High Road/Low Road 03.23.07: Money in the Bank
Posted by Chad Nevett on 03.23.2007
At WrestleMania 23, we will see the third Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Is this still a good concept? You decide in this week's High Road/Low Road!
Welcome back to the High Road/Low Road! A brief explanation of the column: Uncle Trunx takes the Low Road (negative view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related "stuff" while Sat takes the High Road (positive view).
For those who live near Swindon, UK (and even those who don't)
Get along to the Grange Drive Leisure Centre this Saturday night for CSF wrestling. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are priced at £8 Adult / £6 Concession: That's an absolute bargain! You might even get to meet Uncletrunx in person; you can tell him what a miserable git he is to his face…
The Results for Elevation X:
High Road: 29%
Low Road: 55%
Both Roads: 16%
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.
Nathan Carter Writes:
Time to have a field day. I will go on record saying that of all the TNA matches I have seen, Elevation X is now the #1 WORST TNA match I have ever seen and yes I think that Last Rites was more entertaining than this crap. Man this was painful to watch. Whoever writes the 3R's column said this was the best scaffolding match ever. Well he must have been on something fantastic because this was not even close to the best scaffolding match ever. All of the old school scaffolding matches at least had tables below the structure so the fans weren't as scared if someone was to fall. The tension that everyone was feeling in this match was NOT; I repeat NOT good, what so ever. There one thing if your feeling tension in a match like Ultimate X or Six Sides of Steel, but when you actually think that someone is going to fall and seriously hurt themselves, its not good at all. The point is to brawl on the floor first for a bit to entertain the fans and make up for the fact that you can't do anything on the structure. What did we get on the structure? Endless straddling on the structure, standing and punching, which I understand. The part where AJ was in the structure was the only thing that was done well in this match. Then there was the ending. AJ's "death defying" drop from the structure. AJ has taken much bigger falls and bumps from the Ultimate X structure. Hell we all remember his scary drop from the top of the arena in the Lethal Lockdown match. They were acting like AJ had died falling off this structure hearing Mike Tenay say "our thoughts and prayers are with AJ" honestly made me even madder than I was watching this PPV. It looks like they are STILL going to continue this feud between AJ and Rhino also which I don't understand. The hype was fantastic for this match. The build was great but the payoff was abysmal. Oh and if I haven't mentioned before Low Road from me.
Sat: I guess it is safe to assume that you haven't seen Christy Hemme versus Big Fat Oily Guy. That was the worst match ever. I will admit that this Elevation X match was painful to watch. I knew that this match was going to be painful to watch when I saw that Rhino was having a tough time climbing. AJ inside the structure was the only thing that woke the crowd up. I think that was the best way they could have ended the match. It was a fall that Styles had taken before, but this time it was from higher up.
Uncle Trunx: I had a funny feeling that your vote might be a low road vote, even before the end of the email. It's this crazy, sixth sense I have. It was indeed a dreadful match but then scaffold matches usually are. There are all sorts of other gimmick matches which they could've used; why they had to drag such an awful idea out of storage is beyond me.
John Bryant Writes:
Do you think TNA dropped the ball in utilizing Monty Brown and do you think WWE are doing a better drop now and will do one in the long run?
Uncle Trunx: I'm not sure if TNA dropped the ball; if they did, I think it's due to them having too much talent for a one hour show. It's too early to say if WWE will do a better job; ask me again in a year and I'll give you an opinion.
Sat: I agree with Uncle Trunx. TNA has too much talent for a one hour show. I think that they are doing a good job with him right because he will be involved in one of the WrestleMania matches. The long term situation for Monty Brown doesn't look good if he stays on ECW because he will eventually be fed to Bobby Lashley.
This week's High Road/Low Road featuring...
Money in the Bank Ladder Match
High Road:
The Money in the Bank Ladder Match is still an important match because the winner has a contract for a world title match anytime in the next year. For the last two years, we have seen the winners win the WWE title. That adds a lot more to this match because the winner of this match knows that the odds are very high that if they win this match, then there is a good chance that they will also win a world title. Add the fact that the winner of this match can challenge any world champion and it just makes the match that much more intriguing.
Low Road:
First off, I like the idea of this match. The concept behind the "Money in the Bank" match is a good one, and sets up a longer term storyline, which is something I like. However, before everyone thinks I'm batting for the wrong team (as it were) I have to add that I have some problems with this years match. In short, I feel it detracts from the rest of the Wrestlemania card.
Why, you ask? Simply because of the people who are involved. To me, it's a crying shame that Edge, Orton and the Hardys will be in this match because it will dilute their impact. It will also take the focus off the other great performers involved. I'd rather see Edge and Orton in matches up at / near the main event, the same for King Booker and the Hardys should be going for tag team gold. Instead, there's the very real risk of them being lost in the shuffle here.
