Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE Making a Mistake Playing Hot Potato with Its Titles

1. In and Out Off the Throne in a Hurry

WWE shouldn't even bother putting name plates on its championships anymore.

Again and again, titleholders' reigns are cut too short. Before the glow of a championship victory even has a chance to wear off, a new Superstar steps in and snatches the crown. It's a hurried, ineffective route to take, giving the stories of these champions little room to breathe.

Sasha Banks knows that all too well. She's been at the center of WWE's habit of short title reigns several times.

On Monday, she lost the Raw Women's Championship to Alexa Bliss less than two weeks after winning it.

The defeat ended The Boss' reign at just nine days, per WWE.com. The Boss has now lost every single one of her title defenses, making her four reigns all brief and forgettable.

This is not a phenomenon limited to Banks or the women's title, either.

Turnbuckle Magazine pointed out just how often the United States Championship had new owners this year:

The Intercontinental Championship changed hands eight times in 2014 and six times last year. The U.S. title has turned over 17 times since 2015.

The Wyatt Family won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship on Dec. 4 and couldn't make it through the month as champs. The New Day took down The Usos for those same titles at Battleground, only to drop them at the next pay-per-view.

It's dizzying.

You'll be forgiven if you forgot Luke Harper was IC champ or that Kalisto is a two-time U.S. titleholder. Akira Tozawa's six-day reign as cruiserweight champion is likely to fade from many a memory before long.

Fans have little chance to connect with new champions. The Superstars have no space to create memorable moments while on top.

And this high turnover undercuts the emotional impact of championship victories.

If the audience knows that the newest IC or women's titleholder may very well drop the belt in a matter of weeks, the wrestler's big moment doesn't feel as big. It's part of a constant transition. It's just another title win in a sea of them.

When WWE has committed to a champion and allowed them to fend off challenger after challenger, the results have often been captivating.

CM Punk's 435-day stranglehold on the WWE Championship, Asuka's historic reign as NXT women's champ or The New Day's long stay atop the tag team division were all huge stories.

They created big-time anticipation for title matches. The audience had to wonder if this was the night the champs would finally fall. And with the gold in hand, those wrestlers grew as stars, battling would-be topplers and marching through history.

Not every reign can mirror those, but the kind of runs WWE has given Banks are ineffectual. They underwhelm rather than compel, offering up a shot of disappointment to go with all the confetti raining down on the new champion.

2. The Power of Love Clearly Not Enough

Mike Kanellis' early days as a WWE Superstar haven't seen him celebrate much.

For the moment, the company has positioned him as a pushover. His latest match saw him fall to Bobby Roode on Tuesday's SmackDown, playing the newcomer's stepping stone.

Kanellis has only had four matches on TV and pay-per-view so far, per CageMatch.net. He is 1-3 in those bouts and currently on a three-match losing streak.

WWE hasn't made much of an effort to put his skills to use. He didn't compete at SummerSlam. His feud with Sami Zayn never developed into anything. There has been little focus on his character and no clear plan since his arrival.

As it stands, Kanellis is the shiny new toy WWE bought only to put at the back of the shelf soon after.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Jeff Hardy

Jeff Hardy is suddenly closing in on the Intercontinental Championship. The high-flyer won a Battle Royal on Monday's Raw to earn a title shot against The Miz next week.

It's been a long time since Hardy first won that prize, 16 years to be exact. Hardy knocked off Triple H on SmackDown to claim his first IC title.

At that point, The Miz had yet to step in the ring. He was a cast member of The Real World who played around with a wrestler alter ego onscreen.

4. Impact Before Their Exit

The Mae Young Classic is offering a stage for females to shine, even for those who fail to make it out of the first round. In its four episodes, the women's tournament has featured a number of standout performers from the wrestlers who ultimately took an L.

Miranda Salinas impressed with hard strikes and tough-nosed offense in her clash with Rhea Ripley.

Vanessa Borne showed great presence. Xia Li was mighty fun to watch. And Jazzy Gabert has been one of the biggest stars of the show thus far.

Their opponents will get more chances to make a name for themselves in the rounds ahead, but women like Salinas and Gabert did well to get folks buzzing about them. That's one of the great things about an event like this. Wrestlers many fans haven't seen before are getting to do their thing in front of the biggest audience of their careers.

