An overview of the WWE’s current state. Agree? Disagree? Leave a comment and share!

The breakup of the ‘Prime Time Players’…

The good:

• Titus O’Neil has finally been given the chance to spread his wings and show how great of a singles competitor he can be. He’s charismatic, a powerhouse in the ring, and has a great physique. He also makes for a great heel.

The bad:

• Not that the WWE were doing much with it, but the breakup of PTP further weakens WWE’s current Tag-Team division.
• Darren Young is talented, but it is uncertain whether he can go it alone. Without big Titus by his side, he’s going to have to do everything on his own, even fend for himself when he fails at a cheap pop by getting the city’s name wrong.

The ugly:

• Darren Young’s face when he doesn’t appear on live television as often as he’d like to. Will he end up being another JTG?

Keeping ‘The Show-Off’ off the show…

The good:

• Nothing. Maybe avoiding concussions, but that’s harsh…

The bad:

• Dolph Ziggler is an exceptional talent. He’s athletic, a great seller, and can cut
  above-average promos. He’s collecting dust in the locker room and is being under-utilised. He’s here to show he world, but when the hell will WWE give him a push that lasts longer than a month?
• Having Ziggler off live television allows for extremely pointless and boring matches to take place, consisting of the likes of Fandango, Santino Marella, and Zack Ryder. In a lengthy three-hour show, this is a recipe for disaster.

The ugly:

• Just like the ‘YES!’ chants, the ‘WE WANT ZIGGLER’ chants are starting to creep into other segments, which can be viewed as disrespectful to the Superstars currently performing.

Swinging for the fences…

The good:

• With incredible feats of strength, Antonio Cesaro has been one of the most exciting Superstars over the past couple of months.
• He’s one of few Superstars who have broken the mould of using his foreign origin as a gimmick. Not only that, but he’s done the complete opposite – joined the ‘Real Americans’!

The bad:

• Poor Jack Swagger can only watch in envy as Cesaro continues to shine. There have been hints of the ‘Real Americans’ splitting up, and this could not only spell a downfall for Swagger’s career, but for the Tag-Team division also.

The ugly:

• If Cesaro branches out on his own, it would be a shame to leave Zeb Colter in his tracks. Zeb is a phenomenal talker, capable of drawing a lot of ‘heat’ while being entertaining at the same time.

#BNB…

The good:

• After John Cena, this segment seems to be WWE’s predominant Marmite – you either love it or you hate it. Either way, it’s doing its job, being entertaining and/or drawing heat for one Wade Barrett.
• Regardless of Barrett’s reasons for not being in the ring, the #BNB segment is at least keeping him somewhat relevant.

The bad:

• Barrett needs to be in the ring. He is a top performer, and actually presents a threat to his opposition. He is worthy enough to form a believable rivalry with a number of top-flight baby-faces. Of course, it is unclear as to whether he is healthy enough to compete or not.

The ugly:

• His husky voice when he utters the words “WELL I’M AFRAID I’VE GOT SOME BAD NEWS…”, although this just adds to the beauty of the segment.

Sierra, Hotel, Indigo, Echo, Lima, Delta…REIGNS.

The good:

• We are getting an insight into the depths of each member’s character.
• They are being pushed, and in the right way.
• They are putting on incredible matches on an almost weekly basis.

The bad:

• While Roman Reigns seems like the man of the moment, he is being pushed far too much. We’re forgetting who the real ‘leader’ of the group is, and small things such as having Reigns stand in the middle of The Shield when confronting The Wyatt Family can get frustrating.
• Seth Rollins – arguably the best performer within the group – is being overshadowed by Reigns and Ambrose’s ongoing rivalry.
• With the ongoing story-line of The Shield cooperating as an incohesive unit, the United States Championship belt is becoming even more irrelevant around the waist of Dean Ambrose.

The ugly:

• It’s been suggested that Reigns could become the next face of the company in the future. This could be done well, providing WWE do not brand him as the next heir to Cena’s Superman throne, which can be seen being done already.

The ‘best’ takes his ball and goes home…

The good:

• CM Punk will get his well-deserved rest.
• His departure will allow for more Superstars to fill top-spots in story-lines and matches.

