WWE mid-year review

How would you rate them so far?  Here's my take:

Rating : B

The good:

• Elevation of the US title
  
• Extending Lesnar's contract
  
• Kevin Owens
  
• Special events on the Network
  
• Improved tag team division
  
• Some really good TV and PPV matches
  
• Rollins cash in at Mania
  

The bad:

• Rollins' title run
  
• Overuse of Kane and the Authority
  
• Rusev & Lana split
  
• Bringing back Daniel Bryan too soon
  
• The Royal Rumble
  
• Letting wrestlers get over, then dropping them (e.g. Sandow) / having no plans or creativity with the mid-card
  
• Many of these gimmick matches like the Last man standing, Russian chain match and Elimination Chamber don't seem to be working in the PG era
  

To further add to the elevation of the US title, John Cena is my Superstar of the Year so far. Winning the US title seems to have lit a fire under him we havent seen in years. He seems to be bringing out his best by working with a variety of other superstars he wouldnt normally have wrestled. If they did this with him 6 years ago then I dont think he would be as panned as he is.

Think B is a fair rating

Good:
*Kevin Owens
*The Network content
*Beast in the East
*WrestleMania
*US Title and Cena
*Keeping Lesnar
*Tag Teams
*NXT in general

Bad:
*Macho Mandow and Axelmania 
*The use of Ziggler
*Love angles
*The Bellas
*Unfocused Commentary
*No sight beyond titles (ie not building competitive divisions below)

I will agree with the Cena thing with the caveat that I think most wrestlers on that roster would love to have the time he gets on matches and the focus hes allowed in his promos.

Rating: C+

Wrestlers I've enjoyed this year:
Cena
Reigns post Rumble
Kevin Owens
New Day
Sasha Banks
Special Events I've enjoyed;
NXT specials
WrestleMania
Storylines I've enjoyed;
Pretty much everything involving Kevin Owens

Negatives:
Booking of Damien Sandow following his split with The Miz
Poor use of Stardust/Cody Rhodes
Schizophrenic booking of the Bellas
Divas division as a whole
Royal Rumble
Lack of decent storylines

Bit harsh to give it a C+ when you list more positives than negatives, and the negatives are massive.

I was hovering between B- and C+. It's still a passing grade. Whilst I've enjoyed most of the PPVs/Special events, I find watch Raw a real slog more often than not.

Some of the negatives quite clearly outweigh the positives. I'm probably generous with a B. Probably lenient on the fact I would skip segments in any other era too.

One of the things I mentioned was the Lana / Rusev split. I think it has been a horrible story, badly played out and in many elements has illustrated what can be most wrong with WWE writing.

But, fair dues to Rusev. Who's actually still coming out of this remarkably strong. I thought this coming after the losses to Cena he was probably destined for mid-card hell. But, he's showing more of his character. And the big Bulgarian who apparently was leading Lana wrong in a way that defies all logic, he's actually going babyface!

Before Owens, Rusev was for me the most exciting new talent in WWE. It took me much longer to warm to him, but man before that Cena feud I could have seen him facing Brock at Mania in the future. So, I'm daft pleased that WWE's decision to promote the non-wrestler while burying one of their most exciting talents is back-firing on them. At this stage, they may as well turn Ziggler full heel, and when Rusev is fit just have him rip Ziggler's head off.

Rusev / Owens for WM next year!

I should add on the downside, the IC belt. I had genuinely forgotten that Ryback is the IC champ.

Not sure Rusev is the babyface. And I also think that's harsh in Ryback, they've absolutely exceeded my admittedly very low expectations of a Miz, Show and Ryback feud.

I dont think Rusev is intentionally Babyface, but everything Ziggler has been doing is total heelish, to the point I want to see Rusev crush it old school.

Exactly, Samo. Rusev has been put in a position where due to bad writing, bad story and bad acting he's looking like the one who deserves the sympathy, which de facto makes him a babyface here.

I can see where your coming from with Rusev. No one's coming out of the feud well. Even if I ignore the lack of chemistry between Ziggler & Lana, the storylines got some many holes in it. Starting with Lana promo, where she claimed Rusev had manipulated her, when on TV she was clearly seen as the power in the relationship.

It is all terrible. It is the worst example of WWE story-writing. But I'm gonna stand by the idea that lurching into this horrible angle after losing too many times to Cena, and not being able to wrestle, should have totally killed Rusev. But, he's getting more mic time and I think he's the only one who's gonna survive this car crash.

