Lucha Underground (originally Lucha: Uprising) premiered Wednesday, October 29, 2014. The weekly television series is set to air on the El Rey network, featuring professional wrestlers from Mexican wrestling promotion Asistencia Asesoría y Administración (AAA) as well as the American independent circuit.
Presentation
I love this Grindhouse, gitty, comic book-style to this show. This feels like a dark crime/noir-flavored primetime drama, and I totally see myself getting behind this style. You can sense Robert Rodriguez's cinematic handiwork has obviously influenced this product, especially in the brilliant video packages used to introduce the talent between bouts and backstage segments used to fuel the narratives.
Results
Before we even get to the show, let's talk about that introduction/opening to the show. That was some shit out of a freakin' comic book or action-drama. Then to cut to a montage of luchadors wondering the world until they found this "temple" where Lucha Underground was being held adds a bit of mystery and flair that mainstream hasn't seen in a long time. Mainstream professional wrestling (WWE, TNA, etc.) are so caught up being "real" that they forget that wrestling is supposed be "larger than life" and obviously fictional, much like a comic book.
Matt Striker and Vampiro on commentary. That shocked me immediately going into this. Striker won me over as a commentator back on the WWE version of ECW, while I have nothing but respect for everything that Vampiro tried to bring to the wrestling world with Wrestling Society X a few years ago.
Melissa Santos serves as Lucha Underground's hot and sexy ring announcer.
I can get behind the whole Tony Montana (Scarface), mobster-style gimmick for Dario Cueto as the on-air authority figure of Lucha Underground.
Opening Match: Blue Demon, Jr. vs. Chavo Guerrero, Jr. WINNER: Blue Demon, Jr. via submission
I was kinda surprised to see Chavo and Blue Demon work a slow-paced technical match for this opener, but I could get behind this as I'm sure most audiences (much like myself) were expecting a spot-fest for the first match.
As a result, I couldn't ask for anything better with two of the most recognizable families in lucha libre fighting first on this broadcast. That being said, I was rather surprised to see Chavo go down with a loss here in his first appearance on this broadcast, but after the segment later in the show, I can tell they want to do a fall-from-grace"
Segment #1
Konnan meets with Dario Cueto to put over his new protege, Prince Puma, (Ricochet - former CHIKARA, Evolve and DragonGate USA, NJPW, and Pro Wrestling Guerilla alumni) who will face Johnny Mundo (WWE's John Morrison/Johnny Nitro). Cueto wants Konnan's client to educate Mundo about respect and use him as an "example" about how serious he wants his "temple" (the company) to be taken.
Video Package #1 - Prince Puma
Konnan runs down the history of a luchador's mask and puts over his new protege, Prince Puma.
Singles Match - Sexy Star vs. Son of Havoc WINNER: Havoc after pulling the tights
Son of Havoc is apparently Matt Cross/M-Dogg20 from Wrestling Society X and WWE's Tough Enough Season 5. Sexy Star received a WWE tryout a few years ago but declined to join the roster when she was ordered to unmask. At least now, mainstream wrestling fans have a chance to see both of these stars and what WWE missed out on.
Intergender matches, featuring women wrestling against men, are hard enough to book to begin with, but I'm a little split on how they booked this match. I felt that Sexy Star should've pulled out a win on her debut, especially in her first big exposure to mainstream audiences AND that captivating video package to introduce her. It didn't have to be against Havoc here, but against another female wrestler to groom her "ready" to face men later down the road. Unless they have an underdog storyline in the works, it felt like they clipped her wings prematurely. Maybe I have spoken too soon and they have a long-term plan on what they want to do with her. For now, I'm not going to be too critical about this.
Video Package #2 - Sexy Star
I absolutely LOVED this video package that aired before the match with Sexy Star narrating how her mask represents empowerment and how all women are "sexy" and can be "stars". I'm very anxious to see more of her on Lucha Underground for sure.
Segment #2
Dario Cueto ridicules Chavo about his loss tonight and how he has disgraced the legacy of the Guerrero family name. I wonder who Cueto has in mind of bringing in? I hope it's not Hernandez or we'll be retreading the same waters that both Chavo and Hernandez left back in Impact Wrestling...
