The Contentious Ten 06.20.11: Most Interesting Cause/Effect Relationships

Before there was WWE Extreme Rules, there was WCW Uncensored- a Pay Per View filled with gimmick matches that was supposed to be more brutal than your typical wrestling show. The only thing was, much like in present-day WWE, the WCW had a strict ban on blading. They didn’t want any blood in their shows. Come Uncensored 1995, both Dustin Rhodes and Blacktop Bully found out just how strict that prohibition was. They were booked in a “King of the Road” match. As the title implies, they wrestled on the back of a big truck while it was in motion. Throughout the course of the match, both participants bladed, and were released as a result. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise for Rhodes, as he joined the WWF and was saddled with the Goldust character. He made himself a legitimate star in the wrestling business, not being afraid to explore eccentric and even homosexual themes within the character. Who knows what would have happened had he not decided to go against the WCW rules and blade during the Uncensored PPV?

In 2006, Wrestlemania 22 was headlined by a remarkably strong WWE Championship match pitting John Cena against Triple H. The crowd was electric throughout, elevating the match with their back-and-forth chants. To the surprise of many, Cena won the match. It generated good buzz, and the plan heading into Wrestlemania 23 was for a big rematch between the two. Unfortunately, HHH tore his quadriceps just a few months before the show at New Year’s Revolution 2007. Since he was teaming with Shawn Michaels at the time, the logical substitute was Mr. Wrestlemania himself. The match was booked, and Cena managed to walk out champion once again. However, the Cena/Michaels rivalry was far from over. A few weeks later, wrestling fans were treated to an absolute rarity in modern-day mainstream wrestling: a near 60-minute match. No Ironman stipulations, no gimmicks, no foolishness- just two pros battling for an hour. They crafted a truly memorable Raw moment, and a match that even topped their Mania performance. Had HHH not been sidelined with a serious leg injury, we probably would have never been treated to such a spectacle.

One Night Stand 2005 was supposed to be a onetime only reunion of the legendary hardcore promotion, ECW. It took place at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, and brought to us a fantastic PPV from top to bottom. It was a tremendous success, and many consider it one of their favorite wrestling shows of all time. Due to the acclaim, the idea of bringing back the ECW brand fulltime- this time under the WWE banner- was beginning to become a much more realistic possibility. The possibility became a reality when in June of 2006 it was set- ECW, although vastly different from the original, would have its own television show on Sci-Fi (now SyFy). The pilot episode was far from a good introduction of the concept, featuring a zombie and a “Hardcore Battle Royal.” The show did manage to get better as time went on, and while it never reached the level of praise of One Night Stand, it did serve as a good introductory platform for a few characters we see today including CM Punk, Kofi Kingston and Jack Swagger. It also provided several midcard superstars the opportunity to be seen on television on a weekly basis, which otherwise would have been lost in the shuffle. I have a hard time believing that many superstars would be as successful as they are today had it not been for the success of the original One Night Stand PPV.

The 2007 WWE Draft saw ECW Champion Bobby Lashley get promoted to Raw. As a result, he had to vacate the championship, and a mini tournament was held on ECW to determine a new champion. CM Punk and Chris Benoit won their respective matches, and the finals were to take place at the Vengeance 2007 PPV. As was highly publicized, Benoit did not make the show and Johnny Nitro was booked to take his place. After a rather brief match, Nitro won the ECW Championship and soon underwent a personality makeover. Gone was the goofy name and paparazzi gimmick, and in its place was the poetic and brash John Morrison- a character he continues to use to this day, and one that has gotten him more recognition and popularity worldwide. Originally, most had Benoit slated to win the match, and he would most likely have gone on to become the main attraction of the ECW brand. Would Morrison have suffered from that? Maybe. Would he even have become Morrison? Because the makeover came as the result of his sudden elevation to the main heel on ECW, probably not.

Back in his day, the Iron Sheik was a physical specimen. Part of that fact was always on display whenever he would work those big Persian clubs in circles above his shoulders. I don’t know whether the things were gimmicked, but it was a great visual to get his strength across to the viewer. To further that image, he would often challenge others to try the Persian clubs. Obviously, they always failed. On one occasion, he let World Champion Bob Backlund have a go at it, and ended up attacking him instead, injuring his neck and shoulders. Consequently, Backlund went into his championship title defense against the Iron Sheik at less than 100%, and ended up watching his impressive six-year reign come to an end. Okay, that’s fine, but how does that tie in with the birth of Hulkamania? That’s simple- Backlund was too injured to accept his championship rematch, so up-and-comer Hulk Hogan took his spot. The rest is history, as Hogan defeated the Iron Sheik to become champion, and Hulkamania was underway.

