One Great Feud, Three Great Matches

[RoyHahn]

I apologize if this is the wrong forum to put this.

The Undertaker/Edge feud was, in my opinion, the best of the past decade. The matches that came out of it were simply extraordinary. The two had five PPV matches over the course of this feud: WrestleMania, Backlash, Judgment Day, One Night Stand, and SummerSlam. The matches at Backlash and Judgment Day were solid, especially the one at Backlash. However, the other three are, in my opinion, classics.

WrestleMania
In a one-on-one bout, Undertaker and Edge delivered an instant classic. This was a wrestling clinic, with innovative moves and superb storytelling. No one could have guessed the result until Edge tapped. Simply every part of this match was excellent. It was the match of the night and the main event.

One Night Stand
This TLC match was amazing. Both men put their heart out to entertain the fans, and both - especially Undertaker - took awesome spots. What initially was thought to be a certain Undertaker victory turned into a surprise Edge win.

SummerSlam
With the hatred between these two superstars, Hell in a Cell seemed the only appropriate way to end the feud. These superstars told a story in the cage. When there were tables, ladders, and chairs in the ring, the feud came full circle. While the match could hardly be described as fast-paced, it provided closure to an excellent feud.

So, which is the best? I'll start with the worst of the bunch (which is like saying the stupidest person at Harvard).

3. One Night Stand - The only thing I can take away from this excellent match was the fact that the spots were too predictable. Before falling through the tables in the climax, Undertaker clearly moved the ladder to a spot where he could take the fall. However, he moved it in a nonsensical way, as it was much farther from the belt. This match was still an A match, but in a group like this, the little things matter.

2. SummerSlam - This was a superb match, but it was slightly too slow-paced and one-sided at times. Edge dominated in the beginning and Undertaker at the end. There was little back and forth action. Still, this match told a perfect story and ended the feud beautifully.

1. WrestleMania - I cannot say enough about this match. It was simply among the most enjoyable matches I have ever watched.

So, rank them!

 

[Dead Kennedy]

Edge vs. Undertaker is of course, feud of the year, thanks to the awe-inspiring level of work from both guys. Both Edge and Undertaker are truly WWE's top cards. The feud had two MoTY candidates even. Lemme break it down 'ere.

3: WrestleMania XXIV

I suppose I can attribute that to the fact that I wasn't really a fan of Edge at the time for whatever reason. And besides, it really wasn't that good of a match, especially considering the Orton vs. JBL (and Cena) match and of course, Michaels vs. Flair. I don't know, I just really couldn't get into it and it's nowhere near being a MoTY for me.

2: One Night Stand

The TLC match was one HELL of a match with a lot of nasty spots and some good normal wrestling in it too. I was pretty damn into it and the twist ending was so unexpected, even if they re-used the final spot from the Edge vs. Cena TLC match from 2006, I believe it was.

1: SummerSlam

There's nothing to fault about this match. Some juice could have added that little extra realism to it but other than that, MoTY candidate all the way. Brutal freakin' match with sick spots and nasty bumps. Definitely one of the top-tier Hell in a Cell matches. Just watch the damn match if you haven't already. The ending was a bit gimmicky, but hey it's what the people wanted to see.

 

[Checkmate]

Well, I greatly enjoyed the whole feud and the matches, but I'll break it down.

Wrestlemania - I think this match was my favorite of the three, for the simple reason that it had solid wrestling with no gimmick. I though Edge had a legitimate chance of ending the streak, and the segments leading up to this match were amazing. The interferance wasn't too cheap, and when Edge hit the second spear, I thought it was over. But then the Submission hold hit, and I was sold. Great match, and I've never seen a ref run that fast before in my life. This was something that I'd watch again and again to see solid wrestling with the right spots to carry you all the way through.

One Night Stand - TLC, the territory of Edge. This is my second favorite of the three. I'll get to why in a second, but I loved the match itself. I'm not a huge fan of 1 on 1 TLC matches, as it seems that there are too many bumps for each guy to take, and too many spots to have over a short interval of time. However, these two made it work. They fought tooth and nail and it seemed that they would kill each other rather than lose. What sold it to me was the 'lose and banned' stipulation actually being caried out. Most thought that Taker winning was a forgone conclusion, and this was disproved. I also was skeptical going into the match of how Edge would deal with so many consecutive losses. But, the win that Edge had that night solidified his status as a top heel for a while to come. Great match, but the gimmick lost the top spot for me.

