Cena, Orton, Lesnar, and now Rollins are all out of the picture currently. What is WWE going to do in this situation?
ZX: First of all, get well soon, Rollins. Injuries happen - same thing happened to CM Punk during his lengthy title run and it even happened to Daniel Bryan and Edge in the past. It’s never easy but show must go on, whether we like it or not.
As much as I have my hopes up on them getting smart for once and creating MULTIPLE new stars, I just KNOW that it’s going to end up one of two ways.
- Roman Reigns wins in the most predictable win since Royal Rumble this year when everyone turned on the guy because it was SOOO bloody obvious that the E machine wanted him as their new “Cena” top guy.
- WWE hits the panic button and urges Cena to come back from his vacation earlier than planned like that last time they were put into a jam like this.
If I could have blind optimism for a moment, I would love for them to create or make bigger stars of the guys they have left on the roster right now, specifically, Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, Bray Wyatt (doubtful as he’s in that program with Kane and The Undertaker that should help him somewhat), Ryback, Stardust, and especially Cesaro. C’mon, if there wasn’t a better time to take a chance on putting Cesaro in the top spot it’s NOW. This is almost divine intervention in a sense.
What else are they going to do? Clear Daniel Bryan’s medical record for he can get injured again in a few more matches?
Serena: If to be completely honest, I do doubt that WWE will call in John Cena to come back from his vacation earlier. As it was noted on a few wrestling news sites, WWE has yet to officially mention why Cena is not on televised programming. Nothing bad happened. He just lost the title to the returning Alberto Del Rio. He wasn’t beaten to a bloody pulp or injured, he was not banned and he even still has a rematch for the U.S. Title. Yet, not even the commentary has noted his absence from Raw or Smackdown!. I do think that we don’t know something about this vacation and what happened between Cena and WWE. Although, he is advertised for an earlier comeback to battle ADR for the championship. So, maybe the fallout wasn’t anything severe. For the time being I think it is safe to say that John is out of the World Heavyweight title picture.
The easiest route is to give the title to Roman. Sure, sounds very fangirl-y of me to say it, but I do think that Roman Reigns has improved since Wrestlemania and has developed somewhat of a style. Roman now shows a lot more emotions during matches and shows a lot more facial expressions. His wrestling moveset is quite limited, but at the same time he does execute it quite well. He now finally has the crowd behind him and becoming champion wouldn’t be the worst possible scenario.
The possibility of WWE hitting panic mode, blowing off dust and cobwebs of a Legend and making a surprise return and title win at Survivor Series is something I dread a lot more than Reigns getting a title run. Sure, for a week or so it might get the ratings up, but it all seems like spitting on fire, hoping that it would extinguish.
Of course, the upper-mid-carders getting a chance to finally shine and start creating their own legacy in WWE is something I would much rather see, but we saw time and time again that World Wrestling Entertainment cares very little about creating a new generation of Superstars or Divas and are more interested in a quick ratings boost.
ZX: To be fair, I don’t have anything against Roman Reigns winning the title. I just don’t want it to be so obvious that even Ray Charles could see it coming like Paige’s heel turn two weeks ago on RAW. He’s a little rough around the edges and like how Samoa Joe pointed out to Neville and Bo Dallas on Table For 3 last week on the WWE Network, you have to make the best of those situations where the company trusts that much into your personal brand to invest into your character to carry the product. You have to evolve and show that you can rise up to this new challenge, whether you were ready for it or not. Find a way to make it work.
I thought it was ironic for Joe to say that because he knows a thing or two about being put into situations to carry a company on his back - both for Ring of Honor and definitely during his own World Title run in TNA/Impact Wrestling.
Serena: I agree on that. Roman still has a lot of room for improvement and only very recently he started getting a better reaction from the crowd (even though he was mocked during his promo to hype “Hell in a Cell” and his match with Bray). And it was more than clear that WWE is ready to invest into Roman, eventually passing the torch of him becoming the company’s top babyface. So, everybody knew that until Wrestlemania 32 he will be champion at least once. Plus, how many times can you play the game of Roman being a warrior, clawing his way up and then losing at the last second? I think that him winning the title at Survivor Series might work out okay in the end.
ZX: Good point, it’ll be the same issue WWE ran into with Daniel Bryan at one point. He had so many roadblocks that they HAD to give him the title at WrestleMania and fans wouldn’t have it any other way. At the same time, I don’t have any sympathy in this situation for WWE’s style of booking. They ALWAYS back themselves up into a corner like this and people have been saying it for years that they wouldn’t have this problem every time their “top” guys get injured or sidelined if they actually put the effort to give EVERYONE a chance like they did during the Attitude Era - which only happened because WCW backed them into a corner.
