Did Smackdown Accomplish Anything This Week?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The Hype Brothers Back In The Mix

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

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

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

Injuries Impacting Smackdown's Title Scene

December has sometimes been a terrible month for the WWE. Not only is this a month you typically get terrible ratings with the holiday season and all, injuries have sometimes struck in this month. I am talking key injuries. Injuries to top stars or people involved in the title scene. It seems this December has already given that gift to the WWE, particularly on Smackdown. I just want to mention these situations.

AJ Styles suffered a minor injury at TLC a few weeks ago. He is obviously still holding the WWE Championship, but it has hurt the storylines they were going with in an obvious way. Moreover, Smackdown has not had its top Champion to wrestle at house shows. There is no need to strip Styles of the title, but this situation has obviously made things difficult for the WWE.

Last time I talked about Zack Ryder, I said he should get a push. I might have jinxed him. I was talking about a solo push, but the WWE did look ready to give him a push in the tag division, alongside Mojo Rawley. And then Ryder got injured. They just get the push, and then this happens. There are other teams they could push. There are other individuals that could team with Mojo. Why should he get screwed out of the push just because his partner got injured? Either way the WWE slices it, they have options to work around this. But once again, it is obviously making things difficult for the WWE.

Brings up the question, is this brand split really a good idea? This brand split is different from the last brand split you had. This is an era where the WWE is giving their workers more time to wrestle and giving them certain more freedoms. Yes, they still ban some moves. Overall, however, this can be considered a more wrestling-friendly era than you have had from the WWE in the past. But that comes with a price. Injuries. I only brought up two recent injuries on Smackdown impacting title feuds. I could have brought up Finn Balor. I could have brought up numerous women. And the WWE wants to do a long-term brand split? This era also features less legitimate star power than the previous era involving a brand split. All it takes is a few key injuries here and there to really mess up what is going on. I don't think giving your workers more freedom in the ring mixes well with a desire to have a brand split. Yes, the WWE could pluck someone from wherever that would be eager to work for them, and wrestling fans would probably love it, but that person will likely not have the star power to appeal to the wider audience. And that leads to the WWE needing to rely again and again on old part-timers. It is terrible situation.

Previewing The Backlash 2016 Undercard

The tag tournament to crown the inaugural Smackdown Tag Team Champions has gotten a bit muddled. It looked like it would be American Alpha vs. Rhyno and Heath Slater at Backlash to crown the new Champions. The Usos turned heel and attacked American Alpha. Due to an injury angle, American Alpha is out and a new match will occur this Sunday to see who faces Rhyno and Slater. The Usos and Hype Bros now get another shot at the titles.

Let me start with this new match. Who wins between The Usos and Ryder & Mojo? This tournament just felt too face-friendly in the final rounds. I am glad that The Usos turned heel. And since Rhyno and Slater are faces, why wouldn't The Usos win this match?

Who wins the tag titles? A contract for Heath Slater is also on the line. It is obvious Rhyno and Slater should win. This is one of the most entertaining acts in the WWE right now. I talked about last time what kind of person should be the first to hold a new title. You have to either be very over, have already been getting a great career, or be someone the company is likely to follow up with properly and give that great career to after the big win. A lot of fans have been enjoying Heath Slater. A guy that has been mostly a lower-midcarder is usually not a good choice to make history like this, but he is pretty over now and it would make for a good storyline. Speaking of storylines, the only way I can see the face team losing is if Rhyno turns on Slater and the story turns to Heath Slater having to beat Rhyno for a contract, which he eventually does. It could happen, but I would rather it didn't. If Rhyno does win the tag titles, even if it is just a short reign, wouldn't that be something? He wins it, but The Dudleys never did in their recent run?

Onto the Intercontinental Championship feud between Miz and Dolph Ziggler. The big story for Miz these last few weeks has been what he said to Daniel Bryan on Talking Smack. The WWE has just been selling this idea this week that Miz is a coward. That is just terrible. After Miz stood up for himself and gave Daniel Bryan a verbal stomping, this all just looks bad. This has nothing to do with disliking Daniel Bryan, liking Miz, or any combination of that. I am not a huge fan of either of the two guys, although I can respect them. But why should Miz be made to look so pathetic? If you don't want this story to be about Daniel Bryan being bullied, that's fine. If the WWE won't let Daniel Bryan get in the ring to shut Miz up that way, it shouldn't be about pushing around Daniel Bryan. But Miz's character looked so strong two weeks ago. People speculated if this could be his ticket back into the main-event scene. And the WWE has let it all crumble to Miz being afraid to fight. That's no better than the angle Kevin Owens had last year where he walked out of matches. Given the hype Miz had around him, this is a poor way to follow up.

Onto the actual match, Miz should retain. Attention is still on him. Dolph Ziggler is just there. He is another guy I think they dropped the ball on, in terms of storylines. He had a heated storyline with Dean Ambrose, failed to win the title, failed to beat AJ Styles after that, and just keeps on coasting on. They should have done some kind of angle where he snapped and turned heel. I am not even sure it will happen if he loses to Miz this Sunday. He will probably just keep coasting on to something else.

Previewing The Battleground 2016 Undercard

Recently, the WWE has shown that they will go with certain things that wrestling fans might appreciate, but the general audience may not be able to. For the most part, I don't think they should do that. The feud between Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn is a rare exception I am willing to make. They just have a heated rivalry and a chemistry. You pretty much have to add another chapter to their story on the main roster. The brawls and interactions can get that general audience interested.

Problem is, this match for Battleground seems like a disappointment. I said that Natalya vs. Becky Lynch might have deserved some kind of stipulation, and I will say the same thing for Owens vs. Zayn. How can it not have a stipulation? They are treating this like it is the final battle between the two. It won't be, but how can you not add to the match to make it feel like a bigger deal? Last Man Standing? I Quit? You don't need the Extreme Rules PPV to have these matches. As for the winner, I feel this can go either way, but I will say Sami Zayn.

