WWE Is Ruining... Maria Kanellis

Maria had a good first run in the WWE, starting off in the Diva Search and working her way into a regular role. It was endearing. Unfortunately, the second go has not been as magical as the first.

The WWE won’t stop putting her in pregnancy angles. Before she could even have a match, they put her in pregnancy angle in 2017. Then she came back, participated in three battle royals and a single mixed-tag match before they hit up the pregnancy angle AGAIN. They keep switching her back and forth to pregnant and not pregnant so much that she’s like the Big Show going from heel to babyface and back again. It’s impossible to build momentum when your never sure if a character wants to be Women’s Champion or have a healthy baby.

Plus, these pregnancy angles go on for way too long. Like, just announce a pregnancy and do the baby thing a month or so later. Instead, it takes almost a year which is the sort of thing that should only be saved for the best angles, and a new baby certainly ain’t one of them.

Let’s just hope they abort plans before going into a third pregnancy angle.

Other Wrestlers WWE Is Ruining
Aiden English
AJ Styles

Akam
Aleister Black

Ali
Alicia Fox
Andrade "Cien" Almas
Angelo Dawkins
Apollo Crews
Baron Corbin

Bayley
Big E
Big Show
Bo Dallas
Bobby Lashley
Bobby Roode
Braun Strowman
Bray Wyatt

Brock Lesnar
Buddy Murphy
Carmella
Cesaro
Chad Gable

Charlotte Flair
Curt Hawkins
Curtis Axel

Dana Brooke
Dash Wilder
Drew McIntyre

EC3

Elias

Ember Moon
Epico

Erick Rowan

Erik

Finn Balor

Goldust
Gran Metalik

Humberto Carrillo

Ivar

Jeff Hardy

Jey Uso
Jimmy Uso
Jinder Mahal
Kairi Sane

Kane
Karl Anderson

Kevin Owens
Killian Dain
Kofi Kingston
Konnor

Lacey Evans

Lana

Lio Rush

Luke Gallows
Luke Harper

Matt Hardy

Mickie James
Miz

Mojo Rawley

Montez Ford
Natalya
Nia Jax

Nikki Cross

No Way Jose
Otis Dozovic

Peyton Royce
Primo

R-Truth

Randy Orton

Rey Mysterio

Rezar

Ricochet

Roman Reigns

Ronda Rousey

Ruby Riott

Rusev
Samoa Joe

Sarah Logan

Scott Dawson
Shane McMahon
Sheamus

Shelton Benjamin

Shinsuke Nakamura
Sonya Deville

Tamina

Tucker Knight

Tyler Breeze

Viktor

Zack Ryder

Zelina Vega

The Ultimate NXT Draft: Picks 111-120

I know what you're thinking. How are you still not done with this thing? Trust me, even when we got on a run of drafting guys every 10 seconds, it still felt like it dragged on forever. But these are the sacrifices we make. I would say that there is a significant dropoff at this point as it turned into more of throwing darts at a board than really being genuinely excited about the picks. Jonah went Asian; I went for love.

111. Jonah selects Rocky
Jonah: Rocky is also Chinese so I think I’m going to give him a Rocky Balboa gimmick to throw everyone off. He looks like a pretty big guy too, so I’m very happy with my selection of two large Chinese guys.

Joe: I’m absolutely fascinated how WWE decided to call this man, Rocky. There has to be some sort of inside joke, right? Did he break his hand punching a wall? Was he dating a woman named Adrian or had a cousin named Mick that always came around? This can’t be a serious name so I really need to know this story.

112. Joe selects Eddie Dennis
Joe: Eddie Dennis is tall and speaks well. Classic double-threat. He had a fine match the one time I saw him in person, but everything about this guy screams heel.

Jonah: Eddie Dennis is tall and he has made it on TV. He needs to add some mass on top of that height though because Eddie Dennis ain’t got no cuts.

113. Joe selects Isla Dawn
Joe: Isla Dawn is a lady, and you can’t teach that. She’s kind of got a Melisandre vibe to her, so she better capitalize quickly on that since Game of Thrones is over.

