Posted in: Mr. Tito
Mr. Tito from the Retirement Home - RAW Thoughts and the Hot Mess Known as the WWE
By Mr. Tito
Jul 10, 2012 - 1:22:10 AM

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The "Excellence in Column Writing" is upon you, as I was pondering tonight's Monday Night RAW during game night (Uno/Phase 10) here at the LordsofPain.net Retirement Home for Internet Columnists ©. Just surfing around the internet on my old Windows based computer (remember those), it just doesn't seem to me that the drive-by "Internet Wrestling Community" (IWC) remotely gets it about the WWE. Sure, the IWC knows something is wrong and you see the non-stop "dick measuring contests" on messages boards and Twitter debating it. But to use actual logic define what's specifically wrong with the WWE is why yours truly is stepping up to bat.

What's wrong with the WWE is simply this: they are DISORGANIZED. The Stephanie McMahon led creative team writes purely for short-term gains without any long-term plans. There is a lack of continuity while there exists a lack of historical context of each wrestler or the championship belts the hold. Stephanie, the Communications major turned pro wrestling booker, is very much unqualified to run a small independent wrestling show let alone a billion dollar corporation that is dependent on a well run in-ring product. She has zero clue how to book shows and daddy dearest, Vince McMahon, enables her. And of course, Triple H has been a huge influence on her and what does the WWE do in return? Promotes Triple H multiple ways as an executive.

This is the SAME WWE that lets insider news sources report ALL of the inner-workings of its backstage areas and its corporate offices. It's ridiculous. I've been working with various corporations for the past decade and I've NEVER seen a single corporation leak company matters as much as the WWE. In fact, they have disclosures that employees must sign that allows for immediate termination upon discussing sensitive company matters. But with the WWE, its wrestlers can freely bark on Twitter, Audio shows, and worse yet, deliver all company matters to the insider sources. Thanks to this disorganization by the WWE, we know that the WWE Network is an utter failure and Triple H's push to remove John Laurinaitis as an executive of the company. Both are NOT GOOD for the WWE stock.

And this is a shame because in my opinion, Money in the Bank 2012 looks like a pretty good card...

- Money in the Bank (RAW): Kane, Chris Jericho, John Cena, and Big Show

- Money in the Bank (Smackdown): Dolph Ziggler, Christian, Lord Tensai, Santino, Sin Cara, Tyson Kid, Cody Rhodes, basically everyone else on the WWE roster.

- Actual Tag Team Title match: R-Truth/Kofi Kingston vs. Hunico/Camacho

- WWE Title Match: CM Punk vs. Daniel Bryan with AJ as the referee

- World Heavyweight Title Match: Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus

That's a GOOD card, folks, albeit the fact that the Smackdown Money in the Bank is held together with duct tape and staples.

But the WWE is screwed up right now. For one, the Brand Extension is an absolute joke. For one, I'm still waiting to see the official transfer of Daniel Bryan from the Smackdown roster to the RAW Roster. How on earth does Chris Jericho be able to wrestle for the RAW Title at Wrestlemania 28 and Extreme Rules and then jump to the Smackdown roster to enter a title match, but now he's back to wrestling in the RAW Money in the Bank? Where's the official transfer of Dolph Ziggler to the Smackdown roster? Where is the official transfer of Alberto Del Rio to the Smackdown roster? How can Santino get a Smackdown Title show not once but twice, especially when he's the RAW United States Champion right now? Santino is in the Smackdown Money in the Bank match!

The best part about this mixture is that the RAW Supershow was supposed to be the "ratings savior" for Monday Night RAW. WRONG. Just like adding the returning Rock to the roster, the returning Brock Lesnar to the roster, and having RAW gimmick show after RAW gimmick show... It's all resulting in 3.0 RAW Ratings. All of this time and money wasted for the SAME RESULTS. This is what happens when you are DISORGANIZED as a company..

The funniest thing about tonight's RAW and recent shows is that the WWE has the answer right under their nose... It's with sweet little AJ. She's a character who is getting naturally over. We're not talking about FORCED pushes like Sheamus, Triple H's weight lifting buddy, or Alberto Del Rio, whom Vince McMahon adores... Her cute little self started off as Daniel Bryan's girlfriend but things turned for the worse. Bryan dumped her and then she started hanging around CM Punk to spite Bryan. In a fun turn of events, AJ showed that she has a "crazy" side to her... And WWE fans are eating it up. AJ is getting over and all she's doing is being an interesting character that creates a "sense of urgency" between two wrestlers who are selling it like champs in Punk and Bryan.

