WWE Cashes In - Getting More Exciting

It seems to be a rarity that the WWE actually makes you sit on the end of your seat and just say "wow!"

The question is however, is it the superstars that makes the difference or is it the writing? Maybe there is no right answer, maybe it is a mixture of the two, I don't know - I am inclined to blame the writing for not coming up with many surprises.

However, the past few months have actually been pretty exciting. You have Undertaker "banished" from the WWE, you had Raw not have a champion after Night of Champions, CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, Triple H move to SmackDown, it really has been exciting.

Let's start a little farther back with the Undertaker vs. Edge. I have to be honest, not knowing of Takers injuries that he is taking some time off now to heal, there is no way I saw Undertaker losing to Edge in a TLC match back at One Night Stand. One Night Stand is not a major PPV like SummerSlam, The Great American Bash, the Royal Rumble or WrestleMania.

You felt as if Taker was going to retain the championship as their feud was coming to a head after months, dating back about a year. Speaking of Money in the Bank, that is how Edge won the title way back when from Taker to begin with after Mark Henry came out and destroyed Taker and Edge came out and cashed in, nailing the spear and winning the title. That launched a huge feud between Edge, Taker and Batista.

So, having screwed Taker, you figured Taker would get a little poetic justice at an average PPV, One Night Stand, in Edge's Match, the TLC Match. However, as everyone now knows, Edge threw Taker off the 20 foot ladder over the top rope through four tables and won. It actually took me a minute for me to take it in. I don't think I was the only one fooled that night.

Then, more recently, there was the McMahon's Millions Mania. Honestly, the first week I found it a bit droll. However, they added a little fun with it, having Kelly Kelly come out and dance, having a return of Ric Flair and I loved The Great Khali screaming at the phone.

The of course was this past PPV which was actually better I felt than One Night Stand. Yes, One Night Stand was great with all the hardcore matches, but there was more surprise with this PPV. As they had it set up, SmackDown or Raw could have wound up with all the titles.

Edge faced off against Batista, Batista being drafted to Raw, Kane was also drafted to RAW, holding the ECW Champioship, and John Cena who remained on RAW faced off against Triple H who was drafted to SmackDown.

Triple H being drafted to SmackDown in and of itself was a big surprise. It was known he didn't want to leave RAW. And it seems that whatever Triple H wants Triple H gets. He wanted the WWE Championship, he won it. He wanted to stay on RAW, you assumed he wasn't going to be on the move, but he was. But back to Night Of Champions.

You don't see many inter brand title matches - they open a lot of curiosity. If Cena won and Batista won, were we going to see a battle of the bulls, much like when Cena battled former WWE superstar Bobby Lashley? I don't think that anyone thought that RAW would come away with no titles in their possession. Then Triple H won his title back at Night of Champions and Edge retained his as well. I thought we were going to see a battle of supremacy on SmackDown. Having two titles would have created a little havoc on SmackDown and would have been fun to watch - especially since they need something to up their viewership. Everyone knows that RAW is the flag ship brand. ECW is almost like a minor league team where up and comers get to practice on television and gain some fans and become known just before they burst upon the scene or for superstars who they just don't have a story for at the moment.

But again, to my surprise that is not what they did. Edge came to RAW to interrupt JR's farewell speech and mock RAW when Batista came out with rage written on his face after being screwed the night before out of the World Heavyweight Championship. Batista destroyed Edge, ramming his shoulder into the post of the ring, battling him in the crowd and eventually delivering the Batista Bomb. To me, I saw this as an opportunity. Edge said he was never coming back to RAW ever again. This led me to believe there was another inter-brand match between Batista and Edge at the Great American Bash as Edge would want retribution.

However, as we saw, that was not the deal either. After Batista laid out Batista in the center of the ring CM Punk's music hit and out came CM Punk with his Money in the Bank briefcase in hand and referee by his side. He hit the ring, a World Title Match was announced, a Go To Sleep was hit and in a matter of seconds there was a new champion on RAW - not the way I envisioned a title being brought back to RAW at all.

There were rumors that i would be a while before CM Punk would cash in his briefcase as he wasn't ready to be given the title, but that didn't stop CM Punk from making history on RAW.

Even smaller things such as the Tag Team Championships were a bit of a surprise. I didn't catch on that Cody Rhodes would be Ted DiBiase's partner. Rhodes had a goody goody character. It wasn't until DiBiase said last night as he and Rhodes were about to lock up in the center of the ring that DiBiase said he wanted Hardcore Holly. That was when it clicked - by then of course it was a surprise. Rhodes turned around Holly, nailed him with the DDT, DiBiase locked in a Cobra Clutch turned into an inverted Russian Leg Sweep and Rhodes and DiBiase became the new Tag Team Champions.

Two young second generation superstars are the new Tag Champs. Good idea - honestly I didn't see it until it was too late.

Now, there are still some questions we have to ponder about. First, who will Hardcore team up with to take on the youngsters? Secondly, how long will CM Punk hold the title. He is not very tall or very built, giving up a lot of size in the ring - who will he take on and how will they put him over on other superstars? What rivalries will come from this? And lastly and most importantly, as it seems that Edge and Triple H will battle for the WWE Heavyweight Championship, how will Taker come back and get his revenge on Edge?

So, the WWE actually shocked me a little, now I just hope it continues and they don't disappoint me and all of us after about six to eight weeks of interest.

Dark Matches Better Than Televised Matches

Can you believe DX reunited?! Well, they kind of reunited.

