CALDWELL'S TAKE CORNER CUBE TUESDAY: Letdown Raw and looking at Cena vs. Hardy possibilities Jan 29, 2008 - 12:10:28 PM

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By James Caldwell, Torch columnist

Updated throughout the day from the corner cubicle, Torch columnist James Caldwell's weekday blog focuses on hot topic current events and other items of interest from around wrestling.

Updated Tuesday, January 29

12:10 p.m. Last night's Raw was an OK show, but it fell into that trap of having a letdown after a big PPV. Based on nothing more than memory, it seems like the Raw after a newsworthy PPV starts off hot to follow-through on the big news coming out of the PPV, but then slowly slides into mediocrity.

The classic example is the traditional Raw after WrestleMania where WWE wants to strike while the iron is hot to transition into the next series of storylines, but everyone is too hung over - in some cases, literally - to produce a good show. The writers, wrestlers, producers, and announcers have been driving for eight weeks on the road to Mania, and then they're expected to get behind the wheel right after finishing a long road trip to drive another 500 miles. (Don't hate on the analogy, as I'm simply prepping everyone for Michael Cole and Coach's 18,000 "Road to WrestleMania" clichés between now and Mania.)

From a creative perspective, there were plenty of unanswered questions and head-scratching storyline progressions on Raw last night that may have been caused by Rumble letdown. That is, unless the writers are one step ahead and have all the explanations figured out for Raw next week. Explanations for things such as ... Why Triple H was able to pick his own partner in a tag match, how Cena was allowed into the Rumble without qualifying, and how Regal suddenly had graphics ready for the Elimination Chamber match three minutes after convincing Vince of the idea.

From WWE's perspective, the top story coming out of the show was John Cena cashing in his Money in the...er...Royal Rumble opportunity at No Way Out, then taking out Orton after the main event to get his message across. Same song, different year. But, the story most fans were probably looking for was how Jeff Hardy would be portrayed after losing the title match.

I'd say it was a wash. Hardy made his first appearance of the show in the sixth quarter-hour, with the line about the title loss not being the end of the road, but only the beginning of his quest. Jim Ross then really helped his cause by saying Hardy had the most quality statement of the night.

The main event left Hardy in a second-fiddle position, though, when Cena came out to save the day after the match while Hardy was selling an injury. The message was clear that Hardy is back to the second tier, with Cena on top again. There was definitely a sense of the mega-push for Hardy subsiding.

Of course, the Cena-Hardy symbolism that transferred over from the Rumble opens the door for a mega-match down the road. Cena would obviously be the aggressor in the feud, with the anti-Cena fans making it easy for him to play more of a heel role, especially with the unspoken message that he returned from injury to steal Hardy's opportunity at the WWE Title.

Based on our current Torch poll, you want that Cena vs. Hardy match in the main event at Mania more than any other possible match from the Raw brand. I was initially in that camp on Monday morning, but I believe the Cena vs. Hardy match could mean a lot more if WWE held off their first encounter until Summerslam or even next year's Mania. The risk on holding off that long is that Hardy cools off, and the match down the road wouldn't have as much intrigue. It's all great speculation until the Mania matches are set.

Updated Monday, January 28

3:35 p.m. What an interesting 20 hours. First of all, check out Jeremy Maes and Justin Parker's blogs on the Rumble and reaction to the big stories coming out of the Rumble. Two excellent blogs in the Specialist section.

Standing back for a second to survey the scene, there are two things I'm certain of. One is that WWE's roster is back to full-strength after 2007 was about injuries and Wellness depleting the roster. The other thing I'm certain of is that WWE caught everyone, including myself, off guard in more than one way.

They caught everyone off guard with the Cena surprise, which Cena orchestrated like a true pro in his mainstream interviews last week. They also got people, including myself, worked up on Hardy not winning the belt to distract from one thing we should all be most concerned about.

During the JBL vs. Jericho match, there was an unprotected chair shot to the head from Jericho to JBL. There was also Jericho hanging JBL with a TV cord across the top rope, with the imagery of JBL having the life choked out from him.

WWE tested the audience last night - consciously or not - to see how much we really care about concussions and the Benoit family tragedy. They played that Hardy card so strong on Raw leading to the Rumble, that anything short of a title change at the Rumble PPV would have created serious outrage.

So, do we care as much about JBL taking an unprotected chair shot to the head as Hardy not winning the belt? Are we as outraged about the TV cable being used in the JBL-Jericho feud as we are about Hardy not winning the belt?

I'll be the first to admit I failed the test. Reminds me of that Calculus class in college. I should have seen the test coming, too, as a Torch reader sent me an email last week questioning whether we really care about the serious issues in wrestling when Jeff Hardy was being glorified, despite putting his body at risk with the "30-foot" Swanton bomb and "playing hurt" with a laundry list of injuries he talked about in his pre-Rumble interviews.

