Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Sting's Appeal Losing Luster with WWE's Odd Booking

1. The Wrong Sting

In a short time, WWE has cut away much of the mystique from Sting's character. 

Sting had been the squared circle's elusive vigilante who sprung out of the shadows. He had haunted Triple H and emerged when least expected to take swipes at The Authority.

This was a case of WWE's maximizing an aging star, dressing him up with bells and whistles, injecting new energy into a familiar face. Something went wrong in the writer's room more recently, though.

On Monday's Raw, fans saw a sillier Sting. He was no supernatural force; he was a prankster.

He spent the whole show backstage, trying to convince Seth Rollins to come after him and retrieve his statue. It's odd enough that this story has fixated so much on this bronze likeness of the world champ, but WWE made it worse by making Sting look so goofy throughout these segments.

The Stinger clowned around before shoving Rollins' statue in a waiting garbage truck.

It was like watching Batman deliver Spider-Man-like banter. It was like watching The Undertaker cut a John Cena-esque promo.

Calling on the Joker Sting persona he played in TNA isn't the right move. Having Sting play moments for laughs is the wrong choice as well. WWE had a great thing going in making The Vigilante a dark, foreboding superhero armed with a baseball bat and the element of surprise.

This new turn changes his aura. He seems like less of a threat to Rollins and The Authority in the general.

How has WWE shown Sting to be a danger to the champ with this statue-centric story? Why not continue to make him look mysterious? Why not focus more on the world championship that sits on Rollins' shoulder?

The folks at Fighting Spirit Magazine nailed it when they joked about the quality of this narrative:

There are certainly places in WWE for comedy-filled rivalries. Sting's drive to become champion and further antagonize a corrupt regime isn't one of them.

2. Put Out an APB on Damien Sandow

Xavier Woods' trombone has had more TV time than Sandow recently.

Unless WWE has some repackaging of his character in the works, it feels like the company has given up on him. He has been pushed so far down the ladder that he isn't even making it on screen.

A look at his CageMatch.net profile reveals that he has not wrestled on Raw since May 11. His last SmackDown match came on May 21.

Sandow's most recent TV match was the edition of Superstars taped on June 29. His last pay-per-view contest came on the Payback pre-show nearly four months ago.

Credit: WWE.com

The Hulk Hogan controversy killed Curtis Axel's Axelmania gimmick, and it looks to have done the same to any momentum Sandow may have had. Rather than ditch the Macho Mandow shtick, WWE has simply chosen to let him sit on the bench.

WWE keeps trying to find a way to get Bo Dallas going. It found a way to give The Ascension new life by pairing it with Stardust. As for Sandow, he's still waiting for anything to come his way.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Haku vs. Undertaker

With the news that Haku is part of the massive WWE 2K16 roster, fans of the Tongan powerhouse likely remembered his glory days.

Over 20 years ago, Haku collided with Undertaker in Yokohama, Japan, as part of a joint WWE/War and Romance show.

It's amazing to think that The Deadman is still competing all these years later. And it's always interesting to see how different his in-ring style was in the early '90s portion of his WWE run.

As for Haku, this bout is a reminder of how powerful he was. He lifted Undertaker with ease several times throughout.

4.  The Rock's Latest Victory

It says a lot about him that The Rock saved a French bulldog puppy from drowning, and it's not the least bit surprising.

In an Instagram post, he recounted the story of diving into a swimming pool with his clothes still on and his cellphone still in his pocket to save a little guy named Brutus.

Add to that tale the time he scared off criminals while dressed as an FBI agent and when he made friends with a guy who sideswiped his truck to the reasons why The Rock should replace the guy in the Dos Equis commercials as "the most interesting man in the world."

5. Kana's Weapons

The NXT women's division is set to get a lot more fun. According to WWE.com, the company has signed Kana, and the Japanese star is now headed to the Performance Center. 

Once she makes it to NXT TV, fans are going to see a variety of exciting moves on display. Kana has a long list of submission holds in her arsenal, including the Kana Lock. 

