Having been born in 1980, I was fortunate enough to have witnessed, growing up, the greatest of all feud-gimmicks in wrestling history. This feud-gimmick that I speak of stretched throughout promotions, across the country, and over the course of quite a few years. Even today, with the rise of La Resistance and Kurt Angle's quarrel with the Guerreros, this feud-gimmick still exists: USA vs. anybody else.

Can you remember the very first time that you heard the "USA chant"" I can. It wasn't during an Olympic event, or even at a July 4th celebration. It was in 1985 at the Toledo Sports Arena when Junk Yard Dog teamed with Hillbilly Jim to defeat the Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff. After the 3-count, I experienced complete pandemonium first hand as a five year old kid. I did not know exactly what had happened, but I knew it was good...as if evil had been destroyed and freedom now reigned supreme. Well, maybe I did not have that exact of a grasp on the situation, but the feeling that I had that night has stuck with me sense. The excitement that I experienced that night has kept me tuned in on Saturday nights, Sunday mornings, Monday evenings, and, as of late, Thursdays, to something that I an now hooked on: professional wrestling.

Is it me, or is this feud-gimmick that I have described now lacking something" It has been trivialized, and arguably, over-done during the past decade...or has it" Has the USA angle been beat to death, or has the marketing of such feuds like Hogan vs. Iraqi Sgt. Slaughter fallen to the wayside. I would argue the latter. Why, you may ask, has this happened" In my humble opinion, I feel that the personnel used to exploit such angles have been poorly chosen over that past few years.

When I conjure up images of USA vs. foreign competitors in the squared circle, I think of blue collar men fighting for the blue collar way of life. Sure...beer drinking, football games, monster trucks, and tailgating. Does squeaky clean Kurt Angle bring these things to mind when you picture him" Of course not! Allow me to refresh your memory of previous paragraphs; JYD and Hillbilly Jim combined to defeat one Arab and one Communist, respectively, when they defeated the team of Sheik and Volkoff. Ok...so where am I going with this" Look at our American heroes in this scenario. Less than fit Hillbilly Jim, and girthy, but not rippling, JYD. These men may even be compared to the likes of Hacksaw Jim Duggan, Dusty Rhodes, Big John Studd, and Greg "the Hammer" Valentine, all of which, at one point in their careers, waved the flag on the way to the ring.

My point being, I feel as if the fans of professional wrestling would once again wave their own Star Spangled Banners at wrestling cards if, in fact, the wrestlers doing so were believably doing so with the same fervent of those wrestlers just mentioned. How could promoters successfully "get this over" with fans" Put American wrestlers in the ring reminiscent of those that once fought for Old Glory in the 80's...spare us, the American wrestling fans, the oiled up, pumped up, hyped up young kids that can't recall Bobby Heenan, much less Bob Backlund.

by Ty Foust..