Be fair to Flair

Two of the greatest
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter
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John Cena has made his intentions known, he wants to tie Ric Flair's long standing record of being the World Heavyweight Champion 16 times. Growing up in the 80s, "Nature Boy" was the guy I loved to hate. He would lose the title and then regain it. I can remember him surpassing Harley Race's seven reigns, never dreaming Naitch would double that in the years to come. He eventually went from the guy I loved to hate to my all-time favorite wrestler.

Woo!
Courtesy: WWE

Flair said on the most recent episode of podast, The Ric Flair Show, that he's not worried if Cena wins the gold again and ties his record. He doesn't think it'll tarnish his legacy. I admire Flair for saying that. I agree, tying the record won't hurt Flair's legacy. But I'm old school and like the guys from my past to stand tall in the record books. Yes, I know it's a predetermined business and at the end of the day it probably doesn't amount to a hill of beans to most. But some fans (like me) take this stuff seriously.

The champ is here!
Courtesy: WWE

I don't think Cena is going to beat AJ Styles for the championship anytime soon. The earliest I see that happening is WrestleMania. It could be a big celebration, but does tying a record warrant a party? Cena is 39 years old. Flair hadn't even come to WWF until age 42 and still won the title there twice and a couple more times in WCW. So there's time for Cena to break the record, which I anticipate will happen at some point.

I don't want it to happen, but if Ric Flair is cool with it, who am I to complain? Also if someone is going to set a new record or even tie I can't think of anyone better than Cena to do it.

Dream Over, Or Just Beginning?

Photo from: WWE.com

By Kevin Hunsperger

I will be the first to admit, I rushed to judgement after reading the results from the May 6th episode of SmackDown!  My rant can be seen here on my YouTube channel.   That's the problem with reading spoilers and not actually seeing the matches.

I felt like Christian and Randy Orton told a good story in the ring.  While I'm still disappointed with the outcome of the match, I'm getting the impression that this may be the start of a big feud between Orton and Christian.  My guess is the former Brood member will go back to his heel days.  And let's face it, that wouldn't be a bad thing.  The SmackDown! roster is lacking a good heel these days.  In my opinion some of Christian's best work came as a heel, especially when he and Edge were still together.

The way they played up the title win from Sunday night, and the way they stayed on Christian after the match tells me that this isn't over.   And I'm glad for that.  My first thought after reading the results was that this was a quick passing the title over, but I'm not so sure that's the case.  I really think if they book this right, a Christian-Randy Orton feud could be enjoyable.  It gives us a new face in the title hunt, even though Christian has technically been the champ.

Let's look at the other possible contenders on the heel side of the roster:

Sheamus:  We've already seen he and Orton feud and the results weren't all that exciting.


Mark Henry:  I don't think anyone will ever take him as a serious threat to the World title.  He spent too many years as the guy putting over other talent.  And there is talk of him retiring when his current deal expires.

Cody Rhodes:  I like Cody.  But I don't see him as a contender to the World title yet.  Maybe a run as Intercontinental champion first.  Besides, Orton pretty much buried him and Ted DiBiase after Legacy imploded.

Wade Barrett:  I had high hopes for Barrett after NXT and the formation of Nexus.  However, I feel like the WWE kinda dropped the ball with him.  While he is the IC champ right now, it's hard for me to buy him as a World champion.  At least right now.

The World Title

There are a few on the face side of the roster who could be considered contenders, but the E tends to still stick to the face vs. heel formula.  The WWE has an interesting task before them.  They need to do some major work in developing these younger talents I've mentioned and make them credible threats to the world champions.  I can accept the Christian title loss if it leads to a feud with Orton and another run as champ.  Unlike others in the WWE Universe, I'm not calling for anyone's head on a platter.  While the Internet fans may not like Orton, the crowd reaction to his win Friday night was pretty clear who they support.

Thanks for reading, spread the word and join the conversation.
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As Edge's Door Closes, Will Christian's Window Open?

Christian & Edge together at Wrestlemania 27

By Kevin Hunsperger

We all know by now that Edge has retired and surrendered the World heavyweight title.  It's something that has shocked many fans and has completely changed the landscape of Friday Night SmackDown!  Immediately after the announcement Monday night fans began speculating who would replace the Rated R Superstar as the show's top face and carry on as world champion.

