AJ Lee And John Cena = AJ Styles And Dixie Carter

You have another example of the WWE and TNA taking each other's ideas. AJ Lee and John Cena have this possible affair going on. This is similar to what TNA had with AJ Styles and Dixie Carter. Very similar. If you remember, that TNA storyline almost ended with it being revealed that Styles and Dixie Carter were doing a good deed by helping the woman involved in the angle. They prolonged the storyline after that, but that reveal was just sickening to me. It tried too hard to make them look like the good guys. Trying too hard to make someone look like a good guy? Is it any wonder the WWE would use this with Cena? It is branching into Cena/AJ vs. Ziggler/Vickie.

The only thing I like about this whole affair is that it is keeping Cena out of both main-event matters and the title chase. This is not the first time that has happened, so don't make the assumption that Cena is done as centerpiece. Nevertheless, it is still making things a little fresh. To think, if Cena had not gotten injured, would this still be happening?

Dolph Ziggler gets to work a feud with another top name. He still has not cashed in the briefcase. I still wonder, even after he eventually does win the title, will he have anyone fresh left to work with? He worked with CM Punk earlier this year. He feuded with Jericho. He went against Randy Orton. He is now feuding with the company's top face. The guy has the credibility to win the World's Heavyweight Championship. But after he wins, will they be able to develop good feuds?

AJ Lee vs. Vickie Guerrero. This is periphery diva vs. periphery diva. Do you consider Vickie Guerrero a true "diva"? That's not relevant now. They continue to do a ton more for AJ Lee than they have done for any female wrestler in years. She is the first female wrestler developed as a periphery diva like this since Lita. Vickie Guerrero is obviously a non-wrestler, but she is hated. She gets great heat. Working against her can definitely make AJ look good, as well as the rub from Cena.

Aside from Cena getting a break from more important things, I hate just about everything associated with this storyline. It will most likely be another attempt to get Cena looking like such a great guy. Regardless of how it turns out, AJ Lee continues to get more than she has actually earned. Keeping her as a manager/valet for some wrestler or in a romance angle would have been fine, but they are pushing her hard and harder. Lita was never pushed this hard. Keep in mind that it has only been about a year since AJ's angle with Daniel Bryan started. It was from there that the WWE developed AJ further to get over. It is true that Lita won her first Women's Championship in less than a year after debuting, but she was never pushed this hard in terms of storylines, character development, and rubs in her first year. What they are doing with AJ is very forced.

Team Foley Vs. Team Punk

Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio will be on opposite sides of a traditional Survivor Series match, but not in the way I was expecting. It will be Team Foley vs. Team Punk. Team Foley will comprise of Ryback, Randy Orton, Kane, Daniel Bryan, and Kofi Kingston. CM Punk's team will include himself, Alberto Del Rio, Damien Sandow, Cody Rhodes, and The Miz.

I'm not going to play booker and say that I would have tried to put in guys like Wade Barrett, Rey Mysterio, and Sin Cara, among others. The match they have now looks good. It should make for a great main event at Survivor Series.

I just feel that something should be on the line in this kind of match. This match was pretty much made off of these ideas about respect and tradition, but what else is there? Mick Foley will lead his team, but he is not in the actual match. I think they can do a lot more with his involvement. CM Punk is on this crusade for respect. If his team should win, how about Mick Foley being forced to say that CM Punk is the best in the world? It sounds weak, even to me, but I still feel something more needs to be done to make this match mean more. It seems a little awkward to just have Mick Foley stand there.

How about Ryback? The WWE ran a finish that involved him getting screwed by the referee at Hell in a Cell. He still got revenge on Punk after the match. But it seems like he is the focal point of Mick Foley's team. Considering that Randy Orton is one of the faces on that team, it really is interesting. It's way too early to call it, but I could see the WWE having Ryback win at Survivor Series and facing Punk for the title again at TLC. Punk can pick up a more decisive win there, then move on to The Rock. If they didn't put the title on Ryback last Sunday, I doubt they will do it before The Rock gets his title shot. Until then, it feels good to have a fresh face getting the main attention.

Why No Periphery For Mickie?

