The Ripple Effect 3.23.07: WrestleMania Special (1 of 3) - Edge
Posted by Zac Calhoun on 03.23.2007
In anticipation of WM 23, the RE presents a three-part special highlighting some careers that have experienced the power of WWE's biggest event. We begin with the man who holds the second longest undefeated streak in WM history. Too bad they blew the live sex show on Raw though.
I recently received a huge dose of mark-ness.
For the first time in nearly ten years, I thumbed through a copy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated yesterday. I was in a bookstore at the magazine rack, and between reading the latest issues of Blender and High Times (just for the articles) I saw a recent issue of PWI. For those of you who aren't familiar with the publication, PWI is pretty much the most prominent kayfabe wrestling magazine out there. Whereas many publications will talk about the inside stories of the business (Wrestling Observer Newsletter), PWI treats the storylines as if they were real.
Now the obvious question that arises (and one I had even when I was twelve and read my first issue) is, "Why would someone waste their time writing fake speculation about a predetermined sport?" Well, I don't really know the answer to that one. Perhaps the writers have a passion for keeping the illusion alive in the younger fans. Perhaps there's just that much of a market for wrestling material. Perhaps they actually think it's real.
Anyway, one of the issue's main articles was about how similar the Sting/Jarrett feud of this past year is to the Sting/Hogan feud that skyrocketed/fucked WCW in 1997. Its basic point was that Sting was involved in a year-long feud against the biggest heel mainstay in the company. Both Jarrett and Hogan were seen as a "rite of passage" of sorts, a symbol of who you have to beat to be big in the company. It was an interesting piece, but the comparison just didn't sit right with me. True both were booked pretty similarly, and true Hogan and Jarrett did occupy almost the exact same role, but there's a pretty gaping difference between these two scenarios. The finish of Jarrett vs. Sting didn't fuck the company over.
But I'll let this one go...no offense to the staff of PWI, but debating over a kayfabe publication just seems superfluous to me. Besides, there's a little bit of RE to get into…
Diversions…
At the very moment I'm writing this, I'm sitting in my car in Austin, Texas, enjoying the hell out of my Spring Break and taking in some of the prettier sites. I'm facing this pretty lush forest/woods area separated from me by a small chain-link fence. And right in front of me just walked this baby deer. I wasn't even aware there were deer in this part of Texas, but there was fucking Bambi no more than ten yards away from me. I felt really good inside, like I'd experienced a true nature moment, when the rest of the deer's crew comes strolling by. Without getting too sentimental for my target audience, it's those kinds of moments that give you some true inner-peace.
I watched Raw Monday just like any good little wrestling fan would do two weeks before WrestleMania. I thought it was actually a pretty hot show. The opening promo with JBL was everything I hoped it could be and more. I was wondering what exactly they'd do about booking JBL in a match (awesome side note: another family of deer just walked by), and my initial reaction to him not actually wrestling was annoyance in response to the blatant false advertising. But when I realized it was just an excuse for him to cut a heel promo on Shawn, I was much more pleased. Then I actually saw the promo and found myself anticipating the Cena/HBK match so much more. There is NO ONE in WWE right now that can make the crowd scream for blood more effectively than JBL. He got under Shawn's skin by pointing out how much of a chicken shit he's been since winning the shot at WM. It was like JBL giving a lecture on how a good heel behaves, and you could tell Shawn was remembering the tricks from his old days. HBK always has more interesting feuds when he allows those unstable elements of his personality to come out, and this interview was a big step in that direction. The whole thing made me very happy!
They finally pulled the trigger on the breaking of the Masterlock and simultaneously shoveled another accomplishment on Lashley's resume. The one good thing I'll say about it is at least that it's perfectly believable for someone as ripped as Lashley to be the guy to do it. But now we get to see the Masterpiece in actual matches…makes you appreciate the Challenge more doesn't it?
