Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Charlotte Will Reach Full Potential Without Ric Flair

1. Solo Charlotte (Sort of)

In one motion, Charlotte set a crutch aside and stepped free of a shadow. The WWE women's champ broke away from Ric Flair on Monday's Raw, leaving her father in tears after a scathing promo.

One could nitpick the execution and timing of that moment—but not the end result. Charlotte emerged looking more heartless and will soon have the opportunity to thrive on her own, to develop her character outside of her connection with her Hall of Fame father.

Dana Brooke is now playing the champ's enforcer it seems, but her shadow is not nearly as dark as Flair's. The champ will be the star, with Brooke playing the second. With Flair, Charlotte felt like the lesser star at times.

Having Flair as a manager was a smart way to begin her run. The time is right for her to function without him, though.

Back in January, Jim Ross wrote on his blog, "I can see Ric helping Charlotte get established, but Naitch doesn't need to be in his daughter's corner for the long haul. He's too powerful a presence to allow Charlotte to grow over the long haul, IMO." 

That proved true as Charlotte's persona and title reign were so often built around Flair. His interference provided the key moments in her title matches, not anything that she did. The storyline became that babyface challengers like Natalya didn't believe Charlotte could thrive on her own.

Beyond that, WWE played up her family name rather than have her display her own traits. Her signature move is a remix of her father's. The same goes for her music. She strolled down to the ring at WrestleMania in an altered version of the robe that Flair wore in his last WWE match.

Credit: WWE.ocm

Now that Charlotte has disowned her father onscreen, WWE will be forced to explore other avenues with her. The stories of her victories will be about something other than Flair's cheating ways.

As a result, we will see Charlotte move closer toward her ceiling. She will get a chance to develop her own voice. She will provide the lasting images in her bouts herself. 

We are set to see an improved version of the champ as she builds on the momentum her partnership with her father provided.

Count on her growing into a role as a heel more than she already has. It will help if she's verbally abusive to Brooke along the way. As Charlotte is asked to carry more of the load herself, she will continue to impress, continue to prove why WWE has been so high on her since her arrival.

Flair said in an interview with Edward Pevos of MLive, "She doesn't need me to be successful." The Nature Boy is right. And to go a step further, she will be more successful now that the focus of every one of her stories is more squarely on her.

2. Money in the Bank Hangover

Sheamus didn't qualify for the Money in the Bank ladder match, one year after winning it. The announcers played up the moment as a major disappointment for the powerhouse, but in reality his defeat just follows the standard pattern.

Credit: WWE.com

Only three Money in the Bank winners have competed in the ladder match in the following year:

• Mr Kennedy (2008)
• CM Punk (2009)
• Kane (2011)

Often that is because they have moved on to bigger things, the Money in the Bank briefcase having provided a lift. Edge became a main event after his victory. John Cena and Seth Rollins were both WWE champion at the pay-per-view the year after their Money in the Bank wins.

The Celtic Warrior won't be able to say the same thing, though. After colliding with Apollo Crews on Monday night, it's clear that he's in line for a midcard feud designed to introduce the athletic newcomer.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Shane McMahon 

McMahon recently reflected on his early days with WWE in an interview with Mick Foley on the WWE Network. He helped set up the ring as a boy and later began refereeing. 

For years, fans had no idea that the man officiating the matches on TV was the heir to the WWE throne. In 1989, when Mark Young took on Brooklyn Brawler, Shane-O-Mac made sure each man followed the rules and counted the pinfall as Young secured the upset.

McMahon wasn't satisfied wearing the striped shirt. He wanted to be one of the gladiators himself. And he created far more memories once he moved on from officiating. 

4. Keep Your Eyes on Royce

It's a case like Peyton Royce's where one is reminded that NXT is actually a developmental territory and not just WWE's hip third brand.

Early in her NXT run, Royce was largely forgettable. She didn't have much of a character. Her presence was fine at best.

She wasn't on TV for a long stretch before returning to face Carmella on last Wednesday's NXT. This was not the same Royce.

Clearly, she has been working on her gimmick, playing a Poison Ivy-type villain with a massive ego and a sultry aura. Her personality beamed in the bout whether she was screaming in pain or glaring at her foe. This is just the kind of transformation NXT was designed for.

