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Wrestling
From JHawk's Beak: Should it be RVD's chance to shine?
Posted by Jared "JHawk" Hawkins on Sep 19, 2002, 08:31
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From JHawk's Beak: Should it be RVD's chance to shine?
by Jared "JHawk" Hawkins
It's been a hot topic on everybody's mind for weeks now, and the debate has been raging on in the SmartMarks Forums for a couple of days. Who should win the battle for Triple H's World Heavyweight Title at this Sunday's Unforgiven event? And once we've figured that out, how should the match go?
See, a vast majority of smarks are begging for an RVD title victory. We all want it, and after some of the crap WWE has been serving us this year, we probably deserve it. But in the end, the ultimate goal is to make sure WWE doesn't ruin RVD in their attempt to give us what they think we want. So the ultimate question: Should it be RVD's chance to shine? Let's take a look at it.
1. RVD might have the flash, but Triple H is the better actual wrestler. This one can go either way. On the one hand, the best wrestler in the company should be at least among the top two or three contenders to the title in order to ensure quality matches in the main event. Unfortunately, when you look at the Raw roster as it stands, that man would probably be either A) William Regal, who never seems to get a chance to work with anybody compatible, or B) Lance Storm, who is currently a Tag Team Champion. However, the "Triple H is the better wrestler" argument has more holes than a swiss cheese sandwich, as when you eliminate moves involving the knee, you're left with the Pedigree, the sleeperhold, and the occasional flying mare. Rob Van Dam might not be a technical master, but his moveset is far more entertaining and a bit more varied.
2. Triple H needs to job to prove he's not the political mastermind he is. The counter to this one showed up in the forums. Sure, jobbing to RVD would, on the surface, seem to mean a change for the better of the company. But I refer you to point three.
3. The World Heavyweight Title means nothing right now. Why wouldn't Triple H be willing to job what appears to be a lame duck title? They can try to make it seem like the title that dates back to Frank Gotch, to the NWA Title, or even the WCW title, but face it, even the NWA title doesn't technically date back to 1905. The lineage starts with Triple H being handed the title on Labor Day. The belt's the same, but the legacy isn't. Besides, the main reason it means nothing is because it was simply handed to Trips, and a real World Title needs to be earned. After all, the Diamondbacks aren't World Series Champions because the Yankees refused to play them. They had to face three good teams in a grueling "first to win 11 games wins" tournament. But Hunter ends up getting a World Title because Brock Lesnar, the linear WWE Champion, didn't want to play. But how do you go about getting the title credibility when there's no tournament to declare the initial champion? You can A) have the champion beat any challenger with any bit of credibility until he faces the guy you want to take it from him, or B) you get it off of him quickly and have that champion defeat every challenger with every bit of credibility.
4. But credible challengers are few and far between. An interesting point. Let's examine the potential main eventers on the Raw side of things. First, the faces.
A) Booker T: A good choice. Decent wrestler, decent charisma, very over, and a five-time former WCW Champion to boot. Plus he has a variety of quality finishers, so you never know how his matches are going to end. If RVD isn't the guy, Booker is.
B) Bubba Ray Dudley: Hey, he's over, he has charisma, and quite honestly, I like the guy, but World Champion? His finisher is not seen as credible, and I don't think I've ever seen him win a match in the WWF/E without calling for the tables. Not a chance in hell in a just world.
C) Ric Flair: Advantages--still a better worker than 90% of the roster. Excellent interviews. Over out of respect as much as talent. Seen as credible in even the dumbest mark's eyes. Drawbacks--in his mid-50s. Booked to beat guys who should be high on the card, such as Eddy Guerrero and Chris Jericho, but to lose against guys he should probably eat alive, like Brock Lesnar and Rico. I think he'll get one more reign, but I'm not sure he's the cure.
D) Kane: Probably WWE's front runner since he's a hoss and healthy. Had a cup of coffee with the WWF Title in 1998 and has probably earned a chance at getting a fair shot in the main event. His main drawback is that even WWE likes its PPV title matches reaching the 15-20 minute mark, and Kane's stamina might be in question. I'm also unsure as to whether the crowd will actually respond to him near the top of the card.
E) Goldust: Eh, tough call. On his good days, Dustin Runnels can work a very good match and keep the crowd involved. He's over like hell, and he's almost always entertaining. But (and there's always a but) it might take some work to get people to see Goldust as more than a comedy act. Every attempt they've made has met with failure.
Not bad. Now over to the heels.
A) Chris Jericho: You'd think this would be a no-brainer since he's charismatic, an above average worker, and the first-ever Undisputed Champion, but he's a prime example of a guy who's never recovered from a feud with Triple H. Even his Intercontinental Title win on Monday was marred by Hunter's interference. Plus, assuming RVD does win the title, how are fans going to react to seeing another month or two of this one? Give Jericho a solid winning streak and this could work.
B) The Big Show: Only placed as a heel since he's not really a face either. This is a guy with a ton of potential. But he's already had a couple of failed pushes near the top, including a 6-week run as WWF Champion. While I'd like to see him with a title push that doesn't include a PPV defense against The Big freaking Bossman, take a pass.
C) William Regal: See guys? I'm already stretching for heel challengers. As I said earlier, Regal might be the best pure wrestler in WWE, and his match with RVD at WrestleMania was not as awful as people made it out to be. But face it, he's bland. Vince McMahon hasn't had a really bland champion since Bob Backlund, and that was only because he couldn't find someone else to put it on until Hogan became available.
D) Lance Storm: See William Regal. Hey, I love the guy's ringwork, and he's got underrated mic skills, but I doubt he'd get a reaction if he was from, say, Jersey or the Bronx. Well, he'd get "Yankees suck" chants if he were from the Bronx, but that doesn't really count. Actually, could you be an Un-American in Jersey? It's like a foreign country already.
