Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: Alexa Bliss on Track to Be Elite WWE Superstar

1. The Rise of The Wicked Witch 

Alexa Bliss took the advanced heel class when she was at the WWE Performance Center. The new SmackDown women's champion has embraced and mastered the art of being a wrestling villain.

She's convincingly repulsed by everything around her. She's arrogant, vicious and unafraid to take verbal jabs at the whole women's division.

In her first few months on the main roster, Bliss has looked like a bona fide star.

Jason Martin of Cageside Seats called her "the steal of the WWE draft." Wrestling Inc dubbed her 2016's most improved female competitor:

It's hard to argue either statement.

When Bliss has clashed with Becky Lynch on the mic, as she did on Tuesday's SmackDown, she has looked right at home. She's the ideal foil to the noble, gutsy babyface.

In Tuesday's segment, she infused the crowd's chants for Lynch into her speech. Bliss gloated, traded barbs with the former champ and ducked out of the ring when it looked as if things would get physical.

At each stage, she was a believable, compelling heel.

For someone who only signed a developmental deal three years ago, Bliss looks comfortable in the spotlight. She's quickly taken to the art form, excelling at its nuances.

Her facial expressions are already among the best in the business.

When Bliss emotes, her feelings echo through the arena. Disgust, rage and evil glee all resonate from her face.

And in the ring, she's progressed aplenty since her days in NXT.

Although she was always athletic and quick, she wasn't smooth early on. She was stiff, hesitant and unsure of the steps in the dance.

Now only five months after moving to SmackDown via the draft, Bliss has shown WWE can depend on her between the ropes.

Her matches with Lynch have been good. She's made a noticeable impact in more crowded, multiwomen bouts, too.

Bliss will only get better in the ring as she piles on the experience. She's already a flamethrower on the mic. And she has a healthy stock of "it" factor.

In her first year on SmackDown, WWE decided to crown her champion. She will run with that opportunity as a compelling figure and steady fixture in the title scene.  

Projecting her career after such a hot start has to leave WWE officials dizzy with excitement.

2. Raw's Forgotten Men

The New Era is passing a number of Raw Superstars by.

Jinder Mahal, Curtis Axel, Darren Young and Neville have warmed the bench for the past month. They haven't wrestled on Raw since appearing in a Battle Royal on Oct. 31.

None of those wrestlers made the card for the Survivor Series, Hell in a Cell or Clash of Champions PPVs.

What's strange about this development is that Young was in the midst of a minor push before disappearing. WWE paired him with Hall of Famer Bob Backlund, but that partnership hasn't led anywhere.

And while it's not hard to see why WWE isn't making Mahal a priority, the fact that Neville has been pushed so far into the background is baffling. He is a former NXT champion and one of the more exciting performers on the roster today.

The Man Who Gravity Forgot would be a stellar part of the cruiserweight division. He would make a fun tag team partner for a number of Superstars. Instead, Neville has had to spend his Monday nights as a spectator. 

3. Throwback Video of the Week: John Cena and Edge

On Monday night, Enzo Amore went to Rusev's hotel suite and paid a dear price for it, taking a pounding from the big man. The Bulgarian Brute is far from the first wrestler to ambush an enemy in a hotel room, though.

A decade ago, John Cena attacked Edge, leaving quite the mess for the cleaning staff: 

That clip is a reminder of how different Cena's character is today. He was once an antihero of sorts—an aggressive, take-no-prisoners kind of babyface. He's a lot softer and more kid-friendly today.

We likely won't see him force-feeding his foes room service anytime soon.

4. Gallagher a Perfect Fit for WWE Circus

The WWE ecosystem needs a variety of species, including strange creatures like Jack Gallagher. 

The Extraordinary Gentleman is an acquired taste. He employs a throwback, British-influenced style in the ring. His grappling often descends into goofy territory when he does headstands in the corner or comically ties up his opponents in a knot of limbs.

He's pale, weighs just 167 pounds and looks more like a snake-oil salesman from the 19th century than a wrestler.

And that's all part of his appeal. Not all wrestlers can be statuesque gladiators in black trunks. WWE is at its best when it features a range of characters—from smashmouth Irishman Sheamus to cereal-tossing loudmouth Xavier Woods.

Gallagher will make a fine addition to that menagerie.

5. The Phenomenal One Has a Sense of Humor

During the chaos of AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose at TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs, the sharp edge of a busted chair sliced open the champ's tights. He then spent much of the bout with one of his butt cheeks exposed.

The Phenomenal One has had the perfect attitude about the incident. He's laughed it off, even when fans went to the trouble of creating a video game version of Styles' wardrobe issues:

If only we could all react to our own embarrassing moments like that.

