Unpopular Opinion? This Is Not Charlotte's Time

   Before I officially get started here, I just want to point out that I have nothing against Charlotte Flair. In fact, I think she's great! However, right now is simply not her time to be the focus of the women's division regarding WrestleMania. First things first, the original idea, at least before Survivor Series, was for Ronda Rousey vs. Charlotte Flair to take place at this year's WrestleMania, even with Becky Lynch's ever growing popularity. Due to Becky's injury, she chose Charlotte to fight Ronda in her place at Survivor Series. Since the match had already taken place at this point, I felt they were going to move in the direction of Becky getting the spotlight. Despite losing the Smackdown Women's Title to Asuka at TLC and failing to regain it at the Royal Rumble, Becky won the women's Rumble and chose to take on Ronda at WrestleMania. Before SummerSlam last year, I think the WrestleMania plan was Ronda vs. Charlotte and they added Becky into the equation with talks of a Triple Threat match, which is what I think we'll see. 

   After the Rumble, I figured it was all said and done. Becky Lynch has become one of the most polarizing superstars in a long time and her intense rivalry with Ronda Rousey was just about to heat up even more. As of Raw, Becky's "suspension" was back on at the behest of Mr. McMahon, stating she would be out for WrestleMania with Charlotte as her replacement. It seems they may do some kind of "Daniel Bryan" routine to get Becky back in and make it a Triple Threat. I'd also like to point out that this is not the end of the world for me, and if it's happening, no one deserves to be added more than Charlotte, especially if the match is to main event WrestleMania this year. I just feel like it wasn't necessary at this juncture.

   For one thing, Charlotte has had multiple moments of her own, such as winning the Raw Women's Championship at WrestleMania XXXII and ending Asuka's undefeated streak last year, among being part of many first-evers. I think she can afford to sit this one out. Not only that, she was the only credible threat left for Asuka this year and now Asuka, the Smackdown Women's Champion, is an afterthought. She's not even wrestling at tomorrow night's Elimination Chamber PPV, nor are they hinting at a possible opponent for WrestleMania. With that being said, this leads to something I've stated numerous times. They seem to only focus on one Championship, even though there are two and they claim both are equal. I understand that Asuka's match, no matter the opponent, would still be of lesser importance than Ronda vs. Becky and/or Charlotte. However, it would have been a great story for Asuka to avenge her loss to Charlotte last year at this year's WrestleMania, with it just slightly less important than Ronda/Becky. WWE can never seem to focus on more than one women's division program at a time, and when they do, it's only because there are two singles Women's Championships. With the Women's Tag Team Titles being brought back and their rotating nature, it seems redundant to have two singles Titles. Rumors state that the brand split could be coming to an end, which I would be all for. However, I'm getting slightly off topic.

   I personally wouldn't have had Becky against Asuka at the Royal Rumble, especially her tapping out. I generally dislike when wrestlers in Championship matches get into the Rumble itself. I would have gone with Charlotte getting her one on one rematch with Ronda, with possible interference from the MMA Horsewomen. However, since Becky was in the match, having her tap out, which made Asuka look good, was not the right call. She should have passed out instead, similar to the way the Shayna Baszler/Bianca Belair match at Takeover: Phoenix ended. That way, Asuka still looks dominant but Becky remains strong as well. I also found the entire way they ran Becky's storyline in the Rumble to be unnecessary, as sometimes being predictable is just fine. I would have had Becky straight up be in the Rumble to begin with, and then winning it, as opposed to taking Lana's place when Lana couldn't compete. Becky on her own was enough and we didn't have to go the underdog Daniel Bryan story, nor the anti-authority Stone Cold story. I also have a feeling that Charlotte was added so she can take the pin so Ronda doesn't have to.

   Again, I enjoy Charlotte Flair's work, but I just don't feel she needed to be added to the Ronda/Becky situation, even though she has a gripe with both women. Also, I happen to think that Becky is the better all around performer. I'm not a Becky bandwagoner! I've been with her since day one and always liked her the best out of the NXT Horsewomen. I think she's more crisp in ring than Charlotte and better on the mic, especially since SummerSlam. Charlotte's moonsaults are sloppy and she's still somewhat robotic on the mic. Charlotte and those ridiculous sandbags she calls tits can sit this one out. She'll get many more moments in the coming years, and well deserved. However, this should really be Becky's moment in the spotlight. At the end of the day, I'm totally content with Charlotte's addition but I still feel she wasn't needed. Becky's popularity, along with Ronda's star power, is more than enough for the first women's main event in WrestleMania history. Again, this is all just my opinion but it's nothing to lose sleep over.

P.S. - With all that being said, however, the way they are now presenting Charlotte in this heel form, is fantastic!

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool Review

   This was the very first Takeover for the NXT UK brand and it was a very good show. That's not to say it was perfect, but we've only just scratched the surface. The main problem NXT UK has is that WWE taped the shows way back in August and September and then decided to run two a week on Wednesdays months later, leading into Takeover. That's a lot of content to catch up on and try to get into the brand. Fans, at least American fans, need a little time to get to know these wrestlers. For instance, though WWE will tout November as the day Rhea Ripley became the first NXT UK Women's Champion, she actually won it way back in August. I will say this, though; the UK fans were rowdy and I loved it. There wasn't a silent moment throughout the entire show.  

NXT UK Tag Team Titles - Mustache Mountain vs. Grizzled Young Veterans

   I couldn't think of a better match to start the show! We already know what to expect from any match involving Mustache Mountain. Trent Seven and Tyler Bate are tremendous stars and they showed exactly why yesterday. I also must give credit to their opponents. The Grizzled Young veterans are made up of UK Championship tournament standout James Drake and 2018 UK Championship Tournament winner Zack Gibson, Liverpool's # 1. While I expected the big strong boys to win, it kind of makes more sense for Drake and Gibson to get the win. The fans will really get behind Mustache Mountain even more. The wrestling itself was outstanding and the story telling was fantastic. Tyler Bate is incredibly strong, as he was able to pull off an airplane spin with both opponents on his shoulders. I loved how Mustache Mountain's outfits were very reminiscent of the British Bulldogs. In fact, they pulled off some old school British Bulldogs double team moves as Trent Seven hit a Davey Boy Smith-like vertical suplex, while Tyler Bate came off the top rope with a head butt much like the Dynamite Kid. The best move of the night was the suicide dive into a Doomsday Device on the outside. In the end, James Drake and Zack Gibson are the very first NXT UK Tag Team Champions.

