WWE Fastlane 2016 Predictions

WWE Fastlane 2016

Predictions

Plotting the Road to Wrestlemania

To say that WWE is in a controversial bind would be an understatement.  A full two years after launching their lauded (and maligned) home-grown Network, subscriptions are still failing to meet expectations.  The company's marque event is just over the horizon, and they are trying hard to fill 100,000 seats at AT&T Stadium.  That second issue is compounded by the fact that WWE's roster has been plagued by injuries over the past several months, sidelining some of their biggest names and leaving the entire Wrestlemania card in serious doubt.

Despite all this, the WWE machine continues to plow headlong toward the inevitable, and while we may not know what to expect in Dallas come April, we know that at least one match will be set in stone (as far as that goes in WWE terms) after Sunday night.

It's likely the outcomes of Sunday's matches will shed some much-needed light on what's to happen at Wrestlemania, but whether it's enough to sell out AT&T Stadium is another matter.  Let's take a look at what we can hope to expect at Fastlane:

WWE INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP

WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens vs. Dolph Ziggler

It's likely WWE took the Intercontinental Championship off of Dean Ambrose to help boost his credibility going into the night's Triple Threat main event, but if they were going to give it to anyone, Kevin Owens was probably their smartest bet.  Owens is completely over with fans whether they want to cheer him as an antihero or completely boo him as a heel.  Owens is one of the few to ascend from NXT without suffering major damage from a creative and booking standpoint (see "Bo Dallas", "Tyler Breeze", "Neville", etc.).  He's been kept consistently near the upper mid-card, and it was believed at one point that he might even be built as an opponent for Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 32.

It's unfortunate for Owens that the entire roster is so thinly stacked.  Even without men like Cesaro and Tyson Kidd being sidelined with potentially career-ending injuries, there just aren't a lot of potential contenders for Owens' championship that fans will pay to see without some serious suspension of disbelief.  That being said, you may not think Ziggler has much of a shot at winning the title from Owens, but you'll at the very least be assured the match will be a quality effort from both men.  The glaring question, of course, is what happens to that title going into what WWE hopes will be the greatest Wrestlemania of all time?

It's unlikely we'll get a one-on-one encounter for the Intercontinental title at Wrestlemania, particularly if Ziggler is still holding it.  Continuing Owens' reign might warrant some sort of match against someone, but it's more than likely that whoever wins this match will do little more than escort the title into and out of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.  That being said, WWE is apt to remind us that there is no "off-season" in their business, so it's just as important that the champion be able to carry the title well beyond April 3rd.

WHO WILL WIN: Kevin Owens

WHO SHOULD WIN: Kevin Owens

WWE DIVAS CHAMPIONSHIP

WWE Divas Champion Charlotte vs. Brie Bella

We can debate all we want about the validity of Brie Bella's title shot that seemed to come out of nowhere (she can thank her husband's tear-jerking retirement for that), but this match could have huge repercussions for the Divas division on WWE's main roster.

My immediate reaction to this match is that Charlotte has to win.  She's done a great job as a heel champion with her father in her corner to lend her not just credibility, but to enhance her turn as the new "Dirtiest Player in the Game."  In a perfect world, Charlotte would walk into Wrestlemania with the title and face Sasha Banks, pitting the two freshest and most talented Divas against each other on the biggest possible stage.

However, Brie's recent appearance on Good Morning America to talk about her husband's injuries and subsequent exit has thrown a huge wrench into what would otherwise be a pretty cut-and-dry scenario.  In that interview, Brie stated that she plans on retiring from WWE sooner rather than later, and ensuing reports have hinted that the end of Brie's career could be as near as Summerslam.

If that's the case, WWE could give Brie one last run as Divas Champion as a nice send-off.  Whether that should happen at Charlotte's expense, much less at Wrestlemania 32 is anybody's guess, but it's something worth considering.  It's also worth considering that--in WWE's eyes--Brie as Champion brings in some modicum of mainstream press as one of the two main stars of Total Divas, and since Wrestlemania is considered a blending of pro wrestling and entertainment, what better stage to put your reality star on top?

If that were to happen, it's perfectly reasonable to think that Brie could drop the title at 'Mania to Sasha or Charlotte (or Paige, or Becky, or whoever), thus solidifying her final run and helping to get over the next generation of stars.

But let's hope they save that for Summerslam.

WHO WILL WIN: Brie Bella

WHO SHOULD WIN: Charlotte

Becky Lynch & Sasha Banks vs. Naomi & Tamina

While we're on the subject of the Divas division, let's talk about this convoluted bout.

Let's just say that the long-touted Divas Revolution fell a little flat during the NXT to WWE transition.  Pairing each of the three new Divas with their respective teams did little to infuse a sense of personal rivalry between them.  Instead of getting the types of epic one-on-one title-driven contests familiar to NXT loyalists, we were treated to repetitive, stale tag team matches week after week.  Add to this the confusing face/heel turns of Paige and Charlotte and the entire "movement" left fans supremely underwhelmed.

In the midst of all this, Sasha Banks has been a standout for fans, who voiced their displeasure with the Divas formula by chanting "WE-WANT-SA-SHA" on Raw and Smackdown...even when Ms. Banks was not in the arena.  WWE eventually took notice and decided to change up Sasha's character by having her strike out on her own, away from her Team B.A.D. cohorts.

Meanwhile, the recently heel-turned Charlotte was beating up on Becky Lynch, and somehow the "Lass-Kicker" wound up teaming with Sasha when Sasha's ex-teammates decided she was hogging a little too much of the spotlight.  Honestly, I think it's impossible for a Divas storyline to involve a friendly rivalry at this point.  Paige, Charlotte, Tamina, and Naomi have all now double-crossed one friend or another, and to make matters worse, save for the cases with Paige and Becky, the Divas Championship was not even the main point of contention.

The irony here is that fans thought they were finally getting what they wanted from Sasha Banks: a chance to see arguably the best women's wrestler on the planet battle it out for the Championship against one of her NXT rivals.  Instead, WWE went back to the tag team well and simply switched up the dance partners.

Naomi and Tamina desperately need this win to stay relevant in a Divas division that is quickly passing them by, but a loss for Sasha and Becky could spell doom for the Divas division going into Wrestlemania.  A win for the NXT girls could put Sasha in a position to challenge Charlotte for the title in Dallas...if WWE feels confident enough to put the two of them out there in a one-on-one matchup.  Whatever the outcome, this tag team philosophy needs to be put to bed so we can finally let this division loose to show us what they can do without having to tether themselves to each other.  It's a safety net these women don't need.

WHO WILL WIN: Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch

WHO SHOULD WIN: Sasha Banks & Becky Lynch

"The Cutting Edge Peep Show" featuring The New Day

This talk segment was apparently so big WWE felt the need to promote it.  Obviously, Edge and Christian will be interviewing The New Day.  And that's...that's just okay.

I love E&C.  I really do.  They are one of the greatest tag teams of all time, and their backstage segments during the Attitude Era were hilarious, smart, and entertaining.

