Class is in Session: RAW's Love Letter to the WWE Twitter-verse

Triple H was in rare form last night.

The COO of WWE and leader of The Authority reminded us all why, when he wants to be, he can be one of the more entertaining promo-men in the business.  Last night’s RAW opened with a heavily sarcastic shot at the WWE’s Internet community, specifically the multitude of fans on Twitter.

Now, as someone who has spent far more time than is healthy on Twitter in the last week (the benefits of an actual teacher’s schedule), I can say he was right on the money.  While there are some absolutely stellar wrestling fans out there dedicated to intelligent conversation and articulate, respectful debate (Head over to @The2Contenders and you’ll easily find who I’m talking about), the vast majority of Internet wrestling fans do nothing but whine, complain, and threaten to take their friend Mark and stop watching if WWE doesn’t listen to their demands.

So Triple H started out the show by giving us “smart” fans a verbal shellacking, condemning us for our constant complaining.

The next 3 hours showed that they were listening, however, as last night’s RAW could have been subtitled “A Love Letter to our Twitter fans”.

The Teacher's Lounge: 'Stable'-izing the WWE

For my money, there’s nothing like a good wrestling stable.  If you were a wrestling fan in the 1980’s, it was the Four Horsemen or the Heenan Family.  During the Monday Night Wars, it was the nWo or the Corporate Ministry.  Raven’s Flock, Los Boricuas, Right to Censor, the Filthy Animals. . . The list goes on and on.

A well-put together stable allows you to showcase multiple talents in a single segment.  Most importantly, it allows young talents to have a chance to grow and shine (Randy Orton in the early days of Evolution) while veteran talent who are getting on in years but can still bring it on the mic get to continue being a relevant force (Arn Anderson during the final days of the WCW Horsemen).  In addition, a stable can help elevate a single superstar by having him be the focus of the group.  (Straight Edge Society is one example, another one that failed dramatically was The Brood.)  Also, stables can sometimes serve as a metaphor for broader issues, be it inside or outside of the wrestling world.

Here are 6 stables (4 re-iterations of a group from the past as well as 2 brand new ones) that I believe could exist in the WWE.  Many of these also provide opportunities for many of the next wave of NXT stars to make their way onto the main roster, while also giving a current Superstar a leadership role.

The Teacher's Lounge: Fantasy Booking the Battleground Main Event

Tonight is Battleground, the PPV lead-in to August’s Summerslam extravaganza.  Our main event this evening is a Fatal Four Way for the WWE title, as John Cena defends against Randy Orton, Kane and Roman Reigns.  If you asked 100 average wrestling fans who they thought was going to win this match, I’d wager at least 85-90% of them would say that John Cena will defend his title.  Between the leaked promotional material for SummerSlam as well as Paul Heyman’s cryptic “Plan C”, all signs are pointing to John Cena and Brock Lesnar for the title next month.

But what if that’s just what WWE wants you to believe?

Perhaps. . . Actually, it’s almost a certainty that I am venturing much too far down the conspiracy theorist road, but let’s go down that road anyway.  Consider it a thought experiment.  Putting on my fantasy booker hat, here are the ways I can see six other wrestlers walking out of Battleground with the WWE title.  As an extra challenge, I’ll even include how I’d follow tonight’s match up at SummerSlam.

Class is in Session: A Tale of Two Rookies, Adam Rose and Bo Dallas

We begin our class today with a variation of one of the great opening lines in the history of literature.

“He had the best of gimmicks, he had the worst of gimmicks.”

In the first half of 2014 in the WWE, two young new superstars named Adam Rose and Bo Dallas emerged, looking to continue the success they had experienced in NXT.  Each one had something unique to offer the wrestling world that seemed to capture fan attention, both positively and negatively.  It seemed, as recently as two months ago, that these rookies were going to be fixtures on RAW and Smackdown for years to come.

Now, however, it seems that their two career paths are heading in opposite directions.  Adam Rose has, almost overnight, become a joke, fighting with Damien Sandow over ownership of a Sonic hot dog.  Bo Dallas, on the other hand, is riding high into Battleground, where he stands as a potential favorite to win the vacant Intercontinental title.

How did this happen?  How can one man’s star rise so quickly while another plummets equally as fast?

It is in answering this question that we find today’s lesson.