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By @Phranchize19
Mick Foley has long been a fixture in WWE, but I feel that the most underrated aspect of his career was the ability to put guys over. Foley was gracious enough to put over many young guys such as The Rock, Triple H and Edge, but this time we are gonna talk about how he put over Randy Orton.
Background:
Randy Orton was riding high as the Legend Killer. Randy was essentially putting every legend on their knees and establishing himself as the future of the WWE. Randy Orton was the Intercontinental Champion and had won the belt in a match that Foley was actually the referee. Randy had already kicked Foley down a set of stairs and it got worse as Evolution was making life difficult for Foley. Foley needed help and enlisted the help of a partner from his past. That man was The Rock. The Rock teamed with Foley to take on Evolution at the 20th annual WrestleMania. In a losing effort, The Rock and Sock Connection entertained. In the weeks following that match, Orton would continue to torment Foley until Foley brought out his secret weapon Cactus Jack.
The Match:
The match began with Orton bringing out his own version of Barbie (barbed wire bat) as well as other weapons. Once Cactus came out with the real Barbie, Orton’s version crumbled. Foley pummeled Orton at the beginning and Orton mounted comebacks. Orton and Foley would bring out thumbtacks and the violence wouldn't stop there. Orton would be tossed off of a stage and Foley would even bring out fire. In the end, Orton would hit the RKO on a barbed wire bat.
Phranchize Grade and Analysis
This was a GREAT match. This showed a rougher side of Orton as well as establishing him as a major player going forward. One would say that Orton doesn't achieve main event level status without this rivalry or this match. Foley put on a masterful performance here. It was great to see him actually issuing the beating instead of taking one. Cactus was willing to do whatever to make Orton miserable. Cactus wasn't worried about the belt he just wanted to hurt Orton. The psychology of the match as good with Orton pretending to be afraid and really bringing out the cactus jack persona by being afraid. All in all this is a classic.
Rating: 9/10
-C. Yates
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By @Phranchize19
Every year we as wrestling fans come together to witness the biggest event in the sport, WrestleMania. Vince McMahon’s vision for a supercard has gone from closed circuit and being watched in movie theaters to people traveling all over the globe to witness this spectacle. WrestleMania has produced some of the greatest moments in wrestling history. I am here to give you the matches that DEFINE the legacy of WrestleMania. Keep in mind, this list isn't a best match or greatest match list, therefore some of the best in ring matches will not be there (a good amount of them are however). These matches have had the biggest effect on this event.
*Hulk Hogan and Mr. T (w/ Jimmy Superfly Snuka) vs Rowdy Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff (w/ Cowboy Bob Orton)
WrestleMania 1
-In this day and age, we probably would've gotten a title match between Hogan and Piper, but with the company being dependent on the first WrestleMania being a success, Vince McMahon needed more star power. Enlisting Mr. T of the A Team to aid possibly the biggest star in America at that time against WWF’s top heel at that time made perfect sense. This match wasn't a technical masterpiece, but the importance of this match is significant as this match was going to make or break WWE as a company.
*Hulk Hogan vs Andre the Giant
WWF Championship
WrestleMania 3
-This match is not only the most important in WrestleMania history (IMO), but wrestling history as well. Andre was a world renowned figure and Hogan is one of the most popular figures of all time. Hogan and Hulkamania had captivated America as an irresistible force. Andre The Giant, a larger than life wrestler, stood as an immovable force (plus a 15 year undefeated streak). Throw in a friends turned enemies narrative and a collision was inevitable. Obviously this wasn't going to be a 5 star classic, but two of the greatest figures in wrestling colliding was memorable on so many levels. The iconic image of Hogan slamming Andre is still played today.
*Macho Man Randy Savage vs Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Intercontinental Championship WrestleMania 3
-While Hogan vs Andre was the big bout, it was this match that stole the show. This was the first classic match WrestleMania had ever produced. This is what set the standard for the Intercontinental title as two of wrestling’s greatest technicians collided for the second biggest prize in WWF. This match set a precedent and made the IC Title shine brighter than the World Title.
*Ultimate Warrior vs Hulk Hogan
WWF Championship
WrestleMania 6
-The match that was the main event of the first WrestleMania of the 90s. This match was huge in significance for two reasons: one, Hulk Hogan was pinned cleanly in a match at WrestleMania. This was unheard of during this time period so this was monumental off this alone. Two, it signaled a new era was on the horizon. Warrior was as popular as Hogan at this point. WWF started going into the direction of younger champions, which would serve them well in the future.
