Comparing The Diva Division To A Basketball Team

I frequently make comparisons to football to talk about how the diva division is run, or should be run. How about making a connection to basketball? Some people might connect with that better.

I know very well that there are various positions in basketball. Honestly, I cannot tell the difference between any of them. It honestly looks like all these guys are doing the same thing when they are out there. Pass the ball, shoot the ball, rebound, and all that stuff. In football, you can easily tell the difference between the players. You can tell easily from how they line up and what clear function they are serving. What I am going to talk about now will not be about centers and point guards. If you know even less about basketball than I do, that might be a blessing.

What I notice when I am watching the games is that most teams, especially the good ones, have one star player. This is the guy that frequently scores the most for them. The Heat have LeBron James. The Thunder have Kevin Durant. The Knicks, although they are struggling this season, have Carmelo Anthony. Many say Brook Lopez was that guy for the Nets, but he is injured right now. The coach may sometimes center his game plan around that one star player. Aside from that star player, there are other starters that are also relied on to score, defend, make rebounds, and so on. LeBron James has many great players around him. With Brook Lopez out, many players have stepped up in his place. I cannot pick out one guy that has really taken that spot. Outside of those star players, there is the bench. Basketball is a fast-paced game. Those guys out there need a rest now and then. In football, one quarterback can typically play the whole game. The same goes for certain other positions in a football game. In basketball, the guys on the bench are important to keep the momentum going, or at least make sure the other team does not do too much damage. It is sometimes the guys on the bench that have to get a team back into a game. If a coach decides to rest all his starters for a given game, that means the bench will see even more playing time. When you get down to it, all these guys are important to the success of the team.

How does that relate back to the diva division? First of all, doesn't it look like all those women are doing the same thing? That is especially the case now that eye-candy divas are getting pushed as credible jobbers. And yet, they all really do not have the same position in the division. They are not utilized the same. The star of the division, the "LeBron James" of the division, is the centerpiece. Those other star players around the centerpiece, those are the periphery divas. They may not be pushed as the central focus over time, but they are important to having a successful division. If one star cannot come through for you, it is important to have others around. And the bench? Obviously, those are your credible jobbers. They get used to put over the centerpiece. They get used as filler. Outside of that, they would be lucky to get anything good before getting lost in the shuffle again, or going back on that bench.

Right now, you are in a dark age. Your star player is not around. You have to rely on your other starters and your bench more. That is exactly what happened during the first dark age. Other periphery divas saw more time and even credible jobbers were getting used more. With Sable not around, many women benefited. This dark age, obviously, is worse than the first. Why? The WWE has failed to properly develop and feature other stars. Prior to developing AJ Lee as a star, the WWE didn't really have stars in the diva division. They had women they were attempting to make into stars, specifically the centerpiece, but none worked out. And none of the other periphery divas around right now are being featured well. And the WWE is not making as good use of their bench right now as they did during the first dark age. Credible jobbers were featured better back then. I would say the situation you have now is similar to the situation the Brooklyn Nets currently find themselves. Their centerpiece is out for the season. No one player has stepped up to fill that void. That is not a bad thing. You have a nice team effort to keep this team in the playoff race. Problem with the diva division now, the team effort you are getting is not leading to much success. I blame the coaches more than the players for that. Did I say that what has happened to the division is similar to the Nets this season? Maybe similar, but a better comparison might be to the Lakers. They have lost their top star and are doing horribly. Why even bother bringing up the Nets? Who says I can't put in a cheap plug for my favorite NBA team?

You want to talk about the bench getting the job done when the starters are struggling? That would be what Mickie James was doing in that diva division after Trish and Lita left. For years, the most over diva on the roster was neither the centerpiece nor an eye-candy periphery diva. It was the woman being used in that supportive role off the bench. There is no rule in the NBA that says a guy coming off the bench cannot one day be a starter if he earns it. How many credible jobbers have ever earned their way to being either the centerpiece or a periphery diva? None. You want to talk about what is best for business? You sometimes have to talk about what is best for the team. If that team is going to be a success, you have to utilize the players properly and give them what they earn. Mickie James should have been promoted up the ranks. Instead, the WWE stuck with a failing game plan. If that diva division was a basketball team, the coach would be fired.

How about relating this to the men's division? I think it can describe what is going on recently very well. In recent years, it feels like the WWE is banking everything on just a few stars. Everyone else is on the bench. They get used to fill up space and put others over. Occasionally, they get great pushes for a while, like Cody Rhodes and Goldust had last year, but it doesn't last. The WWE likes to have one centerpiece. That is their star player. For years, that has been John Cena. Will that change soon? Maybe. Aside from John Cena, there are other stars that the WWE pushes pretty well. You have Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. Batista has returned into that spot. CM Punk was on that list. The WWE seems to be adding names to the bench, not to the list of stars. Mark Henry was a guy I thought they would push better. Big Show just seems to come and go. Some fans talk like the WWE is itching to completely bury Daniel Bryan. How stupid would that be? They need stars right now. I don't think they want to completely stifle him. He is more over than they would like, but trying to completely ruin him would be like shooting yourself in the foot. Right now, he is not the centerpiece. He is not pushed as the star player. He is pushed as a star next to that star player. And the star player happens to be struggling. If the WWE really cared about what was best for the team, they would be giving more guys better opportunities.

