Shades Of Gray #15

In this week's column, I'll discuss Triple H's move to "SmackDown!". Will the move create more opportunities for workers on "Raw" and "SmackDown!" alike? I'll also discuss Kane's outburst at the end of "Raw." Who was Kane referring to when he asked, "Is he alive or dead?"

The "Links of the Week" will recap all of the major happenings from the past week, including Kane's outburst, Shawn Michaels finally confronting Chris Jericho, Braden Walker's WWE debut, and Triple H's first match on "SmackDown!" since the Draft. In honour of Mickey Knuckles' horrifying injury, "Extras" are devoted to a number of pro wrestling screw-ups, from botched entrances, moves, and more.

Triple H on "SmackDown!"

After the shock of The Game being drafted to "SmackDown!" wore off, I realized that we were finally going to have to oppourtunity to witness a dream feud that has been teased in the past, but has never followed through: "The Game" Triple H versus "The Rated R Superstar" Edge. Unfortunately, much of the focus has been on Edge and Vickie's broken relationship, rather than on any personal animosity between the two. Still, two of the best workers in the business (as well as two of the most politically adept), will wrestle at The Great American Bash in what will likely be the match of the night.

Perhaps Edge will screw The Game out of the WWE Championship and the program will continue through SummerSlam with more heat between them. However, others expect Undertaker to make his return during Edge and Vickie's wedding, which would likely put an end to the short program between Edge and Triple H. Maybe it's just not meant to be.

Besides Edge, Triple H will also get a chance to work guys that he's never had a chance to in the past, most notably, MVP and Funaki. Others that made the move from "Raw," such as Mr. Kennedy and Umaga, have never worked a long-term program with Triple H either. However, The Game has been hit and (mostly) miss when it comes to elevating wrestlers to higher positions on the card. He's put over his buddies, Randy Orton and Batista, but he buried Rob Van Dam in 2002.

And even though he lost to John Cena at WrestleMania 22, Triple H buried Cena on the mic, calling him a "bad wrestler," and he recently called Cena "uncoordinated" in the build toward their match at Night of Champions. Dumb. So even though guys like Kennedy and MVP will benefit from working with another experienced veteran on "SmackDown!", they likely won't come out of their matches with a chance to move up in the company.

Reports indicate that the main reason Triple H (along with J.R. and Jeff Hardy) were moved to "SmackDown!" was to give prestige to the Friday night show in anticipation of the move to MyNetwork TV in the Fall. Certainly, "SmackDown!" will need all the help it can get - I hadn't even heard of the network before its association with WWE. But perhaps the biggest benefit of all from Triple H's move to "SmackDown!" is the opportunity presented to the wrestlers on the show he left behind.

It's no coincidence that on the first night Triple H was off "Raw," CM Punk won the World Heavyweight Championship. That wouldn't have happened with Triple H on the show. Other younger stars, such as Kofi Kingston, Ted Dibiase and Cody Rhodes have gotten more spotlight too. Perhaps Triple H's absence has opened up the spot for Kane's main event push as well.

With all that being said: what are the odds of Triple H getting drafted back to "Raw" in next year's Draft?

Kane's tirade on "Raw"

This will sound repetitive to those who follow my writing, but Kane's spontaneous outburst after losing the Fatal Four-Way was indicative of the recent "anything can happen" feel on "Raw." For the third week in a row, fans are eagerly anticipating the upcoming episode of "Raw," just like they had after Vince McMahon's accident and CM Punk's surprise victories over Edge and JBL.

The outburst was executed well, from not being able to hear what he was saying at first, further enhancing the suspense, to the timekeeper's sick bump over the guardrail, and Lilian's frightened scream when Kane went after her. It should be noted, though, that the ending was rather anticlimactic - there must be some reason why Jerry Lawler didn't take a chokeslam to end the show.

So who is this "he"? Kane's tirade could have been in response to Vince McMahon's "injury," of which Stephanie and Shane refuse to reveal any details; hence, Kane doesn't know if he's alive or dead. Paul Bearer, Kane's "father," is another possibility. Bearer was last seen encased in cement at the 2004 edition of The Great American Bash. After the pay per view, Michael Cole did not report that Bearer was dead, rather that he "suffered severe internal injuries . . . severe injury to the lungs, and also to the trachea."

Bearer has been playing up the storyline on his website, which received a record number of traffic and emails since Monday night's show. After being asked if he is, in fact, the "he" to whom Kane is referring, Bearer's kayfabe response was, "Sorry, but I can't answer that one. Interesting storyline, isn't it?" Interesting response, too.

Undertaker is another possibility, although it doesn't make sense for Kane to think that he might be dead (Taker was only forced to leave WWE, after all), unless Kane (the character) knows more than we do.

Finally, the recently released James Mitchell is an intriguing possibility. As Donnie reported on Rated O Radio this week, it may not be a coincidence that this storyline is beginning shortly after the Sinister Minister was released from his TNA contract. Mitchell is one of the best promo men in the business, and he deserves the chance to shine in the fed alongside the Big Red Machine.

Perhaps the best part of the storyline is that it forces fans to ask more questions beyond "Who is 'he'"? For example, if "he" is Mitchell, what is his connection with Kane? If "he" is Undertaker, why does Kane think he might be dead? If "he" is Bearer, why is Kane snapping now, four years after Bearer was injured? If "he" is McMahon, why is Kane concerned about the Chairman?

What do you think, O-sters? Who is "he"?

Links of the Week

1. Shawn Michaels finally confronts Chris Jericho, setting up what should be a great match at The Great American Bash.

2. A decent mid-card match between Kofi Kingston and Charlie Haas - Kofi gets roughed up a bit.

3. The Fatal Four-Way main event from “Raw,” as well as Kane’s cliffhanger to end the show.

4. Braden Walker (Chris Harris) makes his “ECW” debut. He couldn’t look more like a jobber if he tried.

5. Mark Henry faces Tommy Dreamer in a non-title match. Tony Atlas? Really?

6. Robert Roode vs. Homicide in a street fight.

7. Awesome Kong suffers her first major defeat in TNA.

8. Shelton Benjamin defeats Matt Hardy in another non-title match.

9. Triple H (in his first match on “SmackDown!” since being drafted) takes out one member of La Familia before heading to The Bash to face Edge.

10. The main event of “SmackDown!”: Edge vs. Big Show, including a surprise announcement for next Friday’s show (Part 1; Part 2).

Extras

11. Melina messes up her entrance at Survivor Series 2007.

12. This is just fuckin’ scary.

13. A screw-up in a Mike Awesome match that’s actually not his fault.

14. A crazy fuck-up from early in Jeff Hardy’s career.

15. A shooting star press that goes very,very wrong.

16. Here’s another screw-up with Jeff Hardy: he misses a spot in a match, which leads to Rico yelling, “Come on, Jeff, goddammit!”

17. Shelton Benjamin gets caught on the top rope when diving to the outside.

18. I’m sure The Machine was glad he was wearing a mask after this.

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