5/23/2011: A Night of Beginnings and Endings on RAW



Photo Courtesy WWE.com

 On last Monday’s liminal edition of RAW old programs came to an end and new ones were seeded.  Alex Riley broke violently away from the Miz’s tutelage and seemingly turned face in the process.  Meanwhile the incendiary heel-run of Michael Cole came to an end, and he returned to his role as an inconspicuous play-by-play man.  In addition fans witnessed what’s likely to be the last appearances for the time being by both the Big Show, who sustained a kayfabe leg injury, and Kharma, as news of her pregnancy and imminent departure broke online earlier this week.  In keeping with the theme of beginnings and endings, the show’s emotional centerpiece was a poignant video package, highlighting the WWE career of the departed “Macho Man” Randy Savage (link to WWE tribute here).

The Macho Man video aired just before the show’s main event, affording it a fitting place of prominence in the broadcast.  It was well put together, featuring a comprehensive reel of Savage’s most memorable moments and plenty of soundbites, from the Macho Man’s incomparable promo work.  It also featured a soundtrack of three different songs, including a heartbreaking piano rendition of Savage’s entrance theme “Pomp and Circumstance.”  While watching the reel, we held out hope that the last clip would dissolve to a live shot of the arena and the RAW roster standing at attention for a ten bell salute in Savage’s honor; but no salute transpired.

To date, the ten bell salute honor has been afforded only to a select and surprisingly eclectic list of names: Andre the Giant, Brian Pillman, Owen Hart, Rick Rude, Gorilla Monsoon, Lord Alfred Hayes, Davy Boy Smith, and Eddie Guerrero.  As you can tell, the list includes mostly active “Superstars” who died tragically young, mixed with a few indisputable legends.  The Macho Man certainly fits the latter group.  He is among the legends most deserving of the honor, and the fact that he did not receive it is disappointing to say the least.  Still the video was reassuring to fans that the Macho Man’s legacy will not be ignored by WWE.

With Savage’s passing dominating most of the pro wrestling analysis and discourse this week, it was a smart move on WWE’s part to lighten the mood a bit by recruiting fellow legend and Savage contemporary Bret “The Hitman” Hart to make an appearance on the broadcast.  The alive and well legend was on his game, delivering an entertaining monologue on Cole’s loss to Jerry Lawler at the Over the Limit ppv and then engaging in a contentious interaction with R Truth.  Truth was also very good in the segment.  He complimented Hart on his decorated career before naturally heeling on him.  In an inspired bit, Truth took Hart’s sunglasses and trekked to ringside in search of a child to whom to give them (a “Little Jimmy” as he called out again and again during his search).  Upon finding the perfect “Little Jimmy” seated in the front row, Truth parodied the Hitman’s famous gimmick by placing the sunglasses on the boy’s head… only to snatch them off a moment later. 

When Truth’s shenanigans turned the corner to hostilities, and he began wondering if assaulting Hart might earn him the respect he craves, WWE Champion John Cena hurried out to make the preemptive save. 

Inspired by the interaction that Cena and Truth fell into, the anonymous RAW General Manager chimed in and set up the night’s main event: a tag team contest pitting Truth and CM Punk against Cena and Rey Mysterio, with Hart as the special guest referee. 

Truth was definitely the star of the early segment, conjuring the lunacy that has made him the most compelling up-and-coming heel in the company, and tempering it with just enough “woe is me” whining to keep fans squarely out of his corner.  In the main event match, however, he didn’t shine quite as brightly.  That’s mostly due to the star power with which he shared the ring.  Experienced upper-carders Cena, Mysterio, and Punk were all on their game.  Punk in particular dictated the match creatively and turned in a minor masterpiece of a heel performance.  The straightedge superstar devoted much of his offense to mocking Bret Hart’s move set;  hitting a side Russian leg sweep, a pointed elbow drop from the second rope, and a backbreaker; and flashing a sinister grin at the Hitman, as he executed each.  His disrespect ultimately came back to haunt him, though, as Hart eventually lashed out at Punk, locking him in the Sharpshooter as Mysterio delivered a leg drop to the back of his head, and then covered him for an easy pin.

While Punk’s performance was spitefully referential of Hart’s in-ring work, there was no such spite present in his visual homage to the Macho Man.  Punk proudly wore Savage’s late 1980s ring attire: yellow boots and kneepads, pink tights with white stars across the front and “CM Punk” emblazoned on the back in the familiar “Mach Man” font.  It was a clear gesture of respect and bereavement from Punk, who has consistently identified Savage as one of his greatest inspirations.

Alex Riley also turned in a surprisingly compelling performance, in the most important segment of his young career.  After the Miz spent a few minutes berating Riley for his sabotaging incompetence, in his role as protégé, Riley took offense and administered a heartfelt beatdown on the former champion.  Like R Truth’s assault on John Morrison a month ago, Riley’s attack was compelling, due to the mixture of voracity and conflictedness it conveyed.  Even as he mercilessly pummeled the Miz, Riley wore a pained expression on his face, communicating frustration at his boss’s callous ingratitude.  At one point he even screamed at the fallen Miz, “I gave you everything!”  His emotion was not lost on the crowd, who broke into a healthy “Riley” chant toward the end of the segment.  All in all the angle resulted in very strong start for Riley’s face turn, something we would not have expected.

The Miz’s decimation by Riley and his absence from the show’s main event angle, may signal a tumble down the card for the former champ.  Riley, who is technically a member of the Smackdown roster, will now try to keep his face momentum going on Friday nights, leaving the Miz without an apparent feud or angle, toward which he might ply his trade every Monday.  There are certainly options available though.  For example a program with Mysterio; the opportunity to verbally assault the popular underdog is certainly suited to the Miz’s strengths.

While Riley’s face turn began with a bang, Michael Cole’s heel run ended with a whimper.  A humbled and penitent Cole offered a heartfelt apology to the WWE Universe and personnel and most pointedly to Jerry Lawler.  He expressed his desire to simply revert to the role of commentator and forget that the last few months of his incendiary heel hijinx never happened.  Lawler accepted his apology and warily welcomed him back to the announce table.

While it’s a good idea to take the spotlight off of Cole, whose lack of in-ring ability severely limited the overall potency of his heel run and who was increasingly garnering “go away heat” from live crowds, it seems that simply reinserting him into the role of play-by-play guy will make for awkward and distracting TV for the next few weeks.  While Cole shouldn’t be wrestling or carrying major angles, he has developed into an effective heel character with proven promo skills.  It seems that applying those attributes to the role of heel manager would be a better use of his talents as this point.  With WWE finally reintegrating managers into its narratives (See Michael Hayes’s recent return to a managerial role on Smackdown), Cole would seem a natural choice to guide some of the roster’s promising but verbally challenged performers.  Cole’s transferring heat to such performers and putting them over (hopefully with the same pomp and swagger with which he put himself over week after week) could prove to be transformative for a few names currently struggling in the mid card.

