wrestling / Columns

The Professional 3 8.04.13 The Midcard Grand Slam Champion

August 4, 2013 | Posted by Jon Harder

Welcome everyone to another edition of the Professional 3 HERE on 411wrestling.com! I’m Jon Harder and in my humble opinion, the wrestling scene has been picking up on all ends. Whether it’s mainstream or the independent circuit, pro wrestling is finding ways to survive and thrive. To me, wrestling starting to pick up is giving me the adrenaline rush of like hitting a home run in a MLB game. Maybe after this column, it’ll be a Grand Slam.

Before we go any further, check out this week’s Hardway Podcast on TheJonHarder.com with Dan Murdoch. Murdoch, the current American Championship Entertainment Diamond Division champion, has been working on a web-series entitled Darkest Days. With production beginning in September, Murdoch sat down with me to discuss it. You can find him on Twitter at @DMurdoch.

Also this week, the second edition of Angry Mets Guys hit the airwaves! With two in the book, you can rest assured that Leon St. Giovanni and I are looking forward to rant and rave all over the team we love to hate…AND HATE TO LOVE; The New York Mets. Check out Episode 2 HERE:

Now, with the plugs out of the way, I recently have come to a conclusion with my life. I love rare, obscure details when it comes to my wrestling knowledge. Whether it is about my top favorite moments, Cruiserweight Tag Team Championships, or even Dude Love, I’ve always been a guy who’s utilized his wrestling factoids to his advantage. Granted, it hasn’t led to many girlfriends in life, but at the very least, it’s given me full advantage to dominate any wrestling based argument given against other people. Which will lead me to a subject very touchy among die-hard fans: the term of being a “Grand Slam Champion”.

The first time the term “Grand Slam Champion” was utilized was when Shawn Michaels won the WWF European championship back on September 20, 1997. For “the Heartbreak Kid”, that was his fourth different WWF championship he had held in the company. After his defeat of inaugural champion British Bulldog, the WWF coined Shawn the first ever “Grand Slam Champion”. Since then, there have been several men who have made their careers as a performer who held four different major championships within the WWE. Triple H, RVD, Kurt Angle, Booker T, and Kane stand out as a few performers who have completed this honor in the annuls; yet I legitimately have a gripe against what truly make a “Grand Slam Champion” authentic.

To me (and hopefully, this is only to me), if you find yourself in the biggest company in the world and find enough longevity to hold a multitude of championships, you can be a complete success. More importantly, you are deserving of the term “Grand Slam Champion”. Now, although there have been several that have never held the WWE or World Heavyweight championships, they have held a multitude of current or retired midcard titles to deserve the honor. I call this the “Midcard Grand Slam”.

It’s catchy. After a week of thinking, this is what I came up with. The Midcard Grand Slam has a bit of a ring to it.

This vision of “the Midcard Grand Slam” is what leads to this week’s Professional 3. I have done my research and determined that the championships that have been held CANNOT include a WWE World championship. I have found 3 in my studies of title histories that have done this honor and are well deserving of this accolade. Trust me; the Professional 3 Stamp of Approval is nothing to take lightly. With that said and without further hesitation…

THE PROFESSIONAL 3: The Midcard Grand Slam Champion

1) SPIKE DUDLEY

Oh yeah, I’m going right in. “The Runt of the Dudley Litter” started his WWE run in March 19, 2001, yet his first championship run came on the first Raw of 2002 in Madison Square Garden, teaming with Tazz to defeat the Dudley Boyz for the WWF Tag Team championships. After a two-month reign, Spike interrupted a Maven vs Goldust Hardcore championship match at WrestleMania X-8 and, due to the 24/7 rule on the championship, pinned Maven to win the championship! That started the first of 8 reigns as Hardcore champion. In between those 8 reigns, Spike found time to have a 28 day reign with the European championship, after knocking out William Regal with his own brass knuckles on one of the first brand extension episodes of Monday Night Raw in April 8, 2002.