The brand split may have messed up The Wyatts. Nevertheless, they still have New Day at Battleground. Tag titles are not on the line. People complained last year when the WWE did not have Nikki Bella defend the title at some PPVs, saying they just wanted to have her walk her way to the record for longest run with the Diva's Championship. I don't see anyone complaining about New Day not having to defend the titles here. I'm sure they are out there, I just don't see them. As for this feud, I think it has been rather disappointing so far. There is a storyline with some potential. But the fact that the tag titles are wasted here and the WWE arguably failed to beat TNA at their own game with that segment recently just hurts my interest in it. It annoys me more than it entertains me. Bray Wyatt needs wins more at this point than New Day, especially when their tag titles are not on the line. Wyatts win.

Darren Young gets a title shot against The Miz. These two were drafted to different shows. It seems this feud will end at Battleground. You might say that Miz obviously retains to keep the Intercontinental Championship on Smackdown, but the WWE could have Darren Young and Zack Ryder win their respective matches, switching what shows the United States and Intercontinental Championships are on. Not likely. Miz retains, but what happens to Darren's push after? I am not going to say he started at the top, but this push pretty much started as high as anyone would have expected him to go. Will he be pushed properly in the midcard? Or become a jobber? That would be a waste of Bob Backlund. Will Backlund even last the year in the WWE?

Rusev defends the United States Championship against Zack Ryder. I already said it is unlikely the two midcard titles switch shows by having two lower-midcarders win them on the same night. And Ryder won't beat Rusev just to bring the title over to Smackdown. I can picture Ryder losing this and going back after The Miz and the Intercontinental Championship.

John Cena and Enzo & Cass vs. The Club. AJ Styles will not have his buddies much longer due to the draft. But this match will still happen. Either Anderson and Gallows will likely eat the pin in this match. Face team wins.

What happens to the feud between Cena and Styles after that? Now the playing field is cleared up. Enzo & Cass are not on Smackdown with Cena and Styles. Anderson and Gallows aren't there, either. It will just be Cena vs. Styles. That might make Summerslam their final encounter.

Time To Push Zack Ryder Again?

The big patriotic moment on the July 4th Raw did not come with Titus O'Neil beating Rusev for the United States Championship like I talked about on Monday. It came with Team USA winning the main event of Raw. Specifically, it was Zack Ryder that got the final elimination in that match.

Is it time to push Zack Ryder again? Looking at the endangered species that is Smackdown spoilers, he seems to be getting a push. Coincidentally, he seems to be getting a push against Rusev for the United States Championship.

What are the chances that Ryder actually wins the title? I do not think he should. He got a big Wrestlemania moment and Intercontinental Championship win just this year. Yes, the reign was very short, but it is still better than some guys get. And that's why I don't think he should be getting this push. There are a few guys on the roster that have never held a title on the main roster or have not held one in a long time. What about them? It can help them gain some momentum and credibility. It can add to whatever storyline or feud they may have.

Zack Ryder is not a guy that needs all that. He is not someone being groomed to be a main-eventer. He is a guy that got over on his own through his character. The WWE should be giving him things to do that brings that entertaining aspect out of him. How many times can you treat him as an underdog? He was an underdog when he first won the United States Championship. He was an underdog earlier this year for his title win. He's an underdog again against Rusev. Give him some non-title feuds. And it would be nice if some of these non-title feuds didn't involve him just being an underdog.

This is nothing personal against Ryder. I just think he doesn't need to be involved in the title scene to be relevant. I have said the same thing about New Day. They don't need the tag titles to do their act. As a Mickie James fan, I have said the same thing about her in the WWE. I would have loved for her to get some real periphery angles that actually went somewhere. She never did. Ryder should be able to get something good to do without a title being involved.

Two New Champions At Wrestlemania 2016

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

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

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

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

The Wrestlemania 2016 Intercontinental Championship Match

Sami Zayn debuted not too long ago on the main roster and continued his rivalry with Kevin Owens, the Intercontinental Champion. It seemed you had a Wrestlemania match right there. A title was on the line. These two had a history together. Don't forget both are good in the ring. The WWE does not seem to be content with just that. They have tossed in a few more bodies. And a ladder. Kevin Owens must defend against Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Sin Cara, The Miz, and Stardust in a ladder match.

I do not like this. They have just tossed in a bunch of random bodies. Even though the personal feud between Owens and Zayn can continue after Wrestlemania, the WWE is ruining a chance to have the rivalry lead to a big match at Wrestlemania on its own. A lot of these guys could have been shoved into the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal. If the WWE wasn't happy with that, the United States Championship match could have been made into the multi-challenger midcard title match. A yearly multi-man Intercontinental Championship ladder match at Wrestlemania does not need to become a tradition. Moreover, I would question if you need this gimmick match this year at all. There is a Hell in a Cell match on the card. Ladders might come into play there, as well as chairs, tables, steel steps, kendo sticks, fire, and whatever else.

Zack Ryder is relevant again on the main roster. Are they serious? Or is he just an extra body? If they wanted to push him, they could just put him in the battle royal. Have him cut a promo on Raw about turning his career around by winning it. Whether they book him to win or not, he would still look relevant heading into Wrestlemania. I would say he would be more likely to win that battle royal than win the Intercontinental Championship.

Dolph Ziggler is also in this match. I was just talking about him yesterday. He was involved in this storyline about Stephanie McMahon trying to make life miserable for him. He goes from failing to defeat Triple H on Raw last week to earn any Wrestlemania match he wanted to ending up in a Wrestlemania title match this week. The WWE dropped the ball here. They could have gone somewhere with this storyline, even if the payoff didn't happen at Wrestlemania. Ziggler could have overcome Stephanie's obstacles and put himself in a match at Wrestlemania. I mentioned two unlikely possibilities yesterday, but there were still other ones that were possible. Or how about he didn't overcome the obstacles? No Ziggler for Wrestlemania? No, he would still get involved. He could interfere to help Shane win. He could interfere to screw Triple H. Or how about he turns heel and aligns with The Authority by screwing Shane or helping Triple H win? That would definitely be part of a huge push for him. As it stands right now, even though he is in a title match, this seems more mediocre than what potentially could have been with the storyline he had going.

