The Piledriver Report 7.09.08: What is the Greatest Feud/Rivalry of All-Time? Plus, Thoughts on Wrestling While I Was Away

Posted by Ronny Sarnecky on 07.09.2008

Join "The Piledriver Report" in deciding which rivalry should be declared the Greatest Feud/Rivalry in the History of Professional Wrestling. Click the link to see the Final Four results, and the match-up for the right to be called the Greatest Feud/Rivalry in the History of Professional Wrestling. Also in this edition of “The Piledriver Report,” we look at what happened in the wrestling world during Ronny week vacation.

It seems like just yesterday when I presented a field of 128 feuds/rivalries that were put into a tournament to decide which feud/rivalry was the greatest in professional wrestling's illustrious history. We are now down to the final two contenders.

I hope you enjoyed this tournament. Please send your final round votes by SUNDAY, JULY 13th, 2008 to my e-mail address [e-mail] or put them up on the "Comments" section below this article.

I would like to thank the 286 fans that have voted in the tournament thus far.

FINAL FOUR RESULTS

OMNI REGION MADISON SQUARE GARDEN REGION
14.Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels (37) over 19.Mick Foley/Undertaker (15)

DALLAS SPORTATORIUM REGION VIKING HALL/ECW ARENA REGION
23.Steve Austin/Vince McMahon (29) over 21.The Rock/Steve Austin (23)

FINAL ROUND MATCH-UP
OMNI REGION
14.Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels
VS.
DALLAS SPORTATORIUM REGION
23.Steve Austin/Vince McMahon

MY FINAL FOUR PICKS
OMNI REGION MADISON SQUARE GARDEN REGION
14.Bret Hart/Shawn Michaels over 19.Mick Foley/Undertaker

DALLAS SPORTATORIUM REGION VIKING HALL/ECW ARENA REGION
23.Steve Austin/Vince McMahon over 21.The Rock/Steve Austin

WOW!!!!! I take one week off from writing my article, and all hell breaks loose in WWE Land. I was recently talking about when was the last time I was truly surprised by something in wrestling. The time frame had to be during the Monday Night Wars. At that time, both major companies were trying to outdo one another, while the Internet was in its infancy.

Since the end of the "wars," there have been very few shocking moments in wrestling that the Internet hadn't already reported to the world wide web. Last Monday night, the WWE finally beat the Internet, and was able to actually stun its audience.

First, Jim Ross gave his farewell speech to open RAW. During the speech, Edge came out, and the entire crowd had to expect another JR beat down in Oklahoma. What we got was something far more exciting.

Edge gave us one of the best heel promo that we have seen in a long, long time. By the time Jim Ross left the ring, Edge was oozing with heat. The best part of the "heat" was that he was able to obtain the fans' hatred with only his words. He didn't go for the cheap jeer by popping everyone's favorite BBQ schiller. No. His dialogue was his sword on this night.

Then came a shocker that most fans wouldn't have expected two weeks earlier. CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank title shot to bring the World Heavyweight championship back home to RAW. The execution of CM Punk's title clinching victory was perfect. In the past, Edge cashed in two Money in the Bank briefcases once he noticed the champion was at his most weakened state. CM Punk decided to turn the tables on Edge, and do the exact same thing to him. From a continuity standpoint, it was the perfect way for Edge to lose his title to a Money in the Bank holder. Plus, Edge still remains strong, and can have an issue to complain, as the champion who unfairly lost his title.

I would be lying if I didn't admit that I was worried that Punk would be dealt the same fate as Chris Jericho did on the April 17th, 2000 edition of RAW when he beat Triple H for the WWF World title, only for it to be taken away from him ten minutes later. Thankfully, the WWE is keeping the title on Punk at the moment. I'm glad, as they need some fresh meat at the top of the roster.

I like that the WWE has had their top faces endorse Punk as champion. Now, what they need to do is give him some big wins to make him a legitimate World titleholder. If you remember when Triple H first captured the eagle-winged belt, he was never any higher than an upper mid-card wrestler during his career. It took him a few months as champion, and victories over Mick Foley, The Rock, and Steve Austin (plus a "wedding" to Stephanie McMahon) that finally turned Triple H into a legitimate World champion. By having Punk beat Batista, JBL, and John Cena, CM Punk would be looked at as a true World champion in the fans eyes.

While I am thrilled that the WWE pulled the trigger on a Punk title reign, I am saddened that Edge lost the title. In my opinion, Edge has been the best performer in the WWE since the day he cashed in his first Money in the Bank briefcase. Now that he is on SmackDown with Triple H, I fear that he will be buried underneath Vince McMahon's son in law. Before Punk won the big gold belt, I figured the best long-term plan for the WWE would be for Cena to regain the WWE World title from Triple H, and have John feud with Batista at WrestleMania 25 for the title. I also thought that Edge should keep his title, and drag out his potential match with Triple H until WrestleMania as well.

Since the WWE announced that Edge will challenge Triple H for the WWE World title at the Great American Bash, I'm hoping that he gets the belt back, and somehow drags out his feud with Triple H until Mania. However, I have a bad feeling that the Undertaker will spoil my plans. Even if the dead man does cost Edge the match at the Bash, I hope the WWE doesn't push Edge to the back burner while turning SmackDown into "The Triple H Show."

After turning RAW over to new acts like CM Punk, and Kofi Kingston, while still featuring old favorites, the WWE needs to allow their top veteran to take the reigns on SmackDown. That top veteran isn't Triple H, but Edge: The Rated R Superstar!