High Road/Low Road 01.25.08: Jeff Hardy in the Main Event
Posted by Chad Nevett on 01.25.2008
Jeff Hardy gets his title shot at the Royal Rumble. Will his be a long and glorious main event career, a fitting position for a great star, or is he destined for a short stay at the top of the card, and deservedly so?
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 John Morrison and the Miz as the Tag Team Champion
High Road: 50.0%
Low Road: 28.6%
Both Roads: 21.4%
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.
Tim Schmidt Writes:
High Road on this. I was a bit wary when they beat Matt and MVP, but they are a surprisingly good team. They are having great matches with Yang and Moore, especially the 15 Minutes of Fame Match was really good and I thought they had a chance. Bottom line, they are turning out to be a great team and hopefully we will see Miz/Morrison feud with Jesse and Festus in the near future.
Sat: Yeah, I agree. The Miz and Morrison have shown some great chemistry and they are putting on great matches. That's all you can ask from a tag team.
Uncletrunx: I'd like them to have an identity as a team rather than as two wrestlers they've got nothing better for.
Bill Bumgarner Writes:
I'm taking the Low Road here, mostly because tag-team wrestling in general is dead and this is another symptom of the problem. I remember days when we had actual *teams*, like The Legion of Doom. Even late WCW's tag-team scene had actual teams, like Rey and Juvi from the Filthy animals, Kronik, The Natural-Born Thrillers, The Mamalukes, and The Harris Brothers (albeit in their 384,617,529 gimmick). There were probably others that I'm forgetting, but their tag scene was much better than what the WWE and TNA are offering up now. Usually, we get either midcarders thrown together, two guys who hate each other thrown together or (as was the recent case in TNA) one guy holding both tag belts, and I can't see what Miz and Morrison bring to the table to make their tag title run any different. *deep breath* Okay; I'm gonna end this before I start rambling again.
Sat: If you compare these tag team to the past, then you are absolutely correct. Plus, what hurts the Miz and John Morrison is that the tag team division is hurting and it affects them. The Miz and John Morrison are a good team, but they are hurt by the rest of the division. Again, make sure to read Bill's new article here.
Uncletrunx: You see, this is exactly what's wrong with tag team wrestling; it's used entirely as a vehicle for singles feuds or as a place to throw guys they have no ideas for. Oh, and read Bill's column!
Comments:
411 has added a new feature. Below are the comments for last week's columns and our responses. These comments are as of Tuesday Afternoon.
MC42 Writes:
The brand extension problem is not a problem due to the roster sharing between SmackDown and ECW. What is a problem is that they have once again given the belts to two guys who don't particularly like each other which, while it doesn't by itself devalue the tag belts, does devalue tag teams in general. After all, if two guys who dislike each other and have no experience tagging show up and win the tag team belts then why should people go through the trouble of teaming up in general? However, this is another question where the answer depends on your perspective. This gives both Miz and Morrison, Miz especially, a chance to develop into respectable midcarders and while Morrison already has plenty of midcard experience, it gives them a chance to hold gold when they would otherwise be feuding with Punk, Chavo and Benjamin over the ECW title. So this does help both men and by extension allows Benjamin and Chavo to feud with Punk, giving more time to those three. This helps ECW. In addition, this does allow SmackDown's current teams to work off the green considering that between all of them not including MooreWang there's probably less than a year's combined experience. Finally, look at it from the big picture and realize who they won the titles off of: two guys who really couldn't stand each other and they won them when one was kayfabe-legit-injured and one was kayfabe-kayfabe-injured. So it's not like they won the titles off of the WGTT or Hardy Boys. Lastly, since they've won the titles they've started to tolerate each other and have shown signs of working together as a real team which might have to do with Morrison's three previous tag reigns with MNM. This makes them more along the lines of Rated-RKO than MVP/Hardy or even Cena/Michaels so I'm not going to write them off just yet. High Road...for now.
Sat: This was a great comment. First, you make a good point about them beating a dysfunctional tag team. It's not like they beat a well oiled position. Second, great point about the fact that it allows other feuds to happen, while Miz and Morrison are still holding gold.
