High Road/Low Road 05.02.08: The Batista/HBK Feud
Posted by Sat & Uncletrunx on 05.02.2008
Batista and Shawn Michaels have been feuding since Ric Flair's retirement. Has this been a good feud or a bad feud? You decide in this week's High Road/Low Road! Plus, some exciting news from Uncletrunx!
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).
Note: Trunx has just got married! As a result, he's going to be away on Honeymoon next week. The column is already prepared, but he's not going to be able to respond to any comments next week. Normal service will be resumed the week after.
The Results for the One Night King of the Ring Tournament:
High Road: 55.6%
Low Road: 05.5%
Both Roads: 38.9%
HBK/Batista Feud
High Road:
Some of the best feuds that we see are the ones where both guys have valid points. This is one of those cases. Shawn Michaels has a valid point because Ric Flair asked for his best at WrestleMania and he gave his best. Batista has a valid point because he did not want to see mentor get retired and he felt that Shawn Michaels should have laid down and let Ric Flair's career continue. Both guys have valid points and that is one of the things that makes this feud so good.
Low Road:
Both guys do have valid points and I applaud WWE for not going with the simplistic "good guys vs bad guys" formula on this match. However, in doing that they've made the issue confusing. Is Batista the guy to cheer? Should we boo him? Whose side should we be on? For old, cynical people like me it works well because I can sit back and watch the match. For kids (and a lot of the WWE audience are under 18 these days) it's likely to lead to confusion and a mixed reaction.
High Road:
One of the strong points of this feud has been the promos. All of the promos that we have seen have all been amazing. All of the promos have made sense and have been fun to watch. Going into the feud, I felt that Shawn Michaels was going to do a good job, but I wasn't so sure about Batista. But, as we have seen both guys have done a good job and the promos have been one of the fun things to watch in this feud.
Low Road:
Again, the promo work has been exceptional except that there is no clear way of progressing things. Unless this is designed to be a really short feud to give both guys something to do for a while, there's no clear way of moving this on that I can see. Bringing Jericho in suggests that one of them, probably Michaels, is going to go on to feud with him. I hope that's what happens because otherwise, this will run out of steam quite fast.
High Road:
The promo work has been good, but that doesn't mean anything if the match does not deliver in the ring. With this match, I feel that they should be able to deliver a good match. We all know that Shawn Michaels is a very good wrestler and he can have good matches with anybody. Batista is very capable of having a good match if he is motivated and I think that he will be. I think that Batista motivated and Shawn Michaels in this match, we are bound to see a good match.
Low Road:
I would agree except that Batista didn't manage to live up to his potential on the biggest show of the year; if that's the case, will he bring his best work for this lesser event? I feel that having this match at Backlash also doesn't help the feud; it's a minor Pay Per View, and the match is overshadowed by the title matches, much as Batista's WrestleMania match was. That, to me, means there's a risk that we could see a below par performance from the Animal. I hope he proves me wrong, but it's a risk.
High Road:
I like the addition of Chris Jericho into this feud for a few reasons. First, he has not really hurt the feud at all and the focus is still on the two competitors. Second, his addition is not favoring anybody. He got a super kick from Shawn Michaels and a Batista Bomb from Batista. The most important High Road is that it easily allows for Chris Jericho to easily start a feud with one of these wrestlers.
Low Road:
I think the involvement of Jericho is a potential positive but I don't like him being wasted here as a special referee when JBL is in the title match. I may be alone in this (I doubt I am,) but I'd much rather see Jericho in the title match rather than refereeing in the upper mid card. Hell, I'd rather see Batista in the title match, Jericho vs Michaels and JBL at the commentary desk, where he is a brilliant performer.
High Road:
This is one of the matches that I have been looking forward to for awhile now and I think that this fact has also helped the feud. These two guys have had matches before and they were decent. But, the previous times that they had met, Batista was not a former World Champion. Now, with him being a former world champion, this has definitely become a dream match for me.
Low Road:
I'm not sure I'd class it as a dream match, and I think it will get somewhat lost in the shuffle. Given that this is not one of the big Pay Per View events and there are two title matches, I'm not even convinced this will be remembered in a few months.
High Road:
The main reason to watch Backlash is because of this match. Is anybody watching this match for the fatal fourway for the WWE title? Nope. Is anybody watching this for Edge versus the Undertaker? Nope. Is anybody watching this match for the epic battle between the Big Show and the Great Khali? Nope. This is a WrestleMania type match offered at Backlash and that is why it is the reason to watch Backlash.
Low Road:
I think people will be watching for the Undertaker vs Edge rematch, and for the Fatal Fourway. I can't argue about the Big Show vs Khali, but I certainly don't think that this is a one match show and as I've said before, this seems to me to be a placeholder feud before both guys move on, it's a waste of Jericho to have him as the referee in this. In all, while the match may end up being ok and the promos have done their job, I can't see this being one for the ages. It's more Low Road than High Road.
