Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: The Rock Serves as a Band-Aid for WWE Raw's Struggles

1. The Rock Electrifies, but Raw Still Subpar 

The Rock's surprise appearance in Brooklyn, New York, was the hot date during a tough stretch in a marriage.

His showdown with Rusev was the kind of moment that leaves fans buzzing, that forces one to stop nitpicking and start cheering. And it was a smart move to have him interact with Rusev, giving the newcomer a healthy boost.

Earlier in the night, though, there was little to love about the show. The crowd chanted "This is stupid!" when Hornswoggle donned an alligator costume and tangled with El Torito. Two hosts from Today appeared in a hard-to-watch segment where they broke wine bottles over each other's butts. 

On his blog, Jim Ross put it nicely, "The show was long on 'entertainment' content and somewhat short on in ring action."

There hasn't been a great edition of Raw in a long while. It's hard to remember one that had more than just a handful of praise-worthy elements. It has become a show that feels too much like it is thrown together with little effort.

The ratings are reflecting that.

As reported by ProWrestling.net, "Monday's WWE Raw scored a 2.63 rating, down from the 2.83 rating the show drew the previous week." ProWrestling.net also noted that the Sept. 15 Raw landed a 2.79 rating and that the Sept. 22 edition garnered a 2.69 rating. That is not the trajectory WWE is hoping for.

Having Todd Chrisley appear on next week's Raw isn't going help that downward trend.

2. Heels Hate Cancer, too

If you needed more proof that kayfabe is dead, turn to WWE's villains sporting Susan G. Komen gear. It's awesome that WWE is using its presence to help raise money and awareness for breast cancer awareness.

But should the heels be a part of this?

Bo Dallas has been coming out to the ring wearing a shirt that reads "Courage, Conquer, Cure." We are supposed to be booing this guy, right? How do you root against a guy taking a stand against cancer?

Credit: WWE.com

Layla, playing a vicious, catty, unlikable character, has been decked out in similar attire. Lana has worn a little pink ribbon on her jacket.

The Breast Cancer Awareness Month promotion is a chance to further distinguish babyfaces and heels and to elicit cheers for the former.

John Cena wearing pink and supporting charity makes perfect sense. WWE's monsters, brutes and miscreants trying to draw heat shouldn't be following his lead. 

3. Admiring the End of Days

There's a lot about NXT's Baron Corbin that catches one's attention, and his finisher is certainly on that list.

Finding a unique and impressive move-ender is tough after so many of them have already been taken. Corbin has managed to do just that.

His End of Days (a swinging reverse STO) has him cradle his opponent on his right side and fall backwards, snapping their forehead into the mat. It's a move that CJ Parker has viewed from up close over the past few weeks.

Corbin is going to have to be careful with that weapon, though. Masons Ringside Review snapped a picture of the move busting open Steve Cutler's head.

4. Match Recommendations: SmackDown at Its Best

SmackDown, set to celebrate 15 years, has not been a can't-miss program in recent memory. It was once home to thrillers on a regular basis.

For those who are new to the show or for fans who just want a jolt of nostalgia, here are four of the best matches in SmackDown history to look up on the WWE Network.

• Chris Jericho and Chris Benoit vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Dudley Boyz (TLC) - May 24, 2001
• Edge vs. Eddie Guerrero (No Disqualification) - Sept. 26, 2002
• Team Angle vs. Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri - May 29, 2003
• Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar (Iron Man match) - Sept. 18, 2003

5. The Tag Team Division Losing Two Monsters

It's increasingly clear that Luke Harper and Erick Rowan are leaving The Wyatt Family behind. Monday's Raw featured another vignette hinting at the split.

In it, Bray Wyatt shouts, "Erick Rowan is set free." 

While Harper has the chance to be great as a singles star, their departure is going to sting. The tag division is thin with The Wyatt Family and would be gaunt without them. 

