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| AVFR #26: The Great Escape From Hades; A View From the Rafters, 2004 | |
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| Topic Started: Oct 11 2009, 07:30 PM (25 Views) | |
| Stinger | Oct 11 2009, 07:30 PM Post #1 |
To me, to be a conservative means to conserve the good parts of America and to conserve our Constitution.
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 The Great Escape From Hades! In A View From the Rafters XIV, we took a look at three wrestlers who are suffering “the torment of Tantalus” in “Hades”. With this edition, we will continue to view this “torment of Tantalus”, though this time it’s a little different. How’s it different? Good question, let me explain. In “The Torment of Tantalus”, I touched on three wrestlers who are essentially suffering from “world title tormentation”. Kane, Raven, and Hardcore Holly are those three men. With this, “The Great Escape From Hades”, we keep in tune with “The Torment of Tantalus”, but we go more in depth, or deeper in Hades. I will not reference Tantalus in this, maybe once, as all of these men were tormented by the World title, though that is not the only thing they escaped Hades from. But, we need to learn more about this. Now, If you’re not familiar with Greek Mythology, you might be asking what is Hades? Well, Hades is the Greek Underworld, which ironically enough is ruled by Hades (ruler of the dead). Pretty much, it’s what we call Hell, only not as bad. The region of Hades that we are exploring today, are the many myriad rivers that run though Hades. These rivers each have names that hold a special symbolic meaning. We will touch on four rivers, and the wrestler who made his escape from this part of Hades. So without further ado, I give you all The Great Escape From Hades! Acheron Chris Jericho The first river that we come to in Hades, is Acheron. Acheron is known as the river of sadness, and even though Jericho escaped from this spot, part of him remains here. After being terribly misused and underrated by WCW, Chris Jericho jumped to the WWE in 1999. He quickly made a name for himself, by erupting a feud with The Rock, a feud that didn’t go anywhere. In early 2000, Jericho had gotten over as a baby face, and defeated Triple H to win the WWE Championship on a edition of Monday Night Raw. The title was handed back to Triple H directly after, as Earl Hebner reversed his decision. His torment had began. A few other title shots resulted in loses for Jericho, who became labeled as the guy who couldn’t win the big one. There seemed to be little hope for Jericho, as he was drowning in the river of sadness. But before anyone knew what was happening, the gods pulled Jericho’s body out of Acheron, but left his soul to be pulled out another time. It was at No Mercy 2001, Chris Jericho’s torment came to an end, when he defeated The Rock to win the WCW (World) Championship. Jericho was riding high, all the way to Vengeance 2001, where he defeated both The Rock and Steve Austin to become the first ever Undisputed WWE Champion. Both those victories came at the helms of interference and cheating. This would be the result of all Jericho title defense matches. It was quite clear, that Jericho was no longer being tormented by the Championship, though the remnants of Acheron were still there. Chris Jericho’s reign as champion is one that many consider to be quite sad. But there is hope… Jericho seems to be completely refreshed over the past year, and may very well be on his way to the championship. When he gets the title again, his reign will go down differently than last. Jericho made the escape from Hades in mind and body, and he is well on his way to escaping in spirit and legacy. Styx Mick Foley As we continue onward in our journey through the Underworld, we come to Styx. Styx is the famous river of hate, where Foley escaped from. The man known and loved the world over, first began his tormentation in WCW, where he (Cactus Jack) received numerous World Title shots. Headlining pay-per-views like Halloween Havoc 1993, Foley was defeated by Big Van Vader in a “Spin the Wheel, Make the Deal” Match. It was clear that one of the most dedicated and willing man in the business, would never become WCW champion. Cactus Jack packed his bags and went ECW, where he remained until 1996. Upon his WWE debut as the deranged Mankind, Foley was thrust into the spotlight, with such memorable feuds as with The Undertaker. But Foley’s tormentation would continue, as he received WWE Championship matches throughout 1996 and 1997. But in the year of Attitude, Mick Foley would have his day… Or would he? A ghost from Foley’s past came a calling on December 29, 1998. Mankind won the WWE Championship from The Rock on this historic RAW, and Foley broke free from the torment and escaped Hades. But his soul was pulled back down into Styx, by the ghost of the Foley past. With one simple little line by Tony Schiavone, Mick Foley’s accomplishment was tainted, in an act of hate