High Road/Low Road 03.27.10: Bret vs Vince at WrestleMania 26

Welcome back to the High Road/Low Road!

A brief explanation of the column: Sat takes the High Road (positive view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related “stuff” while Chad Nevett takes the Low Road (negative view).

High Road/Low Road Milestone

Sat: This week’s column is a huge milestone for the High Road/Low Road. This is the 200th edition of the High Road/Low Road. It’s been a fun ride and to celebrate, I came up with a few facts about past columns.

Uncletrunx: Hello folks, and thanks to Sat and Chad for inviting me back for comments on this milestone edition of the column. I feel a bit like Roddy Piper at WrestleMania V here, except without the massive popularity and staged hostility! I promise not to attack anyone with a fire extinguisher during the course of this column…

Chad Nevett: This also marks my 22nd column as the Low Road writer, which isn’t actually that special at all. But, it’s still good to be here.

Sat: The High Road/Low Road has had two eras, Poll and Post-Comments. The first 80 columns had a poll and the next 120 columns have had comments. The writers are not told how many hits they get, so the only way for me to determine how popular a column is to look at the number of votes on the poll or to see how many comments an article had. With all that said, here are the most popular and least popular columns…

Most Popular Columns from the Poll Era:

1) The Great Khali
2) Ric Flair
3) JR
4) ECW
5) Rey Mysterio as World Champion
6) Mr. McMahon’s Death

Sat: The only real surprise here is the JR column. No idea why so many people voted on that particular column. The Great Khali article was a few weeks after he debuted and the ECW article was done right before the show debuted.

Uncletrunx: I suppose I’m a bit surprised by the popularity of the Great Khali column. It has to be acknowledged that he has been a polarizing figure and never more so than during his early appearances. JR is a much loved figure, so I’m not that surprised to see his column getting the hits.

Least Popular Columns from the Poll Era:

1) Women’s Title Tournament (After Trish’s Retirement)
2) King of the Mountain Match 2007
3) The Mystery Partner at Genesis (Booker T’s Arrival To TNA)

Sat: Not really surprised that TNA has two of the least popular columns. I was kind of surprised to see the Women’s Title tournament here; I expected TNA to have all three of these.

Uncletrunx: I think it’s a reflection on the state of womens’ wrestling at the time . The TNA results are indicative of the apathy around TNA at the time. I’m intrigued to see if TNA manage to make this a thing of the past; I doubt it but I’m willing to be proven wrong.

Most Popular Columns from the Post-Comments Era:

1) HBK/Taker Rematch at WrestleMania 26
2) Jeff Hardy In TNA
3) HBK/Taker at WrestleMania 25

Sat: All three of these columns have appeared in the last year, so I guess the High Road/Low Road has not lost any steam. Kind of surprised to see both HBK/Taker column here though.

Uncletrunx: HBK vs Undertaker was one of the few remaining dream Wrestlemania matches last year, stole the show and is once again likely to do so. The added interest of HBK being a realistic possibility to end Undertakers winning streak means that both columns generate a great deal of interest. Jeff Hardy, love him or hate him is a figure who generates interest. Personally I’ve never seen the attraction, not being female and under 15. However, I’m not surprised to see a column featuring him in the top three.

Chad Nevett: Two of the three were ones I participated in, which is gratifying. I still firmly stand in the Low Road on Jeff Hardy on TNA.

Least Popular Columns from the Post-Comments Era:

1) Samoa Joe versus Booker T at Victory Road
2) Edge and Vickie’s Wedding
3) The Sacrifice 2009 Main Event

Sat: Again, not surprised with TNA being here. The Edge/Vickie Wedding was awful, but I did not expect it to be on the bottom three.

Uncletrunx: If ever WWE needed to know what people thought of that angle, here it is. Truly horrible. I felt bad writing a Low Road on that one, it was so bad it felt like kicking a man with a broken leg.

Chad Nevett: And none of mine appear here. Does this mean that I can argue that people love the column more now that I’m the Low Road writer? Probably not. (And some commenters will no doubt say definitely not.)

Breakdown of Topics by Companies:

1) WWE: 153
2) TNA: 44
3) WWE and TNA: 2
4) CCW: 1

Sat: I expected TNA to have about sixty or seventy columns. The two WWE and TNA columns were RAW vs. Impact on January 4th and year-end review column that we did in 2008.

Uncletrunx: I expected a few more TNA columns but I guess the breakdown is a fair reflection on the relative importance of the various companies. I’d forgotten about the CCW column. I’m amazed that wasn’t bottom 3. Will there be another one now TNA and CCW have effectively merged?

