wrestling / Columns
The Top Ten 10.17.06: Debuts
Greetings fannysmackers and arsonists and welcome to another delinquent edition of The Top Ten. This week we’re going to take a look at the Top Ten Debuts, but before we get into that let’s take a look at some emails from the last two weeks.
First up is Chris who reminds me of a shocking moment that nobody saw coming:
good list. I may not be old enough to remember or to have seen some of those moments, but I do remember one pretty shocking moment to me. Eric Bischoff on RAW. That was just an insane little thing to my mind. Plus Booker Ts double take when Ezee E walked by.
Chris is on the money with this one as a lot of you guys felt that Eric Bischoff showing up on Raw to become the general manager should have been included in the list. That moment was truly shocking, but I think the reason I left it off was because the moment felt kind of spoiled to me due to the fact that it was reported all day on the web that Bischoff would be on Raw that night(damn IWC!) and the backstage segment with Booker completely ruined the surprise that Vince had in store because everyone automatically knew Bischoff would be the new GM after seeing him backstage. That’s just a tiny gripe, though, because there is no doubt that seeing Vince McMahon and Eric Bischoff hug each other was one of the most surreal things I’ve ever seen. I could definitely see it earning a spot so I can’t say anything bad about this pick.
Next up is Gaz who shares a few thoughts on the shocking death of Eddie:
Hi Julian,
Another great column. I pretty much agree with all those shocking moments and couldn’t think of anything else to include. Although i thought I’d drop you a line to say that what you wrote about Eddie Guerrero got me pretty choked up. Like you, I was a HUGE Eddie mark. I have been since the very first time I saw him back in ECW and have followed him through WCW and then WWF/E. Eddie was the complete showman. Not only did he amazing ring skills, but he always had the crowd in the palm of his hands no matter whether he was heel or face.
When I first heard of Eddie passing I thought it must be some kind of joke or mistake. But sadly, no. I remember being in shock and in a daze. I don’t normally find myself becoming so attached to a performer but with Eddie it was completely different. Watching CHEATING DEATH, STEALING LIFE left me with nothing but a never ending admiration for the man. I too have battled substance abuse and know how hard it is to over come the mental hell that literally eats at your soul. That’s not being dramatic, it does. Eddie showed that not only could you defeat them soundly but you could then move forward and rise to the top. This is just one of the many reason why Eddie has been and always will be one of my heroes. I am a musician, and if I can hold just 10% of what Eddie had, the charisma, the dedication to his craft, the crowd interaction, the family, then I will be a happy person. Losing Eddie felt like losing a brother, a friend. That was the power he had.
Over coming his addictions is what I believe was at his core, what made him such an amazing entertainer and human being. He had literally gone through hell and was just loving everything life was giving him. There is no doubt he would of held the belt again, and when Eddie and Benoit stood tall at Mania I literally had tears streaming down my face. I did not openly weep like that again until the Eddie RAW special – unfortunately the circumstances were completely opposite. My god, when they played the video montage with Cash singing Hurt that was it, I – like millions of others I’m sure – lost it. Watching Benoit say goodbye to his brother was about the most gut wrenching thing I have ever seen.
Eddie will always be remember by this generation of fans as one of the all time greats. Not because of a sad ending, because he IS an all time great. He was an amazing man. He was an amazing wrestler and he will be always remembered… as so many chanted that night, THANK YOU EDDIE.
Thanks for the great column
Gaz is spot on here because Eddie’s death and the tribute shows dedicated to him were some of the most heart wrenching things I’ve ever seen because his death affected soooo many people. All the fans and all the wrestlers respected him, he wasn’t going to be someone that was going to be forgotten within a couple years. The legacy of Eddie Guerrero will go down for years because the man was such a great performer and, more importantly, a great man that fans of his will make sure that nobody ever forgets his name.
Ben brings up an old school Raw moment that shocked the hell out of everyone:
Not to tell a guy who clearly knows his rasslin’ better than I do how
to arrange his shockers, but you missed a big one.
The 1-2-3 Kid’s original win over Razor Ramon. Who saw it coming?
How often did jobbers get wins at that point? We were still a few
years away from Barry Horowitz’ inexplicable push. The WWF even took
the time over the previous weeks to establish Waltman as a jobber
before the match.
You know you were floored
Give that man some brownie points! Ben definitely brings up a great shocking moment here because to see Razor Ramon, a top level heel, get beaten by a virtual jobber was immensely shocking at the time. That would be like seeing Randy Orton getting beat by Funaki or Samoa Joe getting beat by Shark Boy. That’s how shocking this win was. I can’t believe I forgot about this one, Ben definitely did a great job picking it up. What would I do without you guys?
