High Road/Low Road 12.19.08: Jeff Hardy as WWE Champion
Posted by Chad Nevett on 12.19.2008
There was only really one choice this week...
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 Eight Man Tag Match at Final Resolution:
High Road: 70%
Low Road: 30%
Both Roads: 00%
Jeff Hardy as World Champion
High Road:
I have to give the WWE as a ton of credit because they did something unexpected. I had come to the conclusion that there was no way that Jeff Hardy was ever going to be World Champion. He had gotten a ton of chances and he had not managed to win any of those matches. I went into Armageddon having another topic in mind for this week because I did not expect something like this to happen. But, the result of this match was shocking and definitely something that will be remembered for years to come. Kudos to the WWE for doing something unexpected.
Low Road:
Firstly, I would like to congratulate Jeff on winning the big one.
However, I'm the Low Road guy, so let's get to business! Let's face it, this is one of those topics which has people firmly on one side or the other; I expect this vote to have very few "Both Roads" votes.
There are two major reasons why this is a Low Road (along with some other minor reasons) and I'll take those one at a time.
The first is the timing of Jeff's win. I can see that WWE might want to give him a trial run with the belt, to see what happens and how his reign goes. However, they could have done so about 18 months ago; a short experimental reign then would have been accepted by most people and welcomed by Jeff's fans. As it is, they've built up the level of expectation so high that only a win like Chris Benoit's at Wrestlemania XX would have seemed like a fitting end to the Jeff Hardy title hunt. As it is, we get an anticlimactic win at a minor PPV. That's a Low Road to me.
High Road:
I know that one of the things that everybody has to be saying is that it makes no sense to put the title on Jeff Hardy because he could fail a Wellness test at any time. But, I think that the WWE decided to put the title on Jeff Hardy because they feel that he will stay clean. He had definitely hit rock bottom by missing WrestleMania and having his house burned down. The last time he failed a drug test was in March and we are now in December. He has been clean for almost 9 months and he probably got tested a ton during the time. I think that Jeff Hardy has grown up and the WWE decided he had proven himself and they decided to put the title on him.
Low Road:
This is the other major Low Road. Jeff Hardy, like it or not, has had major issues in the past with substance misuse. That is undeniable. 9 months is not a huge amount of time for someone with such a history to be "clean". I can see that this is probably why he's getting an experimental reign which could well end up being short; I refer to my point above to explain why this is a Low Road. I hope Jeff is indeed clean and has learned the hard way about the cost of failing wellness tests but in the post Benoit era, can WWE really afford to risk having to fire the top guy for a drug issue, especially when he's fallen foul of the rules not once but twice before? I have no doubt that the competition would pick him up in a heartbeat were he to be fired, which would be a very serious situation for WWE.
High Road:
Jeff Hardy's win has really created a ton of interest on SmackDown. I think it is probably safe to say that he is not going to head into WrestleMania as the champion, so it should be safe to say that he will lose the title somewhere before the Royal Rumble or during the Royal Rumble. This basically makes every SmackDown a must watch show because we are guaranteed to see a title change sometime before that pay per view. And even if the WWE decides not to take the title off of Jeff Hardy, we are still watching because we expect him to lose.
Low Road:
Title runs like that are inevitably disappointing. We saw it with Rey Mysterio and more recently with C M Punk; the fans clamour for a title win for their favourite smaller guy, and when he finally gets the belt, he's treated like a jobber for bigger guys until they take the belt off him; often it seems like winning the title marks a downturn in the fortunes of the smaller wrestler and I fear it'll be the same for Jeff.
High Road:
One of the nice touches for Jeff Hardy's WWE title win is that both he and Matt Hardy are now both World Champions. It would have been nice to see Matt Hardy come out and celebrate with his brother, but this was really Jeff's moment. Jeff and Matt can easily have their celebration on SmackDown this week.
Low Road:
In all seriousness, I don't think anyone considers the ECW belt to be on the same level as the big two. A Matt and Jeff celebration might have been a nice way to close the PPV but I don't want it taking up time on Smackdown. I'd rather that time was taken up with wrestling.
High Road:
I think that this win will definitely help the merchandise sales for Jeff Hardy to go to a whole another level. And now that Jeff Hardy's journey is completed, now would be a great time to release a DVD on just the career of Jeff Hardy. We saw a DVD release for the Hardys, but with Jeff Hardy's journey now complete, I think it is time for a Jeff Hardy DVD. With all the great matches that he has had this year, this would be a huge seller. I would definitely be interested and I think a lot of you would be too.
Low Road:
Jeff Hardy will shift a ton of merchandise, belt or no belt. I don't think putting the Championship on him will alter the sales of his merchandise at all. I also fail to see how merchandise sales are a High Road; they affect very little except Vince's bank account and certainly don't provide anything in the way of improvements to the in ring action.
High Road:
When a wrestler wins a world title for the first time, I cannot help but notice that the match is never any good. Some recent examples of this are Edge, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, and John Cena. They all won the title for the first time in a really bad match or in a really short match. Jeff Hardy won his world title in an amazing match which is something that we do not see that often. And that makes the win that much more memorable.
