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AMV: #155: Bad Blood 2004 - Point OTC: Smackdown Grades for 06/10/04 The World's Greatest PPV Preview: Bad Blood '04 RRC: 06/07/04 FLOM: Round Two
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Solstice Scriptures: #93: Relatively Combustible Chemistry
by: Marcus Madison on: 6/12/2004 11:24 pm est  Can you believe it took a Doctor to make something this killer? BAM To ever action there is an equal and even opposite reaction. That is what is said about several things but it seems to happen a great deal when it comes to wrestling. When we combine certain elements in wrestling and combining family members it seems that something is about to give. There could be just two different opposites that are just unable to work together but a number of times when two members argue we witness an eruption. Now there isn't exactly sulphur or highly toxic chemicals that end up killing each of the participants but there does seem to be a quality that runs through a number of family feuds over recent memory. When it does give the result is usually an explosion. Where exactly do we begin? We have feuding cousins, feuding brothers, a family that can never seem to get along, a feuding uncle and nephew and some of them aren't even really related. But for all intents and purposes they are going to be explored because nothing quite says love like fake hate. It's common practice that wrestling tag teams that consist of brothers either real or not have this way of arguing over the pettiest of things. Jealousy? Who's better? More talented? Mom loved you more and who got the hotter dates in high school? That last one hasn't been mentioned but gives it time anything is possible. The problem with all of these is that while it has been done over and over again it never seizes to amaze how while some are more effective and come across better others don't. Danger: Must contain fake jealousy When families have differences sometimes jealousy rears its ugly head. In fact it is understandable that siblings will quarrel and accuse each other of favouritism. It happens in most families. Siblings argue over everything and anything and are jealous of the other regardless of what the circumstance is. These things are a part of growing up; they are a part of life. The wrestling world realises this and manages to take that part of realism but in the process manage to go so over the top with this so that the result is volatile. We have feuds that change the complexity of a relationship from allies to bitter enemies almost in an instant. While in real-life these wrestling siblings have probably had their disagreements growing up it is their wrestling rivalries that are built on trust. There has to be some cohesion between these brothers and/or brothers and sisters in order for these feuds to be as explosive as they need to be. The first instance of this would be the rivalry of the Hart Brothers in the early 1990?s. The late Owen Hart and his brother Bret Hart took every possible family related quarrel and gave this feud such life that the fake jealousy it contained was somewhat convincing. The reason I say somewhat is because the brothers were close despite what the feud suggests. However, Owen?s character was that of the bitter younger brother that feels his older brother Bret was holding him back and not allowing him to succeed. In fact when Bret won the WWF title against Yokozuna one of the lasting memories of that feud was the apprehensive Owen standing in the aisle way watching as his brother was being heralded as the conquering hero. The seeds were planted to show a feud that had the element of fake jealousy to make it as convincing as it was intended to be. When jealousy isn?t enough a feud needs a little something more then we have to look no further than the combination that added a not so extreme element to their feud. A second example of brothers in the WWE that demonstrated animosity towards one another was the Hardy Boyz. Jeff and Matt Hardy?s feud was never as obvious because it was handled slightly differently then that of the Hart?s. While fake jealousy was an element of it, they seemed to use the un-toxic element of competition as a way to get this over. The intent was to try and make fans believe that the Hardy?s will get to each other using competition and their relationship with Lita as a basis for their turbulent run. The two had their matches but it seemed as though cooler heads prevailed and in the long run everything evened out as the team reformed?or so we thought. On one faithful night the brothers Hardy ended a match as a team but one of them walked away out of the match alone. Matt Hardy not only turned on his brother he changed brands in the process. He double-crossed Jeff and walked right onto Smackdown. The difference however is between an actual disagreement and one that is staged is if there ever was any animosity between while they were growing up doesn't take place today. What does end up happening is that they put on a farce that one family member is jealous of another. The participants end up having to reach