Previewing The TLC 2016 Main Event

AJ Styles will defend the WWE Championship against Dean Ambrose in a TLC match this Sunday. But the wildcard will be James Ellsworth. He has been involved with these two for the last few weeks.

This can go one of two ways. Either Ellsworth will purposely cost Dean Ambrose the title or he will inadvertently cost Dean Ambrose the title. If it is the latter, you have to start wondering if this will lead to Ambrose eventually turning heel or Ellsworth snapping and turning heel later on. Either way you slice it, AJ Styles is retaining the title, and hopefully moving on to a fresher feud than this one with Ambrose.

Let's say Ellsworth was not a factor and this whole story was just between Styles and Ambrose. Is there a reason to give Ambrose back the title now? I don't think so. I would have waited a little longer to give Styles the title, but he has it now and there is no reason to give it back to the man he beat for the title a few months ago. Styles can move back to his feud with John Cena, when he eventually returns. The WWE might have The Undertaker get a title shot. They might just come up with some filler feud until Styles is ready for something better. Whatever they do, Dean Ambrose doesn't seem to need the title heading into Wrestlemania season. In this new smark-friendly era, the WWE might want to keep the title on Styles a little longer into the new year. Both Styles and Ambrose are favorites of smarks, but Styles is much more a favorite.

Let me do an aside. I recently tried to once again have a discussion with wrestling fans about the career of Mickie James in the WWE. You can see my failed attempt here. I remember one time trying to talk about it on another message board years ago and literally getting a headache trying to get through to "smart" fans. I am trying to have an objective, analytical discussion based on how the women are pushed in relation to each other and over time, and all people can do is repeat the same things people have said in dirtsheet reports and backstage rumors. People ignore what is going on right in front of them. I am not even going to bother trying again.

I started blogging in 2008. I do not plan to be blogging in 2018. I'll stop some time next year. Until then, I still have at least a few more months to go.

Previewing The TLC 2016 Undercard

Before I talk about the men's matches, let me update something I talked about yesterday. When talking about the women's matches, I said Alexa Bliss vs. Becky Lynch should have a stipulation for TLC. Later that day on Smackdown, they made it a tables match. Good move. It still feels like Smackdown needs to catch up with Raw's women's division, but this is a start.

Moving on to the men's matches, Kalisto vs. Baron Corbin is a feud I like. It is a non-title midcard feud. No former World Champions involved. It is pure midcarder vs. midcarder. I like how it has been treated these past few weeks. And it is a chairs match. The WWE could use good midcard feuds outside the title picture. As for who wins, Corbin is the one that seems to be on the rise.

Dolph Ziggler lost the Intercontinental Championship back to The Miz a few weeks ago and gets a rematch. It is a ladder match. I hate how the WWE has been tossing certain titles around recently. Remember how much emotion there was in Ziggler's title hunt these last few months. Then there was the big payoff when he finally won the Intercontinental Championship. You can't toss the title around like this and expect the fans to always be as emotionally involved. I was all for Ziggler heading into Survivor Series to defend against Sami Zayn. That did not happen. Now what? Toss the title back on Ziggler. That seems like what the WWE might do, but I don't like it. Build up your Champions to look good before losing the title. I don't mean that everyone needs to have a title reign of doom like New Day, but some of these title reigns just don't get a chance to get established before it comes to an end, and ending at the hands of the person that was just beaten for the title. I am not saying this kind of booking should never be done. You don't want to become formulaic, but this is just too much. I don't think it really adds anything to the feud or storyline. The WWE is just forcing things to be extended because of the brand split. Anyway, I would say Ziggler gets back the title and eventually drops it off to Baron Corbin.

The tag titles will be decided when Heath Slater and Rhyno defend against Bray Wyatt and Randy Orton. Bray Wyatt has been on the main roster for years and has never won a title. If he wins it here, however, it will be more about furthering a storyline than really putting him over. When will Randy Orton strike and turn on Bray Wyatt? One possibility is obviously to have Orton cost Wyatt the tag titles this Sunday. I do not think that is the way things will go. Have Orton help Wyatt win the tag titles, further proving his loyalty to him. Once Wyatt is manipulated to truly think he and Orton are partners, then Orton strikes. This storyline has not been set up as smoothly as it could have, but there is still potential to do something interesting heading forward.

Previewing The TLC 2016 Women's Matches

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

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

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

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

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

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

Roman Reigns Attacks Triple H

Roman Reigns did not win the WWE Championship back at TLC last night, but it is what he did after the match that matters more. He assaulted Triple H. And he got a pretty good reaction for doing it.

Many people have said ever since Roman Reigns was having issues with his big push that he should just turn heel. I never agreed with that idea. A heel turn is not always the answer. The WWE just had to find a proper face character for Roman Reigns. The guy can get a good reaction from some fans, but it is those smarks he needed to win over. As you usually get at a PPV, the crowd was filled with smarks last night. And the WWE found a way to get Roman Reigns to win them over.

He did it by simply going out there and destroying a heel authority figure. A lot of fans love seeing violence and destruction. You do not need to have a comedy gimmick to get over. One of the reasons The Shield worked out is because they were going out there and taking people out. Nexus did the same thing and that angle worked. Kharma went out there and destroyed eye-candy divas. That worked in creating interest in the diva division. It is not surprising that an intense, destructive Roman Reigns would get a positive reaction. I have said before that this guy should play a badass face. Do not push him as a face character he cannot handle. It is still questionable whether he deserves to be the new centerpiece, but they can at least start doing a good job winning his haters over.

