Avenger
03-05-2006, 01:15 PM
Well as we all can assume, Vince is going to get his ass off RAW after he buries HBK at Wrestlemania and we will be presented with a new GM for World Wrestling Entertainment's flagship show. When Eric Bischoff was originally booted off RAW by Mr. McMahon speculation was... speculating that the new GM could be anyone from 'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes to... Chris Nowinski. Right now I am going to give you a rundown of who I believe are the main contenders for the job. I've taken into consideration all the crazy rumors we heard to the current state of this industry. Oh, and the first one is a shocker.
Bret Hart - yes, the Hitman himself as the new General Manager of RAW. Dishing out his own brand of Calgary justice to the likes of John Cena, Triple H, Carlito and... HBK?
Now you people might say I am crazy. However if certain events fall into place as I expect, it is not an impossible turn in events. First and foremost, how could Bret ever want to take on a schedule with WWE again? How could he go back there, leave his home in Italy to go on the road with the boys again? Well he wouldn't have to. Just Monday nights and one PPV a month. WWE would surely fly him back and forth every week. Bret would be back on TV, probably only for a short spell, but he would have the opportunity to remind us of his character and make sure his legacy lives on by introducing himself to the new generation.
If all goes well with this induction into the Hall of Fame at Wrestlemania, and he appears on the show itself. It is very possible Bret might like what he sees, he might feel he could stick being backstage, he might feel that Vince really is sorry for what happened and accept that he did it for the good of the company Bret wanted to stay with. Bret could see an opportunity to wave his influence about backstage and perhaps make some sort of change to a company with whom he is most probably disillusioned in a creative sense anyway.
On TV Bret would be great figure to have around. A face authority figure who will take no shit from cocky heels such as Carlito. His character would most likely give us matches we want to see. However there is one question that remains. What about the Heartbreak Kid? Well isn't it time that HBK maybe moved on, retired or at least went to SmackDown! for one last run to put over some young stars he hasn't had a chance to yet. Let me paint a picture. Wrestlemania, Chicago Street Fight, Shawn Michaels versus Vince McMahon. If Vince loses, he has to leave Shawn alone, he can't fire him, he can't harrass him, Vince stays off RAW and out of HBK's way. But if Vince loses... HBK is fired from RAW. We would perhaps even have a young SmackDown! heel cost HBK the match and set up a feud leading into Summerslam. Maybe even Batista, Benoit. I haven't totally thought it through.
Anyway, it's one to think about. Question is, would HBK be the real stopping block. Or is HHH the one who could dissuede Bret from coming to RAW? If this is the case, would Triple H actually leave RAW to make room for the Hitman? Doubtful.
Ric Flair - This one is simple. His ring skills are starting to wain, he's old, not able to put on the matches he could 25 years ago. However, on the mike, Flair is still the best. He's still gold, and God forbid we lose that on RAW. He's done the authority figure angle before, and he pulled it off. His prescence on RAW is going to be hard to lose. Why not? And, if this is the road WWE goes down, why not make it interesting and have the classic co-GM angle which worked so well for Bischoff and Stone Cold? That leads me to my next point, his possible co-GM...
'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes - Think about it. Flair and Rhodes would be gold together on RAW. Backstage and in-ring skits would be brilliant to look forward to each week with these two. Imagine a possible match between the two at Summerslam. They could really pull something interesting out of the bag. Even if this was only short-term it would be so original for the current WWE climate.
However, Rhodes as the lone GM on RAW? One word... ugh?! Can you really see the RAW crowd popping for him being announced as new GM as they might for Bret Hart or Stone Cold. Do you really think 4.5 million wrestling fans on a Monday night are all familiar with Dusty's work? I don't think so. This, in my book, would be a huge mistake.
Shane McMahon - Money, money, money. That's exactly what Shane is, in front of and behind the camera. Probably WWE's best possible authority figure. He is charismatic, young, funny and damn good in the ring. He can take bumps unlike Bret and in a way Vince. Shane is a huge possibility for this job. All the hints are there from WWE. He's getting more TV time and the SNME street fight with Shawn Michaels could lead onto something after Wrestlemania leading up to Backlash. If Shawn doesn't want a full-time program, a continuation of this McMahon feud is possible. However stale it might get.
