Am I paranoid about HHH...

[Guest wrestlingbs]

Ok, it's probably the former. The IWC has a knack for blaming a lot on Trips. Sure, he's deserved more than his fair share of it, but the guy has put on some great matches and "put asses in the seats". So you really can't fault him for everything.

 

However, I still can't get rid of this feeling while watching Raw that this new "good HHH" is all just a ruse. Ever since WM 20 the has made a 180, seemingly putting over new talent and having a much better workrate as of late. But then I watch his fued with HBK, and it occurs to me: has anything really changed? Sure, Benoit's champ, and a great one too, but come SS is there any doubt HHH's is getting the belt back? No matter what buyrates or ratings Raw gets with Benoit as champ, ultimately it still feels like he's keeping it warm for The Game. He's takin a back seat to Trip's feud with HBK, and his feud with Kane seems to just have been booked on the fly.

 

Plus there's Evolution. Randy Orton has been put WAY over, perhaps to much. recently, and for all the jobs HHH has done to Shelton Benjamin I think in the end Randy's gonna sent the guy to the midcard.

 

Finally, there's SD. Before WM 20 SD was prefered as the best show, but at the request of HHH he stayed on Raw and got Benoit and Edge to come over. This led to a huge talent drain on Thursday's and now SD is a distant #2. However, an Evolution-filled Raw is #1.

 

Make no mistake, I love what's going on on Raw. HHH, scam or not, is doing a great job. But I just can't shake that feeling. What do you think?

[Lil' Bitch 0]

Take away all the good things about Smackdown, and low and behold, there's no longer a reason to watch.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

Well he did show hog last week and will be getting the title back at either Summerslam or the PPV after. He's also in the middle of a feud that's a lot like the Nash feud from last year. No one really wants to see it that much and it seems it's more for HHH/HBK's amusement than the fans.

 

I think we really have to wait for HHH to beat Benoit for the belt and see what happens. If the show completely falls apart then this was just him trying to get some heat off his back.

[AndrewTS 0]

It's natural to be wary. I know Benoit's going to lose the strap eventually, yes, and probably to HHH. The true test will be what happens then. Will Benoit be "Jerichoed" down to midcard status and only be used to set up HHH's next opponent? Or will he remain a main event fixture?

 

A lot of people really question Benoit's use on Raw, but the main problem is that WWE isn't really sure how to book a guy who frankly isn't that great on the stick. Hart had a similar problem but through gradual work managed to become decent and even cut some great promos. Benoit's shown he can do that when he's prepared (the vignettes), but he's not as skilled speaking extemporaneously or completely improv.

 

Supposedly HHH was going to do a big program with Edge over the summer, but I don't really see the seeds for that planted yet. Since La Res have the tag titles now, you're avoiding the clash of Edge with Evolution for now.

 

Likely La Res will transition to Evolution, but that breaks what could have been a spark to that feud. That is, unless WWE has a far better plan in mind and could stand to hand the titles to La Res for that. However, considering how...nothing La Res is in the US I find it odd they'd hand the belts back to La Res out of the blue like that. It seems they've completely given up on the tag division.

 

However, the overall tone of the show has changed. Back then, it seemed like everyone from the announcers to opponents and face and heel authority figures would either kiss HHH's ass blatantly or subtlely. His name would be dropped constantly and the whole show seemed to be built around him. That's changed a hell of a lot, and that's definitely a good sign.

 

In the meantime, I'll enjoy "team player" HHH and the matches that he seems to actually give a damn in. The excessive focus last week on HHH/HBK seemed to be a bad sign, but it seems like it was mainly used to built to the Hell in a Cell announcement, so it's a bit understandable.

 

HBK should be on Raw next week, so we shall see about that.