Uncletrunx: The trouble, as I mentioned before, is that by using the tag belts as a vehicle for singles feuds they prove that the tag belts are of very little value. Teams are no longer teams, they're thrown together singles wrestlers who frequently don't like each other; the idea of the specialist tag team is thus no longer relevent as specialist teams are beaten by two thrown together guys who are deliberately portrayed as having no chemistry.
Matt Writes:
I gotta take both roads on this one: 1- Morrison needs something to do, and deserves to be in some kind of title picture. BUT 2- The Miz? Seriously? That's like if Edge & Christian broke up and they paired Edge with Scotty Too Hotty... it just doesn't work for me.
Sat: It seems like people do not like the Miz, but I think that he has a ton of potential and he has shown a ton of improvement in the past year.
Uncletrunx: Miz has improved, and could be part of a great team if that team was allowed to be just that and not part of a singles feud.
Thomas Writes:
I'm sick and tired of hearing about the brand extension being ruined. It's always, this kills the brand extension and then next show, that kills the brand extension. People, the brand extension is merely a guideline. Get over it.
Sat: The WWE is making a mistake by ignoring the brand extension. It can be a good thing for the WWE, but they keep ignoring it.
Uncletrunx: A guideline which adds credibility to what they do is something which should be adhered to or discarded. If the rules for the Royal Rumble changed every year, the thing would have no credibility. Likewise, the brand extension either needs to be a reality or it needs to go. That's my position, I'm sticking to it and no amount of calls for me to "get over it" will change my mind.
WWEMan88 Writes:
High road. Miz/Morrison are turning out to be a good pair and are having great matches with Yang and Moore. This can only be good for all involved because, as you stated, fighting hard for something makes it seem more important.
Sat: I agree. This is what what killed the cruiserweight title. We would have a battle royal the week before a pay per view and the winner would get a title shot. That isn't fighting hard for something.
Uncletrunx: Long term it may add credibility, but not if they split the teams as soon as they start to get interesting. The Cruiserweight title is a good comparison; belts will only be as strong as the emphasis placed on them.
Da Humorist Writes:
HIGH ROAD! Hands down! There are few good things in wrestling right now, but for the past month or so Miz and Morrison have not failed me. Their feud with Yang and Moore is easily one of the best tag team feuds I've seen in YEARS in the WWE! Period.
Sat: They have been having some great matches and they are the reason to watch ECW. I am definitely not watching ECW for CM Punk versus Chavo Guerrero.
Uncletrunx: Their matches are good, but that this is one of the best tag feuds WWE has put on in recent years shows how poorly used the tag team scene has been in recent times.
Greg Waite Writes:
I gotta go with both roads here. The Miz is rapidly improving and while John Morrison is a decent talent, I feel Morrison is a bad partner. I kind of preferred Morrison as a single wrestler. Why can't WWECW figure out a plan with what to do with both guys? Let The Miz gun for the ECW title while Morrison is trying to get put back on SmackDown. I'm getting sick and tired of Moore/Wang Yang get the matches against Miz/Morrison. Let them take on Deuce & Domino, Jesse & Festus, etc.
Sat: Morrison should be focusing on a single run, but right now there is nothing for him and he can also help the Miz.
Uncletrunx: There's nothing for him, so they stick him in a throwaway team and put the belts on them. As a result, the tag team division dies a little more. I'm of the view that Morrison should be gunning for the ECW belt, and Miz should have a long term partner in a heel team, which could then have a meaningful run with the belts.
Lionhearted Writes:
High road, simply because they have put on very entertaining tag matches. PS. Morrison was never a world champion because the ECW title is not considered a world title. It hasn't been since the real ECW went out of business.
Sat: I don't consider it a world title either, but the WWE does, so I threw it in there.
Uncletrunx: I have no problem with the matches, it's the context of the matches I don't like. As for the ECW title, I think it has some way to go before it can be seen as a world title. Right now, it's at about the level of the US or Intercontinental belts, in my view.