*Shawn Michaels vs Razor Ramon
Intercontinental Championship
Ladder Match
WrestleMania 10
-The first ladder match in the history of WrestleMania. Many didn't know what to expect from this match and it delivered and then some. Shawn Michaels would deliver a performance that would signify his run as Mr. WrestleMania. Razor Ramon was riding the wave as the most over midcard guy in WWF at that time. This match would push the limits of both men and send WWF into newer heights.
*Bret Hart vs Owen Hart
WrestleMania 10
-A classic confrontation. A story of Brother against Brother couldn't have been written any better. Bret and Owen would go on first and set the tone for the evening. While Bret was the face of WWE at this time, him putting Owen over made Owen a legit star and would send him into superstardom. Owen benefited so much from this victory.
*Bret Hart vs Shawn Michaels
WWF Championship
Iron Man Match
WrestleMania 12
-Quite possibly one of the greatest matches I've ever seen. This was the first Iron Man match in the history of WWF so there was a bit of risk on WWF‘s part, especially with two guys who are considered smaller by Vince McMahon’s standard. Hart and HBK put on a wrestling clinic and it paved the way for many of the smaller guy matches we view today.
*Bret Hart vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
Submission Match
WrestleMania 13
-In my opinion, the second greatest Mania match of all time. With WWF transitioning more towards adult friendly programming, the company needed someone to spearhead that revolution. Enter Stone Cold. Stone Cold and Bret would execute the greatest double turn in WWE history. The image of Austin in the Sharpshooter with blood trickling down his face was a WrestleMania moment and literally thrusted Austin into the main event scene.
*Stone Cold Steve Austin vs Shawn Michaels
WWF Championship
WrestleMania 14
-Another changing of the guard. WWF was fully into the attitude era and Austin was the face of it. This match signaled another changing of the guard as I mentioned but also holds significance of Mike Tyson being involved which boosted business and ratings.
*The Hardy Boyz vs the Dudley Boyz vs Edge and Christian
Triangle Ladder Match
WWF Tag Team Championship
-Up to this point, the tag team titles hadn't really had a major angle when it came to WrestleMania. These three teams changed that perception. This match but the tag title scene on the map. Arguably 3 of the top 5 tag teams in WWF history put on a show stealing performance and would set the world on fire with this match.
*The Rock vs Hollywood Hulk Hogan
WrestleMania 18
-Wrestling’s past met wrestling’s present in a once in a lifetime match. Hogan had came back to WWE after almost a decade away and during that time, The Rock rose to greatness. Two of the most charismatic and iconic wrestlers of all time squared off on the biggest stage and did not disappoint. Their staredown alone was a WrestleMania moment.
*The Rock vs Stone Cold Steve Austin
WrestleMania 19
-This was quite possibly the greatest encounter these two have had. With Austin basically ending his in ring career after this match, it holds significance as the greatest rivalry in WWE history was finally reaching its end. The Attitude Era’s biggest stars got to ride off into the sunset one more time.
*Undertaker vs Shawn Michaels WrestleMania 25
-The greatest match I've ever witnessed. It doesn't get any better than this. WrestleMania’s biggest mainstays going one on one on the grandest stage. I think we expected a great match but we got something so much better. When you want to explain to someone what wrestling is: show them this match.
*The Rock vs John Cena
WrestleMania 28
-Billed as once in a lifetime, this was greatness. Rock was one of the faces of the Attitude Era and Cena was the poster boy of the Ruthless Aggression era. What made this match special was the real animosity between the two men. This match was so big it was planned out a year in advanced and it delivered. Two of the greatest Mania performers squared off in a classic confrontation.
-C. Yates
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By @TrueGodImmortal
I wanted to do an article on Cryme Tyme or maybe Doom, a tag team that could represent Black History Month well. However, after seeing the reaction to The Rock calling CM Punk after RAW went off the air, and the New Day hosting WrestleMania 33, I thought to continue Ameen's process of talking makeshift or temporary tag teams and today, I'm looking back at the short run of CM Punk and Kofi Kingston.
