Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE Is Failing The Ascension

1. The Announcers Hurting The Ascension

Someone please remind WWE and John "Bradshaw" Layfield what a squash match is meant to do.

Newcomers rolling over no-name enhancement talent as a means to introduce them is a time-honored tradition. This kind of match portrays the rookie as a dangerous force. It gives him a tomato can to crush before moving on to bigger challenges.

For some reason, The Ascension's dominance is instead being treated with indignation.

JBL, in particular, is dismissing Viktor and Konnor's accomplishments. He scoffs at the lack of competition in front of them rather than tell us how wowed he is by their dominance.

On Tuesday's Main Event, The Ascension took on another pair of jobbers and won easily. JBL shrugged it off, saying "It's easy to beat up a punching bag."

When Tom Phillips tried to blame The Authority for not giving The Ascension tougher opponents, JBL implied it was Viktor and Konnor who were choosing inferior foes. 

That's the exact opposite of selling the former NXT tag champs to the crowd. Why make them look like cowards when you can portray them as overpowering beasts? Why discount the damage they are doing in the ring?

Compare how the announcers have treated The Ascension with how WWE handled Razor Ramon's jobber-crushing. In his WWE debut, he faced the same kind of little-known grappler that The Ascension has faced so far.

Mr. Perfect and Vince McMahon spent much of the match blown away.

Mr. Perfect exclaimed "Look at the physique of this man" and when Ramon hit his finisher, "I have never seen a move like that before." Ramon won McMahon over quickly, inspiring him to say, "I must say I'm impressed thus far."

That's the formula for these squash bouts, one that has worked for years. WWE has strayed from that blueprint, and as a result, The Ascension looks weak.

The announcers have spent the majority of their airtime cutting it down. Why should fans believe in this duo then?

Pasting the two with red warpaint and asking them to call out The Road Warriors aren't great ideas. Having JBL and company take a dump on The Ascension to welcome it is far worse.

2. Lucha Underground Ladder Match

The supercharged, innovative Lucha Underground is providing a fantastic supplement for the WWE fan either seeking more action or tired of WWE's faults.

The Aztec Warfare match that crowned the promotion's first champ last week was a thriller. It was yet another example of why wrestling fans should add Underground to their diet.

One of the show's best and most engaging bouts remains a Triple Threat Ladder match from Dec. 10.

WWE fans will recognize Ezekiel Jackson (working as Big Ryck) and John Morrison (going by Johnny Mundo). This match acts as an advertisement for Lucha Underground and makes one wonder why WWE failed to use Jackson like this.

3. Rumble Winners' Momentum

Babyfaces headed for a Royal Rumble win first pad their resumes with other victories. That's what recent history says at least.

Fans hoping for a Dean Ambrose victory at the Rumble have reason to be disheartened. He hasn't followed the pattern of the fan favorites who have won the annual 30-man match as of late.

Not counting Batista, who spent his pre-Rumble time away from WWE, the last few Royal Rumble winners have looked good down the stretch.

Royal Rumble winners' win-loss records in the 10 matches before the pay-per-view:

• John Cena: 9-1
• Sheamus: 7-2
• Alberto Del Rio: 5-5
• Edge: 8-2
• Randy Orton: 4-5-1

Orton and Del Rio worked as heels during that stretch. WWE clearly doesn't worry as much about the villains' momentum.

4. Throwback Video of the Week: The Macho Man in Memphis

As WWE announced on Monday night, Randy Savage is finally headed to the Hall of Fame. That news is sure to have fans reflecting back on The Macho Man's career highlights. There are plenty of them too.

Several of those occurred before he even debuted for WWE. While working in Memphis in 1985, Savage had one of his most villainous moments, one that had him looking like an unfeeling brute, a man to be feared.

He attacked a Japanese photographer, leaving him bloodied and unmoving on the floor. 

It was just a few months later that Savage moved to McMahon's company, rolling over Aldo Marino en route to a Hall of Fame career.

5. What Happened to The Bunny?

WWE sure shined the spotlight on The Bunny a lot to just have him disappear.

After Adam Rose throttled him just before Christmas, the rabbit went away, with little mention of him on TV. It's smart to milk his injury by having him sit out for a while, but there needs to be a conclusion to his story.

