wrestling / Columns
High Road/Low Road 12.05.08: Edge and Vicky Reunited
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 John Cena/Chris Jericho at Survivor Series:
High Road: 40%
Low Road: 40%
Both Roads: 20%
Edge and Vicky Back Together
High Road:
Looking back at the break up of Edge and Vicky, you can officially say that it was a huge mistake. The Big Show and Vicky have not worked out at all (I will talk in more detail in the next High Road). Vicky has not been as good since the breakup and she had gotten hard to watch. Plus, while Edge showed that he could have survived without Vicky, Vicky was going to be a complete waste of space. The reunion gives the WWE two strong heels, but I will agree that Vicky’s long term potential is not very good without Edge.
Low Road:
I enjoyed Edge and Vicky the first time around, I thought their work as top heels was truly brilliant. However, throwing them back together like this looks like desperation by WWE. In storyline terms it makes little sense given the manner of their split.
High Road:
This was the only logical way to bring Edge back. If Edge had come back any other way, there were only two options. One, he would have had to end up on either RAW or ECW. But, this would have destroyed SmackDown. And if Edge had come to SmackDown without joining forces with Vicky, they would have had to instantly have Vicky start to make life miserable for Edge because of all of their history. So, having Edge and Vicky reuniting made a lot of sense.
Low Road:
Why not have Vicky and Edge simply act uncomfortable around one another? Do something a bit subtle with the situation before bringing them back into an alliance of convenience, or a brief feud? To throw them back together just because Vicky hasn’t been successful with anyone else and against the logic of the story they had previously seems like lazy booking to me. It gets an instant reaction when Edge comes back but it does so at the expense of the longer term story. Just like throwing Cena back into the Raw title picture, it says to me that Creative are short of ideas so they’re just going with what has worked in the past regardless.
High Road:
Vicky including Edge into the WWE Title match really had a major effect on the WWE Title picture. In my opinion, the title picture was very stale with HHH has the champion. And while he and Jeff Hardy had a good string of matches, it was not enough in my opinion. And let me ask you this, would you rather have HHH, Hardy, and Kozlov or HHH, Hardy and Edge? Now, with Edge in the title picture, the WWE title picture looks a lot better.
Low Road:
Edge in the title picture does make sense; however it should be stated that Edge doesn’t need Vicky to put him in the title scene, his legacy and ability should be enough; after all, they seem to be enough with Cena, Batista, etc; every time they disappear for a while they have no trouble coming back at the top; they are established main event stars, and it should be the same with Edge.
High Road:
The whole Big Show/Vicky alliance just did not work for me. Vicky hires Big Show to take out the Undertaker and in returns she will give him a title shot. During their whole time together, Big Show got one title shot and he beat the Undertaker multiple times. This does not make sense to me. I will say though that the Big Show heel turn at I believe No Mercy and turning Big Show heel has worked, but the alliance has been a failure.
Low Road:
The storyline with Big Show and Vicky has a ton of holes in it as you say, but to me that’s not enough reason to pretend that the past few months haven’t happened and throw Vicky and Edge back together. There’s too much unresolved and illogical about this for me.
High Road:
Edge and Vicky reuniting can bring back something that had a ton of potential. Of course, I am talking about La Familia. Hawkins and Ryder are a young team, but they have shown some potential as a tag team. They have been lost since the breakup of Edge and Vicky. Chavo Guerrero has basically become the Undertaker’s whipping boy and Vicky’s designated wheel chair pusher. And while Bam Neely is not that great in the ring, he does seem like a legitimate body guard. The reunion of Edge and Vicky could potentially lead to the return of La Familia.
Low Road:
It has potential but they’ve got a lot of explaining to do if they want it to be in any way believable. I know it’s “Sports Entertainment” and shouldn’t be over analysed (as I’ve been accused of in the past) but there needs to be some logic; if we’re moving more towards the “entertainment” side of things in WWE then surely the plots and angles need to have even better forethought and planning? This, to me, is a messy storyline which looks like the creative team had no idea how to bring Edge back, so they ignored the last few months to go with what worked before. There’s a reason they say “never go back” and this whole angle could very well prove it.
Are you taking the High Road or the Low 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:
High Road. The matches between Jericho/Cena have been good so far but I dont think Sundays match disappointed, except for the result. Jericho going after Cena’s “surgically repaired” neck showed what makes him the ruthless heel. However, the complete burial of Jericho the next night on Raw surly sucked, and I hope Jericho gets revenge somehow to build to Armageddon.
Sat: Of course you sent this before Monday, but Jericho did get the upper hand this week. Though, he needed a ton of help to take down Superman.
Uncletrunx: See, if they’re building Jericho as the classic “Chickenshit” heel, there’s no logical reason for Cena to have battered him in the previous Raw or for Cena to have the belt. The money is in the chase.
