CM Punk Is Injured

You didn't have to wait too long to see if anyone major would suffer an injury this December. CM Punk had knee surgery yesterday. This has been reported by the WWE themselves, so you can believe it more than if it was just dirtsheet reports. The WWE has even changed the TLC card. Instead of CM Punk defending the title against Ryback, Ryback will join Daniel Bryan and Kane to face The Shield.

Of all the top stars to be put in this kind of situation, it had to be CM Punk, the guy who has held the WWE Championship for well over a year, was already booked in a title defense for a PPV just a few weeks away, and looked like he would just roll right into the Royal Rumble to face The Rock. It does look like Punk will get to hold onto the title. No word on whether he would be forced to relinquish it. Only the match change has been announced. This kind of situation obviously called for changes to booking. Compare that to the inconsistency the WWE showed for just last month's PPV. No such excuse there.

But you still have to wonder, is the WWE handling this correctly? No WWE title match at TLC, after they had started to develop one? Cena vs. Ziggler now looks like a PPV main-event match. In a situation like this, where a title match is set and the Champion cannot compete, can you just cancel the whole title defense? The WWE can make up any kayfabe excuse for this, but I think there were still ways to work around this. I remember when there was a series of matches to crown a new U.S. Champion between Booker T and Chris Benoit. When Booker T got injured, Randy Orton substituted for him. Why couldn't the WWE just have Punk and Heyman come up with a substitute? Yes, that might involve switching up some other plans, bringing in Brock Lesnar, or some other attempt to bring in a credible opponent for Ryback. I think it would have been worth it. The current situation is cheap. If the shoe was on the other foot, if it was the challenger getting injured, I cannot imagine the WWE not finding a new one and letting the WWE Championship still be defended. They obviously don't want to vacate the title just like that, but they are putting themselves in a tough spot for TLC. That's what happens when major stars get injured.

Will Face Miz Make It?

The WWE has followed through with Miz's face turn. There was that slight possibility that it could have been a fake turn to screw the face team at Survivor Series. And now? Miz doesn't seem to have a legitimate feud going for him. He is still getting featured well, as evidenced by how they used him on Raw. Just because The Shield attacked him, that does not mean he will team with Kane and Daniel Bryan to feud with them. Randy Orton was also a victim. That's four faces and three heels. I'm not counting Ryback because he has his feud with Punk. Back to Miz, did the WWE miss some opportunities?

At Survivor Series, the WWE really could have made a big deal out of playing up whether the face team could trust Miz. And then, have Miz be the guy to really come through for his team. Not unheard of, but depending on how they teased and developed it throughout the match, it could have been good. Instead, the heel team won it, furthering Ziggler's own development. Of course, if the WWE did go this way for Miz, it might have been too much. Too forced? In the end, although it might have been a good story, it was not entirely necessary just to change Miz's character.

While developing the Survivor Series traditional elimination tag match, the WWE inserted Miz into the storyline involving Kane and Daniel Bryan. If they had chosen to continue in that direction, that would have given Miz some kind of focus. Kane and Daniel Bryan are already dysfunctional, but inserting a third guy would have increased the possibilities. Now that Kane and Daniel Bryan are feuding with The Shield, the WWE is selling this idea that Kane and Bryan are now more on the same page. That would have ruined the idea of inserting Miz to cause more drama. Nevertheless, if they had gone in that direction, I think they could have made it work without ruining whatever tag title feud the WWE decided to run with for the Champions. Miz would just make it more interesting. Would he cost them the tag titles? Would Daniel Bryan getting distracted by Miz cost them the titles? In the end, all three could hug it out.

What should Miz be doing now? Using him as a minor character in the bigger feud between CM Punk and Ryback is an obvious possibility. So is having him actually team with Kane and Daniel Bryan now against The Shield. Where does that leave Orton? That's another issue. A feud I would like to see would be Miz feuding with a heel who has no real feud going at all, Damien Sandow. They seem to be developing him as a singles wrestler again. He has this angle going about asking him questions. Okay, I like gimmick development, but how about a feud? Both of these guys were on the same team at Survivor Series, then Miz switched sides. Both have interesting characters and momentum right now. A feud would be great to try.

Will December 2012 Be Frigid For WWE?

December is officially here. December 2011 was a very tough month for the WWE. I just want to give a slight preview for some of the things I will be looking out for.

