Previewing Wrestlemania 2016: The Undercard

The Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal has never led to a serious push for either of the first two winners. Big Show, last year's winner, certainly already has his career made. He's going to be in the WWE Hall of Fame. Cesaro, the first winner, has had his career go up and down. He has gotten a number of titles and accolades in between depushes. I know about the rumors about Braun Strowman winning and getting a big push later on. Since that might hinge on what the WWE does with Roman Reigns and injury issues, I am not picking him to win. I could imagine someone in The Social Outcasts winning. Would that be an insult to Andre? A jobber winning this? Well, is putting this match on the pre-show insulting? The WWE might do some funny things with someone from the group winning. And I do not think anyone else currently in the match can really benefit from this. I'll go with Heath Slater.

The Dudley Boys face The Usos. This match does not feel big enough for Wrestlemania, but at least there are some feuds going on in the tag division that go beyond the tag titles. Since The Dudleys turned heel just a few weeks ago, logic might say they win this match and continue their push. I am going to go against logic and say The Usos win. The WWE has not pushed The Dudleys well since they returned. At the same time, The Usos have not won anything major since they reunited. I'll go with them.

Kalisto defends the United States Championship against Ryback. Ryback went a few years without ever winning a title. There was a time when he seemed credible enough to win the WWE Championship. That never happened, bu he did win the Intercontinental Championship last year. I would say he does not really need another title reign again so soon. On the other hand, how serious is the WWE in pushing Kalisto as the new Mysterio? Having him bring this up in interviews and talking about him like he is the next Mysterio doesn't mean as much as booking him consistently. If his title reign ends this Sunday and he gets sent back to the tag division with Sin Cara, I doubt he will end up as the new Mysterio. I will say he retains the title.

Another multi-man ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. Kevin Owens faces Sami Zayn, Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Sin Cara, Miz, and Stardust. Some of these guys are just extra bodies. This match should have just been between Owens and Zayn. I would say those are the two favorites to win. I would have Owens retain and lose the title later to Zayn in a singles feud.

The New Day take on The League of Nations in a handicap match. Just a few weeks ago, The League of Nations destroyed New Day and actually looked like great heels. They actually looked like a group the WWE was serious in pushing again. Since then, it feels like they have lost some of that intensity. I still hope the group ends up winning the tag titles. Until then, I will say they beat New Day. They should. 

AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho is a match that I do not think needed to happen again. This is the fourth match in a rivalry that is only two months old. This is a rivalry that featured them teaming up and eventually becoming contenders for the tag titles. This is a rivalry that featured the team splitting and one guy turning on the other. All in two months. You would think this kind of story takes a lot longer than this to develop. And yet, here we are.

I want to say a few things about how this feud has been developed since Chris Jericho turned heel. I have seen some fans criticize the WWE for taking so long to make this match official. They waited until the final Raw before Wrestlemania. I do not have a problem with that. The story is that Jericho was trying to avoid facing Styles again. Styles had to get Jericho to agree to it. This isn't bad storyline development.

The other part of this storyline that I want to bring up is the WWE bringing up "AJ Styles" chants. That supposedly annoyed Jericho. The issue I have isn't really the fact that Jericho is pretty over in his own right, even as a heel.This is about Styles. They obviously want the guy over. They are not burying his popularity. But how about they stop pointing out that fans like him and actually take advantage of what makes him phenomenal and develop his character better. Push him better. Fact is, I am not impressed by those chants. Maybe my memory is going bad, but I am sure I remember times when fans have reacted to wrestlers better. Those "AJ Styles" chants can be better. The WWE needs to put more work into AJ Styles. Smarks will cheer for him because he is great wrestler. Marks will cheer for him because he is pushed as a face. Beyond those fans that are either always criticizing the product or buying into it rather easily, how about the general audience? AJ needs to win those fans over. The WWE needs to do more than run a storyline about people chanting for him. He's not Daniel Bryan.

As far as the winner, it has to be Styles. Jericho is a jobber to the stars.

Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar is a big match, but not one of the likely two candidates to close the show, despite the presence of Brock Lesnar. Not to knock Ambrose, but this feels like the weakest Wrestlemania opponent Lesnar has had yet. It is a great push for Ambrose and will help elevate him, but Lesnar has faced guys with more star power or where there was something on the line in his other Wrestlemania matches. This is still a match many wrestling fans will look forward to.

