Previewing The Summerslam 2017 Undercard Matches

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Previewing The Great Balls Of Fire 2017 Midcard Matches

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

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

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

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

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

The End Of Enzo & Cass?

The WWE likes to have Enzo get beaten up. And there is a bit of a mystery over this one. There is a good chance the attacker might be revealed to be Big Cass, Enzo's own partner. That will spell the end of that team.

I will give the WWE some credit for creating a storyline like this. Keeps the fans guessing and trying to figure out who did it. Problem is, the WWE did this same kind of thing just a few months ago. Someone attacked Nikki Bella. Was it Carmella? Was it Natalya? Was it Mickie James? We all know how that turned out. I know there are not an infinite number of storyline ideas out there, and I am not saying the WWE can never redo storylines, but it does seem too early to redo a "Whodunnit?" storyline like this.

Onto the bigger issue, breaking up this team. The WWE can definitely go in another direction, but the heel turn for Cass and end of the team is a strong possibility. I am against this direction for a variety of reasons.

First, it is pretty sad that this team never won the tag titles. They are a popular team that had momentum at times. If it wasn't for New Day last year, they should have gotten the titles back then. If it wasn't for The Hardys this year, they should have gotten the tag titles at Wrestlemania. If they break up, there is always a chance they come back together down the road and get the tag titles, but that is no guarantee.

Second, how will they work out as singles wrestlers in the midcard? Enzo is not a great in-ring performer. Cass is not really that charismatic. Cass will probably thrive better between the two of them. But the midcard is terrible these days. You cannot say there is no one to push in the midcard. The WWE just does not push a lot of these guys right. Main-eventers continue to dominate the midcard title scene. That doesn't help. Miz just won back the Intercontinental Championship. Guys that could be solid midcarders get treated poorly, which hurts their chances to develop. How about that match between Apollo Crews and Kalisto just getting tossed on the preshow last night? I see a lot of fans just rolling their eyes at these guys. Most of the blame should go to the WWE. How far will Cass go in this environment? And what will become of Enzo?

Lastly, the tag division just needs them. There are no good face teams on Raw to build for the future. The Hardys, who are old and could very well split themselves in the near future for solo pushes, just lost the tag titles to Sheamus & Cesaro. Was that a good idea? If the heel team holds onto the tag titles in the rematch against The Hardys, who is left for them to feud with? Goldust & R-Truth, who were a jobber team, have broken up. Enzo & Cass might be breaking up. The only other true face team on Raw is Rhyno & Heath Slater, and Slater has lost that magic he had last year. There are no good options. If the WWE does not give the titles back to The Hardys, I can only imagine a Shield reunion and Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins getting the titles. Once again, that would be main-eventers being pushed in a scene where they do not need to be pushed.

Let the attackers be The Revival. Seems boring, but it is a safe choice that can save a lot of trouble. I would also give the tag titles back to The Hardys so they can eventually drop it to The Revival. Sheamus & Cesaro holding the tag titles is just unnecessary. I don't like the idea of The Hardys getting another title run, but it just seems awkward for Sheamus & Cesaro to hold the tag titles right now. A face team should be holding them. And if that is not going to be Enzo & Cass, what other options do you have?

Previewing The Extreme Rules 2017 Undercard Matches

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cesaro & Sheamus Turn Heel

The big development for the tag division this past week is Sheamus & Cesaro turning heel. That continues their feud with The Hardys.

I would say that this team has lasted long enough. It might have been time to just break them up. Problem is, injury issues ruined one heel team that recently got called up, The Revival. Just due to poor depth, the WWE probably had to do this heel turn. If nothing else, it at least refreshes these two. Sheamus & Cesaro were getting a little stale.

It is amazing when you stop and think about it. In April, you had a legendary tag team return and a promising tag team from NXT debut. The roster moves in April didn't really destroy Raw's tag division. But all it took was one injury to one member of these tag teams and the WWE is in a tough spot.

Could the WWE have done something different? Push Anderson & Gallows against The Hardys? Those two are also stale. Of course, the WWE should have pushed another face team against The Hardys. Enzo & Cass could have gotten title shots. Or they could have done multiple teams going after the tag titles moving forward. They also could have thrown together two other guys and create a new team. They definitely could have killed time until Dash Wilder returned. But I won't criticize the WWE too much for the choice they made.

Previewing The Payback 2017 Undercard Matches

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

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

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

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

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

Previewing The Royal Rumble 2017 Undercard Matches

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

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

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

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

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



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


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




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

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

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

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

Previewing The Roadblock: End Of The Line Midcard Matches

Can Sami Zayn survive 10 minutes against Braun Strowman? If nothing else, this feud has taken an interesting turn. How often do you get a match like this? But how good will the match really be? Will it just be Sami Zayn trying to avoid Strowman for most of the match? Will he actually take the fight to the big guy? Zayn will obviously have some kind of impressive showing. And even if he lasts 10 minutes, Strowman does not necessarily have to take a pinfall loss. Or will Zayn look weak and eventually end up on Smackdown? That is another issue, but I will say he does survive this Sunday.

