Is Roman Reigns Ready Now?

Roman Reigns has been getting groomed to be a top star for a while now. It looked like the WWE would pull the trigger at this year's Wrestlemania, but heavy fan negativity towards him came up. Even though the WWE has not given him the title, they obviously have not given up on him.

One of the problems is definitely that they were trying to build him up to be the next centerpiece. Some people still say that no one could have seen fans turning on Roman Reigns coming. How could you not? Have you learned nothing from the story of John Cena? John Cena was a popular midcarder with a rap gimmick. I never liked him, but he was popular. But then the WWE took him and pushed him as the top guy. They changed his character and have not really changed it since. People have criticized him for his wrestling ability and a lot of his promos are overbearing. Roman Reigns is a guy that people liked back when The Shield was still around. But what happens when you push him to be the top guy? The WWE has not even denied that they are trying to do that. People criticize him for his in-ring work and his mic skills. The WWE took him and just started making another Cena. How would those fans chanting "Cena sucks!" react to a guy like Roman Reigns?

The backlash around the Royal Rumble was worse than I expected, but fan reaction to Roman Reigns recently has not been that awful. That being said, is he ready now to get the title? He will still likely get booed in smark cities, but that is not representative of all fans. He has put on some good matches. They are not having him do promos he cannot handle anymore. They are doing things to build his character. They put him back with Dean Ambrose, another popular former member of The Shield that doesn't have a problem connecting with smarks. They are still grooming him.

Problem is, they are currently having him feud with Bray Wyatt. They could have had him win the briefcase. The storyline with Wyatt might help Reigns better connect with fans. They have made it personal by bringing up his daughter. If TNA did a storyline like this, fans would automatically assume the worst. I am not even going to suggest what that might be. The WWE could also do a lot worse with this storyline. They have sometimes tried to push the limits of family-friendly entertainment. Regardless of all that, this is a feud for Roman Reigns to win.

Seeing as how he is connecting well with fans, Summerslam might have been the perfect time to get the title on him. Why wait? Don't risk another Royal Rumble fiasco. But how likely is it that his feud with Bray Wyatt lasts for only a month? The WWE might not be planning on putting the title on Reigns now. Waiting until he is ready is one thing, but if you have too much time on your hands, you might end up botching his development again.

Summer Rae Gets Added To The Love Triangle

Even with Rusev injured, the WWE has continued to develop the storyline involving him, Lana, and Dolph Ziggler. That is a good thing. Ziggler and Lana simply making out all the time is nice, but it can get stale. Summer Rae is now joining up with Rusev.

Summer Rae has just bounced from one periphery angle to another since debuting. Earlier this year, she was involved in the drama with Miz and Sandow. She faked turning face and ended up helping Miz. It was a nice storyline. Problem is, the WWE did not follow through. Miz went to make a movie. That left Summer Rae with nothing. Miz is back, but the angle is dead. Handling things like that isn't fair to Summer Rae. Even if some divas these days can still get by with their looks alone, how can they when they are not featured on a consistent basis? Character development also helps.

I would hope this current angle leads to something consistent for Summer Rae. This adds some creative depth to the diva division. Not counting this storyline, what else is going on outside of the main diva angle involving The Bellas? NXT does not count. Nothing else is really going on. This storyline helps to make the diva division more interesting.

One fear I had for a while was that the WWE would just end up pairing Lana and Rusev back up. They would just turn back the clock and go back to what they had before. Problem is, Rusev is no longer featured as well as he once was. That would hurt the pairing. But with Summer Rae in the picture, I am more hopeful that the WWE isn't just building back to put Lana back with Rusev. He does not need Lana back. If the WWE wants him to have a manager so much, use Summer Rae. As for Lana, she has options. She can stick with Ziggler. She can move on to another guy. She can one day be an authority figure. And she may one day go back to Rusev. I am just glad that might not be anytime too soon.

How Goes Things For Neville?

Neville debuted a few months ago on the main roster. He has picked up some wins. He has looked impressive in a match against John Cena. He has had some minor feuds here and there. He is what you would expect a midcarder in the WWE to be.

