Written by: Kevin Berge (All Images Courtesy of: WWE.com)
Everyone knew the moment Edge returned from a decade away and Randy Orton a decade of medicority, they would have to have the greatest wrestling match ever.
In the lead-up to Backlash 2020, WWE did something truly bizarre. The company tried to sell everyone on the idea that the main event between Edge and Randy Orton could be the Greatest Wrestling Match Ever.
WWE did not even use the term "wrestling" much anymore, yet they sold this tagline like it was absolutely true. What ultimately came of the match is a bit complicated to discuss because it was neither bad enough or good enough to truly earn the title or backlash.
I was driven to write about it not because of the match itself but the way WWE presented the entire situation. It has never been more transparent that WWE wanted to prove a point that some absolutely bought in the end.
WWE did not even use the term "wrestling" much anymore, yet they sold this tagline like it was absolutely true. What ultimately came of the match is a bit complicated to discuss because it was neither bad enough or good enough to truly earn the title or backlash.
I was driven to write about it not because of the match itself but the way WWE presented the entire situation. It has never been more transparent that WWE wanted to prove a point that some absolutely bought in the end.
Edge vs. Randy Orton quickly lost the story behind it. This was supposed to be about The Rated-R Superstar proving he could still wrestle. He still had it. Instead, the discourse was morphed into a headline, a promise that they would outwrestle everyone.
The quality of a match is subjective at the end of the day. You can break down the technical prowess, the pacing, the energy of the crowd for a match, but ultimately each person decides whether they thought The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels or Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock were truly great.
Edge and Orton went into this contest with little story but a whole lot of responsibility put on them all the same. They had to walk out of this without being laughed out of the building (from a distance since fans would be doing so from social media).
The end result was somewhere in-between. The two had perhaps the best purely wrestled match of their careers, certainly at least in the past decade, but WWE overproduced so much of the contest that it could never truly match up to the organic feel of a true classic.
The quality of a match is subjective at the end of the day. You can break down the technical prowess, the pacing, the energy of the crowd for a match, but ultimately each person decides whether they thought The Undertaker vs. Shawn Michaels or Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. The Rock were truly great.
Edge and Orton went into this contest with little story but a whole lot of responsibility put on them all the same. They had to walk out of this without being laughed out of the building (from a distance since fans would be doing so from social media).
The end result was somewhere in-between. The two had perhaps the best purely wrestled match of their careers, certainly at least in the past decade, but WWE overproduced so much of the contest that it could never truly match up to the organic feel of a true classic.
Edge's career has forever been defined by his legendary inspiration from The Rock.
Before the bell rang, the company brought in dramatic lighting, playing the Backlash theme, and announced they would be enhancing the crowd sounds and camera angles for this contest. It was also reported that WWE went through reshoots of the match to make it better.
It was a transparent final attempt to state one thing: WWE can produce the greatest match ever whenever it wants to. It can just convince you to love the match. Most of the bells and whistles were just a distraction.
The contest itself was extremely well wrestled. The Rated-R Superstar and The Viper went all out. Orton especially put in such a spirited performance that I cannot remember the last time he was this tuned in. His lead effort pushing the pacing really made the match work.
This match went almost 45 minutes. Even the greatest matches can rarely sustain that length. This one certainly lagged down the stretch. The only way they could sustain energy was by using other legendary wrestlers moves.
This was an issue because it included weird, poorly executed offense like Edge hitting a Rock Bottom and Orton connecting on a Pedigree. These attempts to call back to the greats were far too ham-fisted and not properly earned.
I don't blame anyone for falling for the routine. It was at its core a great match. The production may have made it better for those that got lost in the presentation. I personally felt the extra camera angles were hokey, and the crowd reactions were completely lifeless and distracting.
However, the heart of the problem is that WWE showed its hand. How does the company see great wrestling? It's not about the effort of the performers but the presentation and production. WWE officials want you to know they can produce something better than any "lesser" company at any time.
The funniest thing is that two days prior, without any bells and whistles, thrown in the middle of an episode of SmackDown, Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles has a better match. They showed WWE was wrong, and WWE will forever try to make you forget that.
It was a transparent final attempt to state one thing: WWE can produce the greatest match ever whenever it wants to. It can just convince you to love the match. Most of the bells and whistles were just a distraction.
The contest itself was extremely well wrestled. The Rated-R Superstar and The Viper went all out. Orton especially put in such a spirited performance that I cannot remember the last time he was this tuned in. His lead effort pushing the pacing really made the match work.
This match went almost 45 minutes. Even the greatest matches can rarely sustain that length. This one certainly lagged down the stretch. The only way they could sustain energy was by using other legendary wrestlers moves.
This was an issue because it included weird, poorly executed offense like Edge hitting a Rock Bottom and Orton connecting on a Pedigree. These attempts to call back to the greats were far too ham-fisted and not properly earned.
I don't blame anyone for falling for the routine. It was at its core a great match. The production may have made it better for those that got lost in the presentation. I personally felt the extra camera angles were hokey, and the crowd reactions were completely lifeless and distracting.
However, the heart of the problem is that WWE showed its hand. How does the company see great wrestling? It's not about the effort of the performers but the presentation and production. WWE officials want you to know they can produce something better than any "lesser" company at any time.
The funniest thing is that two days prior, without any bells and whistles, thrown in the middle of an episode of SmackDown, Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles has a better match. They showed WWE was wrong, and WWE will forever try to make you forget that.
