Reigns Or Rollins: Who Should Be The Centerpiece?

The WWE is a company that likes to have a centerpiece. They like to have that one guy that will dominate the main spotlight. That does not mean that there won't be a #2 guy that works with the centerpiece and might sometimes get featured ahead of the centerpiece for a while. While John Cena has been the centerpiece of the previous era, Randy Orton was often that #2 guy.

This era obviously belongs to The Shield. Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose have dominated the spotlight for the last few years. Ambrose is obviously on Smackdown, along with AJ Styles and John Cena. Looking at Raw, who is the centerpiece there? Reigns or Rollins? Roman Reigns was obviously getting a big push for a while that fans were hating. Seth Rollins then stepped in with endless title matches when he returned last year. When he finally took a break from that, Roman Reigns was once again chasing Raw's top title. Meanwhile, you know Seth Rollins has Triple H looming. That is also a pretty big feud, even if a title is not involved. Is the WWE grooming one of these guys to be the #1 guy and the other to be the #2 guy? Or will they split the top spot between them?

Who should be the centerpiece out of these two? Neither of them is perfect. Roman Reigns has shown signs of overcoming that hatred smarks have for him. But he is still hated. Seth Rollins is better in the ring, but it sometimes is hard to buy into him as a face. It doesn't help that the WWE messed up the storyline involving him and Triple H. Neither of these guys really look like he deserves to be the future top star of the company.

The WWE made a huge investment with The Shield years ago. And this group looked like something amazing. Ever since they split them, however, these guys just do not look nearly as great. They might still have some impressive spots in the ring, including Reigns, but they just do not look like they can work as A+ players as it stands now. The WWE has to be willing to move on to someone else if these guys cannot break out better with their solo careers. That doesn't mean you fire these guys. It doesn't mean you turn them into midcarders. Just give other men a chance to be the centerpiece. After all the work the WWE has put into these guys, I doubt they will be willing to demote any of these guys, even if they should.

Dean Ambrose Wins It All

Dean Ambrose won Money in the Bank. Seth Rollins would win the WWE Championship back later in the night. Dean Ambrose would then follow up by taking the title from Rollins. All three members of The Shield held the title in one night.

I usually criticize the WWE for taking too long to pull the trigger on certain things. This is obviously not one of those situations. If anything, I would have waited a little while. Build it up and tease it a little more. They had that one segment last week on Raw, but it might have meant more if they had those kind of segments after Dean Ambrose had won the briefcase. I am not saying they should drag it on all the way to Wrestlemania next year. I am definitely not saying take it beyond Wrestlemania. But they could have had Dean Ambrose cash in and win next month. That would still leave time to have The Shield triple threat for Summerslam. And even before he won the title, they would have been building up the this feud the whole time for Summerslam.

The Money in the Bank briefcase is one of the most interesting angles the WWE runs every year. When will the guy with the briefcase cash it in? Will he be successful? There is potential there for some drama and anticipation. No drama right now. Ambrose won it and successfully cashed it in the same night.

It is true that Kane won the briefcase and successfully used it that same night in 2010. Thing is, they had two winners of a briefcase that night. Miz still held on to his for a few more months. There was only one briefcase on the line last night.

In the end, it is no big deal. All three members of The Shield have won the WWE Championship. Fans will soon see the triple threat they want so bad. All these guys will be inducted into the Hall of Fame. They might even be inducted again as a stable. But how long until Roman Reigns gets the title back?

The Wyatts Vs. The League Of Nations: Really?

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

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

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

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

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

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

How About Three Centerpieces?

The WWE is a company that likes to have one guy that will be pushed as the top star of the company. You'll have other main-eventers around him, but it is always obvious who that one top guy is. You might also have former top guys pushed at a very high level once their run as the centerpiece is over, like Shawn Michaels was during his final years with the WWE and how Triple H has been pushed during John Cena's years at the top and even now. You also have part-time big names, like Brock Lesnar. Regardless of all that, it is always clear whom the WWE wants to be that full-time top star.

The new centerpiece, Roman Reigns, has obvious issues. The WWE might have thought they overcame their dilemma of getting his haters to love him a few months ago. They could not get it to stick. With all the injury issues and everything else, the WWE has enough worries on their mind.

Roman Reigns was part of a successful stable. I don't mean just in terms of accolades. The Shield got over. Ever since the group broke up, all three members have had title success. Dean Ambrose is holding the Intercontinental Championship. Roman Reigns just lost the WWE Championship a few weeks ago, and is likely to win it again. Seth Rollins was getting a long run with that title prior to getting injured. In terms of overness, I don't think Roman Reigns was the only one that took a hit. Seth Rollins never really broke out on his own as a heel. Dean Ambrose is over, but frequently gets used as Roman's sidekick. He could go further than he is.

How about pushing all three of these guys as centerpiece? How about rotating the spotlight between them? I don't mean every main-event feud will feature all three in some way. I mean the majority of top feuds will feature at least one. You will still get a Brock Lesnar or Triple H or John Cena feud get the main spotlight on some nights, but the centerpiece of the company would be the former members of The Shield.

That is the way it has kind of been for a while now. Roman Reigns has been involved in the WWE title matches at recent PPVs. Seth Rollins was holding the title for months before that. Before that, Brock Lesnar held it. He wasn't always around during his reign. You frequently saw Reigns, Ambrose, and Rollins getting main-event focus while he was away. Of course, the WWE's ultimate goal has been to develop Reigns as the new centerpiece. And if they are going to have a 3-man rotation at the top spot, Ambrose will have to be featured better.

