Booking Some Heat in WWE

The WWE is currently in a bad spot creatively.  Their writing path has put them in a position of not really having any top heels.  Without tops heels it’s difficult to get over any strong baby faces.  The WWE has used the attraction match to deal with this problem, but they are running out of options in that area.  I believe the WWE needs to build a strong heel and here is what I would do with their current situation to execute an angle that could generate some strong interest in their product.

If you look at the current WWE roster on Smackdown you would have to say that Jinder Mahal is the top heel.  Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn would be a close second, but their angle seems to be headed away from the top title and is a little confusing to say the least.  Owens and Zayn were on course to have some major heat, but WWE has derailed them and made them look silly since they turned.  Jinder has done a good job making his character relevant, but the WWE rushed his push and ruined any chance of people taking him seriously on top.

On Raw the Miz would have been the top heel with Braun Strauman, but recent events have lead Braun to turn face and the Miz to leave for a time to film a movie.  That leaves Kane, Samoa Joe, and the Bar as the top heel acts.  Here’s the problem with that.  Kane is a tired act.  Samoa Joe is cheered because of the disdain people have for Roman, and the Bar don't really have major heat with anyone.  There’s no real heat on any of these guys.

With this being the case what are fans supposed to tune in for?  The WWE is usually always pretty good at having the good versus evil dynamic, but in recent years they have been lean on heels or have made the heels look toothless.  A lot of this has to do with the fact that the WWE has pushed Roman Reigns so hard.  In doing so they have the problem of every time someone takes on Roman they get over as a babyface.  This hurts the heat that any heel character has generated for themselves and when they lose to Roman it puts them in a bad situation. 

So, what can be done to build a top heel and get the creative going in a more intriguing direction?  The most obvious answer is to turn Roman Reigns heel.  That’s been a suggestion from many over the past few years.  In most cases because people feel that Roman needs the turn so that he doesn’t become John Cena junior with the way he is treated by audiences.  I’ve always viewed it a bit differently. 

I think that Roman should turn because he can get over on the Shield who as a unit are currently the biggest babyfaces on Raw.  If you want to get over you must make the audience upset by hurting the biggest faces on the show.  I think the timing is pretty solid and I think it could lead to a long-term angle that would greatly benefit WWE.

This is how I would execute it.  The WWE is currently positioning the Bar and Samoa Joe against the Shield on Raw.  It’s likely with the Rumble approaching those angles will play out on Raw over the next few weeks.  I’m not basing any of the following on rumors spread by the dirt sheets and sites.  Instead I’m just playing it out in a way that makes sense and would connect the story over time to where we need it to be.

For the sake of this all let’s assume that Sheamus is ok and can continue in the Bar. 

I would build towards a match during the holidays between Roman and Joe for the IC belt.  Because we don’t need the belt on Roman and it gives Joe something to set him apart.  The Bar would help Joe win the belt off Roman with Seth and Dean failing to stop this from happening.  Also, in the following weeks Seth and Dean would win back the tag titles from the Bar.  There have been a lot of comments from the Shield about Dean and Seth getting their gold back and it didn’t happen this past week on Raw.  The idea the trio keeps talking about is all three having gold.  I think that’s a good place to build some tension within the group.  Now Roman has no gold, and the buzz is on Seth and Dean.

In the Rumble we get down to a final four of Nakamura, Joe, Roman, and Finn.  Joe gets knocked out by Finn setting up their future feud for the IC belt.  Roman dumps out Finn.  Then Nakamura takes out Roman.  The announcers play up the bad luck Roman has had the past three years in the Rumble since his win in 2015.  As Nakamura celebrates Roman does his super angry routine that he pulled on HHH a few years back and enters the ring to lay out Nakamura.

This creates a buzz for 24 hours of people thinking the WWE has finally turned Roman.  Raw opens the next night with Roman coming out to his usual boos.  He gets on the mic and explains that he lost his cool and he apologizes to Nakamura.  That being said he then demands a match with Brock Lesnar on the basis that he’s the guy and reminds us of all the things he’s done the last few years.