What the WWE did last night is a good example of what they are about. They do not just dump a title on someone. They want to get that someone connecting with the audience. They put work into getting someone they want to be a top star over. It is something TNA does not do. They just rotate titles around. In their women's division, they just seem to always give the title to Gail Kim. But they do not really put the work in to get her more over. Building a centerpiece is about overness even more than it is about title reigns. Those title reigns do not mean much if the person winning them isn't connecting with the audience the way the company wants them to. If Roman Reigns didn't have issues, he would probably be a 2-time or 3-time WWE Champion by now. But the WWE is still in the process of building him.

Let me switch to Roman's buddy, Dean Ambrose. He won the Intercontinental Championship. I felt that there would be a title change at TLC. I just felt it would be Roman's other associates, The Usos, winning some gold. Dean Ambrose didn't really look like he needed a title right now. Kevin Owens only really had that one successful title feud against Ryback, the guy he won it from. I saw one fan say Owens can now move up to a better feud. With whom? What top face will he start feuding with? Let's see what happens to him. Even if Ambrose didn't win the title, I wouldn't have been too worried about him getting lost in the shuffle.

Roman Reigns Vs. Sheamus At TLC 2015: Final Preview

Whether some fans like it or not, Sheamus is currently the top heel and Roman Reigns is the top face. And there are a lot of fans that do not like that. They view these two as benefactors of backstage politics, nepotism, or continuing the same old status quo they hate. Their favorites, like Cesaro and Daniel Bryan, are not around. The current situation in the WWE is like a nightmare for some fans. Regardless, Sheamus and Reigns will have a TLC match this Sunday for the WWE Championship.

Raw ended with a promo and brawl between Reigns and Sheamus. Let me start with what I like about that. Raw ended the way it should, promoting the main event of TLC. The WWE was having a tournament to crown a new WWE Champion last month and I said the WWE should have featured these matches better. Let them go on last. So what if it's football season? So what if the third hour does poorly? You have to give top focus to something as big as a TLC WWE Championship match. This segment definitely deserved to end Raw.

Let me say what I don't like about the segment they had on Raw. I can understand getting a little physical to promote Tables, Ladders & Chairs, but I would be careful about how brutal things get. The WWE has a lot of top stars not around. Neither Sheamus nor Roman Reigns can be considered huge stars, but they are the two being pushed right now. Do you want to risk injury less than a week before their title match? I would have toned it down a little. It has nothing to do with PG. It is about avoiding injury. I think more fans would be unhappy with a safe, lame TLC match this Sunday than a brawl on Raw to promote the match being a little less brutal. Both Sheamus and Roman Reigns have had to take time off due to injuries in recent years. If an injury does end up happening at TLC, well, at least they made it to the match. Better than getting injured on Raw and the WWE having to scramble to work through it on short notice. Thankfully, no injuries to hinder the match.

There is no longer a need to ask if Roman Reigns is ready. He is being pushed as the top face. Granted, it is coming at a time when other top faces are not around. Because of that, you would think some people might be more willing to let him get his push. Daniel Bryan was pushed in a filler role as top face a few years ago when Cena took time off due to an injury. The WWE ended up eventually trying to phase Daniel Bryan out. That did not work well. I do not think the same thing will happen to Roman Reigns when Cena returns again. If it does, will fans riot to get Roman Reigns back in the title picture? I doubt it.

Who wins at TLC? Sheamus is not the one being groomed to be centerpiece of the company. That is Roman Reigns. But that does not mean the WWE will rush the title back on him. They might make it more of a journey. Besides, Sheamus just created a stable a few weeks ago. How would it look if he lost the title so soon? The League of Nations should find some way to get involved. I doubt Roman Reigns loses cleanly. But I do think he will lose here.

Previewing The TLC 2015 Undercard Title Matches

All the titles will be on the line at TLC this Sunday. I will talk about the WWE Championship match next time. Right now, I will look at the matches for the Intercontinental, United States, Tag Team, and Diva's Championships.

A common theme in the matches I am about to talk about will be multiple angles going on for some of these wrestlers possibly holding back the potential of the title feuds. I talked about that recently. The League of Nations was just formed, with some of those guys already having something going on prior to the stable becoming official. Then The Usos and Dean Ambrose came out to help Roman Reigns, bringing up the possibility of a stable there. The diva division is a mess, as usual.

Let me start with the Intercontinental Championship match. Dean Ambrose goes against Kevin Owens. I said that this was a feud that did not really need a fancy storyline to it. I did not imagine when I said that that things would work out like they have. Owens was not able to get involved as best as he could for a while. Dean Ambrose got involved with Roman Reigns against The League of Nations. The feud just became an afterthought. They will have a contract signing on Smackdown this week. My initial reaction was that this feud does not really need that, but it is probably a good way to give this match some hype prior to TLC. I still feel Owens retains. Given how things have worked out, extending the feud a few more weeks after TLC would not be too horrible.

Jack Swagger goes after the United States Championship held by Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio retains, but it is really a shame what has happened to this feud. This was the midcard title feud that had potential for a good story. But putting Del Rio into The League of Nations has ruined the storyline they could have had here. It will be a chairs match, but the feud could have been better.

The tag titles will be decided in a triple-threat ladder match. Considering the men involved, it should be a great match and give the main event some competition for match of the night. The New Day defend against The Usos and Lucha Dragons. The Lucha Dragons are probably just there to make the match more exciting. It is unlikely they win. But it is a shame that they have not been featured better in the feud. Winning a match here and there isn't enough. It is all about how you are actually featured. The New Day have been associating with Sheamus and his group. The Usos have obviously sided with Roman Reigns. If Sin Cara & Kalisto were not involved in this title match, there would be no problem. As it stands, it feels like they are getting the short end of the stick. It seems like a lot of these title feuds have gotten the short end of the stick for a while for the benefit of furthering Reigns vs. Sheamus. Do The Usos win the titles here? It is only a matter of time before they do. I will say they do win them.