In other news from the show:  It seems that WWE’s largest male performer and largest female performer will both be taking some time off from television.  Soon after he and his partner Kane dropped the Tag Team Championship to Michael McGillicutty and David Otunga of the Nexus, the Big Show suffered a knee injury, when Alberto Del Rio’s personal ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez ran him down, in one of his boss’s cars.  Big Show sold the injury epically, howling in pain for a few minutes after the collision and then continuing to do so after the commercial break, when medical personnel were shown finally helping the giant to his feet.  It was explained later in the broadcast that Big Show had been taken to a nearby “medical facility.”   So it seems that he will be gone for the foreseeable future and will have a high profile feud with Del Rio waiting for him upon his return.  In the meantime the Mexican Elitist will likely be kept busy by Big Show’s vengeful partner Kane.  Those two imminent programs will keep Del Rio out of the chase for the WWE Championship for the time being (although internet speculation has him competing against Cena for the gold at Summerslam).  But if Del Rio is sidetracked, the Miz’s feud with Cena has run its course, and CM Punk does not renew his contract with the company, then the door is wide open for R Truth to step up as RAW’s main event heel, for the next few months.

Kharma’s departure from programming was much more cryptically written than was the Big Show’s.  Just as eight Divas had climbed into the ring for a tag match, Kharma’s music hit and the thus far unstoppable grappler came to the ring.  Her fellow Divas froze with fear, and just as it was apparent that one or some or all of them were about to fall prey to an onslaught, Kharma collapsed to her knees in the center of the ring and began sobbing and talking maniacally to herself, as the others looked on confused but no less afraid.  This was another solid performance from Kharma, who has been a highlight of WWE tv of late.  Had news of her pregnancy and resultant time off from wrestling not broken across the web this week, this segment would have looked like just another compelling twist in her bizarre, unique story.  But confirmed reports do place the performer in a nine-month plus sabbatical, and thus her emotional breakdown certainly looks to be creative’s way of removing her from the show, while maintaining a level of intrigue and suspense around her character.

Hopefully, Kharma will return in full force, once she’s healthy enough and willing to do so.  For a performer of her unique gifts, a fan base will certainly be just as present a year from now as it is today.  And who knows: maybe twenty years from now Kharma junior will make her debut and run roughshod over the future Divas of WWE (or “E” as it will probably called by that time).

Remembering "The Macho Man" Randy Savage

Macho Man and the lovely Miss Elizabeth

Wrestling legend "The Macho Man" Randy Savage died today, in an automobile accident in Seminole, Florida.  His brother, former WWF Superstar Lanny Poffo, confirmed reports of his death this afternoon.  Randy Savage was driving, when he reportedly lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a tree.  His wife, who was riding in the passenger seat at the time, only sustained minor injuries.  Savage was 58 years old.

One of the most popular and successful performers in pro wrestling's history, Savage (whose real name was Randall Mario Poffo but who will be referred to for the duration of this article by his wrestling names) was best known for the work he did in the World Wrestling Federation, from 1985 to 1994.  During that nine year run, the Macho Man achieved a level of wrestling legend and mainstream recognition rivaled only by contemporaries Hulk Hogan, Andre the Giant, and Ric Flair.  A supremely talented in-ring performer, Savage did not let his relative smallness or his fast-paced, midcard move set keep him from breaking into the main event scene, then dominated by the physically conservative giants of the Hulkamania era.  Through hard work his prestige rose.  He became the wrestler who, night after night, delivered the best singles match on the card, and then the Intercontinental champion who accomplished the impossible, by stealing the show out from under Hulk vs. Andre at Wrestlemania III.  A year later he broke through to the upper echelon, when he won the 14-man tournament at Wrestelmania IV to attain his first world heavyweight championship.

Savage was the most well rounded champion in the company's history to that point.  He was more believable than Billy Graham, flashier than Bob Backlund, emotionally deeper than Hogan, and a great worker.  But he is most immediately remembered for his promos.  The Macho Man truly mastered the art of the pro wrestling interview.  He was fearlessly ridiculous, generous with catchphrases, and much funnier than he's ever gotten credit for, especially in his mic work as a heel.  But he always knew when to shut off the lunacy, rip off the sparkly, opaque sunglasses and conjure an intensity that invariably sold the match, the angle, the ppv to those last few holdouts.

It's a testamant to Savage's body of work that: when preparing to write this up and looking online through videos of his memorable moments, I found too many great ones to choose from.  The Mega Powers uniting, the Mega Powers exploding, the classic retirement match with the Warrior, reuniting with Elizabeth, marrying her at Summerslam, the Jake Roberts feud, the Ric Flair feud, body slamming the Giant... where to click first...

Savage left wrestling in 1999 and only returned once and briefly in 2004 to work a few angles in TNA.  He never returned to WWF/WWE, and the professional animosity between Vince McMahon and him was well documented.  In the last few years, signs were in the air for the Macho Man's possible return home to WWE.  He was featured in the company's 2011 All Stars video game and as an action figure in its new Defining Moments collectors' series.  He actually promoted the latter, with a video broadcasted at last year's Comicon (which can be seen here), in what we now know was the Macho Man character's last ever promo.  It's a genuine shame that a return appearance by Savage to WWE television never transpired.  It would have been a special thing to have seen the Macho Man get the epic and emotionally charged crowd reception that he surely would have.

He was one of the very best ever.  Anyone who's ever laced a pair of wrestling boots, or enjoyed a wrestling match in the last twenty years, or rolled their fingers in the air and belted out in a long-drawn, gravelly strain of a voice, "OOooohhh  Yyyeaaaaahhhhh!" owes something to Randy Savage and will be saddened to learn of his passing.

By the way, although the quality choices overwhelmed, here's the classic Macho Man video I decided to watch first:  Enjoy.

The 10 Best Heel Turns in Professional Wrestling (Part Two)

Michaels Heels on Jannetty

5. "The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels (1991):

It's hard to imagine what would have happened to WWE, had Shawn Michaels not thrown Marty Jannetty’s head through the glass of the barbershop window. In a memorable interview on Brutus Beefcake’s “Barbershop," Jannetty and Michaels (the former clad in non-threatening red shirt and white jeans, the latter making a statement in a classic leather jacket/no shirt ensemble) came together to, under Mr. Beefcake’s unqualified mediation, reconcile the differences that had sprouted up between them in recent months.  As the Rockers they were still a popular tag team, but it was clear that they each, and Michaels in particular, had aspirations and abilities far beyond the limitations of the era’s tag division.  Each made a simple case, Jannetty wanted to stay together, and Michaels wanted more. Teasing that they’d come to an understanding, they shook hands and agreed to keep the team intact. Then, in a move that ultimately delivered pro wrestling’s most revered performer from the dregs of the undercard, Michaels superkicked Jannetty, picked him up, and threw him headfirst through the window. As candy glass rained down on the felled Jannetty, Michaels smirked and posed for the crowd. The boos were loud and unanimous, and a star was born.