He’s interrupted by Kurt Angle who says that while he respects what Roman has done that title shots are not given they are earned and he thinks that Braun and Roman should match up at the next PPV to determine the #1 contender taking all things into consideration.  Before Roman can respond Joe and the Bar come out.  Joe is upset that he’s not in that match given the fact that he recently beat Roman.  He and the Bar surround Roman, but before they can act Seth and Dean come out and a brawl ensues.

Angle makes a match between all of them for the main event later that night.  Over the summer Roman viciously attacked Braun after a match in which Roman lost.  The next night the WWE treated this as no big deal.  They would treat the Nakamura situation the same way, which misleads the audience to what is going to happen.  The general audience is fooled into believing Roman is still a good guy.

During the match Dean and Seth both take turns getting isolated and beat down until Roman is hot tagged in and is able to clean house eventually getting the pin on Joe to settle the feud between the two.  Seth and Dean are hobbled after the matches as the heels scurry off.  As the Shield is celebrating Roman attacks both Seth and Dean.  The big Roman turn is finally official.

The next week on Raw Roman explains that while he respects Seth and Dean last week was just another example of him carrying the team and he’s tired of carrying the team.  Seth and Dean he feels were riding his coattails.  He’s tired of trying to appease everyone and be kosher.  He’s now going to be himself.  It’s his yard.  He’s the guy.  He then takes the time to remind everyone of all the accomplishments he has achieved the last few years, which only serve to needle the audience even further.

Out of the crowd comes Seth and Dean ready to get some revenge, but security intervenes to keep the show from breaking down by order of Kurt Angle.  Seth and Dean attack security, which causes Kurt to ban them from the building for the rest of the night.  This is stoking the tension between Roman and his former team members.

The next week on Raw Kurt Angles confronts Seth and Dean and says while he understands their frustration with Roman he's firm with them about the fact that they cannot attack WWE officials.  During this interaction the Bar attacks Seth and Dean leading to a match at the PPV for the titles to finally end the feud.  Angle takes measures over the next few weeks to keep Roman, Seth, and Dean apart, but a few minor altercations occur.

At the PPV Seth and Dean cut a promo talking about once they finish with the Bar they are going to wreak havoc on the main event later that night.  After successfully defending their titles Dean and Seth cut another promo in back where angle interjects and warns them that he will take actions if they should interfere later that night.  Dean and Seth seem to not care.

Later in the show we cut to scene in the back where we find Seth and Dean laid out bad.  So bad that they must be taken away in an ambulance.  We have no idea who attacked them.

In the Main Event Roman and Braun meet for the title shot at WM34 against Lesnar.  Braun and Roman have an even back and forth.  By this point Roman is the clear heel and Braun is a monster face.  Braun is looking like he might win and get the shot, but the lights go out.  When they come back on Roman is surrounded by the Authors of Pain.  They attack Braun and gain the advantage for Roman.  Roman hits the spear and gets the win.  He is now in aligned with the AOP.

The next night on Raw Roman talks about the AOP and Precious Paul their manager.  He introduces them as his new Shield.  Guys that will really look out for him and not try to break off and be individual stars like Seth and Dean.  He reveals that it was the AOP that attacked Seth and Dean and it will be the AOP that win the tag titles at WM34.  Kurt Angle comes out.  There is some belief that Kurt had the AOP attack Seth and Dean, which he squashes. 

Kurt declares that the AOP will not get a tag shot until he decides they do and that Roman doesn’t call the shots around here.  Roman threatens to take Kurt out and the AOP and Roman surround Kurt, but Seth and Dean storm the ring and a melee ensues.  Kurt makes a match for later that night.  Kurt, Seth and Dean versus Roman and the AOP.

During that match Kurt secures the ankle lock on Roman and appears to have Roman in a bad spot when out of nowhere HHH arrives and attacks Kurt saving Roman.  Kurt, Seth, and Dean take a beat down as HHH, Roman, and the AOP stand tall to end the show.

The next week HHH returns and explains that it was he who ordered the AOP to strike at the previous PPV.  He wanted to ensure the main event between Braun and Roman was fair, but he did not realize that the AOP were joining together with Roman, whoops.  HHH has a new found respect for Roman after their match in overseas (which WWE promoted on their social media) and he now sees that Roman is best for business.  He declares the AOP from his NXT will get a shot at Seth and Dean at WM34 for the tag belts.

