Forgotten Favorites 03.21.10: SmackDown 2002 – Edge vs. Chris Jericho

Welcome back, fans of classic yet classically unrecognized battles of the squared circle. I am your guide on this journey into the wrestling years gone past, and yes, you may call me Emmett, Dr. Brown, or simply Doc. All are acceptable.

We’re getting closer and closer to the Granddaddy of ‘Em All and I’ve just got to say that I’m more pumped for this year’s Mania than I’ve been in a long, long time. For the first time since WrestleMania XIX, we’ve got a card that is straight up STACKED from top to bottom. While I’m not in the same boat as those claiming this year’s event may surpass the greatness of the seventeenth installment (which, sadly, is impossible), I still feel confident that this will be the best WrestleMania/WWE PPV in many, many years.

And so, since the Road to WrestleMania is finally winding down, I feel it is my duty to bring a little bit of historical perspective to one of the biggest matches on this year’s card. Two guys are going to step into the ring to do battle over the World Heavyweight Championship, but it’s far from the first time these two have locked up. This week we’re going to dig a little deeper into the history between WrestleMania XXVI’s World Title competitors.

And so I ask, who wants great wrestling?

SmackDown – July 25, 2002
Steel Cage Match
Edge vs. Chris Jericho

HOW IT WENT DOWN

As we all know, more often than not, New Jersey is a place where dreams wither and die. However, on the night of June 24th, 2001, it saw an uncommon occurrence. On this night, it seemed as if one man’s dream was actually beginning to come true. He pinned two men in one night to become the King of the Ring, and, for the first time in his career, the ball was very seriously being tossed his way. It was on this night that a wise genetic jackhammer stroked his chin and thought to himself, “I wonder what this Edge kid can do?”

And so the man who would eventually become the Rated-R Superstar went on a whirlwind of adventures in singles wrestling, seriously altering the course of a career that had primarily focused on tag team competition until that point. He won the Intercontinental Championship three times in 2001, earning big wins over the likes of Lance Storm, Test, and his own brother/former partner, Christian. The momentum didn’t stop in the new year, as Edge continued to dominate his adversaries, eventually earning a win in his very first singles match at WrestleMania. Yes, this was the match against Booker T. Yes, this match had severe shampoo implications.

And so Edge’s star just continued rising higher and higher as the Canadian superstar rolled through anything that was put in his way. Following the newly implemented brand extension, Edge became exclusive to SmackDown, and his first target on Thursday nights was pro wrestling’s only Olympic gold medal winner. Feuding with Kurt Angle for a couple of months and putting on clinics at both Backlash and Judgment Day, Edge proved in a major way that he was capable of delivering with a classic match inside the ring. The feud reached its boiling point on the May 30th edition of Smackdown, when Edge defeated Angle inside a Steel Cage.

But at what had been a height of popularity previously unseen for the young Edge, disaster struck. When he had leaped off the top rope in his Steel Cage match with Angle, Spearing the Olympian for the victory, Edge suffered a shoulder injury.

One week after his Cage match with Angle, Edge was scheduled to wrestle Chris Jericho in a qualifying match for the 2002 King of the Ring Tournament. However, a frustrated Edge came to the ring that night on SmackDown to explain that he wasn’t going to be able to defend his KOTR throne. And then it was at this point that a certain dude who happens to be wrestling Edge at WrestleMania XXVI decided to come out to the ring and be his general dick self. Check out the confrontation in the video below!

Chris Jericho, not caring for anything or anyone (since he is Canadian), decided he was going to put Edge out for even longer than anticipated. Taking Edge’s forfeit in standard evil stride, Y2J gleefully advanced into the King of the Ring Tournament. Two weeks later, after rushing to his friend’s aide on SmackDown, Val Venis tapped out to Chris Jericho in a King of the Ring Quaterfinal match. The following Sunday, Jericho battled Rob Van Dam in a losing effort at the King of the Ring PPV, falling out of the tournament in the Semi-Finals.

