Kevin,
When Edge returns, do you see his character being re-packaged, to the extent that he'll come back a darker character, for having "gone to hell and back"? I doubt that it would happen, but I would love to see him form a Brood-like group. Go back to coming out from somewhere in the crowd, or coming up through the flames in the stage. I met him last year when he did an autograph session at the Dulles Mall a month or so before Wrestlemania. He had just gotten the Brood symbol tattoo on his left forearm, and he sounded like he really dug that storyline/angle.

With all that in mind, how long do you think they'll hold him out? Up until the Unforgiven PPV, or stretch it out into the Cyber Sunday PPV?

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I don't think WWE should tinker too much with Edge's character at this point. I could see him coming back as more of the no-nonsense character he was playing the past few weeks.

I'm withholding my praise for pushing four youg stars until I see how they book the match. After all: Not one of the guys won their qualifying match cleanly. So right now it's Hunter vs a bunch of flukes. And considering HHH's tendency to bury any opposition and the fact that none of these guys seem to have any real behind the scenes, I wouldn't be surprised if Hunter found a way to bury all five of them in the PPV match (Pedrigees galore).

That said: Kudo to WWE should I be wrong and should they really be serious when pushing these guys and trying to make some new stars.

quick question kev , diid you watch smackdown real-time or recorded since o's / yankees were on too :)

Hi Kevin,

Do you think that SmackDown would be better served if it seemed like a separate company....possibly WCW?

RESPONSE FROM KEVIN ECK: I always thought WWE should have made the brands truly seem like separate entities with their own distinctive qualities. It's not going to happen.

Good move by WWE with the scramble participants. I actually watched a good bit of Smackdown for the first time in a while. Still a big bore overall. THis show really needs a breath of life that only the underdeveloped talent with upside can provide.

If I have to watch Triple H walk down the aisle and spit water for 5 minutes one more time I think I am going to throw up.

ANd the Undertaker's absence didn't make his old overblown entrance go any faster or be any more entertaining at this point.

Try something new and different boys. People really aren't that attached to what you do. You can always revert later again if need be.

Sorry but SD/WWE just messed up. Shelton Benjamin nor The Brian Kendrick excite me, in fact when they are on it's break time for me. Not that I 'hate' them as heels, there's just no interest. Big Show and Vladimir Kozlov show be in this match. I actually watch their matches.Heck, I'd even rather see DH Smith in this match match. Thank goodness Raw made theirs a decent 'buy' match.

I wasn't that into SD this week, as it just lacked energy.

The one thing that I enjoyed was seeing Big Show take charge of the battle Royal because in my opinion, the WWE dropped the ball on Show. He had a far more entertaining Mania match than any of us could have hoped for and he followed that up with an emotional speech about how he is going to take the advice of Ric and become the dominant big man that he should have always been. I would like to see Show get a major push, as he can play the heel or face very believable.

Shelton Benjamin has jobbed to nearly every wrestler on smackdown and has no mic skills so I dont see why he is being pushed now. I like Brian kendricks new character but he phyisically is just to small for main event status. WWE need to reintroduce some sort of belt for the smaller guys because there is some great talent there eg ray, kendrick bourne, coffy to name a few. I am glad to see MVP get a crack at the main event at last, long overdue. As for Jeff Hardy, I know that he has been a naughty boy in the past but it is time he got a run with the title. Triple H has had his turn now pass it on.

First off, what I liked about the show:

Giving MVP and Shelton World Title shots. MVP is the best non-Canadian heel in WWE today. Him walking out of Unforgiven with the belt, or looking the strongest out of the five even if he doesn't win, would be the best case scenario for me. Shelton is improving, but I'm actually going to call for him to take the final pin... perhaps from Jeff Hardy? Still, I like that he's involved, it shows that he's responding to what the company wants him to do.

Putting The Brian Kendrick in the title match was the real surprise of the night. And I loved it. I could see Kendrick hanging out doing nothing for most of the match, then right at the end pinning somebody, and having it be later revealed that he paid them off to let him win the title. He could be a great cowardly, "I win because I'm smart" heel if it's done right.

I guess I like putting Jeff Hardy in as well, but that was kind of a given going in, not a surprise like Shelton or Kendrick.

