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NewsThe VS. Series: Edge vs Chris Jericho

The VS. Series: Edge vs Chris Jericho

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Happy pre-election day, wrestling fans. Once again, it is RatedRKO here. In celebration of Election Day, I present to you the inaugural VS. Series. Here is how it works. Pretend you are the owner of a wrestling company and had the chance to sign one of two options. I will give you those two options as well as a description of their accomplishments and assets. Based on your knowledge of wrestling, pick one of them and explain why you would. DO NOT based your choices on their wrestling skill alone. Think of marketability, promo ability and other intangibles they bring to the table. Note that these figures can be wrestlers, divas, managers, announcers, etc. So without further delay I present to you The vs. Series featuring two of the greatest wrestlers in WWE history, Edge and Chris Jericho.

Edge:

He is known as the Ultimate Opportunist and the Rated R Superstar. Since coming into the wrestling business since in the late 90’s, Edge has contributed more than his dues to become a great wrestler in the company. He went from being an attendant at WrestleMania, to headlining WrestleMania against the Undertaker. His list of accomplishments are the stuff of legend and what others can only dream of attaining.

– 4 Time WWE Champion

– 7 Time World Heavyweight Champion (WWE Record)

– 14 Time World Tag Team Champion (12 Time World Tag Champion (Record)), (2 Time WWE Tag Team Champion) – Reigns with Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio, Christian, Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit and Hulk Hogan

– 2010 Royal Rumble Winner

– 1 Time US Champion

– King of The Ring (2001)

– Five Time Intercontinental Champion

– Two Time Money In The Bank Winner

-One of Three Wrestlers to win every active Male Championship (Kurt Angle, Big Show)

-2012 Hall of Famer

Edge’s accolades are truly outstanding and it is his supreme worth ethic that has given him a Hall of Fame entry. He has returned from injuries the likes a normal man could not withstand. Injuries such as a torn achilles tendon and a broken neck are just a few of the ailments that have kept Edge out of action for extended periods at a time. He had to miss Wrestlemania 19 and 20 because of the former injury. Yet Edge stayed the course, worked hard and came back with a hunger for more World Gold around his waist. For Edge’s career, he mostly worked as a heel, and boy was he good at it. His real life feud with Matt Hardy, however, really put him over the top of hatred. Edge worked the crowd into everything and it was so hard not to hate every single move he made. His promos as a heel were always filled with the truth, but with angry energy. He unleashed his emotions full throttle and never looked back. He was very popular as a face as well because his popularity was always sky high. Speaking of popularity, everybody knows Edge’s on-screen girlfriend, Lita. Edge was actually able to get in bed with her on live television to give that episode of Monday Night RAW a 5.2 rating, one of the highest of all time. In terms of wrestling ability, he wasn’t any push over. His skill and technical abilities can be shown and he proved he was able to adjust to any type of opponent to look good. Edge may be most recognized for his work in TLC, however. Where would we be know if it wasn’t for those triple threat TLC Tag Team bouts at WrestleMania? He certainly has contributed a lot to the company he loves. There will be lasting memories of him in many scenes. It could be his spear to Jeff Hardy off the top a ladder at WrestleMania 17. It could be his spear to Mick Foley though a fiery table at WrestleMania 22. Or perhaps it is the look he had on his face after winning his first WWE Championship. He has feuded and prevailed over the likes of John Cena and the Undertaker. Edge will go down as one of the greatest of all time, and for good reason. On to Y2J.

Chris Jericho:

If you were to ask me who is the most popular wrestler in the IWC, next to CM Punk and Daniel Bryan, Chris Jericho is right there, and for good reason. From the moment Chris Jericho came from WCW and interrupted The Rock on one Monday Night in Chicago, Illinois, the wrestling world would NEVER, EEEEEEEEEEEEEEVERRRRRRRRRR BE THE SAME AGAIN. From his debut, until his part-time status in WWE, his accomplishments are not to shabby either.

-1st Undisputed WWF Champion (Defeated Steve Austin and The Rock on the same night)

-2 Time WCW Champion

-3 Time World Heavyweight Champion

-9 Time Intercontinental Champion (Record)

-2008 Superstar Of the Year

-Grand Slam Champion

-European Champion

-Four Time Tag Team Champion (Chris Benoit, The Rock) Unified Tag Champion (Big Show, Edge)

Chris Jericho’s wrestling ability warrants that he should have had more world title runs. However, just like Edge, he never was able to become “the man” in WWE. Since 2002, Jericho’s wrestling record is 182 and 243. How can a wrestler like Chris Jericho have such an agonizing record? Simple, and this is what may be his greatest assets. He puts people over. In the past year, Jericho has put over the likes of CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Curtis Axel, Rob Van Dam’s return match, and most notably, Fandango. I don’t think that John Cena or Triple H would want to put a wrestler like Fandango over, especially at WrestleMania. This is Jericho’s montra, however. He loves WWE and we wants to see it grow. So he is willing to put people over to make new stars. An impressive note is that he is able to put on great wrestling matches while being the lead singer for the rock band, Fozzy. He even got one of his songs to be the theme song for the PPV “No Way Out” in 2005 with his song “Enemy” (my personal favorite). Just like Edge, Chris Jericho’s best moments came when he was a heel. His most notable feud came in 2008 with Shawn Michaels. Not only were their wrestling bouts, match of the year worthy, he played the crowd and HBK in the most heelish fashion. He even knocked out Shawn Michaels’ wife and threw Shawn Michaels’ head into a projection screen. These are just some of the reasons why Jericho is so popular amongst wrestling fans. That is why every time he returns, it feels like it has been five years. He deserves respect. The combination of skill, promo ability (one that was through the roof as a heel) and intangibles makes him a top class player. If you pick Chris Jericho, you will pick up a reliable veteran with elite wrestling skill and a true leader in the locker room. Guaranteed future Hall of Famer.

So who will you pick? Will you go with the Rated R Superstar Edge? Or will you go with the best at what he does, Chris Jericho? You can’t go wrong with either person, but you can only pick one. The ball is in your court. Until next time, this is Rated RKO.