But Chris Jericho isn’t a man who lets a loss get him down. The loss to RVD was already out of sight, as he had a main event against Hulk Hogan on SmackDown to concern himself with. On a night when tag team action saw Deacon Batista (partner D-Von Dudley) pin Randy Orton (partner FAAROOQ), the first ever Undisputed Champion took on the Hulkster in a match that was about equal in decency to their earlier SmackDown singles encounter that I covered in a previous article. The only difference this time was Jericho intentionally getting himself disqualified and then destroying the Immortal One with a steel chair. He was even getting ready to go so far as to take Hogan out in the same way he did Edge, until … (yes, it’s the moving picture time again!) …

And so Edge had returned to layeth the speareth down on all their candyasses. Naturally, Jericho was not a happy camper and expressed as much to Mr. McMahon on the following episode of SmackDown, airing on July 4th. Appeasing Y2J, McMahon signed him up for a match against Edge at the upcoming Vengeance PPV. Only things would get a little mixed up when, later that same night, the seemingly one-off pairing of Hulk Hogan and the returning Edge defeated Billy and Chuck to claim the Tag Team Titles.

The mix-up continued the next week on SmackDown when Edge got thrown even further into the affairs of others not named Jericho. After he and Hogan retained their titles in a rematch against Billy and Chuck, the Tag Team Champions ran in for the save when, after having defeated Test in singles competition, Rikishi was jumped by three dastardly Un-Americans. This raised the ire of Un-American sympathizer Chris Jericho, who insisted to Mr. McMahon that Lance Storm and Christian be given a shot at the Tag Titles at Vengeance even though it meant his match with Edge had to be postponed. You can’t say the dude isn’t a giver.

One week later was the go-home show for Vengeance (yes, this is less then twelve months after the Vengeance that I covered last week), and it was Stephanie McMahon’s first night as the General Manager of SmackDown. Hogan, Edge, and Rikishi soundly defeated Christian, Storm, and Test in a six-man tag, with Edge picking up the pinfall over Storm. Later in the evening, after buttering up the new GM backstage (not literally; Trips will murder you for thinking otherwise), Jericho was able to get Stephanie to pencil in his postponed encounter with Edge for the following week on SmackDown.

And so after each man had a not-so-successful night at the Vengeance PPV — the Un-Americans picked up the Tag Titles while Y2J lost to some PPV-debuting kid named John Cena — it was finally time for Edge and Chris Jericho to settle their differences inside the squared circle.

Oh wait, did I forget to mention that there was a STEEL CAGE involved?

WHY IT SHOULD BE REMEMBERED

When Edge cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase at New Year’s Revolution ’06, winning his first WWE Championship in the most underhanded of ways, the Rated-R Superstar earned himself a new nickname: The Ultimate Opportunist. Over the last four-plus years since that fateful night, Edge’s character has been defined by a knack for knowing exactly when to fold and when to go all in. He knows he isn’t the biggest, strongest, or most technically sound guy inside the ring, but he’s damn sure one of the smartest. And thus, such sneaktastic methods of acquiring what he most desires (usually the WWE Title, but sometimes the crushed dreams of Matt Hardy) have earned him the disdain of much of the WWE audience. With the exception of Randy Orton’s punt-crazy reign of terror (pre-WM 25 main event debacle), Edge has arguably been THE heeel of WWE ever since he claimed his first WWE Title. Only recently has his spot as the most effective/over heel in the company been challenged, and the man doing the challenging just happens to be Edge’s opponent at this year’s WrestleMania. Interesting, no?

Of course, ever since the Royal Rumble, things have worked a little differently for the guy we’ve spent the last few years loving to hate. When Edge went onto the injured list early into last summer, it was clear from the outset that, when the dude returned, there would be some changes. He gave the obligatory “I’m hurt, but dammit I love this business!” promo while on the shelf, and anybody who’d been watching this beautifully fake sport for any extended period of time knew that, upon his return, we’d be seeing the Rated-R Babyface for the first time in years. Everything played out as expected, and now we’re gearing up for Edge’s first babyface role in a singles PPV bout in what seems like ages.

