Reported by Martin Hawrysko of WrestleView.com
On Sunday, January 7, 2007 at 1:01 AM EST

Welcome all to the second installment of Within Reason, exclusively at WrestleView.com. First of all, I appreciate all the feedback I received from my debut column, My five wishes in wrestling for 2007, from this past Wednesday. Except for a few jackasses who don’t understand the entitlement of one’s own opinion, the feedback was rather positive. I appreciate that. One of the best things about writing on this website is the interaction with the readers. Keep it up!

Anyone see the Dallas and Seattle game? HOLY SHIT! I was pulling for Dallas, just because I think the whole postseason might have been a bit more interesting with them. But damn… regardless of who you’re cheering for, how do you not feel a bit bad for Tony Romo. He lost the game. Unless he throws a miracle throw in the future to win a big game or leads his team to the SuperBowl, that play tonight will live with him forever. My Bears don’t play until next week, so I at least don’t have to worry about Rex Grossman blowing it for my team just yet.

The WWE has a pay-per-view tonight, and guess what… the main event match actually has my interest! Not that I’m expecting that great of a match, but the idea behind it, which is exactly what WWE wanted. It is Umaga’s undefeated streak vs. John Cena’s title. My mind has been made up all week on which way this match will go. This to me is one of those matches where I can see either person going over.

From what I gather on the message boards online, the common perception is that most people think Cena will retain. A lot of people feel that it is way too early for Umaga to carry the WWE title and that this will be John Cena’s crowning victory.

However, the WWE has a golden opportunity to really throw everyone off. If Umaga were to beat Cena and win the WWE title, that without a doubt, would go down as one of the most shocking moments in recent time. Even those who are predicting Umaga to win must in the back of their minds have some doubt.

In addition, Umaga winning the belt would certainly play off the excitement that came from last year’s New Years Revolution, when Edge cashed in his “money in the bank" and surprisingly won the title. That would make two years in a row where a situation occurred at New Years Revolution, when no one was expecting it. Umaga winning the belt would almost rehash the feeling that anything truly can happen in the WWE.

However, the most important reason why Umaga needs to win tomorrow night is this… his first loss might be enough to spark the his downward spiral. When Umaga first made his debut, he was just another big guy with just a gimmick and a few moves. No one ever expected his character to go anywhere. It has been the undefeated streak that sparked interest in him. If he loses, then he becomes just another big guy on the roster. The WWE already has enough of those that they don’t know what to do with. I truly believe that once he loses, his character appeal is lost and the company won’t know what to do with him.

If John Cena wins tonight, will it honestly be that special? Why not make it so that Umaga’s first loss is a big deal? That can only happen if Umaga wins the title and holds it until WrestleMania, where he loses it in dramatic fashion. An Umaga loss would be dramatic only after a significant title reign. The better story, to go along with the theme of WrestleMania, would be for the challenger to have all the odds stacked against him leading up to the big match. Despite all the odds, the challenger is able to dethrone the once unstoppable monster. How fitting would that be considering this year’s WrestleMania marks twenty years since Hulk Hogan and Andre the Giant?

I’m not suggesting that Umaga has to carry the company while champion. Abyss is carrying the belt in TNA and he certainly isn’t carrying their company. Umaga holding the belt help sets up that match at WrestleMania where the challenger, once and for all, is able to finally beat him. Umaga winning, and than holding onto the title for a while, solidifies him as being the unstoppable monster. The WWE gets everything they can from Umaga, after building him up for the past few months.

Perhaps, the WWE believes that there still is use for him after he gets his first loss. I, however, do not have that much confidence in the company’s creative team. I don’t see much use for him after he gets his first loss. But I see so much potential for that dramatic scene of someone finally able to do something that no one else was able to do before. After so many months of buildup for this character, why not get the absolute most out of it? Get all the value out of him as much as possible. A match lost means loss in value.

Cena retaining the title would result in more of the same for the WWE. I’m not knocking Cena, because I am a fan of his. But when I picture Cena retaining vs. the possibility of Umaga winning, it’s no contest. At this time when the WWE product, in my opinion, still is somewhat stale, they really need to do something exciting. Umaga winning the title and finally getting that “big win." would do just that. Anything else and the WWE is throwing away something with real potential, out the window. But it’s not like it would be the first time the WWE has ever done that… nor would it be the last.

.:: Aimless Observations ::.

-I enjoyed this week’s Impact. What bothered me the most is that Kurt Angle and Christian Cage really never locked up (by the time they did, you knew it was only going to be for a few seconds). TNA advertised Angle and Christian as the main event, and they didn’t deliver it. One time won’t hurt them, but if they continue to do that in the future, it might really alienate some fans, and that isn’t what that company needs right now. Besides, it was a fun brawl to watch, and in retrospect, setting more emphasis on Angle and Samoa Joe was more important.

-I write in my debut column, how USA has the annual dog show on February 12th, so as a result, Raw will air on Thursday that week. Raw’s second hour will go head-to-head against Impact. I was pushing for Spike TV to give TNA a second hour, so the WWE fans, who are already watching, might tune to Impact after their show is over.

I am hearing now that TNA might be trying to get Impact to air on Monday the 12th, when Raw isn’t on. That idea also intrigues me, and in all honesty, I think I might like that idea better than mine. WWE fans are used to watching on Monday nights. Not all of them might make the effort to watch Raw on Thursday night. Perhaps, it makes more sense to air Impact on the night when most wrestling fans are used to watching wrestling? I’m thinking, YES!

-If you haven’t read Jim Ross’s blog yet, then do so now! Ok, wait until after you’ve finished my column. JR really puts in a lot of time to discuss topics and answer questions that interests wrestling fans. I definitely recommend reading through his archive, because they really are interesting reads. JR’s website is www.jrsbarbq.com.

-- And that will wrap this one up. Look for a new installment of Within Reason later this week sometime. Feedback may be e-mailed to martinhwv@gmail.com. Enjoy the rest of your weekend.