I am not saying every match at Wrestlemania needs to be a singles match. The battle royal is fine. New Day vs. League of Nations is a good feud. Considering neither Sasha nor Becky looked more deserving than the other, both going after Charlotte for the title is an obvious choice. I even suggested Tag Team Turmoil to feature all these tag teams they have right now. But I do not feel this multi-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship was a good move. Kevin Owens vs. Sami Zayn could have been good enough. If they want a ladder match so much, make that feud lead to a ladder match at Wrestlemania. Those two are no strangers to ladders.

Kharma In The Periphery & System Guys

There would not have been many options for Kharma. If they had kept her, she would not have been pushed as the centerpiece, most likely would not have been pushed as a credible jobber, since she is just too intimidating and was being featured as dominant while there, and that would leave only featuring her as a periphery diva. If they had kept her, what kind of periphery diva could she have been?

She only had one match after debuting. That was taking part in the Royal Rumble. Two other women did that. That would be Chyna and Beth Phoenix. Beth Phoenix mixed it up with the men a little, but not enough to be considered a periphery diva. She got pushed mostly to put over the centerpieces and got some filler title reigns in between the WWE moving from centerpiece to centerpiece. She was a credible jobber. Chyna was a periphery diva. She was pushed as a star. She became famous for what she did in the men's division. Could Kharma have followed the path of Chyna? I have seen some people talk like Kharma would have had a chance to become the first woman to win the World's Heavyweight Championship. I don't know about that. Fact is, you don't see many matches between men and women in the PG era, so I doubt she really would have become a regular in the men's division in the same way Chyna was, without even bringing up the possibility of going further than Chyna did.

Just like I talked about Gail Kim being an enforcer, I think Kharma could have had some kind of enforcer/bodyguard role. Wouldn't be too different from Chyna early in her WWE career. Kharma could be an enforcer for both male superstars and divas. Imagine if Michelle McCool stayed and Kharma debuted as her new sidekick. Michelle McCool had Alicia Fox and Layla at her side for a while during her career, but how much did any of that help her get over? Kharma may not have helped her get over, but an intimidating bodyguard like that might have led to the fans viewing McCool differently. It would have been trying something new, if nothing else. And as Kharma connected with the fans through her own abilities, McCool would have gotten a rub from that. You would probably eventually have a time when the two split and have their feud, which typically happens. What do you do with Kharma then? Have her be the enforcer for someone else, possibly a man this time. You could keep this rolling for a while. This idea may sound stupid, but remember The Acolytes Protection Agency?  Create a gimmick like that for Kharma. She would be a one-woman APA. It could make for some interesting storylines and segments. And in between moving between protecting these various men and women, Kharma could have some rare matches here and there with the divas, and possibly the men. Face it, they were not going to have her wrestle divas on a regular basis. At least this way, she is getting used in a creative manner that could still connect with the fans.

Let me change topics slightly. When I talked about Gail Kim in the periphery, I referenced the role she played in TNA and talked about how the WWE could have used that to push her well. When I talked about Mickie James in the periphery, why did I not bring up her angle with Raven from TNA? That was not the kind of periphery diva I had in mind for her in the WWE. She was more of a lackey in that group in TNA, in my opinion, than an actual enforcer/bodyguard. Back when Lord Tensai first debuted and was relevant, he had a lackey. I don't think Mickie James should be a follower to someone. Push her as an arrogant valet/manager type. Let her be more of an equal to the man she is supporting or in the stable she is a part of.

Changing topics again, a while ago, I talked about how certain plays in football might just have a higher rate of success than others, regardless of who the players are involved in the play. I related that back to how certain types of careers in wrestling also have a a great rate of success, regardless of the individual being pushed in this great manner. I realized an even better way of explaining it.

I was lurking around a football message board and I noticed someone use the term "system quarterback" to describe Johnny Manziel. That means that he only had that success he had in college because the system they had there benefited him. It was based on the quarterback now starting for his old college putting up great numbers last week. It was the system that was great, not necessarily the player. This "system" label applies to various positions and even other sports. Some people can say some NBA players are only good in certain systems. When they change teams, they play poorly. If you have been watching sports for decades and already knew all this, forgive me for coming late to the game.

It can also apply to pro wrestling. Why shouldn't it? You can have some men and women that seem to thrive when they are in a position of success in a certain system, but when they go somewhere else, they flop. Is that because they are not that great? Is the new system just flawed? When I talk about the status quo, I am usually talking about the status quo of the system and how it is impacting the performers and quality of the product. You talk about Paul Heyman guys, Triple H guys, and Vince McMahon guys. Typically, these are guys that have the support of someone with swing to help them get a good push. Some of this seems to be losing value lately. The WWE thinks they can just toss guys on Paul Heyman and they are automatically Paul Heyman guys.

There are so many different things I can talk about in a discussion about system guys (or gals). Let me just run through a few people and talk about whether I think they are system guys. What do you look for? For those individuals that succeeded, was it because the system was in their favor? If the system was not in their favor, they are not system guys. If the system was in their favor, did they have the potential and talent to succeed even if they were not a part of that system? If they did, you can argue they were not system guys and could succeed on their own or in another system.

Let me start with Kharma. She did not last in the WWE long. But she was connecting well with the fans. And it definitely was through how she was being pushed. They had her destroy other divas. Just like Nexus excited people by destroying other guys, so was Kharma. And I already said, they likely would have continued to push her in the periphery, if they had kept her. Is Kharma therefor a system gal? I would say not. She was making a name for herself even before the WWE. That is what made her signing exciting for many fans. She definitely has the ability to connect with fans.

John Cena. He is a system guy. He has been pushed as the centerpiece for almost a decade, despite connecting poorly with the overall fanbase. Even back when he was hot with his rapper gimmick, the WWE allowed him to have that gimmick and ran with it. He is not that great of a wrestler. You can talk about his mic skills and charisma, but I don't think he is good enough to stand out if he had not gotten the kind of career he had gotten in the WWE. Just to save space, I would also say Batista is a system guy and for the same reasons I give for John Cena.

