The Kurt Angle Mystery

The WWE typically likes to do a big angle every summer. You might take a look around and wonder where it is right now. The Kurt Angle mystery is it.

The big reveal is supposedly going to happen next week. Who has Kurt Angle been communicating with these past few weeks? There is a lot of speculation over what is going to happen. It will definitely lead to something big. But will it be good and actually help draw?

One of the ideas floating around is that Kurt Angle has been having an affair with Stephanie McMahon. They did interact back in the day in a few storylines. On one hand, it is not out of the question that they would revisit the storyline. It would be an excuse to get Stephanie and Triple H back on TV. On the other hand, that just seems like a terrible storyline for this PG era. The WWE has done some crass things in recent years. But it just doesn't seem like something they should do, and it probably would not lead to anything that would draw. It would just be a crass storyline out of some soap opera. It would be like the drama with The Bellas a few years ago. Wrestling fans hated that. This storyline could be just as bad.

The other idea floating around is something involving Dixie Carter. She has been working with the WWE recently. Whoever thought she would one day become an on-screen character for the WWE? Even if they did an affair angle between Dixie and Kurt Angle, it might be less controversial as Stephanie McMahon being involved. The whole affair direction still isn't something good for this era, but I can leave that alone. The real issue is that the majority of the audience won't know who Dixie Carter is. They won't care. When Eric Bischoff came to the WWE, that was a guy from WCW, a company that was beating the WWE in the ratings war for a number of weeks. Dixie Carter is coming from TNA, a company that has never threatened the WWE, despite being the #2 wrestling promotion. The WWE already has a whole bunch of TNA talent all over the place. Needless to say, it isn't drawing.

If it is anything else than something involving Stephanie McMahon or Dixie Carter, it will likely be something stupid or disappointing. I have already pointed out that angles involving those two individuals with Kurt Angle will likely not be great and not draw. This thing is likely to flop no matter what. Even if wrestling fans love it, the WWE will likely not draw.

I can give the WWE credit for at least giving Kurt Angle a storyline that will likely be personal to him and his career. Kurt Angle has been very lackluster as GM. He just needs to show more personality. This storyline might, at the very least, unlock that for him. For wrestling fans, they can get excited over this storyline possibly leading to a match for Kurt Angle down the line. In this way, even if the storyline itself is bad, it might do some good for Kurt Angle.

What To Do With Lana

Rusev once again is out with an injury. When this happened a couple years ago, he still showed up to try to help the storyline he was involved in with Dolph Ziggler and Lana. This time around, he wasn't involved in anything too important. His partnership with Jinder Mahal is nothing worth talking about.

But what about Lana? Without her man, she serves even less of a purpose on the main roster. Yes, she is training in NXT, but I'm talking about the main roster right now. Last year, there was a span where she was pretty much an afterthought. She gained relevance again when Rusev feuded with Roman Reigns, and then the storyline with Enzo & Cass. It was good stuff for a periphery diva, but it is obvious she is really tied to her man.

One option might be to give her more people to manage. Jinder Mahal? Unless they plan to properly push him, it is pointless to seriously pair Lana with him. Find someone else on the roster? Debut someone from NXT and have Lana manage them? I don't like any of the options right now.

They could try putting her in matches on the main roster now. With the women's revolution, I don't know how wise that would be. It might just lead to poor matches. This women's revolution shouldn't just be about forcing women into the ring or forcing them to follow a certain path. It should be about fair opportunities and using these women to the best of their own abilities and characteristics.

The option I like is one I have brought up before. Use her as an authority figure. Now would not be the best time. Stephanie McMahon and Triple H are tied up with Wrestlemania matters. But in a couple weeks, they might consider it. Lana has already looked like a boss in the past with her strong heel character. It is one of the reasons she did get over for a while.

It might be refreshing for when Triple H and Stephanie take a break. And they should take a break. They can be overbearing after a while. But what do you do when they take that break? Bring in a legend to run things? Yeah, or you can #GiveDivasAChance. Women have held authority roles before, besides Stephanie McMahon. Why waste Lana when Rusev is hurt?

The fact that she is training to wrestle will only add to her as an authority figure. She can take some bumps and occasionally wrestle the other women. It will add value to her matches. She can be a younger, fresher Stephanie McMahon. Could be very good for her.

Mick Foley Out As Raw GM

The writing was on the wall for a while. Especially after last week, when Mick Foley attacked Triple H, you just knew he was going to get fired as Raw GM. And they did it this week. Stephanie McMahon fired him.