A lot of people have suggested that this segment will lead to an Edge & Christian vs. New Day match at Wrestlemania.  Rest assured, those people are wishing on a fallen star.  If Daniel Bryan's retirement is any indication about how serious WWE is about protecting their contracted talent, there's no way they are letting either Edge or Christian back in the ring.  Christian had to walk away due to concussion issues years ago (and with much less fanfare than either Edge or Bryan), and Edge's emotional farewell and Hall of Fame induction were the perfect ending for a career cut much too short.

So what is this segment about?  Well, to be honest, it's about promoting The Edge and Christian Show on WWE Network.  Other than that?  It's something for the New Day to do without putting their titles on the line.  It's possible the Dudley Boyz will emerge to challenge New Day for their WWE Tag Team Championship.

Yes, Edge and Christian were great as a team, but both men had since moved on to stand alone in their own right as great singles wrestlers.  Both would become World Champions, and Edge's "Rated R Superstar" character would eventually eclipse the goofiness of his early career.  It's just hard to see these two trying to rekindle something that was so much a product of its time.  This is no longer the Bevis and Butthead era, and while I welcome Edge and Christian on any show, it seems shameless to shoehorn them into a program so close to Wrestlemania without any impact on the event itself.  It's just lazy, and unfortunately will probably become a 20-minute bathroom break.  Prepare for some CM Punk chants mid-way through.

WHO WILL WIN: No one.

WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP

WWE United States Champion Kalisto vs. Alberto Del Rio

I can't remember the last time a single move launched a wrestler from lower mid-card to a championship so quickly.  Just as quickly as Kalisto won the United States Championship, Alberto Del Rio regained it.  Kalisto won the title back at Royal Rumble, thus setting up this obligatory rematch at Fastlane.

It says something about Kalisto that he's been able to overcome a rough gimmick and terrible booking to become United States Champion.  He is a fantastic wrestler, and I've said before that Kalisto is the Sin Cara that WWE always wanted Sin Cara to be: someone who connects with the audience, someone who can run Mysterio-esque circles around his opponents.  Kalisto continues the lucha libre tradition Mysterio ushered in, and he's doing a fine job.  Like Owens, however, it's unfortunate that the undercard is so weak, leaving Kalisto with few credible opponents.

As a former World Champion, Del Rio might have added some prestige to the U.S. title if it weren't for the fact that he was stuck in the horrible League of Nations.  WWE has done Del Rio no favors since return to WWE.  After beating John Cena for the United States Championship (yes, that John Cena), WWE preceded to almost never mention the monumental feat on television.  They then paired Del Rio with former ally Zeb Colter, which is not usually such a bad idea, except that WWE in this case thought it would be smart to try and make Del Rio a face by completely changing Colter's character.  Whereas Zeb was famous for his rants against alleged illegal immigrants and love for a "home-grown" America, Colter in this instance decided that he would now attempt to reconcile with fans by melding Mexicans and Americans into a single, great nation called MexAmerica.

Seriously, when Jack Swagger of all people has to come over and ask what the hell happened to you, you're in a bad way.

Del Rio broke things off with Colter when Colter's motorized scooter somehow caused Del Rio to trip during a match or something.  Alberto said fans were laughing at him, but fans were too bored or confused to react at all.  So after this happens and Del Rio gets a few matches to squash his ex-tag partner, Swagger, Del Rio aligns himself with the League of Nations: a faction whose sole purpose seems to be to pick on the fan un-favorite Roman Reigns.

That's all well and good, except that the League never actually got the better of Reigns.  At every turn, Reigns had an answer for every trick in the League's limited playbook.  Whether it was trotting out his cousins, The Usos, or his "brother", Dean Ambrose, to even the odds, the League of Nations looked foolish every week on Raw and Smackdown.  Despite consisting of some of the best and strongest talent on the roster, each of which had previously held championship gold, it was perhaps losing the 5-on-1 tag team match against Roman Reigns that spelled utter doom for the young faction.

At this point, it's hard to tell if the League of Nations is still a thing, with leader Sheamus and partner King Barrett both injured (Barrett recently almost-announcing his intentions to retire from WWE).  They seem to trot out together with their horrible entrance music whenever it feels convenient to remind the fans they have each others backs (usually in preparation for a bloated tag team main event match), but are suddenly absent when it comes time for one of their own to lose a championship.

So we'll do this Del Rio vs. Kalisto thing one more time.  I'm sure the match will be fine.  Heck, it might even be a show-stealer considering the talents of both men.  But the overreaching consequences of this bout will be little to none.  Like the Intercontinental Championship earlier, the winner of this match will probably be entered in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal and be unceremoniously disposed of.

If I had to guess, I'd say that Del Rio is needed nearer the top of the card considering the plague of injuries that have thinned out the main event scene.  Probably best to find some other poor soul to job to Kalisto every week (I'm looking at you, Tyler Breeze).

WHO WILL WIN: Kalisto

WHO SHOULD WIN: Kalisto

Ryback, Big Show & Kane vs. The Wyatt Family

Apparently, Big Show's Raw main event match (yes, you read that correctly) against Braun Stroman (yes, you read that correctly, too) was so well received by fans the world over that WWE decided to stick Ryback, Kane, and the entire Wyatt Family into the mix to form this 4-on-3 debacle.

Ugh...what can I say about this match?  Ryback is "The Big Guy."  Kane is "The Big Red Monster."  And Big Show is...well...I mean, the word "big" is in his name.  It's obviously enough to have in common for these three lost boys to unite against the ever-potent Wyatt Family.

You know what?  Let's start with the Wyatt Family while I think of something interesting to write about the other three.  Bray Wyatt has been one of the most intriguing characters with the most underwhelming matches in recent memory.  Remember: this was the guy that two years ago walked into a Wrestlemania match against John Cena (yes, that John Cena).

And he lost.  Then he fought John Cena in a cage and won.  Kind of.  I mean, he escaped the cage before Cena did.  Like, barely.  Mainly because there was this kid and he was singing, but he had the voice coming through the arena speakers that was clearly not his own and Cena--who is very used to children sounding like children--was so startled by this that it actually cost him the match.  So yeah, I mean, Bray won.  That way.

So they fight a third time because the laws of wrestling dictate that John Cena cannot end a feud by losing (see "Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson").  And this time, it's a Last Man Standing Match.  And Bray wins because his Family comes out and interferes on his behalf.

Oh, wait.  Sorry.  Mistake.  Despite the match being a no-disqualifications match, nobody comes out to help Bray against SuperCena before the "New Face of Fear" is buried under a pile of staging equipment for the 10-count.

Can't be all bad, right?  Wyatt's still the guy, right?

Let's ask Dean Ambrose, Roman Reigns, Kane, and The Undertaker (yes, that Undertaker).  Wyatt has lost to all of them.  Literally every time this guy comes out and talks about being the "Eater of Worlds" and tells us to "Follow the Buzzards" and singing songs from the public domain with vaguely religious overtones, he loses.  Every.  Single.  Time.