Chad Nevett: I find that breakdown a little surprising since that’s only 22% TNA whereas it’s been over 30% during my tenure. But, perhaps, that has to do with TNA’s recent developments more than anything.

Wrestlers Featured In Most Columns:

1) Edge: 9
2) Jeff Hardy: 8
3) John Cena & Vince McMahon: 7
4) Kurt Angle, Samoa Joe, & Undertaker: 6

Sat: Edge just recently passed up Jeff Hardy for the lead by winning the Royal Rumble and then the column that we did a few weeks ago. The one surprising thing I discovered when I was tabulating the results is that the Kurt Angle/Samoa Joe feud was featured three times.

Uncletrunx: Edge is top? Wow. I expected more Undertaker and Vince, and less Kurt Angle / Samoa Joe. I’m also amazed that Ric Flair and HBK aren’t up there. I seem to remember doing a fair few on them.

Chad Nevett: Triple H is also absent, same with Randy Orton, which surprises me given their tendency to be in the main event scene. Plus, add Trips’s general controversial nature amongst the IWC and you’d think he’d have topped the list no problem.

Sat: I know for a fact that Triple H and Shawn Michaels had five columns. Randy Orton was there too, but he might have been at four.

Final Thoughts:

Sat: And a very special thank you to the readers. If you guys had not been reading, then this column would have been gone a long time ago. And thanks to Uncletrunx for joining us.

Uncletrunx: I agree. Thank you all for your loyalty and interaction. I’ll hand back to Sat and Chad now, and I’ll see you all again sometime in the future…

Chad Nevett: Thanks to my predecessor, Uncletrunx for joining us. I’m happy to be here and have enjoyed my previous 21 columns and who knows, maybe I’ll be around for 21 more…

Sat: And now, we present the 200th column…

Results for Cena and Batista at WrestleMania 26:

High Road: 76%
Low Road: 03%
Both Roads: 21%

Chad Nevett: I’ve been digging this feud. While I don’t have high hopes for the in-ring work, this definitely is a fresh main event that I’m glad is happening at WrestleMania. When Cena and Batista fought at SummerSlam, I was worried that the WWE just gave the match away, but it doesn’t feel that way at all now. That seems like a little skirmish that didn’t matter (because it didn’t really) and this does. Definitely High Road.

Sat: Yeah, a definite High Road here. The only way this is not a high road is if their match at Mania is a complete dud.

Bret Hart and Vince McMahon at WrestleMania

High Road:

This match is definitely going to get people to buy this pay per view. People have been waiting for Bret and Vince to get it on since the screw job. There is definite interest in this match and I expect it to get a very favorable reaction from the fans.

Low Road:

The obvious ending could hurt it along with neither Bret nor Vince being in the shape to put on a great match. Why buy a PPV for a match where you know who’ll win and looks like it could be bad in execution?

High Road:

I loved the swerve at the end where Bret was faking the injured leg. I did not see that coming at all; I thought the leg injury was real to cover the fact that Bret had a stroke and probably cannot wrestle that well anymore. It was really one of the more shocking things that the WWE has done is quite some time.

Low Road:

It seemed a little obvious and had one big piece of missing logic: since Vince didn’t arrange for the car accident, wouldn’t he have questioned the coincidence of it? It looked staged, so if Vince didn’t do it, that only left… Bret. Vince is smart enough to know that.

High Road:

This feud has been laid out very well. I like that Bret tried to get closure from Vince and when Vince would not listen that lead to this match. My only complaint about this feud would be that it started off a bit slow, but it has definitely picked up in the last few weeks.

Low Road:

It’s been dragged out too much. So far, it’s been going on for two-and-a-half months without a lot of movement. How many times did we need to see Bret come on Raw to say his goodbye only for something bad to happen? Picking up recently doesn’t make the early stuff seem any better.

High Road:

The no holds barred stipulation makes complete sense. First, Vince and Bret are way past the prime of their careers and for them to have a wrestling match will most like be a train wreck. The no holds barred stipulations will allow them to have a very entertaining match. Finally, this match is thirteen years in the making. A match like this is not going to be a regular wrestling match.

Low Road:

I’m worried that by making it no holds barred, that opens the door to nasty bumps or moves that could injury either man more easily than a regular match would. If Bret can’t wrestling in the ring, I’m not convinced that he can brawl all over the place either. It does allow for the passion and brutality to come through, but that could have some really negative side-effects.

