After watching the Rumble, one thing was made abundantly clear: The audience loves Eddie Guerrero. This is not to say that they are into John Cena as well, but the chants of Eddie's name were sustained through many parts of the match, they loved his backstage segments, and their were very significant boos when he was eliminated from the Rumble.
Now, I realize that at the moment the WWE sees Cena as the the chosen one to unseat JBL as champ. I don't know how the crowd would have reacted if Eddie was in the final four instead of Rey and had it come down to a choice between Eddie or Cena which way they would have leaned. Putting all smarkyness aside though and forgetting about who is the superior worker (which obviously goes without saying), but who the character that the audience prefers is, I would have to say it's Eddie. I think that the crowd would have bought Guerrero as one of the final 2, or even the winner at the Rumble.
The plan does seem to have Cena be the one that defeats JBL, and it makes sense seeing as Eddie has lost in any subsequent rematches for the title. The WWE also probably figures that Eddie had his shot and it didn't turn ratings or buyrates around. Cena is their future while Eddie is a good deal older. That being said, the crowds seems so into him. It seems that it's best to strike when the iron is hot, otherwise the opportunity will slip by which is why they're pushing Batista to the moon right now. I think that they should switch direction on Smackdown and let Eddie get the title back at Mania, finally getting revenge for his loss last year.
I could be wrong, and just misinterpreting the crowd reaction. Or maybe, as much as I'd like to put my bias to the side, I'm not in the target demographic any more. Maybe it's the idea of a champion whose promos mainly consist of jokes accusing his opponents of being gay that is lost on me.
(edited by The Squire on 1.2.05 1132) They gotta bring these back!!!: "talk to the hand because the man don't understand." - "The Crippler" Chris Benoit "...and that is the LAST WORD." - "The Big Nasty" Paul Wight and of course: "Don't hate the playa...HATE THE GAME~!" - WCW World Champion Booker T
I think a lot of the reasoning has to do with the fact Eddie's popularity hasn't really diminished despite the fact he isn't carrying the belt. He doesn't *need* the belt right now. Smackdown needs bonafied new main eventers... Cena winning the title gives him the extra credibility push to get him over the hump from popular upper mid card US title holder to main event superstar / face of the brand.
Whether it works or not is another matter entirely. I've never been a fan of Cena (even when he was "fresh" on the mic), and don't see it... but ya never know.
SD needs to push the young guys now and WM is their chance to reboot SD into an aggressive, young roster.
Angle is obviously not long for this business. Taker had his many, many shots against the champ and couldn't make it happen. Plus he seems to get stuck with the big, new guys (Heidenreich, Jones, Morgan, etc.). Booker's time may have passed. Eddy certainly isn't on the wane as a commodity, but he needs a strong feud to keep him from becoming more of a gimmick than a character. And God bless Scotty for his recent scare, but that doesn't suddenly make him a worthwhile employee. For a time he was a SD Job Squad mainstay, along with Spike, Nunzio and Shannon.
They are using the new blood, but slowly. The Bashams have the belts again almost by default; the Dudz are MIA, RVD is hurt, Dupree and Susuki are treading water. And that's the problem, really. So much energy is going into a muddled tag scene becuase the title picture is filled with established folks and a large stable. Dupree, Akio, London, Haas, Chavo, even Kidman and Rey are hovering without a purpose. Jindrak, Reigns, and Orlando. You might see them on a regular basis, but have they developed individually? Do they have value beyond stable fillers?
Then there's Cena. I think of all the young guys (and compared to Orton), the WWE has used Cena just right. Unfortunately, Carlito and Jesus got hurt and that left him with no one to feud with. But he's scary-over and he got there by force of will and skill.
The others need to be pried away from the gray morass of lazy writing and given something to do. Let them feud (but well; unlike the London/Kidman/Chavo angle's weak conclusion). Move the other guys aside just enough.
(edited by Matt Tracker on 1.2.05 0743) "To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
Originally posted by Mayhem Kidman is still around? Has he even been seen lately?
That's what I'm talking about. He had a killer angle going with a well-done heel turn and then POOF! Is he hurt? Is he hanging with the Dudz? I don't think I've seen him since the Dec. 7th taping, when he lost the cruiseweight battle royale to Funaki.
Granted, he was hardly a new prospect, but he had some momentum going. The crowd hated him but loved to see the Shooting Star.
"To be the man, you gotta beat demands." -- The Lovely Mrs. Tracker
I agree that they have to use more of the new guys on the show, But no one has really been built up besides Cena. I think that in order to do this, you need to have a strong Champion that will make you want to see him feud with these other stars being built up.
So do you have Cena as the standard bearer of the brand, or do you have it be Eddie? It just sounds like the audience wants Eddie in that spot.
They gotta bring these back!!!: "talk to the hand because the man don't understand." - "The Crippler" Chris Benoit "...and that is the LAST WORD." - "The Big Nasty" Paul Wight and of course: "Don't hate the playa...HATE THE GAME~!" - WCW World Champion Booker T
I'd have to say Cena. Eddy had a very good run as WWE champion, even if his title defenses on PPV consisted of JBL (rolls eyes). Cena is way over with the fans. So is Eddy, but it would be nice to see a new guy get a run with the belt.
If Rob Van Dam is the whole fucking show, I am the whole fucking poster!
All I keep thinking as I'm reading through this thread is "People complained about the old WCW and how they only ever pushed the 'old guard,' and now they are asking for the old veteran to be pushed over the more-than-just-promising new star."