Why didn't the WWE choose to develop Mickie James as a periphery diva back in 2010, instead of releasing her? The diva division is a women's division that revolves around this idea of pushing eye-candy women who develop their wrestling ability in the company as the centerpiece. The only female wrestlers the WWE has developed to be successes since the diva division started have been developed in the periphery of centerpiece matters. The WWE obviously did not want Mickie James as their centerpiece, which is not surprising at all, but why not develop her as a periphery diva, since she had made herself into their most over diva through being a credible jobber?

I already gave an obvious reason a while ago. Having a centerpiece is worth more than having a periphery diva. The centerpiece is the most important diva in the division. Back at the time Mickie James was there, after Trish and Lita left, their main focus was recreating that centerpiece. Seeing as they were having trouble doing that with the women they wanted to do it with, taking away resources to build a periphery diva might not have been too likely.

Resources are another key issue. Take a look at what the WWE is doing with AJ Lee to see how much work goes into a periphery diva. Behind the scenes, there has to be time and energy devoted by the writers. On the other side of the camera, segment time on the shows has to be devoted to developing the periphery diva. Because periphery divas usually rotate around the men, you would have to find a well-pushed guy you are willing to pair the diva with. Right now, AJ is working with John Cena. John Cena. He is the centerpiece. Even if the WWE had a change of heart and decided to give Mickie James the better career she had earned and decided to ease down on trying to create a new centerpiece so hard, there would still be a lot of work and resources to get the periphery treatment started. It might have ended up being easier said than done.

Let's say that the WWE did decide to develop Mickie James as a periphery diva, were willing to devote all the resources and work, and had a good plan to do it, how easily can they make that transition? From the time she debuted in 2005, Mickie James was always a credible jobber. She was getting pushes to put over the centerpiece and act as filler when the centerpiece was not around. With this kind of career, and with more issues with their centerpieces than the WWE could have imagined, Mickie ended up winning 6 title reigns in less than 5 years. You don't want a credible jobber to tie or break the record you set with the greatest centerpiece you ever had and you don't want her in the way of your new centerpiece, but how do you explain to your fans how a woman who won 6 title reigns in less than 5 years will never win the title again or will no longer be a regular in the actual main diva feuds? Better yet, how do you explain that to Mickie James? I can't think of an easy answer to that. I guess they could have just started the periphery angle without making it clear to Mickie that she would never be winning the title again and not be given as many true diva feuds, but it would look blatantly suspicious after a while.

Finally, even if they did start pushing Mickie James in the periphery, what if issues arose in the actual heart of the diva division that would require her to be given another title feud? Impossible? Keep in mind that there were two women's titles at the time Mickie got released. The brand split meant more back then. Remember what happened shortly after Mickie was released? Beth Phoenix, who took her spot as face credible jobber on Smackdown, got injured. After that, Tiffany was soon suspended and released. Kelly Kelly almost suffered a serious injury at a house show. If Mickie James was still on Smackdown as a periphery diva, is it hard to imagine that the WWE would be put in a position to push her? And what if McCool and/or Layla were injured or had some other issues right then? You are pretty much put in a position to put the title on Mickie James. With the titles unified and brand split dead, you no longer have to worry too much about an issue like that. Back then, however, a fragile diva division would have made the possibility of periphery diva Mickie James still seeing a lot of action as interim centerpiece or credible jobber to put over the centerpiece.

In the end, would pushing Mickie James as a periphery diva have made it that much easier for them to fix their centerpiece issues? They wanted Michelle McCool over. Mickie James still being there would mean fans still talking about her. And after a while of being pushed in the periphery for too long, and especially if the women pushed as centerpiece still continued to fail, how long until the fans wanted to see her back in diva feuds? It would be almost like the situation you have with Mark Sanchez and Tim Tebow. Mark Sanchez is the starting quarterback for the New York Jets. Tebow is backup and not used too much. Because Sanchez is failing to deliver consistently, you can hear fans sometimes chanting for Tebow. The coach for the Jets, Rex Ryan, has not folded easily. Tebow isn't a great quarterback, but Sanchez isn't winning enough, either. Mickie James proved her worth at her job. Pro wrestling is all about pushing the performers the fans want to see. With a diva as over as Mickie James and a diva division as fragile as it was back then, simply pushing Mickie in the periphery all of a sudden would have been no easy answer.