Simply write "High Road", "Low Road", or "Both Roads" in the comment section.
E-Mails:
These are all of the e-mails that we received this week. We do not respond to the actual e-mail, but the reply to your e-mail will be below.
Tim Schmidt Writes:
Both roads? The tournament matches were good but undoubtedly a little short on time. I was upset that Regal won. I mean, a semi-retired old man with heart trouble wins this "important" tournament? Bullshit. This could have been used to elevate a deserving mid-carder like Kennedy or Santino but no, WWE wastes it on Regal. As stated, the matches were great but I am disappointed with the outcome. I guess I was expecting more than what we got.
Sat: I think that one of the main reasons that Regal won it is because he can play the king character. Plus, Regal is a good wrestler and last I checked, there are no real good heel wrestlers on RAW.
Uncletrunx: Regal as King could work if he comes back as a wrestler full time. He has the in ring ability, and if they don't use him that way, it will be a waste.
Comments:
411 has added a new feature. Below are the comments for last week's columns and our responses. The comments that will be included will be the ones that pertain to this week's column. Also, your comment will not be included if you are commenting on another reader's comment. The comments are as of Thursday Morning Pacific Time.
Michelle Writes:
High Road. The KOTR was a good event this year and it helped do what it's all about - give a mid-carder more credibility. Punk didn't need the win, nor did Jericho or MVP. Regal was a good choice, IMO, especially as he can probably pull the "King" gimmick of perfectly.
Sat: Good point about the guys not needing the win. Plus, the main reason I love Regal winning the King of the Ring is that he can play the king character perfectly.
Uncletrunx: As I said above, Regal will be a great King if they get him back in the ring permanently.
George Writes:
Both. liked the outcome and believe Regal will be a great king. I liked how they set it up so it looked like he booked it so he would have the easy way in. "seemed believable". but at the same time they could of threw Benjamin and Morrison in there and had much better matches while giving King Regal more credibility as the king. It was a good set up but i hate the fact Khali was in it and really hate the fact Hornswoggle was in it. Ill give it a B. Could of done it better.
Sat: The compliants that you have are legitimate ones. Hornswoggle and Khali could easily have been eliminated and Bejmain/Morrison could have been added.
Uncletrunx: That was one of my major gripes; they insist on putting Hornswoggle in places like this when wrestlers like Benjamin have nothing to do.
Ryan Writes:
High Road. Regal is a great wrestler, has out of control hair, an awesome robe, and has "Villain" wrote across his tights...what more can you ask for?
Sat: I am not really a fan of Regal's hair. It just looks all funky. He needs a haircut badly.
Uncletrunx: If he's growing it out to get that evil long haired black knight type look, I'm in favour of it.
Raven Effect Writes:
Unfortunately, I gotta say this is probably yet another wait and see type of thing. I have to go high road for the King of the Ring tournament itself. Okay, so I think it sucks that it was on Raw instead of PPV. That set aside, the matches were mostly good, and it is really cool that Regal won. I've always been something of a Regal fan and always felt he was a bit underappreciated.
We'll have to see where they go with this. If it isn't used to push Regal, then there was no point to doing it. I would love to see Regal finally pushed to the main event. With the stale main event scene we have right now, it could really help to have Regal on top, and he could do the snobby King gimmick really well. I'd love to see Regal get the WWE or World title at some point, even if not for a very long reign.
Sat: Yeah, I agree. This is wait and see. If Regal does nothing with the King of the Ring, then this is a definite Low Road. And I think the highest Regal will go with this win is up to the Intercontinental title and I think that is decent for Regal.
Uncletrunx: I can't see Regal getting a World belt myself, although if this is a bit of a test to see if he an ascend to that level, I hope it works.
Save ECW 222 Writes:
Both roads? The matches were good, but a semi-retired Regal winning makes no sense.
Sat: You have a valid point if Regal does not start to wrestle regularly.
Uncletrunx: Indeed. I hope he does come back full time, as a full time, motivated Regal could be great.
Big Fat Fag Writes:
Only bitch I have is that the KOR final should have been main event of raw.
Sat: I agree. It should have been the main event and because it wasn't, it hurt some of the credibility of the tournament.
Uncletrunx: I agree completely; the tournament itself was seriously undervalued by having it on Raw in the first place.
Captain Smooth Writes:
High road with one change. Each person in it should have to win a match to qualify. That way, the tourney would happen during one night. It would also give some other wrestlers a chance to be on T.V. Actually, I wouldn't mind if they had the final two people go at it at the next PPV. That way, you could build a feud.
Sat: Not a bad idea, but it seems like this was a spur of the moment move by the WWE.
