Reported by Martin Hawrysko of WrestleView.com
On Wednesday, January 17, 2007 at 5:37 PM EST

What can I say? Just as I thought Vince McMahon possibly was starting to “get it" he stuck out his middle finger once again, and said F U to each and every single WWE fan. As Vince was reading his supposed letter from Donald Trump on Raw this week, I thought maybe, just maybe, Vince had truly realized how badly the Rosie O’Donnel and Trump skit had bombed. Later, after Carlito came out, you might have figured that perhaps, Vince is listening to his fans and realized he can’t do everything his way. For a moment, there was a small glimmer of hope that this would lead to Carlito being pushed. Then it all went to hell and if you watched the show or read the results, you know what happened.

Booking Khali to take out Carlito, while boasting that he decides what the people want was without a doubt Vince McMahon himself raising his middle finger and shouting F U to each and every WWE fan. Vince’s statement of knowing what the fans want more than they do was not just an act during his promo. It was 100% shoot that showcases how Vince McMahon truly feels. Folks, in real life, Vince McMahon truly does believe he knows what the fans want in wrestling, better than they do.

For those of you who want actual facts to back up my claim, I can’t give you that. I am not backstage nor have I ever heard Vince McMahon chime those words himself. All I got is the same as all of you have. The rumors starting from the people who are backstage, who claim that Vince truly does feel that way. There are plenty of people within the company who know for a fact that Vince truly believes that he knows what the fans want better than they do. If you don’t believe me, then you haven’t been paying attention to what the WWE staffers say backstage (reported here at WrestleView.com among other sites) or you haven’t been watching the product that closely. The product as of late, speaks for itself.

Despite Vince’s F U that he delivered on Monday night, I still wonder if there is any glimmer of hope left. If Carlito being beat up actually leads to something for him, then perhaps, Vince did get the message last week and is willing to make changes. If next week comes and Carlito gains no revenge against Khali or has no interaction with McMahon, then you know that F U stands loud and clear.

The next question is, if Carlito is pushed into a program involving Khali, who eventually comes out on top? Now that question is what truly has me worried. As I have stated before, Vince has a major hardness for the tall and big wrestlers. Khali was put on Raw for a reason, and that reason was to fill the void that Triple H left (as foolish as that seems). With the intention to push Khali as a monster heel, what benefit would there be in having him lose to Carlito?

As much as I want to see Carlito pushed, I don’t want to see him in a feud with Khali, only to come out as the loser. If that were to happen, you might as well just refer to Carlito as a jobber for now on. That itself, would not only be Vince waving his middle finger in the air to all of us, but that would be him waiving both middle fingers, high in the sky while standing on top of a turnbuckle laughing.

Vince has a choice to make. He can continue to think he knows what the fans want and try to force feed his brand of entertainment, or he can make adaptations to deliver a better overall product. It’s too early to tell if what happened on Raw this week will deliver a McMahon middle finger to us all in the long run, or if he seriously understands that he needs to make a change, while capitalizing on the heel heat that comes with it. If Vince sticks to his guns and decides to screw each and every single one of the WWE fans, it may not make an immediate impact. But down the road, you will see that it will be the fans whom have the last laugh.

.:: Aimless Observations ::.

-For better or for worse, I decided to go head and try my luck at blogging. Having a separate blog gives me the chance to vent any random thoughts or ideas that come to mind, without having to write a new column. I figured I might as well give it a try. If it turns out that no one reads it, then so be it. The worst that can happen is I stop posting and move on. If you're interested, check it out at http://withreason.blogspot.com.

-I didn’t watch Final Resolution this Sunday, but from all accounts, the show bombed. That’s too bad for TNA. While as of late, I have enjoyed Impact, I still have found flaws that bothered me. This Sunday, however, really proved that TNA still is unsure what type of wrestling brand they are hoping to perfect. TNA simply needs to provide an alternative from the WWE programming. They need to concentrate on their storylines better and make sure they make sense. They could really use Paul Heyman right about now. The wrestling in TNA will speak for itself as they have many talented individuals who are capable of representing that brand well. I’m pulling for their company, but the success that they have the potential to reach is not going to be handed to them. They have to work for it, and there is still a long road ahead for them.

-As I discussed on the WV Discussion Forums after Raw, I was a bit let down by how the Shawn Michaels and Rated RKO match ended. While I didn’t expect Ric Flair to come out and turn heel on Michaels (the thought itself occurred to me which had me a bit excited), I was hoping something out of the ordinary would happen. At the very least, it would have been cool to actually see Rated RKO decimate Michaels to leave fans wondering what will happen next week as far as Michaels and DX goes.

However, a potential interesting scenario may arise if the WWE decides to go the route of a potential split in Rated RKO. With Edge leaving the ring and allowing Michaels to pull the chair shot on Randy Orton, there is potential for either Edge or Orton to turn face and feud with the other. Edge is a great heel, and I’d love to see him carry the WWE championship as a heel on a long-term basis, but I definitely can see him as a huge babyface. I’m not sure the fans want to cheer for Orton though.

-Speaking of Heyman, he continues to sit at home not doing anything, while collecting a paycheck, all for the sake of keeping him away from TNA. McMahon realizes that Heyman has the potential to help TNA, yet he doesn’t see any use for him in his company. Vince sees value in Heyman, however, his own ego has never allowed him to use Heyman for the long run. God could seriously walk in to Vince McMahon’s office and tell him how to help his company, and I seriously think Vince would insist that his way is correct and brush God away.

Just like Heyman, the same also goes for Rob Van Dam, who continues to be buried on the ECW brand. If RVD were to ask for his unconditional release, do you think there is any chance in hell he’d get it? Of course not! The WWE knows he’d sign with TNA and be another talent with the potential to help that company grow. If the WWE believes RVD can help TNA grow, then why don’t they have faith that he could be a valuable asset for their company? Past WWE superstars have done far worse than smoking pot and that didn’t prevent them from succeeding in the company.

The WWE may not acknowledge TNA or even think of them as a current threat, but you better believe they are thinking about them. And you better believe Vince has his eye on them.

-- With the WWE officially releasing the entrants for this year’s Royal Rumble, I am thinking about who I’d like to see win and what direction the company can go with it. Perhaps, a potential column idea for next time, or for the near future.

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