Not every match on PPV can be a main event in any arena, but some matches that come across our screens just leave fans scratching their heads. Take the bonus Payback kickoff match between R-Truth and Stardust. These two define directionless right now, as they both have lost at least twice as many televised matches as theyve won this year. It also doesnt help when the announcers try to make this into a real feud, claiming that the match stems from long-standing issues between the two, specifically the King of the Ring qualifier three weeks ago. Of course, there was the match on Raw two weeks ago that Stardust won by bringing a bag of fake spiders to the ring, so the stakes had been raised heading into this match. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmKB2dMnan0 Snark aside, throwing two guys out there like this for a match that no one has any reason to care about does absolutely nothing to help either competitor. Give us a reason to care about these guys or dont put them out there. And leave the spiders at home too.
Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fortunately became a fan in time for WrestleMania III and came back as a fan after a long high school hiatus before WM XIV. Monday nights in the Carlson household are reserved for viewing Raw -- for better or worse.