At this point of the article there are several possible names I would like to throw out there which are clearly candidates but really need no extended discussion. Stone Cold Steve Austin's name is going to come up for obvious reasons, it's been done, it's old, he's old, it wouldn't work. Austin's character can still provide good entertainment on WWE TV but every week? No. And how can you trust the guy after everything. Too unreliable. There is also Mick Foley. Yes, I know it's been done aswell, Commissioner and all that. But I think Mick could interract really well on TV every week with Carlito, Masters, Shelton, John Cena and obviously Edge, with whom his feud could broaden. Personally I think the Big Show would make brilliant GM. He is the funniest guy in this business and a few months as an authority figure would be something different for Big Show. It worked for Angle. Then we have... ugh... Stephanie McMahon-Levesque. The only way this would even come close to working for me was if we acknowledged her marriage to Triple H, I know we've seen it before but they did work well together on TV. However we know they have a stranglehold on things off-camera, do we really want that in front of the lens aswell? Before I move onto my next choice, let's all join hands in prayer that Jonathan Coachman is not the next GM. That is all.
Paul Heyman - Hey(man), does this need anymore explanation? Heyman on TV is brilliant. Heyman as GM leading up to One Night Stand II would be phenomenal. We would see old ECW guys on RAW, RVD getting World Title shots... who am I kidding actually?
Heyman would be brilliant back on RAW. A quick power struggle with Vince then a feud with a top face/heel on the roster. Heyman trying to hold down Cena would put a smile on all our faces, am I right?
Then there's always the possibility of putting a young pretender into the job. I know we would all love to see Chris Nowinski as the new GM. He's young, charismatic, fresh, the fans would probably remember him, and most importantly... he makes me laugh. Nowinski would be your perfect heel authority figure, not quite as tyrannical as Bischoff, maybe a little more human. But a great heel all the same. Now you might all kill me for this next suggestion. But... Carlito? Think about it, Carlito fakes an injury as an excuse for losing his WM match and goes on to do exactly what Nowinski would offer. Gold.
Now, my final choice is in my mind the most likely candidate. Yes, you guessed it...
Eric Bischoff - Vince thought Bischoff had done all he could offer on RAW, he was stale. But still an assett to the company. Vince might have no choice here. Does he really want to set Bischoff loose to join the likes of TNA? Does he want to keep him, but give a job backstage, thus giving him power the WWE!? The only other choice would be to put him back in front of the camera as the GM of RAW. A massive swerve. None of us saw it coming... well not most of us. A few months off camera for Bischoff, his character was getting stale and maybe this was just what it needed. And furthermore! What if Bischoff is revealed at Wrestlemania, and brings with him, his new acquisition... Dajip Singh, 'The Giant'. He is rumoured to make his debut at 'Mania and if he came to RAW as Bischoff's enforcer it would be a great way to ease him in.
Would it really be so bad to have old Bisch back? Not really in my books. He always did a great job on RAW and has a strong character established already. No need to build up the likes of Rhodes or Nowinski.
Anyway, this is me signing off. What do you think?
Bret Hart - yes, the Hitman himself as the new General Manager of RAW. Dishing out his own brand of Calgary justice to the likes of John Cena, Triple H, Carlito and... HBK?
Now you people might say I am crazy. However if certain events fall into place as I expect, it is not an impossible turn in events. First and foremost, how could Bret ever want to take on a schedule with WWE again? How could he go back there, leave his home in Italy to go on the road with the boys again? Well he wouldn't have to. Just Monday nights and one PPV a month. WWE would surely fly him back and forth every week. Bret would be back on TV, probably only for a short spell, but he would have the opportunity to remind us of his character and make sure his legacy lives on by introducing himself to the new generation.
If all goes well with this induction into the Hall of Fame at Wrestlemania, and he appears on the show itself. It is very possible Bret might like what he sees, he might feel he could stick being backstage, he might feel that Vince really is sorry for what happened and accept that he did it for the good of the company Bret wanted to stay with. Bret could see an opportunity to wave his influence about backstage and perhaps make some sort of change to a company with whom he is most probably disillusioned in a creative sense anyway.
On TV Bret would be great figure to have around. A face authority figure who will take no shit from cocky heels such as Carlito. His character would most likely give us matches we want to see. However there is one question that remains. What about the Heartbreak Kid? Well isn't it time that HBK maybe moved on, retired or at least went to SmackDown! for one last run to put over some young stars he hasn't had a chance to yet. Let me paint a picture. Wrestlemania, Chicago Street Fight, Shawn Michaels versus Vince McMahon. If Vince loses, he has to leave Shawn alone, he can't fire him, he can't harrass him, Vince stays off RAW and out of HBK's way. But if Vince loses... HBK is fired from RAW. We would perhaps even have a young SmackDown! heel cost HBK the match and set up a feud leading into Summerslam. Maybe even Batista, Benoit. I haven't totally thought it through.
Anyway, it's one to think about. Question is, would HBK be the real stopping block. Or is HHH the one who could dissuede Bret from coming to RAW? If this is the case, would Triple H actually leave RAW to make room for the Hitman? Doubtful.