Del Rio Doesn't Look Happy

Yes, I was just looking for an excuse to use that pic.

Randy Orton beat Alberto Del Rio at the PPV. However, on Main Event last week, they set up a match that will feature Del Rio and the Prime Time Players facing Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, and Sin Cara for this week. The feud continues. I am glad about that.

It looks like this can easily branch into a traditional Survivor Series match at the next PPV. Each of the obvious captains, Del Rio and Orton, have two guys each on their team already, potentially. It is obviously too soon to predict who would win, but I would have Del Rio win at Survivor Series. Orton already picked up a PPV win over him. Shift the momentum a little, then end it in December's PPV.

Should there be a power outage from the hurricane coming tonight, don't expect an update tomorrow. Frankenstorm wished it had as lovely a face as Alberto Del Rio.

Ryback's Big Moment?

Have my feelings towards Ryback changed? No, I still do not consider myself a fan of this guy. Have my feelings towards this situation changed? No, I still think this is a very interesting situation.

Ryback is undefeated. CM Punk's WWE Championship reign has lasted almost a year. A Hell in a Cell match cannot end by DQ or countout. Something will have to give right here. Yes, they could still pull some lame finish to save CM Punk's title reign and keep Ryback undefeated, but I don't think they will. There is too much hype for this situation. It would be a letdown.

Should Ryback win? Chris Jericho is on his side. I think Ryback should win. I'm sure a lot of people would like to see it. CM Punk, of course, has his supporters wanting him to win. But what kind of moment would it be for Ryback if he did win? To me, there are two possibilities.

A few years ago, Sheamus had the biggest push of his young career and beat John Cena for the WWE Championship. Sheamus had been on the ECW roster, he had lost to Goldust, then they suddenly put him on Raw, stuff him with momentum, give him a title shot, and he won in a tables match. Most people didn't think the WWE would book Sheamus to win the title so fast. It all seemed so forced down the fans' throats. Some called it a fluke. His reign was full of a lot of "fluke" victories. Fact is, he still won it. Years later, he has obviously now connected with the fans better and deserves the position he is now in.

Just last year, Mark Henry finally won the big one by defeating Randy Orton cleanly for the World's Heavyweight Championship. Mark Henry had wrestled in title matches before, and even held the ECW Championship. But that push last year was great. They built him up by having him destroy other big guys. Ratings actually went up on Smackdown for him. Coincidence? No matter what, it was great seeing Mark Henry win it. And unlike Sheamus, he wasn't really shoved down anyone's throat out of nowhere and his reign was not filled with flukes.

What does the WWE do now? Ratings on Raw are horrible. A 2.48 does not look good. Round it up to a 2.5 makes it look so much better? No, not really. Yes, they had a ton of competition, but Raw has not seen better than a 3.0 since summer. They need to do something different. I believe this Ryback situation has potential to intrigue. It is a similar situation to what you had with Mark Henry. Ryback is not a veteran like Mark Henry, but I don't feel his push is coming completely out of nowhere, like what you had with Sheamus. Ryback has been picking up wins for months now, dominating. He has beaten former World Champions. The fans are liking him. Here is something else to keep in mind, though it may not necessarily be a selling point to give Ryback the title. You have absolutely no new World Champions in the WWE this year. Daniel Bryan came into 2012 with Smackdown's World title. He lost it to Sheamus, a former WWE Champion. The two guys gunning for Sheamus are former Champions, Big Show and Dolph Ziggler. CM Punk has been Champion on Raw all year. If you want to create new main-eventers, it would help to give them the top titles. Is Ryback ready for that? Titles aren't everything, but you need to do something to draw.

Eve Torres Vs. Layla Vs. Kaitlyn At Hell In A Cell

I was hoping for a triple threat for the tag titles, but it seems that the PPV coming up will have a triple threat for the Diva's Championship. Eve will defend against both Layla and Kaitlyn. It was revealed that she was the attacker on Raw. There are a few points I want to make about all this.

