Better Feud: Edge/Taker or Y2J/HBK

[Paul Revere]

Simple question really.

We all know the back stories.

We also know that both feuds were fantastic, best in a long time.

But which one was better?

Edge/Taker was great. I think the matches were superior to the Jericho/Michaels feud, but in my opinion Y2J/HBK was the better feud. It lasted longer, had more twists, seemed more personal and the promos were fantastic.

So which one do you think was better based on match quality, promos, storytelling, etc. ????

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

Blatently Y2J/HBK. It had so much more emotional impact throughout and you could literally feel the hatred between the two men. After everything that Jericho has done to HBK, you literally want to see Michaels gethis revenge, and Jericho's amazing ability to pull off the heel character only adds to that.

Taker/Edge just seemed to be overshadowed by Edge/Vickie an the whole La Familia thing was simply stupid. If those guys had been used effectively and not simply fodder, and Edge had managed to actually beat Taker without those guys, Edge would have been conseidered a much bigger threat to Taker overall, rather than running until his luck ran out.

Up until last night, i'd have agreed that Taker and Edge had the better matches, but i don't know for certain which was better out of HIAC and last night's ladder match personally.

 

[Shocky]

This one is a no brainer, Edge and Undertaker is leaps and bounds better then Jericho and Michaels. Jericho and Michaels has been the most over rated, and boring feud I have watched in a good long while. The ladder match was good, but honestly the only good match out of the whole lot. Two matches finished with referee stoppage, and one of those was in an unsanctioned street fight. Just absolutely stupid booking. Edge and the Undertaker have put on 3 Match of the Year candidates. I'll take their Mania Match, TLC, or Hell in the Cell over any of the matches that Jericho and Michaels had.

 

[Dead Kennedy]

In terms of actual matches, it's Edge vs. Undertaker. But when it comes to actual storyline build, promos and the like, it's HBK vs. Jericho hands down. But the matches of the Y2J/HBK feuds have been half as good as they ought to be. The unsanctioned match at Unforgiven was nothing special and the ladder match never reached the fever pitch it should have.

Matches are more important for a feud in the long run, so Undertaker vs. Edge gets my vote.

 

[TheRealLionheart089]

Matches: Edge and Taker win this. HBK and Jericho have had great matches no doubt, but they were mostly just one-on-one matches and a Ladder match. Edge and Taker switched it up a bit: TLC, HIAC and maineventing WM.

Build-Up: HBK and Jericho win. Edge and Takers build up was good and all, but it mostly revolved around the WHC and Vickie. HBK and Jerichos rivalry started when Jericho was referee in the HBK Batista match at Judgement Day and since has involved lying, winning over fans, eye injuries, the "new" Jericho (new trunks/more serious), HBKs wife getting punched out, Lance Cade and then the WHC.

Storytelling: I would say its a tie, and it all revolves around the heels too. Edges mic work was simply amazing, especially when he "went crazy." In a radio interview he said he didnt wash his hair, and lost sleep for a couple of weeks to look mentally fucked up. Thats dedication right there.
Jericho also cut great monologues on RAW freshing up his fued with HBK. Character change and all.

Marketability: Edge and Undertaker got this one. While HBK/Jericho was on the "flagship" show, Edge and Taker win because they were in higher profile spots. Every week on Smackdown, the main event/ending segment always featured Edge and Taker. Even on pay-per-view, all their matches except Summerslam were for the WHC.

Crowd Reaction: I would say Edge and Undertaker, because not once during their promos/matches have I heard "boring" chants. However sometimes on RAW when Jericho made his 15 minute "serious" promos, the crowd got a little restless/bored sometimes.

Ending: Edge and Taker. After there Summerslam match, Taker chokeslammed Edge "to hell" AKA through the ring, and flames "engulfed" him leaving Edges character MIA.
HBK and Jerichos ending happened last night after Jericho beat HBK in their ladder match.



Winners: Edge and Undertaker

 

[Tim]

I'm split on this one. Match-wise, Taker vs Edge. But storyline-wise and build up, Y2J/HBK.

Edge and Taker always put on an entertaining match. For strters, they were the main event at Wrestlemania, and they put on a classic there. And as TheRealLionheart said, they switched it up with one on ones, TLC, HIAC etc. while Y2J and HBK only had one on ones and one Ladder match. Granted, each feud had great matches, but Taker and Edge switched it up a little more.