Jordan Devlin vs. Finn Balor

   That's right, you read that correctly! I said Finn Balor! The match was advertised as Jordan Devlin vs. "The Kiwi Buzzsaw" Travis Banks. However, a storyline injury made other plans. Based on how good the opening contest was and the fact that it was the first Takeover for the brand, they needed to do something to keep the momentum going. Earlier in the day, the Irish Ace attacked Banks backstage. Before the match got underway, Banks made a B line to the ring and went right after Devlin. Unfortunately, the injury was just too much for Banks and he was taken out. UK General Manager Johnny Saint and Sid Scala said they had a plan B in case Devlin tried something like this, just after Devlin referred to himself as the greatest Irish wrestler in the world. The lights went out, a cloud of smoke arose, and out walked Finn Balor himself. It was now the teacher vs. the student. This chain of events made Devlin look good in a losing fashion, gave Balor a much needed showcase, and extended the Devlin/Banks feud. Everybody is a winner in this scenario. It was a good match as well, with Balor besting his former pupil with a "Coup de Grace" for the win. 

No Disqualification Match - Dave Mastiff vs. Eddie Dennis

   When Mastiff had enough of Dennis bullying people, he confronted him. Mastiff won their first encounter and their second one ended in a no contest, leading to their No DQ match here. Mastiff is a 320 pound wrecking ball of a man. To see a man his size and so agile is amazing. He almost looks like a smaller version of Vader. Eddie Dennis, while tall, doesn't come off very imposing. He's pretty generic actually. There were some cool spots here and in the end, the Bomber did a cannonball onto Dennis through a table in the corner for the win. It was the perfect match to put in the middle for a slight down turn. 

NXT UK Women's Title - Rhea Ripley vs. Toni Storm

   The women's division in NXT UK is very good but these two are head and shoulders above the rest. Ripley turned completely around in character from one year to the next during the Mae Young Classic. Toni Storm has certainly taken the world by storm and the hearts of NXT UK fans. Going into this, I thought for sure Ripley would retain, as to most fans, she just won the Title in November. However, if there was one person, even above Pete Dunne that is the face of the NXT UK brand, it's Toni Storm. Last night, the 2018 Mae Young Classic winner took her star to a new level by winning the NXT UK Women's Championship. It's Toni time!

UK Championship - Pete Dunne vs. Joe Coffey

 The only thing that took away from this match, at least going in, was that there was no one on the NXT UK roster that was in the position to take the Title from the Bruiserweight. The same goes for Joe Coffey, though he put up a good fight and was still a worthy challenger. This match came to be through the feud between British Strong Style and Gallus, consisting of Joe Coffey, brother Mark Coffey, and Wolfgang. In the end, Coffey just couldn't get the job done and Pete Dunne continues his 600-plus day reign as UK Champion. You'll notice that in the first sentence in this paragraph, I mentioned that there was no one credible enough to take the Title from Pete Dunne. Until now! Just as the credits were about to roll, Dvorak's Symphony # 9 IV came on the loudspeaker and out walked WALTER! Walter is a stand out in the UK independent scene and is a monster of a man. Just as Walter made his way to the ring to confront Dunne, Coffey got to his feat to ruin the moment, only to be met with a big boot from Walter for his troubles. The night ended with a stare down between Walter and Dunne, a sight to behold.

   Between the awesome matches, surprise appearance by Finn Balor, and Walter's debut, I'd say NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool was a success. The only thing missing was Blackpool native William Regal. What a great way to start what I'm sure is to be more Takeovers from here!

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Content, Creative, and Crybabies, Oh My!

   Normally, the day before a WWE Pay-Per-View, I would write a blog about my predictions for that particular show. As you may know, tomorrow is TLC. However, I know I will get off on tangents due to it, so this blog will not be my normal prediction one. Though we have not yet found out what, if any, matches will occur on the kick-off show, it looks as though we're getting a total of 12 matches. Does that sound excessive to anyone else?  I know many of the old WrestleMania cards had as many as that, if not more, but this is just TLC, a run of the mill December PPV. After all, no one really cares about anything until the Royal Rumble anyway. In my opinion, that's way too many matches! 

   

   This therein leads into my next topic. Recently, some wrestlers and wrestling writers reacted to fans who have been criticizing the WWE product. Of course, this is not something new! However, Xavier Woods, for instance, said some fans were coming off as entitled crybabies. Writers said that fans don't seem to understand how hard it is to write a three hour show in Raw every week. First of all, I don't think fans are stating that they can write better wrestling television. There may be some know-it-alls out there, but not all fans should be lumped in with them. Don't get me wrong, because there definitely are fans out there that complain for the sake of complaining, act like crybabies, and possibly even some that claim they can write better shows. For instance, I really thought the crowd was being disrespectful during the Seth Rollins/Dolph Ziggler Iron Man Match at Extreme Rules. However, I know what I say is opinion and not fact and have never claimed to know anything about the business because I'm not in it. At the same time, I also don't want to be made to feel guilty for having an opinion.  Obviously, it has to be quite difficult to write a three hour show every week. Maybe that's the problem, though! Maybe there is just too much content for WWE fans, and especially WWE itself, to handle. 

   While I've always advocated for Raw to be cut down to two hours, that's not where it ends nor is it what I will mainly focus on in this blog. There is simply too much content out there! You've got a three hour Raw on Mondays, a two hour Smackdown on Tuesdays, a one hour 205 Live, a one hour NXT, a one hour NXT UK, as well as all of the PPV's and specials that occur often more than once a month. I can't forget the Takeover shows either! That's a lot of programming! I actually had no idea, but Main Event is apparently still going on as well. Not to mention, other original programming on the WWE Network! Lately, I've been more entertained by the thirty-minute Edge and Christian Show than the entirety of Raw. I also happen to love the way NXT is put together and often enjoy their one hour show over Raw or even Smackdown, which also more times than not, comes off more entertaining than Raw. NXT UK has just gotten started so they're not quite on the radar yet. As for 205 Live, as great as the matches can be, not as many fans watch it. For instance, the segment and match they gave to Mustafa Ali on Smackdown this week was probably more exposure than a talent like him has had since he began with WWE well over two years ago. 

