MY MAP

P.O.L.I.T.I.K.O

by Jefferson Ty

The renaissance of The Top Turnbuckle fittingly came on Easter Sunday. Nice, Hub Pacheco.

Hub Pacheco was so shocked by Edge’s retirement that he had to dig The Top Turnbuckle out of the rubble to properly air his endearing remarks for Adam Copeland. But it set up this match result that prompted me to bring out my map.

I have been through questionable pinfalls. Although these decisions were against my personal logic, I knew they were in the best interests of WWE. This past Smackdown!, Christian lost his World Heavyweight Championship to Randy Orton. I do not understand. It took Christian 17 years to win it all, but just 2 days to savor it all. Eight years of experience in continuously following WWE is still not enough for me to decode some of their profound decisions.

Christian: 17 years to win it all, 2 days to savor it all.

There is no point in getting upset or angry with this title change. The problem lies in transparency. However, we cannot expect WWE to explain to their “Universe” the real reasons behind Orton’s victory. Remember, as far as I can see it, WWE Superstars are no different from TV drama or comedy characters. When they are scripted to do this and do that, however irrational or illogical it maybe, they are still bound to do what is asked of them. The TV audience’s role is to watch these shows for personal entertainment and nothing more. But to the point of saying what should be done or what shouldn’t be done is simply left to the scriptwriter and in essence, to the producer and whoever the boss is overseeing the show. If they want to screw the audience by going against unconventional wisdom, then so be it. TV show series have come and go throughout history, and yet RAW and Smackdown!, despite the controversies, still stand firm as weekly staples on television.

WWE is a business. It exists to make profit. I am not sure if its goal is to preserve and showcase professional wrestling, but then again, in doing so, the money has to be there continuously rolling. If it is a business decision to have Orton as the champion now, then who am I to question the WWE boss? I have tried playing the General Manager Mode on Smackdown vs. Raw and I know how hard it is to achieve high ratings, and at the same time, keep my favorite wrestlers winning. At some points, I had to let my favorite wrestler lose just to maintain that high rating. It doesn’t mean my fave has to be a face; he/she can also be a heel. I have my personal liking, but my rating liking will say differently. In the end, more might mean less, and of course, vice versa.

The key is to suspend judgment until it is the right time to do so. This development on Smackdown has proved to be another situation wherein we must be open-minded. Not everything that appears on the map is what it really appears to be.