Forgotten Favorites 03.26.09: Raw 2003 - The Rock vs. The Hurricane

Posted by Jim Grimm on 03.26.2009

A series of verbal confrontations leads to a battle of super powers. Who will prevail? The Scorpion King or The Hurricane?

Welcome back, wrestling fans. I hope that returns from spring break for my fellow college students wasn't as heartbreaking as mine, but I think we're all kind of in the same boat when it comes to classes. But regardless of the academic stranglehold on my will to live, I have returned to drop some more knowledge on the wrestling world.

Unfamiliar with the column? Well then what's wrong with you? Go check my archives and read some of my past columns.

If you're not willing to do that, here's a refresher on why 411 keeps me around:

The evil master of wrestling history, who rules from his titanic towers of evil, takes great joy in robbing his followers of cherished memories. He has even gone so far as to wave his billion-dollar wand on more than one occasion in an attempt to completely erase particular pockets of time. Well, we, the people, have refused to stand for such injustices, and as a result, I have been called upon to right the wrongs of time.

If this is your first week here at Forgotten Favorites, well then, it's a hell of a week to lose that cherry. This thing is jampacked with video goodness this week. And I manage to say some moderately interesting things too!

Ready for some great wrestling? Alrighty then ...


Raw - March 10, 2003
The Rock vs. The Hurricane

HOW IT WENT DOWN

For a few years, The Rock was the babyface in WWE. Taking into account Austin's injury and subsequent heel turn shortly after his return, it's perfectly arguable that The Rock was the babyface from late 1999 into 2002. But then 2003 came along ...

In January of '03, WWE held its tenth-anniverary celebration of Raw, the infamously craptacular RAW X award show. On that night, the "Gimme the Mic" award went to a guy who had been absent from WWE programming since SummerSlam, where he dropped the Undisputed Title to "The Next Big Thing" Brock Lesnar. But when the People's Champ appeared via satellite to accept his award, a strange thing happened. The people booed him.

Over the next few weeks, The Rock appeared on Raw more than once via satellite. And, acting on the increasingly negative crowd responses, played the heel for the first time in years. Fans didn't hesitate to throw "You Sold Out!" chants his way, and The Rock just went right along with it, assuming his superiority as a Hollywood star. His return match was scheduled for February's No Way Out, where he capitalized on some McMahon-erference to get his second victory over Hulk Hogan.

Since Rock had helped Vince with his dirty work concerning the Hulkster, McMahon allowed Rock free roam over WWE. On February 24th, The Rock used his newfound stroke to make the jump from SmackDown to Raw, where he had his sights set on RAW X's Superstar of the Decade, Stone Cold Steve Austin. But before he got to Austin, he wanted to take a stab at the World Title picture, entering himself in a Battle Royal taking place later that night, with the winner advancing to a title match at WrestleMania XIX. But before that, Rock had a little run-in with a certain cape-clad superstar backstage ...





Things didn't go exactly as Rock had expected in the Battle Royal. Although he managed to eliminate the green thorn in his side, he fell victim to the five-time WCW Champion when he was the last man eliminated by Booker T. The next week on Raw, The Rock had a face-to-face confrontation with Stone Cold in the main event slot. Before a brawl broke out between the two old rivals, Eric Bischoff announced that the following week The Rock would face Booker T in a match where, if Rock won, he would be able to choose between a Mania match against either Austin or World Champion Triple H. But before all of that, The Rock had yet another backstage confrontation with a certain masked vigilante ...





When Raw began the following week, things got changed up a bit. The Rock informed Bischoff that he'd made up his mind, and that he was only concerned with getting in the ring with Austin. The match with Booker T was unnecessary, since the decision had already been made. Unable to pass up the ratings of a Rock match, Bischoff let him know that the People's Champ would be in action later on in the night, although it would be against a replacement, not Booker T. Shortly after, in a backstage confrontation, fans found out just who that replacement was. Want to take a wild guess?





And so after three weeks of verbal sparring, The Rock and The Hurricane were finally going to meet inside the ring. Would Hurricane be able to go one on one with the Great One? Could The Rock go toe to toe with the Superhero?





The match


WHY IT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED

This week's column is partly inspired by the greatness of this mini-feud/match and partly by recent comments from former Doctor of Thuganomics, current Doctor of Pediatrics, John Cena. On more than one occasion, Cena has not held back from questioning The Rock's self-proclaimed love of the wrestling business. He cites The Rock's lack of involvement in WWE over the last few years as proof that The People's Champ doesn't really care so much about the (wrestling) people. Well, kids, that just doesn't sit right with me.