   Am I nuts for not wanting all of this content? Perhaps! Then again, I've always adhered to the "less is more" approach. More doesn't always equal better! I'm definitely a quality over quantity guy. I know the ratings may not matter as much as they used to, but when the Smackdown deal with Fox goes down next year, they may affect WWE slightly. I don't think Fox is going to tolerate low ratings for long. Some even think Smackdown will end up presented as the A-Show over Raw. Raw has always been seen as WWE's A Show, even if Smackdown is often the better show. I find myself changing channels, dozing off, not paying attention or even missing a Raw these days because it's just not must-see anymore. I'm not comparing the product to the Attitude Era specifically, but back in those days, it was also the Monday Night Wars, where everything was must-see! 

   Let's start back at the top here for a second. I mentioned that a problem I see is that tomorrow night's TLC has 12 matches lined up. I'll be honest, half the card I don't care about whatsoever and are angles that can be cleared up on Raw and Smackdown, respectively. The following is the TLC card in no particular order. I might as well put my predictions in as well while I'm thinking about it!

1. WWE Title - Daniel Bryan vs. AJ Styles
prediction - Daniel Bryan

2. Intercontinental Title - Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose
Prediction - new Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose (possibly with a Renee Young heel turn)

3. Raw Women's Title - Ronda Rousey vs. Nia Jax
Prediction - Ronda Rousey

4. Smackdown Women's Title Triple Threat TLC Match - Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Asuka
Prediction - Asuka (possibility that they pull Becky out for a higher purpose)

5. Smackdown Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match - The Bar vs. The Usos vs. The New Day
Prediction - The Bar

6. Cruiserweight Title - Buddy Murphy vs. Cedric Alexander
Prediction - Buddy Murphy

7. TLC Match - Braun Strowman vs. Baron Corbin
Prediction - Braun Strowman

8. Tables Match - Natalya vs. Ruby Riot
Prediction - Ruby Riot

9. Ladder Match - Elias vs. Bobby Lashley
Prediction - Bobby Lashley

10. Chairs Match - Randy Orton vs. Rey Misterio
Prediction - Randy Orton

11. Mixed Match Challenge Finals - R-Truth & Carmella vs. Jinder Mahal & Alicia Fox
Prediction - R-Truth & Carmella

12. Finn Balor vs. Drew Mcntyre.
Prediction - Drew McIntyre (unless Finn is the Demon)

   That is a lot of matches, half of which have little to no momentum behind them. Though the stipulation for the Mixed Match Challenge is for the number 30 spot for their respective Royal Rumbles, I feel it could have occurred on Raw, Smackdown, or even a dual-branded House Show. I don't consider Braun vs. Baron to be important enough to be a TLC match. Though a ladder match with a guitar hanging is intriguing, Elias vs. Lashley doesn't seem to be important enough to be featured. As much as I love both Balor and McIntyre, there hasn't been enough build for a PPV match. I listed those matches specifically for a reason. Since lately there has been an affiliation between Baron, Lashley, and McIntyre, I would combine these matches into a six-man tag team ladder match. I'm happy that a non-Title program in the women's division is happening in Natalya/Ruby, but I'm afraid it will get lost within the show. The same goes for the Cruiserweight Title match unless you watch 205 Live. 

   It's possible some matches may not even take place. The jury is still out on whether Braun will be cleared. Also, rumor has it that Balor may not be able to participate due to a recent illness. The bottom line is that this seems like more matches than necessary and some will not get the time they truly need. For instance, at Evolution, the Toni Storm/Io Shirai Mae Young Classic finals match was only given ten minutes. I enjoyed the match but feel both competitors were slighted and with more time could have been match of the night. 

   I understand that everything is dictated by money, which is why we have a PPV once a month, if not more, and why we have a three hour Raw. Let's also not forget that WWE runs House Shows several times a week, so it's straining on both creative and the performers. There has to be a happy medium where the monetary value is still reached. yet without as much content. The importance of things happening on free television has made PPV's seem less important. If you've already seen matches or angles on Raw or Smackdown several times over, why would you care when they reach the PPV? These days, Raw and Smackdown aren't even built towards the PPV's anymore but rather the next week. While I do think continuity is important, there has to be anticipation built up to care about what happens at the PPV. 

   Since we're still on the subject of PPV's, the time has increased for all of them, not just the big four. The big four have been expanded to four, sometimes five hours with a two hour kick-off show, while the rest have been expanded to four hours with a full one-hour kick-off show. This year, along with the PPV's and Takeovers, we've had several glorified House Shows as Network Specials. Both the Greatest Royal Rumble and Crown Jewel took place in Saudi Arabia on the WWE Network, while WWE presented Super Showdown in Australia. I'm okay with the emphasis that was put on these shows but they didn't have to be televised. I'm of the opinion that Shawn Michaels should not have come out of retirement but even more upset that his come-back was wasted in a tag team match that should have seemed a lot more important than it was. Triple H's injury notwithstanding, HBK carried the entire match.  One PPV a month is a lot for me and these other shows is just overkill at this point.

  

   More times than not, I enjoy Takeovers more than their main roster counterparts, even the big ones, even WrestleMania in some cases. NXT UK has just begun and is finding it's footing. However, I'm looking forward to NXT UK Takeover: Blackpool. I've watched the shows and it's great to see what these men and women can bring to the table. UK Champion Pete Dunne always brings it, there's a great story with him and Mustache Mountain against the new group consisting of Wolfgang and the Coffey Brothers, a tournament will crown NXT UK Tag Team Champions, and inaugural NXT UK Women's Champion Rhea Ripley is making waves. NXT itself is always great to me and I look forward to each Takeover immensely. There is great story telling with little to no nonsense. I'm all for comedy in wrestling but sometimes I just want to get to the action and not have long drawn out promos made by wrestlers that can't really cut promos that well. I also think what wrestlers say is much too scripted but that's for another blog altogether.

   I've already mentioned it, but Raw would be better off as a two hour show. They've already gotten rid of the 15-minute over run on the USA Network for Raw so that's a good first step. I know the format for Raw and Smackdown is not the same as NXT, but sometimes those shows are hard to get through. We also cannot blame things entirely on creative when sometimes at the last minute, Vince McMahon himself will change everything and the performers have to improvise on the fly. Perhaps I'm the pot calling the kettle black with the amount of content in this one particular blog, but I have a lot to say on the subject. Thoughts? Comments? Anyone? Bueller?

