Reported by Martin Hawrysko of WrestleView.com
On Wednesday, January 3, 2007 at 12:54 PM EST

Welcome to the debut edition of Within Reason, found exclusively at WrestleView.com. I have never been too good with introductions, yet here I am attempting one anyways. I have been part of the Internet Wrestling Community for about eight years now, but I have been on somewhat of a hiatus as of late. After such an absence, I am pleased to be back in full capacity at such a great website. Before I begin, I want to thank Paul Nemer for giving me this opportunity. In addition I also want to thank Adam Martin, along with Paul, for making me feel welcomed here and helping me get situated. I am really happy and excited to be here.

At WrestleView.com, I will be writing a new column each week, while helping out with the reporting on the newsboard. On a good week, I may write two columns. The idea behind this column is to simply analyze the current happenings from the world of wrestling. Being the pessimistic that I often am with wrestling, I will most likely rant often about the things that bothers me, while offering a solution that would better the situation. My column topics will spark from a specific news item, a rumor, or something from a show or pay-per-view. Pretty simple. I hope you’ll enjoy reading them just as I will enjoy writing them.

When I first started watching wrestling back in the summer of 1998, wrestling was a fad. Everybody watched it. Everybody on Tuesday morning would talk about what happened the previous night on Raw and Nitro. I started watching it about a week or two Bill Goldberg beat Hollywood Hogan for the WCW Heavyweight Championship. I was going into eighth grade that summer, and I recall one instance being on a friend’s driveway playing basketball, when across the street, another kid walks out his front door and screams “Goldberg!" Not knowing who this Goldberg was, I then associated the name with the goalie from the Mighty Ducks movies.

All of my friends that summer kept talking about wrestling, and after a few weeks, I finally decided to watch one show. You know what happens next. You watch one, and you like it. You want to see what happens next week. You tune in next week and you like it again… and the process continues, and before you know it… you’re hooked!

Back then, everybody my age was a wrestling fan, it seemed. A lot of people began watching during that time, which angered a lot of the diehards. The diehard fans back then felt that these new fans were not true and only jumping on board. I was one of those fans that the diehards probably hated. However, eight and a half years later, all those other new fans are gone, and I now consider myself one of the diehards.

Enough about me. After thinking hardly about the perfect topic for my first column, I finally decided to have it somehow connected with the new year. My five wishes in wrestling for 2007, in no particular order. Certainly, it was hard to trim everything down to only five. There were a few other considerations, but these five are what I want the most. So without further ado…

My five wishes in wrestling for 2007

1) I wish the people inside WWE would make up their minds. Either produce three entertaining brands or combine the rosters and make one kickass show:
It was obvious in 2006 that the WWE’s main priority was their Monday night show. Throughout the later summer and early fall months, Smackdown was basically a throwaway show, as the company knew it wasn’t being aired throughout that many markets due to the coming UPN / CW Network situation. I don’t think that serves as an excuse, however. For the people who were still watching that show, it was unfair to treat them to a sub par showing each week. I specifically recall Dave Scherer making mention in the fall that if Smackdown’s rating stayed in the low to mid two’s, the CW Network would most likely consider dropping the show altogether!

The ECW return has been a colossal joke thus far. The WWE developed a strategy which was to book the show in hopes of bringing back the old ECW fans. Well the debut show was a total disaster, and after the second or third week, WWE decided there weren’t enough of the original ECW fans to cater to, so they changed philosophies. ECW was to become more of a WWE style show and now they were attempting to cater to their regular Raw and Smackdown fans. The problem with this philosophy is plain and simple. Both Raw and Smackdown had their problems creatively, leaving many fans sick and tired of the WWE way of writing wrestling. The excitement over ECW being brought back was that perhaps, it would be something different. The smaller glimmer of hope was that Vince McMahon would allow a different type of wrestling show, one that could be a fine alternative to both Raw and Smackdown.

ECW fans alike didn’t expect this to be like the original ECW, but they at least were hopeful that it would be different enough from what they watch on Monday and Friday nights. In some cases, it has been a bit different. I say that on a really bad Tuesday night, ECW on SciFi has been like watching the old WWE Shotgun Saturday nights, or perhaps, watching Velocity. You know what… that is an insult to the people who worked on Shotgun and Velocity. I think you get my point, however.

