New Smackdown GM

[dtswatman84]

who do you Mr. McMahon will announce a new General Manager For Smackdown
You Can I pick anyone on smackdown or past wrestlers no raw
superstars

[Graymar]

Teddy Long WILL be named new GM...

But who SHOULD be named...

NOBODY...the GM angle is played out...IMO.

BTW: Has everyone heard that Sean O'Haire was arrested for assualt on two females in a NC bar?

Graymar

[David Bazzy Basnett]

Personally I would like to see Sable as a heel , been Smackdown GM manager . Though personally nobody beats Kurt Angle as a heel . ///
Suzanne (the wife) says 'The Undertaker' \\\

[DoubleR]

I'm with Graymar...the GM angle has been done to death and needs to go...let's get back to the days of the heel cheating in the ring and not in the front office.

[vinnie]

dtswatman84 said:

who do you Mr. McMahon will announce a new General Manager For Smackdown
You Can I pick anyone on smackdown or past wrestlers no raw
superstars

TEXT

[abe froman]

they need to bring back stephanie mcmahon

[GalactiKing]

So she can ruin Smackdown like her hubby is doing to Raw?

[Joe]

I hate to always be the voice of reason on this subject, but how exactly is Triple H is ruining RAW?

For one, I was unaware that Triple H had complete control over the show. Secondly, and please correct me if I am wrong, but isn't RAW the best, as well as most watched, wrestling program on television?

[Talison]

Triple H is ruining Raw because for some reason or another him being married to Steph makes people extremely mad.

Yes, he's had long title runs, but they pale in comparison to those had by Savage, Hogan, and Bruno. Billy Graham still has the longest heel reign ever, Hunter has not surpassed him. And even though people say that they want less frequent title changes Hunter having the belt makes them extremely mad as well.

Nobody mentions that when he was hurt everyone was practically begging for him to return. Or the fact that he routinely has solid, well fought matches (especially now that he has dropped some weight). People complain that he cheats to win to much while praising Flair as the greatest wrestler ever. And he holds down younger talent, even though he is only 35 which is still young in pro wrestling. Austin was 35 when he won his first title. Benoit was 37. Hogan was 31. Flair about 32. Bret was 35.

For whatever reason Triple H has been repeatedly subjected to a double standard. It's almost as if people hate him and don't know why, so they make up reasons to. Always mentioned is his back stage politic and creative control; two things the average fan has no proof of.

Nuts to the fact that he is one of the most solid, dependable wrestlers they have. Austin walked out once, and then demanded to much after being back. Rock's off making movies. Angle keeps getting hurt. Taker isn't getting any younger. But Hunter being married to Steph means that he is going to be there for awhile. And he is the best heel in the buisness.

But as he wins his 9th World Title people are already complaining that he "used his influence." The real critisism should be on the writers for not knowing what else to do besides putting the belt on their most solid performer who will use it well but does not really need it. And the fact that the company on the whole put the belt on Orton not to elevate him but to remove Lesnar as thier youngest Champion.

They had a great story line with Orton and they killed it. The company on the whole should be blamed. If Hunter is part of the creative team than he shares blame, but this is not soley the work of Hunter Hearst Helmsly.

[Smashguester]

AMEN! Preach on Talison! Triple H is the champ, long live Triple H!

[GalactiKing]

Yes, Hunter is part of the creative team. He also books his own matches for the most part. So he's part of what to blame on Raw.

[Talison]

My point is how do you know that? How do you know he's on the creative team? I've never read any press release from the company, heard a comment in an interview, or even read a news story that would confirm that he was on the creative team.

And if he books his own matches he booked his first or second PPV win this year last night, cause he's done nothing but loose most of the year.

[Like Watching Paint Dry]

Talison said:

My point is how do you know that? How do you know he's on the creative team? I've never read any press release from the company, heard a comment in an interview, or even read a news story that would confirm that he was on the creative team.

And if he books his own matches he booked his first or second PPV win this year last night, cause he's done nothing but loose most of the year.

Troy is correct Hunter is part of Creative. In fact, it goes beyond that as Hunter is part of Management. In fact it goes beyond that...as Vince McMahon himself has publicly stated (on Off the Record) that Hunter (along with his children) is the heir apparent to take control of the company in the future. Everything he does now and has been doing is fixed toward the moment he assumes this position outright.