Main Event: Johnny Mundo vs. Prince Puma WINNER: Johnny Mundo via Fin Del Mundo (Split-Legged Corkscrew Moonsault)
This was a spectacular 13+ minute contest to end Lucha Underground's premiere main event. Mundo and Puma deserved the standing ovation after this main event - BIG TIME. That aura of awesomeness was diluted after what I felt like Lucha Underground did too much too soon with the finish to this show with the nWo-style faction already being brought in to end the premiere broadcast. This was something that should have been saved for the second or even the third episode in my eyes.
From left to right: B-Boy, Big Ryck (Ezekiel Jackson), Cortez Castro (Ricky Reyes) with owner Dario Cueto after laying waste to Johnny Mundo.
Closing Thoughts
I liked a LOT of things about this premiere episode. They didn't do too much, but they brought enough here to the table to separate themselves from both WWE and Impact Wrestling. One thing that will definitely draw in new fans is their very impressive presentation style. That alone separates them from almost every other alternative that tries so hard to copy WWE's success. Lucha Underground has it's own visual identity that's recognizable for it's product.
In terms of wrestling and creative control, it could use some very minor fine tuning (for example, I'm not as impressed seeing a woman or anyone do a headscissor takedown as I would have been two decades ago), but I'm cutting them a LOT of slack since this is only the first episode.
All things considered, I could definitely see myself watching this on a weekly basis, adding to my non-WWE wrestling fixes of Ring of Honor and Impact Wrestling. I hope it turns out for the best and doesn't end up like Wrestling Society X did. I was sad to see that show go too, because I thought they had a good thing going...
As most of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook know, I didn't watch this event live on Sunday, October 26, 2014. Instead, I watched Monday, October 27, 2014 before Monday Night RAW with the pleasure of having the option of fast forwarding through the bullshit.
Preshow - MizTV with The Miz and Damien Mizdow
Can PLEASE we get ANYONE else than Booker T on these Preshow Panels?
Mark Henry def. Bo Dallas
And nobody cared...
Best of Three Falls Match - Dolph Ziggler def. Cesaro to retain the Intercontinental Championship
Even though it felt EXTREMELY rushed, it was a stellar match, folks. Do yourselves a favor and watch this shit.
First of all, I gotta say this. Dear #WWE, you guys are MORONS not to have Ziggler/Cesaro main eventing by now. #WWEHIAC
It drives the point home harder to make me ask why WWE isn't behind these guys as main event caliber talent? And why did they ONLY give these guys 12 minutes to work with? Who did Cesaro piss off backstage to not even get on the boards in this match, then get buried by Ambrose the following night on RAW?
That was just a piss-poor booking decision on WWE's behalf for this card. I would've given them more than enough time to shine with this one.
Nikki Bella def. Brie Bella to force her to become her Personal Assistant for 30 Days
Hate on the Bella Twins all you want, but you have to admit that those girls have improved a LOT here in this match. I could tell that Brie's nerves were getting the best of her in the early phases of this match, but by the end of it all, both Nikki and Brie impressed me. It didn't seem like an one-sided affair like Brie vs. Stephanie McMahon was, with Stephanie clearly looking better than Brie in that match in terms of ability.
Both of the Bella Twins really brought it to the table and their hard work paid off with a match on a PPV that they could be very proud of.
Dust Brothers (Goldust & Stardust) def. The Usos (Jimmy & Jey Uso) to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships
Not a bad match, just more of the same that we have come to expect from these two tag teams. I'm just hoping for something new to be added to this feud to make it fresh and exciting outside of the match quality.
I don't know... maybe FINALLY add Naomi as part of the Usos (to be the Lita to their classic Hardy Boyz vibe) while finding a Diva who could mesh with the Dust Brothers, rekindling that magic Goldust and Marlena had back in the Attitude Era.
John Cena def. Randy Orton to become #1 Contender to WWE Championship
From the sheer amount of people whining, bitching, and complaining on my Facebook timeline, via tweets, and text messages, you guys were acting like this was the end of the world that Cena won - as usual.
I see it this way - we get the "finale" in the Lesnar/Cena feud sooner more than saving it for WrestleMania XXXI as I feared would happen.
