A thought about Edge

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Not that I can agree with their ideas nor am I sitting in the writing meetings but I think I can come up with a reason HHH would attack Edge.

 

 

1. Edge is becoming a threat to his ME spot.

 

Now I know this will bring up the "BUT HHH WAS ON RAW AND EDGE IS ON SMACKDOWN BAH GAWD!" While that's true, that didn't stop any cross-promotional angles from happening. I mean, look at Brock/Goldberg. They kicked off their Mania feud at Survivor Series and doesn't really start physically feuding til Royal Rumble. And last year at NWO or some event, didn't Jeff Hardy slap Matt Hardy, who were on separate brands?

 

2. Maybe Edge and HHH had some interaction that led to a brawl and Edge being attacked.

 

This probably sets up the idea that Edge told HHH that he will win the title and HHH took offense in that. Now this goes back to the Raw/SD argument. Perhaps Edge intended to jump to Raw, and it was never completed.... until now.

 

3. HHH feels Edge looked at him the wrong way so he beat respect in him.

 

I know this kinda sounds like a "Out of my league" kind of thing, but this could go hand in hand with reason #1. I mean HHH has proven that he will do anything to get what he wants.

 

4. HHH has money on Team Angle in their match and this increases his chance of winning.

 

Farfetched I know. Let's never speak of this again.

 

5. HHH just felt like it.

 

This is probably the angle they'll run should they do the Edge attacked angle.

 

 

 

 

My point is, there's MANY MANY MANY ways they could book it around HHH being the culprit. However, I feel that this kind of angle is best used to turn a face heel. Look at the Austin storyline. First Rikishi was used as the guy who did the grunt work. He turned heel. Then HHH, a face/tweener turned back heel when he was revealed to be the mastermind. I just hope that if they go the surprise route, it's not tied up to Benoit, as Benoit will most likely be banking on a huge face momentum going into Backlash. Unless this serves to be a fodder for an "excellent" Edge/Benoit feud that carries Raw over the summer in the undercard. Then again, this is the WWE. We will just see.

[Guest Loss]

You ignore the main point -- if they were being consistent with the last three horrendous years of booking, there would be NO ELEVATION. There wouldn't be a way for it to make sense and it would take another two years before we saw the guys we wanted to see entering the main event scene.

 

WWE realized their mistakes, I'd say around Survivor Series. Since then, they have placed Eddy Guerrero and Chris Benoit in main event storylines and they are making better use of the roster as a whole. Wrestlemania XX has better hype for every match, top to bottom, than ANY Wrestlemania has since Wrestlemania XIV.

 

The company is still not where I want them to be. But it frustrates me when a certain few ignore any strides they are making in the name of "being right" all along. Do you want the company to fail?

 

Try, just once, looking at WWE as a business instead of using standards for a wrestling company that no wrestling company ever in the history of pro wrestling has ever used. House shows, PPV buys and television ratings have been dropping. What is the response? Elevate Chris Benoit and Eddy Guerrero, turn John Cena face since the crowds want to cheer him, place minorities in more high-profile roles to draw in new viewers and use the Jericho/Christian/Trish storyline to draw in a female audience. By moving Benoit to RAW, they allowed high-profile openings for Eddy Guerrero, Kurt Angle and Bill Goldberg on the Wrestlemania card, all of whom would have been left in the cold had 'Mania been headlined by Lesnar v Benoit and HHH v HBK.

 

The result? Benoit's storyline is still intact because he's still wrestling for the world title at Wrestlemania. Eddy Guerrero and Kurt Angle are now in a World title match when they were both directionless months ago. Bill Goldberg and Brock Lesnar get to do the dream match before Goldberg leaves for good. It makes *so much sense* from a business perspective. And honestly, if one is incapable of separating what they want as a fan from what WWE should do as a business, they probably should stick to talking about wrestling like it's real because blending the two is taking two points of view that shouldn't and aren't consistent and coming up with a solution that is impossible.

