Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE's New Era Must Continue Leaning on High Stakes

1. The Power of Motivation

WWE's matches are suddenly saturated with high stakes, and the product is prospering as a result.

Having something clear and valuable to fight over transforms a match. That addition elevates midcard fare, makes bouts special and amplifies the power of wins and losses. In the early stages of the New Era, WWE has done well to harness this magic.

On the first Raw after the draft, a pair of Fatal 4-Way matches decided who would enter a WWE Universal Championship No. 1 Contender's bout later in the night. SmackDown followed suit by booking a Battle Royal where the winner would gain entry into a Six-Pack Challenge that would determine who faces Dean Ambrose for the WWE World Championship at SummerSlam.

This Monday, Cesaro and Sheamus battled with a future world title shot on the line.

SmackDown continued the trend. Apollo Crews, Baron Corbin and Kalisto all clashed for the right be the No. 1 contender to the Intercontinental Championship. The show ended with Bray Wyatt taking on Dolph Ziggler. A victory for The Eater of Worlds meant he would steal The Showoff's SummerSlam championship opportunity.

Each time out, the carrot dangling in front of these warriors made the matches more significant and compelling.

Wyatt and Ziggler, for example, had already fought a number of times. Minus its stipulation, it would have likely been solid, everyday sports entertainment. But this was more than that.

Fans tuned in unsure if Wyatt would trounce Ziggler and rearrange the SummerSlam card, if The Showoff would cling tight to his title shot or if there would be some sort of screwy finish leading to a Triple Threat match for the world title. There was an added incentive to watch. The result promised to make more of an impact than a standard contest.

WWE has to keep this up.

With so many hours of programming each week, it's easy for fans to grow numb to the chaos in the ring. They see Cesaro win one week and lose the next, only for the triumphs and defeats not to mean much of anything. 

Rather than making its matches feel like the wrestling equivalent of a Cleveland Browns vs. Jacksonville Jaguars game after both teams are out of the playoff race, WWE is better off delivering playoff-like bouts.

Adding more No. 1 Contender's matches is an easy way to do that. The company can also get creative in what's on the line when Superstars step into the ring. The prize for victory can be the right to face Undertaker at WrestleMania, to keep one's job or to name one's opponent at a pay-per-view.

Should Curt Hawkins return to SmackDown, WWE can have him and Mojo Rawley fight it out to see who gets to be Zack Ryder's tag team partner. A throwdown between Ryder's former and current allies wouldn't normally be that interesting. Stakes would change that.

WWE can apply such tactics to Raw and SmackDown up and down the card. As the new-car smell of the brand split wears off, WWE can't forget how it electrified its top brands early on—matches with spoils awaiting the winners. 

2. The Beast Incarnate at SummerSlam

History says that Randy Orton won't beat Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. Lesnar has been dominant on pay-per-view.

His record, especially since his 2012 return, speaks to how strongly WWE books him during the summer blockbuster:

Year	Opponent	Result
2002	The Rock	Win
2003	Kurt Angle	Loss
2012	Triple H	Win
2013	CM Punk	Win
2014	John Cena	Win
2015	Undertaker	Loss (referee stoppage)

And while Lesnar did lose last year, there is a giant asterisk next to that result. The referee stopped the match after The Beast Incarnate passed out, but only after missing Undertaker's tapout.

WWE did its best to soften the blow of that loss. It wants to keep Lesnar looking like an unbeatable monster. So unless there are more shenanigans awaiting this year's event, count on Lesnar taking out The Viper.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Roddy Piper 

Sunday marked one year since Piper's death.

Fans missing the Hall of Famer can at least look back at footage of his many memorable interviews. Hot Rod was one of wrestling's best mic workers, a whirlwind verbal force. 

This 1984 interview, in which he aimed his ire at Jimmy Snuka, is a great example:

Piper was unhinged and frenetic here, as he was throughout his career. He was part pacing animal, part belligerent philosopher.

Fans often draw comparisons between Dean Ambrose and Piper, but there will never be anyone like Hot Rod. 

4. A Welcome Japanese Invasion

There was a time when WWE didn't know how to book Japanese wrestlers, as stereotypes pigeonholed talented performers. The company didn't seem interested in some of the nation's top-tier names; perhaps it was unsure how to present them or not confident that U.S. crowds would connect with them. 

Times certainly have changed.

NXT is flush with stellar Japanese performers. The high-flying Kota Ibushi has wowed with his in-ring arsenal. Hideo Itami, now back from shoulder surgery, is an exciting kick specialist. Asuka is NXT's women's champion and arguably the best female in-ring performer in the company.

Shinsuke Nakamura has been a revelation since arriving.