Serena: You know what we did forget? Sheamus and the Money in the Bank briefcase (I think WWE forgot that too). There is a very slim chance of him successfully cashing in. Or, he will be one of the small handful that cashed in and failed, leaving The Celtic Warrior in a tag team with King Barrett losing to Lucha Dragons. (Although, I do like the two Europeans as a tag team).
ZX: Sheamus and Barrett in a tag team? I can dig that idea, especially if they aren’t going to get over alone as individuals. I rather them put a spin on the Money in the Bank briefcase and have it can be cashed in on ANY title (minus the Divas Championship of course). Have Sheamus and Barrett cash in on the New Day or the Usos after they win the gold.
WWE doesn’t forget about the MITB briefcase, they always do this. They book the holder in a manner where you forget that they matter in terms of where they stand on the totem pole. Remember Rollins lost his match against Orton at WrestleMania in a blaze of glory before cashing in later that night.
Serena: True. But for some reason, I don’t think that this time them booking Sheamus in a manner that makes you forget he’s even in the title picture worked out that well. We already had one sneaky heel, with the moniker “The Architect”, cash in the briefcase by surprise. Say what you want, but “The Heist of the Century” was quite fitting and made that cash in feel valid and important. WWE is trying to recreate the same sneaky thing angle with Hawk-Man. But you can’t really shoot that firework twice. Sure, all cash ins are similar if a heel does it. Yet, in my humble opinion there is no need for a sequel. Don’t freakin’ fix it, if it ain’t broken.
ZX: Sadly, that’s going to be same problem for any heel trying to cash in following Rollins. It’s going to be that same reaction as the guys who cashed in following Edge. After a heel cashes in, WWE should let a babyface win next to have a chance to not repeat or cheapen that emotion to heel tactics. I personally feel like they are setting Sheamus up for failure like Damien Sandow’s cash-in so I’m not going in expecting much to begin with. If he wins, bravo, but I see that as a transitional champion (something that I’m sure WWE is going to bank on in Rollins’ absence) that’s just going to fill the void until they groom the next big thing (Pick one: Reigns, Cesaro, or a returning Lesnar) to take the driver’s seat going into WrestleMania season. If Sheamus loses, then he continues on down the road of midcard Hell with 70% of the roster in WWE right now.
The Current Situation with the Divas Division
ZX: Where to begin on this? Well, let’s just limit this to the main roster as we’ll discuss NXT’s problems later.
Somehow or another but Paige has found herself into yet ANOTHER title match. Serena, take the floor as you got a LOT more to say about Paige than me. (Grabs bag of popcorn) This is going to be good...
Serena: Kind of you. Well… Okay, hard to even properly start without any curse words. I wanted to explain how I got to know Paige as a in ring performer and such, but hey, who cares about that? Let’s just cut straight to the chase. I, honest to God, can’t stand Paige. I don’t care who marks for her or thinks that she cuts killer promos (Which she does not, since all of her promos are pretty much rehashes of AJ Lee’s repertoire). I think she is one of the most overrated Divas throughout the years and she would be NOWHERE if not for her famous family. Why all this animosity about her and the fact that she is once again getting a title shot at Survivor Series against Charlotte?
First of all, her attitude towards everything in general. And no, this is not the fact that she is playing a heel. As it was made evident on “Total Divas”, “Tough Enough”, interviews and podcasts, Casper the Unfriendly Ghost is obnoxiously rude and arrogant, thinking insanely highly about every aspect of her personal career, with the annoying need to lecture and scold others about the wrestling business. She even gushed about being the mastermind behind that failure of a “pipebomb” promo that she cut during Charlotte’s title win celebration. (Rip off of AJ Lee, who ripped off her hubby CM Punk, who ripped off Scott Steiner, who probably ripped off someone else). To add insult to injury as someone who mocks Eva Marie for not being a true wrestler or taking down The Bella’s for getting ahead in the company because of their significant others, Paige’s wrestling abilities seem very mediocre. Most of the time she seems quite slow and clunky in the ring, constantly shouting spots, having poor chemistry with her opponents and barely selling any defense or offense. Usually, in matches where Paige is involved I forget to look at her performance and get distracted by her awful hair extensions that not only seem to get stuck in her fake eyelashes, but also look like they are oddly placed, since most of the times it looks like Paige has huge bald spots.