How Do You Fix Randy Orton Vs. Batista?

The title match for Wrestlemania XXX seems to be set as Randy Orton vs. Batista. The fans are really not liking it. This could end up being worse than Cena facing Miz a couple years ago. Forgetting The Rock and the hype he brought, that feud between Cena and Miz was really not great. They pushed Miz hard to develop him to put over Cena, then his career slid back down after that. No shocker. Miz really was not an epic opponent. Batista and Orton are multi-time World Champions, have been in multiple World title matches at Wrestlemania, have so much more credibility than Miz, and yet, this match still feels even worse. Beyond that, I have been saying ever since they unified the World titles that they should put great focus on it. As of right now, I would not say with great confidence that the title match between Orton and Batista deserves to be the final match on the card. How can you fix this match to make it feel more epic and to make it into something fans will be less likely to rip to shreds at Wrestlemania?

How about a double-turn? The fans are booing Batista. Randy Orton isn't exactly getting the cheers Daniel Bryan gets. The storyline probably would have led to a double-turn at Wrestlemania, with The Authority siding with Batista over Orton, but recent developments may ruin plans. Batista is already showing signs of going heel. Where does that leave Orton? The WWE should stop pushing him as this guy always struggling to live up to the expectations of The Authority. He can connect better with the fans right now if he turned tougher and stood up to The Authority. I remember a time when some people said Randy Orton would never be over. He was too boring. I then saw some of these same people shocked when Orton eventually was getting great reactions. Times have changed. This is a bad character they are having Randy Orton play right now. He can work as a face, but it has to be the right face.

Injury angle? You can have Batista slip on a banana peel while he is trying to get in the ring and pretend to break his neck. No, they are probably saving that for John Cena when he feuds with Jinder Mahal at next year's Wrestlemania. Injury angles can cause a buzz and get people wondering what will happen. You saw an injury angle in Batista's recent feud with Alberto Del Rio. I don't think an injury angle would work here. You could try one with Batista in the hopes fans feel sympathy for him, but it is probably too late for that. And there is even less reason to make Orton look weak with an injury angle. An injured face that has to overcome the odds? As I said before, Orton can work as a face, but as the right face. If he turns face, he doesn't need an injury angle. As far as the possibility of keeping him heel and running an injury angle to sell the story that he is trying to back out of facing Batista, that would be too much like what happened with Del Rio.

What if they put in a special guest referee? That can add some hype to this match and give it a bigger feel. How about Hulk Hogan? Would the WWE be willing to get him more involved at Wrestlemania like that? What about Ric Flair? This Wrestlemania feud between Orton and Batista is something many fans would have been looking forward to at one time. Not only are both of these guys top stars, they were both members of Evolution. Both have already faced Triple H at Wrestlemania. The fourth member of that group was Ric Flair. It would make sense to bring him in and the fans would love him. If the response to Batista's return was not so negative, you probably would have seen Flair enter for at least a segment during the feud. Right now, the story has become more about Batista being hated. If Flair was the referee, he would be the only one cheered in that match. That sounds similar to a certain other Wrestlemania match.

Toss all those ideas out the window. Only one thing will please those fans. They don't want Daniel Bryan vs. Triple H. They want Daniel Bryan getting the title. With Daniel Bryan entering that feud with Triple H, that title match may seem impossible. Some fans have pointed out that they could make a stipulation in Triple H vs. Daniel Bryan that Bryan will be inserted into the title match should he beat Triple H. If Bryan loses, he never gets another title shot, is fired, or whatever else like that. Obviously, Daniel Bryan would then beat Triple H. My initial reaction to that would be that it is overkill. Beating Triple H and possibly winning the title in the main event later on? Seems like too much. Of course, Brock Lesnar's road to Wrestlemania to take the title from Kurt Angle was not easy. I cannot imagine the WWE letting all that happen for the sake of Daniel Bryan, even if he is crazy over. Nevertheless, this is pretty much the best option. It makes the fans happy and it makes the match better.

Cena Injured, Again

John Cena suffered another injury on Raw last night. In the past year, John Cena has had quite a few injuries. His recent eye injury was no big deal. He had an injury last year that kept him out a few months. And now, right in the middle of Wrestlemania season, he suffers another injury.

