Credit to:WWF.com
By Brian Lutz

Ask anybody that saw No Mercy to tell you what their favorite moment was from the show, and you'll likely hear one answer:

"The ladder match."

There really isn't any question that Edge, Christian and Matt and Jeff Hardy stole the show away from their better-known peers. For 16-odd minutes, these four superstars jumped, flipped and bumped their hearts out and the Cleveland crowd ate up every single moment of it. Every Internet report of the show lauds this contest to the heavens, heralding it as an instant classic.

And yet, there are still people that claim that nobody cares about wrestling.

Don't get me wrong. I don't want to sound like one of those old-school goofs who can't accept changes in the world of sports-entertainment. I love seeing the interplay between Mick Foley and The Rock, and would much rather see it in place of a 20-minute long borefest filled with nothing but armbars and chinlocks. Still, I'm a sucker for a truly great match, and I truly hope that the Hardyz and other similarly styled superstars will be given the chance to produce them on a regular basis.

The way I see it, true superstardom in the World Wrestling Federation can only be achieved by having an equal mix of in-ring ability and outstanding mic skills. Mick Foley fits this bill, as do Steve Austin and The Rock. The Road Dogg also has this balance, and Chris Jericho will undoubtedly find it before long. If a superstar can grapple, but has no charisma, he will be doomed to fail, since the fans won't have a reason to care about him. Conversely, guys that are all talk and no action will also flop, since the audience will be quick to pick up on a guy that can't back up his words.

It's a delicate balance, one that precious few superstars will ever find.

Honestly, I'm amazed at just how far the World Wrestling Federation has come in the last decade, adapting their product to present the best damn television programs in the world. I just hope that we don't forget about the "sport" in "sports entertainment."