First, you have to talk about ratings. Right now, the WWE is running a long streak of Raw ratings being under a 3.0. Everyone is blaming it particularly on the third hour, which has almost always seen a drop of viewers since Raw added the extra hour. Thing is, this is not the first time in recent years that Raw has had a streak of weekly ratings under a 3.0. December 2011 never saw a 3.0 or better. It was the first full month of CM Punk's now yearlong title reign. The month did not feature John Cena too prominently in the main spotlight. Could those things have factored in? After that month, things got back slightly on track and Raw went back above a 3.0. What can you expect this time? Considering the current streak and how stale the product is becoming, there will be no relief in December for Raw's ratings problem. Raw wasn't even 3 hours every week back last year. To make matters worse, you have Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve falling on Mondays this year. The average annual rating for 2012 so far is a 3.05. Depending on how terrible the numbers are this month, there is a possibility that it could drop below a 3.0. The perfect holiday gift for the WWE?

Now for the superstitious stuff. December has not been good when it comes to injuries. A few wrestlers got injured last December, including Alberto Del Rio. In 2010, John Cena suffered a minor injury that still had an impact on the Nexus storyline. Melina got injured while holding the Diva's Championship in 2009. The year before that, Maryse got injured shortly after winning her first title. Will anyone get injured this month this year? Cody Rhodes suffered an injury a few weeks ago. We will see if anyone else suffers an injury. Not a thing you like to watch out for, but still something to wonder about.

Just like last December, it looks like the major focus on Raw will be CM Punk and his title feud. He should be in the main event at TLC. Another title shot for Ryback. As I said when I was talking about Survivor Series, Hell in a Cell would have been the time to put the title on Ryback. They didn't do it at either of the previous two PPVs, and having him win it now and face The Rock is not likely. CM Punk is a better choice to face The Rock than Ryback. The WWE could very well have Ryback win the title at TLC and drop it back to Punk the next night, but that would be stupid. It would only serve to break Punk's long run with the title. If they were going to do that, it would have been better to do it at Survivor Series, before it could last a full year. Nevertheless, still good treatment for Ryback. Have to wonder what they would have been doing around now if Cena never got that injury that brought Ryback in.

A Shield Against Injustice

This looks like it might end up being very stupid. The Shield seems like a cross between Right To Censor and Nexus. At least, based on their promo on Raw and their actions since their debut, that's how I see it. They have demolished a few guys, mostly Ryback. They say that their motive is to be these moral warriors against injustice. Of course, people aren't supposed to be buying it. It is just them stretching for reasons to justify their attacks.

Are they trying to hide the fact that they are working for CM Punk? I like how they are teasing him as the leader. Playing with who was the mastermind was a very possible way to make this angle a little different from the Nexus angle. If it is not Punk, is it Brad Maddox? Paul Heyman? Will Dean Ambrose end up looking like the leader? Seth Rollins? Roman Reigns? I don't think it should be one of the three. Of course, if the WWE really wants to sell the idea that CM Punk is not the leader, they may have Punk be a victim of the group. Could still be a swerve, but might be something you could be seeing.

Why did I say that this might end up being very stupid? If it ends up that this group is really about the farfetched reason these guys gave, it would be a tough pill to swallow. They could legitimately come up with a reason to get involved in almost every match, destroying everyone involved, including the referees. They would have reason to attack the commentators. Have the fans ever shown any kind of disrespect or unfair treatment towards a wrestler. The Shield would have a reason to attack the fans. And yet, all that is not going to happen. It is just not a premise that you can really buy into. It would be very stupid for this to be it. That being said, even if the WWE does go the likely route of soon revealing their true motives and alliances, they cannot keep this farfetched premise going for too long. It can get annoying. You just get this obvious feeling that these guys are up to something more than they are saying, but the WWE still drags it on. And that can make this whole thing seem very stupid, as well. And after the reveal, how will the WWE follow through? I don't have a lot of faith in this one. First thing, they have to develop it to that next step and reveal what these guys are really about as soon as creatively possible.

Sandow Without Rhodes

It is funny how Damien Sandow now finds himself just floating around recently. He is still winning some matches. He is still facing good opponents. Problem is, he has no real direction. He is in the same type of spot Wade Barrett was in prior to his recent push.

What brought about this little depush? The injury to Cody Rhodes. Before that, both were getting pushed in the tag division. Had Cody Rhodes not gotten injured, and going by how the WWE loves extending many title feuds these days, it's not hard to imagine that the heel team would still be in the hunt. You might have finally gotten a 3-way feud between those two, Kane and Daniel Bryan, and Sin Cara and Rey Mysterio. When Rhodes does return, it will be interesting to see if the WWE continues in that direction or would have come up with something just for Sandow by then.

