Bill's Intro
So in the past week, the WWF pulled one of its excruciating
"rewind-erase" angles, in which they push an idea that seems both edgy
and creative, then scream "just kidding" and essentially reverse
everything on the very next show. I'm talking, of course, about the terrific
ending of last Smackdown, in which Jeff Hardy defeated Triple H for the
Intercontinental Title. The match was booked perfectly, with Triple H
establishing himself as the better man, yet Jeff showing a lot of scrappy heart.
Triple H didn't have to job clean, yet the fact that Matt interfered didn't
diminish the win because everyone loved to see The Game get screwed. The match
was also great because it took the IC strap off of Triple H, where it really
served no purpose, and gave the Hardy Boyz a huge boost and provided them with
an overdue shot at some prominent singles wrestling. It was perfect.
So what does the WWF do? They toss out some limp rematch on RAW in which
Triple H basically beats the holy hell out of Jeff and wins back the belt
without so much as breaking a sweat. So now we're once again stuck with Triple H
as an utterly pointless IC Champ, while the Hardyz are not only torn right back
down, but they're also painted as pathetic jobbers who aren't fit to play with
the big boys. Nobody benefits and the WWF goes tumbling right back into its old
stale rut, as hopes of fresh talent getting pushed are once again painfully
dashed.
Smackdown brought to you from Nashville, Tennessee. Announcing duties handled
by Tazz and Michael Cole.
So our Goodwill Commissioner William Regal strolls out to start and I find
myself wondering whether his Lordship is really, truly over or just kinda
over by default because the WWF has forcibly been stuffing him down our throat
for the last four months. Don't get me wrong, I think Regal is one of the
funniest characters in the WWF right now and having him step in to replace Foley
as Commissioner was a stroke of genius, but after listening to the internet
smarks worship him as a wrestling god for months on end, I've found his actual
ring skills to be rather lacking thus far. I mean, I don't have anything against
the European Uppercut, but when it's the only damn move you use…
So anyway, Regal took exception to the way in which Kane and Undertaker
rudely interrupted Triple H and Stone Cold Steve Austin's outright annihilation
of the Hardy Boyz on RAW, so he feels the naughty boys must be punished. And
that means…
