IDR's Seven* Ways to Legitimize the Global Championship

[It's Damn Real!]

Just like my Seven* Ways to Build a Successful TNA product and Seven* Ways to Revitalize the X Division threads, I've decided to create a bit of a series here with regard to fixing a number of the bigger issues I see in TNA right now.

You are more than welcome to disagree with any or all of the points I make in any of these threads. In fact, I'd encourage it, as the idea is to spark discussion anyway.

That said, here's the next in line for IDR's Seven* Ways!

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IDR's Seven* Ways to Legitimize the Global Championship

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1. Admit you have a problem.

Just like drug addicts and alcoholics are asked to do, the first step on the road to recovery is always admitting you have a problem to begin with. If the company refuses to see the errors in their ways, fixing said errors will be next to impossible seeing as management won't feel the product actually needs improvement.​

2. Regain your focus.

The Global Title is in many ways a lot like the WWE/F's Intercontinental Title, or the WCW's Television Title (though not defended weekly on television) in that it's often looked at by fans (as well as creative) as a stepping stone of sorts to give mid-card wrestlers an outlet to potentially (operative word here) break though into the World Title scene by helping them get over as a face/heel in the mid-card before said WT push, so why are you pinning it on mid-carders who don't particularly have said potential in the first place like Rob Terry and Eric Young? It makes no sense. Use the title for what it's best able to provide you.​

3. Don't forget the past – embrace it!

While Booker T and his tenure in TNA may be looked back upon as a mistake, Booker T himself and his history in the industry are an unmistakeable success, and the fact that the title debuted (albeit under a different title as the Legends Title) as a byproduct of a story line with him shouldn't really be looked at as a fundamental failure in any sense, especially since the name of the title was later changed by Eric Young to 'Global'. Don't be afraid to acknowledge that fact! Booker T is a legend in the wrestling world, so utilizing his name from time-to-time to add more credibility to the title's existence despite the fact that it was created as his own personal jewelry piece won't hurt you any – if anything, it'll only add to the credibility and believability that the title is/was held by legitimate stars, and not just those without a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of.​

4. Give it a small color alteration.

Though the "name" of the title was changed from "Legends" to "Global", the title itself wasn't changed at all if but for a small change in the center plate that would have changed Legends to Global – why? If you're going to change a title, change it. There's nothing inherently wrong with the shape or design of the title, but that color is all too reminiscent of the Legends title and all it's story lines for anyone who was watching at the time and still is now – some may even still refer to it as the Legends title mistakingly. This is not to negate my previous point that acknowledging it's history could help, but changing the color strap would give it a new future IMO, and one that wasn't so hung up on it's meaning of old. A white strap, in fact, could even help to differentiate it to the point that it also draws comparisons to the WWE/F's older Intercontinental title which also just so happened to utilize a white leather strap to which it's gold was adhered to. ​

5. Give it a run of legitimate importance.

Call it an indictment if you want, but in my eyes Rob Terry is not the type of wrestler who should be laying claim to this championship if for no other reason but because as I noted earlier, the best possible use you could get out of it would be to design it as an Intercontinental-type title which would give soon-to-be main-event-type wrestlers a springboard into title relevance, and I don't believe Terry to be of that ilk in any sense. Your Top-10 system has for two weeks now voted guys like Desmond Wolfe and Matt Morgan far ahead of what most would consider your main event talent, so if you don't actually intend on putting the WT on any of them despite your fans' cries to, give them both an alternative by letting either man, or a guy like The Pope work with the title so as to give it a run of legitimate importance. Hell, Mr. Anderson could work wonders to make this title credible again! Remember here: the title doesn't make the wrestler, the wrestler makes the title. Instead of booking your knocking-on-the-door youth into obscurity against your failed attempts to create main event monsters, let the talent earn it's way into the WT scene by allowing them to cut their teeth in mid-card title matches that actually matter.​

6. Book it like you would the World Title.

I highly doubt you'd ever give the World Title away in a "lock box" contest, via some type of lottery or any other ridiculous gimmick (at least I hope), so if you're going to utilize the GT as an Intercontinental-type like I recommend you do, the last thing you'd want to do is to book it into obscurity, irrelevance or ridiculousness. I suggest you treat it exactly like you would the World Title, and have guys scratch and claw for the opportunity to win it. What better way to legitimize the strap than to clone the importance of it after your most prestigious title?