There has been an interesting story playing out with Rusev, Lana, Enzo, and Cass. This Sunday, it is Cass facing Rusev. This feud won't end that easily. And this just seems like a feud where the faces should come out on top. Until then, however, Rusev should look strong. He should be beating Cass at Roadblock: End of the Line.

The Cruiserweight Championship will be on the line. Rich Swann defends against Brian Kendrick and TJ Perkins, the only other two people to have held the new title. I have said before that I don't think Rich Swann is really a long-term Champion. The WWE has not put proper work into him. But does the title go back to Kendrick or Perkins? I say Kendrick wins it back.

New Day have their record. Does that mean the reign of terror ends? Cesaro & Sheamus will get another shot at the titles this Sunday. On one hand, New Day really does not need the titles anymore. On the other hand, Cesaro & Sheamus don't feel like they really deserve it right now. Cesaro has held a title or accolade every year he has been on the main roster. He won the United States Championship in 2012 and held it into 2013. He won the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal in 2014. He won the tag titles in 2015. Will 2016 be a dead year for him, as far as titles and accolades go? And Sheamus is Sheamus. The WWE loves giving him title pushes you would not think he actually deserves. I will say these two win the titles.

Previewing The Hell In A Cell 2016 Undercard

Enzo & Cass take on Gallows & Anderson. If the WWE had made a smart booking decision months ago, Gallows & Anderson would have won the tag titles back when they looked like they deserved it. This match would then be for the tag titles and Enzo & Cass would finally win some gold. Instead, this is just a filler match. Enzo & Cass are a popular team that should be winning more big matches than they have been. I would say they win here.

Speaking of the tag titles, New Day defend against Cesaro and Sheamus. This comes down to whether this Cesaro/Sheamus angle has really gotten hot. If it has, those two have a better chance of being booked to win the titles. If it has not, New Day continues to hold the tag titles hostage and every record known to mankind will fall at their feet. Cesaro and Sheamus have not looked that interesting. They will likely lose here. And what will the payoff of this storyline end up being? It might just end up being a feud the WWE tried too hard with.

TJ Perkins defends the Cruiserweight Championship against Brian Kendrick. This feud has been rather enjoyable. I might usually say that the WWE needs to stop taking advantage of real-life drama for storylines. But Kendrick acting like this is his last chance in the WWE and that he needs to win the title has led to a good midcard feud. I think he should win it. If he loses, I can imagine a face turn, but does that really seem necessary? Keep him heel and give him the title.

Even though it has not been made official, I can imagine Sami Zayn vs. Braun Strowman getting put somewhere on Sunday. I doubt Sami is being pushed to overcome Strowman. If this match happens, Strowman wins.

For a match that is supposed to be one of the main events of Hell in a Cell, Roman Reigns vs. Rusev is least likely to close the show. But you can never tell in this era. Roman Reigns just won the title a few weeks ago. Has the WWE gotten what they wanted out of this title reign for Reigns? And if Rusev does regain the title, it will likely be by some shenanigans. I can't imagine Reigns losing cleanly here. Will Lana get involved? I can't really see Rusev winning. The WWE might have someone else interfere to screw Reigns, which would then mean Reigns can move on to feuding with that person and the feud with Rusev would not have to drag on. But I don't see anyone on the horizon that would want to interfere to screw Reigns that he could feud with after Hell in a Cell. I'll say he retains.

Sheamus And Cesaro Team Up

When I was previewing the final match in the series between Sheamus and Cesaro for Clash of Champions, I said that there were a few ways the WWE could get fancy with this angle. I felt they should not have done anything like that. Just let one guy win the title shot and go for a title on Raw. I went with Cesaro going for the Universal Championship.

The WWE decided to get fancy. The match at Clash of Champions ended up a draw. Both men complained about it on Raw. Mick Foley said they will now be teaming together and going after the tag titles.

I think this is just a terrible turn of events. It is not the first time this kind of angle has happened. A face and a heel have a rivalry, they end up teaming together, and they eventually get the tag titles. Problem is, this rivalry between Sheamus and Cesaro was never that great to begin with. Some loved seeing two hard-hitting guys going at it, but there were also some that found this feud stale. They had faced each other numerous times before the "Best of Seven" series started. There is no real rich story between these guys. This whole feud has just been forced. And now the angle continues with them teaming up.

Should they win the tag titles? New Day's reign of terror continues. If there are any records left in the tag division, the WWE might just hand it to them. I feel like the WWE is wishing that Sheamus/Cesaro captures some of that same magic Rhyno/Heath Slater has. There are not a lot of great true tag teams around. The WWE is just throwing together two guys getting singles pushes and trying to run on their momentum. It would be nice to try to do a better job building the true tag teams. As for whether Sheamus and Cesaro will win the tag titles, let's wait and see if they do capture some of that magic. If not, if they are viewed as flops, New Day will hold it for another few weeks. Anderson & Gallows are flops. The WWE still could have forced the tag titles on them. They didn't. I think the WWE will hold those same standards for Sheamus and Cesaro. If they do fail, they will just go back to feuding with each other.

