HHH taking over from Vince on RAW Options

[Hollinger.]

I think they definitely stuck the landing tonight. I didn't see that happening.

[sek69]

This is what I was afraid of when watching Raw, H coming back in any form or fashion will just get the audience they are aiming for with this "real" stuff instead turn to discussing how Hunter is going to ruin the angle for his own nefarious purposes.

Never mind that since his rise to his current level of power, his only real TV time has been the feud with Undertaker which he put over as just barely surviving before disappearing again.

I would also dispute the idea that he's not as over as the company/family wants us to believe he is. Yes it did take a long time for him to finally get over as a top guy in the eyes of the fans (which I would say was more a result of all the time he spent as the second banana in DX than anything else), but once he got there he was most certainly seen as one of the top guys in the company. His return from the quad tear was huge, the DX Revival was big (despite being booked amazingly one sided at times), there really hasn't been any point in the last 5-6 years at least where you could say he isn't looked at by the fans at the level the company sees him at.

It seems like the hardcores are still salty over the methods he used to get to the top and the people he threw under the bus. Once he takes over for good, he could go on a booking run better than anyone's ever seen and return things to the old school rasslin' everyone loves and people would still complain he's the guy who buried Booker T.

[jdw]

I would also dispute the idea that he's not as over as the company/family wants us to believe he is. Yes it did take a long time for him to finally get over as a top guy in the eyes of the fans (which I would say was more a result of all the time he spent as the second banana in DX than anything else), but once he got there he was most certainly seen as one of the top guys in the company.

As pointed out, winning feuds with Mr. McMahon, Foley and Rock at the very height of each of their popularities in six months will do that for you. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

His return from the quad tear was huge,

My thought would be to pop in that Mania again. Compare the crowd reaction to Hogan-Rock and Trip-Jericho. Close?

A "huge" comeback doesn't fizzle out in two months if it truly is huge.

the DX Revival was big (despite being booked amazingly one sided at times),

Trip running through Vince-Foley-Rock was 12/99 through 05/00:

12/12/99 Armageddon: Hunter Hearst Helmsley pinned Vince McMahon (29:45) in a "no holds barred" match

01/23/00 Rumble: Triple H pinned Cactus Jack (26:51) in a "street fight" match

02/27/00 No Way Out: Triple H pinned Cactus Jack (23:59) in a "hell in a cell" match

04/02/00 Mania: Triple H beat The Rock & Mick Foley & The Big Show (36:28) in a "four corners" match
* Rock pinned Big Show (4:41)
* Triple H pinned Foley (19:41)
* Triple H pinned Rock (36:28)

04/30/00 Backlash: The Rock pinned Triple H (19:24)

05/21/00 Judgment Day: Triple H beat The Rock (60:08) in an "ironman" match

The next thing you point to is a January 2002 return that meant nothing by Feb and Mar 2002. Then you jump foward to a DX reunion that happened in 2006. That side steps his role on top as the company's business went south over the course of four years. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

there really hasn't been any point in the last 5-6 years at least where you could say he isn't looked at by the fans at the level the company sees him at.

He has been the primary main event Wrestlemania wrestler since roughly 2002. Business has gone done in that period, yet they still build entire years around setting him up for Mania. It's a bit like Carson Palmer being the main event QB in Cincy: that was fine back before the major playoff injury, but time passed him by since that point and if Cincy really wants to be a serious playoff contender, they need to kick his ass to the curb.

That's been the WWE. They're lucky that there isn't a real competitor with something fresh or they would have been as exposed as WCW was one Austin and Rock took off and fans found Hogan and Flair & Co stale as all shit.

It seems like the hardcores are still salty over the methods he used to get to the top and the people he threw under the bus. Once he takes over for good, he could go on a booking run better than anyone's ever seen and return things to the old school rasslin' everyone loves and people would still complain he's the guy who buried Booker T.

From a business standpoint, I'm less concerned about whether he brings back the wrestling we all love. I can pop in one of several hundred DVD's in the den to see some of that. I'm also less concerned about him delivering some of that new fangled stuff that people creame their jeans about: I'll go see some of that at PWG this Saturday.

What I'm more concerned about is taking it as an article of faith that Trip will be an improvement from Vince and WWE Creative over the past decade. After all... other than Vince, Trip has been the central figure in WWE Creative for that decade.

John

[Matt D]

His return from the quad tear was huge,

My thought would be to pop in that Mania again. Compare the crowd reaction to Hogan-Rock and Trip-Jericho. Close?

A "huge" comeback doesn't fizzle out in two months if it truly is huge.

Jericho cleaning up after Steph's dog. I don't know what point I'm trying to make with that. I'm just raising it.

[jdw]

His return from the quad tear was huge,

My thought would be to pop in that Mania again. Compare the crowd reaction to Hogan-Rock and Trip-Jericho. Close?

A "huge" comeback doesn't fizzle out in two months if it truly is huge.

Jericho cleaning up after Steph's dog. I don't know what point I'm trying to make with that. I'm just raising it.

It's a story revolving around Steph and Trip. They controlled that story. So if it bombed because of the dog, blame Trip and Steph... and more importantly Trip for not making sure Y2J wasn't strong enough to carry the alleged main event of Wrestlemania, and tell Steph she was being an idiot if she was the one pushing the stupid elements of the storyline.

That's one of the problems with Trip at the time:

"I am super star and my comeback is so big as a face that it doesn't matter what we do with Jericho: people want to see me kick his ass!"

Trip thought too highly if himself. It was quite enjoyable to watch that thing fall flat after the greatness of Hogan-Rock. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

John