High Road:

The one argument that is a definite negative for this match is that the winner is not really in any doubt. I don’t think that really has an effect on in this match. Does anybody really want Vince to win this feud? There is only one logical outcome to this match and that is Bret getting revenge.

Low Road:

For some people, a telegraphed ending is a negative, though. Part of what draws people to wrestling is the surprise, the insane swerves that blow people’s minds. A foregone conclusion could turn people off to this match.

High Road:

Minor high road here. I loved the way that the WWE managed to get Stu Hart into the Hall of Fame this year. It really made no sense for Vince to allow him in, so it made sense that Steve Austin had to force Vince’s hand a bit to get him to agree.

Low Road:

The odd, inconsistent powers of the guest hosts is a ridiculous aspect of Raw right now. What can/can’t they do? They can trade people, they can make PPV matches, they can induct people into the WWE Hall of Fame…? What’s next, the cast of Hot Tub Time Machine wishing someone the best in their future endeavors? Also, making a Hall of Fame induction into a storyline point cheapens it. The Hall of Fame should be above stories and be about honoring deserving people.

Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?

High Road
Low Road
Both Roads
OR

Simply write “High Road”, “Low Road”, or “Both Roads” in the comment section.

E-Mails:

These are all of the e-mails that we received this week. We do not respond to the actual e-mail, but the reply to your e-mail will be below.

Terry Writes:

The match should be good, but I just don’t have much interest in it. Neither Cena or Batista are favorites of mine, although I have found Batista as a heel to be much more interesting than as a face. Cena is still Superman without the cape; his persona is boring to me.

Sat: I like that you went both roads even if you are not fans of them. It seems like some are going low road just because they don’t like the two which is disappointing.

Chad Nevett: Yeah. I’m not expecting a great in-ring match, but that’s not the point of the match here. It’s more about the spectacle than the content.

Comments:

Below are the comments for last week’s columns and our responses. Every comment will not be included because it makes our lives a lot easier. The comments section was last looked at on Sunday Evening Pacific Time.

Guest#4964 Writes:

Middle Road

I hate Batista, and I hate Cena. But I know that at least Cena can show charisma inside the ring and carry another guy in the ring.

This match would be rated High Road for me ONLY if I knew this would end up on the lower half of the card. But as it stands now I cant confirm that.

Sat: I can’t believe the hate for both Batista and Cena.

Chad Nevett: I don’t understand hating either man. I can understand not enjoying their in-ring work a lot, but they’re both effective and good at what they do.

EdgeHead210 Writes:

first of all almost all of your low roads are pathetic. secondly, i stick by what i have been saying for months, that this will be the shocker of the night, and i love how everyone looks down on this as the day after people will universally praise this as one of the great epic main events of all time. dont think cena and batista dont feel they have something to prove, and they will at wm26

Sat: I think the low roads were pathetic because this is a definite high road.

Chad Nevett: Hey, I tried! I think some of them were a little better than ‘pathetic’ as our next commenter will attest to by not choosing the High Road…

s1rude Writes:

Both roads. I guess I’m both roads on all the ‘mania matches except for HBK/Taker2 and Punk/Rey.

The main negative for me is that this doesn’t need a belt – it works fine as Dave is jealous of Cena and wants to destroy the “face” of the WWE. Sheamus v Trips is pretty blah and risks derailing Sheamus completely without the title.

The positive is that the booking has been logical in hindsight and shows a some long-term planning on the E’s part, which we should support when it actually happens.

Sat: This is the argument that I buy; this match does not need the title.

Chad Nevett: It doesn’t need it, but having it there elevates it. It’s a symbol of being the Man in the WWE, particularly since it’s the WWE Championship on the line, so the guy who walks away with it can say he is the Man.

Guest#1668 Writes:

Both Roads.

Positives:
– Lots of backstory (parallel paths, broken neck, etc)
– Two big names
– Crowd should be rabid for this one.

Negavtives:
– Feud started strangely as an off-shoot of Hart-McMahon rivalry.
– Feels automatic that Cena will win… via submission.
– Needs a no DQ stipulation. Cena is at his best when his matches go all over the arena.
– Might have been more interesting if Batista was World Champ and Cena was WWE Champ.

Sat: I don’t feel that Cena is a guarantee to win. I also think it a bad idea to have this as no DQ because there are already too many no DQ matches on this card (HBK/Taker, Bret/Vince, Punk/Rey)

Chad Nevett: I agree that being an offshoot of the Hart/McMahon feud does detract a little from this feud. It made it get off to a slower, more confusing start.

