The WWE brand split started on July 19 when the main roster was split into two. Men and women wrestlers moved to either Raw or Smackdown, which became a live show on the same night when the split was announced. Now that we are three months deep into the brand split, I thought it would be a good time to reflect on the good and bad since things changed for WWE in a significant way.
If I were to pick a winner in WWE since the brand split, it would probably be Smackdown. I just enjoy it more in part because it’s two hours compared to Raw’s three hours. Often times during a three-hour Raw, I find myself bored because WWE just doesn’t know how to book a consistently entertaining show. There are so many weeks that go by that make me shrug my shoulders, wondering if that’s really the best they can do.
The days of WWE shocking fans on a regular basis are over. I don’t know if that’s just because of the PG rating forcing them to tone things down or because 71-year-old Vince McMahon likely doesn’t have the same creative abilities he once had. Whatever the reason, I think the strength of WWE in 2016 is the in-ring action, thanks to a talented roster. I just wish the stories were more compelling.
For the sake of the column, I’m only going to focus on Raw and Smackdown following the draft on July 19. There’s not going to be NXT content in here.
Sorry, James Ellsworth — you didn’t make the cut, but I think you’re pretty cool. Let’s see what did make it.
THE BAD
5. Sami Zayn Gets Lost In The Shuffle
This is something that really baffles me because Zayn was picked 11th overall in the draft. Yet based on television time, it’s as if he was the 50th. Here’s what I wrote here on The Comeback back in July after he was picked 11th.
“I like this pick a lot because Zayn’s one of the best in-ring performers in WWE. He could also thrive as a main event babyface if they really get behind him. Some character development would help him too.”
The key part of those three sentences is where I said “if they get behind him.” It’s pretty clear that WWE’s creative team has done nothing to get behind him, even after he had an incredible victory over Kevin Owens at Battleground in July. Zayn has barely been visible on Raw in the last three months with nothing important at SummerSlam and a two-week feud with Chris Jericho in September that saw him lose clean.
I have a hard time understanding why WWE fails to see something in Zayn. The man is one of the best in-ring performers in the company, the crowd cheers for him a lot every time he’s out there, and he’s a true babyface on a show that lacks true faces. Rollins complains all the time and Reigns is booed, so why not push a face that people actually like? I just don’t get it.
What hurts Zayn is that he doesn’t have an over-the-top personality. So what? It’s all about having a connection with the crowd, which he already has. I think WWE has to do a much better job of building him up as a major star because so far, he’s been lost in the shuffle with no end in sight.
Another guy going nowhere is his sometimes tag team partner, Neville. Apparently, he is the Man That Creative Forgot instead of the man that gravity forgot. What a waste of great talent.
4. The Cesaro And Sheamus Best-Of-Seven Series Ends In A Draw
What a bizarre storyline this has been. They had Cesaro beat Sheamus in back-to-back weeks on Raw. The rivalry seemed like it was over, yet Raw GM Mick Foley put them in a best-of-seven series to determine “physical dominance.” What? It’s just two words. It doesn’t mean anything. Then after the series started, they added that the winner gets a future title shot without specifying what title it would be.
I really didn’t like how the feud was booked with Sheamus winning the first three matches because it was obvious Cesaro would win the next three, which he did. It takes the drama out of the series when the matches are so predictable.
Their seventh match at Clash of Champions was great, but the ending sucked. Instead of booking a winner, they booked a draw. The crowd booed the finish because we are not used to seeing a draw end a best-of-seven series.
The story evolved with Foley putting them in a team and giving them a tag team title shot for the title opportunity he mentioned. The whole thing makes me groan because it could have been booked so much better. Who knows? Maybe it will work out and the tag team thing will work for both of them. Then again, even if it does work, it’s not going to remove the stench of the best-of-seven series.
I don’t blame the performers for any of this. They are doing their best with the material they are given. It’s just a shame that the material sucks.
3. Too Many Squash Matches
If you don’t know what a squash match is, it’s what happens when a well-known wrestler faces a nobody that’s called a jobber within the wrestling industry. The known wrestler wins the match within a few minutes and that’s the end of it.
There are some weeks on Raw where they feature three squash matches. If you’re sitting at home watching this stuff, are you really that interested in seeing Braun Strowman, Nia Jax, Baron Corbin or somebody else beat up an opponent easily or are you going to change the channel? You’re probably going to change the channel because nothing interesting is happening.
The squash match was a big part of pro wrestling television in the 1980s and into the early 1990s as well. Then WCW launched Nitro in 1995 and put on competitive matches every show, so WWE felt the need to match them. For most of the last 20 years, we’ve seen those same competitive matches on WWE programming. However, now we are back to the 1980s again with the likes of Strowman and Jax beating jobbers nearly every week for three months now. Others like Bayley and Bo Dallas get to beat jobbers too because there’s nothing else for them to do.
