High Road/Low Road 01.11.08: JBL Returning To the Ring

Posted by Sat & Uncletrunx on 01.11.2008

JBL's return to the ring to feud with Chris Jericho has produced a mixed response; is it a great development for WWE, to get JBL back in the ring or should he have stayed as a commentator? That's the topic for debate in the High Road/Low Road. Also, the most feedback we've ever seen in the history of the column. My fingers hurt from typing all the replies!

Welcome back to the High Road/Low Road! A brief explanation of the column: Uncletrunx 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 Ric Flair Retirement Angle

High Road: 66.6%
Low Road: 30.8%
Both Roads: 2.6%

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.

Brad McLeod Writes:

I am taking the High Road on this one. I think it's a great last hurrah for Flair.

In your analysis of the Low Road, however, you pulled out everything that is wrong with wrestling fans, in this day and age.

Your main argument, at least the last one, is that:

"Only small children and those who have their head firmly in the sand are anticipating Flair retiring before then...."

Well, unless you have completely forgotten what wrestling is all about, it's about suspending disbelief. It is an ENTERTAINMENT program.

Now, granted, I hate the current condition of "Sportz Entertainment" as much as anyone else, but, I haven't lost sight of the fact that it is still an entertainment business. Just like Friends, Seinfeld, or Frasier.

With the "Broken Kayfabe" era we are in, should the WWE abolish Kayfabe altogether, just because SOME of the people are "smart" to it?

I don't believe so. I still watch, and I still like the storyline. I also don't think he will make it WrestleMania. It's TOO cliché. Will it probably happen, yeah. But, hey, I want to enjoy it. So I will aim for No Way Out.

The bottom line is, even if we are smart to it, I don't think it should take away from the joy of something we love. Hey, I know it more than most; I am 31 years old and have been watching for about 25 of those years. I have seen it all. But I still love it.

Sat: It has been an interesting storyline so far, but one of the things that I would like to see is have Ric Flair lose before that and then have his final match at WrestleMania. That would be a win-win situation for me.

Uncletrunx: I'm of a similar vintage to you and I agree that we're watching an entertainment programme; I also hate it when we get too many "worked shoot" angles or when wrestling acknowledges its fictionality on screen or in the ring. However, in this case I think we have to accept that we have a different product to the wrestling of the past; WWE has openly broken Kayfabe in its own publications, and Ric Flair has spoken of retirement and this being his last year in mainstream interviews, which fans of all types will have read. To me, this has an impact on the angle, not because of the suspension of disbelief but because of the nature of the angle itself. We know Ric is winding down, and we know he's not likely to go out on Raw. To me, an acknowledgment of this and an angle around a last run at the top would have been better; even the angle which I have heard was originally proposed, that he retire voluntarily after losing might have worked better and fitted in with his statements in interviews. I might be looking into this too deeply but to me, WWE are missing a trick here by not acknowledging the coming retirement of one of the all time greats. It worked to an extent with Piper at ‘Mania III (although he came back for another 20 years) and IMO would work far better here than what we're getting.

Wade the Great Writes:

Ric Flair. The dirtiest player in the game. One of the founding fathers of the legendary Four Horsemen. A NWA champion. A WCW champion. A WWE champion. He has competed against Harley Race, Sting, Roddy Piper, Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Kerry von Erich.... the list goes on to name almost every face, almost every heel, to have ever made an impact on the wrestling scene. He has been beaten by them and he has beaten them. He's been injured and come back from that injury to once again claim his spot at the top of the heap. He has sweated, cried, lied, and bled. He did it because he loves what he does and who he does it for. He is in every aspect of the words, a living wrestling legend. And at the end of a storied career..... he is forced into retirement.... by Vincent Kennedy McMahon???!!!!!!

For a man that has been loved and hated by the entire wrestling community at one time or another, he should be heralded for his accomplishments. He has had some of the greatest matches in wrestling history and a lot of times he won it in the middle of the ring. He should not have to walk the gauntlet of the top contenders on RAW and have a shenanigans filled ending. That's also not to mention that in doing so, and making it all the way to WrestleMania, without losing, he should be considered as the #1 contender to the belt. Will he get a main event title shot? Doubt it. And after putting so much of himself into his job. He deserves more than a footnote in VKM's memoirs.

