High Road/Low Road 04.02.10: 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).

Results for Bret and Vince:

High Road: 65%
Low Road: 22%
Both Roads: 13%

Chad Nevett: I was High Road going into the match, but, now… well, see below…

Sat: I still think that this is a high road, more info on this match below…

WrestleMania 26

Sat: In case some of you have forgotten, each year after WrestleMania, we give you our thoughts on WrestleMania.

Chad Nevett: Finally, I can be both negative AND positive about a topic! Freedom, glorious freedom!

The High Roads

Sat’s High Roads:

1 – Randy Orton versus Cody Rhodes versus Ted DiBiase: I was not expecting a whole lot from this match and I was surprised that this match came out better than expected. I liked that Rhodes and DiBiase worked together for a bit and then got in an argument. I also liked that DiBiase could have potentially saved Rhodes from the punt, but did not do it.

2 – Slim Jim Segment: I am generally not a fan of backstage segments, but the Slim Jim one was awesome this year.

3 – Money In The Bank: I was worried that the match was going to be too crowded, but it was actually okay. I was surprised that Drew McIntrye did not win and I have to give the WWE credit for going in another direction. I thought Evan Bourne really stole the show. I was not a huge fan of Kofi using two broken pieces to try to get the briefcase. And kudos to Christian for taking a huge bump at the end. Sure, Jack Swagger told a long time to unhook the briefcase, but you could argue that it was the shock of him being up there all along.

4 – Bret Hart versus Vince McMahon: The one thing I am finding a bit surprising is that people are saying that this went on for too long. I don’t buy that at all; is Bret supposed to just beat up Vince really quickly, he’s supposed to have 13 years worth of frustration to take out and there is no way he gets that out in 3-5 minutes. Not a big fan of the whole Hart Family being involved, I would have preferred just the Hart Dynasty being out there. And the crowd (first few rows) was into the match, so you have to give them credit for keeping the crowd interested. By the way, has Vince ever taken a beating like that before?

5 – Edge versus Chris Jericho: I would rank this as the second best match on the Mania card this year. It was a very good match though there were a few spots that were screwed up a bit. I was hoping Edge would win this match because the Rumble winner has not won in the last three years at WrestleMania. But, I understand why the WWE had Jericho win because it easily sets up a return match at Extreme Rules.

6 – Cena versus Batista: I liked the SummerSlam match from a few years ago a lot better than this one, but this was still a very good match. They had a few awkward spots, but besides that the match was very good. I understand the WWE having to do a special John Cena entrance at every WrestleMania, but can we get something better next time around. Sure, that entrance was done very well, but that does not mean that I want to see it

7 – Shawn Michaels versus The Undertaker II: Not a whole lot to say about this match. It was just as good as last year’s match and not really surprised with the result. And I am one of those guys that is not buying that Michaels is done. The one thing that was a bit annoying with this match and Mania in general was Michael Cole.

Chad Nevett’s High Roads:

1 — Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase vs. Cody Rhodes: I wasn’t expecting much from this match, but I really enjoyed it. While it was predictable throughout, it was executed with such precision that I couldn’t help but be impressed. While neither Rhodes nor DiBiase looked like they were on Orton’s level, they both looked pretty decent. Probably the only match that surpassed my expectations.

2 — Money in the Bank: Jack Swagger! I (and Ari) told you! The All American American American American American American American… AMERICAN! Er, sorry. This was a decent match. I didn’t think that ten guys would be too many, but it kind of was. Guys like Dolph Ziggler and Shelton Benjamin just disappeared outside of the ring as the camera was locked on the center of the ring. There were some good spots and the chaos made it entertaining throughout. Swagger taking forever to unhook the briefcase was foreshadowed (unintentionally) by Matt Hardy not getting the case when he had a good fifteen seconds to do so earlier in the match.

3 — Triple H vs. Sheamus: I wasn’t expecting a lot out of this, but it was solid. Lots of physicality and Sheamus looked comfortable. There weren’t any places where it looked like Trips was carrying him. Some think that Sheamus needed the victory, but it worked fine for me this way, especially the end where it was more about Triple H being experienced in the ring and able to outthink Sheamus.