You will not see any company press releases on this as there's no reason for it. What you will find however is a pattern among former employees from both the Creative branches (ex. Kevin Kelly) and talent (Bill Goldberg, Crash Holly) openly speaking out on Hunter changing his storylines, stunting people's pushes and working the entire show around his character.

You will also find on Internet sites the various 'private' sources (guys like Paul Heyman, RVD, Chris Jericho among other low level talent) complaining about getting undercutted, having their angles changed, having pushes derailed, being made to look weak, ect. at the direction of Hunter. He's not just some wrestler, he's the son in law of Vince McMahon, the husband of the bosses daughter and one of the publicly proclaimed 'chosen ones' to take over the company. While it's true that people can use these facts as a crutch to overexaggerate...one shouldn't ignore the pattern of charges named against him and check common sense at the window either!

Since the return of HHH after the quad surgery in early 2002, Hunter has main evented EVERY RAW PPV since his return despite ratings and buy rate declines ever since. This included keeping the belt during a groin injury that made his matches completely unwatchable.

His angles dominant every TV show, and the commentators put him over as the focus even on shows when he isn't there. Long time fans (who tend to be the ones complaining loudest) aren't fooled by any of this. I remember this same backlash toward Dusty Rhodes in JCP in the 80's. Back then there wasn't an Internet and the business wasn't nearly as open as it is today...yet the reality was Dusty was ego booking for himself and many of the fans figured this out and resented how it negatively impacted the product.

Personally I don't 'hate' HHH. Pro wrestling is a cutthroat business and he has every right to look out for himself and do whatever is necessary to be successful. He has his merits as a performer, has a tremendous work ethic and I find him entertaining to a degree.

Yet I do hate the creative stagnation that has developed with his being the centerpiece of the show ad nauseum over the course of the last 2 and a half years (with or without the belt). The sad reality is that win or lose, Champion or not, there is likely to never be a featured program on the Raw television or on PPV that doesn't have Hunter main eventing. Going on well over 100 weeks of this non-stop never ending HHH is Raw cycle is something I don't look forward to. as a fan.

Sadly until he retires...this cycle will just continue on and on and on and on.....

[Chris Ingersoll]

Beautifully put. Bravo. I have but one thing to add:

Guest-Like said:

Sadly until he retires...this cycle will just continue on and on and on and on.....

I think you mis-typed "dies". Being a McMahon-in-Law means that he is in a position to potentially affect things well beyond retirement.

[Talison]

Well, I could argue several of those points with you.

Vince called him an heir apparent and said he had a good mind for the buisness. He never said he was involved in creative or management. To my knowledge only Stephanie is involved in creative.

Yes, several stars have commented on Hunter's creative control. I can be wrong but I don't recall any story where someone said, "Hunter came to me and said... " The reason I say this is becuase a lot of people who are unhappy will blame thier higher ups. Sometimes rightfully, sometimes not. It comes down to a who do you belive situation, bcause again none of us are there to see it.

Triple H has not main evented every PPV involving Raw since his return in early 02. While they were still having joint PPVs his World Title defences frequently took backseats to WWE Title defences, most notably at the Royal Rumble 03 and Mania 19. He didn't even wrestle at Vengeance 02. This year he's only not main evented Summer Slam, but his PPV record this year is something like 2-3-1 having dropped 3 losses to Chris Benoit. His loss at Mania made him the first World Champ in WWE history to tap away his title at Mania.

His angles do dominate TV. So do those of nearly every other main eventer in Raw History. The entire Invasion angle seemed to revolve around Austin at one point. When Austin was not on tv it was as if all his fellow Alliance members could only talk about him.

Now, wether you like him as a fan or not is your right. While I enjoyed Hogan dominating the 80s I know others didn't. All I cn say to that is to send them a mesage by not watching or better yet useing thier viewer feedback on thier website. Sooner or later Vince will have to realize that he need writers that understand wrestling and move toward change.

[Chris Ingersoll]

Talison said:

His loss at Mania made him the first World Champ in WWE history to tap away his title at Mania.

You know, I don't think I've ever seen that point brought up before. It is an interesting one, as my (admittedly spotty) memory can't find a prior example, mostly due to the nature of most World/WWE Champions using knock-out moves as finishers. Before Benoit, I can really only put Bret Hart in the "submission" category, and he certainly didn't make Yoko tap.