One thing that is going to have to happen is smarks will have to ease off the hatred towards Roman Reigns. This is a compromise. Just because Roman Reigns isn't appealing to them doesn't mean he isn't appealing to other fans. And wrestlers that they may want to see instead, like Rollins or Ambrose, might not be appealing to other fans. There is no one as hot as Daniel Bryan used to be. If there was, there would be an obvious answer to push. Given the WWE's current issues with injuries and poor ratings, give them a chance to get Roman Reigns solidified as a top star. He may not deserve to be pushed as the top star, but he can fill the void of someone that is injured or close to retirement.

In terms of talent, there aren't many A+ players out there. And there shouldn't be. This is elite talent. This is the cream of the crop. If you took the best qualities of each guy in The Shield, you would have an A+ player. Seth Rollins is great in the ring and has some high-risk spots. Dean Ambrose is great on the mic and has charisma. Roman Reigns has the look and strength. They each have their weaknesses that might hold them back from getting A+ overness in their solo careers, but all their strengths combined might just create the perfect superstar. Can pushing all three as the new centerpiece do the job that just pushing one cannot?

Reigns, Ambrose, Rollins: A Future Centerpiece?

The Shield have been pushed very well since their debut. They have always seemed to be involved with top talent. There was only a brief period around Summerslam last year that I remember the WWE seeming a bit lost with them, but that did not last long. They have been pushed as upper-midcarders. Now that they have split, the WWE can develop them to be true main-eventers.

But will one of these guys eventually be developed as the new centerpiece of the company? Cena isn't getting any younger. Injuries will continue to wear him out. And he isn't exactly at his peak when it comes to connecting with the fans. Nevertheless, I do not think the WWE is trying to phase him out now. He is still centerpiece. They are just trying to develop new main-eventers under Cena. Cena is that A+ player, but where are the A players? CM Punk is gone. Bryan is injured. Batista is out right now. Randy Orton, even though I am a fan of the guy, seems insignificant right now. People criticize the WWE for not making new stars and relying too much on Cena. They might be trying to do the right thing now, but will one of these guys eventually hold the top spot? Let me look at each of them.

Reigns seems to be the favorite to be developed as the new face of the company to many fans. There is that talk about him feuding with Triple H, which would be a huge push for him. He is a big guy. Vince McMahon is said to like big guys. I think he has the look. What is he lacking? People criticize him for his mic skills. Moreover, he does seem limited in the ring. He has some good power moves and that dropkick he does on the ring apron. He needs to show more.

Ambrose is the best on the mic of the trio. He also has these weird mannerisms that a lot of fans like and make him unique. But does he really have the look that the WWE would like their top star to have. Probably not. That is probably the biggest issue with him. He is good in the ring, although I don't care too much for his style. But his look and character may not lead to him ever being the top guy.

Rollins was the one that turned heel. He has aligned with Triple H. You can easily say he is the one they are grooming to be a top star. Of the three Shield members, he is the most entertaining in terms of wrestling ability. His look? He isn't a big guy, but I think he has a good look. I have also seen people criticize him for his mic skills. Some people find his voice annoying.

All these guys have their strengths and weaknesses. That is nothing shocking or new. You would expect the WWE to groom them to be better. If I had to say which of the three might eventually be developed to be centerpiece, I would go with Rollins and Reigns, in that order. I think Rollins has the best potential, although his size might be an issue. Reigns has the look they might like, but he will take more work to develop to be the top star of the company.

Just keep in mind, there was a time that John Cena was very popular. It might have made sense back then to develop him as that top guy. And they turned him into something that gets mixed reactions and is not energizing the product the way a great centerpiece should. People love Reigns, Ambrose, and Rollins now. But if the WWE ruins their characters or those limitations I pointed out begin to really annoy fans, the WWE might end up creating another Cena. Over the past few years, the WWE has taken midcarders and upper-midcarders and developed them mainly to put over Cena. After that, they would get deflated and lose that momentum. Most fans think that the WWE was actually trying to create stars back then and botched it. No, it seems more likely they were just trying to create something to put over Cena and did exactly what they intended to do. What they are doing currently with the guys that used to be in The Shield, that seems more like they are trying to create stars. One of these guys might end up being the next Steve Austin. One of them might end up being the next CM Punk. But be warned, one of them might end up being the next John Cena.

Assorted Thoughts On 6/2/14 Raw

You have your turn. Seth Rollins turned on The Shield and joined Evolution. I am glad they did not drag this on for weeks. This feud was really getting stale. Batista had quit earlier in the show. That opened up the question of whether or not they would replace him to continue the feud against The Shield. I was thinking Cody Rhodes might end up as the new member of Evolution. When Seth Rollins went out to get those chairs, his possible turn entered my mind. A lot of fans seem upset about it. The Shield would have broken up sooner or later. Let's see how it plays out.

Is John Cena ready to be inserted back into title matters? I had said just yesterday that I didn't feel the storyline between Cena and Wyatt got proper closure. On Raw, Cena got involved in the issues between Stephanie McMahon and Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan's injury leading to Cena being forced back into the title picture would be a believable excuse to not continue his feud against Wyatt. Could go either way. Bray Wyatt is returning on Smackdown this week. If the feud is going to continue, it will probably be brought up there.

Rusev had this elaborate segment on Raw. It just seemed totally pointless. I was waiting to see if anyone would interrupt him. If Rusev had beaten a better opponent than Big E or had beaten Big E in a feud that had been developed a lot better, I could understand that segment they had for him. Not the case. This shows that this gimmick does have potential. They can make up segments like they had last night. They can hype this guy to be a big deal. But the feud development for Rusev needs to be a lot better than this. That is how you make him into something that people won't view as simply overrated. Make him into a strong heel.

Cena/Wyatt & Evolution/Shield: Is It Over?

John Cena and Bray Wyatt had a brutal Last Man Standing match at Payback. Cena won. Was that the rubber match that ends it? Cena has beaten Bray Wyatt twice now. That could very well be the end of it.