This is definitely the most recent cause and effect relationship on this list, so we all pretty much know the story. The day after Wrestlemania 27, Smackdown superstar and World Heavyweight Champion Edge came out to address the Raw audience. To the shock of everyone watching, he announced his retirement from professional wrestling, citing serious neck problems stemming from a broken neck he suffered some years before. Seeing as how he was scheduled to defend his championship in a Ladder match against Alberto Del Rio, he had to forfeit the title and a new challenger had to be found. Christian ended up winning a Battle Royal to take his spot, and wound up winning the World Heavyweight Championship at the PPV. It’s hard to say whether or not Christian would have eventually won the big one had Edge’s retirement not put him in the perfect place at the perfect time. Some see his elevation in the weeks leading up to Mania as a sign that he was slated to feud with Edge for the title down the road, others were of the belief that Vince McMahon did not see Christian as a main eventer and would therefore never win the gold. Either way, he did, and much of the credit has to go to Edge’s retirement.

By the time 1997 rolled around, WCW Nitro was the dominant wrestling show on television. The nWo was going strong, the Cruiserweights were doing their thing and Eric Bischoff was all smiles. Monday Night Raw was in serious trouble, and filming a show from Berlin, Germany did not do them any favors. While the matches on the card were strong, the video quality was poor and off-putting. When the ratings came in, the WWF wasn’t too pleased to find that the show had done a very low 1.9. It proved to be the spark they needed to change things up. The following week, they got rid of the big “RAW” lettering set, and introduced the huge TitanTron screen with the big entrance stage and ramp. Everything from the graphics to the music and vibe became more edgy- really, it was the beginning of the Attitude Era. Not only that, but the infamous Vince Russo was promoted to Head Writer, and introduced a whole new way to broadcast wrestling on television.

The plan heading into Wrestlemaina 13 was for a rematch of the legendary Shawn Michaels vs. Bret Hart Ironman match from the previous year at Wrestlemania 12. Michaels was the champion, and Hart was to win a Fatal Four Way match on PPV to become the Number One Contender. However, shortly before the contender’s match, Michaels vacated the championship due to an injured knee. Famously, he claimed to have “lost his smile,” and was on a mission to find it. As a result, the contender’s match became a WWF Championship match which Hart won. The reign only lasted a day, as Steve Austin cost his rival the championship the next night on Raw in a match against Sycho Sid. Long story short, the match was finally set: Hart vs. Austin in a Submissions match at Wrestlemania 13. After it was all said and done, it became one of the best matches, not only in Mania history, but in wrestling history. It turned Austin into a legitimate star in the wrestling industry, and became a pivotal moment in the WWF’s transformation into the Attitude Era. A match between Michaels and Hart would have been great no doubt, but looking back, we should probably be thankful that Michaels lost his smile.

For the longest time, Vince McMahon was made to be seen as a friendly commentator by the general public, despite being the main man in charge behind the scenes. By 1997, we started seeing signs of his eventual transformation into the Mr. McMahon character we have grown to love to hate. Whether it was through his interactions with Steve Austin or Bret Hart, we started seeing a different side of McMahon. Fast-forward to Survivor Series 1997, and the main event is scheduled to be WWF Champion Bret Hart defending against his fierce rival Shawn Michaels. The match plays out pretty normally, until the finish when Hart loses via submission despite never tapping. He looks around with a betrayed look in his eyes, and proceeds to spit in McMahon’s face. Ohhh crap, it’s on! The next night on Raw, McMahon drops the infamous “Bret screwed Bret” line in a serious sit-down interview setting. Many fans argue over what one singular moment turned McMahon into Mr. McMahon, but for me, it was that promo. Fans never saw him in the same light again, and his classic program with Austin only continued to intensify until it garnered them their first ratings victory over Nitro just a few months later.

Both events have been highly critiqued and talked about amongst wrestling fans, and it never fails to amaze me how things turned out. Triple H was a rising star in the company and was set to win the King of the Ring tournament in 1996. Unfortunately for him, he was left taking the majority of the punishment following the Curtain Call incident where he and fellow Klique members Shawn Michaels, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall broke kayfabe by celebrating in the ring at a house show in Madison Square Garden. It was seen as disrespectful to the company considering their supposed heel/face characters would never do such a thing, and Hall and Nash were leaving for the competition. It worked out well for Steve Austin though, as he was rebooked to win the KotR tournament, letting his real personality finally shine through with his “Austin 3:16 says I just whooped your ass” post-match promo. While HHH would eventually win the following year’s tournament, his blunder in 1996 allowed Austin to get his groundbreaking character off the ground. It is, in my opinion, the most interesting cause and effect relationship in wrestling.

I am especially excited this week to see what you guys come up with. These were the ten I came up with, but there are obviously a lot more out there. Share them!