Jerry Lynn emerges as one of the most
respected athletes in ECW
In a wrestling landscape littered with
fireworks, backstage skits and endless interviews, something has been forgotten.
Jerry Lynn has always remembered the elements
of wrestling that captivated him growing up. In his early years, Lynn was a fan of
hard-nosed, no-frills grapplers such as Ray Stevens, Arn Anderson, Bruiser Brody, Mad Dog
Vachon, and Crusher. It was the athletic, one-on-one competition that grabbed a hold of
Lynn and has yet to let go. While many wrestlers seem to have let that aspect die in favor
of playing the backstage politics game, Lynn refuses to forget that wrestling is first and
foremost a sport.
"I loved wrestling from the first day I
saw it as a little kid," said Lynn, now featured in Extreme Championship Wrestling.
"To me it combines everything you see in all sports. It takes strength, agility,
commitment, conditioning, balance, and psychology. I was drawn to it right away."
Strength is what Lynn saw in his childhood
idols, and it is what led him nearly 11 years ago to former Olympic competitor and
American Wrestling Alliance star Brad Rheingans' school. Upon graduating, Lynn needed all
the physical and mental strength he had as he paid his dues working for independents in
the Midwest. He quickly found a fierce rival in a skinny man known then as The Lightning
Kid.
The agility displayed by both caused them to
steal the show every night with violent, fast-paced, high-flying matches from Texas to
Minnesota. The two-year feud with the man now known as X-Pac in the World Wrestling
Federation culminated in the Global Wrestling Federation. On Dec. 25, 1991, Lynn ended the
rivalry by defeating X-Pac to capture the junior heavyweight championship.
"It was a very important time in my
career," Lynn said. "We both got crazy and gave it our all. It got us
recognition."
Scouts from Japan saw Lynn's talent and signed
X-Pac and Lynn to compete as a tag team. While the team was short-lived, Lynn stayed in
Japan for the next couple of years to compete for several promotions, including Michinoku
Pro. His commitment to learning new styles soon paid off. It was during this time that
Lynn learned to combine the fierce competitive spirit in the men he idolized growing up
with '90s Japanese and Mexican wrestling styles. The 5-foot-8, 203-pounder knew that he
did not have the size to make it as a brawler. Instead, Lynn became adept at every form of
wrestling.
Lynn's commitment to conditioning has made him
one of the fittest athletes you will find. In addition to following a strict diet, Lynn
can be found in the gym six days a week working on a different body part. By the time he's
done with his cardio conditioning, he has spent well over two hours maintaining his body.
Lynn thought his commitment had paid off when
World Championship Wrestling brought him in on a nightly deal toward the end of 1995.
Lynn, however, would soon learn a whole other side to the sport - frustration. As a masked
wrestler known simply as Mr. JL, Lynn suffered a broken arm in a Monday Night Nitro match
against Dean Malenko. Lynn, who was not getting any checks while waiting for the injury to
heal, rushed back with the tease of a possible contract. WCW immediately sent Lynn on a
tour of New Japan wrestling. Since Lynn was compensating for his arm, he broke his foot.
Lynn's strength and commitment shined through as Mr. JL insisted on competing with the
injuries. Lynn was forced to utilize other body parts more in order to mask the injured
ones. As a result, he hurt his shoulder. Despite his obvious pain, WCW believed he was
faking the injuries and sent him home. After a short stint in the WWF in 1997, Lynn found
a home in ECW.
Lynn quickly came to like ECW's hardcore,
athletic style. In ECW, wrestling was treated like a sport, and Lynn knew he would thrive
in this environment. It wasn't until the summer of 1998, however, that Lynn gained the
attention of ECW's faithful. He soon found himself embroiled in a classic feud against
Justin Credible. In what was soon dubbed "the summer series," Lynn battled
Credible on just about every card on the circuit in 2 out of 3 fall matches,"I
quit" matches, and regular matches. This wasn't a personal feud though. There were no
attacks from behind, no name-calling; it was about who was the better athlete. While each
man exchanged victories throughout the summer, it was Credible who won the final match at
the "Heat Wave '98" pay-per-view in a bout that gained match-of-the-year
consideration. It wouldn't be until months later that this competitive feud would become
personal. Despite dropping the final bout of "the summer series," Lynn had
cemented himself in the minds of ECW's diehard fans as a star. They were won over by
Lynn's ability and his hard work.
"When I go out there, I am not only
performing for the fans," Lynn said, "but I am performing for myself. I love the
business. I want that to show in my matches."
With victories now over Credible, Mikey
Whipwreck and Chris Candido, among others, Lynn soon found himself in line for world
television title shots against the hottest commodity in ECW, "The Whole F'N
Show" Rob Van Dam. The two dazzled fans with outstanding matches in town after town.
At the "Living Dangerously" pay-per-view on March 21, 1999, Lynn came within
seconds of defeating Van Dam before the time limit expired. The referee was about to give
Lynn the belt, but Lynn refused, demanding the match-of-the-year candidate continue. Van
Dam accepted and went on to pin Lynn. However, Lynn's showing was enough to earn him a
shot at the next pay-per-view, "Hardcore Heaven," on May 16.
"I couldn't take the belt on a ref's
decision" said Lynn, whom fans dubbed "The New F'N Show." "What does a
belt really mean if it is given to you?"
The epic rematch saw Lynn and Van Dam put on
an exhibition of spectacular moves in what has been called the greatest match in ECW
pay-per-view history. Midway through the contest, Van Dam crotched Lynn on the top rope
before delivering a swift kick to the head. The impact caused Lynn to lose his balance.
Soon all Lynn saw was the cold concrete floor getting closer. The momentum of Lynn's skull
colliding with the concrete caused his flesh to split open with a sickening smack. He
continued to wrestle on instinct. Despite surviving one of Van Dam's five star frog
splashes and almost pinning the champion, the concussion that caused him to go to the
hospital after the show was too much. Van Dam gained the pinfall after a second five star
frog splash. Lynn may not have won the title, but he now finds himself one of the most
respected athletes in ECW's locker room.
"I'm supposed to respect Jerry
Lynn?" Credible said. "I beat him in 'the summer series.' He's a loser."
Psychology is one aspect of the sport that
Lynn talked about earlier. Credible and partner Lance Storm, threatened by how Lynn has
evolved into a star, have recently tried to make things personal with Lynn. Although Lynn
has patiently controlled his anger in recent years, Credible and Storm may soon find that
their psychological games backfire. Lynn has demonstrated his strength, agility,
commitment, conditioning, and balance. If you add anger to that mix, you have one very
dangerous man.
With more title shots and a feud against
Credible and Storm coming up soon, Lynn has emerged as a star in ECW. And he did it the
way he wanted to - by becoming known as an athlete. Lynn never played the games behind the
scenes. He earned his position the way it should be earned, with his ability in the
squared circle. Jerry Lynn has made us all remember that wrestling always was and always
will be a sport.
