Raw was a fairly typical go-home show before a pay per view. There was a lot of talk and storylines didn’t so much advance as they were just stretched to last another week. Meanwhile, Smackdown, though not terrible, continued to make it abundantly clear that it is the B-show by not featuring any Raw superstars. For the purposes of this article, though, it works out nicely because it gives us a chance to discuss what is, by leaps and bounds, the most gripping storyline going on right now.
Triple H vs. CM Punk.
There is so much that is right with this feud and so much wrong with it. First, their exchange on Monday was mostly up to snuff with everything else that’s gone down between them, but there was one noticeable difference. Punk’s complaint about WWE’s preference toward muscle heads came off, initially, as a far less bold statement than the other things he’s been saying. He wasn’t exactly saying anything profound. But just when it looked like the segment wouldn’t measure up, Triple H couldn’t come up with any kind of legitimate retort. He kept the segment entertaining for the audience, but if that had been any kind of actual debate, he would have lost miserably. Punk was right, and it was obvious.Moreover, I hate how Hunter keeps acting as though Punk has been doing for the last 6 years. I was there that night that Punk referenced at Survivor Series, and his description was pretty accurate. On top of that, how could anyone forget Punk’s run against Hardy – you know, during one of those periods when Smackdown was more interesting than Raw? Triple H is gradually coming off as more and more of a dumb bully who is getting called on his irrational behavior and can’t come up with anything. That makes him the heel. Perhaps the most interesting thing to be seen, perhaps even more so than the victor, is whether or not he’s willing to play the bad guy in a story that is supposed to blur the lines of reality and make Punk, who he clearly doesn’t like, look like the hero.
The end of the show would suggest that he isn’t. That microphone shot obviously won’t turn Punk, but it seems to be a way to get anyone who’s on the fence between the two to turn against Punk. Maybe they want all the marks cheering for HHH. They didn’t something more than just talk on which to go out, but I don’t know that they made the right with what they did.
There is, however, a much bigger problem with this match taking place than anything discussed thus far. We shouldn’t be getting it yet. I understand that Nash has caused some problems somewhere along the line and that this is merely a quick audible to make up for the fact that Punk can’t fight Big Daddy Cool. All the same, they could have done something else. Punk vs. Triple H had Wrestlemania potential. That changes if we’ve seen it already. And something tells me we won’t be seeing Punk vs. Stone Cold or Punk vs. Undertaker, the only other options that draw as much.
Now, don’t get me wrong, if the plan is for Triple H to pick up a really cheap heel victory here and then lead Punk on a chase that culminates at a much bigger show, then I stand corrected. That would be good booking. However, since we’ve established that Hunter probably won’t play the heel for Punk, I can’t imagine that we’ll be seeing that. And the stipulation that Triple H steps down from being COO if he loses is stupid. I already suspected that he might win this match, but now I’m almost positive.
Triple H’s steam as the boss hasn’t run out, and a Punk victory would make him look more invincible than a rebel face can afford. Neither would have anywhere to go. All the same, the match will be great, and it will be interesting to see just how badly Punk gets screwed and by whom. And it’s comforting to know that he’ll make it work, regardless. We just all need to hope that Triple H doesn’t bury him over the long-term, even if Hunter isn’t willing to play a corporate puppet (which is basically how he’s coming off as of now).
That reminds of a certain question I’ve had as of late: who is booing Cm Punk? The crowd is mostly behind him, but there are definitely a few people who aren’t on board. Last week, there was one particularly obnoxious woman in the front row who just would not stop screaming her dislike of the man. I can’t imagine how he could have any detractors. Are they just annoyed, conservative Cena fans who can’t stand a skinny smartass? Are they little kids who have no way of knowing half the things he’s referencing?
I don’t know who else it would be, but I do know that the whole PG thing is getting stretched. Superstars are throwing around minor curse words without much thought. This is a little bothersome, only because most little kids don’t possess a filter. If one of them hears John Cena say “ass,” then he will probably repeat it, which isn’t a problem on its own, but if you’re privy to how teachers and other personnel react to foul language these days, then you’ll understand why I’m actually a little concerned for the younger fans. It just seems like bad publicity waiting to happen. Unfortunately, if you’re going to market to kids, then you have to fully commit to it.
That poses an interesting question for the WWE: is the young adult male demographic more valuable than the younger audience? They’re in too deep to switch gears now, but for the sake of argument, if given the opportunity, would it be worth it to fully appeal to the new Punk fans? That shirt is selling like wildfire and those fans are generating the new feeling that’s been in the air the past couple of months. Older fans with disposable incomes or parents who have to please yappy kids – who’s got more money to spend on wrestling? It’s something to consider.
- How much of a shame is it that Bret Hart got injured and taken out of the ring before his time was up? I think about every time I see him on TV. Could you imagine the matches he could have had with guys like Edge, Kurt Angle, Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, Eddie Guerrero, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, John Morrison, and any number of others? Bret’s a little awkward on TV these days, I’ll admit, and they kind of shoehorn him into storylines, but all the same, I’ll never stop cheering for the dude. You don’t keep a moniker like “The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be,” without at least being close to it. Go read his autobiography. It’s a treat. Goldberg was always annoying, but his injuring Bret Hart is far and away the worst thing he ever did.
- Every year around Night of Champions, WWE tries to apply a quick fix to all the lesser title divisions. The US Title feud is currently plagued by the fact that it involves two heels who are both former World Champions, so they’ve decided to temporarily dress it up with Alex Riley and John Morrison (someone who has held too many mid-card titles as it is). But that’s acceptable enough. The bigger problem is with the tag division. Yes, McGillicutty and Otunga sucked, so it’s good that they no longer hold the belts. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to care about… Air Boom. I hate stitched-together teams, and it only makes matters worse that I didn’t really care about either one individually in the first place. Now they’re facing The Miz and R-Truth. This is all just an attempt to give The Miz something to do, isn’t it? There’s got to be a better way. Get some real teams in already. Hey, what happened to the Usos?
- People don’t really care about one Sin Cara. Why would they care about two who are just fighting each other? I imagine Daniel Bryan will be worked in somehow, but this is all just WWE refusing to admit that Sin Cara’s been something of a bust. That would be fine, but other superstars are still being used to put the character over.
Aside from those who have clearly secured main event spots for the foreseeable future, WWE needs to re-evaluate who should be pushed and who shouldn’t. More on that next week.
No comments:
Post a Comment