The idea of having three separate brands is to make the company more money. I’m not sure if the ECW brand is making money, considering their house shows were cancelled in the early fall, and there roster wrestles at Smackdown house shows. December to Dismember angered a lot of fans, so who knows how many of them will be willing to buy the next ECW pay-per-view (assuming One Night Stand III isn’t cancelled).

Smackdown seems to have gained some momentum as of late, most likely because of Michael Hayes being promoted as the lead storyline writer. However, if WWE decides to place Smackdown in the backburner once again, the fans may realize once and for all that WWE doesn’t care about this show and stop paying attention to it. If that happens, Smackdown will not be making much money for the company, if any.

If the WWE insist on keeping the brand extension around, then it is simple. Make sure each brand is entertaining by putting on good shows week in and week out. There really is no point of this if each week, one or two of the shows don’t live up to expectations. If WWE can’t consistently put out a good Raw, ECW and Smackdown each week, then they need to reconsider condensing what they have by combining some of their rosters.

2) I wish Edge to have a lengthy reign with the WWE title:
Without a doubt, Edge was the company’s “MVP" type star of the year. His title win over John Cena last January brought much excitement to the fans. It was something that totally came out of left field and when it happened, it was a total surprise. The WWE decided three weeks later to take the belt off Edge, which I thought then was a poor decision. They rectified themselves later on by putting the title back on Edge during the summer months, but I even felt that reign was a bit too short.

While Edge should be a main event wrestler now, I still get the feeling that he’s not quite there (and not through any fault of his own). The way Edge was booked during his feud with Cena, he never could get that big win without any help. Yes, he is a heel, and the heels cheat. But I think getting a big win or two without cheating may have solidified Edge a bit more in my book.

Perhaps, my other problem is Edge is now paired with Randy Orton, feuding against DX. I don’t see Randy Orton has a legit main event wrestler. Pairing Edge with a main event wannabe, in my eyes, brings Edge down a bit. It doesn’t help that they are feuding with DX… because we all know that Triple H just loves to put other wrestlers over and isn’t worried about only making himself look good (I hope the sarcasm was obvious through such blatant text).

When the WWE does decide to take the belt of Cen, you can pretty much assume the title will be held by a heel. Assuming that Umaga does not beat Cena for the title, I would like for the company to find a way to put the belt back on Edge. If any heel is going to carry the belt for a long length of time in 2007, it should no doubt, be Edge.

3) I wish that the WWE would take their younger stars more seriously and build them up to be contenders:
The WWE has a serious problem with putting over their younger talent, especially the ones with potential. They did it with Rob Van Dam, Tazz, Rhyno, Edge, Chris Jericho, Booker T and Christian, among others. If WWE ever had a lack of main event superstars, it was all because they held them down via their glass ceiling. Following the WCW/ECW “alliance," RVD was one of the most over wrestlers in the company. The WWE could have pushed him to the moon and the fans would have loved it! RVD could have made WWE money. However, the WWE felt that RVD wasn’t ready for whatever reason, and “depushed" him. By doing that, they took all the momentum away from him.

Before departing for TNA, Christian was gaining some good momentum. After Cena moved to the Raw brand from Smackdown, Christian called him out, and it appeared to be the start to an entertaining feud. Then for whatever reason, it seemed that the WWE didn’t have enough confidence in Christian, so they placed Chris Jericho in the feud. After one match between the three, Christian was dropped and it became a Jericho and Cena feud. Christian’s contract was near to expire, and he saw the writing on the wall. He had hit the glass ceiling and he wanted no part of that. The fans seemed to react with interest to the Christian and Cena feud. If WWE would have gone through with it, Christian could finally have been established and a top tier main event superstar in the WWE.