EDIT: I meant of people who won their titles at WM. Obviously there were other submission-based Champions before, like Flair.

That being said, the fact that HHH isn't the first champion to throw his weight around doesn't excuse him from being the one guilty of it now. The only real difference is that we know about it more than we did fifteen-twenty years ago.

[chrismystery]

Chris said:

Beautifully put. Bravo. I have but one thing to add:



I think you mis-typed "dies". Being a McMahon-in-Law means that he is in a position to potentially affect things well beyond retirement.

lmao

I have quit watching WWE because Tiple H is so boring. I used to turn off the show whenever he showed up, but when your character is the main character it's hard to get around him.

After speaking to many fans I have come to a conclusion...People who are fans of the WWE/WWF seem to be fans of Triple H. While, people that are wrestling fans can't stand Triple H. Remember these fans are not "I hate Triple H because he sucks!" fans. I am talking about "I don't watch WWE anymore because I don't like Triple H" wrestling fans.

The fans that hate him are usually WWE fans and continue to watch. Wrestling fans, like myself are waiting for a new alternative.

[Talison]

You make an interesting point, Smoke. I would somewhat agree with you. But I think it depends on who you talk to.

My older brother hates Triple H and he continues to watch because he loves wrestling. He's always loved wrestling. He's not going to stop watching for one man.

I myself like Triple H, I think he's a good performer. I do think we get to much of him. But I watch because I also love wrestling. Hunter isn't at the top of my list. And WWE has given me a lot to like this year with my two current favorite wrestlers, Eddie & Benoit, both holding World Titles. And being of Mexican decent I was very happy to see Eddie become the first Mexican World Champion.

Still, what I like about wrestling can usually be seen in th undercard. And it seems it's ben that way long before Hunter even started calling himself Triple H. Definately before he became a major player.

[Like Watching Paint Dry]

Talison said:

"Vince called him an heir apparent and said he had a good mind for the business. He never said he was involved in creative or management. To my knowledge only Stephanie is involved in creative."

I realize different people follow the product to different extents. It's been common knowledge in some circles that's Hunter has been attending creative meetings (with powerful input second only to Vince) since before 2000. It coincidentally coincides with his relationship with Stephanie, which is when criticism of him began from those inside and outside the business. The voices of discontent grew louder as his influence grew. It was not something that just happened one day, it was an evolving process due to factual occurances.

Below is a link to an interview Hunter did with the Wrestling Observer in 2000. In it he publicly acknowledges his 'creative input'(I'd suggest copying and pasting the text for legibility). Note his power and influence is considerably more today (being named publicly as Vince's heir apparent) than it was back then. Yet even then the shenanigans were visible to those in the know:

www.triplehunleashed.com/info/archives/wo1100.html

Here's a direct quote:

Q: Dave Meltzer has called you the smartest man in wrestling because of the fact you have only done one pay-per-view job since 1996. How do you feel about that?
H: The thing is to me when guys are on top . When have any very, very tippity-top job guys done a bunch of jobs?

Q: The Rock.
H: "Not to say this in a bad way, but that was to build talent toward certain things. I've heard everybody say that Triple H has way too much say with Vince (McMahon). I don't feel that at all. When I go into production meetings and give my input into the show, 90 percent of the time I'm not talking about my stuff. I'm talking about other things that are not even my angle. Purposely when I'm in meetings talking about things in my matches, I don't say a word because I don't want people to think -- especially other agents - that I'm lobbying for my own causes. I have no problem putting anybody over in the business under any circumstances. I never have and don't now. Here's the thing: I know the critics of our business know what they want to see and what they want to hear. That's all . If people want to make something of it, then they can. It doesn't bother me."

Talison said:

"Triple H has not main evented every PPV involving Raw since his return in early 02. While they were still having joint PPVs his World Title defences frequently took backseats to WWE Title defences, most notably at the Royal Rumble 03 and Mania 19. He didn't even wrestle at Vengeance 02. This year he's only not main evented Summer Slam, but his PPV record this year is something like 2-3-1 having dropped 3 losses to Chris Benoit. His loss at Mania made him the first World Champ in WWE history to tap away his title at Mania."