Kurt and HHH now have a reason to really feud and have a match at WM34.  They set the stakes of that match as if HHH wins Angle is gone as GM.  If Angle wins he’s safe in his job until after WM35.  Angle goes on to win the match so that we can push away from HHH and Steph and let the focus solely stay on Roman after WM34.

Roman then goes on to WM34 to face Lesnar.  They have an epic match with minor interference from the AOP, that helps protect Brock a little, but Roman for the most part wins clean.  Roman is now set as a mega heel with a variety of different directions for WWE to go.  Angle is a counterweight being in control of Raw to police Roman for the next year.  He can set the opponents and keep Roman somewhat in check.

I think I would build to a Cena match at Summerslam that can be easily built around the idea that Roman constantly brings up the fact that he has replaced Cena as the top guy in the company.  I think that match would have people questioning a winner if WWE positioned it as a final stand for Cena.  Also, Cena has almost always gotten his win back.  I would then have Roman win because I would think that builds the heat on him to a fever pitch. 

I think the key to a good run for Roman is a new opponent every month that he beats, and he never loses the title until WM35 and it’s anyone’s guess who he drops it too, but whoever that is should start being built up in the summer and should get the jetpack push as the WWE likes to say.  The person that topples Roman will be over like rover.  I can’t say who that is now, but I think the story kind of writes itself.

In an ideal world it would be Daniel Bryan, but it’s impossible to know if he will be coming back or not.  I think Bryan could further his legend by beating Roman and it would really feel like the correct payoff for what fans feel about Roman and how the WWE pushed him the last few years.  Again, it depends on what happens with Bryan and I don’t want to be a dreamer, but it would be ideal.

The Roman turn works so well because it plays into that natural hatred the fans have for Roman’s character at the moment.  Even in losing to Roman any that faces him over his run would get more over because fans would be clamoring to see Roman beat.  Right now he’s weakening the status of the heels because he’s baby facing them due to his own heat.  That dynamic is not good for business in the long term.

Why is Raw Doing So Bad Right Now

Raw took a crazy dip in ratings this week.  There have been signs of major slippage over the past three years, but things just keep getting worse.  It certainly wasn't the NBA and NHL playoffs this time.  Specifically the NBA had a very bad game on Monday night that started an hour after Raw.  I think there about 100 reasons why Raw has been so poorly viewed, but for now here's my top 5.

1. No Champion on TV

Brock Lesnar had his run with the title back in 2014 into 2015.  He deserved it, but it put the company in an awkward spot because Brock wasn't on TV at all and Paul Heyman only came on TV to tell us why he wasn't on TV.  The ratings and reviews weren't good as WWE did everything they could to stall.  The title is the focal point of the show and the brand.  It's the underlying reason why were are all here.  Without Brock around everything just feels like stalling again and stalling is boring.

2. Roman's Endless Face Push

I get all the reasons why the WWE feels the need to push Roman, but at some point they have to waive the white flag.  You have show that basically he is the feature guy, but the fans have rejected the character.  I've never seen a large WWE wrestling crowd tell someone to F-off ever and it happened to Roman the night after Mania.  Yet the WWE continues on with this push.  Roman's character is not being helped by the fact that he now walking around reminding everyone that it's his yard and he beat and retired the Undertaker.  It's almost like Vince has forgotten how beloved the Undertaker is and how that is really just sticking a hot poker into an open wound.

Far too many people just don't want to see Roman as a face at this time.  Especially in a situation where you are giving fans an alternative brand the next night it's a huge mistake by WWE to just keep going down this path.  You can now just skip Raw and tune into Smackdown and get no Roman.  Although you are about to get a big dose of John Cena if my crystal ball is being read correctly.

3. Mishandling the Extra Hour

The extra hour has been killing Raw for the last few years, but they are getting paid huge money for it and even when WWE does bad they are still one of the top shows on TV Mondays.  So they are trying to endure the extra hour.  Yet, when they did the brand split they had multiple chances to address this problem and manage it better.  They could have just went all in on the cruiserweights and gave them the first hour, but instead they have turned them into a bathroom break and they signal it by changing the ring around for all their matches.

