High Road/Low Road 9.14.07: Splitting up the Hardys

The Results for Candice Michelle:

High Road: 42%
Low Road: 39%
Both Roads: 19%

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:

Sat: Wow. Somebody hates Candice Michelle. Personally I have accepted the fact that we are not going to see that many great women’s wrestling in the WWE, so maybe that’s why I am more accepting of Candice Michelle than you are.

Uncle Trunx:
I somehow doubt there’s going to be a “live” suicide in the ring, given the current climate. Oh, you were kidding? I find it hard to tell these days…

Jarkota Writes:

Sat: You make a good point about the women’s division. It is just there.

Uncle Trunx:
I agree with the last sentence, and it’s what gets my goat about WWE women’s wrestling. Women who have trained for years get released in favor of those who have not trained at all. To me, the Diva Search is the absolute worst thing about WWE.

Gabe Sosnowski Writes:

Sat: When you compare Candice Michelle to some of the independent wrestling women, then there is no comparison. The independent wrestling women definitely have more passion. But, I think that Candice Michelle does have passion for this business because she could have left after she posed for Playboy. But no, she stuck around and learned how to wrestle because she gained the passion for the business. I think that this makes her a worthy champion.

Uncle Trunx:
It seems that my take on Candice was quite mild compared to some folks! I have to say, I admire her for choosing to improve in the ring and learn to wrestle rather than just look good on TV (as Trish did before her.) However, I feel that the reason developmental territories exist is so that the learning can take place there, out of the harsh glare of the spotlight of TV. That way, everyone’s a winner.

Splitting Up The Hardy

High Road:
The Hardys had to be split up because they were not on the same brand. This was the only option that the WWE had. The WWE could not team them up because it would have ignored the brand extension. The WWE could have moved them to the same brand, but that would have told the fans that the draft isn’t really random. The splitting of the Hardys helps to reinforce the brand extension because they were one of the few that were appearing on multiple brands.

Low Road:
The brand extension was ignored when it was expedient to do so; I imagine the same will be true in future, although it does seem that they’re sticking to it a little more now. However, with all PPV events being tri-branded, I get the feeling that which brands the Hardys are on is of extremely little relevance. As for the draft, it would’ve been fairly easy to move them to the same brand and maintain the illusion of randomness. That’s what the creative team is for; thinking of creative ways to do these things.

High Road:
This is a critical High Road that needs to be mentioned. If the Hardys are put together, then they will be on the same brand because the WWE is showing that they want to keep the Brand Extension together. So, the High Road is that if the Hardys are put on the same brand, then there impact will be kept on a single brand. For example, the Hardys get a massive pop no matter what the situation is. They can be a team or they can be separate. If they are put on the same brand, then that is kept to one brand. However if they are separated that allows for their impact to be felt on two different brands.

Low Road:
The Hardys together seem to be more than the sum of their parts. Yes, it means that the impact is only on one brand but the impact for that brand is so much greater with both of them there. Surely WWE doesn’t need to rely on Matt and Jeff to carry both Raw and Smackdown (and possibly ECW)? Surely the talent pool is deep enough that others can carry the brands where the Hardys aren’t, and thus their impact an be used most effectively; together.

High Road:
When the Hardys got back together the first time during the Survivor Series, it meant something because it was something the fans had not seen for four years. This is important because eventually the Hardys are going to get back together again. When they do, the WWE can make a big deal out of it.

Low Road:
This much is true. However, is it worth holding the Hardys apart just so that there can be a huge pop in a year or two when they get back together? Surely, looking at it longer term, their impact is bound to be better if they are allowed to work together. Besides, if they’re on the same brand you have the option of teaming them or keeping them apart; if they’re on separate brands, they have to be apart unless WWE ignores the brand extension.

High Road:
Currently it makes sense for the Hardys to be single wrestlers instead of wrestling as a team. As a team, there is only so much they can do. But, as singles competitors, there is a lot more that they can do. Right now, MVP and Matt Hardy are having a great feud and that is because of the fact that the Hardys are split up.

Low Road:
The Hardys do not need to be on separate brands for this to be possible. Each could have their feuds; they could either be separate or they could bring each other in at critical points. They don’t need to be working tag matches all the time just because they’re featured on the same show. The options are far greater if they both work the same show; they can tag, feud, help each other or even ignore each other. On separate brands, we only get that last option.

High Road:
The Hardys needed to be split up because Matt Hardy has been having some amazing matches on SmackDown. Matt Hardy is on the cusp of doing some great things as a singles competitor and putting him in a team with Jeff Hardy is a stupid thing to do. Right now, Matt Hardy is considered at the United States title level and he has the potential to be a main event player on SmackDown. The Hardys needed to be split up because Matt Hardy has a shot to be a main event player on SmackDown.

Low Road:
I think this could lead into a decent program; there’s all sorts of ways to play the storyline out with both brothers on the same brand. As just one example, there’s the jealousy angle: It worked well for Bret and Owen Hart in the early ‘90s, why not now with Matt and Jeff? Or any other storyline which derails neither man’s singles career and keeps both working on the same show? To me, it just gives so many more options than keeping them apart.

High Road:
One of the major problems with the Hardys is that they are the best team that the WWE has. That puts them at a higher pedestal then the rest of the teams. None of the other teams have the experience of the Hardys, so the other teams are considered second tier to the Hardys. These teams are nowhere near the Hardys. The best thing to do is to separate the Hardys and then try to establish some of the teams to the same level or a little bit below their level.

Low Road:
So you’re saying that rather than using the Hardys to bring other teams up to their level, we need to remove the great team so others don’t seem so bad? That to me is going about it completely the wrong way; another team or two could easily be made to look great after a well booked run with Matt and Jeff.

There’s also the matter of Jeff’s well documented problems. With Matt around, he seems to be a steady, reliable performer. Without him, he seems to go off the rails. It’s pure supposition on my part, but I wonder if his recent suspension would have been avoided with Matt about?

We may never know, but I do know that there’s far more that can be done with the Hardys on one brand rather than split up onto two.

Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?