Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: The Authority Storyline Has to Start Winding Down

1. The Authority Has Run Its Course

The Authority should have been put to rest at Survivor Series when Dolph Ziggler and Sting pushed the group out of WWE, but the company brought this stable and this repetitive, droning narrative back. That choice is hurting the product.

It's too much of the same thing.

Every Raw runs through The Authority. Every Monday night features Big Show and Kane far too much.

Each show opens with an all-too-familiar lengthy promo where the group boasts about their dominance. This would be just fine if Triple H and Co. had the kind of heat that Vince McMahon and his stooges once did, but they don't. 

The story of The Authority dominates despite its lack of momentum. Sure this allows Seth Rollins a space to shine, but it also means that Kane, Big Show and Triple H get assured air time each week. 

How much more could WWE highlight Dean Ambrose if The Authority wasn't so prevalent? The creative team would be forced to come up with actual angles for guys like Luke Harper and spend more time building the tag team division.

On Monday's Raw, WWE further teased tension between Kane and Rollins. The big man had to suffer Rollins' disrespect, had to listen to him bark orders and was eventually forced to lay down in the ring to take an embarrassing loss for the sake of the world champ.

Hopefully, that's just the first crack in what will be the splintering of this group.

WWE doesn't need to have Big Show be so prominent. Having him and Kane have as many matches as they do makes it hard to get thrilled about Raw and SmackDown right now.

Rollins can thrive without The Authority always flanking him. Keep J&J Security at his side if you must, but let him be more of a scavenger and opportunist than the golden boy of the group who has everything handed to him.

This story has gone on for a long time. It's time to start planning its climax and free WWE's writers to start penning new tales.

2. The Handicap Match Era?

Though it may feel like WWE's affinity for Handicap matches is new, it's a product of the Attitude Era that hasn't gone away.

From WWE's inception until the mid-'90s, these types of bouts were rare. In 1965, for example, there were just eight of them total all year. Last year, WWE featured 23 televised Handicap matches, more than three times the amount fans saw in '65.

Even up until the dawn of the Attitude Era, these contests were treated like special treats, variations from the norm. From 1995 to 1997, there were just a total of 14 Handicap matches on TV.

Fast forward two years and everything changes. In 1999, there were more than 30 of them. In 2000, WWE eclipsed 50 Handicap bouts.

Suddenly the six we've seen in 2015 doesn't seem so much like overkill.

Match information courtesy of TheHistoryofWWE.com.

3. When Randy Orton Benefited from a Banned Move

The Viper will be without his greatest weapon when he takes on Seth Rollins at Extreme Rules. The RKO will be banned during the Steel Cage match.

Orton knows full well what the power of robbing a foe of his finisher can do. That very stipulation aided him in defeating Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series 2007.

Credit: WWE.com

During the WWE title bout, Michaels wasn't allowed to use Sweet Chin Music. That forced him to use new moves. The Heartbreak Kid pulled out the crossface, the Sharpshooter and an ankle lock.

Watching that battle provides a glimpse of what we may see with Rollins vs. Orton. Expect the challenger to have to augment his move set and for him to tease using the RKO. The absence of that move has to be highlighted. 

And anytime Rollins' neck is within reach, Orton's instincts are going to be to hit that trademark weapon.

4. Throwback Video of the Week: Kendo Nagasaki 

With WWE traveling to the United Kingdom, it's hard not to think of British's most famous grapplers. Not every English star did like William Regal and become a hit in the U.S. Many of the nation's legends are unknown to the majority of American fans.

Take Kendo Nagasaki, for example.

The masked man was actually Peter Thornley from Stoke-on-Trent in Staffordshire, England. He played a Japanese martial artist for much of his career.

His unmasking in 1977 on World of Sport was a captivating moment.

The anticipation in the air here is a testament to how over he got the Nagasaki character. His clashes with Big Daddy were memorable, but nothing touches this unmasking, a scene that, as Cole Moreton of The Independent notes, 12 million people watched.