You should know the story of CM Punk by now. No one in the WWE wanted to give him a shot. Paul Heyman saved him and helped him become a star. Fact is, there was someone in the system that believed in him and helped him get a good career. CM Punk was featured well in ECW. He eventually won the ECW title. After debuting on Raw, he started to be treated even better. He won a World title almost right away. Soon won the tag titles. Won the Intercontinental title. Won another briefcase. He was frequently involved in elaborate storylines. A+ player? No. I would say A-. He dropped his pipe bomb and moved up a little in the company. He really wasn't pushed that awfully prior to that pipe bomb. He did deserve the better career, but the career he was getting was not that bad. Nevertheless, he is not a system guy. Not only does he seem to hate the system, but he has the talent and potential to succeed without the WWE.

What about Zack Ryder? He was not being pushed at all. He got over on his own through Youtube. And after he got over, they still did not want to run with him. He is definitely not a system guy. The system did not create him.

Mickie James is not a product of the diva system. They pushed her so much! So many title reigns! Yeah, but if you actually look at how they were pushing her and look at how over other women pushed like that typically become, she is more over than any of them. She got over while being pushed as a credible jobber, being used to put over the centerpiece and being used as interim centerpiece when the star was not around. She got over through her own abilities as a performer. The system was not in her favor.

To say that a quarterback is a product of the system is taking something away from him just like calling him a game manager is taking something away from him. When I say that a certain wrestler is a system guy, I don't mean to insult him. It just goes back to the idea of understanding whether a performer is having such great success because he is really that great or it is the play/system that is so great. That might help you separate the A+ players from the B+ players. Separate the system performers in the WWE from those that are truly the greats.

The Kids Turn On Cena

I had been saying to expect a story in the match between John Cena and Bray Wyatt at Extreme Rules. There was a storyline they were going to push in that match. It wasn't just going to be a wrestling match. I was interested in seeing what the WWE would pull. And they did pull something. When you look back at what they pulled on the Raw prior to Extreme Rules, it makes perfect sense that the WWE would do what they did at the PPV. Of course, I am am talking about a child costing Cena the match. Bray Wyatt won the match and the psychological battle that night.

A lot of fans complained about it. That's not surprising. I didn't find it that entertaining. So far, moreover, it doesn't look like Cena is going to start sticking to one emotion for this storyline. He was horrified at Extreme Rules. It would be better if he stuck with that one direction until the WWE developed the storyline in a direction to give him momentum to feel some other way. Cena just flip-flops without a good storyline reason. That has been one of the major complaints fans have had with this storyline. I think it is justified.

Where you see a bunch of children, I see little Zack Ryders. I brought up just this week that Zack Ryder was a pawn, or supporting character, in the feud between John Cena and Kane. This storyline right now is comparable to that. Bray Wyatt is in Kane's position. John Cena is playing the role of John Cena. Where's Ryder? Where's that character caught in the middle of all this that the evil heel is taking advantage of to get to Cena? That would be children. I really don't like it. And it's this kind of thing that makes me not become a fan of John Cena simply because of his work ethic and all he does for the children. Does he do it because he is such a great guy? Or so the WWE can push that image and occasionally take advantage of these children in storylines. The WWE has used children before in storylines, I know that. But I just don't like it when they do this kind of thing with Cena. Makes me doubt him. And I don't like the overall storyline that much.

I was interested to see how they would further the storyline at Extreme Rules. I am slightly interested to see what happens next. It seems obvious. You have the reunion of Cena and his young fanbase. Cena breaks the hold Wyatt has on them. How exactly will the WWE do it? That is the question. I am hoping this feud comes to an end at the next PPV. There is no further need to drag it on. Wyatt got his win against Cena and a huge psychological win to make this feud more heated. Develop things for the finish. If they drag it on much longer, it may become painful.

Daniel Bryan: The Next Zack Ryder?

A lot of fans are drawing the comparisons between what is going on between Daniel Bryan and Kane now and what went on between Zack Ryder and Kane two years ago. Let me point it out for those who don't see the connection. Last week, there was a diva match between Brie Bella and Paige. I pointed out that Brie was in the position Eve was once in, Paige was in the position Beth Phoenix was in, and Kane was his normal self. Expand on that. Zack Ryder was involved in a romance angle with Eve. Who is Brie married to? That would be Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan = Zack Ryder? They both seem to have the unfortunate luck of car issues popping up when they are trying to flee a monster with their girl.

Mick Foley had a few things to say about the development of the storyline between Kane and Daniel Bryan. He made the comparison to Zack Ryder. He implies that this storyline is what "derailed" Ryder's career. I couldn't disagree more. The WWE never wanted Ryder over in the first place. If they did, they never would have taken so long to give him a legitimate push. When they did get around to giving him that push, it was more about putting over how nice a guy Cena is. And even with using him as a pawn in the larger feud between Kane and Cena, fans still cared about the guy. The WWE just slowly pulled the plug on his momentum. Before you knew it, he was back being treated as an F player.

Daniel Bryan has never been treated as an F player in the WWE. Even back in his days of being humiliated in NXT, they were still putting focus on him. That is better than no focus at all. In terms of the storyline, yes, you can obviously draw comparisons between the last time Kane returned with the mask and his current return with the mask. In terms of the feud and how they are being pushed, however, you better be careful with comparing Daniel Bryan to Zack Ryder. John Cena was the main face in that storyline years ago. Daniel Bryan is the main face in this storyline here. This is a guy they want to be a success, but they just do not want as their centerpiece. He will get depushed. Depushed as badly as Zack Ryder? No. He will get depushed back to the place he was prior to this title reign, which was still a pretty good place. The issue here isn't a bad storyline ruining someone. The issue is the WWE's willingness to push someone as a star. It was never there for Zack Ryder. To a better degree, it is there for Daniel Bryan.

Let me move away from comparing Daniel Bryan to Zack Ryder. I see some fans really hating this storyline. Daniel Bryan has bad acting skills. Brie Bella is even worse. Kane is cheesy. Daniel Bryan needs to feud with someone else. Some fans are being too critical. I don't think the majority of fans out there are that critical of what is going on. They will continue to love Daniel Bryan for the energy he brings with him. Say what you want about Kane, but he is an interesting character that can still cause buzz. As for Brie Bella, this storyline has a good chance to get her over better than anything else she has ever had. What they do with her after that is a topic for another day. Analytically, I do not see a huge problem with this storyline. Critically, I can agree with a lot of what is being said, but this is pro wrestling, so relax. As a fan, I like it.

