10. Brian Kendrick - Unforgiven 2008
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6oxyz_unforgiven-2008-whc-scramble-1-3_sport 2008 was a peculiar time in WWE. The wrestling world was still noticeably reeling in the aftermath of the Benoit murder/suicide incident, steroid allegations were gaining mainstream headlines on a monthly basis and WWE found themselves shifting ever closer towards a PG rating. It also saw some pretty remarkable instances occur inside the ring; particularly on Smackdown. With WWE Smackdown moving cable networks in the US, Vince and co wanted to make an impact on their overlooked, blue-haired step-child of a brand. A shake up was in order and it was decided that Smackdown needed some fresh heavy-hitters to step up and swing. Enter The Game. Soon enough, Triple H had been drafted from Raw to Smackdown in a move that took the wrestling community totally off-guard. The switch immediately opened up a world of opportunity for fresh match-ups most wrestling fans had never even considered, let alone seen before. One so match was the newly christened Championship Scramble; whereby multiple winners can be crowned in a set 20 minute time period. The match was booked and the innovative bout made its debut at Unforgiven 2008. Largely dominated by the hot potato title exchange between Triple H and Jeff Hardy, the match stands out for one jaw-dropping moment in history where, for a short period of time, Brian Kendrick miraculously emerged as interim WWE Champion. The free-thinking Kendrick would pin fellow free-spirit, Jeff Hardy, after hitting his Sliced Bread #2 finishing move; scrambling the brains of Hardy and everybody watching around the world in the process. THE Brian Kendrick; THE WWE Champ?! But alas, such radicalised decision-making was not to be in the post-Attitude Era of WWE and the status quo was quickly restored. Kendrick would hold the position of interim WWE Champion for a mere six and a half minutes, before The Game entered the fold and quickly snatched the title away from him with a signature Pedigree. The WWE Championship would trade hands three more times in the title tug-of-war between Triple H and Hardy before finally finding itself safely nestled around the familiar waist of Trips when the final bell rang. WWE would later clarify that title victories gained within the Scramble would not be deemed as official title wins, leading to Kendricks biggest achievement in professional wrestling becoming mere statistic of a forgotten match type.
Martyn Grant
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Occasional wrestler, full-time gym rat and lifelong lover of the grapple game. Would probably buy you a shot of Jack at the bar in exchange for witty banter...and preferably more Jack.
@MartynGrant88 for more wrestling-related musings and weight room wisecracks!
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