Main Event vs. Championship Match



Chris Jericho vs. Edge

 My friend Travis is the inspiration behind this post. It's something we've talked about before, and I've given some thought.  But he recently brought it up again, and of course now I've got to throw in my
1-2-3 cents on the subject.

Each year we're promised the winner of the Royal Rumble will be featured in the main event of Wrestlemania and get a title match to boot.

So now comes the debate.  Is the main event the last match on the card, or is it simply one of the main matches on the card?

I've always felt the main event is the last match on the card.  The only exception here was back in the 80's during Saturday Night's Main Event.  You usually got the world title match or main event early on in the show. I think that was in part because the show didn't come on until 10:30 p.m. CST/11:30 EST.  Lots of kiddies were probably asleep by the time Koko B. Ware was jobbing to Sgt. Slaughter at 11:55 CST.  Just sayin'...

Anyway, back to my point.  Let's look at the history of Royal Rumble winners and their Wrestlemania matches.

Wrestlemania 26:  Edge won the 2010 Royal Rumble.  He chose to face Chris Jericho at Wrestlemania.  The match was not the last match on the card.  It was BEFORE the John Cena-Batista match and the monstrosity 8 diva tag team match.  So while it was high on the card, it wasn't the last match and in my opinion, NOT the main event.  And I apologize for putting main event  in italics.  I've started and now I can't seem to stop.

Randy Orton vs. HHH

Wrestlemania 25:  Randy Orton won the 2009 Royal Rumble and was in the last match of the night as he faced Triple H for the WWE championship.

This was the main event of the card and probably one of the dullest in Wrestlemania history.  The crowd was so amped up after seeing the Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, it was hard for these two to even hold a candle to that.  So we'll give the E that one. 

Wrestlemania 24:  Super Cena defied the odds and returned to the 2008 Royal Rumble (early) as a surprise entrant.  He was number 30 that year and won the event.  He went on to Wrestlemaina 24 in Orlando to face champion Randy Orton and fellow challenger Triple H in a triple threat match.  I don't remember all the back story as to how H got involved, but I think there's something written somewhere that these three must all contend for the title in the same match a couple of times a year. 

Anyway, to my original point.  This was not the last match on the card either.  I think the only reason for that was because Orton went over and was the heel.  Vince likes to send the fans home happy at Mania, and we got the Undertaker expanded his streak and winning the world title from Edge (which was a good main event.

Wrestlemania 23: The Undertaker won the Royal Rumble in 2007, last tossing out Shawn Michaels.  A little ironic given where we are today.  He went on to face (and defeat) Batista for the belt.  I wasn't at this Mania, but according to the online lineup, this match was the 4th on the card.  Not sure how accurate that is, but the main event that year was John Cena vs. HBK.  I agree, that one should have been the main event and was glad to see that it was.

Rey wins the gold at Wrestlemania 22

Wrestlemania 22: The ultimate underdog, Rey Mysterio picked up the huge win at the 2006 Royal Rumble.  But dream of being the main event at Wrestlemania didn't really come true.  Rey went on to beat Kurt Angle and Randy Orton in a triple threat match that was third from the end.  That epic Playboy Pillow fight between Torrie Wilson and Candace Michelle was used as the buffer between the two title matches.

Wrestlemania 21:  Big Dave Batista won the 2005 Royal Rumble.  Or did he.  If I remember right he and Cena kinda botched up the ending there and both ended up going out at the same time.  Storyline wise, they went with Batista as the winner. He chose to wrestle his his former Evolution buddy Triple H for the title.  That was the last match on the card and what I'd consider the main event.  


Wrestlemania 20: He who shall not be named, ah who am I kidding?  Chris Benoit won the 2004 Royal Rumble.  He went on to beat Triple H and Shawn Michaels for the title in a triple threat match.  Again, this was the main event and belonged in that spot.