And it is going to be a street fight. On the one hand, I like that the WWE has really made a storyline out of the match type. Hardcore legends have been utilized to push this feud. On the other hand, I think the WWE could have told a better story. Brock got mad at Ambrose for getting in the way of Brock getting a title shot. He attacked Ambrose in the parking lot the night after that. Just build on that intensity that was there. I feel how the WWE has handled the story these last few weeks has highlighted the match type more than the intense emotion that was there. Either way, should be a fun match.

The wildcard in this match will be The Wyatts. Dean Ambrose obviously has a history with Bray Wyatt. Brock Lesnar, moreover, was supposed to have a mini-feud with Bray. Bray was injured and that match got ruined. I doubt the WWE will have it end like that. They will go at it down the road. Will the WWE use this match at Wrestlemania to build up to that future match? The Wyatts don't have anything else going for them right now. Because there will be no disqualifications in this match, you can definitely imagine The Wyatts getting involved. Will it be a poor way for Dean Ambrose's feud with Brock Lesnar to end to just use this match as a stepping stone for another feud for Lesnar? That's another issue. Let's see how the WWE actually handles the match and what comes after.

Who wins? How often does Lesnar lose? Network specials aside, Brock Lesnar has not had a PPV win in a while. He lost at Fast Lane. He lost at the Royal Rumble. Is Vince McMahon going to be worried about Lesnar possibly starting to look weak? Some fans say that they cannot imagine Ambrose beating Lesnar cleanly. Well, can you imagine it with weapons involved? An extreme spot? It could happen. Of course, as I said, interference is likely. Cleanly or not, Lesnar has not won a big match in a while and I think he will win one here.

Previewing Wrestlemania 2016: The Diva Matches

It is not often that Wrestlemania will have two diva matches. Both of the matches this year are multi-woman matches. It is also not often that the Diva's Championship will be on the line at Wrestlemania. This is only the second time it has happened.

I'll start with the 10-diva tag match. Brie Bella, Alicia Fox, Paige, Natalya, and Eva Marie vs. Lana, Summer Rae, Emma, Naomi, and Tamina. Eva Marie? Where did she come from? NXT. The face team was short a member. Some fans speculated that it might be Bayley that joined the team, since she is a face. But many fans also did not want that, believing Baylay deserves a better debut than that. It ended up being Eva Marie. The face team also happens to be Team Total Divas.

There is talk that Brie Bella's retirement might be coming sooner than expected. If that is the case, and assuming Nikki is done wrestling, I would say the WWE really didn't need to debut (or bring back) women from NXT just to fill their spots on the roster. They already have so many women and are not using them efficiently. The WWE should be hoping some women leave just to make it easier to manage the women that are left. After they do a good job with that, then start bringing in new women. In any case, if the WWE is looking to create a new eye-candy centerpiece, they might have two options in Eva Marie and Lana.

Who wins this match? Brie retiring would obviously influence things. You would think the WWE lets her win her last match. She is a face and on good terms with the company. But I could imagine her team losing at Wrestlemania and Brie winning her final match on Raw the next night. The other thing to consider, this is Lana's in-ring debut. Would they have her lose? She wouldn't be the one to get pinned. That would probably be one of the heels on the team that the WWE has not shown to be too high on. You have four possibilities right there. But I will say Lana wins her debut.

The match more wrestling fans probably care about is Charlotte defending the Diva's Championship against Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. These are the three women that debuted from NXT last year. It seems fitting that they should get this match. It helps that no healthy centerpiece is around. I would like to see what the WWE would have done if Nikki was healthy.

The development of this feud has been pretty simple. Nothing amazing. I might even say it has been a little lackluster. But expectations are high for the match these three can put on at Wrestlemania. And that hype is enough to make it worthy for the big event. Hopefully, they do not disappoint.

Neither of the challengers have looked too much stronger than the other. If the WWE is planning a title change, they have not really built up a new Champion well. Title changes at Wrestlemania are usually something special. I do not feel they have built up anything special here. There will still be tears if Sasha or Becky win. But I would not be surprised if the WWE lets Charlotte hold onto the butterfly title and drops it in a singles match down the line to either woman. That will likely be Sasha. The WWE had potential for a great feud between Charlotte and Becky, but they have ruined the momentum. The WWE might as well go with Sasha, who some wrestling fans view as the greatest wrestler in the world. I do not think most fans would be unhappy with Sasha getting the push.

How A Credible Jobber Is Like A Quarterback

I usually like to say that the centerpiece of the diva division is like the quarterback of a football team. Just like the quarterback is usually the most important player on a football team, the centerpiece is usually the most important player in the diva division. The only time that is not the case is during a centerpiece-less dark age. Things just revolve around the centerpiece.

