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Submitted by Winter on Wednesday, May 26, 2004 at 6:54 AM EST
 Welcome fans, friends and Americans to the latest, and 46th edition of 'Let It Snow', by far the coolest column around. I am your host, Winter, presenting a different column from usual this week. You see, back when I was writing in the LOPForums, I was known as the guy who wrote too many columns, and The X-Change was one of them. But since moving to the main page I haven't had the time (or motivation) to write these columns, and have only focused on 'Let It Snow'. But I figured it's time I did one of the others on the main page, so that's exactly what I'm doing this week. For those of you not familiar with the X-Change it's basically a back and forth argument between 2 columnists over a current hot topic in wrestling. My opponent this week is the creator of The X-Change, and author of columns like Northern Star and Excuse The Aggravation, which won the prestigious CoTM award back in January. Xan and I have faced off several times before in the X-Change, and this will be our 4th encounter. Click here to see me and XanMan debate Kurt Angle v Brock Lesnar Click here to see me and Xan battle it out when we discuss how many World titles the WWE should have And click here to see XanMan and myself argue about Chris Benoit moving to RAW So, after looking at those you should all understand the X-Change, and even if you didn't read them you'll understand the column, so let's get on with it.  Winter: Over the last couple of months we've witnessed RAW improve week in and week out, and we've seen the exact opposite happen to Smackdown!. While RAW has been creating new stars in Shelton Benjamin and Eugene, Smackdown! seems to be the stalest thing going. Each week it's the same thing; Taker scares someone, RVD gets beaten up, The Dudleyz have the same match as they did the week before, it's just the same thing over and over again. And what has the WWE doen to improve things on Smackdown? Nothing at all, unless you count JBL's push as a positive. The simple fact of the matter is that the WWE views Smackdown as a second class show, and while that's happening things will never improve. XanMan: The only real tag team the WWF still has and two of the best stars on their roster get shipped over to Smackdown and you say they're being treated as a second class show? First off, let's get something straight. Smackdown is improving. Bradshaw is growing into his character of JBL, and most fans hate him. Guess what? That's what a heel is supposed to do: get hated and in a big way. Now, no way do I think he should be handed the WWF Title because of that, but he's doing his job properly. It's not his fault that the writers can't come up with a better way to use him. Many fans wanted Billy Gunn and Bob Holly to be put into tagteams if they were going to remain on the show. Look, they're together as a team. The Dudleys, Rob Van Dam, and Booker T are all receiving pushes. Mordecai looks to be an awesome newcomer, and Eddie is still Eddie. Sure, there are things I'd change, but overall, I'd say things are a little better than when Mr. Next Big Thing Leaving The Station was around. Winter: Hang on there cowboy, you mean to tell me The Dudleyz are the only real tag team the WWE has left? The Dudleyz are the most stale, useless and down right boring wrestlers in the WWE (including Spike), and I actually believe that the Dudleyz were shipped over the Smackdown to intentionally make things even worse for SD!. And to prove my point, what good exactly have the Dudleyz brought to SD! since they were drafted? Bradshaw is a joke, plain and simple. I swear, I almost fell asleep watching Judgment Day, and I did in fact have an enormous head ache after watching that abortion of a PPV. Yes, a heel is suppose to be hated, ut more importantly they're supposed to draw fans. as Bradshaw drawn any new fans to the WWE? Has he hell! All this guy's done is bore everyone senseless since his push began, and I pray every night that soon it'll come to an end. Anyone can play the role of a racist, it takes someone special to actually have people care about them. Mordecai? I think somebody better tell this guy that auditions for Lord Of The Rings ended a couple of years ago. Seriously, this guy's a joke, he looks like he's fallen straight out of a Scooby Doo cartoon and into the middle of a WWE ring. The days of over-gimmicky wrestlers are long gone. Heck, they may as well bring back Papa Shango and Gangrel the way things are going. Someone at the WWE should read this column and take the following advice. Re-hire Brock Lesnar, pay him as money as he demands. have him go to Smackdown!, destroy Eddie to regain the title, and then destroy someone else each week. Taker, Booker, RVD, all 2 Dudleyz, feed them all to Lesnar. Why? Because plain and simply, he's the only reason people tuned in to watch Smackdown, as is proven by the huge decline in ratings and merchandise lately. If Smackdown wants to survive, it needs Lesnar! XanMan: Have you even been paying attention to the show? The Dudleys have now gone heel and gotten over the staleness factor. As far as what they've done: turned heel, helped Eddie, RVD, and Mysterio get more over. And, they're about to bring new life to the tag division on Smackdown. As far as being the only real tag team, who do you think is a real team? Haas/Rico? Give me a