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CALDWELL'S TAKE
CORNER CUBE MONDAY 2/18: The other big WWE story - Triple H in Mania main event Feb 18, 2008 - 1:14:31 PM
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 Monday, February 18
No Way Out was a heck of a show last night. Smackdown had a great Chamber match, thanks to Undertaker and Batista. There was Mayweather rocking Big Show's face. Flair and Kennedy worked a solid undercard match. Orton and Cena had a very good WWE Title match.
And, wait, what else? Oh yeah, Triple H is going to WrestleMania in a main event title match. It's the top story WWE wants, but we all know Mayweather vs. Big Show will be the most memorable moment from last night's PPV.
Triple H winning Raw's Elimination Chamber match didn't come as a surprise. I'm sure those text voters who had Hardy ahead of Hunter were voting with their hearts instead of their minds. And, barring the creation of a three-way match at Mania, it will be Hunter challenging Orton for the WWE Title at WrestleMania.
Naturally, there is frustration with Hunter being thrust into the spotlight yet again. The perception is that he's married to the boss's daughter, so he's always going to presented as the top star of the company.
It's a tough situation for Hunter. It's about as much of a no-win situation any wrestler can find himself in. Should he remain on the mid-card, away from the title picture, for the rest of his career to appease fans and wrestlers? Every time he's in a title picture, does he have to apologize or rationalize his position on the card?
Hunter is certainly one of WWE's top stars. He has a DVD coming out a week before Mania that should do significant business. If WWE believes that he is the right guy to headline Mania, then he must be the right guy. The inevitable complaint of politics and nepotism enter the equation, but Hunter's track record indicates he is the right guy to headline WWE's signature PPV of the year.
Hunter's track record also indicates he hasn't endeared himself to the locker room over the years. But, with there being an inherent sense of insecurity in wrestling because guys are constantly competing for spots on the card, the issue has been wrestlers trying to shift the heat onto Hunter to create an excuse for why they're not headlining PPVs every month.
Last night, Wade Keller made the analogy to Triple H and Hillary Clinton. Should Hillary be overlooked as a presidential candidate simply because she's married to Bill, who laid the foundation for Hillary's bid? Should Hunter be banned from main events simply because he's in the McMahon family and there appears to be favoritism?
Hunter should be able to merit a main event title opportunity based on his performance and commitment to the company. Sure, he's protected and booked to be the star, but fans aren't rejecting his current run. People in WWE without a dog in the fight will say no one cares more about the pro wrestling business than he does; that no one takes his job more seriously than Hunter does.
There will always be a cloud hovering over Hunter no matter what he does. Wrestlers will always look for a reason to blame Hunter if there is a perception of him holding people back or stealing spots. Fans will look at WWE selecting Hunter over Jeff Hardy as the headline babyface at this year's Mania and make a valid argument that it should be Hardy this year.
And even if nepotism was a factor, Hunter has merited the main event at Mania. He has a track record. Jeff Hardy is still trying to rebuild his.
There will always be a skeptical eyebrow raised whenever Hunter is booked stronger than another up-and-comer who could take his spot - such as RVD a few years ago - but we have to get beyond the excuse of nepotism. That's too easy. More often than not, Hunter has merited his position on the card.
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