There are a couple of reasons why I chose this particular Steel Cage match to cover for this week’s article. Right off the bat, there’s the obvious WrestleMania connection that even the slowest of TNA fans can make. But, more than that, I wanted to point out to the masses, particularly the haters, that a babyface Edge is NOT necessarily a BAD Edge.

Haters, you know who you are. You are the ones who have failed to accept Edge in his role as a do-gooder. You are the ones who reject a babyface Edge and argue that the dude is simply meant to be a heel for the rest of his career. And again I say, you haters know who you are.

Sippin’ that Haterade.

I don’t meant to suggest that there’s some sort of uprising against the face Edge, as if the IWC is boycotting WrestleMania. Truth be told, the IWC is currently making all sorts of messes of its Power Rangers underwear over what is a supremely stacked card. Edge and Jericho are favorites of the smarkiest of crowds, and a confrontation between the two for the Big Gold Belt in the main event of the year’s biggest show is (generally) an IWCer’s dream come true. However, the critics still remain, and most of the criticisms are against the facedom of one Edge.

To these critics I say, scroll back up and watch this Steel Cage match. If you’ve already watched it and don’t agree with me, watch it again. If you watch twice and still don’t agree with me, give up; you have failed me and your people. Fact is, throughout 2002, Edge was one of the most popular faces in all of WWE. And considering the STACKED roster that year (HHH, Hogan, Rock, Taker, Mysterio, RVD — just to name SOME faces), that’s a hell of an accomplishment. Edge’s post-WM 18 career skyrocketed the dude as far as his overness was concerned, with his feud with Angle really putting him on the map as a strong singles star. By the time he entered into his on-again-off-again feud with Jericho the fans were clamoring for the multi-time IC Champ to step into the main event scene. A particular SmackDown from not long after Mania that year comes to mind, where an in-ring staredown teased us with the thought of an Edge vs. Triple H match for the Undisputed Title, and the fans ate it up.

Obviously, the face Edge of 2002 was a very different person from the face Edge of 2010 (and understandably so, as character development should be observed), but we’re still watching the same gifted performer out there in the ring. Edge may not be running Jericho down as a brutal dork or reekazoid, but he’s still the same fast-paced, Spear-crazy hero of the day who’s fighting the good fight. The guy has all of the tools necessary to be THE (baby)face of WWE.

WHY IT ISN’T REMEMBERED

Consider this: Is Edge such an awesome heel that we don’t WANT to remember his time as a face? Is that how WWE has approached his character for the last few years?

Much like my analysis of the Undertaker’s transformation(s) last week, I’m intrigued by the different lights we’ve looked at Edge under for the course of his career. First he was the mysterious dude who may or may not have been a vampire, who at the very least kept friendly relations with vampire-type people. Then he was the generic long-haired babyface high-flyer in a generic long-haired babyface high-flyer tag team. Then came the reeking of awesomeness. From there we got a couple years of massively over midcard faceness, followed by two years of limbo (injury, then finding his niche on Raw upon returning), and then the Rated-R Superstar was born.

At this point, it seemed as if there was no looking back. And really, there wasn’t. At least not until this year’s Royal Rumble.

Face Edge has largely been a forgotten memory over the last several years. Up until the time of his injury last year, it seemed as if it would have been impossible for the fans to ever cheer this dude on to victory again. He was just TOO evil. He took TOO many shortcuts. And he did way too many terrible things to all of the most popular wrestlers in the company, including (but not limited to) John Cena, Batista, Undertaker, Jeff Hardy, and Rey Mysterio. The dude hadn’t even won his first WWE Title yet when I can remember thinking for the first time, “There’s no way this Canadian will ever be cheered again.” And yes, this was when he banged a chick/co-worker who had been in a multi-year on/off screen relationship with another co-worker/(supposedly) one of Edge’s best friends. Or, to put it more simply, Lita — having grown weary of Matt Hardy spending all his time on MySpace — had an affair with Edge. This was an affair that cost Edge his marriage and Matt Hardy his job (for a while, at least), but in some twisted way it all led to Edge becoming THE heel of the E for years to come.