In terms of match quality, I felt that this was a MUCH better match than Cena and Orton's recent encounters on PPV. The duo went out of their way to make sure this wasn't the same affair that we've seen countless times over the years.
About time someone ended the 5 moves of doom prematurely...
Last week's RAW gave away this ending as Randy Orton is going to be feuding with Seth Rollins from here. I wouldn't be surprised if that's on the card for Survivor Series next month.
Rusev (w/ Lana) def. The Big Show
A solid match between both powerhouses as The Big Show and Rusev that ended up being a LOT better than the bout between Rusev and Mark Henry last month at Night of Champions. Unfortunately, I was a bit distracted by Lana looking flawless as usual in that stunning hot pink suit/mini-skirt combo. (Whistles) I could eat her up like dessert...
Anywho, I wasn't too crazy about the finish. It looked like The Big Show tripped up over the ropes and fell into Rusev's 3 pending Roundhouse Kicks prior to locking in the Accolade.
I was thinking that Mark Henry was going to bring his wet blanket and ruin this match, but WWE saved his impending heel turn for Monday Night RAW instead.
Sheamus def. The Miz (w/ Damien Mizdow) to retain the United States Championship
Pretty average, run of the mill match if you've been keeping up with this feud on WWE programming for the past month. One of two "cooldown" matches before the main event.
I said it earlier about #WWEHIAC and I'll say it again tonight. Miz/Mizdow are the #WWE version of GI Joe's Tomax & Xamot. #RAWSanAntonio
In a feud that is ONLY maintaining interest thanks to cornball comedy week-in, week-out, this should have been on the preshow and not wasting time on this PPV. I honestly would have given the wasted time on this match to Cesaro and Ziggler's bout.
AJ Lee def. Paige (w/ Alicia Fox) to retain Divas Championship
I hate to be the one who has to point this out, but this match was weak in comparison to the Bella Twins' match earlier. I was under the impression that AJ and Paige would go out there and tear it up out there in a clear "top this" message to the Bella Twins in the spirit of competition, but nope.
Anyone else spotted those two guys dressed as Mankind and Bray Wyatt in the crowd during the Divas title match? LMFAO #WWEHIAC
Seriously, why isn't this feud over? Who actually STILL cares about this feud? Can we move past AJ and Paige EVERY damn PPV and give other Divas a shot at the title? I'm not going to rant on this matter today as it deserves it's own article altogether.
I really don't blame Paige for being pissed at Alicia Fox though. She rolled Paige right back into the ring to allow AJ slap on the Black Widow to retain. While a Triple Threat feud of "craziness" between AJ, Paige, and Alicia Fox would be interesting on paper, but I can't even associate Paige with being "crazy" on the level of AJ and Fox.
Like I keep saying on Twitter, I can't write this shit for WWE nor book it. They've made this mess of the Divas division and they have to clean it up themselves.
I remember joking with a few friends about this after Mick Foley made a "surprise" appearance on Monday Night RAW last week, saying that "I bet WWE is going to make a PG recreation of Mankind's fall from the top of the cell at the hands of The Undertaker." Low and behold, WWE did the same here. I don't get why Ambrose fell after Rollins as it just looked like he fell for the hell of it.
The thing I don't get that WWE marks flame TNA for "recreating the past" or "revisiting the glory years" but when WWE does it, it's the hottest thing since sliced bread. Speaking of Foley, we saw Ambrose channel his inner Cactus Jack (and a bit of Terry Funk) throughout this match as Ambrose beat the holy hell out of Rollins.
I know I'm in the minority that will be happy when this feud is over as I'm ready to see something different from these two guys than brawls and street fights almost every other week.
The marks got what they wanted here on multiple levels from WWE: 1) this match was made the main event after they bitched about it over every forum, message board, and across social media. 2) this match was a spot-fest - next to little to no finesse behind it.
The Finish
So Bray Wyatt comes back with a hologram of Jaga from Thundercats or The Emperor from Star Wars... The only thing this does is just confirms that The Wyatt Family were on Authority's payroll all along. God, some people in the IWC know how to over-hype shit in wrestling. You'd think Bray Wyatt returning was the second coming of Jesus Christ or something from the reactions on social media.