My point is this: WWE programming isn’t good enough right now that they can waste segments with squash matches. The audience is going down year by year and matches like this aren’t helping.
2. Finn Balor’s Shoulder Injury
I think it’s fair to say that Finn Balor was the greatest superstar in NXT history. He was there for about two years. Then he was the third pick for Raw and the fifth pick overall, even though he had never appeared on the main roster before.
Balor was booked like a star right away as he beat Roman Reigns clean in his first Raw main event. He went on to SummerSlam to face top heel Seth Rollins for the Universal Title.
Early in that match, Rollins gave Balor a Powerbomb into the barricade outside the ring. I remember the spot well because it didn’t look like Balor landed properly. His right arm went above the barricade while his body hit hard. We later found out that Balor popped his shoulder back into place and worked 15 minutes to win the Universal Title. It was a gutsy performance that ended up being his last match this year. He had major shoulder surgery days later and is likely out until February or March, with a hopeful return for WrestleMania 33 in Orlando.
The injury was an accident and Rollins doesn’t have heat for it, but it makes you wonder what Raw would be like if Balor was still around. It’s a shame that he’s on the shelf at a time when he could really thrive on the Raw brand that needs him.
1. Raw Still Revolves Around Triple H Even When He Isn’t On
I like Triple H. I think he’s doing a tremendous job as the head of Talent Relations. I love what NXT has become and the Cruiserweight Classic was a brilliant 10-week show that was unlike anything we have ever seen in WWE. What I don’t like is that we’re here in 2016 and Raw is still all about him.
When Kevin Owens won the WWE Universal Title in August, it was because Triple H hit a Pedigree on Roman Reigns on the floor. Then in a surprising move, Triple H hit a Pedigree on his former ally Seth Rollins, which led to Owens getting the cheap win and cover. We all celebrated it because Owens deserves it, but that was also the last time Triple H was seen on Raw.
The way the angle was followed up was so poor. You had Raw Commissioner Stephanie McMahon on there saying she hadn’t spoken to her husband, which is pretty ridiculous. Raw General Manager Mick Foley would get mad about it, he would question Stephanie, and then she berates him like a little child. And Foley just takes it while forgetting what he was mad about it in the first place.
You can’t go through an episode of Raw without somebody mentioning Triple H. It’s probably something they are doing to keep him in our minds so that when he screws Rollins out of the title again, possibly at Hell in a Cell, it will be something to complain about. However, I think WWE is making a mistake by not focusing on their current stars.
When Triple H dominated Raw as a main villain from 2000 to 2005 (he was a good guy briefly as well) he was the main focus on the show. It meant a lot when guys like Chris Benoit and Batista beat him to become a World Champion. It’s not going to mean anything when Owens loses the title because the show still feels like it’s about Hunter and Stephanie, which is why Raw is as stale as it is most weeks. I wish WWE remembered how to book wrestlers stronger because it would help the show so much more.
Did you notice that all five bad things are Raw-related? That’s not an accident. Let’s check out the good.
THE GOOD
5. Talking Smack
This may seem like a weird choice because Talking Smack is just a 20-30 minute show that airs on WWE Network after Smackdown, but I think it deserves a spot here. I watch Talking Smack every week because it’s a chance for Smackdown performers (usually two of them) to further their storyline by talking to Renee Young and Daniel Bryan. The best thing is that often times, these interviews feature the talent doing promos which feel way more real than what we usually see on Smackdown.
A few months ago, The Miz got in the face of Daniel Bryan after Bryan called him a coward based on the way that he works. The clip became the most talked about WWE promo this year because Miz fired back on Bryan in a way that made people feel it was a shoot, which means “real” in wrestling. It felt real and those are the best promos in wrestling. It’s why people still rave about Steve Austin’s “Austin 3:16” promo from 20 years ago because it felt like a real guy talking instead of just a wrestling character.
In the build up to No Mercy, both Dean Ambrose and John Cena did memorable promos against each other which, once again, made me more excited for their match than anything that happened on Smackdown. Ambrose talked about how he didn’t like Cena because of his part-time status, while Cena fired back saying he wasn’t lazy because he’s out there doing non-WWE things to raise the exposure of the company.
Talking Smack has become a must-watch program and it’s thanks to WWE realizing that Smackdown‘s performers need more freedom to get their angles over. It’s working well and I hope it doesn’t change any time soon.
4. Women’s Wrestling Matters Again
WrestleMania 32 featured a Women’s Title match between Charlotte, Becky Lynch and Sasha Banks. I thought it was the best match at WrestleMania this year. Then Sasha Banks kind of disappeared for a few months and we didn’t really know why. It turns out WWE was just saving her for a big run of matches with Charlotte in the summer.