This match is proof that The Rock does care about the wrestling business. In between consecutive PPV feuds with Hulk Hogan and Steve Austin -- the two biggest names in all of wrestling -- he found the time to work a side feud with a wildly insignificant midcarder and then put him over in a televised main event. Aside from the fact that he's, y'know, The Rock, and he's taking time off from big budget Hollywood movies, he's still in between two of the most important matches of his PPV career. If there was ever a guy who had a lot of stroke in a company at one time, it was The Rock during his 2003 comeback. WWE needed him a hell of a lot more than he needed them, and I'm sure if there were any angles, spots, or backstage buffets that Rock objected to, they were all discarded. I don't know for a fact that Rock went to Vince McMahon and said, "I want to put Hurricane over." But I've got a feeling that even Vince wouldn't have had the grapefruits to book Hurricane over Rock at that time without Rock's approval.

And it wasn't just Hurricane's (kind of) clean victory that put him over. For three weeks these two guys consistently had the most entertaining segments on Raw. It was just such a clash of extreme personalities that the fans dug it, and the evidence is there in the crowd reactions in the video. Rather than just throw the two of them in a match and give Hurricane the upset, we got a steady three-week build towards a Raw main event. Although most of Rock's attention was focused on Stone Cold, fans still knew about the tensions between the Superhero and the Great One, and the audience reactions clearly showed that they wanted a one-on-one confrontation. Anything The Rock touched at this time turned to mad, crazy gold, and while he wasn't obligated to extend his magic over-capabilities to the Hurricane, he sure as hell did. From the backstage promos to the action in the match itself, The Rock sold Hurricane's quips and offense like a pro, and the green dude became a hell of a lot more over.

But I don't want to give you the wrong impression about mild-mannered reporter Gregory Helms. The Rock certainly elevated Hurricane to another level, but it's not like he wasn't already pretty over. Despite the fact that he'd been booked like a joke for a long time, the Hurricane remained one of the more over midcarders in the E, popping crowds and selling a decent amount of merchandise. And I'm calling upon this match for WWE to examine and consider its lost opportunities regarding the man with the hurri-powers. The Hurricane worked an absolutely ridiculous gimmick, and yet, due to his commitment to the character and in-ring abilities, the fans loved him. And when he finally got the win over The Rock, the crowd collectively channeled the late great Gorilla Monsoon in going BANANAS. From here the sky was the limit for this superhero ... or so it seemed at the time. Unfortunately, Hurricane didn't even make it to WrestleMania that year. And shortly thereafter he was doomed to the tag team wasteland with his new SuperHero In Training, Rosey.


WHY IT ISN'T REMEMBERED

Consider the time frame for this match. It's just a couple of weeks before WrestleMania XIX, where The Rock was scheduled to have his third Mania encounter with Steve Austin. All three nights that The Rock and Hurricane had their Raw confrontations, Rock also had segments with guys like Stone Cold and Eric Bischoff. The primary focus of WWE at the time was WrestleMania, and that meant Rock vs. Austin. This didn't damage the credibility of a Hurricane side feud at the time, but it's certainly hurt the legacy of this three week TV feud. Fans are likely to remember three rivals for Rock's 2003 return: Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and Goldberg. All were PPV encounters and all were very heavily promoted. And PPV matches aside, it's kind of hard to argue that Hurricane's starpower is anywhere near those three guys. It's understandable that his short feud with the Hurricane has gotten lost in the midst of all that, but it doesn't take away from the awesomeness of their promos and match. The Rock could do no wrong in his 2003 comeback, and I strongly advise all fans of entertainment and happiness to YouTube the hell out of his promos and matches at that time.

I said that Hurricane had been booked like a joke prior to this feud, and that's true. What's also true is that the entire midcard was booked like a joke. In October of '02, the Master of Time and Space and Burials defeated then-IC Champion Kane to unify the IC and World Heavyweight Titles. This was after the IC Title had already been merged with the Hardcore and European Championships, and therefore at No Mercy Triple H was crowned the Champion of the Universe. From that time until May of '03, Raw had only the World, Tag, and Women's Championships, which meant if you were a (male) singles midcarder, you were basically worthless. Hurricane, like many of his peers, floated along in a sea of worthless booking, until he had his run-in with The Rock. Fans don't remember much of the Raw midcard at the time, likely because WWE doesn't remember much of the Raw midcard at the time.