I think you'd be quite surprised over the ratings and response you'd receive were you to book this same Anderson/Pope angle with a revitalized GT as the major goal here instead of ego boost. The same can be said for a number of feuds you've utilized in the past that really could have been accentuated had the GT had any semblance of importance at the time.​

7. Enjoy the success!

Self explanatory.​

* OK, so the seventh doesn't really count, but you get the point!

 

[wushady]

I agree with everything you said they definitely need to use it more like the IC title (should be used). Only thing I would do different is change the name. It doesn't make much sense to have a World title and a Global title. I saw something online that even Bischoff didn't know the difference between World and Global. Maybe change it to a TV title or something.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I agree with everything you said they definitely need to use it more like the IC title (should be used). Only thing I would do different is change the name. It doesn't make much sense to have a World title and a Global title. I saw something online that even Bischoff didn't know the difference between World and Global. Maybe change it to a TV title or something.

I was going to touch on this originally, but I suppose it doesn't hurt to talk about it separately either.

The difference between Global and World is just as arbitrary and blurry as the difference between Intercontinental (as in all continents, as in the world) and World, so I don't think the name of the title referencing the globe in any sense is part of the issue as it certainly didn't stop the WWE/F from utilizing the Intercontinental title as well as they used to.

 

[saywhat]

ITA especially #5. I've wanted TNA to put the Global title on Desmond Wolfe and give him a long title run for awhile. He is a great talker. He is proven he can have a good long title reign when he was ROH World Champ and still have heat. Plus him being British will only help the Global title.

 

[Schizophrenic]

The difference between Global and World is just as arbitrary and blurry as the difference between Intercontinental (as in all continents, as in the world) and World, so I don't think the name of the title referencing the globe in any sense is part of the issue as it certainly didn't stop the WWE/F from utilizing the Intercontinental title as well as they used to.

Interesting fact abou the IC and how it relates to the Global Title. The Intercontinental Title was originally only to be defended and won in countries outside of the US. That stipulation was dropped not too long after when WWE really stopped doing more shows outside of US soil. I found that humorous when Young renamed the Legends Belt the Global Title and that he would only defend outside of the US and against non US competitiors. Grantit it was a gimmick to help get over the World Elite faction but I thought it was a cool little nod (I took it as such Im sure otehrs saw it as a slap in the face/copy) to the IC belt and the original rules.

I digress. IDR I agree with you on all accounts. If the title is gonna mean something then it has to be worn by people that mean something....today! The last guy who held it and really made it seem worth something was AJ Styles. After him we had Nash & Foley (when people started jokingly calling it the "Old Fogies" Title then to Eric Young and now Rob Terry. I'd rather see it gain prestige with someone like Wolfe, Pope, Anderson and hell I will even be happy with it around the waist of Jordan since the guy can at least talk and actually move around the ring. It needs to be used as the stepping stone they say it is rather than a second rate title like the European used to be in WWE.

 

[Prestige]

I agree with the basic premise of what you've suggested Real. There is a couple things I take issue with. Firstly, while I believe the "TNA is trying to be WWE/WCW" card is a bit overplayed, I don't think they should model their belt after anything WWE has done. We aren't really sure what exactly they want from that title. Obviously it is a secondary title, thus a stepping stone to the world championship, but I've gotten the feeling they want to place it around the waist of an impact player, someone they want to be viewed as a main eventer. As you said it started as the Legends belt, which worked for the angle played at the time, and has since become the Global belt. Aside from its time with Eric Young its been held mainly by old legends, and now Rob Terry, who I'll get to in minute. And lets face it, TNA wants EY to be taken seriously as a main eventer. It isn't going to happen, but its at the top of their wish list, or was. My point is that it is relatively new, and still has some merit, at least on paper and by name only, of its owners. TNA doesnt know how to book a proper main event program, or how to build a star, so I get the feeling they are going to use the Global title as a reminder of "Hey, this guy is a star, we just dont know how to book him, and we have other plans with the world title." Not so much as a mid card title, Intercontinental style, that is kind of more how theyre playing the X Division these days, albeit being a high flyer division if you will. I wouldnt consider the X Division champ a lower midcarder, and I don't really like the idea of two mid card championships.