Anyway, my point is that Edge’s heat was off the charts after the whole fiasco, and, although it may have severely damaged his personal life, the whole thing actually led to Edge finally breaking the glass ceiling. And it was at this point that Edge began to become the man that it was impossible to root for, simply because he was just … well … a dick. For the last few years, the E has allowed us such a narrow view of the Rated-R Superstar because to look at anything before 2004 would discredit the character of the Ultimate Opportunist.

Speaking of character changes that the E has tried to discreetly pretend were never changes at all, looking back at both the Cage match and its hype show us a completely different Chris Jericho than the guy who’s currently holding the World Heavyweight Championship. The Chris Jericho of 2010 is a mature and consummate professional, obsessed with being recognized for who he believes himself to be: the best in the world at what he does. When he isn’t wrestling, he’s rarely seen in anything but the classiest of attire, and his vocabulary puts 95% of the wrestling audience to shame.

This man knows a lot of words. And ways to be awesome.

But back in July of 2002, this was anything but the Chris Jericho we were used to. Eight years ago, Jericho was still the Ayatollah of Rock’n’Rolla, sporting long hair and leather pants. He referred to his enemies as “assclowns,” all of them being well below his supreme status as the King of the World. He was a heel, just as he is today, but he was a completely different kind of heel. Back then he was the asshole who would steal your girl by mercilessly berating you in front of her before showing off his guitar, and now he’s the asshole who will steal your girl with his class, money, and knowledge of six-syllable words. The way he’s gone about riling up fans may have changed over the years, but the fact remains that people still love to boo the hell out of Chris Jericho.

Personally, I much more prefer the more recent Jericho, as I feel that the man has brought his game to a new level since his return to WWE a couple of years ago. But I still love to go back and relive memories of the Jericho of old. Watching a match like this Steel Cage encounter with Edge gives me an even greater respect for the American-born superstar (suck it, Canada), showing the wide range the man is capable of. No matter if he’s the dickish rock star, the well-dressed walking thesarus, or even the fiery high-flying Lionheart, Chris Jericho is THE MAN in any role he’s given. His current character likes to brag about being the best in the world, but the dude isn’t just blowing smoke. At this point in pro wrestling, Chris Jericho may very well be the best in the world at what he does.

Of course, Edge may have something to say about all that. We’ll have to wait until WrestleMania for the latest chapter in the evolution of both stars, but a glimpse back at the paths both men have taken (which coincided a whole hell of a lot) shows us that no matter how we view these guys now, we may be seeing their characters in a totally different light in no time at all.

– –

Feedback! (or, Proof That The World Knows I Exist!)

Bikertaker sucked ass. He was basically a 6′ 10″ Steve Austin. I’m glad he went back to the deadman gimmick. Sure, he’d be cooler if he had the kick-ass gray (or purple, I suppose) gloves on and didn’t have a head that had same shape, color, and hairline of a basketball, but it’s still better than fucking “Booger Red.” Seriously, who the fuck would willingly take on the nickname Booger Red? Was Skidmark or Shit Stain already taken?