Uncletrunx: Had they made people qualify on Raw then used a Pay Per View to hold the tournament, it would have made it seem really special and your idea would have worked well. As it was, it felt undervalued to me.
KanyonKriest Writes:
First Comment: Both roads: High for booking it in the first place, and low for the simple fact that, yes, the matches were too short (Punk/Hardy was WAY too short) and, primarily, because Punk looked very weak in the final round against Regal. Sure he had already wrestled two credible competitors, but he TAPPED OUT TO REGAL AFTER FOUR MINUTES! I can think of, literally, a dozen ways they could have put Regal over in that match without making Punk look so weak, and that's why I was outright angered at the way the match - and the tournament - ended.
Second Comment: The more I think about it, the more I wish they'd held off the final round match until Backlash; it's not like Punk even has a match at the pay per view, and that way they also could've given each of the tournament matches a little more time on Raw. Of course, that probably wouldn't have happened; they would've just filled the extra time with a John McCain impersonator.
Sat: I didn't mind that Punk tapped out in four minutes. He did have an injury on his rub and the Regal stretch does have a massive effect on the ribs. Still, I would have loved to have seen this gone awhile and then seen the Regal stretch. That would have had the same effect as the match we saw, but Punk would have also looked good. As for your second comment, sure it would have been given more time, but I like having an entire tournament in one night. Plus, if they had done that, then I am sure that we would have seen a John McCain impersonator.
Uncletrunx: I wish the final match had been given the time they wasted on the Obama vs Hillary match.
Joe Osborne Writes:
Once again, a very good column. I'm going to go High Road on this one. When it comes to the likes of John Morrison not being involved...I'd be more concerned about what happened on ECW the next night to him. Morrison really didn't fit in my eyes, because his focus is the WWE Tag belts right now. I personally think Elijah Burke or Shelton Benjamin would have been better inclusions. They could easily have had Burke "hurt" Punk in a losing effort, or have Shelton Benjamin do the same thing Khali did to Finlay. I mean if they are going to have Kofi defeat Shelton, then they could have easily had Finlay roll him up with injured legs. Hornswoggle was a necessary evil in this one though. Just to have Regal look lucky. As much as I like Regal winning the KotR, I feel that having Edge win a second one, would have been good for his "Ultimate Opportunist" gimmick. Hopefully Regal will be vaulted to the Main Event scene. Even if it is a brief stay for him to job to Triple H or John Cena. (Speaking of which, him using an STF to win all 3 matches?) Still, I'll take the High Road here. It surprised me, and I like being surprised. Oh, and I'll also say that despite the length of the matches, Jericho and Punk really made this the best RAW in a while with there matches. Having Undertaker and Edge involved boosted the quality as well.
Sat: As I wrote above, I could have lived without Khali and Hornswoggle in the tournament. The highest I see Regal going is to the Intercontinental title. Jericho/Punk was very good; I also like Punk/Hardy. All around though, there were a few good matches.
Uncletrunx: I hope they make the most of having a great wrestler with a credible submission finisher; the tournament made Regal look great, I hope he gets to keep the momentum.
Dr. Domino Writes:
I have to disagree with those saying the final should have been held off for a PPV. The idea is that it is winning a one night tourney. The achievement is not only from winning the final but winning the final and the preceding matches in one night.
Saying that, I think the whole thing should have been on PPV and had 16 competitors rather than 8.
I'll have to plump for Both Roads since, as much as I like King Regal, I would have preferred more of a big time feel to the event. A month of buildup with qualifying matches and promos from all the up and comers looking to make their name and the veterans looking to get back on track would have given it a greater sense of importance.
Sat: First, there will be no response from Uncletrunx because I received this after Uncletrunx had given me a rought draft. I agree that the final match should not have been on the pay per view. It would be nice to see the whole thing on the pay per view, but knowing the WWE they would have made the tournament even more rushed on PPV. I believe I wrote this above, but this tournament was rushed. That's why there was no buildup. What you are saying makes sense.
Your reasons for taking the High Road, Low Road, or Both Roads and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road are welcome at satuncletrunx@gmail.com or in the comment section. Your reply will be included in next week's column.
High road. The promos were good and the match was fine. I liked this match. Way
to go Trunx!! Hope you and your special someone have a happy life together.
Posted By: SaveECW222 (Registered) on May 02, 2008 at 12:30 PM
No good heel wrestlers on Raw???What about Orton?He's the top heel on all shows.
Posted By: Gary (Guest) on May 02, 2008 at 12:30 PM
High road. This angle is realistic, and WWE fans haven't always had good reason
to suspend disbelief. While some young kids may not understand the complexity,
this feud is almost a reward for the long-term fans who often get neglected by
a company who tries so hard to recruit new fans that they sometimes forget the
die-hard ones.
