Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE in Danger of Making Babyfaces Too Dark

1. Who Do I Root For, WWE?

On Monday's Raw, Randy Orton turned against The Authority. He proceeded to tear into Seth Rollins with a fury, torturing and demolishing him. He growled in Rollins' face during the attack and had not a drop of mercy in him.

He was not alone among WWE's babyfaces in borrowing from the heel playbook.

John Cena cranked Rusev's neck back even after he was out cold. He left him lying flat on his face and then went in for another bite of flesh. At ringside, Lana, close to tears, pleaded for him to stop.

And with that, Cena got the match he wanted, a bout made by way of torment.

Usually, these assaults would come from the villains. The babyfaces would then rise up at WrestleMania and exact revenge.

Going with a strictly black-and-white view of good and evil isn't necessary, but it feels odd rooting for Orton as he reduces Rollins to a stain on the broken announce table. The same true is with Cena. That wasn't a case of justice being played out; that was an angry onslaught that bordered on uncomfortable at times.

Even darker superheroes from the comic book world, like Batman, have lines they won't cross.

WWE has to make sure its own superheroes live to those same standards. Otherwise, the ring becomes less a place where good conquers evil and more of a pit where fighters bloody each other.

2. Bray Wyatt's Barking More than Biting 

WWE can't forget to let The Eater of Worlds do some devouring en route to WrestleMania. He has spent a big chunk of his time cackling and calling out The Undertaker.

Credit: WWE.com

He hasn't done nearly enough damage in the ring of late.

Wyatt has a total of three televised matches in February. He has not competed on Raw since Feb. 9 and has missed the last three SmackDowns, according to CageMatch.net.

Why not feed him some lower-tier wrestlers? Why not supplement his trash-talking with dominant wins over Zack Ryder or members of The New Day? The mic can only provide so much momentum.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Kane

Long before Kane wore a tie and served as The Authority's goon, he looked to get his career going with whatever gimmick promoters threw at him.

In 1993, as Bruiser Mastino, he tried his luck at WCW, where he took on Sting. It's a little-known period in the big man's long career.

Thinking back to his days as Isaac Yankem, The Christmas Creature or the generic bruiser Mastino, one begins to wonder what his career trajectory would have been like had the Kane persona never come his way.

4. So Much for Giving Divas a Chance

Fans who thought that the #GiveDivasAChance movement changed anything watched in disappointment on Monday's Raw.

Yes, the Divas got two matches on a single show, but they were the two shortest matches of the night, other than Rusev's squashing of Curtis Axel.

AJ Lee vs. Summer Rae lasted three minutes and 17 seconds, while Natalya vs. Naomi went just 1:47. There were three matches on the show that each lasted longer than those two bouts combined, according to ProFightDB.com.

And strangely, WWE gave Natalya and Naomi the shorter stick over the less talented Summer Rae. Each contest contributed little to the show and offered few highlights, largely due to the lack of time.

In other words, it was back to business as usual.

5. Where WWE Deserves Kudos

Connor Michalek is set to posthumously win the inaugural Warrior Award at this year's Hall of Fame ceremony. 

The award itself is a great idea: It honors those who have shown great strength and perseverance, as mentioned in The Ultimate Warrior's Hall of Fame speech.

Giving it to Connor, who passed away from cancer last year at just eight years old, helps keep his memory alive and brings attention to the Connor's Cure charity started in his honor. It's the kind of classy move that WWE doesn't get enough credit for making.

6. Bring on The Briscoes

The Briscoe Brothers would elevate the WWE tag team division in an instant.

That's been true for years, and fans won't stop talking about until it actually happens, until they leave Ring of Honor and the indy circuit and come work for Vince McMahon.

Jay and Mark are a phenomenal team who have been mighty fun to watch in the ring and are even better on the mic. They would have to tone down their language for the WWE environment, but the kind of sizzle they create each time they grab the mic is rare. 

There have been talks between the two sides in the past. Those talks need to begin once again.

NXT is currently home to some of the best wrestling talent in the world, from Finn Balor to Kevin Owens. Adding Mark and Jay to the mix is a no-brainer. 

Give the tag team division grit, guts and machismo. Give it The Briscoe Brothers.

7. WrestleMania's Lack of Women's Championships 

With the announcement that AJ Lee and Paige will team up to face Nikki and Brie Bella at WrestleMania, the recent trend of not showcasing the Divas title at the event will continue.

Looking back at when WWE chose to have its female champion face a challenger or two, via TheHistoryofWWE.com, reveals that this strategy is simply a return to WrestleMania's early days.

From WrestleMania III to WrestleMania XIV, there was only one women's title match at The Show of Shows: Alundra Blayze vs. Leilani Kai at WrestleMania X. 

Following that, WWE shifted its approach. In the next nine years, only once did the championship go undefended. That included seven straight women's title matches at WrestleMania.

That run ended at WrestleMania XXIV, after which the Divas entered another period of drought. Only once has the Divas or Women's Championship been on the line in the last seven WrestleManias. WrestleMania XXXI will make that one in the last eight.

Credit: WWE.com

This is simply one symptom of the sickness that is the poor booking of the women's division. If there is no character development or engaging stories throughout the year surrounding the title, why then would the chase for the gold earn a spot on the WrestleMania card?

8. Sting's Greatest Hits at TNA

Triple H and WWE won't acknowledge the post-WCW and pre-WWE portions of Sting's career, presumably to avoid mentioning/promoting TNA. The story the company is telling is that Sting has been waiting in the shadows for the last 14 years.

For fans unfamiliar with his work during that stretch, it's well worth checking out. He had some excellent bouts, many of which came against Kurt Angle. 

• Team Angle vs. Team Cage—Lockdown 2007 (Lethal Lockdown)
• Sting vs. Kurt Angle—Bound for Glory 2007
• Sting vs. Samoa Joe—Bound for Glory 2008
• Sting vs. Jeff Jarrett vs. Kurt Angle vs. Mick Foley—Sacrifice 2009
• Sting vs. Kurt Angle—Hardcore Justice 2011

That last go-round with Angle gives fans an idea of what Sting is physically capable of in his later years. His athleticism isn't what it was, but if he relies on storytelling he can still pull out some quality work.

That's what he will have to do against Triple H come WrestleMania.

9. John Cena's STF

Cena can, in fact, lock in the STF correctly. We saw it against Orton at the Royal Rumble last year and on Monday night against Rusev.

He didn't put his usual lackadaisical lock on his foe but instead pulled his massive arm tight against Rusev's face. 

Credit: WWE.com

Why doesn't Cena do it like this every time? It too often feels like he's just horsing around in there and not trying to extinguish a man's will.

10. Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar Build

One can't say enough about how tremendous Paul Heyman has been, especially in the last few weeks.

Unfortunately, he's consistently the only highlight in this story. Both Reigns and Lesnar aren't present enough in the narrative.

Credit: WWE.com

On Monday's Raw, WWE missed a huge opportunity. PW Mania's Jason Solomon pointed out, "There is NO excuse to have Reigns and Lesnar on the same show, a rare occurrence given how seldomly we see Brock on TV, and not have some sort of interaction between the two."

With just two editions of Raw left, WWE has a lot of work to do to inject electricity into that feud. Heyman's magic can only take this bout so far.