Ric Flair - This one is simple. His ring skills are starting to wain, he's old, not able to put on the matches he could 25 years ago. However, on the mike, Flair is still the best. He's still gold, and God forbid we lose that on RAW. He's done the authority figure angle before, and he pulled it off. His prescence on RAW is going to be hard to lose. Why not? And, if this is the road WWE goes down, why not make it interesting and have the classic co-GM angle which worked so well for Bischoff and Stone Cold? That leads me to my next point, his possible co-GM...
'The American Dream' Dusty Rhodes - Think about it. Flair and Rhodes would be gold together on RAW. Backstage and in-ring skits would be brilliant to look forward to each week with these two. Imagine a possible match between the two at Summerslam. They could really pull something interesting out of the bag. Even if this was only short-term it would be so original for the current WWE climate.
However, Rhodes as the lone GM on RAW? One word... ugh?! Can you really see the RAW crowd popping for him being announced as new GM as they might for Bret Hart or Stone Cold. Do you really think 4.5 million wrestling fans on a Monday night are all familiar with Dusty's work? I don't think so. This, in my book, would be a huge mistake.
Shane McMahon - Money, money, money. That's exactly what Shane is, in front of and behind the camera. Probably WWE's best possible authority figure. He is charismatic, young, funny and damn good in the ring. He can take bumps unlike Bret and in a way Vince. Shane is a huge possibility for this job. All the hints are there from WWE. He's getting more TV time and the SNME street fight with Shawn Michaels could lead onto something after Wrestlemania leading up to Backlash. If Shawn doesn't want a full-time program, a continuation of this McMahon feud is possible. However stale it might get.
At this point of the article there are several possible names I would like to throw out there which are clearly candidates but really need no extended discussion. Stone Cold Steve Austin's name is going to come up for obvious reasons, it's been done, it's old, he's old, it wouldn't work. Austin's character can still provide good entertainment on WWE TV but every week? No. And how can you trust the guy after everything. Too unreliable. There is also Mick Foley. Yes, I know it's been done aswell, Commissioner and all that. But I think Mick could interract really well on TV every week with Carlito, Masters, Shelton, John Cena and obviously Edge, with whom his feud could broaden. Personally I think the Big Show would make brilliant GM. He is the funniest guy in this business and a few months as an authority figure would be something different for Big Show. It worked for Angle. Then we have... ugh... Stephanie McMahon-Levesque. The only way this would even come close to working for me was if we acknowledged her marriage to Triple H, I know we've seen it before but they did work well together on TV. However we know they have a stranglehold on things off-camera, do we really want that in front of the lens aswell? Before I move onto my next choice, let's all join hands in prayer that Jonathan Coachman is not the next GM. That is all.
Paul Heyman - Hey(man), does this need anymore explanation? Heyman on TV is brilliant. Heyman as GM leading up to One Night Stand II would be phenomenal. We would see old ECW guys on RAW, RVD getting World Title shots... who am I kidding actually?
Heyman would be brilliant back on RAW. A quick power struggle with Vince then a feud with a top face/heel on the roster. Heyman trying to hold down Cena would put a smile on all our faces, am I right?
Then there's always the possibility of putting a young pretender into the job. I know we would all love to see Chris Nowinski as the new GM. He's young, charismatic, fresh, the fans would probably remember him, and most importantly... he makes me laugh. Nowinski would be your perfect heel authority figure, not quite as tyrannical as Bischoff, maybe a little more human. But a great heel all the same. Now you might all kill me for this next suggestion. But... Carlito? Think about it, Carlito fakes an injury as an excuse for losing his WM match and goes on to do exactly what Nowinski would offer. Gold.
Now, my final choice is in my mind the most likely candidate. Yes, you guessed it...
Eric Bischoff - Vince thought Bischoff had done all he could offer on RAW, he was stale. But still an assett to the company. Vince might have no choice here. Does he really want to set Bischoff loose to join the likes of TNA? Does he want to keep him, but give a job backstage, thus giving him power the WWE!? The only other choice would be to put him back in front of the camera as the GM of RAW. A massive swerve. None of us saw it coming... well not most of us. A few months off camera for Bischoff, his character was getting stale and maybe this was just what it needed. And furthermore! What if Bischoff is revealed at Wrestlemania, and brings with him, his new acquisition... Dajip Singh, 'The Giant'. He is rumoured to make his debut at 'Mania and if he came to RAW as Bischoff's enforcer it would be a great way to ease him in.
Would it really be so bad to have old Bisch back? Not really in my books. He always did a great job on RAW and has a strong character established already. No need to build up the likes of Rhodes or Nowinski.
Anyway, this is me signing off. What do you think?