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Here’s how it works: each time out, we’ll take three current hot issues in wrestling, and then one of us will argue for each, and one will argue against each. For each question, we flip a coin to decide who’s taking which side, and then it’s up to us to formulate a cohesive argument for our position.
We’re hoping to make this a somewhat regular feature, though with our attention span we’ll see how well that goes. At the very least, this will hopefully convince everybody that I know what’s going on outside of ROH. I hope you enjoy it!
The first topic concerns the possibility of Ric Flair returning to the ring as an active wrestler. Ever since Ric Flair retired following his loss to Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania 24, a lot of people have wondered how long it was going to last, with rumors springing up almost immediately that he would come out of retirement to take a big payday for a shot in Japan. Nothing ever came of it, and though he asked for and was granted a release from his WWE contract to work the interview and appearance circuit, a lot of people expected that he would eventually break down and get back in the ring. In a recent interview, he stated pretty clearly that he’d love to return to the ring, but would not do so without the blessing of Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels. Should Ric Flair return to active competition?
The second topic relates to Charlie Hass and Shelton Benjamin and whether putting them back together is the right move at this time. They were put together as a team upon their debut on the main roster, and though they were originally split over five years ago, with each man getting sporadic, short lived pushes afterward, their paths have crossed several times in the years since the original split. Following this year’s draft, it seems that the team is officially back together, with Haas seconding Benjamin to the ring at Judgment Day and the two teaming on this past week’s Smackdown. Should Haas and Benjamin reunite as a tag team, or are they better off as singles wrestlers?
Finally, we take a look at Jeff Hardy and his apparently imminent exit from WWE. In spite of his well-known personal issues having held him back previously in his wrestling career, WWE took a chance and brought him back a couple of years ago and immediately made him a top player. At first, Hardy was said to have impressed people with how well he had cleaned up his act, but a pair of Wellness violations began to raise questions about his reliability over the long term. Despite being one strike away from termination, WWE continued to push Hardy, even going so far as to give him a short reign as the World Champion. Even after all that, and even with WWE waving every contract imaginable under his nose, it looks like Jeff Hardy is not interested in renewing his deal, and likely plans to leave WWE once his current contract is up in several weeks. Is Jeff Hardy making the right move for himself, or is he making a mistake by potentially burning WWE after all they’ve done for him?
Let the debate begin!
Topic #1 – Ric Flair
Why Ric Flair should return to the ring.
Stuart: I think one of the best reasons Flair ought to return to the ring was something that he himself said: he hasn’t suffered any major debilitating injuries and despite his age, he can still go. No, we’re not talking about wrestling at the same level he was in 1987, but we’re talking about arguably the greatest performer in the history of the business, he can still have good matches even without bumping around and going 60 minutes if you let him. A darker, but still valid reason would also be the fact that Flair probably needs the money. Let’s face facts, he’s been divorced three times, and his kids are racking up more in legal fees than a lot of us see in a year. I doubt he’s making as much doing the interview and appearance circuit as he thought he was, which is something some people saw coming. If he’s healthy and had a legitimate need to continue working, I don’t see why he shouldn’t be allowed to come back to active duty, even if you limit him to TV, PPV, and the odd house show appearance.
Why Ric Flair should not return to the ring.
Gregory: Ric Flair absolutely should not be allowed to return to the ring. Just look at the sendoff he got last year: after being carried by Shawn Michaels to the best match he’s had in at least ten years, he walks out of the ring for the last time at Wrestlemania to a thunderous standing ovation, and the following night gets a retirement ceremony unlike anything ever seen in the business, during which every top star in the company comes out and pays respect to him. Nobody had ever gotten that before and I’d be surprised if anyone got it ever again. In just over a year since then, he’s already burned WWE by asking for a release so he could go make money on his terms instead of doing appearances for the company that gave him the kind of respectful sendoff he never would have gotten from WCW. Does he further want to ruin that by getting back in the ring and making the whole thing completely meaningless? People bag on Mick Foley for going back on his retirement, but Flair doing the same thing would be even worse. And with all due respect, Ric Flair in 2008 was so far past his prime it was getting pathetic to watch. As much as you wanted to cheer for the guy, you couldn’t help but feel embarrassed for him when you saw him try to pull off some of his trademark spots and either not be able to pull it off or have it be saved by the guy he was working with. Flair coming back now would only serve to further tarnish his legacy.
Topic #2 – Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas
Putting Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin back together is a good idea.
