Most people aren’t surprised to find out that I haven’t liked the pregnancy angle involving Lita, but how could you not know, right? Most people have their opinion of Muhammad Hassan, but I haven’t really thought much about my opinions about him, so I guess I should do that, right? Batista hasn’t always been a favorite of mine since he showed up in the WWE, but slowly the Washington D.C. native has grown on me. I guess I should tell you, the reader, why, but even sometimes, I’m not sure; that’s bad, right?
The WWE hasn’t always been good at serious issues, but let’s face reality. That’s not what the WWE should be putting their energies into instead how about giving Triple H less TV time. Brian Pillman pulled out a gun, Sgt. Slaughter was convicted of being an Iraqi sympathizer, and Kane forced Lita into having sex with him and carrying his child. Oye ve! You can’t really look at Lita, Kane and Matt Hardy the same way again, unless you want to vomit.
Muhammad Hassan is great on the mic, but what is he really like in the ring? At New Year’s Revolution, the fans saw what kind of a wrestler he is and he DID shut King up for a bit. I can’t stand listening to King talk about puppies anymore, although I have to admit, he’s toned it down a bit. Hassan has been a hot topic among the IWC and I’m sure he’ll be that way for months to come.
Batista, Evolution’s big man, is coming out of his shell; he’s no longer just the guy that listens as Triple H goes on and on about himself. He is going to turn face, it’s just a matter of time and that’s not a bad thing; I will use an example that everyone uses when a wrestler’s turn is pushed too soon and I think we all know who that is! This has also been a hot topic among the IWC and let’s hope it works out better than the last time.
In this edition of the Widow’s Peak, I’ll be looking at the continuing saga of Kane, Lita and Gene Snitsky, Muhammad Hassan’s rise in the WWE and Batista’s well thought out babyface turn. I mean, I still can’t believe that Lita had sex with Kane, a prospect that I would have said to Matt Hardy: “Good luck with Kane, but I’m not sleeping with him to save you!”
I laugh a lot, I really do and Kane, Lita and Gene Snitsky make me laugh too. It’s so absurd the whole “It wasn’t my fault!”(WWE should really make that into a T-Shirt) storyline that has become stale. I like that Snitsky runs around, chasing Lita, watching her freak out and Snitsky telling her that he likes to play. When Snitsky caught up with the Hardy Slut, Eric Bischoff, always the “nice guy” said that at New Year’s Revolution he would be facing Kane. Snitsky looked scared and I laughed, at the storyline…AGAIN! This continuing saga has dragged out so long that I don’t even remember if Edge and Christian are brothers or just pretending(I know the answer, but for effect). It’s nice that Snitsky took out Kane, stalks Lita (like Kane did, remember?), then has time to look scared at a guy who slept with a dead woman!
There is a person that is missing, I can’t remember what he did, isn’t he with TNA? Ooops, that’s JEFF Hardy, but no, I’m talking about MATT Hardy; you know it’s just sooo hard to keep those two straight. Kane sent Matt to hell (which equals surgery) after he married Lita, (Matt came a bit too late. Maybe he was crying over this storyline) and then Kane was sent to hell as well, maybe he and Matt were roommates? Anyway, as you can see I like to kid about this whole thing, but to get down to business: Matt Hardy needs to do something crazy (yes that’s Jeff’s department, but he isn’t here) to get this storyline interesting.
On the WZ forums, there was a subject titled: The return of Matt Hardy and I was crazy enough to post a response there. We all know that Snitsky said when he explained his actions during the miscarriage angle; he was paid to do something dramatic. Everyone assumes that that said person is…Matt Hardy, but maybe he has a hand in it, but was indirectly involved. Some people believe in karma, I’m not one of them, but I digress, and this storyline would be the perfect opportunity for karma to get involved. There is also a saying that “Paybacks are bitches!” and that would certainly fit in this storyline, since it’s obvious that the WWE aren’t going to just push it to the wayside.
Kane isn’t the type of character that will just turn into this softhearted guy, but that seems to be what direction he is headed. Maybe after realizing that even though Lita married him, she is still in love with Matt; Kane decided that if he couldn’t be happy, that Lita couldn’t be happy either. Aggravated with Lita’s refusal to love him, Kane decides to remedy the delicate condition that she found herself in, by paying someone to be that remedy (it would be easier for someone else to do it than doing it himself). This is where karma comes in. After making Matt believe the baby she carried was his, she hurts him, she marries Kane and hurts him, then her baby dies, thus the chain reaction that she started comes back to bite her in the ass.
It would be an interesting twist in a storyline that has defied logic, thus continuing the logic that is lacking. Matt comes back, he apologizes about everything that has happened, but he has decided that Lita has hurt him too much for him to forgive her for hurting him. He would turn his back on her, tell her that he had a hand in her miscarriage and would stay a heel, something that Matt Hardy needs to revert into. This would add a dimension in Matt Hardy’s character that hasn’t been seen in him before. Matt Hardy has played the good guy, he has played the bad guy and it’s time for him to go bad again. For some reason, Matt Hardy makes a much more interesting heel than a face, don’t you think?
Everyone remembers where they were when John F. Kennedy died in Dallas in 1963. Everyone remembers where they were when Robert F. Kennedy died in California and Martin Luther King Jr. in Memphis in 1968. Everyone remembers where they were when Elvis Presley died in 1977. Everyone remembers where they were when President Regan was shot in 1982. Everyone remembers where they were when the World Trade Towers fell on September 11, 2001. It seems that only when a tragedy or tragic circumstances occur do people remember where they were and what they were doing when those tragic things happened. After September 11th, many WWE Superstars, including a crying Ivory and an irate Bradshaw (our dear John Bradshaw Layfield), sent out their condolences to the families of the people who died in the World Trade Tower attacks. For some reason the WWE seems to get caught up in the political aspect of the world and decide they know what they’re talking about.