WILL IT BE REMEMBERED?

I think one (or maybe all) of the backstage segments made it onto The Rock's DVD that was released somewhat recently. But I'm pessimistic about the general wrestling population remembering this awesome short feud. Although it may live on through IWC discussions and YouTube videos, I've got a feeling that WWE isn't going out of their way to remind us of this match anytime soon.


Feedback! (or, Proof That The World Knows I Exist!)

Andrew Martin was a midcarder at best and nothing more.

He was just another generic big man like Kevin Nash minus The Kliq Connection.

So to me he was just pushed the right way.

The european title has zero meaning in the history of both the WWF/E and pro wrestling.

It's just a poor old man's version of the Intercontinental One.

Posted By: Damn Right !

When I think of "generic big man," I think of guys like Mike Knox, Nathan Jones, or even Vladimir Kozlov. Those are guys who display little to no charisma on camera and utilize the standard punch-kick-spinebuster moveset. While Test admittedly had some robotic moments of greenery in his early career, he definitley shaded in his character over the following years and his moveset improved dramatically. For a while there, he had the sickest Big Boot finish in the company. And as for Nash ... the dude's ring skills have dropped off significantly in the last ten years (not that he was any Rick Steamboat to begin with), but there's no denying that the dude is charisma personified. Hate him all you want for his ability to play every company he's worked for, but the fact remains that the dude is one of the best talkers in wrestling.

Great column! I felt Test was very underrated through 2000-2001. RIP Test

Posted By: Paul London is Free aka This Guy

Much of 2000 was a waste of Test's potential since he got saddled with Albert in a horrendously lame tag gimmick. The McMahon-Helmsley era that got underway in 2000 was tailor-made for an uprisal by Test. And yet, even though the man who ruined his wedding had just become WWE Champion, the E apparently felt no need to pursue a Test-HHH program any further. Sad stuff.

I didn't see much of test until 2001 , thats when i got into wrestling again after a couple year hiatus, but from what I saw he had what it took to be viable interchangeable main eventer like JBL or big show. Its a shame he didn't get there. When he was brought back for ecw i thought he could be a mainstay main event player on that brand, unfortunalty his poor choices led to his release. Its always sad to hear a death in wrestling, something I love so dearly, RIP Test, lets pray you are the last of the young deaths in wrestling.

Posted By: Cody

I agree completely. Kane only held the WWE Title for 24 hours, and ever since then, on any given night, he is seen as a legitimate challenger to a World Title. In the past few years we've seen guys like Kozlov, Umaga, Carlito, and even fucking Chris Masters challenge for the WWE Title on PPV. These are guys we pretty much knew wouldn't be wearing the gold, but it wasn't such a long shot to see them challenging for it. WWE could've made worse choices than Test for a WWE Title challenger on PPV, like for example, Bob Holly. Oh wait ... they did do that ...

You know what? You make a very good point, No one at that time aside from the Rock and Austin had a bigger grudge against The Game than Test since he had been on the receiving end of a broken nose and attacks from the reformed DX. He was in his best condition at that time and was over with the crowd thanks to his feud with Shane. Him being Austin's replacement and winning the belt at Survivor Series instead of Big Show who could've had his match with Bossman at Armageddon anyway could've worked out well. HHH drugs Steph and marries her like they do originally to get back at him taking what he believes should be his the belt. Test puts the belt up on the line at Armageddon against him with the stipulation being if he won The Game would agree to divorce Steph and never bother him or her again after Armageddon. At the event Stephanie is in the crowd and when Test comes out she gives him a kiss for good luck. The two engage in a wild no holds brawl with Stephanie watching in the crowd nearly driven to tears at the brutal beating each man giving one another with both men spilling blood. You could have her come out of the stands and HHH nearly threaten her with a chair only for Test seeing her in Danger to attack and with HHH down on the mat pleading with Test who is looking down at him prepared to bring a sledgehammer down upon him and end it once and for all with Stephanie behind him. She then reveals she is a Bitch in Sheep's clothing all along and kicks him in the groin from behind and HHH takes advantage and gets the win and reveal that the entire thing was a setup between them all along the next night on raw.