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 Gold Standard Writes:
Both Roads.I don’t mind Cena being champ but why at Y2Js expense.Y2J should of been champ up until Mania to give him a decent reign. This year the world title went from Edge to Taker to Edge to Punk to Jericho to Batista to Jericho to Cena. WWE needs to make their mind up
Sat: I will agree that the title has changed a lot and you make a valid point that the WWE should make up their minds.
Uncletrunx: It looks like they’re throwing it around to see what works. I feel that a title change needs to be a special moment, and having three in a month lessens that.
KanyonKreist Writes:
High road: I like seeing Jericho feuding with “the face of WWE”, John Cena; Jericho deserves to be in such a high-profile program. Also, if they play it up right, pitting Jericho’s cynicism, bitterness and self-serving manipulation against Cena’s youthful energy and genuine love for all things WWE could create loads of interest among the audience, both the kids who believe in Cena, and the internet trolls like us who admire the astounding work that Jericho is doing.
I just hope the angle is given time to take off and flourish, before WWE kicks into “road to WrestleMania” mode.
Sat: I will say that I was expecting this to be a one match feud, but seems like the WWE wants to stretch this. I could easily see this going to the Royal Rumble, which would really create an interesting feud on RAW.
Uncletrunx: If they’re going to run a longer feud, they started it the wrong way in my view. A long feud with Jericho ducking, dodging and cheating Cena could’ve made the crowd wild when Cena finally pins him. As it is, they’ve already blown the title change and the beatdown. Unless they’re being very subtle and working on a slow burning heel turn for Cena, this angle is already running out of steam.
M:-X Writes:
I’m gonna break with tradition and go NEITHER road: it simply is too soon to tell. It’s only been 1 week. Maybe they have something in mind. How many of us were pissed when Jericho was made guest ref at Backlash and then “nothing came of it”… in hindsight, Jericho called the match fair to add to his heelish “moral high ground” character. Cena went over the line last week (well, according to Cole & King). Could we be seeing the slow burn Cena heel turn? If he DOESN’T change the belt I would take that as a sign that the heel turn is coming. Of course, by the time the results of this are printed we may see a new spinner belt, Hornswoggle beat Jericho and any other number of abominations… BUT for right now– cautiously optimistic (EXTREMELY cautious and SLIGHTLY optimistic) is my answer.
Sat: I just can’t see the WWE turning Cena heel anytime soon after all the video packages and the merchandise that he sells. But, if the WWE does, then I have to give them massive props and it will really create some interesting times on RAW.
Uncletrunx: A Cena heel turn would probably be one of the most interesting things they could do. As Sat says, I can’t see it as he’s a merchandise machine and if they didn’t do it a year or two ago when he was being booed out of the building most nights, I can’t see it happening now.
The Great Captain Smooth Writes:
No road yet. It’s way too early to say. I like what they’re doing so far. These are two great performers that I believe will bring us something that is a lot of fun. I have really high hopes, but Cena may not be 100 percent ready yet. It’s a good thing that it’s these two, because they haven’t had a feud in a few years. It has a better chance to be good than to be bad. We’ll just have to wait and see.
Sat: It is too early to tell, but I do want to say something. I really didn’t see this being more than a one time match, so I went with the topic. Lately, with the WWE, I just can’t predict what they are doing.
Uncletrunx: While it is probably too early to say, I think they’ve got a lot of work to do to restore Jericho’s credibility and make this angle work.
Texter Morgan Writes:
No roads for me. I just wanted to say Jericho is the perfect guy to welcome Cena back into the swing of things, and Jericho has said already that he’d put Cena over at any opportunity. The timing this time around was perfect. Their match at SvS was anti-climactic, but I attribute that too the ending of the WWE Title match stealing some of their thunder. Their next match should be much better and have much more emotion.
Wait a sec, I lied. High Road. Not a fan of John, but like you said: The Road to WrestleMania regarding the title is much clearer. Can’t argue with that.
Sat: Honestly, I’d rather have Cena having the title at Mania, then Batista having it. I think that Batista is at the point, where he is much better at chasing the title.
Uncletrunx: I’m not sure I’m sold on Cena vs Batista at Wrestlemania; I’d rather see Jericho vs Cena with a solid build behind it, or even Batista vs Jericho.
Matt Eli Writes:
Low road. There was so much potential in a Jericho/Cena feud with their story being properly exposed. Cena’s first World Heavyweight Title win could have been a massive moment if built-up properly.
Sat: I think it would have been nice to have a video package on Cena/Jericho instead of having all of the packages just focusing on Cena.
Uncletrunx: I think this is about far more than just the video packages (which have been horribly one sided.) This is about making the title change a red hot moment; by going for the quick switch, the potential heat from the chase is gone, and Jericho is now devalued to the point of near uselessness.
Pier Writes:
Low Road: I hate seeing someone the caliber of Chris Jericho having to job to someone like Cena. Hopefully he doesn’t screw up the title with some spinner garbage. I also can’t stand Cena kissing up to the fans like he did on Raw.