The diva division is a mess. The feud between Charlotte and Paige has been horrible. I have said that they probably should have ended it already. Move on to something else. They have continued it and only seem to make it worse. Already teasing friction between Charlotte and Becky Lynch before the feud between Paige and Charlotte is done just takes away from the feud. If Paige was the one forcing the wedge, that would be one thing. She's not. Even Team Bella has stirred the pot.

And the WWE brings back Ric Flair to get involved even more regularly. I do not think that is fair. How many wrestlers have a legendary father at the level of Ric Flair to give them a rub? It wouldn't be right for The Rock to carry a certain family member of his that has issues connecting with the fans, so I do not think the WWE should do too much with Ric Flair for Charlotte's benefit. She needs to do it on her own. If they wanted to bring Ric Flair in to work with Charlotte in a certain storyline that really deserved it, that would be great. That is not what they are doing here. This is just trying to give Charlotte a rub. I am still not convinced they really want to make her a star or are just pushing filler right now and creating the impression they really want her over. Either way, Charlotte has still not proven that she should be pushed as a top star.

As for Paige, I have brought up before that this push she has been getting may not necessarily be to make her into the new AJ Lee. It could be more similar to what happened to Melina when she turned heel for the last time to feud with Natalya over the title. The feud got treated poorly. Melina was not built up well, she lost to Natalya, and the WWE just moved on. I read Paige loses to Becky Lynch on Smackdown this week. The last show before the PPV and she loses. It has happened before that credible jobbers lose like that and go on to lose when they get their title shot soon after.

I would expect Paige to lose at TLC. The WWE has already started to tease Becky vs. Charlotte. Unless Becky is the one that costs Charlotte the title, the title will still be involved for the storyline between Becky and Charlotte. Why put the title on Paige? She is a heel. Sasha Banks is a heel. Nikki Bella, whenever she returns, will likely be a heel. Are there any faces that Paige can genuinely feud with? I doubt the WWE would dig Natalya back up to go against Paige. No, I say the title stays on Charlotte as she goes against Becky Lynch.

The Wyatts Vs. The Dudleys & Friends

Outside of title feuds, the most interesting thing going on in the WWE right now is the feud between The Wyatts and The Dudleys. Bray Wyatt once again shows that wins and losses do not matter, having lost a feud to The Brothers of Destruction and just transitioning to another feud easily. As for The Dudleys, how can you have a TLC PPV and not include one of the teams that helped to make Tables, Ladders & Chairs famous?

What makes this feud even more intriguing is the fact that The Dudleys were outnumbered. There are four men in The Wyatts stable. The Dudleys recently recruited Tommy Dreamer to help them. Tommy Dreamer retired from the WWE years ago, but he has not been out of wrestling at all. He is likely to pop up in any wrestling promotion for a brief stint.

These former ECW guys are still outnumbered. Who will that fourth guy be to side with the faces against The Wyatts for TLC? Rhyno is down there in NXT. The WWE can bump him up for a week. There is RVD. Those seem like the two likely guys, since it is likely to be an ECW guy. If not, there is Kane. He was just feuding with The Wyatts recently. Anybody but Jericho.

One of the main criticisms I have had for the WWE for a while now is always bringing back all these people and signing more people, while not using the roster properly. Tommy Dreamer is certainly not a big draw. I doubt the fourth guy will be a big draw. Since this seems to be just for a short feud and the roster is so ravaged by injuries, I will not condemn the WWE for what they are doing here.

Who should win this feud? Bray Wyatt is obviously someone that has been treated as a jobber to the stars. He will beat people below him or at his level, but it usually is to build him up to feed to whom the WWE wants to put over. He just put over the legendary Undertaker for the second time this year. Will the WWE use The Wyatts to put over some ECW legends? I do not think the WWE is as high on ECW as they are on The Undertaker. The Wyatts should win this feud. The faces can get the momentum leading up to TLC, then The Wyatts win at the PPV.

The Continued Demise Of PCB

I sometimes wonder why people even bother getting too invested in certain teams or stables that obviously will not last long. They come up with all these fancy team names. They come up with fanfiction that ends up better than anything the WWE will likely do. They sometimes just expect too much. I sometimes don't even bother using gimmick names for certain wrestlers or teams. I just feel awkward at times when I do. Whatever the angle is will likely not last.

PCB is another example of that. There were three teams in the diva division just a few months ago. PCB was the first to collapse. Paige turned on her group. The WWE dragged it out. They had her rejoin the group. Then they had her break away again. If the WWE wanted to do a good job keeping the stable stuff going, they could have plugged Natalya in with Charlotte and Becky Lynch officially. They didn't. You are left with Charlotte and her sidekick.

And even that looks like it might be coming to an end. The WWE has started to tease tension between Becky Lynch and Charlotte. Charlotte's issues with Paige aren't entirely finished, but it seems the WWE is also starting this up.

I would say the whole thing is stupid. There are a few reasons why I say that. First, it reminds me of one of the issues with Roman Reigns vs. Bray Wyatt this year. They had developed this personal feud between these two guys, then they just started throwing in extra bodies and the feud lost that heat. And then they just discard the extra bodies and go back to Reigns vs. Wyatt to finish the feud inside Hell in a Cell. Charlotte and Paige were developing a personal feud, even though that certain segment they had a few weeks ago was just unnecessary and in bad taste. How about keeping it personal until the finish? I wouldn't have minded them ending it at Survivor Series, or the night after. That is not what they are doing. They are continuing it, while also bringing in the angle of issues between Charlotte and Becky Lynch. It hurts the feud you had between Charlotte and Paige.