Did I like the finish? Not really, but I can see why they went that route. Bray Wyatt's interference serves as a detour to the Dean Ambrose/Seth Rollins feud and leaves the door open if WWE wishes to revisit it while potentially giving fans something even better with Bray/Ambrose.
Closing Thoughts
Hell in a Cell was a good PPV from top to bottom, with the only underwhelming match was the Divas Championship match, but most Diva fans will defend it by saying it was in the "death spot" between two highly-anticipated matches. For me, this was the first Pay-Per-View since WrestleMania XXX that actually felt like an actual Pay-Per-View instead of a glorified Monday Night RAW/Friday Night Smackdown! broadcast.
Bravo, WWE. You have managed to restore some of my faith in you guys that you could improve for the better in the near future.
Ring of Honor returned to internet Pay-Per-View (iPPV) on Saturday, October 11, 2014 with their Survivor Series/Bragging Rights-style event, Champions vs. All Stars, pitting ROH's Champions against their All Stars (mostly #1 Contenders) in a 4 vs 4 Team Elimination Main Event.
To my personal delight, Veda Scott replaces Steve Corino on commentary for the first half of this event. Steve Corino returns for the latter half of the card.
Nigel confronts Tommaso Ciampa
The show opens with Scarlet Bordeaux welcoming Nigel McGuiness to the ring as she acts as ROH's personal ring announcer for tonight's event. She's sporting strawberry pink hair, which I'm guessing is leftover from her time acting as one of Adam Rose's Rosebuds on WWE.
Nigel formally welcomes back Ciampa but warns him that there will be NO tolerance for Ciampa attacking officials and other non-wrestlers outside of sanctioned matches. If he failed to comply that Ciampa would be banned from ROH. Nigel adds that Ciampa will be replacing Mark Briscoe in tonight's main event since he hasn't been medically cleared after being exposed to poison ivy.
Seriously, that's HANDS DOWN the most creative and the most stupid excuse to replace someone in a wrestling match that I've heard in YEARS. Bravo, ROH.
BJ Whitmer def. Will Ferrara
Ferrara seems to be ROH's next breakout star for 2015 as he was playing the underdog role here against Whitmer's vicious offense.
Ferrara made a strong impact during the Honor Rumble on the October 11th TV taping that was aired the very night that this event was live on iPPV. Unfortunately for Ferrara, tonight wasn't his night as the Decade's own BJ Whitmer made short work of him as payback for what happened during that match. I wouldn't be surprised if Ferrara is jobbing to the House of Truth on the next set of TV tapings after eliminating them from the Honor Rumble.
UPDATE: During the October 25 TV taping, Ferrara was given a Television Championship match against Jay Lethal - thus confirming my prediction about ROH getting behind this kid.
TaDarius Thomas def. Owen Tavers
This was the only "throw-away" match on this card, as Owen Tavers seemed to be a local jobber and not part of the current ROH roster - making this match completely pointless. That fact was driven home even more after the botched finish at the top rope (referee stopped the count at 2 even though there wasn't a kickout), forcing Thomas to finish Tavers with a spin kick to the face.
Christopher Daniels def. Cedric Alexander
This was an amazing match from bell to bell. If Cedric Alexander isn't wearing gold by this time next year, I'm going to be shocked. Between him and ACH, they both have a strong future ahead of them in this profession. Christopher Daniels doesn't even skip a beat either and provides a worthy adversary for Alexander to test his skills against. This match was a nail-biter, especially in the final moments as you have no idea who is going to walk out of this as the winner.
Post-match Christopher Daniels gets on the microphone and puts over Cedric Alexander as the future of ROH and establishes the code of honor out of respect. Class act right here. Alexander may have lost (again in a high profile match) but he continues to win over fans and garner more respect from ROH's live audiences.
Jimmy Jacobs def. Frankie Kazarian
Not a bad match, but I felt it was pretty crazy to book this immediately following Daniels/Alexander as that was a tough act to follow to begin with. Lots of near-falls and close calls in this one, but ultimately, Jimmy Jacobs comes out on top with a 2nd rope variation of the Contra Code to counter Kazarian's 2nd rope German Suplex attempt. It's also interesting to note that Jimmy Jacobs was pretty neutral in this match when The Decade are known for their heel antics.
