What is the purpose of all the different titles in professional wrestling today? As a wrestling fan of over twenty years this is a question I’ve been asking my self quite often as of late. Obviously The Undisputed World Heavy Weight Championship is the grand prize of all the titles but as of late, even it has lost it’s luster in WWE. With a relatively absent Champion in Brock Lesnar who only makes the occasional television appearance, which is usually shortly before he’s scheduled to defend the title on an upcoming pay per view. Even the Pay per view appearances of the WWE Undisputed World Heavy Championship since Lesnar has become champion are less frequent. Not to sound like a mark for Daniel Bryan but when he couldn’t fulfill his contractual obligations as champion (due to injury) he was stripped of the title. Those same obligations though, for some reason don’t seem to apply to Lesnar. It has been more than thirty days since he last defended the title yet he still remains champion. If your banner title is being carried by a part time superstar and contractual title obligations (that apply to other superstars) aren’t being fulfilled how can one expect the full time superstars to regard the Undisputed World Heavyweight Championship with the prestige it once held? Many may not like it but, the Heavy Weight Title needs to be back around the waist of a full time superstar. Whether it’s Roman Reigns, Daniel Bryan, Seth Rollins, Randy Orton, Bray Wyatt, or even John Cena for that matter as long as it’s a full time superstar. Only when the Undisputed World Heavy Weight Championship is once again around the waist of a full time superstar can WWE begin to regain the prestige the title once had.
What about the other titles they too once had meaning, in a sense, a pecking order of sorts. The Intercontinental Title, the U.S. Championship (acquired with the purchase of WCW) and even the tag team titles now only seem to serve as props to put over gimmicks and story lines. The superstars who currently hold this titles (Bad News Barrett, Rusev and Tyson Kid and Cesaro) are all perpetually stuck at mid card levels even though they hold titles that once meant something more than hype.
There are titles of the past that are now defunct that could serve the purpose of gimmick building and story line hype as well a serve a purpose to an extent of giving title matches to those superstars who seem to be stuck in the mid card range. Also in this category are the gimmick titles they serve any entertaining purpose as well as create some interesting scenarios and story lines.
Now, lets look to a potential future if defunct titles were reinstated and other “main stay” titles regained their meaning and prestige. Let’s start with taking a look a some of the defunct titles starting with the rise and demise of trio tag teams the six man tag team championship of yesteryear seems like a good way to solidify modern day trios and keep them together longer than the “adhd attitude” WWE currently seems to have with trios. Prime examples are The Shield and The Wyatts. Currently the only viable trio WWE has is the New Day but they have proven with examples such as The Shield and The Wyatts they are capable of putting together competitive trios. Even though short lived and strange as it was the combination of Cesaro, Tyson Kidd and Adam Rose worked and could have been considered a viable trio. Another potential trio working together well in their rise against The Authority are Dolph Zigler, Ryback and Eric Rowan, Just more evidence WWE can create cohesive trio tandems.
Now days the smaller guys are cast into mostly laughable “throw away” gimmicks, evident by the current roles of Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury as J&J security. Remember the days when this “little” guys would put on high energy, fast paced matches full of excitement? There was a time when these guys were more than “side kicks” and reviving the Cruiser weight and Light Heavy Weight Championship could make the “little” guys formidable as well as marketable once again. While the “David vs. Goliath” type matches for the Heavy weight title can become entertaining, they often times are short lived because they are repetitive and become stale quickly. Now if the Cruiser Weight and Light Heavy Weight Championships were brought back that could add value to those superstars who are not quite big enough to be taken seriously as a heavyweight competitor. Even these titles could hold value and prestige for the guys are considered undersized simply by providing a pecking order of titles. What that means is the Light Heavy Weight/ Cruiser Weight superstars would work to earn the Cruiser Weight title and the Cruiser Weight Champion would be the Number One Contender for the Light Heavy Weight Championship. If the Cruiser Weight Champion becomes Light Heavy Weight Champion then, the Cruiser Weight title is vacated and some sort of tournament would be held in the division to determine the new Cruiser Weight Champion and of course the former Light Heavy Weight Champion would also retain his rematch clause just like any other title.
In today’s sports entertainment era we have those guys who seem to be perpetually stuck in the mid-card arena. These are the guys who would benefit from the old school gimmick titles such as, The T.V. title, the Hard Core title and even the nostalgic Million Dollar title. Guys like R. Truth, Curtis Axel and Sin Cara as well as others always seem to be around but don’t seem to be climbing the preverbal ladder. With a T.V. championship fans would be able to enjoy a weekly title match (as was the tradition of the past Television Championship) without need for a rivalry as being the T.V. Champion would mean more television exposure and that would be all that is needed as “motivation” for anyone to challenge the T.V. Champion.