Jonah: Isla Dawn is a Scottish wrestler and she’s got that great red hair. She’s got a good amount of experience and has actually wrestled Asuka. Good potential pick here.

114. Jonah selects Dave Mastiff
Jonah: Dave Mastiff is huge, over 300 pounds and looks like a badass. He has also made it on NXT UK TV already, so who knows, he could develop into a monster.

Joe: He’s just a short fat guy, but he does have some good technical skills. I just don’t see much you can do with him outside of skilled jobber. A poor man's Bull Dempsey.

115. Jonah selects Nina Samuels
Jonah: Nina Samuels was a Rosebud, so she’s destined for stardom. She’s got a good look and is already competing on NXT UK TV. She’s got a few years of wrestling experience so just put that together with that Rosebud charm and strap a rocket to her back.

Joe: She is okay at wrestling, and I feel like 115th really is her sweet spot for this draft.

116. Joe selects Mike Kanellis
Joe: Mike Kanellis just signed a new five-year contract as the WWE was absolutely scared to death that he might leave WWE and put AEW on the map with the power of love. I feel like this is somebody who doesn’t suck as bad as we think he does. Plus, he seems happily married, so I basically get Maria in the deal as well.

Jonah: I mean no one cares about Mike Kanellis, he makes face Roderick Strong look like The Rock. He’s fine in the ring, but he’s got no personality or charisma and is only OK in the ring. Give me that potential star over him every day. Congrats on getting Maria.

Joe: Sounds like you don’t believe in true love.

117. Joe selects Oliver Carter
Joe: I did a Google image search of this guy before the draft, and he was coming off the top rope. I like when guys fly around, so I think I’ll like Oliver Carter just fine.

Jonah: From what little I can find on Oliver Carter he does sound like a pretty good high flyer. I was pissed that he’s nowhere close to the top of the Google search list for “Oliver Carter”. Get a cooler name guy.

118. Jonah selects Boa
Jonah: Boa has decent size and he’s a purple belt in BJJ. Plus he’s Chinese and my show is going to be number one in China.

Joe: Even the biggest stars in OWE are Japanese.

119. Jonah selects Ashton Smith
Jonah: This guy is experienced, he’s been wrestling since 2007. He made it to the quarterfinals of the UK tournament and he’s got some cool moves. Plus he’s from Jamaica and has a move called Cool Runnings, that’s dope.

Joe: The quarterfinals of the UK Tournament? Wait, is that just the first round? I’m not going to look it up, so I’ll just assume it’s the first round.

120. Joe selects Brian Kendrick
Joe: Technically, the name is THE Brian Kendrick, which makes him the favorite wrestler of every garbage person in Ohio. He’s different and would be really useful if he lived in alternative universe, like he could be on Bray Wyatt’s kid show and fit in perfectly while getting incredibly popular. In reality, he’s probably going to wrestle for a couple more years before becoming a trainer at the Performance Center. He’s a solid guy that can fill some time.

Jonah: The Brian Kendrick is a pretty good wrestler who’s been around forever. He’s also a completely garbage person He’s a big follower of David Icke who not only believes in lizard people but is a huge fan of anti semitism. Enjoy Joe.

Joe: I’m not going to look up if this is true, because ignorance is bliss. But if it is true, I have a solution. A best-of-seven series with WALTER. In it, WALTER gets disqualified three times for excessively beating a man, that’s when he really gets mad.

Previously in the NXT Draft:
Picks 1-10

Picks 11-20

Picks 21-30

Picks 31-40

Picks 41-50

Picks 51-60

Picks 61-70

Picks 71-80

Picks 81-90

Picks 91-100

Picks 101-100

The WWE Is Ruining... Randy Orton

As a pro wrestling fan, it is a part of our identity to always know how to utilize wrestlers better than the WWE. If WWE would just give me, random WWE fan, a job a the company, ratings would immediately rise to the levels of the Monday Night Wars, despite how television ratings have changed as a whole over the last 20 years. But until that happens, WWE will continue ruining our favorite wrestlers, and that is why it is time to point out the error in their ways. Because of WWE's incompetence, I am literally going to pick a wrestler at random and point out how they could be better utilized, because WWE is ruining everyone in one way or another.