Post-match, Jacobs gives an emotional promo about much it meant to win tonight in the very same building that he saw professional wrestling in for the first-time.
Matt Taven def. The Romantic Touch
Keeping true to his namesake, The Romantic Touch wastes NO time hinting on Scarlet Bordeaux before the match starts.
This is rather confusing... I remember seeing Taven at the FWE ReFueled iPPV event last month and now he's back in ROH as a part (clearly heel now) of The Kingdom with Maria Kanellis, Mike Bennett, and Adam Cole. Shouldn't Taven be going after revenge towards Truth Martini and the rest of the House of Truth for betraying him? Yeah, I'm as confused as most of you guys.
UPDATE: Apparently, this iPPV was live AFTER ROH recorded their TV tapings that aired for October 25th while this event was live on October 11th. Way to spoil the "big surprise" for the TV tapings, ROH... Sheesh.
Matt Taven just seems like a poor man's replacement for Matt Hardy until he's done with the TV tapings for Impact Wrestling. He seems to be losing the "ladies' man" gimmick from before as well. Scarlet Bordeaux gave Taven the cold shoulder before AND after he won. Looks like Taven won't be winning back the "Hoopla Hotties" anytime soon.
I felt like this match should have went on after Daniels/Alexander. It felt more like a "cooldown" match than Jacobs/Kazarian was.
Champions vs. All Stars ROH World Champion Jay Briscoe, ROH World TV Champion Jay Lethal w/ Truth Martini & ROH World Tag Team Champions reDRagon (Kyle O’Reilly & Bobby Fish) vs. Adam Cole,Tommaso Ciampa Mark Briscoe, ACH and Roderick Strong
Get comfortable for this one as it's a well over a hour for this match, with a two hour time limit for this main event. The match itself is set up like a traditional Survivor Series match with the match continuing until there is a last man standing to deem either the team of Champions or All-Stars the winner.
Eliminations:
Jay Lethal eliminated by ACH via School Boy Roll-up out of nowhere - This starts a minor "Bullshit" chant by the fans in attendance. I personally mark for both ACH and Jay Lethal, but that was just nuts to have Lethal lose within less than a minute into this match.
Tommaso Ciampa via disqualification after Bobby Fish faked being hit with the Tag Team title. Ciampa goes nuts and levels everyone left with the gold until Nigel arrives to restore order just before Ciampa was about to lay his hands on the referee.
Kyle O'Reilly eliminated by Roderick Strong via an elevated backbreaker
Roderick Strong eliminated by Bobby Fish via quick roll-up immediately following O'Reilly's elimination.
Bobby Fish via 450 Splash by ACH after receiving a Super Kick from Adam Cole.
Adam Cole via Doomsday Device by Jay Briscoe (w/ assist by Mark Briscoe) after Cole accidentally knocked ACH through the announcer's table at ringside.
ACH via Jay Driller by Jay Briscoe to name Jay Briscoe the winner for Team Champions.
Closing Thoughts
This wasn't a bad iPPV event at all. I just wish Ring of Honor advertised it better. Plus, it was pretty strange to air it LIVE the same night of their TV tapings. It was pretty short, but with only ONE throw-away match and a hefty-sized main event, I really can't complain much here. Even without the Young Bucks on the card, ROH really did give fans "more bang for their buck" - literally.
Unless you've been hiding underneath a rock for the past 24 hours, then you possibly have already seen this trailer at least 3-5 times already on social media, but for those who have missed out on the excitement, allow me to share the first trailer for Marvel Studios' next feature film.
This trailer was originally set to release next Tuesday during Marvel's Agents of SHIELD on ABC, but the trailer leaked early Wednesday (October 22, 2014) afternoon and the news spread like wildfire. Soon Marvel had no choice but to post the trailer publicly and spread the news.
Dammit, Hydra.
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) October 22, 2014
Yeah, let's blame HYDRA. They screwed up the Marvel Cinematic Universe enough already :P
It's not Ultron's "classic" comic book look, but close enough in my eyes. I already got goosebumps about this movie. May can't get here soon enough.
