Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE Walking Fine Line with Recent Reality-Based Angles

1. Fact Bleeding into Fiction

Dolph Ziggler coldly reminded Jerry Lawler on Tuesday's WWE SmackDown that he had dropped elbow after elbow on his chest before The King suffered a heart attack in 2012.

Speaking more menacingly than normal, Ziggler followed up with an unsettling threat: "If you don't stop with these questions, I will finish what I started four years ago."

The Showoff's visit to the past, one where Lawler nearly died, elicited a variety of reactions.

For some, the segment simply allowed a heel to show off his villainy. Others were stunned by the direction WWE took.

Vaughn Johnson of Philly.com seemed to be taken aback:

A.V. Club writer LaToya Ferguson described the segment as "WWE's choice to go as tasteless as they possibly can."

As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction. And sometimes it can be more compelling, especially in a wrestling context. The stories inside the squared circle are often bolstered by folding in a touch of reality. 

Real animosity improved Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart's on-screen rivalry. CM Punk's famous "pipe bomb" promo touched on his actual issues with WWE booking.

But where does WWE draw the line between what can and can't be used as narrative material?

It's a line the company has experimented with a lot of late. 

Natalya recently infused Nikki Bella's love life into their rivalry when she told Bella, "John [Cena] is going to leave you. And when he does, you are going to die alone."

The feud between Dean Ambrose and The Miz took a similar turn last December. The dastardly then-intercontinental champion mocked announcer Renee Young for sleeping with Ambrose. The moment became a catalyst for the story's later chapters.

In an era where it's difficult for a heel to garner heat and where fans know a ton about wrestlers' personal lives, this kind of angle is inevitable. Done well, it can add depth to a story. Done poorly, it is trashy and cheap.

The Miz's rant on Talking Smack last year was so great partly because it touched a real nerve. 

The Miz berated SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan, calling him a coward for not continuing to wrestle elsewhere after WWE refused to clear him due to concussion issues. He talked of his own longevity compared to Bryan's shooting-star career.

Reality electrified that scene. It had fans wondering how much of The Miz's speech was a departure from the script.

At the same time, though, WWE runs the risk of going too far with this approach.

The company's use of Eddie Guerrero's death to further storylines was exploitative. The 2015 angle where Paige insulted Charlotte Flair's late brother, Reid, was classless and churned up more negative publicity for the promo than it did hype for the match.

There is no straight answer when it comes to this. It's something WWE has to take case by case.

Hall of Fame announcer Jim Ross wrote on his blog, "Is reality-based content fair game in the world of WWE and pro wresting in general? It is a subjective question to say the least, and most fans seemingly are going to detest it or be nonplussed about it."

Credit: WWE.com

Had Ziggler derided Lawler for his lack of success in WWE or mocked him for being washed up, it would have earned him solid heat. Going for such a personal and serious target as he did on Tuesday, though, has a higher ceiling in terms of effect.

These are "home run or whiff" endeavors. 

Hit the right notes, and a wrestling rivalry will soar. But WWE risks looking like a sleazy scavenger of personal dirt each time it employs this approach.

2. Crowns on Top of Crowns

The Royal Rumble match hasn't been a star-making contest of late. WWE has instead used it to showcase established wrestlers.

Five times this decade, the winner of the annual 30-man Battle Royal had already been world champ:

Year	Winner	World Championships Before Royal Rumble Win
2010	Edge	WWE Championship (x 4), World Heavyweight Championship (x 5)
2012	Sheamus	WWE Championship (x 3)
2013	John Cena	WWE Championship (x 10), World Heavyweight Championship (x 2)
2014	Batista	WWE Championship (x 2), World Heavyweight Championship (x 4)
2016	Triple H	WWE Championship (x 8), World Heavyweight Championship (x 5)

Only Roman Reigns in 2015 and Alberto Del Rio in 2011 were outliers.

That pattern has to change. WWE has a wealth of promising Superstars. It needs to focus more on elevating them instead of gazing back at those who are already household names.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Mickie James

The country-singing, ass-kicking James returned on Tuesday night's SmackDown. After parting ways with WWE in 2010, she's now ready to make an impact against a new generation of Superstars. 

Many folks will remember her feud with Trish Stratus, but James was taking on tough challenges well before that.

Wrestling as Alexis Laree, James entered a 2005 tournament to crown the Ohio Valley Wrestling (WWE's developmental territory at the time) TV champion. The only woman in the tourney found herself facing off with Bobby Lashley (then known as Blaster Lashley) in the second round:

During her latest run, she won't need to face men to find quality opponents. James has joined a women's division ripe with young talent. James vs. Becky Lynch has a nice ring to it, for one.