Posted By: Zingy

I’m intrigued by this basketball hairline concept. And to each his own on preferred Taker presentations, but I still consider the heel badass that destroyed Ric Flair at WM 18 to be my personal favorite. As for the Booger Red nickname, I’m pretty sure that was just JR speaking in JR and not a company-endorsed moniker. I can’t remember ever seeing it appear on any Taker merchandise, and I halfway remember reading about Vince telling JR to stop using the name because it sounded dumb and confused the audience.

this was a good match. the whole ppv was solid actually

Posted By: Guest#7740

Which is why I was filled with girlish joy when I found a used copy of the DVD at Record and Tape Traders for five bucks. Yes, fellow IWC dorks, I mercilessly rape trade-in stores of their used rasslin’ DVDs, just like you. Nonsensical booking aside (Austin’s absurd shift to facedom for apparently no reason) it’s an awesome card, made even more awesome by Jericho scoring an upset that nobody predicted.

I miss the hardcore title

Posted By: Guest#8543

You and me both. Not so much the Brisco and Patterson crossdressing stuff, but I know what you mean.

Great column and a sweet match! Thanks for writing it!

Posted By: Christopher

Ring rust? NO SIR! Thanks, Chris.

Undertaker’s entrance is so damn long. Biker and deadman. I can take a dump and still not miss a second of the match.

Posted By: Morgan Fisher

I’m pretty sure the length of Taker’s entrance is determined by whether or not there is a women’s match on the card, and, if so, how long said women’s match runs. If it’s a quick one (thus not ideal for dumping purposes), then Taker makes sure to take his time on the way to the ring, thus allowing fans a proper chance to, er, relieve themselves.

welcome back man…missed this column and everything it stood for.

Posted By: IWC Member #900001

Feels good to be back. I will continue to campaign for the memory of awesome wrestling.

I love the idea behind this column, I’m really glad it’s back.

I have mixed feelings about this match. On one hand, I really liked it and remember it as one of the better ‘Taker matches from this period. The Undertaker never would have occurred to me to put on a list of “dream opponents” for RVD back when he was in ECW, which made me even more impressed by how much chemistry they displayed. I think this encounter is made even more special by the fact that it only happened the one time and wasn’t rematched into oblivion like almost every other pairing of modern superstars.

Nonetheless, I feel like they screwed up a really good storyline with this match. On the heels of the Winner Take All match after the Invasion, all of the WCW/ECW employees were supposed to be fired except for those that were holding titles and Test (who’d won the immunity battle royal). The Dudley Boys, Christian (as the Tag and European champs), and Test briefly appeared to form a heel stable with Shane McMahon. RVD pronounced his face alignment when spurned this collective which left him alienated from both the WWF guys and his former Alliance teammates. Vince was still angry at RVD and wanted punish him, but he couldn’t fire him because he still had a contract as the holder of the Hardcore title.

This was an awesome opportunity to build RVD with a solid mid-card storyline which could have been capitalized upon to bring him into the main event promise that he displayed in his initial appearances with the company. RVD could have been a lone wolf defending his Hardcore title against all comers in order to keep his job while Vince McMahon basically has a price on his head. The title itself would have been given a great rub from such a storyline as well. RVD could have used his unorthodox style to overcome increasingly insurmountable odds and had the same type of lengthy reign that gave so much credibility to the ECW TV title. This was the direction I was certain they were going at the time.

Had this culminated in a match against the Undertaker, it might have been a main event to remember and sown the seeds for an eventual world title reign. Instead they had RVD defy the odds for about two weeks then gave ‘Taker the belt (which he had no need for). It was a great match but when RVD lost the match he lost his direction and floundered aimlessly around the midcard (even during his obligatory IC run) and never managed to live up to those first few months when he was the breakout star of the Invasion. Even when he did win the world title it was just a publicity stunt to relaunch ECW and though he blew his opportunity, I doubt it was going to last long anyway.

This match was where the iron cooled for RVD, I can’t say I blame him for wanting to try his luck in TNA.