First, looking at Raw, the segment that featured Kaitlyn finding evidence against Eve happened backstage. I don't really like that. Major segments almost always happen in the ring. That is the way it should be. What you have going on here is an elaborate diva storyline, albeit a weak one. I feel the reveal should have happened in the ring. They obviously would have had to write it differently, but I think it could have been possible. Eve comes out to do a promo about AJ's situation, Kaitlyn confronts her, and then Layla joins in. Give it that focus.

Next, I really don't like the pacing of this feud. Earlier this month, I talked about the state of the diva division. I mentioned that Beth Phoenix's last act may be putting over Eve in this storyline. I wrote that on a Monday. On that Monday's Raw, Eve beat Beth. They should have drawn it out more. They could have given at least one more week to develop Beth's involvement in the story, then have Eve go over her. Since then, Eve has also faced Kaitlyn and Layla. Definitely rushing through things. I would have had Layla get her rematch at Hell in a Cell. Drag on the drama of the storyline a little. Have the reveal happen after the PPV. If they still want a triple threat, rather than Eve vs. Kaitlyn, go for it. I realize that they don't have a ton of workers to have many filler matches, but you have enough to not rush things so fast. They definitely could have spread it out and made this a more intriguing elaborate diva storyline.

Should it have been Eve? She was the obvious choice. But they are really low on credible jobbers. Layla is being used to put over Eve. So is Kaitlyn, but I don't think she is solid enough in the ring yet to be considered a true credible jobber. They could have used this situation to debut a henchwoman for Eve. Debut someone from NXT. In a few months, Eve and her henchwoman can have issues, then that leads to Eve feuding with whoever that woman would be. Altogether, if you do things the way I would have done them, the diva division would be set for the rest of the year and into 2013, as far as centerpiece issues go.

Who should win? Eve is the centerpiece. She just won the title last month. Although she has had some title defenses, I see no reason to end it, especially when you consider who the other choices are. I mean no disrespect to Layla. She is solid now and deserves to be treated properly, but she just had a long title reign. I see no reason to give it back to her so soon, especially when she is not the centerpiece. As for Kaitlyn, as I said before, she is not solid enough in the ring. I don't think she should win. In the typical elaborate diva storyline, you would have the title change hands. Since Kaitlyn is the victim of heel Eve, it would make sense, storyline-wise, for her to eventually win it. I don't know if they will eventually do it, and I'm still not sure of whether they should, but Eve seems to be the safe choice to retain here.

Alberto Del Rio Vs. Randy Orton At Hell In A Cell

Aside from the World title match, Smackdown's big feud is between Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio. These are two of my favorites. It would have meant so much more if Del Rio had won the title off of Sheamus. People can see similarities between Del Rio and other wrestlers, such as JBL and Eddie Guerrero. He is a mix of the two. I sometimes see some of Randy Orton in Del Rio, as well.

So far, the feud has been rather basic. Del Rio attacked Orton, and now Orton wants revenge. You have two former multi-time World Champions. Very simple feud. You shouldn't be too surprised that this is what they would have for Del Rio after feuding for the title.

Who wins? The way things are set up, Orton would be the obvious choice to win. Most of the momentum is in Del Rio's favor. Nevertheless, this is a feud I hope goes beyond Hell in a Cell. They have faced each other before, but I think the actual feud they have going on right now can be developed a lot better, given time. Of course, I do not want to see it drag on for over a third of the year, like Sheamus and Del Rio. Let it go on until December, then fizzle out as the Royal Rumble approaches. If the WWE does extend it, I wouldn't be surprised if Del Rio wins this match. Orton can always pick up the final match of the feud.

Kane In 2012

I stopped to think about the year Kane has had. It isn't even over yet, but it is still filled with so much. It really illustrates a strong point that I always like bringing up.

Kane started off the year in a feud that lasted over two months with John Cena, the centerpiece of the company. Cena, not surprisingly, went over Kane to end the feud. Cena continued to be pushed as the centerpiece, while Kane moved down.

Kane then entered a feud with Randy Orton, who was at one time the centerpiece of Smackdown. He beat Randy Orton at Wrestlemania, and on Orton's own birthday. Nevertheless, Orton ended up winning that feud.

