I often wonder what the wrestling world would look like if I was behind the scenes making decisions, and in today's blog, you will get a taste of that as I discuss the various Championship Titles that the WWE has and the ones it does not have that could work.
Let me first start off by saying that the WWE has a lot of talent going to waste. With four weekly shows, the WWE could display more of their talent and host many different divisions within the WWE.
I miss the days when the WWE had a Cruiserweight Division. These high flyers excited and thrilled fans from all ages and genres. Remember the high flying antics of Super Crazy? Or Psicosis? Remember Paul London and Brian Kendrick? Juventud Guerrera? How about Shannon Moore? What about current WWE Superstars like Jamie Noble, Jimmy Wang Yang, or Sho Funaki? EVAN BOURNE?
Unless you are Rey Mysterio, forget about becoming even a midcard WWE wrestler. When was the last time Funaki picked up a win? When was the last time Jamie Noble was regarded as a veteran in the ring? And when was the last time Jimmy Wang Yang was shown some respect? And when was the last time Evan Bourne received a legitimate (no inteference) win?
I get that Rey Mysterio has a storied past, but so does Jamie Noble. Rey is undeniably one of the greatest high flyers in wrestling history, but then again, so is Jamie Noble. Noble has wrestling skills that most in the business have already forgotten even existed. Oops, sorry folks, I forgot, this is Sports Entertainment and not Professional Wrestling.
I would still like to see the return of the Cruiserweight Title. In fact, if ECW was used right, ECW could become the home of the Cruiswerweight Division. It could be a show that featured both new stars, but also the Cruiserweights and Hardcore/Extreme wrestling. Speaking of which, bring back the Hardcore Title.
Forget about the ECW Title. At this point, that title is a midcard title and not one of the top titles in the company. It should just be removed from existence from the WWE. With four shows, the WWE could make one show a Hardcore/Cruiserweight Show. Drop the ECW name and call it Tuesday Night Extreme, or Adrenaline, or even No Limits.
Then you take all of the new and up-and-coming stars, and place them on Superstars. Reintroduce the Television Title. A title that can only be defended on WWE Superstars. Give the title to one of the young guys that is waiting to be transitioned to ECW, Raw, or Smackdown. Give it to Sheamus or Yoshi Tatsu or even Drew McIntyre to give them some name recognition in the WWE, then move them along to start feuds on one of the other brands.
We then have to take a look at the other titles. One WWE Tag Team Title that can be defended across all three brands? Yes, it makes sense. So, why not do the same for the WWE Women's and Diva's Championships. Unite them into the more modern-sounding Diva's Championship that can be defended on Raw or Smackdown or even ECW for that matter. We all know that the WWE's Diva's Division pales in comparison to TNA's Knockouts Division. Most of the ladies in the WWE are green in the ring, even after a year or more of being in the ring. So, give it to one of them, let's say Beth Phoenix and let Mickie James, Michelle McCool, Melina, Jillian Hall, and Alicia Fox fight for the title. After all, they are the only ones that have real talent in the WWE. Sure Kelly Kelly is doing okay right now and Eve Torres is literally almost there. And I don't know what the WWE is doing with one of the greatest female wrestlers WWE has ever seen, Gail Kim. This would also give Katie Burchill a chance to be more than just her "brother's" lackey.
After that, we could have a new Tag Team Title, as suggested by one of nodq.com's readers, Will (who shot me an email), a Mixed Tag Team Title. This would give guys like Santino Marella, Chavo Guerrero, Goldust, and others something real to do. Even the Jobber Cruiserweights could get in on the action. "And the new WWE Mixed Tag Team Champions, Melina and Santino Marella." Or "Jillian Hall and Chavo Guerrerro." Etc, etc, ad infinitum.
Have I overburderned you yet? The last couple of titles are simple. Keep both the United States Title and the Intercontinental Title. I think both are prominent enough. Both are separate stepping stones to the top title(s) in the WWE. It gives the midcarders something to look forward to. Keep the U.S. Title as a title for the complacent-eternal midcarders like Shelton Benjamin and Carlito, who had their chance, but blew it. And then have the IC Title (along with the Tag Team Titles) be the stepping stone to the WWE Title, which brings me to the WWE and World Title Unification.
We all know that the WWE is not producing enough future stars, and to me, that's okay. We could get fresh storylines out of feuds with the top guys on both Raw and Smackdown as ONE Champion bounces back and forth between the shows to defend his title. When was the last time we saw Randy Orton vs Edge or John Cena vs CM Punk or Christian vs Chris Jericho? Which brings me to: The Legend's Title.
Is it true? Does someone outside of TNA actually like this title? YES! It would give guys like The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and others something to do. They can stay as far away from the Main Event/top title scene as possible. Put the title on Finlay and have him feud with Ricky Steamboat. Give the belt to the supposedly returning Booker T to defend against The Undertaker. New feuds could pop out of nowhere here.
Finally, REBUILD THE WWE TAG TEAM DIVISION! One of my favorite parts to the shows I watched in the 80s and early 90s were the Tag Team Matches. How many tag teams does the WWE have today compared to then? Remember the Brain Busters, Demolition, The Road Warriors, the Killer Bees, the Conquistadors, the Bush Whackers, The Rockers, the Hart Foundation, the Islanders, and the various pairings of the wrestlers in stables? I cannot even think of all of the tag teams that existed at one point. Some of those tag wrestlers went on to become World Champions (Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels).
The WWE needs to look at their title scene and how they run their shows and figures something out. I am actually agreeing with Mr. Anderson (aka Ken Anderson aka Mr. Kennedy) that wrestling today is becoming hard to watch. A new title scene could change the way we view wrestling. It could create new storylines and new pairings. It could bring back those that have left. Finally, it could retain those young fans today, who leave because John Cena vs Randy Orton happens every Monday Night Raw and at every Pay-Per-View for the last three years...
If you have any comments, questions, or suggestions for future postings, please email me at bobbyl.nodq@gmail.com. I am thinking about doing a Q&A Session once a week, so send me any questions you might have. And don't forget to check out NoDQ.com for all of your wrestling news, columns, and forums.
And join me over at my new site: To The Limit http://bobbyltothelimit.blogspot.com/
Bobby L
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