Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE SmackDown Using Authority Figures Better Than Raw

1. SmackDown Outshining Its Big Brother

On SmackDown, the audience doesn't see the puppetmaster or the strings nearly as often as it does on Raw.

Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon, SmackDown's respective general manger and commissioner, are background figures for the most part. They show up only to urge the narrative along; to book a match, make an announcement or settle a dispute and move on.

Raw's authority figures linger on-screen longer.

Commissioner Stephanie McMahon and general manager Mick Foley are woven so much into Raw's stories that they often overshadow the Superstars. Raw's foundation begins with Foley and McMahon.

The way in which WWE's marquee show handled the announcement of Sasha Banks vs. Charlotte on Monday night is evidence of that.

Banks challenged Charlotte to battle her inside Hell in a Cell. She wanted them to make history as the first women to collide inside that structure. After The Boss threw down the gauntlet, Foley took center stage.

Foley stood in the ring and delivered a Hell in a Cell address. He talked up why the women deserved this match and what it would mean for WWE.

Why not just have Foley make a quick confirmation backstage? Why not let Banks and Charlotte be at the center of that moment, instead of the man in charge of signing the paperwork?

Compare that with how SmackDown handled the creation of Dolph Ziggler's career-versus-title match at No Mercy.

The Showoff tearfully explained why he was willing to retire if he couldn't beat The Miz. He goaded the champ into putting up the title by offering the chance for The Miz to oust him from WWE. The wrestlers emoted and clashed, taking control of their own fates.

Bryan and Shane were nowhere to be seen. Bryan eventually approved the match on Talking Smack, thus taking up zero SmackDown airtime.

This is often one of the key differences between Raw and SmackDown. 

On Monday nights, the authority figures are prominent. On Tuesdays, they slide out of the spotlight on a regular basis.

After the Sept. 27 edition of SmackDown, Cageside Seats was left wondering where the general manager and commissioner had run off to:

That doesn't happen on Raw.

Stephanie regularly dresses down her roster backstage. She and Foley have bickered with each other, with Seth Rollins, with anyone upsetting the natural order of the program.

And while Bryan has become part of the subplot surrounding The Miz, it's in a mostly passive role. The GM took the brunt of a verbal assault from The Miz on Talking Smack. That moment generated major buzz around the then-intercontinental champion.

None of Stephanie's tirades have helped a Superstar. She is the winner every time, not the means to elevate someone else.

Even Bryan himself has noted the shows' different approaches.

In September, Bryan addressed the issue on Talking Smack (h/t Wrestling Inc). He said, "Shane and I have a very different philosophy from Mick and Stephanie McMahon, we don't need to make ourselves out there all the time. Tonight we didn't really need to be out there, the action itself was awesome."

That sums it up quite well.

SmackDown makes sure to focus on its tag teams, its women, its champions and challengers. On Raw, there has been a clear effort to also showcase those in charge.

It's no wonder the blue brand is regularly a tauter, more compelling show. Raw needs to borrow SmackDown's playbook and push Foley and McMahon out of the frame more often. 

2. Multiple Trips to Hell

The Hell in a Cell pay-per-view may be doomed by overkill. By the time Kevin Owens and Rollins do battle inside The Devil's Playground, it will be the third journey into that structure of the evening. 

Roman Reigns vs. Rusev is already a Hell in a Cell affair. Banks and Charlotte will be meeting inside that infamous cage, too.

According to the Internet Wrestling Database, this will be the first time the Hell in a Cell PPV pulled out that gimmick match three times:

It will be up to the wrestlers and WWE to make sure each of these bouts is different. Creativity will be key, especially considering how much less violent today's version of the match is.

The last thing WWE wants is for fans to be bored by the time Owens and Rollins produce their brutal war inside the steel.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Survivor Series 1988

On Tuesday night, SmackDown head honchos Bryan and McMahon challenged Raw to a battle of the brands. 

They proposed that Raw and SmackDown collide in three elimination matches at Survivor Series in November, one of which would be a band of SmackDown tag teams taking on Raw's best tag teams.

WWE hasn't used that format since the earliest days of the PPV. In the show's first two years, the company crammed a collection of tag teams into a single bout.

The 1988 edition featured a bevy of men who would end up in the Hall of Fame:

It will be hard to top a match that featured The Rockers, The Hart Foundation, Demolition and The Brain Busters, but it will be fun to see SmackDown and Raw try.

This will be a major chance to elevate an emerging squad. If Big Cass tore through the competition, for example, it would be a star-making moment for him.

4. After NXT 

For Rollins and Owens, NXT gold has been the precursor to WWE gold. But not every former NXT champion has moved on to championship glory on the main roster.

Three of those empty-handed former NXT champs clashed in a tag team match on Monday night. Sami Zayn teamed with Neville to take down Bo Dallas and Curtis Axel on Raw. Only Axel hasn't been an NXT titleholder.

Zayn hasn't been on the main roster long enough to panic about his title-less state, but the same isn't true for Neville and Dallas. 

Wrestler	Main Roster Debut	Titles Won
Seth Rollins	Nov. 2012	Tag Team Championship, United States Championship, WWE World Heavyweight Championship (x2)
Big E	Dec. 2012	Intercontinental Championship, Tag Team Championship (x2)
Bo Dallas	Jan. 2013	None
Neville	March 2015	None
Sami Zayn	May 2015	None
Kevin Owens	May 2015	Intercontinental Championship (x2), Universal Championship
Finn Balor	July 2016	Universal Championship

WWE has never treated Dallas like a big deal. It has been hesitant to consistently showcase Neville. And Zayn hasn't had a sustained rivalry outside of one with Owens.