I do not think it is over. I do not think it should be over. Not that way. I wish it would end, but I don't feel it is the right way to end it. Cena beat Bray Wyatt in a match that very well could be seen as the final chapter to a feud. Problem is, I do not see it as the final chapter to the storyline. I have been saying for months that there was a storyline to this feud that would impact the matches and the overall feud. How does Bray Wyatt losing that match really end the storyline? He had the whole world in his hands. He had turned Cena's fans against him. He had the children helping him to beat Cena. This feud cannot simply end with The Usos helping Cena. It would make storyline sense for this to end with the children once again standing by Cena's side. Makes you want to roll your eyes, I know, but that is the kind of thing you would expect to end this storyline. If they do walk away from Cena/Wyatt now, it would have made all that development they had before seem pointless.

Evolution does not look like Evolution. And I'm not talking about Batista's ring gear at Payback. Evolution got swept at Payback against The Shield. Evolution looks pathetic right now. This is becoming a feud where I am actually hoping for the heels to win. Yes, I am more of a fan of Evolution than I am of The Shield, but that is not the reason I want to see it. Stephanie McMahon has done such a great job terrorizing Daniel Bryan, I want to see her get what she deserves. And I actually like Stephanie McMahon. This feud has not been developed right to make me want to see The Shield win the feud.

Is it over? I don't think so. Where do they go from here? More weekly brawls? That was getting stale even before Payback. They need to do some real storyline development now. Insert someone else into the mix. Have a turn. Make a stipulation where the losing team in the next encounter has to disband. I would really like to see that last idea. Evolution can finally win and The Shield can disband somewhat amicably. And that can still branch off to some of the members feuding against the members of Evolution in singles feuds. They cannot keep The Shield together forever and keep handing them all these big wins. Where are they going to go with it? This feud against Evolution is pretty much the top of the mountain as a faction. The split should be coming soon.

The Shield Vs. Evolution At Payback

Not surprisingly, the feud between The Shield and Evolution will continue to another PPV. They definitely put on a great match at Extreme Rules. Many fans were also happy that the young team won. WWE building stars. And this feud definitely had a fresh feel to it when Evolution came back together and it first started. That is pretty much all the good stuff I can say about it.

It has gotten pretty dry. They just attack each other every week. The Authority sent out a bunch of heels to attack The Shield last week, but they had done that kind of thing before. The development has just gotten very boring.

And Evolution does not feel like Evolution. It isn't just because Ric Flair isn't with them. I'll get to that in a moment. When Evolution was first formed, they just gave off this vibe like they were elites. They held so many titles. They had Ric Flair to give them a rub. They went out there like they were the top guys. Now, this is just like gang warfare. It is like a bunch of thugs fighting a bunch of thugs. That elite feel isn't in the group anymore. I know this isn't about making Evolution look good. The Shield deserve to look good. Nevertheless, I feel making Evolution look more like the top dogs they once were would make this feud more interesting and give The Shield something better to work against.

What could the WWE possibly do to make this feud better? Let me give one idea. Go back to Ric Flair. Get him more involved. Make him a wildcard in this feud. He came back before Extreme Rules for a meaningless vote of confidence for The Shield. A lot of fans were anticipating Ric Flair getting more involved in this feud. It hasn't happened. They can still make it happen for Payback. How can you have Flair come back that night, get slightly involved, and not follow up at all on that point? It really does make his part in that segment seem trivial. I would like to have confidence that the WWE will not leave that storyline thread hanging like that. Potential right there to make this interesting again.

Let me change topics. The WWE stock had a huge drop at the end of last week. There were a few factors why. Let me just focus on one interesting development. The WWE Network is hurting the company right now. They will need at least 1.3 million subscribers now to compensate for losses.You can read an article about it here. The goal everyone was talking about was originally a million by the end of the year. That will still lead to a loss for the company. People are saying that the WWE will get 1.3 million in this country or that country alone. Okay. But what if the WWE was already anticipating those results? The WWE was thinking 1 million by the end of this year. Even if they do get that, they still lost money. When they go international, they will definitely get more subscribers. But what if they were anticipating a certain amount and the real number comes in lower than expectations or unexpected obstacles pop up? That is what has spelled doom for the WWE so far. And you still have to wonder how many will drop their subscription when 6 months end. To put it simply, recent developments are showing the WWE Network was not a great move. Will the WWE be able to take these short-term losses and turn them into long-term profit?

Extreme Rules 2014: Looking At The Main Matches

How can Daniel Bryan possibly overcome these odds? That is the question you usually ask for John Cena. I think it applies to the storyline you have with Daniel Bryan right now. He has to defend his WWE title against monster Kane. Daniel Bryan has an injured neck. Kane has been playing mind games by going after Daniel Bryan's wife, Brie Bella. And in a match where anything goes, that just seems to favor Kane even more.

Daniel Bryan should be retaining here. This title reign has already lasted longer than what they did with him at the end of last year, but there is no reason to cut this run that short. Even if they did, it's obvious Daniel Bryan will get it back again soon. This does really feel like a feud that should go on beyond this Sunday. A crippled Daniel Bryan beating Kane and Kane losing all that momentum so fast would just be bad.

Let me talk about what this storyline development has meant for the diva division. Brie Bella is getting a huge periphery angle. This is the best use she has ever had. She held the Diva's Championship before, but the reign was mediocre. They were  not actually pushing her as the centerpiece. This is a top-tier periphery angle right here. And what about Paige? She was facing Brie Bella when Kane came out for her. Reminded me of Eve being involved in that feud against Kane and Cena a few years back. Beth Phoenix had a match with Eve. Kane came out after that match to get Eve. Same vibe here. Paige is in Beth's place. Brie is in Eve's place. And Kane is still Kane. Will this lead to Stephanie McMahon vs. Brie Bella? That would be interesting.