And about putting it on someone who could be a main eventer someday, I mean, thats Rob Terry. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying he has much talent in the ring yet or much skill as a talker, but the guy looks like a demigod. I know thats more of Vince's take on wrestlers, but the guy is being booked like Goldberg. I can't see how anyone can deny his potential. He has a near perfect look, and could be a lot worse between the ropes. Everyone has issues with TNA not doing jack with its homegrown talent, well, he's quite the exception. Rob Terry is going to have to become a huge star for TNA is they want to take off the ground, and they know it. They want him to be huge someday, and they want him to be viewed as a main eventer as is, and thats why they threw the Global title at him. That way when he is running through the whole roster, having a chunk of gold over his shoulder is their way of saying that he is sticking around, this isnt some part time monster push that they're going to forget about later on, like WWE did with Kozlov and so many others.

And in a way, I think having the belt on him does legitimize the belt. A heck of a lot actually. Not necessarily in how the fans think of his wrestling talent, but in the fact that he is a wrecking ball through TNA right now. The way he is throwing around the mid card makes it look like he's going to be on a streak for a long, long time. And who is the Global Champion? The guy TNA is pushing to the moon. When it comes time to finally drop the belt, I'd wager it is gonna be a pretty big deal, and to a pretty big star, unless TNA does its normal act and strips him of it or loses it in a Lockbox match. But if they do themselves any justice at all, by the time it switches hands the belt will be pretty prestigious and Terry will be a main eventer like they want.

I understand the concept of throwing it in the mix with Anderson and the Pope, but to be honest they dont need it right now. Their segments are hot, and theyre among the best if not the best in the company on the mic. Putting the belt in their feud would be like putting all their eggs in one basket. It would make that program through the roof entertaining, but TNA doesnt know how to balance all their stuff right now, so they need to spread the wealth around.


Edit: BTW, I used to post here a few years ago, under the same name. I was a mod for a while, had a few thousand posts, did WZCW, all that jazz. Its been a loooong time since Ive been to this place, I figured I'd remake my account and start over. So, hey peeps.

 

[mister_b1LL]

IDR, I've been enjoying your "Seven Ways" threads and this is no exception. I especially agree with numbers 5 and 6. Put it on a guy that people are clamoring for to get the World Championship but they just need one last thing to push them into main event status.

However I think there is another point that should be added:

Put the Global Championship over. This is the thing that makes the IC and US titles incredibly irrelevant in WWE is that they don't give a crap about the title at all. Drew McIntyre held the strap and all he talked about was how he was going to become the next World Champion. Hell, he didn't even brag about how we was the IC Champion. The Miz has the US Championship but when he also held the Unified Tag Team Titles, all he talked about was how great being the tag champion was and how he was gonna defend the tag titles. I think the last time anyone really cared about the midcard titles was...

In order for the Global Championship to look more legitimate, the matches should not be like glorified grudge matches that happen to be for the strap. Guys that have the title should be boasting about how they have the title if they're heels and saying they're gonna defend it against all comers if they're faces. Challengers should be threatening the champion and saying with gusto "I'M COMING FOR THAT GLOBAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!"

The World Titles are so prestigious because people want to have them. Do the same thing for the Global Championship.

 

[Suneeboy]

Another great one IDR. Keep them coming, as I am enjoying them. Shame I can't give you anymore rep at this time.

The Global title is a great tool and can be used to get a lot of people over, and bring a better sense of lively hood to the mid card.

You would think that it would be this simple wouldn't you? I don't know what the goals of TNA are and where they expect to be in a year with their characters and storylines, but everything is just all over the place, with no real logic intertwined into the angles, matches, and stories. I hear they are hiring. Use your posts to try to get you through the door.

