Christian Article 1

Edge and Christian

Strengths: Edge and Christian are good high-flyers. While they aren't as reckless and the Hardy Boys, they have been known to pull some crazy bumps off dives and leaps. People praise Jeff Hardy (and rightly so) for his senton bomb off a cage 4 weeks ago, but anyone who remembers No Mercy should not forget Edge's corkscrew cross-body from the top of the cage either. Christian is now slouch either, offering some excellent bumps anytime he's in the ring.

Unlike the Hardy's, though, Edge and Christian have something I like to call "Pretty Fly for 2 white guys." Ask any teen girl who the cutest WWF superstar is today. You'll get 3 answers: The Rock, Test and Edge. Maybe it's the trenchcoat, maybe it's the streamline sunglasses, maybe it's the goatie. Edge has a look, and Weaknessequently, it only makes Christian look better.

Weaknesses: One thing that bothers me about these two is that as soon the split from Gangrel, no one came up with a name with a name for them. Some internet writers have taken to calling them the "Canadian Blondes", clearly a variation on "Hollywood Blondes", but the name hasn't caught on anywhere. I think names are important because it's a glue that bring both partners together. While using the "and" conjunction works fine from a utilitarian point of view, it doesn't serve to distinguish them from makeshift teams of the past: Bossman and Shamrock, Mark Henry and D'Lo Brown, Kane and X-Pac.

Another area I'd like to see improved with these two guys is the segments of their matches where none are in a high-spot. Great wrestlers mix high-spots with down-to-earth suspense building and psychology. We loved Ric Flair not only for his beautiful mat reverse, but also because he could make a goddam chop entertaining. A Walls of Jericho means nothing if it succeeds 10 punches and a clothesline, it simply becomes a forgotten spot in a forgotten match. However, a Walls of Jericho that comes after a loaded match against Chyna is a memorable moment (despite what we think of Chyna). This in-between stuff is what Edge and Christian need to work on to get from very good to great.

Finally, give these guys some mic time. Edge cut a good promo while he was still part of the Brood, but since then, the only time he's spoken is to address Val Venis. Bottom line, unless you can dance, you gotta speak to move up in the card. Moves will only get you so over, if you don't believe me, ask Dean Malenko.

Break-out Moment: Breaking free of the Brood. The Brood got these two noticed, and when they broke free, their value just compounded. It allowed Vince to recast Edge & Christian as something of 0sex symbols, trendy, trench-coat wearin' youngsters that are hip and easy to relate to for many of the WWF's young fans. While this is no knock on Gangrel, Edge and Christian are really coming into their own because they dropped him. They got new duds, some amazing theme music, kept their great skills, and their fan-base grew.

Current Angle: There's this recurring rivalry/friendship with the Hardy Boyz that provides us with some great matches now and then. Add to that this mini-angle with Edge marrying into the Morley family, and that's pretty much what you've got. Edge and Christian have gotten over without any kind of sustainable angle, and that's probably due to their look. Now imagine them in a killer feud.