However, the build up to Y2J and HBK was fantastic. If you remember, it all started because HBK faked a knee injury, and it all snowballed from there. Jericho 'detached Shawn's retina', Jericho hit Shawns wife, and they had an unsanctioned fight, where the referee stopped the match because Shawn was beating Jericho too severely. And it ended in an awesome ladder match, and both Shawn and Jericho are awesome in ladder matches. And this feud was played out very well, while Taker and Edge's feud went way too long as we were seeing mostly the same stuff each week.

 

[Joehaha]

i agree with most i think, best matches belong to taker/edge but promo wise hbk n jericho take it, jerichos been outstanding imo over the last few months, the feuds been great and for y2j to pick up the title in the middle of it too and having to defend it to hbk then was good too, im not entirely convinced this feud is done with though, could cool off for like a month or 2, and then pick up back in time for a mania match maybe?, and if the match is anything like their last mania match then we're all in for a treat

 

[CDR]

I liked both of these feuds and I don't really have a favorite because they were both so great. But I pretty much agree with y'all for the most part. Edge/Taker had the better matches but HBK/Y2J had better promos and stuff. But that's only because they never had Jericho and Michaels in a real one-on-one match. They had a few but not much. I think if Jericho and Michaels had more regular singles matches instead of specialty matches then their feud would definately be better.

 

[Harthan]

To start off, go with the build up. I think it's only fair to stack the heels with the heels and the faces vs the faces. I'll take listening to Edge over Jericho any day of the week. Let's face it, Jericho can get boring delivering these long promos. I get that the point is to make you think "Come on, HBK, shut this guy up!" but it shouldn't be "Good God, HBK, get out here and shut him up already." I just feel that Jericho is a little boring delivering a promo by himself but when Shawn is with him it turns into gold. On the contrasting side, however, Edge delivered great solo promos especially in the buildup to HIAC when he went all crazy. Lots of good stuff. Stacking HBK vs Taker is a lot harder, because Taker doesn't really cut promos...he shuts of the lights and occasionally says something menacing, but he didn't do so much talking to Edge as he did staring and such. The other thing I generally recall is that Edge and Taker tended to have a lot of SD matches whereas there was significantly more in the way of talking from HBK and Y2J. Still, both of them told brilliant stories and I must say that both pairs of men were very entertaining. I can only tip the hat very slightly toward Edge for just being a little more fun than Jericho, but that's more of a character difference and really can't penalize Jericho too much for that.

Still, I have to say that the matches must be weighed more heavily. If each side delivered a great story and great promos, I really have to say Edge and Taker have put on better matches. The WM Main Event was just brilliant, pure and simple. An awesome match by all considerations and would have been a MOTY contender if they hadn't topped it later down the line. TLC at ONS was probably the best singles TLC match and is probably in the top 3 of all TLC matches. But Hell in a Cell at Summerslam was incredible. Seriously, this match is going to be huge in the running for MOTY. I don't think there's been one as good as this since the old Taker vs HBK, Taker vs Mankind, and HHH vs Cactus Jack. Easily in the top 5 HIAC matches, and gotta be among the serious options for MOTY.

Take then HBK and Y2J at the Bash, Unforgiven, and No Mercy. The Great American Bash match was pretty good but honestly it was just a slaughter of HBK to set up the feud more. It's a match that could have been done on Raw, really. Unforgiven's Unsanctioned Match was great, a very entertaining No DQ match that featured one of the coolest diving elbows ever. The ladder match at No Mercy was a brilliant ladder match and I would say is just as good as Edge and Taker's TLC match. But the fact remains that while this feud seems to have climaxed with the ladder match, you can look back on it with probably a 3 star, 4 star, and 5 star match, while Taker and Edge featured 3 straight 5 stars.

So all in all I have to tip the hat in the direction of Edge and Undertaker. It's a great feud and will be well remember in the coming years. HBK and Y2J Is still an excellent program, but I just feel that they haven't put on matches on the level and frequency of Taker and Edge.

