It Was A Monster Mash!

I don't plan on watching Raw tonight. Yes, it does happen to be because of who the guest stars will be. I think I became too old for that kind of thing almost two decades ago. It would be kind of stupid for a 25-year old guy to eagerly tune in to Raw to see Kermit. I'll read about what happens. I guess I'll just watch football. Is SpongeBob on?

I did not get to mention Big Show and Mark Henry's match at Vengeance last week, and it is worth mentioning. If extreme stunts are one of the draws for Mark Henry's current big push, the WWE delivered again. It has happened before, I know, but it is still exciting to see the ring collapse like that.

The feud between Mark Henry and Big Show is obviously not over yet. I would have them have a rematch on Smackdown. Have them captain teams at Survivor Series, then have the feud end at TLC. Perfect PPV to end this. Ladder match? Chair match? Tables match? TLC itself is also an option, but maybe too much? It would make for plenty of extreme spots. There is still a lot of potential left in this feud and in Mark Henry's overall title reign. A lot of people were saying how great Kane's title reign was around this time last year. I honestly think Mark Henry's push is delivering even better.

Maryse Released

Maryse has been released by the WWE. Judging by her first comments on it, no big sorrow.

What does this mean for the diva division? Nothing of value was lost. Maryse was a failed centerpiece, much like Candice Michelle. Remember what happened to Candice? She got injured multiple times, lost much of her promise in terms of wrestling ability, the WWE gave up on pushing her as Raw's centerpiece in 2008, and she was released a few months later in 2009. Maryse follows pretty much the same story. She never botched as hard as Candice did before her fall from the top, but she wasn't showing the signs of solid ability in the ring. As it stands, she was out for a while with another injury. What good would she be when she did return, even if she still wanted to wrestle? They could have pushed her on the periphery, but she was not that over anyway. It is interesting how she went her entire career without ever really being a true face.

Nothing of value was lost, but I do not hate Maryse. She's sexy and cute. What I hated was the WWE trying to push her as a centerpiece. It was not helping the division. I can say the same thing for Kelly Kelly's current treatment. I'm not going to miss Maryse, and I'm not going to complain that the WWE misused her, but I don't think she needs pro wrestling anyway. She'll find something else to do.

Kevin Nash Takes Out Triple H

If pro wrestling really was about trying to hurt your opponent, Kevin Nash would have one of the greatest finisher moves ever. That huge attack he gave Triple H on Raw was to write Triple H off due to the injury he had suffered the night before. Triple H will be out for at least a month, meaning he will miss Survivor Series. The WWE's own website is reporting it, and I doubt it is all kayfabe.

Obviously, this will put a dent in the WWE's plans. Triple H was one of the top guys on Raw since his return. He was involved in a power struggle with John Laurinaitis, feuding against Miz & R-Truth, and looked to be going back into his singles feud with Kevin Nash. If anything, his feud with Kevin Nash just got raised to an even higher level.

The dent is not too huge. CM Punk will get his feud with Alberto Del Rio. John Cena and The Rock move on to Miz & R-Truth. You have a lot of midcarders on both brands who can make for a classic Survivor Series match. The divas look like they may be heading into a large match too. If not, Alicia Fox is heading into a title feud against Beth Phoenix? Large tag match makes more sense, since it is Survivor Series coming up. Big Show and Mark Henry are not finished yet, although I wouldn't mind them being involved in one of the elimination tag matches as captains for their respective teams. Leave Big Show's rematch for Smackdown or the PPV after Survivor Series. Point is, not much harm was done to the potential of the Survivor Series card because of Triple H's injury. The main draw was going to be The Rock anyway.

