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Perfect/Wilkes III: biggest match ever?
When PWF commissioner Jim Ross made it official just over one week ago, the question had to be asked: when Mr. Perfect defends the Professional
Wrestling Federation Championship against Dangerous Del Wilkes at Fall Battle Fields ... will it be the biggest match of all-time?
This will surely be an endless debate for wrestling journalists, critics, and fans, but the match's greatest opposition may be one of its
very own predecessors. The first Mr. Perfect/Del Wilkes match happened back in Supreme Championship Wrestling in 1998. It was, of course, for the SCW's
version of the World Championship; it would go on to win an SCW Slammy Award
after being voted the best match of that year. It was quickly labeled by many as the best they'd ever seen. Whether it was the unbelievable back-and-forth
momentum of the match or the heated war of words leading up to the match or some
combination of the two, it went down in history as one of the very best matches in the annals
of wrestling history.
When they met again at La Mala Sombra -- with Wilkes revealed to be the mystery opponent -- the wrestling world watched in awe as 1998 was happening
all over again and right before our eyes ... and in the very best way possible.
We all saw what happened. TDP was thisclose to winning the fifth World Championship of his illustrious career -- in his return match, no less.
But the Perfect Team wasn't going to allow that. Make no mistake about it: the Perfect Team saved Mr. Perfect from losing a second World Championship to Dangerous Del
in as many matches. Eight years apart, granted, but the result was going to be the same. It surely looked like it, at least. It looked like it to the
Perfect Team, as well, or else they wouldn't have hit the ring ... every, single last one of them.
That's part of the intrigue to this epic war between Perfect and Wilkes. The
Dark Patriot just seems to have the number of Mr. Perfect.
Think about it like this: when Mr. Perfect returned to wrestling in March of 2005, he went on to have a year that was as good, if not better, than
any year put together by anyone ... ever. He won the PWF Tag Team Championship with lifelong friend Rick Rude, last defeating the Masked Men in a Tag
Team Turmoil match to capture the titles. The Masked Men, of course, being Edge and Christian, and whose accomplishments as a tag team need not be stated. He was the first
PWF Intercontinental Champion and went on to hold that title for nine months, defending it successfully against
the likes of
Lance Storm, long-time rival Stevie Richards, and many more. He would never lose the Intercontinental title, but was forced to vacate it when he won his sixth World Championship in February at
Aggression. He's been the PWF Champion ever since, and in one week, will become the longest-reigning PWF Champion to-date. Not to be forgotten, he also won the King of the Ring Tournament in January and was named
Wrestler of the Year for 2005. He picked up a PWF-best five Slammy Awards, as well.
Oh, and then there's that little matter that in almost eighteen months in a PWF
ring, he has never been pinned or forced to submit. Not even once.
As a four-time SCW World Champion, his feats and accomplishments there were nearly as impressive, but it was Del Wilkes who defeated him in their
one and only SCW encounter. Wilkes would mysteriously disappear from the sport soon after; therefore,
there was no rematch. Then, at La Mala Sombra, it was again Wilkes who was on the verge of a clean victory before Perfect's troops arrived.
Del Wilkes is one of the few performers whose career accomplishments warrant his name being mentioned in the same breath as that of Mr. Perfect's. Mr. Perfect would surely disagree, which is why his failure to defeat Wilkes in 1998 no doubt
still haunts him to this day. La Mala Sombra only made things worse. Here comes Del Wilkes, out of retirement, and already he's got Mr. Perfect on the ropes in a title match -- in case you've been living in a cave, that's not a sight often seen. Maybe he does have his number.
He will always say otherwise, but Mr. Perfect needs to beat Del Wilkes. Bobby Heenan's famous advice to his champion -- "You don't have to beat him; he has to beat you!" -- may not be true. Not this time.
You will never hear Mr. Perfect say it, but Mr. Perfect does need to beat Del Wilkes.
That, more than anything else, speaks volumes as to just how much of an impact player Del Wilkes truly is. Mr. Perfect has beaten them all. He's defeated Raven, Taz, Excellence, Lance Storm, Stevie Richards, and even James Ace. There is
truly no man who has ever stepped up to him or the Perfect Team that he hasn't toppled at one point or another.
Other, of course, than Wilkes.
So, at Fall Battle Fields, when Perfect and Wilkes face off for the third
time in their decorated careers, not only will ten combined World Championships be in that ring, but two names who have each built legacies that will never be forgotten.
Mr. Perfect has an opportunity to finally defeat Wilkes, eight years after their first encounter ... in what may be the biggest match ever.
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