The Revival Out Again

The WWE had a real situation with injuries on Raw a couple months ago. A few key injuries seemed to impact things very much. And it seems to be happening again. I already talked a lot about Bayley's injury and how it impacted the women's division. But there is more to talk about.

A couple months ago, Dash Wilder of The Revival suffered an injury and it ruined the team pretty soon after they just debuted on the main roster. He came back a few weeks ago. It took a while for the WWE to get going with some feud for the team again. Next thing you know, Scott Dawson, the other member of the team, gets injured. He will miss enough time that they are out for Summerslam.

Let's be honest, these are not two very interesting guys. They are tough in the ring and wrestling fans will love them for that, but they have not shown anything to make me believe they will be top stars. But that doesn't mean they should not be given a proper push and given that chance to try to connect with the wider audience. It is just good for the tag division, as well as the two of them.

Some might say these injuries will spell the end of their push. It is not like either guy has proven to be too fragile. These injuries might just be bad luck. They will probably get another chance down the road. If they do lose out on another push, I think it would be more out of other priorities popping up in the tag division down the line than the WWE losing interest in them. In the last year, I have seen tag teams underachieve in connecting with the audience, look like the WWE might give up on them, and still get tag title runs. Anderson & Gallows and American Alpha fall in that category. If you are a Revival fan, there is always a chance they still get a run with the titles.

This injury might be trouble for the tag division. Raw's women's division actually has better depth than the show's tag division. Sheamus & Cesaro are feuding against Ambrose & Rollins, two guys that just recently got back together a couple weeks ago. The Hardys were involved in a feud involving The Revival and Anderson & Gallows. With The Revival out, The Hardys likely will do something else. There were signs that Anderson & Gallows might turn face to help the issue of a lack of genuine, fresh, long-term face teams on Raw. With a heel team out, those two might have to stay heel. Enzo & Big Show might have to remain a team for a while just to give the WWE more options. As it stands, the WWE cannot afford an injury to anyone else in the tag division. They are already relying on guys that are established singles wrestlers for their main title feud. The Hardys are around 40. The worst thing the WWE can do right now is continue their tendency to break up teams.

Did Smackdown Accomplish Anything This Week?

In terms of drawing, Smackdown obviously did what it needed to do. Ratings aren't out yet, but they hyped big matches for this week's episode. Developing angles and promoting matches and segments will lead to people being interested. But that is not what I am talking about today. The booking last night, did that accomplish anything?

First, Lana got a rematch against Naomi for the Women's Championship. It was a short match. Lana hit her finisher and Naomi just kicked out and went on to win. That doesn't really make Lana look good. A lot of people have been critical of Lana's wrestling ability. I would be one of them to some degree. But there are fans that were hoping for competitive matches in this new era. The WWE definitely could have told a different story in that match.

And is it really over? Lana has had a lot to say on Twitter.

I obviously did NOT get pined! I want a FAIR title match! Clearly the ref & all of @WWE are cheaters & favor @NaomiWWE over me! #SDLive pic.twitter.com/puUUrbWIap

— CJ (Lana) Perry (@LanaWWE) June 28, 2017

Does this lead to Lana complaining next week and getting another rematch? Should it? On one hand, it would be nice to just move on already, especially if the WWE is not planning to give Lana the title right now. On the other hand, it is at least a real possibility that the WWE continues this, especially now that fans on social media have gotten wind of Lana not having both shoulders down.

Second, the briefcase ladder match. No Ellsworth this time. Of course, he still got involved. This time, however, Carmella took the briefcase down herself. Ignoring the Ellsworth ban and it being violated, this is how the match should have ended at the PPV a few weeks ago. Ellsworth tries to cheat. He gets taken out. Carmella gets the briefcase. The whole controversy of a man grabbing the briefcase in a match that is supposed to be about the women does not exist.

Once again, is this really the end of it? There was once again a controversial finish that might lead to another segment featuring the women complaining. And they would have a point. James Ellsworth was banned. He violated the rules. Shouldn't something happen?

This is exactly like what happened last year with Seth Rollins. Rollins was getting way too many title shots. On an episode of Raw, he got a shot against Kevin Owens, with Chris Jericho banned from ringside. Jericho ended up still finding his way to ringside and he interfered. Owens ended up retaining. As much as I hated Seth Rollins getting so many title shots, isn't this a situation they created where he should have gotten a rematch? There was a rule and that rule was broken, resulting in Rollins losing the match. It just seems like bad writing.

It seems like the WWE has once again written themselves into a bad situation. They obviously should not do the ladder match for a third time, but it does seem pretty stupid that they created this rule, the rule was broken, and Carmella ended up benefiting to win the match. The previous situation with Seth Rollins was not handled in the smoothest way, and I expect this situation to not be handled in the smoothest way.

I made a point last week that there would be no reason to redo these two matches if the outcome would be the same. And it seems the outcome was exactly the same. Not only did the same woman win both matches, but both matches ended in a possibly indecisive or controversial fashion that makes you wonder if it is all over yet. That is why I would say the booking of these matches did not accomplish anything. It was just a bunch of hype for no big developments in these storylines. They could have used the situation to give the briefcase to someone new, while Carmella carried her momentum from the whole controversy into a title feud with Naomi, who could have definitively been free from Lana, who is complaining on Twitter about how the match ended.

