Question for the class.
Is anyone else tired of D-Generation X?
Over ten years ago, DX represented innovation. It helped usher in WWF âAttitude.â To quote âFreebirdâ and mullet enthusiast Michael Hayes, they went âin the â~Outâ doorâ and âup the downstairs.â DX had a good run in the first incarnation of Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Chyna and Rick Rude. The second version of Triple H, Chyna, X-Pac and the New Age Outlaws fared even better.
Today, is it just a concept that wonât go away?
Oh, they tried again, but I think the Triple H-Shawn Michaels DX combo fell flat. It never felt right. Both were successful singles stars who morphed away from their DX personas. No longer the rebellious outsiders, they became part of the system. Yet, when they got together and wore the DX shirts, they suddenly turned into hams mugging for the camera, uttering their little jokes and crotch chopping their much older crotches.
The reunion tour didnât work. Champion and main eventer Triple H bears no resemblance to DX Triple H. And Shawn Michaels? Heâs born again, remember. He found Jesusâ¦he was under the couch cushions where his keys were. It is always the last place you look, you know. HBK is a Christian. A âSouldier.â What would Jesus do? I doubt he would be in DX pointing to his âstaffâ, so to speak, or making a âloaves and fishesâ double entendre. And âDadâ would not be too happy with the theme music of âSexy Christ.â
To me, DX remains a holdover from the days when the âcoolâ anti-hero wrestlers would do things that entertained them and not the fans. They made their little inside references to belittle and insult their opponents. Theyâd smirk and giggle at every gag based on something behind-the-scenes that mainstream fans failed to understand.
Todayâs DX is a way for Triple H and Shawn Michaels to entertain themselves. Let them play make-believe and feed their egos. Itâs not the nineties anymore, boys. Youâre older and, at least for one of you, the hair is going, no matter how long you grow it and how tightly you pull it back.
Next Monday, Raw celebrates its 800th show with a main event that features DXâs Triple H and Michaels facing The Miz and John Morrison. I think its time for the proverbial torch to be passed. Miz and Morrison are a modern-day upgrade of DX. They represent the young people of today, not the arrested adolescents of yesterday. Trust me, Iâm one of those and we donât need ANY encouragement.
DX had a good run, if not a little too long. They have their legacy and, count â~em, two DVD compilations. Triple H and Shawn Michaelsâ place in wrestling history is secured. Now, its time to make DX history.