Posted By: Schmidty

I’m with you 100% on RVD’s immediate post-Survivor Series time as the Hardcore Champ. At the time it seemed that RVD was going to be the lone wolf you describe, not really fitting in with either the victorious Federation side or the remaining gold-carrying former members of the Alliance. Van Dam was over huge at the time and seemed destined for a run at the World Title, but in retrospect it seems that the roster was simply TOO stacked for him to move up in the card. Rock, Austin, and Undertaker were still firmly at the head of the class; Angle, Jericho, Edge, and Booker T were on the upper tier of the card; and within a few months after Vengeance we’d see the returns/debuts of (and not simply limited to) Triple H, Hulk Hogan, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and Brock Lesnar. Of course, the brand extension should’ve afforded RVD his opportunity to move on up, but with so many other big names ahead of him (regardless of RVD being more talented than some, which he was/is), RVD’s star never got its rightful chance to shine. Considering fans were clamoring for a legit RVD-Austin feud towards the end of the Alliance angle, this is definitely a major bummer.

As far as RVD and Taker squaring off, this is easily my favorite confrontation, although they have met on other occassions. I don’t feel confident enough to throw a number out there on how many times, but I do recall them butting heads in 2002 while Taker was Undisputed Champion. This might’ve involved a title match between the two on Raw. Regardless, I can remember thinking at the time that RVD had a legit shot at winning the King of the Ring Tournament and facing Taker for the belt at SummerSlam. Of course, things turned out very differently, but it’s interesting to go back and think of what might have been. Had they stalled Brock’s title win and put RVD over Taker in SummerSlam’s main event, might things have turned out differently for The Next Big Thing? Might he still be conducting business inside a WWE ring?

That is one seriously awesome heel turn. Haven’t seen them done like that in the recent years – preference seems to be to go with the slow burn.

Posted By: El Nino

Even good to decent heel turns haven’t been done in the last few years, let alone awesome ones. Off the top of my head I can’t think of one heel turn that’s actually been worth marking out over since Trips revealed his true intentions to the returning HBK in 2002 (“YOU CAN’T WRESTLE ANYMORE!”), unless of course you count Jericho’s descent into evil over the course of 2008. Michaels Superkicking Hogan was all kinds of badass, but he only heeled it up for a month before instantly reverting back to the standard Jesus-loving HBK. And yeah, I marked for Orton’s surprise RKO on Stacy Keibler, but even that was more for the sake of ending Orton’s horrifying face run than it being a well-executed turn.

RVD’s getting his ass beat

Posted By: mindflux

The best part is that it isn’t thirty seconds after his debut for the company.

i don’t know why but when undertaker turned heel in late 2001, he reminded me of big boss man. was the same stuff like the boss man, bullying and beating up people and yeah winning the hardcore championship.

Posted By: Guest#4073

Angry rednecks think alike. They like to bully and hit people that are smaller than them with trash cans and/or folding chairs.

its funny cuz i just saw this match a week ago

Posted By: laparkinator

I wasn’t watching you through the window or anything. I swear. Please believe me.

Welcome back man!! I remember watching this match back in the day and enjoying it quite a bit and also getting pissed off that RVD didn’t win lol. I was/and still am a mark for BikerTaker and i feel he had quite a few underrated matches while he was under this gimmick. For your next forgotten Favourites i suggest
– Edge & Christian vs the Hardy Boys No Way Out 2000
– Triple H vs Kurt Angle Royal Rumble 2001
The World’s Greatest Tag Team vs Rey Mystero & Billy Kidman Vengeance 2003

Posted By: Craig J

Your spelling of Favorites suggests to me that you are not American, and thus I am naturally struggling to accept your input, since you likely hate freedom. But I will say that you have wonderfully overcome the handicap of not being American by naming three excellent matches, two of which I’ve already been kicking around as possible ideas. The Vengeance and Rumble matches were requested a few times before and I was actually planning on covering them before I had to take my 411 vacation. The No Way Out match is a good call, as it’s probably the least referenced match between the two teams.

Yourrrrr back!!!!!!!!!

Posted By: Manu

Indeed! How’s Brett Dibiase?

oh man i loved taker back then!