Another issue, this really isn't fair to either Paige or Becky Lynch. Focus is on Charlotte. She is holding the title. She has issues with Paige and has something brewing with Becky. But what about Paige and Becky? This direction the WWE is taking is taking some of the momentum away from Paige. And that momentum isn't all on Becky. Neither of these two divas is getting proper development. Needless to say, neither is getting a real opportunity to succeed.

I am all for Becky Lynch getting a push, but do it right. The WWE is horrible at secondary feuds in their diva division. TNA does a better job in that respect, even though they are not perfect at it. Why not have Becky Lynch feud with Sasha Banks? I am talking about a real feud, not just having Becky job one Raw to Sasha and moving on. I was expecting the WWE to do a better job with Natalya against Sasha Banks. Didn't work out. Okay, but they could have done it between Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch. A title does not need to be present to develop a proper diva feud. And this is something the WWE is going to need to do in this era of the diva division, especially after debuting too many women at one time. Filler matches are not good enough.

On a night when many fans might have been getting all excited over a ladder match being announced for the divas at TLC, the WWE begins the separation of Becky Lynch and Charlotte. And that is not something good. Not right now. Proper focus isn't on either Paige or Becky Lynch. The feud that was there between Paige and Charlotte will lose momentum. I didn't even mention how a heel turn might mess up the face-heel ratio right now. Too many heels, not enough faces. The WWE just cannot push quantity over quality. They are not going to get the most out of anybody. They are not going to make stars.

A Wild Brock Lesnar Appears, But Where Are The Fans?

The night after Survivor Series, Raw had some pretty good numbers. It averaged 4.2 million viewers and got a 3.05 in the ratings. That was the highest number since August. It was the night after a PPV. It featured the fallout of The Authority losing power. Sting debuted at the PPV, even though he did not show up on Raw. It is not surprising that this Raw would do well.

How about the Raw the night after TLC this week? Nothing huge happened at the actual PPV, but Raw did feature a few things that might lead you to expect good numbers. Chris Jericho was there. Roman Reigns, who is supposedly the hottest superstar in the eyes of the fans this year, was there. And Brock Lesnar even made a rare appearance. That last one was the biggest of them all. And yet, Raw was only able to average a little over 3.5 million viewers. The first hour had 3,703,000 viewers, the second hour had 3,477,000, and the final hour had 3,385,000. You see a decline through the show. The final rating was about what you had last week, a 2.66. These are not good numbers.

Keep in mind that the Raw after Survivor Series had more to overcome. You had a Monday Night Football game featuring two Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks, another NFL game going on around the same time due to weather issues, and many people being more interested in the news that night because of Ferguson. Raw this week was going against a sloppy game that wasn't very competitive. While the Raw after Survivor Series saw viewership rise from hour two to hour three, Raw this week just saw a decline. That is not a good sign when you take everything into consideration.

Fans knew Brock Lesnar was there. He didn't just show up for one random backstage appearance and leave. He showed up during the middle of the show and showed up again at the end during the main event. Fans knew he was there and had to have expected he would go out there for a match between two guys he has had issues with in recent months. Despite that, you have a decline between the final two hours of about 90,000. 

What does this say about Brock Lesnar? I don't blame him for the bad numbers. The WWE botched. I am usually not one to say that often. Often, you will see the WWE do something that fans do not like and the fans say the WWE botched it. No, more often than not, the WWE was simply not trying to do what you hoped they would do. They were going for something else and did what they wanted and usually get what they intended. Usually, this happens in feuds where fans think the WWE is trying to build stars. In a lot of these situations, they are building people or angles to put over the stars. It is only natural for the WWE to move away from these things eventually. What you have seen this year with Brock Lesnar is not one of those situations. This guy is not a jobber to the centerpiece. He is an A+ player. He is someone they are counting on to deliver for them. And you look at how much they have invested in him this year alone. I am not talking about money. He defeated The Undertaker at Wrestlemania. He crushed John Cena for the WWE Championship. He makes these rare appearances as Champion, which you would think would make them more valuable and get fans eager to see him. This guy is not all hype. He can go out there and demolish people and make it believable. You take into account his own abilities, things he has legitimately done, and those things he has been booked to do, especially this year, you should have an undisputed draw on your hands. That is, on paper. In practice, all that hype has not worked out too well.

Is it all worth it? The money they pay him for these rare appearances? Handing him The Streak? Letting him hold the top title in the company and not even be around for months? Are they really profiting off this? It certainly isn't drawing the way it should. You can say the big payoff will be making a top star by having some face conquer Lesnar. If that guy cannot connect with the fans properly, handing him Brock Lesnar will be about the same as handing Lesnar everything else they have given him this year. These things were not simply accolades to honor Lesnar. These things were designed to put him over and help him draw and create situations to draw. You have a centerpiece that fails to connect with the fans properly, other main-event stars with questionable drawing power, a mediocre midcard, a stale tag division, a poor women's division, and now your A+ part-timers don't seem to be able to always carry you like they might have in the past. The WWE messed up. They botched. Simply handing Lesnar all these things is not enough.

John Cena Vs. Seth Rollins At TLC 2014

I am not going to do any type of final preview and prediction for the majority of the TLC card. A lot of these matches are obviously just extensions of what you had at Survivor Series. A lot of these feuds are likely to continue into January. I will say that the WWE did a little better job developing some of these feuds heading into TLC than they did heading into Survivor Series. It could be all the weapons flying around. Weapons usually make things more interesting. It could also be the fact that there was not much time between Survivor Series and TLC. Not much space for the WWE to have these feuds drag on and waste time.

The only match worth talking about is John Cena vs. Seth Rollins. This is a Tables match. This is also a match where John Cena's #1 contendership is on the line. If he loses, a new challenger to Brock Lesnar will be decided. That obviously makes this match worthy of the main-event slot at TLC.