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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The Authors of Pain: How the Mighty Have Fallen

  Winning Championships does not always equate success if the act is not booked strong and smart in doing so. Nothing can closer resemble that statement than the way the Authors of Pain have been booked upon arrival on the main roster.  I understand that not every talent coming from NXT will be portrayed quite the same or reach success on the main roster in a short period of time. That's not what this argument is about! I'm not expecting every call-up from NXT to immediately win Championships. What I am asking for is for creative to have a plan for these men and women when they end up on Raw or Smackdown. Clearly, WWE had no plans for the Authors of Pain, despite just recently having a run as Raw Tag Team Champions. Even in winning those Titles, they were not booked strongly whatsoever. 

   I'll go back to the beginning when these two behemoths made their debut in NXT. Akam and Rezar were humble students, green as grass, at the Performance Center, waiting for their chance to make it on NXT Television. In June, 2016 at NXT Takeover: The End, two large men in matching tactical gear attacked American Alpha, who had just lost their NXT Tag Team Titles to The Revival. Seconds later, legendary manager Paul Ellering appeared on the ramp, closing the show, indicating that he was associated with the two men. Ellering, who brought the Road Warriors to success and Tag Team gold several times over, said his two men, Akam and Rezar, would be known as the Authors of Pain.

   From that moment on, they dominated everyone in their path in NXT and the first chapter was written. By November, the AOP ran roughshod over every team in NXT and defeated TM-61 to win the second annual Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic at NXT Takeover: Toronto, bringing an end to their second chapter. In January of 2017, the dangerous duo, with Ellering at the helm, set their sights on NXT Tag Team Champions DIY, who had just defended their Championships against The Revival. AT NXT Takeover: San Antonio, the Authors of Pain defeated DIY to win the NXT Tag Team Titles; and chapter 3 began. They successfully defended the Titles against DIY and The Revival in a Triple Threat Match at NXT Takeover: Orlando in April of that year. At NXT Takeover: Chicago in June, they defeated DIY in a Ladder Match, retaining the Championships. Unrelated, this was the night Tommaso Ciampa did the unthinkable and turned on his DIY partner and long time friend Johnny Gargano.

   The Authors of Pain then got into a feud with the stable Sanity and became fan favorites. At Takeover: Brooklyn III in August of 2017, the AOP lost the Titles to Sanity. At War Games later that year, they teamed with Roderick Strong against Sanity and the Undisputed Era in a Triple Threat War Games match, in which the Undisputed Era came out the victors. At Takeover: Philadelphia in January of 2018, they unsuccessfully challenged the Undisputed Era for the Tag Team Titles. At Takeover: New Orleans, the Authors of Pain fought the team of Pete Dunne and Roderick Strong, as well as the Undisputed Era. It was clear they did all they could in NXT and were officially out of contention for the Championships. There was nowhere else to go but up.

   Just days later, the Authors of Pain showed up on Raw with Paul Ellering and fans were excited. Here's where it all fell apart! After their match, they dumped Ellering as their manager. After defeating a few jobber teams, they weren't seen on television for weeks. There were many reports questioning the reason for parting ways with Ellering. Rumors stated he did not want to travel but those were false. It was soon reported that WWE management felt he was too old, which is beyond ridiculous. In September of this year, 205 Live General Manager Drake Maverick appeared on Raw at their side and became their new manager, in what was one of the dumbest ideas WWE creative has ever had.

   In November, the duo defeated Seth Rollins in a handi-cap match to win the Raw Tag Team Titles, since Rollins' partner Dean Ambrose turned on him weeks before. They did not look strong at all by defeating one man. Though they did defeat Smackdown Tag Team Champions The Bar at Survivor Series, the only thing people remember from that match is Drake Maverick pissing his pants. To make matters worse, this past Raw saw them lose the Tag Team Titles to the makeshift team of Bobby Roode and Chad Gable. The entire booking of the Authors of Pain has been absolutely dreadful. I'm almost at a loss for words at this point. How do you take a team that dominated in NXT and reduce them to jokes? They did the same to The Ascension and The Revival, and Sanity is barely even on television as it is. Again, I'm not asking for NXT talents to be pushed to the moon upon arrival to the main roster, but there should be at least some kind of plan or slow build booking. I honestly don't know how the AOP will recover from this. It's frustrating! What else can I say?

https://youtu.be/njpPFC2RgKg



 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Time To End the Failed Experiment Known As the Brand Split

   In a much shorter time period than the first, WWE's brand split is already running its course. Due to the brand split, the tag team divisions on Raw and Smackdown have both suffered. The same goes for the women's divisions. With the Universal Title barely being seen and the way the WWE Championship has hardly, if ever main evented a PPV, the top tier divisions have also suffered.  I may have indirectly pointed out that the reason why the brand split is failing its individual divisions could be because of too many Championships. Should the Titles be merged again, it would be more pointless to have split rosters. These problems definitely go hand in hand.

   For a long time, Tag Team Championships for the women have been rumored. While I don't hold a position on the subject either way, I can see both sides of the argument. How would this arrangement work? Would there be two different sets of Tag Team Titles for Raw and Smackdown like the men have? If that's the case, it continues to dilute a Championship's importance and adds even more unnecessary Titles. It's overkill! The more conventional idea would be to have floating Tag Team Titles for the women from brand to brand. If that's the case, which I would be more in favor of, doesn't it then become redundant to have two singles Titles for the women? I would only be in favor of Women's Tag Team Championships if the singles Titles are unified. Based on the way the men's tag team divisions look, I'm not too hopeful for the women.

   While I'm on the subject, I'll focus on the tag team divisions. Raw's is a complete joke at this point. While the Authors of Pain make sense to be holding the Titles, they weren't pushed correctly until recently and even then, their existence has been tainted by defeating only one man for the Titles, piss jokes, and the fact that WWE replaced Paul Ellering with Drake Maverick of all people. Don't get me started on The Revival! Who did they piss off? In NXT, they were the top team and their matches with DIY were classics. I know they have been plagued by injuries but that doesn't mean they should be treated like jokes when they are healthy. The B Team are jokes, the Ascension haven't been relevant on the main roster ever, you've got a makeshift nonsensical team in Bobby Roode and Chad Gable, and unless you've watched 205 Live, you'd have no idea where the Lucha House Party came from. WWE had Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler briefly hold the Titles in a ridiculous story with Braun Strowman and The Shield only held the Titles to help Roman Reigns not get booed as much.