Images are now leaking from the 'Avengers 2' trailer. Here's Ultron showing his good side, saving a helpless victim. pic.twitter.com/ttKrN6PQxg
— The Film Stage (@TheFilmStage) October 22, 2014
I'm not going to sugarcoat this, but let's face it - this feud is getting stale. No, scratch that. It's been stale for months now. WWE is just beating a dead horse at this point. I'm down to the point where I can't fathom how even the most hardcore of AJ and Paige fans are still egging this on.
I can't believe that I'm revisiting this topic again after my last rant on this matter, but what the heck, I'm game to discuss this topic again.
First of all, let's review the matches at hand. I already discussed up to WWE Battleground in my last article on this matter. Thank you to the respective uploaders from DailyMotion for having these matches up in their entirety online.
Pay-Per-View Match History
Forgive me as I'm going to sound redundant as I review some of the same ground from my original article.
WWE Battleground -- Divas Championship Match - AJ Lee (c) vs. Paige
AJ and Paige left a lot to be desired in terms of match quality. I wouldn't say it's the fault of either Diva in terms of ring ability, I just think it's one of those occasions like with Gail Kim and Mickie James where they are talented athletes but have ZERO chemistry in the ring together. It just doesn't click. AJ and Paige seemed to be still "feeling" each other out in terms of how they match up with each other here.
Their match at Battleground didn't allow neither AJ nor Paige cut loose in the initial build up to this feud. They were playing off each other as "frienemies" with Paige becoming the aggressor now while AJ has reverted back to her "crazy" gimmick in an attempt to show some degree of unpredictably that she has a chance against the Anti-Diva.
WWE Summerslam -- Divas Championship Match - AJ Lee (c) vs. Paige
AJ ALREADY beat Paige twice now. It's like that last time The Rock challenged Steve Austin at WrestleMania X-8. Austin was already up 2 to 0 in that feud and Rock's win did NO favors for him. It's looking the same way for Paige. I could understand if they were tied even in this feud then I would care more. Paige's change in attitude to a more aggressive style is going to make this match more enjoyable to watch, but I don't have a single doubt in my mind that they are going to allow AJ to drop the title to her, especially from how Paige has been beating her up week-in and week-out.
Like I said before, there is NO clear distinction on who is face or heel in this feud. At Battleground, it was a match between two struggling faces/tweeners. Now going into Summerslam, it seems like a tweener (who wants to be heel SOO bad) against the obviously heel Paige. I understand we are in an age of wrestling where being the bad guy is perceived "cool" but heel vs. heel feuds tend to be completely boring in my eyes.
WWE Night of Champions -- Divas Championship Triple Threat Match - Paige (c) vs. Nikki Bella vs. AJ Lee
After all of the whining from the AJ and Paige marks about Nikki didn't "deserve" to be involved in this feud, this turned out to be the BEST match in this feud to date. You can't even knock Nikki at ALL in this match. She took more bumps and had more of a solid offense than AJ and proved her worth here in this match. AJ and Paige benefited with the third wheel in the mix and put on an all-round great performance from start to finish.
What I Feel Like WWE is Doing Wrong With This Feud
The Mock Lesbian Romance/Sexual Undertones
First, we had this...
Now don't get me wrong. I don't have an issue with same-sex relationships, especially nothing against girl-on-girl action. At first, I was like Paige, going "Huh?" and brushed this occurrence underneath the rug. Thanks to WWE and to the delight of AJ Lee's horny fans on Tumblr and social media, it continued...
Then there was THIS...
The only thing I keep wondering is when are they going to have the HLA (Hot Lesbian Action) match from the Ruthless Aggression Era and get this over with. Hell, they could bring in Edge and Lita to referee that post-PPV live sex celebration on Monday Night RAW the night after the PPV...
This feud has gone from the point of healthy competition to constantly wondering when and where these two Divas are going to cave into this bloody obvious sexual tension between them. The competitive aspect of this WRESTLING feud is almost completely non-existent if you remove the Divas Championship out of the equation here.
So much about being PG, huh, WWE? Just keep in mind that not everyone invested in your product are interested in smut...
The Matches
Most Diva fans had an O-face off this moment, which was sadly the best match in this 4 month feud...