This, of course, will not be the end of Mick Foley. He will probably be a part of Wrestlemania. He'll show up now and then down the line. But the guy obviously needed to take some time off. There were multiple reasons why, including a lack of freshness.

I will say that I liked the relationship Stephanie and Foley had when this first got started. Heel Stephanie McMahon and face Mick Foley? How is that going to work? But it looked like they were actually on the same page for a while. They might have had Stephanie turn back into her tough heel character too soon. It's a little refreshing to see her be something else besides this heel character that rarely gets her comeuppance.

Should Mick Foley be replaced? Maybe down the line. Right now, it just seems pointless. With Triple H back, Raw still has two on-screen authority figures. Bringing in a third, whether that person in aligned with Triple H and Stephanie or not, might just be too much. Down the line, however, you can bring up guys like Sting, Kurt Angle, and so on. Lana might get promoted. Lots of options. But no need to rush to that now.

Time For Another Authority Stable?

The Authority has not been a true stable for a while. Even before Triple H turned on Seth Rollins, Rollins was out with an injury for a long time and it was really just Triple H and Stephanie feuding against Roman Reigns without a real group around them.

Fans are anticipating a new Authority. Triple H has been working with Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens in recent weeks. That could be a new stable right there, or the start of one. Of course, Stephanie McMahon would also be included.

Is it a good idea? On the one hand, a strong heel stable can make for some interesting storylines and feuds. On the other hand, the WWE has not exactly done a great job with most of the things they have tried to do these days. They are very inefficient.

It has been so long since The Authority was a group, I am a little rusty on why it flopped the first time around. I do remember that they just teased friction within the group way too much. It is one thing to do that when one of the members is likely splitting from the group. But the WWE did it way too much. They did it with Randy Orton. They did it with Seth Rollins. This internal drama made it hard to build the stable into something great for faces to eventually overcome and get a great rub off of. If the WWE is going to try again with a heel authority stable, they should cut this friction out.

Another issue to consider is that both Samoa Joe and Kevin Owens are not young guys. This wouldn't be really building the future, like how the WWE could sell that Seth Rollins was being groomed to be the next top guy when he was in The Authority. Seth Rollins is still younger than both Owens and Samoa Joe. The WWE could still try hyping it like these two are the future of the WWE, but it would be pretty laughable with Samoa Joe being 37, the same age as Mickie James. When you reach this age range, your time is now. You're not being groomed for the future. You are either being pushed as a top star or not. Look at how fast they pushed AJ Styles. I don't think they should have rushed like that, but I can understand why they did it. There are organic ways to build all these guys properly. Nevertheless, putting Owns and Samoa Joe in a top stable would be a big step to get something out of them now.

Is it likely the WWE pulls the trigger on this? Probably. What else is Triple H supposed to do in between feuds? Just hide in the background? And Stephanie McMahon might look better with some henchmen to go after whomever she dislikes. I think this can benefit multiple individuals. The WWE just needs to handle it better than they did The Authority the first time around.

Previewing Seth Rollins Vs. Kevin Owens For Hell In A Cell 2016

This is the match that should be the main event. The Universal Championship is on the line. This feud is part of the bigger storyline between Rollins and Triple H. It has just gotten the main attention for a while now. Even then, there have been some issues that have ruined the feel for this feud. That is what I am going to start out talking about.

There are just some guys that do not have the ability to play serious characters and more comedic characters. Anderson & Gallows flopped as the WWE tried to figure out what kind of characters these guys should be. What about Roman Reigns? His issues over the last few years have been talked about very much. The WWE tried to take a guy that got over in a badass stable and turn him into this more witty character that he really couldn't handle. He doesn't have the mic skills. He's not The Rock, a guy that does have the ability to play various characters in an entertaining way, which is why he is so successful in Hollywood. I am not saying these other guys can never expand themselves to have that depth, but they just don't have it.

Even if someone does have that acting depth, there are just certain storylines where you should not want that person to drop a serious character and start acting like a bit of a clown. Pro wrestling is supposed to be about entertaining, but you don't need to be funny all the time to entertain people. Look at the heated feud Randy Orton and Triple H had a few years ago. Orton had attacked Triple H's wife, Stephanie. There was a storyline reason for Triple H to be intense and vengeful. If he started acting goofy, like he has proven he can over the years, especially with DX, that would have ruined the feel of the storyline.

