NoDQ.com > Columns > Wrestling: In Your Face - Ranking the Titles Posted by Eric Jenkins on 03/27/2008 at 01:17 PM
From time to time, I sit around with other wrestling fans and we ponder things about professional wrestling. Recently, we were discussing “The Big Two”, WWE & TNA. Particularly, we were discussing the titles within the two organizations and which titles were more important. We came up with a few different opinions, but since I am the only one with a column, I decided to publish my opinion on the order of importance of the titles in the two major organizations.
As with any countdown, for the purpose of suspense, I will be listing the titles from bottom to top. I will also only be listing the ten most important titles among the many titles within the two organizations. So, to quote my son’s favorite show, Kenan & Kel “Awww, here it goes”.
Others Under Consideration: The WWE World Tag Titles, The WWE Women’s Title, The WWE Cruiserweight Title – These are the titles that are not worthy of making the cut into the top-10. Between WWE & TNA, there are 12 active titles and the recently retired Cruiserweight title. The CW title is in this category for obvious reasons. As soon as the belt was placed on Hornswoggle, particularly the way that it was with him sneaking into the battle royal and then winning the whole thing, I knew that the title was in jeopardy and as it would turn out, he is the last recognized champion as he was stripped of the belt and there was no attempt made to crown a new champion.
The WWE World Tag Titles currently belong to Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly. Bet you didn’t even remember that, did you? Okay, I know that there are some true marks that knew this without thinking, but they are I the minority. Since these two won the titles from Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, not only have they not defended the titles, they haven’t even wrestled as a team on Raw! How’s that for killing off a title?
The WWE Women’s Title is still a very viable title, but the champion is too dominant. Beth Phoenix reminds me of when Mike Tyson was in his 20’s. Tyson beat everyone in the division and there were no more viable contenders left. This is what has happened with the women and Beth Phoenix. There is no one who can stay in the ring with her, so though the title continues to get talked about, it is essentially dead.
So now, here are the top-10 titles, in reverse order:
10. The WWE United States Title – MVP is the US champion, and for a while, the title had some true value. MVP’s battles with Matt Hardy made the title one of the most watched parts of WWE television. However, when Matt Hardy went down needing surgery, he took the US Title’s value with him. Since then, MVP has only mentioned the title on his VIP Lounge talk show and has not defended the title at all. The Women’s title almost took this spot.
9. The WWE Intercontinental Title – Chris Jericho just won the IC title from Jeff Hardy, but only because Jeff Hardy failed a drug test and was suspended for 60 days and for some reason, WWE felt that he shouldn’t take the title with him. It would seem to me that they could have put the belt on Mr. Kennedy and have Jericho chase Kennedy while selling the Money in the Bank, but that would be another article. Anyway, Hardy won the title from Umaga and it went the way of the US belt; no defenses and no challengers. Jeff was preoccupied with Triple H and pursuing the WWE title and both Randy Orton and the Big Show would rather get disqualified in title matches that they were dominating as opposed to winning the title. Neither this belt nor any of the belts below it in the countdown will be featured at WM24, nor will you see them anytime soon on television because of their lack of importance.
8. The ECW Title – Chavo Guerrero is the current ECW champion and he will be defending his title at Wrestlemania against the winner of a 24-man battle royal. Only two problems: the battle royal will not be shown on the PPV broadcast but on WWE.com and the match features wrestlers from all 3 brands. There were no ECW wrestlers in either of the two elimination chamber matches at No Way Out so why are there Raw & SD wrestlers in the ECW title elimination match? Simple, because WWE has not elevated any ECW wrestlers other than CM Punk as viable challengers or possible ECW champions, this is why a SD guy holds the belt! It has long been said by me that WWE should elevate some guys from Florida to fill out the ECW roster and attempt to make ECW a truly separate brand, but this will never happen. Hopefully, the winner will be someone other than CM Punk because I believe, at least in ECW, he has overstayed his welcome.
7. The TNA X-Division Title – This is the lowest ranked TNA title and it still ranks higher than three titles with much longer histories that it has. Jay Lethal, in t he midst of his Randy Savage impression and his courtship with So Cal Val, is the current X-Division champion, but he is suffering from a unique problem; all of his challengers have moved into situations where they are involved with the other two men’s divisions in TNA. They are either in tag teams (Sabin, Shelley, Styles, Daniels, Shark Boy) or they are involved in feuds with guys who would normally be chasing the World title (Eric Young, Kaz, Petey Williams, Samoa Joe). Scott Steiner is the number one contender to the title, and since Lethal was able to defeat Kurt Angle he should, though with some difficulty, be able to beat Steiner, but it will not be the most entertaining match, and this was what the staple of the X-Division had been. Other than the eventual feud with Sonjay Dutt, Lethal badly needs some challengers before the X title dies a slow, painful death.