JLAJRC Writes:
I Pick High Road, because it seems to be doing wonders with Morrison/Miz and Yang/Moore in getting all of them over. For some reason, there are some wrestlers the fans just plain don't get into as singles wrestlers, that when they pair together there's just instant chemistry with them and the fans. It worked when they took low-carders Road Dogg and Billy Gunn got together as the New Age Outlaws/DX (also did wonders for HHH, too). It also worked for Brian Kendrick and Paul London (at least when they were on SmackDown). Morrison, despite being ECW champion, just looked awkward out there by himself. You could even make the case that the last time he was over was when he was part of MNM. Miz was just there. But once the two got together, there was just that instant chemistry between them and the fans. In fact, I would leave them together permanently. If I were the WWE, I would move all of the tag teams to ECW and make that the brand for tag team wrestling. It might even help resuscitate the division.
Sat: Mainly, I think it has helped the Miz, Yang and Moore. I personally think that Morrison was fine by himself, but right now there is nothing for him to do, plus he can help out the Miz.
Uncletrunx: The New Age Outlaws are an exception, I think; two guys that they threw together who then ignited the tag team scene, at least partly because they were allowed to stay as a team for a decent amount of time. I could be persuaded that this will be a positive development if and only if the teams aren't split up within the next few months and moved into singles feuds, while other guys that creative has "nothing for" get thrown into tag teams and given the belts. Sadly, I think that's exactly what will happen.
Joey Gladstone Writes:
I agree with Matt. Morrison's been pretty impressive in his feud with Punk (on TV anyway, their PPV matches weren't great, although I love Punk) and he deserves something. But MIZ? And who said he was rapidly improving? Must be a fan of Cena's in ring work too. Or Lashley's, Batista's, Kennedy's and Khali's too. Miz is a joke. Always was, always will be. He's a fan boy, a mark. But he's in the WWE now. That makes sense. I do agree though that their matches with Wang and Moore have been good. It's sad too that they have that going on but on RAW, Holly and Rhodes are the champs while London & Kendrick get crapped all over. They hold the WWE tag belts for almost a year on SmackDown! but on RAW, they're jobbing constantly. BS if you ask me. Switch them back to SD! to take the belts off Miz and Morrison. The WWE tag division (if you want to call it that) is a joke anyway. I hate Holly.
Sat: I am not saying that the Miz is the best worker in the WWE; I am saying that he has made great strides in his work. And yes, I am a fan of Cena's work. He has also made some strides and he was having an amazing streak of matches before his injury.
I would say that the RAW tag titles are worse than the SmackDown tag titles because it seems like the RAW writer do not give a shit about the titles.
Uncletrunx: I don't think either set of tag titles are worth all that much, especially compared with the past. Are any modern tag teams half as good as the Hart Foundation, The Steiner Bros, The Legion of Doom / Roadwarriors, the Rockers, Demolition, The Freebirds, the Rock and Roll Express, The Midnight Express, or even teams like The Natural Disasters, Doom or The Nasty boys? I'd be amazed if the case could be made for any recent team to be anywhere as good as even the least of those. Well, possibly the Nasty boys.
KanyonKreist Writes:
I'm somewhere in the middle on this one: Miz and Morrison (hey, M&M, heh) have potential as a tag team if anyone ever thinks to put a little effort into solidifying them as a unit. It seems to me that the bookers think this is done simply by putting the tag straps on them. They need to show more personality as a team; unfortunately, Morrison has no personality whatsoever, and Miz's is repulsive, but I applaud them for their efforts. I can't decide whether their reign gives more credibility to their ECW brand or less. More in the sense that "ECW Superstars" are holding WWE titles or less in the sense that, in reality, its SmackDown superstars defending SmackDown title belts on ECW television, which is in danger of outright becoming "Smackdown-Lite". It's already been said that the Miz got his ass smacked around all over SmackDown, then came to ECW and immediately got a sweep of victories over established ECW talent (he's what, 6-0 over the eternally underrated Balls Mahoney?) What does THAT say about ECW? I think that in order to push a team - ANY team - as tag champions, you need a solid tag team division. ECW, SmackDown and Raw combined have, what, seven of these? Maybe eight? It wouldn't be so bad if they were all on one roster, but it's kinda thin as is. So yeah, there does need to be more solidity and exposure introduced to the now-marginal tag team division. Otherwise, the belts are just shiny things to hold your tight pants up.
Sat: Yeah, a nice division would really help the titles, but I have come of realize that is never going to happen. I think at most we will see at most two good tag teams and then they will be broken up.