That's funny, has there been any other storylines that drew lots of $$$ by having a believable conflict between 2 wrestlers who appeared to legitimately hate each other? Go rent Wrestlemania 5 and tell me who is in a "neutral corner" for that show's main event between Hulk Hogan and "Macho Man" Randy Savage. Granted, I'd argue that CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, with due respect, aren't Hogan/Savage and that AJ isn't Miss Elizabeth... But, we're only at the beginning of this love triangle. WWE fans are eating it up and there's a strong reason why CM Punk/AJ vs. Daniel Bryan/Eve Torres was the Main Event and NOT the John Cena/Kane vs. Big Show/Chris Jericho match tonight on RAW. In my opinion, WWE Management is seeing something with AJ and her tension caused between Punk and Bryan.

Thus, in the midst of disorganization and horrible Brand Extension logic, doing extremely simple booking actually still gets over in 2012. Imagine that.

And you see the same Stephanie-led Creative Staff figure AJ yet you were reminded tonight of the blunder known as the Anonymous RAW General Manager, who was actually revealed tonight. In my opinion, through 2011, the WWE dropped the ball on THAT storyline. If you'll recall, the Anonymous GM was around through the Summer of 2011 and just suddenly disappeared when Triple H joined the roster as the "Chief Operating Officer" after the Money in the Bank 2011 show. The computer was there for a few weeks with HHH around as COO but soon disappeared. WWE never mentioned it again until tonight where the Anonymous GM was the guest General Manager for RAW.

Hornswoggle was revealed as the Anonymous General Manager tonight on RAW. Seriously.

Based on the way the Anonymous GM was disregarded in 2011, I guess that I can get a good laugh out of this turn of events. But it's indicative of a decent angle that the WWE could have presented a great revelation as to who was behind the Anonymous GM mask. It's a long line of WWE Creative blunders that should have made the WWE stronger. For example, Kane/Big Show keep flipping and flopping as heels and faces to the point where their characters are considered "jokes" to be in the main event. Randy Orton's career has been nothing but a non-stop push, even when not merited and being over as a face. The Nexus angle was completely botched despite the AWESOME assault on John Cena and those surrounding the ring (Daniel Bryan was fired for choking someone with a tie!). CM Punk's "Summer of Punk" popularity boost was derailed by Triple H's Chief Operating Officer angle and the insistence of Alberto Del Rio becoming WWE Champion by SummerSlam. (edit)

Better yet, just think of how many potentially good wrestlers the WWE has ruined by pushing too fast and cheaply with the Money in the Bank cashing in. Do I need to list them all? Sheamus Jack Swagger (edit), Alberto Del Rio, Miz, etc. EXTREMELY LAZY BOOKING actually believes that a World Title will get the wrestler over instead of the method that worked decades before the 2000's where the wrestler gets over first and then pursues the World Title. I would STRONGLY advise that for the winners of the upcoming Money in the Bank, the winners should each challenge their opponent in advance. In my opinion, Rob Van Dam remains the most credible Money in the Bank winner because he challenged John Cena week(s) in advance of the ECW One Night Stand 2006 Pay Per View.

WWE is a disorganized mess and may need to consider that they DO NOT have the right people running the company or better yet, being groomed to run the company. Ratings, buyrates, attendance, etc. are falling while younger audiences are finding Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) to be more appealing. Unless Vince McMahon and those he trusts to be his successors fixes these organizational issues, pro wrestling will have serious survival issues in 10 years. Watch the major downhill effect when the WWE's biggest draw, John Cena, drops from his peak or leaves the company. Unless the WWE can reshape itself with "game changing" innovation, trouble is on the horizon.

The WWE can keep hyping that 1,000th RAW as much as they can, but what happens after the 1,000th RAW? What makes following episodes of RAW so special? The WWE appears to be putting all of their chips on July 23rd for the RAW 1,000 show that their long-term plans could be once again taking a backseat as SummerSlam rolls around.

And what do you know, Hulk Hogan might be finally GETTING IT that he needs to push new stars in TNA Wrestling. Baby there's a shark in the water...

FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER: @titowrestling