High Road/Low Road 08.08.08: Mike Adamle as RAW GM

Posted by Sat & Uncletrunx on 08.08.2008

Mike Adamle has been moved out of the commentary position and made the GM of Raw. Is this a great move to further establish him in WWE or a terrible mistake? Click the link, let us know.

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 Shelton Benjamin winning the United States title:

High Road: 73%
Low Road: 13%
Both Roads: 13%

Mike Adamle as RAW General Manager

High Road:
I think that the most important High Road for Mike Adamle as the RAW general manager is that he is neither a face nor a bad guy and this is an authority figure that he haven't seen. Here's why. Basically Mike Adamle is in his own little world, so he is going to do what he thinks is best. The way that I see his reign playing out is that he will screw over the good guys and the bad guys and he will favor the good guys and the bad guys. This really is something that we have not seen and it should lead to some interesting shows.

Low Road:
The problem I have with Adamle as GM is quite simply that he's unsuited for the role. The man is an announcer, and an announcer who could be a good one on WWE TV when he gets the product knowledge; that's his weak spot. However, being GM means that he'll need excellent product knowledge and the ability to play a role; WWE seem to be playing to his weaknesses rather than his strengths.


High Road:
Mike Adamle becoming the general manager was a good idea because it gives Todd Grisham a chance at announcing. I have been a huge fan of Grisham's for awhile now and I am happy that he is finally getting a chance to announce one of the main shows. Now, the Adamle supporters will be mad that Adamle is no longer announcing, but the WWE needs to find out if there is any long term for Todd Grisham. Mike Adamle becoming the general manager allows for this to happen.

Low Road:
Todd is ok, but having him appear in he announcer's position is not enough to make me pleased that Adamle is the GM. Indeed, with Foley possibly leaving and Adamle now GM, they seem to have a shortage of announcers. I don't understand why, with such a shortage looming, they voluntarily reduce the number available.


High Road:
Mike Adamle is an entertaining character for the WWE, but he was not going to be entertaining for an announcer forever. He was very entertaining at first, but his act had started to get old for me. The problem with an announcer making mistakes is that it makes the entire show look good. With Adamle as the GM, he can play the same character that he did as announcer because I don't see the act getting old with him as the general manager.

Low Road:
I do. I see, once again, attempted comedy which isn't funny at the expense of in ring action.


High Road:
This announcement of Mike Adamle being made the RAW general manager was totally unexpected and that made it really interesting. I have been writing this more and more in the past few weeks, but it is true. Stuff that is unexpected get more fans to tune in each week. The WWE has been doing this more and more and showed that it can be very effective with the announcement that Mike Adamle is the new RAW general manager.

Low Road:
It would've been unexpected if Adamle himself hadn't blown it by standing up too early. I know it's early for him and it would be wrong to write him off for one mistake but it's not a good start.


High Road:
Mike Adamle as the general manager of RAW has a ton of potential. He has not interacted with most of the stars on RAW, so this will be something that we haven't seen yet. And as I wrote above, he is in his own little world, so expect him to do things that favor the good guys and the bad guys.

Low Road:
He has a ton of potential but, it seems to me, no training in how to fulfill that potential; as with the women that are hired from the diva search, he'll be learning on the job. This will, as with the diva search contestants, be to the detriment of TV show quality.


High Road:
Not a major High Road here, but as the RAW general manager he could always put himself at the announce booth if he is ever needed there for a short period of time. This would cater to those who are fans of Mike Adamle as an announcer and I think that in short periods, Mike Adamle can be very good.

Low Road: So it's a high road that a not very good announcer gets put in a high profile character role for which he is unsuited, then gets to put himself back in the commentary booth if he wants to? To me, the whole thing seems like the WWE tactic of doing something unexpected for the sake of it, to the detriment of longer term quality. That's not a good thing.

Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?

High Road
Low Road
Both Roads
OR

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.

Freddy Neuwendyke Writes:

I do think it's a little late toward his time in WWE but I'd like to think hopefully putting a belt on Shelton means they may be actually trying to push the guy. While granted it's one of the far lesser titles it's a damn sight better than jobbing every single week and being saddled with a sidekick like his mom.

I've always thought Shelton Benjamin is a good wrestler but he just never seems to catch a break when it comes to getting over.

Sat: I agree. Plus, Shelton Benjamin has looked good in the past few weeks and hopefully the WWE does not hot shot the title to Mr. Kennedy.

Uncletrunx: It won't be putting the belt on Kennedy now. As for Shelton, I don't see him being pushed any higher than he is.

Brandon Young Writes:

High Road. I honestly enjoy Shelton's athleticism (when he's on his game). I would also love to see him challenge for the WWE title against Triple H. Obviously, they could play off the fact that Shelton has legitimately beaten Trips before. An easy transition to this feud would be that and the fact that the US Champion should be the #1 contender to the WWE Championship. If Shelton could ever get good on the stick he could just hype up the fact that he should be the number one contender by holding the secondary title and playing off the fact that he has beaten Hunter before in the past. Just my two cents.

Sat: I think the problem is with our email account because this week we got two emails containing the same thing from you. I would love to see Shelton Benjamin and Triple H feud again, but I don't see the WWE making it happen.

Uncletrunx: I love Shelton's athletic ability but can't see him getting the HHH feud; if he does get that feud, I can't see him being the winner.

