10 Wrestlers Who Got Much Worse (But WAY More Over)
4. X-Pac
The 123 Kid will never receive the credit he deserves for his influence over the stylistic revolution of 1990s US wrestling. That is likely because he is more famous for his X-Pac persona.
Moreover, great as the 123 Kid was - not too dissimilar to Darby Allin in that it was almost impossible to have a bad match with him - his work wasn’t quite as exciting and ambitious as the international cruiserweights Eric Bischoff imported to WCW a couple of years after the Kid elevated New Generation undercards.
As a babyface, he wrestled with more heart and fire than most. He was rail-thin. It was very easy to believe that he was getting the absolute piss kicked out of him. He was good as the bratty heel, Syxx, but not as good. As X-Pac, he was clever enough to grasp that WWF crowds didn’t necessarily want high-octane exhilaration between the ropes.
What was cooler: the junior heavyweight division, or D-Generation X?
The 123 Kid was more likely to unleash a breathtaking plancha variation than X-Pac, who, recognising that “Suck it” was more over than “Holy sh*t”, would do a Bronco buster - with which he in effect tea-bagged his opponents.
It was all very disrespectful and very 1998 - and very over.