back into their childhood or adolescence to remember why it is they didn?t get along with their sibling in the first place. It manages to be the most crucial of them all. It's a lethal element that is added so that fans realise is necessary part of them. The jealousy is always fake but where suppose to by into it. One of these feuding relatives aren't brothers but they have relatives that use the word brother often enough you'd think they were. We are talking about the short-lived family feud between The Rock and Rikishi. He says he did it for The Rock. What exactly did Rikishi do that turned him into a bad man? Rikishi back in 2000' said he ran down Stone Cold Steve Austin for The Rock. In doing so, it put Steve Austin out of action. What it really did was gave Austin the window of opportunity he needed to have a career threatening neck operation. So while Rikishi did it for The Rock, it turns out Austin did it for The Rock too. Rikishi on the other hand did this not because he had a problem with Steve Austin but because he thought his cousin was being held down. I?ve heard that a brothers love is something special, but a cousin?s love? Anything is possible and in this instance it was. The Rock didn?t appreciate what Rikishi did, and this made him ungrateful. Rikishi did what he had to do to help out his cousin but the result of this was a heel turn for Rikishi and a short-lived feud with his cousin The Rock. The company tried to convince audiences that Rikishi was a bad man but no one was really convinced by it. The character but because he is The Rock's cousin he did it because they are family. I can respect that blood is thicker than water even if the bloodlines have made no contact prior to this encounter in other booking decisions. This single act on behalf of Rikishi is also what contributed to a heel turn. He undoubtedly became a bad man and from this heel turns a push for Rikishi shortly followed. There wasn't any animosity between each of these men but what they did have together was a specific element that is commonly found in families. Trust. It seems a little awkward that trust is what is what made this staged dispute work but for someone as entertaining as The Rock to help a family member along that is limited in both promos and character into more. The trust his cousin The Rock while working a family feud angle helped Rikishi and managed to create opposition for The Rock in the process. Then we have two brothers that tease of feuding with each other and when they do feud its because of?yup, you guessed it jealousy. The more these two grew together the more it seemed that they were bound to grow apart. This would be the combination of Matt and Jeff Hardy. These two have feuded but even when there was dissention in the ranks it always seemed that these two managed to work it out, somehow. The teasing of a major break up or an amicable split was never explosive. There were signs that there was smoke but it wasn?t the smoke that could be traced to an inferno. It was similar to a fading puff of smoke that resides from a cigarette. Of all the relationships that became volatile none compares to that of the one that involved the McMahon Family. This family had dealt with betrayal, cheating, corruptions, father and son quarrels, mother and daughter quarrels, making amends and breaking up over and over again. The funny thing about this family feud is its intended to look dysfunctional. It?s for that very reason that it isn?t convincing at all. The erratic behaviour of all involved looks so over the top that they are in no way believable. When a family that makes up and breaks up is believable but a televised family that does it and does it on a consistent basis, and fills up the majority of the programmed time isn?t believable. Attention: Some participants may pretend to be related He's not heavy he's my brother. That is except for this tandem from Alabama. The late Michael then known as Crash Holly teamed up with his 'cousin' Hardcore and together they always got along. That is until they beat the sacred piss out of each other. This was part of the gimmick and for absurd, as it seems it managed to get people's attention. These two never feuded with each other but if they did, who would ever know? They beat each other into pulp and would come back the next week as a team. It was as if nothing ever happened. So these cousins would beat on each other and walk side by side with each other the next. They were of the belief that if at first beating them they won't succeed then do it again the next day and make sure it's effective. The Holly cousins also added a third female cousin to the mix, in Molly Holly. There was nothing special about the threesome other than she was the peppiest of the 3 and just like her 2 other cousins none of them were ever related. Although with all the fighting they did with each other they might as well have been. I?ve had my parents throw shoes and broom handles at me when I was a child and argue with my family members all the time. But its something about cracking my Uncle Joe over the head with a trash can lid always seemed