Uncletrunx: Perhaps putting the established teams on one show would be the answer; that show could feature "tag wrestling" as one of its features. It would also help to solidify the differences between each show and give credibility to the brand extension.
David Writes:
tbh i don't really care about the brand extension anymore - it's a lost cause. However I do have to go low road. Morrison being back into the tag picture is just a big step backwards. He has far too much potential to be shoved in a random tag team with the Miz - tag champ or not he has done it before. Morrison was really getting there as a singles star and i don't think this is the right place or him.
Sat: I think that if Morrison was not part of this tag team, he would be in the same position as Elijah Burke and Balls Mahoney. So because of that I would rather see him in this tag team helping out the Miz.
Uncletrunx: Morrison need not be in a similar position; there are guys he could feud with before having another run at the belt. I don't think throwing him in a tag team to kill time is of any benefit to him or the tag division.
Derek Writes:
Low Road: "it's doing nothing but devaluing those belts even further". The tag belts are so devalued now compared to when it used to be given to the BEST tag teams. Belts shouldn't be given to GAIN experience, but to reward wrestlers for their hard work and the fact they DRAW the best. It's also halting Morrison's singles career - Morrison should be feuding with MVP, Hardy then move onto Edge, Rey Mysterio, and Undertaker. Instead, he's held down with Miz. Matt's comment (above) said it best when he said it's like pairing Edge and Scotty 2 Hotty
Sat: You make a good point about the titles, but really I see the WWE putting the title on people to get them over because it is easier for them. Again, if Morrison is not teaming with the Miz, then Morrison would have been lost in the shuffle. And it's not like pairing Edge and Scotty 2 Hotty, a more realistic example would be CM Punk and Scotty 2 Hotty.
Uncletrunx: C M Punk and Scotty 2 Hotty would still be horrible. I agree that the belts should be used to show excellence rather than to gain experience but WWE has far too many titles now, so some are bound to be devalued. My view is that there should be one set of tag belts and they should be given only to top teams, not used as a device to further singles feuds.
Jeff Hardy in the Main Event
High Road:
One of the things that I have noticed about the WWE is that we have not seen that many new main eventers. All of the main eventers are established and all of them are former world champions. Now, I have no problems with this, but as we have seen before, injuries can always happen. To prevent this the WWE should try to introduce some new wrestlers into the main event scene. And Jeff Hardy fits into this category. Kudos to the WWE for introducing a new wrestler into the main event scent.
Low Road:
I agree that raising people to main event level is a good thing, but I'm not convinced that Jeff Hardy is the guy they should elevate. He's notoriously unreliable, and has had a recent suspension for "immature behaviour"; surely not what you need in a guy who is supposedly at the top of your company and providing the example for others to follow. Plus, his style is such that his career could end at any moment, which would leave them with the same issue; a gap at the top.
High Road:
One of the potential problems with having Jeff Hardy in the main event is some of his problems in the past. He has been better in his second go around, but he did have a suspension a few months back. A concern could be raised that it might not be a good idea to put somebody like Jeff Hardy in the main event. I would say that I would put Jeff Hardy in the main event. My reasoning for this is that I believe that the biggest problem for the WWE is steroid use and I do not think that is Jeff Hardy's problem. Plus, even if he does get suspended, it is pretty easy to get the title off of a competitor. We saw the WWE do it pretty easily with RVD and John Morrison and in the case of RVD, it did make for some good TV because we knew a title change was coming.
Low Road:
So Jeff's other issues should be overlooked because he's not on Steroids? Surely there are other, more stable guys that they can put the belt on. Also, given the trouble they had with RVD having to drop the belts suddenly, they'd want to avoid having to do the same again. Hotshotting the title around because your top guy is suspended is not going to be good for credibility or continuity. It's happened too much recently and it seems more sensible to make sure it can't happen again in the near future.
High Road:
We do not know what is going to happen with Jeff Hardy in the main event. Conventional wisdom would say that he is not going to win and I would have agreed with this. But, I was reading Wilcox's article from a few weeks ago and something that he wrote made a lot of sense. What he said was is that Triple H is not going to lose a wrestler, who is then going to lose in his next big match. I agree with this because Triple H is not going to make himself look bad, so the best assumption would be that Jeff Hardy is going to win. Either way, we do not know what is going to happen in this match. And when the fans do not know what is going is to happen, then they are more likely to tune in.