Posted By: Michael

This is exactly what I was thinking at the time, and it still makes more sense than what actually happened. All they had to do was give Test the belt for a month, then have him drop it back to HHH at Armageddon, as you said. The Stephanie swerve would've made a whole lot more sense, since she would've been ditching Test for her new man, rather than ditching her father for a new man (I am of course not suggesting any, uh, "strange" relationship between father and daughter). Plus, we got another swerve just a few months later at WrestleMania where Vince turned heel and ended up joining his evil daughter and son-in-law anyway. So what was the point? If they ran the angle like you suggested, Test would've gotten massively over, and in turn the McMahon-Helmsley Era would've looked that much more sinister. Test's spot would've been immediately cemented as a former WWE Champion, and then he would've had a solid career as an interchangeable title contender. But I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Yeah, but if Big Show hadn't won at Survivor Series, we would have been denied great poetry like, "If I was your daddy, I'd wanna die too!" and great visuals like Big Show RIDING HIS FATHER'S COFFIN! Now, that's a memory!

Posted By: Dave

I think somebody else commented that this was before Survivor Series, and in fact it was. But it doesn't mean it isn't an awesome memory. Bossman was at the peak of his poetic abilities when he eulogized Big Show's Daddy in rhyme: "If I had a son as stupid as you ... I'd wish for cancer so I would die too." Beautiful.

I remember that time when Test was red hot in his storyline with Stephanie. I was sure he was ready for bigger and better things but then his push came to a halt. Part of me still wonders if HHH was responsible behind the scenes for killing his push. What a shame and what a loss if he was. Test could have been a huge star if they ran with him.

Posted By: rudey

I don't know anything about HHH killing Test's push, but it isn't completely outside the realm of possibility. I'm inclined to think Test's push was ended abruptly because of superior babyfaces in the company, along with timing. The Rock and Chris Jericho were massively over around this time, plus the E had to start moving into the Road to WrestleMania. As much as I like Test, he simply could not have been involved in the WWE Title picture at WrestleMania. At least not in 2000. But then again, maybe Test really did show Steph some sweet Canadian lovin', and perhaps the unified beast of Vinny Mac and the King of Kings de-pushed him as a result. Or maybe Triple H was just jealous of Test's hair. Hard to tell.

Honestly, the only reason why I remember this match are the two botches in the match.

1) Test getting his foot stuck in between the ropes shown in the clip above.

2) Not shown in the clip above, Eddie tripped and fell while exiting the ring.

I believe Saturn had to help out Test as well.

Posted By: bluedragonx

Those who watched the original WrestleMania broadcast saw Test caught in the ropes for a hell of a lot longer than what was seen in the clip last week. I think you're right about Saturn having to step in and loosen up the ropes, which of course came across as retarded-looking as it sounds, considering he was out there in support of the other dude. Goofy little botch but still a good match.

"Damn UK exclusive releases. Damn them."

Not to gloat or anything, but the UK exclusive 'Tagged Classics' (two old PPVs in one box) just hit 2000, so we just got the ability to buy No Way Out and Backlash 2000 in DVD quality.

And in a few weeks, we get Judgment Day and Fully Loaded too.

Posted By: The Hawk

I've seen some Tagged Classics here in the States but most have been from 2003. I demand 2000 DVD releases!

While this is a good Test match, I think you should have done the column on his streetfight with Shane McMahon at SummerSlam 1999. That was his best match, and also one that no one ever talks about.

Posted By: Ryan

On the contrary, that SummerSlam match gets a lot of talk, arguably more than any other Test match. I'm in agreement with you that it was his best match, but it isn't exactly forgotten. I still encourage anyone who hasn't seen it to go check it out. I'd be surprised if it wasn't on YouTube.

Great match, Test was on his way to being a star, it's an awful shame he was cut short originally it's harder to gain that momentum.

It's a crime too that they let go of Test the 2nd time around and kept a waste of space like Hornswoggle, when will WWE realize he's like flushing money down a toilet. They could bring back RVD with the money they save canning Hornswoggle.

Posted By: jaked

Test appeared rather "well" in his ECW stint, but that's the only drawback I saw. Even then he was still capable of being the interchangeable main eventer he should've been years before. And yes, I totally agree that Hornswoggle is completely unnecessary. He made Vince's paternity angle even worse, ended the Cruiserweight Title, and has effectively destroyed any aura of badassness that Finlay once had.

Anything>The 411Mania Comment Section and its frequent posters

Posted By: Guest#0773

So you realize that, as a poster yourself, you have admitted that "anything" is greater than you. I wish I had that kind of humility.

Well there's another thing to look forward to when I get to the 17th installment of my WrestleMania re-watching odyssey leading up to WM XXV. So far I've only just finished XII, but I know I can make it... The question is, am I only going to make it so that I'm even more disappointed with this year's show than I already expect to be?

