Champion without a Title
As 1999 dawned, Jerry Lynn had completed his first decade
as a professional wrestler. He was on the sidelines, injured, but had a bright
outlook for the coming year. In Extreme Championship Wrestling, Lynn had found a
place where his talent in the ring was the only factor that mattered. No more stupid
gimmicks or "enhancing" other talent. Even though he was not in the thick
of it at the moment, he was assured that all his hard work the previous two years with the
company would not be erased. A few weeks after his return to full time competition,
Jerry Lynn was named the number one contender to the ECW World Television Championship.
After a few incredible bouts with Rob Van Dam on the ECW circuit, it was determined
that the two would meet at Living Dangerously '99. This would be Lynn's opportunity,
in front of the whole world, to show how good he really was, and take his first major
singles championship.
Jerry Lynn could very well have walked out of Asbury Park,
New Jersey that night as the ECW World Television Champion. After a time limit draw,
ECW Senior Official John Finnegan had decided to award the match to Lynn, pointing out his
complete dominance of much of the bout. Lynn refused to accept the title in any
manner other than a decisive victory, and instead requested that the match be allowed to
continue. Rob Van Dam, seeing his precious title almost slip from his grasp, turned
his game up a notch and barely scored a victory. Still, Lynn had proven a point.
He was dubbed the "New F'N Show" by the fans, saw the wrestling world
stand up and applaud his efforts, and even earned the respect of Van Dam, who openly
admitted that Jerry Lynn had pushed him to his limits. A series of rematches
followed, and each time, Jerry Lynn came closer and closer to taking the gold.
The Rob Van Dam vs. Jerry Lynn epic gave the fans of
ECW so many memorable matches in the spring and summer of 1999 that comparisons were made
to the legendary Steamboat-Flair and Malenko-Guerrero feuds. At Hardcore Heaven '99,
Lynn, despite suffering a concussion, still came within seconds of winning the strap.
Unfortunately, it was at about this time that other contenders began to voice their
demands. With Lynn unable to rest the strap, others wanted their turn to dethrone Van Dam.
Lynn, while holding victories over the likes of TAKA Michinoku, Yoshihiro Tajiri
and others, still had to step aside, at least temporarily, while Balls Mahoney, Spike
Dudley, and others took the shots that they had earned. All the while, Lynn was
still regarded as the number one contender to the belt.
This is when something unusual occurred. Wrestlers,
instead of pursuing only the champions, now wanted to take on Jerry Lynn. Suddenly,
because of his series with Van Dam, Lynn had become the "man to beat" in ECW.
A victory over Lynn, it seemed, would be a simple way to place yourself as the next
big star or top contender. That is, simple in theory, because Lynn was not backing
down from any challenge. Unfortunately, that resulted in him suffering an injury to
his ribs. Now, the matches became tougher, and Lynn finally realized he needed time
off to recover after losing to Lance Storm at Anarchy Rulz last month in Chicago.
Upon his return, he found more young up and coming wrestlers looking to knock off
the "New F'N Show." If you thought Steve Corino "interrupting"
Jerry Lynn's interview on TNN was an accident, think again. Corino had planned from
the start to provoke Lynn, then have Yoshihiro Tajiri ambush him. Now, in a three
way dance that will include Super Crazy (yet another looking to earn title shots), Lynn
will again be put to the test.
He doesn't have a title belt, or the glory that goes with
it, but Lynn is finding out first hand what the struggle is like to be champion.
It's a constant series of challenges, and the exhaustive efforts combating them,
all to maintain your position, and not lose the ground you fought so hard to gain.
After 10 years in wrestling, this is probably the most valuable experience of Jerry
Lynn's career. He's learning how to be a champion, because sooner or later, he will
be. In the minds of many, he already is.