 

It was a smart move because it allowed for more movement in the main event scene, allowed for more people to have high-profile matches, and as a result, no one is being left behind. Why you can not see that when it's right in front of you is beyond me.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Not that I can agree with their ideas nor am I sitting in the writing meetings but I think I can come up with a reason HHH would attack Edge.

 

 

1. Edge is becoming a threat to his ME spot.

 

It doesn't work because _at the time_ Brock Lesnar was a bigger threat than Edge. So why didn't he go after Lesnar? This, of course, is working under the assumption that brand difference doesn't matter.

 

2. Maybe Edge and HHH had some interaction that led to a brawl and Edge being attacked.

 

Unless they filmed the scene back at No Way Out, it's based on Fluff.

 

3. HHH feels Edge looked at him the wrong way so he beat respect in him.

 

This isn't really based on anything. I mean, I don't necessarily have a problem with Edge vs. HHH as a feud, but using NWO as a stepping stone isn't a good start for the feud

 

My point is, there's MANY MANY MANY ways they could book it around HHH being the culprit. However, I feel that this kind of angle is best used to turn a face heel. Look at the Austin storyline. First Rikishi was used as the guy who did the grunt work. He turned heel. Then HHH, a face/tweener turned back heel when he was revealed to be the mastermind.

 

AND IT WAS HORRIBLE.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

You ignore the main point -- if they were being consistent with the last three horrendous years of booking, there would be NO ELEVATION. There wouldn't be a way for it to make sense and it would take another two years before we saw the guys we wanted to see entering the main event scene.

 

And you're working from the assumption that nothing can end and nothing can begin.

 

WWE realized their mistakes, I'd say around Survivor Series. Since then, they have placed Eddy Guerrero and Chris Benoit in main event storylines and they are making better use of the roster as a whole. Wrestlemania XX has better hype for every match, top to bottom, than ANY Wrestlemania has since Wrestlemania XIV.

 

How did they realize their mistake when they just out-of-the-blue elevated Eddie to the main event scene and completely fucked over Benoit? They're building up Mania, ok, but what of No Way Out? THERE WAS BARELY ANY BUILD FOR THE MAIN EVENT! They haven't "realized their mistaks", they're doing what they always do. Fuck up, and then try and do damage control.

 

The company is still not where I want them to be. But it frustrates me when a certain few ignore any strides they are making in the name of "being right" all along. Do you want the company to fail?

 

No, I want the company to be good. They aren't. And it frustrates me when a certain few ignore the plot holes they are making in the name of... shit, I don't even know. Do you want the company to continue to suck? Because it sure seems like it.

 

Try, just once, looking at WWE as a business instead of using standards for a wrestling company that no wrestling company ever in the history of pro wrestling has ever used.

 

They also have one of the most rich rosters along with hundreds of millions of dollars at their disposal and dominance over the wrestling industry. Just once, try looking at the WWE as they really are; a company living up to none of their potential. And I _do_ look at wrestling as a business, and what they're doing is not smart business.

 

... got a test right now...

[Guest Loss]

And you're working from the assumption that nothing can end and nothing can begin.

Actually, you're the one working from that assumption. We've seen a Benoit push begin and we've seen an Eddy push begin, but instead of celebrating that it has happened, you're upset that they weren't pushed sooner. The past can not be changed. Only the future can be. I'd rather not waste my time complaining about things that have no chance of being changed in the future. WWE is getting it right.

 

How did they realize their mistake when they just out-of-the-blue elevated Eddie to the main event scene and completely fucked over Benoit?

 

That has not happened. Why has that happened? Because Benoit moved to RAW? Please, we've been over that. Because Benoit did a job to HBK? Come on!

 

That finish, based on the result they're trying to get, was the only logical thing they could do. If Benoit would have pinned HBK, it would have cropped Shawn out of the picture when they're obviously trying to keep him in the picture. It also would have lessened the impact of Benoit defeating him at Backlash, which all signs point to happening.

 

 

They're building up Mania, ok, but what of No Way Out?  THERE WAS BARELY ANY BUILD FOR THE MAIN EVENT!