break. Bradshaw is never going to draw more fans into the show. What he CAN do, though, is be the guy we hate enough to tune in each week to see him destroyed by the face. Did it work for Judgement Day? No. But only because, again, the writers and bookers haven't given him enough to do. Wrestling squash matches and trash talking is NOT going to get people to tune in. If, however, he was defeating tough faces week in and out, people might have taken notice of the nice job he's doing as a heel. Do I like him? No, not at all. But I do give him credit for turning his character around. Brock Lesnar should never return to the WWF after the way he left. They foolishly booked the entire show around him to the point hardly anyone else got any screen or ring time, and then when he left to play football because he was too much of a pussy to take a bit of a depush, his departure caused the abyss surrounding Smackdown's roster. But, not JUST because he left, also because of the way he was overused. You want to improve the ratings and the program, you don't do it with Crock. You do it with continued pushes for RVD and the Dudleys and by working on the cruiserweight division. They started on the one, now they just have to work on the other. Maybe Matt Capotelli will make a difference in that department. Maybe not. But, either way, that's the area they need to shine. Lesnar destroying everything in sight would be more boring than Cafe de Renee. What does it say for you that you actually watched Judgement Day? You're ragging on how bad the brand is and yet you waste 3 hours of your life to watch it? Did you honestly think much on the PPV was going to be any good? It can't be when there's inept booking and writing going on. The wrestlers are matched against the wrong guys in some cases, and are booked wrong in the others. Rico and Haas would have had to work their asses off to carry Billy Gunn and his tag partner du jeur to a decent match. Dupree and Cena working together wasn't going to be a classic. And, with the way you're down on Bradshaw you knew that match was going to suck, so why bother to watch it? Seems dumb to me. Winter: The Dudleyz are no longer stale, are you honestly trying to tell me that? Sure, they've turned heel, nut now all they are the exact same Dudleyz we had to put up with during the InVasion. Heck, they don't even get any mic time. The Dudleyz are exactly the same, they just face different opponents now. Give me Haas and Rico over the Dudleyz any day of the week, at least they know how to entertain. Bradshaw is a lost cause. He's one of the these veterans, much like Hardcore Holly, Billy Gunn and Rikishi, who despite never making a dime for the WWE continue to be employed and are guaranteed an annual push. The WWE is better off without these 4 losers. Funny how they're all on the same brand isn't it? Smackdown is the place where unmotivated losers get to do as the please, and Vince does this to keep them happy, while at the same time cleverly keeping RAW for the real talent. Of course you didn't enjoy Cafe' de Rene, you're an American. The class and culture of it went over your head, and you were sat there wondering what the hell was going on. The change of culture shocked and confused you. If it were Taco Bell de Rene I'm sure you'd have loved it. I think the huge decline in ratings and the lack of overall popularity for Smackdown proves my point that the WWE needs Lesnar back. When he was there, things were never this bad, that can't be denied. Luckily us UK fans got Judgment free, otherwise there's no chance I'd have watched it. You North Americans that actually paid to watch this event, I have to wonder what kind of people you are. Maybe you were intrigued at just how bad the PPV was actually going to be? That's the only plausible excuse I see for you guys ordering it. In the past, whenever I watch a WWE PPV I watch every second of it, but Judgment Day couldn't keep my attention. I found myself switching the channel and reading several times, something I wouldn't even think of doing if it were a RAW or joint-brand PPV. That alone proves my point that RAW is far superior to Smackdown. Heck, SD! only has one credible main event wrestler. ONE! How many does RAW have? Around 10 I believe. Face facts, compared to RAW, Smackdown is a joke! XanMan: And this is exactly the same kind of crap people said last year about RAW compared with Smackdown. I'm not saying there isn't work to do, but I can't agree that Smackdown is being treated as a minor league show. You bring up all these problems with the brand, and your main reason for it being a second rate show is that Brock Lesnar isn't around anymore? Remember back to when you used to be able to make a cohesive argument? I do. Sad, really, how the mighty have fallen. Just how much of a Brock Lesnar mark are you? I know you like the guy lots, after all, you rated him number one in the first edition of Winter Wonderland, but you can't seriously like him this much. You list lots of problems with the Smackdown brand and your solution to all of them is for Brock Lesnar to return. I have to believe that's just a pipe dream, my cold compadre. First of all, he wouldn't be welcomed back in the locker room at this point. Secondly, even Rico is more welcome on my TV at this point. You can't seriously believe that Lesnar leaving is the reason for Smackdown's drop in ratings. You have to remember everything