Posted By: KanyonKreist

Honestly I don't know how you'll get through the thirteenth installment, unless of course you just skip to Austin-Hart. But yeah, I hate to bear bad news, but by the time you're done you will more than likely be severely disappointed with this year's WrestleMania. With the exception of MITB lineup and the incredibly lame Jericho handicap, we've seen ALL of these matches before, some of them several times. This is not supposed to happen at WrestleMania. The only matches I'm really looking forward to are Taker-HBK and Matt-Jeff, and I've seen them before. At an event where we're supposed to get dream matches, this kind of booking is not supposed to happen.

Best part of this match was immediately after Test missed Saturn by about a mile with the big boot HE KICKED EDDIE GUERRERO'S FACE OFF and you just hear this "Oh-ho!" from Heyman. That was a heavy rewind moment amongst my high school friends.

That '02 Angle/Taker match was when Taker got pinned at the same time Angle tapped, right? If so that truly was an awesome match with an interesting twist to what essentially is a non-finish.

Undertaker's character can definitely cross the line of credibility (sitting up after a finisher: okay, shooting lightning at your brother: not okay) but some of his stuff is awe-inspiring. His hand emerging after the first Buried Alive match had even my wrestling-hating dad admitting it was cool, and his crucifixion of Austin was all kinds of Attitudinal Goodness. But then I think about him elevating to the video screen and talking "from beyond the grave" and I don't know what to believe.

"Not to gloat or anything, but the UK exclusive 'Tagged Classics' (two old PPVs in one box) just hit 2000, so we just got the ability to buy No Way Out and Backlash 2000 in DVD quality.

And in a few weeks, we get Judgment Day and Fully Loaded too."

Goddammit. First you get all the women with the sexy accents (though I guess they're just voices to you) and now this. And your currency doesn't suck.

Posted By: neverAcquiesce

Yep, that's the same Angle-Taker match, and indeed it was a hell of a finish. And Taker's superpowers have always been a struggle for me as a wrestling fan, considering his lightning-shooting abilities are what makes the rest of the world laugh at us. That and leprechauns that live under the ring.

TEST VS SHANE O MAC AT SUMMERSLAM FOR STEPH WAS AN AWESOME MATCH JUST SAYIN

Posted By: james T.

I AGREE.

Probably my favorite column on 411. Keep up the excellent work.

Posted By: Fred Richani

You're a wise man, Fred. I'll try not to disappoint.

Yeah, but if Big Show hadn't won at Survivor Series, we would have been denied great poetry like, "If I was your daddy, I'd wanna die too!" and great visuals like Big Show RIDING HIS FATHER'S COFFIN! Now, that's a memory!

Posted By: Dave (Guest) on March 19, 2009 at 12:06 AM

Those moments happened before Survivor Series...

Posted By: mr_wishart

Well there's the comment I was talking about ...

Got a big soft spot for 'Tazz vs. Jerry Lawler' from SS 2000

A MAJORLY forgotten favourite, however, is Tommy Dreamer vs. Steve Richards in a Singapore Cane match from Raw (I believe it was 2002.) With the cane smashed over the head ending....

Posted By: mr_wishart

Haven't seen either of those matches in quite a while, so I'll go back and give them a look. I recently found a used copy of that SummerSlam DVD but have yet to sit down and watch it.

jesus. do we only idolize drug addicts if they are involved in a homo-erotic televison show?
they're dead and thats that. but yet we feel bad for them because they were so stupid that they died young.

Posted By: Guest#9739

Actually, we as a culture tend to idolize any drug addict that is involved in the entertainment business. But one thing we really need to change is feeling bad about people dying. What's wrong with us?

I agree it looked as if Test's star was on the rise after his Summerslam match with Shane in 1999. When I look back at that period I was almost certain there was going to be 2 breakout stars, Test being one and the other being D'Lo Brown. The pops those 2 were receiving in that time period were impressive. Remember D'Lo held both the IC and Euro championship going into Summerslam 99.

I was waiting for both of these guys to move onto something bigger but for some reason nothing ever happened.

Posted By: Guest#0449

D'Lo definitely looked like he was on the verge of breaking out as a big star during his feud with Jeff Jarrett. He had the right charisma and moveset that elicited impressive crowd reactions everytime he performed. I thought the whole headbob-before-the-legdrop thing was going to be the next People's Elbow, but no such luck for the greatest European Champion of all time. Instead he would move on to much more important things like becoming Godfather's lackey.