   While Smackdown's division is better, it's only by a short margin. While The New Day, The Bar, and the Usos are great teams, it's getting a little tiresome to see the same teams feud. Sanity was brought up and have been barely used, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson haven't been used right since they left New Japan, and the Colons were never even relevant to begin with. I think it's time to merge the tag team divisions and Championships, get rid of the dead weight, stop using makeshift teams as much, and focus on teams that could use the spotlight every once in a while. I know they're different animals under the WWE umbrella, but NXT seems to have itself a pretty great tag team division, which I thought was not going to be the case after the heartbreaking breakup of DIY and the call ups of the Authors of Pain and Sanity. The Undisputed Era, now at full force with the return from injury of Bobby Fish, are absolutely killing it. The likely next Champions are the impressive War Raiders. Waiting in the wings are popular teams like Heavy Machinery and the Street Profits, the wily Aussies known as The Mighty, a team flying under the radar in the Forgotten Sons, and the underdog duo of Oney Lorcan and Danny Burch. There's also Mustache Mountain, varying between the main NXT brand and NXT UK.

   Even worse than having two women's titles and two tag team titles is having more than one top Champion. Even in a brand split, it still makes no sense! How can one company have more than one World Champion? Which one is the top belt? You can't have two! For a majority of its just over two year existence, the Universal Championship has been with Brock Lesnar, who rarely makes appearances or Title defenses. To me, the Universal Title means nothing and is not a true World Title. Meanwhile, the WWE Title, which has been around for 55 years, is often considered an afterthought and its Champions are rarely, if ever, featured in the main event. While it was great to see AJ Styles have a year-long reign based on the Title's legacy, he was passed over in main events for Brock Lesnar or Roman Reigns, therefore slightly diminishing his accomplishments. Unfortunately, Roman Reigns had to make a gut-wrenching announcement. Due to this, WWE scrambled and because of how they messed up Braun Strowman, they almost had no choice but to put the Universal Title on Lesnar again. I don't mind Lesnar's few and far between appearances, but I do when he's the Champion. He's at the level where he's an attraction and no longer needs Championships to be relevant. Unifying the main Titles would be a very welcomed thing.

   Some argue that having separate brands enables superstars to grow and win the top Championships they may not have won without the brand split. I can understand that, as without the brand split the first time around, would we have seen Eddie Guerrero or Chris Benoit win World Championships? On the other hand, the brand split saw JBL hold the top Title for nearly 10 months, which would have been doubtful if there was no brand split. In today's standards, the brand split saw Jinder Mahal hold the WWE Title, which would never have happened without it. The brand split may have given us Christian and Mark Henry finally getting their moments, but we also had to suffer through the Great Khali and Jack Swagger. I understand that not everyone can win a World Title and that's okay. Ted DiBiase, Mr. Perfect, and Roddy Piper may not have won World Titles in WWE but it doesn't make them any less of the legends they are.

   While guys like John Cena and especially the Undertaker have earned being able to go wherever they please, it takes away from the purpose of the brand split, which is to create two different and unique brands. Because the brand exclusive PPV's weren't as profitable, WWE decided to have duel-branded shows. While it makes the cards significantly better, it also takes away from the point of the split. Also, some wrestlers appear on each other's brands haphazardly so it isn't a true split anyway. The "shake-up" is the new form of the draft but it has become pointless. Then there's the promotion of NXT talent to the main roster without any plans for these men and women. In fact, NXT is arguably more of a separate and unique brand than Raw or Smackdown.

   While the Championships may in fact be props, they should still be treated as if they're prestigious. Can we at least try to maintain some kayfabe? I believe unifying the World Titles and the Tag Team Titles would do loads of good. Also, Tag Team Titles for the women should only be introduced if there is a unification of the singles Titles. I'd be okay with the mid-card Titles both being around but then again, the end of the brand split should also unify those Titles as well. WWE ran for almost 40 years before the first split and did just fine. When the first brand split ended, it had lost all meaning a few years before anyway. The same could be said for this time around. It's time to end the experiment. It failed once and it is failing once again. This may not be a solution to all the problems within WWE but it's a start.



 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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Evolution - Predictions vs. How I Would Have Booked It

   Before the announcement was made, and even just reading rumors, there was a time when I was excited about the upcoming first time ever all women's WWE Pay-Per-View, Evolution.  It diminished slightly when WWE made the announcement of a match between Trish Stratus and Alexa Bliss.  Alexa's fine and all, but she's not as good as people make her out to be.  To be fair, she's also not as bad as people make her out to be.  However, there are many others I would have chosen to go head to head with Trish.  Soon after, WWE announced Lita vs. Mickie James.  I thought that was fine because it was between two performers that can go, though we've seen if before.  At some point, they merged these matches into a tag team encounter, which improved it.  However, the Trish/Alexa match announcement was still okay with me and definitely not a deal breaker.

   An awful rumor started soon after and until it was made official, I didn't want to believe it, nor did I take it as gospel.  Of course, I'm referring to the likely main event of the show, Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella for the Raw Women's Championship!  On what planet does that sound like a good match to anyone?  In what way does Nikki Bella deserve to main event this show, compete for a Championship, or be presented as a potential threat to Ronda Rousey?  Some argue that Nikki is WWE's most well-known female competitor other than Ronda and that her star power is why she is there.  I'm sorry, I think the media, and specifically, WWE's media are making her out to be more famous than she actually is.  In that respect, Ronda's notoriety absolutely demolishes Nikki's.  WWE likes to spin Nikki and her sister Brie, the Bella Twins, as the reason for the women's revolution and evolution.  That might be true, but for the wrong reasons.  They were the antithesis of the women's evolution.  They represent everything that was wrong with women's wrestling in years gone by.  Even if we forgive all that, how in wrestling logic does it make sense for Nikki to receive a Title shot?  Just because she turned on the person that happens to be Champion?  How does that make sense!  There are much more deserving women in my opinion to get this match.  The only way I'm okay with this is either if it's a two-minute squash or Karma comes back for one night only and attacks the Bellas, comeuppance after all these years.