Minus Harper and Rowan, the division looks like this:

• Los Matadores
• Slater Gator
• The Usos
• Goldust and Stardust

Big Show and Mark Henry haven't been teaming up as of late thanks to Henry's recent spiral. But even if they do continue their alliance, there is a severe lack of teams.

WWE does have a few solutions available to it.

Call up The Ascension. Reform RybAxel when Ryback returns from injury. Give Big E, Xavier Woods and Kofi Kingston's faction a name, some focus and put them on TV on a regular basis.

6. Throwback Promo of the Week: The Rock's Show

Seeing The Rock in a WWE ring again reminded us that, in terms of charisma, he resides on a tier populated by only himself and Steve Austin.

In SmackDown's first year on the air, he crammed catchphrases and magnetism in a great promo opposite Triple H. Don't be distracted by his atrocious jacket; just soak in how fun he makes the art of trash-talking.

The roster boasts a pair of tremendous young mic workers in Wyatt and Dean Ambrose, but we may never again see someone so casually capture the audience as The Great One so often did. He's the Michael Jordan of WWE talkers, likely to never be surpassed.

7. Hornswoggle Just Can't Beat the Bull

El Torito owns Hornswoggle. Monday's Raw marked the latest victory for the bull in their long-running series.

Per CageMatch.net, El Torito is now 4-1 in televised singles competition against Hornswoggle and 6-1 including tag team matches.

Credit: WWE.com

One would assume that a comedy character, who has often been a heel, would be on the losing end of bouts most of the time. He has, though, knocked off a number of larger opponents. 

His resume includes wins over Dolph Ziggler, Darren Young, Chavo Guerrero, Natalya, Armando Estrada, Vince McMahon, Matt Striker, Carlito and Jamie Noble.

Somewhere, Zack Ryder is jealous of all those W's. He may be even willing to step into an alligator costume to up his winning percentage. 

8. Booking Suggestion: Darren Young

When Young is ready to return to action, there are rumors he may do so by revealing that he is The Bunny, per PWInsiderElite.com (subscription required, h/t Wrestling Inc). WWE can do a whole lot better than that.

When he comes back, he should confront Titus O'Neil and ask him if it was worth it to break up The Prime Time Players. He tells O'Neil that Slater Gator isn't anywhere as good as their old team was.

Young then looks to find a new tag partner with the goal of defeating Slater Gator and eventually moving on to compete for the tag titles that The Prime Time Players missed out on.

Credit: WWE.com

He would sit at ringside for several stars' matches, including Tyson Kidd and R-Truth. After a few weeks of scouting and deliberation, he selects a man who once teamed with Heath Slater and has already been tag champion—Justin Gabriel.

The athletic team (perhaps call it Speed Inc.) would add depth to the tag team division and give Young a place to show off his skills without the pressure that a singles run would bring.

9. The Intercontinental Championship Making the United States Title Jealous 

Ziggler has been a fighting champion so far. He most recently fended off Dallas' charge on Tuesday's Main Event.

That is his third title defense in as many weeks, per ProFightDB.com. Sheamus, on the other hand, has seemingly been forgotten by WWE officials. A look at ProFightDB.com reveals that he hasn't defended the title on Main Event or SmackDown since early July and has yet to do so on Raw.

The bookers can't keep up Ziggler's recent pace, but WWE has to put those titles on the line more often.

It's an easy way to raise the stakes of a match. Successful defenses make the champion look stronger. That's something Ziggler has been benefiting from as of late.

Sheamus' reign, meanwhile, is suffering from inactivity. 

10. Big E, Big Kid

While the following video of Big E playing with WWE action figures is definitely silly, it shows off a side of his personality that needs to be showcased more.

WWE has to find a way to show fans how funny and engaging the powerhouse can be. He should not be speaking as if he was a preacher, as he's done in the past, and he shouldn't be the generic, angry tough guy we've seen him play for most of his tenure.

This exuberant, goofy Big E is a lot more fun. Short of having him do toy commercials, there has to be a way to share that with the audience.