Sat: I think that Cena does not get the credit that he deserves. I think that the ratings will improve with him back on RAW.
Uncletrunx: I’m sure more kiddies will watch, but I’d much rather have seen a longer, slower build than “Superman comes back, wins, keeps winning, the end” which seems to be what they’ve done.
Brian Writes:
Both roads. The WWE is obviously hitting the reset button by putting Cena back at the helm, as well as Edge by giving them both the titles. As far as SmackDown is concerned, things have shaken up a bit with Edge’s surprise return at Survivor Series (which got a HUGE pop). They didn’t want to pull the trigger on Hardy yet for some reason, which was bullshit because most of us who watched the PPV or bought tickets to attend were expecting to see Hardy finally get what he deserved. As far as RAW they start burying Jericho when he was getting SUPER over with the fans during his reign by having him lose to Cena, and that was a 50/50 shot. I really hope the world title does NOT get a Cena makeover, for there are still people who want that belt, and we really don’t want to see another gimmick belt, no matter how flashy or great it might look. Besides, something does tell me that it will be Cena vs. Batista at WM25. Wow, this is sounding more and more like a Low Road now.
Sat: I thought that Cena/Batista at SummerSlam was very good, but they would have to step up their game if they want their rematch to be a WrestleMania moment.
Uncletrunx: I think the term “Reset button” sums up what WWE is doing at the moment. It’s a shame, as in Jericho they had a perfect Chicken title holder to annoy the fans.
17 Writes:
“He is a big enough star where nobody is going to question whether he should be in the title picture right away.”
Wrong. Cena in no way shape or form deserved a title shot his first match back.
The fact that Jericho had to lose to such inferior opponents such as Batista and Cena in back to back PPVs is an absolute joke and added with the terrible booking surrounding the PPVs it’s almost like the WWE is trying to destroy Jericho’s credibility.
As for the idea of another horrible Batista vs Cena match, a match that bad should under no circumstances be even be at Wrestlemania let alone for a world title.
Mega Low Road on this one.
Sat: I like Jericho as much as the next guy, but in terms of what the fans think, Batista and John Cena are more popular than Jericho
Uncletrunx: Popularity is only one aspect. A decent story and build, plus decent matches are also vital ingredients and to me, they’ve thrown those out of the window.
ghost of Marlon Brando Writes:
The WWE wants the title on Cena because he sells a ton of merchandise. He’s no Stone Cold or The Rock, but he’s the best in the WWE right now. I guarantee he sells twice as much merchandise as Jericho. The mixed reaction means nothing to the WWE. The fans that cheer him are the young kids and the teenage girls, people (and their parents) with disposable income. The ones that boo him are the internet geeks. They will continue to spend what little money they have on bootleg DVDs of Japanese wrestling. Vince knows what he’s doing with Cena and the same goes for Batista. Lets not forget this is a business first and foremost.
Sat: I agree with this 100%. Cena will eventually be turned a heel, but right now, he is a still a money making machine, so why destroy that to make a few fans happy, who most likely will start to complain about the heel turn a few days later.
Uncletrunx: It’s a business but it’s a business which works because of the in ring action and storylines, both of which are heading downwards right now. Cena will still shift the merchandise, belt or no belt and having him turn into Superman and kill off his best challenger with little difficulty is, to my mind, “bad for business”.
J.J.T. Writes:
High Road: Either way you look at it, this created a Cena/Jericho feud. In the main event spot no less.
Sat: Batista has been on a ton of RAW main events, so it is nice to change things up a bit.
Uncletrunx: It did create the Cena / Jericho feud, I just think they could’ve done it better.
Guest #6497 Writes:
LOW Road. Jobbing Jericho again, not even 3 weeks after he managed to regain a bit of heat against Batista, and in such a fashion, is NOT interesting. Cena coming back and getting a World Title match just because he’s the boss’s golden boy sucks. Just as much as him sucking up to the fans almost to the point of screaming “pls like m3!” is weak, so weak.
Sat: Cena is the unquestioned leader of the WWE. It is not about having great matches, you have to be able to do other things. Jericho can do a ton of things well, but he does not have the level of commitment to the WWE that Cena has.
Uncletrunx: I agree with the comment. It’s not interesting and no amount of commitment can make up for a poor storyline.
Weng Writes:
I’m taking the High Road. Cena is good for business, and is a proven main event player who can be relied to deliver the goods in any main event. Raw finally has a good set of decent workers at the top – Cena, Jericho, Orton, HBK and Batista when he’s motivated. Also Cena needed the win since he’s jobbed out to nearly all of the upper card this year(bar Jericho).
Sat: I agree with you. Cena is good for business and RAW’s main event scene looks very intriguing.
Uncletrunx: It looks uninspired to me. With that level of talent I ought to be drooling over the potential but I’m not.
Your reasons for taking the High Road, Low Road, or Both Roads and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road are welcome at [email protected] or in the comment section. Your reply will be included in next week’s column.