and war. “We understand that Mick Foley, who wrestled here as Cactus Jack, is going to win their World Title…heh, that’ll put a lot butts in the seats.” Foley lost the title to The Rock at the Royal Rumble 1999. Mick Foley was able to break totally free from the river of hate (Styx) and break free of “the torment of Tantalus” when he defeated The Rock for the WWE Championship on January 26, 1999, and hasn’t been back to Hades since. Phlegethon Chris Benoit Our exploration leads us to Phlegethon, where Benoit was able to break his “torment of Tantalus”. Phlegethon is known as the river of fire. The rabid wolverine is perhaps the luckiest of all the wrestlers that were/are trapped in Hades. He is one of few to be in Phlegethon. Benoit’s case is slightly different that all the others, as he didn’t escape Hades, though he did end his torment and can leave whenever he so chooses too. Chris Benoit spent 1995-1999 in the hell hole known as “the WCW wing of Hades”, though he rest on the banks on Phlegethon. Benoit, like Jericho, was being terribly misused in WCW, due to the influence of the New World Order. After receiving few shots at the WCW Championship, and always losing, Benoit had had enough. So WCW management tried to use politics to please him, rewarding him with the WCW Championship at Souled Out 2000. Benoit gave the title back, and left for the WWE. After jumping ship to the WWE in January of 2000, Chris Benoit won the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Wrestlemania 2000, and was vying for the WWE Championship by the summer of 2000. Numerous title shots all resulted in the same ending, with Benoit losing the match. A neck injury in 2001, kept Benoit out of action for over a year. Benoit made his return to the WWE in 2002. After receiving a few more title shots at the end of 2002 and beginning of 2003, Benoit was still being tormented. But the fans were taking notice, and the WWE would soon take notice too. Chris Benoit won the Royal Rumble in 2004, and jumped ship to RAW the following night. This set up a huge Triple-Threat Match as the main-event of Wrestlemania, as Benoit would meet Shawn Michaels and the World Champion, Triple H. In the Match of the Year, Chris Benoit made Triple H tap out to the Crippler Crossface, cementing his spot as a World Champion. Benoit broke free of his World Title tormentation on that night, and could have left Hades. Benoit chose not to, as he is a part very few reside. Benoit brings a passion and intensity that rivals that of any other, and it is his home in Phlegethon, that continues to provide Benoit with his undying fire. Cocytus Shawn Michaels And our final stop on this voyage through the Underworld, brings us to the river of lamentation, Cocytus, where Shawn Michaels made his escape. Despite being the most over and popular guy in the WWE today, and arguably one of the greatest performers to ever grace a WWE ring, Shawn Michaels also had to overcome the “torment of Tantalus” and the overpowering grip of the Cocytus river. The river of lamentation, (grief) is a hell that Shawn Michaels caused other people, as this is the effect of being in this river. After splitting with Marty Jannetty in 1992, Shawn Michaels grew to become one of the most hated, yet respected, superstars in the WWE. The “Heartbreak Kid” received numerous WWE Championship matches between 1992-1996. Yet, Shawn Michaels never seemed to be able to win the big one. Even with being a member of the backstage power group (the Kliq), Shawn Michaels just could not win the WWE Championship. His tormentation stretches the greatest amount of time, and the most chances to win the title. Despite the odds, Michaels came back from an injury (suffered in 1995), Shawn Michaels won the 1996 Royal Rumble. The anticipation of the Wrestlemania XII main-event match between Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels, became even more when the match was announced to be a 60-Minute Iron Match. The world would finally get to witness the Survivor Series 1992 re-match, this time for a whole hour. When the match went to sudden-death, many figured (as did Bret) that Bret Hart would remain the WWE Champion via a draw. This would not be the case, as the match was restarted, and Shawn Michaels soon scored with Sweet Chin Music, and was able to make the cover. Michaels experienced his boyhood dream when referee Earl Hebner brought his hand down for the third time, declaring HBK the new WWE Heavyweight Champion. Shawn broke free of the torment, but was stuck in Cocytus because of the grief he caused others. After suffering there for many years, Shawn Michaels finally broke out of Hades and Cocytus when he became a born-again Christian. After being out of the ring for over four years, Shawn returned in 2002, and has been adding positively to his amazing legacy, and not even a trace of slipping back into the river of lamentation.  