It's finally [OFFICIAL]: Jack Swagger is the NEW World Heavyweight Champion

[D-Man]

Jack Swagger cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on this Friday night's Smackdown and captured the world heavyweight championship.

The cat is finally out of the bag, so here is the OFFICIAL thread.

Feel free to discuss and DO NOT SPAM OR DUPLICATE THIS THREAD otherwise you will be warned/infracted!!!!

MODERATOR COMMENTS:

Please post anything in regards to Jack Swagger's World Heavyweight Championship title run in this thread. Creation of new threads about this subject will result in warning/infractions.

Thank you​

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[Ferbian]

I think this marks the moment of something big.

While I don't think Jack Swagger will hold onto the title for very long, I don't know, he could although get a reign like CM Punk, or Sheamus, length wise that is, and I certainly wouldn't complain, I'm more of a Jericho mark than a Swagger mark though, but I will be enjoying the process of Swaggers first ("real") World title reign.

 

[The Doctor]

I for one, am excited...but confused.

Don't get me wrong, I am a big, big fan of Swagger, but why give him this championship so soon? It wasn't too long ago that he was losing to Santino. I figured they'd give him a slow build.

However, I'm not really complaining that much. I prefer Swagger over Sheamus easily, and if they give him the Sheamus push they could easily have a top heel (or face, depending on if they push his All American American gimmick) on both Smackdown and RAW.

The big thing I think his title win shows is that WWE is really, really trying to get new faces into the main event and build up young guys as much as possible. I see a very bright future for the WWE, especially with Swagger and Sheamus as new main eventers, and Randy Orton's face turn.

Things can only go up from here. Let's just hope they build Swagger up enough to stay.

 

[The People's Peep]

Ever since wrestlemania and following with raw on monday, you had the feel of a new era beginning in the e. HBK is gone and it wont be too long before we see others like HHH and the undertaker go as well.

Now we see kofi, miz, morrison, sheamus, and other newer guys getting a push and the icing on the cake is this.

Swagger is in my opinion, the guy who is the most believable as a champion out of all of the midcarders (not counting the older Christian). he got the in ring skills and he isnt to bad on the mic. he is the right person to signify the start of something new

 

[Dan E. Inferno]

Well, I for one am pleased about this. It's another shock move that the WWE have thrown at us, and that can hardly be a bad thing in times where people endlessly complain about a stale and predictable product. I initially wondered what the point of doing it on Smackdown was. If they were going to cash it in this soon, why not do it at Wrestlemania. That's when I realised that loads of fans were half expecting that to happen, seeing how Christian was favourite for MITB and Edge vs Jericho was on the card. So, they didn't pull the trigger, waited until everyone was saying it might happen at Extreme Rules, and then shocked everyone. It's great.

Regarding Swagger as champion, I don't mind it. There are a couple of other guys that I would have pushed before Swagger, but I do like Swagger so I'm excited to see where it goes. One thing that is for sure is that Swagger is more than capable of putting on a good match, as we've seen on occasions in the past. Personally, I don't see him holding the title for very long. Maybe just a couple of months like Sheamus's title reign. It will do Swagger the world of good though and I think this was a risky, yet exciting move on WWE's part.

 

[Miro_A12004]

You don't need luck when you're a TWO-TIME TWO-TIME ALL-AMERICAN AMERICAN.

WWE ended one legend yesterday, and today started another.

Call your friends, call your neighbors, tell them that "Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness" finally mean something again.

Mark it down, I don't care if you've got to get it tattoo'd on your @$$ cheek, just make sure you remember where you where when you found out the future G.O.A.T. Jack SSWWWWAAAGGAAAHHHH won the World's Heavyweight Championship.

You smell that? Smells like a WINNER.

 

[Mr. Steve]

I'm fucking psyched that he's with the belt now. Whether or not the trigger was pulled at the correct time remains to be seen. But at least it shows that WWE are very serious about pushing the young talent. Hell, it even seems fitting. At the beginning of the week, one legend retired, and at the end of the week, an up and comer is being given the spotlight.

Can Shwaggah run with the title? it remains to be seen as well. He can have a good match, that much we know. But as far as it goes, he needs to step it up exponentially. And I'm damn glad I'm watching it.

 

[GIMH]

Not sure if all of Smackdown has aired in the States yet...but Swagger was all kinds of awesome, all night long. I ridiculed a friend who had said he would win MITB...egg on my face.

Great stuff and I am fascinated as to where we go next.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Not to a long ago I posted a thread about how it was time to give up on Jack Swagger because he was embarrassed by Santino. I thought Swagger was on the road to being buried, but obviously, I was wrong. I've been of fan of Swagger's ever since he was on ECW, and I remember going nuts when he won the ECW title from Matt Hardy.

I don't think Swagger will hang on to the belt for long because I'm sure Edge will become WHC soon enough. Swagger has the amateur background, he's athletic, and he moves pretty fast for a big man. Swagger's title reign might not last long, but I'm happy to see the All-American, American get his push.