What does this mean for his feud against Bray Wyatt. Luckily, Cena was not involved in anything too major. Hulk Hogan just came back, Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker is set, the World title issues did not involve Cena, Daniel Bryan is still hot, and you have other things to talk about right now to give the WWE hype. Yes, you can talk about how well the WWE has built up The Wyatts in the last few months, but anything developed so well that goes against Cena usually ends up crumbling after John Cena. That is just how the WWE handles the centerpiece issues. Depending on how hurt Cena is, the match at Wrestlemania may be scrapped. Even if it isn't, Cena's injury will have an impact on how things develop.

Look at the wider issue. Another injury for Cena. This is the top guy in the company. He has been doing a lot of promos as of late saying that the future has to go through him. How hard is that when he is always getting injured? You go back to the diva division in 2007 and 2008. Candice Michelle, the woman they were trying to develop as the centerpiece, got injured so much, people might have made the mistake of thinking the WWE valued Mickie James more than they really did. Mickie James was just filler until Candice Michelle would return. Mickie James was the interim centerpiece, not the true centerpiece. You have so much going on right now, you do not even need to speculate whom the WWE will push in Cena's spot while he is gone. They have many guys to shoulder the load.

Should they stop pushing Cena as the centerpiece and start seriously considering building a new top guy? The issue right now to consider isn't even the mixed reaction Cena gets and people being critical of his wrestling ability. He is getting injured a lot. Even if Cena didn't have those other issues, becoming injury-prone can definitely hurt your value. Peyton Manning had major neck issues. He missed a whole season as an Indianapolis Colt. Many questioned whether he would be the same again. The Colts let him go. The Broncos picked him up. Of course, all Peyton has done recently was win another MVP and take the team into the Super Bowl. Thing is, the injuries still factored into his career majorly and in how others viewed him. I wouldn't say Cena is to pro wrestling what Peyton Manning is to pro football. The treatment Cena gets may be elite, but I don't think he would bring the results he does bring without that treatment. And with injuries popping up, would the WWE still be willing to give him that treatment? Rey Mysterio came back a few months ago and never really entered into a serious feud or storyline. Was that because the WWE was afraid he would get injured in the midst of that push? They might have been right about that. Is that the thinking they should start to have with Cena? He has a great work ethic, but injuries can still make him a worker you cannot absolutely rely on. You can have a centerpiece on your hands that is barely wrestling, including at house shows. That is even more reason to move him onto the position Shawn Michaels had after his big return.

Do I think the WWE should move away from Cena as the centerpiece? Yes. The reasons just seem to be piling up now. There are just fresher guys that can connect with the audience better. How about trying to develop one of those guys to be in Cena's position? And don't make the same mistakes with those guys that you made with Cena. Cena can still get a title reign here and there, as well as consistently getting good storylines, but to push him as the top guy may no longer be a reliable option.

*Update*
I never do updates, do I? It seems sources are saying that Cena's injury was just a work. A little publicity stunt. If that is the case, that was a pretty stupid manner to do it. The way Cena got injured doesn't make The Wyatts look strong. It just makes Cena look breakable. When The Wyatts first took Kane out, that made them look good. If the WWE had to plan an injury angle to cause some buzz, did it have to be that awkward of one?   

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.

Elimination Chamber 2014 WWE Title Match Preview

Six men will enter the Chamber to decide who will be WWE Champion. The WWE has done a decent job of passing credibility around over the last few weeks. Not great, but decent. Nevertheless, I am still not too hyped for this match. I was really looking forward to Brock Lesnar getting in the title hunt in some way. Few things get me excited in pro wrestling anymore. Hyping up Lesnar going after the title was something I was starting to look forward to. You can complain about part-timers stealing the spotlight, but this is Wrestlemania season, so cut the WWE a little bit of slack. Besides, Brock Lesnar has the credibility. And it wasn't like he had to win the title or get a long reign. No point complaining about that any longer. Let's just run through the six guys in this match at Elimination Chamber.

In terms of title reigns, Cesaro has the least credibility of the six. But he has beaten Randy Orton. He is still not likely to win this match. How many times will he swing someone inside the Chamber? He can make for some good spots. After that, it is back to working with Jack Swagger, whether to team with him again or follow up with that angle about the team splitting up. Whatever the WWE has planned, Cesaro has the biggest push of his career right now.

In terms of just plain momentum, Christian is at the bottom of the list. Randy Orton did beat him. In terms of creative interest, Christian has turned heel for this match at Elimination Chamber. That might refresh his character a little. He is not going to win the title, but at least there is something to still talk about with him. How about beyond the PPV and into Wrestlemania? Can they develop a true feud between him and Sheamus?

