High Road/Low Road 08.11.06: Using RAW/SmackDown Stars on ECW
Posted by Sat on 08.11.2006
The WWE has been using RAW and SmackDown stars on ECW. Is this a good idea? Find out in this week's edition of High Road/Low Road?
Welcome to another loaded edition of the column for Gods—the High Road/Low Road! A brief explanation of the column for you High Road/Low Road virgins: Rajah takes the Low Road (negative view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related "stuff" while Sat takes the High Road (positive view).
The Results for the Chavo Guerrero:
High Road: 61%
Low Road: 39%
E-Mails:
Below are some of the e-mails that we received this week. We read every e-mail that we get, but we are unable to respond to all of them. That being said, keep the e-mails coming. Your feedback is greatly appreciated.
Riston Simon Writes:
This was a feud I could've seen coming a mile away, even before Chavo retired. The moment Eddie died (And I'm not saying like as soon as he did), one of the first things I found myself saying was "this could be Chavo's chance". Heartless as it may sound, hear me out. Even from WCW days, Chavo has always been seen as the "other, lesser Guerrero", in the shadow of his Uncle Eddie. It was like, no matter how good a match he may have had, it would've never compared to the matches Eddie had. Eddie's charisma, in-ring ability, his overall package, overshadowed that of Chavo's. Who knows, it may have actually gotten to him, because it continued to happen and even booked that way until Eddie's last days.
WWE could've initially use this as a way to push Chavo instead of Rey, especially since the moment Eddie died the Kerwin White gimmick was dropped and Chavo returned to his roots. Now we fast-forward to Chavo's betrayal of Rey. Hell, the way I originally pictured this feud, was more of a Chavo Jealous of Rey for getting more Eddie's approval, which would've also been a solid ground to stand on, since in the eyes of not only myself but other fans as well, that's how we saw it. Instead, they chose an even smarter route (IMO), in basically using Chavo as a mouthpiece for what everyone else has been saying (while doing it himself), and that's mentioning Eddie's name for the extra help/praise or in now Chavo's (and Orton's) case, the extra heat.
The outcome of this feud will only do what Chavo claims he wants to end and that's make Rey more popular by using Eddie's name. Will it get Chavo over? As far as they could push him, but more than likely will end as an mid-card/upper mid-card talent like you mentioned. In the process, I hope Chavo develops a mean-streak which leads him to at least a US Title win, although, the cruiserweight title and its division could use the added credibility.
Simply put, if the cards are played right, and they're allowed to go above and beyond to make it work, I see this being a high road for all parties involved. Even Eddie.
Sat: Everybody knew that somewhere along the road, Chavo was going to be involved in some type of storyline about Eddie. I think that by the end of this feud, Chavo will be fine. He could be a main-eventer, but he will definitely be a solid mid-carder.
Rajah: I just have a feeling that the feud is going to go down a road that I think would be disrespectful. Maybe I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong but Vince's track record isn't all too great.
Natedogg Writes:
Just a suggestion but I think that a good High Road Low Road for the future would be the ECW Crowd at the recent tapings and chanting "Change the Channel" It seems that there has been a lot of talk about the crowd lately. Half seems to think that the crowd is a bunch of idiots and should keep there mouths shut while others think they have the right to chant what they want. Just a suggestion love these columns, great work keep it up!
Sat: We will do this High Road/Low Road, the week the WWE decides to go back to the smaller arenas. Thanks for the suggestion.
Rajah: I am not in charge of which topics we are going to do, so whatever Sat said.