Low Road:
Either way, win or lose, Jeff Hardy is going to be in the main event of the Rumble going for the belt. I can't see him being the main event at Wrestlemania myself so it'll either be a short reign or a screwy finish. Given that Jeff loves to leap from tall buildings onto people, I get the feeling that they'll use a "sports entertainment stunt finish" to give us no clear result at all. That, to me, would be a waste of a match.
High Road:
Now we all know that it is difficult for a wrestler to actual beat Triple H. But, when he finally does lose, it means a lot. For example, when Shelton Benjamin beat Triple H a few years back, it cemented Shelton Benjamin as a credible mid carder. Now, I think that with Jeff Hardy beating Triple H, we will see Jeff Hardy make the transition from a mid carder to a main eventer or at the very least a level right below the main event. Beating Triple H is very rare, but when it does happen, it instantly elevates the wrestler who beat him into another level.
Low Road:
Where is Shelton Benjamin now? Where has he been recently? The rub he got from HHH hasn't been sustained and is thus no guarantee that the wrestler in question will remain at the top for very long. I don't think Jeff Hardy is around for the long haul; history is against it, his own style of wrestling is against it too; I get the feeling that in a few years time it'll be largely forgotten that he beat HHH and that this whole run to the main event will be largely irrelevant.
High Road:
Jeff Hardy deserves to be in the main event because one of the things that Jeff Hardy always is the support of the fans. Now, I will admit that just having the support of the fans should not warrant a wrestler being vaulted into the main event scene, but Jeff Hardy has also improved in his in ring work.
Low Road:
He's improved in his in ring work so much, that they have to get him to jump off something huge onto Orton to make the feud memorable and excite interest in it. Jeff Hardy has always been a risk taker; that's his style. However, that style increases the likelihood that sooner or later, he'll have to take risks too big and something will end up injuring him. He also has something else working against his stay at the top being a long one; his size. It's no secret that Vince likes his wrestlers to be huge muscular monsters, especially the main eventers. Jeff Hardy is the exact opposite, and I can't help but feel his run at the top will closely resemble Rey Mysterio's.
High Road:
Just a few months ago, I thought that Jeff Hardy would not be a good main eventer. Now, just a few months later, I am buying Jeff Hardy as a main eventer. I think that one of the main things that this shows is that the WWE can establish some main eventer if they make the effort.
Low Road:
Then why not establish someone more reliable, who doesn't need to jump off higher and higher places to get the reaction? If it's that easy to make someone credible at main event level, then my view is that there are far better candidates who are likely to be around for longer. I see Jeff Hardy as a guy that can occupy Orton until his Wrestlemania opponent is known; no doubt that opponent will be larger and with more of a bodybuilder physique than Jeff Hardy.
High Road:
One of the things that I like about having Jeff Hardy in the main event scene is that he is not one the guys that the WWE decides to push just because they feel like it. I seriously believe that Jeff Hardy is being pushed to the main event because of the fact that the fans are always cheering for him.
Low Road:
Jeff's reaction from the crowd has to be a large factor in his push, as he is so different from the WWE main event archetype. As with Rey Mysterio before him, I don't think he's there for the long haul.
High Road:
The Royal Rumble was the perfect time to put Jeff Hardy in the main event scene. Why? Because of the fact that Jeff Hardy will not have to worry about the pressure of drawing in a good buy rate. We saw this a few years ago with Lashley at one of the No Mercy pay per views. We know that the main reason that people buy the Royal Rumble is for the Royal Rumble Match and this will allow for two major things to happen. The first one I have already explained and the second one is that Jeff Hardy will be able to get some main event experience which will help down the road.
Low Road:
If Jeff Hardy is so popular, surely he'd draw a huge buyrate anyway? I can't see Jeff needing to gain too much main event experience, as I don't think he'll be there long. His size and style are against him, as is his unreliability. I get the feeling that Jeff Hardy's run at the top of WWE is simply to keep Orton busy until his Wrestlemania opponent is revealed.
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.
First time taking both roads. Jeff is pouplar and sells a hell of a lot of stuff,and his in ring work has improved since his return. However,as you talked about,he is unreliable and was suspened for his attitude which is not what you want from a top guy.