It’s hard to imagine what WWE would have been like, had Michaels not shattered that window with his partner’s skull; hard to imagine an attitude era without the catalyzing Degeneration X; hard to imagine Bret Hart’s main event career without his greatest rival and in-ring equal; hard to imagine a Mr. McMahon without the “Montreal Screwjob;” hard to imagine a decade of Wrestlemanias without their perennial show-stealing performances by the Heartbreak Kid. Luckily, we don’t have to. Along with the barbershop window, on that noted day in December of 91, Michaels broke the shackles of babyface-dom. In doing so he offered an important lesson to many followers to come, from Chris Jericho to the Rock to CM Punk; if you want to get to the next level, turn heel.

Greatest Heel Moment: Aside from the turn itself, HBK’s devastating promo on Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart in Montreal in the Summer of 2005 remains a masterstroke of heel mic work. The heat he garnered for that promo was legendary, especially considering how beloved by fans he had been only a few months earlier.

The Canadian Hero

4. Bret Hart (1997):

Everything that Bret Hart did he did believably. And so when it was time for him to turn heel, after a long and legendary run as the clean cut face of the WWF, in the spring of 1997, the Hitman did it in a way that was unique, uncompromising, and strikingly real. Moreover, he did it on the grandest stage. Wrestlemania 13 saw Hart face off against his then rival, the up and coming bad guy "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. The winds of change were breezing through the WWF of that time, signaling a coming revolution that Hart foresaw and understood more clearly than did most. Austin, despite his insistence on rule breaking and his refusal to show anything but disdain to his peers, authority, and the fans, was gathering an ever-growing fan base. At the same time, fans were losing interest in the Hitman’s babyface character. So in a beautifully executed shift, the rivals switched places at Wrestlemania, finally giving fans license to openly cheer their new hero and guiltlessly jeer their old one. As Hart himself once put it: “Like a true good guy [Austin] never gave up, and like a true bad guy I kicked him while he was down.” Indeed Austin never gave up, even as he was locked in the Sharpshooter, blood cascading down his face from an earlier laceration.  Finally he passed out from the pain, and sure enough once he had, the Hitman put the boots to him, before stomping off to the boos of the crowd.

The heel turn produced Austin the hero, a character that would carry the late 90s WWF into the stratosphere, but it also produced the sinister new Hitman, a villain as unique and compelling as any that’s come before or since. Perhaps the most unique element of Hart’s turn was the fact that it only applied to his performances in the U.S. Claiming that it was American audiences who, recognizing their own cold-heartedness in Austin, turned their backs on the Hitman, Hart lashed out against fans in the states, taking every opportunity on the mic to point out their disloyalty, their disturbing tastes, and the political and social failings of their country. At the same time, Hart remained an acknowledged good guy and hero in his homeland of Canada and throughout much of Europe, beloved even more for the vitriol he hurled at the cocky, meddling American superpower. It was a feat that no one before or since has accomplished, and it provided a sense of believability that transformed the “heel turn” as a narrative concept.

Greatest Heel Moment: We have to go with Hart’s promo in Pittsburgh, in which he told the crowd that, were someone to administer an enema to the United States, Pittsburgh would be the spot where he would stick the hose. The heat that line elicited nearly melted the Steel City down to molten ore.

Hollywood Hogan

3. Hulk Hogan (1996):

This heel turn was the shot heard round the world; the turn that escalated a series of competing stunts into an all-out war; the seismic shift that emanated out from World Championship Wrestling and cracked the hold that the WWF had long held on the wrestling industry. When Hulk Hogan traded in the reassuring red and yellow of Hulkamania (chiding all of us "Johnny-come-latelies" in the process), for the stark black and white of the New World Order, he shattered a decade of unprecedented goodwill he’d built between him and his fans, slashed and burned the childhoods of a nation of Hulkamaniacs, and began constructing a new wrestling empire on its ashes.

The heel turn of wrestling’s ultimate good guy was devastating to WWF, not only because it translated into through-the-roof ratings for the rival WCW, but because it showed the world that that upstart outfit had the nerve to do what Vince McMahon never did: to transform wrestling’s most loved and trusted face (and biggest draw) into a cowardly, cocky, and condescending jerk. The turn cemented WCW as true competition for McMahon’s sports entertainment dominance and said to fans that that company was the wrestling organization of the future. It was a hard claim to argue with, as we tuned in week after week to see what Hogan and his NWO cohorts would do next, and to marvel at the sheer novelty of the Hulkster strutting around to a cheesy, sleazy, fuzzed out guitar riff, trading in his prayers and vitamins for black scruff and spray-paint, and generally behaving like a first class delinquent.

By now we all know how disastrously the turn, the angle, and the company itself all ended. But still, at the time it was cutting edge and reminded fans of the unique kind of storytelling that pro wrestling offered. Where else could we go to see a living, breathing character we’d spent more than a decade with, grown up with in fact, continue to change and evolve in unpredictable, troubling, and supremely entertaining ways. Furthermore, the heel turn and the creative revolution and ratings boom that it catalyzed in WCW lit a fire under McMahon and company; a fire which ignited the reactionary Attitude Era, carried the company into the new millennium, and continues to shape creatively the WWE of today.

Greatest Heel Moment: The Hulkster’s letting his hand fall for an unprecedented third time, as he was locked in Roddy Piper’s sleeper hold, was a moment that could not have more starkly opposed the never-give-up superheroics of 80s Hoganology.

The Gorgeous One

2. Gorgeous George (1949):

The only turn on the list that ranks for its sheer influence rather than for the memorability of the turn itself, it’s no exaggeration to say that this was the most watershed heel turn in wrestling history. When George Wagner bleached his hair, hired a pair of doting valets, and adopted the self-profession of “gorgeous,” he rewrote the story of pro wrestling. In the wake of his transformation, the ring became a stage exhibiting low drama and performance art where it used to only contain the exertions of straightforward grapplers. He brought caricaturization, humane symbolism, and high spectacle to pro wrestling and found they complimented the sport effortlessly.

George’s innovation wasn’t a stroke of genius; it was simply an application of tested literary devices to the unlikeliest medium. What would make fans invest themselves emotionally (and financially) in watching two guys beat each other up? What would ensure their continued interest, fight after fight and town after town? George posed these questions and then answered them by re-imagining pro wrestling as a symbolic struggle between good and evil. Moreover, he bravely re-imagined himself as a despicable, openly narcissistic, cartoonishly effeminate, blatant rule breaker, whom fans could vicariously pummel in gymnasiums and armories across the country… and eventually through TV screens. The formula worked and continues to do so. Gorgeous George’s was the heel turn that invented the heel.

Greatest Heel Moment: …was one that occurred every time he came to the ring. His pre-match ritual, which often lasted longer than his matches themselves did, included a long, sauntering trek to the ring (to the strains of “Pomp and Circumstance”) the casting of rose petals over the canvas, and the sanitation of the referee’s hands, so that they would be fit to inspect George’s ring attire and person.

Literally, The Largest Heel Turn Ever

1. Andre the Giant (1987):

A Piper’s Pit interview segment in January of 1987 gave fans the most resonant and most memorable heel turn of all time. In the segment, wrestling’s all time greatest attraction and most beloved name Andre the Giant bore down on wrestling’s modern sensation Hulk Hogan, with a black-eyed stare that could have wilted redwoods and challenged him to a match for the WWF championship. When Hogan denied the request, the Giant extended one huge hand to the Hulkser’s chest, rocked him nearly off of his feet and tore away, with one effortless swoop, the red and yellow t shirt and gold-chained crucifix that had adorned the champ. Andre then stalked moodily away, leaving Hogan in shambles, bleeding from chest in front of millions of viewers who’d just come to know him as an “immortal.”

