WWE Vengeance 2011 Preview: 10 Storylines That Need to Be Addressed

Storylines are the basis of professional wrestling.

While you might say that actual in-ring competition is, it’s the storylines that make us care about what goes on the ring. If you just throw two guys in there and expect us to know who to cheer or who to boo, you’re going to be incredibly disappointed.

So, it’s imperative that every wrestling company use solid booking and, most importantly, logic when coming up with its storylines. But that’s not even the hard part—actually keeping them going is.

That’s where the WWE often fails, by ignoring the past and moving on to the future. But it absolutely cannot do that this Sunday.

Here are 10 storylines that the WWE must address at the upcoming Vengeance pay-per-view.

10. Kelly Kelly's Anger

Whenever a baby face starts getting angry, it usually means one of two things.

Either the face will start showing an intensity that the fans can appreciate and will still cheer (like Kofi Kingston did in his feud with Randy Orton in 2009), or the face is about to turn heel (like Christian earlier this year).

So, my question is: What’s the reasoning behind Kelly Kelly’s recent angry outbursts?

I’ll go with the creative team simply wanting her to show some emotions every once in a while rather than being the smiling, happy-go-lucky baby face she always is. After all, if you turn Kell Kelly heel, then that means the company’s three most important Divas—K2, Beth Phoenix and Natalya—are all going to be heels.

That can’t work, because if you think the Divas division is crap now, imagine how bad it would be if Beth’s wrestling Eve or Alicia Fox for the Divas Championship for the next few months.

9. Where Is Daniel Bryan?

OK, maybe this isn’t even a storyline. Maybe WWE officials just have no idea how to book Daniel Bryan.

Then again, maybe this is all part of a huge upcoming angle.

I mean, I truly find it hard to believe that Bryan would the Money in the Bank briefcase only to be booked like complete crap without it serving a purpose. It has to, right?

Perhaps this will head to Bryan cashing in earlier than expected, turning heel or going on a long winning streak once his current drought ends. I really don’t know.

But the WWE has to have Bryan present at the pay-per-view in some way that matters, or we’ll forget that he even has the briefcase.

8. The Anonymous Raw General Manager

I know, I know—I’m gullible, idiotic and too optimistic if I really think that the WWE will ever give us closure on the anonymous Raw General Manager storyline.

But I don’t. This is more me hoping that they do than thinking they actually will.

I’d put the odds on the anonymous Raw GM ever being addressed again at about 1,000,000/1. But that’s a damn shame.

It was such a huge part of the WWE for such a long time, and now, it’s completely faded away into oblivion without so much as one brief mention on Monday Night Raw.

With John Lauriniatis taking over as interim Raw GM, however, it would be nice if he would just say something like, “The anonymous Raw GM is never coming back. John Lauriniatis has taken over his job.”

That’s really all I’m asking for.

7. The Firing of Jim Ross

Let’s forget about the fact that Jim Ross wasn’t informed of his “firing” before it happened on air—that was one of the most despicable things the WWE has ever done to that man, and we all know about the crap the company has put him through.

Anyway, I just don’t understand the firing.

Ross was hired by Triple H, but fired by John Lauriniatis. However, shouldn’t  Triple H be able to re-hire J.R. as an announcer on Raw since he’s in a position of more power?

Better yet, couldn’t Triple H re-hire him and send him to Smackdown? Couldn’t Teddy Long do the same?

I don’t know. I guess I’m doing what the WWE obviously doesn’t have a problem doing, and that’s thinking too much.

6. Christian’s Heel Faction and Its Revolt Against the WWE

I’m not sure whether Christian’s collection of heel wrestlers is a temporary thing or a group that will be around for a while.

I hope it’s the latter because that’s a great-looking stable of stars that could do some incredible things if booked the proper way. But, now that the walkout is over and Triple H is no longer running the show, we need to see how that will affect this group.

The primary reason that all these heels joined forces was because they were pondering legal action against Triple H, but he’s no longer in power.

So, now what?