Turn him full baby face. Turn Ziggler heel, cos that suits him anyway. Have Lana crawl back to Rusev when Rusev beats Ziggler and have Rusev stand there and tell her "you're dumped!".

Agree. Rusev has been entertaining in this feud. Lana's been damaged so-badly its not funny.

Oh god that would be awful! Rusev is so clearly the heel. You see, this is why it's funny when people criticise WWE's long term stories. Rusev has been a sexist, chauvinist bully. But because Ziggler isn't playing a pure white-meat babyface then he's the heel?

Rusev, aside from the sexism and stalking, has also used dirty tricks and purposefully tried to seriously injure Rusev. It's not been perfect, and they have put Rusev in a slight position of sympathy, but he is the clear heel, Lana is actually telling a story of independence, realisation and fighting out of an oppressive relationship. Shamefully, they've hidden it within the couples angle, but the way I can excuse it is that Rusev is injured and needs to stay relevant but also needs a male counterpart to feud with.

But all of us remember "Rusev crush!!!" And Lana being the only one who could get him to release the accolade and the look of stupefied horror when Rusev knocked Lana off the ring apron at Mania.

She's obviously a duplicitous succubus.

And Ziggler making out with Lana in front of a physically and emotionally damaged Rusev clearly paints the heel / baby face relationship.

And Summer Rae, well she's just there too,

Id probably put more emphasis on a man who would laugh at injuring a woman and try to break another man's neck as heelish than kissing a girl. Faces can antagonise. 

Again, Lana not only has shown growth away from the role of Russian recruit, but also being able to stop someone doesn't mean you control them. 

Have you at least been convinced Lesnar is the face in his feud with Rollins? 

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:

Have you at least been convinced Lesnar is the face in his feud with Rollins? 

You can't tell me that a guy armed with two weapons, who missiles car doors into the audience and wants to beat up a guy he already put in hospital is face.

The Good
John Cena
Kevin Owens
The standard of matches 
NXT
Tag division
Keeping Lesnar

The Bad
The awful storylines
The Authority
The booking of Sandow/Ziggler
Bringing Bryan back too soon
Royal Rumble
Big Show winning the memorial battle royal

Prometheus wrote:

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:

Have you at least been convinced Lesnar is the face in his feud with Rollins? 

You can't tell me that a guy armed with two weapons, who missiles car doors into the audience and wants to beat up a guy he already put in hospital is face.

All it takes is a subtle change in demeanour for actions to be face. Much like Austin was a face when he attacked McMahon in the hospital. When Heyman is doing his bit to stop the booing then you know Lesnar is the face of the feud.

I think it's pretty obvious. Worries me if you're missing it!

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:

Prometheus wrote:

Dolphin Ziggler wrote:

Have you at least been convinced Lesnar is the face in his feud with Rollins? 

You can't tell me that a guy armed with two weapons, who missiles car doors into the audience and wants to beat up a guy he already put in hospital is face.

All it takes is a subtle change in demeanour for actions to be face. Much like Austin was a face when he attacked McMahon in the hospital. When Heyman is doing his bit to stop the booing then you know Lesnar is the face of the feud.

I think it's pretty obvious. Worries me if you're missing it!

I'm almost certain he's joking

Yes and no.

My tongue is firmly in my cheek. But there are aspects of the Rusev / Ziggler and Brock / Rollins feud, where there are aspects of heel behaviour by the face and vice versa. But, I'm not saying this is necessarily a bad thing.

Like Dolph is saying, there can be a fine line between face and heel. And I know the likes of Jr and SCSA will say that there is no such thing as a tweener, there is obviously different shades of grey. And again, like Dolph says it can be easy for a well positioned talent and character to step from one side of the line to the other and with a minimal change in the tone of what they deliver in or out of the ring take the facet of heel or face.

But, again, back to my not fully joking. I think that Rusev has shown in this angle some elements of his character that mean he does not necessarily have to work the rest of his career as the stereotypical foreign heel. And I think that is very good for him.

I think Rollins will either come out of this with a career-defining angle against HHH where he ascends to become his own man. Or he will start to spiral down and his next major action will be a stepping stone for Reigns to tread on.

Oh, I agree that Rusev has the talent to be more than just foreign nasty person. I think the fact he made a stereotype foreign heel gimmick work in 2015 shows he has a lot of talent.