Low Road:
I don't like three way matches for Championships and I would much have preferred a classic, one on one win for Jeff to take the biggest prize in wrestling. It may be a personal preference but to me, winning it in a three way added to the anticlimax of Jeff finally winning the big one at a minor PPV.
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:
Low road. Seriously is there any real reason to care About The Samoan Joke and his band of palookas The Punchline oh I'm sorry The Frontline anymore? The problem with TNA in general is they have only one method of booking babyfaces. As pathetic losers who always get punked out. Granted we all know it's kayfabe but we still care the same we care when watching a movie. We can't have Batman being The Joker's bitch for all of the Dark Knight and James Bond looking like a putz ain't gonna put money in the bank.
Sadly on the other side of the coin WWE has Super Duper Cena who can take everything short of a .357 Magnum to the nads and come out on top. It just seems like there's no balance in booking babyfaces. They're either pathetic Rocky Balboa style palookas because somewhere down the line Hollywood then later wrestling promoters think we Americans love underdogs (We don't) or they're invincible Superman.
In order for a feud to be successful there has to be this feeling of suspense a feeling that it could go either way. Sadly the MEM/The Breadline feud has yet to produce that.
Sat: I think up to this point it made sense for the Main Event Mafia to win, but from this point on it needs to be fifty fifty for this to be a meaningful feud.
Uncletrunx: I agree that there needs to be a balance. Ultimately the viewer has to care about the outcome and going too far one way or the other frequently means that we don't.
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 Night Pacific Time.
Kanyon Kreist Writes:
As a main event, it had no heat, no buzz going for it, because it wasn't the entire mEm vs. the entire Frontline, nor was it the groups' respective front-men facing off; it was just some of the members of each group in a tag match, with nothing tangible at stake. It didn't even have the "first-ever" feature to it, like the WWF's "InVasion" payperview had back in '01, because this is just a continuation of the feud. People KNEW it would be just another chapter in the continuing angle too, which is quite ironic, considering the name of the payperview. So, where's the drama? Where's the incentive? Do you think anyone thought "I HAVE TO SEE THIS"? Personally, I think probably not, and that's why it was a failure as a main event.
Sat: You make a good point here. Sure, there was no incentive to buy this show except for the potential title change. As for the naming of the pay per view; I think it is is named that just because it is the end of the year.
Uncletrunx: The potential title change was a horrible addition which seemed like a desperate ploy to force some buys for a lackluster PPV.
Iron Knee Writes:
Low Road: I think that it might've worked had it been some sort of elimination match or had TNA used a stipulation correctly. For example, the losing team might've had a member suspended for 60 days or some such thing. As it was, the match lacked any real pop. They'd have been better off having a series of matches that culminated in something...hmmm....maybe a Team Challenge Series-type of thing.
Sat: That would have been an interesting stipulation. I think TNA was banking on people tuning in to see a Styles title change, which of course they didn't deliver.
Uncletrunx: Elimination might have added some interest, but only if they'd taken away the awful title stipulation.
B.W.G. Writes:
"Would it really have killed them to use a clean finish on a pay per view event? It was all going surprisingly "right" until that low blow, which tarnished the match."
Yes, it would have killed...try to remember who the heels are, and more specifically who low-blowed who here... Nash-Joe II, as bad as it may turn out to be, is looming right around the corner. It's only a couple of months since the Mafia's inception, so some screwy finishes won't hurt now. I do agree that the main event for Genesis HAS to be clean...this is about the time for the Frontline to start picking up wins.
High road, although that's pretty much because I'm a sucker for multi-man tags. Plus, it's been a fair while since I've watched any work from six of these eight (Team 3D notwithstanding), so it will be a relatively fresh matchup when I actually get to watching the PPV.
Sat: I think you had to have the low blow in there because with out, people were going to say that the Frontline was getting their butts kicked.
Uncletrunx: I see why it could be important in the longer term, but I don't like events I'm paying to watch get used just to set up another event. If the Genesis Main Event doesn't have a clean winner, it will be doubly disappointing.
CJ Writes:
I'm going High Road here. First off, it was a good match and better than expected, 3d didn't swerve which was great, and the heels won again meaning that the young guys are gonna go super over when they do win. The crowd was really into the match also.
Sat: Yeah, and then Ray goes out on Impact and has a good match with Angle. When motivated, Team 3D is a great team to watch.
Uncletrunx: I quite like Team 3D, I have to confess. I didn't think this was their best match though.
The Great Captain Smooth Writes:
High Road, just to see Team 3D put Sharmell through a table. I know it's shallow, but it would be a great spot. Also UT, the hockey reference was the term "sloppy seconds". A player called his ex that another player hooked up with his "sloppy seconds" and ESPN went APESHIT.
Sat: It would be a great spot, but doesn't TNA have a no violence policy on women. And something to add to what The Great Captain Smooth said and that is the fact that the player called the media over and when they all arrived, he started with his sloppy seconds comment.
Uncletrunx: I see. I've heard the term used outside of hockey and don't get to see much Hockey over here so it passed me by completely!