The only person Wyatt has ever truly beaten--and by that, I mean the only feud he's ever had a winning record in--was against Chris Jericho.  Unfortunately, nobody remembers that because WWE decided it would be better not to have two of the best talkers on their roster in the ring cutting promos against each other, so we were left with your typical run-in interferences and other ringside shenanigans to fuel what could've been an otherwise fascinating feud.  To make matters worse, fans probably don't remember the rubber match because it happened on Raw instead of a pay-per-view, and don't remember Wyatt winning that match because all they can see is 40-something Chris Jericho leaping off the top of the steel cage.

If that wasn't enough, the Wyatts were briefly split apart, with Eric Rowan and Luke Harper each looking to make their own mark.  While Harper was arguably the best of the bunch and even received a brief run with the Intercontinental Championship, Rowan was written as something like a lost child.  Rowan would disappear and reappear with no explanation and just as quickly as they were divided, the Wyatts were re-united again.

And this was all before Wyatt was stuck with Braun Stroman: another of WWE's infamous big-men who makes The Great Khali look like Ric Flair.  Lumbering around the ring with the flexibility of a glue stick, Stroman's most interesting moment was standing toe-to-toe with The Big Show without the veteran giant uttering the words, "Yes, Braun, I am your father."  Since WWE loves its giants, it was only logical to put the aging Show in the ring with the green-as-grass rookie and see what happened.  In fact, I'm convinced that the run-in by Kane and Ryback were planned during Raw's last commercial break to save the segment when Vince realized nobody cared what was going on.

To cap this all off we have this match where three guys with the word "big" in their monikers are going to fight four guys with beards, fueled by movies known only to Vince McMahon and his inner circle (which is a clever metaphor for his toilet).  Kane may be the only person to match Big Show in the ratio of time served/character changes department, and Big Show himself has been receiving chants of "Please Retire" from the crowd for months, now.  That leaves Ryback to stand alone, more or less unmolested by the fans, but only because WWE hasn't given us any reason to care about him.

At the end of the day, these men will provide the necessary filler for the now star-studded Memorial Battle Royal at 'Mania.  As for Fastlane, well, I suggest you use this opportunity to hit the concession stands or visit Vince McMahon's "inner circle".

WHO WILL WIN: Ryback, Big Show, & Kane

WHO SHOULD WIN: The Wyatt Family

Chris Jericho vs. A.J. Styles

Finally: a match we can get invested in!  Whereas the other matches on this card can be called examples of the typically convoluted and non-sensical nature of WWE's creative processes, this match is a testament to the time-tested pro wrestling KISS formula.  No backstabbing betrayals, no stealing the other guy's girlfriend only to find she really does love the guy who stole her, no backstage politics, no flat-panning stare-downs.  This is good, old-fashioned Wrestling Feuds 101.

World-renowned pro wrestler and ex-TNA poster boy A.J. Styles has finally broken through the big time in WWE and after an admirable effort in the Royal Rumble match, beat "Y2J" Chris Jericho in his first-ever one-on-one WWE match the next night on Raw.  Upset, Jericho challenges him to a rematch on Smackdown and gets the victory back.  As discussed above when it comes to John Cena, a rubber match is dictated by wrestling law, and so we have this Fastlane bout.

Most fans probably hoped this would be a Wrestlemania match, but whether it happens at 'Mania or at Fastlane, the match itself should be...dare I say...phenomenal.  These are two veterans who know how to work a crowd into a frenzy, and I for one am really looking forward to what kind of story they can tell here.  You may not think this will carry over to Wrestlemania, but I tend to think otherwise.  It's perfectly logical to think that a heel Chris Jericho will pull out some sort of chicanery to perhaps get himself or A.J. disqualified, thus setting up a true final encounter in April.  But, it's also possible that Jericho and Styles will have some different opponents by then (Finn Balor, anyone?)

WHO WILL WIN: A.J. Styles / The Fans

WHO SHOULD WIN: A.J. Styles

TRIPLE THREAT MATCH

#1 CONTENDER FOR THE WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP AT WRESTLEMANIA 32

Dean Ambrose vs. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns

Remember when I was talking about Wrestling 101?  Well, we're gonna talk about it some more.

We've got three men here vying for a shot at Triple H's WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and--perhaps almost as importantly--a main-event spot at Wrestlemania 32.

The relationship between WWE, the fans, and Roman Reigns is well documented.  Despite WWE's best (or worst) efforts to get Reigns over, the "Roman Empire" has yet to truly take shape in WWE, even after a conflicted WWE World Championship run.  I'm sure WWE thought that having Triple H screw Reigns out of the title would endear Roman to the WWE Universe, but the exact opposite was true.  Maybe it's because of Triple H's work as the father of NXT.  Maybe it's the sheer history he has with the fans.  Maybe it's because he feels so much more legitimate as champion.  Whatever the case, Roman Reigns has been booed out of arenas since losing the title in what was possibly the most poorly booked spot in the entire Royal Rumble.

Then there's Dean Ambrose, who, despite his popularity, has never been booked far above the mid-card unless you count his brief feud with Seth Rollins for the WWE Championship.  Fans may want to see Dean challenge for the top prize, but WWE has so little faith in him they actually worked into the storyline, having Paul Heyman come out and tell Dean to his face how little chance he stands against both Roman and Lesnar.  To combat this sentiment, WWE took the Intercontinental Championship from Dean, knowing fans were smart enough to realize an incumbent champion could never win a second belt (unless you're Seth Rollins).  It's hard to tell if WWE will actually follow through on its own threat, though, considering how little they care for the "indy wrestlers", particularly after the problems with CM Punk and Daniel Bryan.

Finally, there's Brock Lesnar, who at this point seems poised to run through everyone and is by far the most credible threat to Triple H and the WWE World Heavyweight Championship.  Granted, this is a Triple-Threat Match, so it would be very to have Lesnar lose without making him look weak.  This is, after all, the man who broke The Streak.  We can't just have him lose outright to a Roman Reigns or a Dean Ambrose...can we?

There's a lot of elements at play, here, and it seems that something's gotta give.  Some sort of heel turn or change of fate is in the works, but what exactly?  Sure, we can sit here and speculate, but the bottom line is this: Wrestlemania 32 is the next pay-per-view in line.  WWE needs to start building the main event now or it risks going into an AT&T Stadium with empty seats still available.  Picking the right opponent is key, here.  We can talk in-ring credibility all we want.  We talk creative believability all we want.  But what matters most right now is which name is going to garner ticket sales and Network subscriptions for WWE.

If that's the case, there is only one choice, here.  Reigns will not move tickets or get people to subscribe to the WWE Network.  Remember: it was Reigns' Royal Rumble win in 2013 that caused people to unsubscribe from the Network in droves.  A man that is getting booed by fans across the country is not the man you want walking into your main event in front of your largest potential crowd.

Ambrose would be a fan favorite, but can you really picture him on the Wrestlemania 32 poster staring down Triple H?  Dean Ambrose is a fantastic brawler and brilliant talker, but he won't get the eyes of mainstream press on your product, and he won't get non-wrestling fans to tune in.  The "hardcore" audience (which is in the minority here, make no mistake), may want to see Ambrose.  Even the 100,000 in Dallas may want to see Ambrose as they could be counted as the most hardcore fans, but do you really want Ambrose's name in the papers or on TV's?  Do you want Triple H's poised glare of disdain to be met with the bulging eyes and slack jaw of a mad man?  No.