The women's division is highly competitive at the moment, but don't be surprised if Royce pushes her way up to its top tier.

5. The Devil's Favorite Mayor?

Tennessee could soon be the home of one of the most imposing politicians ever. Kane (real name: Glenn Jacobs) is considering running for Knox County mayor in 2018

The WWE veteran told Mike Donila of NBC affiliate WBIR, "The only reason I would consider getting into any sort of government because I do care very deeply. And I think it's incumbent upon people who care about the communities to try to make a difference."

John Sciulli/Getty Images

It's surreal to hear those words come out of the same man who set Jim Ross on fire. Kane is one of the most striking examples of how vastly different a wrestler and the character he plays can be.

6. Bullet Club Keeps Reloading

New Japan Pro Wrestling's Bullet Club is a beast that can thrive even when its head is cut off. It doesn't seem to matter who is at the helm of the faction; there remains a buzz around it.

Finn Balor once led the group, but he left NJPW for WWE. AJ Styles took over, but he too moved to Vince McMahon's company. Kenny Omega took over from there. And now, Adam Cole has joined the crew, giving the Bullet Club another potential captain down the road.

Just when one starts to doubt the Bullet Club's longevity, it adds another appealing star. Cole is one of the world's best wrestlers and a rising star, just as Balor was when he was in charge. 

And if Cole eventually gets signed to WWE, it won't be surprising if the Bullet Club finds another keystone to take his place.

7. 7 Years a Champion

Rusev has promised to hold on to the United States Championship for a record amount of time. In a backstage interview after regaining the title at Extreme Rules, The Bulgarian Brute said his name would be on the championship for the next seven years.

Should his proclamation come true, he would be champ for a record 2,555 days. That is over 17 times longer than he held the belt the first time around. And he would surpass Johnny Valentine as the longest-reigning U.S. title holder ever.

Valentine held the title from 1975 to 1979, his reign totaling 1,500 days, per WWE.com. Rusev would have to outdo Valentine by 1,055 days to reach his promised mark.

A seven-year reign would keep Rusev champion until 2023 and have him make it through WrestleMania 39 with the title still in his grasp. It's a safe bet that Rusev won't live up to his words, not that anyone would tell him that to his face.

8. Cody Rhodes Collection

The man who has spent the last two years as Stardust requested his release from the company, as he announced on Twitter. And just like that, Rhodes' run was over, and fans were left to sift through memories of the second-generation star.

For those wishing to explore his best work as a WWE Superstar, be sure to set some time to watch these bouts:

• Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton: SmackDown, Nov. 4, 2011 (Street Fight) 
• Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton vs. Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett: SmackDown, Nov. 25, 2011 (Fatal 4-Way)
• Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton: Raw, Sept. 2, 2013
• Cody Rhodes and Goldust vs. The Shield: Raw, Oct. 14, 2013
• Stardust and Goldust vs. The Usos: Night of Champions 2014

You will notice that Goldust vs. Stardust isn't on there. WWE never took full advantage of that rivalry, having just one underwhelming pay-per-view match between them. Had there been big-time buildup and some solid ring time to work with, the Rhodes brothers would have produced something special.

9. The Power of Qualification

The WWE version of a play-in game needs to be used far more often. It's an easy, surefire way to create suspense and to up the meaning of TV bouts.

On Monday night, Raw featured 10 wrestlers vying for a spot in the Money in the Bank ladder match.

Those contests provided a place for Apollo Crews to shine, for Sheamus' unraveling to begin and for Cesaro to gain momentum after another pay-per-view loss on Sunday. AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens would have been exciting regardless, but because of the high stakes involved, there was far more reason to invest in this fight.

That's the formula WWE needs to employ ahead of the Royal Rumble, to set up the King of the Ring tournament any other chance it gets. Qualifying matches need to be on the docket on a more regular basis.

10. Bubba Ray Dudley on Extreme Rules Crowd

It didn't matter what Roman Reigns did against AJ Styles at Extreme Rules. No matter how much he and Styles clicked, no matter how much he delivered in a big spot once again, the audience soundly rejected him.

Dudley had some strong words for fans who used a certain chant:

Critiquing Reigns is one thing, but ignoring his progress, passion and production is silly. It often feels like some in the crowd have already made up their minds about Reigns and will stubbornly ignore any excellence he produces.