What is the issue here in Seth Rollins vs. Kevin Owens? Specifically, look at Rollins. Some people don't like him as a face, but that happens a lot. A lot of smarks prefer heels over faces. This new face character for Seth may have some flaws, but I think the real issue is that the character he is showing recently is just inappropriate for this storyline. He's been goofing around a little, stealing The List of Jericho. Chris Jericho's list is probably the most popular thing in this storyline, but it really doesn't need to take over like it has.

Seth Rollins was screwed by Triple H a few weeks ago. He was intense about it. He was getting in Stephanie's face, even though there was no clear reason why Stephanie McMahon should be blamed for what Triple H did. He was attacking Kevin Owens. There was entertainment value in this intense character. And now, he just seems to have lost some of his edge. Without even considering whether his attempt to be more entertaining in a comedic way leans more towards The Rock's side or that of Roman Reigns, it just doesn't fit with what has been going on for all those weeks before that. That intensity over Triple H screwing him is gone. One of the issues is obviously that the WWE is dragging this on and Triple H has not given his motive yet, but I think the WWE could have done better.

I am not saying there is anything wrong with testing Seth Rollins by seeing if he can play this kind of face character. He has never been a solo face on the main roster. Challenge him a little. But doing it now hurts the feel of the storyline and the feud with Owens takes a bit of a hit because of it.

Onto the match. Who wins? Seth Rollins has failed to regain the title for months now. He needs to take a vacation from the title scene. I am expecting shenanigans in this match. It might not just be Chris Jericho, again. Triple H, himself, might once again pop up to give Seth Rollins a reason to intensely hate him again. The only way I can picture Seth winning is if he gets screwed again soon after. Think back to Daniel Bryan winning the WWE Championship a few times three years ago. All those reigns were short, The Authority screwing him out of the title multiple times. It would be better to just get Rollins out of the picture. Kevin Owens wins by shenanigans and something happens to add more fuel to Rollins vs. Triple H. That is what I am expecting. 

Let me do an aside about the WWE Network. The WWE recently revealed that they had close to 1.46 million subscribers for the last quarter. That is more than I was expecting, but still less than the WWE's own projections of 1.49 million subscribers. I had said a few months ago that the WWE should not be too confident to retain that much of the 1.52 million they had for Wrestlemania. This quarter, the return of Goldberg is something they will be leaning on to sell Survivor Series. Let's see if that investment leads to a gain in subscribers this time.

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.

Two New Champions At Wrestlemania 2016

Zack Ryder won the ladder match to become the Intercontinental Champion. Who saw that coming a month ago? Ryder wasn't even featured on the main roster back then. To state the obvious, his push came out of nowhere. He is a popular guy. This is his second run with a singles title, his first coming off a fan uproar twisting the WWE's arm a bit. Nevertheless, the WWE did not give him a legitimate push and his run with the United States Championship was short. How will this current push go? It is a possibility he is just a transitional Champion. Some fans wouldn't be surprised if he lost it tonight on Raw. Regardless, Zack Ryder got a Wrestlemania moment.

What does this mean for Kevin Owens, the former Champion? It looked like he had a feud going with Sami Zayn. Assuming the WWE doesn't shoot the title back to Owens, this is now a non-title feud, if the WWE even cares to continue it. I don't like that. The WWE has not always been good with non-title feuds for midcarders. And these two are midcarders. These two could have had a great rivalry. Even before Zayn officially debuted on the main roster, this was a feud that had been given a few moments here and there on the main roster. A lot of times, the WWE just continues something from NXT without proper development. It is hard for a lot of casual fans to connect with that. But this is a feud that looked like it could have been something good. With the title momentarily out of the picture, I am not too confident in how it will go.

The other title to change hands is the WWE Championship. Roman Reigns did it. A lot of fans expected it. A lot of fans did not want it. It was also the main event of the show. It wasn't the greatest match. Fans in attendance, as expected, did not like Roman Reigns too much. In the end, I am glad the WWE actually did it. Some of these fans are just not giving the WWE a chance to build stars to draw in other types of fans. Not everything the WWE does is meant to appeal to one type of vocal fans. If Daniel Bryan was still around, or someone as hot as he was, then I would side with fans complaining about Roman Reigns being pushed ahead of the other guy. No one is that hot. That being the case, let the WWE build some new stars.

