Most Underrated 00's

[goc]

The reason I really don't buy it is that it felt like they did next to nothing with Chavo during that time period. It felt like he could have at least had a good babyface run with the U.S./I.C. title at the time but the crowd reaction he was getting never seemed to materialize into a push.

[Mr Wrestling X]

I don't buy the story.

Nobody does, nor was I expecting anybody to do so. I just thought I'd throw it out there, since it's a rumour that I have come across from time to time.

 

Another thing. Didn't Meltzer at the time report that Randy Orton was scheduled to win the world title at WrestleMania 22 and the only reason Rey got the title was cause of Orton's unprofessional conduct? Right afterwards, Orton put Rey over again on TV and left for his 60 day suspension. Since that time, this "Orton originally scheduled to win the title" narrative hasn't really been mentioned and most just talk about Rey winning the title due to Eddy Guerrero's death.

I've heard something like this too, although in at least one version I heard that Orton was to be the champion going in to Wrestlemania 22. One of the former booking team (I believe it was Dave Lagana) had said that they were pushing for Angle to defeat Cena for the WWE Championship in autumn/winter 05, with the idea that Angle would go into Wrestlemania as champion and defend against Cena, Triple H or Undertaker. This plans all went out the window when Batista went out due to the injury, and the WHC was vacated. Yes, some have interpreted Stephanie McMahon's comments on the death of Eddy Guerrero, as proof that he was going to go over Batista and win the WHC. I don't buy this scenario, because they were ridiculously high on Batista at the time, and he would have probably gone to Wrestlemania as champion, had he not gone out with injury. Presumably, Orton would then win the Royal Rumble and go on to face Batista for the title at Wrestlemania.

 

Of course, none of that factors in Edge's MITB shot, which had to be claimed before (or at) Wrestlemania 22. So you have to imagine that Edge would take one of the titles at New Year's Revolution (or Royal Rumble?) and the former champion would regain it before Wrestlemania 22.

[ohtani's jacket]

After watching the excellent Virus/Fuego title match, I think the answer to this is Virus.

[Dylan Waco]

After watching the excellent Virus/Fuego title match, I think the answer to this is Virus.

I mentioned him to Loss as a possibility last night. Seems really likely to me just based on the handful of stuff I've seen

[Slasher]

The only thing that gives the Chavo story any credibility is the fact Rey was booked so godawfully bad after winning the title. Very much so presented as undeserving and only winning title matches by flukes while getting destroyed every way otherwise. I can imagine this being what they intended a world champion Chavo to look like. Then again, the WWE is run by idiots who has an obvious grudge against Rey, so yeah not buying it either.

[Johnny Sorrow]

According to Bauer, or one of the ex writers I heard on an Alverez show, Vince was going back and forth on putting the belt on Rey all the way up to showtime at that Mania. And since he's been champ 2 more times since then, sells a ton of merch, and is an actual draw...the idea that Vince has a grudge against him seems kinda off.

[FLIK]

Never heard the Chavo story either

 

. Very much so presented as undeserving and only winning title matches by flukes while getting destroyed every way otherwise. I can imagine this being what they intended a world champion Chavo to look like.

From the stories Court Bauer, Lagana & other former creative team members who were around at the time have said, Rey's run with the title was something Vince had to be dragged kicking & screaming into agreeing to, then when he got it Vince couldn't wait to take it off him and would constantly remind creative that he was loosing it soon and would nix any ideas brought up to keep him strong which most of the ppl on creative wanted to do.

[FLIK]

And since he's been champ 2 more times since then, sells a ton of merch, and is an actual draw...the idea that Vince has a grudge against him seems kinda off.

Wasn't so much that Vince had a grudge or hated him, he just didn't see him as credible in the role.

 

His 2nd world title run didn't come until 4 years later and lasted less then a month, his 3rd they wouldn't even let him have it a day and he lost it later on in the same show he won it on to Cena.

[Slasher]

I don't even recall his second reign and I am completely no-selling the third. It was pretty obvious they did not want to have Cena run through a tournament and win the belt back as if nothing happened. Would have reinforced Punk's issue with Cena and the WWE didn't want to do that. Plus it gave them an excuse to blow through a money Cena/Rey match on free TV...

[EricR]

Virus is a great answer. I wrote up some November CMLL stuff at Segunda Caida and a lot of what I said about Virus holds true as far as being the best answer for this thread:

 

 

Virus/Misterioso Jr./Sangre Azteca vs. Stuka Jr./Triton/Sagrado

 

Misterioso is completely tassel free, which quite frankly is bullshit. I watched this match with my buddy Charlie who has an occasional drunk interest in wrestling, but basically zero lucha knowledge. After 4 seconds he was already on the Virus bandwagon. This guy has really put together quite a spectacular career and it feels like he still doesn't get talked about enough. The first time I remember seeing him was a singles match vs. Oriental, and that was when I was in high school (Jesus, I graduated in 1998. Was it really that long ago!?) and I was hooked from that match. I can't think of too many workers who have been as consistently excellent from my late teens into my early 30s as Virus has. This match itself wasn't spectacular in any way, but just had enough little Virus moments that made me realize how lucky we are to have so much of his career exist on tape. Too many luchadors go unrealized by the masses until it's too late in their careers. How many amazing 80s Toro Bill matches must have happened? How many bloody Puebla brawls was that guy a part of? And all we have to prove his existence are maybe 10 trios matches while he was in his late 40s. But Virus has spent almost his whole career working on television, and that's a special thing.