Before anyone tries to defend the matches in this feud, compare Paige's performances BEFORE this current feud with AJ Lee to her previous bouts against Naomi, Emma, Sasha Banks, Alicia Fox, and more importantly the match below against Natalya.
I'm not necessarily saying the matches in this feud were god-awful, but I have come to expect MUCH more from these two Divas, especially Paige, in terms of their ring work.
Multiple Title Exchanges
Nikki Bella confirmed this news earlier today. I can't speak for anyone else but I'm sick and fed up of the title merely being traded back and forth between AJ and Paige as if none of the other Divas exist. Trading the Divas title back and forth like a hot potato isn't doing the title nor the Divas division as a whole any favors.
Sure, WWE gave fans their dream match, but the sad fact of the matter is this. Fans want to throw comparisons of this feud to Trish Stratus and Lita's feud when it's on COMPLETELY different terms. The Trish/Lita feud was allowed to mature over time and not forced down our throats all at once. Trish was a model-turned-wrestler while Lita was a wrestler from day one, which forced the skeptics/casual and hardcore fans to buttheads over who they liked more. As it stands, the only way that WWE could recreate that dynamic is to have AJ or Paige feud with one of the Total Divas as there is no way to recreate that drama between Paige and AJ.
There's a way to keep a rivalry going without constantly keeping those two individuals in the main event circle. If you want an example in current mainstream wrestling, look no farther than Gail Kim and Taryn Terrell's feud on TNA/Impact Wrestling. Keep note that the bulk of that feud didn't involve the championship at ALL.
Burying The Rest of the Divas Division at the Cost of Keeping AJ & Paige Over
Look at how AJ is rolling her eyes in disgust here while Paige stands mocking Nikki...
I could write a separate article about how much I can't stand how WWE segregates their Divas division, thanks to Total Divas, and how they encourage their fans to have this same mindset, but I'm going to attempt to keep this short.
Every time WWE adds another Diva (unless it's Stephanie McMahon) into the mix of this feud it's second fiddle to AJ and Paige. I can understand burying lower tier Divas, such as Eva Marie, Cameron, and the returning Rosa Mendes but Natalya, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Alicia Fox, Naomi, Summer Rae, Layla, and even Emma have been losing left and right to them. When they aren't losing to AJ and Paige, they are portrayed as background material or reduced to meaningless filler in comparison to those two Divas.
The thing that really pissed me off was when the Bella Twins got another storyline going and the AJ/Paige fans were wishing nothing but misfortune upon that until the fact that WWE dragged Paige and AJ Lee into the mix to shut up the critics. We can ALL agree that the Bella Twins' feud sucked for the most part but shit like this is inexcusable. If you care about women's wrestling (or wrestling PERIOD) then why the FUCK do you wish any ill-will on the other women in that promotion (or ANY promotion for that matter)? You as a fan should want to see any and ALL women in this sport do well. That makes your idols and fan favorites look good and the wrestling product (especially the division itself) look good as a whole. One diamond in a sea of shit doesn't say anything about your worth as a champion in my eyes. Take a moment to think about that before you put your favorite Diva upon a pedestal and look down upon the rest of the Divas Division.
Instead of trying to build off each other to make the Divas Division better as a whole, the other Divas are used as merely plot devices to keep this AJ/Paige feud going in motion.
Perfect example of this was on Monday Night RAW (10/6/14) this week, where AJ Lee teamed up with a returning Emma (who hasn't been seen on RAW for months now) against Alicia Fox and Paige. AJ bails on Emma mid-match and leaves, forcing Emma to job to Paige and Alicia Fox. Really? You would think that the babyfaces would work together to get the job done to send Paige and Alicia Fox home with their tails between their legs. Nope. You can point some of the blame at WWE Creative for this, but I'm positive that AJ is at a position where she can call her own shots of how her own creative direction is handled.
While it's cool that Alicia Fox is involved in this feud after her brief push during the summer of AJ Lee's absence, it brings up a bit of a plot hole. Why is Paige able to co-exist with the mentally unstable Alicia when WWE's resident "crazy chick" hasn't been able to see eye-to-eye with her at all? It would've made more sense to pair Fox with AJ to go against Paige. Giving Paige hired help just diminishes her individual threat level as a challenger to AJ's title even more. One would think that AJ would revert to the cowardly heel tactic as that's what she reigned supreme with for the bulk of the past year with Tamina Snuka at her side.