No WWE title match, for the third PPV in a row. Has the WWE done a good job developing big matches to fill the void? You had John Cena and Randy Orton face each other inside Hell in a Cell to determine which of the two gets Lesnar. You had a Survivor Series elimination match with The Authority's reign on the line. You now have a Tables match with Cena's title shot on the line. The WWE has definitely been trying. But it isn't the same as having the title around. Brock Lesnar winning the title was supposed to create some mystique in the company for a few months. What would happen? To whom would the WWE give title shots? I imagined challengers stepping up to get at Lesnar. So far, John Cena is the only one getting a title shot. That mystique has just manifested itself in the WWE trying to come up with big matches and storylines for John Cena while the title isn't around. It has not turned out the way I had hoped.

Things can change at TLC. If the WWE books John Cena to lose, he loses his title shot and you once again have some uncertainty over who will face Lesnar next. Why would the WWE give Cena the title shot to just take it away? I am not saying the WWE planned this long-term. Nothing is written in stone when it comes to decisions the WWE makes. If they decide that there is someone else for Lesnar to face at the Royal Rumble, this can be a means to get that guy the title shot. I cannot think of anyone too deserving. Dean Ambrose? Could be a good filler title defense for Lesnar and help Ambrose look like a contender. Moreover, it would give fans a reason to tune in the next night. Brock Lesnar beating The Undertaker at Wrestlemania was a shocking moment. Lesnar beating Cena for the title at Summerslam, especially the way he did, was shocking. Sting's debut at Survivor Series was shocking. The WWE just cannot put on a quality product around these big moments. Would the WWE plan a big moment at TLC to create some interest?

Who do I think wins? I would go with John Cena. John Cena's last match against Lesnar did not have a decisive finish. The WWE might want to close that feud properly before moving Lesnar on. The feud between Rollins and Cena has been okay. Heyman has been involved slightly. They are trying to make Rollins look like a top heel. I just don't buy into him. He needs some major heel figure backing him. The Authority should come back.

The Wrong Kind Of Uncertainty

I once took a seminar class on the theme of uncertainty. We basically read things where you couldn't blindly go by what the writer was telling you. I don't think anything I read in that class represented that idea better than The Trial by Kafka. That was the weirdest thing I had ever read. It was so inconsistent. It created this mysterious atmosphere that just kept me reading to see what this was all about. I have read myths, fairy tales, mysteries, and things like that, but this story was something else. It just seemed like a type of story that you would expect to be based on reality, but it was like the writer was on drugs when he wrote it. And yet, I enjoyed reading it. Even though it would leave you wondering so much, I still enjoyed going through it.

Randy Orton won at TLC. It looked like he was on top of the world. It looked like The Authority was back on his side. What happens on Raw? Triple H and Stephanie put him in a match against Daniel Bryan that he did not want. What is with this storyline? They just keep shifting from Randy Orton and The Authority being on the same page to having big issues. This is inconsistency. You either have to say the writers do not know what they are doing or they are purposely doing this to build up to the breaking point for either The Authority or Randy Orton. If you go by the former possibility, do not place all the blame on the writers. The bosses above them might be causing that inconsistency. Even if they are not, they should take control and guide the writers better. If you go by the latter possibility, that there is a storyline purpose for this inconsistency, you can also argue that they believe that being inconsistent like this might make people curious about what will happen and get them to tune in. Basically, there is thinking behind their madness.

I am not certain about what the WWE is trying to do here with this storyline between Orton and The Authority. This is the kind of uncertainty that I do not like. Kafka created this atmosphere of mystery in The Trial that would keep you reading to the end. The WWE is creating an atmosphere of incompetence with how they are handling this storyline. That might be a bit harsh. But it really doesn't seem to be like they know how to handle this storyline the right way. Either develop Orton to be The Authority's top star, and develop a face to eventually conquer him, or pull the trigger on having Orton separate himself from the corporate heels. Do a linear storyline. Stop going back and forth every week. Speaking for myself, I don't know what to get excited over when it comes to where the storyline might go. And the atmosphere they are creating, as I have mentioned before, isn't drawing me in. Maybe some fans out there love what is going on here. I am getting a little tired of the same insincere promos from The Authority. The storyline needs to go in a definitive direction.

As an Orton fan, I am glad to see him holding both titles. As someone that wants to see a great storyline, their recent actions are not exciting me. Even though I am a fan of Randy Orton, I was more excited over the possibility of some kind of screwjob that would lead to Orton feuding against The Authority. Basically, you have unified the titles, but the storyline is the same as it has been for months now. Orton being Champion is not enough to get me excited enough to forget about this inconsistent storyline.     

Randy Orton Vs. John Cena: Final Preview

Gomez, Morticia, Uncle Fester, and Lurch. If you don't get that reference, just pretend it's a bunch of Jinder Mahal enthusiasts. Either way, things don't look good for Randy Orton.

Not only does the honeymoon appear to be over between Randy Orton and The Authority, they seem to be closing in on a divorce. Raw ended with Randy Orton accidentally hitting Stephanie McMahon, Triple H giving him a Pedigree in retaliation, and John Cena standing with The Authority. When this feud between John Cena and Randy Orton was rekindled, I was hoping for a great feud between the two of them to see who walks out as Unified Champion. It would be just between them and the titles. I was expecting some amazing build. I was expecting the kind of build you might get for a Wrestlemania match. Instead, friction between Randy Orton and The Authority and the possibility of Cena joining the heels has kind of overshadowed things. These storyline points are more interesting than the actual title matters. I usually love a great storyline, but I don't like it for this situation. Unifying the titles should be a big deal in itself.