Today, I look at the most accomplished full-time wrestler on the WWE roster, Mr. RKO, Randy Orton.

Randy Orton is a grand slam champion who has won a World Title 13 separate times, so he's had a pretty good run already. The thing is, the guy still looks great, and when motivated, seems to be able to put on top level matches. He's a physical presence that dwarfs most other wrestlers but can move with the best of them. On top of this, he possesses a natural charisma that is hard to find.

Despite all this, I don't give a shit about Randy Orton.

Part of this is that Randy Orton has been around forever, and he's fallen into this "sadistic" character that just wants to punish people. This worked when he was the legend killer, but him going on a grand slam of punting people in the face to now twisting people's earlobes and trying to turn Tye Dillinger into a hard 8 just feels...blah.

I will admit two things. Some people are into it, and it's not totally fair to say something sucks before it has had a chance to fully evolve. Clearly, this angle must be going somewhere, but at the end of the day, it's just not for me.

Instead, I want the WWE to go with the motto of, "What's old is new again." Randy Orton has always done his best work as a heel and part of a faction. Obviously, Evolution was not only the best group he was a part of, but also the best group Triple H was a part of as well. But Orton was also great with Legacy and The Authority. I think Orton might be a heel, but I'm honestly not even sure, because even if he is a heel, he's in that cool heel place that Randy Orton should never be. By all accounts, Orton is an entitled asshole and should never, ever be considered cool. Instead, let him embrace who he is, and let him embrace it with a faction to back him up.

The WWE has really steered away from factions recently. Even with groups like The Shield and New Day, that's only three guys, and because of the Horsemen, I feel like you need at least four guys to be a true faction. In fact, I think a good rule of thumb is whether you can hold all of the titles with separate guys. So, then the question becomes, how do you create a faction with Orton?

Obviously, my first thought was reboot Evolution. H is there, Flair isn't busy, and Batista might be game to show up a few times a year. But I feel like the WWE can do even better by creating a new group to surround Orton with. Here are my top 10 picks since I know WWE will need a lot of options to choose from.

1. EC3 - He'd be a perfect fit in a new Evolution-esque group.

2. Bobby Roode - Roode should be a heel, and he hasn't really shown main event potential, so putting him in a group would strengthen him.

3. Mike Kanellis - He's the representative who can get the 205 Live title. Did you know he was on 205 Live? Neither did I until Wikipedia told me, but this also would get them a valet for the group, making every wrestling fan yell, "Why is she with him?"

4. Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows - The Bullet Club ain't happening. Here's to a new group for these guys.

5. Bobby Lashley - Black Batista

6. The Mighty - Cocky tag team with accents seem like it could work.

7. Lars Sullivan - Terrifying enforcer who actually may have that Brock Lesnar feature where they are even scarier in a suit.

8. Mojo Rawley - Having a celebrity friend always makes people easy to dislike.

9. Baron Corbin - Just a naturally hateable guy who could be an enforcer.

10. Kona Reeves - If EC3 is unavailable, you could keep trying to make The Finest thing happen.

You put Orton as the leader of a group of 3-7 of these guys, and he's without a doubt a world champion contender who could make it so easy to actually cheer for the good guys that he is competing against. If he's in the championship picture, it elevates everyone around him as well giving legitimate contenders for secondary and tag titles.

The only way for Randy Orton to move forward is to look backward. I call this group...Devolution.

