Apologies for not getting this up last night. I had to go to a viewing and then you know, LOST was on (and to a much lesser extent, V's season finale). Pretty hectic night for me, plus, there was no real confirmation on those TNA cuts that were rumored to be starting yesterday. I'm wondering if some of these wrestling "news" sites just took a throwaway comment in the F4W site and embellished, but then again, who knows.Anyway, speaking of LOST, the series finale is coming up Sunday, and while you can expect a This Week in Off-Topic next week completely reviewing the episode and the impact the series has had on me as a viewer, well, this week, in preparation, it'll be another six pack with a tie-in, if only tangential. All anyone wants for the finale is for there to be a satisfying resolution. Wrestling is a sport that has been littered with unsatisfying resolutions throughout its history. From the Higher Power being Vince McMahon to the nWo angle ending with a whimper rather than a bang, from big things like the InVasion angle being a giant masturbatory exercise for Vince to the little-in-comparison things like Chris Jericho's big title win on RAW being reversed and then having him be buried in the main event, you kinda get the picture. Here are six resolutions that bucked the trend and gave wrestling fans something satisfying.
1. Macho and Liz, reunited!
The seeds for this reunion were planted at that infamous Saturday Night's Main Event before WrestleMania V where the MegaPowers ASPLODE'D~! Macho Man had turned into a full-on heel Macho King, ditched his lovely, girl-next-door sweetheart Elizabeth for the shrill and evil Sensational Sherri Martel. The MACHO MADNESS had gone to the head of Savage enough that he put his career on the line against the Ultimate Warrior at WrestleMania VII. With Liz in the crowd, anxiously watching, Warrior stared into his hands for a good five minutes, ate like five or six flying elbow drops, no sold them all and "ended" the Macho King's career. A not-too-happy Sherri berated Savage for losing and costing her a meal ticket. Liz had had enough, bolted out of the crowd and made the LA Sports Coliseum nearly explode from the pop the crowd had unleashed, the kind of pop you could only get in the old days after years of Macho's betrayal and heel turn getting under the skins of fans who just wanted to cheer him and see him happily strut to the ring with Liz by his side. I remember being moved so much by the aftermath of that match that I shed a tear. One of my best wrestling memories ever.
2. Guerrero and Benoit's WrestleMania moment
This moment has no doubt been tainted in the years that followed. He Who Shall Not Be Named took his legacy down in a blaze of murderous rage, and there are many fans who still refuse to forgive him. Hell, I'm partially in that boat myself. However, there's no denying that the moment he had with his friend at the end of WrestleMania XX, the two career yeomen, finally achieving the pinnacles in their respective careers. It was the ultimate satisfaction for the legions of fans who followed their careers from day one.
3. The Desperado gets one last run into the sunset
Say what you want about Terry Funk's run to the ECW Championship, but it was what the doctor ordered for fans who wanted a bit of sentimentality and nostalgia to go with their blood, guts and Taz-induced mayhem. Fighting against the odds and looking to dethrone Raven from the death grip he held on the ECW title, Funk bested Sandman and Stevie Richards in a grueling three-way dance before overcoming the odds and popping the ECW Arena with a feel-good title win to close the company's first foray into PPV.
4. Bret Hart's ultimate journey back to the WWF Championship
The Hitman didn't get a monster push into the World Championship like the Ultimate Warrior did a few years prior and like Sheamus would get decades later. He defeated Ric Flair at a house show in Saskatoon with very little fanfare months after doing a high-profile job to the British Bulldog at SummerSlam in London. He'd have a few notable title defenses before losing the strap to Yokozuna at WrestleMania IX. From there, he spent the year trying to get back to the WWF Championship, fighting obstacles from Jerry Lawler, his own brother Owen and 28 other men in the Royal Rumble before he and Lex Luger made final eliminations on each other. With the waters muddied, it was declared both men would enter WrestleMania X as number one contenders against Yokozuna in a mini-tournament (in the days before the three-way dance). Hart would have to face off against his brother in the opener so that he'd have two matches to match his opponent in the main event. Yokozuna defeated Luger, and then Hart, after losing to his brother and having his entire journey back to the gold come into jeopardy. However, when he
Bret did not beat Yokozuna with the sharpshooter. He went off the top rope, Yoko caught him and belly - to - belly suplexed him, and dragged him to the corner for the Banzai. Yoko then lost his balance and fell backwards, Bret moved out of the way, hooked his leg, and got the three.People say it was a down time in the business, but judging from the reaction at Madison Square Garden, you wouldn't have known it.
5. D'Lo Brown and Glacier pay the UnStable back in spades
Ah yes, a little Chikara thrown in for good measure. Vin Gerard, STIGMA and Colin Delaney, known collectively as the UnStable, had been making life miserable for D'Lo Brown and Glacier every time they stepped into the fed to make a guest appearance. Not only did they defeat them in the ring, but they kept harassing them and insulting them out of it. Finally, things came to a head at Aniversario Yang, when D'Lo and Glacier took on Delaney and Gerard. At the end, it would be the visitors who got the last laugh, as D'Lo locked Delaney into the Chikara Special and Glacier took out Gerard with a Cryonic Kick. The stable that everyone loved to hate got their comeuppance and got it good.
6. Mickie James shoves Michelle McCool's face into cake
Yeah, we all now know that Mickie James was fired and subjected to the Piggie James angle because she was a nightmare backstage and because she tried to hit on a married man in John Cena and basically holding up transportation during the European tour with her real-life diva attitudes. Still, that doesn't make said angle any less disgusting a promtional tactic, if only because it sent the wrong message to girls everywhere. I.E. anorexia's good, gals! That's what made the blowoff to the feud between Team Lay-Cool and Mickie at the Royal Rumble this year so satisfying. Mickie basically squashed McCool and shoved her and Layla's faces into a heap of cake.
Remember you can contact TH and ask him questions about wrestling, life or anything else. Please refer to this post for contact information. He always takes questions!