Well, I guess we’ll find out sooner or later why these guys are sticking together. And let’s hope that we get some sort of answer this Sunday at Vevgeance.

5. Where are Kane and The Undertaker?

The WWE never really gives us a reason for The Undertaker’s post-Wrestlemania hiatus.

Sorry, guys, but “He’s recovering from his match” isn’t really a good excuse. We want to know why he’s gone, when he’s coming back and who he’s going to be feuding with.

After all, the WWE has teased that he’s returning at Vengeance, and given the circumstances surrounding Taker nearly a year ago, it looks like a feud with Wade Barrett could be on the horizon.

Despite that tease, however, I still think it’s a longshot that we see The Undertaker this Sunday. That’s not the case for his brother Kane, though.

The Big Red Monster was sidelined by Mark Henry back in July, and he’s expected to return anytime now. With Henry currently involved in a feud with Kane’s former tag team partner, The Big Show, expect that time to be later this week at Vengeance.

4. Smackdown's Crowded Main Event Picture

Smackdown’s main event picture is one giant cluster right now.

You’ve got Mark Henry feuding with The Big Show for the World Heavyweight Championship, Henry still kinda sorta feuding with Randy Orton, Orton in a rivalry with Rhodes, Sheamus involved in a feud with Christian and the likely upcoming return of Kane.

That’s a lot of guys who are probably all going to be gunning for Smackdown’s World title, so you’ve got to find a way to solve that dilemma.

One hot rumor is that there will be a Championship Scramble at Survivor Series, but if that’s not the case, the WWE has to clearly establish who the No. 1 Contender for the World Heavyweight title will be without completely excluding those other guys from having a shot at it.

3. Why the Walkout Didn’t Apply to Smackdown

This has been pissing me off for God knows how long.

If Triple H is the C.O.O. of the entire WWE, then why on Earth were the superstars boycotting only Raw and Smackdown? And don’t give me this B.S. about “Triple H not being in the building at Smackdown.”

The fact of the matter is that, if you’re walking out on your company, you’re not going to appear at any function for it. If the NBA stars boycotted the league, they wouldn’t show up for home games and refuse to appear at away games—they’d miss everything.

Obviously, that angle would have the hurt the WWE business-wise if it legitimately cancelled episodes of Raw and Smackdown, as well as house shows. But that’s precisely why you don’t do an angle like this.

It makes no sense, and I for one wish we would get a real reason as to why that stupid walkout angle happened the way it did.

I know we won’t though.

2. Who Lowered the Cell for The Miz and R-Truth at Hell in a Cell?

This seems to be another one of those big angles that got completely lost in the shuffle.

When The Miz and R-Truth invaded the Hell in a Cell main event and attacked John Cena, CM Punk and Alberto Del Rio, the cell magically lowered to lock all of those wrestlers in there and allow Miz and Truth to beat the living crap out of them.

Well, that didn’t happen by accident. Someone obviously lowered the cage for them.

At first, the announcers and even WWE.com played up the “who done it?” angle, but guess what? That’s gone absolutely nowhere.

That’s freakin’ ridiculous.

We deserve to know who lowered the cell, and if we don’t find out by Vengeance, I think that this angle—much like the anonymous Raw GM—will be dropped without any explanation whatsoever.

1. Triple H’s Authority as WWE C.O.O.

I’m seriously considering writing a letter to the WWE’s corporate office and asking them to give me a detailed list of Triple H’s duties as WWE C.O.O.

No, not really. But I’d love to at least have some idea of what Triple H can and cannot do in his position.

You would think that being the C.O.O. gives him more power than anyone else in the company, but we have John Laurinaitis as the interim Raw general manager and Teddy Long working as Smackdown’s general manager.

Can Triple H overrule their decisions? Can he work with them to book matches? Or can he sit back and do absolutely nothing?

Maybe it’s just me, but it seems like Triple H is WWE C.O.O. in name only.

He has no power, no authority and looks like he is well on his way to being the most worthless C.O.O. in history. It’d be nice to find out if that actually isn’t the case.