Originally posted by sentonBOMBAll I keep thinking as I'm reading through this thread is "People complained about the old WCW and how they only ever pushed the 'old guard,' and now they are asking for the old veteran to be pushed over the more-than-just-promising new star."
Well, there is a HUGE difference between Eddie Guerrero and guys like Hogan, DDP, Nash, Hall, etc., etc. For one, Eddie can still go.
(edited by geemoney on 1.2.05 1530) College, Sports and More!: Experience It
Eddie is definitley over, as I attended a house show back in November in a building with about 4,000 people. However, Eddie's pop was still just about the loudest pop I have ever heard, and it sounded like I was in a stadium.
The thing with Eddie, however, is that the last time he was champion it seemed that he could not handle it emotionally, and I heard that he was even relieved when they took the title off of him. If this is true, then I think it's better to have a happy mid-card Eddie than a depressed WWE Champion Eddie.
The answer to WWE's financial problems...
Never 'Wiener of the Day', and is actually quite bitter about it.
Originally posted by OMEGAEddie is definitley over, as I attended a house show back in November in a building with about 4,000 people. However, Eddie's pop was still just about the loudest pop I have ever heard, and it sounded like I was in a stadium.
The thing with Eddie, however, is that the last time he was champion it seemed that he could not handle it emotionally, and I heard that he was even relieved when they took the title off of him. If this is true, then I think it's better to have a happy mid-card Eddie than a depressed WWE Champion Eddie.
If you're the champion of your brand, everything falls on you. If a show sucks or doesn't draw, you get blamed. You're the figurehead. You're the flagship. You get the blame. Personally, I think it's a mistake to give titles to young guys like Orton, Cena & Lesnar so early in their careers (and their lives) because they might not be able to handle it. Then again, Eddie reportedly couldn't either. And I wouldn't call Eddie mid-card. He's pushed very well and almost always has a very prominent spot on the card.
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Originally posted by FreewayPersonally, I think it's a mistake to give titles to young guys like Orton, Cena & Lesnar so early in their careers (and their lives) because they might not be able to handle it.
Though in Cena's case, they've groomed him for this for nearly two years and at this point the WWE has to let him have his Graduation Day and see what he can do with the top spot. This isn't a case of a guy with an underground following or someone who's been pushed beyond the bounds of logic. This is something they've been working him towards since 2003 and it's time to see what he can do.
It's like your kids once they're college-aged. Sometimes all you can do is hope you raised them right and that they can take care of themselves.
(edited by Blanket Jackson on 1.2.05 1552) ""Get out of my face, or you'll see what I'm like!"
Plus, Cena has a rap album coming out and if he were to hit the talk show circuit, it might (and that's a big might) bring a little more curiosity to the table if there's mention of WWE Champion John Cena being on the show.
"It just sounds like the audience wants Eddie in that spot."
They do. And that's after he lost every match to JBL, was jobbed out to Angle, used to put over Jindrak and Reigns, and put in a midcard tag program. He's still the star of the show and their only legitimate individual drawing card, but the company is content to ignore all that, leave him out of the mix, and turn him heel for no reason other than it's something to do.
I wouldn't have any objections with going strong with Cena, despite his weak in-ring, just because there's a far greater potential for success with him as champion than there is with JBL, who is never going to mean anything as world champion no matter how many consecutive PPVs end with his 'shocking skin of his teeth oh what a rascal' victories. Guerrero got the rawest of deals and realistically should still *be* WWE champion, after having been booked as a legitimate champion who decisively went through Booker, JBL, Angle, Show, etc. to make him a real Latino hero who su gente can get behind. But that's a pointless cause at this ... point, so I hope Cena wins the title at Mania.
Still, the idea that Eddie is part of the old guard who needs to abdicate the top for new guys is laughable considering that he's spent a grand total of five months in his career as a headliner and is, what, two years older than the other new guy who's going to carry them to the promised land in Batista? It's not about age, it's about shelf life on top, and Guerrero is overflowing with it with the crowd still heavily into him, but it's probably going to go untapped.
Originally posted by OMEGAThe thing with Eddie, however, is that the last time he was champion it seemed that he could not handle it emotionally, and I heard that he was even relieved when they took the title off of him.
True, but you have to take a look at what kind of shape the SD brand was in at the time: Angle & Show were both hurt, Benoit was on Raw, Lesnar left, they didn't want to put RVD against Eddie, Booker was doing the almost-voodoo character as well as being Taker's bitch, Taker wouldn't work heel against Eddie, and the JBL super push was just beginning. The guy had no help, and the strain of carrying the show kicked his ass. On top of that, Raw was starting to catch fire, so SD looked even worse in comparison. If they don't leave him swinging in the breeze like they did last time, Eddie could make for a good champ.
I can't help but laugh at how everyone is talking about "how over Eddie is now." Especially when you're talking about how he was received last at the Royal Rumble. Yeah, Eddie and Rey both got a lot of pops. And where was the PPV again? Fresno, F'ing California. A city where 40% of the population is Latino ( http://fresno.areaconnect.com/statistics.htm ). Let me say it again: Eddie and Rey both got a lot of pops. How is that any different than Trish and Edge being cheered in Toronto? Or any other wrestler being cheered around their hometown ( I know Fresno is no where near Eddie's hometown, but it's the same idea)?
Let me say this. I'm not saying Eddie's not over. But when your logic is how he is cheered at what amounts to a homecoming, I think you're reaching a little bit.
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What I wouldn't give for Mikey Whipwreck to come in and join up with those damn Hardy BoyZ. Then turn on them in two weeks flat and set them on fire. Now that would make for interesting television.