Schmozzes & Screwjobs 05.29.07: Edge Screws Cena (Part 5 of 5)

Posted by Daniel Wilcox on 05.29.2007

Our five week series comes to an end as I analysise the greatness that was John Cena vs. Edge in 2006. Plus, a look at some possible future Hall of Famers on the current WWE roster.

Good afternoon boys and girls. If you are reading this, then you are a very smart person as you have clicked the link to the greatest column about screwjobs on 411mania. Being the only column that talks about screwjobs makes no difference, because even if there we twenty of ‘em this one would still be the best of them all. Why is S&S so great? Because it contains 0% of your guideline daily amount of salt and contains all of this tremendous stuff;

-Double the schmozzes - because someone forgot the Schmozz Count last week, hence two weeks worth today!
-Tons A bit of reader feedback from the usual suspects.
-In this week's False Finish, I look at potential Hall of Famers currently on the WWE roster.
-And we FINALLY conclude the Screwjob series on John Cena and Edge with one big ass analysis of their feud.

Because I've been building to this analysis of Cena and Edge for weeks, we're gonna do one of those columns where I do things completely ass backwards, because y'know, I'm an ass backwards kind of guy.

False Finishes and Fan Cams

Reader Feedback

Our one piece of feedback this week comes from our friend Samer;

Man! I told you you were everywhere! Even on Matt Hardy's blog... Could you please to tell him to tell Jeff to lose that white thing he puts in his back pocket during matches? It's annoying... No but that's really something, nice work Dan.

What?! I thought everyone loved that white cloth! It's part of the Jeff Hardy look. It'd be like taking away his rainbow coloured hair. And without his little white rag, Jeff can't perform the Whisper in the Wind. Don't ask how I know this, I just do. And even if I did want the cloth to go, Matt wouldn't respond to me anyway, because Vince forbids wrestlers from talking to us internet writers, because if they did the whole world would implode, obviously. But thanks for the kind words, they are appreciated!

Yeah the SummerSlam match. I never realized how much chemistry Cena and Edge had until that match... Nothing much to say except the fact that it was a great match and i was happy that Edge retained.

This was really the first match where everything these guys had been working towards for several months. They had shown they had chemistry together on the microphone, but as of yet hadn't performed in the ring as well as they could be doing, but in this match, everything just clicked. It of course helped that the right guy went over here because had Cena regained the title, Edge would have looked a bit of a joke having two title reigns, but both lasting around a month.

Judgement Day:

Well i missed the show, but i gotta give it to you, it seems Cena did carry Khali into a decent match. Which is awesome, and now it's safe to say that Cena is WWE's MVP (no not porter) so far. If you had asked me a week ago, i would have said HBK... But when you think about it, Cena's title reign has been amazing. He's having great match after great match... The bad thing now is HBK's injury! Besides the fact that it's yet another injury for a top WWE wrestler, he was supposed to continue his feud with Cena... Unfortunately that won't happen, and while i don't mind Cena and Khali feuding until ONS III, i have no idea who can step up for Cena's title after that. I mean who do they have on Raw? With Edge on Smackdown and HBK injured the only main eventer left is Orton. And that SUCKS! I really don't want him in a feud with Cena, but i guess there's no one else. I think Orton will feud with Cena after ONS III until HHH returns. Funny how injuries turn everything upside down. Just last week, we were talking about how the title scene on SmackDown was in trouble.

The question is, can Cena pull a second good match out of Khali? We'll have to wait until this Sunday to find out but he shouldn't have too much of a problem with the Falls Count Anywhere stipulation. Shawn Michaels' injury couldn't really have come at a worse time. Usually I would say Orton would have to step in, and step up, for a few months but rumour has it he will be feuding with Triple H when he comes back in a month or so. Who does this leave? Apparently Snitsky is heading to Raw to feud with the Champ. That'll just be horrible. Hopefully the Draft Lottery can shake a few things up in two weeks' time.

