11/29 Dot Net One Shots: The Dot Net staff give their quick thoughts from the previous week in WWE, TNA, MMA and indy wrestling

Welcome to the Dot Net One Shots. Each week, we will present a quick "one shot" thought from each staff member about the previous week in each of the following areas: WWE, TNA and Other (MMA, Indies, etc).

WWE

Jeff Lutz (Twitter - @JeffreyDLutz): Titus O’Neil has an impromptu breakout moment one week and plays enhancement talent the next. I might not have typically taken this so personally, but I gained a soft spot for O’Neil after I picked him to fill out Team Ziggler at Survivor Series. I know Vince McMahon doesn’t like to push people or ideas he didn’t think of, but I didn’t think he’d take it to this level. O’Neil shows an unscripted, off-the-cuff personality and essentially gets punished for it. What was the message there, that heels can’t be entertaining? Instances like these are what give me no confidence that WWE is still an environment for performers to get over on their own merits.

Jake Barnett (Twitter - @barnettjake): Raw's 3 hour format has finally reached it's tipping point with me. There are undoubtedly some interesting things happening on the show, but I doubt I will ever watch the show live again. There is too much filler, too little wrestling, and a persistent feeling that WWE has abandoned their focus on novelty and surprise.

Josh Short (Twitter - @JoshTubeShort): When the Shield made their debut I stated in my blog that I didn’t think Roman Reigns was ready for the main event call up. I concluded that blog by saying that I genuinely hope Reigns proves me wrong and on Raw WWE took a step in that direction. Reigns being positioned as the silent bruiser in the Shield is the perfect placement for him.

Ryan Kester (Twitter - @TheRyanKester): The Shield interview was easily the highlight of this week's Raw. It's nice to finally see these three men get a debut, and even nicer to see their characters fleshed out and given a proper story from day one.

Darren Gutteridge (Twitter - @Dazatheg): I wrote on Twitter that if Shield were to fight injustice, they should have been in every segment of Raw. Although all three matches were good, Bryan, Cesaro and Ziggler took unnecessary losses. Champions should not be immune to losing non-title matches, but WWE chose to have them be beat by three guys who did NOT need the boost, and they therefore gained nothing out of having two champions and Mr. MITB lose. Ziggler especially should have been protected, as it’s clear to everyone he has a bright future, and a win, no matter how screwy, over Cena would have got people talking. Hopefully, this builds to TLC becoming Ziggler’s “night”, were AJ screws Cena over, joins Dolph, and he goes on to cash in on Sheamus or Show at the end of the night. I don’t think casual fans will believe that he could beat either Cena or Sheamus, however, so we’ll be provided with chicken-shit heel champion #426.

Chris Shore (Twitter - @TheShoreSlant): Dean Ambrose reminded me again why he will be a major player in WWE with his comfort and ease on the mic during this Monday's interview. Seth Rollins was the big surprise as he also seemed confident in his mic skills. How that relates to live mic work remains to be seen, but so far, all three members of the Shield are doing exactly what they need to do on the microphone.

TNA

Jeff Lutz: Pro wrestling’s No. 2 promotion can bring in all of the seasoned, level-headed writers it wants, but the company will not gain any traction until it decides on an identity. Is it a nostalgia show for past All-Stars? Is it a vehicle for minor celebrities and reality-show stars? Is it a place for wrestlers overlooked by WWE because of size, look, or other factors to build a reputation? It wants to be all of those things at once, but TNA can’t and won’t become true competition for WWE until it picks just one.

Jake Barnett: Impact has the opposite problem of Raw, in that they write 3 hours of TV every week and cram it into a two hour show. I wish TNA would slow down and offer better storyline payoffs, even if it means you don't fit the entire roster on TV every week.

Josh Short: The Kurt Angle/Wes Brisco/Garrett Bischoff storyline is a predictable one but predictable isn’t always bad. We all know what’s coming but just like the Joseph Park/Abyss storyline this one is fun to watch. I look forward to seeing where it goes next week.

Ryan Kester: Call me crazy, but I am looking forward to this Bully Ray dating Brooke Hogan storyline. It can go downhill fast, and already seems headed in that direction with Hogan being the protective father of a grown woman, but I want to see what Bully Ray can do with this idea before it all goes to hell.

Chris Shore: What happened to TNA? At one point they looked like they had righted the ship and were heading in good directions creatively. I didn't agree with all their decisions, but they all at least made sense. Now the show is back to a wild, chaotic mess with weak storylines and silly gimmicks. It's almost like Russo is back. Let's hope tonight's show brings back the balance from just a few weeks ago.

Other (MMA, Indies, Etc)

Josh Short (ROH): This week I watched my first ever full episode of Ring of Honor on Sinclair Broadcasting. I really enjoyed the opening match featuring Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin vs. Caprice Coleman and Cedric Alexander. I’ve barely seen Haas and Benjamin since they left WWE and Haas in particular showed great charisma. I also really enjoyed the work of Alexander and Coleman. They seem to be an entertaining, dynamic tag team.

Jake Barnett: I know he doesn't need my plug, but Colt Cabana's Art of Wrestling Podcast is more entertaining than most Wrestling Television right now. You owe it to yourself to listen to the two part William Regal interview if nothing else.

Ryan Kester (UFC): GSP's return to the Octagon was a sight to behold. He looked like he never left and he gave a brilliant performance against Carlos Condit. With talks of a superfight with Anderson Silva around the corner, this could be just what the UFC needs to breathe some life back into their product.

Chris Shore (Indy iPPVs): This is such a bad time of year for indy wrestling with the holidays taking up so many dates, but ROH and CHIKARA both have iPPVs coming up that look to be good. I plan to have live coverage of the ROH Final Battle show, and it is still up in the air if we will have CHIKARA coverage. Even if we don't have coverage, if you are missing indy action, these two shows should cure what ails you.