   Then you have a throw away six-woman tag team match pitting the Riot Squad against Sasha Banks, Bayley, and Natalya.  I feel like we've seen forms of this match on Raw for the last six months!  Don't get me started on the Battle Royal!  I'm not against it and unlike the one at WrestleMania, this one at least gives you a future Title shot instead of a trophy that looks like female organs.  I get that it's happening so they can fit in everyone on the card.  However, it's the fact that Asuka of all people is in it.  How does Asuka not have her own specialty match?  Unless she's winning this, which can make it okay.  Even with a Title shot, I still feel like Asuka needs to be showcased better.  Honestly, WWE's just about ruined her since coming from NXT.

   That's not to say that the entire thing sounds horrible.  First of all, we've got the Mae Young Classic finals between Io Sharai and Toni Storm, which I think will blow every other match out of the water.  We've got the rematch for the NXT Women's Championship between Kairi Sane and Shayna Baszler to look forward to.  We may possibly see the UK Women's Championship be decided between inaugural Champion Rhea Ripley and another.  Also, despite WWE's nonsensical spin of Becky Lynch as a heel, she will be defending the Smackdown Women's Title against Charlotte Flair in a Last Woman Standing Match, which by the way is not the first.  I guess WWE is just going to ignore Asuka vs. Nikki Cross.  Does it not count because it happened in NXT?  Last I checked, NXT is part of WWE!  Even so, the match will be good.  There's enough to be positive about and I'll still watch it.  I just feel like they didn't put as much effort in as they could have.

PREDICTIONS

NXT UK Women's Title - Rhea Ripley vs. ?
   This one is hard to predict because no one really knows who Rhea's opponent it.  The NXT tapings that took place in August featured a tournament for the new NXT UK Women's Championship, which was won by Rhea Ripley.  However, those tapings have yet to air.  I think many people don't even know there is an NXT UK Women's Champion.  I've read rumors about her opponent being Isla Dawn, Killer Kelly, and several others.  Either way, I'm going with Rhea to retain considering she just won the Title.  No matter her opponent, this match will be good.  Her change in character from last year's Mae Young Classic to this year's has changed drastically and for the better.  She's a great wrestler, is a bad ass, and just looks like a star.

Six-Woman Tag Team Match - Riot Squad vs. Sasha Banks, Bayley, & Natalya
  Haven't we seen this on Raw?  It sure feels like it!  We've had basically every combination of babyface women against the Riot Squad on Raw since they arrived a year ago.  It should be okay but it's certainly nothing to get excited about.  I don't honestly care who wins.  I'll pick Sasha, Bayley, and Nattie just to keep the crowd happy.

NXT Women's Title - Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler
   This is now the forth match in their storied feud.  Of course, we all remember Kairi defeating Shayna to win the inaugural Mae Young Classic.  Shayna defeated Kairi on NXT television this year and at NXT Takeover: Brooklyn IV, Kairi defeated Shayna to become the NXT Women's Champion.  I was actually surprised by Kairi's win at Takeover, as I thought she'd come up short but then win at Evolution, followed by retaining against Shayna at War Games.  I've enjoyed the feud and certainly both can bring it in the ring.  I've got Kairi retaining, while Shayna goes up to either Raw or Smackdown in the near future.  While I'm usually skeptical about a call-up, considering how they've treated Asuka and had absolutely no plans for Ember Moon, I have high hopes for Shayna and I believe she will succeed.

Battle Royal
   This may be the obligatory battle royal to fit all the women in, but it does come with a great prize.  The winner will become number one contender for a Women's Championship in their respective brand.  This also has a mix of older wrestlers, as we'll see Ivory, Molly Holly, and Alundra Blayze, among others, in it.  I'm baffled as to how Asuka does not have a singles match on this card, which is why I'm choosing her to win here.  She needs a win badly to restore what little credibility she has left.  It should be fairly fun but ultimately, it's another match I care little for.

Mae Young Classic Finals - Toni Storm vs. Io Sharai
   As I stated before, I believe this match will steal the show.  Both women are incredible wrestlers and have put on great performances during the tournament.  Toni Storm's match with Meiko Satomura in the semi-finals was one of the most amazing matches I've ever seen, not just in the women's division but wrestling in general.  I'd be happy with either one winning and no matter the outcome, the fans are the real winners.  Io is already signed with NXT, as well as Storm, who has been reported to be on the NXT UK brand.  I could see this being Io's tournament to win, with a future storyline and Title opportunity against her real life best friend, Kairi Sane.  However, I really think it's Toni's time.  It's also amazing to note that she is just 22 years old and is one of the best wrestlers in the entire company, including all brands.

Trish Stratus & Lita vs. Alexa Bliss & Mickie James
   I went over this match earlier.  It doesn't do much for me, to be honest.  It's nice for Mickie James to be featured but I would have chosen other opponents for Team Bestie.  Not only that, we don't know for sure of Alexa will be cleared to wrestle, as she recently received a concussion.  Just in case, WWE has Alicia Fox ready to step in.  At the very least, her possible participation was at least explained in the story.  I think her inclusion makes the match less appealing, though.  I've got Trish and Lita going over here, as Mickie could take the fall.  However, if Alexa does not wrestler, I see Alicia taking the fall.

Smackdown Women's Title - Last Woman Standing Match - Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair
   For the life of me, I don't understand why WWE insists on painting Becky as the heel in the situation.  The fans refuse to boo her, no matter what she does!  Just go with it!  Besides, Charlotte works a lot better in the heel role.  I've heard Ric Flair may get involved in this match.  The result is up in the air to me.  My heart of hearts wants Becky to retain and move on.  However, based on WWE's track record and the fact that Becky has a jaw injury, it's possible Charlotte could win.  Bottom line, I'm choosing Becky whether that's realistic or not.  Rumors have been swirling since her debut that Ronda Rousey would be meeting Charlotte, likely the Royal Rumble winner, at next year's WrestleMania, possibly even in the main event.  That tells me Becky will retain.  However, it's possible we could see some kind of unification match between the two.  In that scenario, it kind of screws Becky.  On a side note, WWE is spinning this as their first ever Last Woman Standing Match when it is not.  That accolade goes to Asuka vs. Nikki Cross in NXT.