Posted By: WWEMAN88 (Registered) on January 25, 2008 at 01:32 PM
Just an afterthought, I believe one of the writers on this site said in their article that WWE is pushing the wrong Hardy, and I'd be lying if I said I didnt agree. We should be seeing Matt pushed (I know hes out right now) and Jeff in the upper card.
Posted By: WWEMAN88 (Registered) on January 25, 2008 at 01:46 PM
so jeff hardy shouldnt be champion beacause he was suspendid for imature behavior. well hasnt the man hes challenging been suspendid and held back for the same reason several times
Posted By: buzz killington (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 01:59 PM
Good point buzz. Now that you brought it up, ECW Champion Chavo was suspended for steroids with the Signature Pharmacy scandal. Also, Edge was on the list of customers of Signature, but he was ignored becuase he was out with injury at the time. What does this tell us? Why, you will be rewarded for drug use!
Posted By: WWEMAN88 (Registered) on January 25, 2008 at 02:05 PM
also you say that jeff is over because he jumps off of things. and yes i will admit he is super over partialy because of that. but at the end of the say who else is as over as jeff rghit now? and also who else wrestles like jeff in the WWE no1. every1 else on the roster has sum1 who cold easly step in there place who do they have 2 replace jeff.
Posted By: buzz killington (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 02:36 PM
First of all, great column. Little long winded at times though. Gotta take Low road on Jeff. He is only in the main event, because Cena is out, HBK is molding Kennedy and Jericho tanked (Y2J fans suck). Jeff is fighting a lame duck champion at the easiest predictable world title match since HHH/Y2J @ WM 18. Jeff Hardy loses, but does that mean he is in the main event? No, because who really is going to sell his goofy aerial offense? Not HBK/HHH cuz they are above that. He doesn't work "main event style" That's why RVD failed (that and drugs) so he's doomed. Plus when he opens his mouth, all that comes out is North Carolinan hick. That doesn't get over when you dress emo/punk/goth, and talk like Yosemite Sam. Three, name three great matches he had that didn't involve a ladder. Does he push merchandise? Hell yes! He makes Vince a ton of money, but selling Hardy Boyz shirts, and DVDs does not make you a main eventer.
Posted By: The Fuj (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 02:47 PM
I say give the ball to Jeff and let him run with it. If the experiment fails, it will allow someone like Kennedy to come in and win the big one. The WWe has started to get stale with it's main eventers and you can only see the HHhS or the HBKs so many times before you stop caring. Besides a Jeff Hardy/ HBK main event at wrestlemania would be sick.
Posted By: dgnr8fox (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 03:12 PM
Definately the Low Road, anyone who takes the high road needs to stop amoking pot with Jeff. This is RVD 06 all over again, yet RVD is 400x the wrestler Jeff will ever be.
Jeff is sloppy, unstable, boring and thats just him on the mic ... in the ring he is terrible and only gets a passable grade because people still cream themselves thinking about his ladder matches.
Fuck Jeff Hardy and his push.
Posted By: Brad (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 05:02 PM
Whats with all the hate on Scotty 2 Hotty
Posted By: Matt p (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 05:21 PM
The Attitude suspension was over half a year ago, and it was only one little blip on the report card of Jeff. You say he's "notoriously unreliable" but I haven't heard any news of him no-showing PPVs or episodes of Raw since he came back. I'm guessing he's clean, because he's still working with the company. Sure, he botches a move here and there, but with his style it's kind of surprising he's able to hit as many moves as he does. Think about it, the Whisper in the Wind is done on the fly, he basically has about a half a second on the top rope to get his balance, jump backward and twist around, hoping he hits it. At least with a Swanton he faces the other guy before jumping.
Anyway, I've always been a Hardy fan, and it's about time one of them got rewarded for the hard work. Matt probably deserves it more but I think we can agree he'd probably already be US Champ at this point if he hadn't had 4 freakishly timed injures one after another.
Definite High Road.
