...we are not worthy.

So...a couple of divas involved in the summerslam weekend events, have taken exception to being boo'd by the Brooklyn crown, and even took to social media to proclaim as much.

I find it odd that, despite this stalled revolution, bad promo work, the same old (bad) 6 lady tag team matches, etc., that the fans are being scolded for letting them know just how awful this so called revolution has been. For the love of God, the current divas champion is closing in on the longest divas title reign ever, and has barely defended the belt. I think Dean Ambrose may have defended the U.S. title more.

So, I get their frustration, but are the fans actually the problem? If someone gets annoyed or bored by a divas match, and changes the channel, are they some kind of hillbilly misogynist just for expressing their displeasure at something coming off as less than entertaining? Shouldn't they be holding the writers and bookers responsible?

Or, just keep spouting out gems like, "Wins, losses, who cares?"

It's a tough one. Aggressively booing probably isn't the best solution. The divas themselves can only do so much, and the negative reaction is hitting them as much as the intended target (or more so). It can quickly become a baby with the bath water situation, where the people who want to be doing better suffer as much or more as the ones who don't.

I understand why they'd be upset. They're trying to work with what they have. They're stuck between a rock and a hard place, and probably not achieving the goals they set themselves. Regardless of what happened on NXT, or the make-up of the Summerslam match, I thought it was pretty clear the girls involved put a lot of effort in. I think the Bellas tend to get undderrated, and it's a shame to see former-darlings like Paige start to become vilified targets for a fickle audience.

People are picking up their "social media" reaction to the booing. The "Divas Revolution" started as a social media movement. Taargetting feedback on social media might help send a clearer message.

The best way to target criticism is probably just to be quiet during the WWE Divas matches, and vocal during the NXT women's matches. Pissing and moaning won't get very far, but really getting behind the elements that work speaks volumes. Because the goal isn't to tear the whole operation down. It's to build up what works.

I would have to say Raw was pretty good this week. With the return of the greatest tag team ever in my opinion the Dudley's were on fire. I am looking forward to seeing what they do on Smackdown. ECW ECW ECW!

Also Lesnar beating the shit out of Bo Dallas that was priceless. 5 germans and an F-5.

Pretty amazing! Never thought it would happen. Hope they can stick around for a little run and light a fire under the tag teams. Would be great if they could win the straps and bring back some legit gold. That'd be swell!

Pretty interesting turn of events heading toward Night of Champions. Wonder what sparked the sudden indulgence of nostalgia. Sting challenging for the title is pretty cool, but the Dudleyz getting into the act is even more exciting!

Say whaaaaaattttt (suuuuuuuuuuupppppppppppp?!)?!

Dudley Boyz!?! No way!

I went to Takeover and it was easily the best even of the weekend. Kind of glad that out of all 3 I opted for tickets to that. Raw started off good but really died down during the second half. Not even the predictable return of Sting could have saved it.

- Kountdown: Top 10 WWE Immortals Feuds for Johnny Cage

There are sure to be epic battles ahead as Johnny reaches for immortality by taking on the reimagined versions of WWE Superstars inspired by NetherRealm Studios’ other video game exploits!

With many pro wrestling fans among us, Johnny’s crossover got Mortal Kombat Online thinking: Which WWE Superstars would we most like to see feud with Johnny Cage?

Would love to see some wrestle dudes throwing their thoughts into the appropriate thread!

HYPE!

Alberto The Friggin' BOSS!! cuddled John Senile. I'm glad he won the US championship.

Well, I'd say the first Cena-less Raw went pretty well. Damn good story telling.

Walk it off, pal. Don't get DQed. (I don't think creative are worried about blood).

Speaking of creative -- I'm interested to see where "Meximerica" goes.

It still reads like a bit of a sketch, to me. I'd hate to see Del Rio walk back into a Wyatt-esque high concept that meanders without any real target. I'm not too fussed with the idea behind Zeb Colter's John Lennon epiphany, but I wish it could've been a turn we saw evolve. It would've given Del Rio a stronger starting point than... being xenophobic toward Neville?

I can't really remember how things ended between Swagger and Colter, but all it needed was Del Rio coming back strong to win the US title. Presents the idea of a united "Meximerica" on RAW. Colter & Swagger return to oppose the concept and fight for the US title that they intended to challenge for at Hell in a Cell. Give Swagger some strong wins over mid-level opponents. Show some tension between he and Colter throughout. Maybe he drops a multi-man match on RAW, loses a match by roll-up on Smackdown, all because he and Colter are clashing (simple stuff - like Colter calling spots Swagger doesn't think are right). Lead up to the PPV where he loses to Del Rio, but Del Rio sways one of them to the Meximerica way of thinking, and proceed from there.

I dunno how much mileage they expect to get out of post-surgery Zeb Colter, so maybe they could've built a tag team out of it. Or just let Del Rio beat the crap out of the racists and he can court somebody else. Either way - something with a bit more drive behind it would've been nice.

Maybe that'll develop in the build to Survivor Series, but it doesn't usually.


Any episode with a tournament is a good one.

