The State of Pro Wrestling Address

As we reach the midpoint of the wrestling season, it is time to see how the shows are doing from a fan's standpoint. Now the WWE has tried its best to move past the "situation" with Chris Benoit last year. 

With that said, as President of the Pro Wrestling Section, I deliver this year's first State of Professional Wrestling Address.

My fellow wrestling fans, so far this year, we've seen more curves and twists than an California road. Such was the case when the war between WWE and TNA began late last year. They didn't know that a war was going on, but we knew, and that was all that mattered.

RAW

We start with the flagship show of the wrestling week, Monday Night RAW. Over the past decade and a half, RAW has been the mainstay of evening entertainment when Monday Night Football was stuck with Dan Fouts and Dennis Miller. From its survival of the Monday Night War to its off the wall (both good and bad) storylines, RAW has continued to keep fans plugged in to this day.

But like all projects, change is a good thing as well as a necessity. The change was evident when CM Punk and Kofi Kingston became the "leaders" of the RAW Roster.

After Kingston defeated wrestling legend Chris Jericho to become Intercontinental Champion at Night of Champions, this set off a chain of events that lead us into the next phase of Vince McMahon's master plan to dominate the sports entertainment world.

The next night, CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase to defeat Edge to become the World Heavyweight Champion.

This portion of the change was perfect because it showed that the WWE is just as much loyal to its young talent as it is loyal to its seasoned veterans.

The second thing that RAW needs to focus on is its tag team division. It's nice to see that they are hyping up singles competition with more intense storylines, but what is the point of having tag team championships with no real legitimate competition?

With that said, it is safe to say that Cryme Tyme is next in line to get a shot at Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. This needs to happen soon to keep the tag team division interesting on RAW. Adding a few more tag teams wouldn't hurt them either.

The Women's Championship is one to take a close look at. With Mickie being the best diva on RAW right now, it's time to bring back some old school flavor. Kelly Kelly needs to be more competitive. It's nice to see her strut her stuff in swimsuits every week, but if she wants to be taken seriously, she might want to brush up on her physical game.

Bringing in Layla is a good move for RAW. With Jillian being as entertaining as nails on a chalkboard, and Beth Phoenix M.I.A., it's imperative to show that the ladies of RAW are not just a couple of pretty faces.

The veterans may not like the direction that RAW is moving, but they need it. JBL is the first one to complain about this, but week after week, he's looking more and more like the next man in line to become GM of RAW. If the McMahon's want some order around RAW during Vince's time away, they might want to make a call to Victoria, Texas and bring in the man solely responsible for the success of The Attitude Era.

State of RAW: IF and only if RAW stays in the direction of pushing the younger talents will it thrive in a pressing time. As long as Punk, Cryme Tyme and Kingston stay in the limelight, RAW will continue to entertain crowds all over the country. In one sense, it's time for JBL to either take over RAW as GM or move to ECW and rant on that brand. The last thing RAW needs is two loudmouths talking about how they are better than everyone else (Layfield and Matt Striker).

ECW

When Vince decided to bring back ECW, many were excited about seeing some of the old school superstars return to their Extreme Roots. Unfortunately, this new ECW is more about the competition than the carnage that made it famous many years ago.

With the departure of Rob Van Dam and Sabu, not to mention Rhino's rant on TNA last year, Tommy Dreamer and Steven Richards are left as the only ones who have the battle scars of Paul Heyman's love child. The New Breed no longer exists but that shouldn't mean that the younger stars should be left in the back.

Thanks to the New Superstar Initiative, ECW GM Teddy Long has managed to keep things interesting in the Land of Extreme. With a World's Strongest Champion in Mark Henry, the acquisition of Matt Hardy as well as the United States Championship, Long has all the tools to make ECW successful without sacrificing bodies to barbed wire and flaming tables.

Over the past few weeks, we've seen new guys like Atlas Ortiz and Braden Walker (formerly Wildcat Chris Harris of TNA) get huge wins in their debuts.