The battle royal was as good as most other battle royals I guess. I will say I got excited when it came down to Flair and Carlito. It just had this "big moment" vibe to it, which makes me think this little quasi-feud might be working. And once again Edge's craftiness was his saving grace, as he faked an injury and sat out the entire match, only to sloppily dump Flair to retain the slot in MITB. It was not only a smart heel move, but it built on his sitting out of another battle royal a few weeks ago. My girlfriend was actually fooled for a while, and I was for a second until I remembered that previous trick. Good stuff from Edge, and it seems like he and Kennedy are the front-runners to win the briefcase, with Punk as a pretty big dark horse.
And the retarded guy was attacked and shaved bald by a (not) billionaire who didn't even have anything against him...nice.
I was kind of looking forward to seeing how well Candice would do against Melina. It seems she isn't as useless as we all thought she was and wants to take the wrestling part of being a diva seriously. What we got instead was the King saving the Playboy girl from Great Fucking Khali (now his official RE name). This was WrestleCrap on so many levels: first when simply looking at the people involved, second when considering the undertone that Ashley's getting a title shot at WM solely because she was in Playboy, and third when even trying to cast Lawler in the "defender of women" role. The only reason he saved her was just because he thought Khali would eat her tits. It's true.
Orton vs. Hardy…wasn't so good.
It's K-Fed…oh sorry, Kevin Federline in the Billionaires montage! Did anyone else see that and kind of miss him? I hope this is true of someone besides me, because I was actually happy to see him. He got a pretty good pop too, which speaks well of a WWE return. He needs to manage someone stat!
Not that I'm complaining about having Cena go up against Benoit, but I think there could've been a more sensible choice for his opponent. I mean, he and HBK didn't really even feud leading up to WM XX; it was more about HHH. But oh well…it was one hot little match. The one gripe I (and probably everyone else) have with the match is how damn short it was, especially when you've got Benoit tapping out in the middle of the ring on the first application of a move that's very very similar to the Crossface. Benoit's credibility won't be hurt by it of course, but I just wish they would've taken more time to develop the submission battle. On an interesting sidenote, this was the first battle (to my recollection) between the only two submission moves ever to end a WM main event.
It was a cool show, ended by a very cool Taker gong and light show. It felt like a 1997 Nitro ending, with its cliffhanger-ness. Hooray for motivated writers!
Oh this one is a treat! In honor of our two face/face world title matches at this year's WM, I thought I would find some material from another big face/face confrontation: Steve Austin vs. Undertaker from SummerSlam '98. And I found it...about nine years before it happened. This is a match between the Punisher (a USWA Mark Calloway gimmick) and a recently debuted Steve Williams (Austin's real name). There are so many cool things about this clip. Austin has a flowing head of blond hair, Taker's working with a mask, and the "big guy" fetish is in full force. The match itself wasn't quite as competitive as SS '98, serving as a squash for the Punisher, and making Austin look like a complete scrub. But you could sort of see the star potential in the match. And hey, you'll never see Stone Cold go down faster in your life. Definitely worth your time.
The RE WrestleMania 23 Special (part 1 of 3)
These days, no wrestling fan in his right mind would understate the role of WrestleMania, either in terms of drawing power or general importance. What happens at WM not only determines the course of the year in WWE but serves as a symbol of its time period. Think about it: what is someone going to remember when you mention the year 1985 to them. They picture Hogan and Mr. T going up against those fools Piper and Orndorff, they picture the Bodyslam Challenge, they picture the evil foreigners walking away with the tag straps. Mention 1993 and they'll groan at Giant Gonzales lumbering his way down the aisle at Caesar's Palace or Hogan wedging his way into the title picture AGAIN. Bring up 2001 and visions of TLC, Angle/Benoit and Rock/Austin dance in their heads. Like it or not, wrestling fans identity specific time periods with the events that went down at that year's WM. So needless to say, this event has had a crucial impact on plenty of careers over its now twenty-three year history.