This storyline is not about Ric Flair. It's about VKM trying to steal the spotlight off of a Legend's Legacy, and shine it on himself. It's another shot at WCW. Taking the commitment those wrestlers had to the fans and throwing it back at them with a note attached reading, "You should have come to the WWF before we bought you."

Further more it's unoriginal. Does anyone remember YOU'RE FIRED!!! Loser Leaves? Hair vs. Flair? or was that hair? you decide. Anyway You know that someway, somehow VKM is going to screw Ric into his retirement, and that is the worst possible sendoff I have never thought of.
P.S. Fire Russo

Sat: I will admit that in a way this angle has been having too much of Vince McMahon in it. And please it had better not be Vince who retires Flair.

Uncletrunx: I also really hope it isn't a screwy "Vince retires Flair" angle leading into a GM role for Flair or something similar. It could be entertaining but to me, Ric Flair's wrestling career deserves a better end than that.

Freddy Neuwendyke Writes:

I have to go with low road because the Ric Flair retirement angle is just way too predictable. The cats already out of the bag that he is planning to retire and he's already pretty well up there in age. Even more predictable is you know they aren't going to let this
angle end on free TV or a minor pay per view like No Way Out.

Plus knowing WWE and Vince McMahon's ego we can pretty much tell the guy who brings it to an end will probably be Vince McMahon himself so nobody will get the rub for being the guy to retire Ric Flair.

Sat: You make some good points and I would like to see it end before WrestleMania and then maybe doing something where HHH earns him another match at WrestleMania. And please I am begging the WWE not to have Vince be the one that ends the storyline.

Uncletrunx: I think Sat makes a good point here; ending the angle early, then having a build to a final match (acknowledged as such in advance) at Wrestlemania might turn this angle into a fitting send off. It might also be a good way to get Ric Flair into the Hall of Fame, as is rumoured.

Dave Writes:

I am firmly planted on the low road for Flair's angle. I have always hated this type of angle. It has never paid off well and we all know it doesn't mean anything anyway.

No one ever leaves town forever. People's hair grows back (except for Gary Hart who chose to keep his head shaved out of respect for the angle). No one ever retires forever.

Never do this angle again, I'm sick of it.

People watch UFC to see two people that want to beat the snot out of each other because they want to advance toward the title. People watch boxing to laugh at Tyson and because they can't handle the edginess of UFC. Why can't wrestling be about getting closer to the belt, or beating the snot out of someone because they became a speed bump on your way to the belt?

I don't watch The Young And The Restless. I'm sick of soap opera angles. I miss the old Mid-South days here in Tulsa or the WCCW days where someone would wrestle, then have a short interview about how great they were or how crappy someone else was and that was all the build-up you needed.

The internet ruined wrestling because people like me hate knowing the outcome before a show airs but just have to go and read what happened because we can't wait... I miss being shocked that someone changed feds or came back after being gone for a while because now, we know they have been in contract negotiations for a month and there is no surprise (Sav_Us). But, being the type of person I am, I cannot force myself to stop coming to this site.

The fickle wrestling fan requiring the use of tables, ladders and light bulbs has ruined wrestling. It is no longer wrestling. God help a wrestler if he tries to use an arm bar or headlock because he is too big and clumsy so he needs a rest hold. No, it's not a rest hold, it's wrestling. Watch any match from the 80s and that is all you will see, arm bars, headlocks, wrist locks, leg bars, head scissors...

And why the hell does each move have to have 300 different names depending on who is doing it? It's not an exploder, prime-time, even flow, dropping a dime, or whatever the hell they call it. It's a hip toss. It's DDT. It's a flying cross body.

I also remember when a chair shot meant something. But, because Foley is such a brain-dead fool and is willing to take 27 of them until his head busts open and gushes like a pool with a hole in it, chair shots are a transitional move now. And yes, Foley has no talent. Anyone can fall off a cage. Anyone can cut themselves with barbed wire. Anyone can stand there with handcuffs on and let someone beat them senseless. But can he do a headlock, be thrown into the ropes, have his opponent drop to the ground while he jumps over them, come running back into the ropes, jump over a ducking opponent, come back from the ropes, hit a cross body for a count of two, then land two drop kicks and a body slam with a smile on his face while his opponent then rolls to the floor looking for a time out? It doesn't take talent or create entertainment to take 27 chair shots; it just makes you stupid enough to be on Jackass.