One thing I don't like about your 7 ways threads is that they make me angry. They make me angry that you spell it out so simply, yet the "professionals" can't get it right, and I am left with a show that is essentially a pile of live action shit coming out of a 500 lb man's ass. So with that said I thank you for pissing me off once again, and making me realize how ignorant those in charge are when it comes to entertaining fans. They have all of the tools to make a great show, yet they do not. Ratings, and the move back to Thursday support that.

I just want to watch a fun wrestling show. Thank you for again making me realize how far off I am from actually having one to enjoy.

 

[Warrior]

I agree with every thing here but i have a small point to add

1.A title needs a division.

All titles need a clear group/type of people that will be competing for it(EX:Tag titles are fought for by tag teams).Tomko,Jordan and Rob terry are the people i see as Mid-carders.I know a lot of people will point out other wrestlers that they believe are mid-carders but think about it.
Kurt angle:Can never be a true mid-carder
Mr.Anderson:Is only competing against main eventers
Pope:same as Anderson
every one else is either in the tag team or X-divisions or really deep in to the main event scene.TNA needs to clear out its over flowing world title scene.A lot of the guys have world title potential but they are not needed their and could be great with the global title.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I've got to bump this for relevance again since it seemed to go a little under the radar the first go-around, and because the Global Championship is yet again falling into obscurity.

Little known fact: Rob Terry – the Global Champion – has held the title since January 27th, 2010. January. How many times has he defended it since? Twice? Three times, maybe?

Unacceptable, TNA. Absolutely unacceptable.

I know most of your fans don't want to see Orlando Jordan – the guy Terry's been feuding with most recently – and a number don't even want to see Rob Terry for that matter, but like him or not, he's an important piece of the pie as a champion in your company. It's one thing (I suppose) to fail to televise your #1 contenders like you've done to the Motor City Machineguns for over a month, but to fail at giving even so much as a promo or backstage segment to one of your champions for this long is nothing short of a failure.

Where for art thou, Rob Terry? Where for art though Global Championship? Come out, come out wherever you are!

 

[Tiger Chaos Theory]

Hope this doesn't count as spam, but Terry is feuding with Brutus Magnus on TNA's European exclusive show Xpolsion. Daffney is also there right now.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

That's my failure, then. I had no idea he was actually still being utilized, but still – why not on national television?

It's one thing to run a feud on an un-televised program like XPlosion, or to use it to start one (much like they did with that 3D/MCMG web match a while back), but it's quite another to have one of the champions in your company doing so.

I suppose the good thing there is that if he's begun a feud with Magnus (again), his feud with OJ is likely over, which should spare the rest of us from having to watch any more of his over-the-top homoerotic analogies and behaviors anymore, but regardless it's something I'd want to see televised.

Am I off my rocker? Is Xplosion actually televised, but only in Europe?

 

[Big Sexy]

I agree with pretty much everything you said. The biggest thing is they need to legitimize the title. Like you said, Eric Young and Rob Terry haven't added any credibility to the title. To go from Booker T, AJ Styles, Mick Foley, and Kevin Nash holding it to Young and Terry holding it, it's obviously going to lose credibility. So first and foremost they need to give a bigger name a run with the belt. Put it on someone like Kennedy, Hardy, or Pope and the belt automatically becomes more important and will be seen as legitimate.

 

[Tiger Chaos Theory]

m I off my rocker? Is Xplosion actually televised, but only in Europe?

I'm almost certain it is televised solely in Europe. The webmatches we've had for the last month are separate matches from what they show on Xplosion.

I also just realized I've never posted my thought on this thread:

So first and foremost they need to give a bigger name a run with the belt. Put it on someone like Kennedy, Hardy, or Pope and the belt automatically becomes more important and will be seen as legitimate.

This right here, is the simplest and one of the most effective techniques for bring a midcard belt back into relevance after a lengthy reign by someone who hasn't added much to the belt (although I would have disagreed with that prior to last month). Give the belt to someone who can move from the midcard to the ME quickly and without too much trouble and whose cred isn't damaged by going to the midcard. Someone like the Pope or Wolfe don't have that TNA cred just yet, so I'd recommend someone like Samoa Joe or Kurt Angle.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

Yeah, Tiger, I'm a moron – I had no idea Xplosion was actually being televised in Europe consistently.