Raw:

Oh for god's sake, why do they shove Lashley down our throats? It's as simple as that: Vince is the ECW champ, which makes him an ECW "wrestler", and so is Lashley, why can't they feud on ECW? And why is Umaga still involved in this? People are starting not to take him seriously as he seems now nothing more than Vince's bitch instead of an unstoppable Samoan savage. And where the hell is Estrada? Just feud on ECW for god's sake, there's nothing much going on there anyway.
Besides that there was nothing on Raw this week, why not call it Raw is Lashley?
And i hate the way they played HBK's injury. Why a concussion? Just make it a knee injury, because well... It is!!

I hate Lashley. Plain and simple, he sucks. If the feud was on ECW, I wouldn't mind as much, but I used to enjoy Raw until recently, and every time I see McMahon or Lashley open the show with a promo, I get pissed off and it can prevent me from enjoying the rest of the show. ECW does shit ratings, so having a big feud on there involving McMahon can't hurt it. If Vince is not careful, Lashley will become Cena Mk II in that the fans turn on him. The only difference being Lashley has neither the talent nor charisma to win the fans back.

And finally here is an observation:
John Cena has been WWE champ for 8 months or so. And while i think we need someone new as a champ to freshen things up (HBK would have been the ideal choice), i have to admit his title reign was great. Why? Well he:
-Beat Edge in a great TLC match to win the title at Unforgiven.
-Had a decent match with Umaga and then a GREAT match with Umaga again at NYR and the Royal Rumble respectively.
-Very good match with HBK at WrestleMania... A fantastic match with HBK again on Raw (though it was a non title match).
- Another great 4 way match at Backlash.
- A good match with..... KHALI!?!?!

Now why am i saying all this? Well because when someone finally beats Cena, it will mean something! Compare him to Batista on SmackDown: He won the title from Booker in a forgettable match, and then what? Defended the title ONCE on PPV against Kennedy in a 5 months title reign!! Why? Because the WWE decided to book him in tag team matches at Armageddon and No Way Out. This is just an example of the WWE showing you that Raw > Smackdown.
Now the Undertaker was schedueled for a long run, which would have given the title a lot of credibility, since well, he's the Undertaker. I hope the WWE does the same with Edge. He won the title in a memorable moment; i really want him to carry the title till after SummerSlam. I don't want the WWE to have Kennedy win the title from him at SummerSlam as soon as he's back, or worse, have Batista win it again.

And that's it... Cheers.

John Cena's third WWE title run has solidified him as a true star. He's had great matches with a ton of people on a consistent basis, his star power is so big he has been used to booster buyrates for other brands pay-per-views, he's wrestling ability has improved in leaps and bounds over the last 18 months. And whoever does beat Cena for the title will get a huge rub. Just look at where Edge is now – making SmackDown his own show. Cena has not only gotten to a point where he is a star himself, but he's also helping to make new stars which a guy like Batista has never been able to do. One of the reason The Animal failed was because Cena got so big, in my opinion. Ii hope The Animal gets de-pushed, because despite the awesome feud with Taker, there's nobody I see him really having a great series of matches with anymore. I say keep the title on Edge til Mania because a heel champion reigning for a long time is something that we haven't seen for a very long time. Thanks for the feedback, Samer!

Future Hall-of-Famers

WWE's current roster consists of over 100 guys, many former world champions and several sure-fire Hall of Famers. Here is a quick browse through current Superstars who stand a shot of getting in the Hall someday.

Shawn Michaels
Accomplishments: WWE Champion (3 times), World Heavyweight Champion (1 time), Intercontinental Champion (3 times), World Tag Team Champion (4 times), European Champion (1 time), AWA World Tag Team Champion (2 times), Royal Rumble winner (2 times).

Not a bad résumé. Throw in countless ***** matches with Bret Hart, Kurt Angle, Triple H, Chris Benoit and many, many more, you have yourself a guy who is guaranteed to get himself into the Hall of Fame someday. Many regard him as the greatest professional wrestler ever, and while I'm not saying he is, not many people would deny he is in the top five. A tremendous performer who has stood the test of time.