Speaking of Sheamus, he just seems to be there. He is not at the top of the momentum ladder, but neither is he at the bottom. He has more title success than Cesaro, but not as much as guys like Cena and Orton. Creative interest? What creative interest? No interesting character development for him. They are not going to give him the title. What is he likely to do after the PPV? Seeing as he has nothing to really do, I say that feud with Christian would be best. Or another random match against The Shield, if they are still a team by then. There was talk that Sheamus would feud with Daniel Bryan. How could they have made that interesting?

I would say John Cena has the most momentum of the guys in this match. But will he win the title? John Cena vs. Batista at Wrestlemania. I believe they did that before. It is not unheard of to repeat matches at Wrestlemania, but I don't think this is a match fans want to see again. John Cena is not likely to win the title. If he is not in the title hunt or facing The Rock, what is John Cena left with for Wrestlemania? Ever since he became the centerpiece, that is all the guy has ever done at Wrestlemania. Will they follow through with that feud against The Wyatts? Or will they come up with better?

After the fans were so upset at what happened at the Royal Rumble, it became a legitimate possibility that Daniel Bryan might find his way into the title match for Wrestlemania. Problem is, that also happened to coincide with the CM Punk issue. Daniel Bryan now has two angles going for him heading into Elimination Chamber. Not only is he in the title match, he has issues with Kane, which was CM Punk's feud. If he is getting CM Punk's push, that means a match against Triple H is likely in his future. I wouldn't be surprised if he won the title, just to have Kane somehow screw him out of it. Or Triple H, himself. That would really propel this feud to another level. I really cannot imagine Daniel Bryan having a feud with Sheamus into Wrestlemania, even before what happened at the Royal Rumble. Such a waste of Daniel Bryan. Regardless of the outcome, a feud with Triple H is better.

That leaves Randy Orton. He is still likely to head into Wrestlemania as Champion. Looking at all the other guys, they either do not have the credibility or seem to have something else developing for them at Wrestlemania. Randy Orton vs. Batista. You go back to 2004 and you might think that a feud between these two in ten years would be epic. Right now, it really doesn't have that feel to it. And yet, that is your likely option.

Separating The Face From The Centerpiece

I typically say that the "face" and "centerpiece" are the same thing. This is the person being pushed to be the top star of a show or division. I am now rethinking that. How about separating the two?

A lot of people bring up all the things the face has to do. They have to appear on talk shows, do charity work, appear on cereal boxes, and do a lot of work to promote the company. I sometimes see people bring up that maybe no one else wants to be John Cena, because of the hectic schedule. A person that is going to do all this has to be very loyal, have a certain amount charisma and charm, and has to be very busy.

What does this type of person not have to be? How about a great wrestler? How about loved by the actual fans and viewers of the product? In return for so much loyalty and hard work, the person should definitely be pushed well. However, if they cannot connect properly with a good enough amount of the audience, they should not be pushed too hard. Everyone is going to have some amount of haters, but when the face of the company has a lot of them, and sometimes for a good reason, maybe he shouldn't be pushed as the centerpiece.

What kind of worker should be pushed as the centerpiece? It should be someone the fans actually are reacting well to and is good in the ring. True wrestling fans do not make up the WWE's entire audience, but they still count. This is a wrestling promotion. Daniel Bryan should be the current centerpiece. This guy is connecting with fans better than John Cena, Randy Orton, Batista, and a lot of other guys. Reward that with a better push. Promote him better. Try to make some money off him. He has earned it.

Should Daniel Bryan be the face of the company? I am not talking about some kayfabe face. Randy Orton currently has that spot. I have not heard of him doing as much as John Cena has done for the company, so I do not consider him the true face. I don't even consider him the centerpiece. Back to Daniel Bryan, being so over and being the centerpiece should definitely get you some extracurricular activities. That does not mean Daniel Bryan should necessarily get the level of extracurricular activities that Cena gets. Is Bryan willing to do it? Can he connect well on those talk shows? Does he have the look and charm of Cena? I don't know how Daniel Bryan would work out as the face of the company. Based on his overness and wrestling ability, however, I believe he deserves to be pushed as the centerpiece more than Cena.

Let me talk about Miz. He is frequently doing movies, award shows, and other things like that. In terms of doing things you would expect of the face, he is somewhat like Cena. In terms of how he is being pushed, however, he is being pushed nothing like John Cena. He is not even pushed as well as Daniel Bryan. Even during his run with the WWE title, people like to bring up that he was buried under The Rock and Cena. Loyalty to the company has not paid off huge for him, in terms of pushes. If you were to separate the face from the centerpiece, Miz is a guy you might argue should be the face, especially should something happen to Cena now. Because of his lack of overness and wrestling ability that still gets criticized by some, you wouldn't push him as the centerpiece.