4. Bruiserweight with the Cruiserweights

Pete Dunne killed it in the United Kingdom Championship Tournament over the weekend.

He was an enthralling bulldog—a sneering, sadistic predator of the highest order. The Bruiserweight flourished against each of his opponents, including tourney winner Tyler Bate.

He's a good fit as one of the central figures for the UK-based show WWE has in the works. But the company should showcase him elsewhere as well.

Dunne would be a major boost for the cruiserweight division. His presence and in-ring ability would put 205 Live on a whole other level.

Imagine a cruiserweight scene where Dunne faced the likes of Rich Swann and Cedric Alexander, or where Neville and Dunne formed a duo of merciless men out for blood. 

5. Rewriting Reigns

WWE will do anything to get Roman Reigns over, even alter history.

When the powerhouse lost the United States Championship on Jan. 9 to Chris Jericho, one fan in attendance cheered the defeat. As John Canton of TJR Wrestling noted, WWE edited the footage to make it look as if Reigns' loss instead crushed the spectator:

Now if WWE can only go back and erase all the boos the babyface has received over the past few years.

6. The Hardys' Open Challenge

Matt and Jeff Hardy continue to be self-promotion wizards.

The brothers again had the wrestling world buzzing after they called out the world's top tag teams. In a Facebook video, The Hardy Boyz talked of seeking all the gold in the wrestling world.

Matt challenged The Young Bucks of Ring of Honor and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Raw tag champs Cesaro and Sheamus and SmackDown titleholders American Alpha.

There is no way WWE would do a cross-promotional match with TNA at this point, but this wasn't about working toward a bout. This was a case of the Hardy brothers forcing their way into the conversation, crafting their own narrative—one that stretches beyond the boundaries of TNA.

7. Greatness Will Have to Wait

The Darren Young experiment appears to be over.

WWE tried to revitalize Mr. No Days Off by pairing him with Hall of Famer Bob Backlund, who strove to "make Darren Young great again." Young earned a number of wins during a mini-push but has fallen off the company map since.

According to CageMatch.net, Young has only wrestled in two matches on Raw since October. He hasn't appeared on a pay-per-view since Battleground last July. He was regularly relegated to the now-defunct series Superstars.

And with Royal Rumble around the corner, he's been a ghost. 

His and Titus O'Neil's lack of success since breaking up has to have both men dreaming of a Prime Time Players reunion. Being a midcard tag team has to be better than being perennial benchwarmers.

8. An Introduction to Angle

At this year's WWE Hall of Fame ceremony, Kurt Angle will get his due. As WWE revealed on Monday's Raw, the former WWE and TNA champ is set to be inducted this spring.

Angle has been gone from WWE for over a decade, so it's understandable if some fans need refreshers on how tremendous a performer he is. For that portion of the audience or anyone wanting to celebrate his WWE smash hits, check out the following bouts:

• Kurt Angle vs. Shane McMahon: King of the Ring 2001
• Kurt Angle vs. Chris Benoit: Royal Rumble 2003
• Kurt Angle vs. Brock Lesnar: SmackDown, Sept. 18, 2003 (Iron Man)
• Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels: WrestleMania 21
• Kurt Angle vs. Undertaker: No Way Out 2006

It's not clear yet whether part of Angle's return and Hall of Fame induction will also include a match or two. If it does, WWE has a myriad of appealing options. Angle has worked well with just about everyone he has faced.

Can we get Angle vs. Rusev at WrestleMania?

9. The Wolf in the Chamber 

Baron Corbin needs to be in the same cage as SmackDown's top stars.

SmackDown's commissioner, Shane McMahon, announced on Tuesday that the WWE champ will defend his title in the Elimination Chamber on Feb. 12. The Lone Wolf has to be in the field of six when that bout arrives.

WWE can further propel the rising star by having him mix it up with John Cena and AJ Styles. 

The company would be smart to go even further and have him eliminate one of the contest's bigger names. Corbin blasting Undertaker with End of Days to oust him from the chamber would be a career-altering moment.

The time is now to build on Corbin's momentum. The Royal Rumble is WWE's first major opportunity of 2017 to sell him as a star. The Elimination Chamber is the second part of the year's early one-two punch.

10. On Tyler Bate

Bate, WWE's inaugural United Kingdom champion, earned a flood of praise after his victory on Sunday. It's all well-deserved. At just 19, Bate has taken to the art of wrestling in a big way.

Former WWE writer Court Bauer was one of many to salute the first WWE UK champ:

Most of us were still trying to figure out what we wanted to do at that age; Bate has discovered his medium and excelled in it.

Nobody in the UK tournament left the crowd as frenzied and joyful as the English grappler. And he's just getting started.