Bo Dallas, Roman Reigns, Raw Halftime and More from the Monday Night Mailbag

Since we last spoke, Monday Night Football debuted opposite Raw.

So how's that going to work out for WWE in 2014? Given all the publicity the NFL has received as of late, it'll probably be a long fall for WWE's flagship. But who says you can't cooperate with your competition?

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@ThisIsNasty It's only been two weeks but how would you say Raw has matched up with Monday Night Football so far?

— V (@MrVDawg) September 16, 2014"

I’d be better equipped to answer that question if I wasn’t watching Monday Night Football for the past two weeks instead of Raw. I kid. But per usual, WWE is in for some tough times as football re-enters the American consciousness.

Even amid an unprecedented amount of scandal, with one case of domestic violence seemingly stacking upon another with each passing news cycle, the NFL continues to garner strong ratings, according to Sara Bibel of TV by the Numbers. The continued ratings surge is probably because of all the press the league continues to receive off the field.

WWE hasn’t competed with Monday Night Football as much as it has shrewdly cooperated. Raw's biggest segment was saved for “halftime” of Monday Night Raw, which was really the same time frame as halftime of Monday night’s Eagles-Colts game. It was a smart move that WWE should implement moving forward.

Not only is there a crossover between pro wrestling and football fans, WWE regularly features NFL stars on its programming either in the crowd or as a guest star.

WWE was not encouraging fans to watch Monday Night Football and come back during halftime, as Lance Storm suggested on Twitter. Monday Night Football was not even mentioned during the broadcast, so to the existing wrestling audience, halftime really was (more or less) halfway through the show.

But casual fans who see two crossover stars like John Cena and Brock Lesnar brawling on the other channel  will, at the very least, become temporarily interested in WWE’s product.

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@ThisIsNasty do you think Bo Dallas will be an IC CHAMPION ONE DAY.#BOLIEVE!

— Bert Rosario (@barton7121) September 12, 2014"

Absolutely. Everybody is Intercontinental Champion at one point in WWE.

Secondary championships, like the Intercontinental Championship, are now similar to Employee of the Month honors. They’re awards one can definitely take pride in and include on their resume, but they largely exist to boost morale in the workplace. Eventually everybody gets special parking accommodations for a month.

Few places covet morale as much as the unique working environment of WWE. Professional wrestling promotions house scores of wrestlers who all think they are good enough to become a world champion.

Gifting these stars with an Intercontinental or United States Championship not only gives them (sometimes false) hope, it keeps their spirits up so they can be better equipped to perform at peak levels.

Bo Dallas as an Intercontinental Champion, however, seems like it would fit his character. The longer he goes without some type of sustained success, preferably with a championship, the more his campy gimmick will seem like just that—a campy gimmick.

Dallas is a promising talent, but at worst, his ceiling could be as this generation’s Honky Tonk Man, who needed the Intercontinental Championship to be taken seriously.

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@ThisIsNasty If reigns defeats Rollins again at Night of Champions, does it kill all momentum for the Rollins vs Ambrose feud?

— Kagami Triangle (@Kagami_Triangle) September 17, 2014"

Not really. But there needs to be a proper follow-up to Reign’s victory that creates a smooth transition from the Roman Reigns-Seth Rollins feud to the continuation of the Rollins-Dean Ambrose feud.

WWE seems to realize this, as they have made it a point to mention Ambrose throughout Rollins’ feud with Reigns. Reigns even dedicated Monday’s win over Rollins to Ambrose.

If Reigns beats Rollins again, the win should be followed up by an attack by The Authority, leaving an opportunity for Ambrose to make the save. This would create excitement for Ambrose’s return, while resetting what has been WWE’s top feud of 2014.

Another clean Reigns victory over Rollins with no follow-up prior to Ambrose’s return would be awkward. Still, the momentum of the Ambrose-Rollins feud will be retained as Ambrose was arguably the top babyface in the company before being removed from television, and should return with even more support.

The day Rollins-Ambrose loses its momentum is the day we’ve seen them in the ring together too many times. Any feeling of fatigue for a Rollins-Ambrose match won’t happen for a while, if ever.

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