If it isn't John Cena, it's usually Triple H. Evolution is trumping title matters right now. Evolution vs. The Shield looks to be getting the development to be the main event of Extreme Rules. Yeah, you do have 3 multi-time World Champions, not to mention the return of Ric Flair. It is a good excuse to not feature Daniel Bryan in the top spot, but it isn't a great sign for what they might do with him after this PPV. Holding that title does not look like it has made him an A+ player at all.

The Shield have all the momentum right now. It seems obvious that Evolution will be winning this match. No need to complain. The feud will continue and you will likely get The Shield winning a big match down the line. The wildcard will be Ric Flair. Fans are already anticipating Ric Flair turning on The Shield and costing them the match. It's supposed to be a swerve, but it is the kind of swerve many have gotten used to seeing. I don't care. I like Ric Flair. I'm looking forward to the expected swerve.

Being completely honest, the storyline between John Cena and Bray Wyatt interests me more than anything else. Not necessarily because I find it entertaining. I'm just interested in seeing how they can make it work. I had said that the WWE might have an issue on their hands with fans reacting the way they would like them to so that they may sell that Bray Wyatt is brainwashing them. Some nights, it's there. Other nights, Bray looks bad. How about bringing in people to react the way you want them to? That's what the WWE did. And they took it to another level. Children. They brought in a choir of children to put over Bray Wyatt's power to brainwash. The WWE really went all out. It was creepy. That was what they were aiming for. Did they go too far? They've done worse. Part of me really hated seeing it, though. This is all for the benefit of John Cena.

What can you possibly expect from the story of this match? I have said before that there will be a story to this match. You can say every match has a story, and I agree with that, but this match will have a real elaborate story to it. This isn't just two guys that hate each other fighting it out or two guys battling for a title. The match at Wrestlemania between Wyatt and Cena had the story of Bray trying to get inside Cena's head and whether Cena would allow his legacy to be lost. Things have been developed further since then. Cena talked about this match like he had to stop Bray Wyatt and Bray Wyatt's message from escaping the cage. If they really play that into the match, it can become very interesting. As far as the winner, Bray should either win the match or get some kind of psychological win to keep him strong. This feud seems likely to continue.

What Do You Do With The United States Championship?

There is a tournament going on to find the #1 contender for the Intercontinental Championship. That makes things a little more interesting in the midcard. How about the other midcard title? Dean Ambrose is still holding that. And why? He is part of a stable that is currently feuding against a stable that has authority power. How can the heels stare at their enemies holding a title and not try to screw them out of that title? I know it is only the U.S. Championship, but this is the kind of thing that could help the title seem more important. Dean Ambrose could end up holding that title for a full year and it wouldn't be because he was doing such a great job during the reign. It would be because they tossed the title on him and never featured him properly as U.S. Champion.

What can the WWE do? What could they have done differently? First of all, I don't think it is necessary to rush Evolution vs. The Shield. Save it for after Extreme Rules. Have some singles matches first. Dean Ambrose vs. Kane for the title would not have been bad. Have Roman Reigns face Batista. Where would that leave Daniel Bryan? He has Kane in front of him. Would it really be bad if you let Randy Orton get his rematch he is entitled to at Extreme Rules? Give Triple H and Seth Rollins the night off. If that isn't what the WWE wants, have Seth face one of the other henchmen of The Authority. As you saw on Raw, a lot of heels are on the side of the corporate heels.

Of course, that will not be how things play out. What is left for the WWE to do? I am not saying any member of Evolution should take the U.S. title off Dean Ambrose. Those guys are all above that title. As I said before, there are other heels supporting The Authority. Let one of them take the title off Ambrose. Even better, make him defend the title in a gauntlet match. He might be able to overcome two or three guys, but then he eventually loses the title to someone like Rusev or Swagger. Then they can sell it as The Authority screwing Ambrose out of the title.

In a related note, I have seen talk that the reason they brought back the mask for Kane is because the WWE does not feel he has enough momentum in his current corporate state to be a challenge for Daniel Bryan. That might be the case, but there were definitely other ways to work around that without giving Kane a makeover. Have Kane attack Daniel Bryan with a weapon. Not only would Kane destroy Daniel Bryan, and look intimidating doing it, but you can develop a match at Extreme Rules around whatever weapon Kane used. Or a stretcher. Or an ambulance. Besides, Kane has destroyed Daniel Bryan already just a few weeks ago. I am still going to give WWE credit for deciding to not settle for that stuff and bringing back the mask. It causes better buzz than just an injury angle or developing a gimmick match. 

Let me switch gears. The WWE released initial numbers for Wrestlemania XXX. A million households. Sounds impressive. But you have to actually break those numbers down a little. 667,000 were WWE Network subscribers. Almost 400,000 were PPV buyers. I have seen some fans shocked that it was that high. I saw one guy on a message board a while ago say that Wrestlemania would be a "huge" success if it got just 150,000 buys. Yeah, well, I would love to see what adjective he uses after Wrestlemania got more than twice that. This number is actually not that shocking. I have been saying for a while that the WWE Network would not snag in as many casual fans as some might think. There are fans that just want to see Wrestlemania and don't care about the other stuff the WWE offers on their network. They wouldn't mind paying the huge price for it.

