Falls Count Anywhere

03-04-03

I'm trying to hide two Samoan dudes and a guy in a leopard print.

The opener with Booker showed just how over he could be if given a chance. When HHH came out, they had a tense, uncomfortable showdown, with racial hinting galore, but no real interesting exchange. Booker seems deadly serious, and his match with Steiner later was Scott's best since he returned. I think he should get a run with the belt, since he is proving that he has it all.

The Rock was great, of course. The segment with Hurricane had me and my roommate over entertained. I want these two in the ring NOW! HURRIMANIA is running wild! Rock entering the ring at the end added the touch that I have wanted for every introduction so far. It just worked and made the event feel right.

Jeff Hardy and Christian had a nice match. Test and Chris Jericho had a decent little tussle as well. RVD/Kane took on Snow and Dreamer in a fine hard kore match. The ladies had a woman's match that was just above average. You may notice a pattern: SmackDown! is the home of great wrestling; RAW plays host to competent matches.

The Austin return was huge. Bigger than any of the other returns in the recent weeks, Austin got a thunderous ovation in an arena that is notorious for not giving great reactions. The Bischoff Welcoming Committees were lame, especially when they were trying to hide two Samoan dudes and a guy in leopard print. The ending of the show worked gorgeously, and I think that the money in the Austin Rock match itself showed through all night.

News
Injuries all around this past weekend. Randy Orton broke his foot, and Batista tore his tricep, which explains why Evolution was a party of two last night. These guys are both proving to be injury prone, which is something that can quickly kill a push.

How do you break something that thick?

In more serious news, Kurt Angle reinjured his neck. He had broken it in 1996, shortly before the Olympics, and this weekend it started bothering him again. If it is serious, this could be a major stumbling block for SmackDown!'s main event at WrestleMania. I have a feeling that as long as Kurt isn't paralyzed, the match will go on.

FlashBack!
Matt and Jeff Hardy. Edge and Christian. The Dudleys. They all owe a large part of their popularity to taking part in tables, ladders and chair matches over the years. Though the ladder match has been around since the 1970s, popular in Memphis, Japan, and several other territories, it wasn't the big deal in wrestling until two men engaged in what many consider to be the greatest WWF match of the 1990s: Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon (the first time).

Shawn had left the WWF briefly due to a contract dispute, and was looking to find a way into WCW. Vince recognized that he was an important part of the WWF formula, so he brought him back.

Now, Shawn had been stripped of the Intercontinental title belt when he left, and Razor had won the IC belt in a Battle Royal that led to him pinning Rick Martel for the belt. When Shawn returned, he had his old belt and the two feuded over who was the real IC champion. After a few introductory encounters, the two agreed to put both belts up above the ring in the ladder match.

Shawn and Razor, aka Scott Hall, were close friends, dating back to the early days when they had been in the AWA. Michaels always brought out the best in the usually lazy Hall, and going into the match, most folks were certain that it would be very good.

They were wrong.

It was one of the greatest displays of wrestling ever.

Spots that we expect in a ladder match today were debuted in Madison Square Garden that night.

Shawn falling with the ladder and crotching himself on the top rope.

Still giving all he can...

The match moved from huge spot to huge spot, with barely a second to catch your breath. In the end, Razor walked out with the IC title, but Shawn had been the real winner, putting on a one man bump show that astounded all in the audience.

The problem is, this is really where the whole "danger = over" thing began. Shawn became known as a wrestler who put it all out there, and always worked a high-impact match.

After the ladder match, the only way for Shawn to get a great reaction in the ring was to top himself. This constant need to raise himself in the fans eyes led to the injuries that would end his career for almost five years.

Guys like Jeff Hardy saw the match, and they took up the mantle. It is highly likely that the injury-prone style we have begun to see dominate wrestling had its roots in the WrestleMania X ladder match.

That's all for today. I'll be back Friday with more news and reviews, and a FlashBack! to be named later.

Chris Garcia