In that case, I do take back a bit of what I said about this not being televised and it being a travesty and all that, but at the same time, I'd rather the Global Championship act as more of a US title than a European title in that at least the US title is featured on television in the US and not just in Europe.

I realize TNA out draws the WWE in European countries for the most part, but the ratings they garner in the US are what drive the company, so unless they intend to let that title fade into obscurity by having it become a staple attached only to a program that doesn't actually air here, then my point still stands that Terry still needs to be featured (at least from time-to-time) on television here as well.

 

[Reddannihilation]

With Rob Terry as the current Global Champion I wouldn't count out a unification match with the World Title. I remember a few months back Bischoff was quoted as saying he didn't understand the difference between a Global title and a World title, so it wouldn't surprise me if it's done away with soon. Really TNA doesn't need 3 male singles titles. Thanks to Douglas Williams the X-division title is getting back to where it was in 2006 with a non-cruiserweight champion, the X-division Title is TNA's midcard title. At this point the global title is uneccessary, there's not enough time on iMPACT to showcase all the titles and the least interesting is the Global Title so it's probably best to do away with it.

 

[Slapjack3k]

Terry still needs to be featured (at least from time-to-time) on television here as well.

Agreed. I've only got into TNA the last couple of months or so, but I feel like I haven't seen him at all. I think I've seen him chokeslam someone and thats it. He needs to be seen as a fighting champion, taking on any challenge. Hiding behind the belt and not defending it (intentional or not) strikes me as something a heel champ would do.

I would rather they change the name to National or something rather than global. I know WWF had the Intercontinental champ, but wasn't that the (storyline) result of unifying the WWF North American Champ and the South American Champ?

I'm not saying Rob needs to defend every week, but maybe every fortnight (every other week) or something like that. If anything to make him look a more legit champion. From the very little I've seen it makes me wonder if he can do anything other than the generic "big guy stuff" like clotheslines and chokeslams.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

With Rob Terry as the current Global Champion I wouldn't count out a unification match with the World Title. I remember a few months back Bischoff was quoted as saying he didn't understand the difference between a Global title and a World title, so it wouldn't surprise me if it's done away with soon. Really TNA doesn't need 3 male singles titles. Thanks to Douglas Williams the X-division title is getting back to where it was in 2006 with a non-cruiserweight champion, the X-division Title is TNA's midcard title. At this point the global title is uneccessary, there's not enough time on iMPACT to showcase all the titles and the least interesting is the Global Title so it's probably best to do away with it.

You know, that's not actually a bad idea at all, so long as they don't go the WWE route and "unify" the titles by allowing the winner to carry both. I always hated the concept of someone carrying that much gold, because it's just seemed so unnatural to the traditional concepts of a champion being a champion, ya know?

The Global Championship was a gimmicky belt from day one with Booker T debuting it as his own personal toy, but I always thought it had the potential to act as the mid-card title for the show while the X Division title was more along the lines of a lower-mid-card title like a Cruiserweight championship. But of course as you noted, Williams has really reignited the philosophy of "no limits" being the only limits the X Division carried and in the process has really helped to establish it much higher in the hierarchy of title value than Terry has with the Global Championship.

The only thing I'm a little worried about with the idea of unifying the Global Championship with the World Heavyweight Championship is that it would somehow require that the GC holder be pushed to the main event, and none of the competitors who've held it over the last year really belong there – namely Rob Terry (who yes, did seed in the Top-10 Contenders) and Eric Young. I don't' think Magnus would belong there either, were he to take the title from Terry at some point during their feud on Xplosion. But I also don't want it to fuse with the X Division title either, so if faced with the choice between the two I'd lean toward the WHC as well.

 

[Reddannihilation]

You know, that's not actually a bad idea at all, so long as they don't go the WWE route and "unify" the titles by allowing the winner to carry both. I always hated the concept of someone carrying that much gold, because it's just seemed so unnatural to the traditional concepts of a champion being a champion, ya know?