Pretty fun traditional survivor series match on Raw. Didn't care much for the ending. Also Bray Wyatt is all super saiyan. He's always been a vaguely supernatural character, so I guess this could work out. Seems like he's being groomed to take over the monster mantle from Kane and Taker.

- Audio: Breaking News Show with John Pollock & Brian Mann

**John Pollock and Brian Mann discuss the injury to Seth Rollins, the WWE title being vacated, what their options are, the tournament set up for the title at Survivor Series, the major depth issues on the main roster, plans that were in place for Rollins and more.

Swerve~! Seth Rollins injured, Heavyweight Championship vacated, Survivor Series tournament!

On the surface it's a catastrophe (source link certainly thinks so), but I'm pretty excited. WWE have a lot of problems right now, and a couple are: 1) Making their special events seem special beyond one or two marquee matches, 2) Having a sense of spontaneity in their programming. Whether they like it or not - this delivers both!

Survivor Series '98 is a personal favourite. Hoping we get a sizable tournament on the "PPV" with a surprise ending! Would be a great time to throw an unexpected champion into the mix and try to build some excitement. They've done a lot of lengthy reigns of late, I think it's fine to bounce the title around a little as they arrange the deck for Wrestlemania. Could be nice to inject some intensity and competition!

They've got enough guys to really make this thing interesting, too! Even with the Undertaker. Kane & Wyatts match, you've got a lot of valid tournament options ready to go:
Roman Reigns, Sheamus, King Barrett, Big Show, Goldust, Bubba Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Cesaro, Ryback, Big E Langston.

You could save them for title defenses, or throw Alberto Del Rio and Kevin Owens into the tournament. For perennial guys who are in-house and you could probably bring in Mark Henry and Chris Jericho. If they open up to NXT guys, you've got Samoa Joe, James Storm, Finn Balor. I image a guy like Rob Van Dam could be an option for a one night gig -- but I don't think you need him!

If they really take advantage of the unusual situation, they could go pretty nuts! Roman Reigns is the obvious winner, so maybe you find a way to screw him and put any one of the other guys over -- even short term. You could have the winner drop it in December or at the Royal Rumble, or even have Sheamus cash in MITB and spoil the winner (who could be Reigns). Then you've got a ready-made pre-Wrestlemania feud! Or if that's too easy, Triple H could pick a new favorite and deliver him the win ala; The Rock in '98.

Lots of options that can all give them future equity!

A little disappointed by the scale of the bracket. Lots of unused options, and with five first round matches on RAW and the rest on Smackdown, it's going to be a pretty tournament-light Survivor Series. Could've saved that for the "PPV" (ala '98) and fuelled the next two weeks on pre-tournament tension and aggression. Maybe they'll save Round 2 for the show, I don't know.

Well it's better than Roman having the belt, but not by a whoooole lot.

So...where the hell do the Wyatt Family go from here? Setback after setback. Sad.

It's killing me too. I really like The Wyatts, but man they just keep losing and losing. I was sure they would at least win at Survivor Series to finally get that go over Taker to cement themselves as the new face of fear (that should have happened in WM imo). Hopefully this thing with the Dudleyz will be good.

In other news. NEW DAY ROCKS. NEW DAY ROCKS. NEW DAY ROCKS.

Agreed on all fronts.

I'm not too worried about them losing - especially when Undertaker & Kane are on the other side of the ring. I just wish it meant something!

Who are these characters? What are their goals? What are their likes and dislikes?
It's been a couple of years and I still don't really know. I'm not sure they do, either.

Losing in pro wrestling gives a guy a reason to change, somewhere to go, something meaningful to chase. A loss can mean even more to a career than a win, but nothing means anything to these guys. They pluck opponents out of the air based on off screen connect-the-dots booking, drop some vague allusions into the usual meandering promo, and continue to be what they have been for the last couple of years.

I think the talk about taking Undertaker & Kane's souls, stealing their power, and replacing them was just the usual smoke and mirrors to kill time until Survivor Series. They'd do The Wyatts a lot of favors if they made sure those threats were 100% real, though! Then double down on the failure.

Bray tried to take Undertaker head-on and failed - not the first time. Let that be his motivation from this point - be a better Undertaker! You combine Wyatt's playbook with Undertakers and now you've got a whole lot of places to go!

You could build a solid six months around something like that. Dedicate December to scattered promos lamenting the loss. You don't even have The Wyatts in the ring much, just visions from that mysterious dark place, talking about the weakness and the failure and what they need to do now.

Maybe there's a squash match in there, and maybe Wyatt's first big move is to punish Erick Rowan for running out early at Survivor Series and getting chokeslammed to hell. So Bray SETS HIM ON FIRE. Big 3rd hour pyro stunt as Erick Rowan runs up the ramp and out of sight as a human torch -- the payoff can come at Royal Rumble when he returns in a mask and suit that covers his burnt body. Bray wants to be a better Undertaker. He's made himself a Kane.