 

[LigerBomb]

For it's more understated elegance of execution and overall tone, I prefer Jericho/Michaels. It had/has an easier to relate to "real world" appeal if not perhaps a slight sympathy that works better as a storyline.

 

[DeadmanInc.]

Match-wise, Taker/Edge by far. Their WM match was amazing, and the TLC match and HiaC matches are all possible MoTY candidates. Y2J/HBK did have some great matches but most of them were more for storyline purposes than anything. Two "knockout" endings in a row is too much in WWE.

Storyline-wise, I'd have to say Y2J/HBK here. This feud has transitioned so perfectly from retiring Ric Flair and HBK faking an injury to where it is now. It became so personal that it's to the point where it seems like the guys legitimately hate each other. Taker/Edge was a great storyline as well, but once Vickie stripped Taker of his title, the feud really became more about Taker vs Vickie with Edge on the side. Plus, they had 4 consecutive PPV matches, and the first 3 of them weren't even gimmick matches. The feud got rather stale at that point.

Looking at this feud as a whole, promo-wise, definitely Y2J/HBK. Edge can cut a great promo, but any feud with Undertaker is just going to get ridiculous with the promos. It would be nice if Taker talked more often and did less of the supernatural stuff. Y2J and HBK had some really believable promos, especially as the feud got more personal.

As for what it did for their careers, Y2J definitely got the best out of his feud. He went from an epic return down to mid-card level. Thanks to HBK, he is finally over as a heel and is now getting his long overdue WHC reign. From the looks of things now, it looks like it's Lance Cade's turn to shine. Likewise, Edge is now in the "elite group" of 5 time champions and has solidified his spot as a main eventer. Vickie is more hated than ever, and Taker...well he got another pointless title reign to his resume.

So overall, I'd have to say HBK/Y2J was the better feud. It flowed much more smoothly from the beginning to the end. Edge/Taker had much better matches, but that was also the problem. They had way too many matches with no time in between. As a result, the feud got stale after their Backlash encounter. Also, Vickie was getting most of the heat, not Edge.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

From a match perspective, its Edge/Taker, and by a MILE. On the promo front, its HBK/Y2J by a mile, On the strength of the post SummerSlam promo alone. Gosh damn that thing was awesome.

But the HIAC and the TLC absolutely TROUNCES anything HBK/Y2J did this year. Yea, Te Judgement day match was great, as was the Unsanctioned match at Unforgiven. But you had people complaining about them afterwards. Never have I seen such blanket approval as I did for the TLC and HIAC matches. They were both epic battles. but the Promos werent really anything fantastic, and were your usual run of the mill "Hero Vs GM stable" angle.

But the matches are what I pay money for. And Taker/Edge have given me more for my MONEY this year than HBK/Y2J. The latter gave us better television, but Edge/Taker have three great matches between them, including a WM main event, wereas HBK/Y2J only gave us two. And even that is debateable, as I think only I, and one other certain female poster on this board would classify the unsanctioned match as "great".

Edge and Taker delivered HUGE on par per veiw, for my money. Were I need them to. so Taker/Edge takes it for me.

 

[Richard]

I'm going to have to say Chris Jericho/Shawn Michaels. I don't think that's any suprise really that I pick this. We have Shawn Michaels, one of the greatest fan faveourites ever and Chris Jericho, who is the best heel in the business at this point in time putting on what should be fued of the year for 2008.

Despite what people say, I enjoyed everything Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels have done, promo wise and match wise. My faveourite promos would definately be where Chris Jericho slammed Shawn Michaels face first into the Jeritron, that was great also the contract signing for Unforgiven, they way Chris Jericho behaved, not looking at Shawn Michaels when Shawn was talking show that Chris Jericho doesn't care what HBK had to say. The Summer Slam segment was good aswell as it increased the personal nature of the fued by involving HBK's wife.

What makes this fued so great was that it was very personal, with Jericho accusing Shawn Michaels of lying, injurying his eye and also smacking his wife in the mouth which I think added a nice touch on the fued and then Shawn Michaels wanting "an eye for an eye" and the world championship helped elevate the fued even more into the ladder match at No Mercy.

That's not to take anything away from Edge and The Undertaker though, they had a really great fued. We were lucky this year to see two great fueds on two different brands.

I just think Chris Jericho and Shawn Michaels take this out, that's my opinion though.