As we quickly approach the holiest time of the wrestling year, I feel it necessary for the RE to look at the impact the "granddaddy of them all" has had on the careers of a select few individuals. We'll look at one guy this week and add another for the next two weeks. I'll not waste time covering the obvious choices (Hogan, Austin, Taker, Michaels), because I want to look at some of the more recent or obscure performers out there. I'll admit the first one is pretty obvious, but oh well. I'll surprise you next week, I promise.
Without further adieu, lets begin the RE's very first WrestleMania special!
"On this day, I see clearly. Everything has come to light."
At the present time, the best overall WrestleMania record (by a very wide margin) belongs to the Undertaker. With fourteen wins and zero losses, the Deadman has established himself as the undisputed king of WWE's biggest show. The streak is so revered these days that it's become a sort of championship he can constantly carry around to put over his dominance. Indeed, Taker and WWE have a great asset with his WM reputation, but one modern superstar looks to be on the right track to giving the "king of WM" a run for his money.
To say that Adam Copeland had a smashing debut at WrestleMania would be simply incorrect. On the contrary, he and his Brood brothers Christian and Gangrel were kind of…hung out to dry with a bad angle. Fortunately for him and us fans, the long-haired wife cheater we call Edge has established one of the finest WM track records of any current or past superstar. Since his on-screen debut at WM XV in Philadelphia, Edge has taken gradual steps toward becoming a main event player. And he can attribute a lot of that to two things: 1) the bookers making him look like a god every year, and 2) the way his performances have backed that up.
So let's take a look at how Edge has used the power of WrestleMania to increase his status in the company, his reputation to the fans, and his "it" factor.
Upon his arrival in the WWF in 1998, Edge was booked as a "mysterious loner" character, with an intricately designed wardrobe and a trademark "through the crowd" entrance. He was immediately associated in storyline terms with the newly debuted Gangrel, who feuded with Edge in the summertime, and Christian, who debuted later on as Edge's equally mysterious long lost brother. Eventually whatever they were feuding over went away and they joined forces to form the Brood, a cult-like group who would uniformly adopt Gangrel's feiry and blood-filled entrance (I really wouldn't have a problem if Kevin Thorn started copying it…it's cooler than what he already does). Sometime early in 1999, they joined up with Taker's Ministry of Darkness and feuded with Vince's Corporate Team. This rather large and convoluted storyline culminated (for the first of many times) at WM XV, where Corporation member and general enforcer the Big Bossman went up against the Undertaker inside the Hell in a Cell. The match…wasn't very competitive, but the most newsworthy event took place after Taker kicked the shit out of the Bossman, as the Brood proceeded to HANG the Bossman from the top of the cell. I remember watching this live in '99 thinking it was one of the most disturbing things I'd ever seen. Of course, I was only 13 and hadn't yet seen a Tarantino film. But nonetheless, while Edge may not have wrestled at number XV, you can't argue that he didn't make some impact.
After the Ministry thing ended, the Brood stopped being the Brood as Gangrel was slowly removed from the spotlight to emphasize the two guys the WWF actually saw potential in. Through a series of great matches with the Hardy Boyz, Edge and Christian solidified themselves as a legit tag team threat. And so they were put in a Triangle Ladder Match at WrestleMania 2000 (16) against the Hardys and the tag team champions the Dudley Boyz. The match was an instant classic and made all six competitors into stars. They took the basic formula of ladder matches established by guys like HBK and Bret and Razor and elevated them to the next level. Unlike the previous year's effort, there wasn't any huge storyline surrounding the match; it was just three of the world's best teams pulling out all the stops to give legendary performances. The picture of Edge and Christian standing atop the ladder/chair contraption in victory is quite the iconic image these days.
