Counterfeit Pennies: Edge goes to SmackDown! where Matt Hardy is waiting…

Columns

In my last column, I vented my frustrations out on Vince McMahon for making himself the ECW Champion in a move that I considered to be the beginning of the end for ECW. While that was a bit of an exaggeration on my part, I still think that every day that goes by with Vince as the ECW Champion is just a waste of time and space in what is already a crowded hour of television on Tuesday nights.

Here I am just two weeks later – which of course can seem like light years in wrestling terms – to discuss another change to the WWE title picture. This time, however, I will be using this space to laud rather than lambaste Vince and the Creative Team for brilliantly moving Edge over to SmackDown! to secure the World Heavyweight Championship.

Edge’s “surprise” run to the World Title began when he wrested away the Money in the Bank title shot from Mr. Kennedy’s hands on Raw. For those who think WWE jumped the gun on getting an injured Kennedy out of the title hunt too soon, I’d like to offer up a little hunch I have that can easily come to fruition once he heals up: Mr. Kennedy will win the 2007 Royal Rumble. Just think of it this way: Kennedy can take the time he needs to recover from injury, and since the storyline was moving in the direction of Kennedy cashing in MITB at WrestleMania, he can win the Rumble to reclaim his main event spot. This way, Kennedy doesn’t really lose any luster even though he suffered an injury at a very bad time.

After beating Kennedy, Edge then did the same thing at SmackDown! that he did on Raw, which is take advantage of an injured superstar to get what he wanted. Like Kennedy, The Undertaker got injured during a major push, and even worse is the fact that Taker was slated to begin a long title run that was probably going to be his last gasp as the top guy on the card. Luckily for WWE, Edge’s character already had a history before Friday of being conniving and opportunistic, and if anything this title victory cements Edge’s place even further as the ultimate bad guy who loves to capitalize on other’s misfortunes.

Speaking of which, one of the biggest reasons I feel Edge’s move to SmackDown! is a stroke of genius is because it puts him back on the same show as Matt Hardy. Not only do these two have a real history that’s just as compelling as their scripted pasts, but Matt Hardy – despite being one half of the Tag Champs on Raw – has been pushed in a couple of different ways as a singles competitor on SD. Not only did Matt have a pretty interesting feud with Gregory Helms earlier this year, he also secured a victory over Mr. Kennedy just two weeks ago. In addition, JBL has really been working hard to put over Matt Hardy in the broadcast booth, and a serious case can actually be made for an Edge-Hardy feud that has even higher stakes than it did back with the Lita situation. Even if Edge against Hardy doesn’t take shape, I still feel that Edge has many more interesting opponents and opportunities on SD right now than he would have had he stayed on Raw.

Interestingly enough, while ECW is muddled with Vince and Raw is mired in a disastrous main event of John Cena vs. The Great Khali, one can make a case that with the addition of Edge, SmackDown! can truly be considered the best of WWE’s three brand offerings right at this very moment.

CB is an Editor for Pulse Wrestling and an original member of the Inside Pulse writing team covering the spectrum of pop culture including pro wrestling, sports, movies, music, radio and television.