Posted By: JJ

Taker knows nothing of love, but if he did, he would appreciate it.

I, like many others, thought that Badass was a poor man’s Stone Cold, or a really good version of the Disciples of the Apocalypse(Remember that horseshit?). I thought the turn to Badass was nonsensical and, like a lot of guys who watched since the early 90’s, loved the Deadman gimmick. I think after he decided to be a cult leader for the Ministry, it was time for change, though. I just hated that “No Dumping” sign crap, really. The thing that made Badass OK for me was The Last Ride, and because he started to brawl more and be a little more technical; he wasn’t doing those throat thrusts and moving like a hippo.

Posted By: ThePants

Admittedly, part of the reason I am such a mark for the Badass is it really marked a shift in the workrate of the Deadman. 2000-2001 were kind of iffy (if not god-awful in some instances), but with the heel turn and new haircut there was new life breathed into the Deadman, and the quality of his matches increased dramatically. I was actually a big fan of the Satanic Taker of 98-99 from a character perspective, but there’s no denying that, until 2001, the man was totally incapable of a classic match (depending upon opponent [HBK] or match-build [Kane]).

Great idea for a column. Match was decent, not great. You should do more of these columns though.

Posted By: Jimbo

That is indeed the plan, Jimbo. Suggestions for future columns are most welcome.

the only thing i hated about biker undertaker was the damn entrance music.

Posted By: Guest#4569

I thought the Kid Rock music was super kewl at the time but that’s probably because I was thirteen. As my body went through the changes, so too did my opinion towards his music, particularly when “Rollin'” well overstayed its welcome.

great column with all relevant points. im a fan of every phase of the deadman, always have been and dont see how any part of his career could hurt that which he is achieving today. although i didnt honestly see ANYONE taking the hardcore title from taker in no rules settings. not realistically anyway. (listen to me, realistically? its pro wrestling.)

Posted By: beerslayer

I still remember Benoit getting a shot at heel Sting’s WCW Title on Nitro one night and thinking, since Benoit was in my young mind the best wrestler in WCW, that there was no way that Benoit couldn’t win the belt. How could Sting realistically beat the best wrestler in the company? Ah, my fond memories of not rationally approaching pro wrestling …

Point taken on the Taker phases. I still stand by my theory that the current Taker mystique COULD be hurt by the re-emergence of the Badass’s memory, but I don’t necessarily think that that’s a given. Either way, I still think we’re going to be stuck viewing him in a predominantly supernatural light for the rest of his career.

I stopped watching wrestling around this time, but I’m surprised that an active Undertaker wasn’t involved in the Undisputed Title tournament.

Posted By: Guest#2562

Austin and Rock already being title holders, their spots were naturally granted. Angle was McMahon’s stooge at the time, so that plus his rivalry with Austin made him a logical choice. How Jericho got in the mix escapes me, and my limited research into it has provided me no answers. I don’t recall Jericho or Angle winning qualifying matches, but it’s possible. Anyone able to help out here?

“I stopped watching wrestling around this time, but I’m surprised that an active Undertaker wasn’t involved in the Undisputed Title tournament.”

I think that is part of the whole ‘no respect’ angle at work here.

Posted By: JTX

It works into the character, but still, Taker was in Vince’s pocket once he turned, so it’s a little unusual. No complaints here though because Vengeance was one finely executed card.

It’s great to see this column back. I missed it.

Posted By: JLAJRC

I’m glad to provide wrestling fans with entertainment when they’re supposed to be reading sales reports or making graphs or whatever people are supposed to do when they’re working.

Get OUT OF MY YARD.

Posted By: yep

I’m just now realizing how fitting this phrase was for the old and bitter Undertaker. I’m having flashbacks to the old dude whose yard we dreaded knocking the wiffle ball into.

I liked short haired biker taker- the later on version of biker Taker.
Long haired biker Taker was chubby and looked like a slob.
Rrrrrest in Peeeeeeeee!!