Wrestlemania 19:  Same story.  Brock Lesnar won the Rumble that year and was in the main event against Kurt Angle. And that was the first Wrestlemania where we had both the WWE championship and the World title up for grabs.


So here's the point of all of this.  The E needs to just say the winner of the Royal Rumble gets a championship match at Wrestlemania.  That would end the debate over what's the main event.  But I've said it before, I think with the title match stipulation, it limits the realm of people who will actually win the Royal Rumble.

Just some food for thought on your Wednesday.  Discuss, comment, and check out My 1-2-3 Cents on YouTube as well.  Thanks!

Four Wooing Horsemen

The best version of the 4 Horsemen, IMO

Day 4 of the Wrestling Christmas and of course I couldn't ignore the 4 Horsemen.  Perhaps the best stable in the history of wrestling.

The version in the picture (courtesy of Pro Wrestling Illustrated) was in my opinion the best foursome.  Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, and Ric Flair under the guidance of James J. Dillon.  It didn't get much better than that.

Anderson & Blanchard were the NWA tag team champions.  Windham was the U.S. champ, and of course Flair was the World champion.

Through the years we've gotten plenty of versions of the Horsemen, but Flair was always the staple.  Even when the WWE tried to reinvent the faction with Evolution, Flair was a big part of the group.



The original group, which formed in 1986 consisted of Flair, Blanchard, Anderson and his "cousin" Ole Anderson.  Dillon was the manager.  The concept was hardly new, having a stable of wrestlers.  But there was something different about the Horsemen.  I think it's the Flair factor.  The man was the best talker back then.  And he could back it up in the ring.

Of course all the other members contributed to the success of the group, but through the years, others would rotate in and out.  Ole Anderson was replaced with a younger, stronger Lex Luger.  He would eventually be replaced by a two timing Barry Windham.

For a time the Horsemen gimmick came to a halt, as many of the members, in fact all but Flair, had left for the WWF.  But in the world of wrestling, change is constant and Arn Anderson would eventually make his way back to Atlanta.

This time group reformed but as faces, and they added an up and comer named Sting to the group.  Ole Anderson was also invited back into the fold, but I think he mainly served as a manager, as Dillon was still working in the WWF's front office.  In true Horsemen fashion, they'd turn on the young, naive Sting and become the company's villains again.   Shortly after that Barry Windham left his Widowmaker gimmick in New York and came back to be a Horsemen.  The monsterous Sid Vicious was also a new member and Ole began fulltime management of the foursome.

Sid would leave about a year or so later for the WWF and Flair was soon to follow after his termination from WCW.  So that was the death of the Horsemen again.  But like a cat, the group seemed to have nine lives.  Or close to it.

When Flair returned to WCW in 1993, he got the "band back together" so to speak.  He and Arn Anderson and the unlikely third member, former WWF jobber to the stars Paul Roma.  Now it was just the 3 Horsemen.  I'm pretty sure this run was as faces too, as they feuded with the young cocky Hollywood Blonds (Steve Austin and Brian Pillman) who hazed Flair and Anderson about their age.

This formation didn't last long either though and Flair and Anderson eventually went back to their rule breaking ways and invited Brian Pillman and Chris Benoit into the group.  This was another good version of the Horsemen.  Youth, speed, agility, and experience melded well together here.

Dean Malenko, Curt Hennig, and my least favorite Horsemen of all time Steve "Mongo" McMichael would all become members at some point before the group finally disbanded.

Horsemen reunion for Flair's "retirement"

That was in 1999.  Then in 2008, something truly awesome happened.  My friend Chad and I had just witnessed Ric Flair's storied career come to an end.  We had planned to stay in Orlando on Monday (we had tickets to Universal Studios) but we had no plans to go to Monday Night Raw.

We had gotten back from a day at the park and Chad read online that the Horsemen (Tully, Arn, Barry, and JJ) were going to be at Raw for Flair's big send off.  We immediately decided to head to the arena and try to get tickets.

