Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE Misreading What Fans Want from Divas Revolution

1. Diva Disconnect

WWE clearly heard the outcry over what was wrong with the Divas division; the company simply misunderstood what that outcry was all about.

The audience insisted that WWE "give Divas a chance," and so the sports entertainment giant brought in three ultra-talented women from NXT, started expanding the length of matches and talked up a so-called Divas Revolution. This has felt largely hollow, incomplete and off-track. 

There has been progress—but not enough of it. There has been change—but too much of it has been superficial.

It's as if WWE didn't read the crowd's full list of demands. The fans calling for a revision of the women's division want it to feature compelling characters, engaging wrestling, ample opportunities and all the hoopla that surrounds the men's battles. In short, they want to see what they saw at NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn when Sasha Banks and Bayley put on an instant classic.

Even with Banks, Becky Lynch and Charlotte now aboard the main roster, that kind of masterpiece seems impossibly far away outside of NXT.

Yes, those women and their peers are getting more ring time than we have seen the Divas get in the past, but as indy wrestler Gran Akuma pointed out, that's not enough:

The fiery, hungry warrior that Lynch was at NXT is gone. The move to the main roster has washed away much of the swagger that made Charlotte a top NXT star.

WWE has simply lumped these women into groups and forgotten several of the basic tenets of pro wrestling storytelling. First, we have to care about the folks who fight in the ring. WWE hasn't shown us these women's personalities enough to do that.

When the three teams collided at SummerSlam, who were we supposed to cheer for? Rather than a war between distinctly different entities, it came off as a cluster of sameness.

Credit: WWE.com

Besides abandoning the typical heel-face dynamic, WWE has doesn't a great job of distinguishing the groups.

It's clear what the differences are between Roman Reigns/Dean Ambrose and The Wyatt Family. The former is a band of ass-kickers who live by their own rules and have formed a bond through the course of their many battles and trips to the bar. The latter is a backwoods clan of sadists who follow a charismatic, predatory leader.

Trying to explain what separates Team B.A.D. and PCB is more difficult. Both teams are loudly confident, but we know little beyond that.

In addition to better character development, fans need more of a reason to care about why these women are fighting in the first place. That's where the Divas Revolution has failed the most.

There is not a clear enough sense of what this Divas Revolution angle is all about. WWE keeps throwing out Ronda Rousey references and saying that change is in the air.

There is talk of each group trying to establish dominance, but that's not enough of a narrative. Where are all the personal issues? Where are all the subplots?

The SummerSlam elimination match and the many tag matches between the factions all feel like a part of a big blur.

Just saying that a revolution is happening isn't enough. We have to see it unfold, complete with shocking moments, betrayals, valiant victories, heroes and villains and all the elements that make pro wrestling great. When someone says they want WWE to give Divas a chance, all of those things are packed into that word.

2. Sting in Position to Make History

In a most unexpected development, Sting is set to face Seth Rollins for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Night of Champions.

The smart money is on Rollins to retain, but WWE fans are fully aware that anything can happen once the bell rings. If The Stinger does pull off the upset, he will have some unique bullet points to add to his resume.

Credit: WWE.com

He will join Kurt Angle as the only two men to win the WCW, TNA and WWE world titles. And defeating Rollins would make him the only wrestler to have worn that trio of titles plus the NWA heavyweight belt.

Sting knocked off Ric Flair in 1990 to claim the NWA World Heavyweight Championship. Winning the WWE version at Night of Champions would mark a 25-year gap between his first and last world title win. Other notable lengthy stretches of that kind include Bob Backlund (16 years) and Hulk Hogan (18).

A Sting victory would also make him the oldest WWE champ of all time. As noted on WWE.com. Vince McMahon won it at age 54. Sting is 56.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Goldberg 

At the end of SummerSlam, Rollins held up both the world title and U.S. title in celebration. In the summer of 1998, Goldberg did the same thing, only with the WCW versions of those straps.

A look back at the night he won the United States Championship (before eventually dethroning Hogan for the WCW world title) reminds us just how insanely over the powerhouse was back then. On April 20, 1998, Monday Nitro viewers watched Goldberg steamroll his way to gold in a Raven's Rules match:

The crowd rattled the arena, cheering for him to take down Raven and his flock.

Every move elicited a huge reaction. His title win felt momentous. And unlike at SummerSlam, this U.S. title change featured zero Jon Stewart interference.

4. SmackDown Reboot?

SmackDown hasn't felt like a must-see in a long time. There was a time when it was superior to Raw. Today, it's a supplement to that show—a place to catch some extra action but usually nothing newsworthy.

When it moves to USA Network next year, can WWE change that?

Screenwriter Max Landis has some thoughts on how to reinvigorate SmackDown. He tweeted his idea for a reboot of the show:

That is surely too outside of WWE's comfort zone for the company to try it, but it leaves one thinking that SmackDown does need some innovation. Lucha Underground relied on original ideas and pushing the boundaries of the wrestling format. WWE isn't going to veer that far off its current path, but more creativity is necessary.