The next year's performance brings in a new phase of Edge career I think, as he and Christian had established enough of a reputation for the fans to get very excited about Edge's WM X-Seven matchup, another ladder match with the Hardys and Dudleys. By this time, the combination of these three teams was enough to make people want to watch by itself, but when combined with a high-profile spot on the WM card, it was easily one of the most anticipated matches on the show. And this is one of the best PPV's EVER. Every spot delivered, all the teams got to do their trademark things, and Edge got in one of the most picturesque maneuvers any of us had ever seen. I am of course referring to the spear off the ladder onto Jeff Hardy's poor body. It wasn't the sickest spot of the show (or even the match), but it was a beautiful thing to watch. If Edge never wins another world title and leaves WWE tomorrow, they'll still show that spear in nostalgia clips until the very day WWE goes under. In other words, for a long damn time. By the way, Edge and Christian won the match and the titles AGAIN.
In the summer of that year though, it was time for the posers to go their separate ways. Edge and Christian were split up, and Edge found himself the 2001 King of the Ring. It seemed his solo career was looking very bright as WrestleMania X-8 approached, and he was put up against a guy whose future was just as bright, Booker T. I won't say much about the booking of the feud (because that's really best forgotten), but suffice it to say that Edge was the face, Booker was the heel, and they feuded over shampoo and whether or not Booker was smart. The match never got a chance to develop and was ultimately forgettable, especially when considering Rock/Hogan. But it certainly highlighted Edge's favor in big-time situations and his ability to get over. He was heavily cheered the whole match and went over in less than ten minutes. And more importantly, he went on to have great matches with Kurt Angle over the next few months that that helped him further improve and rid the world of Angle's hair.
And just when things were shaping up for Edge to be a big part of WrestleMania XIX, he went and got himself injured. He was all set to fight in the SmackDown main event of No Way Out 2003 but a legitimate neck injury kept him off the shelf until just after WM XX. At that point, many fans were thinking how much it must suck to be Edge. However, the next phase of his career was beginning, and he would be just fine.
After a brief run as a babyface upon his return in 2004, the fans started openly booing Edge. Something about him, whether it was his limited movement as a result of the injury, or his more hardfaced persona, made the fans slowly turn him heel. This proved to be the final push he needed to break into the main event. After being involved in the title picture for the latter part of '04, he competed in the first Money In the Bank Ladder Match at WM 21. The match took some of the top contenders on Raw and gave them a chance for a guaranteed World Heavyweight Championship match. Edge was all over this opportunity and really started to develop as a character. Winning the title became his obsession, and this came to a head in the MITB match at WM. Using every opportunistic heel trick in the book, Edge climbed his way to the top of the ladder and took the briefcase, almost maiming Chris Benoit on the way. This still stands as one of my favorite matches of all time; the spots were inventive and made sense, the action was absolutely non-stop, and every guy played their role to perfection. Chief among these guys was Edge, who made the most out of a WM opportunity, in a kayfabe and non-kayfabe sense.
And speaking of opportunity, Edge used his newfound privilege to challenge John Cena immediately after his grueling title defense inside the Elimination Chamber. His title reign was short lived, but by no means was he removed from the spotlight. In fact, his next match would be, in my opinion, his finest to date. The Edge/Mick Foley feud brought some interesting storyline developments, as Edge and his newfound mistress Lita terrorized Foley until the most sinister parts of his personality came out. It was, in many people's opinion, the most interesting feud going into WM 22 and gave Edge his first big-time, straight forward WM feud. The match was executed brilliantly, with both men being booked like pain-loving lunatics. Foley tried to prove he could get it done on a big stage, and Edge was just trying to prove he deserved the praise he gave himself all the time. And as far as the "iconic moment" goes, the spear through the fiery table may go down as the most famous bump in WM history sooner rather than later. It was another in a long line of baby steps toward superstardom, and it remains the most identifiable image of WrestleMania 22.
Has all this done anything for Edge's career? Well, can you imagine where he'd be right now without TLC? Without MITB? Without the fire spot? I can, and it certainly doesn't involve the main event. Not only have these appearances given him major national exposure, but Edge has used WM to further distance himself from the rest of the upper mid-card pack. To make it a little more clear, compare Edge's status to that of his counterpart Randy Orton. There was serious talk last fall about putting Edge in the Raw WM main event, possibly against Cena, possibly against HHH. The only talk about Orton in the main event was from the IWC. Edge has established a reputation for not choking when the lights shine bright, the bullshit's over, and everything's put on the line. There's definitely a reason he was my pick for WWE's MVP for 2006.