Credit: WWE.com

Either Rose crushes The Bunny in a violent bout, doing away with him for good, or else The Bunny has a Virgil-like moment and scores an upset over him. 

With the Royal Rumble approaching, there's a perfect opportunity to bring Rose's long-eared former ally back. As a surprise entrant, he could eliminate Rose from the match, setting up a singles clash in the near future.

That's where WWE can cap off a silly story with either a heel making an emphatic statement or someone ripping off that mask and finally revealing who this furry fellow is. 

6. Goldust and Stardust's Decline 

After losing the tag team titles, Goldust and Stardust have become the division's doormat. They don't feel the least bit dangerous right now, bumbling along for the past few months.

Their loss to Los Matadores on Tuesday's Main Event marked their ninth straight defeat. Since The Miz and Damien Mizdow dethroned the bizarre brothers, they have gone 1-11.

Credit: WWE.com

That lone victory isn't impressive either. They knocked off Rose and The Bunny on Dec. 2. 

It looks like Goldust and Stardust could use some battles against the local athletes who have gone up against The Ascension lately. 

7. Daniel Bryan Before He Was Daniel Bryan

The mat wizard is finally ready to create magic once again. Bryan's first match in months is set for Thursday's SmackDown, a showdown with Kane.

To prep for seeing him back to what he does best, seek out some of his greatest hits from his life outside of WWE.  

• American Dragon, Ultimo Dragon and Koji Kanemoto vs. Heat, Tiger Mask IV and Naomichi Marufuji—New Japan Pro Wrestling Nexess (2004)
• Bryan Danielson vs. Nigel McGuiness—Ring of Honor Unified (2006)
• Bryan Danielson vs. KENTA—Ring of Honor Glory by Honor V (2006)
• Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black—Ring of Honor New Horizons (2008)
• Bryan Danielson vs. Naruki Doi—Dragon Gate USA Untouchable (2009)

Bryan and McGuiness clicked tremendously well together. Watching any of their work together is well worth it.

Checking out his battles with either Black or KENTA is especially interesting because both men have since moved to WWE. Black became Rollins, and KENTA is now Hideo Itami.

We've already seen Bryan hit it off with Rollins again on WWE's stage; imagining what he could do against Itami with as much as he has progressed since 2006 is enough to raise a fan's heart rate before the bell begins. 

8. Curtis Axel's Rejuvenation Pt. 1 

Axel is going to get a shot at restarting the engine of his career as Tyson Kidd did last year. His NXT run began in solid fashion with the former IC champ battling Itami.

He had more time to work with than he's used to, and seeing him against a new opponent created some fun energy. Axel looked good here—better than he has in a long time.

The fresh start is already paying off.

NXT will suit Axel well. His ring skills are going to be showcased more, and he'll be treated as a bigger deal than he currently is on the main roster. Facing men like Finn Balor and Adrian Neville will give him a great chance to create something memorable on the mat.

9. Armchair Booking: The New Day

Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E need more narrative focus for their gimmick to work. Clapping their hands and being positive isn't enough; they need a catalyst.

WWE would be smart to treat them more like knights who are looking to stamp out darkness—a three-man cavalry. 

Credit: WWE.com

Let's say Bad News Barrett attacks Sin Cara after his match. Let The New Day come charging in and chase him away. Don't make that a feud but instead a moment to show off its heroism.

Its next step should be to attempt to bring down The Ascension.

Have Viktor and Konnor injure one of their no-name opponents and look to do the same to the other. Before they can, though, Woods and company pounce. 

The Ascension and the blue-clad trio then go to battle several times. The Ascension should win that feud to announce it as a major threat to the division, but the secondary goal should be to make The New Day look resilient and tough in the process.

They last go out in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match with Kingston struggling with a bad wheel for much of the action. That will help fans take them seriously while providing a fresh matchup.

10. On Seth Rollins' Big Night

Rollins ended Monday's Raw by planting both John Cena's and Brock Lesnar's faces into the mat. That followed a closing segment where he looked every bit the star that those men did.

That moment felt like a turning point, one that signified Rollins' movement into marquee status.

Will Pruett of ProWrestling.net summed it up perfectly when he tweeted:

Regardless of how he fares in the WWE title match at the Royal Rumble, Rollins has announced that he's ready and able to be a company cornerstone.

Match statistics courtesy of ProFightDB.com.