Grading Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder was a F. He was not being pushed at all. He might as well have been released. He connected with fans through an Internet show. That soon led to fans chanting for him during events, even though he was not involved in whatever was going on. The WWE noticed. They skyrocketed him all the way to being a D player. That didn't seem to please fans. The WWE kept dragging their feet when it came to pushing Zack Ryder. He eventually won the United States title and got involved in a major storyline involving John Cena. That storyline, however, was more about making Cena look good. Ryder was just a supporting player and soon got depushed again. In terms of how he was being pushed, I would say he peaked at being a B+ player. He was never a true main-eventer, but he was pushed better than some midcarders at the time. Did Zack Ryder deserve better?

How do I view Zack Ryder as a critic? I am not talking about critiquing his Internet show. And that's not just because I have still never watched it. If you are determining whether this guy deserved a better wrestling push, you should be critiquing him as a wrestling performer. Let me start with his wrestling ability. He was not as horrible as The Great Khali, but not as great as a Kurt Angle. He was solid. I personally find someone like Kofi Kingston more entertaining in the ring. Even Ryback can be sold as a dominating individual. Zack Ryder's ability does not really stand out. How about his charisma and mic skills? Again, I am not going by how he performs on the web. I am sure he deserves high marks there based on how over it got him. He has a unique gimmick, which also includes him having a unique look. I like that. I am just not drawn to his charisma. Overall, I would give Ryder a C+. As a critic, I would not recommend Zack Ryder to get a push. He should be a lower-midcarder.

Of course, I never let my personal feelings determine whether or not I think someone should get a good push and good career. What matters is how well they can get the job done. Just how over did Zack Ryder get back then? Some say he only had a "cult" following. There may be some truth in that. He got over on the Internet. Internet fans can get very vocal. But the way the fans were reacting for him definitely does not seem like mediocre overness to me. At the same time, was it at the level that Daniel Bryan is at now? You can usually see a sea of fans supporting Daniel Bryan every week. I don't think Zack Ryder was that over. And you also have to take into account that the WWE succeeded in burying him. If Zack Ryder's overness really was stronger, they would not have been able to do it so easily. He does still get decent reactions whenever he is out there. No A+ results for him, but I think he was doing better than the respectable B that you can expect for most midcard faces. I would say Zack Ryder was bringing B+ results.

Taking everything into account, I think Zack Ryder did deserve a better push. Yes, he did not get over by doing what a pro wrestler is supposed to do, but he was not in a position to get over as a pro wrestler. He can even be criticized for not being too great, but I think he would have been a good fit for the midcard. That push he did end up getting was more about Cena and the WWE did not follow through properly with Ryder after it was over. There is nothing wrong with pushing over workers in the midcard. Did Ryder's complaining hurt his push? I think they would have found a reason to bury him no matter what. The fact that they never wanted to push this guy points to that. His whole Internet gimmick might have even led to some interesting storylines and segments. The WWE only did a little bit. The midcard is a mess. Zack Ryder could have helped make things better.

Why bother talking about a guy that is probably not an A+ player in any sense of the term? A+ players are not the only ones that matter. Moreover, the WWE's mistreatment of Ryder is another sign of the larger issue of not giving guys that bring great results better pushes and treatment. Ryder is still trying to stay relevant. Where will that get him?

The "Yes" Movement

It seems the WWE has incorporated Daniel Bryan's crazy overness into the show. You have it being mentioned in promos. You have merchandise being developed based on it. Is this a sign that the WWE is giving in and going the path of pushing Daniel Bryan the way the fans want? Let me bring up two other situations where the fans reacted a way the WWE would not have wanted or expected and the WWE eventually incorporated it into their plans.

Remember Zack Ryder? He was the guy that got very over off of an Internet show. But he wasn't just over on the Internet. He soon got chants on live shows. The fans wanted Ryder. The WWE didn't immediately push him and danced around it. Eventually, they did acknowledge how over he was. John Cena entered that storyline. I even remember them showing Zack Ryder having a rally with the fans. And where is Ryder today? Back to the lower-midcard. And his push, as I have mentioned many times before, really was not that great and more about using him as a pawn in the larger storyline between Cena and Kane. After that, attention on him from the WWE just trickled down. Even though they incorporated the fans reaction to Ryder into the show, it really changed nothing for him.

And how about John Cena? The story with him isn't really one of a worker getting over with the fans off of a career in which he is not being pushed to, then getting screwed out of the better career. It is kind of the opposite. Ever since John Cena has been pushed as the centerpiece, he has been getting these mixed reactions. On some nights, the reactions seem to be all negative. And this guy is a face, not a heel. This is not how the WWE would like the fans to react for Cena. It has never gone away. They have accepted it and have frequently acknowledged it. Not only has John Cena mentioned it in promos, they have run storylines about it. I just mentioned his feud with Kane. That was about trying to get Cena to "embrace the hate" and turn heel, which seems to be something a lot of these fans want. Despite all that, Cena has still been pushed as the top star of the company. Will that change now? That is another issue. Point is, the WWE incorporated the negative reaction their top face was getting and really changed nothing else in how they pushed him.

Bring that all together. Just because the WWE is incorporating fan reactions that they do not like, that does not mean actual change is coming for the superstar in question. The WWE is just taking advantage of it creatively and in terms of making money off merchandise. I do not think fans are going crazy for Daniel Bryan only because they want more Daniel Bryan merchandise to buy. They want to see him pushed better. Not only are they not really giving Daniel Bryan fans what they really want, I think the WWE will have an easy time handling this "movement" by treating it like this. Instead of it coming off as a real problem in which the WWE is not giving the fans what they are screaming for and not willingly giving a very over star better pushes that he is earning, it starts to look like it is all part of the show. I already get the feel that the fan support for Daniel Bryan is losing some of that edge. They are still supporting him very well, but if the WWE can just play off their reactions that easily, and possibly even make money off of it without giving them real change, it just seems a little hopeless. Going by the other two examples of this I gave, if history is any indication, the WWE will not break easily just because of fan reactions.

