AWE: An American Tradition Continues
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BACKSTORY:
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The year is 2008 and the writing was on the wall. Royal Rumble was just around the corner, two days away in fact, and something had to give. John Cena, Vince’s proverbial bread and butter was out, possibly for six months, probably for even longer than that. Add to the WWE’s woes the fact that the last PPV, December to Dismember, where ECW showcased the worst that wrestling possibly had to offer, had done horribly, both in buy rate numbers and at the gate (arena attendance). Over in <st1:city w:st="on">Orlando</st1:city>, <st1:state w:st="on">Florida</st1:state>, <st1
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lace w:st="on">Dixie</st1
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lace> Carter experienced a wake up call all her own. The last TNA PPV, entitled Final Resolution, had truly lived up to its name, but not the way anyone had expected.
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Much like the Royal Rumble scenario in the WWE, fans were fed up with seeing the same thing over and over again in TNA. In this case, Kurt Angle monopolizing the TNA championship. The final numbers for Final Resolution spoke loud and clear: the show cleared less then 400,000 PPV buy rates. Dixie, like Vince McMahon before here, knew something had to be done. Rumors began to swirl around both companies, with buzzwords like “financial difficulties” and “fiscal failure” both being thrown about. Stunningly, however, before either Vince or <st1
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lace w:st="on">Dixie</st1
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lace> could begin to do anything to change their respective fates, two separate events would ultimately bring about a complete change to the wrestling landscape, and they both would shatter the wrestling world forever.
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Two hours before Raw, WWE’s flagship program, was set to air an announcement was made. A bombshell of epic proportions was about to be dropped: Vincent Kennedy McMahon was dead. Coupled with this announcement was a secondary one from the remainder of the McMahon family. Shane, Stephanie, and especially Linda wanted out; out of the wrestling business for good. Understandably, <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1
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lace w:st="on">USA</st1
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lace></st1:country-region> Network contacted the company about the Raw program yet to air, and they were shocked to hear that it would not air that night, perhaps never again.
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Over in TNA, <st1
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lace w:st="on">Dixie</st1
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lace> Carter tried to fix the problems before her, namely the situation of what fans perceived to be a stale championship and a stagnant company. When news of the WWE’s eminent demise became public knowledge, <st1
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lace w:st="on">Dixie</st1
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lace> sprang into action. First, she attempted to buy the company on the whole, but the asking price was too steep for her or the other partial owners of TNA to match. Secondly, she attempted to lure several big WWE superstars to TNA, but they either were still honor-bound by iron-clad contracts with the flailing company, or they simply refused the offer outright.
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<st1
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lace w:st="on">Dixie</st1
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lace> Carter was backed into a corner, but refused to go down without a fight. Just as she drummed up the reserves to go to battle, figuratively speaking, the other shoe dropped. The remaining McMahons had found a buyer for the WWE after all. The new benefactor refused to identify themselves publicly, only to state that they would reveal themselves, and all of their future intentions on Raw. The mysterious owner also sadly announced that there would be no Royal Rumble PPV this year. Instead, the company would focus its collective energies on Raw. Raw would not be a two hour broadcast this time, however, but a one-hour showcase unparalleled in the history of the show. During the hour long broadcast, all three main championship titles would be unified (World, WWE, and ECW). The WWE and World Tag Team titles would also be unified on this night. Finally, the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1
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lace w:st="on">United States</st1
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lace></st1:country-region> and Intercontinental titles would be merged into one prestigious title named the Horizon Championship. The new title would then showcase new, breakout, and/or emerging talent.
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Monday came, and with it, new life breathed into an old horse. Raw produced one surprise after another. Jeff Hardy defeated M.V.P. to become the first ever Horizon Champion. Cade and Murdoch lost their bid to unify the Tag Team Championships to the upstart team of John Morrison and the Miz. Finally, Edge outlasted both C.M. Punk and his former stable mate Randy Orton to become the Undisputed Champion. After all this was said and done, the new owner decided to make themselves know to the world. The crowd in attendance waited with bated breath as a shadowy figure made their way to center stage, and when the fans (let alone the world) saw who it was, well, the wrestling world would never be the same again.
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The curtain parted and out walked the one person no one suspected of doing the impossible; a man who swore to re-invent wrestling all over again, had come to take over an empire. That man was Eric Bischoff. Bischoff was quick and decisive with his decisions. First up was a house-cleaning of sorts.
Eric announced to the live audience watching that everything was about to change. Gone was the World Wrestling Entertainment, and in its place was the proverbial phoenix rising from its ashes; in the form of a new promotion called A.W.E. or American Wrestling Entertainment. Bischoff states it is the merging of two worlds: Sports Entertainment and Professional Wrestling.
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Bischoff’s final act was just as shocking as the first one had been: via a live video feed, Eric finalized a merger of sorts. Dixie Carter had seen the writing on the wall, made a last minute decision, and was doing the unthinkable: She was selling her company, TNA, to Eric Bischoff! The fans in attendance and those watching around the world reeled at the news. Eric was hardly done, however, as he announced that a great deal of the rosters of both shows would be pared down, and that only the elite, the very best in the business would remain employed. Eric also announced that the WWE (as well as TNA) titles would become AWE championships. The list would be comprised as follows:
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A.W.E. Championship (formerly the unified championship)<o
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A.W.E. Horizon Championship (formerly the WWE Horizon Championship)<o
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A.W.E. Tag Team Championship (formerly the unified tag team championship)<o
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A.W.E. X Division Championship (formerly the TNA X Division title)<o
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A.W.E. Television Tag Team Championship (formerly the TNA tag team championship)<o
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A.W.E. Women’s Championship (formerly the WWE and TNA women’s titles, unified)
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Bischoff’s final announcement was as equally stunning as all that had come before it, but it was also saddening as well. Raw was changing and so was Smackdown. They would be revamped, replaced and hopefully rejuvenated. Raw would become Rampage, and Smackdown would re-emerge as Infusion. Things were now about to change, and the fans could only sit and watch as it all transpired around them. Eric Bischoff smiled, thanked everyone for watching Raw (and the WWE), and stated for great effect (as the cameras faded to black):
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Hang on for the ride of your lives, folks, because you haven’t seen anything yet!<o
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Show lineups and cards soon to follow…<o
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Linear Mode