Andre was the biggest thing in wrestling history, and his heel turn was the most significant. Without the evil hostilities Andre brought to his confrontations with Hogan, and the impassionate sadism he afforded the matches they had together, Hulkamania would have stalled in the face of dismal competition. Wrestlemania III would have made no attempt to sell out the Pontiac Silverdome, and the franchise could have easily stagnated, generated decreasing fan interest, and eventually been filed away and forgotten, along with other relics of the era like Max Headroom and the Noid. The WWF/WWE and Pro Wrestling in general, rode its wave of 80s trendiness and hipness all the way, until they became engrained in the mainstream and evolved from a cultural curiosity to an accepted and expected artistic medium; and they were able to do so because the Giant offered up his legacy and lumbered over to the dark side.

Many believed that Andre was too well known and culturally embedded to play a character that was not simply himself and become believably entangled in the silly stage drama of modern wrestling. He had long been a special attraction, figuratively and literally above fray. Sure he’d been engaged in feuds, but at the end of his programs and his matches he had always flashed a familiar, reassuring grin that said to the world that he was untouched by the lunacy that unfolded all around him and that he was just as entertained as they were by the little men in tights that played and struggled and emoted all around him. Little did anyone know that Andre could sell a profound change of heart so convincingly. Some credit goes to the great Bobby Heenan who served as Andre’s manager and mouthpiece for the duration of his heel run. But that black eyed stare was all Andre. His was the heel turn that not only built the WWE into the enduring cult that it is but that stirred in fans’ minds the terrible question: “What happens when the most powerful force on earth turns out to be evil?” Thanks to pro wrestling and Andre the Giant, we got a glimpse at the answer.

Greatest Heel Moment: When he infused that once reassuring grin with gleeful wrath and flashed it once more, before smashing his giant cranium into the back of Hogan’s skull. It still hurts to watch that.

The 10 Best Heel Turns in Professional Wrestling (Part One)

In honor of R Truth’s recent provocative and controversial heel turn, we at IAB have compiled a list of the most similarly provocative, monumental, and influential heel turns in pro wrestling history. In preparing this list we conducted literally minutes of research and watched hours of archived footage, reliving the mild childhood trauma of watching our heroes roar over to the dark side.



Mr. Wonderful courtesy WWE

  10. "Mr. Wonderful" Paul Orndorff (1986):

Many might not remember what a big deal Paul Orndorff was in the early days of WWF’s 80s boom. Following an initial heel run that ended when he saw the light of Hulkamania, Mr. Wonderful became Hulk Hogan’s closest on-screen ally and arguably the company’s second biggest face in the main event scene (considering that Andre the Giant was largely a mid card special attraction at that time). But as Hogan trudged through feuds with monster heels, it became clear that the champion needed an opponent that mirrored his own charisma and sleek physical presence if Hulkamania was to ascend to the next creative level. And so Orndorff turned heel in a memorable Saturday night’s Main Event segment.

Orndorff immediately became the heel that would reinforce Hogan’s positivity with his own foiling dastardliness. He was the bizarro Hogan that enriched the WWF’s main event storytelling, in the crucial years between Wrestlemania’s initial success and Wrestlemania III’s skyrocketing of the company’s scale and creative output. He even adopted Hogan's "Real American" for his entrance.  Along the way, he and Hogan had some of the most entertaining upper card matches of the era, including an outdoor main event in Toronto that drew close to 76,000 fans, and a steel cage match on SNME, which featured one of the most memorable finishes of all time, when both combatants scaled the cage and touched down on the outside at the exact same time.

Greatest Heel Moment: His in-ring work. Despite his relative smallness and without relying solely on cowardly rule breaker tactics, Mr. Wonderful was formidable enough between the ropes that he was able to elicit audience sympathy for the hulking superhero that was Hogan; no small feat.



The Straight Edge Superstar

 9. CM Punk (2009):

After a wave of popularity as a fan favorite, which quickly crested and then even more quickly subsided, CM Punk seemed to be in danger of stagnating in the WWE of early 2009. After fans booed his second consecutive Money in the Bank win as a face, he decided to evolve his character and take it to a new creative peak, as a delightfully twisted heel. What set Punk’s turn apart from others was the subtly with which he transformed. Working as a foil to then Heavyweight Champion Jeff Hardy, the Straightedge Superstar cashed in his MIB contract and exploited a weakened Hardy to gain the title. He then made the unprecedented heel move of being apologetic and admitting that his actions were opportunistic. For weeks he strung Hardy and fans along and left them wondering if a full turn was or wasn’t coming. All the while, in his smart, shades-of-gray promos, Punk complimented Hardy and was cordial to listening crowds, while at the same time edging his way inch-by-inch under their skin, with his growing callousness and references to his straightedge lifestyle (which hinted at a major superiority complex, just beneath his easy going façade).

When the full turn finally came it did so with a vengeance. Punk played up his straightedgedness, telling fans outright that his clean living made him better than them and contrasted starkly the popular, free-spirited Hardy. Eventually he formed the Straightedge Society and recruited members from the audience like a wild-eyed cult leader, evoking religious dread and mammoth heat from crowds across the world. Two years later, he remains the most compelling heel in all of wrestling, finding new ways to push the envelope in WWE’s PG environment. Though his work and mic skills continue to evolve, his subtly continues to be the most effective and distinguishing weapon in his aresenal.

Greatest Heel Moment: Punk’s creepy, crypto-sadistic singing of “Happy Birthday” to Rey Mysterio’s terrified daughter on Smackdown was a bar-raising performance in contemporary heel-dom.



Randy Savage as WWE Champion

 8. "The Macho Man" Randy Savage (1989):

The Macho Man’s heel turn in 1989 was the centerpiece of a yearlong angle that ranks among the most efficiently executed and memorable in wrestling history. At Wrestlemania IV, Savage won his first heavyweight championship and shortly thereafter formed the delightfully 80s-named “Mega Powers” tag team with Hulk Hogan. Running in stride with the team’s star power and dominance was an undercurrent of tension. Though Savage was the champ, he was still second to Hogan in popularity and renown. Professional jealously slowly wore on the Macho Man and was exacerbated by another more palpable jealousy, sparked by the growing closeness of Hogan to his valet and love interest Miss Elizabeth. Finally the tension built to a point that broke Savage. Sacrificing goodwill from fans, he turned on Hogan and the Mega Powers collapsed on the February 3rd edition of Saturday Night’s Main event, and then exploded two months later at Wrestlemania V.