5. Introducing NXT's Best

With cameras pointed at him as he prepared for WrestleMania, Hideo Itami showed himself to be funny, likable and charismatic. The special look at his preparation for that big match was more helpful in creating a connection to the crowd than any promo he has done to date.

NXT has to consider doing similar videos for other top prospects.

Follow Finn Balor around as he works WWE house shows. Watch Bull Dempsey's workout routine. Capture Kevin Owens' rehab process.

WWE can then show these videos on SmackDown or Raw to ease their eventual transitions to the main roster.

Put the production team to work. They continue to prove to be a hugely valuable asset to the company. 

6. The Sudden Turn

Naomi turned to the dark side. Fandango slipped on a babyface role. And it all happened in one night.

Watching Naomi turn heel and Fandango do the reverse on Monday's Raw was a testament to how much less effective stories are when they are hurried along. With no setup or foreshadowing, neither of these moments had much impact. 

WWE's most stunning turns have benefited from a slow-burn process. Refer to Paul Orndorff in 1986 or Seth Rollins putting an end to The Shield just a year ago.

7. The Attitude Adjustment Weakening?

John Cena may need to think about getting a new finisher. The Attitude Adjustment hasn't been nearly as powerful as it once was.

Credit: WWE.com

Opponents are kicking out of it a lot lately. Bad News Barrett is the latest man to do so, getting his shoulder up before the three-count on Monday's Raw. Before that, Dean Ambrose kicked out of it on the night after WrestleMania and Rusev did the same at Fastlane.

Overusing the false finish lessens how shocking it is when someone pulls one off. If Cena's next foe kicks out of the move, it won't be a stunner. Someone surviving a Tombstone Piledriver, on the other hand, would leave a crowd wide-eyed.

Cena's matches too often rely on kicking out of finishers. He and his foes need to seek ways to create drama elsewhere. 

Otherwise, watching him hit his signature move won't be nearly as powerful a moment.

8. Don't Sweat the Early Losses

Reading what fans wrote on social media, one would assume it's best to go ahead and give up on Neville's career now that he's lost to both Dolph Ziggler and Seth Rollins. 

Kenta Kobashi's career is a prime example of how losing early on doesn't dictate how much success a wrestler will have. Glancing at his profile on CageMatch.net, one sees that Kobashi lost his first 50 matches.

His rookie year saw him on his back a lot. He ended 1988 with a record of just 10-118.

Kobashi, of course, went on to become one of the premier wrestlers in Japan over the next two decades. His career saw him produce a glut of classic matches, and be a headliner, an icon and a Hall of Famer.

So let's not panic just yet about Neville. The Man Who Gravity Forgot is just 2-2 at this point.

9. London Highlights

Londoners have seen some tremendous matches in person. What many consider the greatest Intercontinental Championship of all time occurred in that city. And London also hosted a WrestleMania rematch between John Cena and Shawn Michaels that is arguably the best match in Raw history. 

Relive WWE's top clashes in England's capital on the WWE Network or elsewhere. You won't be sorry.

• Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog—SummerSlam 1992 (Wembley Stadium) 
• Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle (2-out-of-3 Falls)—Insurrextion 2001 (Earls Court)
• Kurt Angle vs. Rey Mysterio—SmackDown, April 22, 2006 (Wembley Arena)
• Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena—Raw, April 23, 2007 (Earls Court)
• Chris Jericho vs. John Cena—Raw, April 20, 2009 (O2 Arena)

Angle vs. Benoit isn't as good as their very best together, but it's still plenty engrossing. Their chemistry was always top-notch and it showed here in one of the better 2-out-of-3 Falls matches in WWE history.

Bulldog vs. Hart is worth rewatching for the atmosphere alone. 

10. A Hat Tip To London

WWE's annual trip to Europe is a reminder of just how passionate U.K. fans are. That was evident once more when the fans in London roared for much of Monday's Raw.

Indy wrestler Gran Akuma summed up the scene well:

That much energy from the crowd enhances the show. If only WWE could pile all those rabid WWE-heads into a plane and have them attend every Raw.