4 — Chris Jericho vs. Edge for the World Heavyweight Championship: Okay, so Jericho didn’t win via the spear, but he made the attempt, that was enough for me. Otherwise, this match was slightly disappointing since I was expecting more from these two guys. That just doesn’t seem fair, does it? Delivering a very good match just isn’t enough for them because they’re so good? I’m a dick, I’m sorry. Thoroughly enjoyable with some good psychology and the post-match spear was great. I would love to see this feud keep going, because Jericho is at his best when he’s involved in longterm programs and works to match each match distinct and better than what came before.

5 — Batista vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship: I hoped these two guys would bring it and they did. Both men displayed their power and abilities. I don’t think it outshone the World Heavyweight title match, but it traded on the idea of these two guys fighting for the belt at ‘Mania well. And Cena winning was the right call.

6 — The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels: I’ll say right off the bat, I don’t think this was as good as last year’s match. As far as in-ring work went, this didn’t quite get me as emotionally involved. Thankfully, the story surrounding the match more than made up for that. The Undertaker coming out of the gate as quick and heavy as he did was surprising and kicked things off right. Both men gave it their all and the ending brought back memories of Michaels retiring Flair two years ago. Nothing else could have ended the show and that second tombstone is something we’ll all remember.

The Low Roads

Sat’s Low Roads:

1 – Unified Tag Team Title Match: I was expecting this to be short, but not this short. The only positive out of this was that the right team won.

2 – Triple H versus Sheamus: I would like to start off by saying that I missed most of this match. The parts that I did see were not very good. I also think Sheamus should have won this match because he did not have a definitive win as WWE Champion and really has not beaten anybody. I will give credit to Triple H for not being involved in the world title picture at WrestleMania.

3 – CM Punk versus Rey Mysterio: My main problem with this match was that it was way too short. They definitely had a good match considering the time that they had, but I recall them having a longer match on SmackDown. Why can’t they have the same amount of time for a pay per view match. I also think that the wrong guy won this match; it would have worked out better if CM Punk had won.

4 – Divas Match: For the first few minutes of this match, I was impressed and thought that this match was going to end up in the High Road section. But, that quickly changed. First, Eve completely screwed up and you could tell that she did not hit her opponent at all. Then Vickie Guerrero goes for the hog splash and doesn’t hit that too well. Then, to make matters worse, she can’t even do a pin correctly and lifts up Kelly’s shoulder forcing the referee to stop at two and then recount the pinfall.

Chad Nevett’s Low Roads:

1 — ShoMiz vs. John Morrison & R-Truth for the Unified Tag Team Championship: Three minutes? Three fucking minutes? They were a good three minutes, but neither team looked good with such a short match. I would have rather this got bumped to the dark match ala last year’s tag match than this.

2 — CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio: Like the tag match, this one was a disappointment because of time constraints. This could have been the undercard match of the night, but it was short-changed. It was like a fast-forwarded version of what the match should have been. I’m also not sure that Rey going over was the right decision since him in the Straight Edge Society had so much potential.

3 — Bret Hart vs. Vince McMahon: You could see what they were going for, but the execution was just bad. It was ten minutes of Vince getting his ass kicked by the Hart family who, let’s be honest, a lot of people wouldn’t expect to betray Bret. That was a rare occasion of booking for the longtime fans that know of the in-fighting of the Hart family and it fell flat. This match needed to be two minutes of Bret beating on Vince before putting him in the sharpshooter. Everything else was unnecessary and dragged it down big time. Matt Striker did help with the fantastic line “Best luck in your future endeavors, Natalya,” though.

4 — The Divas Match: Yeah… added late, ate time, and accomplished nothing except setting up a rematch on Raw that was equally awful. Just an excuse to get as many Divas as possible in the ring.

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.

Freddy Neuwendyke Writes:

Where to begin on what’s wrong with tis angle? Well for one it’s the same crap we’ve seen for years about this time. Evil Mr. McMahon makes life hell for the babyface du jour. Wash. rinse. repeat. Also the timing of this feud. It would made great sense maybe ten years ago but now it just seems petty to be going on about crap from that long ago. Even during the vaunted mythical age of kayfabe nobody would have waited 13 years to see an angle paid off.

Also given Bret’s condition and McMahon’s age I just don’t think we’ll be getting the technical matches Bret was famous for.

And don’t even get me started on the two old timers in this match. It’s hilarious. Everybody bags on TNA for Hulk Hogan and Ric Flair. Meanwhile the big angle in WWE is a 60+ year old corporate executive versus a guy who had a stroke and a career ending concussion. Hypocrisy Thy name is Smarks.