Hard work and loyalty should not automatically get you the best treatment. Let me give a personal example. The lowest grade I have ever gotten for a class was a D in Calculus II. I should have gotten an F. I failed every single test. The material was hard and I don't think the professor was very good. The only reason I still passed was because I showed effort and tried. How would it look if I got an A in that class simply for doing everything right, except actually understanding the subject and passing any of the tests? It wouldn't be right. No one is questioning Cena's loyalty and hard work for the sake of the WWE. His wrestling ability? Yeah, people do challenge that. His overness? Yes, that is also an issue. He is not getting the job done well enough right now to deserve to be the centerpiece. Want to blame how the WWE is pushing him? Okay, but while you try to figure out how to make him work right, other guys may not get that better push. Cena should still get pushed well, but a depush wouldn't hurt. Let this current decline in focus around him last a while.

How does this translate to the diva division? I think separating the face from the centerpiece might even work out better there. That diva division fell apart due to the inability of the eye-candy divas pushed to be the centerpiece to work out. These women have the look that you might associate with glamorous celebrities in Hollywood. In the last few years, these women have also tended to fail to get over, have their wrestling ability deteriorate, left the company before they can really do anything great with them, and so on. And that has led to the WWE just losing interest and letting things fall. Some of these women definitely have the look and the personality to make them obvious choices for extracurricular activities. Problem is, when their inability to get it done in the actual diva division leads to this collapse, you have to do something else. Separate things better. Let women with solid wrestling ability and connecting well with the fans get the good pushes in the division. An eye-candy diva that has the look and charisma, but not the wrestling ability and overness, can be a good option to be pushed as face of the division.

Where did Mickie James fit in all this? Obviously, she was not the centerpiece. She was the woman they pushed to put over the centerpiece and used as interim centerpiece when the woman they would rather be pushing was not there. She did, however, do a lot of extracurricular activities for the WWE. Did that really make her the face? Or his her story similar to Miz's story? What would it mean for John Cena to do all he does for the WWE and be pushed like Miz has been? Even better, what would it mean for Cena to do all he does for them and the WWE to treat him like they do Zack Ryder? This guy is doing so much to promote you and is so loyal, but you push him that badly? Mickie James gave the WWE multiple reasons why she should have been the face, but I think most of that was her trying to prove her loyalty to them, not them developing her as they would Cena. As far as centerpiece of the diva division goes, her overness speaks for itself. And she had the wrestling ability to also deserve the position.

Occasionally, the stars might align. That person you want to push as the face of the company also happens to have what it takes to be the centerpiece. I do not believe that is the story with John Cena right now. Daniel Bryan? I am not sure how he would work as the poster boy of the company. If that diva division was run with a fairer agenda, Mickie James would have been pushed as the centerpiece and gotten the type of extracurricular promotion that the face would get. When the stars do not align, however, there is nothing wrong if you have two separate individuals representing your company. One is the person the fans really want to see, while the other is your top representative when it comes to promoting the company. If you separated things, you might not have a lot of the problems you have today.
   

Batista Vs. Alberto Del Rio At Elimination Chamber 2014

Let's start backwards. Who wins this match between Batista and Alberto Del Rio? The obvious answer would be Batista. Keep his momentum up for Wrestlemania. It isn't like Alberto Del Rio needs momentum for anything.

Now that the speculating part is out of the way, how about critiquing the development of this feud? When Batista destroyed Alberto Del Rio by putting him through a table, I didn't think they would bother having this match. Alberto Del Rio even appeared in a neck brace this week to sell the injury. Batista even shoved him and made him look like an even bigger wimp. With all the momentum on Batista's side, you might typically believe Del Rio would win. Unless the match ends in some kind of DQ, there is no reason to let Del Rio win. Batista can get disqualified for destroying Del Rio.

Is Batista acting like a bully for a heel turn or just to make him look interesting? A heel turn was already a possibility. Have him replace Randy Orton as The Authority's face of the company. But do you really need to start foreshadowing it so hard from now? Yes, developing things is great, but there is such a time as spending to much time developing. Moreover, a little surprise here and there with no development can be great.

The other possibility as to why they are having Batista look so tough at Alberto Del Rio's expense is to keep him looking interesting. His return hasn't exactly gone over very well with the fans, including his win at the Royal Rumble. After those issues, how do you keep him looking interesting? I think an interesting, well-developed feud between Alberto Del Rio and Batista would be the best option. Instead, you get a one-sided feud where the outcome will likely not benefit the guy looking weakest right now. And I don't think Batista's dominance will really help him get certain fans on his side. A lot of fans point out that Batista has just been used more and more mediocrely as the weeks have gone by. Just a quick backstage appearance on Raw this week. Business with him will really pick up after Elimination Chamber. Until then, they have struggled to keep him in great focus.