Naturally a lot of people have turned to Edge's former partner and best friend, Christian.  Hell, even I believe he's one of the most deserving competitors of holding the world title.  I don't count his two reigns as ECW champion as a world title reign, sorry.

Alberto Del Rio's Wrestlemania debut

But I have real concerns that Christian will fulfill that destiny and become champ.  He's overcome a major hurdle by winning the battle royal on SmackDown! to earn the right to face Alberto Del Rio for the title at Extreme Rules.  Whoever wins the ladder match on May 1 will be the new world champion and the successor to Edge.  It's a big responsibility.  I've said it before and I'll say it again, I don't think that Alberto Del Rio is ready.  He's got a heck of a future ahead of him.  But in my opinion he is not the man to lead the company, yet.  It may be his destiny to win the title, but he's not world champion material at this time.  And I don't blame Del Rio for this.  The WWE has done a mediocre job of building him as a credible challenger to the world title.

Christian on the other hand I feel is more than ready to "be the man."  Like Edge, he's spent years performing in front of WWE fans.  We've watched him grow and mature as a performer.  He's gone from a blood drinking vampire in the Brood to a legitimate contender for the world title.  He just hasn't had his chance to shine.  Now that Edge is out of the picture, will he get that opportunity?  I certainly hope so.  But I still have reservations.  WWE has seemed to invest a lot of time and effort into promoting Del Rio.

Christian in Wrestlemania 26's MITB match

I've read the the rumors that Vince McMahon isn't high on Christian.  Maybe that's why he's been held back all these years.  I think the fans want to see a Christian title run.  Even if he were just "a transitional" champion to help get Del Rio ready for a run.  Eventually, I think that can and will happen with him.  Again, I just don't believe that time is May 1.  I'd actually like to see Christian in more than just a transitional role, but the bottom line is I want him to have at least one run on top.  But the reality of the situation is Christian is nearly 38 years old, the same age as Edge (and me) and while he shows no signs of being done, I think many of us were surprised that Edge called it quits so soon.  The WWE needs to keep that in mind as many of the guys on the top of the roster are well over 35 years old.

This blog is probably a statement of contradictions.  My gut tells me that Christian, although worthy, will not win the title at Extreme Rules.  I hope I'm wrong.  At the same time, I recognize the E needs to get some younger talent into the main event picture too.  But with a Christian title run, at least it's someone who hasn't worn the belt 8 or 9 times already.  Bottom line, it's time for a change, and we'll have a brand new champion come May 1st, someone who's never been the world champion (in WWE) before.

Living on the Edge

Hanging with Edge and Chavo before Wrestlemania 24

By Kevin Hunsperger

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Edge has announced his retirement.  The current World Heavyweight champion sited medical reasons for the decision.  At just age 37, it's sad to see him go.  But obviously it's better to see him WALK away and not be carried away.

My buddy Chad wrote up a post earlier about Edge's retirement.  You can click here to read it.

I made a YouTube video with some of my memories.  Go the My 1-2-3 Cents YouTube Channel for my thoughts.  And don't forget to subscribe.

Thanks for reading and for watching.

Losing Their Edge

Edge & Christian at Wrestlemania 27

By Chad Smart

April 11, 2011 will be a day I wish could be stricken from the wrestling calendar. It started off with finding out one of my favorite wrestlers had passed away and ended with another one of my favorites had to retire due to injury. Oh, and WWE announced a Jerry Lawler/Jim Ross vs. Michael Cole/Jack Swagger tag team match as well. Was there anything good in wrestling on this day?

Seriously though.

Current WWE World Champion Edge announced his retirement during Monday Night Raw. There had been no reports during the day or even weeks prior about Edge possibly retiring.

When Raw started and Josh Matthews said Edge had a major announcement, retirement wasn’t even a thought that ran through my mind.

I’m not going to sit here and type a recap of Edge’s career. One, I’m writing this on the fly so I don’t have a cheat sheet of Edge’s accomplishments in front of me and I’d hate to get any information wrong. Two, I’m guessing there will be Edge retrospect’s on various wrestling websites in the coming days and they’ll be written by far better writers than me.

All I’m going to say is I can remember when vignettes for Edge first started appearing on WWE programming. I’ve watched him grow and mature as a wrestler and character over the last 15 years. I’ve always been impressed with Edge and enjoyed seeing him breakout of the mid-card and become one of WWE’s main event talents.