The Raw title was established in September 2002. Triple H was simply handed the belt by fiat (which itself was ridiculous). Yet the split brand PPV's didn't begin until June of 2003. For each and every event, Hunter has either:

i. Been the Champion
ii. Challenged for the belt
iii. Been given more television time than the Champion if not involved in said program...winning his matches and gaining an immediate title shot thereafter

Here is a list of the events, including combined brand shows:

Bad Blood 2003 World Champ Triple H pinned Kevin Nash (21:01) in a "hell in a cell" match. Mick Foley was the special referee.

Summerslam 2003 World Champ Triple H beat Chris Jericho, Shawn Michaels, Bill Goldberg, Randy Orton, and Kevin Nash (19:15) in an "elimination chamber" match.

Unforgiven 2003 Bill Goldberg pinned Triple H (14:57) to win the World Title.

Survivor Series 2003 World Champ Bill Goldberg pinned Triple H (11:44).

Armageddon 2003 Triple H beat Bill Goldberg and Kane (19:28) in a "triple threat" match to win the World Title when he pinned Goldberg.

Royal Rumble 2004 World Champ Triple H DKO Shawn Michaels (22:46) in a "last man standing" match.

Wrestle Mania 20 Chris Benoit beat Triple H and Shawn Michaels (24:47) in a “triple threat” match to win the World Title.

Backlash 2004 World Champ Chris Benoit beat Shawn Michaels and Triple H (30:08) in a "triple threat" match when he forced Michaels to submit.

Bad Blood 2004 Triple H pinned Shawn Michaels (47:23) in a "hell in a cell" match.

Vengeance 2004 # World Champ Chris Benoit pinned Triple H (29:04).

Summerslam 2004 Triple H pinned Eugene (14:06)

Unforgiven 2004 Hunter defeats Randy Orton for the title!

Note the matches where Triple H doesn't have the belt are ALWAYS (without exception) in programs where more television time is devoted to it's build up than that of the Champion. Non title matches with Shawn Michaels & Eugene lead to decisive Triple H victories with him soon again challenging for the belt. Wins and losses mean nothing because the HHH character is ALWAYS centered as the focus of the promotion. It's a horrendous booking pattern that made guys like Booker T, RVD, Chris Jericho and so many others look like jokes. This is why the promotion is hurting so badly, and there's no sign of a creative turn around.

Most recently, in the occasion where Benoit defended the belt against someone other than Triple H, it was due to 'fluke' battle royal wins by Kane & Orton, not because of a definitive elevation of another heel on the roster. Hunter always wins his blow off programs decisively, and then returns with another title shot. The cycle of him as perpetual top heel never ends.

Talison said:

"His angles do dominate TV. So do those of nearly every other main eventer in Raw History. The entire Invasion angle seemed to revolve around Austin at one point. When Austin was not on tv it was as if all his fellow Alliance members could only talk about him.:

The difference between Steve Austin's drawing power and that of Hunter is profound. Historically when Vince has a headliner who when positioned on top sees a decline in television ratings, house show attendance and PPV buys...he shakes things up. He downgrades the old, he creates new stars, he takes chances on new people and elevates from with-in the roster. Yet with Hunter...this is NOT HAPPENING. In fact his position, despite his failure in every objective measurement of business, is more secure than ever. You can speculate for yourself 'why' this is....

Talison said:

"Now, wether you like him as a fan or not is your right. While I enjoyed Hogan dominating the 80s I know others didn't. All I cn say to that is to send them a mesage by not watching or better yet useing thier viewer feedback on thier website. Sooner or later Vince will have to realize that he need writers that understand wrestling and move toward change."

Vince runs a family business. Hunter is family and isn't going anywhere. If Vince was going to put good business practices first, Hunter would've been demoted around the time of his groin injury. It didn't happen...and likely never will. Until he hangs up his boots on his own accord, he'll be perennial top heel, rotating Champion and undisputed star of the Raw show!

[Talison]

Now that is the proof I was looking for. I can admit when I'm wrong.

Also I find it interesting that so many complain Hunter was Handed the World Belt.

Buddy Rogers was handed the WWWF World Belt
Pat Patterson was handed the IC Belt
Ted DiBiase was handed the shortlived WWF North American Belt
Mick Foley was handed the Hardcore Title
Verne Gagne essesntially was handed the AWA World Title.
Thesz won his first NWA World title when Orville Brown could not appear do to injury. Brown had been recognized as Champion by the board when the NWA formed.

Handing Champions titles isall to common. Not that that makes it right.