High Road:
One of the great things about any Money in the Bank Ladder Match is that it adds intrigue to the entire year and it can potentially lay out a storyline for the entire year. The intrigue is there for every Money in the Bank Ladder Match because you don't know when the championship shot is going to be used. The storyline can play out the entire year, ala Edge. The Money in the Bank Ladder Match is great because you don't know when the winner is going to cash in his title shot.
Low Road:
As I say, the storyline aspect of the match is good but it will leave at least 3 decent wrestlers out in the cold. Also, the last 2 years have had Shelton Benjamin in here doing crazy things – why is he left out this time? Probably so he won't upstage Jeff Hardy. There's another reason why the Hardys need to be in a tag match elsewhere; to actually build a tag division. Granted, you could do that with WGTT but they aren't. The tag teams are nowhere as ever.
High Road:
One of the things that I like about this year's Money in the Bank Ladder Match is that there are a ton of storylines. First, there is the storyline between Edge and Randy Orton. Another interesting dynamic is that both Hardys will be in this match against each other. How will that play out? Finlay and King Booker have been having problems for awhile. And who can forget the Edge and Matt Hardy feud from a few years ago. All of these storylines prove that this year's Money in the Bank Ladder Match is loaded with storylines.
Low Road:
It is loaded with potential storylines, but to make any of them work properly they will have to emphasize it at the expense of the others. With the sheer number of guys they have in there, in order for them all to get noticed such storylines will have to be severely cut down or, as an equally unfavourable alternative, some of the guys involved will have to be virtually ignored.
High Road:
This year's Money in the Bank Ladder Match has the potential to be great because it is very difficult to pick who is going to win. In the previous two Money in the Bank Ladder Match, it was very obvious who was going to win. This year, there is a front runner and that is Edge because he has an undefeated streak. However, I could also see Mr. Kennedy winning the thing. The WWE seems to be paying a lot of attention to him. I also think that Jeff Hardy could win this thing because he has been on a massive losing streak. He has gotten beaten up by Umaga twice and once by the Great Khali. I have seen the WWE do this to many times, so I think that Jeff Hardy could also walk out the victor. The main point is that this year it is very difficult to pick a winner.
Low Road:
It is tricky to pick a winner, but that is as much because they've loaded the match with a lot of top line talent. To me, the idea of this match is to enable someone from the mid card to break out – this year, it's more likely that someone who is already established will win the thing as most of those involved are already big stars and those who are not will be most unlikely to win. The only people I can see being elevated by winning the thing are CM Punk or Mr. Kennedy, which is a possibility but if they win it will be to the detriment of at least 3 guys who should be nailed on main eventers.
High Road:
One of the things that initially had me worried was the fact this year's Money in the Bank Ladder Match was going to contain eight people. I felt that was going to make the match seem like it was too crowded. However, when I gave it some thought, I changed my mind and I think that it is good to have eight people in this ladder match. The first reason is that it allows for two extra people to be on the WrestleMania card. The second reason is that the first Money in the Bank Ladder Match had seven people around the ring (the six participants and Tyson Tomko) and I had no problem with that match.
Low Road:
Given the caliber of wrestler in this match, I'm not sure that it is a good thing to have more people in it. As I've said above, it will be very hard for all of these wrestlers to get the ring time and attention that they deserve here. Adding an extra two further dilutes the impact of those involved. And again, there's no Shelton Benjamin among the 8!
High Road:
This year's Money in the Bank Ladder Match is interesting to me because it contains a ton of new faces. There will be five first time participants in this match. There are CM Punk, Jeff Hardy, Randy Orton, King Booker and Mr. Kennedy. There are three veterans of this match and they are Edge, Finlay, and Matt Hardy. This year's Money in the Bank Ladder Match has a nice mix of first timers and veterans. But, the thing that seals it for me is that there are more first timers.
Low Road:
I don't think it's all that important how many first timers and how many MITB veterans there are. I think that the quality of wrestler in there is more important. As I've said above, it's a waste of an opportunity to really showcase some of the amazing talent involved. What is sadder is that while these guys get put to one side as part of an 8 man match where each will have little time to get "their moment", Kane Vs Khali gets a match to itself. That's why I have to go for the low road on this.
Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?
High Road/Low Road Plugs
We are taking the high road on these articles so you should read them...
There are other articles that we didn't list, so check them out as well.
For those who live near Swindon, UK (and even those who don't)
Get along to the Grange Drive Leisure Centre this Saturday night for CSF wrestling. Doors open at 7pm. Tickets are priced at £8 Adult / £6 Concession: That's an absolute bargain! You might even get to meet Uncletrunx in person; you can tell him what a miserable git he is to his face…
E-mail us your reasons for taking the High Road or the Low Road and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road at satuncletrunx@gmail.com. Your reply will be included in next week's column.