That has all added up to a combined zero main-roster titles for that trio. Perhaps if Neville and Zayn join forces long-term, they can change that. 

5. WWE-esque Election

If you thought the second round of debates between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump had a WWE vibe, you weren't alone.

Comparisons to a squared-circle collision were plentiful on the internet. The best came courtesy of Benstonium, who superimposed a steel cage onto the proceedings:

Let's just hope the next Clinton-Trump debates are more issues-centered and sound less like a trash-talking session fit for SmackDown.

6. The Strange Doesn't Always Work

TNA has been at its best in 2016 when it has ventured into the off-kilter, when it has been boldly creative.

It tried to continue that trend on last week's edition of Impact Wrestling and feed off the "Broken" Matt Hardy angle once more. But going outside of the box didn't work this time.

Matt and Jeff Hardy battled Decay in a Wolf Creek Cage Match, a bout where an array of weapons hung along the steel. 

Much like Chris Jericho and Dean Ambrose's Asylum Match earlier this year, it came off as corny and unimpressive. How are we supposed to buy that Matt would actually attack someone with a chainsaw? John Moore of ProWrestling.net described it as "TNA trying to be a bit too cute."

The underwhelming action was a reminder of the negative side of originality, as the concept simply didn't take off.

7. The Monster on the Marquee

Bray Wyatt vs. Randy Orton served as No Mercy's de facto main event on Sunday. 

WWE decided to kick off the PPV with AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose vs. John Cena and cram Dolph Ziggler's fight to save his career into the middle of the card.

The headlining role is not one The Eater of Worlds is familiar with.

As noted on CageMatch.net, Wyatt has battled in 27 PPV matches so far. Just twice has he had a one-on-one match close the show.

Event	Opponent(s)	Solo Main Event?
Royal Rumble 2011 (as Husky Harris)	Royal Rumble Field	No
Money in the Bank 2014	John Cena, Alberto Del Rio, Cesaro, Kane, Sheamus, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton	No
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs 2014	Dean Ambrose	Yes
Royal Rumble 2015	Royal Rumble Field	No
Royal Rumble 2016	Royal Rumble Field	No
No Mercy 2016	Randy Orton	Yes

The fact that Orton vs. Wyatt was one of No Mercy's least thrilling bouts will hurt the monster's chances of returning to the main event. Top-flight SmackDown performers like Cena and Styles will make future opportunities like that hard to come by, too.

8. Goldberg's Best

Get the pyrotechnics ready and hire some bodyguards: Goldberg is on his way back. 

Paul Heyman called out the former WCW world champ on Monday's Raw, challenging him to a match with Brock Lesnar. Goldberg quickly responded on Twitter. Suddenly, it looks like a WrestleMania XX rematch is on the horizon.

Considering Goldberg hasn't competed for WWE in over a decade, some fans may need a refresher of what the powerhouse is capable of in the ring. He was never a guy who composed classic matches, but he's had some good ones over the years.

Check out these clips and highlights to brush up on Goldberg's past feats:

• Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page: WCW Halloween Havoc 1998
• Goldberg vs. Scott Hall: WCW Souled Out 1999 (Ladder Stun-Gun)
• Goldberg vs. Diamond Dallas Page: WCW Nitro, April 19, 1999
• Goldberg vs. Scott Steiner: WCW Fall Brawl 2000 (No Disqualification) 
• Goldberg vs. Chris Jericho: WWE Bad Blood 2003

Notice that Lesnar vs. Goldberg isn't on there. A lack of effort and the fans' trashing of both men as it happened marred that match. The stink of it still lingers.

Their expected reprise of that battle will be a chance to replace that in the audience's memory with something far more palatable.

9. The Cruiserweights Missing Stories

As easy as it is to make fun of T.J. Perkins making video game references on Monday's Raw, at least he's part of a story. The rest of the cruiserweight division can't say that.

WWE has worked to slowly introduce Lince Dorado, Rich Swann, Cedric Alexander and others since debuting the division just before Clash of Champions. The high-flyers and mat technicians have put on strong shows between the ropes.

But in-ring excitement will only get you so far.

Now that these Superstars no longer have the benefit of the tournament format with the Cruiserweight Classic completed, they are struggling to connect. That's a direct result of a lack of feuds, alliances, bad blood or any narratives beyond the matches themselves.

WWE's hands are full with so many new faces to present to its audience, but the best way to do that is give some of them a clear direction. Tony Nese needs to feel cheated out of the spotlight and attack his fellow cruiserweights, or Swann and Alexander need to compete in a five-bout series to determine the No. 1 contender.

Without additions like that, the cruiserweight division is going to be a hollow entity dressed up in purple.

10. A Son's Salute to His Father

Former intercontinental champion Cody Rhodes wished his late father Dusty Rhodes a Happy Birthday in a simple, touching message on Tuesday:

It doesn't matter how old they get; sons so often see their dads like this—towering, powerful protectors.

Ryan Dilbert is the WWE Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter (@ryandilbert) to talk all things wrestling and writing.