I didn't understand why Jericho had to be involved, although someone with great
mic skills needs to play Devil's Advocate. Besides, the fans won't accept a
Jericho heel turn unless it's against one of the company's top faces.
To me, the biggest problem I have with the feud is the fact that HHH isn't
getting involved one way or the other - unless they're going to use his selfish
focus on winning the world title rather than his friendships with
Flair/HBK/Batista as the rationale behind his rumored upcoming heel turn.
This feud could lead to so many great stories unfolding. It's too early to
tell how crucial this feud might be in the direction the WWE takes over the
next year, but there's potential for some of the E's most popular characters to
make major changes. This is what storytelling is all about - people the
audience has gotten attached to dealing with adversity and changing.
Posted By: Reichou (Guest) on May 02, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Congrats Trunx. :) High road.
Posted By: Michelle (Guest) on May 02, 2008 at 01:28 PM
High road.
The promos have been great, the match itself was solid and enjoyable, and the
inclusion of Jericho, far from being pointless, seems to have given the
story-line a fresh direction after the match. If, as seems to be the case, this
is heading into an HBK-Y2J feud then I am really excited: we could be on the
brink of the most enjoyable feud of the year bar none, because everyone knows
what these guys can do on the mic and in the ring. Like so much of the booking
concerning Flair’s retirement, HB vs. Batista has been of a very high quality.
Posted By: evil_dave83 (Guest) on May 02, 2008 at 02:01 PM
I'm going to go with high road overall. This has been a good feud, and it is one
we really haven't seen before. That is always really nice to see. Something
fresh. Plus, HBK can have a great match with anybody. He can drag crappy
wrestlers through a great match. Not everybody likes Batista, but he's no
crappy wrestler. He can have some pretty darn good matches, as his feuds with
the Undertaker have demonstrated. So, this has been a great feud so far and
could even be a classic moving on.
I actually have to disagree with most people on one thing, though. I honestly
think Big Dave's reasoning behind the feud are pretty immature and unrealistic.
After all, true, storyline-wise nobody wanted to see Ric Flair's career have to
end. However, Batista's main reason behind the feud is he felt Shawn should
have laid down for Flair so Naitch's career could continue... something Flair
would have been P*$$ED off and downright insulted by.
Flair would NOT have wanted somebody to lay down for him. He wouldn't have
picked HBK for the match at Wrestlemania if he did. Anybody with half a brain
can see that, so to me, it just makes Batista look like a big child. Flair
wanted, flat out DEMANDED Shawn's best, so the Showstopper could not give him
anything else. Who knows, though? Maybe it will lead to a heel turn for Big
Dave when it turns out that the REAL reason he is so mad is because HE wanted
the distinction of ending Flair's career. That could be good. Otherwise, I just
think his reasoning is weak.
Posted By: RavenEffect (Guest) on May 02, 2008 at 02:02 PM
High Road. I would love for HBK to go all Christian on Batista and trash his mom
for being a lesbian. It would be interesting to see who the fans would cheer
for.
Posted By: Capt. Smooth (Guest) on May 02, 2008 at 04:41 PM
High Road for the King
i don't expect the KotR to be main event anymore because the King of Kings
himself doesn't want to be upstaged at all. as for regal's hair, if he is
aspiring for the Lord Voldemort look, then let him grow it long enough for that
menacing look
Posted By: kapengmabula (Guest) on May 02, 2008 at 06:34 PM
Low Road. I say so simply because Backlash isn't the event for a high profile
match like this. I think what WWE should have done was first, give one of these
men, if not both, a break. After. HBK should come out on Raw and finally address
the fans on why he decided to take Old Yellar out and finally, Batista would
come out and there, their huge feud would ignite and it would finally culminate
at a big PPV like SummerSlam.
Posted By: Ray A (Guest) on May 02, 2008 at 07:01 PM
High road.
Posted By: The Glide (Guest) on May 02, 2008 at 08:25 PM
High road all the way; other than his matches with the Undertaker, Batista
hasn't done anything interesting since his 2005 feud with Triple H. Shawn
Michaels brings out the best in everyone and this feud has kept me interested
thus far.
Posted By: KanyonKreist (Registered) on May 03, 2008 at 07:33 PM
High Road
Posted By: Justin (Guest) on May 03, 2008 at 08:27 PM
Low Road: I agree with Uncletrunx that this feud seems like its just been put
together to give Batista and HBK something to do. Also I've never been a fan of
Batista, his feuds w/ Taker and HHH were very good but his feud WHC run was
pretty bad, his match at Mainia was awful and even the match at Backlash was
only passable. Despite being a big fan of both HBK & Y2J I'm finding it
hard to even care, plus Batista's supposed to be a laid back badass but he
seems whiney in his (badly written) promo's
Posted By: G3KKO (Guest) on May 04, 2008 at 08:10 AM