Previewing The Clash Of Champions 2016 Undercard Matches

There was a time for a while in the WWE where they just did a poor job building up their PPV cards. They would just put most of their focus on a handful of major matches. Everything else got mediocre development. You would even see random filler matches on these PPVs. The WWE then improved themselves a little bit. But it looks like they might be going back to their old ways with the brand split back. I can hardly believe Clash of Champions is already here, but it is.

Chris Jericho faces Sami Zayn. This is a feud they just threw together in recent weeks. You can say that the injury to Finn Balor shook things up. Chris Jericho cannot continue his tag-team run with Kevin Owens in the manner the WWE might have wanted to. Owens has Seth Rollins, so Jericho is left with Sami Zayn, who had been without direction for a few weeks before that. But this is a feud for Sami Zayn to win. Jericho doesn't need this win. Yes, I said the same kind of thing before Summerslam, where Jericho and Owens beat Enzo & Cass, but I am sure that feud would have continued to give the face team the win later on. I do not think Zayn/Jericho should be an extended feud, so let Zayn win here and move on.

Sheamus vs. Cesaro has been flavored filler. These guys will have the grand finale of their "Best of Seven" series at Clash of Champions. The winner gets a title shot, but it has still been a long feud. Even wrestling fans have been giving this feud mixed reviews. Some love it because these guys can go in the ring. Others hate it because of how stale it is. And I just hate the booking of these matches. Sheamus won 3 straight. The odds were against Cesaro. There was even an injury angle involved. And Cesaro bounces back to win 3 straight. Is Cesaro going to come out to John Cena's theme song this Sunday? The Swiss Cena probably should. That's how this feud is making him look, especially if he wins. I think Sheamus should win this just so he doesn't look pathetic. But I will say the WWE will have Cesaro win.

New Day vs. Anderson & Gallows is another feud that has been going on for a long time. The issue with this feud isn't really staleness. It is just terrible segments and the WWE not knowing what to do with Anderson & Gallows. Are they destructive monsters? Or are they comedians? Destructive monsters that moonlight as comedians? Whatever it is, it hasn't worked out very well. I have talked about them and this feud a lot in recent weeks. The WWE missed their chance to put the titles on these heels when the timing was better. But they will probably win it here. If Jericho/Owens was still a force in the tag division, I would say have New Day retain this Sunday and lose the titles to them. Not going to happen. No other great heel teams on the horizon. Give the titles to Anderson and Gallows. 

The Cruiserweight Championship will be defended at Clash of Champions. TJ Perkins defends against Brian Kendrick. And this just feels like something thrown together. Yes, there was hype for the cruiserweights for months, but this actual match just popped up the week before the PPV. People criticize the WWE for how they handled the debut of the division on Raw this week. Where's TJ Perkins? Where are all the other guys that will be in the division? Where is proper development for the guys that were there? It is like the WWE just tossed them out there to be wrestlers and is not putting in the work to make them stars. The WWE is obviously not planning to sell the PPV on this feud, but the cruiserweight division could have gotten off to a better start. As for the winner of this match, TJ Perkins. Why would they have him lose the title so soon after getting it?

Roman Reigns vs. Rusev for the United States Championship is the only undercard match to get great development. That is because it involves Roman Reigns. This match could be considered one of the top matches for Clash of Champions. It has gotten some main-event focus on Raw. I could have talked about it Friday. But I'll just talk about it here. The only flaw in the development of this feud was Rusev taking some time off. He just got married to Lana a few weeks ago, so I am not going to criticize him for taking time off. I am just saying that there was some time where the feud kind of got lost in the shuffle. That left time for Roman Reigns to be involved in the drama over the Universal Championship. Maybe that added a little to the feud. Rusev ran out last week to screw Roman Reigns out of a match that would have given him another shot at the Universal Championship. Overall, one of the better feuds on the card this Sunday.

Who wins? Rusev seems to have momentum. He attacked Roman Reigns after that cage match this week on Raw. Rollins ran out for the save, mostly to also take out Kevin Owens, not save Roman Reigns. The only way I can picture Reigns losing this match is so he can get involved with Kevin Owens for the Universal Championship after Clash of Champions. A main-eventer like Roman Reigns does not necessarily need a midcard title. He's not at that stage of his career that John Cena was when he won the United States Championship twice last year. And Reigns doesn't feel like one of those former World Champions that gets demoted back to the midcard to win titles there, like Miz. I know it looked like he would get demoted after his suspension and getting pinned cleanly a few times, but the WWE seems to be back to pushing him as a major player. If he does lose to Rusev, it won't be cleanly. And it would have to be in a way that still ends the feud to free him up to face Owens, if they want to go in that direction. I will just say Reigns wins this Sunday.

