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Matt Spaulding

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THE IDEA MAN
A Radical Turn of Events

THE PEOPLE'S MAILBAG: Drew Henderson gives me validation:

Dude, those were some cool ideas for No Way Out, especially the IC title deal and the tag titles. I don't want there to be 15 tag title changes like last year, but they HAVE to get them of the No Heat Outlaws. "The greatest tag team in the history of the WWF." Yeah, lets forget about the Rockers, the Hardyz, and everybody else that's actually good. I always thought Test could be a beliveable IC contender, but he just wasn't. They should just retire the hardcore title. Test is about as hardcore as Ms. Kitty anyway.

That's right... somebody's actually READING this shit. (Not ALL of it, but it's a start.)

You know, this wasn't supposed to be a weekly column, but I realized that I'd left some important stuff out of last week's, like what to do with the Radicals.

Then I watched the tape of Monday's RAW.

It's not how I would have done it. It's not when I would have done it. But to be perfectly honest, I think what the WWF did with Benoit, Malenko, Guerrero, and Saturn blows away the scenario I had in mind, which was...

Benoit, Malenko, and Saturn start winning matches and respect in the WWF while an injured Eddie stands off to the side and stews. Once he's healthy, he turns on the other three, blaming them (Benoit specifically) for getting him into a situation where he got hurt and "missed out" on the push his friends got. Things start to unravel among the four much like they did with the Revolution in WCW, with the others eventually all turning against Benoit.

Lame, I know. But like I said last week, that's why I'm writing the column and not doing the booking.

But the Radicals' heel turn (Is that some sort of record? Four-man stable debuts in a fed, and it turns one week later) and alliance with Triple H and DX opens up a whole new world of possibilities. Take the alliance one step further.

Have them join DX.

It'll give them instant credibility as bottom-line rebels who will take what they want. It'll also breathe new life into the degenerate group, creating a heel stable that'll draw killer heat through some great promos (Benoit, in particular, already sounds better than he did in WCW) and put on better matches than even the original nWo did. A DX consisting of HHH, Chyna (remember last week?), X-Pac, Benoit, Malenko, Guerrero, and Saturn? Marks everywhere will be wetting their pants with glee.

The Outlaws won't, however, since after they lose the tag titles, HHH (with some prodding from Stephanie - I swear, the man's whipped like a race horse) decides they're more trouble than they're worth and boots them out. This sets up the obvious Outlaws-DX feud, but Road Dogg and Mr. Ass can't take down DX by themselves, whether they think they can or not. This also forces the WWF to create a viable babyface stable.

Cue the Fed's top face, The Rock... and a reconfigured Nation.

The Rock, who's been showing signs of adopting a more traditional babyface attitude recently (would he have volunteered to help Cactus Jack six months ago?), calls on some old friends - D'Lo Brown, Mark Henry, and the Godfather - to fight at his side. The Outlaws join up later so Road Dogg doesn't have to modify his pre-match spiel TOO much. Don't like that mix? Swap in the Acolytes, with Bradshaw assuming Owen's role as the token white guy. Or how about Too Cool and Rikishi, who seem to have an issue developing with the new guys? Rock'll be champ soon, too, which should really stick in HHH's craw, and putting these guys together with Rocky at the forefront could get them all over, as well as give them something compelling to do.

Have these two groups do battle for a while, and tease some heel/face turns on both sides. Create some tension within the two stables, particularly DX, and if the right guys turn the right way, a third group could come out of all this.

The only thing I don't like about the Radicals' heel turn is that now we probably won't get to hear the line, "This is what happens when you give wrestlers too much stroke." Unless they're saving it for Vince to use.

On to the European Title, and this one had me stumped. Here's what I had written for this before SmackDown!: "I don't know if Val Venis is nursing a nagging injury or what, but he's only wrestled on RAW once since he won the damn belt, and I haven't seen him compete on SmackDown! at all since before Armageddon.

Val needs to turn heel again, by the way. And what better way for a European Champion and porn star to get over as a heel by dissing American women? Have him go back to that "Hello, SKANKS!" bit he did when he turned last time, all the while spouting something about how much more satisfying his "promotional appearances" across the pond have been. Then let him feud with D'Lo for a while."

But now, American Olympic Hero Kurt Angle is the new Euro champ, and this has possibilities, too. Tweak Angle's promos so that he starts to come across as indignant that he's more popular in Europe as the Euro champ than he feels he should be in America.

Hey, WCW: If it hasn't dawned on you guys yet that the ship is taking on water, chew on this: In the space of a week, the WWF Women's title has shot past THREE of your belts on its way back up the credibility ladder. I leave the question of which three belts I'm talking about as an exercise for the reader.

Anyway, this issue between Jacqueline and Luna has actually been simmering way below the radar for a while now, and there's no reason to end it with Monday's RAW. And let's put Ivory back into the mix while we're at it.

One last thing: Watch Heat on Sunday and tell me if McMahon doesn't smell blood.

Not much new out of Turnerland this week, other than WCW has apparently broken up the nWo, or at least is teasing a break into two factions again. And from Jeff Jarrett's words to close Nitro, it sounds like Jarrett vs. Scott Hall for the U.S. title could be in the works for Uncensored or beyond. No, wait, this is WCW... they wouldn't be thinking that far ahead.

NEXT WEEK (!): What if Stone Cold Steve Austin hadn't needed his most recent surgery? PLUS: SuperBrawl predictions.

Speak on this! Email me at mspauldi@bellatlantic.net

Matt Spaulding
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