World of Wrestling February 2000
by Steve Anderson
Tag team wrestling can be a tricky endeavor. Two performers can forge a partnership with the goal being the tag team title. But the tandem may be composed of two outstanding workers who could excel easily in the singles ranks. They could match up perfectly in skill level, yet one man could emerge as the bigger star.
It has happened in the past with Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Scott Steiner and others. A promoter can see potential in half of the team and concoct a storyline for the inevitable breakup of the duo and subsequent push of the bigger star. The angle could even be based on situation in which jealousy legitimately exists between the two workers.
Take a situation like that, multiply it by two, incorporate men who have established their careers by taking significant risks in the ring, and a federation can have a potentially volatile situation. Such a competitive situation exists between four performers in the World Wrestling Federation. Fans may interpret their high-flying ring action as merely competition between two teams; however, according to inside sources, the four are not only trying to beat each other as a team with respective partners, each also is trying to stand out individually as the most exciting wrestler for future singles success.
Mutual respect exists between brothers Matt and Jeff Hardy and their usual opponents, Christian and Edge. What was played out as an intense rivalry in September and October has now evolved into an uneasy alliance among all four men on WWF television. But when the cameras are not on the quartet, a different story is playing itself out behind the scenes.
“They didn’t get to the point in their careers to be a de-facto, WWF version of The Four Horseman,” said one WWF inside source. “All four are already one-half of a team. They don’t desire to be one-fourth of a quartet, no matter if it is a full-time proposition or not. It is safe to say they are not fast friends right now.”
Natural competition is inherent in any wrestlers, be it two tag teams or within the team itself. Tag team wrestlers can excel in the WWF by receiving significant pushes, big money contracts and even an endorsement deal. But the real money and the major pushes come with singles wrestling. There is little benefit in a wrestler making another wrestler, be it partner or foe, look better.
The four men performed a classic ladder match at No Mercy on Oct. 17. The match featured tremendous spots, but very few moves, if any were executed in a team fashion. A reverse DDT, suplex, powerbomb, legdrop, neckbreaker, hiptoss, and Edge’s Downward Spiral wowed fans and brought them to their feet. Even the finishing sequence, which featured Jeff Hardy acrobatically moving from ladder to ladder, can be considered only an accomplished singles act.
“After the match, much of the praise was directed at Jeff for the stunning finish. He was obviously soaking it up as it seemed to be his shining moment,” recalled the source. “Matt seemed lost in all of it and you could tell that he resented it. He and Jeff had a pow-wow afterwards and, from the looks of it, it was not a pleasant exchange.”
Purported jealousy is emerging within the quartet. Each performer seems to be looking out for his own career fortunes in order to emerge as a talent with not only more potential than his opponent, but his partner as well.
“After the first match in the ‘best of five’ series with the Hardys [leading up to No Mercy], Edge was praising Christian on a particular move,” the source said. “Just as Christian was soaking in the praise, Edge added, “That was OK, but wait until you see what I do tomorrow night,” and walked away. Christian seemed a little put off by that.”
Edge, Christian, and the Hardys are four men aspiring to excel in a sport they love. All four strive to remain in the forefront of the fans’ and promoters’ consciousness. Right now they are accomplishing their goals as teams, but it’s only a matter of time before individuals sever alliances and seek fame as singles competitors.