One last point on Triple H. I am not usually the guy who says that the WWE is doing something that makes no sense at all. When I see other people doing that, I can usually either see the WWE's side of what they are doing or just feel the whole thing is so trivial, it can be overlooked. On Raw, Triple H revealed he was still COO. That means he was still technically overseeing everything. All he lost was control of Raw to Laurinaitis. But if he still outranks him, doesn't that make all the protesting the WWE had going on seem meaningless? So what gave Triple H the right to run Raw in the first place? What happened to the Anonymous Raw GM? And if Triple H only lost control of Raw, why can't he still push his weight over on Smackdown? If control of Raw was all he lost, why were Smackdown workers against him too? I can understand the WWE's dilemma a little. If they take away Triple H's COO position and name Laurinaitis new interim Raw GM, who is the new COO? Why could they not just name Laurinaitis interim COO until the Board of Directors chooses a new one? The way things are working out, Triple H still should have had the authority to overrule whatever unfair decisions he felt Laurinaitis made. Also, Triple H would still have power, which would make a lot of the wrestlers who protested against him unhappy, especially the heels. Moreover, Triple H still had the title, but he was not doing anything too major with it. So what's the point? They should have just given it to Laurinaitis. Hopefully, when Triple H returns, they can pretend he is no longer COO, just like they are pretending a computer no longer runs Raw.

Dolph Ziggler Still Has Mason Ryan

Dolph Ziggler has been busy lately. He is still United States Champion. Sadly, he still seems to be feuding with Mason Ryan. Mason made himself known on Raw this week by running off Ziggler and Swagger.

I still do not see this push for Mason Ryan going anywhere for the big guy. He is not being pushed very uniquely or in a way that will make him stand out much. This all just seems like a waste of space. Even though I do not care about him much, it would have been better to just give this push to Zack Ryder. Have Kofi Kingston or Evan Bourne go after Ziggler's title. Why not? Ziggler has been going after the tag titles, right? If John Morrison does somehow stick around, he can be a good candidate to end Ziggler's reign. Turn Jack Swagger face and have him feud with Ziggler. In other words, I think anyone on the Raw roster would be better suited for this push.

On another note concerning Dolph Ziggler, notice how it looked like Vickie Guerrero was really forming a stable just a few weeks ago? In addition to Dolph Ziggler and Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes and Christian also seemed to be involved in the mix. This was back when many wrestlers were protesting against Triple H. After the angle ended, this stable soon just became an afterthought. They could have really had a great stable there. It would have involved guys from both brands. All of these guys have held titles before, including two current Champions. From all that potential, you have Christian running a stale feud with Sheamus, Cody feuding with Randy Orton, and Ziggler and Swagger messing around with Mason Ryan. I don't think the WWE will try to salvage the stable they could have had.

John Cena And The Rock Team Up

I know Cena's slobbering in anticipation of what is coming at Survivor Series. He will team up with The Rock to face Awesome Truth (Miz & R-Truth).

It has been known for a while that The Rock was coming back and going to wrestle at Survivor Series. The WWE even advertised it on Raw tonight before Cena's announcing it. That I find stupid. Yeah, advertising The Rock will make sure tickets sell, but you could have kept it a surprise until this point and tickets still would have sold. If this is supposed to be the era of reality, where angles spill over into the Internet, Twitter, WWE's website, and so on, handling Cena choosing The Rock like that is kind of a disappointment. A lot of people already knew it was coming.

The Rock is also scheduled to be on Raw in a few weeks. Ratings should be very good for that show. It will not be enough by itself to save the yearly average for the show from being the most horrible in over 10 years, but The Rock has to be a guy who will bring it better than almost any other former wrestler the WWE can get.

One last thing. I know a lot of fans hated the idea of The Rock and John Cena teaming up when word of this first came up weeks ago. Speaking for myself, I like it. Neither of these guys are heels. Cena may be hated by many, but he is still a face. I think this is good progression of this epic feud. Have them keep that mutual respect for each other up for the moment. When the time is right, then have them go at it. If they get into a scuffle at Survivor Series or Raw, fine. That's just a taste of what will come at Wrestlemania. Aside from spoiling things so soon and still treating it like it is surprising, I like how this is going.