Moving on to the men, Zack Ryder & Mojo Rawley took on The Usos. If the faces won this match, they would have gotten a shot at the tag titles. I was all for this happening. But the WWE had The Usos win. A triple threat feud also involving New Day would have been good. It would have made things more interesting.

It just feels like everything is as it was coming off Money In The Bank. The women's ladder match ended with Carmella winning and controversy involving Ellsworth. That is where we are at right now. The women's title match ended with Naomi retaining and Lana having a complaint she believes warranted a rematch. That is where we are right now. The tag title match ended in a way in which it was obvious New Day was not finished with The Usos yet. And that is where we are right now. Nothing has changed. All Smackdown accomplished last night was maintaining the status quo. It remains to be seen what direction they will go with this, but last night's Smackdown didn't serve to progress anything in a fresh direction.

The Hype Brothers Back In The Mix

If there is any team that stands a chance to take the tag titles off The Usos instead of New Day, it is Zack Ryder and Mojo Rawley. These two had earned a title shot last year, but Zack Ryder suffered an injury that killed the push. Ryder recently returned. The Usos retained the tag titles against New Day by shady means. And here we are.

Ryder and Mojo will have to beat The Usos to get a title shot on Smackdown tonight. Just in terms of fairness, they should have just gotten the title shot. But this makes things more interesting and provides a match to get some hype on a stacked Smackdown tonight. The face team should be winning this.

What about New Day? Keep them in the title picture, as well. A triple threat would be nice. Both face teams have an argument for another title shot. Both are pretty over. Both can stand a good chance of getting the tag titles. This should be a solid feud.

Cass Turns On Enzo

For a while now, the WWE has been running a mystery angle over who was attacking Enzo, and then supposedly attacking Cass. I gave my thoughts on the angle a few weeks ago. I said that it should not be Cass as the attacker, which would also mean the end of the team. I gave various reasons why I did not like the idea. It would be the end of a popular team before they ever won any tag titles. Individually, these guys might not go far. And most importantly, the tag division just needs them.

The WWE had the big reveal on Raw this week. It was Cass all along. He faked those attacks on himself. He has turned heel and officially turned on Enzo. The WWE didn't have to follow through with the angle. The Revival were right there. I also saw some fans hoping it was American Alpha, hoping that a heel turn and change of scenery might help them. Instead of doing any of those options that might add some creative depth to the tag division, the WWE kills a popular tag team.

It was a nice segment. Cass gave a good promo. But did it deserve to be in the main-event slot? Roman Reigns vs. Samoa Joe should have closed the show. Give Joe some main-event credibility. And the return of Braun Strowman was also a pretty big deal. It's not like Raw went against heavy sports competition this week. When they go against football, they typically turn chicken and don't put segments that deserve to close the show in the final slot. Just makes you wonder if it really is an honor to be in the main event of Raw these days.

Back to my original fear about this hurting the tag division. Has the WWE really done anything in the last few weeks to make the loss of Enzo & Cass be less detrimental to the tag division? I don't think so. There aren't many face tag teams. Rhyno & Heath Slater don't have that magic anymore and they are not pushed well. It is unfair to expect Matt & Jeff Hardy to be the top face team in a tag division in the WWE in 2017 for much longer. But that is where we are. Not only that, but what face teams are there for these other heels teams to feud with? The Revival just returned and I did notice the lack of reaction they had. That happens to a lot of people these days, but dropping the ball with these guys by not giving them a proper feud is not putting them in a position to succeed. The depth in the tag division is not good right now.

Cesaro & Sheamus Turn Heel

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

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

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

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

State Of The WWE Tag Team Division: December 2016

I talked about the cruiserweights. I talked about the women. I might as well talk about the tag teams.

Over on Raw, New Day is still dominating the tag division. If they retain the tag titles against Cesaro & Sheamus and Anderson & Gallows next week, the record is theirs. Will it happen? Probably. Neither of these other two teams really feel like they deserve it. I feel like they have both lost their momentum. The WWE didn't put the titles on them when it would have been best to do it. The WWE might as well let New Day retain.

Years ago, it felt like the WWE was doing a great job in giving the tag titles to teams that had momentum on their side. The WWE then entered a stretch of putting the titles on teams that didn't really look like they were hot, became hot during the reign, but then lost it to another team that didn't look hot. That led to the reign of terror New Day has been on. As I have mentioned multiple times, so many other teams or angles could have used those tag titles, whether as a reward, to give them credibility, or create some freshness. The Dudleys could have used them. The League of Nations could have used them. There was even a time when The Club looked a lot more deserving. But the WWE never pulled the trigger. New Day did not need to hold the tag titles this long to do their act.

How long after they lose the tag titles will New Day last? Even though I just said New Day does not need the tag titles to do their act, I can picture the WWE breaking them up within a few weeks after losing the tag titles and losing their rematch. I don't think it will be such a tragedy. I will talk about it more when it happens.

The only other team I want to single out is Enzo & Cass. This is another hot face team that could have used the tag titles. New Day aren't the only popular face team on Raw. On the one hand, it is great that Enzo & Cass have still been getting storylines. Enzo has his storyline with Rusev and Lana. Cass was once a contender for the Universal Championship. On the other hand, these guys seem to lose more than they should. Not only would it be nice to see them win a meaningful feud, eventually getting the tag titles would be nice.