Good God, how the hell did I get to point B from point A?

Uh...low road on the Flair angle.

Sat: Wow, you managed to cover a ton of points and they were all good points. I hate how there are so many names for moves. I was recapping Impact a few weeks ago and I was struggling with the names, just because there are so many and they basically describe the same thing. Strong remarks about Foley; I feel the same way to a degree.

Uncletrunx: I agree with a lot of what you said but disagree about Foley having no talent. I think Foley has a great creative mind for wrestling which is sadly overshadowed by his suicidal wrestling style. The man managed to get a sock puppet over, for crying out loud! I'm not pleased that things like Chairshots are no longer a big deal and I'm also saddened by the over use of things like 20 foot falls and barbed wire, especially in smaller Indy promotions where the wrestlers involved could be hurt for life in exchange for the cheers of small crowds and even smaller payoffs, which to an extent are the legacy of Foley's influence. However to decry him as talentless is just not accurate, in my view.

Nicole Writes:

For sure a Low Road here.

This angle has actually been done a lot, just a little different (i.e. looser leaves RAW, Looser gets fired etc)

They would have been better off with an angle like, Flair passes a bunch of Vince's "tests" and gets the match of his dreams at WrestleMania.

Sat: The thing with the angles that you mentioned never work because the wrestler comes back. With Ric Flair. I believe that he will retire for good. Of course, wrestling is in Flair's blood, so maybe he will want to come back.

Uncletrunx: I don't know if Flair will retire for ever or come back for occasional matches as Foley has done. However, I think that, given the large number of "loser retires" matches through wrestling history (Flair himself lost one to Mr Perfect on Raw), given that very few of these have led to actual retirement and given the inevitable cynicism which accompanies such angles, Flair deserves something better for the end of his career.

Richard Parr Writes:

It has to be the high road for Ric Flair. We all know he is going to retire but at least this provides us with intrigue compared to the mid-card (almost jobber) status he has received for the last few years. With this stipulation it makes every Ric Flair match feel like a main event, which it should. do The match against Triple H from a story-telling point of view was a fantastic match. I was screaming at my TV for The Game to tap to the Figure 4. As they were given time you really believed Flair could win.

Not since John Cena's last two WrestleMania Main Events has there been such an emotional response from the crowd. When such a huge face like Triple H is being booed, you know these are important matches to the fans and that is why this is a good angle. Plus everybody loves streaks; you just have to look at Goldberg and Samoa Joe to back that up.

I hope it is a slow lead to a title showdown at Mania, whether he wins or loses. Even Flair winning the Rumble would be great as long as they don't throw in a "if you lose the rumble you have to retire" because that really would insult our intelligence!

Sat: The Triple H/ Ric Flair match was a great example of how good this angle is. I had no idea what was going to happen with this match and I was very interested in this match.

Uncletrunx: I must admit, I did enjoy that match, although the overloading of stipulations onto it meant that a screwy finish was inevitable. Clearly people care about Ric Flair as well they should; I still think he deserves a better send off than the rehashing of an old, tired angle.

Rick Funcannon Writes:

Ill take the high road because I think it helps build to what will be a genuine WM moment. The real question is who will he face? Since, this feud is pretty much with Vince it would make sense if he faced Vince or even possibly Shane. Vince could also use his favorite
henchman Umaga (although I doubt that match would be much good). Or he could force Shawn Michaels to face Flair against Michael's wishes. This might be the best option because it would be a good match and Michaels could even go a little heelish for a while if need be. Then at the end HHH could come out and he and Michaels could wish Flair farewell properly in the middle of the ring at WrestleMania.

Sat: You make two good points in this email. One, which we don't who he is going to face. Two, I think that this will be the defining moment of WrestleMania 24.

Uncletrunx: That much is true, we don't yet know his opponent. The identity of his opponent will have a great deal of bearing on how well this angle goes, but in my view how they get there will be equally important.


Tomsr72 Writes:

I love the angle and i think it's great. But I have one huge problem with the angle. It ends with him losing. Surely someone who gave as much to this biz as he did should not go out at the hands of defeat. I say let him win at WrestleMania get the title. Next night on raw surrender it under his own terms and retire.

The problem with the angel I have is it ending with him losing. I think he deserves to go out with a win. That's the old school way. He is the entire old school and every one who is anyone emulates him so he deserves that respect from real wrestling fans.