Following the draft on July 19, there’s been a strong focus on women’s wrestling with Banks beating Charlotte for the Raw Women’s Title on July 25. Then Charlotte got it back at SummerSlam in a bit of a surprise. Banks won it back a few weeks ago in the main event of Raw on Oct. 3, which was one of the better Raw matches this year.
Adding Bayley to the mix on Raw has also helped a lot because of her history with both Sasha and Charlotte. Dana Brooke has had some rough moments, but she’s getting better. They also have Nia Jax, who up to this point has really just beaten jobbers. At some point, she’ll be a difference-maker as well.
As for Smackdown, I think they’re doing a really good job of implementing newcomers Alexa Bliss and Carmella. Both of them have had substantial roles so far, while Becky Lynch won their Women’s Title and it felt like a big moment when she held up the gold for the first time.
There are depth issues in WWE’s women’s division for sure, but they are doing a good job of making women’s wrestling feel important. Last year, they kept talking about it so much without really following through. This year, they are doing it.
3. The Intercontinental Title Feud Between Dolph Ziggler And The Miz
When The Miz started another feud with Dolph Ziggler this summer I groaned. “Not again,” I thought. They’ve done the feud before and I didn’t need to see it again. Yet here we are several months later, and I think their match at No Mercy showed they have had one of the best feuds of the year.
The reason the feud worked so well is because The Miz is so believable as a long-term Intercontinental Champion with the hot wife in Maryse who thinks he is better than everybody else. Is he really a major movie star like he thinks he is? Nope. Not even close. That’s what makes the character work because he’s out there telling us how great he is when nobody really believes it except him and his wife.
Ziggler was the perfect rival because of their history together. They started in WWE at the same time and Miz has accomplished more than Ziggler, even though a lot of people would say Ziggler is better in the ring. It’s not always about in-ring performance, though.
At No Mercy, they had a fantastic match that was one of the best of the year. The story had Ziggler’s career on the line against Miz for the IC Title. Ziggler had a chance to shut The Miz up when he brags about his IC Title reign. It worked perfectly because the crowd bought into the match so well and the end result saw Ziggler with his hand raised as the IC Champion for the fifth time.
The Intercontinental Title matters again because of this feud. It’s a credit to the performers as well as WWE’s creative team for making us care again.
2. The Gift Of Jericho (And Kevin Owens)
I write about Raw every week here at The Comeback and I find myself laughing as I remember some of the things Chris Jericho has done in the last three months. He has taken a simple word like “it” and made it a catchphrase. He says “quiet” repeatedly to annoy the crowd and they say it back to him. In the last month, he started a “list of grievances” that has led to an incredible catchphrase where he yells: “You’re on The List!”
The crowd cheers every time Jericho mentions putting somebody on the list, even though he’s a heel and it’s one of the most ridiculous things in pro wrestling. That’s the thing, though. It’s pro wrestling. We love stupid stuff. Jericho gets it better than everybody.
Jericho should teach a class on the art of crowd manipulation because he’s the master of it.
I’ve enjoyed Jericho’s “best friends” routine with Universal Champion Kevin Owens a lot. It’s working well and is a highlight of Raw every week. The problem is that Raw is really lacking in terms of babyface characters who can play off them the right way. I like Seth Rollins, but he’s not at that level yet. Roman Reigns seems incapable of winning over the crowd. Jericho will likely turn face in the near-future to put over Owens because that’s what Jericho does.
When Jericho extends his arms and tells us to “drink it in, maaaaan,” he’s proving to us once again that he really is one of the best professional wrestlers ever. The man turns 46 years old in November, so we better drink it in because he may not be doing this for that much longer.
1. The Rise Of AJ Styles As WWE World Champion
When the WWE draft took place on July 19, I was upset that AJ Styles was drafted to Smackdown while his allies in The Club (Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson) were drafted to Raw. The trio formed a very entertaining trio that was only beginning their dominance in WWE. I thought it was a mistake because Styles had just turned heel, so giving him two guys to back him up would make the fans hate him more.
I’m here to admit that I was wrong to think it was a mistake because Styles has done incredibly well on his own.
Styles has been booked so well since the brand split, following up on it with his huge match against John Cena at SummerSlam. It was a match that was arguably the Match of the Year that Styles won clean. Styles moved on to winning the WWE Title from Dean Ambrose at Backlash in another great match. It wasn’t clean, but that’s fine because it was all about winning the title.
This past week on Smackdown, Styles had a comedy match against jobber James Ellsworth with Ambrose as the referee. It wasn’t intended to be a great match, yet I was highly entertained by it as Styles was pinned because Ambrose was an unfair referee. Most top guys in the business would have a problem doing a comedy match like that. Not Styles. He made it work.
Styles is WWE’s MVP of 2016 and I don’t see anybody passing him in the rest of the year. I expected him to do very well in WWE, but I didn’t expect him to be used this well and to perform at such a consistently high level.
I think Smackdown has been the better of WWE’s two brands and Styles is a big reason for it.
