DiBiase And Mahal Went Nowhere

Just want to go back to a loose end from a few weeks ago. I talked about the potential the feud developing on Smackdown between Ted DiBiase Jr. and Jinder Mahal had. I didn't have much confidence that the WWE would handle it well. Now that it looks like both men have moved on, how did the WWE deliver?

I feel drained just trying to think about it. Depressingly drained. It started out well, but that is what made me first talk about it. Since then, it seems that all that has happened is that both men traded momentum, then went on to nothing too interesting in particular. Neither looked too strong or interesting in comparison to the other, in the end. DiBiase has nothing to do right now. You can say that Mahal has a little more focus, but he is still just a jobber. Only a matter of time before he gets squashed by Brodus Clay. The feud didn't really do too much for either man's credibility or overness either.

Failing to deliver in developing the talent can be overlooked, if the feud or storyline that was going on at least entertained or interested the fans. Did Jinder and DiBiase deliver? Did anyone even think they would? They didn't. The feud ends up being a waste of time. Just filler.

When I first talked about this, I thought the WWE would develop this to benefit DiBiase. I gave them too much credit. This thing didn't really benefit anybody. Jinder may have went on to win a few matches, but he is currently a midcard heel jobber on Smackdown. Is India going crazy for him? How about Canada? DiBiase isn't out of the scene entirely, but it's like his feud with Jinder meant nothing.

Ted DiBiase And Jinder Mahal

Ted DiBiase turned face just a few months ago. He entered a minor feud with Cody Rhodes over the Intercontinental Championship. I think that feud could have gone on a lot longer, but can't change things now. DiBiase has not really done much since that feud.

Jinder Mahal debuted in an angle with The Great Khali. They had an interesting storyline going on between the two for a while. After Khali left a few weeks ago, Mahal has found himself lost in the shuffle.

Bring the two together. Jinder Mahal and Ted DiBiase seem to be entering a feud. It can definitely help DiBiase become very over to go against an annoying heel foreigner. It helps that Mahal has that elitist attitude in this storyline. Will the feud be good for Mahal? There are two ways this can go. They can be just building Mahal up to put over DiBiase. That would make this feud similar to Chavo Guerrero's feud with Sin Cara. I doubt Mahal will get upset about being used to only put over other people and not being really appreciated. Chavo was a veteran and obviously had a lot more fans wanting better for him. Mahal is still new to the WWE. I can picture some backstage issues being reported on dirtsheets if he does get upset about this. Considering the WWE is still low on stars on their roster, they may still continue to push Mahal in some way, even after he puts over DiBiase. They could be building up DiBiase to put over Mahal, but I doubt that. DiBiase seems like the kind of guy they would want to make into a success in this feud.

Using one person to put over the other is one way the feud can go. If the WWE really wanted to, they can develop the actual storyline further. Both of these guys are similar. Both have a history of master-servant angles. Remember when DiBiase was looking for a "Virgil"? Remember when the WWE was selling the idea that The Great Khali was being forced to do Mahal's bidding? They can easily build this feud up to have the winner in one of their matches be the other guy's servant. Should Mahal win, you can easily imagine DiBiase's life being made into a personal hell. Should Dibiase win, and since he is a face, you can have him trying to take it easy on Mahal and get him to be more like a face. Mahal does not have to turn, but it can make for some good segments. It would be similar to a feud Paul Burchill and William Regal had years ago. I really believe that you can have a lot of directions this can go, and it can definitely make the Smackdown midcard more interesting.

I wouldn't be surprised if the WWE is building a mediocre feud to put over DiBiase. If that is what they are doing, I hope it does not drag on too long. If you are going to make it interesting and allow both guys to let their characters shine and develop, let it go for a while. If not, just have it last a month.

Afterthought Syndrome Is Spreading

Triple H came out on Raw for a long, dry promo on ending The Undertaker's streak. Pretty much everything you would expect from a guy like Triple H. He's done everything there is to do. Just needs to end that streak before he goes on to do something else left to do. There's always something. The fans were not really into it that much. Still, you can say the hype was customary and necessary.