Sat: You make a good point. I would like to see him retire with a win, but it looks like he will retire with a loss. I guess he could have one final match on RAW the following night which he could win.

Uncletrunx: Surely the Old School way is to go out on your back, putting someone over. Flair himself may even insist on it being this way. I agree he deserves that level of respect but to me, him losing his last match is far less of an issue than how the match is set up and who the opponent is.

Bill Bumgarner Writes:

Can't see anything bad here. Flair gets a send-off run, maybe a last title reign in the process, and whoever "ends his career" gets probably the biggest rub in wrestling history.

Little fantasy booking here: Flair wins WWE Title at WrestleMania. Vince gets angry and sics the World Heavyweight Champion on him in a title-vs.-title match. Flair comes out on top, holding two belts. Enraged, Vince sets him up against the ECW Champion in a hardcore match, which Flair comes out of as the winner and new ECW Champ. Flair becomes the first to hold all three at once, and only the second man in history to have held the WWE, WCW, and ECW titles. He enjoys his reign as the "Champion of Champions" for a while, then loses his final match and all three titles are lost. He appears one last time to thank everyone for their support over the years and to officially vacate the titles, which leads to tournaments to crown new champs and get the WWE started on a brand-new era.

I know; it'll never happen. But it'd be nice to see, am I right?

Sat: I think that Flair at his age should be kept to one title. Though, it would be nice. Excellent points about the angle though. It was basically a cliff notes version of the High Roads.

Uncletrunx: I can't see Flair with all 3 belts but I can see him getting the World Title one last time; the big gold belt was always "Flair's belt" anyway, so that, to me, would be the most fitting.

Tim Schmidt Writes:

I like this angle. I have been a fan for ten years and have not seen this angle yet, so it seems new to me. I believe this is a good sendoff for one of the greatest ever. also, it is interesting to see if he will lose before 'mania. I'm looking forward to how this will play out, and who will go over Flair to end his legendary career

Sat: Great point, we know the ending, but we don't know who it is going to happen.

Uncletrunx: As I mentioned before, the opponent and the way the match is created will determine whether this angle stands or falls. I truly hope they get it right.

Jake Kraisinger Writes:

It's Ric Flair... If he brings the emotion that should be contrived for this angle, it will be solid gold.

Sat: So far, he does done and I expect him to keep bringing the emotion as it gets close to the end of this angle.

Uncletrunx: The emotion is not really in doubt, as it's Ric Flair, one of the all time greats where generating emotion is involved. However, emotion alone won't carry the angle if the buildup is bad and the opponent is wrong.

Rob A Writes:

Ric Flair's retirement actually seems to mean something, unlike many wrestlers who have retired time and time again. He is arguably the greatest performer to ever step foot in the ring and an inspiration to younger guys in the business. Other wrestlers "retire" ever two or three years if it will net them a nice payday and time in front of the camera. Flair has never done this, and for that reason his retirement is truly special...

Sat: Excellent point. I believe that this was one of my high roads that I wrote.

Uncletrunx: Flair has never retired and come back, but so many others have that a retirement angle is viewed with a great deal of skepticism, I feel. That, sadly, has an effect on this angle whether Flair deserves it or not. I really hope his retirement is special; it has the potential to be if booked well, but thus far, for me, the angle has fallen a bit flat through no fault of Flairs. There is yet time to save it though, and with the build to WrestleMania starting in earnest with the Rumble I wait to see what happens next.

Comments:

411 has added a new feature which allows you leave comments. Here are the comments as of Tuesday Morning.

casual_monday_mayhem Writes:

High road for me, for sure. Flair has been entertaining in the past and still can be "as good as he once was one match at a time" or however he phrased it... I still fear that the send-off match will be with the cocky young buzz cut whose gimmick it is to send legends packing, but maybe they'll bring in a shadow from the past (I quit match against the Funker, anyone?) or revisit the "glorified stuntman/you hurt my feelings, boohoo" rehash from 2006, or hell, Anderson & Blanchard are still employed by the E, ain't they?

Sat: Personally, I would like to see Randy be the one to kill a legend because really he hasn't forced any wrestlers to retire. If he forces Flair to retire, I think that he can really be considered a legend killer.