Please, ZX, the all knowing of the wrestling worlds, explain me…. Why is this monstrosity over with the fans? And why does she get the #1 contender spot constantly over people like Becky or Sasha or even Nattie? Paige has absolutely nothing of her own, being a poor mashup of Lita, AJ Lee and Victoria.
ZX: I won’t accept that title of “all knowing of the wrestling worlds” as there’s a lot I don’t know but I’m not afraid to admit that.
As for Paige, she’s over for the same reason as Reigns for the most part. I was criticized and called a sexist for agreeing with Jim Cornette about this observation and openly stated that I feel like a lot of female fans want to sleep with Reigns since they find the guy attractive. Let’s be serious here, sex sells. Always have and always will. Why else is the porn industry still around?
Serena: Wait, Paige is a sexually desire object? Well, fuck me twice on Sundays...
ZX: Whoa, there, Serena. We don’t want our readers thinking we’re screwing each others’ brains out on this blog.
Serena: Note taken. But still… I get why Reigns is over. I get why Randy or Cena is over. Hell, I know there is even a market for Ambrose as a sexy dude, because he seems mental. But Paige, or AJ Lee, or hell, even Victoria never struck me as ladies to be desired.
ZX: WWE has that niche audience that wanted a “zombie hot/gothic” chick on their roster. Paige fits the bill even though they could’ve gotten Daffney years ago during the WCW buyout but didn’t do anything with her before releasing her from developmental.
Paige and AJ Lee fit that oddball sect of wrestling fans (they came out of the woodwork after they debuted as there’s a LOT of them buying their merchandise and such) who like their women NOT looking like the typical supermodels and blonde bimbos that WWE is notorious for hiring. When those two came around it was like Christmas came early. In AJ’s case, I couldn’t see myself looking at a girl like her who is built like a preteen fantasy from a pedophile.
Serena: We are losing our track here. Okay, sure, maybe she appeals to an audience that I didn’t notice. But if ignoring her style, that adds to her being so over, for someone who is praised as being very technical and experienced at the ripe age of 23 (just to be clear, I am exactly the same age as her, so I kinda understand her real-life arrogance and “know-it-all” attitude) she is becoming more “meh” with every match. And her deteriorating skills in the ring are most evident when she faced Sasha Banks during the Divas Revolution.
ZX: That’s only half of Paige’s problem. She’s had an identity crisis since she came up from NXT and never found what works for her. She’s been stuck as AJ Lee 2.0 since Day 1 and hasn’t really strayed from that archetype, even more so after AJ’s departure. You can blame most of it on bad booking and writing by WWE Creative, she has control of her character in interviews, promos, and in the ring.
I honestly don’t see what benefit comes for either Paige or Charlotte after Survivor Series. Sure, Charlotte could potentially get another win against a former Divas Champion but what are they building towards with Charlotte’s title reign? It’s still the same ol’ shit as Nikki’s reign, throwing bodies at the champion to extend the reign and not creating any real threats to the title. Alternatively, Paige could win and put all of that hype into calling up the NXT Divas to nothing - even though they already killed that momentum for the most part.
Serena: I don’t see any point in that matchup. Even though Paige was praised for her performance and win of the Fatal 4 Way, I think that she was one of the weakest during that fight. And I can’t even call it a “solid win”, since she was mostly taking a nap outside of the ring and only jumping back for a steal win. Put that lackluster against a champion, who had two title matches and lost in terms of performance both times to a “Reality star” and you have another nail in the already heavily nailed coffin of the #DivasRevolution.
ZX: I suggest crowds stop chanting for Sasha too as WWE aren’t going to give us that match until WrestleMania season - if they are smart. That way they can build it up properly and get as many eyes as they want onto it like it was a Takeover match. Plus, call in a few favors from Sasha’s cousin, Snoop Dogg, to have mass-media appeal with celebrities interested in the bout and WWE has a gold mine banked on this match. No way in hell WWE is going to give us that match on one of the non-Big Four PPVs.
As for Team BAD as a whole, I suggest that WWE do something to make sure those girls don’t get lost in the shuffle. I understand that they want to maintain the “team” dynamic to make sure all of the girls have TV time, but it would benefit more if the teams were 2 members each and that’s it.
