�������� So, I'm over at a friend's house, watching RAW is WAR, excited because Lita was set to face Dean Malenko after calling him out on the previous Thursday's Smackdown!, but not expected too much to happen. Why? Because it was the Monday leading up to a PPV, and usually not much happens that week. However, since only 4 matches had been booked, I guess I should've known that things would happen. Most of all, I was hoping the whole Lita and Malenko angle would end, but since No Way Out was only a week away, I didn't hold my breath. Boy, was I in for a surprise...
�������� First off, I should explain for those of you who haven't figured this out from my WWF RANKINGS portion of this site, I don't like the Lita/ Malenko feud, never have. It's not because Malenko has manhandled the woman I love, it is not a jealousy thing. It is because Dean Malenko is too small-time. Of course, I also think he is unsuitable for the goddess known as Lita, but that's fine because he is supposed to be unsuitable. The problem is that when the WWF decided to give rising-star Lita an angle, they paired her up with a jabroni like Malenko (now before both you Malenko fans out there rush to your keyboards to compose hate-mail, let me state that I think old Dean-o is an accomplished in-ring talent. But he's a mid-carder at best in terms of stardom). I guess the thinking was that this would put them both over, since they hadn't done much with Malenko since acquiring him from WCW. That's fine, but the goal should have been putting Lita over, not Malenko. What ended up happening was that Malenko's lack of charisma dragged Lita down- and that's what I had a problem with. It's tough for a woman to get over in the testosterone-filled world of wrestling without resorting to blatant T&A; so the WWF should have paired Lita up with an established star.
�������� Now, don't get me wrong, the feud wasn't all bad. It gave Lita more air-time, which is always good, and a chance to play a role (but not enough chance if you ask me). Plus it gave us moments like their date (where I almost choked to death on my tongue), Lita's shower scene, and her brief flirtation with the Light Heavyweight Title. Throughout this, Lita continued to shine, but that shine was dimmed by Malenko. This made for a very disappointed me when Dean made his return and immediately was thrust back into Lita's spotlight. However, my hate for this angle subsided when on February 15th's episode of Smackdown! Lita finally did what I had been begging for months for (no, she didn't tell me she loves me, the other thing) she spoke on mic, in front of the audience and called Malenko out! I was ecstatic, euphoric even. The WWF was finally letting her work the stick, and she wasn't bad at all. Certainly she was a little nervous, but now that she had been given this opportunity she would only get better.
�������� This is what I was anticipating going into Monday, with thoughts of Lita winning the Light Heavyweight Title running through my head, or at the very least, a set up for No Way Out. First, Lita came out, looking as ravishing as ever. Then, Malenko came out. I noticed that Lillian Garcia did not mention that this match was a title fight, there was no graphic, and Malenko did not bring out the strap (DAMN, I was really looking forward to Lita winning the belt, as long as she didn't use it to hold up her pants). So I figured this was a lead-in to the PPV. When the match got underway, Malenko dominated- toying with Lita. This was to be expected: why spend all this time building Malenko up only to tear him down by being slapped around by a woman? I figured Lita would fight her way back in true face-fashion, and the chair Malenko kept trying to use would be the perfect opportunity. However, when Matt Hardy came out, I knew something else was in the works.
�������� It's not as though there wasn't hints at this before: while doing guest commentary on Raw sometime ago, Malenko mentioned that Matt was jealous of his and Lita's relationship. This could have been easily dismissed as stupid heel-talk given that he was obviously making up the relationship he and Lita had. However, the next Smackdown! Lawler repeated the Matt's jealous bit; again, something that could've been dismissed since it's Lawler's job to promote heels. The difference was that Michael Cole did not dismiss what Lawler said, he said something to the effect that even if it were true, Matt is a young man who, unlike Malenko, is not old enough to be her uncle. Some may think that that was aimless commentator-babble, but here's the thing: WWF commentators play a critical role in furthering plotlines, so if J.R. or Cole say something, listen up (Lawler plays the fool, don't believe most of what he says; just enjoy it). Nothing much happened after that because of Malenko's injury.
�������� Once Malenko returned there were other subtle signs, like on Smackdown! when Matt appeared much more concerned for Lita than Jeff. So when Matt came out alone on RAW and nailed Malenko with the chair, leading to Lita's victory, I knew something was up. After they hugged in celebration and Matt kissed her, I was actually pretty happy. This was really interesting, finally a storyline for both Lita and the Hardys- plus I was happy that my suspicions were correct. I was even more impressed by what followed: Lita looked positively stunned, and the two shared an awkward moment that comes when one friend confuses the others intentions (everyone who has been there knows what I'm talking about). When Matt left in embarrassment, Lita looked genuinely conflicted, as a new realization came across her face. Great bit of acting (Matt Hardy, on the other hand, was good but had a hard time maintaining the moment). Then, the bottom fell out.
�������� At this point, the possibilities were endless. Each character became incredibly interesting: does Lita feel the same way? Will this tear apart their friendship? Maybe Jeff also has feelings for Lita, and this will drive a wedge between the two brothers? Then Lita marched up the ramp after a dejected Matt Hardy, spun him around and laid the most passionate kiss I remember seeing in the WWF on him. I was stunned, floored. I really didn't know how to react. Now I know what some of you might be thinking, due to my insane proclamations of love for Lita that dominate this site, he must have been devastated!
�������� Here's the thing, despite appearances to the contrary, I'm actually quite grounded in reality. I realize that I was only watching the character Lita, played by Amy Dumas, kissing the character Matt Hardy. They're not really in love, it's a TV show. Therefore, Lita and I can still be together.
�������� Sorry about that, couldn't resist the joke. Of course, the further reality is that it wouldn't matter anyway because I will probably never meet Lita, so if it has to be anyone, I approve of Matt Hardy. Also, if I'm "in love" at all, it is with the character, not the performer because I only know Lita, not Amy Dumas, so my above statement is really messed up. So what do I think? I think it's great, that this might be the angle that puts both Lita and the Hardy Boys over, giving them all much-needed mic time. I'm really excited to see how this will play out. It was about time, no woman as hot as Lita stays single this long on television; plus, until this it seemed as though only heels got the girls in the WWF. As for myself, I'll either live vicariously through Matt Hardy, or maybe, just maybe, this will be the impetus behind me getting over this silly crush I have and moving on with my life.