I want to come up with a different analogy using the quarterback position. If you think about it, the quarterback is really a facilitator. He normally will not get all the yards and score all the touchdowns himself. He will get the ball in the hands of those players that will get yards and score. Yeah, he could run the ball, but it is rare to see a system where the quarterback is running most of the time and not mostly passing or handing it off to the running back.

Who are the facilitators in the diva division? Who are the ones that really help the division to move and make it possible for the WWE to have their stars and feature them? Those would be the credible jobbers. Those would be the ones with wrestling credibility used to put over the centerpiece and used as filler when the centerpiece is not around. Yes, they will get pushed, win titles, and get their moments here and there, but they are not pushed the way the WWE pushes stars. They are not pushed to get over. They are not pushed to "score" for the WWE. They just help to keep the division going and put over the centerpiece. They facilitate.

Of course, this is an era where the facilitators are shining more than ever since the diva division started. The WWE has failed to maintain the diva division they like to feature for a decade. A recent Internet uproar last year has put more emphasis on these women with wrestling ability. It also helps that there is no healthy centerpiece around. If the quarterback is the star of the football team, it might even make more sense to see these women with wrestling credibility as the stars of the women's division. There is no one female wrestler pushed as a true centerpiece, but fans seem content with them just being used like facilitators. The WWE can rotate them around like they usually do and fans will probably remain content. Just give them proper match and segment time.

Let me go back to what I said about the quarterback not usually being the one gaining most of the yards and scoring himself through rushing. It does sometimes happen where a quarterback might be the leading rusher. You might even see a system here and there where they like the quarterback running more than passing. But it's rare. Usually, a quarterback really is just looking to get the ball to someone else. As I have said before, they are facilitating.

What is an example of this in the WWE diva division? What is an example of a facilitator bringing the results of those actually being pushed to score in connecting with the fans? Obviously, you have the current era, which I already brought up. But you also have to take things with a grain of salt, since you cannot tell just how over these female wrestlers are. All you know is that a lot of vocal fans want them pushed more and they are getting it.

As far as individuals go, how about Mickie James? She came into that diva division back when they were running the regular system. She was a facilitator. She was a credible jobber. She was there to keep things moving and put over whom they wanted over. It is to be expected that a credible jobber will pick up some fans, just like the average quarterback will pick up at least some rushing yards once in a while. But Mickie James became the most over diva on the roster, connecting with wrestling fans and the more general audience. And the WWE was never really able to get the women they were pushing to be stars to actually work out. What Mickie James did during her run in the WWE is as rare as that quarterback that does the majority of the work himself. The receivers and other running backs on the team will still get some plays, but the majority of the offense rests on this quarterback. In the case of the diva division, other women were getting some fans. It isn't that no one else was connecting with the fans. But the woman succeeding the most was a woman doing it from a position that never leads to that kind of success.

What does the future of the diva division hold? With the recent attention to the women traditionally pushed as facilitators, it could motivate the WWE to push some of them the way they push stars. Or they could just rotate them around. As I said before, wrestling fans would probably be content. The WWE has no healthy centerpiece being pushed. There is also speculation that Nikki Bella, the woman they were pushing as the centerpiece, might be done. Of course, there is Lana. She has the look and is learning to wrestle. If the WWE does want her as the new centerpiece, there are a lot of credible jobbers to facilitate her rise to the top. In terms of overness, Lana has already scored in getting over as an eye-candy diva. The credible jobbers around her could help her look even better.

The Undertaker Vs. Shane McMahon: Overkill?

Shane McMahon coming back to the WWE was huge. Having him face The Undertaker at Wrestlemania was huge. Making this a Hell in a Cell match was huge. The stipulation that Shane would get control of Raw if he won was huge. It just seemed like you had enough huge things right there.

Vince McMahon raised the stakes this week. If The Undertaker loses to Shane, he is barred from competing at Wrestlemania. Is this just a little too much? Is this overkill? If Taker was refusing to wrestle Shane, then you can understand this stipulation to force him to fight. If this feud had been developed to make it seem like the odds were in Shane's favor, then you can understand Vince doing this to add some motivation for The Undertaker to win. You don't have any of this going on. Was it really necessary?