I think the better play was to keep the women all on Raw and give them that first hour every week.  Instead of watering down the division and creating an extra title they could have kept some greener talents in NXT and stuck with a one hour weekly live show to start Raw.  The women have been given the main event spot on Raw and they have been using women who put on good matches.  This made all the sense in the world to me instead of what they are currently doing.

Instead of doing this we are just getting stuck with weekly filler.  If you watch Raw you start to get trained that the beginning, end, and top of every hour are the only necessary times to watch.  Which leads me into my next point.

4. So many repetitive matches

We are treated over and over to the same matches or mash ups that nothing really feels like it means anything anymore.  The Big Show and Braun have twice main evented Raw.  They had two good matches, but did we really need to see it a second time so soon?  How many mash up tags can we watch.

If the repeats aren't draining the fan interest enough when they finally do a good job of building a good PPV match they love to then give an insta-rematch the next night on Raw.  Which makes you feel like why did I even bother getting invested all those week leading up to the PPV?

A good example of this is the Hardy's winning the titles at Mania and then opening the Raw the next night against Anderson and Gallows.  This match had no promo build.  It just happened?  Why not play this match off at the next PPV, which was only a few weeks away?  The shake-up didn't move any of these guys around.  They could have avoiding beating Sheamus and Cesaro and instead had them turn and then take on the Hardy's.  It probably would have given that entire angle more of a solid feel.

5.  Just Bad Creative

Anyone that knows me knows that I think the overall problem with WWE is just dreadful story telling.  Yet, I still think it belongs on this list somewhere.  How do you heat the Miz up like they did before Mania only to have Cena whitewash him in the match.  Then turn around and put him back in a feud on Raw with Dean Ambrose who's been as bland as can be and expect people to tune in?

How do you have Roman and Finn face off on Raw with no build up then have a one arm Roman win?  To me this really marginalized Balor.

I just got nothing when it comes to Bray Wyatt who the company has all, but ruined.

How does Seth get jumped by Samoa Joe and Bray Wyatt to end Raw and Roman does nothing to help him?  I'm not a huge fan of Roman clearly, but I would think that when stuff is going on in his yard he should be around to police it.

Just in general there are no great story's going on right now.  The WWE loves to make the most of the #1 contender matches, but they do it so often they have less and less meaning.  They refuse to really get anyone hot beyond Roman.  Even Braun ate a pin to Roman before Mania and then was only allowed to beat Roman after when they portrayed Roman as seriously injured.  No one is safe from 50/50 booking so no one feels special or important.

The WWE can downplay winning matches all they want, but it's killing the perception of every character.  I still contend this mantra came into place to make Roman stand out from the rest of the roster as the winner because he wasn't able to to do it with the character presentation he was given.  I also think it has a lot do with never allowing another Daniel Bryan to emerge that forces the hand of the WWE brass.  I think that is a big reason why the Sami Zayn character is getting stuck with a bad direction.

So there's my top 5.  I could go on and on, but I think overall those are the five things that I think need some improvement.  I don't see WWE doing anything to react to anyone of them.  I think instead they will rush back HHH and Steph because fans have been trained to view those two characters as the only two that can really advance a story line.  The WWE views it as they are a big draw, but really and truly the fact that they are the only two characters on the show that aren't portrayed as toothless.

I'll continue to watch from afar, but I don't think things are going to improve anytime soon.

A Fun Thought For Raw and Where We Go From Here

I don't know how hot Raw will be tonight considering many people are a little deflated by the Undertaker's loss and retirement.  That's three years in a row that the WWE chose not to go with the standard happy ending for their biggest show.  Yet, I think tonight they can really make up for it with some smart booking.

The Undertaker made his legacy at WM and it was fitting that he dropped the gear and road off into the sunset last night.  Yet, the American Badass is a totally different character.  I think it would be fitting if the Undertaker closed the show riding in as the Badass to say a few words before really riding off into the sunset.  

I think in the America Badass persona the Undertaker could let lose a little more on the mic and that would make sense.  It would give the fans a moment of closure for what feels right now like an open wound.

My fear would be that Vince involves Roman some way in a show of respect.  Fans would not take kindly to that at all and I think it would tarnish the moment.  Hopefully Vince can at least see that.