Previewing The Sumerslam 2016 Undercard Matches

Cesaro and Sheamus are going to have a "Best of Seven" series, the first match happening at Summerslam. These two have already faced each other multiple times. This is a boring feud that did not need to be extended this long. I would have expected this feud to end at Summerslam and both men to move on to other things. This was not even a feud that felt heated enough to need a gimmick to it, like I have said about certain other feuds, like Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn. There is a feud where a "Best of Seven" might have been more appealing. In any case, who wins this Sunday? Doesn't matter. I will say Sheamus. Let Cesaro have to come from behind. This is flavored filler for a few weeks, I'll give the WWE that.

Enzo & Cass take on Chris Jericho and Kevin Owens. I am not going to call the heels by their team name. These kind of teams never last long and there is no point getting hooked. Enzo & Cass are a hot act and I will say they win here. The heels have the momentum heading into Sunday. I will also say that the feud continues past Summerslam. There is more potential for good promos here than with Cesaro vs.Sheamus, one of the things that makes extended feuds more bearable and even enjoyable.

New Day defend the tag titles against The Club. No Big E in this match. New Day already has the record, so the WWE might as well take the titles off them. I just don't think Anderson & Gallows look that great right now. I have talked about it before. Are they destructive badasses, which helped groups like The Shield be successful? Or are they a new kind of DX? I see some fans a little unhappy with how they are now being featured. Other fans like the humor. Either way, most wrestling fans would probably like them getting the titles, and they probably will.

Miz defends the Intercontinental Championship against Apollo Crews. I just don't feel like Crews has really broken out yet. He probably will win the Intercontinental Championship one day, which won't help him break out, but I will say Miz retains here. Make it a journey for Apollo Crews. Maybe that will help fans buy into him more.

Outside of the title feud between Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler, Smackdown's big feud is AJ Styles vs. John Cena. And it has been pretty routine. It feels like a weaker version of Cena vs. CM Punk. Styles is following in the path of workers like Punk and Daniel Bryan. But those two workers just had pushes that helped them to break out, whether the WWE wanted it or not. AJ Styles just feels like a guy that has gone with the flow of wherever the WWE had taken him this year. Although they have treated him pretty well, Styles does not look like an A+ player. As for who wins this match, AJ seems likely to win. Cena destroyed him on Smackdown this week. Besides that, Cena will eventually take time off again. Will Styles be the one to write him off eventually? If that is the case, maybe they will let Cena win at Summerslam and let AJ Styles look even more impressive down the line against Cena when they do give him time off. For now, I will stick with AJ Styles winning at Summerslam.

Raw's big match, outside of Seth Rollins vs. Finn Balor, is Roman Reigns vs. Rusev for the United States Championship. It has even gotten the main-event slot the last two weeks. Is that because the WWE still wants Roman Reigns as the centerpiece? Or do they just realize the third hour is doing poorly most of the time and will stick their #2 feud there? Whatever the case, Roman Reigns is still being pushed better than some fans might have expected.

He might even be getting pushed better than some fans actually want. I see some fans talking about how it would send a terrible message if they let him win the United States Championship. What do some fans want? Reigns fired? He served his time for what he did. He did not win back the WWE Championship. He is not in the main event of Summerslam. William Regal screwed up when he got suspended in 2008, but they still gave him a run with the Intercontinental Championship a few months later. Some fans are just not being fair. Yes, a lot of fans hate Roman Reigns, but that doesn't mean the WWE needs to punish him even more than they have.

Back to the feud with Rusev, the WWE had them go at it on Raw this week. That match will probably be better than PPV match this Sunday. And they had Reigns win on Raw. Does that mean he loses at Summerslam? It might. Prior to this week, it just seemed like giving him a midcard title run might be likely. Cena gained some points with smarks last year when he was depushed and defending the United States Champion. A depush has eased the hatred towards Reigns in the past. It just made sense that a depush and a solid run with the U.S. title would do him some good.

The other story the WWE might want to tell is that Roman Reigns is having the worst year of his life. Remember when Cena lost to The Rock at Wrestlemania and the year he had that followed? The WWE sold it like Cena needed to redeem himself, and he obviously did it when he beat The Rock one year later for the WWE Championship. Roman Reigns lost the WWE Championship. He got suspended, something the WWE acknowledged even in kayfabe, and has been moving downwards ever since. Failing to win the title this Sunday would just further drive that point. Will they keep holding him down for a whole year? Or just until Wrestlemania next year where he might regain the the top title, likely the Universal Championship, and be the top guy again? The WWE might hope fans are sympathetic towards Reigns and it helps him get over better. Tricky plan, but the WWE might try something like that.

Which way will the WWE go? Solid midcard push? Or the redemption story? Going by how they let Reigns win the non-title match on Monday, I will say he loses to Rusev and they go with some kind of redemption story. Whether it lasts a year, a couple months, or a few weeks, the WWE might want to try the sympathy route. Let fans believe he is being punished and try to make him earn his spot back. Might not work, but they still might try it.

Previewing The Money In The Bank 2016 Undercard Matches

Titus O'Neil gets a shot at the United States Championship. Some people might question whether or not he even deserves this push against Rusev. It is likely he is just being used as fodder for Rusev. Nevertheless, it is nice to see Titus still getting something meaningful to do on TV after that incident a few months ago. Rusev retains here.