The WWE took Sergeant Slaughter and turned him into an Iraqi sympathizer and people hated him for it. Now, with another war turning more violent by the day in Iraq, the WWE has brought in Muhammad Hassan and Dvorski. These two Arab-Americans have insulted the American people, the men and women serving in Iraq and Good Ole’ J.R. and Jerry “The King” Lawler, thus they’ve shown one side of how Arab-Americans perceive us. While everyone seems to be outraged over the whole thing, what both men say (well Hassan anyway) sometimes rings true. Many Americans (not all, but some) became afraid of any people of Arabian descent, many who didn’t have anything to do with the attacks.
Many things Hassan says are not true, but some Iraqi people seem to have that mentality that the WWE has instilled in Hassan. I do not know if Hassan actually feels this way about the United States, something that I would love to ask him. Of course, getting cheap heat is the best way for a heel superstar to get over; so insulting the American men and women serving in Iraq are the best way to start. If you’re playing an Arab-American who hates how people of the same descent are being treated by the American people, then go for it. However, I do think that the WWE is trying to make itself a serious product by going this political route, but with Christy, Maria, Candace and Lillian fighting with pillows; it’s kind of hard to take the WWE seriously.
So far, I have found no problems with this storyline and nothing has really bothered me. I guess I should commend the WWE for trying to take a serious issue and play it out with as much dignity as they can. However, it just doesn’t have to same ring to it with J.R. and King replacing Sergeant Slaughter, because no one has taken King seriously in a long time. It is ironic though isn’t it, that King told Hassan that maybe the reason why no one likes him is that he is a loudmouth jackass? Isn’t that what people have been saying about King for years now? Okay, so maybe I’m the only one who has found it ironic.
Brock Lesnar was made out to be the next big thing, just like the Rock and Triple H before him. It’s a shame that his attitude was nothing short of being an asshole before the WWE kicked him to the curb. I guess the thought of having to job to Goldberg and being Stunned by Stone Cold was too much for him, but the good thing is is that he took Sable with him. It’s only natural for wrestling fans to hate the heels and love the faces (JBL+HHH=Heels; Batista+Cena=Faces), but sometimes fans love the heels and hate the faces.
In my case, the latter part holds mostly true for me; my friends liked the Hardyz and hated Edge and Christian, I was the opposite. I hated Randy Orton as a heel and I hate him as a face, but I love Batista as a face and a heel. I mean you did see him on Raw right? He may be the look that the WWE has been looking for, but hasn’t found the right mixture of ability and mic skill. Batista has both; with both of them, as good as, I’ve ever seen him and he continues to impress. As in the case of Randy Orton, Batista is destined to for a face turn in the near future, possibly as close as the Royal Rumble. There is one exception in their rises up the WWE’s proverbial ladder; Batista’s turn will be a slow build up to beating Triple H.
Any turn needs to be slow, but sometimes it works at the drop of a pin (i.e. the Rock). However, in recent months, a turn happens literally overnight with not much of an afterthought. Randy Orton’s turn, if the WWE had gradually let it grow, could have had a bigger impact than it actually had. I think the WWE realized their mistake and are learning from that mistake with Batista; Triple H is always doing something to get himself out of trouble and this week on Raw, he was caught. However, the WWE’s buildup has not only helped them, but has also helped Batista; if after that one mistake by Triple H, had the WWE instantly turned Batista it wouldn’t have the impact that his slow turn is showing. His mic work wasn’t up to par with others, so instead of just shoving him into a babyface position, they let him work on it.
With Royal Rumble and WrestleMania 21 just around the corner, the time is now for the WWE to really start pushing Batista into the role that we know he can play. There will be a new champion crowned at WrestleMania and if there isn’t, the WWE has just played into the hands of the IWC that will show the weakness the WWE has shown since the InVasion. Batista is the next big thing and I hope the WWE will continue to show him in that light.
The WWE is starting to go into the right direction and even though I dislike Triple H, it was one of the better times to put the belt on him. I was rooting for Batista (but it’s too soon) and Edge (his character needs it. With all the whining he has been doing, just give it to him!). Muhammad Hassan has impressed many with his mic work, but is in ring skill is something that has to be worked on (at least he isn’t as bad as Lita). The Kane/Lita/Snitsky storyline has taken somewhat of a backseat from the injury of Lita; now it’s time for Matt Hardy to come back and stake his claim.
2005 is going to show if the WWE can capitalize on the positives of 2004 or the negatives of 2004. They are on the right track with Batista, which is even more better for him, we don’t want him to be the next Brock Lesnar, do we? Muhammad Hassan has made a huge impact and he will be one of the better assets the WWE has brought along; mic skills superb and the rest will come along. Who paid Gene Snitsky to take out Lita or will the WWE even remember that he said that? Kane is playing a babyface, but he seems unsure to trust Lita, who has taken herself out of women’s title contention. Matt Hardy is destined to return within the next month or so and what role will he play in this illogically told storyline? Hopefully more logic to what has proven to be more misrepresented than any storyline in recent years.
I’ve rambled on for too long now, so just to wrap it up:
“The war with Iraq hits close to home.”
“Batista is a step in the right direction!”
As always, you can reach me two ways, by email at [email protected] or in the WZ Columns Lounge at wzforums.com. I’ll be back soon with another edition of the Widow’s Peak where I’ll talk about TNA’s turnabout, what happens with the women’s division now and why Smackdown is in dire need of Christian. Until we meet again, good night and have a pleasant tomorrow.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
If you are interested in becoming a columnist or simply love reading wrestling columns and would like to interact with the Column Staff here at WrestleZone please check out the Columns Lounge. Simply click HERE and you can take part in the fun today.