Test unfortunetly will be forgotten in the annals of time. He was a decent worker but hardly did alot to be remembered long-term wise.

My personal memories of Test:

The Rocks AWESOME 12 days of christmas promo on him... seriously funny stuff.

Shane o vs Test - decent if slightly overrated match

Eddie vs Test - Not really the match just the awesome tilt a whirl into a powerbomb move.

Testicles.

Posted By: Andrew Barbarash

It may have been ridiculous but the Testicles thing was over. Or maybe it was just Stacy Keibler talking about Testicles that was over. Either way, it was another case of the crowd reacting to Test and WWE not giving a damn.

I agree with your doing a Test match as a tribute this week. I just would have chosen a different match.

Test vs. Shane from SummerSlam 1999 is his best match by far. It was a fun spotfest at the peak of Test's popularity. Test vs. RVD from ECW would have been a better choice too. RVD himself has called that one of his favorite WWE matches in interviews.

In all honesty, Test vs. Eddie is a forgotten match for a reason. Nice thought, but bad execution for this weeks column.

Posted By: Guest#6161

I commented earlier on why I passed over that SummerSlam match, considering it's usually the one that fans most remember. I'm blanking on Test-RVD, so I'll have to look into that one.

Honestly, the only reason why I remember this match are the two botches in the match.

1) Test getting his foot stuck in between the ropes shown in the clip above.

2) Not shown in the clip above, Eddie tripped and fell while exiting the ring.

I believe Saturn had to help out Test as well.

Posted By: bluedragonx (Guest) on March 19, 2009 at 12:45 AM

His foot in the ropes is not a botch...they use that in many matches...if it wasn't planned, the ref would've attempted to get him out instantly

Posted By: Erik

It was most certainly a botch. The clip from last week was edited by WWE. The incident was much longer on the live broadcast.

You wrote that much about this match without mentioning Perry Saturn's awesome hat? Amazing!

Another great column. Some people don't like this match which I don't understand as it's very good.

You know what's even more of a Forgotten Classic? Test vs Edge at SSeries 02. The last few minutes of that match were brilliant! I actually think that is the best match of Test's career and I'd also go out on a limb and say that it was also the best singes match Edge had up to that point.

Posted By: Tim

This was actually at SS '01, and it was indeed a hell of a match. Last week's column was actually a tossup between that match and the Eddie one. I chose as I did just because it was a WrestleMania match, and Test doesn't have many of them.

"Test vs. Shane from SummerSlam 1999 is his best match by far. It was a fun spotfest at the peak of Test's popularity. Test vs. RVD from ECW would have been a better choice too. RVD himself has called that one of his favorite WWE matches in interviews."

But the article is called Forgotten Favorites. The SummerSlam match is very well known and remembered. And while WrestleMania X-Seven is as far from forgotten as you can get, nobody recalls it for Test/Eddie.

"Favorite" is subjective anyway, so we can't go around saying, "X isn't a good match, Y is!" We can call Jim out all day long if he botches the forgotten part, but when it comes to favorites he, and everyone else in the entire world, are untouchable.

Posted By: neverAcquiesce

So ... you think you're untouchable?

Whoa ... sorry ... I just had a flashback to two columns ago and the once-greatness of a once-great man.

But yeah, this is what I was saying earlier about the SummerSlam match being the one most people remember Test for. It's impossible for me to consistently pick matches that everybody has forgotten about, but this particular WM match is one that isn't usually discussed, and thus I think it qualifies.

"And call me crazy, but that November PPV is where Test's moment should have come. He should've left Survivor Series as the WWE Champion."

That is exactly right, and that was the prevailing logic at the time. Remember, the main event at Survivor Series 99 was supposed to be HHH/Rock/Austin, until Austin got run down and had to be replaced. EVERYONE thought it was gonna be Test, and it should've been, but instead it was Big Show, who ended up walking out with the title. I'm not necessarily saying Test should've won the title that night, but him being in the main event with Rock and HHH alone would've put him at least in the upper midcard heading towards main event status.

Also, I was there live for the Test/Shane match at Summerslam 99, and the pop Test got after he pinned Shane was 2nd only to Austin's entrance.