That brings out Ted DiBiase for the customary and necessary destruction at the hands of Triple H. Easy way to plug how intense the match might be at Wrestlemania. In any case, this was where the first bit of excitement in the segment came from. Yes, Ted DiBiase got squashed, but it was action. Before DiBiase did the job, he gave a promo about being an afterthought. Sounds like Gail Kim? Look at DiBiase's career over the last year. Gone downhill. He goes from an angle where he is breaking up with Maryse to doing nothing at all. Whether the WWE starts pushing him after Wrestlemania or not, his last push is not exactly an indicator that things will go well.

Speaking of Maryse and Gail Kim, Raw actually featured two diva matches. Two diva matches?! The return of Trish Stratus really opened the gates to heaven, didn't it? I will not say anything about the match quality, but consider something else. Not one diva used in either match had actual pro wrestling experience and training prior to signing with the WWE. None were real wrestlers. None were credible divas, as I like to call them. Maryse and Eve were both products of the Diva Search. Layla and McCool were Diva Search participants as well. Trish Stratus was a model when the WWE hired her, and her becoming a solid wrestler after joining the WWE has become the standard by which drives the WWE to still push a "diva" division. Vickie Guerrero needs no explanation. Just a minor thing. Meaningless? About as meaningless as the women the WWE hires for their wrestling ability? As meaningless as Melina, Gail Kim, Natalya, Beth Phoenix, and if I am missing anyone, meaningless! They're all just afterthoughts. You want to see them, watch Superstars. Enjoy it until they cancel it. The division revolves around an image, not wrestling ability or even entertainment.

Ted DiBiase Moves On

Tonight, Ted DiBiase Jr. seemed to move on from his feud with Goldust completely. Goldust gave the Million $ Championship belt back to Ted Sr., who then tried to give it back to his son, but Ted Jr. had other ideas. He attacked Daniel Bryan later on in the show.

Obviously, if you think back to a few weeks ago, the WWE looked to be starting something with Daniel Bryan and CM Punk. Punk is injured for a few months. Daniel Bryan has not had a real solid feud since Miz. His series with Ziggler put on great matches, but the story to the feud itself was weak. This new feud with DiBiase may actually get some good development.

As for DiBiase, I feel more could have done for both his feud with Goldust and with the title aspect of his gimmick. Yes, the United States title is a step up, but his dad's belt had a more personal story to the gimmicks both have. Overall, it is a shame that this is all getting blown over, but I will still remember that it did make Goldust look very credible again. It even refreshed Ted a bit after months of staleness. It made two women who are not great wrestlers actually useful in a storyline. Things will continue. Will they cross paths again in the future?

A Million $ Push For Goldust

After a few weeks of teasing that someone wanted something from Ted DiBiase and Maryse, it was revealed that Goldust was behind all this. He does not want Maryse, as if he needed a new valet. He does not want Ted DiBiase, which would have been an interesting angle to pull off in PG WWE. He wants Ted's title belt.

When the whole tease started, the obvious choice the WWE was pushing was that someone wanted Maryse, especially after the small issues the two had after losing a match. I was expecting a swerve. However, my idea was that they may have a diva come into the picture who wanted Ted, and thus try to take Maryse's place by his side. A little Raw diva feud would have risen for Maryse. Why would the WWE do anything interesting with their divas? Stupid me! They still may pull together something with NXT, but this does seem to be for Goldust and DiBiase, thus far. I was surprised to see Goldust. It wasn't a bad surprise.

As is common when wanting to make sure people know you are not just doing blind love, let me just say that I have never even been a real Goldust fan. That is the truth. I still liked the segment. Goldust actually sounded like a serious threat, not like the joke he typically comes off as these past few years. It was like a rebirth.

Yes, it is only the Million Dollar Championship. Yes, he may likely job sooner or later, whether he wins the thing or not, to put over DiBiase. Yes, the WWE may even treat this as a bathroom break feud. But this is an example of something I find entertaining that does not have to be treated as a complete joke or only have value in match quality. Goldust actually seems credible. Both DiBiase and Goldust could benefit from this. WWE would be a lot better if they built more feuds and storylines like this. Then again, how long until they ruin it?

What Does DiBiase Do For Summerslam?

In a backstage segment, Edge teased tension within Team Cena by saying he would rather not have Khali on their side. Who would he rather have? Ted DiBiase? Obviously, this segment really was meant to just form tension. However, DiBiase also went on to defeat a member of Team Cena in a match. Could the WWE have plans for DiBiase in Nexus vs. Team Cena?