Yesterday, I raised the question of whether or not Wrestlemania XXX will get over a million buys. A wildcard in all that will obviously be the WWE Network. How successful will that endeavor be? I am not talking in relation to Wrestlemania. Will it get a lot of fans signing up? Or will it last as long as the XFL? One thing to note is that cable and satellite providers are not too supportive of the move. Fans can get PPVs along with the other programming and at a cheaper price through the WWE Network. Besides that, how many subscribers does the WWE really think they will get? Raw is back to averaging over 4 million viewers. Will all those viewers sign up? I think it is obvious that the WWE cannot be imagining that. Only real wrestling fans will be interested in those match archives and a lot of the other programming. Offering PPVs might help to draw in a few more fans. But it seems like the WWE is really relying on support from the type of fans that have been screaming for Daniel Bryan. I have seen some say that these fans are just a minority. No matter how loud they are, they are not representative of the whole WWE fanbase. Regardless of that, this is the group that will likely be subscribing to the WWE Network. The WWE dances around giving these fans what they really want, but these fans still end up spending money on the WWE. As CM Punk once said, these fans are just going to keep pouring money into the company. Do I think the WWE Network will be successful? I don't think there are enough diehard fans willing to spend the money every month on this to make it a huge success. It is somewhat funny how the WWE has sometimes appeared to be distancing itself from wrestling over the years recently, but now they are expecting wrestling content and fans to deliver for them.

Will I subscribe to it? No. I have not ordered a WWE PPV since 2010, so the PPVs do not entice me. As far as all the old matches, I care more about being entertained by the current product than watching old matches. If I needed to, I would just watch stuff on Youtube. If I cannot find what I am looking for anywhere for free, I'll live. And there is nothing else on the WWE Network that makes me want to get it. I am not representative of a lot of fans out there, but the WWE is not getting my money on this one.

A Good Night For The Real Americans

No one said the man they call Cesaro had to beat Randy Orton. Nevertheless, that is what happened on Smackdown last week. The challenger in the Chamber match with the least credibility has beaten the World Champion.

I am glad that the title is finally regularly getting main-event attention. I have said before that it would be nice if they started doing that since they unified the titles. The guy holding the title losing so much? That is another issue. Obviously, Randy Orton losing so much might mean he will retain the title, but I will talk about that more another day. You also have the fact that Orton losing so much can be used to develop the storyline of The Authority losing confidence in him as the kayfabe face. I have seen people bring that up. My problem with that is that I have already lost interest in that story after all these months of teasing it endlessly. It is obvious it is going to happen, so just do it. Have the corporate heels pick a new guy and kick Orton to the side.

Not only did Cesaro win, but Jack Swagger also won a match on Smackdown to earn a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. Things are looking good for Zeb's guys. Should Jack Swagger win the Intercontinental Championship? It isn't like Big E has done a lot with the title in a while. Of course, you should blame booking for that, not him. If Swagger did win the title, that could set up an interesting title feud between him and Cesaro for Wrestlemania, assuming the WWE pulls the trigger on the team splitting up. They can still feud if there is no title involved, but I think the feud will mean more if one of the two wins at Elimination Chamber. Swagger stands a better chance of winning his title match than Cesaro does.

Since I mentioned Wrestlemania, I came across a graph that illustrates the buyrates for the big event over the years. I am not going to analyze it all. Let me just say that the last three Wrestlemanias all had over a million buys. All three featured The Rock in some way. He obviously helped. If you want to do some speculating, let's ask the obvious question. Over or under? Will this year's Wrestlemania score over or under a million buys? You would hope that Wrestlemania XXX would draw well. The Rock is not here this year, but it can still be possible to do it without him. But who do you have to really help you? I do not believe Batista can deliver well right now. The Undertaker is always a big deal around now. That doesn't mean he will draw big for over a million buys. Brock Lesnar is still around. He might face The Undertaker. Even though this was a match many people would have loved to see at Wrestlemania, and still do, I do not feel it will have the hype to it that it could have earlier. Is Hulk Hogan going to do anything there? Regardless of who is performing at the big event, it really comes down to how well they are hyped and how much hype in general the WWE can create for the PPV. As of now, things feel dry and I do not feel they will get a million buys this year. I might talk about this again in a month, if I remember. By then, hopefully, they would have created major hype for their top feuds.

The Pipes Got Clogged

This is something I would have brought up in a few months for the 3-year anniversary of CM Punk's big angle. Due to recent events, it would make better sense to talk about it now. The issue is not even whether or not they botched. At this point, it is obvious they did. That "pipe bomb" storyline brought no legitimate change. What has gone wrong to get us where we are right now?