ROH Commish Writes:

High Road.

This feud has been the best built mania closer since WM 17 and it is a fresh match-up. You know this match is the headliner and if you believe its Taker v HBK you haven’t been watching.

Sat: I also think that this is a stacked card as well.

Chad Nevett: The card here is great. I’m very excited for this year’s ‘Mania.

Guest#2368 Writes:

High road.

Wrestlemania is the biggest show of the year.

Cena and Batista are the biggest stars of the past 5 years.

Batista is the one guy Cena has just never been able to get the better of. This writes itself.

This is an easy high road. I expect this match (along with Taker-HBK) to help this WM break the all time PPV buy record.

Sat: I think Bret/Vince will also help break the PPV record as well.

Chad Nevett: There are a lot of big matches on this card no doubt. There aren’t many that stand out of throwaway bouts.

M:-X Writes:

High Road– unless you can think of a better main event. Cena/Dave is one of the last money main events left, even if they faced off before it doesn’t ruin it as the dynamic is completely different (Hulk & Andre had fought before WM3)

But who could really go into the main event and make it feel like a wrestlemania main event?

Kofi? Santino? MVP? Miz? Bryan Daniel?

The answer I can guess people shouting is CM Punk– yet does anybody really want to see Rey Mysterio, the guy he’s feuding with, in a main event? Punk’s time will come soon enough.

Sat: I agree. This is definitely the remaining money match that the WWE as.

Chad Nevett: Definitely. I can’t think of anything bigger that’s as fresh as this.

Anonymous Smart Mark Writes:

EASY High Road here. Batista’s found his groove lately as a douchebag chickenshit heel, and Cena’s still one of the top draws in the company, so putting the two together at WrestleMania is a license to print money. As far as the match itself goes, this actually stands a chance of being surprisingly good – Batista usually pulls out his workin’ boots for WM, and Cena can easily carry him to at least a three-star match.

Sat: I expect this match to be four stars at least. Batista is always motivated at WrestleMania and I think him working with Cena is going to be more motivation for him.

Chad Nevett: I’m not expecting four stars, but I am expecting both men to bring their absolute best, which should make for a very good match.

The Great Captain Smooth Writes:

High road. Their SummerSlam match match was pure carnage, these are two of the biggest stars in wrestling today, and I trust them to put on a good match. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Vince screw Cena for helping Bret. Cena could go after Vince while Christian would come out to get his newly won MITB title shot and beat Dave for the title. Edge comes out(after winning his title) and they hug in the ring as WM goes off.

Sat: I don’t see that. I do see McIntrye cashing in his MITB title shot after Edge wins the title.

Chad Nevett: I’m not going that in-depth with my predictions. Cena wins and that’s as far as I’m going.

PJL – FF Writes:

First off. To ALL those idiots who stated that JerriShow/E&C bull, shut up! That won’t work for a plethora of reasons, so leave it be. They NEEDED a World Title match, not an F’N Unified Tag Title match (Which REALLY hasn’t been in ANYONE’S conversation at all)!

So, STOP the Ri-Goddamned-Diculos “Arm-Chair” booking and PLEASE adhere to the FACT that Edge’s comeback was planned PERFECT! Also, the build hasn’t been THAT bad, so stop nit-picking.

Now, onto THIS HR/LR. I’m taking High on storyline, Low on match, so my actual decision is NEUTRAL.

Let’s face facts, both styles are Brawler/Powerhouse/Entertainers. Both have VERY limited movesets, both are very “bend, don’t break” styles.

Remember the “Styles Makes Fights” saying, that is what we’ve got here. To VERY simular-styled wrestlers. So, expect a hard-hitting match, light on actual Pshychology, heavy on rest periods, and heavy on drama (until Cena probably goes SuperCena, whcih probably entails close to the end of the match).

Winner: Cena, more likely than not, STFU.

Sat: The Jeri-Show and Edge/Christian seemed to be a popular idea last week. I don’t know about everybody else, but I don’t have too much interest in that match. Sure, the WWE would have made it work.

Chad Nevett: I’d rather have the matches we got. I’d like to see Edge and Christian in a match together (as teammates or opponents doesn’t matter to me), but JeriShow had run its course. And a Jericho/Edge feud is a better ‘Mania match.

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Your reasons for taking the High Road, Low Road, or Both Roads and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road are welcome at [email protected] or in the comment section. Your reply will be included in next week’s column.