Switch to Smackdown. Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt won the tag titles. This is Bray Wyatt's first title reign, but it seems more like a title reign to further a storyline, not a reward. This guy should eventually be a serious contender for a World Championship. As for Randy Orton, it is only a matter of time before he breaks out of the group. If the WWE doesn't go in that direction, this storyline was just dumb. Orton doesn't really fit in The Wyatts and The Wyatts didn't really do enough to "break" him to make him joining the group believable.

The first two titleholders for Smackdown's Tag Team Championships were not traditional teams. Heath Slater and Rhyno just got paired together. Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt are only together because of this storyline. There are traditional teams on Smackdown, like The Usos and American Alpha. I am sure these teams will get the titles one day.

Overall, I do not like how traditional teams have been treated on Smackdown so far. The WWE just did not handle American Alpha well at all. This is the kind of team you would expect wrestling fans to like. But the WWE just dumped them on the main roster and acted like they expected them to be bigger deals than they were. You can't blame American Alpha not working out better so far all on them. The WWE didn't handle them right. They didn't give them a proper chance. As for The Usos, after becoming stale faces, they refreshed themselves with that heel turn. It would not have been terrible if The Usos had been the heels to get the tag titles off Rhyno & Slater.

Another issue is the WWE bringing back teams that were relevant decades ago and using them ahead of some of their full-time teams. That is not something they should be doing so soon after the brand split started. Get the ball rolling properly with what you have, then go to these other teams, if you have to. Some people are wondering if the WWE should re-sign The Headbangers or The Spirit Squad. I am going to say the same thing I said when talking about the women, no, do not bring anyone back. Not yet. It is kind of insulting to the teams you have on the roster now to just go so quickly to old teams. And these aren't even teams as legendary as The Dudleys. The Dudleys also didn't come back during the start of the brand split and get pushed ahead of guys that were just starting out on the main roster or had just been refreshed with a heel turn.

Something I have been talking about with the cruiserweights and women recently is how to follow up with workers booked to make history, like TJ Perkins and Becky Lynch. Heath Slater and Rhyno were booked to make history. They were the first Smackdown Tag Team Champions of this new brand split era. Should the WWE keep the ball rolling on them? No. That title win was more taking advantage of Heath Slater having so much momentum back then. He was arguably the hottest act in the WWE at one time. The WWE did not make a mistake in giving him that moment, but there is no need to make more of Heath Slater than they should. As for Rhyno, he is no young guy. He might be inducted in the WWE Hall of Fame one day. Whether he is or isn't, it will be okay for him to just be a midcarder until he retires.

Both tag divisions seem to have a similar problem. A lot of teams are being underutilized. On Raw, New Day's reign has just smothered a lot of teams. On Smackdown, traditional tag teams have taken a backseat to singles wrestlers being thrown together, as well as old teams not even signed getting TV time. But I have more confidence in the tag division getting better without much worry than the women's division. New Day's reign will come to an end soon. Randy Orton and Bray Wyatt will eventually break up. The tag titles will find their way to other teams on the roster and fresh feuds will start.

The Tag Division Heading Into Wrestlemania 2016

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

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

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

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

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

The Usos Pop Back Up

I usually do not talk about the tag division two times in a row. The Usos returned to Raw this week to take part in the main event. Jey Uso was injured a few months ago and Jimmy Uso has not really done anything too important since then. But they are back as a team.

The tag division does not have a centerpiece in the same way the overall men's division or women's division in the WWE has. Despite that, many fans viewed The Usos as the faces of the tag division at one point prior to that injury to Jey Uso. What does their return mean to the tag division?

First off, you have the obvious feud between the heel Tag Team Champions and The Usos, who are still faces. This should be a good feud. It would be a fresh feud. I will not speculate right now whether or not The Usos will win the titles from New Day.

What does this mean for The Dudleys? I just got finished saying the WWE should have given them the tag titles by now. Not long after they returned, I imagined them eventually feuding with The Usos. I felt this could even be a face vs. face feud. Or turn The Dudleys heel. Or The Usos. Or add in a third team, like New Day, and make it a 3-way feud. This could have been a great feud. The WWE might still go there, but I do not feel the same freshness will be there. The WWE ruined the momentum The Dudleys had. I do not think the returning Usos have the same hype to them that the returning Dudleys had. The Dudleys are legends. The Usos come from a wrestling family and a lot of fans do like them, but they are not at the level of The Dudleys. It isn't good to ruin the momentum of The Dudleys, even if The Usos are the ones being pushed in their place.

Rusev/Summer Rae Gets Spoiled

Last week, they had Summer Rae propose marriage to Rusev. Rusev laid down his own terms. He wanted a title before he would agree to marry Summer Rae. This week, the WWE admitted Rusev was engaged to Lana and just murdered the angle it looked like they were developing.

Let me tell you how I imagined this storyline could have gone. The tag titles should be the Championship Rusev ends up getting. Have Summer Rae recruit someone to be Rusev's partner. Anyone would do. There are so many guys without a true direction that could serve this role, even if it means turning someone heel. The wedding segment is eventually set. That is when Lana pops back up and Rusev ends up going back to her. Summer Rae, however, would not be left out in the cold. She could continue to manage the man she recruited. You would have a feud between Rusev/Lana and Summer Rae and her guy. You would also have drama in the tag division.