State of ECW: Though it has lost its Extreme luster, that doesn't mean that it isn't as entertaining as before. The rivalries have to be more precise. As much as SmackDown! and ECW like to play musical chairs with superstars, ECW needs to push Elijah Burke and the rest of its younger stars a lot more in the near future.

TNA

Since its insurgence into the mix, many were skeptical that this small company out of Tennessee would suffer the same fate as WCW. However, TNA has managed to not only keep up with the McMahons, but also surpass them at times. The reason? It may not have guaranteed seat fillers like Triple H, Batista, Edge or John Cena, but it is just as entertaining.

The main reason is the company's success in pushing their younger superstars. Superstars such as Kaz, Chris Sabin, Alex Shelley, AJ Styles and Samoa Joe are getting the right push at the right time.

Even the legends on the roster (Kevin Nash, Sting, Team 3D, Kurt Angle) are doing their parts in keeping the show rolling on all cylinders. Add in the acquisition of Booker T and TNA has nowhere to go but up...

But unlike the WWE, they don't just focus on one particular division. The tag team division is as intriguing as Russian Roulette and the Knockouts Division continues to grow with heavy hitters and underdogs.

Even if TNA doesn't have the multitude of followers as WWE has had during its entire reign as King of the Sports Entertainment Mountain, they still find ways to sell out crowds and pack the same arenas as WWE.

Now this is just a rumor, but it continues to grow with every passing day. The rumor I'm referring to is that TNA is possibly signing on another cast away from the WWE Island: former ECW Champion Bobby Lashley. If this is true and does happen, expect Lashley to have an immediate impact in his new surroundings. The best part of this move is that it will give TNA at least three World Class wrestling champions (Angle, Scott Steiner and Lashley) to put the crunch on the WWE.

State of TNA: As I said before, TNA cannot help but go further up. TNA focuses on the competition and the well being of its superstars which allows them to put guys in places they never thought they would be. The innovation of the creative mind of Jeff Jarrett is impressive in its own right. He took the company from a one hit wonder to a huge multimedia conglomerate in record time. Now if he can only start selling those championship belts...

SmackDown!

No show has had more controversy over the past nine months than Friday Night SmackDown! Since her promotion to full time General Manager, Vickie Guerrero has done anything and everything to ensure that her lover, Edge, remains the top dog on Anchor Show. It's time to spice up this little storyline because it has ran its course way too long.

Once she gets past her infatuation with Edge, she can start pushing her up and comer portion of the roster. Kennedy, Shelton Benjamin, Jeff Hardy and Carlito all have one thing in common: They can make you a genius if you give them the time and the place to make it happen. Kennedy and Carlito are former US Champions, while Benjamin and Hardy are former Intercontinental Champions.

Over the past few months, many have applauded the manipulation of Edge. I for one am doing the same. But unfortunately, the storyline is more focused on his relations with Vickie instead of the fresher talent that is practically in front of her on a daily basis. Bam Neely, Curt Hawkins, Zack Ryder, Jesse & Festus, Kennedy, Hardy, even Hornswoggle.

It may sound a bit harsh, but I think that some of the wrestling writers here and some of the fans can do a better job of selling this WWE Brand. It's not just because of family that Triple H is on SmackDown! The McMahons know that SmackDown! is losing their audience to TNA, and they want to counter that ASAP. But in order for that to happen, they have to go slightly backwards.

Make the veterans lose once in a while maybe twice. Put the GMs against each other like they used to. Have some brand invasions. They worked before the shows were split, and they should work just as good now.

State of SD!: The situation on SmackDown! couldn't have come at a worse time for them. They need all the young talent they can get. Holding back the younger talent is only holding the show back from its full potential. McMahon was a genius in naming the show after one of its biggest stars, but since then, SmackDown! has flustered in the absence of one of its biggest assets.

Even though he is slated to return either at Summerslam or Unforgiven, The Undertaker may come back too little too late to save the show that he's kept famous.