*Remembering RAW: The ECW Invasion

Oh, what could have been...

Photo courtesy of http://camelclutchblog.com

For me, it was a clear choice for my top Raw moment. In the 1000 episodes that have gone to air, there was no other instance that stuck out more for me. Not many things give me goosebumps these days, but I re-watched it and had them for over 5 minutes. Let’s jump in our imaginary Delorian and go back to 2001, to the days where Raw could not be missed.

The WWE had recently acquired rival promotion WCW, and the "Invasion" angle was just picking up steam. At that same time, ECW was sadly bankrupt. They, too, were quietly purchased by the wrestling conglomerate, and their talent was spread through WCW and WWE. In a main event that saw Jericho & Kane facing off against Lance Storm and Mike Awesome, out from the crowd ran two notorious ECW alumni, The Whole F’n Show Rob Van Dam and Tommy Dreamer. I immediately got excited that 2 of my favourites were now clearly part of WWE and making a huge impact. I picked up the phone and made sure my friend, fellow Good Hustle writer Collin Van Ooyen, was watching too. It was the only time in two decades of fandom that I felt obliged to make sure others were enjoying this glory along with me. With excitement typically reserved for Christmas morning, the night kept getting better.

Rob Van Dam with a young Jerome Power (left), & Collin Van Ooyen

What initially  appeared to be the WWE coming to defend their comrades was actually a stable of ECW wrestlers who all turned at the same time and delivered a beat down to the two WWE guys (granted, Jericho should have been aligned with them as well considering his significant contribution to ECW, and later WCW, but that’s another story). Then, with Paul Heyman throwing down his commentating headset, we got his signature catch phrase that “This invasion has just been taken to the EXTREME” as RAW went off the air.

I was fortunate enough to follow ECW through many of their ups and downs. Through their breakthrough onto television and pay per view all the way to their final show. Collin and I were lucky enough to see the only ECW show ever held on Canadian soil when they made their way north of the border to Mississauga for a TV taping. We even got close enough to dab our ticket stubs in the blood of Steve Corino (our request to take home pieces of the broken table were denied by security). When ECW died, my love of wrestling started to die with it. Gone were the days of choices, options and variety. Now, you either like what Vince is feeding you or you've stopped watching altogether.

Jerome & Tommy Dreamer

The amount of excitement I had diminished week after week, much like my interest in what was then the only game in town. The egos in charge of the creative department killed the angle in only a few short weeks. What could have provided months, even years, of entertainment came and went faster than the XFL. Almost every one of the members of the "Invasion" were either written off television or became permanent curtain-jerkers or jobbers. Guys like Diamond Dallas Page, Buff Bagwell & Scott Steiner had one big run against a top guy and then disappeared. They couldn't get the likes of Goldberg or Sting to be part of the initial invasion, which might have been for the best considering the glut of wrestlers who were being booked at the time.

It wasn’t until 2005 that I became interested in the product again, when they decided to resurrect ECW for “One Night Stand”, which for me is the single greatest PPV they have ever done, and the only one I have revisited. It had everything that made ECW great - small and intimate venue at the Hammerstein Ballroom, hardcore matches, tables and all-around great wrestling from the entire roster. Hearing Joey Styles call the whole Pay Per View and listening to Paul Heyman shoot on the WWE guys in attendance made it that much better, because you could tell he was shooting straight from the heart. Most of all, hearing the fans at the show made me feel like I was at the live show at the Hersey Center all over again. Chants like "Holy Sh*t!" and "You f*cked up!" have become staples of the industry thanks to the fans, who became as big a part of the live shows as the wrestlers themselves.

Jerome (left), Rhino & Collin

Oh, what wonderful things could have been had it been in the right hands. Unfortunately I sit here now, watching videos from 10 years ago in a nostalgic trance, thinking about the good ol' days. Days that today's wrestling fans sadly know little about.

WWF - Raw 2001 - ECW joins the Invasion by JoCrazy

*Remembering RAW: The Animal Rises

(photo courtesy of ortoneclipse.blogspot.ca)

Monday Night Raw has been around since 1993, so naturally it’s tough to pinpoint my favourite Raw moment. As a kid, and even now as I get older I’ve made it a habit to root for the underdogs. I began watching the WWE in a serious fashion a few weeks after WrestleMania 20. Immediately, one group stood out to me, and that group was Evolution. Led by legendary grapplers Triple H and Ric Flair, and rounded out by up-and-comers Randy Orton and Dave Batista, they were the top dogs in the business. They were the untouchables and no one could hold a candle to 'em.

(photo courtesy of wrestling-match.com)

For months Evolution lived up to their reputation, capturing title after title and taking out some of the biggest names in the WWE. At one point, each member of the super stable held a title: Orton the Intercontinental belt, Flair & Batista the Tag Team Titles and Triple H the World Heavyweight Championship. It seemed as though this domination would last forever.

(photo courtesy of dvd4arab.maktoob.com)

That would not be the case. Cracks began to show in 2004 when Orton captured the World Championship in a tough battle with the late Chris Benoit at that year’s Summerslam. On Raw the following evening he was viciously assaulted by his supposed “friends” and kicked out of the group. The line in the sand was drawn; Triple H was the leader and was not meant to be crossed. Orton and his former mentor feuded for months, but Triple H finally recaptured what was his.

