**MERGED** Championships WWE Should Consider (keep it in here!!)

[The Boss]

Years ago during NBA All Star Weekend the NBA would host a Legends Game. It was a disaster. Some of the greatest names in league history trying to relive past glory but mostly just spent their time tearing ligaments. I'm not saying that is what is going to happen with wrestlers but the body has limits.

Still though, I am old so I like seeing guys that I grew up with. I think promoting an occassional legends match may have a place. When I was a kid I remember seeing a gray haired Bruno Sammartino slap around a heel (may have been Macho) and that moment really stuck with me and made me a bigger fan.

No Legends Title is necessary and there is no reason to make a competitor a surprise (its probably too hard to keep the surprises interesting). WWE should consider throwing and promoting this type of match on Main Event or Smackdown and it would certainly draw me in and maybe some young fans as well who want to learn about prior generations of talent.

Putting it on Raw is likely a crowd momentum killer.

You're trying to associate this with pro wrestling. This will be 100% "WWE Product" meaning it's all about show - not wrestling. The "title" is simply a gimmick used as a reason for the Legends to lace up the boots again.

You must remember this is WWE. It's not about pro wrestling. It's about show. That's why this would fit in so well there. It wouldn't work in TNA or ROH. But it's perfect for WWE.

 

[scheps24]

I would much rather them bring back the Hardcore Title along with the 24/7 rule. That way you can give time for people like Santino, Ryder etc. to get air time and do a funny comedy bit with the hardcore championship and also have the chance for a few random legends to hold it at some point for that pop (even if it was only for an hour it would be funny to see random "legends" or superstars from the attitude era hold it)! Not sure how WWE contracts work but it would be hilarious to see people like the Godfather or the Hurricane return just for a night and win the title just to lose it 20 minutes later..

 

[BrockSamson]

Good idea as long as it is never part of Raw or a PPV. I'd probably watch the Saturday show or Smackdown if I knew I was going to see a random pairing of Legends. I'd rather watch Hacksaw and Tatanka, than hear Vicky Guerrero's obnoxious voice or see a shitty divas match that even the announcers admit is a joke.

 

[One to Remember]

OP actually has a somewhat good idea but the timing is way off and some other vital components are missing. I would had rather had seen this idea implemented about 10 years ago when the wrestling demo graph was older. Now WWE caters to brats who cant even remember the beenie baby craze..
Maybe the age restrictions should be 45 in up or based on years in the industry? I could see this giving Flair some relevance when he returns and it seemed like people know who Piper is and it seemed like even the non Canadians had some clue who Hart was when he returned. It might not have strong enough footing to be the focal point of a monthly storyline but it might also be a way to get some mileage out of wrestlers signed to a legends deal. I mean I think WCW had the Slamboree ppv for 4 or 5 years and that centered around old heads. I just dont think today's fans would appreciate it, we all in general need to stop using nostalgia as a crutch, WWE has too many main titles that are sinking ships. I also think the OP had a great point when he cited older wrestlers still on the indies which obviously keeps them mobile but their ragged looks highlights the mortality of man too much..

Age 43

Age 41

Age 39

Age 47

Age 42



Seems like an ineligible list, actually...

on the internet we refer to this as getting pwn3d

 

[King Patrick Star]

I posted something similar to this back on July 6, 2009…

http://forums.wrestlezone.com/showthread.php?t=54394&highlight=

TNA has their Legends Title, that is basically a Mid – Card Title with little more kick to it. It’s a World Title with a little less kick to it. Now, I think the WWE can sort of steal this idea, but change it a bit to make it their own. What I propose is the WWE Hall Of Fame Championship.

The WWE HOF Title can only be competed for and won only by WWE Hall of Famers that still have a little something left in the tank. It’ll be the “Senior Tour” for the WWE. I can see the first match being Ricky Steamboat vs. Tony Atlas, being that they are the latest two HOFers to wrestle.

Imagine the possibilities. The WWE can actually make a decent roster out of willing and able WWE HOFers. What about Flair / Steamboat for the Title?? Can you imagine a Fatal Four Way Elimination Match with Hulk Hogan, “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Ultimate Warrior and WWE HOF Champion, Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat for the Title…in 2010??

Something like this could rebuild the bridges burned in the past and finally get someone like Savage, Warrior and even Scott Hall into the, well, Hall. What about Sting, Foley and the M. E. Mob in the near and far future?? Yes it’ll be a slow match, but at least we can get some nostalgia out of it.

WWE creating a Legends Title would be like TNA creating an Intercontinental Title or a United States Title. I like the idea, but I don’t like the idea of WWE and TNA copying each other. Although, if the WWE were to create a Legends Title and have Booker T. introduce it similar to how he introduced it in TNA, I’d be for it. That could be kind of cool. It would be like a cheap shot at TNA that would get the IWC talking. The first match to decide the first ever WWE Legends Champion…Randy Orton vs. John Cena. HAHA!!