On to what I didn't like:

Triple H. I am totally sick of him. I really don't care who wins at Unforgiven as long as it's not him. I can't stand another month of Motorhead, unfunny jokes, and boring feuds.

The Great Khali. Enough said.

Lack of clean finishes. It really shouldn't be Hunter against a guy who Hunter had to make win, a guy who wins because of his bodyguard, a guy who hasn't won a match clean since the Great American Bash, and a guy who wins by kicking people who aren't involved in the match.

Vickie Guerrero. She's just not a good babyface. She's not a great heel either, but her being aligned with Edge was so much better than her babyface thing.

Undertaker. Not any less boring than he was before he was "banished".

Hawkins and Ryder. What are they doing now? They're the tag champs, but they apparently aren't aligned with Edge any more, they never could do much without him, and now they can't even eliminate Super Crazy from a battle royal? Team Priceless at least gets a chance to talk after getting beat in handicap matches. These guys just stand around and get beaten up by a different guy each week.

I didn't like Big Show's ruining the battle royal. If he had stayed out of it until it was over and chokeslammed the winner, that would have been fine with me.

Pet Peeve: People who give their opinion and try to get over that everyone believes the same thing.

Ok..I'll admit it to. I just like watching Maria as well. Not for nothing but she has improved in the ring.

Maria was great....I was surprised with her in ring ability having not seen her in such extended action for a while. Still not the greatest but I loved her outfit.

Although I am not a fan of the scramble, it does give a different perspective. Perhaps we will see Triple H drop the belt, without actually having to put over either Hardy or MVP whoe really are the only 2 viable options of having the belt.

I would like to see at this point MVP given the belt. I think he is a good performer in the ring, and even better out of it. I am sure at some point in the future he will turn face too.

Where the Big Show goes from here who knows? Of course a feud with Umaga seemed inevitable until his injury. What do you see the Show?

The Smackdown Scramble Match really excites me. It will be much less boring than the same old thing we get on Raw every week. The only thing that would make the Raw one exciting is if Punk or Kane won.

Triple H will win the scramble for sure, but that doesn't lessen the significance of pushing The Brian Kendrick, MVP, and Shelton Benjamin. All three men have the skills to make this match a real showstealer.

Nice one, Marko50. Exactly what I was thinking. :)

Interestingly enough, for as many people make it their personal mission to complain about Triple H, I have noticed that the crowds at everything from house shows to Raw/Smackdown shows to PPVs are screaming loud and long for the man. His entrance, his promos, his matches, etc. Clearly, the people who spend all their time on the internet complaining about The Game are a vocal minority.

"Clearly, the people who spend their time on the internet complaining about The Game are a vocal minority."

As a member of said minority, let me take a honest look at HHH:

He has charisma. He has that stand-out-in-a-crowd look, and I have seen him in a decent televised match here and there. That said, I don't think that he is deserving of the huge push he receives. Add the fact that he and his sledgehammer shtick have been around for a very long time, and you have a character whom I want only in small doses.

You're perfectly entitled to your opinion, Christopher. Everyone is entitled to hold an opinion.

However, it is clear to me and my ability to observe that the WWE is responding to the overwhelming reaction that Triple H receives from live crowds rather than the constant complaining by a few on the internet.

Personally, I think that people all too often are stuck on the 2003 - 2005 era in which his matches were not his best and he was dominating storylines and titles. Between 2005 and 2008, Triple H was in some great storylines that had nothing to do with holding the title, shed a few of the extra pounds of pudge for the lean muscle he now sports, which has made his matches better. He seems to have regained the fluidity that marked him as one of the breakout stars when he was younger.

For heaven's sake, the man made Khali look great at SummerSlam.

Not to mention, he's been perfectly content to take a backseat (despite being champion) to the Edge/Undertaker feud.

And really, the last time we saw the sledgehammer was at the reception Smackdown.

Like I said, though, you're entitled to your opinion. Mine is differing. For as long as Triple H is willing and able to be the great entertainer that I believe him to be, and he delivers for me and the fans continue cheering him as a face and booing him as a heel, I'm happy to have him on my TV screen and in the ring.