Of course, I do think the WWE shot themselves in the foot last night. They made a few mistakes that made things worse. First, why did they make this the main event? Shane McMahon lost to The Undertaker, but that match was huge. Not only was so much on the line, but it featured some big spots and carnage. Match of the night will probably go to the divas, but the Hell in a Cell match should have closed the show. Second mistake, why did they drag Wrestlemania on like they did? The show did not end when WWE PPVs typically end. They had The Rock go out there and kill time, including involvement from The Wyatts and John Cena. I know they had to do something with these guys, but I am sure some fans were getting antsy with how long everything was taking. Finally, the match itself was longer than it really needed to be. The WWE should not expose Roman Reigns like that. Spearing Stephanie got him cheered for a while, but he did not win fans over. Some fans were probably just happy the match ended, even if Reigns won. The WWE just should have managed the card better.

What Does Dolph Ziggler Have To Look Forward To?

I have said before that Dolph Ziggler deserved something for Wrestlemania. He is a solid worker on the fringes of the main-event scene. He had been without a good feud or storyline for a few weeks.

Recently, they are having him stand up to The Authority. Specifically, to Stephanie McMahon. She had him face Triple H last week. There was a stipulation that Dolph could have any Wrestlemania match he wanted if he won, except for the WWE Championship match. It was a good match, but Triple H won.

What direction could they be going with this? If this was the Attitude Era, I could imagine Dolph eventually overcoming the odds Stephanie put in front of him. When it came time for Ziggler to name his match to the cocky Stephanie McMahon, he would name her as his opponent for Wrestlemania. That might have been fun, but not in this era. I have seen some fans say that Dolph would win a match of his choice and choose to team with Shane against The Undertaker to help him put an end to The Authority. As it stands now, that match is not likely to be a classic. The hype is what really matters, but the match quality has some fans worried. Inserting Dolph Ziggler might help the quality in theory, but will the WWE really go in that direction? I am not sure.

The WWE obviously has to keep this angle going somehow. Dolph Ziggler lost last week. Do they still just have him randomly get some mediocre Wrestlemania match? Even just putting him in the battle royal would be a waste. Stephanie McMahon has been making it a challenge for him to get to Wrestlemania. They can still keep that going for the few weeks left until Wrestlemania. But what match would Ziggler choose? Regardless, this is a storyline for him and it would be a disappointment for them to randomly drop it and put him on the card without Stephanie still trying to make his life miserable.

Previewing The 2016 Royal Rumble Match

The last two Royal Rumbles have been terrible. The Royal Rumble isn't supposed to be a popularity contest, but the WWE just made decisions that were definitely not popular with the vocal fans. And those vocal fans let the WWE hear it and definitely made things look bad.

Will that happen again this year? I do not think so. First of all, Daniel Bryan, the man many fans wanted to see possibly win the Rumble match in the last two years, has not been cleared to compete. I doubt fans will be going crazy in anticipation of him. Moreover, there is no one as hot as he was right now, so you don't have to worry about fans rebelling if that person gets tossed out to soon. You also have the fact that this is an intriguing Royal Rumble match this year with the WWE Championship on the line. With the odds so against Roman Reigns, who is still in the process of winning over his haters, it is likely he will lose. That should make angry smarks happy.

Moving on to the possible candidates to win the title, let's at least look at Roman Reigns to start out. He is the guy currently holding the title and he is the new centerpiece. But that does not mean he will retain here. He won the Royal Rumble just last year. It is unlikely he wins two in a row. He will also be the #1 entrant. The odds are just too against him. I have seen some fans groan that Reigns will retain. I think they are just being pessimistic. Austin and Cena, two other centerpieces, were put in certain situations where their back was to the wall and did not overcome. They would eventually usually still get the title back, and that is what you can expect with Reigns. He will lose the title and win it back at Wrestlemania as part of his first successful Wrestlemania moment as the centerpiece. And those groaning fans need to realize that Roman Reigns will still be the centerpiece regardless of who wins this Sunday.

Looking at the list of potential new WWE Champions, should the title change happen, Brock Lesnar has to be at the top. It isn't just because he is pushed as such a dominant guy. The WWE went with Reigns vs. Lesnar last year for Wrestlemania. That got spoiled and the WWE continued to work on Roman Reigns. They have since pulled the trigger on Reigns as the new top star. They would definitely want to revisit this feud now. The Rock beat John Cena at Wrestlemania in a match that was supposed to be once in a lifetime. The WWE ended up doing it again one year later. Cena won the rematch, which also happened to be for the WWE Championship that time around. I would not be surprised to see Roman Reigns overcome the beast he did not beat at Wrestlemania last year at this year's Wrestlemania, and get his title back in doing so.

