The Pin is Mightier 01.14.06: A “Brotherly Love” for the Business
Posted by Ryan K. Boman on 01.13.2006
Brought to you by the City of Philadelphia, Bruce Pritchard, and the Jackson 5.
As WWE paraded out Edge as their newest champion on Monday Night, they seemed to be acknowledging one of their own. A home-grown talent who finally made good. A figure in sports entertainment that has weathered the storms of the business. Indeed, the character of Edge has seen all the ups and downs that can possibly come his way. Hell, he was even going to celebrate his first night as champ by having sex live on TV. How many guys can say that?
The onscreen drama doesn't really match the out-of-ring stuff, either. Edge looked like a guy who might be fired a few months ago, and now he is the centerpiece of RAW. It was an intriguing storyline, really: a roller coaster ride that still hasn't ended. As much as I am not a big fan of Adam Copeland's work, I had to acknowledge that he had paid his dues to finally get to the top of the mountain. Vince McMahon and Company acknowledged this fact as well, airing a video montage of some of Edge's career highlights. And, as I watched the footage, I only had one thought:
It's too bad Christian wasn't here to see this.
For some reason, the first person who popped into my head when I saw Edge hoist that belt was his "brother". Jay Reso probably had as much reason to be happy for Copeland as anyone. After all, these two guys traveled this path together, achieving success as tag team titleholders. They grew up together. They trained together. And yet, there were no mentions of Christian, and only a photo of the two as teenagers was shown. To me, that was a shame, because I think Copeland himself would tell you he is where he is today, in part, because of his former partner.
On the other side of the ledger, Christian Cage is now a featured player in a little promotion called TNA. He's far from the bright lights and big dollars that he once enjoyed, although he says that he is happier. Apparently, Reso liked the idea of being a bigger fish in a smaller pond, so he split. Making a business decision like no other, he cut ties with WWE and sought out new fortunes elsewhere. At the same time, he left behind his lifelong friend, former tag team partner, and storyline sibling. It was his time to move on, and he took that opportunity. Still, much like Copeland, he will always owe a lot of his success to the wickedly awesome tag team known as "Edge and Christian".
Still, it's funny how two brothers can be so different. Even if they aren't really brothers after all.
Somewhere between their training and their TLC matches, Edge and Christian took two different career paths. I'm not exactly sure when it happened, but it did. As they revolutionized wrestling with their high-risk falls and wonderful catchphrases, they also grew apart as performers. They have clearly taken on separate views on what Sports Entertainment is all about. Edge became more focused on the "entertainment" aspect of the business, while Christian appears to be more along the lines of the "sport". Cage even stated this in his TNA debut, when he declared that he wasn't "here to see a grown man dressed up like a doctor pull a football out of another man's ass." Edge, on the other hand, embraced the nuttier side of the business, appearing in several questionable angles, including his alleged live sex show Monday Night. Reso's character appears to be going down a more straightforward path, while Copeland's likes to keep things as topsy turvy as possible.
Two men, in two different companies, linked by so much history together. And as different as they have become, they have found similar success.
As these two stars have grown from boys to men, they have matured into individual superstars. No longer needing the other guy to "get over", they have forged on alone. As teammates and friends, they finally came to a fork in the road. Choosing two very different paths, they seem to be arriving at the same destination at around the same points in their careers. That destination is known as "individual success".
Separated by different styles and hundreds of miles, these two driven performers still share their same obsession for achievement. It's something that runs through each man's veins. It is the desire and will to be the best, by hook or by crook. It's the need to wow the audience each and every night, by any means necessary. It's that innate, almost unteachable, ability to entertain the crowd. Each man has it, in his own way. Both Edge and Christian have carved out their niches in Sports Entertainment, and appear ready to carry the ball for two very different companies. Something tells me, however, that they will be making a lot of congratulatory phone calls to each other over the next few years, as they take their game to the next level. Alone, mind you, but never forgetting where they came from. And never forgetting one another. After all, they're ‘brothers', right?
They are no longer the team of Edge and Christian. They are now the Rated R Superstar and Captain Charisma. Two men who know how to mix their ambition and desire in a formula for success.
Ambition. Desire. Success. Hmmm...they must just run in the ‘family'.