Sat: I think the main differences between this match and Hogan and Flair in TNA is that has happened before and after Mania this feud is going to be over.

Chad Nevett: This was its own thing. Other feuds have been similar, but this is a longstanding one that hadn’t really been resolved. A situation that works in its context.

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.

Pro Wrestling Report Writes:

High Road

Every WM has a celebrity, this year have at least a wrestler as a celebrity. Besides this is a well known feud and hopefully will play out good, if not technical at least psychologically.

And by the way. LOL TNA, you end up on the bottom again.

Sat: TNA was at the bottom of most of the stuff last week, but they did have a popular topic as well, so who knows maybe things could change for TNA.

Chad Nevett: I’m always hoping things will turn around for TNA… if only so watching it each week for the 4R’s becomes more enjoyable.

Joe Blow Writes:

High road, I swear this match is going to be a lot better than people expect. Everyone is assuming that Bret can’t wrestle anymore, but I think he’ll surprise us Ricky Steamboat style. This is the freakin’ Excellence of Execution!! He’s not like Flair or Hogan, he is perfectly content to stay out of the spotlight if that is what’s best. He wouldn’t accept a comeback match if he didn’t think he could perform

Sat: If he does a Ricky Steamboat performance, I will be surprised. Steamboat had a good opponent in Jericho, Bret as to work with Vince.

Chad Nevett: It was worse than expected, sorry.

The Gold Standard Writes:

Low Road. I rather see Bret used in a role to push the Hart Dynasty to to tag team gold. But I guess if Hart beats McMahon with the old Sharpshooter it will be another Mania Moment

Sat: The main thing we are going to get out of this feud is a Mania moment.

Chad Nevett: That looks like what’s happening now a little, so it could be they’ve decided to do both. Win/win!

The Great Captain Smooth Writes:

High road. Honestly, it should be both roads due to Bret’s health and any ring rust. The match is likely to be bad. The reason I put it in “high” is that WWE would be stupid to have Vince win (It sounds like something TNA would do.), so you don’t have to worry about the wrong guy winning, the sight of Bret getting Vince in the Sharpshooter will cause even the most jaded wrestling fans to mark out, and it is nice to see Bret have that one last match. Let’s just hope everything goes well.

Sat: If Vince wins this, this would a TNA type move.

Chad Nevett: Definitely a Both Roads situation. Poorly executed, but still had the finish we all wanted.

Guest#0371 Writes:

Congrats on 200, but the column title should be bret vs. vince…

Sat: Yep, I definitely screwed it up. You did not mention this, but I also had the teaser messed up as well.

Chad Nevett: And since I don’t do that part of the column (Sat does all of the actual work), I still look great. Win/win!

Guest#0614 Writes:

High Road.

Positives:
– Payoff to 13 years of build.
– Big moment when/if Hitman wins.

Negatives:
– Bret’s health
– Arena would erupt if this match was held in Montreal
– Likely overbooked to compensate for limited ring ability

All in all, this match shouldn’t be that great but the story behind it makes it worthy of being at WM.
Bret’s health means low impact action. But I would also assume that Vince would be unable to keep up in a mostly mat-wrestling match. To me, this means a bunch of run-ins.

A couple other points:

I’m concerned the match will come across as plodding. If Bret had to clear this match with his insurance company, it has probably been choreographed down to every punch.

I’ve also read that Bret will stick around for a while after Mania. I think this may throw his winning moment into doubt if the feud continues. There would be a lot of unhappy people if the Hitman loses at Wrestlemania.

Sat: I’d be surprised if this match was cleared with the insurance agency; most likely the WWE just paid them off. I don’t think the result is in doubt; I think Bret is sticking around just for the international tour because he was a huge draw there.

Chad Nevett: It wasn’t exactly a difficult match physically for Bret, so I’d agree with the paid off idea. Booked to make sure he stayed healthy.

Deathpool Writes:

Both Roads.

Leaning high, but there’s too much uncertainty with how Bret is going to be in the ring for me to give it the thumbs up. No I’m not expecting him to be as he once was, I just hope he can still go if even a little.

I want to stress I really want the match to kick ass, just weary right now. I think it was smart they didn’t blow their load with him doing the Sharpshooter yet, gives us something to look forward to.

Sat: This is a definite high roads; only way this is a low road is if they go out there and just have a god awful match.