Rick Funcannon Writes:
This feud should be interesting. The matches will be good but the storyline ideas will probably ruin it in the end. I agree there is nowhere for Chavo to go after this feud. SmackDown is in desperate need of faces who are over. I would love to see Carlito get moved to SmackDown. There is no room for him on Raw. He has faced Shelton Benjamin like a hundred times already. WWE management refuses to push him into the main event but for some reason the Spirit Squad remains as Main Eventers. I think Chavo could have a good feud with Carlito if he can get over as an asshole heel who because of his size HAS to cheat to win. Carlito could move on to feuds with Kennedy and eventually Batista for the World title which is a SmackDown World Title Match that would actually sell tickets and should split the crowd in half the way Cena does so well. There would be no clear cut face or heel in this match because Carlito and Batista each have there own fans (Carlito has a lot of female fans who I think will cheer him over Batista). Carlito NEVER should have been taken off SmackDown in the first place. Plus once Batista beats Booker who is there left for him to face? Kennedy? Khali? (Worst WWE Title match of all time) Finlay? There is Bobby Lashley but he is very green and needs time and a good long US Title reign before he is ready for the big time. It makes perfect sense to move Carlito now and build him up for a big time match with Batista at Mania.
Sat: The matches between Chavo and Rey will be very good, but the storyline could be bad or good. I am not going to comment on the storyline until I have seen a few weeks of where this storyline is going. The last draft that the WWE had really helped RAW. Carlito would have been in a better situation if he were on SmackDown.
Rajah: I didn't think the Carlito should have been moved either. He seems to fit in the SmackDown roster. The WWE, however, seems to be content with the rosters. Why? I have no idea.
Uncle Trunx Writes:
Hi guys,
Great column as always.
As far as Chavo goes, I have mixed feelings. He's a talented wrestler, who is capable of working great matches. However to me, nothing about him yells "push me!" Add in the fact that he's a cruiserweight, and it's beyond rare for a cruiser to get any sort of decent push in WWE due to Vince's love of big men, and you've got a decent wrestler but not a main eventer.
If he ends up going up the card because of his association with Eddie, that to me would be the wrong reason to push him. I don't like the feud they're building with him and Rey, based once again on Eddie. The was the WWE has used Eddie's death is shocking, and this only continues that.
So I guess it's a low road, which is a shame as the man is a decent wrestler if not a standout main eventer.
Sat: As one of the e-mailers above said, who is Batista going to feud with after he wins the world title?. I have to believe that it will be Chavo. Sure, Chavo will not win, but by the end of this feud with Rey, Chavo has a chance to be a solid mid-carder.
Rajah:
E-MAIL.......GOD!
This week's High Road/Low Road featuring...
Using RAW/SmackDown Wrestlers on ECW
High Road:
ECW needed to use the RAW and SmackDown stars because they had lost two of their top main event stars in a matter of two weeks. First, ECW lost Kurt Angle for "personal reasons" and then lost Rob Van Dam for his arrest. This left ECW at a shortage of main event talent, so they had to survive until those two could come back. Kurt Angle has already come back and Rob Van Dam will be back soon. The use of the RAW and SmackDown stars will decline because of this and the RAW and SmackDown stars will be used once a month at the most.
Low Road:
Is it really that hard to build new talent? And what have all the original "Extremists" been doing every week? It makes more sense to use the wrestlers on your own roster and build them up instead of putting a band-aid on the wound left by Angle and Van Dam. Would it make sense for Theodore Long to bring in a RAW superstar to wrestle on SmackDown every week because they of all the injuries, wellness and what not? No it would be stupid and it's the same for ECW.
High Road:
ECW does not have enough main eventers to be showcasing their own main event. By using the RAW and SmackDown stars, ECW is showcasing their world title and they are giving a big time match for the fans to see. ECW could have used their own stars, but that would not have been a sensible solution because all of their matchups would have been gone in a few weeks. Eventually, ECW will begin to start using their own superstars in the main event.
Low Road:
I personally wasn't looking forward to the Kane/Big Show main event. Or the Undertaker/Big Show main event. Or the Batista/ Big Show main event. So saying that the WWE was giving the fans the big time matches they want is stretching just a little. ECW has enough Extremists to put on good shows. The problem is Vince believes that the Extremists can't pull off a good show and thus he has to bring in RAW and SmackDown stars. It wasn't because he wanted to "save" feuds, he just doesn't think that ECW has enough to get by which isn't true.