Perfect example, Team Bella should be the Bella Twins and that’s it, Team BAD could be Sasha and Naomi and call it a day. Team PCB didn’t work at all since Day 1 as all of them could easily get over on their own individually. Tamina Snuka could be a monster heel all on her own without being left with that silent bodyguard stigma that she was left in after her run with AJ Lee. I still don’t see what was the point of putting Alicia Fox on Team Bella as that made little to no sense at all to me, but I guess they wanted another solid worker on that team so there you go.
Serena: From the beginning I wasn’t really a fan of the team concept used here. I know that they mostly did teams because they wanted to throw Lynch, Paige and Charlotte into one pot as the “All-Star Dream Team”. But, it totally backfired on them. Those three have zero chemistry as a team. Maybe Becky and Charlotte could work, but Paige is just not a team wrestler and WWE should steer away from using her in that field. Team BAD doesn’t really make sense either as Sasha Banks is so over, someone like Naomi and Tamina are just not able to stand toe to toe with her, character and performance wise. Though, in Naomi and Tamina’s defense, they are not the ones to blame. Both hard workers and both having strong backgrounds, they are simply not build up enough by the company to stand as equals with “The Boss”.
The only team that actually seems like a team is Team Bella. Even though Foxy’s role is very minimal, she was made to look like someone who just wants to hangout with the “Cool cheerleaders” and doesn’t care for anything else besides being hip and cool. If it was my choice, I would break up all of the teams, except for the Bella’s and do individual feuds like Nattie vs Paige, Charlotte vs Sasha or even Charlotte vs Becky, the Bella’s vs Dana Brooke and Emma (or Summer Rae) for who is the Head Bitch in Charge around the locker rooms. But WWE has to face the music and admit that the Divas Revolution ended up being an epic fail.
ZX: They could even reform the BFFs (Beautiful Fierce Females) from NXT again with Summer Rae, Sasha Banks, and Charlotte even though when they tried it back on NXT it flopped hard as all of the egos got in the way and they weren’t willing to follow Summer again. As much as Team BAD doesn’t work, Naomi needs the heel “rub” from Sasha to learn from and Sasha benefits from working with veterans like Tamina and Naomi on the main roster.
(Laughs) At least with Nikki Bella gone for a while, we don’t have to hear everyone complaining that it’s her fault that the Divas Revolution sucks for a while, eh? As far as I’m concerned, the Divas division was going downhill since Eve Torres’ generation of Divas had left and AJ Lee just helped drag it down further by encouraging fans to shit on everyone else that wasn’t her.
That’s my BIGGEST pet peeve when it comes to Divas and these “worked” shoot promos. I didn’t like it when Lita did it, didn’t like it when Gail Kim did it in Impact Wrestling, and DEFINITELY didn’t like it when AJ Lee and Paige did it. Being heel is one thing, but pretty much encouraging the fans of your product to shit everyone who is trying to work hard and improve too is downright unacceptable.
Serena: Oh, agreed without a doubt. For as much as Paige and AJ Lee were promoting being your own person, freaks and geeks and whomever else, they were, and still are, pushing the entire division under the bus, because they are not them. Well, as we can see from the latest two titles matches, Nikki Bella, the one who got constantly ridiculed for being a part of “Total Divas”, Cena’s girlfriend and a slacker of a champion, showed that she made such an improvement both physical and emotional performance wise. Paige hasn’t had a bout that would match up to Bella’s performance at “Night of Champions” or “Hell in a Cell” at least since Wrestlemania if not even longer.
ZX: She’s had a few standout matches on NXT (especially versus Nattie) and those solo non-PPV bouts against Naomi were good last year, but anything recent? Yeah, I’m with you there. I’m anxious to see how Charlotte versus Paige is going to work out as they won’t have a ring general in there to direct the action. I guess Paige will be shouting out spots while Charlotte plays follow the leader until her comeback phase.
Serena: Either way, I won’t be satisfied until Paige is finally out of the title picture and has enough time to reinvent her stale character into something actually edgy and cutthroat, rather than this “Miley Cyrus turned color blind” schtick. Although, I do think that for Paige this change will only come with time as she grows and matures as a person. That might not happen for years… Or, might not even happen at all. As for Charlotte, I don’t think this title run will be her strongest, but there is still a chance to turn it around and give her a proper feud and let her develop not only a style, but also a personality and character. So far, she is bland as cardboard.
