More on the battle over Edge

[Kurt Angle Mark 0]

by Dave Scherer @ 2:20:11 PM on 2/26/2004

 

 

As I talked about on my hotline earlier this week, there is a battle being waged backstage in WWE over who will get the rights to Edge when he comes back from his neck surgery. He’s about a month away from his return and is currently getting back into ring shape down at OVW. As I talked about on my hotline, in much more detail, the two brands are making their pitch for his services and it should be decided soon where he will end up going.

 

To me, the big question in all of this is if he were to go to Raw, how long can that brand keep taking people away from Smackdown without giving anyone back? If they get Edge, someone from the Raw roster will have to move to Smackdown or the balance of talent between the brands will get too out of whack.

 

Thus far in 2004, Smackdown has been played as the company’s number two brand in the eyes of the fans. It was a shot to the group when they booked Chris Benoit to win the Royal Rumble and then decide that he didn’t even want a shot at his own brand’s title. What kind of message does that send? That Smackdown isn’t where it’s at, that’s what.

 

They haven’t made it clear if Benoit will go back to Smackdown in the future, but with him in the title picture at Raw through April, with his match against Triple H at Backlash, it certainly doesn’t appear that he is headed back to UPN any time soon. So in essence, Smackdown lost a top talent and got nothing back in return. In addition to that, they had Brock Lesnar lose his title to Eddie Guerrero and yet it was more important for him to fight a Raw wrestler in Goldberg than it was for him to get a rematch at the brand’s title. Then there was the Undertaker, who ran roughshod over the Smackdown brand but was “buried alive” by a Raw wrestler in Kane. The message WWE is sending is clear, that Raw matters more than Smackdown. And now, Raw wants to stick their hands in the cookie jar again. It’s time that, if the company won’t slam the lid they need to at least balance out the raids a bit.

 

The fact of the matter is, WWE management has always looked at Raw as their top show. Smackdown has always been seen as the 1A. Vince McMahon has an affinity for Raw since it helped turn his company around, a few times. He feels that is where the company needs to set the direction and the pace for their product. While things are different now then they were on the 1990s, when the show’s impact was a focal point in the Monday Night Wars, Raw still has the “favorite child” status up in Stamford. That’s all well and good, but when WWE continually takes from one brand and doesn’t give anything back to the other, they are creating an inequity in their brands that they just can’t continue doing.

 

As Edge prepares for his return, there is a lot of talk internally that he will in line for a classic “white meat babyface” push. That means one of two things: He will either face Brock Lesnar or will be fed to HHH. Sure, they could “do the right thing” and give him a real push if he goes to Raw, but at this point, until I see someone get such a push against the H, I won’t believe it’s possible, at least not as things are done there now. But if HHH’s lobby wins and he goes to Raw, that would be a filching that would have to be answered by Smackdown. They would have to get someone back in turn both from a business and a story line standpoint. Otherwise, they will widen the chasm between Raw and Smackdown that many in the viewing public perceive.

 

So, if Raw takes Edge, I say that Smackdown needs to get someone in return. Raw has to give back someone who could have a similar impact on Smackdown, and that, if packaged correctly, is none other than Rob Van Dam.

 

I am sure that some people will say, “RVD had been buried” or that “RVD can’t do the interviews needed to be a top guy”. On the former, who could argue? But certainly he isn’t the first guy in WWE to get buried, only to get another chance later. And in this case, by switching brands he would be able to, in essence, start with a clean slate.

 

Concerning his inability to do a WWE style interview, that may very well be true but if he was pushed in the proper manner, where emphasis on his interviews came out of his work, demeanor and personality, it could work. It’s been obvious since his first day in WWE that the people want to cheer for him. That desire has been largely ignored by the Raw booking team, so why not give him a shot on Smackdown?

 

As evidenced by Eddie Guerrero’s recent push, the Smackdown brand has been very good at turning around the fortunes of misused talent. RVD has been beaten down so much on Raw for so long that a number of people close to him have told me that the company and the politics of the brand have taken away his joy of the business. Getting away from Raw, and by extension Triple H, could be exactly what it would take to get him back on track. And he would be in the perfect place to do it, with his old ally Paul Heyman.

 

For those who forget, Heyman built ECW around RVD back in the late 90s. Always a master at accentuating strengths and hiding weaknesses, Heyman booked RVD perfectly. While he is not in charge of creative for Smackdown, he is certainly influential and his ideas get listened to. I don’t know if RVD will ever be the prototypical WWE top talent, but they could surely get more out of him than they have thus far. With his contract expiring in June, now is the perfect time to try it.

 

Putting RVD on Smackdown in exchange for Edge could end up being one of those ideal trades when both sides benefit. If Edge goes to Raw, Smackdown has to get someone from their roster in exchange and I can’t think of a better fit that Rob Van Dam.