Michael Writes:
I'm going with the High road on this one. Team 3D didn't join MEM like everyone thought they would plus it builds up the tension in the war, for a heel group to be successful they have to dominant the majority in the beginning. Do you think The Horsemen or the NWO would be thought of as dangerous if they lost their first matches? Plus look at what happened after the match, Sting clearly disapproved of the way they won that match, Sting joined the group as to show the Frontline what it means about respect and honor but the way the Mafia is handling things brutalising anyone who dares stand up to them he feels things are going too far, the only time Sting took down in a beatdown was when AJ spat in his face, aside from that he only watches it never bothering to dirty his hands.
Plus Rhino and Team 3D have gotten people to care about them and Rhino has given some great promos recently.
Sat: Good point about how a group can not be dominate if they start of losing. And good points about Sting, when you think about everything he is doing makes sense.
Uncletrunx: A dominant group could have gained a clean win, or even lost to a fluke and then performed a beatdown. They don't have to have screwy finishes.
Iconzeke Writes:
I'm sorry that the Stars are your team. Sean Avery - your next TNA biggest aquision ever... 'cause I don't think his NHL career is going to last much longer. Then again, he could go to the "indies" of the league. Of course I mean the Leafs. Go Habs Go! High Road, BTW. Everything EDGE does turns to awesome, and I have a feeling that E&V's program has legs.
Sat: Honestly, I am not too worried about the Stars. It is still early in the season and they will be rid of this headcase in a little bit. The thing that is surprising is the amount of hockey fans that read our column. And yeah it is pretty much a given that Avery will make an appearance in TNA.
Uncletrunx: The only bit I can comment on is the Edge bit, and I agree he's awesome at the moment. The rest of it; erm... yeah! Go Habs! (What are Habs? If I get them, will I have to seek medical advice?)
Sat: From now on lets keep the hockey talk to a minimum. Uncletrunx is totally clueless. Habs is not a medical disease, it is a nickname for the Montreal Canadians. How they got that nickname is beyond me.
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.
Everybody knows Jeff Hardy is a addict. He'll do some big XTREME moves in upcoming matchs because he's trying to get over big time, get busted up and hit the meth. Either that or blow his liver out with hardcore drinking. Maybe he'll even make the news doing something CUH-RAZY. WWE made a big mistake putting the belt on this timebomb.
Posted By: lOoKaTmE (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 12:41 AM
Both Roads.Don't get me wrong I'm happy Jeff finally got the WWE Championship but I feel like the timing seemed whatever.I get the feeling hes going to be drop the belt at the Rumble making him a transitional champ only to turn around enter and win the Royal Rumble.Not only that its the people who he'll drop it to.While I don't mind Edge champ as hes awesome and isn't afraid to put people over can't say the same for Triple H.God I hate him.I wish the E would elevate some more people to the main event scene so Hardy has more people to feud with.He has Taker and Edge who he can make awesome matches with.I'd love to see him and Shelton Benjamin go at it for the big one as well as a non jobbed MVP even a heel Matt Hardy would be awesome.Anyone but Triple H...
Posted By: The Gold Standard (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 12:53 AM
Low Road.I say this because the E putting the belt of Jeff Hardy was to please the fans.The E also did this with Rey,CM Punk even Jerichos first reign and what happens...pathetic reigns but let's look at the bigger picture.The E had four opportunties well actually five if you wanna count Cyber Sunday to give Jeff the belt.Rumble would of been awesome as well as No Mercy the other two were like whatever especially Unforgiven which was flat stupid but anyways he wins the belt at Armaggeddon at of all PPVs.In the Jeff Hardy Era I wanted to see guys like Morrison,MVP,Shelton Benjamin,Mr. Kennedy being feuding over the belt.Instead you have the same old folks Taker,Edge which I dont mind,Big Show and course Triple H.How many of these guys are going to actually put Jeff over good and I dont mean by roll up.Lets talk about straight eating a swanton.Kudos for Edge for being the first...
Posted By: Champ (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 01:05 AM
Middle Road, leaning neither way. It's nice to finally see Jeff win the Big One (and, in the process, become possibly the last man to become a Grand Slam Champion), and I'll hope for a good title run for him, but in the back of my mind, I know that there's a good chance he could become Wellness Endeavoured and blow his time in the limelight.
Posted By: Anonymous Smart Mark (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 01:08 AM
LOW ROAD.
Jeff Hardy is nothing but a Wellness violation waiting to happen, he's already been released by WWE AND TNA before and in the end the guy will turn out to be a big mistake that everybody knew they shouldn't have made. Honestly, Hardy's biggest enemy will ALWAYS not be the IWC pundits but Hardy and his addictive personality itself.
Posted By: Black Scorpion (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 01:20 AM
Both Roads- I am happy that hardy finaly got to win the big one. He certainly has the tallent and charisma to carry a world championship and the main event scene has been really lacking lately.