ZX: I know you think that I “hate” Charlotte but I’m just disappointed in her thus far to be honest. She doesn’t live up to her hype and I never thought she was that good on NXT. She has a lot of potential - that’s not because she’s Flair’s daughter - she just needs to polish the few things she does well and work on hiding her flaws. Selling the abuse she endures in a match is the number one thing I have against her right now though. A lot of the girls no sell too, but good grief it pisses me off to no end to see Charlotte take a hell of beating for about 98% of the match only to hit that Spear and lock in the Figure Eight with no problems. At least ACT like you’re in pain to lock it in, geez.
Serena: At least we can both agree that she does have potential, yet doesn’t have the guidance to put it to good use. I think that is a problem a lot of the Divas have around WWE. And the Superstars as well. Great people, lousy booking.
ZX: Absolutely. As many great wrestlers they have hired, more people need to consider stepping down and doing like Sara Amato (Sara Del Rey) and consider being trainers and/or road agents to help out the future of WWE. The Legends aren’t going to be around forever to pull WWE out of hot water every time the ratings drop into negative numbers. If there wasn’t an absolute time to give the midcard and under-utilitized talents a chance to shine now it is that time with pretty much almost every top guy in WWE on the bench or sidelined for months. If I were in WWE right now, I would take the ball and run with it at this opportunity. It’s now or never for a LOT of these guys, same for the Divas as well. Some of them didn’t take the chance to get noticed when AJ Lee left, now Nikki Bella is on the bench and they have another opportunity. Make the most of this people and give the fans a reason to care.
The Situation where there’s not really a Tag Team Division
Serena: This time, Z is probably the one who has more to say and elaborate on the topic, since I am not too fond of the tag team wrestling culture in WWE and a lot of the times choose to skip those matches. Mostly because they follow the same pattern over and over again. So, sunshine, please, take center stage.
ZX: Gladly. The only thing I really want to point out that despite the fact that there’s the Lucha Dragons, the Ascension, the Primetime Players, Los Matadores (Epico and Primo are reportedly going to unmask and come back repackaged again), and that weird off/on team-up of Sheamus and King Barrett, there’s not really a tag team division other than the New Day, the Dudley Boys, and the returning Usos.
I’m glad that the Ascension are set to return to NXT for a brief bout with the up and coming team of Jason Jordan and Chad Gable, but WWE has dragged the Ascension through the mud so much that I seriously doubt that they will ever regain their momentum and dominance from NXT. To be honest, I never liked those guys to begin with, but I think they could be cool bodyguards for someone (seems to work well with Stardust right now) or even new Acolytes for The Undertaker since he needs to even the odds against the Wyatt Family. That idea won’t work as that’s definitely Attitude Era booking there…
I would personally love to see the Dudley Boys win the strap from the New Day, who really need to figure out if they are heels or faces at this point. Most people LOVE them, but I find their gimmick downright annoying and retarded. Love Big E, Kofi, and Woods as talent but they are better than this shit in my eyes. C’mon, can black wrestlers have at least ONE respectful gimmick in Vince McMahon’s company where they don’t have to make an ass of themselves to get over? That old racist bastard…
Sorry off-topic. But yeah… The Dudley Boys were able to help TNA/Impact Wrestling’s tag team division mean something again and I hope they are given the platform to do so here in WWE. Otherwise, I don’t see the point of bringing them back to the E if it was only to have them be steamrolled over by the New Day time and time again. Sure, I cracked a smile everytime Woods went through a table, but all that’s for nothing if the Dudleys don’t ever win in the end.
I guess the Dudleys are going to be shoved out of the way for the Usos to win the gold now from the New Day. As much as the Usos have won the gold, I kinda wouldn’t mind another win for them, but I wouldn’t mind the Lucha Dragons get tossed into the mix as well. The Lucha Dragons are criminally under-utilized in this division and we should at least get a huge TLC match out of these teams, Tag Team Turmoil, or something.
Serena: New Day. I know I said it before, but I don’t really think it will be a crime for me to repeat myself. Not a big fan. Love the guys. Big E, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston have great chemistry, they work wonders with pop culture references, you can feel how fluid and easily improvised their promos are. Plus, Big E and Kofi are pretty skilled in the ring. The problem for me is that their gimmick only needs one wrong step to go from hilarious to irritating. For the last month or so whenever I would hear “Ahhhh, (insert name of a city in the United States), don’t you dare be sour…”, I would immediately think “Shit, they will bring that freakin’ trombone out again”. Too much is too much and New Day very easily lose any sense of moderation.
