1. The Underused UnderdogThe lasting image from Battleground was Kevin Owens collapsing onto Sami Zayn's chest and the babyface glaring down at Owens with a mix of rage and hesitation. Zayn emerged from that climactic match looking like a bona fide star, a gutsy hero with a truckload of momentum.Only a month has passed and already that image feels like a distant memory.Zayndidn't appear on last week's Raw. He doesn't have a SummerSlam match scheduled. He has no feud on his plate, no clear direction.AsWrestingInc pointed out, WWE hasn't taken advantage of what Zayn accomplished at Battleground:Following the career performance at last month's pay-per-view, Zayn has dropped matches to Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins. He earned a victory by distraction on Monday's Raw in a contest that was far more about setting up Sheamus vs. Cesaro than anything Zayn-related.But beyond wins and losses, WWE has failed Zayn on a narrative level. It built the Battleground match as his chance to put away his archenemy and move on to something bigger. And when Zayn vanquished his enemy, he suddenly found himself without a rudder.He has no new goal. He's not chasing a title. He's not out to prove himself.He's just another guy.Will Pruett of ProWrestling.net mocked WWE's storytelling efforts with Zayn:The stellar performance at Battleground and how much he and Owens moved the audience had Zayn looking ready to climb the WWE ladder. While many of the fresh faces who populate the New Era are unproven commodities, Zayn showed clear evidence of his potential against Owens.On the second biggest PPV of the year, he's poised to get left out. WWE found a space for newcomers like Carmella and Apollo Crews, but not Zayn. That's a mistake.Wrestling is a strike-while-the-iron-is-hot enterprise, and Zayn came out of Battleground with steam coming out of his ears. To not follow up after Battleground with something more substantial is a failure to capitalize on a star on the rise.2. John Cena's SummerSlam SlumpThe Superman of WWE's kryptonite is apparently the summer. Cena, a 15-time world champ, has looked anything but dominant at SummerSlam.He has suffered five losses in a row at the event, and has gone 1-7 since 2008 at the PPV.Suddenly, AJ Styles defeating him on Sunday doesn't look as impossible. After The Phenomenal One knocked off Cena at Money in the Bank, most assumed that Cena would win their next singles clash. Going up 2-0 on the leader of the Cenation is a rare feat.But perhaps Styles gets a massive boost at SummerSlam, moving into the top tier by stepping over Cena. Recent history says this is the time to get one over on the powerhouse.3. Throwback Video of the Week: Curt HawkinsAs announced on Tuesday's SmackDown, Hawkins is set to return.Because he's so young (31), it's easy to forget that he was with the company as far back as 2006. Hawkins has undergone quite the transformation since then. When he first moved from the WWE developmental system to the main roster, he was blond, billed as the brother of Zack Ryder and wrestled as Brian Major.The Major Brothers surprised fans by winning their ECW debut in May 2007.Ryder has since altered his gimmick and moved to a new team, now tagging with Mojo Rawley as The Hype Bros. Hawkins' new vignette, meanwhile, suggest that his latest gimmick will have a distinct Most-Interesting-Man-in-the-World vibe.4. Brooklyn Will Belong to the Women AgainThe women's division will be the talk of the second NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn, much like it was after the first edition of the event last summer.Bayley battled Sasha Banks last August in a match some hailed as the best of the year. It's now Asuka and Bayley's turn to create that kind of discussion.Bayley has refined her mat game since that showdown with The Boss. She's smoothed out her ring work and deepened her connection with the crowd. And she'll now face a top-tier performer in Asuka.The story of Bayley seeking redemption and her second NXT women's title has the potential to grab fans by the throat early on and not let go.Expect excellence on Saturday night. Look for Asuka and Bayley to outdo their male counterparts in Brooklyn.5. Security Issues ResurfaceThe line between the audience and the gladiators is being crossed too often.On Monday's Raw, a fan slipped into the ring and confronted Seth Rollins. Security soon tackled him, but not until after a potentially dangerous man got within striking distance of the Superstar.Fan Jose Silguero tweeted a video of the incident:Last year, a number of these kind of situations unfolded. A fan jumped over the guardrail to walk alongside Rollins during his entrance. Someonetried to attackDean Ambroseat a SmackDown taping.The latest security