Chad Nevett: And they kind of did, so… (Sat answering comments before the match happened entertains me oddly…)

EdgeHead210 Writes:

lol i apologies i think pathetic is a harsh word as we are all entitled to our own opinions. i think your spot on with dis one but, people WANT to se bret win, even if he simply punches him and hits d sharpshooter for the win the crowd will go wild. its been 13years and its one of the few matches i thought would never happen, so a definite high road in what should be a special moment

Sat: punch and hit the sharpshooter is fine with me. I think the more fancier they get with this match, the more the match will suffer.

Chad Nevett: I would have loved punch and sharpshooter. That would have been much better.

JLAJRC Writes:

Both Roads

It’s High because it has been a fight fans have been wanting to see for years. I also hope Bret gets closure from this.

It’s Low because the entire angle is about the screwjob. I hate to say this, but even if Bret annihilates Vince and leaves him in a pool of his own blood (that won’t happen because of the PG rating now), Bret’s legacy is totally about the screwjob and everything that happened to him afterwards.

Sat: Yeah, Bret and the Screwjob are going to be linked forever; nothing can change that.

Chad Nevett: True, but this at least gives a somewhat positive spin on it in the longrun, which is good enough for me.

Guest#9427 Writes:

High Road.
It brings closure. WWE has referenced the Screwjob ad nauseum while wishing people would let it go.
Sure the ending isn’t in doubt, but that is true of movies, books, and television too. Is there any doubt that in an American (non-horror) movie the villain is going to lose in the end? We still like seeing them get their @$$ handed to them.
And really, Bret Hart belongs with WWE. going to WCW regardless of circumstances and booking never felt right. It is a nice homecoming.

Now if Vince can bury the hatchet with Bruno, Savage, and Warrior . . .

Sat: Seems like an effort is being made with the Warrior, so that will definitely be interesting to see.

Chad Nevett: I’d love to see Savage in the Hall of Fame and do a guest hosting gig.

Guest#9571 Writes:

High road. Kayfabe closure for Brett and fans. Older fans have been waiting for this.
I foresee some craziness. If Vince has some goons run in, like Ezekiel and Kozlov, then Tyson and Smith run in to make the save. Instant face turn, ups their profile, new story of Vince trying to get revenge for what they did.
Remember that Bret is sticking around a little longer after Wrestlemania. No reason to do that, the European trip isn’t that meaningful. WWE packs them in anyways. The Harts have been stuck in a Cryme Tyme limbo, even though Bret has come back. That doesn’t make sense to me unless they were waiting for the yearly big wrap-up so they can start new feuds.

Sat: I really hope Tyson and Smith are involved; they have been suffering on SmackDown for awhile now and them helping Bret could definitely help their credibility.

Chad Nevett: The Hart Dynasty being involved was good and made them look good. They beat up the boss to stand with Bret, which is definitely a way to help them turn face.

s1rude Writes:

Sticking with what I said last week, this one is a ‘both roads’ too.

The positive is obvious – it’s the payoff to one of the most famous/controversial/shocking moments in pro wrestling history.

The rest is all picking nits, but there are a lot of them. I still don’t get why we can’t just say that Bret is a stroke survivor? It adds to the shoot mystique of the feud, pushes him as an underdog, amps up his desire to put everything on the line to get closure, and explains the level of work without opening all of the plot holes that the “accident” does. The “street fight” stip is weak and leaves too many doors open for third-party involvement (I can’t rule out the E letting Vince win the match to continue the feud but still finding a way for Bret to stand tall for the feel good ‘Mania moment). Some of the heat has fizzled out with too much filler and too many participants (Cena) over three months. In short, I don’t see how the conclusion can live up to 13 years and 3 months of build-up.

Sat: The stroke has been ignored and I think it should have been mentioned. The other thing that has bothered me as this has taken too much time. Bret should have been the guest host in late February and the feud should have started from there.

Chad Nevett: The feud was dragged out too much. Bret had his final goodbye a good half a dozen times! Compressed, this would have worked better. The feud and the match.

GIMH Writes:

I wish people would stop going on about the Hart Dynasty, they are about as relevant as the Bushwackers. Most overrated tag team on the internet, no mean feat.

Sat: When you are stuck working with Cryme Tyme each week, you are not going to get a chance to shine.

Chad Nevett: I’ve really liked Tyson Kidd in the ring. He’s done a few things to show that he knows the psychology of wrestling well and could be played up as a smart wrestler, a guy who doesn’t odd, counterintuitive things that really play out a few moves down the road.

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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.