It would be great to see the company experiment with SmackDown while still relying on the old standby elements of the art form.

5. NXT Tag Champs Have More Space to Work With 

The weekend saw two tag teams emerge from the big shows in Brooklyn, New York, with championships in hand. The New Day bested The Prime Time Players in WWE, while The Vaudevillains ended Blake and Murphy's run in NXT.

A key difference between the two is the length of the reigns they ended. WWE is opting for shorter stretches for its champions, while NXT allows its titleholders more space to showcase themselves as champs.

The average NXT tag title reign (after six title changes so far) is 155.5 days. The last six WWE tag title reigns before The New Day's current one average out to 56 days. Blake and Murphy were the third straight team to surpass the 125-day mark in NXT.

Whether their run on top was successful is up for debate, but it's clear that they had a good amount of time. That's something that hasn't been the case for the WWE tag teams. And with The Dudley Boyz now in the mix, don't expect The New Day to buck the recent trend. 

6. The Black Sheep's Strength

Much of the audience wondered just who was that hulking man in the black sheep mask who attacked Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose on Monday's Raw.

One answer is that he is the former Rosebud. Another is that he is Braun Strowman (previously known as Braun Stowman) from NXT. But questions remain.

Neither of those roles showed us much of what the big man has to offer. 

To get a good look at his best asset, look up his work under his real name—Adam Scherr. He is a champion strongman. Watching him lift a car makes it clear why WWE is interested in him.

Doubts linger about how well he can perform in the ring and if he will be a good fit for The Wyatt Family. There is no doubt, though, about his power.

7. The Dudley Boyz at Their Best 

With The Dudley Boyz back, it's time to start reflecting on their greatest hits before they left, and for those not familiar with their work, time to see why the crowd on Monday night bellowed in delight upon seeing the former tag team champs return.

• The Dudley Boyz vs. New Jack and Spike Dudley vs. Balls Mahoney and Axl Rotten: ECW Living Dangerously 1998
• The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz: SummerSlam 2000 (TLC)
• The Dudley Boyz vs. Edge and Christian vs. The Hardy Boyz: WrestleMania X-Seven (TLC)
• The Dudley Boyz vs. Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho vs. The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian: SmackDown, May 24, 2001 (TLC)
• Team 3D vs. The British Invasion vs. Booker T and Scott Steiner vs. Beer Money Inc.: TNA Bound for Glory 2009 (Full Metal Mayhem)

Bubba Ray and D-Von did much of their best work in ladder matches. They thrive in chaotic bouts with multiple opponents. WWE should keep that in mind when considering how to best utilize them.

At this point in their career, 10 years since leaving WWE, expect them to be closer to the TNA version of themselves, which is still mighty entertaining.

8. Most Dangerous 

NXT may be getting a gladiator from the Far East.

Japanese Kana showed up to watch NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn alongside Sgt. Slaughter and Ric Flair. WWE either spelled her name wrong (Kanna), or the extra letter is an indication that the company has signed her and has already redone her ring name for copyright reasons.

With that last possibility in mind, feel free to watch this highlights video and start dreaming up fantasy NXT matches:

9. The Look-at-Me Crowd

After the fans in Brooklyn made their presence felt both positively and negatively during WWE's three straight nights at the Barclays Center, a debate about the crowd's relationship with wrestling has resurfaced. Was the unruly crowd simply being a bunch of disruptive jerks on Monday's Raw, or was the restlessness a result of a faulty product?

There's not a simple answer. It's a case of a little of both.

You can't fault an audience for losing interest when the art is uninteresting. These are ticket-buying, emotionally invested fans looking to be entertained. When the wrestling stinks, the fans (especially a vocal group like the ones from Brooklyn) are going to let you hear it.

Still, the Brooklyn crowd did the women's division a disservice. By ignoring the action in the ring, however flawed it was, they put doubt in WWE officials' heads about whether the Divas Revolution can even work. 

And we are too often seeing crowds go into the business of putting themselves over.

When an arena full of people chant "We are awesome!" while wrestlers wreck their bodies in the ring, it's completely disrespectful. When fans chant "Full Sail sucks!", it's a case of the spectators looking to be a bigger part of the show.

In both cases, they are too focused on themselves. These moments aren't statements sent to WWE brass about what does and doesn't work; they are the aural version of a selfie. 

Fans should certainly boo the stories they don't like, chant for the wrestler they believe needs more spotlight and emit unsettling silence to the stars they aren't sold on. There is a major difference between those things and the audience chanting about itself, though.

10. El Ligero on Sasha Banks vs. Bayley

Finding praise online for the NXT Women's Championship match on Saturday is like finding salt in the sea. Critics, fans and even wrestlers have sang the bout's praises. 

Indy wrestler El Ligero shared his thoughts, summing up what worked so well about Bayley's win:

Those are building blocks that WWE needs to use to construct a real women's division. Luckily, the company already has a blueprint to work from.

Championship history information courtesy of WWE.com and ProFightDB.com.