breakdown is a reminder that WWE needs to find ways to tighten things up. These moments can go from odd to injurious in a hurry.6. The Savior Finds a New StageTNA welcomed another WWE castoff last week. Damien Sandow, now Aron Rex, made hisImpact Wrestling debut three months after WWE cut him.When Vince McMahon cleaned house in the spring, letting Sandow, Wade Barrett, Alex Riley and others go, it was The Intellectual Savior of the Masses who inspired the most talk of being underutilized and mismanaged.He made everything WWE handed him work better than anyone would have expected, from being a stunt double to a Randy Savage ripoff. He always seemed on the cusp of being a key player in the WWE world, but true opportunity was always scarce.A fresh start now awaits.TNA's not likely to saddle him with ridiculous gimmicks or ask him to dress up like Magneto. Instead, a promising performer is going to the same place whether Ethan Carter III and Drew Galloway found their footing post-WWE, making it clear that their old company missed the boat on them.The safe bet is that Sandow does exactly the same thing.7. Team JerichoKevin Owens chose well. Chris Jericho, his new tag team partner, has a history of success at big events as part of a unit.Per CageMatch.net, Jericho is 14-5 when teaming with someone else on PPV. Much of that dates back to when he and Big Show held tight to the tag titles in 2009. But whether he was teaming with Christian or Edge, WWE has smiled on Jericho in PPV tag team action with its booking.Against Enzo Amore and Colin Cassady at SummerSlam, Jericho has a shot to further fatten his resume.8. Best of 'Best Ofs'Sheamus and Cesaro will make it absolutely clear who is the better man as they clash in a best-of-seven series starting at SummerSlam.Borrowing from the sports world like this is something WWE has rarely done in the past. This playoff-inspired format, though, has produced a handful of memorable matches.Check out these clips and highlights of five- and seven-match series, from both TNA and WWE, to get an idea of what the gimmick looks like at its best:The Hardy Boyz vs. Edge and Christian: No Mercy 1999 (Ladder)Booker T vs. Chris Benoit: Survivor Series 2005Booker T vs. Chris Benoit: Armageddon 2005Beer Money vs. Motor City Machine Guns: TNA Impact, Aug. 12, 2010The Wolves vs. Dirty Heels: TNA Impact, July 1, 2015 (Iron Man)John Cena and Booker T had a best-of-five series in 2004 over the United States Championship that flopped. Cena had not yet morphed into the big-match performer that he is today. And the rivals just didn't have great chemistry.That's something Sheamus and Cesaro don't have to worry about. Their previous showdowns have all been entertaining. The two slugfest artists are now set to deliver a succession of slobberknockers.9. A Cluttered DivisionAmerican Alpha teamed up to score the pinfall in a 12-Man Tag Team match on Tuesday's SmackDown. The bout saw the show's entire tag team division collide.The crowded, all-over-the-place contest acted as a symbol for the current state of the division.Other than Jason Jordan and Chad Gable of American Alpha, no duo has stood out since the brand split. WWE welcomed The Usos back after Jimmy Uso's recent injury with little fanfare. The company hasn't introduced The Hype Bros to fans who didn't follow them at NXT. And The Ascension have become somehow even more irrelevant.It's going to take a long while to get the SmackDown tag team scene to kick into gear.And instituting a new championship isn't going to fix things on its own. The division needs rivalries. The heel teams need to be something other than easy fodder.A long, patient process has to get underway after SummerSlam.10. WWE to Tackle LGBT StoriesWWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon left the wrestling world abuzz.She mentioned the possibility of the company presenting stories involving gay and transgender characters. During an appearance at a Beyond Sport United event, McMahon said, "When it makes sense...absolutely we will integrate LGBT storylines into our programming,"per Jodi Savitz of NBC News.Kudos to McMahon for the desire to be more inclusive, but fans have reason to be skeptical.Infusing LGBT elements into wrestling without veering off into stereotypes requires tact that WWE has simply not displayed in the past.Fans have seen WWE trot out The Mexicools, a trio of Mexican wrestlers who drove around on a lawn mower, and Kai En Tai, a faction of Asian grapplers whose promos were dubbed over a la old kung fu movies.This is also the same company that featured a gay wedding stunt that left GLAAD seething.Imagining WWE pulling off LGBT angles is difficult, even as good as their intentions may be.
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