new centerpiece.

I have read some crazy reports that fans might walk out during this match. They hate Roman Reigns that much. I would expect boos if he won, but walking out is dumb. The hate towards Reigns is one of the reasons this match should not go on last. The WWE usually tries to not end Wrestlemania on a sour note. That sometimes might mean a heel winning, like last year when fans were against Roman Reigns winning and Seth Rollins ended up with the title. Heel Triple H retained the title at Wrestlemania 2000. Fans were not happy about that, but they got the consolation prize of The Rock taking out the heel McMahons, including a People's Elbow to Stephanie. There might not be a consolation prize if Reigns wins this year. More fans would rather heel Triple H won.

This whole feud seems to be going in the direction of Roman Reigns winning. He has been having issues with The Authority for months. He attacked Triple H. Triple H came back and took the title from Reigns. Triple H took Roman Reigns out for a few weeks. This should culminate with the face getting back his title at Wrestlemania. This is the kind of story fans expected with Daniel Bryan a few years ago. They probably do not want to see it here, but I am thinking the WWE will pull the trigger and make Roman Reigns a 3-time WWE Champion.

The show should end with the match where so much is on the line. Some people might even be confused by what is exactly on the line in Shane McMahon vs. The Undertaker. If Shane wins, he gets control of Raw. But the WWE has sometimes made it seem like control of the entire WWE is on the line. Vince McMahon has talked like he would be gone, as well as the rest of The Authority, if Shane wins. If Undertaker loses, this will be his last Wrestlemania. But some fans are reading that as meaning he will be fired. No, that is not the stipulation. The WWE has been rather unclear and shifty with what is on the line, I will give you that. If control of the entire WWE was on the line, they should have said that. If Undertaker's career would end if he lost, they should have said that. Since they didn't, I wouldn't expect things to actually be handled like that.

Can you blame them for making things seem more dramatic than they really are? There are so many injuries, including to top stars. The quality of the product is poor. Ratings are poor. Checking Ticketmaster just a little while ago, I still see Wrestlemania tickets available. The WWE might be able to handle that, but they definitely can't say Wrestlemania sold out in record time. They have to generate hype to make this Wrestlemania seem like a big deal. Looking at the entire card, this is the match that really stands the best chance to draw for them.

It isn't even a question of who should win this match. If Shane loses, things just fall flat. The status quo continues. The excitement that something new might happen takes a hit. The WWE would be dumb to do this. They can always work around the stipulation that Undertaker can never wrestle at Wrestlemania again. But Shane should win. As for what happens if he wins, I'll talk about that on Monday, if he wins.

The question you should consider is how Shane will win. He's not going to go in there and dominate The Undertaker. Will it come down to an extreme spot? Shane has done that kind of thing before. He gave a taste of it on Raw this week. Or will it come down to some kind of outside interference? Might the Bullet Club get involved? Some fans have been talking about that possibility. If Shane does cheat to win like that, that might make him look like a heel and influence the direction things can go. That's another reason I want to wait until Monday to talk about the direction things can go. Let's just wait to see how the WWE handles this match.

The Undertaker Vs. Shane McMahon: Overkill?

Shane McMahon coming back to the WWE was huge. Having him face The Undertaker at Wrestlemania was huge. Making this a Hell in a Cell match was huge. The stipulation that Shane would get control of Raw if he won was huge. It just seemed like you had enough huge things right there.

Vince McMahon raised the stakes this week. If The Undertaker loses to Shane, he is barred from competing at Wrestlemania. Is this just a little too much? Is this overkill? If Taker was refusing to wrestle Shane, then you can understand this stipulation to force him to fight. If this feud had been developed to make it seem like the odds were in Shane's favor, then you can understand Vince doing this to add some motivation for The Undertaker to win. You don't have any of this going on. Was it really necessary?

