Should we feel bad for Christian?

[Loss]

I kinda think keeping the Edge/Jeff feud going, having Christian come back and join Edge, and setting up a Hardys vs Edge & Christian 10-year anniversary ladder match (or something like that) and having Matt do the turn there would have been hugely memorable and given them something big to ride post-Mania, while also keeping Christian involved in a high-profile angle.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

That may have been a good idea, but I wish they had saved the Jeff title win for Mania and pushed everything back from there. It's really dumb that they took the belt off him so soon, and as much as I don't want to beat a dead horse, I hope nobody will groan when I say that I suspect Edge only got the title because they didn't have any other opponent for HHH.

[Loss]

No groaning here. In the past, despite any groaning, there was at least somewhat of an argument that HHH deserved his spot. But now, they've built up enough other strong main event level talent (Cena, Orton, Jeff Hardy, Jericho, JBL, Edge) that I'm not sure why he is still there, at least in the title match spot.

 

HHH now is probably even more stale than he was in 2002-2003. His heel act was overpushed, but as a babyface, he's just so boring and colorless. He would be fine as a heel just below the belt who sets up new challengers and is kept strong.

 

I wonder if they'll change the finish at the last minute yet again this year because they think HHH winning is too obvious.

[Bob Morris]

The only thing that worries me about giving Jeff Hardy a long-term push in the top spot is that he is one wellness policy violation away from losing his job. If I was booking WWE, I wouldn't plan a long-term run at the top for him until I was absolutely sure he had cleaned up his act.

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

Sure, that's true, but it's obvious WWE doesn't care about that all that much, so why not go with the most over guy? Besides which, as much as I hate to cast aspersions on the WWE (they put smiles on faces, after all) and their infallible Wellness Policy...Jeff Hardy isn't getting a third strike. Feel free to bump this as much as you want and call me stupid if he's cutting shoot promos in the Impact Zone six months from now but something tells me whether he stays clean or not he's staying on the WWE roster. Meltzer pretty much said so on Observer Radio this week (he was specifically referring to Randy Orton, but he was using him as the hypothetical example in saying that WWE either does or would cover up a test failure for a major, world champion-level star).

[Boondocks Kernoodle]

Actually, maybe I shouldn't be so sure. Jeff's suspensions (at least the second one I'm sure of) were for recreational drugs, which is something WWE actually does want their talent to be free of, and it's much harder to bullshit your way out of having a guy fail for, say, ecstasy, because you can't very well claim he had a prescription for it. But still, it is WWE.

[kjh]

I wonder if they'll change the finish at the last minute yet again this year because they think HHH winning is too obvious.

I'd say it will be a lot less likely this year for them to change their minds, as the draft lottery is happening the week after Mania, so everyone will probably be in new programs by the time Backlash rolls around. Unless they decide that Hunter needs to switch brands again, but it seems a bit soon to do that.