Posted By: m8 (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 06:48 PM
I'm taking the high road without a doubt. Jeff Hardy is extremely over and has been the guy to watch on RAW for some time now. Not to mention his 4* match with Triple H recently and that amazing cage match with Umaga. As far as I'm concerned, Jeff has proven to be more than reliable in his current spot and ready to stay there. As far as that suspension goes, that was a while ago, and plenty of other top talent has done worse. I say ditch the conventional superstars and tell the over 40 club to step aside, because tradition clearly isn't stopping the fans from poping for Jeff Hardy.
Posted By: Anthony (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 07:19 PM
I'll take a high road, if for no other reason is that with Cena gone, RAW has no credible main eventers besides HHH or Shawn Michaels. Kennedy isn't ready yet. Even if Jeff loses, we still need some people that could occaisionally pop up in the main event. Even if it's a mercy "Shut the fans up" reign like RVD, Jericho, Booker T, and a few others have gotten. They were all mid-carders mostly, but each of them could also be credibly put in a main event when needed. Jeff Hardy could fit that mold easily.
Posted By: JLAJRC (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 07:23 PM
I'm taking the high road without a doubt. Jeff Hardy is extremely over and has been the guy to watch on RAW for some time now. Not to mention his 4* match with Triple H recently and that amazing cage match with Umaga. As far as I'm concerned, Jeff has proven to be more than reliable in his current spot and ready to stay there. As far as that suspension goes, that was a while ago, and plenty of other top talent has done worse. I say ditch the conventional superstars and tell the over 40 club to step aside, because tradition clearly isn't stopping the fans from poping for Jeff Hardy.
Posted By: Anthony (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 07:34 PM
High road!!!
Posted By: Capt. Smooth (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 07:50 PM
Low road. Jeff is fun, but he isn't main event material by any means.
Posted By: Michelle (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 09:07 PM
Jeff Hardy is currently the biggest merchandise seller and most over person on Raw, even moreso than Jericho right now. Plus in reality, the only reason this is happening is because a) Cena's injured, b) Kennedy's heel and not there yet and c) Triple H wants his title win at WrestleMania. So Jeff being in the main event is only going to be until the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out at the latest. After that, expect him in the Money in the Bank match again. This of course negates the argument that Jeff's supposedly unreliable because he won't have enough time to be unreliable. High Road on this because it's a nice little thing to tide us over until the Mania feud. If you think Jeff's main event push is a long-term thing righ tnow then you're honestly delusional.
Posted By: MC42 (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 09:46 PM
Who else is there that would qualify as a "fresh face" for the main event?? Punk isnt ready for that. Kennedy is a heel and already blew his big push (being vince's son) by being suspended. Matt Hardy is injured...No other faces would qualify that hasnt already been in the main event.
Posted By: Setobakura (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 10:21 PM
High Road. Talking about past indiscretions is really null and void since you have Edge as WHC, Chavo as ECW champ (both busted in the Signature Scandal) and Orton as WWE champ (busted in aforementioned scandal, plus has a history of other issues). Also, the 'high risk' element is almost a non-factor as he really now only pulls it out for the big things now days. He has matured, and is now, in my opinion, in the spot where he should have been a few years back (damn the Invasion, holding off pushes of WWE talent...)
Posted By: Lynx Raven Raide (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 10:30 PM
High road, easily. First of all, the build to the Rumble title match is MUCH, MUCH better than the average title match build at the Rumble, seeing as how the titles rarely change hands so the booking is a bit light. It's created some really believeable hatred between Orton and Hardy.
Meanwhile, Hardy is as over as he's ever been, and quite frankly, there's no better time to put the title on him than right now. I don't think that will actually happen, but he's got amazing momentum...over the last month he's ended two RAWs with memorable high spots (the Whisper off the cage and obviously the Swanton off the scaffold), and ended two RAWs by laying out the heel champion. Momentum is high and even if Hardy doesn't win the title, which he probably won't, the fans are eating him up and it's all around good stuff.
Posted By: Josh Huff (Guest) on January 25, 2008 at 10:57 PM
The main reason it has to be high road is that Jeff is involved.