Today, WWE is doing the same thing with Carlito, CM Punk, Shelton Benjamin and to a certain extent Chris Masters. Carlito seems to be stuck on a conveyor belt. He keeps going and going but he is stuck in the same spot. It is one thing to be a midcard wrestler, but to be a midcard wrestler and not be part of any meaningful programs says a lot. The same goes with Benjamin. Masters is still a big green, but he has the look (muscles aside, he has the cocky like expressions that help make a great heel), and the mic abilities to help put him over. The WWE can push Masters as a legitimate heel, but they continue to crap on him as well, especially whenever he crosses paths with Triple H.

CM Punk had a lot of momentum going into December to Dismember. What happens in the elimination chamber? He isn’t allowed to put in any offense and he is eliminated immediately. Real smooth. The WWE doesn’t realize by doing this, they are just throwing potential money out the window.

If the WWE ever wonders why they don’t have enough main event superstars, they need to realize it’s because they have crapped on their own talent or many years. After a wrestler has been crapped on so much, it is hard for the fans to take that talent seriously when the company finally does decide to push him or her.

4) I wish Samoa Joe wins the NWA title and have it mean something:
The changing of the titles between Jarrett to Sting and now to Abyss is ok for now. But I don’t want to continue to see the Vince Russo style booking where the belt changes hands every few weeks or months. The problem in TNA thus far has been, as soon as one wrestler wins the belt, Jarrett somehow wins it back within a few months. With Jarrett currently inactive, part of the problem has been resolved (for now).

However, TNA Wrestling must decide to choose one of their wrestlers, and put the belt on him and allow him to carry it for a good part of the year. That wrestler should be none other than Samoa Joe. The stupidity with TNA thus far has been, they don’t view him as a top star. TNA felt it was necessary to have him go against Angle is because TNA feels that after he has feuded with Angle, then he will be a legit top tier wrestler in the company. Excuse me!?! This speaks volumes as TNA seems to believe that none of their own talents are worthy of carrying the company. We see it all the time when a former WWE talent comes in, and literally has his or her way with the TNA talent.

I am curious at what the fallout will be once Angle & Joe are over. I honestly believe that Angle joined TNA, large in part, because he figures he will carry the company on his back. While I don’t doubt that Angle can, we have seen Angle with title reigns before in WWE. One of the things I like about TNA is that it is different from the WWE. For TNA to put the title on Angle and ask him to carry the company at this point, would in reality, not offer anything new or creative to the fans.

Putting the belt on Joe and having him carry the company would be new and exciting, which is exactly what TNA must be trying to accomplish. If TNA is ever going to grow and stay strong, it will be because they offered something unique other than what the WWE offers. Down the road, I would love to see Kurt Angle with the NWA title and perhaps carry the company, but not at this point. That honor belongs to Samoa Joe. In my opinion, WCW dropped the ball with Goldberg, towards the end of his title reign, the way he lost his title, and afterwards. I don’t want TNA to do the same with Samoa Joe.

5) I wish that Chris Jericho would join TNA Wrestling:
Chris Jericho is a“free agent" in professional wrestling. With his XM radio show cancelled last month, he has even more free time on his hands. Ever wonder if Jericho gets bored? I can’t help but reckon that in the back of his mind, Jericho misses performing in the ring and in front of a live audience. But I also have to think that he does NOT miss the grueling WWE schedule. That is why TNA would be perfect for him!

In TNA, Jericho would only need to work a few days a month, and would still have plenty of time for his band or any other side projects that may come up. Jericho has been away in all capacity from wrestling for over a year now, so not only would his body be recharged, but his return would spark an interest and much excitment. On a personal note, Jericho was one of my favorite talents in recent years, and I do believe that TNA would utilize him far better than WWE would today.