This is just a situation where you don't need dirtsheets to tell you what might or might not be going on backstage. It is pretty obvious what has happened with Sandow. No doghouse. This is just a matter of waiting for Rhodes to return or not being able to figure out a better way to push Sandow for now. No, I'm not saying you should blame the writers. It's not exactly easy to force a new feud just like that for someone who is not as much of a priority as John Cena. As I said before, it took Wade Barrett weeks to finally get the push and direction he now has. Things don't happen automatically for midcarders. Until Rhodes does return, at least Sandow is still featured. No tears needed for him.

Alberto Del Rio And Rosa Mendes

Alberto Del Rio and Rosa Mendes looked like they started an angle on Raw last night. Del Rio got involved in Rosa's issues with Hornswoggle. After that, during Del Rio's match with The Great Khali, Rosa was shown watching.

I think it's good to give Rosa a storyline. I still have a bad taste in my mouth for ever being eager to see how she would do in the ring when she first debuted. She has never been the centerpiece of the diva division. She does not have the credibility to be a credible jobber and has never been pushed in that manner. She is an eye-candy periphery diva. That's how she should be used. Now that she is not in the ring as much, I have warmed up to her again. A romance angle with Alberto Del Rio would be the biggest angle she has ever had. Not only that, but it can make the diva division a little more interesting. AJ Lee is still being pushed hard. Meanwhile, the WWE still has to overcome their issues involving centerpiece and credible jobber matters. A few more angles in the periphery won't directly help Eve, but it will give people more to talk about for the divas.

What does this mean for Alberto Del Rio? This may seem like a step down for him. Since his debut, he has feuded with Rey Mysterio, chased after the World titles, and has just recently feuded with Randy Orton. In between all that were injuries. If you look at it, he has been at the top or near the top since his debut. He's definitely credible. Now would be a good time to do more things with his character. That would make him more interesting. I don't think a romance angle with Rosa Mendes will be too awful. They don't need to overpush her to the main-event scene, but neither do they need to kill Del Rio's character by bringing him down to the level of Primo and Epico.

Will the WWE follow through? Alberto Del Rio had an angle with The Bellas last December. His injury killed that off. There was a legitimate excuse for that ending. Lack of interest may kill off the current romance angle. I am not talking about lack of interest from the fans. I mean from the company. Rosa is not pushed as hard as AJ. There is no reason to push her that hard. Eye-candy divas used to be the easiest to connect with the fans. These days, a little more storyline and character development for some of these women would be nice. The eye-candy diva being pushed as the centerpiece shouldn't be the only one getting it. If this current angle does get killed off, it is easy to see that Del Rio will still go on to be pushed well and Rosa will be the one demoted back down. 

Cena Vs. Ziggler Back On

This just makes the crazy changes in the weeks prior to Survivor Series even more dumb. Prior to a triple threat being made for the WWE Championship, you had Cena and AJ Lee feuding against Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero. Cena gets added back into the matters between Ryback and CM Punk. Ziggler randomly becomes captain of the team CM Punk was supposed to lead at the PPV. Cena loses and Ziggler wins. Now what? Cena and Ziggler are back feuding again. In terms storylines, it makes everything seem pointless. It didn't really lead to any big payoff. Even in terms of trying to draw in buyers for the PPV who might want to see whether or not CM Punk could hold the title for a year, there were other ways to set up a title match without the sloppy changes to Cena/Ziggler. Cena did not need to be there at all.

This really is a big feud for Dolph Ziggler. I like developing someone prior to just tossing them into the main-event scene, but I'm still wondering if they are trying too hard. Ziggler will definitely connect well with the fans, but what will he have left after he does cash in? That's the problem I keep bringing up. Do they see this guy as a possible successor for John Cena? That would explain wanting to push him this hard. Or will he end up like Miz? Miz was developed well in the midcard and moved up prior to winning the WWE Championship. He then put over John Cena and went back down to the midcard. It all comes down to how the WWE now views John Cena and their overall product. Things are not working too well.

And what about Cena? Will this be another one of those pay-per-views where Cena is in a non-title main event that trumps title feuds for either World Championship? I don't think this feud between Cena and Ziggler is important enough. Even if they were to put Vickie's job on the line or Ziggler's Money in the Bank briefcase, the WWE Championship should still take precedence. Then again, you could probably have said the same thing for this year's Money in the Bank PPV. Cena was in the main event, not WWE Champion CM Punk. That one was ridiculous. Not as bad as Cena vs. Kane at Elimination Chamber trumping the World title matches, but still up there. How the WWE handles this feud will really say a lot about how they view Cena now. Are they still banking everything on him? Will they spread the attention better?