I will say they could do better. He had a very minor feud against Bo Dallas a few weeks ago. That could have been so much more. There was a little history there. They gave it a little build, but this is a feud that should have lasted longer. Non-title midcard feuds like this can help things be more interesting. When they only give a few weeks for a feud like this and do not properly follow up, it just comes off as filler. And Neville just seems to be bouncing around.

Should he win a title? Should he be pushed in the place of Daniel Bryan or possibly Dolph Ziggler? I am not even suggesting any of that. Just develop these feuds better. They are putting him against guys that can lead to some interesting feuds. They just need to open up these feuds more and let them last longer. A year from now, then I might start talking about him winning titles and whether he should move up the card. Right now, he can be a great midcarder.

Dolph Ziggler: Should He Stay Or Should He Go?

 

A topic of discussion recently has been Dolph Ziggler likely not staying with the WWE. Not only might he leave, but he might head down to TNA. How will this decision impact all the parties involved?

First, Dolph Ziggler. He has had a pretty good career in the WWE. He has won a lot of titles, including some World titles. Some may say he has been lost in the shuffle recently. He has a romance angle with Lana where he gets to make out with her every week. And if Rusev was not injured, he would be having a legitimate feud right now. He is in a better position right now than a lot of guys. And yet, he could be pushed better. His situation is similar to CM Punk's a few years ago. Punk was getting a pretty good career. He had won a lot of titles, including some World titles. He was consistently pushed. He was definetely in a good spot. Of course, he could have been pushed better. And he was. I do not think the WWE will do that for Ziggler. Things are just too congested right now. CM Punk benefited from Edge retiring, hurting the main-event scene at the time. If Dolph Ziggler wants to be pushed better and work for a company that does not have the issues the WWE has, he should leave.

How about the WWE? Should they want to keep Dolph Ziggler or let him go? As I have said before, the WWE just has too many guys right now and they cannot utilize them all properly. And if no one leaves, it will only get worse when more guys debut from NXT and the WWE even continues to sign more guys. Ziggler leaving can open up a spot for some other guy to be pushed well in his place. That is the way the WWE should view it. I would not go out of my way to keep Ziggler.

And TNA? They sign a lot of former WWE talent. Ziggler seems to like the product. This seems like an easy decision to make. Yes, they should sign him. But I would not expect too much in terms of what Ziggler can do for TNA. I have seen some fans talk like Ziggler will be a great draw for TNA. If guys even more legendary than Ziggler could not help TNA get close to the WWE's numbers, what can Ziggler do? Help them get back to a million viewers? If nothing else, it will be refreshing to see Ziggler somewhere else.

Putting it all together, I think the possibility of Ziggler leaving the WWE and going to TNA will help everyone involved. Ziggler gets a chance to be utilized better elsewhere. The WWE can have room to push someone else better. TNA signs a great worker. It can lead to some fresh, exciting things, hopefully.

Brock Lesnar Gets Destroyed

It looks like Brock Lesnar will play the face in this feud against Seth Rollins for the title. The Authority laid him out to end Raw.

It is good to see Brock get physical. What is the point of having this guy show up if all he does is hop around and do really nothing else, while Heyman does the talking? That is a waste. That segment he had the night after Wrestlemania was exciting. That is the kind of stuff fans want to see.

Of course, there is a bad side to all this. Jamie Noble suffered an injury last night. It came at the hands of Lesnar. Wish the best for Noble. Lesnar can be brutal. It is one of the main reasons many fans get excited when he is around, but it can result in injuries.

Back to the feud. Last week, it seemed like The Authority was putting Seth Rollins in a position where he would have to prove himself. It looked like they may finally be taking the training wheels off  to see how this guy stands on his own. One week after all that, Rollins has his henchmen back to help him. That is disappointing. The WWE flip-flopping once again. Rollins obviously does not look credible standing against a guy like Brock Lesnar, but the way they are handling the storyline is inconsistent. What's new?

Four Years After The Pipe Bomb

It has been about 4 years since CM Punk started that storyline that made him a legend. How are things today? CM Punk still has not returned to the WWE. Daniel Bryan, another guy that emerged as a hero against the unfair status quo the WWE upholds, has injury issues that might put an end to his career. AJ Lee, the bride of Punk, left the company. It might seem like everything is sad.