Chance of Induction: As sure as Triple H will become an 11-time world champion.

Ric Flair
Accomplishments: WWE Championship (2 times), WCW Champion (6 times), NWA World Champion (8 times), Intercontinental Champion (1 time), United States Champion (5 times), World Tag Team Champion (3 times), Royal Rumble winner (1 time).

His title history alone is enough to get him in the Hall as depending on who you ask, Flair has held as many as 21 world championships, 16 of which are officially recognized. He's also had countless wars with a who's who of professional wrestlers and has been one of the sports' top stars for over thirty years. He's survived plane crashes and a whole lot worse and deserves the title of The Man.

Chances of Induction: Is the Pope Catholic?

Triple H
Accomplishments: WWE Champion (5 times), World Champion (5 times), Intercontinental Champion (4 times), World Tag Team Champion (1 time), European Champion (1 time), Royal Rumble winner (1 time), King of the Ring winner (1 time).

The Game is a legend. While often criticized for his playing of politics, it's hard to dispute his ability and status. He's had memorable feuds with many greats including Mick Foley, The Rock, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels and even Vince McMahon himself. He's still got a few years left in him to add to his collection of world titles, and the fact that he's banging the boss's daughter helps.

Chances of Induction: As sure as you're reading this.

John Cena
Accomplishments: WWE Champion (3 times), United States Champion (3 times), World Tag Team Champion (1 time)

While his list of championships isn't as long as any of the aforementioned legends, Cena's title reigns have been great in their own individual way, and Cena also has a ton of charisma that he will be remembered for. The most popular Superstar post-attitude era and still with ten years to cement himself as one of the greats.

Chances of Induction: The same as Slimmer's Heat Report being better than Small's.

And now for a few more difficult choices;

Randy Orton
Accomplishments: World Champion (1 time), Intercontinental Champion (1 time), World Tag Team Champion (1 time).

Orton comes from a Hall of Fame family and at the age of 27, is already a former world champion. I think that the only thing holding him back is his tendency to take shits in Diva's gym bags and trash hotel rooms like nobody's business. Orton has a long way to go, but if he takes advantage of the opportunities that are continually given to him, I say Orton has a decent shot.

Chances of Induction: Equal to the chances of me seeing Pirates 3 next weekend (about 50/50).

Edge
Accomplishments: WWE Champion (2 times), World Champion (1 time), Intercontinental Champion (5 times), United States Champion (1 time), World Tag Team Champion (12 times), King of the Ring winner (1 time), Money in the Bank winner (2 times).

Edge has a plethora of title wins and great matches under his Rated R belt. He helped revolutionise tag team wrestling at the turn of the millennium and has since emerged into of the greatest heels in the business today. He's produced some of the highest ratings as champion WWE has seen in years and is on the verge of true superstardom.

Chances of Induction: Bank on it!

Sandman
Accomplishments: ECW World Champion (3 times), ECW Tag Team Champion (1 time).

Sandman is an ECW legend. Hen you think of ECW (the original) one of the names that immediately comes to your mind is the Sandman. But it is not Sandman' past that may decide wether he goes into the Hall or not; it's his future. Feuds with Terry Funk, Mick Foley and Tommy Dreamer amongst others highlight a career worthy of induction but with Vince McMahon getting rid of ECW Originals left, right and centre, Sandman's chances of getting in may be based on wether McMahon likes him enough to keep him around. He's still here, so he's got a good shot.

Chances of Induction: The same as SmackDown's chances of getting ass-raped in the Draft Lottery… again.

And that's it this week, but next week I'll continue my look at potential Hall of Famers. I'll do a few more tricky ones though, as we decide if Bobby Lashley, Batista, CM Punk, Rob Van Dam, Kane and Montel Vontavious Porter can make it in!

Half Time

Tons of great columns as usual on 411 this week including;

Bayani's Truth B Told
Clark's The Shimmy
Larry's Your News, His Views
Alex, David, and Shaun's Triple Threat
Carapola's Friendly Competition
Berman's Independent Mid-card
Larry's 3 4R's
Adamson, Halden and Wilcox's Fink's Payload. Hey, that's me!
Julian has his Top 10

Brad, Arnold and JD recapped SmackDown, Myself and Small had Heat this week, Arnold Furious covered Raw last night and Bauer and Dunn should be checking in with ECW tonight.

