10 Wrestling Moments That Should Have Been Huge (But Weren't)
6. SummerSham
Edge and Matt Hardy's personal war had more than enough realism to ramp anticipation for their first official match through the roof in the summer of 2005. The public outing of an affair between Edge and Lita saw Hardy initially fired then rehired thanks to vociferous fan support overwhelming everything the new lovebirds attempted to fight through on television.
His return was expertly handled, with Hardy running from unseen corners to attack the 'Rated-R Superstar' in increasingly unconventional fashion. WWE had seemingly managed to find the perfect middle ground between the fantasy of sports entertainment the internal strife the three had undergone. In getting them to all work together professionally, there was clearly room for a dynamic brawl to flourish.
Instead, the company presented their fierce opening salvo as a one-sided sh*tkicking. Edge targeting his rival's head for a quick win was logical, but babyface Matt's physical collapse was less so. The two had rewarding battles following this, but match one clearly established 'V1' as little more than an irritant, rather than a vengeful wronged man.