E) Test: Because you know the next time a face from Raw has the title that Test is getting his main event push. Big guy with a good lok, but he tends to be sloppy in the ring and can't work the mic worth jack. If he ever improves on his ring work he's got a chance, but he's at least a year or two away from being the guy.
Sadly, I think the faces are more credible.
5. Workrate has never been the most important thing in determining a champion. Exactly. The bottom line in Vince McMahon's eyes is if he thinks his champion will make money. And that standard has held true since Vince's father was running things. Bruno Sammartino? Something like 187 sellouts at MSG in 210 main events. Money in the bank. Pedro Morales? Money in New York with the heavy Puerto Rican population, and good enough in Philly and Boston to make him viable. Superstar Billy Graham? The only heel before Yokozuna to get any sort of steady run, simply because everybody paid to see him lose. Bob Backlund? Until late-1980 and early-1981, money in the bank, and only champion after that because Larry Zbyszko had a fallout with the McMahons. Hulk Hogan? Enough said. Randy Savage? Ohhhh yeah! Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin? Money, money, money. Diesel? OK, there are exceptions. But very few of these guys, especially before Ric Flair's 1992 Royal Rumble victory, were exactly technical marvels.
6. Win or lose, RVD is going to look weak. And this might not have anything to do with Triple H. Look at the possibilities.
A) RVD wins clean: That's all well and good, but when Spike Dudley and Jeff Hardy are each within half a second of putting the man away the two weeks before that, the general vibe is going to be "He caught him when he was worn down."
B) RVD wins on a fluke: See A, but add "...and it wasn't even convincing".
C) RVD cheats to win: Not likely, but completely stupid to begin with since faces should never cheat to win.
D) RVD wins thanks to outside interference: This is the most likely finish. Hunter has issues with Bubba Ray Dudley, Ric Flair, and Shawn Michaels that could all be used to further the "Everybody Hates Hunter" storyline (look for that on CBS this fall...five days a week no less), but RVD is immediately pushed into the background with such a finish.
E) Triple H wins clean: They do this, you can forget about RVD ever being elevated. Heels should win clean...against lesser competition. They should need something else to win against someone near their level.
F) Triple H wins on a fluke: Possibly the way to go, particularly if RVD gets a few very close near falls in. But again, Jeff Hardy and Spike Dudley would both have been in the same position.
G) Triple H cheats to win: Could be the way to go. RVD in control, rolling thunder, false finish (foot on the ropes), charge in, fluke roll up, feet on the ropes. This still borders on the Spike and Hardy matches, but could still serve to put both guys over.
H) Triple H wins by interference: But who would interfere? Jericho? No sensible way to have him help Hunter. Big Show? Maybe, but who wants to see that?
7. Sometimes it's best to hold off. Sometimes, yes it is. Would Mick Foley's first title reign have meant anything had he won it as a heel Dude Love? No. But would it have worked had he gotten it at WrestleMania instead of a taped Raw? Probably not, because the crowd would have been expecting it, particularly the way the feud with The Rock was shaping up. And remember, for people who have been following RVD since his ECW days, this is deja vu all over again. RVD was ECW TV Champion for almost two years, was the most over guy in the entire company, and when he was finally getting his shot at the World Title, he ended up with an injury that cost him a year of his career. If you're a long time RVD fan, you probably got sick of the false starts years ago.
8. It doesn't matter who has the title when business is dropping across the board. That was certainly true in WCW before they finally shut the door on it. And it's certainly possible when the economy's taking a hit to begin with. But the old cliche tells us that a promotion is as strong as its champion, so if the fans want to see World Champion RVD, they'll turn out.
9. Brock Lesnar is the real World Champion because his title in the one with the lineage. Agreed. You want a cookie?
10. RVD has already beaten six former champions during their reigns without one of his own to show for it. He beat Austin on a live SmackDown...non-title. He beat Kurt Angle...to secure a rematch for Austin. He beat The Rock in (I believe) a tag team match. He beat Jericho by DQ...and never got another shot. He beat The Undertaker, but the Dusty Finish ended that one. And he just pinned Hunter in a tag match a few weeks ago. Hell, some people probably consider the Undertaker match a double title switch anyway.
11. If we keep arguing, the match will be over and we'll still be debating this. So let's skip to the end.
The best way to book this match is as follows (WWE writers, pay attention).
Ready WWE writers?
Wait for it...
RVD makes a killer comeback with a plethora of near falls, similiar to Jerry Lynn against Ron Killings on this week's NWATNA. Triple H cheats to win, then drops the title to RVD at No Mercy, or even Survivor Series. And when I say "cheats to win", I mean he's got a foot on the ropes, or a handful of tights during a cheap roll up, or one solid chair shot. But NOT with low blow/Pedigree or chair shot/Sleeper of Supreme Suckitude or anything else that might constitute a clean finish.
I speak for at least 80-85% of your total fanbase when I say, "We want RVD to main event. We want RVD to be the World Champion. But we want it to mean something." An RVD title win means nothing when the belt has as much meaning as European Title Lite. And an RVD title win means nothing unless it's clean 1-2-3 in the center of the ring.
Is RVD ready? In my opinion, yes he is. He's over, he's got the look, and he can keep the crowd fixed on his every move. But he should have Brock's belt. The one with the lineage. The one that isn't seen as a complete joke. But if you're serious about Hunter's belt eventually meaning something, then put it on RVD. Clean. To blow off an extended feud. But don't hotshot it to him just to try to stop our bitching. We get enough hotshotting as it is.
As always, I'm available here.
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