 

There were three weeks between pay-per-views. Eddy did not get laid out during that time period. He won a nearly 40-minute #1 Contenders match, got the best of an in-ring confrontation with Brock and PINNED HIM on the last Smackdown before the PPV. That shows a genuine effort to get away from 50/50 booking.

 

Eddy has been getting more TV time over the past few months and has been put in the show-ending spot on many occasions. He's been a US champion and he has now done the impossible and won the World title. He has overcome his family turning on him and an amazing size difference and done what few thought he could.

 

I wish there could have been more time between the PPVs. You could argue that it was rushed. But it was the 100% right buildup.

 

They haven't "realized their mistaks", they're doing what they always do.  Fuck up, and then try and do damage control.

 

Damage control that has been in effect since November. At this point, it's booking long term, pushing new talent and creating fresh matches on top.

 

No, I want the company to be good.  They aren't.

 

Does that mean you're going to ignore any improvement at all you see until they've gotten to a point where they're perfect? It took them a long time to get in the position they're in; it'll take a long time to fix it.

 

And it frustrates me when a certain few ignore the plot holes they are making in the name of... shit, I don't even know.  Do you want the company to continue to suck?  Because it sure seems like it.

 

The company does not suck right now. They have a long way to go toward being at their full potential, but things are *far* better than they were at this point in 2003. And 2002.

 

They also have one of the most rich rosters along with hundreds of millions of dollars at their disposal and dominance over the wrestling industry.  Just once, try looking at the WWE as they really are; a company living up to none of their potential.

 

None is totally inaccurate. Even if they never live up to their full potential, if they are moving toward giving the audience what they want to see and pushing the right guys in the right positions, they are doing their jobs. Vince McMahon is a promoter, not a novelist in the fantasy genre.

 

Would you rather crop Eddy, Angle and Goldberg out of high-profile positions at Wrestlemania when simply moving Benoit to RAW ensures that they'll all have meaningful matches, all while Benoit loses nothing? That doesn't seem like good business to me.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

Not that I can agree with their ideas nor am I sitting in the writing meetings but I think I can come up with a reason HHH would attack Edge.

 

 

1. Edge is becoming a threat to his ME spot.

 

It doesn't work because _at the time_ Brock Lesnar was a bigger threat than Edge. So why didn't he go after Lesnar? This, of course, is working under the assumption that brand difference doesn't matter.

 

2. Maybe Edge and HHH had some interaction that led to a brawl and Edge being attacked.

 

Unless they filmed the scene back at No Way Out, it's based on Fluff.

 

3. HHH feels Edge looked at him the wrong way so he beat respect in him.

 

This isn't really based on anything. I mean, I don't necessarily have a problem with Edge vs. HHH as a feud, but using NWO as a stepping stone isn't a good start for the feud

 

My point is, there's MANY MANY MANY ways they could book it around HHH being the culprit. However, I feel that this kind of angle is best used to turn a face heel. Look at the Austin storyline. First Rikishi was used as the guy who did the grunt work. He turned heel. Then HHH, a face/tweener turned back heel when he was revealed to be the mastermind.

 

AND IT WAS HORRIBLE.

I know. I see the lack of logic in that. That's why I said I disagree with their ideas, but those five points I brought up are probably the most likeliest scenarios they'd run in order to get Edge/HHH feud going.

[Guest Anglesault]

Would you rather crop Eddy, Angle and Goldberg out of high-profile positions at Wrestlemania when simply moving Benoit to RAW ensures that they'll all have meaningful matches, all while Benoit loses nothing? That doesn't seem like good business to me.

Benoit started chasing Brock Lesnar for the WWE title. He lost, and Paul Heyman starts putting obstacles in his way. He overcomes some...AND WALKS AWAY?

 

WTF?

 

And they very easily could have done HHH vs. Goldberg and Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle (The match, that to this day I think they should have done) while giving Eddie and Chavo a proper blow off at Mania. I'd rather he not face Chavo at Mania, but hell, I STILL don't know why they cut Eddie off at the knees after No mercy so he could start an eight year long pre-turn angle with Chavo.

