Like most of you, I've read the gossip. The so-called insiders seem to think that incoming Hall of Famer Kurt Angle would be named GM of Monday Night Raw as of April 3, filling the vacancy created by Mick Foley's departure on March 20.
As badly as Foley's exit was botched by WWE Uncreative, locked as they were into pushing Stephanie McMahon as her father's puppet as commissioner, they could redeem themselves by giving a previous Raw GM another chance, as he's more than proven he can handle the rigors of the job. Evidence of that would be-----NXT.
Yep, I'm on the stump for William Regal as the next Raw GM.
I've mentioned in this space previously why there would be a problem with Angle as GM. That problem lies with a 17 year old storyline where the Olympian had a crush on Stephanie, who at the time was "married" in storyline only to Triple H. It was assumed that when Angle was named Smackdown GM 4 years later to replace Paul Heyman, who resigned rather than accept being drafted to Raw by Eric Bischoff, that Angle would turn over a new leaf and try to take Smackdown back to being WWE's "A" show, the way Stephanie herself left it six months earlier when she was forced out in storyline by her insane pop. Nope. Kurt went heel and feuded with John Cena and the late Eddie Guerrero. Kurt's reign lasted three months before Vince McMahon, in a rare moment of clarity on camera at the time, "fired" Kurt, handing the reins to Teddy Long.
It would be too easy to revisit the schoolboy crush angle from 2000. It'd be easier still for Kurt to remind Stephanie about the time he led the cavalry charge to save her pretty butt from Bischoff & 3:00 Warning when they trespassed onto Smackdown in September 2002. Better, then, that Angle not go to Raw at all. His place would instead be on Smackdown Live!, where he could be installed as American Alpha's new manager as they try to reclaim the tag titles from the Usos.
William Regal, on the other hand, has experience handling the pressure cooker of a live show on Mondays, even if his tenure was cut short due to a wellness violation in 2008, leading to the Mike Adamle debacle. It wouldn't take much for his long-time pal, Triple H, to have Regal called back up to the big club in an administrative capacity only, and have Long, himself entering the Hall of Fame, step in on a temporary basis until a new GM can be hired, or, and this would be more likely, Shawn Michaels, whose term as commissioner was cut short as well back in 2000, could take Regal's place on Wednesday nights. Having Regal govern both Raw AND NXT isn't out of the question, either, given the taping schedule for the latter. Like John Layfield before him, Regal turned the spotlight over to the talent, and that's what the GM should be doing. Daniel Bryan keeps his air time to a minimum on Tuesdays, saving the balance for co-hosting Talking Smack.
Regal is, for all intents and purposes, formally retired. Angle, technically, isn't really retired, what with rumors of him getting at least one more match in WWE. Besides, there will be a GM spot open for Angle back on Smackdown if in fact Bryan leaves next year when his contract expires.
The bottom line is, for once, Vince McMahon has to let his creative team think outside the box, since the fans have been conditioned to believe Angle will be on Raw. In the words of the late Roddy Piper, and I'm paraphrasing here, when you think you've got all the answers, it's time for WWE to change the questions.