Team Formation
So, this team came about in the usual way that makeshift tag teams usually do: common enemies. Shortly after CM Punk somehow lost his World Heavyweight Championship (without acting losing it), he would have a feud with Randy Orton (briefly). That feud with Orton would spill into a battle with Legacy, as Manu, Ted Dibiase Jr., and Cody Rhodes assisted Orton in beating down Punk after a one on one match between Punk and Cody. Kofi Kingston would make the save for Punk and from there, we were off.
Road To Tag Titles
It was a very short road to the tag titles for Punk and Kofi, as the tag team champions Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase Jr. were quickly thrown into a feud with them. Punk went from the World Heavyweight Champion to being in a tag team with Kofi, and while that could have made him slack off, he didn't. Punk and Kofi were already real life friends and that translated well into the ring and with their chemistry. After Kofi and Dibiase had a one on one match with Punk and Legacy in their respective corners, Punk and Kofi had a battle against The Miz and John Morrison, which resulted in a win for Punk and Kofi. After a win against one of the biggest tag teams on RAW, it seemed Punk and Kofi were in line to get a title shot soon, and just a week later, they would get that on RAW.
The match was likely supposed to take place at Cyber Sunday, but that match didn't get voted in (which is sad in a way), so it had to take place the next night on RAW. The match was pretty damn good and Punk and Kofi walked out with the tag titles around their waists. It's crazy that in just a month, Punk had gone from the World Heavyweight Champion to the Tag Team Champions with Kofi, but he never lost popularity and I'd say he was more comfortable in the tag team role than the singles "main event" role they attempted to give him (WWE really screwed that up). After winning the tag titles, it was obvious the reign would be short for Punk and Kofi, but along the way, we would had to have some good title defenses right?
Tag Title Run
As tag team champions, Kofi and Punk were a fun team to watch, but they really didn't do much on RAW or the big PPVs. They would be on Team Batista heading into Survivor Series 2008, and continue their feud with Cody and Ted. This would lead to some title defenses against Cody and Ted, including their mandatory tag title rematch. After winning the mandatory rematch against Cody and Ted, it seemed as if Kofi and Punk were about to break up as soon as they got together. Punk began getting involved in the Intercontinental Title picture and would have a match at Armageddon against Rey Mysterio to determine the No. 1 contender. Before that match however, Punk and Kofi would drop the tag titles to John Morrison and The Miz, and then lose their rematch right after on RAW, and Punk would go on to be no. 1 contender for the Intercontinental Title. It was a quick and bittersweet end for this makeshift team, as Punk would eventually go on to win the Intercontinental Title and win Money In The Bank for a 2nd straight time. Kofi and Punk would team by chance after this, but not much. It was odd to see this team fall apart so quickly, but their short run was still fun and one of the better things on RAW during the HHH-Batista-Orton-Cena era.
Closing
Punk and Kofi had a short 3 month run as a tag team, but they had good chemistry and worked well together. While they didn't really seem to have any long term plans together, it was still a fun but short ride for this tag team, and considering the fact that they ended up tag team champions makes them noteworthy. Punk would go on to become the most important wrestler in WWE within the last 10 years, while Kofi would end up winning tag team titles with Evan Bourne, R-Truth, and of course, The New Day. I like this idea of covering makeshift tag teams for Tag Team Tuesdays because some of these moments tend to be forgotten by some in wrestling history. Not anymore.
-True
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By @Phranchize19
Summerslam usually offers a great match in its main event and the 1990 version of the show was no exception. We have the classic babyface champion Warrior against a formidable contender in Rick Rude.
Background:
WWE was riding a huge wave of momentum with the guy they figured was going to replace the aging Hulk Hogan. That man was the Ultimate Warrior. Warrior had won the WWE title from Hogan at that year’s WrestleMania and with Summerslam on the horizon, WWE needed a credible opponent for their champion. Enter Ravishing Rick Rude. Rude had beaten Warrior once before at WrestleMania 5. They had a classic encounter at Summerslam 1989 (that’s gonna be a later article) and Rude was one of the few that actually made Warrior work for it and brought out the best in him.
The Match:
While not a technical masterpiece, this match was still more than good. Rude and Warrior waged war inside the steel cage for about 10 minutes. Rude played his role well and at times looked as if he would win the championship. Rude and Warrior put on a show here. Warrior would climb out of the cage and keep his WWE title in the end.