[Guest Loss]

And they very easily could have done HHH vs. Goldberg and Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle (The match, that to this day I think they should have done) while giving Eddie and Chavo a proper blow off at Mania. I'd rather he not face Chavo at Mania, but hell, I STILL don't know why they cut Eddie off at the knees after No mercy so he could start an eight year long pre-turn angle with Chavo.

They did not cut him off at the knees. He won the world title for crying out loud. They made Eddie/Chavo a main event level program, ending the show often and they actually based a lot of the advertising of the Rumble around that match.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

And they very easily could have done HHH vs. Goldberg and Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle (The match, that to this day I think they should have done) while giving Eddie and Chavo a proper blow off at Mania. I'd rather he not face Chavo at Mania, but hell, I STILL don't know why they cut Eddie off at the knees after No mercy so he could start an eight year long pre-turn angle with Chavo.

They did not cut him off at the knees. He won the world title for crying out loud. They made Eddie/Chavo a main event level program, ending the show often and they actually based a lot of the advertising of the Rumble around that match.

But does Chavo really deserve a main event program?

[Guest Loss]

But does Chavo really deserve a main event program?

No, and he's not getting one. He was a plot device to launch Eddy and he's using the rub from the feud to try to breathe life into the cruiserweight division.

 

This is all bad how?

[Guest Anglesault]

And they very easily could have done HHH vs. Goldberg and Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle (The match, that to this day I think they should have done) while giving Eddie and Chavo a proper blow off at Mania. I'd rather he not face Chavo at Mania, but hell, I STILL don't know why they cut Eddie off at the knees after No mercy so he could start an eight year long pre-turn angle with Chavo.

They did not cut him off at the knees.

He was quickly ascending the ladder of heels, culminating with what SHOULD have been a win over Big Show (or, at the very least, a hard fought loss-which it almost was.) With the US title eventually off him, he targets the Brock.

 

Instead, we got a job to Big show, a two week "What a loser that Eddie is!" angle, a never ending angle with his unover nephew (and that's EXACTLY what Chavo was right up to the turn) and a feud with the most heatless tag champs this side of Le Resistance, where he jobbed to said heatless tag champs THREE TIMES.

 

He was slowly climbing up to approaching Main event level, when he suddenly dropped ALL the way down to the Bashams and Chavo for three months.

[Guest Loss]

He was quickly ascending the ladder of heels, culminating with what SHOULD have been a win over Big Show (or, at the very least, a hard fought loss-which it almost was.) With the US title eventually off him, he targets the Brock.

 

Instead, we got a job to Big show, a two week "What a loser that Eddie is!" angle, a never ending angle with his unover nephew (and that's EXACTLY what Chavo was right up to the turn) and a feud with the most heatless tag champs this side of Le Resistance, where he jobbed to said heatless tag champs THREE TIMES.

 

He was slowly climbing up to approaching Main event level, when he suddenly dropped ALL the way down to the Bashams and Chavo for three months.

Eddy v Show can now happen for the title. I guarantee you that when they booked that, they booked it thinking Eddy would get his win back in the future. I can assure you he'll get a victory in the near future.

 

I never once heard Michael Cole say, "Eddy Guerrero is a loser, Tazz!" and he still won 90% of his matches, so I don't understand that. The Chavo tease did go a little, okay -- a lot -- long, but it was not done with the intent of burying him, nor did it bury him. Otherwise, explain the pop he got for actually winning the title and the fact that he is being taken seriously.

 

If the whole point was for Eddy to slowly edge out of the midcard into main events instead of having no transition, that's exactly what happened and it's one of the main reasons for Angle's involvement. His name value gave the feud more importance than it would have had otherwise.

 

Please realize doing a job is not the end of the world for a wrestler. It doesn't mean his career is ruined or that he has no future. Every wrestler has to do jobs.

[Sass 0]

Every wrestler has to do jobs.

Except HHH.

 

We've all seen how this has done *wonders* for his career as well as others.

 

[Austin3164life 0]

There hasn't been a well-booked feud since Austin/Rock (the only feud the WWE never seems to screw up horribly). I can't see Edge and Triple H feuding because Edge simply thought Triple H was responsible for No Way Out 2003. It doesn't make sense........alright now I see it happening.