The bad:

• His selfish act has impacted other Superstars such as Sheamus, who was set to have a match with Daniel Bryan at this year’s WrestleMania XXX. Bryan is now set to square off against ‘The Game’ Triple H, leaving Sheamus in a rather pointless match with ‘Captain Charisma’, Christian. Hey, at least Christian’s getting one more match.
• Fans are distorting segments with ‘CM PUNK’ chants, being ignorant to the pure fact that Punk himself cost these paying fans the chance to see him. It’s not WWE who got rid of him, remember that.

The ugly:

• The crowd’s reaction if and when CM Punk returns. They may go crazy, or they may be hostile and boo him rotten.

The ‘YES!’ movement…

The good:

• His rise to stardom is guaranteeing a quality match every show. He’s put the ‘W’ back in WWE – we’re seeing actual WRESTLING!
• The fans’ interruptive ‘YES!’ chants have simmered down during other segments because they’re getting what they want.
• The typical mould for a main event player has been broken – Daniel Bryan has proven that the system can be beat.

The bad:

• Not everyone loves Daniel Bryan. It feels as if WWE have succumbed to the pressure of making him close every show.
• While Daniel Bryan is one of the all-time greats as an in-ring technician, his character is actually quite stale. His push has obviously led to more promos, which can get boring and bland.
• The ‘YES!’ chant is an easy and fun chant, which encourage fans who don’t necessarily love Daniel Bryan to join in and jump on the bandwagon.

The ugly:

• His beard.

Top-end players…

The good:

• Cena’s out of the title-run, and has a one-on-one match with Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania – which is a huge boost for the Wyatt leader’s already flourishing career.
• Undertaker and Lesnar go head-to-head at WrestleMania, a match that should prove to be exciting to those who think otherwise.

The bad:

• Every WWE fan is wondering when ‘The Deadman’s’ last WrestleMania will be, and if it’s this one, many will be disappointed that he didn’t go out against a someone more fitting.
• The ‘eater of souls’, Bray Wyatt is in the limelight against John Cena at ‘Mania. It’s a shame that Eric Rowan and Luke Harper don’t have more of a role, although they’ll probably play some part in the match one way or another.

The ugly:

• Orton and Batista’s WWE World Heavyweight Championship match at ‘Mania spells trouble. ‘The Viper’ is undeniably a gifted performer, but his character has grown stale and nobody cares for him anymore. Along comes big Dave in his shining armour, only to be boo’d out of every arena. WWE have now turned ‘The Animal’ from face to heel, which should allow him to absorb the jeers more gracefully. However, we now have a heel vs heel title match, and the only cheers generated from this match will come from the joyous feeling of each combatant being torn apart. WWE cannot simply close WrestleMania XXX with a match of these characteristics. Then again, it’s wrong to close the show with a match that isn’t for the grand prize on the grandest stage of them all. Unless they turn Orton face and hope for the best…

Some extra points…

• ‘The Usos’ need to keep doing what they’re doing. It’s a shame we’ve already seen them vs. ‘The New Age Outlaws’, a match that could have been a spectacle at WrestleMania XXX for the WWE Tag-Team Championships.
• Despite his match interruptions and  backstage yelling, The Miz still hasn’t been relevant on television at the slightest. It’s still hard to believe that he headlined WrestleMania XXVII against John Cena and retained the title.
• It’s quite frustrating to see ‘The Brotherhood’ – Cody Rhodes and Goldust – on pre-shows and not even competing for gold anymore. They were on fire just a couple of months ago, and should be well within the mix of the hunt for the Tag-Team Championship belts.
• The Diva’s division needs some help, and fast. AJ Lee needs to drop another pipe-bomb!

To conclude…

Overall, it is clear that WWE have a bit of work to do leading up to WrestleMania XXX. Whilst they’ve got some things right, they need to spend the remaining weeks tidying up their story-lines and prioritising their talent accordingly.

Once again, whether you agree or disagree on some if not all of these views, leave a comment, share, and follow if you haven’t already done so!

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