If anything, aside from my idea, I think the WWE should officially sanction Zack Ryder’s Internet Title as an official WWE Championship, defended only on WWE.com and YouTube. WOO!! WOO!! WOO!! You Know It!!

 

[theBec2101]

I don’t mind legends making promos now and then and beating up Slater but that where it stops. We already had jerry go down with a heart attack do we need more. I would rather see video of said legends of what they were then them come out and get hurt and you get a small fraction of them in the ring.

 

[Just Do It]

Awful idea if you ask me. Would only serve to limit the importance of appearances, and it would only be a matter of time before we are reduced to getting "never was" people like Jim Powers on our screens.

Awful idea. Sorry.

 

[enviousdominous]

Here's the thing everyone seems to be missing, this was proposed as a once a month thing.

I'd enjoy it because, believe it or not, some 50 year olds are in a hell of a lot better shape than we are. Sure, some of them have been wrecked by their time in the ring, but even some of those guys can put on a hell of a show.

If you look at the list I put up there, the only problem I'd see is that some wouldn't want to work for McMahon. For that matter, look at Sting and Ricky Steamboat. They're not as swift and sharp as they were in '90, but they can still send the crowd home happy.

It's prowrestling, they can write any circumstance into the show that they want to. They could have Jerry Lawler confront Austin Idol setting up a huge match for fans of theirs, or even have the Octagon vs Pentagon match that never happened.

Again, it would only be a once a month matchup which gives the performers and the writers enough time to make it worth the fans' time. Maybe make it the dark match for a PPV to get YouTube hits.


Posted from Wrestlezone.com App for Android

 

[The Boss]

WWE creating a Legends Title would be like TNA creating an Intercontinental Title or a United States Title. I like the idea, but I don’t like the idea of WWE and TNA copying each other. Although, if the WWE were to create a Legends Title and have Booker T. introduce it similar to how he introduced it in TNA, I’d be for it. That could be kind of cool. It would be like a cheap shot at TNA that would get the IWC talking. The first match to decide the first ever WWE Legends Champion…Randy Orton vs. John Cena. HAHA!!

First of all the title as I presented it is NOTHING like TNA's "title" which wasn't a title at all but just a gimmick made for a specific wrestler. It was more like the million dollar belt. Second, you say my version is copying TNA but somehow you are in support of Booker T introducing it which (as you indicated) IS copying TNA.

I don't understand your logic.

 

[The Boss]

Awful idea if you ask me. Would only serve to limit the importance of appearances, and it would only be a matter of time before we are reduced to getting "never was" people like Jim Powers on our screens.

Awful idea. Sorry.

Actually guys like Jim Powers and Red Rooster would be very useful. After all the title can't change hands every time. So we needs some guys for the champ to beat. That will make it even better when a bigger star appears. Let's say Ric Flair reigns for a few months beating the guys mentioned above. Then one day Ricky Steamboat or HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN comes out and Flair sells it like that was the last person in the world he would want to face. The crowd would eat it up.

 

[American Dragon D-Bryan]

With all due respect, this is not what the WWE needs right now or in the foreseeable future. What is the point of this? Let's face it, World Wrestling Entertainment isn't the hot brand it used to be 9 or 10 years ago. They've lost allot of steam because they've stuck the same guys in countless main events together and they really haven't built up new talent like they used to in the attitude era. WWE needs change, they need to build new stars for the future welfare of the company. This Legends the title concept goes against everything WWE needs right now. Why would WWE book matches with men that are 50+ years old, when they could be booking new up and coming superstars that will be the future of this company. I'm sorry but there is nothing positive that could come from this.

 

[King Patrick Star]

First of all the title as I presented it is NOTHING like TNA's "title" which wasn't a title at all but just a gimmick made for a specific wrestler. It was more like the million dollar belt. Second, you say my version is copying TNA but somehow you are in support of Booker T introducing it which (as you indicated) IS copying TNA.

I don't understand your logic.

Look, Boss, I understand what you are saying and I even like your idea. My logic is as simple as possible. When I say WWE is copying TNA, I am merely referring to the name of the Championship. That’s why in my idea, I suggested naming it the Hall Of Fame Championship. This “Dream” Division of mine could also add the stipulation that only WWE Hall Of Famers are valid participants. This could be one way for the WWE to ensure participation, seeing as WWE HOFers are / were under a WWE Legends contract and all. I wouldn’t mind seeing Koko B. Ware as the WWE Hall Of Fame Champion for a month or 2.

