I went to OVW last night and took a photo with an icon. As you can see, we included Icon Lee get in the photos we took. He’s the one with the big, beefy arm next to a true icon, Joe (don’t call him Dean!) Malenko.
Icon was being Icon when I arrived at Davis Arena, forcing pro-Icon flyers into the hands of fans and demanding they wave them when he made his entrance in the Nightmare Rumble. Matter of fact he was accosting Joe Malenko with one of those flyers when I arrived. “I think you should be waving one of Joe’s flyers instead,” I suggested.
All kidding aside, if you hate Icon Lee, I have some bad news for you. He’s not going anywhere. He’s only getting started.
I know you hate his attitude. You hate his promos. You hate the one red eye and the Magneto-like helmet. You were so thrilled that after all his prognostications, all his boasts, and that Ed Norton-like drawn-out entrance into the Rumble, he went out like a greenhorn jobber.
But if you think your hate is going to drive Icon away… No. Not a chance.
It’s fitting that JBL was in the house for the Rumble last night. The hate I see directed toward Icon is a lot like the hate JBL received when he was champion for a year “because Triple H didn’t want to work Tuesdays!” (Shout out to Paul Heyman.) No one understood the push. No one understood why week after week, he remained champion.
It’s because he had your attention, just like Icon.
Icon knows damn well what he’s doing. He’s part of an exciting new breed of wrestling personas at OVW like The Lovely Miss Larkan and “Simply Seductive” Stephen Steele. You can’t take your eyes off these kids. They’re so entertaining. And they are definitely on the rise. Steele’s already been a champion. Larkan won the freaking Women’s Nightmare Rumble.
Icon’s day is coming. He is inevitable.
I know you don’t want to hear this. You’re invested in his failure. You’re deeply, passionately invested in seeing Icon Lee fail. And yes, so far, Icon seems to always come up short. But so did Luke Kurtis early on. So did Tony Evans. Until they didn’t.
Icon’s not going anywhere. And deep down, I think you’re okay with that. You love to hate him. You know in your heart of hearts, he’s money. And one day you’ll be able to sit back and tell all your Internet friends, “Yeah, I knew Icon when he started. I hated him before any of you.”