Mark Henry Defends Against Big Show At Vengeance

The World's Heavyweight title match for this Sunday features Mark Henry and Big Show. Not only is the centerpiece of Smackdown, Randy Orton, not present, but he is not involved in a feud that is worth more than the title feud for Smackdown. That is a bit of freshness.

Is this the kind of feud that can draw? Even though I like Mark Henry's push and think it is great that a fresh feud like this is going on, it could have been handled better. I am saying this while Smackdown is enjoying some of the best ratings it has had in a while. Nevertheless, I don't like how Randy Orton has still been inserted in this feud at a few points in the last few weeks. Even worse, he has been slowly getting the better of Mark Henry. Mark Henry's dominance is slowly fading. Of course, it had to sooner or later. I believe part of what little drawing power has been invested in Mark Henry has come from all the extreme stunts they have been pulling with him in the last few months. Remember what he did to Big Show and the cage on Raw? That can definitely get people interested in Mark Henry. But if you start taking that away, you better hope the rest of Smackdown is strong enough to keep the ratings.

Sheamus is still looking strong. Because of that, I cannot see the WWE ending Mark Henry's title reign at the hands of Big Show just yet. You can complain about Mark Henry and Sheamus already fighting each other a few months ago, but Big Show and Mark Henry did too. Neither Sheamus nor Mark Henry took a decisive victory in their brief feud a few months ago. I cannot believe it will end like that. While Orton continues a feud with Cody Rhodes and tends to whatever other Survivor Series matters, Smackdown can have another fresh title feud between Sheamus and Mark Henry. For that reason, I am hoping for Mark Henry to retain against Big Show. No matter where he goes after this Sunday, his reign can still be developed a little more while ratings seem to indicate that the fans are tuning in.

Gail Kim Back To TNA

Don't want to spoil too much, but with her WWE contract officially expired, Gail Kim has wasted no time in returning to TNA. She will appear on this week's episode.

Overall, this is a great thing for TNA. The KO division was already more respectable than the diva division, but regaining one of the women that helped to really create it will definitely help. Gail Kim was the first true centerpiece of the division. Things have changed in some way since she left, but I know a lot of fans are happy about this move. Gail Kim is too.

There is one obvious problem. I have pointed out many times that there seems to be a lack of continuity in some TNA matters when it comes to the women. This is due to the fact that they have multiple women whom they want to treat well. If this was the WWE, 9 out of 10 women would be getting screwed over for the benefit of one being made to look great. TNA is not like that. That is respectable, but it can be a problem when you have too many women.

ODB and Jackie returned a few months ago. Since they have become official members of the roster, what have they done? I heard ODB is losing to Brooke at house shows, but that really is nothing.

Christina Von Eerie debuted in TNA with Ink Inc. to feud against Mexican America. As long as that feud is going on, she has a purpose. Even after, she might be left as part of the stable. That is fine.

Velvet Sky is the new Knockout's Champion. That is fine. With the way the feud was going, it does not surprise me. For as long as I could remember, TNA has always tried to find something for her. She has definitely been one of their centerpieces, despite never being one of their best female wrestlers pushed in the ring.

And Mickie James? She is one of the highest paid female wrestlers in TNA for a reason. They want her. She is popular and she works to promote TNA. Don't forget that she was in TNA even before Gail Kim. While Gail Kim deserves a lot of praise for her involvement in helping TNA make their KO division, Alexis Laree was proving her worth at a time when there was no title for the women to aim for in TNA. Mickie James definitely deserves some credit for what she has done in her first year back in TNA.