5. Star Maker and Eternal Optimist

No one is having more fun at the bottom of the ladder than Curt Hawkins.

On Monday's Raw, his Battle Royal opponents ganged up on him and tossed him out of the ring. Hawkins spun the moment into something else entirely:

This kind of tweet has been common for Hawkins during his latest WWE run.

He hasn't griped about his spot as a jobber. Instead, he's placed his tongue firmly in his cheek, fired off a number of jokes and seemingly enjoyed himself than during his first go-round with the company.

6. Shut Out the Star

Sexy Star's win at TripleMania on Saturday should be her last match ever.

At Mexican promotion AAA's biggest event of the year, the Lucha Underground star injured Rosemary's elbow by violently cranking on her arm. Rosemary revealed (NSFW language) the situation was far from scripted.

Wrestling reporter Andre Corbeil shared the following footage of the incident:

A flood of wrestlers, from Gail Kim to Cody Rhodes, have spoken out against Sexy Star's actions.

This is a violent, dangerous business, and everyone involved tries to minimize injury. Wrestlers trust in their opponents each time they step in the ring. Sexy Star broke that trust. 

She has to pay for that with a lack of paychecks from here on out. She doesn't deserve to be a part of the brother/sisterhood of the squared circle. Let her try her hand at MMA if she's so intent on hurting people.

7. History at No. 1

The world's best wrestler doesn't work for Vince McMahon. He isn't on Raw or SmackDown. He hasn't had a WrestleMania moment.

Kazuchika Okada is the king of wrestling and Pro Wrestling Illustrated recognized that in its latest issue as Scott Fishman of the Miami Herald noted:

The magazine gave the New Japan Pro Wrestling star the top spot in its annual PWI 500 list (h/t the Internet Wrestling Database). He is first Japanese wrestler and the first non-WWE star since AJ Styles in 2010 to earn that honor.

Okada's success without the WWE machine is a testament to his greatness and a shifting landscape in wrestling where New Japan Pro Wrestling is beginning to push itself further into the mainstream.

8. The Best of No Mercy

The No Mercy Raw-branded PPV on Sept. 24 has two thrillers lined up—John Cena vs. Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar vs. Braun Strowman. Those contests are sure to continue the event's tradition of delivering in the ring.

No Mercy has seen its share of classics.

Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels' all-time great feud hit its peak at the PPV. Cena composed one of his early hits at the show. And No Mercy saw The Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian kick-start a golden age of tag team wrestling.

Check out the clips and highlights of some of the PPV's top bouts and be sure to seek out the full versions: 

• The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian: 1999 (Ladder)
• Chris Jericho vs. The Rock: 2001
• John Cena vs. Kurt Angle: 2003
• Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels: 2008 (Ladder)
• The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler: 2016 (Title vs. Career)

Both Cena vs. Reigns and Lesnar vs. Strowman are safe bets to be on par with many of those battles. The rest of the card is still in the works, but No Mercy 2017 is looking WrestleMania-like at the moment.

9. When Worlds Collide, Don't Overthink It

Heath Slater showing up as his Southpaw Regional Wrestling alter ego on Monday's Raw tested the tensile strength of one's suspension of disbelief.

Slater, competing as Impressive Pelvis Wesley against Elias, meant that a character from a fictional wrestling promotion now existed on a real one. It means that either Wesley was a time-traveling grappler or some kind of ageless wonder, considering Southpaw is set in the 1980s. 

And it's not as if fans couldn't see that it was Slater in that Elvis-esque costume.

But the smart way to experience that moment and any other Southpaw crossovers is to simply let it happen and have fun. You can either focus on plot holes or embrace the entertaining absurdity of it all. 

10. Benjamin On Returning to the Ring

When Shelton Benjamin showed up to kick ass at Tuesday's SmackDown alongside Chad Gable, he wasn't just making his return to WWE—he was getting a chance to step away from a gutting situation at home. Hurricane Harvey has ravaged Houston and the Gulf Coast over the several days.

Benjamin is among the wrestlers who live in Houston and he saw the impact of the storm from close up.

The former U.S. champion was able to leave the city and do what he does best. He tweeted about how grateful he was to be in front of the fans again:

For Benjamin and the rest of Texas, any taste of normalcy is huge at this point.

Ryan Dilbert is Bleacher Report's Lead WWE Writer.