What made this turn so memorable was its slow, emotional build, the fact that the Macho Man brought the world title over to dark side with him, and Savage’s unique gifts as a performer. Legitimately jealous and irrationally overprotective of his then wife Elizabeth, the Macho Man allowed his real life insecurities to shine through his onscreen character. The result was a heel distinct from the destructive monsters and laughing rule breakers of the day; a heel whose motives were human and to an extent relatable. Randy Savage made us believe that a performer at the top of his game and fame and with the world title around his waist could still be emotionally vulnerable, ruled by frustration, and deformed by envy. In doing so he became the heel that breathed new life into (and extended the reign of) Hulkamania and gave greater dimensions to the very concept of a wrestling bad guy.

Greatest Heel Moment: The precise moment of the turn itself, when an uncharacteristically calm Macho Man refused to tag a battered Hogan, during the Mega Powers’ match against the Twin Towers.



Black Sheep Owen

 7. "The Rocket" Owen Hart (1994):

The most effective and memorable heel turns produce a character that is a pariah to most and hero to a specific few. When Owen Hart came shrieking out of the shadow of his legendary brother Bret in the winter of 1994, he did it not just for himself but for all the kid brothers of the world; the ones who had grown up wishing they were a little stronger, a little smarter, less awkward; the ones who measured themselves against those untouchable heroes that shared their childhood homes and always came up short. Owen’s heel turn symbolized that moment in a younger brother’s adolescence, when idolization transformed overnight into resentment.

While many fans saw his turn coming, few predicted how effective and entertaining he would come to be in the role. As a new bad guy, he went from dark matches to main events overnight, transformed from the negligible “Rocket” to the unforgettable “King of Harts.” He may have never had the sneering confidence and incendiary mic skills that characterized so many of the great heels (we’ll never forget his telling Steve Austin to “suck [his] toes,” or his impassioned promo immediately following his initial attack on Bret: “That’s why you’re sitting there with a bad leg! And that’s why I kicked your leg out of your.. leg..”). But it was alright; he made it work. Owen embraced his shortcomings. He made his clumsy, distracted promos a part of his character. He was whiny, impetuous, unpleasable; he projected the face of his big brother onto everyone and everything and then lashed out accordingly; and fans hated him for it, and they loved him for it.

Greatest Heel Moment: There are many classics to choose from, but Owen’s simple gesture of gleefully and proudly accepting the Slammy for most shocking moment of the year (for concussing Shawn Michaels with an enzuigiri in a match on RAW) captured the feisty insecurity and mischievous cruelty that defined Owen's heel turn.



Mr. Backlund courtesy WWE

 6. Bob Backlund (1994):

This heel turn was brilliant, because no one saw it coming. In mid-nineties WWF, Bob Backlund was a benign mid-carder who’d seemingly cashed in on his rich history with the company (he held the heavyweight title for a staggering four years in the late 70s into early 80s) to gain a contract, work occasionally, get some TV time, and augment his income. Shockingly, however, Backlund “snapped” after losing an “Old Generation v.s New Generation” exhibition match against then Champion Bret Hart in 1994. To the crowd’s stunned silence, the wrestling relic slapped the Hitman across the face and then applied and refused to release his finisher, the more-menacing-than-it-sounds Cross-Face Chicken Wing. Once Backlund finally released the hold, he knelt in the ring, eerily calm amidst the chaos of officials tending to the hurting champ. In an unforgettable visual, Backlund stared at his hands, a mixture of disbelief and sinister satisfaction occasioning his face.

From there the doughy, Ron Howardesque, all American Bob Backlund, became the volatile and intense Mr. Bob Backlund. He began wearing a suit to the ring, complete with a too-tightly fixed bowtie. His image became a grotesque of the wholesome persona he’d once embodied. Suddenly the boy next door had become the scary man down the street, whose vacant grin beamed out between the blinds and from whose feral front lawn errant baseballs and frisbees and (so the rumors went) children never returned.

Backlund was able to parlay the novelty of his heel turn into a world title run (commencing eleven years after his previous reign ended). He began doing more and higher quality promo work, infusing long, misappropriated words into his monologues, a gimmick that stemmed from his real life struggles with adult illiteracy and his subsequent verbal overcompensation. Though he ultimately proved to be a transitional champion, dropping the belt to Diesel in an infamous eight-second bout at Madison Square Garden and then disappearing from the company, soon after a disastrous Wrestlemania "I Quit" Match with Hart, his turn remains notable for its unpredictability and for the uniquely creepy persona it yielded.

Greatest Heel Moment: The initial snap that left the Hitman writhing on the mat and Mr. Backlund staring maniacally into his trembling hands remains indelible in the minds of fans.

News and Notes on the 2011 WWE Draft

Photo courtesy WWE.com

If you’re a fan of nominal change and guys being forced to wrestle in t shirts, then you would have enjoyed last Monday’s edition of RAW.  The three hour show featured the 2011 talent draft, a special attraction originally slated to air in early June.  They should have waited.  This year’s draft came too close on the heels of Wrestlemania, and its significance paled in comparison to the big show.  Furthermore, the division between the Raw and Smackdown brands had more or less dissolved for the months leading up to Wrestlemania, as performers appeared frequently on both shows to promote the event.  And so with little visible distinction between the brands leading into Monday’s show, we were offered a draft special that was hard to take seriously.

Even the draft failed to take the draft seriously, as the central angle it involved turned out to be a mere swerve. 

In the first development of the night, John Cena was drafted to Smackdown.  Re-appropriating the face of the company to the company’s second rated show, was a move that demonstrated a degree of courage on the part of WWE management and generated conspicuously renewed interest among the live audience, for not only the draft but for Cena himself (the crowd popped with uncommon agreement for his promo and for his appearance in the night’s main event).  Unfortunately that courage turned out to be as hollow as the fan interest was short-lived, as Cena was drafted back to RAW following the show’s main event.  The stunt was novel but will ultimately yield nothing beyond the few pops and promos it inspired during the three-hour broadcast itself.

Fortunately another big development stuck: Randy Orton was sent to Smackdown, in the most intelligently booked move of the draft.  Not only will Orton’s addition to Smackdown add some gravity to a show still reeling from Edge’s untimely departure, but it will also make room on the RAW roster for newer talent to ascend to the top tier.  Plus it takes off of the table the played out dynamic of Orton v.s. Cena, a confrontation that seemed on the fast track to inevitable re-visitation, given the shallowness of RAW’s main event echelon.

The only immediate downside to Orton’s move is the effect it’s likely to have on Christian.  In the wake of Edge’s retirement, Christian has assumed the role of Smackdown’s top face and is poised to attain his first ever world title with WWE (excluding his ECW championship reign).  Now Orton will likely aim to usurp Christian’s spot and his gold.  The pair could easily enter into an excellent program, anchored by fresh and compelling in ring action.  However Christian, following the years of near misses and under-appreciation by management that have constrained his career, deserves a long, celebrated world title reign, rather than a position as a transitional champ, keeping the title warm for the more prolific merchandise mover that is the Viper.