You want the self-assured, smug grin of "The Game" to be met with the beady-eyed focus of an unstoppable Beast.  Lesnar will bring eyes from the MMA world, which will in turn boost publicity across multiple platforms.  Hardcore fans will want to see Lesnar wrest the title away from the greedy corporate champion, and casual fans will just want to see two larger-than-life machines tear each other apart.  You won't get a match more visceral than that.

The added bonus to having Lesnar face Triple H at Wrestlemania is that it frees up Ambrose and Reigns, who look to be building their own feud of brotherly betrayal.  You could have Ambrose vs. Reigns on the same card in April as a co-main event.  I'm sure WWE intended to do a Shield Triple-Threat at some point for the title, but that will have to wait until Rollins returns.  In the meantime, a Reigns vs. Ambrose feud could be just what both men need to finally ascend to that next level.

Now, I'm not saying Lesnar will win the match.  WWE could take a page out of NXT's playbook and have the match end with no decision, leading to a Fatal Four-Way match for the title in Dallas.  Or, they could do the right thing for their struggling company and take Lesnar to Wrestlemania.

WHO WILL WIN: Roman Reigns

WHO SHOULD WIN: Brock Lesnar

WWE TLC 2015 Predicitons

Picture courtesy of WWE.com

Okay, so I'm a little rusty, but without much else to get excited about in the WWE Universe, I thought I'd give a quick weigh-in on my predictions for tonight's TLC pay-per-view.

KICKOFF MATCH

Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks

As with most of these matches, there's not much story to talk about here, but don't forget these women's histories in NXT.  Having this match on the kickoff show is just ridiculous since it puts a number of restraints (mainly time) on what can and can't happen here.  And while I feel bad for Becky Lynch, who has been fairly forgettable since coming up to the main roster, Sasha is so over with the crowd, I'd be surprised if she lost this match.

Now just make sure she's featured on the main card next time.

WHO WILL WIN: Sasha Banks

Ryback vs. Rusev

Unfortunately, as with a lot of the current WWE product, there's not much story, here.  No man has anything to really gain or lose in this match.  Ryback needs a win if WWE wants to keep pushing him as a force to be reckoned with.  Ever since losing the Intercontinental Championship (in a run that was less than auspicious), Ryback has almost fallen completely off the radar and might have gotten lost in the sauce altogether if it weren't for the lack of depth on the WWE roster.  A win here would mean WWE still plans to make something of him, but it's more than likely that ship has sailed.

A win for Rusev is not only a comeback from the awful Lana/Ziggler/RuRu love triangle, but a win for the League of Nations, which hasn't looked remotely strong since their debut on Raw a couple of weeks ago.  That faction is plastered all over this card, but there's no real clear direction for them since they haven't been around long enough to really establish a presence on the show.  If I had to guess, I'd say Rusev goes over (perhaps due to Lana's interference?)  The match won't win any awards, but has the potential to be a real "slobberknocker."

WHO WILL WIN: Rusev

WWE DIVAS CHAMPIONSHIP

WWE Divas Champion Charlotte with Ric Flair vs. Paige

This is perhaps the most convoluted and confusing storyline of the entire roster.  Let's see if we can make some sense of this, shall we?

So, after months of seeing Paige screwed out of the Divas Championship time and time again by the Bellas' "Twin Magic", Stephanie McMahon decided that if Paige was going to start a revolution to take back the Divas division, she couldn't do it alone.  She calls up about 75% of NXT's Divas roster as a supporting cast in the hopes that the buzz around NXT's women's wrestling will catch a wave on Raw and Smackdown.

Suddenly Paige is teaming with Charlotte and Becky Lynch; Nikki and Brie Bella recruit Alicia Fox to take their side; and because nobody in creative really knew what to do with possibly the best Diva on any roster, Sasha Banks is teamed up with Naomi and Tamina.  Suffice to say that the newly formed "Team P.C.B." (that's "Paige", "Charlotte" and "Becky" for those that struggled to see through the clever acronym) are the babyfaces, while "Team Bella" and "Team B.A.D." (a brilliantly generic moniker for "Beautiful And Dangerous") are the (alleged) heels.

Of course, the second Charlotte wins the Divas Championship from Paige's nemesis Nikki, Paige reasserts herself as the leader of the Divas Revolution by turning on her teammates.  Paige is a heel, Charlotte's a face.  Makes sense, right?  During the contract signing for their title match, things get even more intense when Charlotte brings up her late brother, Reid, and Paige uses that opportunity to take a dig at both Charlotte, her deceased brother, and her father in one fell swoop.  Paige fails to capture the title, and Charlotte walks away vindicated that the Flair bloodlines still run strong.

Then Charlotte and Becky have a match on Raw in which interference from Charlotte's dad, Ric (perhaps you've heard of him) costs Becky the match.  Charlotte plays coy with Becky, but comes out on MizTV a week later as a full-fledged heel who will do anything to keep her title.  Paige is suddenly a face again despite continuing to trash the Flair name (and even slapping Ric in the face), and is somehow entitled to a rematch, 

So who do we cheer for in this match?  Probably Paige.  Unfortunately, that has much less to do with the story making sense than it does with Charlotte's character being almost completely unestablished.  Fans gravitate toward Paige.  She's everywhere you look: Total Divas, Tough Enough, Raw, and Smackdown.  She's given more mic time and cuts much better promos that fans can relate to.  Paige is a better character, and if there's one thing fans are desperately clamoring for right now, it's a character they can get behind.

That being said, if WWE plans to stick to a storyline (for once), then Charlotte should keep the title via whatever dirty tactics she's learned from her father (not sure a low-blow is applicable here), and Paige should chase this all the way to Wrestlemania.  After that, they can basically go wherever they want.  I, for one, am chomping at the bit to see a Sasha vs. Paige match sometime in 2016.

WHO WILL WIN: Charlotte

EIGHT-MAN TAG TEAM ELIMINATION TABLES MATCH

ECW Originals (The Dudley Boyz, Tommy Dreamer, & Rhyno) vs. The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Luke Harper, Eric Rowan, & Braun Stroman)

This is another story that doesn't seem to have a clear direction.  The Wyatts have never looked weaker after losing to The Undertaker and Kane at Survivor Series, and the Dudley Boyz have had no real place on the main roster since returning.

I'm not really sure why this match is even happening aside from WWE's fetish for factions (see above, "Charlotte vs. Paige".)  The Dudleys have tables with names written on them: one for each member of the Wyatt Family.  Of course, we've already seen Bray go through a table on Raw, so the payoff has already happened.  In the meantime, Bray comes out and cuts more of his circular promos that make it very clear he's out to prove...something?  Anyway, this match will happen, so I better pick a winner.