Will there be a double turn? Randy Orton turns face and Cena goes heel? Since I last brought up that possibility, the WWE has done a lot to tease things going in that direction. However, Cena isn't really acting that heelish or evil. Stephanie got knocked down and he checked on her. On the other side of that, Orton really isn't acting like a face. He didn't mean to hit Stephanie. Yes, he has his tension with Triple H, but does that really mean you have to have a double turn? If Cena does turn heel now, it might just be a pretty weak turn. He still seems like a good boy scout. They can run an angle where The Authority tries to get him to join them, but I don't picture Cena actually turning heel with this storyline. What about Orton turning face? With how much friction there is, they better just do it soon. They are just going back and forth with Orton and Triple H being on the same page and having issues. It is getting annoying. That might leave the heel stable without a top star to be Champion, but that is another issue.

Who wins the title? I have seen some people say that Triple H will somehow walk out with the titles. Ignoring that possibility, let's just keep this between Orton and Cena. How about that option of them each coming down with a title? I don't imagine the WWE going that route. They already have enough drama concerning Orton's tension with The Authority to keep things interesting after TLC. I think they will actually go with one winner, unless Triple H pulls some screwjob to have things end some other way. Ignoring all that stuff, who wins just between Cena and Orton? Just because Cena is the centerpiece, that does not mean he has to win this. Over a decade ago, many would have expected Austin vs. The Rock to decide who would be Undisputed Champion. It came down to Austin vs. Jericho. When that ended up being the match to decide it, you might have expected the title to go to the top star of the company, Austin. Jericho won it. However, I do think Cena will win here, but more for storyline reasons. Triple H will somehow screw Orton out of the title, whether intentionally or not. This will further the issues between them. And it will not necessarily mean that Cena has to turn heel.

Big E Langston Vs. Damien Sandow At TLC

Big E Langston will defend his Intercontinental Championship against Damien Sandow at TLC. Since getting done with Curtis Axel, this is Big E Langston's first feud with the title. As for Sandow, this is the best thing he's gotten since losing to John Cena when he tried to take the World's Heavyweight Championship away.

Who should win? I believe Sandow deserves a run with a midcard title. He is a good midcarder. Some midcarders that have not even been on the main roster as long as him have already had title success. Big E Langston would fall into that category. Problem is, Big E Langston just won the title a few weeks ago. Why take it away so fast? Sandow is deserving, but I cannot picture them ending Langston's title run now. I don't think they should do that. Big E Langston will most likely retain here, but I don't think that means Damien Sandow will be completely out of the picture after.

Let me switch slightly to talk about the other midcard title. That would be the U.S. Championship, which is held by Dean Ambrose. When he is the only member of The Shield with a title, it kind of makes him look like the leader. Is there really any contender in sight to take the title off him? He is always so engaged in whatever The Authority is having The Shield do, the title just gets lost in the shuffle. He has not gotten a good title feud in a while. If they ever get around to transitioning that title to a face, that might give Damien Sandow another title to go after. To put that in a broader sense, getting the title off Dean Ambrose might open up title feuds for other people. The title isn't doing anything right now on him.

Daniel Bryan Vs. The Wyatts At TLC

The WWE certainly has a thing for 3-on-1 matches right now. Daniel Bryan will face all three members of The Wyatts at TLC. More important than the outcome of the match, will Daniel Bryan join The Wyatts?

I didn't like that the WWE didn't just have Daniel Bryan return as a brainwashed member of Bray Wyatt's stable. They could have done that with Kane, but they did not. Bray Wyatt is supposed to be this cult leader that can brainwash people. He is coming off looking like Kane did over a year ago when he tried to turn Cena heel. Cena did not turn heel back then. But will Daniel Bryan turn heel now?

Seeing how long they have dragged on this portion of the feud, I don't think they should bother turning Daniel Bryan heel and having him join the group. Look at what comes after TLC. Wrestlemania season begins. I would hope Daniel Bryan has something more important to do around this time than be stuck with Bray Wyatt. This would have been a great angle to run earlier. If you do turn Daniel Bryan heel and insert him in the group, you cannot immediately kill that off after 2 weeks. His involvement in the group is something I would like to see last about 2 months, then start running some angle to finally free him from the group. Develop that climax for this storyline. I don't think they can properly do that now. If they did, you might eventually see Daniel Bryan vs. Bray Wyatt at Wrestlemania. Bray Wyatt is not a worthy opponent for Daniel Bryan at that big event.

Now, let me look at the match itself. Daniel Bryan has to face all three men at the same time? Why not just Bray Wyatt? Saving that for another time? If that is the case, you would expect the heels to win here. You might want the heels to win here. How would it look for this entire stable to be beat by one guy? That is the same question you can ask for CM Punk vs. The Shield. Would you expect the same outcome in both matches? That is to say, would you expect to see the heel stable win in both matches? Either Daniel Bryan or CM Punk can pull out a fluke win by a roll up, but I cannot imagine either one just dominating all three opponents. If I had to predict the winner of this match, The Wyatts win here, but Daniel Bryan stays face. The feud continues, then Daniel Bryan eventually beats Bray Wyatt in a singles match. Daniel Bryan is not a bad option to hand Bray Wyatt a loss.

CM Punk Vs. The Shield At TLC

Even though I do not like The Rhodes always facing The Shield so much in recent weeks, I never said CM Punk had to face The Shield alone. Regardless, CM Punk will face The Shield at TLC. No partners for Punk.

CM Punk is now officially feuding with The Authority. What I really do not like about how they handled this is that it wasn't really CM Punk jumping right in to stand up against the corporate heels. In terms of the storyline, this all seemingly started off of Punk saying something bad about The Authority. They then sent The Shield to take Punk out. CM Punk is supposed to be this guy that is against the status quo and the establishment. It would have been so much better if he took the fight to them. I am not implying his character has become that of a sellout. I just find it weak that it took The Authority targeting Punk for Punk to really start being against the establishment again.