As an analyst, I can see some good reasons for the WWE to do something like this. Ratings are terrible. Wrestlemania has not sold out with a little over a week to go. The WWE always has to put in work to keep subscribers to their network coming. If the WWE can cause some buzz to draw for them, why not? Some people might believe this could be The Undertaker's last Wrestlemania. That might get them to tune in. That might get them to subscribe to watch Wrestlemania. That might put a few more butts in seats in the arena. Moreover, this can lead to a big storyline involving The Undertaker following this year's Wrestlemania. He won't be fired. Even if he was fired in kayfabe, that still wouldn't be the end of his career. The WWE wouldn't let it end like that. In any case, the WWE's can create an odyssey for Taker to make it to another Wrestlemania, if he loses this one coming up. What the WWE is doing has potential to draw and to lead to an epic storyline.

As a critic, I do not like what the WWE is doing. I do feel it is too much. The WWE already has a big storyline here and what they are adding to it this week does not feel justified or necessary. It damages the focus of the big story that this feud is about. This is supposed to be about Shane vs. Vince, with the fate of the WWE hanging in the balance. The Undertaker is the instrument of destruction. He is remorseless and just out to destroy. There is no need to make this feud more complex. With just two weeks left until Wrestlemania, they could just ride what was already there.

As a writer, what would I have done? Just have Vince go out there this week and continue to push the destruction of his relationship with Shane. Have Vince bring up that he has feuded with every member of his own family. Show clips of that. Have Vince bring up how ruthless The Undertaker has been inside Hell in a Cell, at Wrestlemania, and even against Vince, himself. Show clips of that. It adds more steam to the feud and hypes the match without adding a new direction to it.

What do I think as a fan? As a fan, I am tired of the WWE and don't really care.

All in all, even though the new twist to things does seem like too much to me, it is probably a smart move by the WWE. Despite everything they have done so far, the fans aren't rushing back to see what all the drama is about. The WWE just has to create more drama. It would be nice if they added it to other feuds with other individuals. It would be nice if they did more to create more stars out of guys in their 30s or younger and not rely on guys over 40. But this is arguably the biggest storyline they have going. And they just added even more to it.

Since I brought up ratings, let me talk about that a little. Raw had 3.4 million viewers this week. That's not great. The WWE has no sports competition right now on Mondays. This is an election year. Call it a coincidence, but you do see a ratings drop during these years at times. 2012 was the last election year. Raw's annual ratings average in 2011 was 3.21. It was 3.0 in 2012. Pretty big drop for the election year. 3.01 for the year after. Pretty much the same level. Dropped to 2.95 for 2014, which is no big deal. Dropped all the way to a 2.64 for last year. You can't blame that on people being more interested in primary results.

What is causing the poor ratings so far this year? Is it the election excuse? Or is it the poor quality of the product? Regardless, this is supposed to be the hottest time of the year for WWE. You can usually expect around a loss of 500,000 viewers between this time of the year and what you'll get during football season. That's a rough estimate. How many times will Raw average less than 3 million viewers this year? They dropped below that benchmark once last year. Expect it to happen more this year.

Diva Division About To Get More Crowded?

Lana and Brie Bella have been having a feud that is leading to a big tag match at Wrestlemania. For a while, it looked like that feud was set. Lana, the heel, could rely on Naomi, Tamina, and Summer Rae. Brie, the face, could rely on Alicia Fox, Natalya, and Paige, all of whom also happen to be on Total Divas. This match was not yet 100% official, and it just got more complicated this week. Emma popped back up this week. She was back in NXT for the longest while. She now seems to be paired with Summer Rae. The two helped the heels on Main Event. If this is the way the WWE is going to handle it, you are going to have a 10-diva tag match, not the 8-diva tag match it originally looked like they were building. And the faces are short a member, so someone will have to step in for that.

I have nothing against Emma. I felt they should have done better with her last year. She was the one that jobbed in that quick Raw match last year that started #GiveDivasAChance. She never got her chance on the main roster. The WWE ended up debuting three other women from NXT, while Emma went back to NXT. She has since turned heel and reinvented herself.

Regardless of all that, the diva division is already congested. There are currently a dozen active divas on the main roster. You have Charlotte, Becky Lynch, Sasha Banks, Brie Bella, Alicia Fox, Natalya, Paige, Summer Rae, Tamina, Naomi, Emma, and Lana. Lana will make her in-ring debut soon. Nikki Bella is out with an injury. Another face will be debuting soon. There were times during the brand split when one of the rosters would not even have half this kind of depth. These are all women that will be competing in the ring. There are no eye-candy divas here that are only around as valets/managers. All 12 of these women look like they will be in matches at Wrestlemania. Neither of the two Wrestlemania diva matches are singles matches.

