Xavier Woods is Great, But Consequences Creed was the Man

Xavier Woods is an incredibly underrated talent in the world of pro wrestling.

The amount of things Woods has been able to do in WWE has been incredible. The concept and creativity of the New Day with Kofi Kingston and Big E has transcended the perception that sports entertainers on the top level do not get creative freedom. Add on the fact that Woods started the UpUpDownDown video game channel on his spare time and has found time to continuously work at school to gain a PhD showcases his diversity as a human being. That is immensely talented and I have all the respect for a performer that consistently wants to better himself as a man.

Even so, I have a legitimate confession to make. As much as I like Xavier Woods in WWE as a character and performer, I have a guilty pleasure. Woods’ alter-ego Consequences Creed from the glory days of Total Nonstop Action is that much cooler in my eyes.

Am I insane? 100% certified lunatic, am I.

From 2007 until his release in 2010, Consequences Creed was my favorite character in TNA. With his ring gear and last name seemingly based off of Apollo Creed from the Rocky series, I immediately thought he was tremendous. I mean, if he only used “the Dancing Destroyer and the King of Sting” as a moniker, he would’ve replaced the 1-2-3 Kid as my all-time favorite. Combined with his outlandish hair and plucky fan favorite persona, Consequences exemplified a “never-say-die” attitude inside the ring. He just felt like a true throwback to the days of old school good guys.

Consequences made his debut at the 2007 Bound for Glory pay-per-view, being the in-ring replacement for NFL cornerback and ½ of the TNA Tag Team Champions Adam “Pacman” Jones and teaming with Ron “the Truth” Killings to face AJ Styles and Tomko for the gold. Hanging in there with one of the best wrestlers in the world and a true Problem Solver, Creed ultimately succumbed to the Tornado-Plex and lost the belts for Team Pacman. Maximizing his minutes, Creed earned himself a TNA contract and a full-time spot on the roster.

After waiting for a few months, TNA start doing vignettes for Consequences, building for his debut towards Lockdown in 2008. The catch-phrase throughout the promos, “Are you prepared to face the Consequences?” was strong and definitely a building block to start enhancing a character with. Creed made his debut on the final Impact before Lockdown 2008 on April 10, 2008, winning a match to qualify for the Xscape match at the pay-per-view event. Although Consequences did not win the Xscape, he brought a different side of himself into the X-Division.

Creed had an incredible charisma about him, which came out in every match he was in. He wasn’t the flashiest move-for-move, but he had style and substance. What he did do in the ring had poise. Consequences was never the best pound-for-pound wrestler, but he was loaded with potential. Hell, I marked out so hard when he named his three jabs, followed up with a split, and then a right cross the MonteFisto, an ode to, again, Apollo Creed’s nickname “The Count of Monte Fisto”. Consequences had some immense creativity. The bottom line is that Creed had the opportunity to be a true homegrown talent for TNA, but reasons unbeknownst to me as a fan, it never happened.

This is where I get a bit salty. A guy with the talent and charisma like Consequences Creed, combined with the youth and enthusiasm he possessed as well, would be nurtured and protected the right way. He was 22 years old and the passion for the industry. Instead, they lumped him into the X-Division and basically left him there. He was fed to Sheik Abdul Bashir in a rivalry for the X-Division Championship. Although he had a three day reign as TNA Tag Team Champion with Jay Lethal, he felt like just another guy that was thrown in multitudes of multi-man matches. Creed never seemed to advance higher in the company, which again, seems like a poor investment in an awesome talent, and by the Spring of 2010, Consequences Creed was out of TNA. It was a complete shame.

Thank goodness all obviously worked out for Creed, as Xavier Woods became a worldwide celebrity and is currently making a boatload of money. However, as much as I dig Woods, I loved the Consequences Creed persona. Since this is the Professional 3, I have three moments in particular that really stand out as it comes to Creed’s best moments in TNA. Without further hesitation, allow me to give them to you right now.

CREED’S SINGLES DEBUT VS JIMMY RAVE, 4/10/08: As I alluded to earlier, Creed had qualified to get into the Xscape match at Lockdown 2008. Consequences faced off and showcased his abilities against the perfect opponent in Jimmy Rave. One half of the Rock and Rave Connection with Lance Hoyt, Rave tried to slow down Creed in his debut, but the persistence and wherewithal of the young upstart from Atlanta, GA overcame the odds and leveled Rave with a hammerlock DDT, otherwise known as the CreedDT, and picked up the victory. A great debut and victory for Creed to establish him right off the bat.

THE X-DIVISION KING OF THE MOUNTAIN, SLAMMIVERSARY 2009 - In 2009, for the first time ever, there were two King of the Mountain matches on the same card. However, Consequences, alongside his tag team partner Jay Lethal, and the Motor City Machine Guns, were up against the X-Division champion Suicide, which both tag teams were against for a month, trying to decipher who was under the mask. After discovering it was NOT Christopher Daniels, the four continued trying to find out anyways. First facing off against one another in an Ultimate X match at Destination X, TNA Management decided that the five would face off in an X-Division King of the Mountain match for Suicide’s title. In an outright classic, all 5 men tore the house down. Both tag teams worked together, but in the end, Suicide retained his championship. This, to me, was a fun sprint that really showcased Creed’s talents with 4 other world-renowned talents and only garnered more in-ring experience against performers better than him.

LETHAL CONSEQUENCES WIN TNA TAG TEAM TITLES 1/8/09 - At Final Resolution on December 7, 2008, “Black Machismo” Jay Lethal won a “Feast or Fired” briefcase, guaranteeing himself a shot at the World Tag Team Titles whenever he saw fit. On January 8, 2009, during Impact, Lethal chose Creed to be his partner and cash in his shot against Beer Money of Robert Roode and James Storm. Thanks to help from the “Feast or Fired” case, Lethal pinned Storm to win the Tag Team Titles. The absolute joy and elation on the face of Creed on the apron when the referee counted three said it all. Although Lethal Consequences lost the belts three days later in a three-way tag team match at Genesis on January 11 including Matt Morgan and Abyss, Creed’s only TNA title came in that moment and it’ll always live on in TNA history.

I will admit freely that I prefer Consequences Creed over Xavier Woods, even in spite of Woods’ successes in this day and age. Regardless of that, as a fan of his work, I’ll always be happy to see him as a major player in the biggest company on the planet. Mr. Woods, I salute you.

Although, I’m “prepared to face the Consequences”. Creed is over Woods any day of the week, just in my book.

Jon Harder jon@thejonharder.com http://hardwayhq.com