However whether this is a good or bad thing depends on 2 things. Firstly it depends on whether jeff hardy really is clean and stays sensible. I dont think it is guarenteed that he will mess up but it there is always a worry that he could and secondly it depends on how vince books him as champion. vince has never liked the smaller guys in the title picture and if they book him in a mesterio type raign then he would have been better off in the midcard. Nobody is expectiing jeff in the main event of this years wrestlemania (although it would be nice) if however they let him run with the ball for a couple of months maybee till no way out then come wrestlmania 26 we could be seeing jeff in the main event.
Posted By: alex windos (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 02:04 AM
You jackass, rey won the title in perhaps the best match of wm22
Posted By: Kevin (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 02:17 AM
HIGH ROAD! Simply because you guys finally chose a good topic for this article!
Posted By: Guest#8036 (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 02:53 AM
Low road. From entertainment standpoint... Unless he goes over Triple H cleanly on some title match on SD!, at the Rumble, or NWO (and we all know he won't), Jeff has little chance to look any better than CM Punk did as a champ. I'm quite convinced that he's kinda the same as the Undertaker - only best at chasing the title.
More importantly than that, there's the sodding wellness garbage. I just don't see how anyone can look at it as if Hardy had overcome something and struggled through hardships. The guy was screwing around and got in trouble for it, several times, and now he's capable of holding a few moments of pause from those activities. Whoppee.
If some teenager is wandering around in school drunk and high every second day, not showing up at all for weeks at time, and generally being THIS CLOSE to getting fired permanently, and then one week he manages to quit doing that for a brief moment, do you actually expect that the school board has to award him for that?
They're just walking right over everyone else out there in the roster just because the kids and girls fancy Jeffrey. The guy showed up late just recently, and as punishment, he gets to pin the Undertaker. Right. Besides, who cares if the business revolves around money or not? Yeah, Vince, probably, but shouldn't he know to be looking at all of this more long-term? There's going to be another guy who gets cheered by the kids and gals just the same, and we can assume that whoever that is, will be far more deserving as well. Just have someone else take a few leaps down from high places and be done with it.
Posted By: Dumdumdum (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 05:30 AM
HIGH ROAD.
People waited months for a hardy win , and they finally got it.
Maybe it should've been At WM , but at least he won when nobody expected him to.
Hope he stays clean and has a good run with the belt.
Posted By: jen (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 05:45 AM
Low Road. Jeff sucks. They must give the strap to his brother.
Posted By: Guest#0537 (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 06:20 AM
high road.
To give Jeff the title on a throw away PPV shows that one, the wwe trusts hardy, two, gives the impression to fans that they cannot miss any wwe show and three, will potentionally bring back fans from the attitude era and get more fans watching smackdown.
Think about it. People are starting to lose interest in the wwe (or already have... a while ago...) and therefore are not going to buy a throw away ppv because they know that stuff won't change. So by putting the title on Hardy they give the impression that anything can happen in the wwe and you can't afford to miss a ppv or tv show etc etc. Its the same with how they put the tag titles on The Miz and John Morrison because they wanted to make out that anything is possible at live events...
Also, this is what the fans wanted, well at least the majority. And Jeff has been clean whilst he's been on smackdown and he's been travelling with his brother, and I think having Matt around helps Jeff stay focused on his work.
All in all this was a good move and I'm waiting to see what happens during this reign. And a low road shouldn't be what we don't know (i.e. preidcting a crappy title reign)
Posted By: alex sabin (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 06:37 AM
"Lets talk about straight eating a swanton.Kudos for Edge for being the first... "
After a chairshot to the head and a pedigree it would have been ridiculous for him to have kicked out.
Posted By: Guest#4553 (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 08:31 AM
High Road:
Frankly, I LIKE it when a major title change happens unexpectedly. I mean, who wants everybody to win their first WWE Championship at WrestleMania? Too predictable, wouldn't you say. For example, EVERYONE knew Cena was gonna win it in 2005. Besides, Jeff Hardy's never been the "traditional champion", so why should he have a traditional championship victory? I saw the ending and it worked. Hardy's the most over guy in the company right now besides Cena, Batista and the Undertaker, so why the hell not? Shit, it beats another Triple H reign, at the very least.
And about the Mysterio/Punk weak-champion conundrum: Hardy's already been booked WAY stronger lately than either of those guys ever have, so I'm not necessarily worried about that. I actually think Jeff is the best person to portray a legitimate "underdog champion", if only they'll put some effort into booking it. If anybody can pull off that role, I think it's him.
Either way, he's losing the title back to Edge at Royal Rumble, but whatever...
Posted By: KanyonKreist (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 09:26 AM
High Road
Is there a risk Hardy will screw up again? sure but there are plenty of other risks in the WWE, Orton has a bad history maybe not with the same things Jeff's problems are but Orton has trashed hotel rooms and sent hom from tours something Hardy hasn't done.
and before people bring it up that marriage has matured Orton which it may well have done, the fact Hardy lost literally everything he owned including his beloved dog, maybe he has matured aswell but isn't given the same consideration that Orton was 9 months after his then latest incident (trashing the hotel romm in Europe in April 2007) which ironically would've been around about the time he won the belt from HHH at No Mercy 2007
Kennedy lied about taking steroids then got busted so if you've not going to put titles on risks then I guess KK is never getting a title run.
the IWC likes to claim that Hardy is only over with the kids and the girls but he does have his 18-35 year old male fans as well, he doesn't get the same dueling chants that a Cena who is truely only over with kids and women get. Does Hardy have his haters, sure but there isn't a wrestler out there who doesn't.
