Am I the only one? Dr. Shelby bombs; Vince McMahon’s potty humor; Rousey’s ‘suspension’

Kevin Eck

Am I the only one? Dr. Shelby bombs; Vince McMahon’s potty humor; Rousey’s ‘suspension’ image

Every week, former WWE creative writer Kevin Eck runs down his biggest thoughts from "RAW," "SmackDown" and the world of pro wrestling.

‘RAW’ thoughts

Am I the only one who …

… was extremely disappointed with the counseling segments with Dr. Shelby, Bayley and Sasha Banks?

We now know that Dr. Shelby is not a miracle worker, as even he could not make the Bayley-Banks saga the least bit interesting or entertaining. Looking back on Dr. Shelby’s previous stint with WWE, while the actor playing the part did a fine job, it was really Kane and Daniel Bryan who made those anger management counseling sessions so much fun. Bayley and Banks clearly are not Kane and Bryan.

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Not only do Bayley and Banks not have the acting chops that Kane and Bryan have, but their characters are nowhere near as likable. Fans were entertained by the bickering Kane and Bryan and rooted for them to hug it out and get on the same page. The bickering between Bayley and Banks is the antithesis of entertaining and has made both of them unlikable. Moreover, the Kane-Bryan-Shelby segments were much better written. I can’t believe anyone in WWE actually thought the Bayley-Banks-Shelby segments were the least bit funny.

When Bayley snapped and delivered that awesome beatdown to Banks last week, the crowd popped for it. It actually appeared that something good was going to come out of this horribly booked storyline. But then WWE had to get cute by sending Bayley and Banks to counseling, and now we’re right back where we were. At this point, I’m starting to think this never-ending frenemies storyline has to be a rib on Bayley and Banks.

… thinks Roman Reigns and Bobby Lashley could benefit from some counseling sessions with Dr. Shelby?

Rather than torturing the audience by having the bickering Reigns and Lashley team together every week, why not send them to Dr. Shelby? I actually think the two alpha males having to share their feelings with Dr. Shelby would be entertaining. It definitely would add another layer to the Reigns and Lashley characters and just might make them more likable.

… was 100 percent sure Kevin Owens was going to be trapped in the porta-potty by Braun Strowman as soon as it was visible on screen when Owens pulled up in his car early in the show?

If you didn’t see that one coming from a mile away, shame on on you. Knowing Vince McMahon’s juvenile sense of humor, I can only imagine how his eyes must’ve lit up when he heard the pitch in the booking meeting. Stop right there, pal. You had me at porta potty.

… wonders why Ronda Rousey needs to buy a ticket to be at “Extreme Rules” since her suspension only applies to “RAW” and not the pay-per-view?

Only the powers that be in WWE could take a simple concept like a 30-day suspension and make it convoluted.

… thinks Dolph Ziggler is looking more like a top guy than ever?

There’s no question that Ziggler is a spectacular in-ring performer, but there always seemed to be something missing that kept him from being a consistent main-eventer. Since being rebooted as a two-man wrecking crew with Drew McIntyre, however, Ziggler is showing more confidence on the mic and carrying himself like a top star.

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… thinks the Finn Balor-Baron Corbin feud is just Daniel Bryan-Big Cass II?

One guy is short but really good in the ring; the other guy is really tall, which makes him feel superior and entitled because of his size advantage. Certainly the powers that be in WWE can come up with something more creative than this.

‘SmackDown Live’ thoughts

Am I the only one who …

… wonders why Kane is allowed to even be on “SmackDown” much less compete for the blue brand’s tag team championship?

A friend of mine reminded me that the last time we saw Kane he was a member of the “RAW”  roster. So I checked the rosters on WWE.com, and sure enough, Kane is still listed on the “RAW” page. When The Usos came out this week to protest Kane and Daniel Bryan getting a title shot without having earned it, they could’ve strengthened their case by saying, “Kane, you don’t even really work here.”

… was hoping that Asuka was going to beat up James Ellsworth so bad that he was going to be taken out on a stretcher and never seen again?

Oh well. Maybe next week.

… thought Byron Saxton sounded silly when he said that Rusev was “operating at a higher level than he ever had?”

I know WWE is trying to make Rusev seem like a credible threat to AJ Styles’ WWE Title, but the Rusev of 2018 would be no match for the Rusev who went undefeated for a year from 2014 to 2015.

… thought the hat Byron Saxton was wearing made him look like that dude from “Get Out?”

I half-expected Saxton’s nose to start bleeding and for him to suffer a meltdown in the middle of New Day’s pancake-eating contest.

… was distracted by Billie Kay’s eyebrows during her “selfie” promo with Peyton Royce?

If I didn’t know better, I’d swear she was a second-generation wrestler.

Kevin Eck