The next major feud for Kane involved him feuding for the WWE Championship, while also getting involved in a romance angle involving AJ Lee, CM Punk, and Daniel Bryan. Obviously, Kane did not win the title.

Since then, Kane has teamed with Daniel Bryan and won the Tag Team Championship. There have been a few instances where he has still been main-eventing recently. He is getting plenty of opportunities to be featured. He has one of the best storylines going right now with Daniel Bryan.

Kane started off 2012 as a jobber to the centerpiece. They built him up for Cena to overcome, Cena did, and that was it. But look at all the other things he has done after that. I didn't even list some of the other things between all that. Kane has been feuding with main-eventers since his feud with Cena. He was a contender for titles and Money in the Bank. He is holding titles right now. He seems to never have to wait long to get some good storyline. If you consider that they could have legitimately put him in U.S. or Intercontinental title feuds, you realize that there were even more possibilities for Kane than what has played out.

Not so bad being used to put over the centerpiece of the company, is it? There are still many possibilities after that, as you can see with the example of Kane. In the diva division, you don't get that. The men's division is more open. Once a diva is done putting over the centerpiece of the division, there aren't exactly tag titles or midcard titles that they move on to compete for. Even though the periphery is pretty much the only real place to still get pushed well after being used to put over the centerpiece, you don't see credible jobbers get that kind of treatment. Look at Beth Phoenix. When her title reign ended this year, they didn't bother trying to develop any other storyline for her. If you ever do see a diva get treated well after feuding with a centerpiece, that woman is most likely a periphery diva, not a credible jobber. Those frequent depushes and poorer pushes after putting over a centerpiece or being pushed as interim centerpiece are one of the major indicators of being a credible jobber.

Since I am talking about the diva division, let me mention one more thing. You have a centerpiece, Eve Torres. You have a strong periphery diva, AJ Lee. But when it comes to credible jobbers, they are really in trouble right now. Layla has been getting pushed as a credible jobber. Natalya is still there. Even if Beth Phoenix was never leaving, she has been around for a long time. They need to debut more fresh women from NXT with solid wrestling ability. If you see a woman fitting that profile debut within the next few months, don't be surprised to see them feuding against Eve very soon. Without good credible jobbers, I don't think they can properly leave the current dark age the diva division is in, even though they have a new centerpiece in place. Without strong, fresh jobbers to put that centerpiece over, you can't go far.

As for Kane, the year is not even over for him yet. Even after he loses the tag titles, you can imagine that his angle with Daniel Bryan will still go on for a little while longer after that. He has not been truly buried at all this year, despite starting the year as an obvious jobber to the centerpiece. People take that kind of thing for granted, but it never happens like that for jobbers to the centerpiece in the diva division.

The Highs And Lows Of The Tag Division

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

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

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

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

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

Brodus Clay Is A Jobber

Has Brodus Clay gotten stale? When the WWE were not properly pushing him earlier this year, it was likely that he would go stale. All he was doing was squashing jobbers. Is it all catching up now? One thing is for sure, with his current treatment, it is much easier to bury him.

Not only is Brodus still not getting pushed properly, but he isn't even winning as much these days. He is the one who is jobbing. Losing to Heath Slater really is a far drop from once running over former World Champions. Brodus will still get meaningless wins against jobbers below him, but they really could have done better.

Some people might say that Brodus being used in this current way is no big deal because he didn't have an angle, anyway. Well, he never really had a fair chance to show what he can do in a legitimate feud and storyline. The closest thing he had to a major feud was his brief interactions with Big Show. Instead of developing a good feud between the two, Big Show ended up getting a win over Brodus and moved on from there to still be pushed hard. Since then, Brodus hasn't really gone anywhere.

It was pretty obvious that this kind of thing might happen. How can you expect someone to stay fresh and keep momentum when they are being pushed in a way that is not fresh and you are killing their momentum? The shouldn't have done this with Brodus. The guy had potential to be a little more than a dancing fool, even with his current gimmick. They could have kept the gimmick and still given him real feuds. He still has the gimmick, but how long will that last?