Phranchize Grade and Analysis:
While this match was good, it could’ve benefited from more time. It’s odd that a Summerslam main event, much less a title match, would be so short. 10 minutes isn’t really enough to tell a classic story between these two rivals, but still even with limited time, this match was really great. The story that Rude had beaten Warrior before was a nice touch as it wove into the match. All in all, you can’t really blame the competitors here because they did what they could in a limited time span.
-7/10
-C. Yates
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By @OmegaShammgod
One of the most popular teams among fans during the Ruthless Aggression Era was none other than Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin. A duo who let their athleticism and technical abilities bring the Smackdown Tag Team Division to new heights. Originally starting out as Kurt Angle's (in my own words) bodyguards, WGTT quickly shot to the top of Smackdown's Tag Team Kingdom.
A month after making their debut, WGTT beat Edge and Chris Benoit in a number one contenders match. A week later, they defeated Los Guerreros to win the WWE Tag Team Championship. They successfully defended the Titles in a Triple Threat Tag Team match against Los Guerreros and Benoit & Rhyno but would drop them to Eddie Guerrero and Tajiri at Judgment Day in a Ladder Match.
After dropping the titles, Angle fired Haas and Benjamin as his "clients". Shortly thereafter they would win back the tag team titles from Guerrero and Tajiri. However it didn't last long as they would drop the titles to Los Guerreros and unsuccessfully challenge for the titles at Wrestlemania 20. They would be split up by way of the 2004 Draft that sent Benjamin to Raw. It would not be the last time we'd see the duo together in WWE however.
2 years later, Haas would return to Raw after a brief run on the independent circuit. 2 weeks later, the World's Greatest Tag Team would finally reunite to defeat The Highlanders. They then begun a short lived rivalry which ended with WGTT becoming the first team to beat Cryme Tyme, ending their undefeated streak.
As much as everyone loved WGTT, I've always felt like they hadn't reached their full potential together. Part of the reason I believe this is because of the lack of depth in WWE's Tag Team division in both eras of the WGTT's run. In 2003-2004, Smackdown was run by mostly makeshift teams like a Rhyno and Benoit, Edge and Rey Mysterio, etc. and in 2006-2007, there were a lot of inexperienced guys to work with such as The Highlanders and Cryme Tyme.
Both Benjamin and Haas were both great individual talents. Benjamin clearly broke through as the fan favorite because he dazzled crowds with his incredible athleticism, which I don't think has been matched by anyone in the company since. Haas was a mat technician of sorts which didn't really bring fans to their feet, but boy could he wrestle his ass off. After the split, Benjamin would become the more successful of the duo, winning the Intercontinental Championship and even scoring a huge upset victory over Triple H. Haas stayed on Smackdown and would become Tag Team Champion again with Rico. My favorite match to watch involving these guys was their Ladder Match at One Night Stand 2007 with the Hardys. Despite losing, I thought it was a show stealing performance between the two teams. These guys were great and I wish they got even more attention.
-Ameen
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By @IOnlySayFacts
10 million broken guitars and he never drew a dime. Famous words about one Jeffrey Jarrett. Jeff, who is the son of one Jerry Jarrett, a respected booker in the wrestling community and owner of the USWA, had talent for the business. For some reason, he ended up always above where he was supposed to be.
Jarrett at his peak was a mid-card wrestler who could at most have been a transitional champ. The WWE booked him perfectly in the role, as he was perfect as a fixture in the IC championship scene. His WCW and TNA run however, not so much. His first run in WCW, his main feud was with the Horsemen, as he was trying to get into the group. From the beginning, this just felt weird. Jarrett wasn’t a Horsemen type of guy (then again the group had Mongo and Paul Roma at various times), and the feud mainly had to deal with Mongo, as Flair was out of in ring action for a while, Benoit was focused on Sullivan, and Arn was just there. Little damage was done here, as Jarrett left after a year and a better reincarnation of the Horsemen was formed later on.
After another successful mid card stint in the WWE, Jarrett went back to WCW. This time however, he got a heavier push than he should have. After a filler first few months dealing with Benoit and Dustin Rhodes, he eventually won the United States Championship in the process. Then he became part of nWo 2000 (for the love of god why another nWo faction), where as a secondary champ, he would get a decent amount of screentime. Fast forward for a little bit and we have Jarrett in a feud with Sid for the Heavyweight title (Why Sid was a champion in the year 2000? I’ll never know). Jarrett couldn’t beat Sid for the belt. Maybe the company realized that Jarrett wasn’t main event material (they didn’t). Instead of Jarrett falling down the card and going to the US Title scene, we still have him in the main event scene because….
