Standing Solo

Credit to WWE.com Neck update: Felt good this week, even went to the first Lightning /Capitals playoff game with Christian and "The Street Fighter" Chris Jericho. Don't worry, hockey fans, my playoff predictions will be later on. I know you're waiting with bated breath! I'll find out more tomorrow from Dr. Youngblood about the old stack of dimes. To answer an often-asked question, Christian and I are still friends and talk on an almost daily basis. Will E&C ever reunite? Never say never, but not for a long time. It may sound selfish, but I still have things to accomplish on my own, like the WORLD TITLE (it will always appear in caps in this article, so get used to it). He has things he wants to accomplish too. We did reunite for one very special afternoon in Calgary last year. As soon as we were both in the ring the whole crowd started chanting "five-second pose!" It was incredible, and we loved every second of it. It's amazing how wrestling fans don't forget, and it felt nice to know we gave them something worth remembering. Of course, we gave them the pose and hugged. If that was the end of E&C, it wouldn't be a bad way to go. All of these sappy memories lead me to some of my own favorite in ring moments, matches and partners. Partners I feel like I've really only had four of them. Christian Obviously the best chemistry of all my partners. We grew up together dreaming of winning those tag belts, and we did it more than anyone else. We got to a point where we didn't even need to talk in the ring. We knew each other that well. We were babyfaces and heels, but obviously had our most success and fun as heels. I often forget some of the poses we did, or ridiculous words we came up with, until some fan reminds me. With Mick Foley and Kurt Angle, we provided some much-needed comedy, with the Hardys and Dudleys we created wrestling history. We were already living our dream but got to laugh on TV each and every week while doing it -- the Elvis pose, the jug band, the cowboy pose and all the assorted home teams we dissed. The funny thing was, the crowd was laughing with us (while also despising us). I could see us having this fun again sometime. It worked so well because Christian is also my best friend, in the business or out. I think our legacy stands intact. I'll be driving along with the top down and still have people yell, "You totally reek of awesomeness." Ah, the E&C Dynasty lives on! Joe E. Legend Now some of you may be going, "Who?" Or you may remember him as the brutal Just Joe character from WWE. But if you are a fan of the indies and good wrestling, you know who Joe E. Legend is. Technically, he was my first partner ever. We were a mainstay on the Michigan indy scene as Sex & Violence (I love that name). I wrestled then as Sexton Hardcastle (I still love that name, too). We started our careers together and basically had to wrestle each other for that first year of our careers. Then we decided, "Let's try teaming," and it clicked. Joe could always bust me up in there, and if you ever meet him, you'll hear why. We drove across lakes together, almost died together while doing it (along with Rhyno, Johnny Swinger and Christian), and starved together, but I can still look back at it with fondness. Joe is now working as Nord down in Puerto Rico, but hits literally everywhere in his travels. He is the ultimate full-time wrestling journeyman, and I mean that in a good way. Hola, Joe! Favorite Matches Edge vs. Christian -- Rebellion, Steel Cage Another forgotten one, which happened in England, with a cool finish. I tied his feet in the cage with my wrist tape (although it took forever). We even had the old Hogan/Bundy blue cage, which hurts like a son of a bitch, by the way. Edge vs. Christian -- No Mercy, Ladder Match People were used to TLCs at this point, so we had to slow it down -- there were only two of us, not six. Christian almost ruptured a testicle during this match. It's pretty comical to watch it now, to see him checking if they are still in one piece. The one-man con-chair-to sticks out in my mind, not Christian's though, since I knocked him out with it. Hence his human slinky off the ladders. E&C vs. the Hardys -- No Mercy, Ladder Match Enough has been written already, but for better or worse (for our bodies), we revolutionized the Ladder Match, and made our marks. E&C vs. the Hardys vs. the Dudleys -- WrestleMania 16, Triangle Ladder Match Essentially the first TLC, since it involved all three items. It featured the first Swanton off a ladder by Jeff onto Bubba, Matt taking the flip bump off the "Ladder City," and finally us reaching up and grabbing the tag team belts for the first time. We'd talked about doing it as kids, and I swear it was like a dream sequence from "Wayne's World." All fuzzy around the edges, or I was on the verge of unconsciousness. TLC I -- SummerSlam 'Nuff said. TLC II -- WrestleMania X-Seven Ditto. TLC III -- SmackDown! The forgotten TLC. Add Benoit & Jericho to an already potent mix. I believe this was the match where Benoit first injured his neck. I was actually opposed to doing this one. I felt TLCs are for pay-per-view and still stand by that.