But as Christopher Walken said in Joe Dirt, "The past is past, the future is now." Next Sunday, Copeland competes in his second Money In the Bank match at WrestleMania 23 in Detroit. And he's definitely one of the favorites to win the match and the title shot. It certainly wouldn't be unbelievable for him to take the match; after all, he's proven to all the fans and (surely) and people backstage that he can fucking go when he has to. If he doesn't pick up the briefcase, and one of the other hungry superstars (Kennedy or Punk, hopefully NOT Orton) wins the contract, it would bring to a close a hugely important string of matches that have gone a long way to make one of the 21st century's greatest wrestling stars.
In the world of "sports entertainment" WrestleMania really and truly is the showcase of the immortals. But I think we as fans tend to attribute all that to only a select few individuals. As we've seen almost every year at WM, a gem from the undercard can easily overshadow the dudes in the main event. Edge has been a consistent symbol of this trend, making his own WM moments (some a little more memorable than others) one year at a time. The only question left to answer is, when is he going to get his first main event slot?
In the meantime, we know he won't disappoint in the undercard; he rarely has before. As I've said a couple of times in the past couple of months, April 1st…I'm fucking there.
Pluggin'
We're a hard-working bunch here at 411, and I think it shows on the site every day. Be sure to check out all the great work being produced in our columns section. And unlike WWE, the quality won't go to hell following WM.
First off, DO take a look at 411's Countdown to WM Special. It was a huge undertaking, but thanks to Larry Czonka and others it turned out to be really cool.
Stuart Carapola says some shit about Mick Foley some of us (me) have been afraid to say in Friendly Competition. I'm still buying the book though. Also, check out his SPECIAL edition on the Fall of WSX. Does it really count as a retrospective if the promotion just ended though?
Ron Gamble confirms that I'm not the only guy on the site who goes off-topic in Just S'pose.
Sean, David and Alex discuss the topics of the week in this week's edition of The Triple Threat. They also plug the hell out of the Games section, which Sean's really active in…how convenient.
Matthew Sforcina and Nick Marsico get their fantasy booking mack on in The Fink's Payload.
Stuart Carapola also talks about Macho Man's snake blues in That Was Then.
Daniel Wilcox continues his look at the doom of WM screwjobs in Schmozzes & Screwjobs.
Vinz Rothenberg shows some major love for Matt Hardy in the second edition of The Timewarp, which once again proves my theory: Germans love Matt Hardy!
Ronny Sarnecky is down to the Elite Eight in this year's Piledriver Report March Madness Tournament. Looks like the winner of the Heyman region is probably screwed, and it looks like people LOVE Bret.
Bayani Domingo talks about the leftover remnants of the brand split (and gets in one of the best teasers I can remember on this site) in Truth B Told.
Michael Weyer does a cool retrospective on WM X-8 in Shining a Spotlight. Hogan should'nt have gone over though, Michael.
O'Dog hopes that the Battle of the Billionaires is Lashley's money angle in The Goodness. I hope he's right.
Julian Williams talk about the all-time best WM moments in this week's Top Ten (Edge appears twice). It's sure to stir up lots of debate.
Andy Clark combines fantasy booking with revisionist history to give us the WM matches that should've happened in The Shimmy. Some of them are just downright random, but quite enjoyable.
Prag and Thomlison pay tribute to all the shit we forget to see in Hidden Highlights. I don't know how long they've used their logo, but it's awesome.
Ari Berenstein continues to educate me on ROH in this week's Column of Honor.
Sendoff
And that's going to wrap things up for another column. It's awesome to be a part of this site going into WM week, and I'll be continuing this series for the next two weeks.
Last item of business: I want to know who you guys think is going to win the MITB match. We've got eight very able superstars and one briefcase, so who's it going to be?