Posted By: s1rweeze

Either just competing in the match or winning the belt, Test would've been a star after Survivor Series had he been in the main event. But instead they wasted it on a (then) sloppy dude in the middle of a terribly lame angle. And then within a couple months of Big Show losing his dad and all of us supposedly cheering him onto the WWE Title, he had lost the belt and turned heel. And then a couple more months passed and he turned face. And then the world realized Big Show had no credibility as a realistic character.

Andrew Martin was a midcarder at best and nothing more.

He was just another generic big man like Kevin Nash minus The Kliq Connection.

So to me he was just pushed the right way.

The european title has zero meaning in the history of both the WWF/E and pro wrestling.

It's just a poor old man's version of the Intercontinental One.

Posted By: Damn Right ! (Guest) on March 18, 2009 at 11:05 PM

To say that Nash is a generic big man w/o the Kliq is ridiculous. You could say the Kliq helped him become as big as he became, but not generic. He's always been gold on the mic.

As far as Test, I've always felt WWE really dropped the ball w/ him in late-99. I don't know if I would've made him champ, but I do think he should've gotten the Survivor Series match, not Show. Always felt he was kind of underrated and underused til he came back in 06. He was way too big and it just felt like he was a different guy.

Posted By: Bobby

Like I said, Nash deserves a certain measure of respect, and he was more than just a generic big man in his time.

this match was used as my piss match. i hate the astrodome restrooms.

Posted By: Booker T

So the whole night you only pissed once? Or did you piss ... FIVE TIMES FIVE TIMES FIVE TIMES FIVE TIMES FIVE TIMES?

I always liked Test. Yes he was very similar in style to Nash, but that's a good thing since Nash is long gone from the E. I always winced when Test connected with his Big Boot. It sounded sick as hell.

And as for the European Belt, yes it was never that prestigeous, but the first Hell in the Cell between Taker and HBK was for the European Title, so it does have some distinction.

Posted By: dan

If i recall correctly, Shawn's promo before the HIAC explicitly stated that his prestigious European Title wasn't on the line. HIAC was for the #1 contendership to the WWF title.

Posted By: Guest#0610

Correct. Though he called it his "coveted European title" and that was only to a) get Hunter to laugh and b) get Bret to further hate him.

In fact, I'm not sure Shawn ever actually defended the European title (on TV at least) between winning it from Davey and "losing" it to Triple H.

Posted By: neverAcquiesce

As much of a joke as the European Title was to Shawn Michaels, it was still taken relatively seriously for a short period of time. And even when it clearly became nothing more than a prop for lower card wrestlers, it was still significant in that it marked a young guy to keep your eye on. And by the way, that HBK promo before HIAC is gold.

Hey man,

Great columns so far. Especially this one. I like how you pointed the finger at the fans a little bit. There was some post on 411 right after Test died that was Kelly Kelly mourning the loss of her ex-boyfriend and instead of being sympathetic for her many people here bitched about she didn't use the correct grammer. I think that's the problem with a lot of wrestling fans. For many people wrestling is their outlet to criticize and judge instead of appreciate and accept. After Test got fired from WWE and TNA did anyone give a shit what he was up to? I certainly didn't. I figured he was just roaming around the indies somewhere. I can't imagine what its like to be able to perform in front of thousands of people night after night then three months later, worry about how I'm going to pay rent. Instead of being elitist douchers I think us, as a wrestling community, should remember why we fell in love with the business to begin with instead of judging how sloppy a certain move looks. Professional wrestling has brought me so many moments I'll never forget and I can't tell how much it irrates me that people who call themselves fans who make self-indulgant jokes, poking fun at the wrestlers who died only because they wanted to entertain us and make sure we got our money's worth. Keep up the great work, man!

Posted By: db

Sadly, a lot of fans don't seem to see it that way. Even though these guys are in a different town almost every night, putting their bodies through hell, barely getting any time to even sleep, there is still a large portion of the audience that only thinks of them as characters on a weekly TV show. Test was a human being whose career pressures led him to an unhealthy lifestyle and eventually cost him his life. With the amount of guys who have died in similar circumstances, I'm amazed that some fans can still lay all of the blame on the wrestlers themselves. These guys aren't addicts in the sense that they're stealing their kids' money to go shoot heroin in a back alley. These guys are dealing with addictions to help ease their tremendous physical pain, to improve their physique (and therefore company standing), and to fall asleep for the two and a half hours they're allowed per night. It's almost inescapable for most.

1999 The Rock, Triple H, Mankind, Steve Austin, The Undertaker.

Test doesn't make the list.

Posted By: Guest#6846

If you're talking about '99 champions, you can't forget about Vince McMahon.