There is Triple H. He is on no one's radar, officially. He is not in the Royal Rumble. The WWE has not teased that he will be in the match. And yet, it would not be shocking to see him get involved. Roman Reigns attacked him a few weeks ago and he has been out since. He will want revenge. Triple H being in the Royal Rumble would be a shocker many fans probably expected would happen. At the very least, you might see him run out and try to screw Reigns out of the match. The WWE would definitely want to have some kind of feud between Roman Reigns and Triple H. Whether that is for Fast Lane or Wrestlemania is the question.

How about The Wyatts? Specifically, Bray Wyatt. He has looked strong the week heading into the PPV. Is that just a red herring to get fans thinking he stands more of a chance than he does? Are they actually building up to Brock Lesnar vs. The Wyatts? Or is this just to make the group look strong heading into the match and have Lesnar have his revenge there by decimating them? I'm expecting the last option. History shows The Wyatts only look strong to usually put over someone else. When I said the WWE should push them better, I meant separate to the main angle going on. That is how you create creative depth. They deserve their own top angle. A feud with Ryback isn't it. Let's see what happens with them after Sunday, but I am not expecting Bray Wyatt to win the title. I also doubt his henchmen do it.

Let's look a little more at some unlikely possibilities. AJ Styles is looming. Many anticipate his debut to come after the Royal Rumble. If he should debut at the PPV, should he win the Royal Rumble? That would be a big way to debut. Not only does he win the Royal Rumble, he wins the WWE Championship. I do not think he is likely to start so high. There are too many other priorities, even with the injuries right now. Roman Reigns potentially could be feuding against either Brock Lesnar or Triple in the coming months, possibly both. And the title will be involved in that story. To just insert AJ Styles in that would ruin the potential storylines already there. AJ Styles is likely to get a feud against someone like Jericho.

The most unlikely possibility of all that fans would love to see is Daniel Bryan in this match. He may not be cleared by the WWE, but he thinks he's ready to go. Will the WWE have a change of heart and put him in this match? Will they go so far as to put the title on him and give him that Rumble win he's never had? I do not think that would be the end of Roman Reigns being pushed as the centerpiece, but it might go a long way in pleasing smarks. There is a lot to be said about this possibility, but why bother if it is not likely?

Consider how the match should play out. Specifically, if Roman Reigns is #1 and not likely to win, when should he be tossed out? Stamina in a match like this matters. If the WWE exposes Roman Reigns too much and he irritates fans with his performance, that can be a setback in his getting over. He got cheered by just destroying people. It is unlikely the WWE just has him beat everyone up the entire Rumble match. They can run some angle where he is out of the match unofficially for a good portion of it. For example, have him chase after Vince McMahon ten minutes into the match and not show up again until the final minutes. It would be a cheap trick, but something they might do if they want him in there that long. Or they can just have him eliminated in the middle of the match. Would it ruin the story? It might create suspense that the fans are guaranteed a new WWE Champion. Just as good.

One more thing I want to say about this whole situation. This is how The Authority should have been for years. Vince and Stephanie are just evil. They are out to screw Roman Reigns. That is their main focus. The Authority with Triple H and Stephanie has just not been a strong heel group. They would regularly play with tension within the group. Most of the time, it would not even go anywhere. If the WWE was writing the current storyline the same way they have in recent years, Vince and Stephanie probably would have started turning on each other last week. It is just inconsistent storytelling. It can be confusing to fans. Moving forward, Triple H and Stephanie should be that focused on screwing their face enemies or helping their heel allies.

Stephanie McMahon Never Gets Shut Down

Roman Reigns isn't the only person in the WWE that has been on a rampage recently. Stephanie McMahon has also smacked people around. She's done that for a long while. I see some fans getting tired of it. She never really seems to get her comeuppance. She never seems to really get put in her place.

Fifteen years ago, it wouldn't be unusual to see Stephanie McMahon do her heel act and to actually be on the receiving end of a finisher for it. These days, it is extremely rare to see a man hit any kind of move on a woman in the WWE. You would think the WWE would still come up with better ways for some of these guys Stephanie has manhandled to stand up for themselves.

There have been moments where Stephanie McMahon has been embarrassed, like when she got arrested during her feud with The Bellas or when it looked like The Authority were out of power. Problem is, it never really hurts her that much. She comes back and slaps more people around. It just becomes overbearing for some fans.