It hasn't even been a full year since Charlotte, Becky, and Sasha all debuted on the same night on the main roster. How can they already be ready to debut or bring back even more divas from NXT? On the one hand, I feel the WWE has not gotten the most out of a lot of the divas they have now and possible feuds and storylines with these women. On the other hand, things do feel stale. It feels like certain matches have happened too many times and are just getting boring. But is debuting even more women the answer? I do not think so. You need to change how things are booked. If there was only 6 divas in the whole roster, you could understand repetitive matches. The WWE has a dozen and things have gotten stale in less than a year since three women with wrestling ability debuted from NXT.

One of the things the WWE needs to do is make better usage of the periphery. None of the diva dozen currently have periphery angles going for them. Lana is no longer really needed in Rusev's corner. These things help to add flavor to the diva division and help to develop the character of these women. Moreover, when it comes to booking matches, they open up more possibilities. You can have mixed-tag matches. When was the last time there was that kind of match on the main roster? I remember Natalya and Naomi having some last year. Naomi was with The Usos and Natalya was with Kidd and Cesaro. Has there been anything since? Lana/Rusev/Ziggler/Summer Rae was obviously going to lead to that, but that got ruined. A year is a long time to go without such a simple match type to happen. And I cannot imagine any popping up on the horizon. Imagine how many Hell in a Cell matches you would have seen between the time of the last mixed-tag match and the next one. You have to wonder what is going on when mixed-tag matches are more rare than Hell in a Cell matches on the main roster. It is a good way to extend rivalries without repetitive matches.

Just because there were some feminist undertones to the drama that happened last year does not mean the WWE should run their women's division independent of the men's division like this. The WWE is missing out on opportunities to keep things fresh, to create entertaining storylines, and to develop the characters of these women further. Look at Trish and Lita, two women held in high regard. They were born in the periphery. Angles alongside the men were so important to their careers. Just look at Lita's career. She debuted alongside Essa Rios. That transitioned to teaming with Matt and Jeff Hardy. She suffered a serious injury. She spent time as a commentator during this. Not too long after she returned, she teamed with Trish Stratus to feud against Chris Jericho and Christian. She soon got an angle with Kane. That infamous alliance with Edge followed. And she was still there when she decided to retire. As for Trish, she was getting angles in the periphery before being pushed as centerpiece. Even after she was the centerpiece, she still interacted on a regular basis with the men. It helped to give her a rub and make her look tough to mix it up with the guys. The WWE cannot take how they book the diva division in such a serious way. I don't think most fans even want it like this. Because the WWE is not able to handle all these women properly.

And more women are going to come up from NXT? There is going to be a crowded women's division. The WWE does not release workers on a regular basis and these women are not going to retire fast enough to free up space. To ease the crowding, the WWE is going to have to develop better periphery angles. These multi-diva feuds are not going to work. And I do not think the WWE has mastered having multiple diva feuds going on at the same time on a consistent basis. How will the WWE be able to properly create and feature stars in this mess?

The Wrestlemania 2016 Intercontinental Championship Match

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

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

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

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

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

What Does Dolph Ziggler Have To Look Forward To?

I have said before that Dolph Ziggler deserved something for Wrestlemania. He is a solid worker on the fringes of the main-event scene. He had been without a good feud or storyline for a few weeks.

Recently, they are having him stand up to The Authority. Specifically, to Stephanie McMahon. She had him face Triple H last week. There was a stipulation that Dolph could have any Wrestlemania match he wanted if he won, except for the WWE Championship match. It was a good match, but Triple H won.

What direction could they be going with this? If this was the Attitude Era, I could imagine Dolph eventually overcoming the odds Stephanie put in front of him. When it came time for Ziggler to name his match to the cocky Stephanie McMahon, he would name her as his opponent for Wrestlemania. That might have been fun, but not in this era. I have seen some fans say that Dolph would win a match of his choice and choose to team with Shane against The Undertaker to help him put an end to The Authority. As it stands now, that match is not likely to be a classic. The hype is what really matters, but the match quality has some fans worried. Inserting Dolph Ziggler might help the quality in theory, but will the WWE really go in that direction? I am not sure.

The WWE obviously has to keep this angle going somehow. Dolph Ziggler lost last week. Do they still just have him randomly get some mediocre Wrestlemania match? Even just putting him in the battle royal would be a waste. Stephanie McMahon has been making it a challenge for him to get to Wrestlemania. They can still keep that going for the few weeks left until Wrestlemania. But what match would Ziggler choose? Regardless, this is a storyline for him and it would be a disappointment for them to randomly drop it and put him on the card without Stephanie still trying to make his life miserable.