I don't care if TMZ did whatever. This was a storyline. The fact that people know Rusev isn't really dating Summer Rae and is even engaged to Lana does not have to ruin the storyline. Everyone knows Kane does not really have demonic powers, but the WWE still pushes that as part as kayfabe. This is a situation where the WWE should have blocked out what is going on outside kayfabe and not let it influence the storyline. It wasn't like crowd chants were ruining the storyline. Even then, Bray Wyatt still sometimes gets "Husky Harris" chants, but you don't see the WWE devolving him back to that. Simply put, I do not have faith the WWE will handle things well from here.

What will become of Summer Rae? This was the best usage she has had in the diva division. She was getting mic time, character development, part of a storyline that looked like it was going somewhere, and just used regularly and well. And if done the way I imagined it working, this angle would transition to another role for her. Will she eventually be deflated, again? That's not how you build stars. The only individuals that can survive being pushed like that are established stars. I really think she could have gone somewhere this time.

Another thing to consider, who ends up looking like the heel after last night's segment? Rusev, who has been pushed as a heel his whole time since debuting, is engaged to Lana, a face he recently had issues with. That segment last night made it look like Rusev and Lana getting engaged was unfair to Summer Rae. You would think people would feel sympathetic towards her, but I do not think she is as likable as Lana. If the WWE had done things the way I would have, Rusev would have gotten a face turn that might have made better storyline sense. Just tease that Rusev is having second thoughts about marrying Summer Rae and treat her as overbearing heading up to the wedding segment. That would make fans enjoy Rusev going back to Lana even more. After last night, he looks like a womanizer. He deserved to be slapped. How does Lana end up looking? In kayfabe, she was supposed to be involved with Dolph Ziggler. Recent events should make Rusev and Lana look like heels. I do not like it going that way. Let's see how fans actually react heading forward.

I really think the WWE messed up an opportunity to have a great elaborate storyline. This storyline could have involved supporting players being used meaningfully, title drama, elaborate segments, character development, and just about everything else you want from an elaborate storyline. Since it was involving divas, it could have made the diva division more interesting, providing more creative depth than just the "diva revolution" storyline. The tag division would have gotten involved. There was so much potential with this storyline. I'll admit it, it was my favorite thing about the WWE right now. But I now do not have that much confidence in what will happen next.

The Tag Division Heading Into Summerslam 2015

You have most of the contenders in the tag division getting the spotlight right now. The Prime Time Players are still holding the titles. The Ascension, New Day, Los Matadores, and Lucha Dragons are in the hunt. I have mixed feelings on this feud. Initially, I liked that there was this kind of focus in the tag division. Spread the attention around.

After thinking about it a little more, why not save this for Night of Champions? Night of Champions is a PPV dedicated to titles. It would make better sense to have a tag-team feud that features so many contenders heading into that PPV. You can have Tag Team Turmoil there.

Thinking about it more, why have this feud at all? This is not the first time this year that the WWE has had a multi-team feud for the titles. They had it at Wrestlemania. They had it at Elimination Chamber. They are doing it again at Summerslam. They will probably do it again before the year ends. How about creating a personal feud between just two teams for the titles at Summerslam? I don't mean just a feud where the tag titles are on the line. Make it more personal. Make it mean more. When John Cena and The Rock went at it for the second time at Wrestlemania, it was about more than just the WWE Championship. It was about Cena bouncing back from his previous loss to The Rock. I am not saying the WWE can produce anything like that in their tag division, but create some kind of solid feud between two teams for the titles. That might make some of these teams feel like more than just lower-midcarders.

Sheamus And Orton Feuding

Sheamus and Randy Orton had some issues even before Sheamus won the briefcase. The feud has continued even after that. You have two former World Champions going at it. Beyond that, is there anything worth saying about this feud? It is pretty boring.

Who should win this feud? Randy Orton is above Sheamus in the WWE hierarchy. He is also the face in the feud. However, Sheamus won the briefcase. If they are really serious about building him back up to be a credible Champion, a victory over someone like Randy Orton should help. Of course, there have been a lot of instances of Mr. Money in the Bank losing a lot. The main reason you can say Sheamus does not need the star building is because he has won World titles before. He has won the Royal Rumble. His momentum does not seem to be there, but he has credibility. I would say they toss Orton a bone and let him win this.

Should Sheamus cash in at Battleground? I will bring that up when I talk about Seth Rollins vs. Brock Lesnar. But as far as cashing in goes, if Sheamus were to cash in around now, how likely is he to win it? Does he seem like a guy that would win the title right now? I don't think so. Seth Rollins has not been the greatest WWE Champion, but Sheamus feels like a boring midcarder, which is much worse. The WWE really needs to do a better job of making Sheamus intriguing.