His rock star aura, unique brand of showmanship and smashmouth offense has thrilled. WWE hasn't needed to focus on his nationality. His personality is plenty intriguing on its own.

Soon enough, memories of those awful stereotypes will be replaced with images of Nakamura kneeing someone in the face or Asuka twisting an opponent's body the wrong way.

5. Seth Rollins, the Superkicking Scientist

Rollins diversified his resume. Right next to "WWE world champ" and "first NXT titleholder," he can now put, "sci-fi movie scientist."

The Architect played AstroTech Lopez, a scientist charged with saving Mt. Rushmore, in Sharknado 4.

Eventually, Rollins will have to hang up his wrestling boots. Perhaps this cameo was a preview of what his post-WWE life will look like. 

6. One Door Closes...

After a match that aired in July, Roderick Strong said goodbye to Ring of Honor. The former ROH world champ spent over a decade with that company, so it was no surprise that fans were so grateful and emotional when he walked away.

Speculation is sure to follow.

Questions about whether he will head to WWE will linger until he inks a deal with the company. At 5'10", he lacks prototypical size, but the company has begun to showcase smaller wrestlers more often. Strong would fit right in with a New Era that boasts wrestlers like Finn Balor and Sami Zayn.

Also, this video is a reminder that WWE needs more streamers. 

7. The New Day (of Rest)

WWE has played up the historic nature of The New Day's reign, but Xavier Woods, Kofi Kingston and Big E haven't exactly been fighting champs of late.

The New Day's rate of title defenses hasn't been great. It has only defended the tag team belts three times since WrestleMania, per CageMatch.net. The New Day's last title defense was in mid-June.

Compare that to what the intercontinental champion has been up to. The Miz has defended his title twice as much in that span, even though he took off time to film The Marine 5.

Whether The Club takes the belts off The New Day at SummerSlam or Woods and his crew remain champs, WWE would be wise to start upping the titleholders' workload. The tag team picture could use a lot more action with the titles up for grabs.

8. American Alpha Primer

If Jason Jordan and Chad Gable's debut on Tuesday's SmackDown was the first time you saw them in action, set aside a part of the day to soak up their NXT exploits. American Alpha has been a red-hot duo over the past year. 

Check out these clips or seek out the full matches to see what all the hype is about:

• American Alpha vs. Baron Corbin and Rhyno: TakeOver: Respect
• American Alpha vs. The Vaudevillains vs. Hype Bros vs. Blake and Murphy: NXT, Dec. 23, 2015
• American Alpha vs. The Revival: TakeOver: Dallas
• American Alpha vs. The Revival: TakeOver: The End
• American Alpha vs. The Revival: NXT, July 6, 2016  (2-out-of-3 Falls match)

You may notice a name popping up several times on this list. The Revival was by far American Alpha's best rivals; the hard-hitting, no-nonsense tag team champs helped to elevate Jordan and Gable.

Hopefully, that feud will continue on the main roster. Every time those two squads met, they created something memorable.

9. Golden Chance for Crews 

Apollo Crews earned the right to face The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam by besting Baron Corbin and Kalisto on Tuesday's SmackDown.

There is more on the line for him than that leather-and-gold strap, though. During the title hunt, he will have a major chance to separate himself from his fellow NXT call-ups.

The Vaudevillains have mostly been treated like fodder. Mojo Rawley hasn't had a chance to make an impact yet. Crews, however, clearly has the WWE machine behind him at the moment.

Before earning this big title match, he was in last week's main event, in the same ring with AJ Styles and John Cena. 

Crews has yet to have his breakout match. He hasn't made much of a connection with the crowd. Right now, he's just a guy with breathtaking athleticism and little else.

His feud with The Miz will be his shot to prove he's more than an impressive physical specimen. That will come when the two trade barbs and when they collide in the ring.

The spotlight is pointed his way; Crews just has to make the most of it.

10. Welcome to WWE

When Brennan Williams' NFL playing days ended unceremoniously, he sought a new path. The powerhouse started training to be a wrestler with WWE Hall of Famer Booker T in Houston. Less than a year later, WWE came calling.

WWE.com announced that the company signed the former offensive lineman to a developmental deal.

Williams then introduced himself via Twitter:

"

Hello new friends. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm not a football guy. I'm a wrestling guy that played football once.

Also I like anime.

— 「SHOGUN of NXT」 (@GREATBLACKOTAKU) August 1, 2016"

I met and interviewed Williams when he was just weeks into his training. It was clear then just how passionate he was about wrestling. He was giddy talking about what he was learning.

Wrestling wasn't a fallback plan as much as it was a dream come true.