I can run through the list of other women, but I don't think I need to now. They're all working hard, but not all are bringing the same kind of results as others. How can TNA really keep them all and use them all right? It is a good thing Gail Kim is back, but the division is not the same as it was back when she left. TNA has been leaning slightly towards the diva side. Look who has the KO title. Velvet Sky is pretty much TNA's Kelly Kelly. And with TNA rotating the women who get pushed, you may not be seeing Gail Kim every week. Would be kind of unfair if you did. Why can't more of the other women get that regular treatment? In any case, I am sure she is being paid better than before. That is why she left TNA in the first place. With TNA becoming a little more successful, they can definitely afford to pay the women they feel will draw well for them better. Gail Kim deserves to be in a TNA that will pay her what she deserves. Mickie James deserves to be in a WWE that will treat her as she deserves. As it stands, both are in a TNA with a whole lot of other women TNA will have to try to juggle around to use well. This does not look good.

Eve And Beth Phoenix At Vengeance

In case you missed it, the WWE is treating the match Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix had last Smackdown as Kelly's rematch. That clears the path for Beth Phoenix and Eve to face each other for the Diva's Championship at Vengeance. Had they have gone with Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix at the PPV, that would have been the 4th consecutive time these two same women fought over the title without the type of match being changed or the bar being raised in some other way, which is what I was hoping for. That would have made it even worse than Orton vs. Christian. Keep in mind that their third PPV encounter had a stipulation in it that favored Christian and their fourth PPV match was No Holds Barred.

It has only been 3 weeks since the last PPV. I can understand them wanting to put in a filler title defense here. Break up the monotony. I do not see any reason why the WWE might be giving up on Kelly Kelly as centerpiece. She has been a little shaky on a few spots that I have seen, but so has Eve in that same amount of time. Nothing too serious. Kelly Kelly seems to be still more over than Eve too, although I would say Eve can be more exciting in the ring. Point is, this does not look like the end of Kelly Kelly and Eve becoming the top face of the diva division.

Beth Phoenix will most likely retain here. If Kelly Kelly is still centerpiece, the only reason they would have for putting the title on Eve is if either Eve or Kelly Kelly will be turning heel. It would be stupid for them to use Eve to transition the title to another heel to put over Kelly Kelly. Kelly Kelly could still get more value out of a feud with Beth Phoenix. Are they trying to have Kelly Kelly and Beth Phoenix last until at least TLC? You can have a gimmick match there that can put over Kelly Kelly as more than just a hot blonde. Until then, I do not see the WWE tossing the Diva's title around so soon as they have the WWE Championship.

The build for Eve vs. Beth has been pretty poor. A little more will happen on this week's Smackdown, but not too much. After Hell in a Cell, focus was still on Kelly Kelly, who attacked Beth in a rage on Raw. Week after that, Eve scored the pin in the tag match. Signs right there of the push that she now has. Kelly Kelly lost to Beth later that week on Smackdown. This week, Eve beats Natalya. Anything outside of just matches to promote this match? You will see it on Smackdown, but again, that is not too much in my book. Filler feud. Can you even call it a feud? Remember that saga Orton and Christian had earlier this year? Orton had a filler title defense against Sheamus. That match was really just an extension of Orton's feud with Christian. Orton and Sheamus never really feuded there. That is what I see going on here. It really isn't too much about Eve and Beth. This is just being used to prolong the feud a little more and build Beth's momentum up further. The only way I see myself being wrong is if either Kelly or Eve turns heel or the WWE really has lost confidence in Kelly Kelly. I doubt these things. In the meantime, the poor build just adds to the overall poor hype for the coming PPV. It may be worth it in the long run with Kelly Kelly's feud with Beth Phoenix, but it will not be a great draw for Vengeance. Eve is being used as a credible jobber.

Alberto Del Rio And Cena At Vengeance

Alberto Del Rio will defend his WWE title once again against John Cena. This time, it will be at Vengeance in a Last Man Standing Match. Prior to that, Del Rio got his night in Mexico while being Champion. That is why they put the belt on him, right? Still does not give a good reason as to why they needed to take it off him so Cena can have a very brief reign a few weeks ago.