One more thing I want to say about Daniel Bryan and what the WWE is doing recently with him. Some people still want to bring up that he is not marketable? That is the reason a lot of people give as to why he should not be pushed better. If the WWE did not view him as marketable, they wouldn't bother producing merchandise for him. They are trying to make money off him. He will make money, as well. The fans get their merchandise. Problem is, he is not getting pushed as the fans would like. You can question whether or not he has what it takes to be the face of the company, but pushing him more as the centerpiece would be nice. Even if you want to rotate centerpieces like TNA does, give Daniel Bryan a legitimate shot. Over performers are more marketable than performers that are not over. That is common sense. Do a good job with your most over performers.

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.  

Zack Ryder Vs. Fandango

Mr. Woo Woo Woo vs. Mr. Summer Rae. I am not talking about an actual match or feud between these two right now. Nevertheless, would it be so bad for the midcard if they did feud?

What I want to talk about with these two guys is their overness. You can say that both of these wrestlers have unconventional stories to them in terms of overness. What do I mean by that? A wrestler will typically get over by how well they can connect with the audience when they go out to perform for them during the show. The stories with Zack Ryder and Fandango are a lot different.

First, you have Zack Ryder. This guy was a lower-midcarder. He was doing nothing or next to nothing on the main shows. But he got very over. In case you have forgotten, he did it through his web show. That got him so over, it put the WWE in the position where they had to push him. And they didn't want to. They danced around it for a while, created a storyline that made John Cena look like Ryder's best friend, gave Zack Ryder a moment where he won the U.S. title, continued to use him as a pawn in Cena's matters, then let him drop off again. You saw him this week on Raw in the main event, but he really hasn't been used well since the early part of last year.

Fandango's story is even more peculiar. He has this dancing gimmick. He has these hot women he has been dancing with since the gimmick started. He loves to tell you how to say his name. But none of that is what has connected him with the fans. In fact, you can even question if he really has connected with the fans. His theme song gets a great reaction from the fans. Are they dancing along because they find Fandango entertaining or because it is a fad started by that crazy audience a few months back? Regardless, the WWE has been pretty consistent with him. He has not won any titles, but an injury is probably the only reason he never won the Intercontinental Championship a few months ago. He is coming off a feud with Miz that really looks like meaningless filler now. Miz has now been getting more involved in the corporate storyline. Showing better consistency with that prior to Night of Champions would have been nice. The feud between the two seems to have done really nothing for either in the long run and I still say a feud between R-Truth and Fandango would have been more entertaining. Am I going to complain about this every two weeks? Yes. Nevertheless, when you look at how much the WWE has done for Fandango, including that feud with Jericho, this is obviously a guy they like. But do the fans really like him? Or is it just the theme song?

No matter the reasons for their overness and what the WWE has done with them, you cannot deny that both have gotten great reactions and caused a buzz. The WWE created negative buzz for not giving Zack Ryder a push right away. Fans would chant for him regularly, even when he wasn't out there. The WWE created positive buzz through Fandango. Media outside of wrestling picked up on "Fandangoing" for a while. Whose story do you prefer?

Moving away from analyzing these guys in terms of overness, let me give my personal opinion on which of the two I think deserves to be pushed. As I am sure I have pointed out here and there numerous times, I am not a fan of either of them. I have never watched Zack Ryder's show. I don't like Fandango's theme song. I wouldn't say I hate either of them. I want to see them used properly and in a manner they deserve. All that being said, I would pick Zack Ryder over Fandango. There are a few reasons why. First, you just know for sure that this guy really got over. The fans liked him. With Fandango, it seems to be more over the theme song than the performer. Second, Zack Ryder never got a legitimate opportunity, in my opinion. I don't think it is even a matter of opinion. His "push" was mostly him being used in a storyline that was more about Cena. When it was all over, they dropped him like he was a credible jobber in the diva division. Fandango has been getting better opportunities than that and has been featured more consistently. Lastly, it would be nice to see a face pushed in the midcard that isn't Kofi Kingston. I know Santino is back, but he is a comedy character. I think Zack Ryder has potential to be more than just a gimmick. That push he did get, even though it was overshadowed by Cena matters, wasn't just a comedy storyline. They should do a better job of rotating around their midcarders, and Ryder should be one of them. 

Top Searched Wrestlers For My Blog

I don't usually blog on the weekends anymore. I have something different that I wanted to do that I didn't think I would be able to make time for during my regular blogging days, so I'm taking the time to do it now. A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Mickie James was reported to be the most-searched female wrestler of 2011. That got me thinking of my own stats for this blog. My usual habit is to go on my Google Analytics account right after I write a blog entry just to see how I did for the previous day. I never actually looked at what drew the most interest for me in a given year or all time. I did that now and decided to share it and talk about it a little.

Let me first explain how I'm going to present the data. I spent some time trying to figure out how best to do it. There's a ton of information and I really have to pick and choose. And I'll probably botch explaining things right now. I'm not good with this blogging stuff. First, I'm going to be providing what the top keywords people used when they came to my blog were in 2010 (starting from April), 2011, 2012, this year so far, and all time, and the number of visits from those exact keywords. Second, I am going to give an estimate on how many visits certain selected wrestlers brought me for those five periods of time. Why is that relevant? Some people may search for "mickie james" and end up on my blog, while some people may also search for "is mickie james still in tna?" and come to my blog. How do you find out how many visits people interested in something concerning Mickie James made to my blog? You have to add up the visits for all those keywords. Analytics provides a feature where you can search how many times a specific term comes up in your list of keywords. I can just search "mickie" and it will give me a list of all the visits I got off of people visiting me with something having to do with Mickie James and the total number of visits. I will do this for a few wrestlers. And there are a few reasons why I will give an estimate and not the actual number. One is  because some fans sometimes spell the names wrong. They might spell "mickey james" by mistake. I botch names all the time, so I'm not judging. People visiting my blog from a misspelled search will not show up when I look up data based on the correct spelling. Because of that, I'll round up to the nearest 10. When I provide the numbers for the actual keywords, that will be accurate as of the time I'm writing this. Now that I am done boring you with the explanation, let me bore you with the numbers.

