The Raw Championship was created as a response to World Wrestling Entertainment’s roster split and the Smackdown Championship is an amalgation of the World Wrestling Federation Heavyweight Championship and the World Championship Wrestling Heavyweight Championship. Vince Russo’s days as head booker of WCW, also known as the dying days of WCW, can be blamed not only for the disgracing of their world title, but also for the demise of the company .

However, WWE can be blamed for Vince McMahon’s title reign, a title reign which will leave a permanent smudge in every wrestling history book. On September 14, 1999’s Smackdown ‘Stone Cold’ Steve Austin interfered with a Stone Cold Stunner against rival and current champion HHH, thereby allowing McMahon to win the championship. McMahon immediately gave up the title and announced a Six Pack Challenge match with the vacant title on the line. The Big Show, The British Bulldog, Mankind, Kane, HHH, and The Rock battled at September 26, 1999’s Unforgiven pay-per-view, where HHH regained his title.

WWE can also be blamed for booking Edge as our latest Raw Champion. I doubt that many people remember the promos for Edge’s debut or his debut match. WWF ran several black and white spots comprised of flashes of ghetto street scenes and alley ways interspersed with images of Edge wearing his trench coat. Sometimes he was crouching down calmly and other times he was screaming and growling at the camera as the camera jostled from side to side. These effects helped to define the Edge character as a rage-aholic. In his debut match against Jose Estrada Jr. of Los Boricuas, Edge unintentionally injured his opponent after a botched tope plancha landed Edge’s heel against the side of Jose’s head(1). WWF could have used the injury to hype up Edge’s gimmick, but I doubt that it would have helped anyway. Edge’s rage-aholic gimmick came off as very incomprehensible.

When Edge was teamed up with Gangrel and Christian to form The Brood, the trio showed some great promise. As the faction began to feud with The Hardy Boyz, one of WWE’s greatest tag team eras of all-time erupted. For this, I thank Edge, as well as the rest of the wrestlers who helped to rebuild the tag team division.

Ever since Bob Holly and The 1-2-3 Kid won the Tag Team Championship at January 22, 1995’s Royal Rumble, the WWF tag titles slowly, but surely, deteriorated into tag team jobber-weight titles(2). Their victory paved the way for the WWF’s dismal mid-1990s tag team division. During this era, fans saw Tag Team Champions like The Smokin’ Gunns, The Bodydonnas, and The Godwinns. Although I like each of these teams, I still have trouble stomaching the fact that they are former Tag Team Champions. Then again, it was not too long ago when Rikishi & Rico, Billy & Chuckie, and MNM were Tag Team Champions. Sadly, the WWF tag titles have not been treated with much respect for a long while. How I long for the days when wrestlers actually had to climb up the ranks to become champions . . .

Which brings me to my problem with Edge as a World Champion. Sure he has wrestled for 13 years, has been with WWE for 8 years, is a former 5 time Intercontinental Champion, 11 time Tag Team Champion, and King of The Ring winner, but Edge is not World Championship material(3). His Tag Team Championship victories over The Rock & The Undertaker, Ric Flair & Batista, and Chris Benoit & Kurt Angle are impressive victories, but they are not singles victories and in the kayfabe world of wrestling, tag team and singles competition are like two different ball games. Defeating Randy Orton for the Intercontinental Championship is a great victory, but as I explained in part one of this article, Orton never deserved the world title either. Edge’s biggest accomplishment up to his latest title victory, was winning the King of The Ring. Defeating Kurt Angle in the finals is a victory worthy of a World Champion.

But when fans think of World Champions, names like Ed ‘Stangler’ Lewis, Lou Thesz, Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Harley Race, Ric Flair, and Hulk Hogan define the World Champion image. Edge is a top mid card name. He cannot carry the company. His ring work is above average, but not stellar, and his mic work is as crappy as it was when he debuted. A wrestler who does not excel in either of these two skills cannot carry a promotion as its World Champion. Edge is more befitting as a National Wrestling Alliance/Total Non-Stop Action Champion. Especially when workers like Booker T, Chris Benoit, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, and HHH are still wrestling with WWE.

I’m not saying that a changing of the guard in terms of champions is a bad thing, I’m just saying that it has to be properly booked. I believe any wrestler, no matter how poor of a wrestler or how poor of a mic worker can be repackaged as World Championship material. I just cannot say that Batista or Edge have been repackaged properly. I do not believe that Edge will help to sell much seats at WWE shows. And I’m already very thankful that Batista is out of the WWE World Title picture.

(1) This match occurred on June 22, 1998’s Raw broadcast.

(2) Holly and The 1-2-3 Kid defeated Bam Bam Bigleow and Tatanka in the finals of a tag team tournament to name new Tag Team Champions after The Two Dudes With Attitudes (Shawn Michaels & Diesel) split up at the Survivor Series on November 23, 1994. While feuding with Razor Ramon, Diesel was accidentally hit by Michaels’ Sweet Chin Music twice. On both occasions, Diesel held Ramon ready and Ramon ducked. On the Raw following the Survivor Series, Diesel and Michaels split up the tag team due to the tensions that developed over these accidents and the WWF announced a tag team tournament.

(3) Edge made his pro debut on June 1, 1993. He debuted as Sexton Hardcastle in a tag match with El Fuego Kid versus Zakk Wylde & Joe E. Legend, who wrestled with WWE as Just Joe. Sexton Hardcastle regularly tagged with Christian Cage, more popularly known simply as Christian, during his early wrestling years. The team dubbed themselves High Impact and later changed their name to The Suicide Blondz.
Edge’s Title Histories:

Intercontinental Championship:
-7/24/1999: def. Jeff Jarrett
-8/19/2001, SummerSlam: def. Lance Storm
-10/21/2001, No Mercy: def. Christian
-11/18/2001, Survivor Series: def. Test
-7/11/2004, Vengeance: def. Randy Orton
World Tag Team Championship:
-4/2/2000, WrestleMania 2000: with Christian, def. The Dudleys and The Hardy Boyz in a Triangle Ladder Match
-6/25/2000, King of the Ring: with Christian, def. Too Cool
-10/22/2000, No Mercy: with Christian, def. The Hardy Boyz
-12/10/2000, Armageddon: with Christian, def. Bull Buchanan & The Goodfather
-12/21/2000, SmackDown: with Christian, def. Rock & Undertaker
-3/19/2001, Monday Night RAW: with Christian, def. The Hardy Boyz
-4/1/2001, WrestleMania X-7: with Christian, def. The Dudleys and The Hardy Boyz in a TLC Match
-7/4/2002, SmackDown: with Hollywood Hogan, def. Billy & Chuck
-4/19/2004, Monday Night RAW: with Chris Benoit, def. Ric Flair & Batista
-10/19/2004, Taboo Tuesday: with Chris Benoit, def. La Resistance
-11/7/2002, SmackDown: with Rey Mysterio, def. Kurt Angle & Chris Benoit

King of The Ring:
-6/24/2001: def. Rhyno in the semi-finals and Kurt Angle in the finals to win the tournament