Next weeks supershow TV tapings in Toronto will be the biggest test of Hardys as champ if he is due to drop the belt by or at the Rumble, he'll more then likely be in some form of program with Toronto native Edge and some of the IWC are predicting Hardy to be booed, if he really only has the kids and girls on his side this will be the time that it becomes obvious to all.
Finally, while this may just be a trial run and Jeff drops the belt either before or at the Rumble, who's to say it doesn't catch on or he doesn't get it back later, look at Edge his 1st run was only 3 weeks but those 3 weeks were some of the higest rated for RAW around that time and he is now a multi time world champ having held both the WWE and World Heavyweight titles.
Also look at Hardy's feud against Orton, it started out just being a filler feud for Orton at the Rumble before he went onto the bigger feuds of Cena and HHH leading into Mania, but the Jeff-Orton program got very hot very quickly and a year later Jeff is holding the title.
Prior to that Orton feud no one really saw Jeff as a main eventer he has now been there or there abouts for basically a year
maybe after even a short title reign if Hardy gets as hot as the champ that he was as challenger to Orton perhaps peoples perceptions may change about his ability to hold the title.
Posted By: John (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 10:08 AM
AS for Jeff going over clean he did pin Taker only a couple of weeks before the Survivor Series PPV, while it did include a run in and it was a gimmick match it was about as clean a win as anyone gets from Taker these days.
Kozlov would do what his told
Edge for all his past issues with Matt from reports wouldn't seem to be the type of person to mind jobbing to the Swanton.
HHH on the other hand.............
Posted By: Brett (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 10:14 AM
oh and for those who think this will be a run like Punk's title rieng was
Watch this weeks Smackdown opening and tell me if Punk got anything like that in terms of both reaction and actual celebration on TV if he did I never saw it
Posted By: Brett (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 10:58 AM
I'm taking the high road. I feel that "Wrestlemania moments" are cheapened if the WWE holds back on them for months just so that they can happen at Wrestlemania, and Jeff's Armageddon win has already been cheapened a little because they waited a little too long to transition the belt to him. It became a question of "when", not "if", which leads to boring main events.
Jeff's past substance abuse is a potential problem, yes, but if he's clean then this is great for WWE. If not, Jeff will get fired and the WWE title will be vacated. Is that a bad thing? Perhaps. If past history has taught me anything, it's that WWE will get tons of publicity for this move, and much of it will be good publicity because they "did the right thing" by terminating Jeff. That would be bad for Jeff Hardy, but potentially great for WWE.
I think it's awesome that Matt Hardy has the ECW Championship right now, and I'll agree the belt is devalued in the eyes of many. But to me, the belt is only as good as the person currently holding it and how they acquired it; legacy be damned. Matt's domination of Mark Henry and his run thus far has elevated the ECW title in my eyes, whereas Jeff's overdrawn, poorly-booked finish to his quest has devalued the WWE title some. Right now they're the top two champs in WWE—funny thing is, this is the second time in a week I've had to seriously stop and reflect to remember who has the World Championship.
Me: "Is it Chris Jericho? That doesn't sound right."
Brain: "No, no, it's not Jericho."
Me: "Oh. That's weird. Er, CM Punk?"
Brain: "Definitely not."
Me: "Ugh. John Cena. Right."
There's something about Cena's victorious comeback that makes me want to forget everything I know about the Raw title scene, and I've come dangerously close to actually doing it. It's freaking me out. Anyways, point is, I definitely see Matt & Jeff as WWE's top two champions right now, even though Supercena would mow them both down if another champion vs. champion vs. champion match came about (excluding one held on the night of a very special celebration for/episode of ECW or Smackdown.)
Posted By: DXSSI (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 11:15 AM
This has potential for either road. It's certainly not both, as it'll either be good, bad, or just plain mediocre (which is also bad).
The timing was definitely bad, and that's something I don't think anybody can dispute. However, if they put Jeff in a good position to take on newer talent rather than the same, tired old HHH & Edge rehashes then it could be fun and interesting to watch. That would be a high road. But with the Vicky Guerrero/Edge storyline going on, and HHH being HHH, I doubt they'll just let other guys come along to challenge Jeff. Put Jeff against John Morrison!
I guess that means I believe this is a low road, cause I doubt they'll do anything different with this.
Posted By: luna (Registered) on December 19, 2008 at 12:15 PM
High Road but it should have been at 'mania
Posted By: RW (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 12:49 PM
HIGH ROAD.
people definitely can connect with hardy, seeing as how he's one of those superstars whose life has been quite an open book... people feel like they're actually included in this win, a win for the "rejects" and the "screwups", and this win shows that despite it all, dreams can come true. and just look at the pop and celebration he got on SD.
the point is, we don't know how long this will last, but at the very least this works out well for the 'E as well as for hardy and all his fans. don't put a damper on it by dredging up the past.