Edge heads to the ring at Wrestlemania 22

I remember at Wrestlemania 22 during Edge’s match with Mick Foley, because we were upset with Edge dropping the WWE title to John Cena three weeks after winning it from Cena, Kevin, Jeremy and I started a "should be champ" chant when they were brawling near our section. Needless to say, all the John Cena fans were not in agreement with us.

When Christian returned to WWE after a couple years in TNA, I was excited to see both an Edge and Christian tag team reunion and a possible feud over the World Title. We got a few E&C tag matches, but the feud never came. In hindsight, we Edge’s career ending as abruptly as it has, I think ending with an E&C tag match was better than ending as opponents.

It’s been a long road over the last 15 years for Edge in WWE. From the outside looking in there were more high points than low points. I had the opportunity to briefly meet Edge and get a photograph with him during an autograph signing at Wrestlemania 24. Outside of that, I don’t know Adam Copeland the person behind the Edge persona. But I would like to thank him for 15 years of memories and for sacrificing his body for my enjoyment. I hope his retirement does prevent him from any serious (or more serious) damage to his body.

Thank you Edge.

Edging Out the World Title

Edge vs. Y2J at Wrestlemania 26

2010 has been an interesting year for Edge.  He came back early from an injury to win the Royal Rumble in January.

He cashed in on his guaranteed title shot at Wrestlemania 26 against Chris Jericho and came up short.  That led to a heel turn and and mediocre run on Raw.  Then a few months ago, Edge landed back on Smackdown! once again finding himself the number one contender to the World Title.

Survivor Series he didn't win the belt, but he didn't lose the match either.  That of course meant he was still in contention for the title.

Edge then "kidnapped" Kane's father and manager, Paul Bearer.  He's been playing mind games with the champ for the last couple of weeks.  Last night on Smackdown! things came to a head as Edge pinned Kane (in a non title match) and earned the right to chose the stipulation at the Tables, Ladders, and Chairs pay per view later this month.  Of course Edge picked the TLC match.  It's "his" match.

But I don't think that's going to equate to his success in the chase for the title.  Usually when the champ is pinned on TV, he goes on to successfully defend this title on the PPV.  Usually.  But that's only one reason why I think Kane will win.

I like Edge, I really do.  But I don't necessarily think he should be or needs to be the world champion again.  Nine times is a lot.  I'm sure he'll win it again before he hangs up the boots forever, but I'm really hoping Kane continues to be pushed as a strong world champ.  That's what we need.  Especially in a year when the belt has been passed around like a hot potato.  Kane could be the longest reigning champ of the year.  I'm too lazy to do the math.

So what happens if Edge doesn't win the title as I suspect?  With a lack of faces on Smackdown! who are what I'd consider top contenders, I think we get a Kane-Big Show feud.  I'll be honest, not exactly looking forward to that.  But if Kane could dominate the Show like he did the Undertaker, I think it only makes the title look more important.  The only other face I could see up there in contention would be Kofi Kingston, but it looks like they're pushing him toward the Intercontinental title again. 

I really wish Christian wasn't injured, because he is really the guy I want to see get a world title run of anyone on the Smackdown! roster right now.  I think it's too early for guys like Kaval and Cody Rhodes.

I'm wondering if MVP now gone (not that I thought he'd be wrestling for the world title) if they'll send someone over from Raw to fill his void.  Raw has a ton of guys, so that's a possibility.  Or maybe they'll elevate someone to that mid-card IC title contender spot that MVP held.  I think moving someone like John Morrison over as a world title contender would be awesome.

Now if Edge does win the title, you would have a lot of heel contenders, but not really anyone who's at the top of the card.  At least not yet.  You'd have to elevate someone.  I'm not impressed with the way Jack Swagger was booked as champion earlier this year.  So I don't think he's ready for another run at the top.  Drew McIntyre would be interesting in that role.  He is the "chosen one."  But is he ready to step up to the plate?  His run as IC champion was mediocre at best.

Alberto Del Rio is too new to be champ in my opinion.  Cody Rhodes is another possibility.  He's talented, just needs to continue to develop. There's a lot of younger talent out there, but they've been looked over as guys who've been at the top repeatedly get pushed.  Randy Orton, John Cena, Undertaker, HHH.  Now as those guys get older, they're taking time off after being hurt and in some cases retiring. 

Chris Jericho said it best a while back, the WWE needs to start doing a better job of developing younger talent.  Now that the roster is full of lots of newcomers, the time to do it is now more so than ever before.  Here's to hoping.