The Global Championship was a gimmicky belt from day one with Booker T debuting it as his own personal toy, but I always thought it had the potential to act as the mid-card title for the show while the X Division title was more along the lines of a lower-mid-card title like a Cruiserweight championship. But of course as you noted, Williams has really reignited the philosophy of "no limits" being the only limits the X Division carried and in the process has really helped to establish it much higher in the hierarchy of title value than Terry has with the Global Championship.

The only thing I'm a little worried about with the idea of unifying the Global Championship with the World Heavyweight Championship is that it would somehow require that the GC holder be pushed to the main event, and none of the competitors who've held it over the last year really belong there – namely Rob Terry (who yes, did seed in the Top-10 Contenders) and Eric Young. I don't' think Magnus would belong there either, were he to take the title from Terry at some point during their feud on Xplosion. But I also don't want it to fuse with the X Division title either, so if faced with the choice between the two I'd lean toward the WHC as well.

The primary way I see it going down would be Terry losing the title to someone else. If they want they could toss it to Abyss having him crush Terry as a way to get over that he's a monster again. A few months of carrying the strap and beating down mid-carders would do Abyss well. Then he can challenge the TNA champion and the stipulation can make it a title unification belt where the winner claims both belts with the end result being the Global title fused into the World title and eliminating the The Global Belt.

Alternatively in keeping with the international aspect they've been running with since the name change. They could have Wolfe win it and put him in the same situation. Defending the belt for a few months against mid-carders, slowly rising up the ranking system until he challenges for the title again the end result being the assimilation of the Global Title into the World Title.

Honestly I just think the Global Title is a failed experiment. When Booker T brought it in I saw it as the TNA equivalent to the Million Dollar Championship, a rarely defended title designed to boost an angle. Even when it switched to EY it was the same deal, a prop to help add to the character. At this point it doesn't add anything. The feuds the title has been involved in were more about the conflict between the wrestlers than the desire for the belt. At this point the belt isn't a prize it's just an object and I think getting rid of it in the near future can only have positive effects.

 

[The Shockmaster]

IDR...I like you ideas on how the Global title should be handled. I feel it should be held by someone in the top three contenders spot. But the Global title definitely needs to be on American television and defended at an occasional pay per view.

my TNA dream:

If TNA was by some miracle to introduce another show i feel they should turn the gobal title into something reminiscent of the wwe championship. I mean if the E could have a company belt and a world title belt why cant TNA. It could easiily work and allow for a unification of the two belts at some point for an awesome storyline. Then they could reintroduce a television title or capitalize on the fact that they still could have hardcore matches and bring in a hardcore belt.

 

[MB1025]

I think this belt needs to come off of Rob Terry and put it on some one who is not as raw int he ring. I feel that if a face is the World Champion a heel needs to be the Global Champion and vice versa. This well it will give you balance. I don't think the number 1 contender should have it, but guys who are on the brink of being ME. Since this last Xplosion it looks like Brutus Magnus will go after the belt

Desmond Wolfe
The Pope
Kazarian
Jay Lethal

 

[Slapjack3k]

I dunno about Magnus as the global champ. I can't see us having two British heel champs. I still think Jay or Kaz would be the obvious choice. Jay because he's just awesome sauce to me, and Kaz because he'll have the backing of Flair, which could have him as a dominant Global champ using heel tactics to retain the strap.

Regardless, the Global title needs to be defended way more often than what Rob Terry is doing. It should be the equivilent of the ECW's TV champ as in it's defended on a regular basis.

 

[iceninja]

I totally agree with IDR topic opening post,

Global as a name for the second title in the heavyweight division seems somewhat misleading and I have stated in a previous post they should change the title to a T.V title (perhaps?) and hopefully having it booked as such (i.e defended regularly if not every week on Impact) and using guys who are on the up and up pushing for the world title as a steping stone to make them beleiveable

 

[The Great Ace]

I think that if you want to push the belt, you have to push the wrestler. In order to do this, you have to find a wrestler worth pushing. Someone with style, finesse, mic skill, etc. Which is why my candidate for next Global Champ is...*drum roll* KAZARIAN! Just kidding. I really think Pope should have it.