By January, Bray's back to plucking an opponent out of the air - only this time there's an end game! Be a better Undertaker. Build a better Ministry. The Wyatts have abducted before and they do it again! Another in February. Another in March. These guys can be 1 on 1 PPV matches for Wyatt. Wins that finish with the clan abducting the loser. Maybe crispy Erick Rowan stands out as the guy who drags the body away. Stardust could be a good choice for this. Somewhere in here, maybe there's a casket match.

Come Wrestlemania - Undertaker has made his customary return, but it's tied to someone else. A rock solid program that leaves nothing to chance. Undertaker's focus needs to be 100% on this other opponent (Cena?) and dealing with them, because there's probably not much to be gained from a Wyatt/Taker rematch.

At this stage, The Wyatts are many! Their abductions should have in-built connections who will want to help the converted. If it's Cody Rhodes, you've got a great hook for Goldust. At Wrestlemania The Wyatts go on early in a 10-man tag. They dominate the concerned babyfaces who fail to liberate their friends.

Later in the show a backstage segment captures Undertaker and Bray Wyatt passing each other. By now, plenty of the audience sees what Wyatt is doing and wants to see Undertaker step into the ring with him. You've got a post-Wrestlemania program. Depending on Undertaker's availability, now you've got the premise for Wyatt to get his win back. He found his way to beat the Undertaker. He built a ministry. He played Undertaker's game. And now he has strength in numbers!

If it's an option, you do Undertaker/Bray Wyatt at the later April/May PPV. You could make it a casket match, but The Wyatts produce their own rustic plain wooden box. And they destroy Undertaker and Wyatt wins.

This chapter is closed. Wyatt is one of the strongest guys on the roster. He's surrounded by twisted freaks and has vanquished The Undertaker (for now). He might be in a position to go after the WWE Championship, but there are also going to be a lot of other avenues. Their numbers and the terror they've spread still need to be thinned. The abducted additions to the clan still need to be liberated by somebody. There will be babyfaces who can benefit from dealing with that - maybe whoever lost to Taker at Mania takes this opportunity to redeemer themselves. Erick Rowan could get over as the burnt freak, and maybe Kane helps him turn on Bray and stop being his silent muscle. Erick can become his own character, healed or scarred. Could be a strong potential opponent for Bray down the line. If Cody's one of the abducted and brain washed, this is the organic transition that gets him away from Stardust and eventually back to a Cody Rhodes character. You want all these guys to get their own identity at the end of it all.

The point being -- Bray Wyatt and The Wyatts are rehabbed. Everything has a point. You even get a nice excuse to run some Network content about The Undertaker's past, highlighting how Bray Wyatt has used similar tactics to ultimately beat The Undertaker at his own game. Shows about The Ministry of Darkness, his history of casket matches, the feud with Kane.


Strip the unlikely fantasy booking out of it and the quick answer is - there's a lot of ways they could rebuild Bray and The Wyatts and the loss could facilitate it.

I like your ideas and I absolutely understand what you're saying, but there is a fundamental problem with your proposal...

Its not that we don't know who the Wyatt Family is, its that the creative powers that be don't know who the Wyatt Family is. A story like yours requires established truths about the characters and the ability to plan, and execute those plans, within those established guidelines. Without an acute understanding of who they are and what their motivations are, they will be blindly moved from one feud to the next, fed to whatever flavor of the month the company thinks is the future of the company, and never truly evolve.

Chuck Jones had 9 unbreakable rules for writing a Road Runner cartoon. A CARTOON! That's a level of commitment and respect to characters that will never be seen in modern day WWE. I'm not looking for Shakespeare here, just some level of commitment rather than blindly treating these characters like chew toys for those that came before them.

Losses in Pro Wrestling can be just as important as wins...but when you keep losing, everything you do loses meaning, people stop caring, and the characters just fade away.

...and now its the Wyatts vs ECW. ECW got a 25th anniversary coming up?

I need to stop being such a wrestling pessimist... but good lord.

No doubt! For all the hand wringing over the years about PG ratings and three hour RAWs - the real problem has been weak characters and dodgy booking. Their peak business was built on both. If you've got solid characters top to bottom, booking and writing gets a whole lot easier, and everybody has something to care about. (I'd still say you can lose all the time if you have those conditions -- Mankind, a great example from the peak).

I'd probably be a lot more down on things if it hadn't been a steady ten years of decline.

For all the disappointment, they're in much better shape than they were a few years ago.


It's not the best they could do, but in isolation, I'm at least interested!

With all the big names in doubt for Wrestlemania, maybe they'll bring in a fourth guy (Rhyno? Spike?) and try to build a nostalgic attraction for the April undercard. They squandered the "Dudleyz" initially, so this could be a make-good over six months.

In the short term - a December TLC card that has a tables match with The Dudleys and The Wyatts sounds like a win! 4 on 4 with some ECW tagalongs could be the team match build we didn't get (and didn't really need) for November. I dig it.

If they do wind up with a 4-man ECW unit, I'm also interested to see what it means for the other 4-man groups they're putting together. We've got The Wyatts already. Now we have The League of Nations. We may or may not have 4 babyfaces coming together to oppose The League of Nations -- a "Roman Empire" that may or may not have some staying potential, if thye need it.

It wouldn't be the first time The Dudleys represented the US against foreign heels.