like it was crossing the line. But maybe that?s just me. Friends can sometimes be so close that they are often mistaken for brothers. In the case of Edge and Christian this was the case. Before there was the Edge Army and the peeps of Christian there were E & C. Adam Copeland and Christian Cage capitalized on their real life friendship and turned it into a brotherhood, well a make believe one. Unlike the combination of the Holly?s these two worked well together in one form or another. Whether it was finishing each other?s sentences or working well as a team it always seemed that these two had a cohesiveness that most teams couldn?t compare to. Warning: Flammable yet never DESTROYED This family feud was an easy one to make. They fight and they make up. They fight and they make up again. They fight, make up, team up together compete for the tag team championships and then the break up. This is the saga that is the Undertaker and Kane. Since Kane?s entrance into the company @ Bad Blood in1996 the on again, off again feud between Kane and The Undertaker has had many chapters to it. These two even competed in an inferno match that saw Kane catch fire. And yet, as this happened the feud never seem to go up in smoke (at least they don?t think it did) In fact during this match up Kane?s skin must have been fire retardant because he managed to escape it and become warm and fuzzy inside as they reformed again and became the brother?s grim. This past Wrestlemania in fact had the brothers of Destruction face each other again and the build up between them leading up to the match was quite the spectacle. The build up had all the publicity but the match itself didn?t sparkle. Once the Undertaker walked to the ring fans remembered why this feud didn?t offer anything new except for the build that was 3 months in the making. The Undertaker walks to the ring and stares down his brother Kane who looks on in disbelief. Alright this family isn't literally flammable but when thoughts of the word hot or heat are used and we combine them with the words temper and Latino then Los Guerreros can not be far behind. Between these two men it was inevitable that something was going to erupt. For years the nephew and uncle tandem competed together and never an ill word was directed towards each other. Their time in WCW was wonderful and each of them new their respective roles. Eddie was the more experienced and insightful uncle that protected his nephew Chavo and Chavo was the playful charismatic nephew that had a puppet horse head on a stick called Pepe. Both men were in the same division and neither one was had a predominate role in that division the early signs of Eddie developing into a bonifide mid-card to main event contender were beginning to show. Then we get back to jealousy, something that has been that volatile part of all family feuds. However unlike in the past it rather than deny it, Eddie played up to it. Chavo had a point, Eddie playing up to the crowds and leaving Chavo behind. When it comes to the Guerrero's hot-tempered personality and their persuasive Latino heat these two cannot be neglected either. Eddie Guerrero and Chavo Guerrero toward the late part of 2003 and in the early part of 2004 were busy teasing fans that things will completely blow up between them. Eventually the teasing faded away and the feud was on. This feud unlike so many of the others was filled with emotion. It was using two characters that have all the reason in the world to be angry at each other. One felt betrayed by his brother and his nephew and the other was jealous of his uncle that was leaving his nephew behind. This was unlike what the WWE has done recently so to see it done and have it be so convincing in the process made it all the more worth while to see. This feud managed to be more than a breath of fresh air it was the gust of wind these types of feuds needed in order to be entertaining to watch. What have we learned about the elements of the feud between relatives? The jealousy is never real jealousy. The participants are rarely convincing of their dislike for their relatives, real or imaginary. While the intensity of Los Guerreros was filled with emotion not much can be said about other family feuds. Even though this is the case these story lines still continue, despite them being so unconvincing. The wrestling fan is smarter than this. These feuds are much like oil and water they just don?t mix. We can change the names and faces, mix the characters, add back-stories to the already existing storyline and for the most part be unsuccessful in doing it. These feuds along with the storylines themselves manage to combust and it does so relatively badly. In the mouth of... This is the part of the column that has nothing to do with the previous statements. Please feel free to send your thoughts along, with what you loved, loathed or even lusted over by simply clicking the link on our right ---> Easter brunch isn't going to be a pretty sight if me and Uncle Joe have to fight for the wishbone. Marcus Madison The truth beyond the equinox |
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