Ideally, I'd want the Wyatts to win.  It may not be the same as beating The Deadman, but taking out the ECW Originals is no small feat and would be a nice feather in a cap that sorely needs some feathers in it.  Whether it's Daniel Bryan, John Cena, The Undertaker, or Roman Reigns, the Wyatts--specifically Bray--have done nothing but lost every challenge they have made.  As the self-proclaimed "Eater of Worlds," it'd be nice to see Bray devour someone every now and again.

Much like Chris Jericho, The Dudleys are teflon: they will still be great in the fans' eyes no matter how many matches they lose.  And since most of your veteran talent left years ago, it'd be nice to see some established fan favorites put over the next generation of stars.

WHO WILL WIN: ECW Originals  WHO SHOULD WIN: The Wyatt Family

WWE UNITED STATES CHAMPIONSHIP

CHAIRS MATCH

WWE United States Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Jack Swagger

Remember when I said the storylines in WWE were awful?  Here's another one to ponder.

Alberto Del Rio comes back to WWE after a controversial exit and long absence (during which fans of Lucha Underground and AAA Wrestling could see him pretty much every week.)  Not only does he come back, but they even give him Zeb Colter as his mouthpiece.  Not only that, but in his re-debut, Del Rio beats Superman himself, John Cena for the United States Championship in about ten minutes.

Now, it was long rumored that Cena was taking time off after he dropped the title, so it's no surprise Del Rio won the match, but WWE did literally nothing to follow up on the story.  That's right: WWE's creative team is now so lazy, they won't even bother to write their biggest star off of TV...he just disappears.  Del Rio is never credited as beating John Cena; there's no storyline concussion or injury he may have inflicted to sideline Cena; for all we know Del Rio just showed up the next night on Raw with the U.S. title and nobody knows how he got it.

Remember how huge it was when Kevin Owens beat John Cena in his debut on the main roster?  Yeah, me too.

Okay, for the sake of moving on, let's pretend that last paragraph didn't happen and Del Rio won the title off, say, Ryback (sorry, Ryback.)  If that situation wasn't bad enough, WWE decides to completely change Colter's character: and yes, it's for the worse.  Colter starts talking about building "Mexamerica:" a fictitious nation in which Mexico and America are one, big, happy family.  Every week, the crippled Colter appears to ramble on like a crazy old man and fans are left to scratch their heads.  And when the WWE Universe doesn't jump on the bandwagon, Zeb immediately turns on them and tells us all we're a bunch of "haters."  Even Zeb's former padawan Jack Swagger has to look twice to make sure it's the real Zeb and not some imposter.

So Mexamerica's not taking off.  We should break up Del Rio and Colter.  How do we do that?  Perhaps Del Rio finds Colter conspiring with Swagger behind his back.  Perhaps Swagger gets so irritated that he takes out Colter himself.  Or maybe Del Rio decides he doesn't like Mexamerica either, and will instead dedicate his United States Championship reign to his native country.

Nope.  Instead, Del Rio trips over Zeb's motorized wheelchair during a match.  Later that night, he claims the crowd (who was dead for the entire match and segment) was laughing at him when he tripped.  Not wanting his pride hurt, he dismisses Colter from his service.

Somehow Jack Swagger still figures in to all this and is getting a U.S. Championship match in which the use of chairs as weapons are legal.  Why chairs?  Because it's the "C" in "TLC", silly.  What other reason do you need?

WHO WILL WIN: Alberto Del Rio

WWE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

TRIPLE THREAT LADDER MATCH

WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day (Big E., Kofi Kingston, & Xavier Woods) vs. The Usos vs. The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto & Sin Cara)

This could be the match that steals the show.  There's not really a whole lot of story to it.  Suffice to say that the New Day are possibly the most entertaining (or annoying) Tag Team Champions we've seen in a long time, and the Usos want the titles back.  I can only assume the Lucha Dragons are there to give an illusion of depth to WWE's tag team division, but thankfully they are two incredibly talented guys that also add a different style and flavor to the match.

Expect a lot of high spots in this one (particularly if they turn Kalisto loose).  You could argue that it's a little unfair that WWE is actually letting all three New Day members compete in the match, but since the odds are stacked so much against them, it's probably the fairest thing they can do.  It also makes for better storytelling if they lose, since they will have no excuses.

Unfortunately, I don't think that loss happens here.

WHO WILL WIN: The New Day

INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP

WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose

Of all the matches light on story, this one is probably the most criminal.  Ambrose and Owens are both great on the mic.  Both have substantial fanbases that want to see them succeed, and both are struggling to keep their heads above the midcard.

This storyline should've been filled with run-ins, back and forth promos, and vicious attacks backstage.  Instead, the entire build for this match was shown as Dean Ambrose throwing popcorn in Kevin Owens' face.

I said above that the WWE Tag Team Championship match could steal the show, but the same can be said for this.  These are two ring generals who know how to work a match and tell a story in the ring. I'd be surprised if we don't see a few things we haven't seen before.

Both these men are over with the crowd, and I'm sure WWE would love to push Ambrose now that Reigns is in the top spot, but Owens is too good a heel champion to dethrone right now, and to be honest, Dean should be looking at the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, not the Intercontinental title.

That being said, I wouldn't mind seeing this feud play out over the next few months: it could be a bright spot in what has traditionally become a dismal time of year for WWE creatively.

WHO WILL WIN: Kevin Owens

WWE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

TABLES, LADDERS, AND CHAIRS MATCH

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Roman Reigns

For all the lack of attention other matches are getting from a storyline standpoint, this one is perhaps getting too much.  And now, WWE has painted themselves into a corner that's hard to dig themselves out of.  That bodes ill for WWE, and for the fans who have to suffer through this pointless, tensionless, monotonous feud.

The fans hate Reigns for the way he's been shoved down our throats since winning the Royal Rumble last year.  The fans hate Sheamus because of how ridiculous his character has been portrayed since returning after Wrestlemania 31.  No matter who walks out of TLC as the WWE World Champion, it's a lose-lose situation for every single party involved.

I feel bad for Roman Reigns.  The guy has grown by leaps and bounds when it comes to in-ring skills, but his promos still lack believability.  Part of that has to do with the fact that he's just not comfortable on the mic, and part of it has to do with just how horribly written these promos are.

The same can be said for Sheamus.  Like a lot of fans, I'd grown tired of the happy-go-lucky Irishman that Sheamus had become: a goofy sideshow of a cartoon.  I missed the days when he was beating up guys like John Cena and Triple H and we thought he might actually win.  Seemingly in answer to our prayers, Sheamus came back as a heel after Wrestlemania, but received no support from fans who would chant nothing at him except "you look stupid."

These are two talented guys who have been used completely the wrong way.  I'm not even sure WWE knows why they picked Sheamus to win Money-in-the-Bank, but I'm certain the thought behind him cashing in was that it would be a way to get Roman Reigns over.  If the fans are going to boo Reigns, we'll give them someone they respect even less and then they'll be rioting for Reigns to be champion.