What went wrong as far as CM Punk goes? Assuming his departure from the WWE is completely real, something had to have gone wrong. There are a ton of reasons floating around as to why he left. Rather than speculating on all that, did he really bring the change that he talked a few years ago? Or did those pipe bombs just make more noise than cause damage? He got a lengthy run with the title, but was never pushed as centerpiece. He was still being pushed very well in recent months. If he was told he would lose to Triple H at Wrestlemania, a feud which it would be nice if CM Punk won, that might agitate him. Whether he has a right to walk out solely on that is another issue. Not only is Triple H taking a lot of attention, you still have John Cena being pushed hard. CM Punk criticized Cena being pushed so hard in his pipe bombs. That didn't change. Add Randy Orton into the mix. Orton may not have been a top target in those promos, but he might as well have been. He is someone the WWE has regularly pushed very well. And the cherry on top of all that might just be Batista. CM Punk criticized the WWE bringing back The Rock and shooting him into the spotlight at Wrestlemania. Batista has been gone for years, comes back, is booked to win the Rumble, and is getting a title shot at Wrestlemania. Batista is not The Rock. You can understand The Rock getting featured prominently because he can draw big. Batista is not that. Triple H, John Cena, Randy Orton, and Batista dominate much of the spotlight. This is the kind of thing you had for years even before CM Punk's pipe bombs. No real change.

What about Daniel Bryan? He may not have dropped a pipe bomb, but he is still a part of this issue. He is someone who has gotten over and is still being pushed under some of the other guys the WWE has relied on for years. None of those guys get the reaction Daniel Bryan gets. Daniel Bryan might as well do the kind of promo CM Punk did. And it does not look like Daniel Bryan will find his way into the title match at Wrestlemania. His feud with Kane is a sign that he will end up getting the push meant for CM Punk. That is not too bad, but the fans wanted more for him. They wanted him to win the Rumble. The WWE will not be swayed by those vocal fans. Part of CM Punk's promos a few years ago was about not accepting what is going on and letting your voices be heard. What is the point of these fans being so vocal about things if things never change for the better? Daniel Bryan is an example of that.

AJ Lee dropped her own pipe bomb last year. A fan recently asked her about that. She said she said the things she did because she wanted to make things happen for the division and get them more TV time, but the other divas did not take what she said well, so it was dropped. I went back and read what I had previously said about her promo, as well as reading a transcript of her promo. Let me talk about that promo again.

Honestly, she did misfire with that promo. I am not talking about her delivery of the promo. I am not talking about her mic skills. I am talking about her actual message. All she did with that promo was put herself over and completely rip apart all those other women. Go back to CM Punk's first pipe bomb. There was one thing he said that I found very interesting. He said he liked John Cena. You can talk about whether or not he meant it or was just being sarcastic, but the point is, he did not spend that whole promo just calling himself the best and shredding John Cena. He bashed Vince McMahon and how the company is being run. He was unhappy that he was not getting treated better. That was the message of that promo, and Cena was not the primary target. AJ Lee never really criticized the company for how these women are being mistreated. You don't even have to bash Vince McMahon. Just criticizing the company itself for the handling of the division would have been fine and better. You can say that AJ would have gone there if the storyline continued, but her initial pipe bomb wasn't like CM Punk's. I don't have too much hope that it would have gotten better.

You know what is really funny about all this? AJ Lee says she was trying to make things happen for the diva division and get these women more TV time, but these women actually were getting treated better prior to getting involved with AJ Lee. While AJ Lee was working with Kaitlyn, the divas on Total Divas were getting separate things to do. Ever since AJ Lee started feuding with these women, creative depth has gotten worse. I don't like that genre of television, but it was giving those women something to do. None of them have ever been pushed as well as AJ Lee. Even though I do not like CM Punk, based on his pipe bombs, I can buy his character of standing up for better treatment for himself and against the authority. Based on AJ Lee's pipe bomb, all I see is someone putting down women not being pushed as well as her. She puts herself over as the savior of the diva division, but it has only gotten worse.

 It isn't like there is one set definition for what a "pipe bomb" promo is. To me, these promos aren't supposed to be just about putting yourself over as the best and shredding your foes. Being edgy is definitely a part of it. But you are supposed to be laying down cold, hard reality. In between the bitterness of CM Punk's message, he was bashing a status quo that does have real issues. Instead of bashing the status quo of the diva division, all AJ did was bash those other women.

I am not implying the WWE was aiming for this, but if AJ Lee had focused her pipe bomb less on the divas and more on the diva division, you could have had a "reality vs. reality" storyline. You have reality TV crossing paths with the reality of the diva division. It could have been interesting. Maybe a bit much. Once again, I don't think the WWE would have been willing to do it. CM Punk dropped a bomb on the status quo, not just John Cena. AJ Lee dropped a bomb on the divas, and the status quo was never really challenged. Even if it was, no real change would have come. But for the sake of a diva storyline as epic as what you had with CM Punk a few years ago, talking more about the reality of the diva division would have been nice. You shouldn't be digging so hard into women not getting the same great opportunities as you. That promo was just more venom than reality.

