New WrestlersRamblings.com columnist tags-in
Mr. Mal back with ya, pro wrestling fans, proudly introducing the newest member of our family – Union of Jack! We’re pleased to offer yet another viewpoint for our readers to enjoy, and welcome Jack to our site. Just a reminder, WrestlersRamblings.com is always on the lookout for more talent. Think you got what it takes to be a wrestling columnist? Register today by using the link at the top of this page and send us a comment, referencing that you want to get into the game! But enough about that – it’s bell time . . . for the benefit of those with flash photography . . . ladies and gentlemen . . . from Norwich, England, Union of Jack!
By Union of Jack
Wrestlers Ramblings.com wrestling news
For my debut column I decided to take a look at two of the best tag teams of the last decade and how they grew into top class singles competitors. Firstly let’s start with the fans favourite, Team X-treme… THE HARDYZ. Back when they had a three way feud with the Dudley’s and Edge & Christian, Matt and Jeff were easily the team with the biggest pop, bringing a unique high flying style of wrestling to the squared circle. Seven years after some of the most historic matches off all time - I’m talking about Tables, Ladder & Chairs… Oh My! of course - Jeff hardy made a surprise return to the WWE after being released because of frequent drug abuse and erratic behaviour. His love for and from the WWE fans was clear from when his intro first hit, as there had been a definite gap in the roster since he left that was never quite filled. Becoming an instant hit with the fans made Vince sit up and take notice and it wasn’t long before he was wearing gold once again, regaining the intercontinental championship for the third time.
Jeff was always the partner most likely to succeed as a singles competitor and this was proven in his first spell with the WWE. But I now see that the times may be changing for the Hardy’s because over the years that Jeff has been no showing events at both WWE & TNA, Matt has been a consistent performer, despite the affair between his girlfriend of six years and Edge. Matt was only released for a small part of 2005. This shows me that all the stick Edge had been getting and the “We want Matt” chants actually struck a chord with the WWE. Since he’s been on Smackdown he has been getting a lot more praise for what he does, and deservedly so in my opinion, I agree completely with JBL that Matt has all the attributes to be a main eventer, it’s just a matter of time!
So my prediction for the futures of these two: Jeff: I feel that his best high flying days are now behind him, still has a lot to offer but won’t be wearing the World Heavyweight gold anytime in the future. Matt: Unlike his brother I feel his best days are still to come. He doesn’t rely as heavily upon the high flying moves and, given that he’s on Smackdown, will be given more of an opportunity. I feel it’s just a matter of time before he gets a shot at the United States title and then after proving himself with the gold he’ll be a well deserved challenger for the Heavyweight Title.
Moving on now to Edge & Christian, who would of thought that whilst they were the comedy tag team, with the creative promo’s and quirky storylines that both of them would become two of the most reknown champions in professional wrestling today. Christian became a huge hit amongst his native Canadian fans and even a large portion of the UK’s Fan base; this was mainly down to his cockiness and the fact that he was an overconfident heel. I felt that towards the end of his WWE career he was misused and could have been as big as Edge has became now. Once he jumped ship to TNA although he was a face character he got the respect he deserved. He has held the NWA title twice now and is one of the biggest names on the TNA roster. Edge has become one of the WWE’s top performers over the last couple of years, ever since winning the Money In The Bank ladder match he hasn’t looked back. He had my favourite feud of 2006 with John Cena and is set up for more WWE title opportunities this year. Both Edge & Christian’s mic skills are fantastic and whenever they have a mic in their hand its must watch television. So what does the future have in store for these two?
Christian: As one of the only popular face characters around in professional wrestling at the moment, I predict a good year for Christian Cage and I wouldn’t be surprised if he resigned with the WWE in the future as they can now see how well he can do as a main eventer. One problem with this may be that he is such a high earner at TNA and why would Christian want to leave a company where he is treated with respect? Edge: Onwards and upwards for Edge in the WWE, he is a main eventer and that’s exactly where he’ll stay. I predict another huge feud for 2007, most probably with Cena again or Shawn Michaels. I can defiantly see Edge having a title run in 2007.
Sadly I don’t see any of the tag teams around at the moment having the characteristics needed to follow in Edge and Christians footsteps, but saying that . . . never say never . . .
underestimate people at your own peril. Thanks for reading! I’ll be here - same place, same time,here next week - on WrestlersRamblings.com. If you would like to send me any feedback please email me on unionofjack@hotmail.com
Norwich, England’s Union of Jack entered the world of wrestling fandom back in the WWF Attitude era, and lists The Rock as his all-time fav. Current stars such as Edge, Mr. Kennedy, RVD and TNA’s A.J. Styles also rank high on his list – as does collecting the many DVDs of past greats now released on a regular basis. Union of Jack draws the line at books, however, and wonders just how many of these can one man (Mick Foley – he’s looking in your direction) really write. That being said, Foley’s Hell in the Cell 1998 match of legend is still Jack’s favorite.
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