[Guest Anglesault]

Eddy v Show can now happen for the title. I guarantee you that when they booked that, they booked it thinking Eddy would get his win back in the future. I can assure you he'll get a victory in the near future.

I'm not as upset with that Big Show match, because I do believe that it wasn't a bad job and Eddie will get his win back anyway.

 

I never once heard Michael Cole say, "Eddy Guerrero is a loser, Tazz!"

 

"Eddie Guerrero's bad week?"

 

. The Chavo tease did go a little, okay -- a lot -- long, but it was not done with the intent of burying him,

 

It ripped him out of the upper midcard and plopped him into an angle with three men no one cared about.

 

If the whole point was for Eddy to slowly edge out of the midcard into main events instead of having no transition, that's exactly what happened

 

No, he went from the upper midcard with Show, to the lower midcard/midcard with Chavo, to the main event with Brock.

[Guest Loss]

There hasn't been a well-booked feud since Austin/Rock (the only feud the WWE never seems to screw up horribly).

Jericho/Rock?

Jericho/Michaels?

HHH/HBK?

 

Those have been after Austin/Rock and have all been handled just as well, if not better. Jericho/Michaels had the wrong guy winning and HHH/HBK wasn't the right feud at the right time, but as far as the execution of the feuds, they've all been good.

[Guest Loss]

No, he went from the upper midcard with Show, to the lower midcard/midcard with Chavo, to the main event with Brock.

Eddy/Chavo was presented as a main event feud. Again, it ended most shows and a lot of the Rumble advertising was built around this match. It was not low midcard. Those matches don't get that type of hype.

[USC Wuz Robbed! 0]

There hasn't been a well-booked feud since Austin/Rock (the only feud the WWE never seems to screw up horribly).

Jericho/Rock?

Jericho/Michaels?

HHH/HBK?

 

Those have been after Austin/Rock and have all been handled just as well, if not better. Jericho/Michaels had the wrong guy winning and HHH/HBK wasn't the right feud at the right time, but as far as the execution of the feuds, they've all been good.

Jericho/Michaels was a good feud in theory. In practice, it flopped. HHH/HBK is a good feud because they're buddies and they're willing to put each other over (Not as much now as before) and Jericho/Rock.... see Jericho/Michaels.

[Austin3164life 0]

There hasn't been a well-booked feud since Austin/Rock (the only feud the WWE never seems to screw up horribly).

Jericho/Rock?

Jericho/Michaels?

HHH/HBK?

 

Those have been after Austin/Rock and have all been handled just as well, if not better. Jericho/Michaels had the wrong guy winning and HHH/HBK wasn't the right feud at the right time, but as far as the execution of the feuds, they've all been good.

Jericho/HBK happened during the same time Austin and Rock began feuding again leading into WM XIX. Triple H/HBK is a decent feud, but it seems like they feud whenever Triple H wants to re-establish the fact that he can still work when he wants to against an opponent of his choosing. Austin and Rock have had a great feud, and when both came back, it was still booked well (especially their last match). Add to that the fact that Shawn (the wrong guy) went over Jericho, when it seemed to point that Jericho was going to go over his life-long idol.

[Guest Anglesault]

No, he went from the upper midcard with Show, to the lower midcard/midcard with Chavo, to the main event with Brock.

Eddy/Chavo was presented as a main event feud. Again, it ended most shows and a lot of the Rumble advertising was built around this match. .

Same could be said for much of the Angle/Edge feud.

 

It was not low midcard

 

Late October to Early January is absolutely was. The minute Chavo turned it went up.

[Guest Anglesault]

There hasn't been a well-booked feud since Austin/Rock (the only feud the WWE never seems to screw up horribly).

Jericho/Rock?

Jericho/Michaels?

HHH/HBK?

 

Those have been after Austin/Rock and have all been handled just as well, if not better. Jericho/Michaels had the wrong guy winning and HHH/HBK wasn't the right feud at the right time, but as far as the execution of the feuds, they've all been good.