The Hard Core Championship would provide for a wild and entertaining x factor to these virtual mid card superstars due to its 24/7 stipulation. Remember wrestlers dragging referees to all kinds of crazy locations to try to become Hard Core Champion? An interesting scenario to draw heat could have a mid card heel sneak into a mid card Baby face hotel room and pin the “good guy” in his “sleep” remember this title has a 24/7 anytime any place stipulation.
For those who are a bit nostalgic about professional wrestling let’s take a look at the Million Dollar title, first introduced by “The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase. This title has dual fold potential based on it’s original introduction one, the obvious, it would be another gimmick title and two provide a viable basis to better structure the role of wrestler’s managers. Of course to return this title to the sports entertainment brand would mean the return of both “The Million Dollar Man” and Ted DiBiase (Jr.). In A scenario that would play out as “The Million Dollar Man” bestowing the title upon his son and becoming “The Million Dollar Manager”
These three titles could provide something for the “permanent” mid-carders something to strive for as well as possibly provide a renewed interest in sports entertainment for some or even draw new fans, that would have to the potential to garner more revenue.
The “Main stay” Titles, The Undisputed world Heavy Weight Championship, Intercontinental Championship, The U.S. Championship and the Tag Team Titles once had a value and meaning beyond the “props” they seem to be in the modern era. Start with the Tag Team Titles once a viable upper mid-card and occasional main event championship seems to have fallen by the way side and given way for mostly “generic” tag teams (what appears to me as mostly guys the WWE isn’t sure what to do with) These guys get thrown into tag teams and tag team matches just to keep the tag titles “active.” Don’t get me wrong some of these teams seem logical such as brother duos like the Uso’s or Cody & Dustin Rhodes as Gold and Star Dust or up coming teams like The Accession that are a cohesive unit.
I’m pretty sure a lot, like myself, are tired of the sibling rivalry implosion of tag teams. How many times do we have to see the same story replayed and how many versions do we have to suffer through? The sibling units that work as a tag team shouldn’t be torn apart just because writers “get bored.” With a little more development of the Tag Team division then, there would be another added draw to benefit the sports entertainment industry as well as give rise to viable tag team wrestling and superstars once again.
The bread and butter of the WWE is of course the Undisputed World Heavy Weight Championship. In years gone by superstars would have to work their way up to being number one contender to being heavy weight champion and with the acquisition of WCW, WWE now has the potential to making that coveted number contender spot more interesting. If we look back to the old school ways, the Intercontinental Champion was the Number one Contender for the Heavy Weight Title. Jump forward to present time where WWE has both the Intercontinental and U.S. championships as active titles. Using the original platform and adding the U.S. Title to the mix the climb to the top could play out as a champion vs. champion match to be the number one contender for the Undisputed World Heavy Weight Championship. A match in where the winner would be awarded the losers title only to be relinquished a week later in order to prepare to go after the heavy weight title. The two vacated titles would then be competed for in some type of tournament form. With the last match of one of the tournaments being against the loser of the number one contenders match for the title he lost, thus “automatically” evoking his rematch clause.
As you’ve been reading this, you may have been wondering if I were going to mention the Diva’s division, I am. First we must address the issue of the Diva’s division lacking any credence, as of late the WWE seems to be making a mockery of women’s wrestling degrading it to what equates to high school antics in battling for the Divas Title. If you break it down all you really have at the “top” of the Divas division are the Bella’s and Paige whose antics can be summed up as “two sisters bully the foreign exchange student” the rest of the Divas seemingly only serve as “filler” matches, “arm candy” or to promote Total Divas. The Diva’s division has untapped talent and potential as well as room for growth and an expansion to create a Divas tag team division as well as Divas tag team titles. If you need proof of this look no further than the Bella’s who could work equally as well as their male counter parts as a sibling tag team. We could look back a little more at the one time co-holders of the former “women’s” championship of Lay-Cool (Layla and Michelle McCool.) We could look at these teams as well as other pairings such as the Funkadacdals, that is until WWE writers do what the inevitably “always” do and cause these teams to implode and “turn” on each other. There seems to be no logic beyond “it worked before so , let’s do it again.” Why not keep teams together and develop a formidable Diva’s division that worth watching? Rather than the joke the Diva’s division is now. Developing a roster that has a Diva’s title and a Diva’s tag team division would provide hope and inspiration for aspiring female wrestlers as well as add to the main things the WWE is interested in, expanding it’s fan base which would in turn make them more money.
There you have one mans theory on how WWE could turn things around by bringing back titles, creating new ones and giving meaning and prestige back to the “main stay” titles.