Uncletrunx: I can't help but feel that Orton has had his chances and blown them, and would do so again even if given the win over Flair. Having said that, it would raise the level of hatred towards him through the roof if he retired Flair and then gloated about it.

Tom Writes:

People keep saying how this is a never seen before angle, however if you think about it it's basically Goldberg's "repeat your streak or you're fired" angle from WCW.

Sat: I'll be honest here and I personally think that most of the wrestling fans had stopped watching WCW at this time and nobody really cared about this angle. I have heard of this, but I still don't know who it ended.

Uncletrunx: I think it's now widely accepted that this is not a new or innovative angle. As I mentioned, the success or failure of this angle will not be in whether or not it is original or provides something new; it will be in how the end of Ric Flair's legendary career is viewed by wrestling fans.

TPK Writes:

I actually enjoy this angle. We know the streak will end. Most likely at 'Mania. But WHO he loses to is still a mystery. By having as many wrestlers lose to Flair this is as close to a farewell tour as we can get. And frankly who's to say we can't have a big retirement party (uninterrupted) of RAW.

Sat: The fact that we don't know who is going to retire him is what is one of the great things about this angle. Also, I would love to see a retirement party on RAW. I think it would pull in a great rating for RAW.

Uncletrunx: A Ric Flair retirement party could be great entertainment and could set up a great series of angles and launch the next stage of Flair's career, assuming he wants to stay involved in Wrestling.

Chadwick Writes:

This could be a really good way to set up a retirement for Flair, The best that ever was. WWE could have him main event WrestleMania against HHH and have him beat HHH or a no contest decision and Flair decides its time to go. What better way to have the best of all time go out on a high note by wrestling the 2nd best of all time?

Sat: I would have no problems with this, but there will be some fans that will say that he was supposed to retire when he lost.

Uncletrunx: He could retire undefeated and claim to be leaving on his own terms but if he was going to do that, I don't see the logic in setting up the whole "retire if you lose" angle. Mind you, consistency and continuity aren't WWE's greatest strengths.

J Writes:

High Road- Move him around on different brands to try and tire him out, have him literally show up in his shirt and tie to fight because he was a last minute add to SmackDown... Put the big gold belt on him at WrestleMania and let him tell Vince, now I'm ready to retire on my own terms... screw this whole Edge, Batista, Taker thing... its been done... and done... and done to death. For one minute let one guy be bigger than the WWE- and let it be Flair.

Sat: It has the potential to be a nice angle, but at Flair's age can he possibly due this. I read that he wasn't going to be working house shows, so it leads me to believe that the WWE is concerned about his health.

Uncletrunx: I agree with Sat. At this stage, I think Flair is being protected and allowed to work a much lighter schedule; having him brand hopping works against that. Also, as I said above, having him go out undefeated and on his own terms makes the whole angle obsolete. They could, between now and WrestleMania, set up an interview with Flair where he announces that he's going to retire anyway, win lose or draw; that might be enough to salvage the angle and make the WrestleMania match all the more intriguing.

Ok Writes:

High road for sure. And the low road points sound less like convincing arguments and more like whining in this one.

Sat: I'll let you answer this Uncletrunx.

Uncletrunx: Well, I'm not going to please everyone all of the time. What I wrote is how I really feel about this angle; I thought many of the points were reasonable but it's your right to disagree if you want to. For the record, I don't whine; I rant.

JMASCORPIO Writes:

Low road. Flair has no business beating ANYONE at this point in his career.

Sat: This is one of the arguments that can be made. If Ric Flair is leaving, should he be beating some of your top stars?

Uncletrunx: Thus far, Flair has fluked wins and had screwy finishes in his matches. This has been both a good thing and a bad thing; good in that it shows he's not in his prime and struggles to win now, and bad in that it's meant more screwy finishes and DQs on TV. To me, the weakness of the angle is evident from this factor alone.

Trygveo Writes:

In an ideal situation, what if they build to a Taker/Flair match up at WM24? Eventually they're going to run out of wrestlers, which will frustrate Vincypoo. And in terms of buy rates - undertaker part 17 plus Flair's last match? Whooooooo.

Sat: Vincypoo? I don't know about everybody else, but I don't want to see Flair and Taker at WrestleMania.