No Help From The Sideline

I don't remember if I ever made the analogy between what it is like to be the interim centerpiece in the WWE diva division and what it might be like for a backup quarterback to not get the same support in an NFL game as the starter. If I didn't, I'll be talking about it for the first time now. If I did, I at least have a little visualization to illustrate my point this time.

That cartoon was created by cartoonist Rob Tornoe earlier this month after a game in which Eagles quarterback Michael Vick was hurt and his rookie backup, Nick Foles, had to play the rest of the game. The tall guy in the cartoon is Foles. The guy that looks like all hope is lost is Andy Reid, the head coach. The cartoon implies that Foles is taking over a team in which the head coach has already given up.

In football, the quarterback is allowed to get ideas for what play to try from the coaches on the sideline. In the NFL, there is a communication device in the helmet to facilitate this. The quarterback still has the overall control on what he does out there, but getting some help from the sideline does alleviate some of the stress of trying to think up of everything on the fly. It's not cheating.

Now, could you imagine how fair it would be for the coaching staff to just completely give up after the main quarterback gets injured? Go back to the example of the Eagles. Let's say the coaches were giving full support to Vick to deliver. After Foles takes over after the injury in that same game, the coaches either then completely don't help him or don't give him proper support to help him deliver. The cartoon seems to comically imply that kind of thing happening. Foles, obviously, did get some support from the coaching staff. Reid is playing for his own job.

Would it be fair to compare the performance of a veteran starter with support from the sidelines to that of a rookie backup not getting any support from his coaches? There is an obvious imbalance there. And what if the backup quarterback did go on to do it all on his own? Winning the game? That didn't happen in the case of Nick Foles, who lost the game in which he took over for Vick and a game where he took Vick's place for the entire game the following week. Nevertheless, that would be a truly impressive accomplishment.

Tie that back into what goes on in the diva division. I have said before that the WWE successfully creating a centerpiece is like scoring a touchdown. In terms of what the centerpiece represents in the diva division, you can say she is the quarterback. Just like the quarterback can get injured and need to be replaced by the backup in a football game, the same kind of thing does happen in the diva division. Aside from injuries, you also have flops and centerpieces leaving the company that leads to a backup being needed prior to the WWE planning and developing on who they want to take the spot regularly.

You don't really need to ask what would happen if the WWE does not show the same support to the interim centerpiece that they would to the woman they really wanted to be centerpiece. It happens all the time. Prior to Eve winning the title, Layla was being pushed as an interim centerpiece. She was holding the title, but was not being developed to be a star or even featured regularly on TV. That is not how you properly push a centerpiece. That makes it harder for Layla, as well as so many other divas, to deliver for the company. That makes it harder for the diva division to be as great as it could possibly be. These are problems that are coming from the sidelines, or backstage in this instance. The bosses are not delivering properly for the workers. If that wasn't bad enough, they have this kind of attitude at a time when the diva division is at its lowest, much like many can say the Eagles are at their lowest now. Being like this will not help matters at all.

Go back to what I said about it not being fair to compare a starter with support from the coaches to a backup not getting that kind of support. How does that work out in the diva division? It comes down to comparing centerpieces and periphery divas to credible jobbers. Credible jobbers are those women the WWE pushes mostly as filler or to put over the centerpieces. They don't get the proper support to be over. It is obviously not fair to compare a woman like that to someone being developed to be a draw, whether they are pushing them to be great or a unique character.

You look at the career of Mickie James. She was always a credible jobber. She came in to put over Trish Stratus, had multiple pushes as interim centerpiece when the women they would rather be pushing got injured or retired, and had her career end by putting over Michelle McCool. She was not getting the same kind of support throughout her career as Trish Stratus and Michelle McCool. And what did she do with that career? She gave every reason in the world why the backup should have become the starter. It didn't happen. And the WWE still continues to deny women like her, female wrestlers, the legitimate opportunity to be the centerpiece.

Last comparison to make, the Eagles are currently having the worst losing streak under Andy Reid that they have ever had. It's like a sinking ship or wrecked car, going back to the cartoon. I think it is very easy to relate that back to the diva division. They have never witnessed failure to recreate a great centerpiece like they have been having since Trish Stratus left. Whether it is because of injuries, flopping in the ring, not sticking around long enough to solidify the position, or just failing to get over, none of the chosen divas to be centerpiece have gotten it done. It's not so much the women failing more recently as it is the company not making the right decisions. Andy Reid will most likely lose his job at the end of this season. Who in the WWE loses his job for this failed women's division? How about that same guy who probably came up with the idea to create the diva division in the first place? It won't happen.