Here’s a look at each of the other draft picks from Monday’s Show:

Drafted to RAW:

-       Rey Mysterio:  This veteran has largely been a Smackdown performer, since breaking through to main event status, half a decade ago.  His insertion into the RAW roster will add some needed credibility to the show’s in-ring product (especially considering some of RAW’s dismaying talent losses, which we’ll get to later).  Hopefully creative has a fresh program in mind for the legendary Luchador.  With Orton’s departure, CM Punk will be in the market for a new rival; though Punk and Mysterio worked a long program early last year.  Still it was a good program, and one that might be worth revisiting, while new narratives are fleshed out for both performers

-       The Big Show:  Given Paul Wight’s persona of late, this move makes a lot of sense.  His friendly giant gimmick, heavy on humor and light on in-ring work, will fit easily into RAW’s recent style.  Of course, a darker more aggressive turn (not necessarily into full-on heeldom) could work as well; although the Big Show has been around too long and done too much (and had too much done to him) to be reimagined believably as an unstoppable monster.  We’re afraid he said goodbye to that gimmick for good, when he made Knucklehead.

-       Alberto Del Rio: This is the most exciting draft pick for RAW, in terms of potential storytelling opportunities.  Alberto of the River has proven that he can stand comfortably alongside any main event player, and it will be interesting to see what he brings to the scramble for the WWE Championship.  With Cena v.s. Miz very nearly played out and recently pushed John Morrison likely to be busy with R Truth for the foreseeable future, the upper card seems ready to receive Del Rio into its fold.

Drafted to Smackdown:

-       Mark Henry:  At first glance this seemed a lateral, “who cares” kind of pick, offered perhaps in an effort to maintain the pretense that the draft is random.  However, following his move’s announcement, Henry was involved in the show’s main event, as part of a Smackdown all stars team with Cena and Christian (which took on the RAW team of the Miz, Del Rio, and CM Punk).  Furthermore, he made an impression among the younger stars by laying out his teammates, in a heel turn that felt immediately significant.  Hopefully creative will build on this momentum and give the reliable and tenured “World’s Strongest Man” a notable and meaningful late career run.

-       Sin Cara:  Smackdown is a venue far preferable to RAW for showcasing Sin Cara’s unique talents.  Friday night’s shows usually allocate more time for in-ring performances and place less importance on promos and gimmicky, celebrity infused segments.  Furthermore, its mid card roster runs surprisingly deep and should thus be able to offer performers that can support the Luchador’s intricately manic work between the ropes. 

It’s also worth noting that Sin Cara’s move to Smackdown coinciding with Mysterio’s move to RAW could be a very telling development.  If efforts are being made early in the year to keep these two legendary high flyers away from each other, it could point to an eventual dream match at next year’s Wrestlemania.  For fans of pure wrestling and the light, artful Lucha Libre style, that collision would easily eclipse the already touted Rock v.s. Cena bout, already slated for WM 28.  And if the two Mexican superstars were to agree to a mask v.s. mask stipulation, that would just be caramel sauce on the flan.         

In addition to these on-air developments, a “supplemental draft” was also announced on WWE.com.  This second tier draft includes some surprisingly big names (in addition to the usual minor players). 

Here are the results of that draft:

To RAW:

-       Beth Phoenix

-       Chris Masters

-       Curt Hawkins

-       Drew McIntyre

-       Jack Swagger

-       JTG

-       Kelly Kelly

-       Kofi Kingston

-       Tyler Reks

While some of these draft picks will likely move from jobber-hood on Smackdown to jobber-hood on RAW, others suggest potential for interesting narratives down the line:  Swagger will likely continue to ascend the card as Michael Cole’s henchman and perhaps build up to an impactful face turn (as was teased a few weeks ago on RAW).  Phoenix will add some much needed life to the Diva situation on Monday nights, and if Awesome Kong (soon to debut in WWE as “Kharma”) joins the RAW roster, their eventual collision would be a minor dream match.  And hopefully the change of scenery will breathe life into the careers of Kingston and McIntyre, two promising performers who have been mired in the mid card of late.

To Smackdown:

-       Alex Riley

-       Alicia Fox

-       Daniel Bryan

-       The Great Khali

-       Jey Uso

-       Jimmy Uso

-       Natalya

-       Ranjin Singh

-       Sheamus

-       Tamina

-       Ted DiBiase

-       Tyson Kidd

-       William Regal

-       Yoshi Tatsu

Similarly to RAW’s acquisitions: many of these names will likely receive no real boost from the move to Friday nights.  Bryan, Kidd, the Usos, and Yoshi Tatsu will likely benefit from Smackdown’s focus on action over “synergetic entertainment property promotions,” (or whatever RAW’s current mission statement is), while Riley will probably suffer from the same.  RAW in general will also suffer from its losing the credibility (not to mention the loyal demographic) that Bryan and Regal bring to the show.

The most important development here may be the drafting of United States Champion Sheamus.  With the Celtic Warrior on Smackdown, both the U.S. Title and the Intercontinental Title will be on the same show (the latter held currently by Wade Barrett). Hopefully creative will not attempt to unify the titles.  Both championships have rich legacies, populated by some legendary names.  Since the titles no longer seem to elevate talent or have angles built around them, they might as well leave those legacies separate and intact, to ensure that both championships at least retain their historical values.

Hogan, Hart, Austin, and Mizanin: How the Miz Became the Face of Pro Wrestling

We live in an age in which celebrity has never been easier to fake, and “the Miz” Michael Mizanin is the champion of that age. It used to be that an artist or performer worked his or her way up to a level of which the media took notice. In that now antiquated model, professionalism and attention to craft not only preceded fame but were catalysts for it. This was as true in professional wrestling as it was in any other medium.

Hulk Hogan worked on his promo skills and his unique look, shaped himself into an embodiment of 1980s flamboyance and patriotism. Bret Hart perfected the art of wrestling and struggled out from his father’s shadow to take his place at the top. Steve Austin worked his way up through the territories, toiled in the notoriously stifling WCW undercard, and through sheer ability escaped the dead end “Ring Master” gimmick to become the face of the WWF. Each of those legends mastered the strange craft of pro wrestling long before they attained a degree of marketable fame. The Miz took the opposite path, entering the realm of celebrity through the easiest access point (Reality television) and then riding the increasing momentum of his recognizability to a place of prominence in sports entertainment.

While his course may seem cheap and dubious, it is perhaps more importantly emblematic of the times in which we live. In this way it could be argued that the Miz has captured the spirit of his age, just as Hogan, Hart, and Austin captured the spirits of theirs.

Hulk Hogan in the 80s was undeniably American and unwaveringly good. His purity mirrored the last gasp of “them-against-us” patriotism, to which a future-weary nation clung in the declining years of the Cold War. In the cheers of Hulkamaniacs, one can almost hear the deliberate optimism in the face of ruinous Reaganomics. Hulkamaniacs cheered with such fervor and unanimity, because they wanted to believe in one last superhero. They wanted to hold on to not only their childhoods but the very concept of childhood, before the coming information age, with its promise of transparency and its doctrine of distraction and instant gratification, made it obsolete. Lastly, when fans cheered for Hogan, they were cheering one last time for America, before globalization dissolved its borders and the growing threat of terrorism forced them to perceive heroes and villains in a new, more muddling light.