 

---------------

 

I whole-heartedly agree that Smackdown better get someone(heel they should get both RVD and Booker T in return) because this is getting ridiculous

[Guest Loss]

This is definitely the way to go. RVD has many potential matches on top. Again, Booker T needs to jump too. That would boost some life into Smackdown if they were pushed hard from the get-go.

[BifEverchad 0]

Edge for RVD?

 

Sure, I like it.

 

Edge could go to RAW and return with a great pop and set his sites on........oh, shit.

 

Anyways, if RVD moves to SmackDown! I think he will be the one who gets the best of this deal. RVD could have great matches with some of the SmackDown! heels (Brock Lesnar, Kurt Angle, Rhyno, Tajiri etc) or if they wanted to, go the possible heel route and have him challenge the likes of Eddy Guerrero, Rey Mysterio and John Cena. A move to SD! would absolutely refresh Rob's character and his career.

 

I say, do it.

[The Tino Standard 0]

I'd rather see Edge just stay with SmackDown. Too much flipping of wrestlers back and forth between the brands right now. Hopefully things settle down after Wrestlemania.

[Guest Loss]

There were mild rumors a little while back that a lot of trades are supposed to take place post-Mania. If they're going to do it, I guess that's the right time to do it since that's typically a period where everything is reset.

[Guest TheAnvil]

The part that bothers me is that the author didn't take a few things into account. For starters there are a lot of people who don't even get Smackdown. So, I think Vince has a right to play favorites to a show that pretty much everyone with cable can watch.

 

As for the Benoit bit, it's not like Beniot decided not to challenge for the SD title, it was booked so that he'd never challenge for it. Heyman is the evil authority figure, and he promised to never have Benoit challenege for his title. So, Beniot realizes he can't win, and moves to where he has opportunities.

 

As for Smackdown, it has always seemed like it had more main-event level talent than RAW. RAW is like a one tier show. You have HHH, HBK, and a bunch of midcard talent. RAW needs some fresh talent, because HHH has buried everyone to the point that there are no more challengers.

 

As for the Edge for RVD trade, I'm all for it. I don't get SD, so banishing RVD to a show I can't watch is great. I'd take a talented wrestler in trade for a shitty spot machine any day.

[EdwardKnoxII 0]

As for the Benoit bit, it's not like Beniot decided not to challenge for the SD title, it was booked so that he'd never challenge for it. Heyman is the evil authority figure, and he promised to never have Benoit challenege for his title. So, Beniot realizes he can't win, and moves to where he has opportunities.

Yeah I think that Benoit leaving SD cause he couldn't get another shot without even really trying made Benoit look bad then hurt SD in anyway.

[Guest nikowwf]

The overall audience for smackdown is generally BIGGER than the Raw audience, not smaller.

 

niko

[Guest TheAnvil]

The overall audience for smackdown is generally BIGGER than the Raw audience, not smaller.

 

niko

I never claimed it wasn't. I'm claiming more people have access to RAW than they do Smackdown.

[NoCalMike 0]

The trade would be good. RVD desperately needs to go to smackdown, if not for anything more then a change of scenery.

[2GOLD 0]

RVD should have been sent to Smackdown a long while back. Crowds love him, SMACKDOWN is losing top faces and RVD has been sitting on the back burner long enough. Plus, his matches with Brock were damn good and RVD didn't lose one of them clean that I remember.

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

The overall audience for smackdown is generally BIGGER than the Raw audience, not smaller.

 

niko

I never claimed it wasn't. I'm claiming more people have access to RAW than they do Smackdown.

UPN is in more homes than Spike.

 

Chris Jericho > RVD. He should go to Smackdown instead.

[Guest Loss]

Jericho challenging Lesnar and eventually Eddy would both be fresh matchups that would draw as well as anything else presented by WWE at this point. After spending 2003 as the #2 heel who was always in one of the top two programs, he has fallen down the card since November, although he is still in a meaningful role. Perhaps a switch to Smackdown would freshen him up.

[EdwardKnoxII 0]

Here's the problem with Jericho going to SD. You just know that HHH is never going to let that happen and if it did you just know HHH would jump over on SD soon afterwards to keep Jericho under his foot. I'm real.

 

I mean first Jericho was on SD and so was HHH. When Jericho jumped to RAW, HHH jumped to Raw not to long afterwards. (I think that's how it was.)

[JN News 0]

Here's a little news tidbit on Edge.

 

 

 

 

Edge was the surprise caller on Byte This, and basically, he says he has a new injury, although it's not serious. He pulled all the ligaments & tendons in his foot, and it'll take about 3 weeks to heal.

[Lil' Bitch 0]

I said it before and I'll saw it again. Edge NEEDS to stay on SD.