Y2J/HBK got really bad and tedious for a month. (February)

[Guest Loss]

Same could be said for much of the Angle/Edge feud.

A feud that was successful in getting Edge over as a singles wrestler, which is why I've never understood why you hated it so much.

 

Late October to Early January is absolutely was. The minute Chavo turned it went up.

 

This is true. It dragged and should have ended sooner. But when it came time to pull the trigger, it was done the right way with the right focus with the right results. So the angle was not a failure.

[Guest Anglesault]

Same could be said for much of the Angle/Edge feud.

A feud that was successful in getting Edge over as a singles wrestler, which is why I've never understood why you hated it so much.

 

It was an Ungodly awful feud that sent Angle spiraling and didn't even elevate Edge, as his next two feuds were with men LOWER on the card than Angle.

 

Angle didn't recover from the Edge feud until Hogan tapped.

 

And of course, they ruined that the very next SD!, but that's a whole different rant.

[Sass 0]

Same could be said for much of the Angle/Edge feud.

A feud that was successful in getting Edge over as a singles wrestler, which is why I've never understood why you hated it so much.

 

It was an Ungodly awful feud that sent Angle spiraling and didn't even elevate Edge, as his next two feuds were with men LOWER on the card than Angle.

 

Angle didn't recover from the Edge feud until Hogan tapped.

 

And of course, they ruined that the very next SD!, but that's a whole different rant.

Didn't you spend 4 pages at WDI the month before Wrestlemania 17 complaining about how Angle facing Kane at Wrestlemania was going to forever ruin his career?

[Guest Anglesault]

It didn't help, and it certainly hurt. Kane was the final drop from ME level to midcard, which allowed him to start that feud with Edge.

 

I can't believe people still think Kurt, after what he did in 01, earned such a low profile Mania match at X8.

[Guest Loss]

It didn't help, and it certainly hurt. Kane was the final drop from ME level to midcard, which allowed him to start that feud with Edge.

 

I can't believe people still think Kurt, after what he did in 01, earned such a low profile Mania match at X8.

He probably should have blown off the feud with Austin in a gimmick match with lots of juice and hate, but Scott Hall got the spot, and we won't take the thread in that direction.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

House shows, PPV buys and television ratings have been dropping. What is the response?

 

Push McMahons and the stars they built up when they were successful. Well, at least, that's been the strategy for the past 2 years. Didn't really do anything productive for the company, though. Oh, you mean recently? Oops.

 

Elevate Chris Benoit

 

Elevated in 2000, 2001, and 2003. They're using him now because they simply have no one left.

 

and Eddy Guerrero

 

Yes, one minute he's in the midcard the next he has won the WWE title. If they really cared about elevating him in a way that would keep him up there they wouldn't have made his road to the title 3 weeks long.

 

turn John Cena face since the crowds want to cheer him

 

Did they really "turn" him face? I can recall him beating up Albert and then just facing more heel opponents, but did anything really change? He's just pandering to the audience more now (which he did as a heel, but not so much). But you're acting as this is some grand realization and the company has taken great steps in implementing the epic and momentous John Cena face turn. Ok, I'm putting those words in your mouth but it was a silly statement in the first place.

 

place minorities in more high-profile roles to draw in new viewers

 

By that you mean... Eddie Guerrero? Is Goldberg a minority? Let's see the matches at Mania... HHH/HBK/Benoit, Lesnar/Goldberg, Kane/Taker, Cena/Show... Eddie/Angle. And if you want to bring up NWO with Rey Mysterio being a focus, that was one of the worst hyped PPVs ever. I don't disagree with you that they are attempting to penetrate the market, I am just saying they aren't doing a good job nor are they making a great effort to do so. It's a half-hearted attempt because, simply put, they've run out of their traditional options (cept for Celebrity involvement, which surprises me they haven't done)

 

and use the Jericho/Christian/Trish storyline to draw in a female audience.

 

And Stacy/Jackie are supposed to do what, to turn them away?