Unfortunately that fans weren't fooled, and are now stuck with the lesser of two evils.  WWE can't win, no matter what they do here.  If Sheamus wins, we get at least another month of him as champion until he drops it to someone at the Royal Rumble.  If Reigns wins, Sheamus would most likely get his rematch at the Royal Rumble, anyway.  Is that really the main event WWE wants to go with leading into Wrestlemania?  Do they think a World Champion Reigns will fill 100,000 seats in Dallas?

They may not have much choice with guys like Orton, Cesaro, and Rollins all out with injury and Cena's return looking less and less likely to be any time before Wrestlemania.

In any event, Sheamus should win this match with the help of the League of Nations.  It's a no-disqualifications match, so everyone can get involved and it's perfectly legal.  Of course, Reigns could have his friends and family (Ambrose and the Usos) get involved as well.  The whole thing could turn into a circus by night's end, but by all accounts, Sheamus should walk out your champion.

Then we just have to hope WWE has a new challenger in the pipeline.  (Spoiler Alert: it's Cena.)

WHO WILL WIN: Sheamus

"DIVA" - The Dirty Word That's Not Going Anywhere

"The Four Horsewomen" of NXT: (from left to right) Charlotte, Bayley, Sasha Banks, and Becky Lynch

If you've been watching WWE programming at all in the last six months, you know there's a revolution going on.  Whether you're a stalwart follower of NXT or a Monday Night Raw die-hard, you've probably become quite familiar with names like Charlotte, Bayley, Becky Lynch, and Sasha Banks.  Over the last year, these women have blazed an trail of great women's wrestling that's not just reminiscent of the bouts of legends like Lita and Trish Stratus, but builds on that legacy and brings it to a new level.  The Divas Revolution is in full swing, and fans couldn't be more excited.

Don't let WWE fool you, though: while it may have been enthralling to watch this movement grow from its roots in NXT to a staple of the main roster, WWE has made sure to carefully brand this revolution under the much maligned "Divas" banner.  The women mentioned above may stand in stark contrast to contemporaries like Nikki Bella, Alicia Fox, or Eva Marie, they are still labeled the same: these are not women wrestlers.  These are WWE Divas, and that's not a mistake.

That term has left a bad taste in a lot of fans' mouths.  Most people associate the word "diva" with the likes of Kim Kardashian: someone who is famous for being famous.  In fact, a quick Google search defines "diva" as "a woman regarded as temperamental or haughty."  How many young starlets are christened the next "pop diva"?  It's a term that designates success over strength, looks over longevity, and pride over power.  WWE has worked hard to change that stereotype by infusing its roster with strong, beautiful, powerful women, but to the general public, it still seems strange to call the women of WWE "Divas."

Whether we like it or not, "Diva" isn't fading from WWE"s dictionary anytime soon, and while that may not sit well with some fans, it doesn't necessarily hurt the women who embody that ideal.  Instead, it's incumbent on WWE and those very women to prove that they will not be defined by social convention.

That's not to say that WWE has done itself any favors.  Anyone who has watched Total Divas will tell you that while the show does provide a peek inside the secret lives of not just the women, but even some of the men of WWE, it also features drama such as Paige and Alicia Fox arguing over their respective love interests and Paige's unwillingness to move in with her "bestie".  These women may be working hard to change perceptions in the ring, but their lives outside the ropes still manage to resemble those of Hollywood's biggest prima donnas, even if they lack some of the L.A. street cred.

But perhaps the most egregious act perpetrated by WWE against the female portion of its locker room (and its fans) in recent memory is the retirement of its Women's Championship.  As one of WWE's oldest and most prestigious titles, the WWE Women's Championship represented over 50 years of history and the legacies of champions from the Fabulous Moolah to Sherri Martel, Trish Stratus, Lita, and Mickie James.  Those legacies were cast aside in favor of a new title, christened the WWE Divas Championship.  If the name of the title wasn't enough of a slap in the face to long-time wrestling fans, the infamous "pink butterfly" belt design remains a source of angst for fans the world over, even a full five years after its inception.

While fans may clamor for the return of a more prestigious design for the title, don't expect to see the Women's Championship return any time soon.  Even if the WWE Universe isn't a fan of the word "Diva", WWE has set that four-letter word as a brand all its own.  Whether it's branding a revolution in women's wrestling, a reality TV show, or even just a section of WWEShop.com, being a WWE Diva is a prestige all its own in the eyes of the powers that be.

There's a reason the Divas division in NXT fights for the NXT Women's Championship: because being on the main roster isn't just about being a woman, it's about graduating to the level of Diva.

Don't forget: it was those much-lauded trailblazers like Trish, Lita, Ivory, and Jacqueline that helped establish the Divas division as far back as 2001, and it all happened in the shadow of what many believe to be the greatest era in professional wrestling.  One could argue that the women of the Attitude Era had less restrictions, but they also had more hurdles to overcome like Bra & Panties matches, bikini contests, and being tossed around from one love interest to another, including some involving Vince McMahon himself.

The stigma surrounding the Divas division has less to do with what word we use to describe it, but rather how it's presented.  The sparkly title belts are Strike One.  The contrived manner in which Stephanie McMahon brought in four NXT stars to "revolutionize" the Divas division is Strike Two.  Placing each of those women on a team in a sort of sorority vs. sorority scenario is Strike Three.

What made the NXT Divas so much better than their main roster counterparts?  Is it that the NXT talent are better wrestlers?  Probably not; after all, Paige, Summer Rae, Alicia Fox, and Emma all came up from that same system.  Is it that the NXT Women's Championship comes without the baggage of the term "Diva"?  Maybe.

But at the end of the day, it comes down to what happens between those ropes.  Having a great match is one thing.  Having a match that matters is another, and that is what the Divas division is sorely lacking.  Things are looking up with Paige finally stepping out to break up Team P.C.B. to face Charlotte for the Divas Championship at Survivor Series.  Meanwhile, Sasha Banks, who left NXT just when it seemed there was no stopping her, has gotten largely lost in the midst of her association with Team B.A.D. and a tired feud with the Team Bella.

It's time for these superficial teams to disband so we can see the fire that runs beneath.  Let these women showcase their strengths as individuals so we can invest in their words, actions, and matches. The roster is stronger than it's been in years, but until WWE takes off the proverbial handcuffs, the biggest opponent these women will face is the people they work for.

Wrestling's Biggest Heel

This past week on Ring of Honor, #1 Contender Tommaso Ciampa was knocked unconscious during his world championship match against ROH Champion "Unbreakable" Michael Elgin.  Following the match, Ciampa regained consciousness to learn that the referee had stopped the bout (and I learned that the term "referee stoppage" is a legitimate term) and awarded the victory to Elgin  After refusing a respectful handshake from Elgin, Ciampa proceeded to take his frustrations out on anyone in sight: from the ring and production crew, to commentators and ring announcers.  Yet, even as Ciampa continually drove his knee into Bobby Cruise's skull, the crowd cheered wildly.  This got me to thinking:

What does it take to be a real heel in professional wrestling, anymore?