[Hektik 0]

Well, Benoit will get his chance to headline a PPV on his own at Vengeance. HHH and Michaels will most likely not be wrestling at the PPV. Meltzer reports that it will be Benoit/Edge headlining the event. You almost get the feeling that it is a way to bury both Benoit and Edge if the buyrate comes in low. Benoit is going to have to be treated as the top star on Raw if they want this PPV to do good. Edge dosen't seem to have gotten over as big as many people thought, so turn him heel and send him back to Smackdown after his match with Benoit. While they're at it turn Chris Jericho back to a heel and send him to Smackdown to feud Eddy.

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Wait....a HHH & HBK-less PPV? Dear God, you've answered my prayers.

 

I guess this means only a 6 match PPV with a kind of crap like lasts years Redneck Triathlon, because LORD knows WWE won't make a 10 card PPV to use the best of their extra large rosters.

[Guest Korgath]

Take away all the good things about Smackdown, and low and behold, there's no longer a reason to watch.

Gee. You think?

 

Initially, the whole thing about Shelton defeating Trips "clean" in two consecutive weeks confused me. I thought HHH had finally, finally given way to newer blood. But then I began to notice that Triple H was still appearing at the beginning of RAW, appearing at the end of RAW, or both. RAW is still all about Triple H. Nothing has changed.

[Guest I Got Banned for Sucking]

I'd like to think that he's gone 180, but bear in mind that while he's not in the immediate title picture right now, he managed to get himself the main event slot at Bad Blood.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

Make no mistake about it, Trips will take the belt from Benoit at Summerslam......in Canada. I think this is the point where everyone turns on Trips for good. I guess there is always the chance of Benoit retaining.......I just highly doubt it.

[Guest I Got Banned for Sucking]

Make no mistake about it, Trips will take the belt from Benoit at Summerslam......in Canada. I think this is the point where everyone turns on Trips for good. I guess there is always the chance of Benoit retaining.......I just highly doubt it.

No! I want Benoit/Jericho at SummerSlam!

 

Which is unlikely due to Raw now having Vengeance...

 

But if Triple H as Champion will actually act like a proper champion, then I don't mind it much - he has to regain sometime.

[humongous2002 0]

RAW is the Kliq show and Benoit is only a guest star in it, even the announcers put more emphasis on the HHH/HBK feud than the World Heavyweight title match.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

RAW is the Kliq show and Benoit is only a guest star in it, even the announcers put more emphasis on the HHH/HBK feud than the World Heavyweight title match.

Although I'd normally agree with you on this, I would have to say that the main reason that more emphasis is being put on it would be because it's Hell in a Cell........at least moreso that than because it's HBK/HHH.

[Guest Anglesault]

I think HHH looked around after Mania, saw the ship sinking with Rock, Foley, Austin, Lesnar and Goldberg gone, Taker as a special attraction and Angle and Show hurt, and he realized that he had to cut the shit for a while.

[Nevermortal 0]

No one really wants to see it that much and it seems it's more for HHH/HBK's amusement than the fans.

I am actually not opposed to seeing an all but guaranteed ****+ match. It's far more interesting than Benoit v. Kane.

[Detox 0]

Im just glad that HHH and Ric Flair have given Orton and Batista the "rub" as much as Flair and HHH have stayed over they owe it to Orton and Batista..........I believe that the HBK vs HHH match has become the norm simply for the lack of ratio between heels and faces on Raw I look forward to HH vs HBK simply because its a gimmick match and I have seen both of them wrestle in a cell and i dont see it dissapointing the fans...the bad ratio begs the point why this brand extension shit isnt scrapped it has been debated since the beggining but it looks like the fans are sick of it now

[Tawren 0]

No one really wants to see it that much and it seems it's more for HHH/HBK's amusement than the fans.

I am actually not opposed to seeing an all but guaranteed ****+ match. It's far more interesting than Benoit v. Kane.

If HHH vs HBK had ever produced a ***1/2+ match, that would be an accurate statement.

 

It isn't.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

HHH/HBK has been more hit than miss if you ask me. The triple threats are out as Benoit was out. So we're left with the horrible three stages of hell match, the horrible Rumble match, the good Raw match and the below average Summerslam match.