Comeuppance for Stephanie McMahon has to be more than her just getting laid out by someone she is trying to intimidate. It has to be her actually being shut down, at least for a while. Make it look like the face that puts her in her place actually accomplished something. Have her take a break for a few months, be used less on Raw, or just act like she has been put in her place for a while. It has to be about more than a moment.

Since it likely won't be a man that shuts Stephanie McMahon down, you have to look to the divas. If AJ Lee was still around, she might be an obvious choice. Fans were anticipating some kind of feud when she called Stephanie McMahon out on Twitter earlier this year. That was not kayfabe. The Bellas have feuded with Stephanie before. The WWE can turn them face and revisit that feud. This time, have the sisters overcome Stephanie. Or they can push Paige against Stephanie. Have Paige call her out on who really started the revolution. If the WWE is going to continue to protect Stephanie so much, they can build her up to eventually put a diva over.

This situation with Stephanie McMahon reminds me of what you had with LayCool. With only them being featured prominently in the diva division for a long span, they just became overbearing. They would never really get shut down. There were moments where it seemed like a face put them in their place, like Mickie James or Natalya did. The two heels just always bounced back like nothing really happened. They were still featured as the top stars. That is because McCool was the centerpiece. After the two split and Layla went over her, the WWE just never followed up with Layla at a high level. Even after injuries, they had the opportunity to. Stephanie McMahon is not the centerpiece of the diva division like Michelle McCool was. That makes the WWE protecting her too much even more needless.

Even though fans are supposed to want to see heels get what they have coming, there are still instances where you would like certain heels to be dominant for a span just because there might be some great storyline potential there. Look at Bray Wyatt. How many major feuds has this guy won? How many storylines actually make him look like a winner? He seems to win just to be built up to put over someone else. A lot of fans want to see him actually accomplish some of the things he talks about. Or is he just a babbling loser? He would still be eventually used to put a face over, but he would look strong and intriguing until that time comes. Considering he is fresher talent than Stephanie McMahon, this is a character the WWE should feature stronger.

I like Stephanie McMahon. There was a span over a decade ago where she was my favorite woman in the company. But that was also back when she was put in her place more often. Her character never got as overbearing as it can sometimes be these days. She can go on the mic and she can be charismatic and fun, but as a heel, she does need to let a few faces shut her down more often.

The Authority Makes Night Of Champions More Difficult For Seth Rollins

This was something that seemed obvious, but it was made official on Raw this week. In addition to defending his WWE Championship against Sting at Night of Champions, Seth Rollins must defend the United States Championship against John Cena. Stephanie McMahon made the call.

Even before that final segment where this match was made, you had Sting playing some mind games earlier in the night. He was causing some friction between Seth Rollins and The Authority. I don't think there needs to be a special occasion for there to be friction between The Authority and anyone else on their side. Anyway, it is at least good that Sting is showing up on Raw to help further the storyline. And with John Cena also feuding against Seth Rollins, Sting won't be needed to do too much to keep things interesting for the next two Raws before the PPV. You have had some feuds involving part-timers become annoying because the development just doesn't work out. The feuds going on right here should be fine.

Back to the WWE once again teasing friction within The Authority. I seem to bring this up way too much, but I guess I have to if the WWE keeps doing it. Being consistent does not mean you do something 100% of the time, but you should be doing it closer to 100% than 50%. I am not going to go back and look at every segment with The Authority to determine whether they came off as faces or heels in that segment. Just know that they have been teasing friction within the group almost since it started and Triple H and Stephanie do sometimes come off as faces in certain segments, even though they are supposed to be heels.

Last week, you had Triple H acting all mad about Sting coming back. When The Authority made the match between Sting and Seth Rollins, they were obviously in heel mode. This week, you had Stephanie McMahon not happy about how Seth Rollins was talking about her husband. When John Cena left it to Stephanie to decide, she made the match between Seth Rollins and Cena official. That was a decision Seth did not like. Stephanie made a face decision right there. Is this stable on the same page?

Is part of the problem that there are no face authority figures to make decisions and counter the heel authority figures? I do not think that is necessary. There can be times where a face authority figure makes an unpopular decision or a heel authority figure makes a decision fans like. But I do not remember authority figures being as inconsistent as Triple H and Stephanie McMahon have been since taking over. And the whole "best for business" thing is no excuse. There were times in the past where they would do things that were obviously meant to screw a face and use the "best for business" excuse. Everyone knew they were being hypocrites. And if they stuck in that direction, it would be fine. Instead, they go all over the place and it is just annoying. If they were pure faces, they would probably just bore me. If they were just pure heels, I would probably enjoy them. But the way they are now, it just irritates me. I cannot get behind them. I do not even know what to make of them.