Gregory: I know people see big things for these two as singles stars, but we have to live in the real world here. As much as some people (coughStucough) think ROH is the greatest thing around, the fact remains that on a national level, wrestling doesn’t sell on great technical wrestling alone. These guys have never shown the kind of charisma they would need to be successful at the top of the card. Don’t get me wrong, they’re both great athletes, but that hasn’t meant anything on a national level in years, maybe even decades. There’s a reason Billy Gunn and the Road Dogg keep ending up back together: no matter how much anyone tried, nothing could be made of them as singles wrestlers, so the best thing to do was go back to the one thing they’ve done that’s proven successful. Now, there’s obviously a vast difference in the athletic ability of the two teams, but the idea is the same: Shelton and Haas just don’t have what it takes to be singles stars, but they’ve proven themselves as a team, and if athletics counts for anything on any of the three WWE brands, it’s the one they’re on now.
Putting Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin back together is a bad idea.
Stuart: How many times are they going to chop Shelton Benjamin’s legs out from under him? No, going back to the well on these two as a team is a terrible idea because it just screams “no fresh ideasâ€. They’re a great team, yeah, but what do tag teams mean in today’s WWE? The answer is slightly more than the cruiserweights because they still at least have a title. Even still, being in a tag team in WWE means you’re on the treadmill to nowhere, and keeping either of these guys, especially Shelton, on that treadmill is criminal. I’m not being delusional here, I have no weird ideas that either of them will ever be main eventing Wrestlemania, but there has to be more you can get out of them than this. I’m not selling Charlie too short here, I don’t think he’s quite at Shelton’s level, but until they put them back together in just the last few weeks, he was lucky to get on TV at all. He’s turned into Val Venis. As for Shelton, I think a lot of people made the mistake of getting behind Shelton way back in 2004 when the team first split, and when he didn’t work out to the satisfaction of WWE (who knows why), we’ve been punished by spending the next five years being teased with half-hearted pushes that never happened. Shelton can be a very valuable upper midcarder in the mold of a Mr Perfect, but for whatever reason WWE refuses to get behind him enough to keep him there. Even Charlie could be a good, TV Title level guy (to use a WCW analogy), but that’s not happening. At least creative can still find something for them, unlike a lot of guys who have come and gone during their tenure with the company.
Topic #3 – Jeff Hardy
Jeff Hardy is making a mistake if he leaves WWE at the end of his contract.
Gregory: He’d be making a huge mistake by leaving. Jeff Hardy’s a guy who has had so many problems that he’s lucky WWE even gave him another chance in the first place. Not only did they give him another chance, but they made him the champion, despite the fact that regardless of the circumstances, he got nailed for two Wellness violations just since he’s been back. There was also that incident at the airport that got brushed under the carpet pretty quickly. Two words can describe Jeff Hardy if he leaves: Brock Lesnar. Just like Lesnar (and Flair last year, for that matter), we’re talking about a guy that WWE put a lot of money and promotion behind, and despite everything WWE did for him, he decided he didn’t want to do this anymore, thanked them for all the fish, and packed his bags. And people wonder why WWE is reluctant to push anyone new to the main event? At least they know that Triple H, Shawn, and Undertaker aren’t going anywhere. But with Lesnar, Flair, Rock, and possibly now Hardy bailing, I can’t say I blame them at all for being wary.
Jeff Hardy is not making a mistake if he leaves WWE at the end of his contract.
Stuart: This is exactly what Jeff Hardy needs for his own well being. It’s well known that the guys in WWE are under a lot of stress by being on the road as much as they are, and a lot of time that stress leads to personal issues of the sort I can’t get too specific about here. For a guy who has had repeated, documented issues of this sort, getting out of the business could be the best thing for him. He’s also a guy who has been working long enough and sold enough merchandise that he may not even be in a position where he needs to work more than the occasional shot here and there when the money’s right. Besides, Jeff’s a free-spirited kind of guy who obviously doesn’t work well within constraints set by others. Who knows how much longer he would last anyway? I think if he doesn’t want or need to work, you can do worse things than take him out of an unhealthy environment for him. As for WWE, yes, they’re be losing a major star, but they stuck their neck out for him more than once and there have been some bumps in the road, but they’ve gotten a lot of good years, a collection of great matches, and a ton of merchandise sold out of the deal, certainly way more than they would have if they had dismissed him out of hand like a lot of other people were ready to do. I think this was a business arrangement that worked well for everyone while it lasted, but it’s time for them to move on, no heat necessary.
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So there you have it. A little bit of debate is always fun, and this was certainly a blast. It’s not always easy getting ahold of Greg, but we’ll definitely try to do this again soon. Thanks for reading, and if you’ve got any thoughts to share on today’s topics or ideas for future topics, send then along to me at stupwinsider@yahoo.com and it may find its way into a future edition of Both Sides Of The Fence. Thanks for reading, and we’ll see you soon!