else the show lost. They lost the world's best wrestler, Chris Benoit, arguably the most well-rounded cruiserweight they had in Tajiri, and the best tag team in the WWF in Haas/Benjamin. In turn they received Rob Van Dam, Booker T, and the Dudley Boyz. And, as good as those guys are. And, they are all good despite what you wrongly believe about the staleness of the Dudleys, and presumably Van Dam. They also received Rene Dupree, Mark Jindrak, and a guy that is apparently now your boy, Rico. I'd say they loaded up with some good to great veterans and some up and coming youngsters, rather than the old baggage you seem to believe the show entirely consists of. Sure, Holly and Gunn have the capacity to bring the show down. But, it isn't like everybody on RAW is super entertaining, either. The S.H.I.T. angle got old about 30 minutes after it started, Matt Hardy is being used in such a way that his talent barely shows, Bautista is stuck in a tag team with the aging Ric Flair, and the show still has to figure out what to do with A-Train, Rhyno, and Palumbo. I'll give you one point, though. RAW does have more main eventers than Smackdown, but not because the talent isn't there. More because it hasn't been organized the way it should be yet. Soon, between the Undertaker, Cena, Booker, RVD, and, presumably, Mordecai, Smackdown will have more than enough guys in the main event. The new roster is just going to need some time to jell. Can't you be a little patient? Winter: Let me tell you why exactly I believe Lesnar to be the saviour of Smackdown. For a start, he's a better athlete than anyone currently competing on SD!. You may not want to admit it, but it's a plain, simple fact that cannot be denied - Brock Lesnar was the WWE's hottest star, who hadn't even reached his prime yet. Just imagine how good he'll be once he gets there. Smackdown needs someone like him, an all-rounder, both perfect on the mic and in the ring. Sure, SD has a few guys right now who may excel in one of those areas (Eddie in the ring, Cena on the mic) but they don't have anyone who is a master of both, and a major brand needs that. I believe that Brock Lesnar is leaving is one third of the reason for Smackdown's decline in ratings, the other 2 thirds being Benoit moving to RAW and Angle not competing. But neither Benoit nor Angle can be relied on for the future of a show, they've had their day - Lesnar hasn't. Sure, losing Benjamin and Tajiri hurt Smackdown too, but could you really expect either guy to stay there. Young, talented wrestlers from ethnic minority backgrounds stand no chance on Smackdown, thanks to the hierarchy of veterans (Bradshaw, Taker et al) who refuse to let them shine. Over on RAW, the more liberal of the 2 shows, these stallions are finally allowed to shine. Don't believe me? While on SD! Benjamin was usually found lurking around on Velocity. Since moving to RAW he's gotten key wins over legends such as HHH and Ric Flair, and no loner has to put up with any abuse backstage. Ditto with Tajiri. He's gone from being an unappreciated Velocity jobber to feuding with members of the WWE's hottest stable, Evolution. And just look at what's happened to poor Booker T. On RAW this guy was over, getting title shots, entertaining the masses each week. Now that he's on the less open-minded show he's jobbing to the Undertaker and visiting voodoo witches. Seems like more than a coincidence to me. I'll tell you what to do with A-Train, Palumbo and Rhyno. Fire them. Every single on of those guys are useless, and serve no purpose being in a WWE ring. You see, the writers on RAW have more sense than the writers on SD, which is why they aren't pushing these losers down our throats. Ric Flair may be aging, and he may have lost a step, but believe me he's still 2 steps ahead of anyone on the Smackdown roster . Put Flair in the ring with your beloved Smackdown stars such as Rikishi or Doug Basham and he'll wrestle circles around those guys. Nice try bringing up S.H.I.T, but while I refer to wrestlers constantly wrestling on SD, you refer to guys usually reserved for Heat, which tells me you also see RAW's superiority. Smackdown currently has only 3 things going for it. 1 - Eddie Guerrero. Yeah, he's great, and an excellent all rounder, but he has no credible opponents. I'm sure he'd be much happier on RAW. 2 - Chavo Guerrero, and what I've said about Eddie applies to him. And number 3 is Rico and Haas, the only entertaining tag team on Smackdown. Despite being a pair of great wrestlers, these guys won't go far thanks to Smackdown's homophobic fan base, who laugh and point at Rico because he's different. I'm sure this wouldn't happen if the team were on RAW, where the writers would actually attempt to make the team look strong, and not like Bert and Ernie. So as you can see, I've successfully ripped apart your argument, from lib to lib. Surely you agree with all I've said? XanMan: Ripped apart my argument? Oh, I suppose I should have read the body of your response instead of falling asleep the moment you again started your lovefest with Brock Lesnar. You actually said he has strong mic skills. I'm sure that was merely meant to give me a good chuckle. Instead, what it did was force me to call overseas to find a good mental hospital for you to recuperate in. After all, after reading this raving lunacy, I woke up to find you saying how much better Rico would be used on RAW after the "Raining Rico" joke that was made out of him over there. But, perhaps more important than the fact that you've finally lost your mind--probably due to the freeze you love to surround yourself in, my frigid friend--is the fact that you've once again lost an argument. Every point you made is geared to the fact that AT THIS MOMENT, Smackdown is the lesser of the two shows. That's something I never disagreed with. But, you're whole theory at the start of this conversation was that it was being treated intentionally as a second class show. Poor booking, poor writing, and a much deserved push by a couple of guys that jumped over to RAW does not a conspiracy make. The poor booking on Smackdown started way before the draft, and even way before your God, Brock Lesnar, left to pursue his dream in the REAL Football league. While RAW has clearly been on the rise since Survivor Series, Smackdown has been slumping since Unforgiven. It has nothing to do with intent; wrestling is cyclical. Always has been, always will be. As I mentioned, this time last year we were all mourning RAW. Now Smackdown is a bit down, but it will rise back up. Just you watch. And, BTW, how do you like the overwhelming fact that your argument never stood a chance? Winter: Mourning RAW last year? What are you talking about? I don't remember anyone mourning RAW this time last year. Sure, it was in a bit of a slump, but we all knew it would recover eventually. Smackdown on the other hand, can you honestly see this show ever being as good as it once was. Smackdown continues to be dominated by the good ol' American boys, and no one else stands a chance. Ever noticed that almost all of the WWE's Canadian talent now wrestles on RAW? This because there was only so far they could get on Smackdown before being held back by the cowboys. I tell you, I feel sorry for Kenzo Suzaki, because a Japanese wrestler like himself stands no chance whatsoever of making it on Smackdown. Sure, Lesnar did the wrong thing by just upping and leaving because he wanted to play fake rugby, but don't hold that against him. While in the WWE his worked his ass off, trying his hardest to adapt to his opponents style, constantly showing up to work shows despite suffering from multiple injuries. And did he get any respect for this? Hell no! Those foul-mouthed New York thugs couldn't wait to turn their backs on Lesnar, and booed him out of the building. And these were the exact same fans who just 2 years earlier at Survivor Series were cheering for Lesnar and hailing him as their new hero. Talk about disloyalty! I think I've proved my point and this argument is all but done. I went into this with an open mind, as most Europeans do. I gave opinions on ways in which the Smackdown roster could improve, where I think they went wrong and what needs to be done about. However, XanMan, being the ignorant American that he is, refused to listen reason, instead deciding to present ridiculous arguments and making snide remarks about hard working athletes such as Brock Lesnar and Rico. My friend is happy to sit back with a bag 'potato chips' and watch Smackdown go down the tubes. I suppose chance frightens him, but that's hardly surprising. Change is something the simple American has never been fond of, and rather than see things advance for the better he goes out of his way to make sure thing stay comfortable, to make sure things stay the same. This is why he likes the Dudley Boyz. he can predict every move they're going to make and when it's going to happen. To someone like me the Dudleyz are a stale, repetitive tag team. But to some like XanMan, they're safe, and that is what makes him happy. Conclusion: So, who wins the argument. Seeing as it would be unfair for me to decide, I asked an impartial person, that being fellow main page columnist and countryman Pt2. After looking at both sides of the argument, he decided that I won, seeing as I was the only one to present a clear, well thought out, intelligent argument. Here are his comments exactly: "It's obvious who the winner is here, there's only on contender. Winter, being a fellow European has put together an intelligent argument that only a fool could disagree, and XanMan, being the lowly American that he is seemed to spout nonsense and foolishness throughout this column. I declare Mr Winter, the most cultured of all columnists the winner. Read my column!" Thanks Pt2, you chose the right person. However, XanMan hasn't lost out. Since moving to the main page I haven't had the time to concentrate on the X-Change, and seeing as it's one of the better column formulas around the last thing I want to do is see it go to waste. So what I am doing is giving the X-Change back to it's creator, XanMan, I know he'll make good use of it once again. be sure to look out for it in the LOPForums, and just in case you don't I'll keep reminding you in future columns. So that's it for this column, hope you all enjoyed the read. Thanks again to XanMan for participating. Please send all feedback to jerichoholic113@hotmail.com, I'll try and reply to all that I get, although replies may be late, I'm extremely bust with college exams right now. Things will be back to normal in the column next week, and I'll reply to any mail that I usually would have this week. Thanks for reading Cheerio -Winter *NEW GALLERY* The WWE SD & RAW Divas PARTYING in a CLUB! WOW!
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