The tag titles match seems interesting. New Day defends against The Club, The Vaudevillains, and Enzo & Cass. But this should really boil down to two teams. It will either be New Day retaining or The Club getting the titles. If New Day retains here, the WWE might as well head towards these guys breaking the record for longest reign with the tag titles, or at least make an angle out of them possibly doing it. The Club, however, can really use that credibility from winning the titles. The commentators keep on putting over how dominant these guys are and whatever else. Show it, don't just say it. So far, these guys have not looked as impactful as Nexus, The Shield, and other such groups. They don't really take over the show like the NWO did in WCW. Honestly, it is pretty lame. Wrestling fans are eating these guys up because they are familiar with their work prior to the WWE. I would like to see more from them in the WWE, and I think there are a lot of other viewers that share that same belief. I would give them the titles.

I am going to lump Apollo Crews vs. Sheamus and Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler together. The new guys should be beating the veterans. Neither of the two new guys have been too stellar so far, but they have potential and bad feud development could hurt them. At least they are getting feuds. It is better than the WWE just giving a new debut a random win streak without an actual feud. Crews and Corbin win their respective matches.

The End Of The League Of Nations

Alberto Del Rio had said in an interview recently that The League of Nations was finished. They didn't look like a unit on Raw this week. On Smackdown this week, without spoiling too much, it looks like another nail is being put into the coffin.

This is a group that could have been a lot better than they were. Even with Barrett being taken out, the trio of Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, and Rusev could have made an impact. Personally, I prefer seeing Rusev with Lana than Rusev with The League of Nations, but that's another issue. The stable still could have been good.

What about that feud with The Wyatts? Bray Wyatt's recent injury has ruined it. I think recent developments just further support that the feud really was out of lack of creative direction. If The League of Nations can't have that feud, they can't have any feud? Breaking them up is the only thing you can think of? With The Wyatts, it is no big deal. When Bray Wyatt returns, he can just jump to any feud. The WWE frequently has him just move all over the place. But it really feels like The League of Nations was the group that the WWE really didn't have any direction for.

Roman Reigns didn't bury the group. They still stayed together after Sheamus lost the title and eventually regained some of their momentum back. John Cena, the guy many fans say buries people, certainly didn't ruin them. I wouldn't even say New Day ruined them, although the WWE should have let two members of The League of Nations win the tag titles while they still had some momentum and were looking like a strong heel stable. New Day doesn't need them anymore. I would say that was the point the WWE really missed a chance to go somewhere with this group. The feud against The Wyatts likely would not have been as good as The Wyatts vs. The Shield.

Is there any hope for these three guys? Or are they all jobbers to the stars even as singles wrestlers? Even with the injury issues, I think the WWE had enough heels to work with Roman Reigns and AJ Styles. There's no need to turn anyone or free up people to serve that purpose. But I do not have confidence in how they will be handled. The WWE just debuted a bunch of guys. Cesaro returned from injury. Cena will return soon. Sheamus, Rusev, and Del Rio stood a better chance of being featured well as a group than they likely will on their own.

The Wyatts Vs. The League Of Nations: Really?

The League of Nations won their Wrestlemania match against New Day. They got a title shot the very next night on Raw. I would have had them win the titles. The WWE had other plans. New Day retained and Barrett was kicked out of the group.

The Wyatts had an eventful Wrestlemania. Despite not having an official match heading into Sunday, they were used to put over The Rock and John Cena. The next night on Raw, they attacked the remains of The League of Nations.

Is the WWE really going with this feud? I talked about how Roman Reigns vs. AJ Styles seemed like a suspicious feud to create right now. Should I have the same feeling for this heel stable vs. heel stable feud? This just feels like lazy booking. With the WWE running with Reigns vs. Styles, for whatever reason they might have, that takes away two top faces. Ambrose looks like he is going in another direction. And even if the WWE had pushed one of these other top faces against one of the heel stables, they would likely need a few partners to even things out. Even if one stable is able to get a proper feud, what about the other? Having the two groups feud is just an easy answer.

There were still other options. How about continuing New Day vs. The League of Nations for one more PPV? Or how about having The Wyatts feud with New Day? Have Roman Reigns feud against The League of Nations. Have him feud against one member, two members, or possibly all three guys left in the group in a four-way match for the title.

Some people might wonder if the WWE is thinking face turn for one of these groups. I don't think that is necessary. The Shield vs. The Wyatts happened when both teams were heels. The Shield would eventually turn face, but it did not happen immediately with that feud. Besides that, the WWE just officially turned New Day face not too long ago. Do they really need to turn another team face? If a team does turn, the WWE will probably turn The Wyatts. The League of Nations just seem less likeable right now.

