[Heyman]

Originally Posted by The CyNick I know for a fact that the WWE has no plans to unify the World Titles, they like having a champ on each show, and thats what they are sticking with for the near future. Personally, I like the idea of a unified champ, but the WWE doesn't feel the same way.

It's too bad. It would make the World title mean more. It would also allow for the WWE to create more potential match-ups, but . Oh well.

The skepticism on pushing mid card guys to main eventers is a fair one, given the WWE's history. The difference between then and now is that the WWE doesn't have anyone who is drawing money, and there is a sense of urgency in terms of making new stars.

True, but what do you do it this case?

1)Push guys like RVD, Jericho, Kane, and Benoit (who have been made to look 'inferior' to the likes of Triple H, The Rock, Austin, Goldberg, etc. for years)...

2)Push guys (right away) like Cena, Orton, and Lesnar in hopes that the fanbase perceives these 3 as 'extraordinary' due to them achieving so much in such little time, and not looking too inferior in the process.

I guess either strategy is 'ok' , but I'd be interested to see with what happens with option#2.

The other difference is that the WWE internally has faith in Orton and Cena, whereas 2 and 3 years ago they didn't really have faith in guys like Benoit, Jericho, Eddie, BT, and RVD. All of those guys were given mediocre pushes, but really the people making the decisions had no intentions of investing time and money into making them top stars. With Cena and Orton (WWE homegrown talent) there is a sense that the comapny wants to make them the new stars for the future.

That's good then. Let's just pray that the WWE pushes them 'the right way' in the mid-cards.

Edge is an example of a guy they planned on pushing, but due to injuries he obviously couldn't be pushed. If you look at what he was doing before the injury, he was having good matches with a lot of different guys, and getting a lot of wins. It was just a matter of time before they pushed him to that next level. They did give him the KOTR win a little too early, but when they decided to push him it was a strong push.

Speaking of Edge, do you really think he was *that* popular? I think Edge was popular, but was he as really as popular as guys like RVD, Jericho, and Cena? (let alone his predecessors Austin, The Rock, etc.).

With Lesnar, he's a little different. He was given the 'Goldberg' monster push, and they did a great job with that (until the day after Summerslam). The only problem is that you cant do that with everyone. So, the way they pushed Lesnar isn't going to be the same way you push guys like Cena and Orton.

Good point, but I think that the WWE could get away with it if they did it with Orton (and Cena). Just no one else from that point onwards.

I like the concept of Orton getting wins over Foley and Rock, but that might be too much too soon. People have to accept that Orton is at the level where he can beat Foley, but to have him beat Rock only a month later, in my opinion might be too much too soon. I'd rather see Orton beat Foley either at Mania or Backlash, and then maybe 6 months from now he beats Rock. That way people will have had even more time to accept Orton as a main event guy, before having him go over the biggest PPV draw in history.

True. I guess it works either way. I was just imagining the type of momentum that Orton would have with back to back wins over Foley and The Rock (and then soon to be followed over Ric Flair and Triple H).

With Orton then as champ, it allows guys like Jericho and RVD to 'step up' and contend for the belt.

But like you said - If Orton becomes champ, perhaps the fans' will perceive the belt to be a 'mid-card level belt.

I dont agree with the thinking that just because Orton beats Rock he is automatically over to the point where he makes RVD and Booker T a main event star. You actually run the risk of making the World Title become a mid card title like it was when Angle got his first reign, or even HHH when he got his first couple of reigns. To me, thats just about the worst thing that can happen. I mean you take Angle, and he beat Rock for his first title, but really fans weren't ready for it, what happened was that Angle as champ was relegated to the mid card. I think the same would happen if Orton were to win the big gold belt in the next three months people would see the World Title as a mid card title.

Keep in mind however, that Angle never had any convincing victories during his title reign (nor did Jericho). In both cases, both men cheated in all of their matches to win and therefore, didn't gain credibility. Ditto for Triple H when he first won the title. His win over Austin looked very flukey.

Would the same thing happen if Orton convincingly defeated Foley and The Rock cleanly? (to be followed with a clean win over Ric Flair, and then a semi-clean win over Triple H).

If you wait, Orton gets built up, and people see him as an uncrowned champ, and then when he gets the belt, people are like "yeah that makes sense", and they will accept it. Of course, like I mentioned the key is that they keep him strong, which I believe they will knowing what I know.

I hope you're right. I just worry that in the absence of Goldberg and Triple H, the fans won't really perceive anyone to be a 'main-eventer' due to the fact that guys like RVD, Jericho, etc. have been made to look 'inferior' for so long.



Just a quick thought with Benoit. If Benoit won the title from Triple H, would you consider him to be in the same position as Angle from a few years ago? (i.e. the fans will perceive the Raw World title to be a 'midcard' title).

I guess this depends on Triple H, but do you think he'll do the CLEAN job to Benoit?