Notes from the Nosebleeds #25
August 1, 2009
By: Matt O’Brien of WrestleView.com
When I began to write this column I had this grand idea about posting the definition of the word ?desperate? then spending the whole column describing how the definition describes the decision WWE Creative made in putting the World Championship on Jeff Hardy this past Sunday at Night of Champions. Obviously that plan has changed as you do not see the word listed above with a definition and giving you the instructions on how to correctly pronounce it. Instead I have gone a different route because my feelings have changed. I hope you enjoy this week’s Nose from the Nosebleeds.
At Extreme Rules WWE pulled an ace when they had Jeff Hardy beat Edge for the World Championship only to be challenged immediately after by CM Punk. Who would have thought? Here you had Edge as the top heel and CM Punk chasing him for the belt. Once Punk realized he couldn?t get a fair shot at Edge he took down Hardy when he was vulnerable. It was a brilliant move and created WWE’s rivalry of the summer between Hardy and Punk. Hardy’s reckless lifestyle was perfect fodder for Punk, the straight-edge superstar. Punk became upset when fans of Hardy booed him when they would have been behind him had he chosen Edge instead of Hardy to take down. Punk called the fans on their bluff and they began to resent him. Punk’s slow heel turn was footed in truth and the fans hated it.
After getting himself disqualified at The Bash, Punk and Hardy were primed for a rematch at Night of Champions. Rumors of Jeff Hardy’s impending departure from WWE became more certain, as did Punk’s likelihood of beating Hardy at Night of Champions, cementing his place as a legitimate World Champion by taking out the top star on the roster. But as we all know that is not what happened. Jeff Hardy, with roughly a month left to go with WWE, was awarded the WWE championship by the booking committee in the main event of Night of Champions.
So where does this booking decision lie? Is it so low that it is desperate, or was it high enough to be brilliant? Put yourself on the booking committee and ask yourself if you would give the World Championship to a guy who has a month left to go before he leaves the company. Few would consider this a wise decision. Sure it surprised some people, but now the predictability has only been pushed back and enhanced. We all know Hardy is going to drop that title in a few weeks, possibly to Punk in a rematch at SummerSlam. On the other hand it may be a brilliant move in that WWE now has fans on the edge of their seats, biting their nails, wondering when and where Hardy will drop the title and how they will pull it off. Perhaps they even have something huge in mind, so big that we could not conceive it.
I do have to say that while some may hate it, at least Hardy will be professional enough to drop the title. Here we have a guy on his way out the dorr who we know will be willing to drop the belt to whomever WWE chooses because he has demonstrated this professionalism in the past. Sure, his use of drugs brings up a different story, but can you think of a single time you saw Jeff Hardy beat someone in a match and thought ?I can?t believe Hardy wouldn?t drop the belt to him?? Exactly. Regardless of what happens, Hardy is a professional IN the ring and whatever happens within the next month will go as smoothly as planned.
So…what does WWE do from here? They have stunned the audience by having Hardy beat Punk for the championship, but what does that do for the next month? It merely gives a third reign to Hardy whom we know is going to lose the championship within a few weeks. Isn?t it the case that in stunning the audience at Night of Champions that WWE just pushed off the inevitable and made the future even more predictable when they had Hardy when the title? We all know that Hardy is going to lose the title very shortly. Look, I don?t think WWE has anything big in mind for this. At the same time, I don?t feel that what they did at Night of Champions was a desperate move. In the end, all I really think about the whole scenario is that we have to wait and see. I don?t care about the unpredictability pr predictability of this storyline. We know we are going to get another good match out of Hardy before he leaves. Who knows, Hardy might even stick around and hold onto the title. Yes it is unlikely but plausible.
I want to know what all of you think. You can email me or you can choose to react by what you do with your TV remote or your cheers and boos. In the end, this is not a good decision because WWE was creative. It is a good decision because of what you think of it.
Before I go I want to say thank you to my brother Dave. As I was writing this column I was very conflicted on this issue and he gave me some pointers on it. I hope all of you enjoyed the read and encourage you to debate with your family, friends, and yourselves about the decision WWE made. Was it a good decision or what it based on desperation? I leave it in your hands.
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