By Shane McKinley, Torch specialist

"We think we've climbed so high
Up all the backs we've condemned
We face the consequence
This is the beginning of the end"
-"The Beginning Of The End" by Nine Inch Nails

-So what did you think of the Bret Hart bit on Raw?

In my heart of hearts, I was kind of pining for the cranky Bret to come back, kick Hornswoggle in his leprechaun nuts, and yell, "How you like your sports-entertainment now? Huh? Huh?" However, WWE is going with that nasty thing called "common sense." Darn. So far, Bret has been portrayed as a big ol' babyface with legions of crying children as fans (as evident in that slick video presentation).

It's interesting to note that WWE can spin the "Montreal Screwjob" story as they see fit. I can picture WWE going in their revisionist history mode and glossing over such nuances as Bret going to WCW. (How great was it back then when after the Screwjob happened, Bret wrote "WCW" in the air?) I can imagine WWE painting Bret as a big smiling babyface who got wrongly screwed by the evil, heartless, cruel Mr. McMahon. And then Bret Hart retired from wrestling for 12 years after that. But Bret's always stuck up for the guys in the back, while evil Mr. McMahon cared only about money. And even if that statement is not 100 percent true, it makes for a good, simplified story for the audience.

-What was up with Shawn Michaels ominously saying "only good things can happen?"

Well, here's what I think...

The Heartbreak Kid will turn heel on January 4, 2010.



It's certainly all right there. To recap, HBK lost his WrestleMania match to The Undertaker. Shocked and shaken to his core, he resorted to low-level jobs such as a cook and a TV repairman (ho ho). Triple H brought him back to square off against Legacy. At first, it was going good. But then DX began to do their silly crap and pandering to children. Is this really what Michaels came back for? To do stupid skits with little people? He came back for this?

Michaels has done everything in the business. He's won and done everything. There's no more mountains left for Mr. WrestleMania to climb. Except one thing...and that's to end Undertaker's WrestleMania streak. This has been eating Shawn Michaels alive for nearly an entire year. HBK wants his re-match with the Dead Man.

However, Vince McMahon won't give it to him. What's the old phrase - "Pay to Play?" Meaning HBK has to give something back in return. If Michaels wants to get his chance to be forever remembered as the man who beat Undertaker at WrestleMania, he has to do something for Vince.

And that's for HBK to embarrass Bret Hart on live television in front of millions in Bret's grand homecoming.

Really low stuff, right? It would be the moment that would signal HBK's heel turn. No "conflicted" HBK here. "Michaels did what he had to do for his legacy." Having done the dirty deed, HBK gets his Undertaker WrestleMania match.

Raw doesn't have a strong heel right now. Randy Orton used to be that guy, but Randy is messing around with Kofi. His heel cred has taken a step back. HBK could become the top heel on Raw without stepping on anybody's toes.

One possible reason for DX to drop the belt to JeriShow (as mentioned above) is the actions (or rather inaction) of Michaels. DX breaks up due Michael's obsession with the Undertaker. Trips still gets to hang out with Hornswoggle.

-So how do you think they'll do HBK vs. Taker this time around?

In my WrestleMania preview, I have HBK vs. Taker and Triple H vs. Batista. What about the PPVs leading up to WrestleMania? One possible idea is DX vs. JeriShow again at the Rumble for the tag team titles (JeriShow retains while HBK's heel stature gets pumped up even more). Also, Trips and HBK in the Elimination Chamber match. Then, WrestleMania.

Then begins the angle that HBK has become "corrupted" with the idea of beating the Undertaker. What can one do to a feud that already had great buildup and a awesome payoff? Go in a different direction. HBK did play a smug punk in his Undertaker feud, but announcers painted it as "mind games" and HBK getting into the head of the Undertaker. There wasn't an all-out "HBK is heel" push going on during that time.

I think the story of "what morals will you sacrifice to achieve your dreams" is one of the great stories in the history of man. It's intriguing to see how far a "hero" will sink to in order to attain
his or her dream.