It is good that they are raising the bar in this match. That is how you make things interesting. If you are booking the same people in matches again and again, at least make the matches different or put different things on the line. But is that enough hype to make the match interesting? How about the build of the feud? I have pointed this out before. It was more about Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk last week than it was about Del Rio and Cena. Week before that, there was a huge tag match that did not do too much to further just Cena and Del Rio. Tonight, they did a nice video package to make it seem like there is more to this title feud than there really is. So what if Del Rio locked Cena out at Hell in a Cell? Cena wants vengeance for losing the title like that? The WWE should have done more to build Del Rio up against Cena since the last PPV. Tonight's tag match was okay. It continued issues between Michael Cole and Jim Ross. I just hope they do not make this a regular thing again. No need for that. Del Rio did look strong in the match, but Cena getting beaten down in a long match and winning it in the end is a trademark he gets criticized for from many fans. In other words, nothing new. Not enough epic feel here.

Who wins? You asking me? Cena has too much momentum, while Alberto Del Rio has very little going into the match. Traditional WWE logic would have Del Rio retain, but they did have him drop it to Cena last month in a similar fashion. If they do it again, not only will it be very stupid, but it would have accomplished nothing of real value to make Del Rio over. Holding a title will only convince so many people you are awesome. What do you do while you hold that title? What has Alberto Del Rio done while holding his second title in the WWE? Nothing too great. What has shooting the title to Cena really done for him? He would have broken records and set new ones without this kind of booking. Are the people who love him supposed to love him even more now? The people who hate him definitely have reason to hate him more for hogging the title. The Rock is coming back next month. Will the WWE like Cena to be holding the title for when they meet again? That question is why I would not be surprised if Cena does win again. Nevertheless, I am still pulling for Del Rio. There was so much potential there to build him into a great character. He was a great character. WWE's booking of him since winning the title has gone downhill.

Centerpiece Orton Vs. Mark Henry, Again

Randy Orton won the right to face Mark Henry for the World title by winning a battle royal. He already used that title shot later in the show. How would people have felt if the WWE had instead used this as a way to slide Orton somehow into the match coming up between Big Show and Mark Henry? Of course, it did not happen.

Let me point out something I think was smart here. They had a pretty big match early in the show, then used that to hype another big match later in the show. There was build there. The centerpiece of Smackdown faced the top heel in the main event for the most important title of the brand. Going back to what I said about this week's Raw, that is what was missing there. The WWE revealed all the surprises and answered all the questions in the first hour. In the second hour, all they had being advertised the most was CM Punk vs. Alberto Del Rio in a non-title match. No sign of Cena, who is centerpiece there. No Triple H advertised. R-Truth and Miz returning not teased, not that I am saying it should have been. I am just pointing out that it was nothing big that could draw in the second hour as compared to the first. Smackdown ratings are obviously not in yet, but they did better progressing the show.

Tired of seeing Orton take on Mark Henry? It's not as bad as Beth and Kelly, who also faced off again in a regular match on Smackdown. Cody Rhodes ran in to continue his feud with Orton. Big Show did his part to continue his feud with Mark Henry. I just do not think enough is being done with Orton/Rhodes. Cody can definitely be made to look stronger than he has been. The title feud is doing fine. The predictable tag match will probably follow. But I don't like how they are almost selling it like Orton can shrug off Cody Rhodes and still focus on Mark Henry, or even handle both if he really had to. Does anyone really take Cody seriously in this feud? Personally, I don't. I was not expecting Cody Rhodes to walk out of this thing being treated like John Cena, but he is just not being pushed right to Orton's level. And he definitely does not need to hold the Intercontinental title for this feud. When this feud really does make it to that level where Orton is pushed too far by Rhodes, I would expect Orton to somehow cost Cody his title. It would be good feud progression, while getting the title on another face who can use it in their own feud or build. Cody getting a feud with a guy like Orton is worth more than holding a midcard title. But they have to do the feud right. Less Mark Henry.