Jay from CT has a slight beef with my #1 most shocking pick:
What’s Up?
I’ve only responded once or twice (still waiting for a top 10 quotes list!) but here’s my issue with your list this week. You mention The Montreal Screwjob as the most controversial moment in wrestling and you’re definitely right. However, the list is not for the most controversial, it’s for the most shocking. To me, #1 should have been Scott Hall showing up on Nitro or maybe even Hogan joining the NWO. Not only should the Screwjob not have been #1, but there were quite a few things that could have gone before it. Actually, Austin joining McMahon is one. How about Rude on Nitro and Raw on the same night?! SHOCKING! As for ECW joining the Alliance, that was a nice surprise but should have been more of an honorable mention as it was a part of perhaps the most screwed up angle ever. Lastly, a shocking moment that didn’t make the list, “The Stun Head ‘Round the World!” when Austin stunned McMahon for the first time.
Great article and keep up the good work!
Thanks for listening
I can understand Jay’s beef here as some may feel that other moments were more shocking than the Montreal Screwjob, but for my money, there has never been anything more controversial OR shocking and I don’t think there ever will be. I mean think about it, this one moment completely broke down the wall between reality and kayfabe because at first the crowd and audience didn’t know if the ending was scripted, but once they saw Bret’s furious reaction they knew that it couldn’t have been scripted. There have been other moments that shocked the hell out of us, but that moment shook up the entire industry and is still felt to this day. That moment won’t be forgotten anytime soon and if you didn’t stand by your TV wondering what the hell was going on when Hebner called for that bell, you’re a much smarter man than me.
MapDotDweller takes some time out to give me some thoughts on the Cena list:
Good match list, accept the last one. HHH vs. Cena may be Cena’s BIGGEST match, but it shouldn’t be the top one. I think that match is better than most people give it credit for, but it isn’t more than ***1/2.
I think you left out some important matches. Cena vs. Edge at Summer Slam was a darn fine match that showed that Cena can wrestle. Cena vs. Brock Lesner at Backlash ’03 is a good showing of his moveset. Cena also had an excellent, nearly **** match with Beniot on Smackdown! two weeks before that.
Also, noting the Vengeance match, they had a much better match on Smackdown! a few weeks later. These were some underrated days when Lesner, Angle, Taker, Eddie, Beniot, Mysterio, and Cena were putting on quality matches every week. Taker vs. Cena was excellent, as Taker had injured ribs, and then hit a superplex, reinjuring them, and Cena was relentless with them. It’s dragged down a bit by the A-Train interferance, but Train did use a rib breaker, keeping the psychology, so it’s not that bad.
I never tried to pass off the Cena/HHH match as a ***** star classic in terms of match quality, it was a classic match based on fan reaction. I think that match will go down in WWE history as one of the most memorable Wrestlemania main events EVER. Edge/Cena at Summerslam was great as was the Cena/Lesnar match, those two barely missed out on my list. I too miss the days of numerous great matches on Smackdown even though they’ve slowly been starting to establish Smackdown as the wrestling brand again with some great performances the last few weeks.
Dave takes some time out of his busy schedule to drop me a list on Cena:
Hello again Julian I have been awake since 4am and only now just finished my work lol. I finally have some time now so I thought I would send you my thoughts on the top 10 Cena matches.
10: John Cena Vs Kurt Angle
His debut match….great showing for the future.
9: John Cena Vs Kurt Angle Vs The Big Show
Triple threat at No Way Out 2004, winner goes to WM main event against Eddie (RIP). Great match with Cena losing in the end if I remeber correctly. Still great match
8: John Cena Vs Eddie Guerrerro
I was surprised you also remembered this match as I thought only a few remember this classic. Really good match here and very unique , I believe Eddie won when Chavo returned, bringing back Los Guerrerros. Great match with a great result.
7: John Cena Vs Christian Vs Chris Jericho
Noticing a pattern here? He may be the master of the triple threat as this was another good outing by all three men and really showed Cena was to stay as a main eventer on Raw.
6: John Cena Vs The Undertaker
I really liked this match, although I felt Cena should have won the match but I was not too fussed as the match itself was a tough nicely built match with a good ending, all I ask for really. (Venegance 2003)
5: John Cena Vs Kurt Angle
A very nice outing at No Mercy 2003 between these two as per usual and one that I feel showed Cena can be a main eventer for the next year.