Here came in the Dudleyz, who I thought will dominate the Tag Team division with ease. But, if to be honest, I think WWE didn’t expect how over New Day will be with the fans, so that is why they don’t know what to do with Devon and Bubba, Prime Tyme Players and even the Usos. You can’t pull the plug on New Day and take the titles away, but at the same time you can’t have them hog the scene, because it is clear that this gimmick definitely has its expiration date.
ZX: I respect the Dudley Boys for coming in and putting over the New Day as that couldn’t have been an easy pill to swallow given their prestigious history, but there comes a point where you ask yourself do the New Day really need the titles to get over with the audience. At this point, no, not really. Plus, where’s the fun if the heels win ALL the time? You have to give the fans that feel good moment where the good guys win sometime.
Then you don’t want to have everyone winning the titles in a cheap hot potato tactic.
Serena: True. Well, as of now, The New Day are at the glorious position of not having any challengers. Dudley Boys and PTP lost to them on more than one occasion, Lucha Dragons and the Ascension are not even in the running, Los Matadores fell off the face of the earth. We are now left with the Usos, who might become a threat (they did get a very good reaction from the crowd when they returned on Raw), but I think WWE doesn’t know how to book themselves out of this, because they want to keep both the sheep alive and the wolf full.
ZX: PTP lost the titles the second the New Day got over and were thrown underneath the bus in the process. They haven’t bounced back from that loss since. It’s a damn shame really. Much like the entire landscape of WWE, they have SOO much potential yet most of it is booked poorly or under-utilized.
Serena: And that is how easily we came to the conclusion that when you look closely, WWE doesn’t have a tag team division. Just one insanely over team and lots of other people who are there to lose to them.
ZX: (Busts out laughing) Couldn’t you say that about the ENTIRE structure of WWE as a whole though nowadays? From the World title to the Divas division, it’s laid out that exact same way - sad but true.
Serena: I think we might have just cracked the code.
The Current Situation on NXT
NXT isn’t really creating “new” stars
ZX: I’ve said this before - a LOT actually - but WWE isn’t really creating new stars with NXT. The only thing they are doing are hiring the hottest indie talent and bringing them in to steamroll over the few developmental names they have baking in the oven. I can count on one hand how many people who were called up from NXT to the main roster who haven’t really been anywhere else other than WWE to make a “big” impact.
Serena: I pondered on that for a little while and understood that around 90% of the biggest talent on NXT were guys and girls already with a lot of wrestling experience, a huge following from the indies. The ones that are more misses than hits are all WWE creations. Let’s choose Z’s favorite example, Baron Corbin (you are welcome). The guy has the right look for a heel wrestler and the right body built for a WWE wrestler in general. Where is the problem? He is BORING…. So incredibly boring. Only in his recent few matches did he manage to inject some energy into his bouts. But most of the time he is just insanely predictable in his ring work and very stiff on the mic. Another creation by WWE is Dana Brooke. Looks good, you can see that she is strong physically and can work as a powerhouse Diva (Maybe like Nattie or Beth Phoenix?). Yet, she is thrown into the opposite side of the spectrum. Dana overacts in her promos and most of her ring work to the point that she doesn’t even seem like a human being, but more of cartoon character. When she would tap someone on the head, I couldn’t help but wait to hear her say “Meep meep!” and run out of the frame.
ZX: Dana needs a lot of work but she’s a good prospect if she hones her craft. She’s already showing some promise - she took that beating from Asuka like a pro. Baron Corbin… ugh I dunno what they have to do with that guy to make him click. I don’t know who’s more boring to watch, him or Colin Cassidy/Big Cass? Maybe he could have been the ringleader behind the Ascension or something? Then I would’ve cared more about his character instead of another generic big guy with the Goldberg push. Like you said, everything else that’s “hit or miss” on NXT are entirely and obviously WWE’s own creations.
Serena: Dana does have potential, I am in no way doubting that. Her match against Asuka at Takeover: Respect was truly surprising as she managed to stand confident in front of a very seasoned veteran. I think with some polish on her ring work and pulling back a bit on her character we would have a “Beautiful People”/Glamazon type heel on our hands. With Corbin… This one is a bit more tricky. You can’t really sell him as a babyface, just because of the way he looks. Yet, he isn’t really a proper heel, since he does lack charisma and star quality. The best way to use him would be either in a bodyguard role or as a silent threat, somebody who doesn’t talk much, just stares you down and then goes for the kill during the match.
In my humble opinion, the only successful WWE creation in Tyler Breeze, who took the ball and ran with it. Not only is he exciting in the ring, but his charisma worked wonders with the “Prince Pretty” gimmick. He manages to keep the perfect balance between heel, cheesy and annoying.