Posted By: Capt. Smooth (Guest) on January 26, 2008 at 09:46 AM
I'm going high road: Jeff's "inconsistency" has seemingly fallen by the wayside at this point and he seems to have genuinely immersed himself in this new role of increased importance. I don't think he'll ever be the company's flagbearer like the Rock or Cena, but I would not mind him wearing the WWE Title. The underdog champion thing could work if done right. When Mysterio had the belt, a lot of his popularity dropped because they jobbed him out frequently in non-title matches (Mark Henry, Khali, Kane, JBL...) to the point that he just didn't seem deserving of the title. Jeff's all-or-nothing style gets the crowd excited and gets people in his corner; he's good at making people care about his matches, as is epidemized by his red-hot feud with Orton. Sure, it's possible he could "pull an RVD" and get busted for the insidious crime of smoking marijuana (*gasp*), and if they don't end up giving him a title run in the next couple years, I'm pretty sure that'll be why, but sometimes you have to take risks to keep from boring your audience. Keeping the WWE Title circulating between Orton, Cena and Triple H for the next decade isn't going to generate any interest in the program. The fact that Hardy doesn't fit the mold of traditional champions is a GOOD thing.
Posted By: KanyonKreist (Guest) on January 26, 2008 at 03:14 PM
The WWE would be stupid not to let Hardy win on Sunday. I'm taking the High Road simply because it's great to see someone fresh in the main event, even if it's a placeholder while Cena recovers. It shows that the WWE trusts other people to run in the main event scene. It remains to be seen how they will book him should he win the belt. I agree with one blogger than a Hardy vs. HBK feud will be awesome!
My hope is that even in the event of a screwy finish on Sunday that both Matt and Jeff win major gold at WM. HHH has had his moment, time to let Jeff have his.
Posted By: Chikara (Guest) on January 26, 2008 at 05:14 PM
I'll go with high road.He has been alot better backstage with his second run in WWE.
He is more reliable and one short suspension for behavior isn't so bad.Wrestlers all have huge egos (myself included) and sometimes they can be assholes.
I do definitely think Matt deserves it more though.He has been a solid worker, always reliable, and the one time they let him go his fan support was so overwhelming they had to take him back.
Hopefully by this time next year with a solid US title run under his belt it will be him entering the main event scene.
Posted By: Ronald McFondle (Registered) on January 26, 2008 at 07:02 PM
Has Hardy had any heat backstage since he returned from his suspension? Who's to say that anybody in the main event is not one failed drug test from being suspended. All three champions have been suspended for steroid use. Hardy's style is that of a risk taker and that's why the fans love him. I don't care if he and Orton have a mat classic, it still won't sell anymore pay per views.
Posted By: steveo (Guest) on January 26, 2008 at 07:27 PM
both roads since he can wrestle pretty good and is good with the crowd but also if he can't keep himself clean and not get suspended then he's going to be nothing more then a flash in the pan main eventer
Posted By: maZZacane the mazzacre (Registered) on January 27, 2008 at 01:09 AM
compare Jeff to Ray, physicallity wise. If Ray can be world champ, why not Jeff. Wrestling styles area similar, not being a Hulk body size is similar. Outside the ring, compare Jeff to Orton. Both have had behavior issues. Both have been keeping their noses clean since being given more responsibility. I don't recall Jeff having issues any other time he's held a title either.
Posted By: jbgs2 (Guest) on January 27, 2008 at 10:21 AM
HIGH ROAD for sure and about damn time too!
Jeff Hardy, well both Hardys really, have been deserving main event pushes for years now. I truly think that Hardy would likely have won the belt at Rumble if not for Cena's return. Even if it had only been a short ride until Mania, it still would have been worth it.
For all those criticizing his past problems, keep in mind the key word there is PAST. And the ones taking issue with his style confuse me even more. I'd much rather see a Hardy match where he pulls off high risk spots, than a plodding oaf doing the same power moves over and over again (I'm looking at you Triple H and Batista).
Jeff Hardy combines the best of all worlds. He's connected with the fans HUGE, sells tons of merch, can wrestle a match with a variety of different styled opponents AND, most importantly of all, he is definitely unique, something that doesn't happen very much anymore. Almost none of the spots Hardy uses are used by anyone else, mainly because few people can pull them off. Not many guys can say that.
It just goes to prove that he didn't win at Rumble, that Vince just can't let the crowd and especially the IWC be happy, even for a short while.
Posted By: Damn Cena's Return (Guest) on January 29, 2008 at 11:28 AM
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