Misuse of the World Championship

[Vee Dub Represent]

Good evening WZ posters. I got the idea for this thread from reading a number of posts in the Sheamus thread tonight that got me to thinking that in my opinion, the role of the World Champion is not up to what its intended purpose should be. Now granted this is just my opinion, and I know that if it meant more than jack shit, I wouldnt be sitting here bored writing a note while trying to take my mind off of final exam studying, but I still feel its a valid one.

Some of the posters I have seen tonight seem to share a sentiment whether they liked the title change tonight or they hated it that at the very least, it is going to be an experiment. Sheamus is going to have to prove himself to the fans and really work his ass off to BEGIN to build on his crowd reaction. Now my opinion is that yes, in real sports upsets happen all the time and in every form of fighting a championship can change at any moment. However they have the advantage of being a real sport that will always garner more respect and fan reaction than pro wrestling does.

Pro wrestling companies do not have the respect of the general public and therefore have to suspend disbelief and go with their best guys on top at all times so they they can insure the best product is being given to their customers at all times. They need to always sell their product with familiar faces so that they keep a connection to their fanbase. Upsets can and should happen obviously but I feel that before a new wrestler is crowned champion, they should have at least built a reputation of gathering and maintaining a fanbase whether it be for or against the wrestler. Some wrestlers take decades to establish this bond, some do it in a matter of years or in rare cases months, but this bond should be established before moving them into the position of the face of the company.

The champion of the company should be someone you can rely on to market your product more than a prop to get someone over, which is what I feel has been happening more and more in the past 2 or 3 years. Back in the old days you didnt hold any gold unless you deserved it. You were over and you could draw so you became champion. Now it take some guys 2 or 3 title reigns before they are established as a solid draw. In the case of CM Punk, I still dont believe he could carry the company on his shoulders and he has had 3!!

When you put a wrestler like Sheamus on top, you take a huge risk business wise because they simply will not generate money. The only way he will sell a single PPV buy is if his opponent is an established star. Now people will argue that if he beats a star then it will establish him more. This is true but it should be done without the belt. Instead of beating Cena for the belt he could perhaps destroy Mark Henry, then maybe Shawn Michaels, then possibly even Cena when the belt was with someone else and attempt to build a fanbase that way.

Now of course the biggest complaint is that the established stars are boring to watch and I think people dont just want new wrestlers in the main event, they want new stars in the main event, someone thats fresh but that they can actually get behind. This is by far where WWE in particular is lacking in. They have really lost their creative edge and having Sheamus win tonight really shows that.

I had a few other points to bring across but I have kind of lost my train of though at this point so I want to hear other posters opinions on the subject and by the time I read them hopefully ill have remembered otherthings I was going to say!

 

[Dagger Dias]

Well.... fans want to see someone new in the title scene all the time, but newer wrestlers need to establish themselves first. Sheamus has received the fastest push in WWE history (I might be wrong, but I'm almost positive on that) and it doesn't make sense because not only was he not on the roster a year ago but he has never held another title before. It is my theory that holding a lower ranking title first helps establish someone as a potential world champion. So does defeating other wrestlers in a reasonable order, as you mentioned. Jobbers, midcarders, upper midcarders, other main eventers, THEN the world champion. It should go something like that.

I agree with you that what the WWE has been doing lately makes these new champions begin to lose their credibility because they are being pushed too fast.... but if the fans want new people in the title scene so badly, then what is the federation to do when their fans are tired of the current main eventers? This is going to be a never ending issue in my opinion because it is nearly impossible to satisfy both sides of the argument.

 

[Mister Redleg]

The problem is, the perceived value of the title has dropped significantly. With the introduction of the wrestling world to the mainstream, it was bound to change. By this I mean with the introduction of the then-WWF with the creation of Monday Night Raw. To me, this is the point at which a larger portion of the population gained access to professional wrestling. When this occurred, it became clear to the vast majority of people that wrestling isn't real and the belt is, in fact, a prop. so to people of the old-school mentality, yes, the handing of the belt to the likes of Sheamus and the over-saturation of belts in the company as a whole is a big mistake. I happen to be a member of this particular group. Because people started to realize that wrestling isn't real, the belt became something used to elevate a wrestler without the company coming out and directly saying "look everybody, this new person is just as good as anybody else." The only way to alleviate this situation, however, is to remove a large portion of programing from TV and this will NEVER happen because there is too much money to be made and too much "talent" on the rosters to ever happen. The other cause of the devaluation of the titles, the switching around every other PPV, is the bi-product of the over-saturation of wrestling. The largest segment of the population are those who are "casual fans" in that they don't have the attention span to deal with a year-long champion. The only reason the JBL title reign lasted as long as it did was his ability to draw heat. But when the belt is left on a face for any extended period of time, they become stale and the fans begin to turn on them because we see them all the time. sorry, I am aware that this is a bit rambling but it is the conclusion that I have come to.