Another Year, Another Nexus

I'm not against reusing old angles. After a while, it should pretty much be expected that old angles will be revived with little variations to make it something different. Those variations can possibly even make the new angles even better than the old ones. What I am not liking with current WWE events is the fact that they have not even waited a good enough period of time before reusing an old angle. I talked about pacing just yesterday. The WWE didn't pace this out very well.

I am, of course, talking about the WWE's decision to have guys from NXT randomly show up and go on a rampage. That's Nexus, the big summer storyline from 2010. It continued into 2011, with CM Punk leading a watered-down version on Raw and Wade Barrett leading his own faction on Smackdown. 2010, 2011, and now 2012. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns have arrived. And with a huge impact? That's how the WWE will sell it. If it wasn't pretty much a weaker version of what happened in 2010, I would care more. I know a lot of wrestling fans love some of these guys. I don't judge wrestlers by how they were in the independent circuit or development. If I am going to like these guys, it is going to be based off their work on the main roster. They are already coming in with some hype and in a big storyline, so that should benefit them with connecting with some fans out there.

One thing that the Nexus angle lacked that a lot of fans were expecting was a leader from the main roster. Who was behind the attacks? It turned out Nexus was in it for themselves. This time around, the WWE might have an actual leader. It would be too easy for CM Punk to take credit for this. Paul Heyman? Brad Maddox will likely be it. Why not? He has issues with Ryback. Ryback has been the chief target of the NXT thugs. If the WWE did try to run the exact same angle as 2010, it would look stupid. Three rogues from NXT? Three? Nexus had more than double that amount during their prime, not to mention forcing John Cena to join. Who would buy three guys as that kind of threat as Nexus? No, the best way to go with these guys would be to develop them with a leader.

As I said before, pacing counts. Had the WWE tried another NXT/Nexus storyline in 5 years, that would be one thing. But they have done this kind of thing every year since it started in 2010 now. I have pointed out many times that the Nexus angle was successful in bringing in good ratings for Raw in the summer of 2010, so it should not be too surprising for them to want to go to that again when their ratings need a boost. How many more tricks do they have left?

Kofi/Barrett And A Look At Ratings

It looks like there will be a feud between Kofi Kingston and Wade Barrett for the Intercontinental Championship. They put on a very good match on Raw. This should turn out to be the best thing for Barrett since his return. Even though it is just a basic title feud, and one that has happened before on Smackdown, I just have this feeling like it is fresh. Barrett has developed a lot on his own now. This guy has a lot of potential to be a big star. And this feud doesn't even need a fancy storyline to it. They both have the skills to go in the ring. The WWE just has to pace it out a little bit. Don't rush the title match for next week, then kill it all off. At the same time, don't drag it on for months. If they pace it properly, this should be a great feud for the midcard.

How about the ratings? Haven't talked about that in a while. Smackdown's numbers are down from last year. The yearly average was  1.95 in 2011. It is currently at a 1.89 this year. I don't think it's that huge of a tragedy. Most of the bad numbers have come about for those live editions they had this year. Live editions did do well last year, but have been drawing lower ratings this year. If the WWE had not done those live editions this year, Smackdown's numbers wouldn't look too bad. That's why you really shouldn't worry too much for Smackdown.

Raw is on a roll. A roll all the way down. They have not seen a 3.0 in 11 weeks now. December will not be kind. There is no way they will be able to avoid this being their worst year in the ratings in over a decade. Did I say that same thing last year? Well, they would need to get this year's average up to a 3.2 to meet the 2011 annual average. They are currently at a 3.06. It cannot be done, especially with the recent trend of ratings below a 3.0. They are pretty much just fighting not to have the annual average drop below a 3.0. That is at least a possibility, and an embarrassing one.

TNA's ratings have dropped from last year, but that's not what I want to talk about. Last week's rating was a 1.1. So what? That's the highest number they have gotten since August. Yeah, and? Last week's episode was a taped episode and did go against football. A taped episode that went against the NFL still saw a better number than some of the live episodes this year that did not go against that kind of competition. Part of it is probably due to this episode coming off a PPV, but the ratings for similar episodes in recent months haven't been as high as a 1.1. It makes you wonder, going live was supposed to gain more viewers from those who would rather read spoilers and skip the show if it doesn't look interesting, but a taped show ends up getting you a good number? Don't expect this week's ratings to be any indicator of a trend, since it is Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, would it even matter if TNA decided not to be live anymore?