 

And let's not forget that HHH crippled HBK at Summerslam, then they had the final battle in three stages of hell, the Final encounter was how they labelled the Backlash ME but I'll leave it out since Benoit was involved and the Rumble where HBK was supposed to be getting his last shot at the belt.

[Guest Rrrsh]

No one really wants to see it that much and it seems it's more for HHH/HBK's amusement than the fans.

I am actually not opposed to seeing an all but guaranteed ****+ match. It's far more interesting than Benoit v. Kane.

If HHH vs HBK had ever produced a ***1/2+ match, that would be an accurate statement.

 

It isn't.

HBK has pulled out ****+ matches with far worse than HHH

 

Plus, its a blowoff, so they will go all out.

 

 

That and the match where Keith gave it ****3/4 was more than ***1/2. It wasnt as good as Keith said, but it far surpassed ***1/2

[Guest Rrrsh]

HHH/HBK has been more hit than miss if you ask me.  The triple threats are out as Benoit was out.  So we're left with the horrible three stages of hell match, the horrible Rumble match, the good Raw match and the below average Summerslam match.

 

And let's not forget that HHH crippled HBK at Summerslam, then they had the final battle in three stages of hell, the Final encounter was how they labelled the Backlash ME but I'll leave it out since Benoit was involved and the Rumble where HBK was supposed to be getting his last shot at the belt.

You are severly underrating the Raw and SS match.

[Guest Rrrsh]

Wait....a HHH & HBK-less PPV? Dear God, you've answered my prayers.

 

I guess this means only a 6 match PPV with a kind of crap like lasts years Redneck Triathlon, because LORD knows WWE won't make a 10 card PPV to use the best of their extra large rosters.

Your hate of HBK is very irratating.

[Guest Trivia247]

put it to you this way, when the World champion is not even in the main event angle for a weekly tv program because HHH is there in the spotlight then yea no matter what HHH can do in the ring he is the same HHH just a little pudgier.

[Guest Salacious Crumb]

The Raw match was ***1/2-***3/4 and is the best singles match between them.

 

Summerslam is about **1/2 after you get over the novelty of HBK wrestling. The parts with HHH are downright terrible at times, then it just turns into spot rest spot and manages to save itself with a good ending. At the time there was a ton of heat and this was HBK's first match in a long time so it got very overrated.

[Guest Goodear]

HHH is there in the spotlight then yea no matter what HHH can do in the ring he is the same HHH just a little pudgier.

 

Right, because Triple H and Shawn were all over RAW last week. Wait, no. Triple H did a middle of the show promo/video package in the middle of the show and Shawn wasn't even there. Meanwhile Kane (who was in three segments) beats up the uber-lovable Eugene and Benoit (who was in two) makes the save in the main event.

 

Summerslam is about **1/2 after you get over the novelty of HBK wrestling. The parts with HHH are downright terrible at times.

 

Oh man, you're right but wrong at the same time The match is about two to three stars but its because of Shawn's unbelievable no selling of doom after Triple H methodically and realistically worked over his back. In the storyline terms of the match, Hunter was perfectly paced as far as his offense was concerned since 'every shot to the back could cripple Shawn'. When that story went out the window and Shawn pretty much lept up to his feet and kicked the crap out of Hunter, that is when the match went to pot.

[Guest Loss]

As I said before, HHH will get the belt back at some point. We all know it. We're way, way, way, way past the point where HHH's heel run should have been blown off for good, and he's been so dominant so long that no one can let their guards down long enough to enjoy even the best shows out of fear that he's going to bury their favorite wrestlers. WWE has no one to blame for that fear from the fanbase than themselves. Yeah, HHH may win the title back and drop it to Edge or Jericho, but then what? He's just getting it back in a few months. He may even drop it again. But then what? He's just getting it back in a few months. When it's clearly established that there are NO MORE WORLD TITLES in HHH's future and that he'll even wrestle second or third from the top occasionally and get less TV time on a consistent basis, then we can say that a real change has happened.

 

The fact that the only hyped world title defense Chris Benoit has had in the nearly three months he's been champion has been against Shawn Michaels should tell us all we need to know about who the real stars of the show are.