I honestly do not remember any fans being excited for a feud between these two groups prior to last week. Even since then, I don't feel the hype. Go back to The Shield vs. The Wyatts. Even before that feud got started, I remember fans wanting it. The Shield is the best 3-man group in recent WWE history. The Wyatts were hot back then. Many fans consider the 2014 Elimination Chamber match between these two groups the match of the year back then. Those expectations are not here. Sheamus and his crew are not The Shield. The Wyatts have been broken down and built back up a few times since that feud against The Shield. They have lost their edge. Moreover, Braun Strowman is not Luke Harper. Wrestling fans love Luke Harper. They are not so crazy about Braun Strowman. I do not expect this heel stable vs. heel stable feud you have right now to be as good as The Shield vs. The Wyatts. And I would be shocked if a 3 vs. 3 match between The League of Nations and The Wyatts gets match of the year for 2016.  

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 Tag Division Heading Into Wrestlemania 2016

There was a time a few years ago when the WWE was good with handing the tag titles off to teams that had momentum and actually looked like they deserved them. That changed within the last year or so. The WWE would shoot the titles to a team that lacked momentum, then have a title change just when it started to look like that team was really starting to look good. That booking practice came to an end when the WWE allowed New Day to put a stranglehold on the division.

In my opinion, the tag division recently has been pretty poor. It's been, well, booty. During this time when New Day has been holding the titles for months and months, there were several teams that had some freshness or momentum to them that were not booked to get the tag titles. The Dudleys returned and looked hot. They have lost all their feuds so far. The Usos came back together again and could have been a choice to get the tag titles. Nope. The Lucha Dragons looked like they might go somewhere. Injuries led to a solo push for Kalisto. If the WWE had put the tag titles on a face team, that would have opened up the possibility for some fresh feuds with other heel teams. The League of Nations could have used the tag titles. The Wyatts could have used the tag titles, especially with Bray Wyatt not wrestling right now. Simply sticking so long with New Day all these months is not fair to other teams. This has not been a situation where depth was poor. I know New Day sells merchandise, but you should be able to push people well without titles. Titles are not just accolades. They are used to tell stories and add to feuds. And there are other stories and feuds that can use those tag titles that do not need New Day involved.

At Wrestlemania, all three members of New Day will face all four members of The League of Nations. The League of Nations have already had two shots to win the titles and failed. Backing up for a second, this started out as a heel vs. heel feud. After that beating on Raw New Day received, they seem to be the ones going face. I can very well imagine the WWE having New Day retain again and continuing their run as faces. They are pushed too much. This should be the feud where they lose the tag titles. The League of Nations have been built up again to look strong. There was a time not too long ago where they just looked pathetic. Injuries played a role in that. Don't just hand them this momentum to feed them to New Day.

There is another tag feud being developed for Wrestlemania. The Usos will face The Dudleys. It is not unusual to sometimes see things get lost in the shuffle around Wrestlemania season. And this would have been a feud you might expect to see get lost in the shuffle. The Dudleys have been pretty mediocre heels. After a lot of initial excitement and dirtsheets stirring the pot with reports saying the WWE saw the great heel potential in Bubba, this whole feud with The Usos and storyline about no more tables is just not that great. If the WWE wasn't so ravaged by injuries, this feud probably would be lost in the shuffle. The only good thing I can say about this feud is that it shows you can have some kind of feud in the tag division away from the tag titles. And it did have potential to be better than it is. The WWE just is not going in that direction.

What would I rather see for Wrestlemania this year from the tag division? I think they should have gone with a multi-team match for the tag titles. The main problem with that is that the WWE might struggle to create enough matches with the limited roster. Let's say injuries were not an issue. You can have New Day defend the tag titles against The League of Nations, The Usos, and The Dudleyz. Throw in The Wyatts? Make this the match R-Truth and Goldust officially become a team? Social Outcasts? You might have a gauntlet match here. Tag Team Turmoil. There are a lot of angles going on in the tag division. More of them need to be featured better. And New Day cannot continue to be featured so much better than the rest of them. I don't care how many unicorn horns and boxes of cereal they sell.

Too Many Injuries To Start 2016

Last month, the Raw before TLC ended with a big brawl between Roman Reigns and Sheamus. I said the WWE should be careful with things like that because of injuries. Some people might have thought I was just dumb for being so cautious. Maybe.

A few weeks later, John Cena was added to the list of performers currently having injury issues. He is a top star, so losing him has to hurt for Wrestlemania season. It even made me start feeling that the WWE should debut some new guys, like AJ Styles.

But the list just seems to keep growing. There seems to be new reports every week of some wrestler at least supposedly injured. You know the WWE is in trouble when they have to start pushing Heath Slater. I have seen people say that you could probably make a PPV card just with those wrestlers currently injured. I would go as far as to say that the PPV you make with those names will likely be a bigger draw than the PPV you can make with the healthy full-time performers the WWE currently has. Let me look at just some of these injuries.

The League of Nations is ravaged. Everyone knows Barrett has injury issues keeping him out of the ring, but at least he still shows up now and then to sell he is still with the group. There are now reports that Rusev is injured. Whatever it is, it has just been Alberto Del Rio and Sheamus in matches for the stable this week. This group just looks pathetic. Sheamus doesn't look like a great top heel. Vince McMahon is the only A+ heel in the company right now. All the other major heels are looking like his minion in his war against Roman Reigns. Would things be better if Seth Rollins was healthy? I would think so. He was not a solidified top star, but the WWE would probably feature him better than Sheamus. Even with a group, Sheamus does not look strong enough. It does not help when the members aren't all healthy.

