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A KELLER SHORT: A look ahead to tonight's Raw - Random thoughts on Triple H, King of Ring, JBL, Vince, Kennedy, Michaels Apr 28, 2008 - 12:44:44 PM
WWE Raw tonight, live from East Rutherford, N.J. at the IZOL Center (Meadowlands Arena), will obviously include follow-up to Backlash. Except a big ceremony for Triple H, as WWE has been doing those lately for new champs.
Triple H winning the title might seem like a rerun and stale, but in fact it's been a long time since he's had a title reign (not counting his reign of a few hours last October). It was back on Sept. 12, 2004 that he last won the WWE Title. The problem is back then he beat Randy Orton. In other words, it may have been a while since he's been champ, but the picture is still familiar. WWE tonight on Raw should create a situation that makes this seem fresh somehow, putting a new spin on this reign. Announcing a rematch against Orton is likely, but it's not going to seem fresh.
Mr. Kennedy (artist Grant Gould (c) PWTorch)
There's also the G.M. situation to address now that Regal is King of the Ring. Does he become a full time active wrestler now, and if so, is he pushed as a top tier player and built up toward a fall feud with Triple H over the WWE Title, or does he settle into a mid-card role and feud with a non-existent mid-card Raw babyface (they are weak in that area)?
The ratings for Raw haven't been lower in April since 1997. They need to shake things up without becoming desperate and hot-shotting, though. Mr. Kennedy makes his return tonight, and that is something that can freshen up Raw. There aren't a lot of other options, though. Perhaps establishing a Shawn Michaels vs. Chris Jericho feud would add something else to the show, but nothing happened last night to point toward that happening. JBL could be a spark to the show. He needs to be given a good feud and the ability to unleash on the mic.
I give WWE credit for restraint, though. No announcements yet of the "return of Mr. McMahon." In the past, that's been a card WWE has played when ratings have been flat or down, but I think even Vince McMahon realizes he's not the ratings draw he once was, in part because he hasn't been away long enough often enough to make a difference, and when he has returned, the scene hadn't changed. For Mr. McMahon's character to ever mean anything again, he needs to be away not just a long time, but when he returns, things have to be substantially different so that fans are anticipating how he'll respond to the changes since he's been gone. (Think the boss on "Nine-to-Five" after the women changed everything while he was held captive.)
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