Step Up Edition

Welcome to another edition of Inside The Wrestling Ring. As always, head over to our partner Clubkayfabe's podcast as well.

Of course the biggest news coming out of Raw this week is that John Cena is indeed not a super-man. Cena had surgery to repair a torn tricep, keeping him out of action for 4-6 months. My thoughts about Cena are well known. As a performer, he is the best on microphone (right now) but as a wrestler, to me, he leaves a lot to be desired. But no one has given more to the world of wrestling than he has. From his charity work to his promotions for the company, no one does more. And for that he will be missed over that time.

It would take the average person four to six months to recover from the surgery that he had, but let's face it. Cena is not normal. Back in 2007 he was injured in October and was supposed to miss about six months of action. Instead he appeared in the Royal Rumble of 2008 and won it. All I am trying to say is I would be surprised if he takes the full four to six months to recover from this injury as well.

With both John Cena and Sheamus out, there need to be some wrestlers who step up in the absence. So I thought I would take this opportunity to list who I think should step up and why.

Daniel Bryan is, of course, on top of that list. He is already on the verge (once again) of being that top tier main event status. He has the crowd behind him and is a great mat-based wrestler. Plus, while I would never consider him an aerial wrestler, he does fly a little bit.

Dolph Ziggler has now been on the cusp of being a main eventer twice in the last few years and this is a perfect time for him to shine. We know he is athletic and takes crazy bumps. He has everything it takes to be a main eventer with the company for years to come, plus the fans are behind him as well. With the three-on-one match he had on Raw this past week, I think it's safe to say he will be looked at to help carry the load in Cena's absence.

Another person who had a three-on-one match this week is Big Show. He has the experience of being a main eventer. He is just returning from injury himself, so I think that helps him as well.

There are two other guys that have been on the verge of main eventing before that I think can fill in for Cena as well. Cody Rhodes and Kofi Kingston are both capable of great matches with practically anyone on the roster. I have been a fan of both of them pretty much since their debuts, so this would be the chance if the WWE wanted to push them to do so. Rhodes is in a feud right now with Damien Sandow but Kofi hasn't done anything since his return. I would love to see him step up against Ryback for injuring him. Both Kingston and Rhodes are young guys with a lot of future ahead of them.

I would include Christian and Rob Van Dam in this, however, both would be temporary fixes. Both are getting up there in age (as is Big Show, I know). They are both talented wrestlers who have been around the business for decades and could help teach the younger guys a thing or two.

Maybe throw in an NXT guy or two like Adrian Neville or Kassius Ohno. I also would like to see Xavier Woods called up. He may not have experience in the WWE, but he was almost a main eventer at TNA for awhile and has plenty to offer the WWE as well.

You hate to see any injury, regardless of your feeling for any superstar or diva. Hopefully it gives guys a chance to "reach for that brass ring" and climb the ladder that they would not normally get a chance to do.

Special thanks to my wonderful editor who also doubles as my lovely fiancée!

The Curtis Axel Booking

I admit it. I'm a huge Mr. Perfect fan. Always have been. And I guess because of that I have always enjoyed Michael Mcgillicutty. Now he is Curtis Axel. Still a fan. I legit marked out when he was announced as the next Paul Heyman guy. He has a great lineage in the business. He is so respected backstage that when The Rock wanted to get into wrestling shape, he turned to Axel. That says something!

And yet he is being booked horribly. Again. Let's take a look at his matches so far. He beat Triple H technically when he couldn't finish a match. Plus whatever that was on this week's episode of Raw with Vince ending the match before it began. He has two count out victories over John Cena. He beat Chris Jericho because Heyman distracted him with CM Punk's music. Oh, and he has two clean victories over Sin Cara. Yes, he is undefeated. Technically. But if he is to be pushed to main event status, he needs to win. Cleanly. Heel or not. Paul Heyman guy or not. He deserves better.

