Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Superstars' Hard Work Offsetting Lack of PPV Build

1. Success in Spite of WWE Creative Underperforming

Ryback and Bray Wyatt treated their match at Payback like it was the main event, like it was the culmination of a long, intense rivalry. They bashed each other with haymakers, two relentless titans looking to topple each other.

In reality, their bout came in the middle of the show after a skeletal buildup.

It's never been made clear just why Wyatt went after Ryback. His motivations have been muddy; the narrative that this feud has been built around has been minimal. The writing team failed to make this feel like anything special.

WWE Creative underwhelmed, while the wrestlers themselves did everything they could to elevate this contest.

Ryback leaped off the top rope, something he almost never does, to crash onto his foe. Wyatt crushed The Big Guy with a senton from the ring apron.

Overall, cranked up intensity powered the action. The elevated effort was obvious. Jim Ross wrote on his blog that he found it "admirable that Wyatt and Ryback tried some new, risky content" despite being part of a non-marquee match.

Superstars outdoing their behind-the-scenes counterparts has been a running theme as of late.

Big Show and Roman Reigns pressed their feet on the gas pedal in similar fashion at Extreme Rules. They seemed to pour themselves onto the mat that night. The same can't be said for the writers in charge of hyping that battle.

Recounting all the big moments leading up to that is hard to do because they were in short supply.

The writing team hadn't delivered much in the late stages of the Rusev-John Cena feud either, but no one can fault those men. Each time they collided, they gave great efforts and made their meetings plenty violent. 

Leading up to the Fatal 4-Way main event at Payback, the focus was far too much about Kane. WWE didn't play up the fact that three former members of The Shield were facing off. It didn't take advantage of the all the possible subplots that could spring from that.

In spite of that, the match thrived. Seth Rollins and his challengers brought it in Baltimore. In a post on Facebook, Mick Foley praised the "hard work, sacrifice and dedication" that Rollins, Reigns and Dean Ambrose gave that night.

If only WWE Creative could start matching that trio in terms of those traits, then the product would become something magical.

2. The Shield in Main Events

Rollins often refers to himself as the future of WWE. The more accurate statement is that he and his two former brothers-in-arms are the future.

WWE is recognizing that and highlighting the men who once comprised The Shield. 

At Elimination Chamber, Ambrose and Rollins will face off for the WWE title. That will continue an impressive run of pay-per-views where someone from The Shield has been in the main event.

PPV	Main Event	Notes
Hell in a Cell 2014	Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins
Survivor Series 2014	Team Cena vs. Team Authority	Featured Seth Rollins
Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2014	Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt
Royal Rumble 2015	Royal Rumble match	Won by Roman Reigns, also involved Dean Ambrose
Fastlane 2015	Roman Reigns vs. Daniel Bryan
WrestleMania 31	Roman Reigns vs. Brock Lesnar	Also involved Seth Rollins
Extreme Rules 2015	Randy Orton vs. Seth Rollins
Payback 2015	Randy Orton vs. Dean Ambrose vs. Roman Reigns vs. Seth Rollins
Elimination Chamber 2015	Dean Ambrose vs. Seth Rollins

That bout will mark nine pay-per-views in a row that saw either Ambrose, Rollins or Reigns in the headlining spot. One has to go back to John Cena vs. Brock Lesnar at Night of Champions last year to find a Shield-less marquee.

Ambrose, Rollins or Reigns have been at the top of the card in 13 out of the last 18 major events. That number will only grow as the year goes on with Rollins or Ambrose set to leave Elimination Chamber with the top title.

Take this as a sign that WWE is moving forward with its emerging stars as centerpieces. A new era is unfolding, with Rollins and company at the helm.

3. Kevin Owens' Debut from His Son's Perspective

The NXT champion answering Cena's open challenge on Monday's Raw was a thrill for several fans. For one in particular, though, it was an experience that only he had.

Owens' young son watched from his bed as his favorite wrestler collided with his father on TV. Owens' wife shared his reaction on Instagram:

With as many negatives as social media brings, it's always good to remember that it also allows a burst of joy like this to go viral. This is also a flashback to what it was like to be a pure fan, not a constant critic.

4. Throwback Video of the Week: Jerry Lawler

The spotlight is pointed at Jerry "The King" Lawler's pre-announcing career again. 

WWE is releasing It's Good to be King: The Jerry Lawler Story, a documentary covering Lawler's days as both a wrestler and a color commentator. It's in that first career where he most shined. For years, he was the centerpiece of Memphis Wrestling.

At times, he was the state's biggest babyface. Lawler also had Memphis folks hating him like no one else during different stretches.

It's his work as a heel that is on display in this clip of him from 1979 gloating about a title win over Bill Dundee:

For some fans, it will be a shock to see Lawler thrive on the mic. He has spent so many years since being a purveyor of puns.