The Tag Division Heading Into Wrestlemania 2016

There was a time a few years ago when the WWE was good with handing the tag titles off to teams that had momentum and actually looked like they deserved them. That changed within the last year or so. The WWE would shoot the titles to a team that lacked momentum, then have a title change just when it started to look like that team was really starting to look good. That booking practice came to an end when the WWE allowed New Day to put a stranglehold on the division.

In my opinion, the tag division recently has been pretty poor. It's been, well, booty. During this time when New Day has been holding the titles for months and months, there were several teams that had some freshness or momentum to them that were not booked to get the tag titles. The Dudleys returned and looked hot. They have lost all their feuds so far. The Usos came back together again and could have been a choice to get the tag titles. Nope. The Lucha Dragons looked like they might go somewhere. Injuries led to a solo push for Kalisto. If the WWE had put the tag titles on a face team, that would have opened up the possibility for some fresh feuds with other heel teams. The League of Nations could have used the tag titles. The Wyatts could have used the tag titles, especially with Bray Wyatt not wrestling right now. Simply sticking so long with New Day all these months is not fair to other teams. This has not been a situation where depth was poor. I know New Day sells merchandise, but you should be able to push people well without titles. Titles are not just accolades. They are used to tell stories and add to feuds. And there are other stories and feuds that can use those tag titles that do not need New Day involved.

At Wrestlemania, all three members of New Day will face all four members of The League of Nations. The League of Nations have already had two shots to win the titles and failed. Backing up for a second, this started out as a heel vs. heel feud. After that beating on Raw New Day received, they seem to be the ones going face. I can very well imagine the WWE having New Day retain again and continuing their run as faces. They are pushed too much. This should be the feud where they lose the tag titles. The League of Nations have been built up again to look strong. There was a time not too long ago where they just looked pathetic. Injuries played a role in that. Don't just hand them this momentum to feed them to New Day.

There is another tag feud being developed for Wrestlemania. The Usos will face The Dudleys. It is not unusual to sometimes see things get lost in the shuffle around Wrestlemania season. And this would have been a feud you might expect to see get lost in the shuffle. The Dudleys have been pretty mediocre heels. After a lot of initial excitement and dirtsheets stirring the pot with reports saying the WWE saw the great heel potential in Bubba, this whole feud with The Usos and storyline about no more tables is just not that great. If the WWE wasn't so ravaged by injuries, this feud probably would be lost in the shuffle. The only good thing I can say about this feud is that it shows you can have some kind of feud in the tag division away from the tag titles. And it did have potential to be better than it is. The WWE just is not going in that direction.

What would I rather see for Wrestlemania this year from the tag division? I think they should have gone with a multi-team match for the tag titles. The main problem with that is that the WWE might struggle to create enough matches with the limited roster. Let's say injuries were not an issue. You can have New Day defend the tag titles against The League of Nations, The Usos, and The Dudleyz. Throw in The Wyatts? Make this the match R-Truth and Goldust officially become a team? Social Outcasts? You might have a gauntlet match here. Tag Team Turmoil. There are a lot of angles going on in the tag division. More of them need to be featured better. And New Day cannot continue to be featured so much better than the rest of them. I don't care how many unicorn horns and boxes of cereal they sell.

How Does Maria Kanellis Fit In TNA's KO Division?

I have said before that TNA was in a position to beat the WWE at their own game when it came to their women's division. The WWE runs a division where they like to have a glamorous, sexy eye-candy diva be their centerpiece. Last year, TNA had both Brooke Adams and Taryn Terrell on their roster. If TNA wanted to, they could have pushed one of those women as their true centerpiece. They had a nice group of credible female wrestlers to act as a foundation to carry the division. They could run periphery angles or secondary feuds for other women. They could really run a diva-like women's division. Given how horrible and lost the WWE has been with their women's division in recent years, TNA could easily beat them at their own game. Problem is, both Brooke and Taryn left last year.

Enter Maria Kanellis. She has debuted in TNA with her husband, Mike Bennett. Given how TNA juggles around their men and never settles on a true centerpiece, I will probably never focus on him in anything I write. But you have two eye-candy women, both of whom came from the WWE, gone from TNA, then have another eye-candy woman, who also originated from the WWE, show up. Can Maria fill the void of Brooke and Taryn?