The Schmozz Count

Week commencing 05/14/2007

Raw – None
ECW – None
Impact – None
SmackDown – 1, Benoit vs. Finlay
Judgment Day – None

Week Commencing 05/21/2007

Raw – 2, Umaga vs. Lashley, Flair vs. Carlito
ECW – 1, Burke and Cor Von vs. RVD and Punk
Impact – None
SmackDown – 1, London and Kendrick vs. Regal and Taylor

While last time ECW had a schmozz I blamed it on a Raw Superstar's (Umaga's) appearance, I can do no such thing here. Still, it's less than a handful of schmozzes in six months which ain't bad at all. Which reminds me… I've been here six months! Wow, go me for not getting fired yet.

The Schmozz Count: 52 + 5 = 57!

The Screwjob The Analysis!
John Cena vs. Edge in 2006!

The WWE are clever people. In late 2004 Edge turned heel and went on a six month long tirade; he blamed anyone and everyone for screwing him out of the World Championship. Shawn Michaels was a particular target of his. Edge would take his aggression out on just about anyone he saw, but all that aggression would finally come to a head at WrestleMania 21 when Edge won the first ever Money in the Bank Ladder match to earn himself a guaranteed world title match any time in the next 365 days. On that same night, a star was born in John Cena who defeated John Bradshaw Layfield for the WWE Championship.

While Cena was on SmackDown he continued to feud with JBL, but Edge was working on forging alliances – one in particular would prove vital to his future success. In May during the finals of Raw's Gold Rush Tournament, Lita turned her back on her "husband" Kane and joined up with real-life partner Edge, whom she helped to victory that night. Sometime in the next few weeks, a certain (future world champion, you mark my words) received a phone call from the Head Offices at Stamford, Connecticut. Matt Hardy who was released from his job after his girlfriend of six years, Amy Dumas aka Lita, fell in love with one of his best friends Adam Copeland aka Edge, was to be brought back to the WWE. A decision was made that Hardy would return to the Raw brand to feud with Edge.



The messy love-triangle involving Hardy/Dumas/Copeland was pretty much public knowledge. This was one of the main reasons that Edge and Lita were so hated by WWE audiences worldwide. Everyone liked Matt Hardy and Copeland had ruined his life. This was genuine hatred towards Copeland that Edge benefited from. Had he not betrayed his friends and engaged in his affair with Miss Dumas, Edge may well have never won a world title. You only get a world title if you are over, and I don't think he would have been anywhere nears as over as heel as he was without Lita and the Matt Hardy feud.

Speaking of over, John Cena was the epitome of over in 2005, and still is to this day. But soon after his move to Raw as part of the WWE Draft Lottery, Cena started to hear mild boos from the crowd more and more frequently. His Chain Gang were slowly turning his back on him. Many people have theories as to why Cena became one of the most hated men in wrestling that year, but the bottom line is that it was a combination of things. Always fighting popular guys like Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle didn't help his plight, and his "5 moves of doom" were also a target of the fans hatred. I know for a fact that occasionally when a guy is making love to a woman, said woman may sometimes scream out "Oh, Cena!" and this may also have helped fuel the fire. Either way, in late 2005 Cena was receiving both the biggest cheers, and the loudest boos of anyone on the WWE roster. That's impressive. But through all the odds, all the screwjobs, and all the world class opponents thrown at him, Cena came out with the WWE Championship. However at New Year's Revolution he would face five men inside a deadly structure – the Elimination Chamber.

Edge defeated Matt Hardy in a Loser Leaves Raw Ladder match on an October episode of Raw forcing Hardy to leave Raw. Edge then went on to feud with another big fan favourite in Ric Flair. This is important because some of the promos shared between these two generated huge heel heat for Edge which he needed to keep up now he didn't have (for lack of a better term) a shoot feud that the fans could really get into. Flair was a great choice for a brief feud with Edge because there are few wrestlers more popular than Flair and seeing Edge bash his head in with steel chairs and briefcases every week angered fans.