Posted By: FUZEY

A lot of the time the long-haired Biker Taker was indeed quite slobbish, both in appearance and performance. Luckily, he had a fire lit under him with his heel turn and his matches improved to an insane degree.

Holy crap, where you been, dude? I was just thinking about this column the other day. At last, someone to deliver us from Jake Chambers.

The heel version of Bikertaker was a real interesting gimmick. He was still badass and gruff but came off as kind of bitter and paranoid. Even as a heel he didn’t back down from anybody.

He feuded with RVD because he felt RVD was kinda flippant and disrespectful. I was watching the match on Youtube a while ago and it was all kinds of awesome.

His crazy expression at the end of the match was priceless, too. There also was a slight slow burn, as the weeks leading into that Taker told Vince he just wanted some respect.

Posted By: Guest#5339

Tempting as it may be, I can’t bite on the Chambers comment. But maybe saying that means that I already have.

You’re right about the heel Badass, and that’s exactly the reason I loved the character so much. He wasn’t your typical chickenshit heel. He wasn’t the typical destructive monster heel. Yeah, he cheated in his matches and dodged babyfaces in unfavorable situations, but his main priority was earning both the respect and fear of those around him. He was a confident and arrogant heel who was also marked by the paranoia you mentioned. It was a great heel dynamic that hasn’t been explored too much since then (unless you count Brock’s last few months in the E, which were similar).

Notice the prematch video for the match featured the generic Metal insrumental that Mike Knox would use upon his WWE debut through today. Good call on the match, a forgotten favorite indeed.

Posted By: FRS

Mike Knox is a poor man’s Gene Snitsky, and I’ll be damned if the bearded bear man doesn’t piss me off everytime I see him. Whenever I see Knox, all I think is, “I could be watching Snitsky.” But no. Instead of continuing to offer me tremendous baby-killing humor (or the potential of the Snitsky-Heidenreich dream team that never was), I have to watch this Snitsky-replacement who possesses none of Gene’s charm or skill. Damn you, Mike Knox. Damn you.

Thanks you for coming back!!!! I missed this column… This and Hubbard are my favorite columns on the site.

Can you please do the Two Man Power Trip vs Benoit and Jericho? That match was awesome and it will NEVER be remembered by Vince.

Posted By: Guest#1437

Strange, those are my two favorite columns on 411 too. Hubbard is a good man and a great writer.

The Two Man Power Trip vs. Benoit and Jericho came up a few times as suggestions last year, and I still kind of feel the same way about it. While the match is dead as far as WWE is concerned, the IWC still feels very strongly about this one, some even heralding it as one of the best tag team matches in WWE history. Then there’s also the whole thing about Benoit being involved, making it a match that I (along with many, many likeminded fans) simply do not care to watch anymore. There were MANY Benoit matches that I considered to be among my absolute favorites of all time (Angle-Benoit at the Rumble, for example), but now I simply have NO desire to watch these matches ever again. Watching old cards, I have from time to time tried to go the distance when a Benoit match comes up, but I just can’t get past the first couple of minutes. Seeing Chris Benoit wrestle isn’t aggravating or depressing, it’s just oddly uncomfortable. He was one of my favorites for many years, but I will never be able to see him in the same light again.

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Alright, wrestling fans, that’ll do it for this week. I went a little heavy on the history lesson but the evolution of two of my favorite wrestlers makes my smarky parts all happy. Hopefully your parts were happy as well.

As usual, hit me with those comments, be they positive or negative. I aim to please the regular 411er and am always looking for ways to continue to exist within your good graces. The suggestions from last week were well noted and a couple of them are sure fire future columns. So yeah, if you’re going back to your old tapes and stumble upon a Forgotten Favorite, send it my way so that the rest of us may all celebrate in our slightly embarrassing yet wholly fulfilling love of fake sports.

Until next time, stay safe and out of Dundalk.