RAISING THE GLASS ROOF!

Good lord, it’s been almost a month since I’ve sat down to write a column. For those of you that actually take the time to read it religiously on Fridays (there might be two or three) I’m sorry for the outright disgusting delay. The truth of the matter is that when you’re working eight hours per day, seven days per week, things like putting out your column on time isn’t exactly on top priority. But anyway, I’m at my school’s computer lab. What? You didn’t know I do summer school on top of two jobs? Well now you do. I missed my stupid bus because of my unit test. I’ve got a good forty minutes to kill so here I am. Let the column begin.

Vince McMahon is someone to be admired in certain aspects of business. One of those aspects is being able to realise when something is stale. Take for instance the main event card in the WWF. Between the months of November – present, the main event at every PPV has completely or partially consisted of HHH, The Rock, and the McMahon family. That’s a pretty monotonous looking main event. Just about every stipulation under the sun has been utilized to keep things interesting. My personal favourite is the fabulous Iron Man Match from Judgement Day. Who’d have thought that The Rock could actually wrestle a good match? It really makes you wonder. But anyway, the fans are getting tired of the same mix. The Internet is bitching and complaining about elevating new people. Did McMahon listen? Actually yes he did. McMahon knew that it was time for a change.

The elevation of Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, and Kurt Angle could not come at a better time. For the latter two parties, the WWF has carefully moulded them to conform to the style of wrestling that is commonplace within the federation. Combined with excellent mic work, it would be a waste of time to leave this guys in the mid card. As for Chris Benoit, this man has got over with mark and smart alike through shear workrate. Chris Benoit is a machine in every sense of the word. He goes out there, wrestles a good match at the very least, and always puts for 100%. That is something that can’t be said by the majority of wrestlers, especially as it concerns performance at non televised events. These three deserve the push up to the main event card. There was speculation by many that the main event WWF stars would end up being like Hulk Hogan and Kevin Nash in that they would be unwilling to "do the job" to elevate other people. The fear of losing "their spot" in the wrestling hierarchy is the main motivator for this kind of selfish behaviour. However, the main event superstars in the WWF have proven that they are willing to help the rest of the guys along the way. HHH and The Rock are both young men and have no fear of losing their stature. The Undertaker is nearing retirement and thankfully is willing to assist in the elevation of others before his career comes to an end. As a result, the glass roof is lifted, and the upper mid card is moving up to the main event card.

Coincidentally, the glass roof has been raised in WCW as well. Granted, it would appear that it’s only "half open" but it’s a start. The placing of the WCW World Heavyweight Title on Booker T was a great decision on the part of the booking team in WCW. A young champion with plenty of in ring skill was just "what the doctor ordered." Unlike the WWF, the main event card in WCW was full of wrestlers. The problem is that the majority of them are either injured (Bret Hart, Goldberg) or unwilling to be co-operative with the bookers (Psycho Sid, Kevin Nash, Hulk Hogan). So all that’s left are Jeff Jarrett and Booker T as credible main event talent. I’ve ruled out Scott Steiner only on the basis that he has been turned heel to face to heel so many times that whatever crowd heat he may have had is pretty much lost now. That’s an unfortunate circumstance because it looked like he had finally pulled his work boots out of the closet after all these years of crappy matches. It is my fervent hope that WCW puts a lock on their faces and heels and runs with what they have. Steiner could prove to be a great opponent for Booker T later on down the road. At present, we’ll have to settle for Jeff Jarrett. Thank goodness they haven’t turned him since he’s been in the fed. He’s the only one with credible and consistent heel heat.

As we move on down the road, both federations will have to make some further adjustments and elevations in order to keep the product fresh. From the WWF point of view, there is basically an unlimited amount of potential talent that could be elevated at any point. Edge has a very bright future in the company. His mic work and in ring work is excellent. It’s unfortunate that Christian probably won’t be around when Edge is moved up the ladder. The same can be said for Matt Hardy in relation to his brother Jeff. Jeff Hardy is this generations Shawn Michaels. Of that fact I have no doubt in my mind. As he ages a bit, his high flying attacks will be curbed a little in favour of a better-rounded arsenal of moves. Then he may truly prove to be the best wrestler of this generation. Tazz has the in ring skills to get the job done and his tenure in ECW has proven that his mic skills are just as credible as his in ring talents. Other wrestlers to look for as time progresses include Test, Scotty 2 Hotty, Eddie Guerrero, and Hardcore Holly (he’ll have to change the gimmick though). From the WCW point of view, there’s a plethora of stars that could be main eventing. Wrestlers include Lance Storm (needs better mic skills), Mike Awesome, Shane Douglas, Chris Kanyon, and Billy Kidman. Kidman more than any other wrestler on that list deserves elevation right now. He’s been with the company longer than any other mentioned wrestlers and his in ring skills are pretty high up there. On a side note, the only wrestler out of ECW that I think could succeed in either of the Big Two is Rob Van Dam.

The next few months will prove interesting. Both WCW and the WWF have opened the door for their younger stars to walk through into the main event. Present angles and statistics such as ratings and buy rates will prove to be the deciding factor. In both companies’ cases, I will be enjoying the product.

Pegasus Kid