Now, I realize that Ring of Honor tends to skew toward the more "hardcore" fanbase (we're not talking tweens with foam fingers), but if a man can beat up innocent bystanders and still have the crowd behind him, then how can a man be truly hated in wrestling, and is being truly hated really even an option anymore?  It's not simply about "cheap heat".  Knocking the local city's sports teams won't get you the kind of venomous jeers a true bad guy is looking for.  It goes deeper than that.

If we assume that Ring of Honor fans enjoy cheering Ciampa because they're Ring of Honor fans, then we also have to consider why a man like WWE's Rusev, with his tried and true anti-American gimmick, is so universally reviled.  After all, we know it's a gimmick, but we feed into it, anyway.  We can also ask why Dean Ambrose, who displays no clear allegiance to anyone but himself, is so identifiable and why John Cena, who professes to do all things for love of the business and the fans, is adored only by those who are young enough to wear his t-shirts and still sit at the Cool Kids Table.

On the surface, these answers seem simple enough: Rusev is against our country, and to cheer him would be unpatriotic.  Dean Ambrose has that "devil may care" swagger we all wish we had, while John Cena's the boy scout we all cringe to be (even if most of us are at heart).

So this leads to a bigger question: How did we get to a point where the bad guys are the fan favorites?

Before I answer that question, I'm going to answer this question:

Who's the biggest heel in professional wrestling?

I'll give you some hints:

It's not Brock Lesnar or Paul Heyman.

It's not Triple H or Stephanie McMahon.

It's not MVP or even Dixie Carter.


Nope.  It's this guy:

That's right: the father of modern-day professional wrestling is also the most hated man in the industry.

Now, before we get our collective trunks in a bunch, I know what you're going to say.  You're going to say things like, "Are you kidding?  Dixie Carter gets a much more hated reaction than Vince McMahon!  In fact, if Vince McMahon showed up on Raw this Monday, we'd have 20,000 fans standing on their feet and applauding!  WWE would be so much better if Vince came back to TV!"

I could spend an entire column talking about all the great things Vince McMahon has done for the product that is professional wrestling.  Wrestlemania, Monday Night Raw, The Attitude Era, etc.  That's great, and I, along with the entire wrestling community, are forever indebted to Vince for taking pro wrestling out of bingo halls and throwing it up on the grand stage alongside the world's greatest showcases.

Unfortunately, Vince McMahon is also single-handedly responsible for coining the phrase "sports entertainment" and making "wrestling" a dirty word in the biggest wrestling promotion in the world.  As his vision for his empire grows, he slowly begins to distance himself from the industry that helped make him a success.  One need look no further than the fact that Dean Ambrose will miss a month's worth of television to film a low budget WWE Studios film to realize that the priorities within WWE are shifting -- or perhaps have already shifted -- drastically.

But, just as many accuse George Lucas of spurning the fans that made him a billionaire, Vince McMahon can be seen as the man who took the "attitude" (a word that was once his company's cornerstone) out of WWE.  While it's true you can have fun reminiscing about all the unpredictable mayhem of the late 90's on WWE Network (for just $9.99 a month), don't look for too much of it in today's product.

In his effort to appeal to a younger fanbase (and the parents of that fanbase along with the shareholders keeping his company afloat), Vince traded middle fingers and beer chugging for rainbow-colored t-shirts and a squeaky clean image.  Most fans like to blame John Cena for all this, but even he had to undergo a makeover, renaming his finishing moves from the FU and STFU to the AA and STF, respectively.  That's right: WWE even took the attitude out of the golden child.

That's not to say WWE hasn't bred some great stars and given us some great moments in the decade-plus following the close of wrestling's last "golden age", but I wonder how much more intriguing those stars would be if they were taken off their leash.  Apparently, I'm not the only one who's asked that question, because other promotions have picked up where Vince McMahon left off.

Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling have long since lauded themselves as "alternatives" for the hardcore wrestling fan.  They highlight the fact that there is less talking and more wrestling.  They tell you their wrestling is better.  They're not even afraid to use the word "wrestling".  But, most importantly, they do what Vince doesn't.

Anybody remember this?

For those of you who may be too young to remember (or old enough to forget), this was an ad campaign run by videogame juggernaut Sega back when they made home consoles and were attempting to topple the dreaded empire of Nintendo.  They touted that their console, the Genesis, would do all the things Nintendo's wouldn't...including providing users with the choice to play grittier, edgier games that Nintendo shied away from.

The entire professional wrestling landscape, as presently constituted, can be summed up in this exact idiom.  Everyone from ROH to TNA to the independent scene is marketing themselves to be the anti-WWE.  Not only is this how we perceive the individual promotions (you're either trying to be the next WWE, or you're trying to be everything WWE isn't), but it's also how we perceive each wrestler.

Let's go back to Wrestlemania 22 and that epic encounter between Triple H and John Cena.  We all remember that moment in the match where Cena and "The Game" are trading blows back and forth.  Remember how the crowd cheered Triple H and booed Cena?  Because Triple H was everything Cena wasn't, and we liked that, even if we'd spent the previous three years wishing he'd shut the hell up and put someone over for a change.  He was the anti-Cena: a vestige of the Attitude Era we loved so well come save us from the monotony of this new chapter of history.

This was the beginning of the modern-day heel: the bad guy who is actually the good guy.  Because it's the bad guys who are allowed to show the attitude.  These days the faces all come out and pander to the crowd and try very hard to make people like them.  It's the heels that come out without a care in the world for what people think about them and get to unleash all manner of hell on their more naive opponents just to get a check in the "Win" column.  And we respect that about them.

It shows a passion, and that is something that is sorely lacking in today's product, particularly in WWE.  Sure, there are a few exceptions, but everything is so tightly wound at this point that watching wrestling has become more habitual than enjoyable.  The faces get to win because they're the good guys rather than because they want it more.  Meanwhile, a man who beats up the ring crew is getting cheered by a few hundred people because his actions speak to a desire to succeed.  Even if it's just a character-driven point, isn't all of it?  Aren't the good guys just good guys because that's how you want us to see them?  And aren't the bad guys just bad guys because you told them to win in a sneaky fashion?  For all we know, some of our favorite stars could be complete jerks backstage.  We don't know that.  All we know is what we see.

So when we see a man get suplexed sixteen times, sure, we'll feel sorry for him.  We'll even feel sorry when he loses the match and his championship.  But secretly, we're cheering the guy who wanted that championship bad enough that he was willing to do anything to get it.

Repairing the Rumble: Can WWE Save Wrestlemania XXX?

The 2014 Royal Rumble will undoubtedly go down as one of the biggest debacles in WWE history.  Everyone from WWE Superstars, Hall of Famers, and of course, the fans, have recognized and vocalized their displeasure with the outcome of the event: namely, that Batista has won the Royal Rumble match for the second time in his career and secured the main event spot at Wrestlemania XXX.

This comes as a huge shock, and one of the biggest upsets in Royal Rumble history as most fans fully expected to see Daniel Bryan, whose chants of "YES!" have been echoed to deafening proportions in arenas all over the world, to headline the "Show of Shows".  Bryan has been the most popular star on the roster for much of the past year, and fans have been frustrated with WWE's apparent lack of awareness to his star potential, and more importantly, championship potential.

