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CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL: Instant Reaction to key storylines on Raw and post-PPV developments Jun 29, 2009 - 10:35:20 PM
-- WWE booking the "15-man trade" and putting the tag titles on Edge & Jericho were two obvious cop-outs to bring more star power to the Raw brand. The Draft led to the "same old, same old" feuds involving Randy Orton and Triple H while Smackdown became a hot show with Punk, Hardy, Jericho, Edge, Morrison, Dolph, etc. WWE needed a shake-up and the Donald Trump storyline became a fine enough excuse to reach a necessary destination.
-- Jack Swagger to the Raw brand is a great move. Swagger has been built up like a star on the ECW brand, so it was only a matter of time until he moved to Raw or Smackdown to start making some money for WWE, which needs a fresh match-up or two on the Raw brand.
-- Speaking of fresh match-ups or lack thereof, WWE is going with a repeat match-up at the Night of Champions for the WWE Title. Randy Orton will face either Triple H or John Cena in another PPV main event. Orton vs. Cena doesn't seem as stale as another Orton vs. Hunter match-up, but WWE made it clear they're not ready to push MVP or Miz out of the second tier to regular main event status.
-- Edge and Chris Jericho should give the Raw brand a fresh dose of star power and great charisma on a semi-regular basis now that they're the tag champs and have an excuse to be on Raw. Hopefully this will include a few special appearances on ECW, too, which will need a major boost from this post-Draft "trade" after losing Swagger and Bourne.
-- It doesn't seem clear what the direction of the U.S. Title picture is. Matt Hardy was off the show getting treatment in North Carolina for his injuries, while MVP was in the tournament and William Regal continues to be missing in action. Kofi vs. Big Show seemed to be thrown together simply to get both men on TV.
-- Swagger joining the mix on Raw poses an interesting question as to where he fits in. I'd like to see him in the U.S. Title picture to elevate the title and give him a solid second tier feud before WWE decides to start pushing some young talent into the main event picture. Every combination of John Cena, Randy Orton, Triple H, and Batista in the main event has been worn out on Raw. It's time to explore other options leading to Summerslam.
Hunter vs. Swagger or Cena vs. Swagger could be a fresh, marquee match-up worth spending money on, but the WWE audience has been trained to only accept certain stars in main event slots. And why should they accept anyone new when WWE takes The Miz, builds him up for several weeks, then feeds him to John Cena for two straight clean losses? Can't establish new stars when the young talent is fed to the top stars on a consistent basis.
-- Mark Henry apparently turning babyface to take apart Randy Orton was the most curious ending to a Raw in recent history. (Just following Jerry Lawler's lead with the histrionics.) I don't see a natural fit for Henry on Raw other than feuding with Big Show. But, can WWE fans take Kane vs. Khali and Show vs. Henry at the same time?
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