As an analyst, I can see some good reasons for the WWE to do something like this. Ratings are terrible. Wrestlemania has not sold out with a little over a week to go. The WWE always has to put in work to keep subscribers to their network coming. If the WWE can cause some buzz to draw for them, why not? Some people might believe this could be The Undertaker's last Wrestlemania. That might get them to tune in. That might get them to subscribe to watch Wrestlemania. That might put a few more butts in seats in the arena. Moreover, this can lead to a big storyline involving The Undertaker following this year's Wrestlemania. He won't be fired. Even if he was fired in kayfabe, that still wouldn't be the end of his career. The WWE wouldn't let it end like that. In any case, the WWE's can create an odyssey for Taker to make it to another Wrestlemania, if he loses this one coming up. What the WWE is doing has potential to draw and to lead to an epic storyline.

As a critic, I do not like what the WWE is doing. I do feel it is too much. The WWE already has a big storyline here and what they are adding to it this week does not feel justified or necessary. It damages the focus of the big story that this feud is about. This is supposed to be about Shane vs. Vince, with the fate of the WWE hanging in the balance. The Undertaker is the instrument of destruction. He is remorseless and just out to destroy. There is no need to make this feud more complex. With just two weeks left until Wrestlemania, they could just ride what was already there.

As a writer, what would I have done? Just have Vince go out there this week and continue to push the destruction of his relationship with Shane. Have Vince bring up that he has feuded with every member of his own family. Show clips of that. Have Vince bring up how ruthless The Undertaker has been inside Hell in a Cell, at Wrestlemania, and even against Vince, himself. Show clips of that. It adds more steam to the feud and hypes the match without adding a new direction to it.

What do I think as a fan? As a fan, I am tired of the WWE and don't really care.

All in all, even though the new twist to things does seem like too much to me, it is probably a smart move by the WWE. Despite everything they have done so far, the fans aren't rushing back to see what all the drama is about. The WWE just has to create more drama. It would be nice if they added it to other feuds with other individuals. It would be nice if they did more to create more stars out of guys in their 30s or younger and not rely on guys over 40. But this is arguably the biggest storyline they have going. And they just added even more to it.

Since I brought up ratings, let me talk about that a little. Raw had 3.4 million viewers this week. That's not great. The WWE has no sports competition right now on Mondays. This is an election year. Call it a coincidence, but you do see a ratings drop during these years at times. 2012 was the last election year. Raw's annual ratings average in 2011 was 3.21. It was 3.0 in 2012. Pretty big drop for the election year. 3.01 for the year after. Pretty much the same level. Dropped to 2.95 for 2014, which is no big deal. Dropped all the way to a 2.64 for last year. You can't blame that on people being more interested in primary results.

What is causing the poor ratings so far this year? Is it the election excuse? Or is it the poor quality of the product? Regardless, this is supposed to be the hottest time of the year for WWE. You can usually expect around a loss of 500,000 viewers between this time of the year and what you'll get during football season. That's a rough estimate. How many times will Raw average less than 3 million viewers this year? They dropped below that benchmark once last year. Expect it to happen more this year.

Shane McMahon Returns

I have said for a while that the WWE needed to create more big storylines. They weren't doing it with Bray Wyatt. They weren't doing it with AJ Styles. They finally did something big last night on Raw.

Shane McMahon returned to Raw to confront his father and sister. He is a face. He brought up the issues the WWE is facing. And he now wants to run Raw. Vince McMahon is giving him that opportunity. All Shane has to do is defeat The Undertaker at Wrestlemania. To make it even more interesting, it will be inside Hell in a Cell.

This is obviously not a match fans expected to see for The Undertaker in the final years of his career. But it is part of a huge storyline. You might also scratch your head at the willingness of The Undertaker, a face, to do the dirty work of Vince McMahon, a heel. We'll just have to see how that plays out. With such a thin roster, Taker might have ended up continuing his feud with The Wyatts. That would just have been dull.

People have said that The Authority is stale. They get blamed for low ratings. Will a change really help things? There are other issues, like the thin roster and sloppy storylines. But it might be refreshing for something different to happen.

This felt like the first big Raw in a long while. It started out in a big way. It will be interesting to see how ratings do for last night and next week. Raw will probably not jump back up to a 4.0, but you would expect it to do very good. If not, the WWE really has no easy answers left. What stunt can they come up with to help their numbers? The only answer is to push talent better and come up with more intriguing storylines for them. Part-timers aren't carrying the WWE to new heights.