By Richard Gardner, Torch specialist

It seems like a long time since "Little People's Court." WWE has jettisoned their comedic approach to main event booking in favor of focusing on real issues between their characters, resulting in their most productive creative period in a number of years. Chris Jericho's title win at the Elimination Chamber PPV is just the latest of a long line of excellent booking decisions that has shaped the build for WrestleMania 26.

WWE's frenetic Pay-Per-View schedule is not compatible with long term planning, especially in light of the move towards themed events, but WWE identified the matches they were going to book for WrestleMania 26 months in advance.

The re-match between The Undertaker and Shawn Michaels is one of the most anticipated matches in recent years, and the booking has only enhanced this feud. Starting the build back in December at the Slammys edition of Raw was a masterstroke, and the progress of the feud was documented by a superb video package that aired this week on WWE TV. This week, their storyline became entwined with that of Chris Jericho and Edge.

Chris Jericho captured the World Title at Elimination Chamber on Sunday, thanks to interference from Shawn Michaels. While HBK's involvement in the Elimination Chamber match was somewhat predictable, the execution of the angle was superb, as was the setup for the Jericho-Edge program the following night. On Monday night, Jericho stood in the ring, basking in the glow of his title victory, running down the fans on the microphone. Edge suddenly appeared from nowhere, speared him, and announced that the two would face off at WrestleMania. Like the angle between Michaels and The Undertaker, this was somewhat predictable, but was incredibly effective.

Despite Jericho's recent losses, his heel character makes him a more-than-credible champion. Monday night, he walked straight into a storyline with Royal Rumble winner Edge. Like the matches between Bret Hart and Vince McMahon and between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker, there is a strong storyline reason for Edge and Jericho to fight; a factor that has been missing from the WWE's Pay-Per-View main events all too often in recent times. There is no comedy clouding the issue; Jericho and Edge's characters are opposed against each other because of the acrimonious end to their tag team, and a feud between the two of them has been anticipated ever since Edge suffered his horrendous injury last year.

WWE is hitting their peak creatively, and are doing so at the best time possible. In contrast to the lackluster build for the Survivor Series, in which more focus was placed on the juvenile antics of D-Generation X and Hornswoggle instead of the WWE Title, the build for WrestleMania has been superbly booked.

This time last year, WWE fans were subjected to a cartoonish feud for the WWE Title, featuring Triple H rampaging through Randy Orton's house in the style of a 1980s action hero. The build for WrestleMania 26 has been superior in every way possible, and this is due to the forward planning WWE has adopted for this year's event, which has promoted logical booking.

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