You may not think much of Indy wrestling but you need to watch some Mike Quackenbush. He is a true artist and a wrestling ring is his canvas. You can do no wrong watching and enjoying any match involving Quack.

Posted By: Guest#6317

For you, Guest #6317, I will. Although I might experience some bashing, I will report on my indy findings next week.

One thing I remember unfortunately from that match was test getting his leg getting caught in the rope and for some reason being unable to get out and eddie trying to buy time but when he goes outside the ring he falls out of the ring by accident. Classic booper but they don't have it on any release of the ppv for obvious reasons.

Posted By: Guest#6571

I don't remember the Eddie fall everybody's talking about, but Test's leg in the rope is indeed a pretty classic WM blooper.

"While this is a good Test match, I think you should have done the column on his streetfight with Shane McMahon at SummerSlam 1999. That was his best match, and also one that no one ever talks about."

Please explain... if it was his best match ever (on a PPV no less), how can you justify the fact it's NOT talked about... it's talked about pretty frequently actually, especially now.

Now then, your column. You raise a great point in that Test COULD have been a major star. When I started to watch WWF, Test was my favourite wrestler because his moveset contained my 2 favourite moves at the time: the full nelson slam and the pump-handle slam. Not only that, but he was involved in a major storyline early in his career. I do think that the WWF missed a great opportunity, as I can freely admit that I cared about him fairly little after the Invasion angle, even if I still liked what he did. That's booking for you though.

...But I digress, as usual, and I think you did as well. I'm definately not going to say that's a bad thing though, because Test's death was a tragedy and a short digression on what could have been is not bad at all, but maybe the two should be separate headings in the column. It's not uncommon and is neater as well as a nice notion.

That out of the way, I agree that the match is good and easily forgettable due to being on a card like WM17. However, I do not believe that it is a solid candidate purely because I don't think the match is really a 'favourite'. That said, it's possible it was also the best choice as I cannot locate my favourite Test match anywhere, that being his match against Edge around 2003... I really can't remember the PPV though.

I still love this article and it is consistently a great read everytime for it's nostalgia, great writing and concise recapping. Great effort Jim.

R.I.P. Test.

Posted By: Banz

Another satisfied customer makes for a satisfied writer. Not that Banz has actually paid me or anything, but I am not opposed to you guys sending me money.

The Invasion angle is right around where all hope was lost for Test. He was friends then enemies then friends then enemies again with Shane McMahon, and while joining the Alliance initially seemed a step in the right direction for Test, he soon ended up wasting away in the midcard. He had a couple of Tag Title reigns with Booker T, but their team ultimately meant nothing to wrestling history.

As for the Edge match, you might be thinking of the Survivor Series '01 match that was mentioned earlier. Or the match they had on Raw shortly before SS, where Test won the IC Title. Edge spent most of 2003 on the shelf with a neck injury.

Hey man, I love your column.

You should write one about the Owen Hart/British Bulldog match for the European Championship......man, does that match rule, and if it weren't for the 15th Raw Anniversary DVD set, it probably would have been lost in the annals of history

Posted By: IcedNeonFlames

Fantastic match. But I know damn well that if I cover that match I will get torn apart. Today's casual fans have likely never seen it, but the IWC has soiled its pants many-a-time in praising it. Certainly one of my Favorites, but I'm not so sure I can call it Forgotten.

Even though it was a lower Midcard title,the e wasn't flooded with a load of meaningless titles back then, so being a euro champion had a more prestige then a lot of todays titles, and it really shows off in this great match between one of the greatest of all time and someone who could have been, RIP to both men

Posted By: Solidsnake

The midcard was a hell of a lot stronger when they had both European and IC Titles running at the same time. The 2000 era WWE midcard was booked so superior to the present day that I hang my head in shame when really thinking about it. Now they can't even properly book ONE midcard title on either brand.

I remember this match. Good match.

Test was always a favorite of mine and I'm sad to see him go. I remmeber watching as a kid and even though he was a heel member of the Corporation he always tsruck as a cool-looking big dude.

RIP Andrew Martin. He used to rock some pretty sweet leather pants back in the day.

Posted By: lilwayne1

Even sweeter than his sweet leather pants was his "Guns don't kill people. I kill people" shirt that he used to wear. Ah, the good old days.

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That does it for this week. Hope you guys enjoyed the promo overload. Keep the discussion going and keep the suggestions coming. And, if possible, stay safe and out of jail.