At New Year's Revolution, Edge got himself disqualified in a match with Flair to preserve himself for later tonight. John Cena went on to successfully defend the WWE title in the Elimination Chamber match but his night was not done as Edge would cash-in his Money in the Bank contract to become the WWE Champion for the first time!

And there it is – a year's worth of building Edge to be an opportunist, a violent son of a bitch, and the (second) most hated man in professional wrestling. The way this whole screwjob played out was 100% perfect. After seeing Cena defy the odds AGAIN, the fans wanted Cena's blood and they got it when Edge stole the title from him. While on the night Edge was mostly cheered, over the next few weeks Cena regained nearly all of his popularity as Edge proved himself to be the best heel in the biz. Edge's first title reign, while short, was immensely significant. In the three weeks he did reign, he solidified his Rated R Superstar nickname by having sex live on Raw with Lita, and continuing to beat the hell out of Ric Flair in an amazing Tables, Ladders and Chairs match on Raw to retain the title. As well as still being a complete dick, Edge was showing he was deserving of his reign in the ring. At the time, people thought the "match" where Edge won the title should have gone longer. I disagreed then and I still do. Say the match had gone fifteen or even ten minutes. Edge would've looked like a complete joke for not being able to put a bloodied Cena away after a hellacious thirty-minute Chamber match. And Cena would not have regained his popularity so easily if he continued to look invincible. Edge's first WWE Championship reign ended at the Royal Rumble when John Cena regained the title. While it was argued his first reign should have lasted longer, I think it was vital to the long term success of the rivalry that Cena regained it quickly. So, the first screwjob, and Edge's first title reign – perfection. Well done, WWE!



For any wrestling promotion it is important to break up long feuds by injecting changes of pace and fresh blood into the mix to stop the feud becoming boring and repetitive. That's what WWE did in February to April as Edge feuded with Mick Foley after blaming him for costing him a WWE title rematch against John Cena while the champ did battle with Triple H at WrestleMania. Both men's mini-feuds were vastly significant to the Cena/Edge rivalry; Edge after beating Foley claimed he should have been in the main event at Mania fighting for the championship, while Cena once again went back to public enemy #1 in Chicago. Edge was propelled back into the title scene and met Triple H and Cena in a Triple Threat match for the WWE Championship at Backlash. This three way feud helped Edge and Cena get more mic time with each other without their promos becoming stale as you had the added ingredient of Triple H who brings a whole different character to the table. Going in to Mania, he was favoured to win the title, and he probably was going in to Backlash as well. Had The Game gone over and won the title the Edge/Cena feud would never have materialized as it did. Cena making Trips submit and then pinning him on consecutive pay-per-views put Cena over HUGE so when he eventually did lose the title, it actually meant something. So once again, from the Rumble to Backlash, this feud was booked to perfection.



In May, it was announced that ECW would be returning as WWE's third brand but first they would hold their pay-per-view One Night Stand on June 11. At WrestleMania 22, Rob Van Dam emulated what Edge did a year earlier and won the Money in the Bank Ladder match. He decided he would cash in on John Cena at One Night Stand! Meanwhile, Edge teamed with former rival Mick Foley on a crusade against ECW, specifically Terry Funk and Tommy Dreamer. At One Night Stand, Edge and Foley teamed up with the luscious Lita to take on Funk, Dreamer and Beulah McGillicutty. This was one of the most brutal matches I've ever seen and in the end it was the Rated R Superstar Edge who got the win by pinning McGillicutty. Later that night, Cena walked into the most hostile atmosphere I've ever seen or heard. If Cena wins, we riot. After a great twenty minute match, the referee got knocked down by the champ, and then Cena disposed of RVD. From here, Edge would interfere on Van Dam's behalf, spearing Cena leading to RVD winning the WWE Championship! I love this booking. I never saw this coming. Why? Because of the tremendous promo work of Edge beforehand, in the weeks leading up to One Night Stand. His promos bashing ECW. He made me believe he hated ECW, and that also came threw in the hardcore match from earlier in the evening – if he would put his body through all of that because of how much he hates ECW, why would he help an ECW star win the WWE Championship. Because he hates Cena more. Brilliant. And yet so simple.