Maria was in action this week on Impact. As a wrestler, her performance was nothing to get excited over. Of course, you have to understand the story of the match. They were selling that she was scared of Gail Kim. Gail Kim isn't afraid to smack around a woman or a man. Maria got a fluke win over her in that tag match. She definitely did not look like a former WWE eye-candy diva that could follow in the path of Brooke and Taryn last night.

Maybe you cannot go too much by last night's match. Wait for a singles match between Gail and Maria? Maria was never a great wrestler in the WWE. Even by the WWE's recent standards, where they allow eye-candy divas with solid wrestling ability to get jobber and filler pushes, I do not think Maria was good enough to legitimately earn a title reign off that kind of career. She has had some matches since leaving the WWE. But she still does not look that amazing. I won't say she's down there with Eva Marie in terms of wrestling ability, but she doesn't look like she's become solid enough to deserve a title reign like Brooke and Taryn got. You have to wonder if she even deserves a feud with Gail Kim.

TNA's women's division isn't dead with their recent loss of women. They still have Velvet Sky, their own version of a WWE diva for the longest while. The Dollhouse is still around. That group is made up of two actual wrestlers. Rebel would be in the same group as Maria when it comes to wrestling ability. I like Rosemary. That's an actual gimmick there. They can run an interesting periphery, something the WWE has not been doing well recently. And there is still Gail Kim. She still has a few years left. Before it is all said and done, she might get back her record for longest reign with the KO title and might break the record for most major women's titles. She's talented and she is beautiful. But a lot of other women are not getting proper opportunities. One of them might be a legitimate long-term centerpiece for TNA. They might actually get very over. I do not think that is Maria Kanellis. Once again, you have to wonder if she really deserves the push she is getting. It could go to someone more deserving that is already solid in the ring.

Looking At Two 2016 Hall Of Fame Inductees

This year's WWE Hall of Fame class is an interesting one. I am not going to talk about everyone being inducted. I just want to bring up two of them.

First, Sting is the top inductee. He spent the majority of his career outside of the WWE, most notably in WCW and TNA. He finally came to the WWE in 2014. His first feud was against Triple H, which he lost. His second feud was against Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship, which he lost. He also suffered a serious injury in that title match. Next thing you know, he's going into the Hall of Fame and it looks like his career is over.

This has to be viewed as tragedy. There were so many other feuds and storylines fans wanted to see for Sting. The top of that list would have to feature Sting vs. Undertaker. It is not unheard of for someone in the Hall of Fame to still have a match for the WWE, but how likely will the WWE be to do it? They have been very careful with injuries in recent years, especially after allegations from CM Punk after he walked out on them. Besides that, if Taker vs. Sting really was on their agenda, would they rush the induction of Sting so soon after he just wrestled a few months ago? No, it seems this might be the true end of Sting's in-ring career.

What can he do as a non-wrestler? Before Shane McMahon returned I was thinking about how the WWE can bring Sting back as a GM. He has experience doing that kind of thing in TNA. It would be a good way for him to still be useful. Even with Shane McMahon's return and this angle about him possibly taking over Raw, is it out of the question that Sting might still end up an authority figure? It could still happen. The WWE would look bad if they just have Sting's career end with him looking like a legendary jobber.

Second inductee I want to bring up, Jacqueline. Some fans scratched their heads at this one, while others are happy about it. When it comes to the men, the WWE doesn't just induct A-tier wrestlers into the Hall of Fame. It isn't just main-eventers and former World Champions going in. Even midcarders go in, if they had careers that stood out. Jackie was not an A-tier diva. She was never the centerpiece of the diva division. Even though she had some periphery angles, including a brief run with the Cruiserweight Championship, she was not a periphery diva. She was not someone featured as a star on the periphery of the centerpiece. She was a credible jobber. Her first title reign was off of putting over Sable, the first centerpiece of the diva era. Her second title reign was filler. Nevertheless, it wouldn't be out of the question to see a woman pushed as a credible jobber get inducted.