The same can be said about Randy Orton. This is a dry time for him. I think now would be a good time to pair together two main-eventers or upper-midcarders and let them get the tag titles. Teams like that should not dominate the tag division on a constant basis, but having them win the titles now and then might make title matters exciting again. Look at John Cena and the United States Championship. A lot of fans are praising what is going on there. The situation is not great because it is the United States Championship. The situation is great because John Cena is involved. The WWE will push him well. The tag division is overrun by jobbers. The WWE does not do a good job developing teams prior to winning the titles, they do not let them hold the titles long enough to get great, and then they give the titles to another team that has not been developed well. It doesn't really matter who wins the titles at Battleground. Things will be mediocre. Pair Randy Orton up with another top performer that the company cannot push well right now and let them have a run with the tag titles. They don't need to do open challenges like Cena, but I am sure the fact that two top guys are holding the titles will improve matters in the tag division. It should freshen things up.

Elimination Chamber Returns

Elimination Chamber will be returning in a few weeks. It will be exclusively on the WWE Network. I would consider this more of a special event than a real pay-per-view. This is the kind of thing they should have done since last year more often. They had title defenses here and there to hype the WWE Network, but nothing big ever really happened. You could make the argument that subscribers are getting two big events in one month for just $9.99. The WWE seems to be giving away too much for free. They are trying to draw in more subscribers.

Another item of note is that the Intercontinental Championship and the Tag Team Championship will be decided in Elimination Chamber matches. That has never happened before. This type of match has always been a main-event type of match. In general, I like doing it this way. It makes these titles feel even more important. The WWE had done a pretty good job with the Intercontinental Championship recently, despite Daniel Bryan's recent misfortune. The tag titles need the help more. A lot of these teams are made up of lower-midcarders or midcarders randomly put together. You can't treat someone or a team mediocrely, or possibly worse, for a while, then just start pushing them and think everyone will be excited for them. Yes, certain fans will get excited for Kidd and Cesaro getting a push, but that does not mean those guys have that great connection with the wider audience. And the feud and storyline development in the tag division has been poor. It is like the WWE just tosses a gimmick on some guys and gets lazy after that. Having special matches like this can help things.

Just one issue you might bring up. Think about Hell in a Cell. Such an iconic, legendary match type. So many great moments. Heated feuds would culminate there. What does the WWE do? They make a PPV devoted to it. Feuds that shouldn't necessarily be put inside the cell are put in there. You have a lot of matches in recent years that have been disappointing. The match type has lost its mystique. Will that happen to the Elimination Chamber? Will it lose value now that midcard matters are being decided there? Have to wait and see how the matches play out. Regardless of what happens to the image of this match type, the midcard and tag division stand to benefit. 

A New Day In The Tag Division?

The WWE made the decision to put the tag titles on The New Day. This is a weak decision. It was just a few years ago that the WWE did a good job of passing the titles on to teams that had momentum on their side. In the last few months, they have stopped doing that.

Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston, and Big E were faces when the group officially debuted. They didn't get a very good reaction from the fans. The WWE turned them heel. But they won't turn Cena heel after all these years? Anyway, is any reaction better than no reaction? Fans weren't reacting negatively because they wanted these guys to turn heel. They hated the act. If the WWE thinks they have something of value here, they need to realize that they need to put more into it. You can go on Twitter or some message board and see fans reacting a certain way to something. Vocal fans in the arenas might also make you believe that the fans feel a certain way about something. But there are a lot of casual fans that may not be buying into it the same way or buying into it at all. You have to invest in what those vocal fans are wanting and make them into true draws for you. And if those things really cannot deliver, then you have every right to drop it and move on.

The New Day is a joke. I thought they had potential when they started. Didn't go anywhere. I also did not think they should get the titles unless the WWE was serious about developing them. It does not look like it. They are still a joke. I know this is the PG era, but not all the heels need to be like this. It is about entertaining the fans, but a variety of different characters would help. The WWE is just getting too gimmicky. Besides that, by not developing the group as a more serious threat, you are not doing the tag division any favors. All the teams feel like they are made up of guys that were jobbers not too long ago. Just pushing them well for a few weeks and tossing titles on them does not make it better. You need to develop their credibility better.

This is Kofi Kingston's first heel run in the WWE. It is disappointing that it has to be as part of a stable turning. It would have been nice if it was treated as a bigger deal. He gets another title reign added to his name, but what is this doing for his connection with the fans? This was a guy that was pretty over. Not A+, but very respectable. The gimmick seems to have hurt that. If he had a serious heel role, that might be better for him. Instead, he has this stupid gimmick and is stuck in a poor tag division.

Been a while since I did an aside. Let me do one. It is NBA playoff time. Coaches are willing to pull out any trick in the book. That includes intentionally fouling certain players they know are horrible at free throws. That causes the opposing team to possibly have a possession where they get no points, if the player misses both free throws. These kind of players can be a real weak link for their team. Why not kick them off the team? Why not make them bench players? Because they are still so good at other aspects of the game, such as defense. That is why they are still valued. And some of them are still used as starters. Even with their weaknesses, they still get valuable playing time. And they help their teams to succeed.

What does that have to do with anything? When the WWE mistreats a worker the fans want to see get pushed, they always seem to have an excuse. He lacks mic skills, he lacks charisma, or some other thing like that. It is no excuse. Who is perfect? Cena? Reigns? If they were, I don't think they would have had issues connecting with fans when pushed as top stars. When you have someone that is really connecting with the fans very well, you should take advantage of that. So what if he has certain weaknesses? He still brings you great results to help your product succeed.