Some fans are saying that those people still chanting for CM Punk should just stop. He was the one that walked out on the WWE. If he cared so much, he would not have turned his back on the fans. I am not going to say which side of the fence I am with that. Point is, there is this idea that someone that walks out on you should not be so respected. Turn that idea towards the diva division. Doesn't it look like the WWE has walked out on its divas? I believe I have compared what has become of the diva division to a head coach walking out on his team when things are not going his way. If people want to side with the WWE in the issue with CM Punk because Punk walked out on them and did not handle things professionally, that is one thing. How about the WWE letting their own diva division collapse when they can't get their way? Is that the professional thing to do? Figuratively speaking, the WWE walked out on them and will not come back until they get their way. Sounds like a spoiled brat? That is what some people accuse CM Punk of being right now. Contrary to what you might hear in an AJ Lee promo, that division has not been saved. It would be nice if someone brought that up in a legitimate diva "pipe bomb" promo.

What Impact Is Lita's Legacy Having Today?

Lita will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this year. I am glad about that. The first few years I started watching wrestling, she was one of my favorite women of wrestling. I liked Sunny, Stephanie McMahon, Chyna, and Lita. Lita had that high-risk style that none of the others had. She was also hot. She had a sexy, unique style. You could consider her one of those "anti-diva" divas. Of all the female wrestlers to be pushed in the manner she was in that diva division, as a periphery diva, she is the greatest.

What is her legacy? How is her legacy being felt today? Divas and whoever else can do interviews about Lita and say how great she was and how she benefited women's wrestling, but that is the kind of thing you would expect people to say in these situations. I want to be a little more realistic than just handing generic praise to someone, even though I do respect and like the individual in question.

To me, a legacy is about more than just memories. I have memories of certain wrestlers that no one would consider legendary and really didn't make an impact. Lita is obviously not one of those individuals. And she is more than what the WWE booked her to be. Her legacy isn't simply the number of title reigns and how many times she was booked to be in main events. Her legacy is really her wrestling style and her unique style outside of wrestling.

The most obvious way a performer can have a legacy is to motivate others to follow in their footsteps. Lita has obviously done that. AJ Lee was a big fan of Lita. A lot of people motivate others like that.

I am really interested in talking about whether Lita's legacy is helping the current diva division. Let me start with the top star in the division today that Lita happened to inspire. AJ Lee happens to be getting the same type of career that Lita had. AJ has been pushed as a periphery diva. Should you be thanking what Lita did with a career of angles primary in the men's division and not being developed as the central star for that? Between Lita retiring and AJ Lee getting her big push, the WWE developed no female wrestlers to be major stars in the periphery. If the WWE was really happy with Lita's success, why would it take over 5 years to allow another female wrestler to get that kind of push and career? What led to the rise of AJ Lee was more the collapse of the diva division, not the legacy of Lita. Moreover, AJ isn't exactly wrestling the kind of style Lita would. As far as having a unique style, AJ Lee isn't exactly imitating Lita's style. Of course, some fans would point out that she is imitating other individuals with her character and style. Aside from divas, she has even been compared to CM Punk. I once referred to her as a "patchwork" diva. I don't consider Lita like that. Yes, she benefited from whatever gimmick the guy(s) she was working with had, but I think she made her style her own. I don't know what to make of AJ Lee. To put it simply, aside from Lita inspiring her and getting the same type of career Lita had, I don't consider AJ Lee too comparable to Lita.

How about the diva division in general? How has her risky, exciting wrestling style and unique character influenced things today? The divas aren't allowed to wrestle too risky. They injure each other just doing the simplest of spots. There isn't even one diva that really shows that high-risk style. I am not saying that none of the divas ever go to the top rope. Tamina obviously does. But none of them really do it like Lita did. And unique styles and "anti-diva" divas? I already mentioned that AJ Lee's character style and look are not really unique and she seems to be made up of patches of other popular workers. Compared to the other women on the roster, AJ Lee is  the closest thing you have to Lita. The majority of the other divas are your generic glamorous divas. Kaitlyn had an "anti-diva" style, but the WWE did not push her well. At the end of the day, this is not really a women's division that looks to be influenced by Lita.

You cannot blame Lita for what the diva division has become. The WWE has final authority over what happens with the division. They do not want to run a division where their workers, a lot of whom are inexperienced, might get injured too easily and make themselves look way foolish. As far as not much variety in style and character, that is just one of the main things about the diva division. It revolves around glamor. That is why an eye-candy diva is always the centerpiece. They are glamorous. As far as character goes, AJ Lee might be the closest thing you have to Lita, but she does not stand out to me as something different like Lita did. Moreover, her climb up the periphery ladder of success was not as natural as Lita's was. What will AJ Lee's legacy end up being? That is another issue. Until then, Lita still had a great career and deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.