[Dylan Waco]

The third reign is hilarious because it made Cena look like the biggest piece of shit on Earth, to the point where it totally killed the Cena character dead forever with my daughter.

[Slasher]

The third reign is hilarious because it made Cena look like the biggest piece of shit on Earth, to the point where it totally killed the Cena character dead forever with my daughter.

Not a big proponent of the whole "heel turn for Cena" movement, but if they were ever going to do it, that night or immediately after was the perfect time to do it.

[Mr Wrestling X]

The "2 WWE Champions" thing was messy. Personally, I don't recognise either Mysterio's or Cena's reigns, since Punk was WWE Champion and he was never stripped of the title belt. WWE really screwed that up. The other "title" was meaningless, a half-assed attempt at trying to give one guy something of a rub (it was reported in places that Mysterio was unhappy at a couple of points in 2011, I wonder how he felt about getting a one hour WWE title reign?), whilst giving CM Punk a storyline reason to come back - "But I'm the champ, how dare he claim that he is!" That didn't actually come across all that well in hindsight, since nobody believed that Punk was actually gone for good. The icing on the cake was getting the fake title on Cena, which as others have point out, made Cena look like a complete asshole.

 

Even though it's a bit sucky, I would have booked it like this.

 

- Vince McMahon, infuriated, officially strips Punk of the WWE Championship and a tournament to crown the next WWE Champion is slated. They could debut a new belt, which shouldn't be a problem, since in storyline, the spinner actually belongs to John Cena.

- Both Mysterio and Cena make it to the finals of the tournament, with Cena going over to become the new WWE Champion.

- Punk returns with the spinner belt and faces off with Cena in the ring.

- Punk announces the following week that Triple H, at the behest of the WWE board of directors, came begging to his door and pleaded him to sign a new contract. Punk gives his reasons for signing the new contract and officially voices his dispute of Cena as the champion.

- Vince is relieved of his duties, as per before. Triple H's first task as COO is to announce a match at Summerslam, between Cena and CM Punk for the WWE Championship, commenting that whilst it's not entirely fair that CM Punk was stripped off the WWE Championship, it was good for business, given the uncertainty created when Punk left (this was further hint at disdain between the two men). Punk says that he'll win the WWE Championship that should never have been taken from him, and he then proceeds to dump or destroy the spinner belt, noting that it's a symbol of Cena being the golden boy and that he won't stand for it.

- At Summerslam, Triple H inadvertanly (at least it seems this way at the time) counts to 3 as Cena pins Punk (who has his foot/hand on the ropes). Punk and Triple H have a shoving match, followed by Cena pulling Triple H back and out of the ring. A masked man (doesn't have to be Nash) runs into the ring with a sledgehammer and proceeds to deck CM Punk, Cena tries to make the save but gets nailed too. Alberto Del Rio then runs in, cashes in his MITB contract, and pins Cena to become the new WWE Champion. As all this goes on, Triple H just stands there, apparently bewildered at what's taking place.

 

From here you could continue as normal, or go a number of different paths that result in Triple H turning heel and leading to a match against CM Punk, or remaining face and confronting the masked man (who doesn't have to be Kevin Nash!) who has been trying to force Trips out (at the behest of Vince perhaps?). Punk finally wins the WWE Championship from Del Rio (or Cena, depending on how things go) at Survivor Series, and the rest goes ahead as it already did.

[Mr Wrestling X]

As a thread has spun up about him, Christian is another one I consider to be highly underrated.

[tomk]

Chavo was working as Kerwin White at point Eddie died. No way do you push him into title from that.

 

One of the candidates for most underrated would be Lance Cade. He pretty much spent the entire decade in either developmentals or WWE syndicated shows and pretty consistently put out high end stuff that wouldn't look out of place on the main show. I want to say he had a blow off match with Chaz Taylor in Texas developmental; a match with Joey abbs and maybe one with former Mike Maverick in Memphis; there were points in HWA developmental where he was so commited to working a Barry Windham tribute gimmick (which is a ridiculous style to work if you're looking to work in the WWF) that it was distracting but had some strong matches there and in OVW; Cade and Jindrak have a series of tags opposite Lance Storm/Val Venis, Hurricane/Rosey and Dudleys as well as a bunch of singles on Heat;Cade and Murdoch have a series of matches on Heat they split up Cade gets a Heat singles push, they get back together and have another series of meatches on Heat, he's released has a couple Hustle matches and then passes away. It would be pretty easy to put it all together but noone is going to.

[Cox]

I always wondered why Cade never got a chance. He had the height they wanted and was a good worker. He was not a good promo, but they gave more chances to guys who weren't any better on promos but worse in the ring because they were tall and had a good body, so I wonder why Cade never really went anywhere.

[Loss]

He had a lot of personal issues, and I think WWE felt he should have come out of the Jericho/Michaels feud a star, though he didn't.