This is also something for a lot of fans to keep in mind. They complain about certain performers not being great wrestlers. Okay, but they still have other attributes to help draw in other fans. For the most part, I don't really see fans saying Cena or Reigns should be fired. They just want them depushed or pushed differently. That's fair. It is only in those situations where these type of performers are really not living up to the manner they are being pushed that you should consider a hard depush and possibly letting them go. If you are bringing great results in connecting with certain fans, your shortcomings can be accepted. But if you are not bringing those great results in any area, why should you be kept around? With fans always complaining about you, you are just more trouble than you are worth.

Tag Division Developments

I did not think the WWE should put the tag titles on Kidd and Cesaro. They just did not have the momentum that so many teams have had in recent years that won them. The WWE gave them the tag titles. They aren't as bad as McGillicutty and Otunga, but they were not the best options. Of course, wrestling fans will rejoice at these two holding the titles. Great in-ring workers. And people want to say that the WWE hates those fans because of what they did to Daniel Bryan recently? The WWE toss these fans a bone now and then. And you have also gotten some fresh diva action between Natalya and Naomi as this team feuds against The Usos.

Let me talk about the other teams in the division. The Ascension have tasted defeat. The Prime Time Players are back. The Rhodes have split. Miz and Sandow are having issues. Even though you do have some teams, you have to realize that the WWE does not treat all their workers equally and give them equal opportunities. I would agree that workers have to earn those top-tier positions, but just for the sake of freshness, you should treat your workers better in certain areas, like the tag division. Right now, I do not see any team worthy of winning the titles off Kidd and Cesaro, except for the team they beat to win the titles. I would like to see Titus O'Neil and Darren Young get them, but I do not think the WWE will develop them properly to deserve it. What's the point of giving someone a title reign if the fans aren't too interested? The tag division is not as hot as it once was. Tossing together two lower-midcarders for a short push will not help.

Just focus on Cesaro for a moment. There are still some fans out there chanting for the WWE to push him. They are pushing him. He's holding the tag titles. Those fan obviously mean a solo push. Some fans are just too demanding. Cesaro does not have the overness that Daniel Bryan has. In time, there might be some controversy that propels Cesaro to become a legend. Maybe. Until then, he's featured on a consistent basis and at least he is not jobbing as regularly as he did a few months ago. And did I mention he's holding the tag titles?

Tag Division Developments

There are a few things going on in the tag division. That is good. First, the Tag Team Champions, Miz and Sandow, are feuding against The Usos. There also happens to be a storyline there. Second, you actually have a feud developing outside of the title scene in the tag division. That is between The Dust Brothers and New Day.

They had a match on Raw to determine new contenders for the tag titles. When The Usos won, I anticipated that this would just be a dull jobber push for them. They would be developed just to put over Miz and Sandow. And you might get a little tired seeing so much of The Usos in the title scene. However, they are actually developing a little bit of a storyline with this feud that goes beyond the titles. Jimmy Uso is married to Naomi. They are running a little jealousy storyline with Miz involved. You can just chalk it up to a heel playing mind games with a face, but it is still good to put some creative interest in these tag feuds. Would these kind of storylines be going on right now if Total Divas was not around? Would this creative interest be here if Miz was not involved? He is someone the WWE wants to push as a star. That's fine. I just do not think he needs to be handed so many titles. His overall overness may not be great, but he can make for some interesting storylines. And the fact that Naomi is involved shows how divas can make men's feuds interesting. You have to improve that periphery.

The other feud being developed is between Stardust & Goldust and New Day, the new faction consisting of Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods. When New Day did not win that #1 contenders match on Raw, I was thinking the WWE would drop the ball with them. No, it looks like they will develop a feud for them. It is obvious the faces will win this feud. They just debuted the new gimmick. Stardust & Goldust are not top priorities now. New Day will still likely be facing the Tag Team Champions down the line. This can just build some momentum for them. Smart development.

Which of these two feuds should involve the tag titles? Let's say you had the option of undoing the title change that happened a few weeks ago and everything else stays the same. The feud between The Usos and Miz and Sandow is just a grudge feud over Naomi. The feud between The Dust Brothers and New Day is for the tag titles. Would you make the switch? Obviously, you do not want to rush the titles on New Day. On the other side of that, if you are going to put the titles on them, you don't want to wait too long until they lose that momentum. That is the mistake they made with Stardust and Goldust. Reading about the kind of promo that happens on this week's Smackdown, I just got the feeling like this is a feud between good and evil with New Day and Stardust & Goldust. You can say every face vs. heel feud is like that, but this really feels like it is just the good, righteous guys against the bad guys. Would that feud mean more if the tag titles were involved? I think it also would have been a defining feud for The Dust Brothers recent title reign. That title reign was very brief and lackluster as it was. They could have kept the titles on them and this feud right now would have been a step back in the right direction. Where does that leave Miz, Sandow, The Usos, and Naomi? A lot of great storylines have been over women, without any real title focus. Remember the triangle you had between Test, Scott Steiner, and Stacy Keibler? That story wasn't focused around a title at all. They could have had a non-title tag feud right now that put great focus on Naomi. As it stands, she might end up just being a pawn Miz is using to help him retain the tag titles. Nice story, but you could have told it without the tag titles. And the story might have ended up being even better. As it stands, I think either way of doing it would be good. This is a step in the right direction for the tag division.