I think the obvious trajectory for Roman is Brock now.  I'm not sure if Vince holds off that feud for WM34 or goes with it at Summerslam now.  Roman seems like a shoe in to win that feud and I'm wondering how in the world that will help the situation.

Fans calling for a Roman heel turn probably need to rewatch last nights main event.  The WWE was so desperate for that not to be a Roman Reigns boo fest that they played games with the audio.  There is no plan for Roman to turn heel anytime soon.  I hope I'm wrong about that, but there are just too many factors that say otherwise.  

The WWE is doing a lot of dirty work through controlled leaks and their own network.  Bring it to the table has been used to make people feel dumb about booing Roman because you know he's good looking.  The latest info drop about Roman taking over as the top merchandise seller in the company comes as no surprise.  Roman is being positioned to be that.  If AJ Styles was given the same push as Roman he would be the top merchandise seller as well.

At the end of the day this is probably leading to Vince's ultimate dream match.  Roman Reigns vs. John Cena.  If Cena has not won his 17th title by then it could be an interesting situation, but again if it's not something fans will embrace does it really matter?

Roman Reigns is a guy that will be lost to time once he's done wrestling.  Unless WWE alters his current path fans will continue to view him as over-hyped, underdeveloped, and massively overrated.  He may be the guy, but he is not their guy.  In the end that still means something.

Ranking The Mania Matches

I have a lot of mixed emotion about WM33.  I thought mid show it was really delivering, but some big creative gaffs ended up sullying the show for me.  I think I can give it a B based on some of the really good things I saw, but in the end for the third year in a row we don’t get the happy ending.  Instead of doing a straight review I’m going to rank the matches from best to worst.

#1 AJ vs. Shane

I thought this match vindicated the fans upset that AJ was down the card and not in a title match.  He delivered a great match.  Shane held up his end of the deal, but the bottom line is it could have been a blow-up doll in there.  AJ is up there in age and his great work is wasted in the opener that was by far the best in ring match of the night.

#2 Raw Tag Titles

The Hardy’s returned paying off the best angle TNA has ever done.  Kudos to Matt and Jeff for ending up in that spot.  What a long strange trip.  The match was really stiff and had plenty of good spots.  The pop when they came out was amazing.  Clearly the DELETE thing is over.  It’s the feel good moment of the night.  Total redemption of Matt and Jeff.  This again proves everything is stupid until it's not.

#3 Goldberg Vs. Lesnar

This match could have been booked for a little better finish.  Perhaps maybe Goldberg kicking out of that F5 and them going for a little bit more of a creative finish, but that being said I have mad respect for Goldberg and Brock after this.  

Goldberg was soundly booed when he came out, but unlike WM20 he turned the crowd.  He did this by moving like a speedball recovering from those first few German's and then putting Lesnar through that wall.  The crowd started chanting Goldberg again.  That’s a really tough thing to do.  Lesnar’s leap was amazing and the German’s were cool.  I felt they could have done something a little more creative on the end, but this was far better than I thought it would be.

#4 Raw Women’s title match

I think the turnbuckle thing was a little bit of a reach considering Charlotte didn’t fully remove the pad.  Also, people missed the spot on the end where Charlotte hit it.  This hurt the finish, but that was an awesome elbow and this match was actually really good.  It didn’t feel like a women’s match and that’s the biggest compliment you can pay any women’s match.  This was wrestling.  A great effort put in by all four women.

#5 HHH vs. Seth

Seth didn’t capture the crowd last week in his final promo and you could tell he was fighting for their respect the entire match.  When you hit a corkscrew moonsault and barely get a reaction considering his knee is really hurt that’s telling you all you need to know.  I think the entire thing turned when HHH hit Steph.  Fans finally got to see her bump in a match with a real face.  That turned the crowd and saved what was a flat match.  If WWE is smart it’s time to create some issues on screen between HHH and Steph.  I say turn HHH face, so him running NXT makes sense.  That would be something fresh instead of the same old same old.

#6 Jericho Vs. Owens

With this match I think we are now getting into the flawed matches on the card.  This match was flat.  When Owens lost the Universal title all the heat went out of this angle.  They worked hard, but there just wasn’t much there.  The right guy wins in the end.  Time to move on from this feud, but I fear we are getting one more match.