4: John Cena Vs JBL
Who would have thought these two clowns could pull out such a brutal bloody fight hmmm? I certainly wasn’t expecting it but glad they did. Cena’s bladejob was SICK, reminiscent of Eddie’s the year before, against JBL nonetheless. Just a brutal fight.
3: John Cena Vs Chris Jericho
Venegance 2002, a forgotten classic IMO. A great match that these two always seem to put together.
2: John Cena Vs Edge
TLC with a crazy hot crowd….good ’nuff for me. The bumps in this match were INSANE and everything flowed well and what we got was IMO a MOTYC.
1: John Cena Vs Chris Jericho
Summerslam 2005. One of my FAVOURITE WWE Title matches of ALL TIME. It may sound overexaggerated, but IMO this was a ***** classic. The crowd was off the hook, which turned this match half way through from a normal main event to a SUPERSTAR main event, something I hadn’t seen since Wrestlemania X7. The match quality was superb, the psychology was great and again the crowd was AMAZING. I knew beforehand Jericho was leaving, but when he got Cena in the WOJ, I honestly believed that it would be over and they were swerving us. I wish they had but nevertheless my favourite Cena match of all time.
I might drop in my next list next week if I have time, otherwise take it ez bruv
Peace
Very good list here by Dave, I had completely forgotten about that Cena/Angle/Show match, but that was just another example of Cena being the master of the triple threat match. A lot of people also wrote in about Cena’s debut match which was definitely good, I think I just left it off because I try to forget the time when Cena was a vanilla jobber boy. I like my Cena with a spinner belt and talking ebonical, thank you very much.
James praises my name in response to my Cena list. Good, now I have one follower in Julian-ism, all I need is 24 more to get that church tax write-off:
All hail to the Honorable Julian Williams
I greet you sir and I say that you! Its about dam time that someone recognized that Cena is the man whether or not you like him. I don’t remember what epidsode it was but a few months back when ECW was making a comeback Cena was surrounded and Cena said “My ass is going out fightin” and that is exactly how his attitude has always been. The guy is raw toughness, the only person who really showed this level of toughness is HHH. Thank you for recognizing that cena is the man and screw those idiots that are booing him
Well spoken sir. Cena has gotten a lot of flack and undeservedly so. I understand that some people may not like his babyface character as much as his heel character, but there’s no reason to boo the man like he’s the most horrible wrestler ever. Trust me people, there have been FAR WORSE than Cena. The man is entertaining, can cut a hell of a promo, and can deliver in the ring. I think people are starting to realize this as the boos for Cena are still there, but a lot less than they were a few months ago. Give Cena some credit dammit!
And as soon as I say that, Dan from BK tries to remind me that Cena sucks:
Hey man,
You must have huge grapefruits to put a top 10 Cena matches list on line for us vicious smarks to rip apart, which I won’t do, although I would point out the opponents for Cena on that list all are responsible for those “classics.”
This weeks topic is a good one and the debuts that most stand out are two guys that fit Vince’s “big man” fetish. Paul “Yet to be named The Big Show” Wight coming up from under the ring and tossing Austin like a lawn dart through the cage was a great “HOLY SHIT” moment as I remember watching that with my friend and him screaming, “It’s the FUCKING Giant!!!” #1 though has to go to the Big Red Machine himself, Kane who managed to live past the hype by Paul Bearer and debut at Badd Blood 1997. He comes out in the eerie red light, rips the door off the Hell in a Cell and Tombstones Undertaker “straight to hell.” The crowd forgot there was even a match going on and Shawn Michaels’s victory was a mere afterthought. Looking forward to your list.
Cena definitely has had the good fortune to be paired up with some great wrestlers to produce very memorable matches, but Cena also has had good matches with less talented wrestlers like Chris Masters and Viscera. And there have only been a rare few that could carry a worthless worker to something great, so Cena definitely holds his own in his matches and doesn’t hang on the coattails of the guy he’s wrestling. Dan has some good ideas on the Debuts list here and you might see a couple of those in a few seconds.
That’s all for the emails this week folks. Thanks to all you guys that wrote in, I greatly appreciate it. Keep sending in those lists guys, this column thrives off feedback. Ok, let’s get into this week’s list now.