ZX: I like Tyler breeze too but he’s just picking up with that gimmick where John Morrison (or rather Johnny Mundo) left off. Breeze is talented though so I can’t fault him for that as he’s made the gimmick his own with his own degree of douchebaggery.
NXT Divas Division is at a loss without the rest of the “Four Horsewomen” while Bayley stands alone at the top of the division
ZX: I keep on saying this but WWE made a HUGE mistake when they called up Charlotte, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks all at once. I could have seen about Sasha and Charlotte at the same time, cool, but they could have kept Becky down there to feud with Bayley. Instead, Bayley is stuck in limbo without another credible challenger built up to face her. I don’t want to sell Alexa Bliss short but she’s been pretty much eye candy for the Dubstep Twins. Eva Marie’s NOWHERE near ready for that spot, but I see them tossing her in there anyway. Asuka is hella talented, but they would be crazy to just feed her to Bayley at this point. Athena (or whatever they are calling her for her WWE name), Dana Brooke, Nia Jax, Carmella, Gionna Daddio, Peyton Royce, and Billie Kay aren’t getting that spot yet either. So it’s like a huge “let’s just throw shit against the wall and see what sticks” right now in terms of the next challenger for the title. I could see them tossing Emma at Bayley for a future Takeover match that would be worth the build-up but outside of her I dunno who else they could have face Bayley right now to live up to the expectations following her feud with Sasha Banks.
Serena: WWE blew their leg off with this one. They shipped three of the strongest players all at once, are slowly killing the division and to add insult to injury - are not even using two of the three they called up. I absolutely agree, Bayley, as stellar as she is, can’t carry the division on her own. Sure, the matches between her and Sasha are absolutely wonderful, but in terms of creating something for the Women’s divisions both on NXT and the Main Roster, they did nothing. Those Takeover matches punches holes in their belts and adds something to their resumes. The rest of the girls are left high and dry, with the stakes now going through the roof and all of them having to live up to that. Any potential that the new crop might have possibly had was actually killed off by the bouts between Bayley and Sasha Banks.
ZX: WWE wanted a “Divas Revolution” and ironically they’ve pushed it so far where they can’t top themselves. I don’t know about anyone else but I’m to the point where I could care less what the WWE Divas do now. The Iron Man match was cool but it wasn’t better than their original match at Takeover: Brooklyn. Sasha and Bayley have set the bar so high that they have ironically doomed the Divas division to future failure if the Divas don’t rise up and compete at that level. Whether audiences want to accept the reality or not, but not all of the Divas can compete at that level. Hell, it’s asking too much to want Bayley and Sasha to perform at that level EVERY.SINGLE.NIGHT. That’s like asking Big Show to perform a moonsault or wanting Ric Flair to fight like Rey Mysterio. The way I see it, they aren’t going to have long careers at all from the rate they are going.
I guess that can be blamed on the “spot-fest” craze that seems to be dominating wrestling nowadays. No one wants to see a slower-methodical match anymore, but want the guys (and girls) to half-kill themselves for it to be “entertaining”.
Serena: I definitely agree with that. Not every wrestler can perform at that level and if to be honest, I don’t think that every wrestler should. Too much of one thing gets tiring and seeing Sasha each night taking a bump that seems like the last one she will take ever is not thrilling or edgy. It makes me think that one more bump like that and she is out trying to get cleared by a 4th doctor like Daniel Bryan. I enjoy seeing different styles just as much as I enjoy seeing all kinds of people.
Now, WWE has the problem of having a skillful champion and no one to challenge her. It would seem the most logical to get Bayley into a feud with Asuka. At least they seem compatible physically. Or, well, maybe Emma. I do wonder, what was WWE thinking when they decided to call up Charlotte, Sasha and Becky? Did it not occur to them that “All Red Everything”, Barbie Dana and Cheerleader Bliss are still at the “Kelly Kelly - Early Candice Michelle and Bella Twins” phase, where their looks should probably compensate for their mediocre performances, yet actually kinda don’t. This especially goes for Eva Marie, who should have been released from her contract months and months ago.
ZX: The only answer to that question I could give is that they were doing like they always do - a quick-fix bandage over their problems that only prove to be a short-term remedy before those very same problems came back ten-fold. They called up the NXT Divas in a desperate act to “fix” the Divas division just because they are there and the fans would shut up about the whole #GiveDivasAChance movement. They didn’t really fix anything. The Divas still get horrible storylines and even worse booking. It doesn’t matter who’s in the division when WWE doesn’t take their women’s divisions as seriously as NXT does. What’s the point of calling the NXT Divas up to the main roster when their value is going to be devalued on arrival.
