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/wrestling /guests /Burkett |
| Guest Columns | Eddie Burkett |
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EDDIE-torial It Can Happen, and it Will I still feel alone, but I don't feel as lonely. I mean, Ron Kuby's still on sabbatical, but hey, at least one person agrees with me that HHH can handle the main event of Summerslam. So now I'm not alone, but I'm in the minority. But I have this driving need to feel alone, and therefore, I have this driving need to believe what several people consider laughable. Not only do I think HHH deserves to face Austin at Summerslam, but I think HHH is going to walk away from Summerslam with the strap. And dammit, you should too! The key to my assertion that Helmsley relies upon the fact that there are two kinds of champions: those who require a supporting cast to help him win or retain his title, and those who go it alone. I think the title reigns of the Rock, Triple H, and Shane McMahon exemplify the former type of champ, while Austin is the prime example of the latter. Helmsley is in transition from one to the other, and that is the proverbial writing on the wall. A year ago, Helmsley claimed the IC belt as his own in a Summerslam ladder match against the Rock. It was a superb match, but the ending left a bit of a bad taste in my mouth, as the move which put the Rock down long enough for Helmsley to climb the people's ladder to greatness was a low blow from Chyna. Before that, the Rock had held the IC strap through careful intervention from the Nation. It was even such Nation-al intervention that gave Helmsley's European championship to D-Lo Brown (thus forcing D-Lo to move to Finland). And as the heavyweight champ, the Rock utilized corporate membership to its fullest, as interference from the likes of Test, Kane, the Big Show, and the rest of McMahon's roster ensured that the Rock would be the man to job to Austin at Wrestlemania. And at Wrestlemania, Shane McMahon demonstrated once again that being the owner's son means you'll always have enough friends to stop your opponent (even if its means you have to buy your opponent's friends to win) The common strategy employed here is that so long as you have more people than you are facing, you will win. And it's hard to argue with results. But everyone so often, a wrestler comes along who is so powerful, so charismatic, so over with the fans that no matter how many people you have fighting for you, he's gonna win. Ladies and Gentleman, I give you Steve Austin. Steve Austin has a record of going up against large groups of people and coming out better for it. He single-handedly squared off against the Hart Foundation, only reluctantly teaming with others who found them opposing the terror that is Canada. He then faced the Rock (still allied with the Nation), and managed to take his IC strap, only to give it back to him later. He feuded with the ENTIRE WWF roster and won at the 1998 Royal Rumble, and faced off against the team of DX and Tyson at Wrestlemania XIV. Then he pissed off Vince McMahon, and has had the corporation breathing down his back ever since. And through it all, Austin continues to come out on top. Flipping birds at any who offer, and chanting his mantra of "DTA, you stupid piece of trash," Austin has never needed outside assistance to gain the WWF title. Austin is the only man in recent memory to claim the WWF title on his own. (Excluding perhaps Mankind at Halftime Heat, but he did use a forklift.) The few times he did lose the title, it was always in the face of true evil. The Undertaker gave the title to Kane with a chairshot at the 98 KotR, pinned Austin with Kane at Breakdown, and got a quick three count on Austin at Over the Edge. But it makes sense that after faithfully serving McMahon for almost 10 years, good ol' UT would be given the distinction of the one person to take the title from Austin on multiple occasions. And, after those 10 years of establishing himself as a championship big man, its understandable that even Austin couldn't overcome the odds to beat the Undertaker every time. But remember, in a clean, straight match, Austin did beat UT at last year's Summerslam. The whole reason for this is that it builds Austin up as incredible and unstoppable. It's almost impossible to beat him, and that's when the cards are stacked against him. No matter how many guys you throw at him, he'll dispose of them and still have a stunner left for you. This strategy of sending Austin up against large groups is what has made him so over. Flat out: Austin kicks ass. And its the same strategy WCW used to make Sting to huge during his 15 month wrestling hiatus. Every night, he would drop down and clear the ring. It didn't matter who was there; the nWo always got trounced by the black avenger. The ability to beat so many people at once elevates the person to super-hero status, and leaves us wanting to watch them kick more ass. The only problem with this strategy is that once you take a person out of his group, he can't win. Look at the Rock. Ever since he turned face, he's been stuck facing allied heels, and always gets screwed. Triple H costs the Rock a title match with UT during KotR, so the Rock faces HHH at Fully Loaded. Billy Gunn and Chyna cost the Rock the match at Fully Loaded, so now he's gonna face Billy Gunn at Summerslam. Chyna's probably gonna cost him the match at Summerslam, and the Rock will not get a victory again. Granted, I believe this is him paying for his championships earlier this year, and that the millions and millions of the Rock's fans will see him with the strap some day down the line, but not for a while. Right now, it's Triple H's time. Helmsley has lately been disassociating himself from Chyna, and establishing himself as a wrestler on his own, like Austin. Even on Monday night, he ran down, and in the middle of that great melee, he, like Austin, was able to hold his own and execute his finishing move. Up till now, Austin has faced large groups and incredible odds. For the first time in recent memory, the cards are actually stacked IN Austin's favor. (How could Austin lose to a man who isn't even ready for main event status?) Which means that when Hunter Hearst Helmsley clearly pins Austin, without interference from others, he will become the first man to have beaten Austin on his own. And then he will be bigger than Austin. What we've seen thus far has been a lot of arch-enemies for Austin, in terms of the Undertaker and the Rock, but no opponent has really established himself as a nemesis, save for maybe Mr. McMahon, who isn't really a wrestler. If Triple H defeats Austin alone, it will be Austin's greatest loss ever, and spark a rivalry between the two men not seen before. The World Wrestling Federation will change at Summerslam if that happens, and Austin will no longer be the unbeatable god he has been. And those changes are why I expect HHH to pin Austin. That's why I foresee Summerslam as becoming Hunter Hearst Helmsley's time. So come Monday, August 23, either I will stand vindicated, proven right as Helmsley walks down the ramp to open Raw, and proclaim how everyone is on his time (and his time is hard ti - oh wait - that guy sucks), or Austin will will walk down the ramp, and climb all four turnbuckles, and give the finger not just to the crowd, not just to the camera, but to me, for being the stupidest man on the earth to think that he could ever legitimately lose the title. Or Helmsley could just come out and bash me in with a sledgehammer. Eddie Burkett freelance Mail the Author |
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