Uncletrunx: The problem with Taker vs Flair is that it will split the crowd, something I don't think WWE will want to do for Flairs last match. I expect Flair's opponent to be a complete heel, as Flair will undoubtedly be cheered. A solid crowd reaction will be needed to cement the match as a "Wrestlemania moment" and I don't think WWE will risk it by putting Undertaker against Flair. Besides, they fought at Wrestlemania before.

John Writes:

Tom, I agree that it does remind me of the old Goldberg angle. But remember, since it is being done in WWE it's original and fresh. That said, I take the low road on this one for this reason: we know he's going to go out with a loss at WM. That is no way a 16 time World Champ should go out, I don't care about the old tradition of putting people over on the way out, Ric Flair is beyond that. We know that all of the "retirement speeches" on RAW aren't going to be his last. Worse yet, if he does somehow lose and then come back on a technicality before WM it hurts the angle even more. All they needed to do was to have Flair say that he was going out at WM and have people try to knock him off without his job being on the line. At least that way you aren't sure if he will win or lose his last match. By the way, Kennedy should be the one to have that match at WM, only to have Flair lose on a DQ when Kennedy endures a 4-on-1 beating Horsemen-style! Now THAT'S a high road.

Sat: This is an interesting comment. I like this suggestion a lot. Have Flair come out and say hey I am retiring at WrestleMania. Then, he can tell all of the wrestlers to bring their ‘A' game because he wants to face the toughest challenge of his life before he retires.

Uncletrunx: I agree with you both. I love the idea of Flair having the Horsemen in his corner. If the buildup to that is booked properly, it could turn this angle into one of the all time classic moments in wrestling.

JLAJRC Writes:

While it is nice that Flair is in story, I have to pick low road for the simple reason that this story CAN'T have a happy ending at all. It has to result in Flair eventually losing, which will make everyone in the arena emotional, and not in a good way. I kinda wish they went the Trish Stratus route as mentioned, just have him announce his retirement, give him his opponent, have him win, and then retire. If they do continue this storyline, I think his WM opponent should be Undertaker. That way we can do a "career vs. streak" thing. They don't even have to turn Taker heel for this. Plus, a loss to Taker is nothing to be embarrassed about. They can then shake hands after the match, Taker walks out, and Flair celebrates with family, friends, and fans.

Sat: Seems like I am the only one that doesn't want to see Taker and Flair. It would be nice for Flair to leave with a win, but I don't think that he wants to leave with a win. He wants to put somebody over before he leaves.

Uncletrunx: As I said before, Flair vs Taker will split the crowd, something I don't think WWE would want.

Viruswithshoes Writes:

High Road for sure. Although it is a bit contrived, what in the WWE is not these days? I only watch Raw for Flair and Mickie James. Period. This angle actually has me a tad excited to watch Raw. I know Ric won't go over for the title or anything but it might be fun to watch him scrap up to WrestleMania- I might even buy that (haven't since '04) if his opponent can actually wrestle.

Sat: This comment proves that this angle is doing what it is supposed to do. Have people watch RAW and have people interested in buying WrestleMania.

Uncletrunx: That's hart to argue with. If the angle gets people watching Raw, it's doing its job. I do wonder how many are watching because of the angle and how many just because it's Ric Flair though.

Angry Stoner Writes:

Gotta take the high road; I'm really enjoying this angle. Ric Flair is the reason I started watching wrestling back in the mid 80's and I believe he's the best all-round performer ever. In the last month Flair has cut two of the best promos WWE has seen in ages & his match with HHH on Monday was great, full of emotion that showed Ric can still out perform 85% of the young guys on the roster. Whoever beats him a Mania will get the "rub" of a lifetime and Ric will bow out on the biggest show of the year

Sat: Excellent points. It seems like Ric Flair has been on fire with his promos. I expect this to continue going to Mania.

Uncletrunx: Ric Flair's emotion and ability have never been in question, which is a great part of the reason I feel he deserves a better send off than a contrived angle. The upside of it is that if anyone can make it work, Ric Flair can, as he is showing. I'm still undecided as to whether this is going to be a good end to a legendary career or a disappointment. Time will prove the wiser.

JT Writes:

High Road. It's Ric Flair for crying out loud. There is only one and never will be another one. Buddy Rogers wasn't this good... and please, anyone remember Nature Boy Buddy Landell? C'mon - Diamonds are forever and so is Ric Flair - And why hasn't anyone ever put that on a t-shirt in the E? Or "Whether you like it or not, learn to love it, because it's the best thing going today." Or any of his other famous sayings. "To be the man - Ric, will ALWAYS be the man no matter who beats him.