#7 SD Women’s Title Match

This wasn’t a terrible match, but it had that old Divas feel because of the lack of time it was given.  There was just not enough length to tell a good story and there wasn't much of a story going in.  It felt like a pre-show match.  Naomi deserved the moment, but she needs to follow this up with a compelling angle.

#8 John Cena/Nikki vs. The Miz/Maryse

This was the best built story on the show, but it was pretty clear that the WWE was going for this engagement angle.  That really hurt my desire to see this because I knew all the work the Miz put in was going to be wasted.  What was worse was the booking of the match.  Cena got beat up for the entirety of it and then they do one tag to a cheeseball finish.  This was an example of WWE not really hearing their audience.  Why not give this five more minutes and have Miz look a lot better so he can take something out of this.  

#9 Roman Vs. Taker

The crowd was censored for this match.  The WWE cut the wide mics and protected Roman even during his entrance.  So, yes, they clearly don’t want you to boo him.  The match started ok, but then got really bad with numerous botches.  Roman looked liked a guy that was not polished enough to be in there with an Undertaker.  Taker needed someone that could protect him given his age and physical limitations.

The really bad part was the transition into the finish, which given the past of the Taker didn’t feel right.  He went from dominating with a chair to suddenly worthless.  The Undertaker character would have shown way more fight.  It’s not so much a complaint on Taker losing, but the fact that he was made to look so bad to a guy few fans respect.  It felt like overkill.

The Undertaker had to end at some point, but this wasn’t the best guy for the job.  Cena should have been in this spot or AJ who could have saved the match by bumping around.  Also, people wouldn’t have minded AJ getting the rub.  If you are going to end the Taker you just have to be way more mindful of the fans and at least give them something they can respect.

His exit was pretty well done.  The only downside is it sealed the third straight mania with no happy ending, but the moment was the only thing keeping this off the bottom.  The Undertaker earned the big exit for all he has given to this business.

#10 Bray and Randy WWE title

So people were upset because Bray and Randy were feuding for the title and AJ was out of the picture.  This match combined with AJ’s effort earlier proved the fans were 100% right.  The imagery was cool, but lead to nothing and the finish was booked with no thought for match flow at all.  Orton didn’t even go for the fast cover. 

What a total waste of a decent story.  What a waste of a title match. What a waste of Bray Wyatt who sealed his fate as the character the WWE most missed the mark on.  The only silver lining is AJ vs. Randy now.

One last thought on the show.  The WWE needs to handle the length issue for next year.  The main show was 5 hours.  That combined with a 2 hour pre-show was just too much.  Also, if you’re going to go five hours then start the main show an hour earlier.  Even the NBA does that for the during the finals.

They could have saved 30 minutes by cutting down the video packages they showed for nearly every match.  The WWE does great packages, but many matches did not need them.  I think about 3 matches were worthy of them.  The rest they could have been skipped saving a lot of time.

Also, they need to scale down some of the entrances.  Did we really need HHH driving down on a bike for a middle of the card match?  I get that is his thing, but just spit some water and let’s go.  It’s not the main event for a major title.  This just added to a show that got so long I was zoning out for the a few matches.

WM32 was a bad show.  WM33 was not a bad show and was saved by some smart moments.  That being said how do they book the Taker and WWE title match to end like that?  Who booked those finishes and thought they were worthy of the biggest show of the year?  It continues to be lazy booking and bad creative that holds down the WWE from delivering the best show of the year.  This was an improvement, but with as much talent as WWE has how is this not the best show of the year every year?  I don’t think this one will be.

I want to end on a positive note.  I absolutely loved the stage.  That was first class stuff.  It gave the show a big feel.  The wind was also an interesting factor.  I like watching a PPV that feels totally different from what we normally see and the week to week shows.  So big kudos to them on that.

Rumble Review

The Royal Rumble 2017 is here and gone.  I think the WWE has again found a way to polarize their fan base with some strange decision making.  It appears to be yet another sign that Vince McMahon is either totally tone deaf to the people that buy his product or just doesn't value what the fans think.  It's a clear indication that the people around him don't know how to help him or stop him from doing things that outrage good chunks of the fan base.

