By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE continued its ongoing trend of mixing various storylines together this week as we saw Edge versus Chris Jericho in the main event. Smackdown's more blended main event feud is beginning to differentiate the look and feel of the show from Raw's Orton-Batista rivalry.

On Raw, Randy Orton's feud with Batista feels more focused at times, yet limited. Alternatively, Edge's feud with Jeff Hardy—with Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio, and even CM Punk and Umaga showing up at different times—can feel more varied, but sometimes chaotic.

At the moment, Smackdown is starting to feel like a brand with more interrelated stories, so the characters involved can speak throughout the show (like promos by Mysterio, Hardy, Jericho, etc.) as they all support seemingly one storyline.

Here's how the connections have been made: Edge is the World Heavyweight Champion, so everyone seems to be gunning for him. Jeff Hardy is the official number one contender, but CM Punk has been attempting to cash in his Money in the Bank contract so that he can capitalize on certain situations and become the World Hvt. Champion himself. At the same time, Jericho desperately wants to hold Edge's title too, but Rey Mysterio has gotten in his way. So despite the differences Jericho and Edge have, Jericho still feels like he needs to rid himself of Mysterio before anything else can be achieved.

This strategic use of various personalities and the intermingling of Smackdown's three big feuds can have some nice advantages for WWE. The way the episode of Smackdown concluded this week, just two days before Judgment Day, proved how effective it can be. WWE allowed Friday's show to end with three brawls that were happening simultaneously so that the last-minute hype for Sunday's PPV felt stronger than usual.

Perhaps the most likely reason for this strategy is WWE's uncertainty about the individuals involved. Unlike on Raw—where they know that the Orton-Batista feud can easily carry the show alone—the decision-makers on Smackdown may feel as though they need to supplant a normal two-person storyline with a six-person one in order to provide enough star power to keep viewers excited.

So, the bottom line question here is this: Is all of this helping or hurting the Hardy-Edge rivalry? The answer has two sides. On the one hand, these supportive side stories are lending enough personalities to make the Hardy-Edge feud seem fresh, different, and exciting. On the other hand, those same supportive side stories can become distracting at times.

At the end of Smackdown, we saw a bitter battle between the brand's two top heels as Jericho and Edge slugged it out to see who was better. Then suddenly Hardy dropped in to attack his Judgment Day opponent, but that was shortly followed by CM Punk making a surprise appearance to cash in his Money in the Bank briefcase. So many things were playing out all at once that a true, emotional story between Hardy and Edge was never really allowed to flourish.

At this point, it seems far too premature to conclude the Edge-Hardy storyline at this Sunday's PPV event. It's only been waging for a few weeks, and too many distracting forces have prevented it from rising to the level that it can easily reach if given the time and focus. Other feuds like Mysterio-Jericho and Punk-Umaga have their place and should still be incorporated throughout the Hardy-Edge story, but they can't be allowed to overshadow what is happening in the rivalry over the World Heavyweight Championship. It's a fine line to walk for WWE to garner the benefits of their strategy without doing it at the expense of their money storyline, but the results can be great if done properly.



Comments? Suggestions? Thoughts on the storyline? Feel free to email me at newthtorch@hotmail.com

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