Summerslam - Taker's revenge. Hell in a cell. Need I say more. It seemed as obvious to me that Taker would win this match as it was that Taker would win at One Night Stand. However, Taker lost at one night stand, and after the Edge segment with Foley a week or two before, I again was sold that Edge could win. Now the match itself was great. Not the best match I've ever seen, and the gimmick has been done (which is why it is my least favorite), but it was a solid main event. Taker seemed to have murderous intent, and Edge seemed crazy. This sells a feud to me, when both guys are so in character that you can see it without them saying anything. Edge and Taker both seemed to be at the top of their game in this feud, and I'm looking foward to seeing where they go from here.

 

[Enigmania]

3: WrestleMania XXIV

I suppose I can attribute that to the fact that I wasn't really a fan of Edge at the time for whatever reason. And besides, it really wasn't that good of a match, especially considering the Orton vs. JBL (and Cena) match and of course, Michaels vs. Flair. I don't know, I just really couldn't get into it and it's nowhere near being a MoTY for me.

2: One Night Stand

The TLC match was one HELL of a match with a lot of nasty spots and some good normal wrestling in it too. I was pretty damn into it and the twist ending was so unexpected, even if they re-used the final spot from the Edge vs. Cena TLC match from 2006, I believe it was.

Wasn't WrestleMania Triple H vs Orton vs Cena?

The finish to the Cena vs Edge match was an FU of the ladder through 2 tables.

Anyways...seeing as I have only seen the highlights of the One Night Stand match I won't rank it.

WrestleMania XXIV was a phenominal match. I honestly thought Edge would beat The Deadman and end the streak but it wasn't to be. But he can still say he has never been pinned at WrestleMania and was choked by The Undertaker. A great back and forth match.

Summerslam, my damn Sky cut off towards the end. Still loved the ending with The Undertaker doing everything that Edge had done to him with the camera, con-chair-to, slamming through 2 tables, the spear. It was just brilliant. Would've liked to see them scale the Cell but now that they made it bigger it can't happen

 

[Dragonslayer]

As I've already stated in another thread, my pick definitely goes to the WM24 match.

Of course both the TLC and HIAC were tremendous matches, with a huge effort on both sides. However, in a gimmick match environment, the gimmick itself often serves to make the matches a classic, and not necessarily the wrestlers involved. Take the best example - the infamous Taker vs Mankind Match. Would that match ever have been anything great if it had NOT happened in HIAC? This match only made Mick Foley a star simply BECAUSE he took those two huge dives off the cell. If it had been a regular match, no one would remember it anymore; and maybe Mankind would have remained a midcard attraction throughout the rest of his career, never winning "the big one".

Of course, if you have guys the calibur of Taker and Edge involved, it serves for a much better match - but in the end, pretty much everyone can make a TLC or HIAC match interesting to watch, if they dare take enough risks. This type of match ultimately just lives off its spots. Not every one will be a classic if other than top tier talent were involved, but as said - the gimmick itself would make even mediocre talent look that much better if they did something useful with it.

However, if you're in the Main Event at Wrestlemania, you've made it. You are considered the be all, end all to the wrestling scene on that particular day. This year, Taker and Edge were made to be "the men". And if you're there, in a one-on-one situation, you gotta deliver. You have to BE the main event. You have to steal the show. And that's what the two of them did. A classic, basic singles match. No chairs, no ladders, no tables, no cage, no cell, no nothing. Just a basic wrestling match. And if you then manage to get an audience to the edges of their seats, if you can tell a story in that match, if you can pull off a match that really creates suspense - then that is wrestling at its purest form, what it always was meant to be.

As someone has stated - Edge and Taker put on a wrestling clinic. This was the match that would tell each and every up and coming star: "Well guys, this is it; and you better take a good look. This is what we came here to do. This is what you came here to do. We can pull it off, because we are the best. We belong here. And you all better get your sh*t together if you ever want to be there, too."

So my vote goes, without a shadow of a doubt, to WM24, Taker/Edge, One on One.

Simply because this is what it is all about, ladies and gentlemen.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

There are plenty of threads on this feud. Don't make anymore threads RoyHahn.