There are two reasons why Ted being on the team all of a sudden may not work. First, all the current members either have a reason to be on the team or have some credibility. Even the minor exceptions like R-Truth and Khali had segments in which they spoke on Nexus. They have been built into this match now. Who gets the bullet? And why? And replace them with DiBiase? That brings me to the second thing. He has been even less involved with this feud than Khali or R-Truth. Of all the people to put in all of a sudden, him? What about Bourne or Mark Henry? And Khali can provide at least power to the team. What does Ted DiBiase supply that is unique? Money?

The WWE definitely wants to push DiBiase, but he is definitely lost at the moment. Summerslam is a big PPV. Do they just leave him off? There really does not seem to be anything for him to do. I can think of no great opponents for him to work against at the PPV. Maybe a rushed feud with Bourne? The WWE is high on Bourne too. Just does not seem like a big enough match. At least DiBiase is still walking around with that shiny belt and Maryse.

Speaking of Maryse, a diva I despised during her push in the ring, I do not mind her as much now that she is a valet for Ted DiBiase. Without her ruining match quality, I can relax with her. I still do not find her to be the most beautiful woman alive. I still find her charisma not that great. But just showing cleavage and doing her act is how she will get over with the fans, definitely not by wrestling. But when the time is right, they will push her again in the ring. I want to see how she does. Would this be her third shot in my book? Three strikes...

Guest Hosts Don't Have A Price

A slap from R-Truth gave Ted DiBiase Jr. a concussion. That was weeks ago. I do not think that excuse still holds as to why they are using Ted in the particular way he has been used over the last few weeks. What do I mean? Ted has been involved in minor angles involving the guest hosts. Vintage guest host crap! It is not as bad as Chavo jobbing to Hornswoggle and Bob Barker, but Ted is kind of stagnant.

I will admit that I enjoyed the story with the A-Team last week. The thing with him wanting the fan's eye was a bit weird. Overall, I do like that it is letting this guy show some character. Many will say that it is his father's character he is showing, but the son still has the potential to make it his own. Can he be like his dad? Well, he is mingling with top celebrities in an attempt to find out.

What am I really complaining about then? Virgil is getting used. Ted is looking like a heel leader in a way. What is lacking is good enough focus and direction for Ted's treatment. He is almost left with nothing to do in terms of real feuds and pushes. If you look at wrestling for only your own sake, assuming you are an average fan, you just want an entertaining show. Ted is helping to provide that with his gimmick and involvement with the guest hosts. For those who want to see more serious action or Ted get a good push, then you should not be smiling too much over what the WWE is doing with him. Is it that they have no real opponents for him to feud with? Goldust vs. Ted may not be very good, keeping in mind that one is pretty much a jobber. Are all the other names so caught up in their own angles, that the WWE needs Ted to work with the guest hosts to provide some kind of quality minor issues for the hosts? To look at it another way, it is almost like Ted is being treated like Santino sometimes is. Santino has a storyline now, but there have been times where he is only good for going out in a given night to do his comedy act. There is no real push or long-term goal for what he is doing in that night. Ted DiBiase Jr. does not do a comedy act, but his gimmick definitely does provide an act.

I am not ready to complain too much yet. I doubt he will end up like Chavo on Raw. I hope the WWE plays this minor idea out to the point where Ted does get to host Raw in some way, just to still be foiled or something. I was hoping R-Truth would keep the U.S. title and feud with DiBiase. Could have been interesting. Not going to happen. I was excited for the possibilities with Ted DiBiase at one point. Now? I am waiting.

DiBiase Gets His Virgil

Tony Atlas is gone, but the WWE decides to utilize the original Virgil? I am not complaining. Unlike Bret Hart, it does not look like Virgil will pretend he is 100% able to wrestle, having a bunch of guys do the brunt of the work for him, and then win titles. His time has gone by, but he can still be useful in the current storyline involving Ted DiBiase Jr.