Not only did we get tickets, but we had awesome seats.  We were just off the floor and on the opposite side of the camera.  So if you own the Ric Flair Definitive DVD collection and you watch that retirement ceremony, you can see Chad and I in the crowd.

Anyway, I never had a chance to see the Horsemen wrestle live as a group, but seeing them in the ring and reuniting was the next best thing.  So here's a Woooo! and a "diamonds are forever and so are the 4 Horsemen" for you.

For those keeping score...
A Red Rooster in a Wrestling Ring
2 Turtle Jobbers
3 French Canadians
4 Wooing Horsemen

iViva La Raza!

Eddie Guerrero's Hall of Fame induction: 2006

Eddie Guerrero has been gone five years now.  Today is the anniversary of his death.  The first time I really remember watching Eddie wrestle was about 15 years ago when he was in ECW.

I was in college at the time and ECW came on late at night on ESPN I think.  I remember channel surfing one night and stopping when I came to the show.  Eddie was wrestling Dean Malenko and the two put on a helluva show.  Those of you who watched ECW back then know what I'm talking about.  The two were so smooth and so good together in the ring.

It wasn't long after that Eddie and Dean and Chris Benoit all got plucked from ECW and went prime time with WCW.  I continued to watch him and his radical buddies climb the ranks of the company.  But it seemed they all hit that glass ceiling and really climbed past the mid card status.

I was excited in 2000 when Eddie and the other Radicals jumped ship and joined the WWF.  I watched with high expectations that the foursome would make a difference.  I think it's fair to say that Eddie and Chris did.  They took different paths, but both climbed the ladder of success.

Some of Eddie's more memorable moments in the WWE for me were his "love affair" with Chyna.  It's where we learned all about "Latino Heat!"  I can still hear him calling Chyna his mamachita and begging for her forgiveness after cheating in a match with her.  And who could forget that infamous shower scene with the Godfather's hos.  That ended the relationship with Chyna (whom Eddie was engaged to)

Eddie's tag team run with his nephew Chavo was awesome too.  The matches Los Guerreros (who adopted a "we lie, we cheat, we steal" attitude) had some great matches with Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit and Edge & Rey Mysterio.  All six men involved in that feud worked their asses off in the ring.  It was a great time in the tag team division.

Another memorable angle for Eddie was the one against Rey Mysterio in which Eddie claimed to be Rey's son Dominic's Papi.  The marketing campaign that went along with that was classic with fans showing up to arenas wearing "I'm Your Papi" t shirts.  The two had some great matches, including their battle at Wrestlemania 21.  Sadly, it would be Eddie's last Mania.

My favorite time for Eddie was when he won the WWE title from Brock Lesnar.  It was such an amazing moment.  A true David vs. Goliath.  It was a big win for the "little" guy.  A man who was held back and disrespected (in my opinion) during his days in WCW.  (remember the Latino World Order or the Filthy Animals?)  Eddie's win was great, but unfortunately it was the beginning of the end of his life.

His title defense against Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania 20 had one of the most memorable finishes of the night.  Eddie had untied his boot and when Kurt locked in the ankle lock submission he slipped out of his boot and surprised Kurt with a roll up.

But probably even more memorable was the moment later in the evening.  Chris had just won the World Championship.  Eddie of course had successfully defended the WWE championship and the two embraced and posed together in the ring.

It's hard to believe that less than 3 years later both men would be gone.

Eddie's life ended way too soon.  I think he was on the verge of another run with the WWE title.  How great would that have been?  Rightfully so, Eddie was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame the following spring during Wrestlemania weekend.  His friends remembered him fondly as they inducted him and his wife, Vicki and two young daughters accepted the induction on Eddie's behalf.

That's now Eddie's legacy.  I was happy to read that his oldest daughter, Shaul, has signed a developmental deal with the WWE.  I hope that she is treated with more respect than Eddie's widow has been.  I also wish her nothing but success as she follows in her famous familia's footsteps.

God bless you Eddie, rest in peace.