Ever since the days of Stone Cold Steve Austin there have been a few superstars who walk the fine line between a face and a heel. Randy Orton is a perfect example. He doesn't smile. And that's fine. But there are two people who take being a tweener to a new level. I'm referring to Triple H and one of his protégés Sheamus. For example whenever something doesn't go Sheamus's way, what does he do? Like when he lost to Mark Henry in arm wrestling he sucker punched him, followed by a Brogue Kick. He even Brogue Kicked Damien Sandow's computer cause he couldn't beat a chess challenge. And where did he learn this behavior? Triple H! He kicked Wade Barrett in the junk for no reason a few months ago. And Paul Heyman has gotten his share of pedigrees in the last few months. He is a manager, never really been a competitor of any level. Let's not forget whenever things go bad for Hunter, what does he do? He gets his sledge hammer. That's not very face-y now is it?

I am glad to see that the WWE didn't rush to judgment when it came to Dolph Ziggler's concussion. A lot of wrestling fans were calling for him to be stripped of the World Title due to injury. Instead they gave him all the time he needs to heal up. It was the right decision to make. Now if it lasts another month, that's a different story. Hopefully he will be at full strength for Payback.

Kurt Angle was the second inductee to the TNA hall of fame. While I think it should have been Jeff Jarrett, I accept Angle. I just find humor that both inductees are still active. And that's why Jarrett makes more sense. Though there are more rumblings that Sting is all but done in TNA. He continues to talk to the media about performing at Wrestlemania against the Undertaker. That can't rub anyone in the front office too well. I know if I was Dixie Carter I'd tell him to only talk about their organization if he wants to be a part of it.

Fixing Raw and Smackdown

If you watched Raw or Smackdown in the past few weeks, you've seen a few good matches. You also saw things that really didn't need to happen on a wrestling program. By that I mean shilling pizza, two dance contests, a truck pull, a tug of war between the World's Strongest Man and Tons of Funk and another one with Sheamus. And just because there wasn't enough randomness they threw in an arm wrestling contest too. First let us not forget we watch wrestling for the wrestling matches first and foremost. But lately the WWE seems to be dropping the ball on that. I think if I see one more Team Hell No vs Prime Time Players match I am going to be very angry! And you wouldn't like me angry. So I have a few ideas that might help the WWE (cause you know, they read this, right?) get back on track.

First, get rid of the jobbers and actually let everyone earn a spot on the roster. I am not saying get rid of them and fire them, but give everyone mini pushes. Let them earn it. I can think of a few guys that at one point had solid spots on the roster that are now just used to fed people that are being pushed down our throats. Guys like Ted Diabiase (I know he is healthy again, he has been on house shows recently), Yoshi Tatsu, Curt Hawkins, Alex Riley and JTG for example. I'm not saying Yoshi needs to win his matches but allow him to try to be entertaining and see if the fans take to him again.

Sit the people that need to be sat down. I don't care if John Cena is the WWE Champion. Everyone deserves a few weeks off to rest, especially if he is injured. If he were to get hurt even further, what good does it do the company then? CM Punk has it right. He is injured. He needs some time off to rest both his body and his mind. And he is taking it. Even when Cena was going through a nasty divorce he didn't take time off. I have never wrestled a day in my life, but I would imagine it would be way too easy to burn out considering what they put their bodies through. At least they are doing the right thing when it comes to Dolph Ziggler and his concussion. There is no reason why a man and a concussion should be competing in a ladder match.

I read something recently that said the Brand Extension was officially going away. I say put it back full force. That way more people earn their spots and we don't see the same match on Raw that we saw on Smackdown. Use shows like Main Event and Saturday Morning Slam as Super Shows. Let Raw and Smackdown focus on the putting on the best shows with the talent that is "signed" to that roster.

The last thing they can do to help is just go back to two hours. With all the injuries they have had recently, part of it has to do with being over worked. The wrestlers are clearly over worked with on average six and a half hours of wrestling every week, they are bound to be putting more stress on their bodies. Plus clearly the writers are reaching for things at this point. So if they pushed Raw back to two hours, I think it will help the overall product