6. NJPW is Ready to Rumble

New Japan Pro Wrestling is gearing up for its biggest event of the year—Wrestle Kingdom. Hype is building at a steady rate for the Jan. 4 show.

It has its own rap song and everything: 

Wrestle Kingdom 11's card already has two must-see matches in Kazuchika Okada vs. Kenny Omega and Hiroshi Tanahashi vs. Tetsuya Naito. WWE is working to make the next Royal Rumble massive. It's clear that wrestling in 2017 is going to start off strong.

7. AJ Styles' MVP Year

Go ahead and etch Styles' name on the Slammy Award for Superstar of the Year. The Phenomenal One has been the most entertaining performer in the ring all year.

His thriller against Ambrose was just the latest show of excellence from him.

Many wrestlers would be lucky to have as many top-notch matches in their careers as Styles has had in 2016. Not surprisingly, Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter has been quite kind to him when doling out star ratings:

Event	Match	Star Rating (Out of 5)
SummerSlam	AJ Styles vs. John Cena	4.5
Extreme Rules	AJ Styles vs. Roman Reigns	4.5
Survivor Series	Team SmackDown vs. Team Raw	4.5
Backlash	AJ Styles vs. Dean Ambrose	4.25
Money in the Bank	AJ Styles vs. John Cena	4.25
Raw, April 11	AJ Styles vs. Sami Zayn	4
Raw, April 4	AJ Styles vs. Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho vs. Kevin Owens	4
Fastlane	AJ Styles vs. Chris Jericho	4

The TLC match is sure to be high on that list when those ratings come out.

The Miz has been a tremendous heel. Charlotte Flair has grown into a marquee star. But no one has had the stretch of heart-pounding bouts that Styles has had since his arrival in January.

8. Iron Man at Its Finest

Sasha Banks and Flair are set to meet one more time in what promises to be a climactic clash in a long-running feud.

The Boss challenged Flair on Monday's Raw to an Iron Match match. The bout is now set for Roadblock: End of the Line on Dec. 18.

The Iron Man contest is not one WWE offers often, and this will mark only the second one featuring women. For those wanting to gear up for that bout or educate themselves on the history of the match, check these out:

• Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart: WrestleMania XII
• Triple H vs. The Rock: Judgment Day 2000
• Brock Lesnar vs. Kurt Angle: SmackDown, Sept. 18, 2003
• Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels: Raw, Oct. 3, 2005
• Sasha Banks vs. Bayley: NXT TakeOver: Respect

Banks will have her work cut out trying to outdo herself. Her Iron Man match against Bayley was beautifully composed.

And WWE has leaned on Banks vs. Flair so hard that the two wrestlers will have to combat fan exhaustion.

9. Where the Revolution is Stalling 

Raw and SmackDown both have multiple women-centered stories going. The women's division has been in the main event slot for both shows. No longer are the female stars limited to two- or three-minute matches.

But the work in what WWE dubbed the "Divas Revolution" isn't done.

The company still falls back into old habits. On Monday's Raw, fans saw two of the worst ones at play.

A feud between Bayley and Alicia Fox is underway. That in itself is a good idea, but its catalyst is disappointing. 

Fox saw Bayley give Cedric Alexander a toy bear. Petty jealousy followed. Fighting over a man in a story complete with product placement is the wrong direction to take this.

It plays up stereotypes about women. It's uncreative. It's not nearly as compelling as warriors fighting over legacy, history or pride.

Raw's treatment of Lana has been a train wreck.

WWE has diluted her character down to a smiling cardboard cutout. The Ravishing Russian was once forceful, demanding, and power-hungry. She's devolved into a smiley flirt.

She laid a trap for Amore on Raw, but she came off as more of the pawn than the mastermind. She's increasingly defined by other men's lust for her—from The Rock to Dolph Ziggler.

She used to be the boss. Now, she's the bait.

WWE can do better.  

Banks and Flair's characters are deeper than Lana's, complete with goals and aspirations that don't include their mates. Lynch vs. Bliss is a top-notch story about proving one's self and a hunger for the SmackDown Women's Championship—no love triangle needed.

10. Rosenberg on TLC

Sometimes, the best response to realizing a dream is to just soak it in.

That's what radio host and ESPN personality Peter Rosenberg did when WWE brought him aboard the TLC PPV pre-show panel. The longtime fan had become part of the show. 

Rosenberg posted a concise reaction to the experience on Instagram:

It had to be surreal for him to be on that stage.

And Rosenberg nailed it on Sunday night as a passionate, funny, zeroed-in panelist. He likely earned an invite back.

Match statistics courtesy of CageMatch.net.