2010

1.	aj lee	240	AJ Lee- 300
2.	rosa mendes	49	Mickie James- 20
3.	killeroflegends	24	John Cena- 20
4.	drew mcintyre	13
5.	a.j. lee	12
6.	aj lee wwe	10
7.	mickie james	10
8.	killeroflegends 2010	9
9.	a.j lee	8
10.	wwe aj	8

2011

1.	killeroflegends	487	Mickie James- 630
2.	mickie james	203	Kelly Kelly- 420
3.	aj lee	186	AJ Lee- 310
4.	gail kim	106	Gail Kim- 200
5.	kelly kelly	80	John Cena- 190
6.	rosa mendes	70	Sting- 160
7.	(not provided)	52	CM Punk- 90
8.	joker sting	51
9.	sheamus	46
10.	alberto del rio	45

2012

1.	killeroflegends	850	Mickie James- 700
2.	(not provided)	441	Kane- 630
3.	zack ryder	240	Kelly Kelly- 620
4.	kelly kelly	216	AJ Lee- 380
5.	mickie james	149	Zack Ryder- 340
6.	kane 2012	147	John Cena- 270
7.	wwe kane 2012	96	Gail Kim- 160
8.	gail kim	77
9.	natalya	73
10.	kane 2012 wwe	62

2013

1. (not provided) 373 2. killeroflegends 266 3. big show 53 4. mickie james 38 5. christian mid card hero 22 6. kelly kelly vs 21 7. http://killeroflegends.blogspot.com/ 8 8. kelly kelly vs layla 7 9. mark henry 7 10. mickie james lesbian 7
Mickie James- 120
Kelly Kelly- 70 Big Show- 70 AJ Lee- 40
John Cena- 30
Kane- 30
All Time 1. killeroflegends 1,627       Mickie James- 1460   2. (not provided) 866       Kelly Kelly- 1100 3. aj lee 439       AJ Lee- 1020 4. mickie james 400       Kane- 740 5. kelly kelly 301       John Cena- 500 6. zack ryder 272       Gail Kim- 390 7. gail kim 187       Big Show- 240 8. kane 2012 148 9. rosa mendes 137 10. big show 104

To start, people searching for "killeroflegends" are obviously looking to read my blog, specifically. I also have some readers who search specific terms whenever they want to find my blog, such as "christian mid card hero". What I am going to be discussing will have to do with wrestling fans who come to my blog looking to find something about a particular wrestler, not looking to specifically read my blog. For the most part, I will be talking about searches that bring in at least 90% new visits. This is going to be an analysis of what wrestlers the searchers are interested in, not in how regulars are coming to my blog. 

Starting in 2010, it seems a lot of people were interested in AJ Lee. What is noteworthy about that is that she wasn't even really relevant until the last few months of the year. There is also the fact that I didn't have much content on this blog yet since I didn't switch over fully here until April.

In 2011, a lot of people started talking about Mickie James. That is the year she won the Triple Crown and ended the year having been Champion 8 times. Gail Kim walked out on the WWE and headed back to TNA. Aside from those two women, TNA seemed to create a lot of interest with Sting, particularly a certain gimmick he had for a few months that year. My blog didn't seem to draw in a lot of readers for what I had to say about CM Punk's epic push that year. Fans were definitely talking about that, even if not many visited my blog to read anything about it.

What should jump out at you for the data in 2012? How many times does "kane 2012" pop up in that list of top 10 keywords? Not only are people interested in Kane, but they specifically got excited for his return and the new look, including that metal mask. I had a few visits from people searching Kane's feud with Zack Ryder, which really didn't go anywhere. Speaking of Zack Ryder, there was a ton of interest in the guy during the first two months of the year, while he was involved on that feud between Kane and John Cena. Interest fell slightly to around Wrestlemania. After that, barely anything. Not surprising. The WWE has not provided much for the guy and I don't blog about him that regularly. No reason to. Nevertheless, there were a ton of people interested in Zack Ryder for a few months. If they had continued running with him, how far could he really have gone?

Although this doesn't show up in the numbers I gave, it was in 2012 that I had the most visits in one day. That came on January 9, 2012. 80 total visits. On that one day, I got no less than 30 visits for the same reason. What monumental event occurred that shook the very foundations of the pro wrestling community? A pipe bomb? The return of a huge star? It was the debut of the Funkasaurus, Brodus Clay. Yeah. I'll just leave that there.
Looking at 2013 so far, nothing really stands out. More people are coming to my blog searching for Big Show than I would have expected. People searching for Mickie James visit my blog more often than any other female wrestler I write about. And I do talk about AJ and Kaitlyn when I have to. I give them time.
And looking at the overall numbers, I did not expect Mickie James to be the wrestler to draw the most interest when people visit my blog off their searches. I honestly thought it would be John Cena. That is why I provided the number of visits I had gotten off Cena searches. I definitely have written more blog entries about Cena than Mickie James. John Cena is the top guy in the top wrestling promotion in the world. I definitely talk about the WWE more than TNA. Even if I did talk just as much about TNA as I do the WWE, TNA doesn't push any single individual like the WWE pushes Cena. John Cena is pushed regularly and usually gets the biggest, best storylines. Even when he is not around due to injury, that is something to talk about. Even if he is around and not used for just one night, even that is something to talk about. People searching for Mickie James, who is not even pushed regularly in TNA, visit my blog more often. And the fact that she is not pushed often is definitely one of the reasons people search her. People aren't just coming to my blog looking for pictures. They want to know if she's still in TNA. Is she turning heel? I talked about the interest her title wins gained. If TNA could properly keep the ball rolling with her, they would have something. Of course, no one should base too much off my blog stats. Just because people aren't visiting my blog when they are looking up various wrestlers, that doesn't mean those wrestlers aren't getting looked up. I am simply not providing something that those searchers are interested in enough to click that link and visit my blog. If you have studied statistics or have an interest in stats, you know getting a large sample size makes it easier to get accurate information. The more information you have, the better. I'm just one blogger. I didn't write this up as a confirmation of any report or to contradict what someone else is saying. This was just meant to give you an idea of which wrestlers people are searching for when they come to my blog.

No Ryder At TLC

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

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

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

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

The Highs And Lows Of The Tag Division

With the finals in the tournament to find new #1 contenders for the tag titles postponed, that gives me extra time to talk about who I think should win. Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara vs. Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow. Since the current Tag Team Champions are being booked as faces at the moment, it would make sense for the heel team to face them. That would be Rhodes and Sandow.