Paige also has a minor concussion. She was already getting depushed anyway. She last wrestled at house shows at the end of December. She had not wrestled on Raw since November. I was on Twitter a while ago and saw someone asking why Paige has not been on Raw. I told him she has been getting filler and jobber pushes, like Mickie James. Next thing I know, Mickie James takes a shot at me because she thought I was insulting her. I'm not insulting her. I am just talking about how she was pushed. And that happened on my birthday. Not great getting burned by your favorite diva on your birthday. As for Paige, there is an obvious depush here, and not just because of injury. She lost more than she won during her big push a few months ago. Usually when you see that kind of thing, don't expect too much better when the push does end. Paige has been a credible jobber her entire career. There are no signs that is changing.

Regardless of her minor injury, the WWE could still do more with her. I said recently that the WWE can develop an elaborate storyline with Becky Lynch and Charlotte. One of the things that makes an elaborate stroyline what it is is the use of supporting players. These aren't just jobbers to give the two people pushed momentum. These are workers that actually add to the story. Paige has a history with Becky and Charlotte. She is someone that can be used in this story. If she's healthy enough to travel and talk about her injury in interviews, she is healthy enough to get involved. Of course, there is still plenty of time for that, if the WWE wants to build an elaborate storyline.

What should the WWE do with the injury issue they now face? First of all, I would say the problem is worse in the men's division than the women's division. Becky Lynch and Charlotte are the women being pushed. There are still many other women in the division to utilize. As for the men, the WWE is pushing men they would normally not push and bringing in more talent. They are doing what you would expect to fill up the gaps. Longer matches also mean more time is taken up and less performers have to be featured.

In terms of long-term solutions, I have seen some people suggest a brand split. I do not agree. A brand split is something you consider when you have a bunch of people on your roster and you cannot feature them properly. When your roster is limited, that is not the right situation for a brand split. A limited roster during a brand split was a problem in the diva division for a while. It created terrible depth issues. It is no surprise that they unified the titles when they did. There just were not enough credible challengers. And these same kind of issues can exist in the men's division. People talk about all the injuries in 2007 and how that influenced decisions the WWE made for the men's division back then. If they went back to a brand split now, they would only set themselves up for much worse than 2007.

Even with a brand split, these workers still have to go through a heavy schedule, including house shows. I know house shows are a major source of income for the WWE, but I would consider easing the schedule a bit. In many major sports, you usually get some kind of bye week or break, and that is in addition to the off-season. Some fans have suggested an off-season. The WWE will probably not go that far, but even giving it a rest for a week or two might mean so much. How about around the end of the year? For Christmas? Give the workers some time off. Run some "best of" specials during this time. It is funny how so many injuries would seem to happen in December at one time. Injuries around this time of year are just the worst. Or how about an "off-season" that consists of no house shows for a month but the WWE still does Raws and Smackdowns? The WWE should sacrifice a little bit of the money they make from live events for the sake of giving their stars a break and extending their years being active. If they do not, it can hurt the overall quality of the product, which will still end up costing them money.

Roman Reigns: A Victory For The Status Quo?

The status quo in the WWE is not one in which everyone is given an equal, fair opportunity and it is up to each performer to be the best they can be and earn the top positions for themselves. It is one in which the company chooses whom they want to be their stars and grooms them to be stars. They will take advantage of people not getting opportunities to be pushed as top stars to put over top stars. They will stifle success they do not want to have. They will force things. Even if things do not look like it is working out, the WWE will stick with what they want. Not surprisingly, this status quo can sometimes lead to failure.

Roman Reigns is a benefactor of this status quo. Problem is, it looked like he would be a flop. He can connect moderately well with some fans, but there is a vocal fanbase out there that has crushed him at times. He seemed to win those fans over a few weeks ago and the WWE wasted no time in putting the WWE Championship back on him for a proper run.

Is this a win for the status quo? Considering the issues the WWE has had with John Cena's connection with the fans, it has been a while since they had a centerpiece with an A+ connection with the fans. But I am not ready to say that Roman Reigns has clinched that level of overness for himself. Fans reacted well to him attacking Triple H, but is the connection genuine? I have seen people get cheered just for doing a certain thing the fans loved seeing. It doesn't mean they were over. It is not always enough to truly make them over. But the WWE definitely wants to make Roman Reigns over.

The WWE might think they have found the winning formula. Fans seem to like it when Roman Reigns is a badass attacking authority figures. Sound familiar? People have already made the comparison between him and Austin. They say they are making him into another Stone Cold. He doesn't have the mic skills to be like The Rock. If the WWE can continue going in this direction and solidify the overness Roman Reigns has, it will be a win for the status quo.