High Road:
One of the arguments that I have heard is that while the Big Show is facing RAW and SmackDown superstars, he has not been involved in a storyline with an ECW competitor (not counting Rob Van Dam). I would have agreed with this a few weeks ago, but that is no longer the case. Once Rob Van Dam returns, the Big Show could potentially be involved in two storylines. One storyline will be that Big Show and Heyman screwed Rob Van Dam and the other could be that Sabu wants a shot at the ECW title. This could lead to a triple threat match at SummerSlam and that will reduce the need for RAW and SmackDown superstars on ECW.
Low Road:
Of course the feud was going to be Big Show/RVD when RVD returns. But by giving precious television time to Kane/Big Show and Undertaker/Big Show matches they could have built up an Extremist to maybe be a potential opponent for the ECW title. The ECW title does not have to be defended EVERY week. It doesn't make sense for it to be defended every week especially when it's obvious the Big Show won't lose the title to a non-ECW star. It would have helped to build new stars and Extremists who haven't been on television a few matches.
High Road:
If the Big Show were not facing the RAW and SmackDown wrestlers, then there would have three possible scenarios. The three possible scenarios are that he would have been facing nobody, facing ECW stars, or facing ECW mid-carders. I have already explained why it would have been a bad idea to have the Big Show face the ECW stars. If the Big Show had been facing the mid-carders, ECW would not have a big time main event. If the Big Show had not been facing anybody, then the credibility of the ECW Title would have been diminished.
Low Road:
Why would the credibility of title been diminished if he faced anyone? Isn't that what a champion should do? He could squashed a few jobbers and that would not have done anything to the credibility of the world title. In fact I think by defending the title against only RAW and SmackDown stars the WWE has diminished the potential of other "Extremists" as well as the credibility of the title. Does the fact that the ECW champion was used in a secondary feud on SmackDown (Undertaker/Khali) and against an opponent who hasn't been doing much as of late-Kane really improve the credibility of the title? Kane isn't even used as a main event star on RAW and he is with ECW? It would have been better to allow someone from the roster to face the Big Show and feud with him for around four weeks until RVD returns.
High Road:
By having the Big Show defend the title weekly against the RAW and SmackDown superstars, the ECW title has gained a ton of credibility. Here's why I believe that.
1) By having the Big Show take on all competitors, the ECW title will start to be considered as a major title of the WWE. Does the WWE champion or the World Champion face all competitors? No, but the ECW champion does. Also, note that I am not saying that the ECW title will become the title to have in the WWE, but it will be one of the major titles that the WWE has to offer. The WWE made the right decision in having the ECW Title defended weekly against RAW and SmackDown stars because when a title is introduced, you have to showcase it or people will not buy it as a major title. And the WWE did that by having the Big Show and Rob Van Dam face the top stars of RAW and SmackDown.
2) The Big Show has been facing some of the best superstars that RAW and SmackDown have to offer. If the Big Show had been facing some of the mid-carders of RAW and SmackDown, then it would not have helped the credibility of the ECW Title. But the Big Show has faced two of the top stars of SmackDown in Batista and the Undertaker.
3) The ECW title is the only title that is being defended weekly against top contenders. When was the last time the WWE title was defended? It's hard to believe, but it was defended last on Saturday Night's Main Event. The World Title has been defended at a higher rate than the WWE title, but nowhere near the rate at which the ECW title is being defended.
Low Road:
The Big Show might face all competitors but he can't beat all competitors. By putting the Big Show in these matches and not letting him get a clean win makes me wonder if the ECW titles is up to par with the other ones. And he did face one mid-carder in Kane. And he couldn't beat anyone cleanly which doesn't help his credibility. Just by having a match with someone doesn't mean you are perceived to be at your opponent's level.
Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?
Plugs
We are taking the high road on these articles so you should read them...
Michael Weyer has a look at The Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame: The Tag Teams book and he also has a brief look at the tag team divisions in TNA and the WWE in Shining the Spotlight.
Ari Berenstein has a look at the results from the ROH shows in Cleveland and in Long Island. He also has a preview of the Samoa Joe/Bryan Danielson match and the ROH news in the Column of Honor