For me, the minimum Wrestlemania XXX had to get in PPV buys was 700,000. As I have said before, you would think the WWE would put their best foot forward for a Wrestlemania as special as this. And if the WWE did put their best foot forward, forgetting the WWE Network ever came out, you would expect a million buys. With the WWE Network, that kind of made it more difficult to set a benchmark. I don't agree with people that believe 150,000 would be amazing. I still say 700,000 is a good benchmark. 600,000 might have been even more reasonable, but I'm not dropping below that. Fact is, ratings were mediocre during this year's Wrestlemania season. The WWE failed to really create a feud that I think could draw in the casual fans. The story involving Daniel Bryan was epic, but it is more appealing to the regulars than the casuals. They didn't hype any huge celebrity or legend to be there. With all due respect to Hulk Hogan, if he could bring the results The Rock could, you would have seen it in the ratings even before Wrestlemania. You didn't. Financial reports have said that the initial numbers for the WWE Network were lower than many hoped for. The WWE will have to work to get 1,000,000 subscribers by the end of the year. Point is, you could just anticipate that this Wrestlemania would not draw as many buyers as it could have had. If the WWE pulled out their Network when The Rock came back or any of the other Wrestlemanias involving him in a major way recently, I am confident you would have had more subscribers and still more PPV buys than you have gotten. The WWE will tout the success of Wrestlemania XXX, but they could have done better.

Some fans are looking at that 1,000,000 and are ready to praise Daniel Bryan as the greatest draw of all time. I feel like posting a picture of Bad News Barrett. I won't. But I do have some news for those fans that might be most unpleasant. The WWE offered Wrestlemania at a very cheap price for those who subscribed to their network. For $9.99 a month, you get the PPVs (special events), past content, and original content. Fans would have been eager to get that regardless of whom was in the main event. They are not necessarily subscribing just to see Daniel Bryan. They want to scoop up that good deal. Moreover, I already pointed out that the actual PPV buys for the event were lower than you would hope for a Wrestlemania following in the line of 1,000,000 buys you have had with The Rock. If this Wrestlemania had done a great job in creating hype, whether you want to praise Daniel Bryan for it or not, you would expect more than a 1,000,000 domestic households in between WWE Network subscribers and PPV buyers. The WWE would have met that 800,000-subscriber benchmark some analysts came up with and the WWE would have roped in a lot of casual fans to want to order. It seems the WWE did a better job promoting the WWE Network than developing a great Wrestlemania season. And the cheap price was the real draw.    

Last thing, I spoke to my cousin recently. I was actually surprised when he told me he subscribed to the WWE Network. He isn't as into wrestling anymore as I am. He was when he was younger. And he does still read dirtsheets. I don't consider him a true casual fan. Over the last few years, he has watched Wrestlemania either through illegal streams or at a friend's house. That is an example of the WWE getting someone to pay to watch Wrestlemania that would normally not pay for it.

The Shield Going Face?

It seems the WWE is changing their minds about splitting The Shield right now. Instead, it looks like they are going face. It also looks like they might be feuding with Kane.

I normally do not like inconsistency. The WWE starts going in one direction, then they suddenly drop it. That can take the audience out of what is going on. They get excited for something, then you don't follow through. I am not going to complain about that in this situation. Two reasons why. First, The Shield as faces has some good potential. This is something a lot of fans will like. If the group did split up, at least one of these guys would be lost in the shuffle within a few weeks. Second reason I am not complaining, it isn't like they went too far down the path of splitting them. They were still in an area where it is believable that they could work out their differences. I don't think there is a need to be too critical of this. I could start talking about what this means in terms of The Authority losing allies and friction once again in that regard, but I'll save that for another day when I talk about Orton and Batista.

I do not think it is hard to imagine that the WWE could go right back to splitting them up after Wrestlemania. I think they should let the group stay as faces for a few months. Let them feud against The Authority. Going back to that feud against The Wyatts would not be bad. I would have them finally split up and face each other for Summerslam. I think something like that should happen on a big PPV. I still think the WWE wasted having the group suffer their first loss as a unit on Smackdown. Have them facing each other happen at a major PPV. In between now and then, there are still some 6-man feuds you can create for The Shield. This time around, they will be the faces.

Mark Henry's Return Benefits The Shield

Mark Henry returned to Raw last night after missing a few weeks due to Brock Lesnar's attack. He came out to challenge for the United States Championship. I almost thought he would have won it. Dean Ambrose had held the title for so long without doing anything much with it. The fact that they are teasing tension in the group would have made a title change likely. They even put this match in one of the hot spots of the show. Mark Henry did not win the title. He then got taken out by Roman Reigns after the match. And so ends Mark Henry's return.

Should Mark Henry have won the title? Part of me doesn't want former World Champions holding midcard titles. Let midcarders hold them and do something with them. But I like Mark Henry. Moreover, they haven't exactly used him well in a while. Would a midcard title run have been so bad? It's not like Dean Ambrose really needs it. Mark Henry doesn't need it either, but I think the fans wouldn't have hated him getting a run and it is more likely he would do something with the title right now than Dean Ambrose, who is currently in a feud against The Wyatts and might be involved in a storyline about The Shield's breakup after that.

What do you do with Mark Henry now? They promoted his return. His return wasn't as epic as that time he faked retiring and entered a feud against John Cena. If you really wanted to sell that Randy Orton would have his hands full inside the Elimination Chamber, putting Mark Henry in there would have been a great option. No one says he has to win, but he might add some credibility to the match more than someone like Antonio Cesaro could. And you might notice Daniel Bryan currently has two things going for him. Not only is he going after the title, he has issues with Kane. Couldn't they just leave him with a feud against Kane and put Mark Henry inside the Chamber? If they tried that now, Mark Henry would become one of the most hated men in the WWE in an instant. Nevertheless, if it wasn't for recent events causing the WWE to rethink their plans, I think Mark Henry getting a spot would have been good. I don't suppose Brock Lesnar would come back just to feud with Mark Henry? The Shield have something to do. I cannot imagine them turning Mark Henry heel and having him go after Big E Langston's Intercontinental Championship. I have a feeling Mark Henry will get lost in the shuffle. Probably no real storylines or feuds for him.