Deadly Venom with: adeaton and Morpheus (The Revolution) - Bret Screwed Bret? Stinger: Well first off guys, welcome to the Rafters. I’d like to thank you both for joining me here this evening. Now you both know why you’re here, to spew some ‘Deadly Venom’. I asked you guys to be the first guest in this new segment, so that we can continue a discussion that we touched on briefly in Halloween Havoc. Now then, was Vince’s decision to screw Bret Hart the RIGHT decision? Morpheus: I feel that is a very loaded question. Was it the right thing for Vince to do? Not as such, I don't think, but I do feel that something had to be done. adeaton: I think that it was good for the business in the short term (with the Attitude era and all) but in the long run, I think it will come back to bite Vince in the ass. Bret Hart has become one of my favourite wrestlers and I haven't even been watching all that long. I think that what Vince did was wrong, but for the right reasons. Stinger: Well then explain why it was wrong for Vince to do it? adeaton: See, I think that Vince shouldn't have screwed Bret because he dedicated so much of his life to Vince McMahon. However, if Vince hadn't gone ahead and screwed Bret, I think he would have never beaten WCW, as he wouldn't have been able to compete when they were spitting controversy left and right and he was being "nice." Morpheus: While I agree that he should've gone another route, I don't think the entire Attitude Era owes itself to the Montreal Screw-job, A. There were a hell of a lot more factors than nixing Bret that led to the company's success during that time. Stinger: Yeah, but Vince and the WWE gave so much to Bret, that when the time to leave came, Bret should have done what was asked of him, and not argue with it. adeaton: I agree that Bret should have dropped the title in Montreal, I mean it's nowhere near Calgary (unless you use King's geography) but considering how he went along with what Vince wanted the rest of the time, while others argued with him over his decisions, I think Bret deserved to leave in a friendly, peaceful manner. Stinger: Just because Bret was in his home country, does not mean he can't lose the title. People lose titles in their hometowns, Bret cried about going out on top. What wrestler wants to go out on top when leaving a promotion, especially when the company had given so much to him. Bret should have dropped the title, like was originally planned. Morpheus: You know what? Both of you are right, to a degree. Bret should've been a fucking man and had the balls to step up and lose the strap in his home turf for the good of the company that made him. Vince should not have been such a magnanimous bastard as to pull the rug out from under a veritable legend who made him a lot of money. People say Vince screwed Bret, people say Bret screwed Bret. Fact of the matter is they both fuckeded each other. Stinger: Well Vince should have never even told Bret he would change the ending of the match, he should have just said you're losing the title, and that's final. I don't say Vince screwed Bret, I do believe Bret screwed Bret. adeaton: I agree with both of those points, and yet I disagree with both as well many wrestlers before him have protested against losing their title, yet for some reason they were allowed to get away with it. In Bret's situation, Vince lied to him about the finish and did what he wanted to do. I think that they should have gone with a PLANNED screw-job ending, so that it looks controversial, but no one's feelings are really hurt. Morpheus: You know what the big difference is? Most of those wrestlers weren’t jumping ship to another company for more money. Case closed. Stinger: Exactly M. Bret was leaving, dropping the title to Shawn was the right thing to do, to bad Bret couldn't let his ego slip on that one. adeaton: Well, I disagree with you guys on a lot of the points made. Although I wonder, if it had been someone other than Bret Hart, I may not give a damn what happened to them. I suppose its my Canadian urge to support Canadian wrestlers or something.... Morpheus: fucking Canehdians... Stinger: I hate to cut you both off, but we are out of time. I'd like to thank you both for joining me here today. For Deadly Venom, I'm Stinger saying good night, and oh yes Bret Screwed Bret.  And we have reached the end of what was probably the most fun column to write. Long it was, but I don’t care. I sat down and I just wrote, and wrote, and wrote. I poked fun at so much stuff in this column, hopefully I didn’t make it too obvious though. And remember, go ahead and email me or send a private message (do not say it in the feedback), if you would like to be a guest in the ‘Deadly Venom’ segment. I need to get those in quick, so I can get in touch with you. Well hell, we are officially out of time now. I am Stinger, and I am on my way back up to my rafters. We hope you enjoyed this edition of the number one news program. This is Stinger signing out for A View From the Rafters. Be sure to tune in next time to A View From the Rafters XVII: One More Time? - Stinger Written in 2004 |
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