Posted By: whoooo (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 12:57 PM
Low Road.
But not with Jeff winning the title, but for why I think the WWE gave him the title at a lesser PPV. The WWE knows that Jeff has a short shelf life, and they also know that he sells a lot of merchandise. By putting the title on him - they get to see how (1) the merchadise buying public reacts, and (2) how Jeff reacts.
If either of these items doesn't meet expectations, they can pull him out of the picture before they are put into a last second change to one of the Wrestlemania main events.
If Jeff were to be suspended tomorrow (forever?) - this can only be a bad thing for the WWE (and its shareholders). One of their top money makers is now gone - and the WWE would probably be obligated to stop selling Jeff's merchandise.
So Jeff is getting the title now SOLELY because the WWE wants to make money off a person with a drug problem before the drugs end his career (or worse). For that - I give this a BIG LOW ROAD.
Posted By: BobbyC (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 01:06 PM
i'm going both roads here
High road because this guy has easily become the most popular guy possibly being behind cena in the company. There has been much buildup to this, this provides a fresh face with the title and IF he stays on the right track, we could see some great things.
Low Road because who knows how long this reign will last. Did wwe do this to give him a legitamate reign because they believe in him OR did they do it for shock value? I would really hate if he lost it on the next ppv. Another reason for low road is, while jeff had a great moment, edge's "big" return flew right out of the window. Edge makes the return out of nowhere only to eat 2 pedigrees, a swanton, and do the job.
Posted By: cj (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 01:33 PM
I wouldn't say it kills Edge's return cause he is a heel which helps in this case cause he can complain that Jeff screwed him out of the title and ruined his big return whereas if Edge was a face it wouldn't work as well.
it does get you wondering if the only reason EDge was brought back was so that TRips didn't have to drop the belt directly to Jeff
Posted By: Brett (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 02:28 PM
Low Road for sure. Sure he's over with the fans but the man has no wrestling talent at all. He'll hold the belt until HHH decides he wants it back.
Posted By: Johnny O (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 02:44 PM
High Road
Posted By: Bobby (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 02:54 PM
Low-Road:
Jeff Hardy is simply not credible as a champion. His offense does not look particularly devastating, he's been a mid-carder for years, and he cannot project an aura of toughness. Say what you will about Punk, but the GTS looks like it could knock somebody out. The Swanton looks weak as Hell in comparison.
Posted By: Iron Knee (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 03:09 PM
"it does get you wondering if the only reason EDge was brought back was so that TRips didn't have to drop the belt directly to Jeff"
-- I think Edge was brought back because he's the ONLY top heel on the Smackdown roster, and the show was painfully boring when he was gone.
Posted By: KanyonKreist (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 03:58 PM
...we get an anticlimactic win at a minor PPV...
Perfect place for it. Champ would be more prepared going into WM knowing it meant something. Sneak a win when least expected.
...because he could fail a Wellness test at any time...
Yea, but so could anyone else.
...I have no doubt that the competition would pick him up in a heartbeat were he to be fired, which would be a very serious situation for WWE...
Didn't that already happen in 2004-2006 where he was suspended at least twice for no-showing events?
When all is said and done, Hardy holding the title is more of an insult to wrestling than David Arquette holding the title. He is a talentless hack, a Foley wanna-be, a stunt man.
His only fans are 15 year old girls that are moist in the pants and the drug crowd that holds him up as royalty.
Low Road.
Posted By: David (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 03:58 PM
Both Roads. I'm happy that Jeff Hardy won the WWE title and it was more unexpected, so it got a bigger pop. But at the same time, Jeff winning the title will be better than the reign itself. Guys like CM Punk, Rey, and Matt, won their respective titles, but they were booked as crappy underdog champions that can only beat midcarders. Plus, we can't forget about a possibility of a 3rd violation If that does happen, Jeff will be forced to drop the title.
Posted By: Chris (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 04:10 PM
I gotta go high road.
1.) It's something the fans wanted NOW. If they waited too long, Jeff would be seen as a choker and fans would lose interest quickly. Now all title changes need to happen at one of the Big 4 PPV's.
2.) If Jeff does screw up, they can simply hotshot the title to someone before firing him. They did it with RVD. The only bad thing is how big the screw up is. If Jeff were to be found dead (which is why that hotel story worked on all of us for a little while, don't try to deny it) you can expect the media to plaster "Current WWE Champion found dead" all over the news. That could be the end of the WWE.
Posted By: JLAJRC (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 04:17 PM
High Road. The story is a great tale of overcoming obstacles. Not just the ones in the WWE landscape, but self made ones as well. It takes a helluva entertainer, merchandise mover, and one over S.O.B. to even be given the WWE title. Not WCW's Big Gold but the strap that carries the WWE name.
Almost every negative opinion sites his past issues, but Vince McMahon is not an idiot. Some of the IWC make it sound like putting the belt on a money maker is a crime. It's business. Jeff Hardy's connection with the fans, his ability to entertain those fans, and draw cash are perfect reasons to strap a rocket on this guy's back.