The WWE can't please everyone.  That's a very hard thing to do these days, but they can get away from this confusing booking that at least gives the majority a chance to get on the side of the face.

The pre-show was just ok.  The tag title match at worst should have been flipped with the cruiser weight bout.  Neville has been good, but he and Rich Swan are not ready to be in front of 50,000 people on the main show.  The tag titles shouldn't be on the pre-show if they are going to be switched.

The opener between Bayley and Charlotte was a good solid match, but the problem with this match was Bayley has not been properly developed on the main roster at all.  It's been a huge mistake by WWE to split their women's roster.  It would have been smarter to keep all the ladies together on Raw, which is three hours, and keep a stacked division.  The WWE can't keep up with the paces needed to keep these angles interesting and develop the female talents, although SD has done a much better job.

Therefore this match falls a bit flat and the ending was pretty decisive.  In my eyes it should be a long time before Bayley gets another shot at the title, but given the lack of depth expect WWE to go back to her sooner rather than later in what will surely be some uninspiring stuff.

Roman vs. Owens for the Universal title was really solid stuff.  Roman the in ring performer is not bad, but wow does he get over booked.  He should not be kicking out of that brass knuckle spot.  If Jim Ross thinks kicking out of finishers is bad then kicking out of that should be a crime.  I told a friend that the only way to pin Roman is to shoot him with a gun to which he replied are you sure he wears a bulletproof vest.

I thought the ending of this match was a clear setup for Roman and Braun, which is the match they should have at WM33 given the amount of energy put into both guys I wouldn't mind it.  Making Roman a title holder right now will only amp up the hate on him.  Especially given the result of the other WWE title match this was right decision.  You can't totally crap on your hardcore fan base in one night.

The right guy won the cruiser weight match, which as I said earlier belonged on the pre-show.  Swan is a good performer, but Neville looks so good right now compared to everyone else in that division he should be given the title and look strong doing it.  I take issue with the WWE changing the ropes and mat for these matches.  It's almost like Vince doesn't want to claim the cruiser weights so this is a way to make them feel like a separate thing.  I think it hurts the fan perception of them and is unnecessary.

The Cena Styles match was very solid, but the result did leave a bad taste in my mouth.  AJ is the hot guy in this feud.  He's the hot star on SD.  He's the hot guy in WWE.  He's performing in ring at Shawn Michael's levels.  He's doing a great job on the mic.  Yet the WWE continues their love affair with John Cena here.  I understand that Cena has to tie and break Flair's record at some point, but this didn't feel like the right moment against what AJ has done as of late.

The truth be told the WWE portrayed Cena like a jerk the entire feud and ignored logic and history in making this match.  Cena lost at Summerslam to AJ and then lost in the triple threat match they had a few months later.  Cena then left for a while and came back to not demand a title match, but instead just put himself in one.  By those standards why would this man ever compete in the Royal Rumble?  What's worse is the way the story ended up being told he was given that match with no issues from the GM's of SD.

Cena was portrayed strong in the entire build as he should be, but his final promo over AJ was like nothing I've ever seen before.  Cena roasted AJ and went way too far in his comments.  It almost made me think they were turning Cena, but in the end Cena just beat AJ clean as a sheet.  The WWE played this angle out like Cena was getting over on this terrible bad guy in AJ, but while AJ has been a heel he hasn't done that much to make himself an absolute villain.

I just can't figure out what AJ had to do to not lose in this spot?  I don't want to get in the Cena is bad for other talent thing now, but this was a low light for me.  I'll just say when you've got a fresh guy doing as good as AJ has you don't beat him by the guy people have been tired of since 2010.  It's just enough already.

The Rumble match seemed like something that would be hard to screw up, but boy did the WWE miss on this one in a lot of ways.  I'm not going to tackle this in any kind of order, but just focus on the things that stood out to me.

There were no real surprise guys of note.  That was shocking to me given the fact that AJ made such a huge splash last year.  I know the WWE injured Nakamura the night before so that would have not made any sense, but even if Samoa Joe is not going to win the thing, how is he not at least in the match to get a rub?