The WWE has signed more wrestlers that fans eager for change love. You got Samoa Joe popping up recently. Kevin Owens is being featured on the main roster. Seth Rollins is holding the WWE Championship. Of course, just having these guys is not enough. It is about how they are featured and how well they are getting over. Despite all this, the WWE has shown signs of wanting to develop Roman Reigns, a guy that is not a favorite of these rabid fans, as the new centerpiece. The diva division has remained inefficient. The entire product remains inefficient. Well, aside from NXT.

Aside from the WWE being eager to welcome more talent that wrestling fans love, fans seem to be more vocal. CM Punk was supposed to be the voice of the voiceless. He certainly motivated these rabid fans to be even more vocal. It isn't that they never protested anything. Fans voiced their displeasure at Matt Hardy being fired many years ago. Fans were unhappy when Mickie James got released as a part of spring cleaning the year prior to CM Punk's pipe bomb. Fans wanted Daniel Bryan back after he was fired a few months after that.

Problem is, these fans can be too demanding and sometimes unfair. I have pointed out the unwillingness of many to even give Eva Marie a chance to show whether she has genuinely improved. Some of them got unruly the night Roman Reigns won the Royal Rumble. And you can sometimes get lost in the noise they are making and start believing some wrestlers are more over than they really are or less over than they really are. A guy like Seth Rollins is great. He can one day break out like CM Punk did. But as of right now, does he really have the overness to be an A+ player?

Should the WWE regret ever having CM Punk do those promos? It didn't lead to a ratings boost. It helped to make CM Punk huge, but then he walked out on the company. They are left with rabid fans that can sometimes be too demanding. They are signing all these guys that have not really gotten too over prior to the WWE. Great wrestlers, but how well can they connect with the wider audience? They are still very inefficient with how you handle the main product. A lot of things have only gotten worse and the fact that fans are more critical of them makes it worse. If CM Punk had never energized them, things might be different right now. Better? Maybe not. But possibly a little smoother.

John Cena Vs. Kevin Owens: Part 3

I have seen fans say that the Battleground card is shaping up to look like what you would want the Summerslam card to be. I can agree with that. One of those matches that might make you feel that way is John Cena vs. Kevin Owens. This time around, the United States Championship looks like it will be on the line.

Go back a step. Kevin Owens won the first encounter, but Cena took the last match they just had. You can say Cena won the match, but Owens won the night. They did an injury angle for Cena.

There was some talk that Owens should not lose so soon. Well, he did. It does not have to be that big of a deal. What will really determine if the WWE made the right decision is how they handle the next match. If Owens is the guy they want to take the title off Cena, then that loss he just took is no big deal. Owens would win the next encounter and likely the rematch after. No harm in letting Cena get one win in that kind of feud. If Cena retains the title, then the WWE could have handled things better, in my opinion. They could have let Owens win the previous match to make it seem like Cena really had met his match. It's just a better story. It builds up to a title match where the odds look against Cena. Even though he did win last Sunday, the odds might still look against him with the injury angle, depending on how they handle it. I just think putting the odds against him by having him take two consecutive clean losses to Kevin Owens would have been better than the typical injury storyline.

Winning the United States Championship might also make it easier for Kevin Owens to stay relevant on the main roster, especially after losing the NXT Championship. Something else that might save him from getting lost in the shuffle is possibly joining The Authority. If the WWE does follow through with separating Seth Rollins from the stable, that will create space for someone else to be in the group. I have seen some fans bring up the idea of Owens joining the group. But that is an issue for another day.

Looks Like Paige Needs A Friend

Through all the storyline sloppiness and questionable turns you have had in the diva division recently, the current situation has Paige waging a one-diva war against The Bellas. That will obviously lead to a debut from NXT. Most likely Charlotte. On the one hand, I don't want the WWE to drag this on. Just get to the debut. They easily could have done it this week. On the other hand, there is a lot of time until the next PPV, so I can understand dragging this out a little.

Since debuting on the main roster, Paige has not really had any competition. I am not talking in the sense of succeeding and earning a better career. That does not really define what the WWE does. I mean more in the sense of overness. She has connected well with wrestling fans since she debuted. With AJ Lee gone, she is pretty much the top diva for those type of fans. But what happens when someone like Charlotte debuts? This will test just how over Paige is. Charlotte has also become a very good in-ring performer. Her father is also a legend. Paige also comes from a wrestling family, but not one that was a part of the WWE, so I usually do not group her with someone like Natalya or Charlotte. In any case, it will be interesting to see whom wrestling fans will prefer.