Tag Teams Splitting Up

You have had some teams either splitting up or on the verge of splitting up recently. Why not talk about those teams a little?

The Prime Time Players are no more. Titus O'Neil turned on Darren Young. There is a little bit of a push there for Titus, as well as Darren Young. But I would not expect too much to come of this. These guys are still just lower-midcarders. Remember when Brodus Clay turned heel and broke up Tons of Funk? Where's Tensai now? I would expect pretty much the same thing to happen with Titus O'Neil and Darren Young.

The Real Americans may not have much time left as a team. They teased friction a while ago between Swagger and Zeb. Cesaro may end up sticking with Zeb Colter and Swagger will be left on his own. It would have been better if they had developed these two better as a team. They could have been a good choice to win the tag titles at one time.

Friction is being teased even more in The Shield. The WWE is developing Roman Reigns to be the breakout star. Dean Ambrose seems to be starting some issues. Seth Rollins is trying to keep the peace. The end seems pretty much near. You don't see internal tension being a story for The Wyatts, who will face The Shield at Extreme Rules. Will The Shield become a 2-man group? That is another issue.

The Rhodes have not split up and are not on the verge of doing that, but if you think about it, it is only a matter of time. They are not feuding against The Authority anymore, they are no longer in the hunt for the tag titles, and what else is there for them? People sometimes bring up Cody Rhodes facing Goldust for Wrestlemania. I don't know if the WWE is thinking that as a big enough match for the PPV, but Wrestlemania is coming up. Splitting them up around now can lead up to that match.

You have a bit of a downgrade in the tag division. People can list all the teams that are still in the division, but how relevant are all these teams? How likely is it that Los Matadores get a serious push? And with more legitimate teams breaking up, that will hurt things even more. Another issue for these teams on the verge of splitting is doing it at a good pace. Do not take too long to do it. It might get as annoying as the friction between Randy Orton and The Authority. Either decide to do it and follow through or decide not to and keep the team together. Don't get fans excited about something happening and then not do it. And to replace some of these teams, a few more teams might need to be created or debut.

The Messy Road To Elimination Chamber 2014

To say that things are "messy" might be a bit of an understatement. The WWE did some sloppy development last week, and things might get worse. You can understand that CM Punk walking away and Daniel Bryan's continued insane overness might lead to some changes, but was what the WWE has done so far good for Elimination Chamber and beyond?

Let's start with CM Punk walking out. At this point, it doesn't really matter whether or not this is a work or whether or not they can get him back quickly. What has gone down will definitely change his storyline. He was being developed to go against Kane. If CM Punk came back now, that feud with Kane would just seem so irrelevant against all the hype created around CM Punk walking out. So far, the WWE has not developed anything else for Kane. Another feud between him and Big Show coming up?

Of course, the CM Punk drama does not warrant the WWE's crazy decisions outside that feud with Kane and The Authority. Specifically, I am talking about the title matters. The issue of Daniel Bryan getting so over does provide a good reason for the WWE to rethink things. They hyped that Brock Lesnar was hovering around the title picture. They even mentioned it in promos. All of a sudden, not happening. What is happening? An Elimination Chamber match for the title.

Randy Orton will defend the title against John Cena, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Christian, and Antonio Cesaro. The former three won the right last week on Raw in a tag match, while the latter two won singles matches on Smackdown. That match on Raw ended in a DQ when The Wyatts attacked Cena. That is how Daniel Bryan, the hottest guy right now, earns himself a title match? That was poor. Christian's back. He is no replacement for CM Punk, but it is good that they have someone to involve in big matches. And Cesaro? It is good to give midcarders these pushes, but I was hoping they would continue the hype over unifying the titles by making some big matches the first few months after TLC. Not happening. Would have been better if a former World Champion got that spot Cesaro has. In general, if they had to defend the title inside the Chamber, it would have been better if they spread out the qualifying matches better. You have time until the PPV. Why rush things so horrible? Because of the horrible week they just had? Okay, that's an excuse, but showing more calm would have been nice. Spreading out the qualifying matches would have made things more interesting by developing a few guys that have shots to get in the match. More importantly, I think it would have led to a better moment for Daniel Bryan when he got his spot.

The Shield are not happy with The Wyatts. You have a feud between them now. Heel vs. heel. And you couldn't go with Randy Orton vs. Brock Lesnar for the title? Of course, this tag match could be where The Shield splits. That is an issue for another day. Is this feud the best decision for this time? Obviously, I would have The Wyatts continue with John Cena now, then have Cena move onto better things for Wrestlemania. Where would that leave The Shield? You can't come up with another way to tease their breakup? You can't find 3 top faces for them to feud against? You can't develop a title feud for the U.S. Championship? There were other options.

What about Brock Lesnar and Batista? Are they going to face each other now? I would have rather Batista feud with Alberto Del Rio, since that feud was already there. Batista will probably just go over Del Rio on Raw somewhere between now and Elimination Chamber. As for Lesnar, I would rather he gets a 1-on-1 title shot. Save the Elimination Chamber match to decide a third contender for the title match at Wrestlemania.

And the misery does not end there for the WWE. John Cena suffered an eye injury recently. How much will that change plans for Elimination Chamber? Cena was booked to be in the title match. If he really cannot go for that match, he will have to be replaced. Can Brock Lesnar get in there? They can always still do Batista vs. Del Rio for the PPV. You also have other former World Champions hovering around. If the WWE is not afraid to put in midcarders like Cesaro, that opens up even more options. Kofi Kingston got a win over Randy Orton a few weeks ago. He can get in the title picture easily. Regardless, Cena's injury will lead to some changes in how Raw is developed for a while, even if he does still work at the PPV.