When it comes to Jackie, however, I do not think she really belongs in the Hall of Fame. There are three reasons I think someone should go into the Hall of Fame. First, overness. Popularity isn't everything, but pro wrestling is part of the entertainment business. You go out there to perform to connect with the fans. If you can become extremely popular with the fans that you stand out over time, you deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. Second, a remarkable career. If someone is booked like a god, it is going to be hard to keep them out of the Hall of Fame, regardless of whether or not they got over. Michelle McCool is an example of what I mean. She didn't get the popularity to deserve induction, but she will obviously get in for all the times the WWE booked her to make history and how hard they pushed her. Third, making a major contribution to pro wrestling. Even if the bookers don't give you the fabulous career and you don't get the love from the fans, if you did something to help the business be successful, you might deserve induction. Let me bring up the example of Vince Russo. The WWE is unlikely to ever induct a writer, but this guy is probably the best-known writer in pro wrestling. A lot of fans may scorn him and view him as a joke, but he helped to make the Attitude Era as successful as it was. He wasn't a wrestler that would be booked to look amazing. He didn't get popular. But he stands out and had a hand in one of the most successful eras in the WWE.

What does Jackie have going for her? She never got too popular. Aside from her Cruiserweight title run, yes, she was the first African-American woman to win the Women's Championship. I don't think that's enough to get you into the Hall of Fame. Doug Williams is the first African-American quarterback to start and win the Super Bowl. He was the MVP of the big game. And he is not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. I don't think being the first person of a certain race to hold a title is enough, especially in a business where title reigns are booked by people backstage. Does The Great Khali deserve to be in the Hall of Fame for being the first Indian to hold a World title in the WWE? He probably will be inducted, but he really does not deserve it. Jackie wasn't even the first woman to hold the Cruiserweight Championship. I have seen some people point out she was a ref for a while. And? She deserves induction for that? Did it really have a positive impact on the business? A positive impact for women? She didn't get as over as Lita or Chyna. She wasn't booked like Trish Stratus or Michelle McCool. She really didn't do anything to have a major impact as a performer. Even outside of the WWE, because the WWE does often acknowledge what a performer does in other big promotions, she didn't become too notable. She never got over too much in TNA and never even won the title there. Doug Williams deserves induction in the Pro Football Hall of Fame before Jackie deserves induction in the WWE Hall of Fame.

As I said, the Attitude Era was one of the hottest periods in wrestling. Jackie was a part of that. But does everyone that was a part of that era deserve induction in the Hall of Fame? Look at that Denver Broncos team that just won the Super Bowl. Those players will get their Super Bowl rings. But are all of them deserving of Hall of Fame rings? No. Peyton Manning will eventually be inducted. DeMarcus Ware will be inducted. There might be a few other guys that have already clinched induction or likely will. But it isn't enough to just be on a winning team. It is not enough to play one great game or even one great season. That is one of the reasons Doug Williams has not been inducted. I see some fans that think The Godfather does not deserve induction. I disagree. He played a unique character that got over with the fans. That is why I say guys like him and Rikishi do deserve induction. They might not have won World titles. They might have only been midcarders. But they stood out in an entertaining way to help the Attitude Era be successful. Jackie never really had a unique gimmick in the same way these men did. Simply winning some title reigns during the Attitude Era is not enough.

There was an uproar from wrestling fans last year that the WWE could not ignore. That has caused the WWE to be a little better with how they treat women with wrestling talent, although I would not say the status quo of the diva division is over. But the WWE and fans have to be realistic. The Attitude Era was not a time when solid women's wrestling shined. You can bring up Chyna vs. Lita and whatever else all you want, but that doesn't mean all female wrestlers got as over as those two and respectable women's wrestling matches made that era great. Eye-candy divas and other things going on in the periphery made that era great. Debra stood out during this era more than Jackie. You might say that is not respectable, but that is the way it was. Sunny isn't the only eye-candy diva that deserves induction into the Hall of Fame. The WWE should not only be inducting female wrestlers for the next few years. They are just not being realistic to what their history is about. I know there is a revolution going on, but that doesn't mean you go back and act like certain women had more of an impact than they really did. That's revisionist history. This is an era where tables have turned and female wrestlers are getting talked about more. I could imagine Paige, Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, and Charlotte getting careers to get them into the Hall of Fame. It is a lot of the eye-candy divas, like Summer Rae, that are no longer making the same impact they made back in the Attitude Era.

In the end, I would say I see some double standards here. A lot of fans will say a woman deserves induction into the Hall of Fame for just having solid wrestling talent and winning some titles. But these same fans would roll their eyes at certain midcard men with solid wrestling talent and some title reigns under his name getting inducted, even if he stood out more than these women and got more over. A lot of fans drop their standards for the women. I don't think that's right. Do you want to demand better for these women? Or do you want to accept mediocrity as something amazing? As long as the WWE continues to commit to inducting one woman into their Hall of Fame every year, more women that may not really deserve it may get it.