(Sighs) Don't even get me started on how many times Naomi and Natalya have been thrown underneath the bus to propel this feud...
How I Feel Like WWE can Remedy/Fix This Feud To Make it Great
Deliver the Payoff & Move On
A "payoff" in wrestling is the end of a storyline/feud that brings everything to a close in that narrative with a powerful climax. I see wrestling fans constantly complain about TNA/Impact Wrestling taking forever to deliver the payoff to the point of nobody cares when they do. I can humbly say that this is no different here for WWE. As this feud drags on, week-in and week-out, I'm constantly asking myself "who is STILL caring about this feud?"
It should not be up for debate whether or not Divas are on Total Divas should not be a deciding factor for winning the gold. There are other deserving women on the WWE roster that could serve as the focal points of the division other than AJ Lee and Paige.
At this rate, WWE are transforming Paige and AJ Lee into the redundant Randy Orton and ever-constant/unchanging John Cena of the Divas division, exchanging title wins much to the disgust of the fans.
Allow Paige to develop her OWN identity - not as AJ's CLONE
This is the Paige we fell in love with on NXT...
Wrestling fans fell in love with Paige on NXT because she was a legit competitor. WWE did the right thing by showcasing her talents in AJ's absence, but as this feud has dragged on, Paige has been transforming into AJ's mirror image in terms of personality and character.
I don't care how many times I hear it but AJ Lee is NOT original - she's the female equivalent of CM Punk: a snarky tweener. If that's all what it takes to get over and win today's Diva fans' affections, then I truly fear the future of women's wrestling in WWE.
What I want is for WWE to bring back the "Anti-Diva" Paige full on - not just for one week, not just for short bursts sporadically. If you want to have a good endgame for this feud, have Paige decisively beat the shit out of AJ like Brock Lesnar did to John Cena at Summerslam. As a result, this knocks AJ down to the bottom of the food chain and gives her something new to work towards as she has to climb up the ladder again and find something new to topple Paige (along with other opponents along the way) with as the "cray cray" game has met it's match.
Paige is still young and has room (and more importantly, TIME) to grow as a wrestler and an on-screen personality. There's no need to milk everything dry out of this feud here and now.
Attach AJ Lee & Paige to two other high-profile/up and coming Superstars to elevate their rivalry & status
My top two candidates would be pair Paige up with Seth Rollins and pair AJ Lee up with Dean Ambrose since WWE is obviously trying to make him into the new CM Punk. Both AJ and Ambrose are portrayed as "crazy" so it works. Paige could added as eye-candy to Seth Rollins as it seems like Authority may have him splinter off onto his own. Their pair-up options aren't limited to those two Superstars as WWE has PLENTY of mid-carders who could use a little push with a popular Diva in their corner. Look at the wonders of having Lana in his corner has done to Rusev's career!
If you want to continue the Trish/Lita comparisons, think of the build to Backlash 2005 where Trish Stratus and Lita accompanied Viscera and Kane to their Singles match to add a layer of depth to that mid-card feud.
Closing Words
From my constant jokes and wisecracks on social media, I'm sure you guys are positive that I absolutely despise AJ Lee. I don't hate her - I hate how WWE portrays her with these lackluster feuds and storylines and how she comes across as cheap imitation of CM Punk in a WWE environment that is hungry for his presence in a CM Punk-less WWE. I adore Paige, but I hate how WWE continues to paint a picture that seems like they want to paint her into AJ Lee's mirror image.
Diversity is a splendid thing and WWE shouldn't be afraid of change. Now is the time to experiment and do something things different with the WWE Divas Division. Look at NXT, they try something different all the time and get mixed results. At least they have the courage to try with their Women's Division.
There's no doubt in my mind that the AJ Lee/Paige rivalry could be as legendary as the Trish Stratus/Lita rivalry someday, but WWE needs to step back and take careful consideration on how they approach this feud instead of haphazardly shoving it down fans' throats all at once.
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