A very bad week for the WWE has ended. A top star walks away, another top star has fans very upset about his misuse, and another top star gets injured. As bad as things were developed last week and what the current card is shaping up to be, I would expect the WWE to change things and not follow through with everything as it is. It just seems bad and they still have a lot of time to make changes. Will making these changes make things look even worse? Probably. But if a better PPV card is developed, it might be worth it.

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.

Win And You're In?

A few months ago, I talked about the NFL preseason. I compared that to the way TNA runs their company, always rotating around their stars, never settling on whom to be consistent with. This is another unique point in the football season. This is the final week of regular season games. Why not compare that to something?

Sunday will feature the last games of the regular season. And nothing is absolutely settled. There are still wildcard spots to be had, division winners to be decided, and even the top seeds have not been decided. How is all this settled? All a team has to do is win and they're in? Only in some cases. The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles are in a "win-and-you're-in" game to decide the winner of their division and which of the two goes to the playoffs. The same for the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears. Things are very simple in those two sets of games. Whichever team wins the game gets the division title and goes to the playoffs, while the loser is eliminated.

Things are not that simple for other teams. The San Fransisco 49ers can only win their division if they win their game against the Arizona Cardinals and the Seattle Seahawks, the current division leader, loses to the St. Louis Rams. The 49ers and Seahawks will both have 12-4 records, but tiebreakers would give the 49ers the division. And that is the kind of thing you have for a few games this Sunday. The only hope some teams have to make the playoffs is if another team loses. Their destiny is not in their own hands. Winning does not automatically get them in.

Switch to pro wrestling. There is this idea many fans have that all a wrestler has to do to get pushed better is get over. That's it. It is like one of those "win-and-you're-in" situations in football. Obviously, it isn't that easy. Zack Ryder got over and the WWE did not want to push him. Mickie James got over and continued to be pushed the same way she would have been pushed had she not gotten over. The Dallas Cowboys may control their own destiny this Sunday in terms of only needing to win to make the playoffs, but wrestlers in the WWE do not control their own destiny in the same way in terms of just needing to get over. You need other things to work your way. Even then, it is still not guaranteed that you will get the career you earn. Meanwhile, some individuals can fail to make it and still get treated very well. Michelle McCool is an example of that. She was pushed as the centerpiece of the diva division. She never got over enough to match how she was pushed. The diva division is very unfair. Of course, the same thing happens in the men's division, but the fact that you have so much more space to push the men makes it less of an issue, usually.

Recently, Jericho and Edge discussed the Nexus angle. They talked about how Nexus should have won that match at Summerslam. To them, the loss hurt the careers of those rookies and Wade Barrett's career has flopped. I disagree with them about the outcome of that one match really mattering that much. Yeah, you can complain about Cena winning and how he won. And the members have all mostly not gone too far, except for Daniel Bryan, but he was out of the group almost immediately. And Wade Barrett is not in a great place now. But one match outcome could have changed all that? Really? With all due respect to Edge and Jericho, that just sounds ridiculous. Would the rookie heels winning that match automatically have gotten them over with the fans? I doubt it. Would that match outcome mean that the WWE would have to continue pushing them well until they did get over? I don't see why. And is this really an "over-and-you're-in" situation? I don't think they were giving these guys an opportunity to get over and earn better careers for themselves. The main point was to create a situation that would put John Cena, the centerpiece, over. As for Wade Barrett, he was not immediately buried after Nexus. He has had some title success. I think he was showing signs of getting over. What really screwed him over was that injury a few years ago when he had a ton of momentum. But even if he had returned very over, there are still other guys the WWE wants to push well. This is like a situation where a football team needs to win and for another team to lose to get into the playoffs. Not only does Barrett need to get over, he needs other guys ahead of him to not work out so that the WWE can finally decide to push him better. To put it simply, I don't think that one match outcome really changed the outcome of much. If the WWE was really serious about giving these guys fair chances to get over or develop any of them to be over, like Barrett, one match outcome would not have changed anything. It isn't like Nexus performed horribly in that match to screw themselves.

Look back at Survivor Series last month. The Shield looked good in their match. Specifically, Roman Reigns looked great. And how has the WWE followed up with them since? After that big win, they have pretty much gone back to doing what they were doing before. They are henchmen for The Authority. That was not the start of some huge push for them. Especially Roman Reigns. Even I wondered if this was the start of a big solo push for him. Nope. Giving someone a great match outcome is not a guarantee that they will be followed up with immediately after. What happened with The Shield at Survivor Series is an example of that. And that example makes me further believe that the match outcome for that Summerslam match with Nexus would have also not been a guarantee of anything. As I frequently say, never make too much out of one moment.

Making too much out of one match outcome is like making too much out of one football game's outcome in a situation where you need one or two other teams to also lose. Yeah, it is great that you won your game, but you are not in the playoffs yet. Yeah, it is great that the WWE gave you a nice moment, but that does not mean you are someone they want to be a star. I am not taking anything away from stars that put over younger talent and want to see them succeed, but that one match outcome is not a guarantee that the company will treat them well. Some things are not within your control. Some fans really need to stop believing that all a wrestler has to do to get treated better is get over and an over wrestler still being treated poorly had to have done something wrong. The WWE has too many individuals to push and they will often go with their own favorites, not the fans' favorites.  

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.

Who Should Get A Feud For The Tag Titles Against The Rhodes?

Cody Rhodes and Goldust entered a feud against The Shield a few months ago. They got some big wins over them, including winning the tag titles off them. Months later, these two teams are still feuding against each other. You have other heel teams and it would be nice if they eventually got legitimate feuds against The Rhodes for the tag titles. The Shield can serve other purposes as The Authority's henchmen. They do not also need to always be stuck against the Tag Team Champions.