What Is Left For The Authority?

The Authority has been one of the worst corporate stables the WWE has ever had. They started teasing friction within the group almost immediately after it was formed. They never stopped teasing that friction. I have a hard time even considering them a stable right now. Aside from Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, there is only Seth Rollins. This isn't a stable.

To make matters worse, Triple H and Stephanie often come off as tweeners these days. They'll do certain things that seem to make them look like faces or neutral, then turn around and make a decision that is obviously heelish. What does that make the alignment of this supposed stable they are supposed to be in charge of? I have seen some fans say that the characters these two play are just exaggerated versions of how they act backstage. I won't argue against that. In the end, however, I would rather they just be heels. I am the kind of fan that typically likes heels over faces. I find Triple H and Stephanie's characters right now to be dull. For other fans, they might not know what to think of these two. Should we boo them? Cheer them? It can get annoying.

Outside of deciding what they want the leaders of the stable to be, there are two ways for The Authority to go. They have no real members to be considered a legitimate stable. Either add members or drop the angle and also drop Stephanie and Triple H as on-air authority figures. Is it really necessary to do that? The WWE just cannot make up their mind with these two, so I think introducing another authority figure might make things fresh.

If they decide to stick with the stable and add more members, whom should they add? Rusev and Summer Rae come to mind. He is a good brute. There is also Kevin Owens. Many consider him one of Triple H's guys. How about Noble and Mercury? Those guys were pretty much jokes. Kane? If Kane comes back and just reconciles with Seth Rollins, I may officially quit. Teasing friction is one thing, but Seth Rollins attacked Kane while he was already down. To just have Kane shrug that off and rejoin the group is pathetic.

If the WWE goes the path of ending the stable and get someone fresh to run things, whom should that be? Not Kane. He doesn't need that angle. I also would not go with Brad Maddox. I would still go with Lana. Some fans heard she was getting a big push and just expected to see something the WWE was never showing any signs of doing. But having her run Raw and Smackdown for a while would be quite possibly the biggest push she could get.

Which way would I go? I would officially end the stable and get someone new to run things. Remember the days when the McMahons would be around for a while, take a break, come back, and just repeat that cycle? Triple H and Stephanie McMahon were gone for a few weeks last year, but it was like they never left. The main angle still revolved around Seth Rollins trying to get them back. That has been roughly 2 years of these two running things and teasing all this tension with people that should to be on their side. Enough is enough. They have gone stale. Their inconsistency is annoying. I cannot think of one good reason why they should not take at least the rest of the year off. Come back for Wrestlemania next year. In the meantime, something fresh might happen.

GFW Has TV Tapings

Global Force Wrestling (GFW) had their first television taping last Friday. They still do not have a network, but they are taking the first steps towards getting things done. They still have a long way to go before they are even near TNA's level.

One thing that stood out to me from reading about the taping and just looking at GFW in general is how the promotion is featuring Jeff and Karen Jarrett. It is obviously their company. But the way they are featuring both of them is very similar to Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in the WWE. GFW shouldn't try to play chess with the WWE. TNA has done that in the past. Many fans often roll their eyes at it. You can probably count on one hand the number of times TNA actually has beaten the WWE at their own game. I am not saying GFW should not look at what the WWE has done to make them successful, but do not try to imitate them. The WWE isn't exactly knocking it out of the park with every swing these days. They should not want to imitate that. Yes, Triple H and Stephanie being authority figures makes sense because they actually have power. But it has gotten stale and irritating at times. Jeff and Karen running things also makes the same sense, but I am looking forward to the day they get someone else to play an authority figure.

Jeff and Karen are known for playing heels. The two of them playing face roles just does not seem natural now. And when I look at GFW's shop site, I see a lot of generic company merchandise. The only individuals that have merchandise for sale so far are Jeff and Karen. I know the company is just getting started, but seeing them only marketing merchandise for the founders just does not seem right. A lot of fans view the current NXT product as Triple H's baby. There is even merchandise for the performers on there. Go back to when the promotion really started to take on the identity it now has. Before there were any real stars there, how would you react if the first NXT merchandise available was generic NXT shirts and autographed photos of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon? It's just awkward. That is just my overall impression of Jeff and Karen Jarrett. The whole thing just does not seem natural. They should eventually become the kind of owners that are not involved in storylines. If they are going to get involved, eventually turn them heel.