You have CM Punk in a match against three guys. The Shield has been booked to look so strong as a team. What would it mean for one CM Punk to beat them all at TLC? The only way it can properly happen is to have The Shield tease friction again and have that lead to their downfall. To have CM Punk simply overcome them all as a united front by himself would be unbelievable. Go back a few months to when CM Punk feuded against Paul Heyman and his minion. I brought up the point that they would either have to take Curtis Axel out of the picture or get CM Punk a friend to help him even the odds. To have CM Punk go through both Curtis Axel and Ryback by himself to knock off Heyman might have been too much. Having CM Punk go through all three members off The Shield by himself would be even more unbelievable than that.

You have CM Punk getting involved in a good storyline where he is not chasing after a World title. You have Daniel Bryan involved in a good storyline where he is not chasing after a World title. Not surprisingly, John Cena, the centerpiece, is involved in a storyline involving the World titles. This is just another great example of what it means for the men's division to be an open division. You do not need to be the centerpiece or in a major title feud to get a good feud. You have three big faces all getting separate feuds and storylines. So much space to still feature the guys well. The diva division is not like that.The diva division is a closed division. If you are not getting pushed as the centerpiece or a major periphery diva, you are likely being wasted or just being used to serve a purpose and will eventually be wasted. The men's division still has some issues, like developing good midcard storylines and developing better tag-team feuds, but it is better than how things are in the diva division.

Let me switch gears. On last Sunday night's NFL game between the Washington Redskins and New York Giants, you had a controversial finish. During the final drive of the game for the Redskins, the refs signaled that the Redskins had gotten enough yards for a first down. A "down" in football is an opportunity for the offense to make a play. You have 4 downs to get enough yardage to get a new set of downs or score, or the ball automatically goes back over to the other team's offense. Thing is, after the Redskins made their next play, believing they had a new set of downs, the refs changed their minds about them getting the first down before and signaled that it was now 4th down. The Redskins go from thinking they will have at least a few more shots to being told this is their last shot. Personally, I don't think it was a big deal. The Redskins still had a chance, almost still kept the drive alive, and it was a turnover that caused them to lose. Of course, I'm no football expert. And you cannot deny that this confusion by the refs might have had a mental impact on the Redskins players and coaches as they tried to prepare for what ended up being the last play of the game. And the commentators mentioned the fact the plays the coaches are going to call when it is first down are not necessarily going to be the same in this situation if it is 3rd down or 4th down. They have to know how many chances they have left to help plan what to do. What does all this have to do with anything? It goes back to the idea I talked about just a few weeks ago on playbooks in football. The coach is going to have different plays planned and different strategies for different situations in the game. The commentators pretty much said the same thing. How is that relevant to what I talk about? When you are analyzing the diva division, you have to understand the situation, or landscape, the division is currently in. That can help you better understand why the WWE is pushing this diva that way and that diva this way. You cannot take things out of context. Just like the situation in a football game influence the plays that might be called, the situation in the diva division influences the decisions the WWE will make. What happened on Sunday just reminded me of what I was talking about before, so that's why I wanted to bring it up again to mention it alongside the controversial finish.

Randy Orton Vs. John Cena: Time To Unify The Titles?

I raised the question last week about whether Survivor Series would end with Randy Orton's match or John Cena's match. The main event went to Randy Orton, but the closing image of the PPV went to both Randy Orton and John Cena.

These two will face each other at TLC with both titles hanging on the line. Is it time to unify the two World titles? First, is this the time of year to do such a thing? I always felt something like this is worthy of Wrestlemania. I know Chris Jericho didn't become Undisputed Champion at Wrestlemania and did indeed do it in December. Seeing as how December has been really bad for the WWE in recent years, this might be a great idea to actually cause buzz. I won't blame them for what they are doing.

Is this the time in general to unify the titles? People have been talking about it for years. The tag titles are unified. The women's titles are unified. I have seen other titles retired over the years. Time to unify the World Championships? It would seem like a good idea. The brand split is dead. However, the good thing about having two titles is that it gives other main-eventers something to fight for while the centerpiece is holding onto one of the titles. How much more complaining will Cena haters do when there is only one World title and John Cena is dominating that scene? Personally, I would like to see them keep two titles and utilize both well. I don't like the World's Heavyweight Championship losing proper focus on Smackdown. However, it just might not be practical to have the two titles around.

Just keep in mind, the WWE does not have to unify the titles. Fans are already speculating on what interesting outcomes could happen. Cena takes down one title and Randy Orton takes down the other. No clear winner. It might be too soon to anticipate a swerve. I'll wait to see how the WWE develops things further.

Eve And AJ Are Heels

Eve is the centerpiece of the diva division. She is the one being developed as the chief star of the actual diva division. AJ is a periphery diva. She is a diva developed to be a star away from that main focus of the diva division. And now, both are heels.

Starting with Eve, it looks like her feud with Kaitlyn is not over yet. I still don't think Kaitlyn is as good in the ring as other credible jobbers, or jobbers to the centerpiece. Of course, that is not something that will be written in stone. I'm sure she will get better in time. Until then, it is very likely that they may put the title on her. There was no need to force this feud to continue. They had other options to develop to feud with Eve. They had a battle royal on the TLC pre-show filled with possibilities. Kaitlyn did not win there, but it does not matter too much. She beat Eve on Raw. Eve is showing more character these days. In time, she may get the overness you would expect of the centerpiece.