What does that mean for guys on the wrong side of the status quo? There are some talented wrestlers out there that wrestling fans would like to see pushed better. With Roman Reigns possibly succeeding with his push as centerpiece, it is unlikely many of these guys will ever get a shot to be the top star.

Speaking of Austin, he seems to be a Cesaro fan. Cesaro is one of those guys on the wrong side of the status quo. He currently has injury issues. Austin suggested that Cesaro come back swinging and fight to get that better push. Easier said than done. Even if Cesaro does somehow reinvent himself and gets very over, will the WWE automatically push him at the level he deserves? No. Will they possibly use him to put over whom they do want over? They have done this kind of thing before.

In general, you usually see the WWE take someone that has the look and character they like, and usually lacks great wrestling ability, and then struggle to get that person liked by wrestling fans once they start getting pushed as the centerpiece. How about taking someone already connecting well with wrestling fans and groom him to get over with the wider audience? If someone like that is already getting a better reaction than pretty much anyone else on the roster, it would make sense to build around someone like that. Give him the creative interest and hype to connect with the wider audience. But that is not how the status quo of the WWE works.

Back to Roman Reigns. His storyline now involves Vince McMahon even more. You can't get a bigger rub than this. Sheamus will get his rematch for the title on Raw next week. Vince will be the referee. Big match for Raw. Does Sheamus regain the title? The odds may be stacked against Reigns, but that was the way things were when he won the title on Raw a few weeks ago. The WWE will find some way for him to retain again. I don't expect any heel turn for Reigns? Might Cena and/or The Usos get involved? Will Triple H show up? Let's see how it plays out.

New WWE Champion: Roman Reigns

The WWE could probably smell the blood in the water at TLC. They went in for the kill on Raw last night. At TLC, despite not winning the title from Sheamus, Roman Reigns seemed to win the crowd over with his assault on Triple H. The WWE didn't take too much time after that to give Roman Reigns a rematch on Raw, where he finally captured the WWE Championship. It looks like this reign will last longer than 5 minutes.

I like that they had a title change happen on Raw. That does not happen often. They should do exciting things like that to help ratings.

The WWE didn't simply give Roman Reigns the title. It is how they did it that deserves to be mentioned. At TLC, the WWE saw that having Roman Reigns attack Triple H helped him win the rowdy fans over. They gave a little more of that on Raw. This time, it was Vince McMahon himself out to screw Roman Reigns. And if Reigns lost, he would be fired. The League of Nations would also once again get involved. The odds were just stacked against Roman Reigns. And he overcame it all himself. He even knocked out Vince. If attacking Triple H got fans to cheer him, knocking out Vince shouldn't hurt too much. The WWE has certainly put work into creating Roman Reigns.

Where does this leave Sheamus and his group? Sheamus was obviously a stepping stone. He will get his rematch. But how will the WWE continue The League of Nations? The group has only been official for a few weeks. I am getting the feeling it might already be starting to fall to pieces. I definitely do not see it remaining a main-event stable for long. If it does survive any meaningful length of time, it will be an upper-midcard/midcard angle. I have said before that I dislike when the WWE invests in a group when it is obvious they might not last long. They come up with a stable name, a group theme, and whatever else. And then the group just falls apart. I would really hate for that to happen here, especially so soon. This group had potential, despite some issues. I was going to talk about the WWE's handling of Lana in relation to the group, but I now have to wonder if the group will be around long enough to even bother bringing that up.

Back to Roman Reigns. This might be the true start of his centerpiece run. Yes, John Cena was not around the last few months, but this has not been a filler run. A few years ago, John Cena had to take time off due to injury and Daniel Bryan got pushed as filler in his place. Cena came back, won a World title, was in a match to unify the titles, and then you had Batista. While that went on, Daniel Bryan was getting phased out. That is how you know his push was just meant to be filler. Circumstances and fan backlash led to him getting back in the title picture. Roman Reigns is someone they actually want to be a top star.

The storyline with Roman Reigns is similar to the storyline with Daniel Bryan back then. Authority figures don't want a certain face to win the title and screw him. But what happened with Daniel Bryan wasn't just a storyline. The WWE legitimately did not want to push him at the level he deserved. Running the storyline they did was the dumbest thing they could have done. It just riled fans up even more. Danial Bryan was already connecting with the fans very well prior to that whole thing getting blown up further. The WWE should not have messed with that. This is not the kind of storyline you should do with someone you do not intend to eventually get a proper run at the top, especially when that someone is as hot as Daniel Bryan was.

The WWE has obviously pulled the trigger with Reigns, but what if they didn't? What if they had him win, then had Vince somehow strip him of the title right after? What if they actually had him lose and get "fired"? Would fans threaten to riot or start a petition to get him rehired? What if they screwed him out of the title and just moved on, like they tried to do with Daniel Bryan a few years ago? Would there be that same backlash? Roman Reigns may have gotten a great reaction at TLC, but you never make too much out of one thing. I would not yet say he is as hot as Daniel Bryan was back then. If the WWE decided to play with this situation and dragged it out, it probably would have not worked. They wasted no time in pulling that trigger. Probably a very smart move.