How about a triple threat? Have both teams challenge Kane and Daniel Bryan. Can you really imagine Rey Mysterio being left off the card? Assume that his illness is not a factor at all. The WWE would definitely like to use him. At the same time, having just Mysterio and Sin Cara face Kane and Daniel Bryan may be awkward. Both teams would be faces. Besides, Rhodes Scholars would have their momentum killed if they just lose like that. What happens after? Do they still stay a team? Interfere in the tag title match? Even if Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio don't win the tournament, I can have an easier time believing they will still team together through the fact that they have this angle where Rey is Sin Cara's mentor. There are a lot of possibilities there. Even if Sin Cara goes back to getting solo feuds, they can still have Mysterio get involved very easily. Getting back to the topic, I still feel both teams should get the title shot. Both have momentum and are made up of guys the WWE cares about pushing. It would be tough to pick one over the other, potentially leaving the other out in the cold. If I had to choose just one team to win this, let it be the heels. Not only would it make sense, but the face team can still survive.

The tag division focus has mainly been on upper-midcarders and midcarders currently. However, there are some lower-midcarders who have been getting more time because of recent events in the tag division. That is always a good thing.

Zack Ryder got over on his own a year ago. Trying to get him a legitimate push must have been like getting a tooth yanked out of your mouth for the WWE. They obviously did not want to do it. When they finally gave him a midcard title, the reign was crap. Beyond that, they used Ryder to put over Cena's character. Once he did that, they phased him back down. Now, he is teaming with Santino Marella. It may not be too much, but at least I see him getting featured more. They have a gimmick going. It is better than being completely lost in the shuffle.

Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre, and Jinder Mahal. Jinder Mahal? Really? I never thought I would live to see the day. Before this boy band was created, none of these guys were being pushed too well. Heath Slater had an angle going where he was jobbing to legends for months, then continued to be used as a jobber after that. Jinder Mahal was last relevant when the WWE used him to put over Ryback in a minor feud. Drew McIntyre has been even less relevant than that. Combined and given this gimmick, these three are actually being used well. I know what you are thinking, these guys have a stable going, not a real tag team. True, but is it hard to imagine that they will be involved in tag matters? I consider them a part of the recent interest being put in the tag division. Good for them. Yes, even Jinder Mahal.

Kane Vs. Ryder In The Pre-Show

Over The Limit's pre-show match will be Zack Ryder vs. Kane. After Kane finished putting over John Cena, the proper option would have been to have him feud with Zack Ryder, who was a pawn in the larger feud between Kane and Cena. Instead, the WWE went with Kane vs. Orton. That feud is now over. Zack Ryder could have still been an option for Kane to feud with, right? Did they end up feuding? No. Having a match does not mean the same thing as a feud.

What have either of these two guys been doing recently? Nothing. Would it have been that difficult to develop something? This is another perfect example of the WWE passing up good opportunities to do something interesting with the midcard. So what if this feud would not have been a means to propel either guy to a bigger push? If done right, it could have been something interesting to get the fans tuned in and interested in both of these guys for a while.

Who wins? Not that it matters too much, since the WWE is not pushing either guy well right now, but Kane should win. How far would he have fallen if he does lose to Ryder? He went from being a monster terrorizing Cena and his friends, to feuding with Randy Orton and beating him at Wrestlemania, and ends up losing to Zack Ryder? Had this been a real feud, they might have built up to it being something Ryder could win. As it stands now, at least give Kane a little something to keep him looking like a monster. He did beat Big Show this week, but it was a cheap win, as would be expected. From beating Big Show to jobbing to Ryder in one week, could you picture it?

The Miz: From Losing Streak To...

The Miz is no longer on that big losing streak. He won it at Wrestlemania. Night after that, he beat Zack Ryder.

Was it worth it? In terms of the storyline, Miz's frustration in not being able to make it onto the Wrestlemania card, after winning the main event last year, motivated him to find a way to get into a match. Granted, saving John Laurinaitis was nothing too fancy. But it got him the spot. After that, he came through for his team. Most of the guys in the tag match to crown one GM did not even have that much of a storyline build in getting selected. Drew McIntyre was a random substitution for Christian. Booker T was a surprise final choice for Long. Point is, as I have said before, that losing streak Miz had for him was not necessarily a bad thing. It was a storyline that paid off in the end. It put some interest in this guy.

But where does he go from here? There is still a small amount of hype from him being the guy who got the job done for the heel team. But will they follow up properly? He beat Zack Ryder, but who can he really feud with now? Or enter a good storyline with? Remember that losing streak Sheamus had last year? It ended with him winning the U.S. Championship. The title reign was not too awesome, but he went on to be involved in Orton/Christian, turned face, went on a big winning streak, won the Royal Rumble, and look at him now. The whole world hates him for squashing Daniel Bryan at Wrestlemania to win the World's Heavyweight Championship. Doesn't get any better than that. Will Miz go down a similar path? Miz, much like Sheamus last year, has held a World title before. I would not be surprised if he wins one again one day. Right now, however, I am having a tough time thinking of a good position for this guy. There are no top faces to work with him who are free. That leaves the midcard, but what midcarders can he enter a legitimate feud with? Kofi Kingston? Over what? Booker T might be a nice choice, but they may not head in that direction. In the end, unless the WWE really has a good plan for the guy, he might have been better off with that losing streak.

I talked about the guy who got the job done for the heel team, but what about the woman who got the job done for them? Eve screwed Ryder. Who really didn't see that coming? Ryder would look like a giant idiot if the WWE did not have him continue in the storyline against Eve, even if just to tell her off. The night after Eve cost the face team the match, she did another heel promo. Reminded me of how this kind of started. When she first turned heel, she would do these promos to put over that new heel character. Aside from putting over John Laurinaitis, this new promo did nothing new. It reset the same heel character people already knew she had. Unless they plan on formally aligning Eve with Laurinaitis, there was no real development here. I guess they can now go back all the way to when they were building a feud between Eve and Kelly Kelly. Will they put the title on Kelly Kelly first? Whatever they do, it would be best not to mess things up with celebrities for a while.