Steve Austin was also American to the bone; but unlike Hogan there was nothing pure about his character and nothing black-and-white about the philosophy it promulgated. His was a more frustrated, millennial Americanism, a backlash against globalization, NAFTA, outsourcing... all the crimes against the working class that the voices of the Clinton era passed off as progress. His aimless aggression was a reflection of the postmodern identity crisis: he was a warrior at the end of history, with no clearly defined enemy at whom to direct his rage, and so he lashed out at everyone. His wrath was cathartic for frustrated working class Americans, who were left out of the 90s boom, who had lost their union jobs to overseas workforces, who stood at the edge of the digital age, resentful of the “evolve or die” ultimatum they now faced, and who fantasized about “opening a can of whoop-ass” on their coldly puppeteering bosses.

Bridging the gap between those two iconic Americans was a Canadian: Bret “the Hitman” Hart. The Hitman was never the personality that Hogan was nor the incendiary that Austin was. What Hart captured though, with his stringy hair, honest and moody promos, and his quietly exhibited artfulness, was the cynicism and introspection of the early 1990s. Like a Generation Xer, but with a better work ethic and a predilection for pink, Hart demonstrated the philosophy that dominated Grunge music and independent film: that individualism had value far beyond its ability to yield popularity or traditional success. He was quiet, where others were loud; standoffish during his entrances, while other babyfaces of the day basically body-surfed to the ring. He got ahead not by pandering and posturing, but by the purity of his intentions and by the uniqueness of his vision. And in doing so he captured the imaginations of fellow individualists and cynics and gave them their moment at the apex.

Cold war patriots are mostly gone. Working class warriors have taken the plunge into the digital age and traded their rage for Farmville and online college classes. Grungy 90s cynicism has given way to a desire for comfort and willing placation. Its a new age, with a new champion. Like Hogan, Hart, and Austin, the Miz is a symbol for his time; a time when self promotion is as common and as easy as hitting a few buttons on a Blackberry, when the desire for gaudy wealth has displaced idealism, and when celebrity for its own sake has become the holy grail of individualism. Moreover, it's a time when audiences no longer just observe media but insert themselves into it; and in that spirit the Miz has inserted himself into the world of sports entertainment.

Granted that realm would have spit him out were it not for a few skills he developed over the course of his television appearances, namely comfort on camera, an aptitude for performance based public speaking, and most importantly the ability to caricature his general unlikability and turn it into a persona that people slowly but surely became interested in. Thanks to those skills and to his visceral understanding of modern celebrity, the Miz is the reigning WWE Champion and is poised to become the face of pro wrestling.

The path he took to reaching that coveted position may turn the stomachs of many in the time-honored pro wrestling fraternity, but it does demonstrate a degree of media brilliance. His first step: reality TV, a medium that plays to one’s weaknesses. Basically if one represents, for the most part, the absolute worst of humanity, peppered with a few more ambiguously positive qualities like intensity and drive, you can excel in that world. The Miz did.

After fashioning something memorable out of his turn on the Real World, the Miz took full advantage of his new-found visibility. He appeared on a slew of other reality shows, including Fear Factor, Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader, Ghost Hunters, and Dinner Impossible, four programs with absolutely nothing in common, save for the fact that they are on television and therefore equal exposure. This Reality TV tour ultimately led him to a spot on the fourth season of Tough Enough, WWE’s own foray into cheap, reality based television. If one is to believe that the Miz is truly a lifelong fan of wrestling, then it would seem that getting his foot in the door on Tough Enough was his endgame all along. However, it’s easier to imagine that Mizanin was simply going with the flow, accepting everything his agent offered, following the cameras and the money wherever they led him. And of course, as we all know, they ultimately led him to the spot that Terry Funk bled for, that Eddie Guerrero was bred for, that Curt Hennig and Rick Rude and Owen Hart died striving for: the spot at the summit of the wrestling world.

But does he deserve it? Tradition says no, but tradition isn’t always right, especially in this age of light-speed media and shifting social values, an age that Mike Mizanin understands inside and out. The Miz has become pro wrestling’s first social network champion, a performer who Tweeted as hard as he worked, who forced his name and face into television screens and interactive media to gain a degree of notoriety, or at least ubiquity, in the minds of fans. He’s put himself “out there,” to a degree that no professional wrestler has ever had the audacity to. Furthermore, he’s developed in his character a transferability necessary to maintain a presence in all the strange corners of modern media.

It’s a testament to Mizanin’s media savviness that he’s both the least physically active and most visible champion in recent memory. Think about it. How often do you see him on RAW? Several times per episode. But how often do you see him in his ring gear? He’s usually garbed in an expensive suit (accessorized by Alex Riley in a slightly cheaper one), wielding an iPhone like Duggan used to wield his 2x4. Were it not for the WWE Title draped over one shoulder, the Miz might look, to a first time viewer, more like a celebrity guest than a wrestler. But that’s what's so smart about the Miz’s look: it doesn’t pigeonhole him, it allows him to fit in anywhere, inside or out of the wrestling world. An uber-kempt 30 year old with a designer blazer and a faux hawk would not look out of place in a WWE ring, or in a gallery opening in Brooklyn, or at a SciFi convention, an award show, a Jim Jarmusch movie, wherever. He’s a celebrity first and a wrestler second (and that’s a distant second).

Saying as much is not a blatant criticism of Mr. Mizanin. In fact in today’s version of celebrity, the ability to play the game, network aggressively, and exploit the omnipresence of media is a point of pride as well as a genuine skill. Moreover, it’s how things are at this cultural moment. It’s what’s perceived as cool, by the most plugged in, enfranchised, and globally-thinking demographic (a demographic, by the way, most coveted by Vince McMahon and virtually every other media titan).

As old school fans, we may roll our eyes when we hear a wrestler talking about “augmenting his brand recognition,” or “targeting a broader demographic,” but the truth is: that’s always been what the wrestling business has been about. It’s just all more transparent now. And the Miz turns that transparency into an art form, and into an effective facet of his heel character. When one takes this into consideration, it becomes clear why the Miz has received the push that he has and is being touted as the future of the business: Vince McMahon wants to expand his vision beyond the cult of professional wrestling, so that it’s regarded as a broad entertainment property, a media mainstay that just happens to have something to do with tights and turnbuckles and suplexes. The Miz has already done this.

It’s easier than ever to fake celebrity, but only a few work their way up from Youtube and Reality TV to become notable entertainers. Fame before craft is not a procession that sits well with many of us, but it’s becoming a craft of its own, and one that the Miz has mastered.

04/11/2011: A Shocking Announcement From Edge Highlights RAW

Last Monday’s episode of RAW featured a five-man gauntlet match to determine a number one contender for the WWE championship, the crowning of a new Diva’s champion, and a surprising main event push for R Truth. All of those developments were overshadowed, however, by a shocking retirement announcement by World Heavyweight Champion Edge.