When I said that this thing going on with DiBiase had potential to be very interesting, having the original Virgil himself be his valet was not something I thought about. I think this can be good. Show how Virgil's character has grown, if at all. Will he still put up with this kind of crap? He did not look very pleased about things on Raw. Will DiBiase keep a strong hold on him? This can lead to R-Truth potentially fighting to "free" Virgil. Storylines like that have been done before, I know, but this current thing with DiBiase may be calling for it.

For those of you who did not like the WWE poking fun at weight, how do you like the WWE basically playing with slavery? There is nothing racist going on here, right? Whether I am going too far or not, I understand that they are trying to tell a story here. Sooner or later, DiBiase will get what he has coming and Virgil will surely leave with some respect....Then get released.

Even after all that is done, do not forget that DiBiase still has his dad's title belt and the trust fund. The angle involving Virgil may end, but there will still be possibilities for Ted DiBiase Jr. Time will tell where he goes next.

Pour You Another, Punk?

CM Punk's stable, Straight-Edge Society, has been doing pretty well for the few months that they have officially been in existence on Smackdown. It also seems to be still growing. Luke Gallows, Serena, the masked guy, and maybe Rey Mysterio. Lose your hair or gain a new member?

How many members does still stable need? One of the things you have to realize about this group's "success" in terms of either wins or straight entertainment value, it is tied to Punk. Punk is definitely the center of attention here. That gives the other members a rub, true, but how much longer can they continue across this path?

Compare it to Legacy. Randy Orton had two henchmen. Initially, the group was pretty much just messing around with what Orton wanted after they were officially formed. Rhodes and DiBiase looked pathetic at times. That is not happening to Gallows and Serena yet, but something is also not happening for them yet. Rhodes and DiBiase went on to get some real attention back on them when they feuded against DX. That was huge. I believe there was at least one event where the feud between these two teams trumped Orton's own feud on a card. This was great for Rhodes and DiBiase. They were no longer in Orton's direct shadow for those few months.

Again, Gallows and Serena are not exactly being brought to tears or humiliation being in the shadow of CM Punk, but when are they going to get that period in which they really branch on their own? Obviously, they will not be going for the tag titles with each other. Serena can go for diva feuds. Anti-Diva? Is that supposed to be an excuse to keep her out of matches? Doubt it. Gallows can team with the new member to go for tag gold, but I doubt this team will look as good as Rhodes and DiBiase when they feuded against DX.

Is four enough? Punk can compete for the World title. Two guys for tag gold. One woman for diva gold. One of the guys can try for the Intercontinental Championship. They may also add another member to take that belt. Seriously, I do not want to see this stable with ALL the gold. Even Evolution never had all the gold. In case you have forgotten, no one in that stable held the Women's Championship.

I guess I am just waiting for when they stop trying to add members to the group, but start actually building the members under Punk better. One of the arguments against this is that it will turn into the "Straight-Edge Show". If each member had a unique storyline going on, other midcarders and divas may be getting shafted. Adding more members to the group will not exactly lead down a path in the opposite direction. It may make things worse. I would like to see less angles that involve CM Punk as the main star and the rest of his minion as straight sidekicks. I want to start seeing less storylines that revolve around spreading the same straight-edge message. I will admit that there are a lot of creative possibilities there, but why play them all out now? I would rather see more angles building up people who are not CM Punk.

Lesson From Your Father

I do not absolutely hate when the WWE does a remake of a previous gimmick. It is possible to bring back good angles, or even bad ones, in fresh ways to really make something to get wrestlers over or get the fans interested.

Ted DiBiase Jr. is carrying around his dad's old title. He is looking for a lackey.You can call the WWE lame for just reworking what worked for the older DiBiase, but there are distinctions. You have the idea here that the SON of the WWE legend wants to follow in his father's footsteps. There is the bit of freshness. Will the son be able to be like his father? Who will be his lackey? Will he soon lose his title? Will the WWE really use this to give him his own stable? Fortunate Sons? Point is, this is not the same exact story that the older DiBiase had over a decade ago. There are subtle differences.