Raw Women's Title - Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella
   This match makes me want to vomit!  Nikki does not deserve a Title shot, the main event, or an interaction and match with Ronda Rousey.  Ronda is a star and WWE still claims Nikki is too.  I'm not saying Nikki and Brie aren't famous, but their star power is nowhere near Ronda's.  In her short time, Ronda, while a little green, is already better than Brie and at the very least on Nikki's level in the ring.  I understand Nikki is much better than she used to be, but that's not saying much.  She is the last person I thought should be Ronda's opponent at Evolution!  As for the winner, it has to be Ronda.  I know eventually Ronda must lose but Nikki is not and should not be the one to beat her.  In a perfect world, either Charlotte or Asuka will do the honors.  This match should be an absolute squash.  I don't care how much Nikki has improved!  It's bad enough they had Ronda sell a ridiculous amount for Alexa.  Even though I think it's still too early for Ronda to be Champion, that is the reality and as long as she's Champion, she should not be humanized just yet.  Nia Jax took Ronda to her limit but that was at least believable!  At the end of the day, I've got Ronda with the win.  You make call me full of it if you want but I will not be watching this match.  I'm turning off Evolution before this takes place because of how upset I am it's taking place.  I did the same for WrestleMania XXXIII, as I did not want to see the Undertaker lose again at WrestleMania.  To this day, I have not seen and refuse to watch the Undertaker vs. Roman Reigns and I'm setting myself up for the same for this match.  I'll wait until I read the results and if the result is something I'd enjoy, I'll eventually watch it.

HOW I WOULD BOOK IT

   Much like a former member of What Culture Wrestling, this is how I would book it...because I'm a smart ass!  I'll start from the bottom up.  My idea is somewhat in sync with WWE's in that there is going to be a mix of older superstars and current ones, as well as ones making names for themselves.  The "Evolution" is having superstars of the past against superstars right now, while the future superstars fight their way through and show the fans what they're all about.

MATCHES I'D KEEP THE SAME
Smackdown Women's Title Last Woman Standing Match - Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte Flair
(winner: Becky Lynch)

NXT Women's Title - Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler
(winner: Kairi Sane)

UK Women's Title (if it happens) - Rhea Ripley vs. TBA
(winner: Rhea Ripley)

Mae Young Classic Finals - Toni Storm vs. Io Sharai
(winner: Toni Storm)

Women's Battle Royal - The only difference here is that Asuka will not be in it
(winner: Ember Moon)

Bella Twins vs. The Iconics
   As you could obviously tell, this means Nikki Bella would not be in the main event with Ronda Rousey.  I would have kept the Bellas babyface and specifically on Smackdown, since Brie had been having issues with Maryse, stemming from a feud between their husbands, Daniel Bryan and The Miz, respectively.  My set up would be The Iconics getting involved in the one on one contest between Brie and Maryse and cost Brie the match.  It makes perfect sense for the new girls on the block to go toe to toe with the original mean girls, the Bella Twins.  I'd have The Iconics go over.

Trish Stratus & Lita vs. Sasha Banks & Bayley 
   Sasha and Bayley were a big part of the women's evolution and I'd take them any day over any combination of Alexa Bliss, Mickie James, and Alicia Fox.  If any two women were more deserving to face Trish and Lita, it's Sasha and Bayley.  I thought about possibly putting Mickie James with Trish and Lita and adding Ember Moon to the other team but I'm going with this tag team match.  Sasha and Bayley grew up watching Trish and Lita so it seems like the natural progression for them to wrestle their heroes.

Asuka vs.  Beth Phoenix
   Asuka is someone that should be pushed more prominently than she is.  She was undefeated for so long and since losing to Charlotte Flair at WrestleMania, she hasn't quite been the same.  She's lost to Carmella and made to look like a fool twice since then, she went away for a short time, and is now somehow tag team partners and best friends with Naomi in a throw-away feud with The Iconics.  In order to establish her dominance again, who better to be her opponent and push her to the limit than the Glamazon herself, Beth Phoenix.  I think Beth will be on commentary as she's been for this year's Mae Young Classic but judging by her performance in the Royal Rumble this year, it's clear she can still go.  This would be another incredible passing of the torch.

Raw Women's Title - Ronda Rousey vs. Natalya
   For this Pay-Per-View, my main event would be Becky vs. Charlotte, considering the magnitude of their feud.  I think it even takes precedence over something like Ronda's star power.  However, this match would be just before the main event.  I can't think of a more deserving person to have a match with Ronda than Natalya.  Nattie helped train Ronda in the ring and has a legitimate friendship with her outside the ring.  They both could even dedicate their match to Nattie's recently late father, Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart.  Natalya getting a Title shot would be great.  No matter who her opponent is, I'd still have Ronda win, but losing to Ronda doesn't exactly ruin one's reputation.  It's also been long rumored for Natalya to turn on Ronda, which could stem from this.  In fact, to justify it's status as deserving of the main event, the turn could have already happened.

   Overall, I basically made some minor changes.  My only complaints were Nikki in the main event, wanting better opponents for Trish and Lita, and to have Asuka featured in a singles match away from the Battle Royal.  The rest, as I said, could stay exactly the same.  This is just how I myself would book Evolution.  I also thought about Ronda facing Beth Phoenix while Asuka faces recent MYC standout, Meiko Satomura.  I'm just not as excited about this as I should be. 

Devolution

   Before it was announced, many fans speculated that WWE would one day put on an all women's Pay-Per-View.  Sure enough, we learned that day would come on October 28th in the form of "Evolution," an homage to the women's revolution that turned into an evolution.  Soon after, rumors began, speculating about the matches that would occur on the show.  When Stephanie McMahon made the announcement, because of course she did, she mentioned over 50 female superstars from the past and present will be part of it.  During SummerSlam weekend, the first match was announced, Trish Stratus vs. Alexa Bliss, which was met with mixed reactions, to put it nicely.  When fans learned about the rumored and eventual true main event in Ronda Rousey vs. Nikki Bella, the reaction was nuclear.  The way things are going, especially with the latter match, (not to be confused with a Ladder match), it seems a little backwards to me.