Or they can go with the plain "Michaels helps out Bret, Vince gets super kicked, and all is well" type of deal. Personally, I would like to see Bret in a storyline where the jerk holes who screwed him in 1997 are still the same jerk holes in 2009.

-Okay, so you've taken care of Shawn Michaels. What about Bret Hart?

To WWE's main demographic (little tykes), Bret Hart is only coming back to guest host Raw. (WWE.com has not blared out that Bret has signed a short WWE contract).



At this point, I don't know how much weight a Bret Hart/Hart Dynasty partnership has considering the ominous web Vince and Shawn Michaels have weaved. Admit it: Vince-HBK-Bret is way, way sexy. Hart Dynasty, by comparison to the HBK-Vince storyline, are scrubs.

We have a good feeling that a Bret-Vince garbage match will happen at WrestleMania (with no ketchup packets hidden in the ref's pockets...bring back the ketchup! A ketchup mask adds to the match!). The actual match-up might be ugly as sin, but that's not the point. WrestleMania typically has a match that screams out to non-wrestling fans, "You must see this match." Bret vs. Vince serves that. Just like Floyd Mayweather vs. Big Show, Vince vs. Trump, etc., there are people who will pay to see Vince get blasted by Bret. What if WWE pulled a WrestleMania 2 and aired the Bret-Vince match from the Bell Centre - the same arena where the Screwjob happened?



Keep in mind that we don't know the health status of Bret Hart. The general consensus is that he will not be wrestling. My dream involves Bret vs. Shawn at WrestleMania, but I'm trying hard to be logical and not give into my inner fank. According to my plan, Bret gets embarrassed by those two d-bags, HBK and Vince. One possible idea is that Bret strikes back by helping John Cena go against Vince's hand-picked top dog, a returning Edge (I realize that a lot of my ideas will not pan out, but one of the fun things about wrestling is tossing around what might happen).

-So you really think Edge will return at the Rumble?

John Cena vs. Randy Orton at WrestleMania for the WWE Title? That's a really hard sell. "This legendary feud has been started up again...like before...and the time before that..." Cena vs. Orton at WrestleMania would be a safe, but boring choice. They have exhausted everything there is in the Cena-Orton feud.

Jericho planted the seeds for a Jericho-Edge feud, and aside from a totally awesome Edge/Christian vs. JeriShow match (fat chance, Christian is still being punished by being on ECW), I don't really want to see a Jericho-Edge feud happening. Cena vs. Trips has been done. Cena vs. Orton has expired. I realize that thinking that Edge will return at the Rumble is a stretch, but I honestly can't think of a fresh, exciting opponent for Cena at WrestleMania.

-Who do you have winning the Rumble?

One idea I was mulling around was Bret Hart winning the thing, but it's hard to accept the idea that Bret would trade in a World Title shot just to get his hands on Vince. I'll go with Triple H winning and facing off against Batista in WrestleMania for the World Heavyweight Championship.

-What's your WrestleMania lineup?

-- Undertaker vs. HBK
-- John Cena vs. Edge
-- Triple H vs. Batista
-- Bret vs. Vince
-- Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase (or Orton vs. Mysterio)
-- JeriShow vs. Edge/Christian (humor me)
-- MITB Match: Kofi Kingston, Sheamus, Evan Bourne, R-Truth, Shelton Benjamin, Kane, Jack Swagger, and C.M. Punk

-You do know that the odds of any of these scenarios happening is very thin, right?

Well, my plan is to ruin WrestleMania. You see, according to some people who know too much and are so "deep" in the game, Vince personally reads every wrestling site report. He'll freak out when he reads this and he'll change everything up. That's how it works, kiddies. Don't know what they are going to do after the "ketchup packet" reveal.

-What's the worst thing management could have said to Tommy Dreamer before his last WWE match?

"Okay, have a great match. Don't use anything other than trashcan lids. Don't take off your shirt. You've got four minutes. And remember, no blood in an Extreme Rules hardcore death match. Have a good one!"

Email is mckinley.torch@gmail.com

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