(photo courtesy of royalrumbler.wordpress.com)

More success for Evolution followed, as Batista won that year’s Royal Rumble. It was safe to say he would be facing the WWE Champion John Bradshaw Layfield at Wrestlemania, and not his leader Triple H. But on Monday, February 21^st 2005, Batista shocked the world by turning on The Game. In that moment, the notion of using my inside voice didn’t exist to me, as I ran upstairs to tell my mom that The Animal had finally gone to the good side!

(photo courtesy of bleacherreport.com)

This epic moment on Monday Night Raw would spawn one of the best feuds I have ever seen as a wrestling fan. Batista would go on to face Triple H for the title on "The Grandest Stage of Them All" and capture the gold, putting a smile on the faces of all the underdogs out there watching. Batista was no longer the little guy being told what to do by Triple H. The underdog had risen, and the powerhouse he went on to be for the next 5 years was born. And it all wouldn’t have been possible if it wasn’t for that incredible moment in Raw’s illustrious history.

-Raindrops

Chris Benoit: Tragedy Over Triumph

(photo courtesy of article.wn.com)

Four time Intercontinental Champion, Five time United States Champion & a World Championship. Those are just some of the accolades racked up by Chris Benoit throughout his 20+ year career in the squared circle. They’re certainly Hall of Fame worthy numbers, right? Although the legendary performer should be enshrined in WWE’s Hall, he will never be. By most, he will be remembered as a man that murdered his wife & son before taking his own life. The fact of the matter is he had the brain of an 80-year-old with Alzheimer’s and should not be fully blamed for what he did. The man who won the Royal Rumble, as it’s number one entrant had a triumphant career, but his tragic end is something that will thwart his entrance into the WWE Hall of Fame, no matter how deserving he is.

-Raindrops

*Remembering RAW: The Debut of Chris Jericho

(photo courtesy of wwe.com)

As the shift in power in the Monday Night wrestling wars began to settle on the side of the WWE, Vince McMahon made a major signing that signified said shift to his competitor, and to the world. Chris Jericho was snatched up from WCW, and the wrestling world would never be the same.

Jericho made his name in WCW's cruiserweight division, but many felt that his abundant talents were being grossly underutilized. This was a condition typical of many wrestlers working for Ted Turner at the time; there was just too many guys on the roster to give everybody their fair shake (see Chris Benoit & Eddie Guerrerro).

In the WWE, Jericho would be catapulted directly into a feud with the promotion's all-time most popular character, The Rock, and would go on to also become one of the greatest WWE superstars in his own right.

On that historic night, Jerichoholics were treated to the culmination of a weeks long "countdown to the millennium", which happened abruptly in the middle of an always classic Rock promo. Jericho was met with a massive ovation, which continued even as he berated fans and the WWE itself. His promos were just that good.

Jericho claimed to be wrestling's "most charismatic showman", and that assertion was not speaking out of school; he went on to become one of the most influential wrestlers of the 2000's. He would later become the WWE's first-ever undisputed champion, defeating both The Rock, and Stone Cold Steve Austin in the same match to unify both World Championships, his first of a total six World Championship reigns. He's also held the WWE Intercontinental Championship a record nine times, and now sits second on this list of all-time Monday Night Raw appearances.

(photo courtesy of tpww.net)

At the time of Chris Jericho's jump to WWE, he was one of WCW's most recognizable faces, with his untouchable microphone skills, hilarious gimmicks (such as the classic Jericho Personal Security guard angle with "Ralphus"), and sharp, stiff, and creative in-ring skills to boot. Jericho's jump solidified the evident WWE victory of the Monday Night Wars, as they had not lost to WCW's Monday Nitro in months, and were progressively pulling away in the ratings.

As significant an event as his debut was to the world of wrestling, it was especially significant in my young adolescent eyes. At that time I was a massive wrestling fan, and an avid Jerichoholic. While I may not watch wrestling with the same wide-eyed enthusiasm as i once did, events like RAW's 1000th episode offer fans like me a chance to relive those classic an nostalgic moments that had such a resonating effect on my youth.

Pro Wrestling: Who Cares?

(Photo courtesy of OnlineWorldOfWrestling.com)

If you’re anything like me, or most of the Hustlers, you grew up during the peak of pro wrestling. Monday Night Wars and good old-fashioned rasslin'. 

Since WWE bought out their competition (TNA isn’t legit competition), it’s been a steady decline right into the shittah. Targeting violence to kids is unethical, but at least when we watched it wasn't so blatant. 

I've peeked in on programming and noticed they’re bringing back stars from the glory days, only to find that we’re long gone. Maybe, if there was choice for those who used to watch, they wouldn't have lost so many of us.

That’s what made wrestling so great. Liked the violence: ECW. Fan of the classics? WCW. Enjoy a bit of both? WWE. Now you’re force-fed whatever Vince wants you to eat. I lost my appetite a long time ago.