 

By moving Benoit to RAW, they allowed high-profile openings for Eddy Guerrero, Kurt Angle and Bill Goldberg on the Wrestlemania card, all of whom would have been left in the cold had 'Mania been headlined by Lesnar v Benoit and HHH v HBK.

 

I never said Lesnar/Benoit Mania. I said Lesnar/Benoit at rumble. Eddie or Angle would be at Mania. And they didn't have to move Benoit to make an opening, it's not like there's a certain finite number of ME'rs you can have. They could have had Benoit/Eddie, Goldberg/Brock, Angle/HBK, HHH/Cena.

 

The result? Benoit's storyline is still intact because he's still wrestling for the world title at Wrestlemania.

 

By storyline you mean... ?

 

Eddy Guerrero and Kurt Angle are now in a World title match when they were both directionless months ago.

 

By "months" you mean "weeks", right?

 

Bill Goldberg and Brock Lesnar get to do the dream match before Goldberg leaves for good.

 

Which still could have been done.

 

It makes *so much sense* from a business perspective.

 

And there are other ways to *make sense* from a business perspective as well as offering good, sensible, storylines without having the viewer jump the grand canyon that is their plotholes and/or suspension of disbelief.

 

And honestly, if one is incapable of separating what they want as a fan from what WWE should do as a business, they probably should stick to talking about wrestling like it's real because blending the two is taking two points of view that shouldn't and aren't consistent and coming up with a solution that is impossible.

 

I can, very easily actually. Given that I am a wrestling fan AND a business student. It just happens to be good business to have a good product and not to insult your consumers.

 

It was a smart move because it allowed for more movement in the main event scene, allowed for more people to have high-profile matches, and as a result, no one is being left behind. Why you can not see that when it's right in front of you is beyond me.

 

Could have been done in other *better* ways. It just takes effort. If you can't see that, well then, you should work for the WWE. They could use people like you.

[RavishingRickRudo 0]

Actually, you're the one working from that assumption. We've seen a Benoit push begin and we've seen an Eddy push begin, but instead of celebrating that it has happened, you're upset that they weren't pushed sooner. The past can not be changed. Only the future can be. I'd rather not waste my time complaining about things that have no chance of being changed in the future. WWE is getting it right.

 

No. The past often dictates what the future will bring. If they don't remember their past, who is to say that the present (and future) won't be forgotten as well? Why bother watching then if what you watch doesn't matter? I am not the one saying that by being consistent with your storylines that it's impossible to create new stars. You have one storyline end, have the opponents go their separate ways, and they feud with two new guys separately. Their paths cross once again, they use history to help build up the heat as well as put some on the two new guys, they do a match, the new guys can separate and fight each other on their own with a rub from the older guys. Or you can not have them cross paths at all.

 

That has not happened. Why has that happened? Because Benoit moved to RAW? Please, we've been over that. Because Benoit did a job to HBK? Come on!

 

Because they ruined a perfectly good storyline in Brock vs. Benoit, one that was *working*, to put him on RAW just so HBK and HHH can have their fun. He's been fucked over because those 19 years have been built up for a lie.

 

That finish, based on the result they're trying to get, was the only logical thing they could do. If Benoit would have pinned HBK, it would have cropped Shawn out of the picture when they're obviously trying to keep him in the picture. It also would have lessened the impact of Benoit defeating him at Backlash, which all signs point to happening.

 

IT WASN'T THE ONLY LOGICAL THING TO DO! IT'S THE ONLY THINK *YOU* CAN THINK OF!

 

There were three weeks between pay-per-views. Eddy did not get laid out during that time period. He won a nearly 40-minute #1 Contenders match, got the best of an in-ring confrontation with Brock and PINNED HIM on the last Smackdown before the PPV. That shows a genuine effort to get away from 50/50 booking.

 

And Goldberg coming in and spearing Brock was what...?

 

Eddy has been getting more TV time over the past few months and has been put in the show-ending spot on many occasions. He's been a US champion and he has now done the impossible and won the World title. He has overcome his family turning on him and an amazing size difference and done what few thought he could.