 

[Steamboat Ricky]

The only reason I can think of for Swagger cashing in MITB already is because of the MITB pay per view in just a few months. But still...when Punk was MITB dude, you kind of forgot about the fact that he had it each time he cashed in. Swagger...well, it was just like...the least shocking thing of all-time. I really think that might be the most underwhelming title change of all-time.

 

[The Con Volt]

Let's face it. We all love this move. I'm just afraid he's gonna be a transitional champion. He looks great with that belt and I hope he keeps the strap till at least after extreme rules.

 

[punk is gold]

I also thought he looked great with the gold,and even though it's very unlikely I would love for him to be champion until at least summerslam.

 

[The Five-Star Frog Splash]

I like Swagger, I think he's a great wrestler and made some good strides on the mic in the past two years. But having his "push", if we can call it that, stopped completely last year, then all of a sudden have a mega push start up again with zero build whatsoever in the past 5 days...its just odd.

Like Austin said, all the potential in the world, just too soon.
It was fun to watch on SmackDown, but we'll see where creative takes it. I feel he will take it to at least May. June if he's lucky, and July if things are going well. I highly doubt it will go that long, but hey, stuff happens.

What I found most interesting about the entire thing was Jack's major transition from the cocky all American-American-American-American-American, to his new, cool, collected, snobbish kinda thing where he shows 0 emotion. I won't an opinion of it until I see more of it next week, but I'm not too high on it. I almost wanted to see a sort of Kurt Angle celebration or something. His promo at the end of the show wasn't too bad though and I liked how he called himself Shawn Michaels replacement. What I didn't like was how he had to read a silly notebook to give his address. Plus, he showed no facial expressions or emphasis in his voice when he spoke. But like I said, next week will show us a better picture of the future and it was a pretty good SmackDown too.

 

[INDYjon22]

It seems a little rushed but it also continues to show that the WWE has no problem with putting the belt on young guys. Sheamus broke that glass ceiling and it is already benefiting other guys such as Jack Swagger.

Two months ago Swagger was jobbing to Santino in the All American-American over the top rope challenge and now he is a World Champion. It just shows how fast the WWE can flip the switch for someone and their career. Swagger had no business around the WWE title but within a week he is the champion. Like I said, it seems a little rushed but I don't mind because now we can see if Swagger has what it takes to be a World Champion. Also, I do not see him holding the belt for long with the next Money In The Bank PPV coming up and Edge and Jericho as the top challengers. It will be interesting to see what comes of all of this.

 

[Checkmate]

I really, really hope they turn this into something memorable, specifically Kurt Angle of 2000 or JBL of 2004 (more so Angle). This was definitely an unexpected transition, especially so soon and off a heel champion. I think many were expecting Swagger to persist until he finally beat Cena, only to lose it back weeks later. I guess Jericho was a better choice after all.

The potential here is very similar to JBL's run in 2004. Beating Jericho, then Edge, then perhaps a returning Undertaker could boost Swagger to new heights, and really build him as a main event player. I compare it to Angle in 2000 because he will likely be in match after match where everyone is banking on him dropping the belt, regardless of the opponent. Even now, people are looking at Edge taking the title off him, and I'm sure several are thinking of Jericho too. I'm going with option #3, where Edge and Jericho step off to the side and deal with each other, leaving someone else room to step up and challenge Swagger. Who that is exactly, I can't say right now. Most of Smackdown's faces are tied up right now, but I'm sure the WWE have a plan here.

 

[Rhonda Rousey's Sports Bra]

I have a question about this whole thing, isn't Swagger on Raw? I know that it doesn't really mean much anyway but I'm wondering what they are going to do with the champions Cena and Swagger. Swagger will likely just move to Smackdown since I don't really see Cena moving to the b show. WWE has been throwing us quiet a few curveballs lately so it will be interesting to see what they will do with the belts.

 

[future admin]

wow, so now I guess everyone is going to SHUT UP about swagger not being used properly, I think this championship reign will be like punks first and sheamus' reign, shit, but then again, everyones first is, hopefully he has a meaningful feud, and win a couple of shampionship matches, by pinfall or submission, instead of DQ, it gets really annoying.

 

[Checkmate]

I have a question about this whole thing, isn't Swagger on Raw? I know that it doesn't really mean much anyway but I'm wondering what they are going to do with the champions Cena and Swagger. Swagger will likely just move to Smackdown since I don't really see Cena moving to the b show. WWE has been throwing us quiet a few curveballs lately so it will be interesting to see what they will do with the belts.

Since 2007, where the first brand jump for a cash in took place, it has always been assumed that when a superstar makes the jump to cash in, and subsequently wins the title, that superstar switches brands.

It is one of the many things that a fan just takes for granted in the grand scheme of things.

 

[Big Nick Dudley]

I guess I am so/so on this. I don't really care about Swagger, never did. I don't dislike him at all, but I don't really root for him either. Guys who come from a successful amateur background usually do pretty well for themselves, and he's another one to add to the list.