How about the diva division? You are seeing a little right now how divas can be utilized in the periphery to help make storylines more interesting. This is a dark age. The first dark age remained interesting primarily because of periphery divas. It is about time they start doing more with these women, outside of AJ Lee and The Bellas. What more can the WWE do? More mixed-tag matches. Trish and Lita wrestled a ton of those during the first dark age. Lita was paired with Matt and Jeff Hardy. Trish was with Test & Albert. They also teamed with multiple other guys, including main-eventers. Naomi is unlikely to get into any mixed-tag matches with the current storyline she has, but a feud against Tyson Kidd and Natalya might happen. Tyson Kidd might have Cesaro as a partner for that. Outside of the tag division, you can pair some of these women with midcarders you are willing to push. And I don't just mean Lana with Rusev. Pair some of the other divas without anything to do with guys. Ivory was a part of Right To Censor during the first dark age. Why not add a diva to some kind of midcard or upper-midcard stable? Could a diva have fit in with New Day? As for your A-tier periphery divas, now might not be the good time to pair a diva with a top star. The Authority is gone, a lot of main-eventers are still out, the depth at the top is bad, and it just might not be smooth to do right now. But these are the kind of things they need to do to make this dark age as interesting as the first. You are not going to have women parade around in their thongs and expose their breasts like you did back then, but you can be more efficient in how you utilize them.

Let me go back to what I was talking about yesterday. I was talking about how having an ego can be a problem, but can also be good to some extent. I want to bring up one last example to consider.

I have been following my alma mater's football team regularly since last year. They have a quarterback that is very good and has helped them reach the FCS playoffs two years in a row. As the story goes, this quarterback was actually at a college in Connecticut. The coaches there would not let him be the starter on the football team. What does he do? Does he put up with being a backup? He transfers to my school in New York City. I cannot imagine making a decision like that hinged primarily on whether I can be a starter on a football team. Of course, I never played sports in college. Students make decisions based on sports every year. Would you say that quarterback must have had a somewhat high opinion of himself? Did he make a little bit of an ego decision right there? Thing is, he actually went out there and proved himself. He has won awards. He has broken records. If he ever gets a Wikipedia page, there will be a lot of positive stuff on there that might not have been there if he had chosen to stay in Connecticut. He thought he was worth more than staying in someone else's shadow and he happened to be right. Instead of waiting around for an opportunity to possibly come to him, he made a decision and moved on. You have to know your worth. Don't sell yourself short. That is how you are often able to go out there and do great things.

Now, let's look at a different scenario. Let's say some other quarterback in the same situation turns out a little different. He doesn't get to be a starter on the school's team. He thinks he's better than that and transfers to a different school just because he feels he is good enough to be a starter. What happens? He sucks. He gets benched. He switched schools just to get benched. What would you think of a guy that thinks so highly of himself, makes a big decision like that, and then fails miserably? He's a big doofus? Well, you might say that. As I said last time, having an ego can be a problem when you have this high opinion of yourself and you are really not that good. Knowing your own worth does not mean thinking you are better than you really are.

Back to Vince McMahon. Whether you believe his problem rests in he thinks he knows what the fans want, thinks he is some kind of genius, thinks he can make a star out of anybody, or whatever, that problem is magnified due to his ego. If he didn't have such a belief in what he was doing, he might be more open to doing things differently or stepping aside to let someone else do it. You look at what Vince McMahon is ultimately responsible for. I don't want to blame him for everything, but some major blame has to fall in his lap. Does the quality of that product look like it is the work of a man that believes in himself and his ability to know what the fans want, believes in his intelligence, and believes in his ability to make stars? Or does it look like the work of someone that has that high opinion of himself and really isn't that great? Is Vince McMahon essentially just a big doofus?

Miz & Sandow Win The Tag Titles

Miz and Damien Sandow won the tag titles at Survivor Series. Am I supposed to call him Mizdow? I'm not going to call him Mizdow. That is Sandow's first real title reign in the WWE. Good for him. What about Miz? It wasn't too long ago that this guy was holding a title. He does not need them. Unless the WWE is out of business by then, Miz will eventually be inducted into their Hall of Fame. It isn't because he earned it. It is because they gave him a career that will obviously end up in the Hall of Fame. And part of that is all these title reigns they keep on giving him.

I have mentioned many times that the WWE had been good about giving the tag titles to teams with momentum in recent years. Giving it to Goldust and Stardust was a step back. They may have had more momentum a few months ago when Cody Rhodes first debuted the new gimmick, but they had cooled down by the time the WWE finally gave them the titles. And their short time with the titles this year was not too great. Is giving it to Miz and Sandow a step back in the right direction? I don't think so. This is not a legitimate team. This is just two guys in the midcard that were tossed together a few months ago. You can easily see them feuding with each other soon. They were pretty much at that point where they either got the tag titles or started feuding with each other. Even though Sandow is getting over with the fans with his comedy gimmick, as a team, momentum wasn't really there for them to win the tag titles as it was for many other teams in the last few years. The tag division has not really regained that momentum.