There is also competition when it comes to getting time. Paige has been the only C+ player in the diva division since debuting. She is the only top-tier credible jobber. There are a lot of divas with wrestling credibility that can be featured more in the type of pushes Paige has been getting, but they are frequently overlooked. Natalya and Naomi have had short pushes here and there, but nothing consistent. Paige has only experienced short periods of not getting anything to do at all, and part of that was due to her taking time off to make a movie. There is a good chance Charlotte will be pushed as a credible jobber. And I don't think she will be a low-tier or mid-tier credible jobber. She will eventually be getting pushed like Paige. Paige has benefited from weak depth for the last year. What will happen to her when more divas debut to be given the type of pushes she is used to?

It is a shame that it takes debuting someone new to keep this division fresh when the WWE does have women on the main roster they could do better with. Last year, you could say the WWE pretty much buried the entire diva roster at Wrestlemania. They had AJ Lee go over all of them. That led to the debut of a new diva to take the title off AJ. Is the WWE doing that kind of thing again with the storyline they are running? How are they making these other divas look? None of them are willing to step up and it will take an NXT diva to once again make things fresh and save the day. They are really inefficient with the current roster.

Lesnar Vs. Rollins At Battleground

Seth Rollins has moved on from Dean Ambrose and now must give Brock Lesnar his rematch for the WWE Championship. This match will happen at Battleground next month.

A few years ago, you had the "A+ player" and "B+ player" metaphors being used. Triple H brought up a new one on Raw. What happens when coal faces extreme pressure? Will it be crushed into dust? Or turn into a diamond? I like that one. Will I start discussing whether certain wrestlers have turned to dust or a diamond or might turn into either one if the pressure increases on them? I don't know. I might. It's the idea that you can't tell the worth of someone only in situations where things are going their way. How do they react to adversity? How about extreme adversity?

I have brought up this idea with Rollins before. He just doesn't seem like he is ready to stand on his own. Even after he won the WWE Championship at Wrestlemania, he didn't seem to feel like a true top star. The WWE has taken away his sidekicks recently and made it look like he has to do things on his own. The usual tension within The Authority is back. I hate that angle. I didn't like it when they did it with Randy Orton so soon after the stable was formed. But at least the WWE is trying something to make Seth look like he can stand on his own.

Brock is back. Is this the big summer angle the WWE will do? Brock Lesnar once again gunning for the title? I would hope they do more than that. Regardless of the outcome at Battleground, Brock will likely still be around for Summerslam. I cannot imagine them developing anything too great for him this summer. Ratings were mediocre during Wrestlemania season this year. Will they be just as poor around Summerslam? Or will Lesnar actually provide a boost?

Sheamus Wins The Briefcase

If you were to list all the current top guys in the WWE or guys currently being groomed to be top guys in the WWE, you probably would not list Sheamus. And yet, he was the one that won the Money in the Bank ladder match for the briefcase.

I do not like the decision. It's one thing to give Sheamus a midcard title run. A briefcase that guarantees you a World title shot whenever you want is something else. That is something they should have given to someone they were grooming to be a star or someone that could win it and have it be interesting from a storyline standpoint. Roman Reigns was the favorite to win it because they have been grooming him to be a star. How about if Kane had won it? He has had some storyline tension with Seth Rollins. Sheamus winning it just does not make sense. He is not being groomed to be a top star. He is not being pushed as a top star. He was not involved in any big storyline that winning this will add to it. This just seems like a wasted opportunity.

It is too early to say whether or not Sheamus should win the title. He obviously didn't cash it in the same night he won it. This better be a part of actually raising Sheamus back up to the main-event scene. If they just push him as a midcarder, I can picture his briefcase run ending up like Damien Sandow's. I don't like him winning, but if they are going to give it to him, they might as well do this right.

Roman Reigns, the guy I figured would win, looks to be feuding with Bray Wyatt. That would have been a nice feud to start like 2 months ago. It would have been over by now. I do not think they have given up on grooming him to be a top star. But they are really going about things in a sloppy way. They might just be hurting themselves.