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Submitted by Pt2 on Saturday, May 22, 2004 at 8:27 AM EST
Welcome once again to the column with the responsibility of feeding Viscera, Take up thy wrestling boots and walk. I’m the man with an exceptionally large food bill, Pt2, back once again to talk about.... anything I feel like, really. Not much going down really; News-wise wrestling is a little quiet. Lets hope it picks up and I have more than just the European championships to entertain this summer. Simply the BestThe WWE considers Shawn Michaels vs. HHH one of it’s greatest rivalries ever. They even have an article on it on their website. The two have been at each others throats for two years know, and part of the history is their old D-X roots. Combine that with the in-ring performances of the two, and you have one of the greatest rivalries in history, the company says. I think that is being a little generous. The two have had some good matches, true, but I don’t think it ranks up their as one of the greatest in history; Not even WWE history. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been a fan of almost all the matches these guys have had since Shawn’s return, and think very highly of both wrestlers skills. But lets face it, The best? They are up against some pretty stiff competition there. I don’t think it’s even the best that either man has had. There’s a number of reasons why it isn’t the best. While the in-ring action has been very good (for the most part), the booking around it hasn’t always been - and that has hurt. At times, it was actually pretty hard to watch RAW when you knew you were going to get the same HHH and Shawn Michaels routine that you either got last week or the week before. We all know the dis-interest that their was in the RAW brand for the first year since Michaels return. The two stars have a clear disadvantage there over other stars, who had stronger booking going into their big matches. And here’s another reason; Over saturation of matches. It’s something that rarely comes up in NWA feuds, but with the WWE you tend to find that the truly great feuds, the competitors only meet a couple of times. Shawn Michaels and HHH have met each other so many times now that I’ve lost count, and would have to really think to give you an exact figure. The sad thing about that is that a lot of the audience interest that was there for the initial match has dissipated - and it is only the in-ring efforts of both men that keep people interested. As I’ve said, as good as this feud has been, I don’t think it’s one of the greatest of all time. The competition for that is too great. Allow me to share some of my picks for the greatest WWE feuds of all time. Randy Savage vs. Ric Flair: They only met a handful of times, but the feud ran on for the best part of a year. From February to November 1992, Flair and Savage were at each others throats, and the feud ran on even after Flair lost the world title to Bret Hart. The booking was magnificent, and the heat on the Survivor Series tag match was almost as high as the reaction to the Wrestlemania VIII world title match, which was one of the highlights of the PPV. Bret Hart vs. Owen Hart: Not everyone’s pick, but I think this is THE premier WWE feud of the mid nineties. Running from January 1994 to April 1997, The Hart brothers were sworn enemies; A conflict which drew the British Bulldog and Bret’s former tag partner Jim Neidhart into the mix. The two only had two high profile matches (both of which, in my opinion, were excellent), but the announcers would make reference to the feud until the Hart’s reunion on RAW, and the re-formation of the Hart Foundation. Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart I would be re-miss to leave this one off the list, I think. The most personal of rivalries the company has ever witnessed. The pair would have 4 high profile match ups, Bret would win 2, and Shawn would win 2 (including the fabled Montreal Screw job). The rivalry would begin in earnest, however, in March 1996, and would last until Bret’s departure from the company in November 1997 - or it’s still ongoing today, depending on which way you want to look at it. The earlier matches were better, but the later ones more high profile... I guess it’s a feud that aged well. HHH vs. The Rock: The feud started out slowly, with many people questioning whether Hunter was ready for the step up to main event level - Foley did his best, but after an average Wrestlemania, there were still doubters. However, as we ran on into the summer, they set the world on fire in a feud over the WWE title. HHH especially, was involved in almost all the MOTY candidates that summer. The two would trade the WWE title through the summer, and one of them would headline every PPV. A fantastic Iron man match is the jewel in the crown of this rivalry. Stone cold Steve Austin vs. Bret Hart Bret’s third entry here. Possibly his best. This is the feud that made Steve Austin a main event star in the space of a month. Both the Survivor Series match and the Wrestlemania submission match were fantastic, as was the Canadian stampede main event. The only downside to this feud is that it was never really concluded - Both men moved onto different feuds, Bret competed for the World title and Austin with Owen over the Intercontinental belt. All the feuds above have something that the Michaels and Hunter feud is just lacking. It’s almost an intangible factor when analysing, and the only way you can measure it is by seeing what the other feuds did that the Michaels and HHH feud hasn’t. * Randy Savage and Ric Flair carried the company, without faltering, in the absence of Hulk Hogan - the first time Hogan hadn’t been a main event star for the WWE since 1983. * Bret and Owen ran for three years, and a six month absence from the company for Bret didn’t dampen it at all. The audience reaction when Bret arrived in the ring for the Hart’s reunion was almost exactly the same as the shock when Scott Hall first turned up on Nitro. * Shawn Michaels and Bret Hart competed against the nWo, and kept the company alive - the nWo, at the time the most successful angle in history. * HHH and the Rock is harder to point out - but they were the main drawing points in a summer that many people point out as being one of the best WWE runs of all time, and was truly the time when the demise of WCW was assured - if this program hadn’t been great, they may have had a chance. However, it was, and WCW didn’t. * Steve Austin was made a star, the biggest star in history, by his program with Bret Hart - then the number one babyface in the world. All things that HBK/HHH has never had to do. They were both stars, so the feud didn’t make anyone like Hart and Austin. There is really no competition, so there is no competing with stronger angles, like Bret and Shawn had to deal with. The matches aren’t as recognized by fans of all walks as the Rock - hunter feud. The Heat has fallen and risen as the feud progresses, never remained constantly high - something that Bret and Owen managed. In fact, the only real comparison can be made to the Savage and Flair. While they had to carry the company after the departure of Hogan. Michaels and Hunter had been trying to carry the RAW brand after Austin left, initially. But the Austin of 2002 was not a patch on the Austin of 1998 - nor the Hogan of 1992. On top of that, the ratings fell. from 2001 to 2002 - not strictly Michaels or Hunter’s fault (the mid-card was poor), but something that didn’t happen when Savage and Flair were carrying the card, and recovering from the loss of a bigger star. So, it’s a good feud. It’s a very good feud, in fact. It’s one of the greats, but I think it just lacks that something to make it one of the classics. Coming soon to Take Up thy wrestling boots and walk, a new section: Some of LOP’s finest engage in booking warfare, as they try their hand at booking in tricky situations. That’s me done for this week. Any and all feedback is appreciated, if you’d like to contact me, you can do it by clicking here. Check out the columns in the LOP Columns forum by Clicking Here. Read new work from Random guy#5, YourAyatollah, Xanman, Valleyboy and the new column from Sheepster and Robb, “We’re Awesome”. I’m out. See you next week. Pt2. This column is dedicated to the memory of Owen Hart; Taken from us 5 years ago tomorrow, far too soon.
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