GFW is in the position to not make the same mistakes the WWE and TNA have made. The WWE is guilty of not giving their workers fair opportunities and often trying to force things. Too much ego. TNA is kind of the opposite. They are far less forceful. That is not a good thing. There comes a time where you have to make a decision on whom your top stars are, commit to them, and push them the way they deserve. TNA just rotates everything around. Will Jeff Jarrett do better with GFW? They have some talent to look at and decide which will be the stars.

Mickie James is in GFW now. What will likely be her final TNA match will air soon. Is she finally going to work for a promotion that lets her be the top star of their women's division? She was a credible jobber in the WWE. She was used to put over whom they wanted to be the stars and used as filler when the stars were not around. She had the overness to deserve to be pushed as the centerpiece, or at least a periphery diva, but the WWE was too focused in going in one direction. TNA rotating everyone around led to her not being pushed right. She is the best option GFW has for the centerpiece of their women's division. They are showing signs of promoting her as the top star of their women's division, but they just need to follow it up with proper booking.

Three NXT Divas Debut On Raw

The Bella Twins and Alicia Fox came out to gloat on Raw last night. Stephanie McMahon came out and put them back down. That led to Paige, Naomi, Tamina, and a few new divas from NXT coming out. Those NXT divas would be Charlotte, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch. Charlotte and Becky sided with Paige. Sasha Banks has been paired with Naomi and Tamina. Not surprisingly, a lot of fans are praising it as the greatest diva segment in years.

What kind of feud do you have here? 3 vs. 3 vs. 3? As I have said before, the WWE has just made the diva feud more complicated than it needed to be. They did not need to call up three women in one night to insert them into this feud. If they had kept things simple weeks ago, they only needed to debut one diva to keep things fresh for the rest of the year. No need to put Alicia Fox with The Bellas. No need to bring back Naomi and Tamina against The Bellas. If they really wanted to do something with these other divas, do a better job utilizing other women already on the main roster, like Emma. I know #GiveDivasAChance is not all about Emma, but she was the one that took the pin the night all this started. And what has she done on the main roster since? No need to hand her the title, but a minor feud on the main roster would be nice.

Another issue with the development of this diva feud, there isn't exactly a lot of time between the debuts and Battleground. The WWE could have debuted a new diva a week or two ago and spent the time between then and the PPV introducing her to the main audience by having her wrestle singles matches and be in Paige's corner for her matches. The PPV match would then be Paige and the new diva vs. The Bellas. Instead, all you have until the PPV is one more Smackdown. And how well can you feature three new divas on that one show? It has just not been timed right to properly build to whatever match they are aiming for.

How the WWE follows through with these women after Battleground will also be interesting. If they had just debuted one diva, you could just put the focus on her as she slowly takes the spot against The Bellas Paige has held for months now. You now have three new women in the picture. Obviously, these women still have NXT stuff to do. That makes the decision to use all three on the main roster right now even more questionable. It would have been better to just debut a diva you were prepared to properly develop on the main roster. Good luck trying to keep the ball rolling with this after Sunday.

Let me just talk about Stephanie's promo. She talked about a revolution with women in sports. She brought up women's soccer, UFC, and tennis. Yeah, I can respect what the US women's soccer team has done, what Ronda Rousey has done, and what Serena Williams has done. What makes these women great are not the accolades. It is how they have earned those accolades. It is not just talent. It is how they have utilized that talent. It is the fact that they have beaten other top challengers. Competition. Stephanie also brought up that word. But is there competition in the diva division now? There is fresh talent in the diva division. But will they be given a fair shot to actually succeed and earn the top spot from The Bellas? If not, nothing has changed. This is still a women's division that revolves around eye-candy divas and women with wrestling credibility are often just used to put the stars over. These new divas will get to show how great they are on the main roster. That freshness will excite a lot of fans. But there is more to it than that. What about earning those better careers? What's the point of earning something when you are not allowed to get it? What if those female athletes I brought up did everything right to earn a major title, but some official or committee decided to just hand the title to someone else that did not earn it? Unthinkable, but it happens in the WWE. And I don't mean titles. I mean being actually pushed as a star.

Ziggler, Ryback & Rowan Fired

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

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

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

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