Other Wrestlers WWE Is Ruining
Bobby Lashley
Charlotte Flair
Dana Brooke
Dash Wilder
Kane
Kofi Kingston
Mickie James
Nia Jax
Peyton Royce
Scott Dawson
Tyler Breeze

The WWE Is Ruining... Tyler Breeze

As a pro wrestling fan, it is a part of our identity to always know how to utilize wrestlers better than the WWE. If WWE would just give me, random WWE fan, a job a the company, ratings would immediately rise to the levels of the Monday Night Wars, despite how television ratings have changed as a whole over the last 20 years. But until that happens, WWE will continue ruining our favorite wrestlers, and that is why it is time to point out the error in their ways. Because of WWE's incompetence, I am literally going to pick a wrestler at random and point out how they could be better utilized, because WWE is ruining everyone in one way or another.

Today, I continue the series with the Prince of Pretty, Tyler Breeze.

If you remember Tyler Breeze in NXT, you will recall how truly awesome he was when he was first beginning his gimmick. He not only took hundreds of selfies before every match, but he also had a live feed from his phone as his entrance video. His first feud in NXT was with CJ Parker, not the Baywatch star but the man now known as Juice Robinson in NJPW, because Parker kept photobombing his selfies. Breeze was so over-the-top ridiculous that the crowd couldn't help but fall in love, and he backed it up by consistently having matches that stood out on NXT, not an easy thing to do.

So it made sense when he got called up to the main roster, even though he was never able to attain gold at NXT. But although he came out hot by immediately attacking Dolph Ziggler, they didn't actually follow up with anything, and he was soon only there as an enhancement talent, losing to basically anyone and everyone that stepping in the ring with him. When a guy loses that much, it's pretty easy for even his biggest supporters to lose interest.

Somehow, with from the depths of creative hell, Breeze emerged, with the help of Fandango, to create one of the most interesting and beloved tag teams of the past few years in Breezango. They managed to get incredibly over by acting as The Fashion Police who originally just gave people tickets for being unfashionable, but somehow turned into detectives who solved mysteries. It was incredibly stupid, but it was also incredible.

Even though they were beloved, they were never able to turn that into championships, and the gimmick has been on hiatus after Fandango suffered an injury. That has left Tyler Breeze in limbo as his run as a singles wrestler has been...completely forgettable. He's 0-4 on Raw, including two losses to Mojo Rawley. He does have two wins on Main Event, but those are over Curt Hawkins and Mike Kanellis, so a world title push seems a bit far off, and it seems like WWE is just biding time until they can reunite him with Fandango.

But can't the WWE do any better than that?

Tyler Breeze is one of the few people in the company who can not only fully embrace his character but can be consistently entertaining while doing it. Just let the man be entertaining. I do think he can have the most win-loss success with a tag partner like Fandango, but wins and losses aren't everything. Ultimately, with the stacked roster that the WWE has, I don't know if Breeze should ever hold a singles title. He could be a transitional secondary champion, but with his character, a belt doesn't do a whole lot for him. In wrestling, one guy wins, which means one guy loses. It's probably best if Breeze loses more than he wins, but there are plenty of guys that Breeze can beat in order to make him a credible threat against more prestigious competition.

I think the biggest thing that needs to happen to maximize Breeze is to let him use his creativity. He was always great at giving backstage interviews, and the Fashion Police stuff with Fandango was fantastic. It's not like he needs a lot of time, so I'm pretty sure they could spare 1-2 minutes each week and just let something entertain the crowd. Also, wouldn't a fifteen minute match between Breeze and Chad Gable be absolutely awesome? Those are two guys that can easily move from heel to babyface, so you can go either way on it and just let them go out and put on a great match. And the beauty of Tyler Breeze is that he can lose yet still be elevated just by putting on a fun match and show personality.
WWE seems to only want to push "cool" wrestlers, but sometimes I just want to watch fun wrestlers. With Breeze, the push doesn't need to end in title reigns, all he needs is time to let people enjoy him as a character and wrestler. For anybody that says WWE doesn't have endless amounts of time, yes, they do. They currently recap recaps on Raw, and they let Roman Reigns talk for 15 minutes. Just let Roman Reigns kick ass instead of talking, and use that time to get two guys over instead. 

This isn't difficult, guys. In fact, some would say it's a Breeze.

Other Wrestlers WWE Has Ruined
Bobby Lashley
Nia Jax