by Erin Anderson
Exclusive to OnlineOnslaught.com

While watching Smackdown! last night, I couldn't help but notice just how much the "old-timers" in WWE have been getting the spotlight recently in a business where there's a crop of younger competitors just waiting for their chance in the main event. Ric Flair's promos and match on Raw were terrific; the Legion of Doom's short-lived return was not. The verdict on the effectiveness of Vince McMahon's feud with Mr. America/Hulk Hogan is still undecided, at least in the IWC; half the smarks are enjoying it, and the other half feel compelled to throw something at the television whenever McMahon's ugly mug appears on it.

Is constantly focusing the spotlight on the older stars the best thing for business? In some cases, yes. Flair was proof of that on Monday night. He, along with wrestlers like Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker are still capable of pulling off great matches when it counts. Austin, in a non-wrestling role, is a huge selling point of Raw. Fans still pay good money to see Hulk Hogan, and let's face it, bringing out Freddie Blassie to tell D-Von to get the tables was pretty cool.

But the veterans can be a double-edged sword. The first hour of Smackdown! was filled with outstanding matches from the newer guys like Cena, Spanky, and Team Angle; as well as the established stars who aren't regular main-eventers: Matt Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Tajiri, Eddie Guerrero, and Chris Benoit. Rhyno was conspicuously absent. But the main link between all of these performers is that they weren't given any time for backstage skits, interviews, or promos to start or advance any feuds. Was there any talk of who Brock Lesnar's next threat to the title would be? We'll probably have to wait until Kurt Angle returns before we have an answer to that question.

All of the promo and skit time went to Vince McMahon, Hogan, and the newcomer Zach Gowan, who is only being used as a pawn in the Vince/Mr. America storyline. Vince and Hogan aren't creating the best parts of Smackdown!, but they're the ones getting all the hype.

Perhaps I'd be more forgiving if I found the Mr. America bits more compelling. Hogan's return under a mask started off as extremely funny, but the comedic storyline doesn't translate well to the drama that Vince wants to create now; the storyline is failing. It's possible that Vince simply has the wrong idea of what makes for good television, but it's more likely that he just likes having his face on television -- for long periods of time, as often as possible.

All of this setup should be used as a showcase for Tenacious Z, but instead he was wasted to set up the lie-detector test next week, which will no doubt use up twenty minutes of airtime. Can we really tolerate another seven weeks of this kind of television before the pay-per-view?

The Vince/Mr. America angle is only an example; the same analysis could be made of any storyline featuring a star who isn't exactly a spring chicken anymore: Kevin Nash, the Undertaker, or Shawn Michaels, to name a few. When is it time for these guys to hang up their boots and let the younger guys have a go at main-event success?

Their matches can be hit-or-miss, but it's difficult to dismiss an older superstar when he is still capable of getting it done in the ring every once in a while. We've all read interviews where wrestlers tell us that they'll know when it's time to retire, but is that really the case? Fame and adoration isn't an easy thing to give up gracefully, and most of their peers and predecessors aren't likely to tell a legend that his time has passed. I can see it now:

John Cena, backstage at Smackdown!: "Excuse me, sir? I know that you've contributed a lot to this business, but let's face it. You're just not as good as you used to be, and it's probably time for you to retire. You know, give guys like me the chance to have the limelight. Word life."

Undertaker: "Who the hell are you?"

All right, maybe I can't picture it.

And it seems pretty likely that several of the wrestlers on the WWE roster will make Wrestlemania XX  their last show. I want the legends in this business to have one last good run before retiring, and a dignified exit from the business. At the same time, however, I don't know if I can handle sub-par in-ring performances from these guys until March of 2004. In the long run, it seems like a small price to pay for legendary wrestlers' legacies. But it also sucks a big one to have them eating up valuable airtime in the process. I don't know if I (and WWE's ratings) can handle it.

There is one way to keep your favorite superstars on television without forcing them to wrestle: just look at Steve Austin. As Jeb pointed out in his column yesterday, he's a breath of fresh air on WWE programming as the new GM. Mick Foley was the same in his run as the commissioner. Unfortunately, there are only so many administrative positions that you can give out to former wrestlers. Raw is already taken care of, and Smackdown! could only add one more administrative position, probably a commissioner. There can only be so many co-GMs and vice-commissioners before things start to look a little ridiculous, and not every wrestler could excel in a non-wrestling role. Hogan could make a great commissioner; the Undertaker probably would not.

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Erin Anderson is an Atlanta native and a student at Georgia State University. Since writing about wrestling didn't go over too well with her English professors, she vents here at Online Onslaught.

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