WCW decided to reboot the whole company almost a week before the PPV, and on that PPV, Jarrett, who was a part of the New Blood Stable, beat DDP for the championship. Things were going swell in his first run. He lost the belt to DDP a week after winning it, then proceeded to win the belt from David Arquette with Arquette’s assistance. I remind you that Arquette was the champion here in this situation (why was WCW so bad during this time period). After another two reigns with the big gold belt, the rest of Jarrett’s time in the company was forgettable. The only thing noteworthy was a feud with the Rhodes family while Jarrett was a part of the Magnificent Seven stable.
For some reason, WCW had an infatuation with Jarrett, as he had some allies in the back. This led him to being catapulted in the World Championship scene in the dying days of WCW. Unlike Steiner, who was the other big heel in those days, Jeff was just bland. He was always the guy who had the guitar. He was the guy who is mostly remembered for Slapnuts. Thankfully this era ended quickly relative to other main event runs in the company. While this might be the end of the Jeff Jarrett overrated era in one company, in another one, it is only starting to begin.
Fast forward to a year after WCW folded and a new company started to form. This company became TNA. Founded by Jeff Jarrett and his father, the company would experience great success and tragedy under their reign. Initially, I’ll give Jarrett credit for not getting the belt for the first few months of the company’s existence. That goodwill ran out when he became champion that November. He won the title from Ron Killings (AKA K-Kwik, AKA R-Truth, AKA K-Krush). While I get the point of Jarrett holding the belt (which was to hopefully land a TV deal and he has the highest profile on the roster), it didn’t make for good entertainment. His feud with Sports Entertainment Xtreme was just painful as the stable had the likes of Brian Lawler (Grand Master Sexay), David Flair, Disco Inferno and Sonny Siaki. The only redeemable parts of the stable were Raven (because Raven) and Triple X.
That feud did lead into the Jarrett/Styles feud. AJ was Mr. TNA. AJ was the first star the company had made, and he was their first champion that wasn’t really a retread from the big three promotions. While it wasn’t the greatest in ring feud, it did show that TNA was capable of making good decisions. This ended fairly soon, as AJ did end up going to the X Division soon after losing the NWA Championship and subsequent matches afterwards for the belt. While having Jarrett hog up the main event scene with the belt, AJ going to the X Division was one of the better moves the company did, as it got a lot of eyes on the product.
You would think that Jarrett would drop the belt next to another homegrown talent like Monty Brown. You would be wrong. Jarrett ended up feuding with Kevin Nash and Diamond Dallas Page over the championship the next few months (another terrible decision here). At this time period, Jarrett also had a stable (because of course). Fast forward past this dark time period, we have Raven as champion, where Jarrett promptly beat him at a house show. For some reason, they were going for a Jarrett/Nash feud again at Bound For Glory (I still don’t know why). Anyways, Nash fell sick around the PPV and instead Rhyno won the opportunity to face Jarrett. Rhyno did beat Jeff, and in the process became the new champion. Yay somewhat fresh blood in the title scene. Maybe this is the end of Jarrett right?
Wrong. Jeff won the title a few days later. This felt different as it felt that the end was soon coming for Jeff. Christian had debuted and Sting returned to the company. These two were the beacons of hope the company had. Cage became champion (one of the few retreads that were beneficial to the company) and had a successful reign away from Jeff. Meanwhile Jarrett feuded with Sting (which was a hell of a lot better than their feud in WCW where they had a lot of fake Stings). Jeff would finally hold the belt for the last time at Slammiversary. He then would proceed to lose it in a bout with Sting. That right there was the end of Jarrett as the guy in TNA.
The thing with Jarrett is that he was a talent, but for some reason he was elevated to a level that was clearly above who he actually was as a performer. Some instances were due to favoritism and in other cases it was due to necessity. His feuds weren’t memorable at all, the matches were forgettable, and he was overshadowed by the X and Tag Team divisions being on absolute fire. At the end of the day, a comparison for Jeff would be that he’s the Ryan Fitzpatrick of wrestling. That is another edition of Overrated: The Series. Next time I’ll cover Hulk Hogan in WCW.
-Doug