Before and after shows there are untelevised matches and matches that go on inbetween RAW, Smackdown and ECW.

This is common knowledge but it is time to start inserting those matches into the televised programs.

DX still reunites off the air, the Undertaker often performs the tombstone piledriver on his opponents, just the other night a cage match was performed as DX and John Cena took on (I believe) JBL, Randy Orton and Umaga. DX and Cena reportedly all hit their finishers simultaneously and did the DX chop.

I believe the main event for that RAW was Cena and Triple H vs. Orton and JBL - fact is I don't even remember - I think I would have if I saw a six man cage match with a DX reunion!

Everyone loves DX and wants to see a reunion. Why do they only reunite off the air? If they are reuniting, why not do it on television?

If the Undertaker is performing - one of the greatest performers of this generation and may retire soon - why not air him?

If you are hyping up a PPV, why not hype it up more with better matches on television?

It is just annoying that the best matches are never seen. The best matches, outside of their PPV matches are off the air. It is great that the performers treat the fans at house shows and the fans who bought expensive tickets to a RAW, Smackdown or ECW events, however, it would be nice to actually see some of those matches.

Titles on the line, specialty matches, reuniting of stables can all be seen at house shows but not on television. Something seems wrong with that - doesn't it?

Orton To Turn Face In Upcoming Weeks?

Randy Orton will be defending his WWE Championship against JBL at the upcoming PPV. Well, it will be a fatal four way, with the match also including John Cena and Triple H.

It doesn't seem like the crowd wants Cena to win the WWE Championship, as he is probably one of the best baby faces the industry has that gets treated like a heel by the fans. JBL is a heel all the way, having beat on Finlay and Hornswoggle at WrestleMania and bragging about it. Lastly, Triple H is probably closest to being a face although he has some major heel qualities like hitting his pedigree on anyone at any time and using a sledgehammer. Most other superstars would get major fan heat for using weapons.

So, Orton is a heel, but his character is having signs of turning face, as he and JBL are not getting along. He has however been a face in the past when he separated himself from "Evolution" and faced Triple H who at the time was a heel.

Since then, there roles have changed dramatically and they have had their fights, some with Triple H as the heel and some as Orton as the heel. When Orton was a heel and faced Triple H however, it was when he and Edge formed Rated RKO to take on DX. Triple H got injured during that rivalry and Triple H naturally came back as a face as many supersars do after an injury or absence, and Orton stayed heel.

So, will Orotn turn face again and Triple H become heel again to spice up this rivalry? Afterall, Smackdown writers want Triple H to move to Smackdown to take on The Undertaker. What better segway than to turn heel on RAW and then move over to Smackdown and take on the biggest dog in the yard?

I guess the next few weeks will tell a lot about character development.

Triple H To Hold WWE Title Or Turn Heel

In the past it seemed that Triple H always intended and even wanted to turn heel (or at least rumor had it) after he came back from his quad injury this past summer.

Apparently, his situation has changed. Wrestlezone.com is reporting that Triple H wants to have a title run on RAW while Smackdown writer Michael Hayes wants Triple H to come over in the WWE Draft Lottery and feud with The Deadman himself, The Undertaker.

It is hard to argue, but Wrestlezone.com reports that many within the WWE don't expect Triple H to go over to Smackdown, as they say that Smackdown is considered the second rate brand.

It has been well documented how much backstage pull Triple H has and if he doesn't want to move, chances are, he is not going to move. Problem is, with John Cena also on RAW, how are they going to split up the gold that both superstars tend to hold for long periods of time? m Is there room for two baby faces who always have championship gold around their waist?

Besides, Triple H makes such a convincing heel. There are not many people that can draw in the crowd like Triple H does, whether he is heel or face. Also, if he went back to Smackdown, he could eventually renew the feud that he and Batista had before Batista was drafted a few years ago.

Chances are however that this will never happen - what Triple H wants, Triple H gets, and he wants a title run as a face, so don't be surprised to see him taking the WWE Championship from Randy Orton as soon as this next PPV.

Mania Missing A Star

At WrestleMania, the Grand Daddy of them all, there will be one star not shining. That one star Swantoned out of the sky and got his own "Twist of Fate."

It was unfortunate to hear that Jeff Hardy was suspended and needed to go to rehab for drinking prolem. It is sad for him as a person, for us as fans, ad for anyone involved in WrestleMania, as while he may have never been Heavyweight or WWE Champion, no one can dispute that he can put on just about as good of a show as anyone in the business today.

I, as a fan, remember hearing a rumor that Hardy even wanted to do a crazy stunt hitting a Swanton Bomb higher than the one he hit on Randy Orton from the rafters a few weeks before the Royal Rumble. Everyone remembers him getting nailed in TLC matches with spears 20 feet above the ring, the Swanton's he has done off ladders, through tables, and even through a ladder where Edge has lay in last years Money in the Bank match.

It was rumored on wrestlezone.com that Vince McMahon was not exactly copletely angry with the Hardy suspension as it shows cogress, and I'd assume, probably other superstars as well, that he would be willing to suspend a big superstar at a huge pay per view, showing his wanting to keep the sport of wrestling clean.

This was Hardy's second violation and a third means the firing of Hardy from the WWE; something no body wants to see. Hopefully the "Rainbow Haired Warrior" and WWE's ultimate daredevil can come back after his suspension clean from drugs and alcohol and continue to do what he does best and entertain the WWE fans.