5. Erasing the Curb Stomp

Rollins' most dangerous weapon is not only gone from his repertoire but, as far as WWE is concerned, gone from its history as well.

A video recapping Rollins' rise played on Monday's Raw. It showed Ambrose out cold atop a stack of cinder blocks. It showed Rollins running down the entrance ramp at WrestleMania. It didn't show him using the Curb Stomp at any point.

The move was noticeably edited out of those moments.

Credit: WWE.com

Dave Meltzer said on Wrestling Observer Radio (h/t MTV UK) that WWE had not banned it but that Rollins would no longer be using it. It appears the departure from the finisher goes beyond that. As part of a product where men smash each other through tables and powerbomb each other onto the floor, the Curb Stomp is no longer welcome.

6. Global Force Wrestling Amassing Talent

Jeff Jarrett's new venture is beginning to take shape. GFW is set to go on a tour of minor league baseball parks during the summer, and an intriguing mix of competitors now makes up an in-progress roster.

Jarrett has wrestlers from Ring of Honor and Japan on his team. And as listed on its official website, he's taking on several former WWE Superstars. Chris Masters, Justin Gabriel, Shelton Benjamin, Brodus Clay, David Hart Smith, Scott Steiner and Jim Duggan (many of whom now go by different names) are among those who will work for GFW.

There's not a transcendent star on that list, but there is enough promise to pique fans' interest. And guys like Clay and Gabriel will be looking to prove that WWE made a mistake in letting them go. 

7. Falling Stardust 

It's clear that, for now at least, WWE views Stardust as a bottom-feeder. The company has pushed him down the card and forced him to swallow a wave of defeats.

His win-loss record is beginning to mirror Zack Ryder's.

Credit: WWE.com

Not counting Thursday's SmackDown, Stardust has gone 9-23 in 2015 in televised action. His last win on SmackDown came last November, when he and his brother knocked off Adam Rose and The Bunny. The former tag team champ has a streak of five pay-per-view losses going. 

Not getting on the actual Payback card is a bad sign. Losing to R-Truth in little time on the pre-show is worse.

Stardust has to be wondering how so many others passed by him on the food chain.

8. NXT Doing Women's Wrestling Right

Expectations will be high when Sasha Banks and Becky Lynch fight for the NXT Women's Championship NXT TakeOver: Unstoppable, as they should. NXT has consistently delivered when it comes to its female grapplers.

The WWE Divas division and what occurs when NXT's women collide at Full Sail University are worlds apart.

If you haven't seen the following examples of NXT women's wrestling thriving, be sure to check them out:

• Paige vs. Emma—NXT Arrival
• Charlotte vs. Natalya—NXT TakeOver
• Charlotte vs. Bayley—NXT TakeOver: Fatal 4-Way
• Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks—NXT TakeOver: R Evolution
• Charlotte vs. Sasha Banks vs. Bayley vs. Becky Lynch—NXT TakeOver: Rival

Paige and Emma rocked in it in NXT's first live special. They have since been finding opportunities for matches that have long been hard to find on the main roster.

Notice that Charlotte's name comes up in the four other bouts. She is not as polished a performer as Banks is right now, but she clearly inherited the clutch gene from her father.

9. Swinging and Missing with Damien Sandow 

Sandow was as hot as anyone on the roster when he was stunt double/personal assistant Mizdow. Fans chanted for him in thunderous fashion. They pulled for him; they wanted to see him break away from The Miz and spread his wings.

WWE has since flubbed what should have been a momentous time for Sandow.

The feud with The Miz was treated like a joke. They battled on TV, not pay-per-view, in short matches that ended cheaply. Not one of them was given a chance to be anything other than filler.

Since then, Sandow briefly did a mimicking gimmick and is now imitating Randy Savage alongside Curtis Axel, who is doing his best Hulk Hogan impression. During Payback's kickoff show, that duo fell to The Ascension in a pointless match. It felt like a sign that WWE had no interest in doing anything with him.

Sandow was not featured on Raw and has no spot assured him at Elimination Chamber. 

Overall, he has no direction, no character to sink his teeth into. WWE has done its best to make sure that the story of Sandow is one of what-ifs.

10. Charlotte on Women's Wrestling

The formula for better women's wrestling is simple. Charlotte and her NXT peers are proof that talent, training and real opportunities are the keys.

She pointed a flashlight at the difference in how NXT handles them compared to what WWE proper does with its women. She told Ring Rust Radio, "They trust us, they give us storylines and time. We just run with it."

Fans have to hold out hope that WWE eventually follows NXT's lead. As of now, the women on the main roster are starving for time and narratives, but change is not only possible—it's seemingly at the company's fingertips.

All match statistics courtesy of CageMatch.net.