Her missile dropkick puts Brie Bella's to shame. She does an armbar that rivals Becky Lynch's Dis-arm-her. NXT fans will soon discover all those moves and more. 

And with any luck, they will see her try to nail Bayley with them before long.

6. Slowing Cesaro's Momentum 

Don't go using the word "buried," but WWE has done Cesaro no favors when it comes to his win-loss record.

Despite his surging popularity and the increasing amount of fans holding "Cesaro Section" signs at live events, WWE hasn't committed to pushing him. He's found victory hard to come by in recent months.

Credit: WWE.com

Cesaro's record, according to CageMatch.net (note: link contains SmackDown spoilers) in singles matches is just 3-6-1 in his last 10 outings. His last singles win came back in July 30 by disqualification against Seth Rollins.

His outstanding performances are thrilling crowds. His mic work is improving. He just needs WWE to start booking some wins on his resume.

7. Tag Team Showcase is Smart Move

NXT kicked off the first Dusty Rhodes Tag Team Classic last week. There were no great matches in the opening round, but there was plenty of reason to be excited.

The tournament format has added an electric feel to NXT. Credit WWE for putting together some intriguing teams together like Finn Balor and Samoa Joe. The fact that the company brought in indy stars Johnny Gargano and Tommaso Ciampa certainly helps make the tourney feel special.

This chase for tag team glory will end up showcasing a variety of duos as well.

Should Jason Jordan and Chad Gable score a string of wins or some squad upset the tag champs en route to victory, those teams will charge forward armed with momentum. That's so much easier to do with this structure in place.

WWE gets the benefit of the drama that makes sports tournaments so entertaining. And there doesn't need to be a new narrative drawn up each week. 

It's surprising that WWE's main roster hasn't featured something similar, especially with the continued need to add original content to the WWE Network.

8. A Collection of Edge and Christian Classics

During their appearance on Steve Austin's podcast Monday night, Edge and Christian talked about their classic TLC matches, among other topics.

For those fans who missed out on Edge and Christian's era, the following list is a good place to dive into their careers:

• Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz: No Mercy 1999 (ladder match)
• Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz: WrestleMania X-Seven (TLC)
• Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. The Dudley Boyz vs. Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho: SmackDown, May 24, 2001 (TLC)
• Edge vs. Christian: No Mercy 2001 (ladder match)
• Edge and Christian vs. Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels: Raw, Feb. 21, 2005

The WrestleMania X-Seven match is the most famous of these, the source of many of the highlights WWE shows of ladder matches at their most dangerous.

The other bouts are plenty thrilling as well. The 1999 clash with Jeff and Matt Hardy is the precursor to that run of great ladder-centric contests. It's their early experiment with the form, and a successful one for sure.

9. Dolph Ziggler-Rusev Feud Needs to End Quickly 

In terms of narrative arc, Ziggler vs. Rusev is just getting started. They have had just one PPV match against each other. The hero has yet to wobble, much less conquer the monster. 

Still, WWE needs to hurry this story along. It's simply not working.

The melodramatic angle has seen Summer Raw ogle Ziggler in the shower, allegations of cheating tossed around and catfighting on a weekly basis. None of it has been satisfying.

Credit: WWE.com

Things are now complicated after Lana fractured her wrist. As WWE announced on its official website, "Most likely this will require an operation which will take her out of active competition for approximately four months."

So the Summer vs. Lana battle that rivalry may have led to is off for now. Maybe that's for the better. Let Ziggler and Rusev come to their conclusion at Night of Champions, then let each man do something more fitting.

Ziggler should be chasing a title or looking to bring down The Authority. Rusev needs to be a fearsome brute again, not the star of a wrestling soap opera.

10. Steve Austin on the Tag Team Championships

For those who have bemoaned the tag team titles' dull aesthetic, just know that "Stone Cold" agrees with you. Austin said of the belts on his podcast (h/t MTV UK), "They look like two gigantic copper pennies that got run over by a railroad train, and they put them on a piece of leather."

He's right-on here. This is one of the easiest fixes WWE has in front of it.

Managing the midcard and trying to establish new stars is a long, arduous process. Making the tag titles not look like trash is something the company can address right way.