 

Gaaaaaaaleeeeeeeeee, US Champ, you say?! They could have done it better. They should have started off in the spring time of 03 when Eddie was over HUGE with the C2W gimmick and built him up to the ME spot for 04. They didn't. They kept him in the midcard and just brought him up. Say what you will about how many times he ended the show off, he still didn't face the calibre of opponents that would have given him a more secure run on top.

 

I wish there could have been more time between the PPVs. You could argue that it was rushed. But it was the 100% right buildup.

 

I disagree. I think they should have actually SHOWN Guerreros struggles. I also think that Guerrero should have had a buffer feud before getting into the Main Event spot. That doesn't make it 100% right.

 

Damage control that has been in effect since November. At this point, it's booking long term, pushing new talent and creating fresh matches on top.

 

Meanwhile, their storylines are still poor, they still misuse their time, they still poorly build up their shows, they still ignore the "brand split", they still rely heavily on the Authority figure, the same people are still in top spots, their secondary titles are still worthless, their secondary shows are still worthless, their house shows aren't worth going to... the negatives still greatly outweigh the positives, and their postives still have negatives attached to them.

 

Does that mean you're going to ignore any improvement at all you see until they've gotten to a point where they're perfect? It took them a long time to get in the position they're in; it'll take a long time to fix it.

 

I don't expect perfect. You've misconstrued "They have lots of flaws" with "flawless". Even the best shows I watch aren't perfect. They can come close, they can be 95% there, and I love them even more for it. And they don't have the resources the WWE does. What the WWE is giving us is MAYBE 30%, I want at least 70%. How long does this rebuilding process take? They've been at it for almost 3 years now; at least, that's what they say.

 

The company does not suck right now. They have a long way to go toward being at their full potential, but things are *far* better than they were at this point in 2003. And 2002.

 

No, they do suck. I could make swiss cheese out of 90% of their storylines. For every 1 good wrestling match you'll get 10 bad. The promos and skits are still poor. Just, to you, they suck less than before and you mistake that with being good.

 

None is totally inaccurate. Even if they never live up to their full potential, if they are moving toward giving the audience what they want to see and pushing the right guys in the right positions, they are doing their jobs. Vince McMahon is a promoter, not a novelist in the fantasy genre.

 

They don't have hundreds of millions at their disposal? They couldn't get any wrestler they wanted to? They don't dominate the wrestling industry? They don't have the ability to greatly increase the quality of their product? I forgot, he doesn't have an obligation to put out a good product. Just gotta swindle those marks~!

 

Would you rather crop Eddy, Angle and Goldberg out of high-profile positions at Wrestlemania when simply moving Benoit to RAW ensures that they'll all have meaningful matches, all while Benoit loses nothing? That doesn't seem like good business to me.

 

1. Benoit on Smackdown doesn't hold back any of them.

2. Benoit loses a lot on RAW. Particularly the last 4 years of his career, as well as a potentially awesome storyline where he doesn't have to look like an idiot week-in and week-out.

[Austin3164life 0]

None is totally inaccurate. Even if they never live up to their full potential, if they are moving toward giving the audience what they want to see and pushing the right guys in the right positions, they are doing their jobs. Vince McMahon is a promoter, not a novelist in the fantasy genre.

 

They don't have hundreds of millions at their disposal? They couldn't get any wrestler they wanted to? They don't dominate the wrestling industry? They don't have the ability to greatly increase the quality of their product? I forgot, he doesn't have an obligation to put out a good product. Just gotta swindle those marks~!

 

Have to agree with Rudo on this one. I've said this for about a year and a half, that the WWE has such a DEEP roster, and a big enough bankroll to make their shows the best wrestling on earth. There's never been a time for Vince when he had so many over workers at his disposal like he has had for the past year and a half.

[Guest Goodear]

Didn't you spend 4 pages at WDI the month before Wrestlemania 17 complaining about how Angle facing Kane at Wrestlemania was going to forever ruin his career?

I think AS has declared Angle's career over something like 14 times. Now I can't remember all of the occurances, since AS does it like every third week or so, but I do know that winning the WCW US Title back in the InVasion period was one of them.