Setting aside the "wrestling debate" of whether Hardy or Orton should be holding the WWE Title, the serious question is whether Hardy should have been put in a position to carry the company as the top wrestler by virtue of holding the WWE Title.

As a babyface champion, carrying the belt adds significant responsibility above and beyond holding the IC Title. More appearances, more house shows, more little things necessitated to wave the WWE banner across the globe. Only Hardy knows if he would have been able to physically handle that responsibility. If we really care about the serious injuries in wrestling then it should be acceptable that Hardy didn't win the belt (I'll keep trying to tell myself that), with there still being an opportunity for Hardy to remain a key player on Raw going forward.

WWE exposed where my priorities were last night. And I would bet the number of hate mail to WWE on Hardy not winning the belt far, far, far exceeded any concern over JBL taking that chair shot to the head. WWE, the master of the mind games, won twice last night for Cena's surprise and exposing misaligned priorities.

***

12:15 p.m. Oh, the Rumble. What a tangled web that shall surely begin to unfold tonight on Raw as they start traversing the road to WrestleMania. Clearly, the top story coming out of last night's show was John Cena's surprise entry in the Rumble. That was a rather significant surprise after he did interviews in the week leading to the Rumble that he wouldn't even be part of WrestleMania.

The other top story is WWE not going with Jeff Hardy as champion. In the interviews, leading to the Rumble, Hardy seemed to softening the blow of him not winning the title. He talked about wanting to be in Money in the Bank, or wrestling Rey Mysterio, or working a program with Matt Hardy. (I half-expected Matt to turn on Jeff last night to cost him the title.)

I hear the argument of sticking with the Mania plans and not going with Hardy, but I don't buy the argument. Looking at what a Hardy title reign could have meant, I'll make a case purely on the potential Mania title matches that Hardy would have created.

Unless plans change and Hardy wins the belt on a Raw or the No Way Out PPV before Mania, the following fresh and significant match-ups can be thrown out the window. Hardy vs. Triple H. Hardy vs. Cena. Hardy vs. Undertaker. Hardy and Hunter already have a back-story, with Hardy having the Rumble title match opportunity after defeating Hunter in December. Hunter could get his revenge by winning the belt at Mania, followed by Hardy chasing until Summerslam if he remains hot on TV. (Guest reviewer Jason Hess and I discuss that scenario in our post-Rumble audio update.)

Hardy vs. Cena would have been a match-up of two of the top babyfaces in the company from the last 12 months, forcing fans to pick their allegiance. Hardy vs. Taker would really bring Hardy full-circle from the closest he ever came to winning the WWE Title in that 2002 ladder match when Taker was riding a bike and Hardy was on his first WWE run.

Based on our current Rumble poll, the votes are in (70 percent) that Jeff Hardy winning the belt was the most-desirable scenario for Torch readers. Instead, the possibilities for Mania are straight from the recycling bin, although WWE could turn a recycled feud into a hot angle just as easily as they turned Jeff Hardy into the top star in the company in three weeks.

Unless Cena loses the title opportunity between now and Mania - with his surprise appearance and Rumble victory simply being an attempt to off-set the negative reaction to Hardy not winning the belt - we're looking at repeat feuds. There is one very intriguing feud out there in the form of Cena vs. Undertaker, but the most-likely candidates are Orton vs. Cena or Orton vs. Hunter. Been there, done that, got that PPV t-shirt.

Tonight's Raw will paint a clearer picture of where WWE is going with the top matches at Mania. If there's one thing WWE can take away from three weeks of Hardy build-up, it's that his popularity is at an all-time high. If they're not going with Hardy as champion, it's imperative to keep him strong and in the main event picture. I'm looking three, six, nine months down the road when he can help sell PPVs (if WWE didn't lose some of their audience when Hardy didn't win the belt) with a significant and well-established second-from-the-top feud.

And now for a closing thought on John Cena from Keith in Orlando, Fla.: Can someone please explain the logic behind John Cena being in the Rumble as a surprise 30th entrant? Triple H had to go through hell and high water to get in. C.M. Punk had to win a qualifying match. And not only does Cena just walk in without qualifying, but he gets the highly coveted 30th spot? It’s the exact reason the 18+ crowd grew tired of Cena. He gets shoved down our throats. How often are we supposed to believe his Superman, "overcoming the odds" bit? It only makes me feel better about not purchasing tickets to Mania even though it’s in town for me for the first time ever. So he decides to return, and just in time to kill Hardy’s push. Jeff, that 30-foot Swanton will be completely forgotten, except as a highlight-reel fond memory.

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