The reunion of the New Age Outlaws last Thursday on SmackDown! was a shocking and pleasant surprise.
With their Tag Team Title victory against The Rock and Mankind, and their successful title defense over Christian and Edge at Unforgiven, the Road Dogg and Mr. Ass have proven that they still have great chemistry as a team.
But, in spite of that chemistry, weren't the New Age Outlaws history? Didn't the Road Dogg and Mr. Ass go their separate ways, off to pursue singles careers? That's what we thought. So why did these guys get back together?
Internet fans are sure to have a field day with this one, as they will no doubt assume that the Outlaws' reunion proves that Mr. Ass can't get it done as a singles competitor.
But I just don't think that's the case. A few weeks ago, Mr. Ass battled Triple H in the main event on RAW IS WAR, and it was a match that many say was one of the best of the year.
If there was anything keeping Mr. Ass back from being successful, it was that he was supposed to be a heel, but his character acted more like a babyface, especially for women. Even Mr. Ass agrees with me. This is what he told RAW Magazine in its September 1999 edition:
"I thought (my departure from D-Generation X) would be my big heel thing," he said. "Now when I come out, I get a huge pop … I think the people dig that because they can't believe I take my clothes off. I don't know why they didn't come with me a little bit more on the heel part after I turned on all of them."
Mr. Ass' antics were really deplorable -- but only for a few weeks. Mr. Ass' feud with The Rock, which lasted all of about six weeks, was really his only opportunity to get himself "over" as a heel. Remember Jim Ross referring to him as "Brad Pitt with a bad attitude?" How long did that last? Two weeks?
Meanwhile, Triple H has been a heel since WrestleMania XV, and it took him until SummerSlam to become "The Game." Within six weeks, Mr. Ass' character had evolved into a babyface, and he ended up battling Triple H on RAW.
In my opinion, if the Federation creative team would have let Mr. Ass develop -- as either a heel or a face -- he would have been one of the top singles competitors in this business. He has the looks and the athletic ability, and his microphone skills are improving.
Even with the seemingly incongruous character, Mr. Ass was still undeniably a top draw -- as his matches at SummerSlam against The Rock and on RAW versus Triple H prove.
On the other hand, the Road Dogg was definitely holding his own as a singles competitor. Road Dogg has been one of the most popular superstars, based on fan reaction, since he joined D-Generation X. Here's a more telling example: in a recent edition of the Ross Report, J.R. revealed that the Road Dogg's merchandise is among the most popular, ranking third in sales behind the likes of Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock.
The fact that these guys were doing so well in singles competition may have actually led to their reunion as a tag team, believe it or not.
Because of key talent acquisitions and character development, the Federation has expanded from having maybe three main-eventers a year ago -- Stone Cold Steve Austin, the Undertaker, and perhaps Kane -- to having eight or nine -- those three plus Triple H, Mankind, The Rock, the Big Show, Chris Jericho and the Bulldog.
With so many guys at the top, the Outlaws may have seen themselves trickle down to the midcard level. Both the Road Dogg and Mr. Ass are just too good to be midcarders.
In the tag team division, they can be leaders. The Federation has talked for months about the tag team division being "hotter than ever," and with the New Age Outlaws back in the mix, there is talent to back up the hype.
Sure, Road Dogg and Mr. Ass pretty much ran the gauntlet in the tag team ranks when they were together from late 1997 to early 1999, but things have changed since then. The Acolytes, the Dudley Boyz, Jeff and Matt Hardy and Edge and Christian were not around back then, and those four duos, among others, can provide for an entertaining match up with the Outlaws.
Now that Mr. Ass and Road Dogg have been competing as singles, they know what they need to do to take it to the next level once they are back in the individual ranks -- which will undoubtedly happen in time.
Coincidentally, Mr. Ass' strengths are Road Dogg's weaknesses, and vice versa. Arguably the best athlete in the Federation, Mr. Ass admitted on a recent edition of Byte This that he needs to improve his microphone skills. Nobody knows how to use to microphone to work the crowd into a frenzy better than the Road Dogg, who could improve his athletic ability with a little help from Mr. Ass.
Mr. Ass graces the cover of the November edition of World Wrestling Federation Magazine. Will Mr. Ass be off on his own once November rolls around? There's a distinct possibility. One thing's for sure, next time the Road Dogg and Mr. Ass go their separate ways, their singles careers will be that much better due to their alliance as the New Age Outlaws.