So, I guess I'm not upset about this, but I am not happy about it either. Just kind of indifferent to the whole thing, honestly. I think he's just a short-term champ, but he's a young guy (only 28), and with a title reign under his belt, he's got a bright future.

I don't see him holding it longer than 1 or 2 months (though I could be wrong). I do see him having a longer run down the road. Maybe I'll grow to like this guy, but right now, I just don't care.

 

[The People's Peep]

i was pumped when i heard tuesday he won the belt. It was still awesome tonight and what what really made him look like a legit champ was his entrance for the state of the championship address. he didnt do his wild gorilla thing or push ups (which i actually like), he just walked down with the straightest, yet meanest face. when the fireworks usually go off in his normal entrance and he does the pushups, he just stood there. he had a whole different feel as champ. almost a different person.
anyone else think this?

 

[whatalife1683]

I think this is great. He will get a push out of it, and have a chance to be a star down the row. I am postive he reign will be really short, but he will be a player the rest of the year. I think him and Edge will main event for Smackdown at Summerslam. I only do not like idea because Edge is a way better heel. I can see a feud late in the year between Taker and Swagger. If this was to happen, it could do wonders for Swaggers career. He has the wrestling skills (like Angle did when he came in), but he just needs to polish those mic skills.

 

[FunKay the Inevitable]

I pray the WWE knows what they are doing. I love Jack Swagger but it is a bit fast. Three months ago he was being tossed out of the ring by Santino Marella and now he's the World Champion. I like it but is it too quick? I believe so yes. They should have built him up for a cash-in at the MITB PPV. However now he's the champ, is it going to be a transitional reign? I hope not but it may well be. A feud with Edge is obvious heading into Extreme Rules/Over the Edge but after that what? If he's still champ who's he going to face? Not sure but overall I'm pleased we have new blood particularly when it's a favourite of mine like Swagger.

 

[Uncle Sam]

Really, it's a shame that Swagger's teeth are too big for his mouth. His promos would still be entirely unremarkable, but they wouldn't be so painful to watch. Oh, who am I kidding? This is professional wrestling - a lisp is no excuse for unremarkable promos. And he's not too bad in the ring if he's got someone good to work with. Could mean trouble if he's expected to feud with Jericho or Mr. " I have no real chemistry with anyone besides John Cena, and that's because he's John fucking Cena" Edge.

I wonder if this reign will make people turn on him a la Punk.

 

[Ferbian]

I wonder if this reign will make people turn on him a la Punk.

Doubt it, Punk after all cashed it in on one of the bigger faces of the company at that time, Jack Swagger cashed it in on one of the bigger heels of the company, for all I say had Jack been face and less arrogant in his ways yesterday, he would've definitely gotten face reaction I think.

Although I wouldn't mind him getting the heat of Punk, with that heat he could go on to be big, and I can't wait to see some proper potential out of Jack, some good matches I hope.

 

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

I really, really hope they turn this into something memorable, specifically Kurt Angle of 2000 or JBL of 2004 (more so Angle).

Already this push is nothing like either of those two guys. Angle spent a year winning every accolade the WWF had, with the tag titles and the Rumble being the only exceptions. He had the perfect year before they finally put the belt on him. After all the guys he'd beaten from Jericho and Benoit to Austin and Rock in those 12 months, you could honestly see Kurt Angle as being a credible main eventer. Same thing applied to Brock Lesnar.

JBL spent 3 months getting people to forget 'Bradshaw' and then beat on Eddie G for 2 months and became the champion. Great fued but again people were thinking 'Really? Bradshaw's the champion?' But his mic skills were so good that people didn't hate him for being the flabby tag team guy who had a clothesline for a finisher, they hated JBL the corporate ****e and Southern Judas, and that's why he took off.

Swagger's literally done nothing and he's the champion. I said in the earlier thread that they needed to push him slowly so that people would believe he could actually hang with the ME'ers, but instead they're just going to lump him with ME matches at PPVs and hope he doesn't have to rely on his opponents to carry him through the matches.

This is worse than Punk's MiTB/Title change. He'd jobbed to Kane and Umaga for a while and then cashed in on Jeff. He then immediately lost it back to Jeff, and then immediately won it back again, retained against Taker once but not the 2nd time, and now look at him. One of the best mic workers on Smackdown, with an excellent heel gimmick, who puts on consistently good matches, and he's still jobbing on a regular basis.

Again scores of you assume that because Swagger's carrying a prop around with him now that he's guaranteed for greatness. I forsee him still wrestling in the 3rd or 4th match on each TV taping and never ME'ing a PPV throughout his entire reign, of which i expect will last 3 months at the very most.

Don't get me wrong, that's not what i want to see, nor do i think Swagger couldn't make a very good champion, but based on how the last few MiTB winners title reigns went, i don't hold out high hopes from a booking perspective.