I would have at a minimum had Bobby Roode in the match to highlight him.  That fresh face spot would have gotten some buzz regardless of the result.  At worst it puts a few more eyes on NXT, which is never a bad thing and helps Roode's debut down the road.  People will have something to remember.  If I'm going out in front of 50K worth of smart fans I'm taking the opportunity to get over somebody fresh that they will pop for.  They popped big for Dillinger, just image what would have happened for someone more notable.

I think a good rumble match gets broken down into three solid parts.  The first third, the second third, and a final third.  This match suffered because it got a decent opening third which was a chance to push Strowman, but then went limp until the final third.  I would have booked the opening in a very similar way, but beefed up the middle part of the match with Goldberg and Lesnar.

I would have had Lesnar come in around 19 and clean house for at least 12 minutes.  I have Goldberg come out and eliminate him around number 24.  I need to come back to what they did in a moment.  Then I have Goldberg stick around until the Taker at 28.  I realize these guys aren't spring chickens, but in that order those guys would have been fine to work those minutes.

My final third would have gotten down to a final four involving the Undertaker and if they had to have Roman, him as well.  Yet that's not what happened, so it felt like the match really slowed down and without the major debut guys it just seemed to tire out.  When the big hitters came in they were less than impressive.  Brock wasn't in the match near enough and again got manhandled by Goldberg.  While I know the WWE wants to have a third match between the two, I was left thinking for me it's over.  I don't want to see it anymore.  Goldberg has owned Brock.  It's a dead issue.

I think you have to book Brock a little stronger there.  This is the guy you invested so much in the last few years.  Why all the sudden do you let him get tossed out like he's done and dusted.  It only got worse when the Undertaker, who probably due to his recent health issues was pretty out of shape, easily handled Goldberg and put him out.  Goldberg has been presented as this dominant force.  He has to last longer and look better before getting tossed out that way.  I really thought WWE missed the boat on this whole situation after hyping these three guys.

Roman suddenly comes down, looking hurt, but suddenly is a house of fire and tosses Taker.  I guess setting them up to feud.  Are they serious with that angle?  Taker needs someone who can bump around for him given his current condition.  Roman is a heat magnet.  I'm not a fan of the pairing after already setting Roman up against Braun.  I think a match people would have been ok with and after all they did for Braun earlier I'm puzzled by this.

That being said here's where I have the biggest bone to pick with WWE.  Bray Wyatt is a heel, Randy Orton is a heel, and Roman Reigns is a face.  That's the way this has all been laid out.  Yet, given the confusing way that all over their stories have been handled recently fans are happy when Roman gets put out of the Rumble.  I'm just left to wonder what was WWE hoping the reaction to this would be?

You put a heel over who is being cheered.  He's on a crash course with a face that people like to boo.  Rumor is this match will change, but for now that's what you leave us with.  A match we've seen done to death.  I think the Bray Orton stuff has been good, but world title match good?  I'm not so sure.  Also, why are we putting Orton in that spot when we have all these younger guys on the roster?  If Bray wins the EC next month is our WM moment him beating Bray for the title?  Does that match even go on last?

I'm so confused by it all, but what really gets the buzz going for WM33?  The card looks good, but where's the big story?  I'm not saying this is the first time they have come out of the Rumble without a ton of buzz, but this time feels like they should have.

This just felt like the WWE going through the motions.  It was leaked that Orton was going to win mid-week.  I'm baffled to how leaks ever happen.  I believe this one was real because I didn't see Orton winning at all in the weeks leading up this.  I'm not against Orton, but it just didn't feel like that's where it was going.

Who knows.  Maybe the WWE will find a way to shock us all, but last night in the end just felt like more of the same.  More Undertaker, more Cena, more Roman, more Orton, more Brock and on and on.  The WWE has gotten to a place where it needs to be about somebody else.  The WWE needs to get to a place where the stories make a lot more sense and the bad guys get booed and the hero's get cheered.

I don't mind fans respecting a good heel, or not loving every face, but where this is now is just a confusing mess.  There's nothing compelling that makes me want to watch.  There's no big story that has me wondering about the end.  Everything seems to just be going through the motions with a shock result here and there to keep some guessing involved, but nothing of substance is really going on.  Overall this wasn't the worst PPV and I would give it a C+ because of two solid title matches, but they missed a chance to really use 50,000 people to make a new star or a memorable moment.