The Problem with Raw and Politics…

RVD. Booker T. Chris Jericho. Batista. Jeff Hardy. Lance Storm. Tommy Dreamer. The Hurricane. Steven Richards.

Which talented superstar has received a combined 48 minutes of television time in the past 4 hours of WWE Raw broadcasts? Which talented promising star is carrying the brand, appearing in both opening segments AND both closing segments the past two weeks, totally dominating the competition and getting himself over as a contender?

Who is the creative team putting over as the next big thing, putting over as a legitimate challenger for the title? Pushing as the possible next champion, the person who will bring in a new audience, put on good matches, bring excellent mic work, and drag ratings out of their slump?

Oh, I'm sorry. They're not using a talented superstar.

They're using HHH.

All this talent on the roster, and two hours of primetime tv on a popular channel. This is the perfect setting for a high rated wrestling program. That's the way it works: Choose a highly talented performer who is young and charismatic. Find a gimmick the people love (or love to hate) and put him on the mic. Put him in the ring. Show his trials and tribulations, his slow but unrelenting climb to the top. Have the champion and other current main eventers give him the rub to increase his heat.

Turn him into a superstar.

Give him the title, and let him prove his worth by putting him over the established main eventers. Watch his popularity rise, and watch the respect for the new champion AND the title build week in and week out. Make his mic work more powerful, his ring work more dramatic.

Turn him into a legend.

Find another promising talent and repeat the process.

It doesn't seem like a difficult proposition. Hell, I see 13 year olds kids in the internet chat rooms that have gotten the clue. However, the WWE creative team still hasn't gotten it right.

Tonight, we were treated to an opening segment featuring the group of Ric Flair, Randy Orton, Batista, and HHH. We could have made this legitimately good for TV by focusing on Orton and/or Batista, but the focus was on HHH. The main event? RVD, Kane, Batista, and...you guessed it...HHH. The focus of the match? It was once again on the champion.

Last Monday was the same story. In what has become a staple of the Raw program lately, HHH started, was mentioned throughout, and ended the show. The program was centered around the champion with mere highlights and short matches involving the true talent of the show. Every time it seemed someone was approaching a decent amount of heat (RVD, Steiner), HHH has made sure to bury them, insult them, squash them, embarass them.

As I have said before, there are two kinds of heel heat. One is the type that Matt Hardy earns, a heat due to his character. Matt is a talented wrestler with above average skills in the ring and decent skills on the mic. He deserves his spot on the mid-to-upper-midcard on SmackDown.

The other type of heel heat is the type that HHH possesses. The type that isn't based on his character. The type that Rocky possesses, as well. This type of heat comes from the fans' true lack of respect for that particular talent for one reason or another, outside of the storylines. For Rock, it's his Hollywood stint and his speech about "Getting the F Out" while he himself was guilty of the same ideals he was preaching against.

However, for HHH, it's different. It's a lack of talent, an insistence on being on top, a lack of positive influence, a penchant for caring more about his own heat than the well-being of the business. It's HHH's overexposure, and his ego, and his lack of in-ring ability...it's a hatred for the fact that HHH is running "the show" and HHH is focusing "the show" around himself.

HHH told HBK a few weeks ago that he was the next big thing and the future of the sport, that HBK needs to retire. It's quite sad to point out that HBK, while he may have some years on HHH, still possesses four times the in-ring talent and four hundred times the charisma.

However, any of those mentioned at the beginning of this article could arguably be developed into the near future of the sport. And each and every one of those talents truly deserve a chance to prove themselves in the upper ranks of the company. They have paid their dues, and they have earned their shot.

HHH, your three minutes are up.

Please, be like Wayne Gretzky and not like Michael Jordan.

Please, leave while you still have a little dignity left.

Credits:
Alan Edwards, Alan Edwards, and Alan Edwards. alanpugh@sbcglobal.net to get in touch. As always, keep your shoulders off the mat, and keep reaching for the ropes…transmission complete…

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