Sometimes a feud needs a little luck to work so well. Only the hierarchy in the WWE know what plans were for Van Dam's title reign, but Van Dam's drug bust was obviously a significant step in the success of this rivalry. For all we know, the feud may have been over at this point (although that's doubtful) but we can assume it wouldn't have panned out the way it did. So after RVD gets caught with marijuana, Edge regains the WWE Championship in a Triple Threat Match and now Cena and Edge are full steam ahead as their feud is heading down the final stretch. For the next few weeks they played a game of cat and mouse where Cena just couldn't get the title off of Edge. At Saturday Night's Main Event in July, Cena beat Edge by disqualification and therefore did not win the title so at Summerslam a match was made with the added stipulation that if Edge got disqualified he would lose the title. This is smart booking. It makes perfect sense but by backing Edge into a corner, he looks strong when he comes out with the title. Credit to the way they worked around the stipulation; using Lita several times during the match to build a story around the stip which eventually lead to Edge retaining via brass knuckle shot. I was quite surprised that Cena lost the match as I thought WWE would go the easy route and have Cena regain in his hometown of Boston, Mass which they obviously opted not to do. Good to see Edge's title reign prolonged and also a sense of irony created as the next pay-per-view where Cena did win the gold, was in Toronto, Canada, the hometown of Edge.




After a tremendous Tables, Ladders and Chairs match with Cena's career on the line, Edge lost the WWE title to his long time rival at Unforgiven. He then lost the rematch on Raw a few weeks later in a Cage match when DX interfered to save Cena from a beatdown from Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. This of course lead to the formation of Rated RKO, and their feud with DX allowing John Cena to go on and have an awesome title reign that is continuing to this day. I've said before that this feud is reminiscent of Rock vs. Triple H from 2000, the only difference being I think this feud is better because it was based solely around two guys vying for a championship, whereas the aforementioned feud also featured a whole host of McMahons. Cena and Edge set the standard, which two WWE (or TNA?) Superstars will step and raise the bar even further when it comes to the greatest modern day rivalries.



I love this feud, and here's a few thanks to everyone who made it work.

Joey Stiles – His commentary on Edge's first title win made that moment for me and was an integral part of the early stages of the feud.
Ric Flair – A great rivalry with Edge before this whole thing start and his performance in the TLC match helped made Edge the Rated R Superstar he is today.
Triple H – I've seen this guy bury people in the past, but he put both Cena and Edge over huge in the spring of 2006.
Mick Foley – Again, for putting over Edge at Mania in one fantastic match and his role in the ECW pay-per-view was key.
Tommy Dreamer, Terry Funk and Beulah McGillicutty – For their performances at One Night Stand, thanks.
Vince McMahon – He stayed out of it.
Rob Van Dam (and Sabu) – Thanks for keeping it fresh, and getting caught.
The fans – This rivalry really wouldn't have been what it was had it not been to those crazy ass wrestling fans. You even booed Cena in Boston – what's up with that?!
Lita – You put your body on the line in this feud like no woman has previously done in the WWE. Oh yeah, thanks for the tit shot and the live sex celebration.
John Cena and Edge – Great matches, fantastic matches and it's this feud that made Raw the best show in WWE for nine months in 2006.

And thank you all for reading this for the last five weeks. It's seemed like it has taken forever and now it's finally over… almost…

Taking It Home

Next week, we return to normal business and I'll have to find a new screwjob to look at. Any help on that one, folks, I'm running out of ideas already. Plus, I'll take an extended look at One Night Stand which is this Sunday as well as examining the chances of many WWE superstars getting into the Hall of Fame. Plus, find out what I meant by "…almost…"