Serena: Sure, great thinking. Because Giving Divas a Chance is bringing in more Divas and instead one 5 minute match, we get two 5 minute tag team matches. I think WWE hit the nail on the head… And busted an artery or something.
NXT needs to stop trying to “erase” the fact that they are a DEVELOPMENTAL brand
ZX: Ever since WWE started doing the NXT live specials on the Network, here’s how they’ve shot themselves in the foot. NXT has developed this “cult-like” indie following where people go in expecting everyone on this brand to be amazing, so when they do have people actually “developing” their craft (like Eva Marie, Nia Jax, and Dana Brooke for starters) and finding what works for them, the crowds are quick to shit on it.
Serena: For the longest time I didn’t even bother myself to watch NXT, since I, honest to all that is sacred, thought that it was a developmental brand and there is nothing too intriguing to see. The first time I watched something of NXT was TakeOver: Unstoppable and I started to wonder if WWE is creating a third brand. And that would be completely fine with me. A more edgy and indie style brand, with top notch stars that do not fit the mold. Samoa Joe, Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, Hideo Itami, Asuka, Bayley, Apollo Crews, Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa. All of them could create amazing matchups and captivating feuds. Send back Sasha Banks, Becky Lynch, Neville, Cesaro, heck, maybe even Dean Ambrose and you have a killer roster.
All of the rest should work at the Performance Center and train in a truly developmental brand. A place where they could take the path of trial and error, work on their style and gimmick, polish their in-ring skills and mic work. Tye Dillinger is one of the few that actually seems like he’s in a developmental program. He had a gimmick, it didn’t work, he tried another one, seems to fit him better. Dana, Emma and even Eva Marie. Guys like Dash and Dawson, The Vaudevillains, Corbin. The people that came in with less experience are put to the same standard as someone like Finn, who sold out the Tokyo Dome, and get thrown away like an old toy, if they aren’t stellar from the first match.
ZX: I like that WWE brought back guys like Rhyno and Brian Kendrick as enhancement talent to work with the folks who need to work with seasoned veterans to become even better. WWE has created this sensation with NXT and it’s a double-edged sword. Their intentions were pure at first, wanting to use this platform to “create” stars, when the only thing that NXT is doing is becoming a platform to showcase indie stars that most mainstream wrestling fans haven’t been exposed to otherwise. If those token indie greats don’t stick around with WWE for the long-haul they could go back into the independent scene bigger stars than before, thanks to exposure on WWE’s product.
Let’s face it. There’s not as many “big” places to work in the wrestling industry nowadays. It’s either you work for WWE or New Japan if you want big money. Then if you want to be respected there’s Ring of Honor, various Japanese, European, and Mexican promotions if you just want to showcase your in-ring talent. Blue Pants AKA Leva Bates, used this system to her advantage. Prior to her short stint in NXT, she was just an average indie women’s wrestler known for her cosplaying antics. After being exposed to a bigger audience thanks to the E machine, more people recognize and know who she is.
Serena: I do have a hunch that we are not the only ones to think that up and some of the people have this idea as a Plan B of sorts. If WWE gives them the boot - off to the indies with a new injection of star power and free publicity. Look at Drew Galloway. The guy is on fire right now both on TNA and on the independent circuit. Using what he learned about the business in WWE and finally getting some creative liberties he is now truly something great. I even heard rumors about WWE wanting to hire both him and Ethan Carter III for NXT, who found themselves and developed their own approach to wrestling after being fired by WWE. Now, Alberto Del Rio went that route. He became a megastar after that scuffle with WWE, his sudden departure and his tremendous run both at AAA and Lucha Underground.
ZX: That’s sadly how the E machine works. They discard you like trash when they think they can’t make money off of you from their stupid politics and booking but are the first ones to come knocking on your door when you become a big name elsewhere. Look at Brock Lesnar, Gail Kim, Christian, R-Truth, Booker T, the Dudley Boys, Mickie James, and so on. They dropped those people like bad habits yet took them back in a heartbeat when they got over as bigger stars without being in Vince’s kingdom.
The way I see it, eventually WWE will trim the fat from these “developmental” talents that aren’t getting over in the wake of the established indie stars to properly establish this as WWE’s third flagship brand.
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