6. The WWE Tag Team Titles – The WWE Tag titles, the belts from the Smackdown brand, are currently held by a pair of ECW wrestlers who should be chasing the ECW title. Former champion John Morrison and potentially future champion The Miz currently wear the belts that hey won from the team of Matt Hardy and MVP, in another angle that stalled the US Title and knocked it down these rankings. Miz and Morrison have been dominant champions, and these belts would probably be ranked higher if not for the titles ahead of them. The problem that these two talented wrestlers face is the sudden lack of challengers that has affected the other titles. Former champions London & Kendrick have split up for no good reason other than the fact that the two were getting destroyed in a handicap match where they had the advantage and Kendrick felt that he had been getting beaten enough and left London to get destroyed, suddenly making Kendrick a heel as evidenced by his residence in the 24-man ECW Battle Royal tag team match this past Tuesday. Former champions Deuce & Domino are worse jobbers than London & Kendrick and top contenders Jesse and Festus have not captured enough of the fans’ imaginations to be elevated to the titles. Beyond this, there is the unlikely team of Tommy Dreamer and Colin Delany, who will eventually win the belts ala Mick Foley & Mikey Whipwreck in the original ECW, but this does not add to the prestige of the titles. Due to their talent and their hard work, Miz & Morrison deserve better.
5. The TNA Tag Titles – At the bottom of the top-5 is the team of former NWA World champion AJ Styles and future TNA World champion Tomko. What elevates these titles to this spot is the fact that all of the titles in TNA matter, with the possible exception of the X title as it is currently being booked. Team 3D, Sabin & Shelley, Steiner & Williams, LAX, Rock & Rave and the team of Shark Boy and Curry Man are among the teams that are in contention for these titles, which makes them more important that either of WWE’s sets of tag titles. AJ & Tomko are involved in Kurt Angle’s war with Kevin Nash Samoa Joe & Christian Cage, but they still find time to successfully defend their titles.
4. The TNA Knockout (Women’s) Title – If your name is Awesome Kong and you outweigh the other women in the division by around 150 pounds, it would appear that you would clean out the division the way that your counterpart Beth Phoenix has in WWE, even though Beth only enjoys a strength advantage while carrying around the same weight as the other women. Fortunately, Kong is being booked as dominant but beatable. This is perhaps the best work that the TNA creative staff is doing these days. There are several women who, on a good day, could conceivably defeat the Knockout champion. Gail Kim, ODB, Jackie Moore & Traci Brooks head the very long list of viable contenders to this title, which should actually be ranked higher than it is but because of its relative newness, it must wait to climb higher in these rankings. Unfortunately, for the titles and champions ahead of it, if TNA continues to book this title the way that it is now, it will, before too long, be the most important title in United States professional wrestling.
3. The WWE World Heavyweight Title – So that there is no confusion, I am referring to the Smackdown title, the one that Edge currently has. This title is tenuously in this spot, not because of its champion but because of its visibility. Edge and the creative staff of WWE, and kept this title visible while killing the other SD titles. Where this title lacks is in the very short list of challengers. Behind the Undertaker and Batista (who seems to be the CM Punk of SD, always near the title because there is no one else), there are no other true challengers to the belt. The other guys in the elimination chamber at No Way Out were just there because they had to have six wrestlers in the match. None of these men were true contenders to the title. As long as Edge is champion, with Batista and Taker chasing, the title will matter, but as soon as Taker beats Edge at WM (which he will), the title will become less important because the challengers suddenly become Mark Henry and Big Daddy V, which takes away more prestige that it adds.
2. The WWE Heavyweight Title – The Raw title. The title held by Randy Orton and pursued by John Cena and Triple H. The title that beyond these two men has no real challengers (see World title). The title that will undoubtedly be the focus of the Money in the Bank winner after Wrestlemania (which will be Kennedy because without Jeff Hardy in it, Kennedy is the obvious choice). The title that, since it is the top title in the top promotion is even being considered as the top title in wrestling. This is the title that Triple H thinks that he owns, but the title that John Cena seems to always have. Because of this, the title has become stagnant just as the World title has. Without marketable challengers, the title becomes worthless, which actually makes this title, as well as the world title, in danger of falling far down these rankings.
1. The TNA World Title – The top title in Wrestling does not currently reside in the top promotion in wrestling…or does it? Kurt Angle is set to defend his title against Samoa Joe, but prior to that, he fended off challenges from Sting, Christian Cage, Kaz, Abyss and the winner of the match between Angle and Joe will have to deal with these men plus Scott Steiner, Kevin Nash, Booker T, Robert Roode, Rhino and possibly Tomko & Petey Williams. When I said that the titles matter more in TNA than in WWE, this is the title that is leading the way. TNA books around the titles and not just the personalities, so it appears more like an actual sports show where the purpose is to win championships first and not as an afterthought as in WWE. As long as the title is not put n someone who does not deserve to have it, the TNA World Title should remain entrenched at the top of this list.
Currently, the TNA title is the top belt in professional wrestling, in my opinion, but that could change at any time, and this Sunday at Wrestlemania, WWE could make a statement that could change these rankings dramatically.
Send comments, complaints or questions to me @ ericej@netzero.net
Visit my blog @ http://ericejenkins.blogspot.com/ to view more wrestling and non-wrestling writings.
Eric E. Jenkins is an author who has written a semi-biographical book covering the last 30 years in professional wrestling through the eyes of a fan entitled “Reflections of a Professional wrestling Fan: My 30 Years ‘In’ the Business”. He is currently writing “Dead Too Soon”, a book chronicling the careers of and paying tribute to many of the wrestling stars who passed away very young.
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