   Evolution is supposed to mean growth and advancement, especially when it comes to the women's division in WWE.  Let's start with this main event, shall we?  I am completely fine with Ronda Rousey in this spot, as she is a major star and has improved by leaps and bounds since her debut match at WrestleMania.  While I think they hot shotted her to the Raw Women's Championship, she is the current Champion and I understand it.  Some say the reasoning for Nikki Bella being involved is that she is the most well known woman in the current landscape of WWE's women's division and the star power she has, along with Ronda's, would make the match seem important.  That couldn't be further from the truth!  I don't think her level of star power is nearly as high as WWE tells us it is. I can't speak for everyone but there are many fans that hate this, and I'm one of them.  Nikki and her sister Brie are the epitome of why the women's division needed to evolve.  They were and still are everything wrong with the women's division.  To me, those two are Divas all the way, a term WWE finally disposed of two years ago.

   Nikki has certainly gotten better but that's not saying much.  Brie seems to be getting worse, but she was never that good anyway.  Don't give me the excuse of ring rust due to her pregnancy!  She's always been bad.  Also, they are both awful actors and horrible on the mic.  I put the Bella Twins in the same category with Divas like Eva Marie, Kelly Kelly, and the like.  If the argument is star power, I think Ronda has enough by herself that would make most opponents for her make the match a big deal.  I can think of plenty of more deserving women for this match.  Sasha Banks has some kind of "injury," Bayley is doing nothing, and poor Asuka has been nearly ruined in WWE.  All of these women, even more respected veterans like Natalya and Mickie James deserve the match with Ronda much more than Nikki Bella.  

   As for what I would do, my ideal opponent for Ronda is Natalya.  Nattie doesn't have to win to be looked at as a good opponent for Ronda.  Just being there would give her the proper respect she has earned.  Also, her being Ronda's opponent makes much more sense than Nikki Bella, even if they've teased her involvement for over a month.  Natalya has more history with Ronda and it could be a match out of respect or a heel turn.  Either way, it would be more well received by the fans.  Otherwise, newer women like the others I mentioned could use the opportunity.  Natalya, however, is more respected and a much better choice than Nikki.  Don't get me wrong, the Bella Twins can still serve a purpose.  I'd put them against the Iconics and have the Iconics go over.  It seems like a better match placement to me.

   Let's go back to the first match that was announced, Trish Stratus vs. Alexa Bliss.  As far as the theme of trailblazers to current women, I get why this match was announced.  However, much like the other match I've been talking about, I think there are other women more deserving to face Trish than Alexa.  Another match that was announced was Mickie James vs. Lita.  That's certainly nothing to complain about, but I think it deviates slightly from the show's name and purpose.  On Raw this week, due to the underwhelming response to the Trish/Alexa match, WWE seemed to rectify the situation by combining these matches into a tag team encounter.  Trish and Lita have long been known to be best friends in and out of the ring.  Meanwhile, Mickie has been aligned with Alexa for the past two years.  Combining the matches makes sense and I believe it will be a better match.  Alexa is okay but she's not exactly the best in-ring woman in the business.  Having the match contain three experienced legends helps it significantly.  Even so, I wish we could have gotten Trish vs. Sasha Banks and Lita vs. Bayley.

   As for the rest of the card, it's still speculation.  The only other matches that have been confirmed are Kairi Sane vs. Shayna Baszler for the NXT Women's Title and the finals of the Mae Young Classic, likely between Toni Storm and Io Sharai, which, in my opinion will blow every other match out of the water.  They've also announced a Last Woman Standing Match for the Smackdown Women's Title between Becky Lynch and Charlotte Flair.  Despite WWE spinning the wrong narrative of Becky being the heel, this should be a good match.  I may be complaining but I'm start enough to know that a couple of things I disagree with should not ruin the entire show for me.  There will also be a defense of the NXT UK Women's Title featuring Champion Rhea Ripley.

   What else could be in store for Evolution?  Unfortunately, Asuka has been an afterthought and someone who was once looked at as special.  She is someone that needs to get back on track.  Perhaps a match against Ember Moon would be good but then again, Ember could also use a win.  Now that Naomi's feud with the Iconics is over, they should move Asuka away from her.  Asuka could face Nia Jax but we've seen that both in NXT and on the main roster.  For me, the perfect opponent for her would be another legend, Beth Phoenix.  Just picturing the Glamazon vs. the Empress of Tomorrow sounds amazing.  We already know Beth will be there, and she is once again calling the Mae Young Classic.  Recently, Bayley tweeted at Ivory about a match but I don't think Ivory will be wrestling.  Would it be completely out of the question to see Alundra Blayze in the ring one more time? Who knows?

   Again, I'm not going to let some things I disagree with ruin an entire show for myself.  I have no problem with Nikki Bella being part of the show, but I definitely think she should not be involved in the main event.  It also doesn't make sense to have the Bellas heel now when Brie was just side by side with her husband Daniel Bryan against Maryse & The Miz.  Ronda being larger than life still needs to be maintained.  While she did a great job selling against Alexa at Hell In a Cell, I think she sold too much and now she needs to sell against Nikki.  These are two opponents that shouldn't be in Ronda's league, despite her inexperience.  They're humanizing her too quickly in my opinion.  I worry about the future of some of the women in NXT, NXT UK, or the Performance Center when they come up to Raw and Smackdown.  Sasha, Bayley, and Asuka, to name a few, have been treated poorly.

   As much as an issue the women's division and Evolution is, I believe the problem goes way beyond just that.  It's affecting the entire company in general.  Raw's ratings have been the lowest they have ever been as of late.  That is directly why Raw this week was much better in comparison.  I hate to say it, but WWE seems to push only one person on that roster and does not build new stars, which is why they have to rely on older ones.  I can't blame it all on Vince McMahon.  I think the problem is the yes men he surrounds himself with, such as John Laurenitas, and especially Kevin Dunne, who has the most backwards thinking, specifically towards the women.  I truly believe that when Vince passes his company to Triple H and Stephanie that they will get rid of Kevin Dunne.  Triple H especially has grown NXT to become the brand it is today and truly understands how to grow the business.  It will be in good hands!  What are your opinions on the topic?  Some of it just seems more like a devolution to me.

 If you have any further thoughts on this topic, let me know in comments.  Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST on YouTube, brought to you by tagmeadate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans.  Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.  For TagMeADate members, our Android and Apple apps are vastly approaching so stay tuned!
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