He's been one of the most talked about superstars in wrestling, over the past few years. To say it all quite simply, it's a win for both Jeff Hardy and World Wrestling Entertainment.
Posted By: R. DaVanon (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 04:33 PM
Both Roads, but leaning high. Low, cause of his drug history, the fact that he will probably lose soon, and that a certain number of people in the IWC will turn on him because he is the champion and a face. High, because it was only a few years ago that he was getting booed in ROH and poeple love to see a good comeback story, he will be an "over" champion, there are many potential storylines for him, it proves that Vince is good with second chances, and it's good to see somebody get rewarded for all those years of putting their body on the line. If he were to lose it before WM, you could have Matt win it in the main event. Jeff could come out and celebrate with his brother and you would have a GREAT WM moment. On a personal note, I'm so happy for Jeff, whether he holds the belt for along time or not. Good luck Jeff.
Posted By: The Great Capt. Smooth (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 05:55 PM
HIGH ROAD! It's great to see that Jeff Hardy finally won the big one. Jeff Hardy can finally call himself World Champion. OK, now that I've appeased the marks, let's get back to the people who know the truth: Jeff Hardy won the WWE Title. Kudos to you, Acid Boy! He's a transitional champion, not because they're gonna hotshot the title to someone else, but because he's gonna push the envelope one more time, forcing Vince to say, "YOU'RE FIRED!"
Posted By: David (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 08:56 PM
High Road
It doesn't matter whether the IWC loves him or hates him, the crowd loves Jeff as champion and it's about time too!
Posted By: Carlos (Guest) on December 19, 2008 at 10:08 PM
Low-Road:
Jeff Hardy is simply not credible as a champion. His offense does not look particularly devastating, he's been a mid-carder for years, and he cannot project an aura of toughness. Say what you will about Punk, but the GTS looks like it could knock somebody out. The Swanton looks weak as Hell in comparison.
----- That's only because Punk is sloppy and legit hits people with it he bloodied Rey at Armageddon and broke Snitsky's face with it.
-- I think Edge was brought back because he's the ONLY top heel on the Smackdown roster, and the show was painfully boring when he was gone.
--- Obviously thats why he came back b ut what I meant was brought back just to win the title then drop it 3 weeks later, they could've easily had Jeff win the title at Survivor Series, had HHH and Kozlov go into a singles non title program and then had a Jeff celebration only to be interupted by Vickie saying that someone from Jeff's past is here to take the title from him and introduce Edge.
It would've gotten them to the very samwe point they are now.
Posted By: Brett (Guest) on December 20, 2008 at 12:20 AM
Low Road.
Jeff Hardy is not entertaining anymore. Too sloppy in the ring and out. Weak move-set and finisher. Terrible mic skills, including a painful accent. And the ridiculous face and body paint, wtf? Why doesn't the WWE have costume and makeup people to make sure their entertainers look presentable? Too many guys look like slobs (for years after Cactus Jack and Mankind were dead, Foley came out in sweats with unkempt hair and overgrown facial hair). If the gimmick is to look nasty like Snitsky did, that's fine. Otherwise, get your stuff together, please.
Posted By: Peanuts (Guest) on December 20, 2008 at 01:29 AM
Brett:
Punk may be sloppy, but that does not take away from the fact that the move itself looks effective. The Superkick, Tombstone, and Pedigree also look like they could seriously hurt someone. The Swanton and 619, on the other hand, don't look like they'd do that much damage. Thus, Rey and Hardy don't have a move that can credibly beat a big man.
Posted By: Iron Knee (Guest) on December 20, 2008 at 11:34 AM
HIGH ROAD
Jeff Hardy deserves this title win, drug problems or not. Why is it such a big deal if he used to do drugs? They give the title to people who are assholes backstage, have no wrestling talent or people who do not need/deserve the title at all. Hardy has been having great matches and has had a great career with the WWE. He should at least get a short title run.
And about the first LOW ROAD point made, so what it happened at a minor PPV? Why does everything good have to happen at the main ones? Maybe if more cool things happened at minor PPV they wouldn't suck so bad and people would actually care about them. Now people are going to be interested in minor PPV because they see things can happen on them, it's not a Raw that costs $50.
Posted By: Shawno420 (Guest) on December 20, 2008 at 11:41 AM
i agree.seems like edge was brought back to drop the title to hardy cause we know triple h could and wouldnt do the job.
Posted By: yup (Guest) on December 20, 2008 at 12:46 PM
Uncletrunx: A dominant group could have gained a clean win, or even lost to a fluke and then performed a beatdown. They don't have to have screwy finishes.
Actually the MEM do need some screwy finishes to sell that they clearly lack the athletic ability of The Frontline but have them beaten just as much in experience. The MEM have to dominate the win column at this point, and the only way they can is with the cunning and savvy their experience affords them.
As for Jeff Hardy, HIGH ROAD, if not for him, then for the possible opponents he can face. Everyone he ticked off in his quest for gold should be wanting a piece of him now. If it's the short reign we're all expecting, one-off TITLE matches with Miz, Morrison, Big Show, Kozlov, Taker, HHH and Edge can be the highlight of Smackdown for the next few weeks. That's a little too simple, but the fact that everyone would be stepping all over each other, I could see it all coming down to an Elimination Chamber match FOR the title at the ppv between the Rumble and Mania.