Sat: Who knows? The WWE still has time to capitalize on this.

Uncletrunx: Indeed, and I hope they do. I also hope they keep Flair in some capacity; his work on the microphone is brilliant and is better today than it has ever been.


Reichou Writes:

Low Road - Ric Flair is the best EVER. In the storyline, HE and only HE should decide when it's time to go. And much like with Trish, I'm even okay with him going out on top. Come on, folks. This is Ric Flair we're dealing with!

Sat: Ric Flair was getting pushed out in WCW, so it is kind of nice to see him getting to decide that he wants to retire.

Uncletrunx: Indeed, and to me, the storyline needs to reflect that. Currently it doesn't, which is part of my problem with it.

Justin Writes:

Low Road by far this program feels like just another program written in a creative meeting and has no feeling to it.

Sat: I have to disagree with this. Flair has been giving the promos of his life and I think that this angle is working so far.

Uncletrunx: The emotion in the programme is entirely down to the skill and ability of flair rather than the greatness of the angle. I agree that it "feels like just another program written in a creative meeting"; my whole argument is that Flair deserves better.

Mike Writes:

high road...its gonna be HBK at mania, which will piss people off for not being a new star, but it will be the best they can get out of Flair at this point. the crowd and emotion though will probably keep everyone from bitching, though.

Sat: I hope not, but you could be right.

Uncletrunx: Better HBK than Vince or Shane is my take on that. HBK will at least have a good, possibly great match with Flair and will be another top level opponent for him to face. I have a feeling it'll be HHH, but whoever it is I think they need to alter the angle to allow Flair to leave on his terms.

KanyonKreist Writes:

If I were booking, I would turn Batista heel on Flair and feud the two of them until a WM24 match up. Batista is the only Evolution member with which Flair hasn't already feuded, and since it looks like the World Title match will be 'Taker/Edge, where does Batista fit in? His match against the Undertaker last year impressed everyone and I think he and Slick Ric could put something good together for Flair's last WrestleMania stand. There's built-in drama in how much of an underdog Flair would be against Batista, especially in this situation where he's backed into a corner, fighting for the survival of his career. Make it no-DQ so Flair can play the game as dirty as he likes, for the sake of a believable match, if nothing else, and let's see what happens. As a bonus, if they're still planning to go ahead with Foley v. McMahon, which I believe was planned for last year before the Trump angle came into the picture, have the unlikely team of Flair and Foley take on Vinnie Mac and Batista in a tag match at No Way Out or on Raw. Point is, this would be a good angle, potentially a great angle, not just another obstacle for Flair, and when he finally gets put out to pasture, we can all say it was done with class, none of us pretending to be upset and the wrestling world can move on. Oh, and some more heat from Batista, who may or may not have what it takes to get over as a heel, but if he doesn't, he and Ric can just hug after the WM match like Rock and Hogan, y'know? Sorry for rambling at the end -- this is off the top of my head -- but hopefully it was still an understandable collection of ideas.

Sat: The only problem I have with Batista is that he doesn't need the rub from Flair. It would be nice to see him as a heel though.

Uncletrunx: You have some good ideas. The downside to me is that Batista himself was a late starter and thus probably won't have too many years to make the most of the inevitable rub should he end Flair's career.

JBL Returning to the Ring

High Road:
Whether you love JBL or you hate him, the one thing that you have to agree about him is that he is a star for the WWE. He is one of the few stars that the WWE has that has become a star outside of the WWE. The WWE has very few stars that are doing other things besides wrestling. The wrestlers that are doing other things have the potential to bring new fans into the WWE and that is what makes him a star for the WWE.

Low Road:
JBL is a star, but I'm not convinced of his crossover potential. While having one of the Divas in Playboy might just prompt a few readers of that publication to watch the wrestling from time to time, I can't imagine that those in financial circles who aren't already fans of wrestling would decide to go and check it out because of JBL; if anything, I think that probably works the other way, with wrestling fans being interested in JBL's exploits outside wrestling if it happens at all. Also, those who see his other work and are thus interested in his WWE career, if there are any, are as likely to check out his commentary work as his in ring action.