Batista's victory has been received with vehement crowd reaction.  "The Animal" was almost booed out of the building upon winning the Rumble, and his appearance on Raw, even against the reviled champion Randy Orton, have been equally mixed.  Meanwhile, Daniel Bryan, even outside of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, continues to received the most passionate reaction from the fans.

Fans are not the only ones upset by this turn of events.  Almost immediately after the pay-per-view, WWE Hall of Famer Mick Foley tweeted that he was "disgusted" with the show, wondering if "WWE actually hate their own audience".

Later, it was also reported that former WWE Champion, and arguably the second most popular star on the WWE roster, C.M. Punk, reportedly "walked out" on WWE in protest of Batista's victory, and WWE's lack of recognition for himself or Daniel Bryan.

The almost universal frustration here is that Batista, who hasn't been in seen in the WWE for about two years, had only just returned six days prior to the big event.  "The Animal" was handed a victory that instantly undermined, in many people's eyes, the hard work of stars like Daniel Bryan, C.M. Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Bray Wyatt, The Shield, and countless other Superstars who have worked hard over the past year to earn respect as main event stars.  C.M. Punk had stated that it was his intention to headline Wrestlemania XXX, but that if he could not compete in the main event, he fully expected that spot to be given to Daniel Bryan.

As of this writing, WWE has yet to officially comment on the situation, and while the official @WWE Twitter account has unfollowed that of C.M. Punk, many fans speculate that this is simply a "work" or publicity stunt to garner attention for Wrestlemania.  Punk is technically under contract until July of 2014, but it would come as no surprise to anyone if Punk were to depart the company.

C.M. Punk is one of WWE's top stars, regardless of what your feelings about him may be.  His walk out has been compared to that of Steve Austin in 2002, but most expect that Punk will return once he and the company have had a chance to cool down.  WWE may be ignorant, but it is unlikely they will simply let C.M. Punk, one of their most popular performers, simply walk out without at least attempting negotiation.

At the very least, the situation with Punk highlights a larger issue within WWE: the blatant ignorance of what fans want.  First, we wonder if the Royal Rumble victory was intentional.  Did WWE make a mistake, or was it planned all along?  Obviously, Batista was not signed overnight, which makes fans wonder if this was planned weeks or even months in advance.  Or was it simply decided, in a horrible last-minute decision, that Batista would win the Rumble?

As for Daniel Bryan, there are really only two explanations here:

1.)  WWE is truly ignorant of what fans are looking for from their product and believe that Batista is going to garner greater earnings for Wrestlemania than Daniel Bryan would.

2.)  WWE has some other plan to work Daniel Bryan into the main event of Wrestlemania.

In either case, the fans and Superstars alike have made it clear that unless something changes, this year's Wrestlemania, despite being the thirtieth anniversary of the most revolutionary show in professional wrestling, has potential to be the most disappointing show in recent memory, and that includes the horrendous ECW December to Dismember show.  It's bad enough that Daniel Bryan isn't even factored into the title picture, but with C.M. Punk's future with the company completely up in the air as far as we know, there's little incentive for fans who don't enjoy Orton, Batista, or Cena, to shell out their $54.95 for this show.  With the WWE and World Heavyweight titles now unified, gone are the days when we could have a "double main event".  We are now tied to one championship match each year, which makes Batista's spot in the show all the more baffling.

That's not a shot of disrespect to Batista so much as a question to the powers that be in WWE.  Batista is a fine athlete and a main event star for the company, but you have to question the impact that putting someone in that spot will have on the men and women who have worked so hard all year long in hopes of earning that spot.

Of course, WWE has plenty of time to make all the changes it wants to this main event, with with about nine weeks until the big night.  But perhaps their biggest opportunity to change the main event picture for Wrestlemania will be at the upcoming Elimination Chamber pay-per-view, where champion Randy Orton will put his title on the line against five other men.

This is the perfect opportunity for WWE to completely change the Wrestlemania landscape, especially since Daniel Bryan was immediately entered into this match.

WWE has a few choices here, but I have some specific scenarios in mind:

1.)  Daniel Bryan wins the WWE World Championship at Elimination Chamber

Obviously, this isn't the ideal stage for Bryan to win his title, but it does get him to the main event of Wrestlemania and gives fans the chance to chant "YES!" at 80,000 strong.  The downside is that we miss the moment where Daniel Bryan wins the title at 'Mania, which would go down in history with the title wins of Shawn Michaels and Steve Austin as some of the most memorable ever.

2.)  Batista in the Chamber, Bryan at 'Mania

This is a stretch, but a second scenario would be to make the feud between Orton and Batista a thousand times more personal than it already it is.  Let them take shots at each other every chance they get until Batista can't take it anymore.  Batista tells Triple H he can't wait until 'Mania, he wants in the Elimination Chamber so he can kick Orton's ass and then walk into Wrestlemania with Orton's title.  Daniel Bryan hears this, and offers to put his spot in the Chamber on the line in exchange for Batista's Royal Rumble victory spot.  I'm not sure how it would work, but the two could have a match on Raw to see if they do, in fact, switch spots.  Then, let Batista win the title in the Chamber and let Daniel Bryan walk in the underdog at Wrestlemania.  This gives WWE the Batista comeback story it's looking for, while still giving the fans what they fully expect from Wrestlemania.

3.)  A Fatal Four-Way for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania XXX

This is a bit more plausible, but almost as unlikely as Option 2.

In this scenario, Triple H, The Shield, or even Bray Wyatt screw Daniel Bryan out of the title in the Elimination Chamber, leaving Orton as champion.  When Daniel Bryan insists the next night on Raw that he be inserted into the Wrestlemania match for the WWE World Championship, Triple H refuses, but then Vince comes out to set things right (or perhaps Stephanie has a change of heart?)  Batista is infuriated by this, but vows to beat Bryan and Orton no matter what.

The next week on Raw, the three are having their contract signing for the match at Wrestlemania when C.M. Punk returns.  The "Best in the World" can cut one of his infamous "pipe bomb" promos, saying he left WWE after the gross misuse of talent, and he can criticize Triple H and Stephanie, which should be great for ratings and publicity.  Then Punk says he's drawn up a new contract that entitles him to a match for the title at Wrestlemania.  Before things can escalate, Triple H confirms that the match will be the biggest WWE World Championship match in Wrestlemania history, with Orton vs. Punk vs. Batista vs. Bryan for the title.

Of course, at Wrestlemania, Daniel Bryan would still walk away the champion, but at least this gives everybody what they want.

Unfortunately, the likelihood of that happening is slim to none, since Vince and the company have long been fond of Wrestlemania being a showdown between the two biggest (alleged) stars of the company squaring off, rather than simply trying to cram stars into a main event.

Of course, any of these would be an obvious ploy by the company to rectify the mistake of the Rumble, but at this point, it's inevitable that WWE is not going to admit they made a booking error, so we will simply have to accept whatever excuse we are given.

Assuming they decide to change things at all.