Guest Editorials EDITORIAL: Response to the Triple H interview - Is Hunter helping or hurting the youth movement?
Oct 26, 2009 - 5:20:14 PM
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GUEST EDITORIAL
By Justin Shook, Torch reader
This is in response to the Triple H interview here and here. It was a great read with some nice insight into not only Hunter, but also into some of the younger stars. That said, much of it is wrong.
Hunter pointed out that the C.M. Punk-Taker feud is being handled the way it is because fans wouldn't accept Punk going 30 minutes with Taker and then getting the clean pin. I totally agree. There are very few stars who can go with Taker AND get the clean pin. Having Punk go over in that manner would hurt both stars. However, a 20-minute match that shows Punk getting in some strong offense but inevitably falls to the Tombstone would do a hell of a lot more for Punk then having him look like a coward who is out of Taker's league in every match.
Punk vs. Jeff Hardy is the perfect example to use when I say Punk is ready to main event, and look credible while doing it. Speaking of Jeff, remember years ago when a young disgruntled Jeff Hardy marched out to the ring and challenged The Undertaker (he was champion at the time, and a guy you didn't mess with) to a title match right there? Taker and Jeff then had a match where Jeff came inches away from snagging that belt from Taker. Both Jeff and Taker looked strong, with each getting in strong offense but the end saw Taker get the win.
What really elevated Jeff during that match was what happened afterwards. Taker was leaving, then Jeff called Taker back to the ring. He obliged with a chokeslam then went to leave again. Jeff struggled to his feet and said, "Wait! you haven't broken me yet." Taker looked furious and came back to the ring. He grabbed Jeff, yanked him up ... and raised his arm. Taker then left with a look of respect and admiration on his face. That was huge, and years later the top babyface in WWE became none other then Jeff Hardy. C.M. Punk hasn't gotten that moment yet, but that's all that it would take to give the Taker-Punk feud meaning.
Most of the the veterans except Hunter seem to be working with the younger guys. HBK tapped to Legacy at a recent PPV. He also has let many younger stars get in some heavy offense in matches recently, including the seven vs. seven match last night. He even put his team over on Raw, saying he would go to war with them any day. Y2J has lost clean to Cryme Tyme and seems to have a "classic" match with whoever he works with. Randy Orton is on the verge of helping Ted DiBiase break through that glass ceiling. Their work together has been the highlight of Raw lately. Christian puts over young guys every night on ECW. Remember when Smackdown had "A" shows every week? Taker was gone, and Punk, Morrison, and Hardy rose to the occasion. The young guys got a chance to shine, and viewers loved it! The veterans don't have to be gone, they just don't need to hog the spotlight.
My point is some veterans are helping the youth movement while Hunter is a prime example of a guy who appears not to be. There are others, but Hunter is a big one. What happens behind the scenes is one thing, but most fans only see what's on Monday nights for two hours. They see Hunter bash the young guys (like Team Smackdown last week), destroy them in the ring, and put himself over as the best. You can't be in every other segment on Raw and claim it's not all about you.
Hunter needs to tone it down on TV and begin putting over the youth. Why not turn him heel, which has needed to happen for a while, and have him take a guy he likes such as Sheamus or my favorite choice, Jack Swagger, and let him be Hunter's cohort. They could have Hunter and Swagger double-team HBK, which could lead to some HBK-Swagger matches as well as the inevitable HBK-Hunter match at WrestleMania 26 that everyone seems to think is going down.
Swagger would benefit so much from working with a guy like Triple H. There are endless matches and situations that could play out and help the youth movement. It's up to the WWE and credible in-ring competitors like Triple H to make it happen.
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