On the off chance it's a long reign, the entire top of the card can branch off Hardy's reign, something like how virtually everything was revolving around Jericho during his reign. Not coincidentally, that was also the most watchable RAW has been all year.
Smackdown is simply a better show to start with, so everything playing off the fresh champion can potentially make it as good as it has ever been. And while Jeff can't talk even close to Jericho's level, he simply has to keep his nose clean and keep wrestling solid matches, because pretty much everyone else around the main event are good talkers and can do the most of the talking and keep things rolling in the Right direction.
Also, him being champ presents the midcard to have good matches against the champ where you could actually buy them winning. Shelton, Killings, Helms, Kendrick, Big Zeke, and MVP can all be thrown into a match with the World Heavyweight Champion and people will watch because it won't seem so far-fetched that one of them could beat Hardy, at least in a non-title match. Kendrick is a stretch, but still...
Hell, both of the above-mentioned scenarios are easy enough to make happen. Losing the title in the Elimination Chamber or as early as the Rumble, getting into and winning Money in the Bank and cashing in immediately after the main event would allow for a heel to win the Mania main event and still allow for a happy ending and such.
In other words, while the timing and how Jeff won the title leave something to be desired, his reign not only has the legs to run a marathon, but can still be effective as a sprint. HIGHEST ROAD humanly possible.
And besides, it doesn't really matter where you start, it's what you do along the way that determines how you finish.
Posted By: TW.go (Guest) on December 20, 2008 at 12:58 PM
Both Roads: Jeff's a big risk, been suspended twice since August 2007, he's getting better on the mic but he can't cut a "money promo" to get people to buy PPV's.
Outside of his usual spots he's pretty average in the ring BUT is very charismatic and has that certain something and if he can keep clean and keep improving his mic. skills he could be a good main eventer in the future.
IMO it's too early to tell right now
Posted By: Guest#9139 (Guest) on December 20, 2008 at 02:28 PM
I won't lose any sleep if he wants to do something stupid and screw up this great opportunity. I'll give him a chance and go high road.
"9 months is not a huge amount of time for someone with such a history to be "clean""
pretty easy to say when probably never been in that kind of situation in your life. I'm sure ppl that have been in worse shape would disagree.
Posted By: TWilliams (Guest) on December 20, 2008 at 07:38 PM
High road
Jeff deserves the belt after 10 years
CM Punk won his championship in like 3 years
Posted By: jeff hardy fan (Guest) on December 20, 2008 at 07:48 PM
I'm going HIGH ROAD.
And all these people act like Jeff can't just become clean all of a sudden. Shawn Michaels did it for Christ's sake.
Posted By: Crazy (Guest) on December 20, 2008 at 09:46 PM
LOW ROAD
- This is RVD v2.0
- He cant wrestle, talk, do anything correctly
- Had 10 chances before hand
- I hate drug addicts who get chance after chance and fail but somehow get rewarded
Posted By: Brad (Guest) on December 20, 2008 at 11:43 PM
Low Road.
The win should have been in a one on one situation at a much bigger stage. We've seen before where an underdog becomes champion in a triple threat (He Who Must Not Be Named and Rey come to mind) and then goes on to have a terrible reign because his win is basically treated as a fluke. The same thing will happen here.
Posted By: Leo (Guest) on December 21, 2008 at 01:06 AM
JEFF HARDY HAD LIKE 5 TITLE SHOTS, AND 5 TITLE SHOTS IS ENOUGH!
LOW ROAD!!
Posted By: Eddie (Guest) on December 21, 2008 at 09:19 AM
Rey won the title in a triple threat that saw him tapping out. Orton had to distract the ref. Rey returned the favor. Angle looked ripped off.
I think this is the part where everyone turned on Jeff Hardy because he got the title......I'm just sayin
Posted By: Tmac (Guest) on December 21, 2008 at 06:34 PM
high road
Posted By: db (Guest) on December 21, 2008 at 08:07 PM
i remember around 1998-2000 they played hot potato with the wwf championship around austin-rock-hhh-big show-kane-undertaker-mankind and even vince won it.
it seems now in 2008 they're doing the same with the wwe/world titles by bouncing them around cena-edge-orton-batista-hhh-hardy-punk. so wwe is trying to say these are our main eventers in the 'cena' era as they did with the 'attitude' era... is that what u'd call this era we're going thru... the 'cena' era?
Posted By: history repeating (Guest) on December 22, 2008 at 12:23 PM
High Road. I think the timing of Jeff's win could have been better, but it could have also been a lot worse. Ultimately this is a guy who has stepped up and had some great matches over the past year and IMO deserved to win the title at some point and now he has I'm happy for him. Perhaps most importantly of all Jeff's title win has made me as a fan interested to see what happens next and judging by the reaction Jeff gets I'm definitely not the only one.
Posted By: 17 (Guest) on December 22, 2008 at 08:11 PM
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