However, it took Spike two years to complete this variation of the Grand Slam, by winning the Cruiserweight championship in the summer of 2004 from Rey Mysterio. Granted, it took the Dudley Boyz and a table, but “the Boss” became the Cruiserweight champion. So by winning the European, Hardcore, Tag Team, and Cruiserweight championships in WWE, Spike Dudley should be considered a part of the Grand Slam Champions club. It looks as if I’ve started something here.

2) CRASH HOLLY

This one might shock people. The late, great Crash Holly was a very successful competitor within the WWF ranks. Debuting in the summer of 1999 to feud with his cousin Hardcore, Crash quickly won the WWF Tag Team championship by defeating the Rock and Sock Connection. Yes, Crash’s first championship came from a win over the Rock and Mick Foley, two of the biggest stars of all time. However, it wasn’t until February 24, 2000 where Crash became synonymous with the Hardcore championship.

The creator of the 24/7 rule, “the Houdini of Hardcore” won his first of 22 title reigns from Test on Smackdown and never looked back. Crash took all that momentum and actually held the European championship for two days in December of 2000 by defeating William Regal at Rebellion in the United Kingdom. (Regal always found a way to quickly get his rematch to win back his European championship.) Finally, on March 18, 2001, Crash completed the Grand Slam by defeating Dean Malenko for the WWF Light Heavyweight championship on Sunday Night Heat. Coincidentally, Crash lost the championship to Jerry Lynn on Heat prior to Backlash 2001, which was the first championship reign to begin and end on the WWF’s Sunday show on MTV.

Regardless, by these rules, Crash won the Grand Slam by winning the European, Light Heavyweight, Hardcore, and Tag Team titles. I’m guessing you see a pattern when it comes to truly what the Midcard Grand Slam entails.

3) THE HURRICANE

Stand back, there’s a Hurricane coming through! Within a thirteen month period, the Hurricane breezed through the WWF by winning 4 championships! Starting in August 27, 2001, the Hurricane began his life as a crime-fighting superhero and won the European championship from the evil super-villain Matt Hardy. After a two-month reign as champion, the Hurricane flew into Toronto, Ontario, Canada’s Sky Dome in April 2002. Twenty minutes after Spike stole the Hardcore championship from Maven, Hurricane flew in on his Hurri-Rope, knocked out Spike, and became the Hardcore champion. Although the Hurricane had his championship stolen twenty minutes after winning it and was betrayed by his former sidekick Mighty Molly, the Hurricane stayed focused on the goal at hand, and ridded the world of Tajiri’s terror as Cruiserweight champion. On May 14, 2002, on an episode of Smackdown, the Hurricane Hurri-Choke Slammed the “Japanese Buzzsaw” and saved the Cruiserweight championship from mere danger. Finally, in September of 2002, the Hurricane was drafted to the side of justice – Monday Night Raw – and formed a union with the “Big Red Machine” Kane – Hurri-Kane – and saved the WWE Tag Team championships from international waters by defeating the Un-Americans. The Hurricane within 13 months saved the WWE midcard championship scene, one championship at a time. WHAT’S UP WITH THAT?

OK, despite the ridiculous overtones of my piece on the Hurricane, he completed the Midcard Grand Slam by winning the European, Cruiserweight, Tag Team, and Hardcore championships. Technically, he, like Spike and Crash, should be recognized as Grand Slam Champions.

Bottom line, I’m definitely stretching when it comes to the term “Grand Slam Champion”. But wouldn’t it be something if these three entered the very small lineage of the Grand Slam? Granted, with the exception of the Tag Team championships, the three other championships are retired, but it still counts in WWE folklore! Maybe I’m such a fan of cheesy and (to some) pointless wrestling memories, but I will continue to push for things like this to come to prominence.

The Midcard Grand Slam Champion. It’ll be a thing.

Find me on Twitter at @TheJonHarder. #Professional3 all day. See you next week.

Jon Harder

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