In a subdued and emotional monologue, The Rated R Superstar explained that, due to lingering complications from the broken neck he suffered eight years ago, it has become necessary that he never compete in the ring again. He addressed the abrupt announcement with emotion but resolution, stating that had doctors not discovered in time the severe risk to his health that further wrestling would cause, he could have ended up in a wheelchair. He seemed genuinely pleased to be making his final exit in one piece and not as a casualty of the wrestling business. The Rated R Superstar expressed traces of regret that he could not end his career on his own terms but also pride at going out as the World Heavyweight Champion, with a main event at Wrestlemania as his final match. He told the stunned crowd in attendance that he was glad to have grown up and become a man in front them and assured them that, were he given the chance to do it all over again (including the injuries and indignities and the steel rods in his teeth), he would do so “in a heartbeat.”

When he returned backstage, a camera captured Edge’s reception by a slew of his fellow superstars, among them a fully out of costume and makeup Dustin “Goldust” Runnels. Faces and heels alike lined up to pay their respects to the departing World Champion, and it was heartwarming to see so many performers throwing kayfabe to the wind to honor their friend with sincerity and for the whole world to witness.

Like so many among the Internet Wrestling Community, we at Inverted Atomic Blog count ourselves among the fans who watched Edge come of age as a professional wrestler and all around performer: from his ill-fated debut match on RAW in 1998 (in which his opponent Jose Estrada ironically suffered a broken neck, when trying to catch Edge’s over-the-top-rope somersault senton) to his success with Christian as the trend-setting tag team of the Attitude Era to his stellar, emotionally charged performance in a TLC match against John Cena at Unforgiven 2006 (if you haven’t seen it in a while, track it down online: from his tearful raising of the belt, in front of his hometown crowd, to the remarkable bump he takes off of a ladder and through two stacked tables, the Rated R Superstar turns in one of the all-time great wrestling performances in this match).

Recent months have seen the 11-time world champ at the top of his game. He’s carried himself of late as a true veteran, with nothing left to prove to his peers or himself. Relaxed and efficient in his interactions with his last rival Alberto Del Rio, convincing and history-conscious in the slowly building program with his greatest on-screen partner Christian, everything Edge has done recently he has done well. While the long awaited main event feud with Christian is now destined to go down in Wrestling history as one of the great, unrealized angles, their recent on-air partnership and Edge’s feud with Del Rio serve as much more fitting punctuation to his career than the Paul Bearer abduction angle of last year would have. The Rated R Superstar is clearly going out on a deservedly high note.

Other News from Monday's Show:

The gauntlet match to determine the number one contender for the Miz’s WWE Championship was surprisingly full of... surprises. First Dolph Ziggler scored a pinfall victory over Randy Orton (with some outside assistance from the New Nexus) to advance in the gauntlet. Perhaps even more surprising was the fact that, following Ziggler’s upset, faltering mid-carder R Truth scored the next two pins (over Ziggler and then John Morrison, both of them clean). Truth made it all the way to the final bout in the gauntlet against heavy favorite John Cena. Furthermore, after pinning two top performers, Truth did not simply rollover for Cena. He put up a fight, and kicked out with authority from some of Cena’s signature high impact moves. Cena tried to sell how impressed he was with Truth’s resilience, but his stunned expression, giving way to a smiling head-shake, after each kick out felt more like going through the motions than it did the blossoming of genuine respect.

In the end, the Miz and Alex Riley hit the ring and administered beatings on both contenders, forcing the referee’s hand in calling for a double disqualification. As a result both Cena and Truth were declared number one contenders and a triple threat match was set for Extreme Rules. This is certainly a reversal of fortunes for Truth, who has not been involved in any angles in the last few months of WWE television and who was left off of the Wrestlemania card (on which Orton, Ziggler, and Morrison were all prominently featured). With his inclusion in RAW’s main event angle, it’s clear that creative is trying to shake things up. Truth’s involvement does bring an air of unpredictability to the Cena/Miz storyline. Moreover, he’s likely to hit some memorable spots during the triple-threat match, which will contrast the slower, more psychological styles of the other two combatants and hopefully make for a more multi-dimensional and exciting contest than the WWE title match at Wrestlemania turned out to be.

Prior to her title match with Brie Bella, Divas' Champion Eve insisted that the referee mark the right hand of Brie’s twin sister Nikki, so that he might be able to distinguish one from the other, and prevent them from gaining an unfair advantage through clandestine teamwork. It didn’t work. Nikki slipped into the ring, when the official’s back was turned and hit a measure of offense on Eve, allowing Brie to catch her breath and slip back into the ring to score the pinfall. Brie’s victory marks the first championship for either of the Bella Twins, and while she’s not one of the best workers in WWE’s women’s division (Beth Phoenix, Natalya Neidhart, and Gail Kim are all leagues ahead of her, in fact), her new reign is a welcome change of pace from Eve, who was never able to capture the fans’ imaginations as champ. Hopefully Brie and Nikki, who have shown some growth as heels over the last few months, will get some mileage out of their title run, before Awesome Kong bursts onto the scene and mows over the entire Divas division.

Much like in its pre-Mania buildup, the Jerry Lawler/Michael Cole program continues to be compelling. This week Lawler, with Jim Ross in his corner, faced off against Jack Swagger, with Cole in his. The match’s stipulation was that should Lawler win, he would get another shot at Cole, in the ring at Extreme Rules; and should Swager win Cole would retire “undefeated” from the ring. The match was actually pretty good, though the focus was clearly intended to be on the outside, where Ross and Cole served as cheerleaders for their respective cohorts. Cole could actually be heard above all, reaching a decibel level that would have made "Mouth of the South" Jimmy Hart air-brushed green with envy (and without a megaphone too).

Eventually Good Ol’ J.R. intervened to prevent Cole from physically interfering, by sweeping the despised commentators out from under him and sending him crashing against the ring apron. The turmoil distracted Swagger long enough for Lawler to score the win. After the match an embarrassed and enraged Cole administered a tongue lashing to Swagger. Having apparently never seen a wrestling angle, in which a small in stature heel manager lashes out against a temperamental big man, Cole went so far as to slap Swagger across the face... and subsequently cower, as the former World Champion came after him. With cole halfway up the entrance ramp, Lawler announced that the match he’d just earned at Extreme Rules would be a tag team contest. And so J.R. is set to be the King’s partner, while Cole’s partner will be the man he’d just alienated: Jack Swagger. While a tag team bout does not technically count as an Extreme Rules match, it will be interesting to see J.R. in the ring and to witness how exactly Swagger’s now inevitable face turn plays out.

The Corre suffered another embarrassment, at the hands of a new (and we hope immediately disbanded) faction called “The Apple.” Santino Marella led the faction, which also included Evan Bourne, Mark Henry, and Daniel Bryan. While the match the eight men had immediately surpassed expectations and even inspired some healthy pops from the crowd, it still felt wholly unnecessary. Why does creative keep inventing new ways for the Corre (which currently houses the Intercontinental and Tag Team titles) to prove that they do not function effectively as a stable?

Perhaps an even more pressing question is, why was Daniel Bryan involved in this sideshow? The former U.S. Champion has far more credibility with fans than his utilization here would suggest. Let's hope that teaming with Marella is not a chilling foreshadowing of how WWE plans to use the world class grappler for the remainder of his contract. Of course, it might be wise to not hold out such hope. After all, WWE has recently removed “Wrestling” from its name, perhaps the next step is releasing Wrestlers from its product.