Other wish considerations: I wish WWE would make up their minds about the women’s division. If they insists on keeping the Women’s title and having matches, then they really need to bring in women who can wrestle. If they insist on having women for the sake of being eye candy, then please retire the Women’s title and stop involving them in matchesI think the announcing situation in WWE and TNA needs to be fixed… I wish WWE would tell JBL to tone down his act, or at the very least, put Tazz back on Smackdown, or even consider switching JBL to Raw and Lawler to Smackdown… I wish Spike TV would expand Impact to either 90 minutes or two hours, thus increasing the amount of wrestling, and not forcing the segments to fly in and out super fast

There you have it. Do I expect any of these wishes to come true? I can see a few of them happening. I do think Impact will expand to either 90 minutes or the full two hours. I am hopeful that Chris Jericho will return to wrestling, though I am unaware of any potential loyalty he may have with WWE. I could see Samoa Joe carrying the NWA title, but I wonder how long his reign will be. The Russo factor sort of makes me nervous about that one. It’s hard to tell what will happen with the WWE title picture. If WWE goes in a new direction, then Edge may not be seeing WWE gold anytime soon, unless he wins the Intercontinental title (and what a tragedy that would be – and I am not counting the tag team titles). Unless anything drastic happens, the brand extension is here to stay, no doubts.

Aimless Observations
(random thoughts from anything to with wrestling, or not wrestling)

-What a way to ring in the new year, in regards to Raw this week. Despite it being a new year, the show’s context was pretty much of the same from the previous year. Nothing too exciting took place on this show at all. You just had to figure there would be interference in this match, because there was no way that K-Fed was going to get a clean pin on Cena, and there was little doubt that K-Fed would have loved to agreed to a match where he gets the crapped beat out of him and then loses (unless he was that desperate for a pay-off). The interference was going to take place, and it was easy to predict that it would be Umaga, considering he and Cena wrestle this Sunday. The fallout from afterwards was lame as well. The poor innocent babyface outnumbered by a group of heels. That has never been done before.

-Speaking of Monday night’s crappy Raw, I felt bad for Jim Ross. Obviously wanting to cheer for his Oklahoma Sooners in Monday night’s Fiesta Bowl, Ross requested to take the night off , but was denied. So while JR is broadcasting almost two hours of crap, he misses one of the best bowl games in college football history. Eh, well, maybe Oklahoma fans will disagree with that last statement.

-Does Dixie Carter or anyone else with TNA still think WWE will eventually except VKM’s one million dollar challenge? While fans were chanting “TNA! TNA! TNA!" at the New Years Revolution press conference, Coach responded by knocking the company. The fine editors of WWE.com edited out Coach’s response in the archive version of the press conference. Nice. If this took place about 8 to 12 months ago, the fans probably would have chanted “ECW! ECW! ECW!" I wonder why they don’t anymore… oops, maybe I shouldn’t go there.

-Judging from last week’s Impact, it appears TNA has finally decided that Kurt Angle will be a heel, which was a move that seriously needed to be done. As a babyface, Angle simply is lame. As a heel, he is at his best. Better yet, I don’t expect Angle to be driving any milk trucks inside the Impact Zone, or have to wear stupid hats listening to folk on the guitar, nor will he be advocating his stance on sexual abstinence. Angle will not be the comedic funny guy, like he was in WWE. Angle doesn’t need to be that funny person. Angles intense personality and ability inside the ring are more than enough to get him over.

-I was disappointed that Impact’s rating last week was so low. For the first time since moving to the primetime slot, Impact fell below a 1.0 by earning a 0.9. Does that number have anything to do with it being close to the holidays? I’d like to give TNA the benefit of the doubt, but I can’t tell you that I’m not the least bit worried.

- Speaking of Impact, I’m looking forward to seeing Kurt Angle wrestle Christian Cage on tomorrow night’s show. I don’t read spoilers, so who knows how far the match goes, without Samoa Joe interfering, etc. Without specifically mentioning WWE, I hope that some reference is made to Christian and Angle’s past together.

- Due to USA Network airing their annual dog show on Monday, February 12, Raw will air on Thursday night that week. Raw’s second hour will go head-to-head with Impact. This certainly creates an interesting scenario. If I were TNA, I would take advantage of this situation. I would plead with Spike TV to be granted a second hour that week. Once WWE Raw is finished, hope that the WWE fans will tune to Spike to see the second hour of Impact. It’s an interesting idea, one that I would hope, TNA at the very least is able to think of.

Feedback may be e-mailed to martinhwv@gmail.com. Any ideas or suggestions for future columns are welcomed. Thanks for reading, and depending on my free time this week, I may post a second column before New Year’s Revolution.