Jeremy Castillo Writes:

Hey guys,

I see nothing but positive in Shelton Benjamin's push. Getting the U.S. title gives him the chance to do something memorable besides getting kicked in the face by Shawn Michaels and elevate other mid-card talent. Promos are his biggest problem but there's always time to improve that. Hell, Benoit and RVD always sucked on the mic but their in-ring work spoke for them. The best Benjamin can do now is kick ass in the ring, win the fans over (again), and cut promos only when absolutely necessary.

Plus, he's doing something (or someone) right he's been in the penthouse and the outhouse then back again several times push-wise and never got released. If he were in TNA now, he'd probably impersonate Ron Simmons impersonations and tag with Black Machismo as the Nation of Abomination. ... Thank God he's not in TNA.

Sat: You make a good point. He always manages to get a push, so maybe something is going on. And knowing TNA, they would probably come with something far worse.

Uncletrunx: I don't wish to contemplate any more TNA tribute gimmicks in case they read this and use the ideas.

Comments:

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 Sunday Morning Pacific Time.

T.G. Corke Writes:

I'll say high road purely because, although I agree Shelton could do well in the main event scene, the fact is that he was nowhere near it before now. I think he needed to get back up to where he once was before he could progress any further. As Mark Henry has showed recently, it's never too late to make that final push.

Sat: Yeah I agree. The WWE could have Shelton Benjamin elevated within a year if they want to.

Uncletrunx: I'd rather see Shelton up there than Henry, but Henry's always going to get the nod because he's FOUR HUNDRED POUNDS, DAMMIT!

M:-X Writes:

High Road.

Years ago, Ricky Steamboat & Randy Savage fought at WM3 for the IC Title (I have no doubt almost everyone remembers that match), their rivalry had been well built and the blow off was amazing. In a somewhat similar manner Matt Hardy & MVP had a great feud, and although the blow off wasn't Steamboat/Savage... it was good enough for what it was. So where am I going here? Well, shortly thereafter, Steamboat dropped the title to Honky Tonk. Though Honky's reign is remembered the match that transitioned the title isn't so much of a factor.

Now, I don't think Shelton is going to have a HTM reign or anything, but in a similar way he's a transitional US champ and I would put money on it going over to either MVP or Kennedy and they MAY end up feuding together... which I think is a money feud that could elevate both men.

As for Shelton... honestly I don't see him ever progressing past this point. I don't think they'll ever have the confidence in him to build him more than he has been.

Sat: You make a good point with the Steamboat/Savage/Honky information. But, for this to be the case, Shelton needs to have at least a five month reign.

Uncletrunx: I could see Shelton in a Honky type role, if he's built up right. He could make his name synonymous with the US belt, because I really don't think he's going to the higher level.

Guest#9788 Writes:

I never realized Shelton had a reign as The Intercontinental Title.

Sat: This just goes to show that if a guy is a jobber for too long, then his accomplishments are forgotten very quickly.

Uncletrunx: You're only as good as your last match. Or something.

Captain Smooth Writes:

High road. Give him a bit of time in the mid card. Have him turn face and then "upset" a just turned heel Triple H for the title.

Sat: The thing with Shelton is that he can easily turn face by just doing a spectacular move.

Uncletrunx: As I said before, I can't see him being given a feud win or major win over HHH.

KanyonKreist Writes:

High road; if you're going to call yourself "the gold standard", it helps to be in possession of some gold. Besides, Matt Hardy *winning* the U.S. title was a thousand times more entertaining than the title reign which ensued thereafter. Now, would someone *PLEASE* tell Shelton to STOP SHOUTING HIS MEANINGLESS CATCH PHRASE?!

Sat: Yeah. I think that he needed a belt to make his moniker meaningful. And I agree, he needs to stop shouting the "there ain't no stopping me".

Uncletrunx: Shelton needs work on his promos; however, if he's a heel, having something annoying to yell is a good first step.

K. Bett Writes:

Shelton hasn't done much since losing the IC title to Carlito. Putting him on ECW didn't do anything, and he went there to get a push toward the ECW title. Aligning with Burke didn't do crap for either of them. The chance to feud with Kennedy, MVP, J. Hardy and a few others is "bigger" than working with Bourne and Kofi on ECW.

Sat: He has the potential to be very good on SmackDown and it is up to the WWE to make it happen.

Uncletrunx: It's also up to him to make it happen.

Ammoo Writes:

Low road. Kennedy would've been a better choice.

On other news... Do the fabled rematch-clauses even exist anymore? I mean, neither Matt Hardy or M&M2008 have had a rematch for the titles since they lost them.

Sat: Kennedy could have worked too, but the WWE probably didn't want a good guy beating a good guy. And in the WWE rulebook, the rematch clauses are only in effect, when the WWE wants there to be a rematch.

Uncletrunx: Absolutely; if they want a rematch, there will be one. If not, it will be forgotten about.

Mr. Freeze Writes:

HIGH ROAD

Shelton is a fantastic worker which always deliver the goods between the ropes .

His new gimmick and blonde hair helped him out a lot and his performance at Mania definitively cemented his credibility .

The guy badly needed a high profile win and mid card title and Matt Hardy and the WWE did the RIGHT JOB with HIM .

Now the ultra over Ken Kennedy has pinned him on SD ! and will feud with him till SummerSlam for the gold, doing goods to both him and the champ .

VERY HIGH ROAD

Sat: I hate the blonde hair, though I understand why he has it. I think that Kennedy and Benjamin could have a good feud, but it needs to last for awhile for it to mean something.

Uncletrunx: The injury to Kennedy could derail the Shelton push fast; I hope they can do something to save the situation.

Your reasons for taking the High Road, Low Road, or Both Roads and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road are welcome at [e-mail] or in the comment section. Your reply will be included in next week's column.