Honorable Mention: CM Punk FINALLY arrives in ECW
CM Punk was a legend on the independent scene and had been signed to a WWE contract for roughly two years, yet we did not see him show up on any WWE TV(except a cup of tea on Heat and his infamous WM22 “gangster” appearance) during that time. He was still being used in OVW even though all his fans felt that he should have been called up after a few months there, not years. Many discussed that backstage politics(Stephanie McMahon didn’t care for him) were preventing Punk from getting his big break in front of a national audience. With the re-emergence of ECW, Paul Heyman was able to use his pull to bring up Punk, who was one of his favorites talents during Heyman’s stint at OVW. So the hype promos began and anticipation for his debut began to build. Then in front of a great crowd at Hammerstein Ballroom, Punk made his in-ring debut on WWE TV and received a superstar reception. This instantly made Punk credible to the average fan and he has since become one of the biggest commodities of the new ECW.
Honorable Mention: Jeff Jarrett shows up on Nitro
Jeff Jarrett had lost his Intercontinental title at the No Mercy PPV in 1999 and seemed to be on the outs in WWE. Then, the next night, during an episode of Monday Nitro, Jarrett appeared from out of nowhere and claimed how he was coming to WCW to take over and climb to the top of the mountain. Even though it was known that Jarrett was leaving WWE, it was still a shock to see him appear on WCW TV less than 24 hours and instantly be thrown into the main event scene. I know that I did a spit take while I was watching that episode of Nitro and saw Jarrett saunter out. Very good, surprising debut.
10) The Rock gives a prelude to his great career
The Rock made his debut in WWE at the Survivor Series at Madison Square Garden as Rocky Maivia during a classic Survivor Series-style matchup. Teamed up with Jake Roberts, The Stalker(Barry Windham), and Marc Mero, Rocky took on the team of Goldust, Triple H, Crush and Jerry Lawler. Rock impressed the MSG audience with his great athleticism and babyface antics and had the crowd chanting his name by the end of the match. Funnily enough, the same crowd would begin booing the hell out of Rocky a few months later which would lead him into becoming The Rock and becoming an icon in the wrestling industry. Seeing Rock with the Pineapple hairdo still makes me laugh to this day.
9) Kane makes a fiery impact
This happened during the legendary Hell In A Cell match between Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker and was a great payoff after months of teasing. Paul Bearer had stated for months that he had found The Undertaker’s presumably dead brother, Kane, and planned on bringing him back to confront the Deadman. Bearer taunted ‘Taker over and over again, yet there was no signs of Kane. Then during the brutal HIAC match, with Undertaker seeming like he was about to pick up the win, the arena went black and eerie music began playing over the loudspeaker until a loud BOOM of fire erupted. Out came Kane in his famous mask and he proceeded to tear the steel door of the HIAC off its hinges and deliver a Tombstone to the Undertaker which sealed the victory for HBK. A great way to make a debut and a good payoff after months of teasing.
8) Paul Wight debuts out of nowhere
This was during the Steel Cage match between Mr. McMahon and Stone Cold Steve Austin that Austin was easily dominating. Everytime Austin attempted to escape the cage to win the match, McMahon would goad Austin back in by flipping him the bird. It seemed as if Vince had lost his mind or was suicidal, but the evil genius had a trick up his sleeve. When Austin seemed to finally be tired of whipping McMahon’s ass and was on his way out of the ring, Paul Wight aka The Big Show came out THROUGH the ring canvas and proceeded to beat the holy crap out of Austin. The evil plan backfired as Wight accidentally threw Austin out of the cage, which allowed the Rattlesnake to pick up the W. Nevertheless this was an impressive debut because how many times do you see a 7 foot, 500 pound man appear from underneath a ring canvas? Exactly, never.
7) Carlito spits in the face of Cena on his debut
The ‘E had been hyping the debut of Carlito for weeks through a series of vignettes and everyone could see that he was an entertaining character that could make an impact, but I don’t think anybody expected what happened on his debut. John Cena, who was US champ at the time, was in his hometown of Boston and the crowd was in a frenzy over him(remember, this is 2004 when Cena was probably the most over guy in the company). Carlito then came out and proceeded to spit in Cena’s face(literally) and challenge him for the US title. Nobody gave Carlito a chance in hell of beating Cena, but Carlito did just that, shocking the entire crowd in the process. The looks on the audience’s face when they realized that their hometown boy had lost his title to a newcomer was priceless. Great debut for Carlito that instantly made him one of the biggest stars in the company.
6) Christian Cage makes the jump to TNA
Christian had gotten fed up of being misused by WWE and instead of signing a new contract, he decided to head for the door. Everyone at the time thought that he might take a couple months off to cool off and then return to the E, but instead Christian made the shocking jump from WWE to TNA, becoming the first big name WWE superstar to leave WWE willingly for TNA(others like Jeff Hardy, Rhino had been fired). This was a huge moment for TNA and seeing Christian in a TNA ring demeaning WWE was a surreal moment. It was the first significant jump since the days of the Monday Night Wars and very well could have led the way to TNA picking up Kurt Angle.