AJ just turned heel. She turned on Cena. This woman has just been pushed extremely hard. Yes, I seem to say that every time I talk about her, but the WWE is showing no signs of backing down. She has been involved with the World Heavyweight Champion at one time, Daniel Bryan. She has been involved with the WWE Champion, CM Punk. She is now involved with John Cena, the centerpiece of the company. The obvious question? What's left? How long can they legitimately keep her so high at the top? It is going to become a headache to keep her going sooner or later. They will have to drop her momentum one day. They will probably be hoping her overness carries through for whatever angle she ends up with after this big storyline. Until then, this all shows just how much is invested in developing some periphery divas. Some can get just as much invested in them as the centerpiece, even though they do not hold the same position in the diva division.

With both women being heels, you will not see a title feud between just the two of them. I still don't doubt for a second that AJ will eventually win the title. I can picture Kaitlyn winning it and eventually dropping it to AJ. Where will that leave Eve? Will the WWE switch to a system where they have a model and wrestler switching off centerpiece duties? While one is positioned as centerpiece, the other gets periphery angles? From the time Trish became centerpiece in 2001 to her retirement in 2006, the WWE did not really split the centerpiece spotlight between her and Lita. Difference between then and now, the current diva division is struggling. A change could happen. Nevertheless, there are female wrestlers out there who deserve opportunities like this more than AJ Lee.

No Ryder At TLC

Instead of talking about who you did see in action at TLC last night, I want to first talk about who you did not see in action. TLC was in New York City, where I call home. Another New Yorker a lot of WWE fans care about is Zack Ryder. Was Ryder in a match? No. Was Ryder unhappy with this? Yes.

Usually, the excuse would be that the WWE could not fit him into a feud, so how could they fit him into a match easily at the PPV? These days, there is usually filler matches on PPVs. TLC this year was no different. Ryder could have easily been featured in a match.

Ryder definitely deserved to be featured. It was at TLC last year that he won the U.S. Championship, after months of the WWE trying to dance around giving him a legitimate push. More importantly, the guy is over and is from the area. How many fans in attendance may have been eager to see the guy? I'm not a fan of the guy and don't blindly support NY sports teams or celebrities, but he deserves better than that. I'm not saying they need to push him in the main-event scene or ruin someone's push for his sake, but can't you even feature him a little better?

Should Ryder just quit? He gets over on his own, gets taken advantage of to make Cena look good, and then goes back to being mistreated. He got that over just to become a lower-midcarder who gets to job on Raw more often than he did before? What's the point of staying? The guy must be an annoyance to the WWE. Fans love him, they are not pushing him, and how long can all that continue? Will the WWE succeed in burying or will Ryder be gone. Ryder getting treated better isn't even an option I am willing to put out there. I don't usually say this, but I think TNA would be a good destination for this guy. Even if he only gets a few weeks in the legitimate spotlight before the depush, it is better than being frustrated in the WWE.

John Cena Vs. Dolph Ziggler For The Briefcase

With CM Punk not defending the WWE Championship at TLC, Dolph Ziggler defending his "Money in the Bank" briefcase against John Cena in a ladder match seems like a good option to close the show. Many people may say that Cena doesn't deserve to be above the World's Heavyweight Championship match, but there is a way things can turn out that can make it worth it.

Technically, Dolph Ziggler could cash in his title shot prior to his match with Cena. Assume the Smackdown World title match happens early on the card. No matter who wins that title match, the loser beats on the winner. Ziggler runs in, wins the title, and thinks he has screwed Cena out of getting the briefcase. The WWE has been running this angle where Vince influences Vickie into making decisions. Building off that, Vince pressures Vickie into defending his new title against Cena in a ladder match in the main event. You end up with a main event that does involve a World title, as well as the centerpiece of the company. Should this happen, it would be a horrific flashback for Ziggler if his title reign ends the same night he won it. Nevertheless, it is a swerve a lot of fans are expecting and they can really use something big happening on this PPV.

All that build for Dolph Ziggler, and he loses to Cena like that? Wouldn't be the first time something like this has happened. Does Ziggler deserve better? I'm pretty much running on the assumption that Cena wins, no matter what is on the line in that ladder match. Cena has not won a PPV match in a while. They have had Ziggler look very impressive in recent months against the likes of Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, and so on. He definitely could be developed to be a top star on Smackdown. On the other side of that, he could also end up losing his push and going back to the midcard. The Royal Rumble is also coming around, so he might win that after putting over Cena. If Dolph does eventually regain the title from Cena, assuming Cena wins it, that would be huge for him. Dolph can definitely become the next Edge, in terms of position.  

Orton Injured & The Shield

I guess I shouldn't have said anything about watching out for injuries in the month of December. Randy Orton suffered an injury a few days ago. I waited a while to talk about it to see how serious it would be. On the Smackdown taping this week, the WWE had Orton attacked by The Shield as a means to write him off. Yes, looks serious. Randy Orton was a face main-eventer. He wasn't in the middle of a feud or storyline, but it looked like he was going to be inserted into the matters with The Shield, as they attacked him last week. Nevertheless, that is another top star unable to compete at an already tough time for the WWE.

And what about The Shield? Because of recent circumstances, it seems they will be getting featured better than they might have. Sound familiar? When Cena was out for a few weeks from performing in the ring, Ryback benefited. He is still benefiting. New faces are getting better treatment with established stars getting injured. I would still say that Cena vs. Ziggler should be the main event of TLC, but would it be out of the question for the WWE to really close the show with Ryback, Kane, and Daniel Bryan facing The Shield? That would be big for the new guys.

Who wins? This is the first official match in the WWE for The Shield. In this kind of match, a TLC match that will end by pinfall or submission, there obviously must be a winner. You have a similar situation to what you had with Ryback at Hell in a Cell. There had to be a winner in that WWE Championship match. Ryback ended up taking his first loss. Will The Shield lose in their debut? For the sake of keeping them dominant, I would have them win here. Have a team consisting of Cena, Orton, and some other face beat them down the road.