Seth Mates, a former WWE creative team member, posted a blog that details why he's not happy about Jeff Hardy capturing the WWE Title. "One of WWE's major goodwill campaigns is the 'Don't try this at home' campaign," Mates writes. "For years, they've blasted backyard wrestling, and also vilified news stories that have attempted to connect them to young children imitating wrestling moves at home. Yet here they are putting the title on someone whose story began with dangerous backyard wrestling as a young child, almost romanticizing it as part of Jeff's past (same thing they did with Mick Foley)...

"This is someone who has TWO STRIKES on the WWE's wellness policy. TWO STRIKES! Someone who -- according to WWE's own rules -- if he fails one more time, will forever be out a job with the company. This is someone you're trusting to be the flag-bearer for your company? Just because a superstar is incredibly popular does NOT mean he should be WWE Champion. Look at a guy like Jake Roberts, who was absurdly over, yet never got a title run because of his unpredictability and untrustworthiness as a possible top guy." To read the full blog, visit Newsday.com's Steel Cage Blog.

Powell's POV: Fair points from Mates regarding the backyard wrestling angle, although I don't think Hardy should be blackballed from winning the title simply because he didn't receive conventional training. The two strikes aspect could certainly come back to haunt WWE. Granted, they have the contractual freedom to have him drop the title belt before firing him, yet they have raised Hardy's profile to some extent by putting the title on him. I'm sure this won't be a popular blog with Hardy fans, but Mates makes some thought provoking arguments against the move.

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