I honestly believe this thing has the potential to really make Ted DiBiase Jr. shine. Legacy did not really do that for him. Rushing him to win gold as soon as he did with Cody Rhodes did not really do that for him. He is finally being allowed to let his own character shine better than it has since his WWE debut. If the WWE continues with this by either treating his belt as a real title or push to find him a lackey, you can have some great storylines and feuds out of that. Run with both ideas. Bring back his dad and push another angle using them. Make a stable. There are so many possibilities. HOWEVER, I would not like to see the WWE spam all the possibilities. Do not explore all the routes. Why not? Why invest so much in one guy? A lot can be done with just one focus. There is no way I can picture the WWE turning Raw into Ted DiBiase's Variety Show. Pick a story and tell it.

If all goes well, I would not be shocked to see Ted DiBiase one day be a World Champion. I would not be surprised to see him become a great heel. He is definitely one of the most interesting things on Raw right now. How will the WWE keep the ball rolling?

Why Has The WWE Lost That Feel? 3

Everything is so generic these days. The WWE pushes the face divas so similarly. Most of the heel divas have that generic, glamorous thing going on to. Members of tag teams seem like cardboard cutouts at times. There are just not enough fresh gimmicks.

Take Rhodes and DiBiase. I like that arrogant kind of character a lot of heels have. It is why I loved Randy Orton during Evolution. He quickly became my favorite wrestler, end even before his first World title win. He just embodied his character. Thing is, I am getting bored with his two former henchmen having the same character. They are not even putting in the same essence that Orton did, in my opinion. The funniest thing is that Orton has actually moved on to another rather fresh character. He is not Mr. Orton Pose anymore. He has this anger thing going on. He is the Viper. Rhodes and DiBiase are still stuck in the generic stage. And more heels are getting that arrogant thing going. Some mix it up a little by being arrogant and trying to be cool/sexy. Some have the arrogance and have pretty good mic skills to back it up. That makes some seem both arrogant and annoying, like Miz. The special thing about Rhodes and DiBiase is that they are arrogant and their daddies are legends. No offense to their families, but how does that really make either of these two young men's characters really unique or interesting? It does not.

The Hart Dynasty has that same thing going. More specifically, they latch on to the Hart family. They also have their Canadian pride showing. That is another thing. How many times are they going to push nationality as a gimmick? Only in rare circumstances have I found it interesting in this current crop of wrestlers. Take the nationality away, a lot of these wrestlers are still pretty generic.

What separates DH Smith from Tyson Kidd? Rhodes from DiBiase? Shad from JTG? I do not mean wrestling style or who had who for a father, but in terms of character and gimmick. They are all the same. Remember the New Age Outlaws? Back in DX? Jesse James and Billy Gunn just seemed to have unique characters and gimmicks to me. Matt and Jeff may have been very similar, but at least their overall gimmick was more exciting than just having their daddies be legends and promoting where they are from.

There are a lot of wrestlers with gimmicks out there. I already mentioned Cryme Tyme. Jillian has a gimmick. Goldust still has that legendary character. Thing is, most of these people are not pushed well at all. There are some veterans and legends in the business that have kept their gimmick they had when things were more interesting and have success still. Taker, Kane, Triple H, and so on. Yeah, some can argue that Triple H does not have much of a gimmick with The Game, but he has used his backstage influence to still have somewhat of a unique character. A lot of the younger guys making their way up do not have that. That is the problem. CM Punk does have a gimmick, but being Straight Edge has been a part of him for longer than his WWE run. It did not take the creative team much to figure out how to push that.

Is that the problem? Is the creative team today just not that creative anymore? Are they afraid to copy what was done in the past? I will get upset if that gets done a lot too, but a little of it is not bad. Bring back another royalty gimmick. Use a past gimmick as inspiration for a new one. You had a stable of male cheerleaders? Debut a stable of 4 or 5 female cheerleaders. Probably not too PG. Problem is, how well will these gimmicks thrive as time goes by? Will they have to take a backseat to allow other wrestlers and serious feuds shine? Vince McMahon may create gimmicks just to kill them later on.

Having a gimmick is only one thing. Wrestlers also have to have charisma and mic skills. I do not think that is too much of a problem for some. They seem to have it. All they need is a real gimmick. MVP has mic skills. I just feel they treat his character too dryly. These new NXT guys seem fresh and interesting, but they will get ruined soon when treated as generic newbs, faces, monster heels, and so on. Let these guys have gimmicks. Give them the time and opportunity to let the gimmicks shine. Not all these new wrestlers have to be made of cardboard.