 

*wants to see Edge / Lesnar or Edge / Eddie again

[Hektik 0]

After Wrestlemania they should do a 10 man "blockbuster" trade between the 2 shows. The purpose of my trade would be to help Smackdown.

 

To Raw: Edge, Bob Holly, Billy Gunn, Bradshaw, and Ron Simmons

 

To Smackdown:

 

Chris Jericho - He is a wrestler who can be put in the main event or be in the #2 feud on the show. He someone that Smackdown needs.

 

Rob Van Dam - He is not someone that I like but people will pop for him and adds immediate star power to Smackdown.

 

Rob Conway - Some people might think he is an odd choice but I think he is a great future superstar. Smackdown seems to be better at creating new superstars. He has just as good of a "look" as Randy Orton and is better wrestler.

 

Lance Storm - He is not a wrestler that I like but I think the WWE propaganda machine can make the marks believe he is just as good of a "technical wrestler" as Chris Benoit. I have already heard some marks say it so it shouldn't be to hard. He would be able to get a fresh start on Smackdown and add to a lacking mid card.

 

Hurricane - Put him in the cruiserweight division to add another star to it. You can even call up Nova and put them in a tag team division. Sign Shark Boy and you have another faction to face the FBI and the Kyo Dai.

 

The best way to do this is the way someone else on this forum suggested. Have a mock press conference with Vince, Heyman, Bischoff, and the 10 wrestlers.

[Guest JMA]

As for the Edge for RVD trade, I'm all for it. I don't get SD, so banishing RVD to a show I can't watch is great. I'd take a talented wrestler in trade for a shitty spot machine any day.

Do you really have to mention your dislike for RVD everytime you post? I mean, you've said it many, many times. Not to mention you show your dislike with your custom title and avatar. I'm not trying to be a prick, but it is kind of annoying. Why not just start some kind of anti-RVD thread in HD?

[Kahran Ramsus 0]

Here is my big problem with RVD going to Smackdown (other than the fact I don't like him). I am under the impression that his contract expires this summer, and the last thing Smackdown needs is to have him around for a few months and then lose him. They would still end up with nothing in the long run. Unless he resigned or resigns, then I would be a lot more willing to accept it.

[Guest Mulatto Heat]

Sending RVD or Booker (or both) to Smackdown seems good in theory, but Smackdown is still under the WWE banner, and neither are high in Vince's priority list and I doubt ever will be. There is the case of how Big Show's jump was entirely beneficial for him, BUT 1) Heyman is no longer THE booker - he may have the odd time where his input is actually used, but he doesn't make the big decisons and 2) Van Dam or Booker don't get paid $1M a year, so the investment and the desire to see some returns on it isn't as high.

 

I would rather have them there to round out the top 5 SD faces, because having #4 and #5 occupied by Bradshaw, Holly, Gunn, Rikishi or S2H (depending on the day and the location) is both sad and laughable. I don't think or want RVD or Booker to get a bigger push than Eddie or Cena though. Not unless they show something that stands up to what Eddie and Cena regularly produce.

[humongous2002 0]

As for the Edge for RVD trade, I'm all for it.  I don't get SD, so banishing RVD to a show I can't watch is great.  I'd take a talented wrestler in trade for a shitty spot machine any day.

Do you really have to mention your dislike for RVD everytime you post? I mean, you've said it many, many times. Not to mention you show your dislike with your custom title and avatar. I'm not trying to be a prick, but it is kind of annoying. Why not just start some kind of anti-RVD thread in HD?

You are wasting your time with a guy who thinks RAW(A CABLE SHOW) is available in more homes than SD(A NETWORK SHOW).

And i agree with Scherer, RVD is the right guy that would benefit the most at SD, he still has the majority of the fans and a new environment will motivate him again.Booker T and Jericho are damaged goods, HHH went out of his way to make them look as non-threats.At least when he wrestled Rob for the world title he had to use Evolution or a foreign object to pin RVD.

[Guest Loss]

I don't think you could say Jericho is more damaged than RVD. Jericho only now is in a total midcard feud, as everything he had during 2003 was the #2 program. RVD has gone months without a program and Jericho has a world title on his record.

 

I still think both are far from damaged goods because they're both still over, but Jericho is probably a better choice than RVD for a main event push if you were to throw them up there ... tomorrow. I would have said different in 2001.

[humongous2002 0]

As a heel (Y2J) he had a chance to be a main eventer, but to get a main event push as a babyface right now would be a bad idea because he turned face just a few weeks ago. Another thing is the fans want somebody new just like Eddy to get a chance as a top player, Y2J already did that but RVD hasn't, it will be his sink or swim test for RVD, either he fails as a main eventer or he won't.Let me make this clear either of these wrestlers didn't get their chance b/c of lack of talent or fan reaction, politics are responsible for them two to reach main event status.