5) Lex Lugar shows up on the first Nitro
Lex Lugar had been a pretty popular superstars during the dwindling days of the NWA, but one that company went under, he switched sides to WWE. He had a pretty significant run there, challenging for the WWE title on numerous occasions. He seemed to be sticking around Vinceland for a while, but then suddenly on the debut episode of Monday Nitro, who should show up but Mr. Lugar. This was the first significant defection of the Monday Night War and was only the beginning of years of talent stealing between the two rival promotions.
4) The Undertaker begins his legendary career at Survivor Series
Ted Dibiase had promised a mystery partner for his team that consisted of Dibiase, Honky Tonk Man, and Greg Valentine. The crowd had no idea who it was and imagine their amazement when they saw a nearly 7 foot, ghastly looking man lurk towards the ring. ‘Taker went in the ring and proceeded to impress everyone very quickly with his athleticism as well as being seemingly impervious to pain. Taker would soon go on to beat Hulk Hogan for the WWE title and become one of the biggest legends ever in the history of wrestling.
3) Ric Flair heads up North
After numerous problems between the Nature Boy and Jim Herd in WCW, Ric Flair decided to head to WWE with the World Heavyweight Championship in tow. After Bobby Heenan nearly pissed himself in anticipation over the arrival of ‘Naitch, Flair debuted on Prime Time Wrestling and gave a promo like only the Nature Boy can. This debut was significant because Flair had always been the face of the NWA/WCW so to see him show up on WWE was unbelievable and truly signaled that anything could happen in the world of wrestling, which would be furthered evidenced when Hogan jumped to WCW a year later.
2) Scott Hall shows up on Nitro
This was one of the most unexpected, shocking debuts of all-time. During a seemingly nothing match, Scott Hall made his way down to the ring and declared that he had been sent from up north to declare war on WCW. This was the kick start for one of the most successful angles ever and instantly hooked viewers who didn’t know if Scott Hall really was sent from WWE to try to destroy WCW. It hooked viewers in and this may have been the most significant debut in wrestling history.
1) Welcome to Raw is Jericho!
WWE had been running a “Countdown to the Millennium” for weeks and nobody was really sure what it was about. That question was answered on an episode of Monday Night Raw during a promo by The Rock. In the middle of Rocky’s promo, the countdown screen appeared counting down the remaining seconds to the supposed “millennium”(nevermind that it happened on August 9th). Once the clock expired, the lights went out and a huge explosion followed until the words JERICHO appeared on the Titantron. The crowd response was off the hook as the crowd went nuts for the debuting Jericho. Jericho then proceeded to give a great promo stating how he was there to save the WWE from mediocrity and finally give the fans something to cheer about. Of course The Rock responded by tearing Jericho a new asshole, but that still couldn’t take away from the fact that this was the most entertaining, awesome debut ever. At least in my humble opinion.
Check out all these great columns by my 411 brethren:
-Andy Clark’s “Shimmy”
-Ari’s “Column Of Honor”
-Sean, Alex and David’s “Triple Threat”
-Bayani’s “Truth B Told”
-Weyer’s “Shining The Spotlight”
-Byers’ “Cheap Wrestling for Cheap People”
-Larry and Geoff’s “3R’s”
-Fact Or Fiction
-O’Dog’s “Forgotten Goodness”
-Sat and Rajah’s “High Road/Low Road”
-Phill Feltham’s “Quick Talkdown”
-Sarnecky’s “Piledriver Report”
-Slimmer’s News Report
-Hidden Highlights and The Great Positivity Debate
-Carapola’s “That Was Then” and “The Week in Hardcore”
-The Fink’s Payload
-Gamble’s “Just ‘Spose”
-Clarke’s “Ask 411”
-Meehan’s “Meethinks”
-Sforcina’s “Evolution Schematic”
-Prag’s “In Defense Of….”
-Wrestlers of the Week
-Sullivan’s “Crystal Ball”
-Randle’s “Wrestling News Experience”
-Double M’s Rasslin Report
-News To Start Your Weekend
-Dunn’s Rawtopsy, ECW Breakdown, Smackdown Breakdown and TNA Breakdown
-Cook’s “News From Cook’s Corner”
-Mike LaFave’s “Getting Over”
-Your News, Larry’s Views
That’s all homies. Join me next week when the topic will be The Top Ten Heel Turns of all-time. Ohh yea, this one should be good.
