It doesn't need to be complex...

For people to become invested in a wrestling storyline, it seems today that you need elaborate plot twists, multiple love interests, and most importantly political intrigue involving the “boss” of the company. You must have 20 to 30 minutes of time set aside on each of your television shows for long drawn out discussions between competitors in your main events and you can’t even worry about making your undercard interesting because there simply isn’t enough time.  It would be impossible to create interest in a wrestling angle if you could only devout 2-4 minutes of air time on your shows to promote a match, right ?

Well if you think that, you’d be wrong. 18 years later, I still vividly remember one feud that played out between the 4^th tier singles champion in WCW (4^th because had two World Titles, WCW & WCW-I) and an announcer. I don’t remember it because it had a lot of time devoted to it, or because it had a crazy storyline or finished with an insane gimmick match; I remember it because it was a straight forward, easy to understand story and led to an amazing wrestling match. I’m taking about is the feud between WCW Television Champion "Lord" Steven Regal and “The Living Legend” Larry Zbyszko.

Larry Zbyszko had just become an announcer in WCW and in the buildup to Spring Stampede 1994 he was conducting an interview with “Lord” Steven Regal about his upcoming title defense against “Flyin” Brian Pillman. During the interview, as was his shtick at the time, Steven Regal began mocking Pillman and running down America and poor people. Larry tried to steer the interview away from politics and America bashing by asking if Regal was afraid of Pillman which enraged the British Lord. Larry further flummoxed Regal by asking if he wasn’t afraid of him why Regal had given Pillman a piledriver on the concrete floor. Unsure of how to answer this, Regal became tongue tied and walked off. The following week Zbyszko was set to interview Regal again; Regal began with insulting Zbyszko and then continued with his America bashing. After about a minute of this, Larry grew outraged, told Regal to shut up and walked away from the interview enraging Regal.

The following week on the April 23^rd edition of WCW Saturday Night, “Lord” Regal was being interviewed by “Mean” Gene Okerlund and he railed against the professionalism of Larry Zbyszko, mocked him for being a has-been, and again threw in some healthy America bashing (though paying a certain President a little compliment). He demanded that the next week Larry Zbyszko issue a public apology. Sure enough the following week came and Regal was back out with Gene Okerlund demanding his apology. Zbyszko came out and refused to apologize to Regal, as Zbyszko turned to leave, Regal’s attendant “Sir” William jabbed Zbyszko in the back with his umbrella. Zbyszko turned around to sucker punch Sir William and then ripped the clothes off of his Lordship.

Further outraged by this unwanted disrobing, Regal once again had an interview with Gene Okerlund. For besmirching his honor, Regal demanded that Larry Zbyszko wrestle him. Regal was determined to destroy Zbyszko and show the world that Zbyszko was not only a has-been but a never-was. Sure enough the following week Larry Zbyszko was on Saturday Night being interviewed by Gene Okerlund. Playing into the jingoistic sentiments of the back and forth between the two men, Zbyszko described a wrestling match between an Englishman named Cornwallis and an American named George Washington which ended with Washington locking Cornwallis in an abdominal stretch and ushering in an American golden age. Following the conclusion of this story Larry Zbyszko accepted the match with Regal for the following week at Slamboree.

Over the course of several weeks, with less than 4 minutes each show, WCW built a compelling storyline for their upcoming PPV. There was no complex reason for this match involving the Commissioner of WCW, no love triangle, nor pregnant druggies; there was only honor at stake. Zbyszko was fighting for his pride and the honor of his country and Regal wanted to punish Zbyszko for disrespecting him. The match was set, you had an interest in watching it, and who knows maybe they would do something in this match to keep you interested in the feud and perhaps prolong it…