So, wrestling. I've been a fan for nigh on twenty years. Most of us here at TSM are in a similar boat. And, in twenty years, I've seen a lot of weird stuff go down. Giant, dancing chickens. A haf-black Roddy Piper. The Boogeyman. WTF? But, through it all, the WWF, WCW, ECW, AWA, NWA, TNA, and NAACP have found ways to stay fresh and entertaining. Last Saturday, however, I was really wondering if the WWE had what it took anymore.

What a difference a week makes.

Say what you will about Adam Copeland and Kurt Angle, but in the past six days the foundations of the WWE have been rocked. Last Saturday we had two champions who had reigned for over nine months. Two men who hadn't changed a bit in that time. Two men who were seen as unbeatable, unstoppable. As of today, one has been beaten, and one has been stopped. John Cena and Dave Batista no longer hold gold, and in their places are two big surprises.

Edge has been in the WWE since the summer of 1998. He came in with a lot of hype and a lot of expectations, and it's a matter of some debate as to how well he had fulfilled them. He's been a fifty-time tag champ, as well as a singles star on the cusp of greatness. Through the years, he has battled injury, and come back time and time again, but he has never been on top of the mountain. That all changed at this Sunday's New Year's Revolution show, where -- surprisingly -- the WWE followed a long-term angle to its logical conclusion. Edge cashed in his guaranteed, "money-in-the-bank" title shot following what is, undisputedly, the most grueling match in the WWE, and won the WWE Championship in controversial fashion. Since then, more fans have tuned into Raw, and the entire internet community is abuzz. People are talking.

Meanwhile, Smackdown gets a blessing in disguise. Batista was doing a great job as champion, by all accounts; he was a solid draw and a recognizable icon. Yet the status quo seemed firmly in place, and unshakeable until Wrestlemania. Suddenly, a torn tricep muscle shakes the title from the Animal, and into the capable hands of Kurt Angle. It may not make sense to see one of Raw's top guys on Smackdown, but the WWE showed amazing perception by letting Angle play babyface against the mostrous Mark Henry, climaxing in a shocking World Heavyweight Championship win for the veteran. And on the internet, the people have been talking.

However, the internet can talk itself blue, and it really doesn't matter a great deal. What matters is the feeling. I don't know about anyone else, but to me, this is the closest we've been to the Attitude Era since, well, the Attitude Era. The most important factor in that feeling? It's the old slogan: anything can happen in the WWE. In the glory days of Austin, Rocky, Hunter and Foley, we knew that a title could change hands at a moment's notice; a major star could be born or be destroyed; the course of events could change at the blink of an eye. Vince Russo called it "crash TV," but it's more than that. It's not chaos; it's controlled chaos. WCW learned this lesson the hard way, but the WWE seems to be getting it before it's too late.

The common thread of this past week is that everything has made sense. Cena's character has acknowledged the boos. Of course he would! Edge used his title shot at the single most opportune time. Kurt Angle went to where the getting was good. JBL defended his territory. Okay, so we still have Mama Benjamin, and the Boogeyman. But at the top level, the guys you talk about at the water cooler, things are captivating again. It's only a week, but as they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. The next few months, specifically the Royal Rumble and Wrestlemania, will be make or break. But if they do things right, and stay intriguing without going insane, it could become a very, very good time to be a wrestling fan.

Hope springs eternal.

-Hoff