High Road:
JBL returning to the ring is a great idea because after his time off everything seems like a fresh match up for him. I really believe that JBL could be put against anybody right now and it would be interesting. Now, he was moved to RAW (that will be discussed in the next High Road), but the WWE could have also left him on SmackDown and that would have worked as well.

Low Road:
I must admit, when JBL first started on commentary, I was skeptical; I didn't think he'd be that good at it. I am more than prepared to eat my words here; he's been excellent. He brings a sense of drama, a wrestler's insight and a unique perspective; he plays on his relationships with competitors to emphasise their strengths and make the matches seem more important. He is, I feel, the best heel commentator of his type since Jesse "the Body" Ventura, and that's high praise indeed. As a wrestler, he offers fresh matches but the void he leaves at the commentary table (I can't see Coachman being a long term solution) more than outweighs this for me. WWE is not short of upper card talent at the moment but it doesn't have too many truly great commentators.


High Road:
There are two benefits for JBL returning to the ring for the RAW brand. The first thing is that all of the matches on RAW will basically be new. The second benefit is that while he is on RAW, all of his matches on SmackDown will have some time to freshen up. This is something that is not needed, but it will still have a benefit.

Low Road:
JBL has just spent his time talking about how Smackdown is the premier brand, about how much better than Raw it is and about how it has superstars of a higher caliber and now he's on Raw? To me, it's a horrible lack of continuity on the part of WWE. At least if he had returned on Smackdown it would've made sense from that point of view, plus he could've had all manner of people take issue with things he'd said about them. The jump to Raw seems illogical to me.


High Road:
I'll be the first to admit that JBL is not a technical wrestler and I will also admit that he is not a great wrestler. But, what I will say about JBL is that most of the time, he puts on a very good match. And I will take that any day of the week.

Low Road:
As I said above, he is a truly great commentator. Yes, he has some good matches but to me, he's a much better commentator than he is a wrestler at this point in time. WWE needs him in that role more, in my opinion so it makes little sense to add him back into the role of wrestler (which there are plenty of) and away from the commentary table (where the talent pool is much shallower.)


High Road:
During JBL's initial run as a main eventer, I hated him and I did not want to watch any of his matches. Since his retirement, he has gained by respect and I think that it is save to say that he has gained the respect of many other fans. I know that I am actually looking forward to what he does in the ring this time around and I think that the same is true for all of the people that have become fans of his.

Low Road:
Why has he gained respect? Because of his work on commentary. I know I'm labouring the point but those who have gained respect for him have done so because of his excellent commentary rather than his in ring work. To lose the commentary, which is almost universally praised, in exchange for his in ring work which is much less well regarded is not a positive move in my opinion.


High Road:
One of the problems that the WWE had last year was that they kept losing main event talent. Now, the WWE has gained a main event talent that they were not expecting to gain. One of the things that are often overlooked is that you can never have enough main eventers and JBL gives the WWE another one. Plus, I would rather have the problem of having too many main eventers than having too few main eventers.

Low Road:
WWE could've done with JBL in the ring at certain points last year, but now the main event talent pool is deeper once again. Cena is out for a while but Edge, HBK, Undertaker, HHH and Jericho are back and Lashley is due back soon. To me, that's enough returning talent there to build a decent main event picture and it only increases when you factor in guys like Orton and Batista who have been "holding the fort". Plus, with JBL returning, there is one less chance for an up and coming guy to step up. JBL is not a long term option but right now, someone is going to miss out because of him.


High Road:
One of the great things about JBL coming to the ring is that he should be injury free. He has been away from wrestling for a long time, so all of his lingering injuries should be healed. Now, I am not saying that he is not going to get injured, but the fact is that he should be less likely to get injured.

Low Road:
JBL has indeed had a chance to heal from any nagging injuries which might be affecting him but his risk of injury is the same as anyone else; more, possibly, if you consider that he's bound to have considerable "ring rust" and serious long term injuries never make a performer better, they only affect their ability in a negative way.
Personally, I feel JBL is much more use to WWE in his position of commentator than as an in ring performer at this point, and feel it's a step back to lose the best commentator of the modern age in exchange for an average upper card wrestler.

Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?

High Road
Low Road
Both Roads

E-mail us your reasons for taking the High Road or the Low Road and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road at [e-mail]. Your reply will be included in next week's column.