Kind of a random thought here, Internet. I know. But, when you’re in the business of opinions, you gotta sling ’em where you can. Last week, I was scrolling through Twitter, and former WWE superstar Trevor Murdoch’s name popped up. So, naturally, it sent me down memory lane.
Murdoch and partner Lance Cade, formed one of the most popular tag teams of the mid-2000s. They were actually one of the few gems of the period. A gimmick based on Murdoch’s frumpy, good ol’ boy toughness and Cade’s Nashville pizazz made these guys feel fresh. They were similar yet unique and independent of each other. It wasn’t like the old school tag teams, where guys were essentially clones of each other.
The two just clicked, and along with teams like Brian Kendrick and Paul London and MNM, provided the era with some memorable tag teams. And, let’s be real here, people – it’s not like tag team wrestling was the primary focus of a WWE show in the mid-2000s. Yet still, these guys delivered week in and week out.
But, there was something about Murdoch that resonated with the crowd. The guy had such an interesting look. He could sell more with his facial expressions than some 30-year vets could with their whole body. I always found him a bit like William Regal in that regard. As Jerry Lawler was prone to say, it looked like Murdoch always smelled something bad.
But, Murdoch could really go. When that bell rang, boy he could hang with anyone on the roster. He was big, physical, and aggressive. But, more so than anything, I remember his psychological ability. He was slow and methodical…at a time when the WWE was trying to adjust from the fast-paced action of the Attitude Era. Hell, Murdoch would probably fit right in in today’s WWE.
Late in 2005, there was a brief period when it looked like Murdoch would actually get a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. The “Nature Boy” Ric Flair defeated Carlito for it, and had some excellent matches with Triple H for the gold. Generally, I was actually a fan of Flair’s Intercontinental title run. I think it’s one of the more memorable of the era, and was a nice run for the legend so late in his career.
Murdoch announced that he was gunnin’ for Flair, but nothing ever materialized from that. Reception to the idea was weird. Cade & Murdoch had recently severed ties after losing the World Tag Team Championships to the Big Show and Kane. Neither man had really ventured off into singles competition for long, so the timing wasn’t right.
In hindsight, sure, it would’ve been weird for a guy who recently broke up with his tag team partner to defeat one of if not the greatest wrestler of all time for one of the company’s most prestigious belts. But, the champs that followed Flair in 2006 were Shelton Benjamin (twice), Rob Van Dam (a 15-day reign), Johnny Nitro (twice), and Jeff Hardy (twice). You’re telling me there was no room for Murdoch during any of that timespan?
No, I don’t buy it. Murdoch is one of those very rare low-to-mid-card guys who remains criminally underrated. The guy was good enough and interesting enough for long enough that he deserved that honor. We’re just going to have to file this one away with all the other “could have beens” in WWE history.
Obviously, there’s no use in whining about this 12 years later, but hey – if we can do anything to give the guy his due, I’m happy to. It’s just a shame we never got our “Nashville Elite” stable with Cade, Murdoch, and Jeff Jarrett. That would’ve been insane.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. A strong advocate of GSD (get shit done) and #BeBetter, he’s down to talk Tennessee Titans and Alabama Crimson Tide football over a beer any day. Check him out covering the WWE for WrestlingNews.co. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley, @WrestlingNewsCo
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