How about The Rhodes feud against Swagger and Cesaro? I know they started a feud a few weeks ago, but it was never properly developed. Keep them chasing after the titles. This can be a strong heel team and they are the ones I would want to see get the titles.

Bray Wyatt's group is also in the mix. As it seems CM Punk is moving on to feud with The Shield, that leaves The Wyatts with only whatever they end up doing with Daniel Bryan. If they are going to have him join the family, what better way to do it than have him return when they are getting a shot at the tag titles to screw The Rhodes out of the titles? Aside from The Shield, The Wyatts are your top heel tag team. They have been getting some development in the main-event scene. I don't think you need to have that kind of credibility to get these titles, but the WWE has been building them well, so a title reign is not out of the question.

Whichever team gets chosen for a legitimate feud for the tag titles, just don't let it be The Shield. I know they have put on great matches with The Rhodes, but this is getting really stale and there is no reason for it. You have other options to push. The Shield feuding with CM Punk is not a burial. Have CM Punk team with The Usos or Rey Mysterio and Mark Henry. Leave The Rhodes to something else.

CM Punk & Daniel Bryan Vs. The Wyatts At Survivor Series

A tag-team match has been made for Survivor Series. No, not one of those large elimination-style matches that you would expect from this PPV. It involves CM Punk and Daniel Bryan teaming up. Their opponents? The United Plumbers Association of Greater Downtown Burbank. That is to say, Rowan and Harper. I wrote their names on the back of my hand so I would remember. No, not really.

If you saw the end of Raw, you would have thought a huge tag match was about to be made. The Shield & The Wyatts would team up to face, Punk, Bryan, The Usos, and The Rhodes. Let me just give my opinion on that possible match. On the one hand, I hate the idea of just tossing The Wyatts together with The Shield. Just like that? And I would rather see The Rhodes feuding with Swagger and Cesaro over the titles. As for The Usos, they have been moving in and out of relevance for a while now, which is better treatment for them than I would have expected from the WWE. They deserve the tag titles down the road, but I just don't like them involved in this, either, despite the fact that they have feuded with The Shield in recent weeks. It just all seemed tossed together. On the other hand, the idea of having 6 guys on each team was interesting.

What do I think about the match that has been announced? Even more disappointing than the other option of the large tag match. This is a major PPV. Daniel Bryan and CM Punk are top faces. Their opponents are not even top heels. This match is barely worthy of being on one of the lesser PPV events. This match should be happening on a Raw or Smackdown. Bray Wyatt, the leader of the group, should be wrestling at PPV events.

There is the possibility that this match gets upgraded back to the 6-on-6 elimination match you would expect, but why handle things the way the did? Raw ended with them teasing the idea of a big tag match at Survivor Series, you instead announce a simple tag match, then switch back to what you already were getting fans to expect? Sloppy. They also got very sloppy last year around Survivor Series. And even if they do run with the larger tag match, it still seems like a mismatch. Punk and Bryan have so much credibility. Rowan and Harper really do not. The Shield have been losing a lot lately. Bray Wyatt is the only one protected as far as not losing goes. The build for this match, whatever it ends up being, has just been sloppy and tossed together. I can't think of an upgrade that could make it better in such a short time until the PPV.

Big Show Gets What He Wants, Then Gets Beaten Up

I like how Raw ended. Big Show got rehired, pressured Triple H and Stephanie McMahon to also give him a title shot, and then still got destroyed by the heels. The reason why I like this segment, besides seeing Kane getting used in a new way, is that all members of the heel stable actually stood strong at the end of the show. The Shield put Big Show through a table. Randy Orton gave him an RKO. The Director of Furniture tossed around some chairs. That is to say, Kane showed his support for the heels. After saying for a while now that they were not developing a strong heel stable for this storyline, the stable looked solid last night.

One thing I do not agree with is the storyline progression for Big Show. I think they could have done better than simply rehiring him and giving in to him. Would a match between Triple H and Big Show have been so bad for Survivor Series? It is one of the top PPVs of the year. Then again, it might still eventually come after Big Show feuds with Randy Orton. Back to rehiring Big Show. What if they had settled this with a Survivor Series elimination match. A bunch of faces standing up for Big Show step up to face Triple H's guys. If Big Show's team wins, he gets rehired. If the heel team wins, Big Show must walk away. I don't agree with this whole lawsuit angle. As some fans might have already pointed out, Big Show did all this to get rehired, then he gets attacked right after? Why wouldn't he just refuse to put up with Triple H and Stephanie's games and follow through with the lawsuit? Survivor Series is approaching. I have been speculating on a few big tag matches they could have done, including Team Punk vs. Team Heyman and Team Orton vs. Team Cena, but it looks like they are not doing any of that. I think they are passing up on great opportunities to make a great tag match.

Back to Kane. They obviously had no problem repackaging him. Question is, should they have followed through with doing it with The Wyatts? Make Kane a member of that group? The Wyatts aren't exactly left out in the cold. They are feuding against two former World Champions, CM Punk and Daniel Bryan. The WWE definitely could have switched things around. Have Kane remain in the storyline involving The Wyatts, whether as a friend or foe. If he is feuding against the group, keep Miz in there to team with him. If he is joining the group, keep Miz in there for The Wyatts to finish their feud against him. Where does that leave Daniel Bryan and CM Punk? Keep Daniel Bryan in the corporate storyline. Finally bring CM Punk into the corporate storyline. Despite that being an option, I like how they have handled the situation. Kane in the corporate heel stable seems to make it a little more stable. This is a member they are not forcing to attack people he does not want to attack, screwing out of title reigns because they are not aggressive enough, and putting into crazy matches. Well, so far. Kane can make this interesting. Aside from the lack of continuity in regards to killing off his feud against The Wyatts so easily, I like what they are doing with Kane.