[Guest Dynamite Kido]

As I said before, HHH will get the belt back at some point. We all know it. We're way, way, way, way past the point where HHH's heel run should have been blown off for good, and he's been so dominant so long that no one can let their guards down long enough to enjoy even the best shows out of fear that he's going to bury their favorite wrestlers. WWE has no one to blame for that fear from the fanbase than themselves. Yeah, HHH may win the title back and drop it to Edge or Jericho, but then what? He's just getting it back in a few months. He may even drop it again. But then what? He's just getting it back in a few months. When it's clearly established that there are NO MORE WORLD TITLES in HHH's future and that he'll even wrestle second or third from the top occasionally and get less TV time on a consistent basis, then we can say that a real change has happened.

 

The fact that the only hyped world title defense Chris Benoit has had in the nearly three months he's been champion has been against Shawn Michaels should tell us all we need to know about who the real stars of the show are.

I agree with Loss totally on this one. Is there anything wrong with them moving HHH down the card for a month or two to have a decent feud with someone of mid level? Honestly he could do good things for the younger talent.....and it doesn't matter if he puts them over or not. That is what is missing and could be forshadowing the future of this company. Under NO circumstances do they understand how to develop or nurse young talent. They do good things with certain guys then others with just as much talent get left by the wayside. Personally it pisses me off and just shows the lack of direction that this company has right now. Now they made steps in the right direction of young talent like Mordechai, Shelton etc. But they really are going to have to do more to create more opportunties for those younger guys to build themselves......

[Guest Goodear]

I agree with Loss totally on this one. Is there anything wrong with them moving HHH down the card for a month or two to have a decent feud with someone of mid level?

 

Nope, nothing wrong with that at all. They should totally have Hunter move to Edge after this program with Shawn finally draws to a close (and stick Shawn with Christian... why not?) in order to give Edge that nudge towards the main. But I think the mini-fued with Shelton worked out really well to be honest and the thing with Tajiri helped him out as well in the short term.

 

Under NO circumstances do they understand how to develop or nurse young talent. They do good things with certain guys then others with just as much talent get left by the wayside.

 

Gwah? WWE has a far better developmental track record than I think most of us realize lately. The people they've really gotten behind (Orton, Batista, Shelton, Cena, Dupree) have been brought along very well and are modling themselves into a nice little unit of the future. Brock would have been a collosal point as well if he hadn't gotten sick of the business. Sure they make some mistakes with who to push but they've been pretty good at de-emphasizing people like Morgan and Jones lately as well.

[Guest Loss]

This is something that doesn't get mentioned often. As spotty as WWE's track record is of creating new stars, they're not necessarily the best at using their established stars properly either. HHH would have so much more mileage if he had *ever* wrestled lower than second from the top on any PPV since first winning the title in 1999 (look it up, it's true!), but he's overexposed before his time is through and is considered a has been at a relatively young age. They seem to have a good idea how to use the Undertaker, in some ways, but even he is far too dominant and they took a complete 180 character change and ran it into the ground in just a little over three years.

 

HHH and 'Taker should be jobbing, but not jobbing too much. Their losses should carry weight. However, when they put someone over, it should be in decisive fashion and should affect them adversely for weeks, even months after the fact. That's how much impact an HHH or Undertaker losing should have to mean something.

 

Of course, from 2000-2002, Austin and Rock needed to be strongly protected and almost never doing jobs, but they were both laying on their back more than HHH or 'Taker.

[Guest Goodear]

I still don't think Hunter has 'recovered' from Wrestlemania to be honest just going by his lack of wins since that time. He's what, pinned Tajiri since?

[Guest Loss]

HHH, to his credit, is still selling the Mania loss. HHH, to his discredit, is still too in the thick of things.

[Guest Korgath]

HHH, to his credit, is still selling the Mania loss. HHH, to his discredit, is still too in the thick of things.

And that, my friends, is the essence of the matter. Good on you, Loss.