There is still a lack of contenders. A lot of the teams on the main roster do not have a lot of credibility and are obvious lower-midcarders. Enter New Day. The New Day is a stable consisting of Kofi Kingston, Big E, and Xavier Woods. They look to be faces. It is not hard to imagine that two of these guys might eventually be going after the tag titles. I just think the gimmick is stupid. It is a good move to give your workers gimmicks and not push them as generic characters, but the WWE is just going overboard. Creative interest goes beyond just a gimmick. What about feud and storyline development? That is where the WWE often fails these days. And you just have too many stupid gimmicks floating around and not going anywhere. What you have these days is gimmicked lower-midcard filler. Guys like Tyson Kidd and Fandango are relevant again. Are they really being pushed? Or is this just filler? Main-event depth is not the only issue in the WWE. Midcarders like Barrett and Bo Dallas have also been injured. Who takes up their spot? Adam Rose and his Bunny? A lot of the things going on right now feel like El Torito vs. Hornswoggle. The WWE obviously did not follow up on those two. That is the same feeling you should have for a lot of these gimmicks you see now. They are just rotating these gimmicks. And this might be a low point in Kofi Kingston's career in the WWE. He looked very credible at one time. He might have been better off when he was generic. What will this gimmick do with his connection with the fans? As for those other two, this is a step up from what they are typically used to. Overall, the tag division is not too great right now.

State Of The WWE Tag Team Division: January 2014

I talked about the current situation of the diva division a while ago. Why not do the same for the WWE tag team division? The tag division in this company used to be very hot at one time. You had teams becoming legends in TLC matches. You had two sets of titles when the brands were split. On the other side of that, there was a time when Otunga and McGillicutty held the titles, did nothing great with them, and were buried. The WWE hyped a revival of the division, but that didn't go far. In terms of the overall status quo of the tag division right now, it is still a playground for midcarders and upper-midcarders. You might rarely get some lower-midcarders or main-eventers winning the titles, but the division typically revolves around guys you would expect to be getting good singles pushes or guys that eventually will get those singles pushes. Legitimate 2-man teams typically do not get featured enough. Consistent feuds and storylines are not there for those kinds of teams. But what about the specific situation the division is currently in?

Starting right at the top, The Rhodes are still Tag Champions. I saw someone mention recently how Cody and Goldust looked so great a few months ago and the WWE dropped the ball so badly with them. What does that make me think of? People that complain about the Nexus angle being buried so badly a few years ago. Some people blame Cena. Even though I do not like John Cena, I would say the guy gets blamed for things that are not his fault. Some people act like those rookies would have had such bright futures if things had gone differently in that Summerslam match. Is that the argument people make with The Rhodes? Cody Rhodes and Goldust got a big win against The Shield. They won the tag titles. They have been retaining the tag titles. And yet, their momentum has definitely taken a hit. You want to argue that John Cena buried them? You want to argue that The Shield buried them? Is it failure to connect with the fans that is to blame? It really isn't any of that. They have simply lost momentum. Blame the WWE for that. They have not developed proper tag-team feuds and storylines for them. The storyline they are currently running with them could be the one that leads to them losing the titles and splitting up. What does that do for the tag division? You had to have expected them breaking up soon. That is just the typical tag division these days.

The New Age Outlaws are back! And this might actually be the team that wins the titles off The Rhodes? Why not? Who else is there? Swagger & Cesaro? The NAO are a legendary tag team. They were there when the tag division was so hot. Their return does not actually make things like they used to be. Only the WWE's development of the feuds and storylines can make that happen. Another example of the WWE relying on past stars to help them now, but I'm not going to complain.

How about The Shield? Why don't I think they are the likely options to get back the tag titles? I don't see why the WWE would need to shoot the titles back to them. They have moved on. They have their issues with CM Punk. They are developing Roman Reigns to most likely be the breakout star of the group. They are still henchmen for The Authority. Even though this team still has momentum, I don't think it is momentum to get them another run with the titles.

The last team I will mention are The Usos. They got a big win on Raw last week. Of course, it was one of those matches where more attention was put on the loser for the sake of the storyline than the winner. The feud between Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt kind of overshadowed The Usos win. Nevertheless, this is a team I would like to believe will win the tag titles this year. The first step would be to transition it to a heel team. I cannot picture The Usos beating The Rhodes for the titles themselves. The Usos are great in the ring, they are over, and I would like to believe the WWE will run out of makeshift teams they want to give the titles to sooner or later.

I am not going to mention much about teams like The Wyatts, Real Americans, Los Matadores, and whomever else I am forgetting right now. Right now, these teams are just supporting cast in the tag division. Yes, The Wyatts are getting a huge angle right now, but that angle is really just a feud against Daniel Bryan. From the time they have come on the scene, they have targeted really just one wrestler at a time, not tag teams. The only exception was their feud against CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, but those two aren't exactly a legitimate team in the tag division. These teams are not major players in actual tag division at the moment.

Let me say a little about the diva division. And it does relate to tag teams. The Bellas have stated that they would like tag titles for the diva division. Do I like that idea? No. The WWE can't even properly keep two diva angles going at the same time these days. You can even say they have enough trouble keeping up one good diva angle around the Diva's Championship. The priority should be to get that momentum to keep more than one diva angle going properly. If they cannot motivate themselves to do that, how can you believe they will suddenly force themselves to run things better with another set of titles in the diva division? The WWE is not above tossing a title on someone and not have them do anything with it. Is Dean Ambrose still US Champion? If the WWE created tag titles for the diva division at this time, it would die faster than TNA's KO tag titles died on ODB and Eric Young.