[Guest Anglesault]

I don't think you could say Jericho is more damaged than RVD. Jericho only now is in a total midcard feud, as everything he had during 2003 was the #2 program.

He also definitively lost everything he did in 2003.

 

Even his months long program with Austin culminates at SurSer...where Jericho, the man on Team Bischoff with the longest Austin issue, gets eliminated early in a failed attempt to get Randy Orton and Batista over.

[Guest Loss]

I don't think you could say Jericho is more damaged than RVD. Jericho only now is in a total midcard feud, as everything he had during 2003 was the #2 program.

He also definitively lost everything he did in 2003.

 

Even his months long program with Austin culminates at SurSer...where Jericho, the man on Team Bischoff with the longest Austin issue, gets eliminated early in a failed attempt to get Randy Orton and Batista over.

Oh, don't get me wrong, Jericho, by all rights, should be one of the top guys in the company and instead he's perceived as the best of the rest, meaning he's above most of the midcarders and below most of the main eventers, but Jericho has shown that he can stay over despite doing jobs at times when a win seems to be the only option. I wouldn't even say he was eliminated early in the SurSer match -- Shawn v Jericho probably should have been the end of the match instead of Shawn v Orton but Jericho stayed in there longer than everyone except Orton.

 

RVD is just as much of a choke artist as Jericho, and RVD has also been given less chances than Jericho to work extended storylines, carry feuds and stay in the mix. They're both damaged, and at one time they were both probably the future of the company, but I think they are both still fully capable of being rebuilt.

 

I just think rebuilding Jericho would take less time than rebuilding RVD. But I can see both sides, and RVD has certainly had less time on top. Who could make the most of the opportunity though? I suppose that's subjective.

[Just call me Dan 0]

Does anyone else see Jericho's offense as a major reason he can't really get anywhere? In the age where finishing moves dominate, Jericho has nothing. No one wants to tap to a weka crab, and I think it is killing him. I may be alone here, but ever since the liontamer itself was tamed, I have a realy problem getting into a Jericho match. There is no question that he has been misused to an extent, but that weak offense is burying him just as well in my eyes.

[Guest Anglesault]

. I wouldn't even say he was eliminated early in the SurSer match -- Shawn v Jericho probably should have been the end of the match instead of Shawn v Orton but Jericho stayed in there longer than everyone except Orton.

That's still early.

 

The man with the longest Austin issue was eliminated in favor of the man with no Austin issue.

[Guest Anglesault]

Does anyone else see Jericho's offense as a major reason he can't really get anywhere? In the age where finishing moves dominate, Jericho has nothing. No one wants to tap to a weka crab, and I think it is killing him. I may be alone here, but ever since the liontamer itself was tamed, I have a realy problem getting into a Jericho match. There is no question that he has been misused to an extent, but that weak offense is burying him just as well in my eyes.

Well, I honestly think I could kick out of the Lionsault, so you may have a point.

[Guest Loss]

Since wrestling is fake, weak offense doesn't bother me, but how it's sold does. How moves 'look' is really not terribly important as long as it's sold properly, the crowd pops for it and it's over as a finisher, which the Walls is. Also, if you notice, Jericho's newer babyface work is more like Shawn's 1995 face style -- lots of cockiness and taunting, doing the 'fuck you' sign off of the ropes, poking the heel in the eye, rolling outside of the ring to laugh with fans, etc.

 

I think the problem with Jericho right now is that he's in lovey-dovey storylines that may see the fans turn on him if it goes on much longer just because it's getting a little far out in left field. He needs to be working storylines with wrestlers and he needs to be presented as more of an ass-kicking face. It's going to be hard to do anything with Trish and Jericho once they inevitably get together, unless Jericho sees the light, realizes Christian is correct, turns heel and another wrestlers comes to her defense.

 

That would be undoing a lot of effort though, so while it may be the right thing for the characters, I don't know that it would be right for the story.

[Just call me Dan 0]

But it boils down to ALL of his moves. His sleeper slam is used so sporadically, it doesn't even make sense, the Breakdown failed to get over (no one would take it without being a pussy), the linosault isn't even cool to look at anymore, of course the lioncrab, and his enziguri/dropkick is hit and miss. The only thing he really has is his springboard dropkick that and flying forearm that he only really uses as a face. what happened to the days of the double powerbomb and a sick submissions, and why can't he pull a Benoit and just use the sharpshooter? It HAS to be hard to get the guys on Raw to flop around the ring for a babyface Y2J with that crap for an arsenal.

 

I mean that's like saying you didn't mind that Bossman tappedAustin with the tip of the foam of the mic for 30 minutes, Austin should have sold that beatdown well and it would have been OK. I don't want to see RVD throw punches all day because they suck. He couldn't do a Rock style match with those desparation comeback punches. How can you not be bothered by that entire weak offense? The crowd may pop for it, but it doesn't mean they buy it. Its automatic now.