Actually guys like Jim Powers and Red Rooster would be very useful. After all the title can't change hands every time. So we needs some guys for the champ to beat. That will make it even better when a bigger star appears. Let's say Ric Flair reigns for a few months beating the guys mentioned above. Then one day Ricky Steamboat or HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN comes out and Flair sells it like that was the last person in the world he would want to face. The crowd would eat it up.

Completely agree here. I wouldn’t mind seeing Brooklyn Brawler show up or even Barry Horowitz.

With all due respect, this is not what the WWE needs right now or in the foreseeable future. What is the point of this? Let's face it, World Wrestling Entertainment isn't the hot brand it used to be 9 or 10 years ago. They've lost allot of steam because they've stuck the same guys in countless main events together and they really haven't built up new talent like they used to in the attitude era. WWE needs change, they need to build new stars for the future welfare of the company. This Legends the title concept goes against everything WWE needs right now. Why would WWE book matches with men that are 50+ years old, when they could be booking new up and coming superstars that will be the future of this company. I'm sorry but there is nothing positive that could come from this.

This Title, whether it be Boss’s WWE Legends Championship or my WWE Hall Of Fame Championship, is exactly what the WWE needs right now and now, in this PG Era is when it should take place. Think about it. Bringing Hall Of Famers and Legends from the 80s back to today in pretty much the same TV rating is perfect. It will bring back nostalgia in a huge way. It will be very reminiscent of Saturday morning Wrestling, like Wrestling Challenge or the original SuperStars.

I’m even going to go as far as taking the current Intercontinental Title and making that the Hall Of Famers Mid-Card Title, after all, it’s pretty much the same Belt. We could even have Hall Of Famer Tag Team Titles. I’m not suggesting a whole new show dedicated to the Legends of the past…or am I??

 

[American Dragon D-Bryan]

I understand where you're coming from, but I still believe this is not good for business. Times have changed, wrestling fans want fast paced, edgy television. They don't want to see 50+ running around the ring in shambles. Also as I alluded to earlier, this is a huge waste of time. Why waste a precious TV segment on former wrestlers, when you could rather be promoting younger talent to bring them up the ranks. I'm saying this as a fan of wrestling and a fan of WWE, I don't want to see old men running around in tights making the WWE their new retirement home. It may sound harsh, but it is true.

 

[American Dragon D-Bryan]

This Title, whether it be Boss’s WWE Legends Championship or my WWE Hall Of Fame Championship, is exactly what the WWE needs right now and now, in this PG Era is when it should take place. Think about it. Bringing Hall Of Famers and Legends from the 80s back to today in pretty much the same TV rating is perfect. It will bring back nostalgia in a huge way. It will be very reminiscent of Saturday morning Wrestling, like Wrestling Challenge or the original SuperStars.

I’m even going to go as far as taking the current Intercontinental Title and making that the Hall Of Famers Mid-Card Title, after all, it’s pretty much the same Belt. We could even have Hall Of Famer Tag Team Titles. I’m not suggesting a whole new show dedicated to the Legends of the past…or am I??

I understand where you're coming from, but I still believe this is not good for business. Times have changed, wrestling fans want fast paced, edgy television. They don't want to see 50+ running around the ring in shambles. Also as I alluded to earlier, this is a huge waste of time. Why waste a precious TV segment on former wrestlers, when you could rather be promoting younger talent to bring them up the ranks. I'm saying this as a fan of wrestling and a fan of WWE, I don't want to see old men running around in tights making the WWE their new retirement home. It may sound harsh, but it is true.

 

[The Boss]

Look, Boss, I understand what you are saying and I even like your idea. My logic is as simple as possible. When I say WWE is copying TNA, I am merely referring to the name of the Championship. That’s why in my idea, I suggested naming it the Hall Of Fame Championship. This “Dream” Division of mine could also add the stipulation that only WWE Hall Of Famers are valid participants. This could be one way for the WWE to ensure participation, seeing as WWE HOFers are / were under a WWE Legends contract and all. I wouldn’t mind seeing Koko B. Ware as the WWE Hall Of Fame Champion for a month or 2.

Two problems with that. Restricting it to Hall of Famers would truly limit the amount of talent available and would make it go stale quickly as they would have to recycle the same guys over and over. Second, if you make it the Hall of Fame title then you know Vince will bring in guys like Pete Rose, Bob Uecker, Drew Carry and other non wrestlers to hold it and truly make a joke out of it.

Completely agree here. I wouldn’t mind seeing Brooklyn Brawler show up or even Barry Horowitz.

Yes. They added a lot to Saturday mornings and could be very useful to give the champ someone to beat (assuming he's over).

I’m even going to go as far as taking the current Intercontinental Title and making that the Hall Of Famers Mid-Card Title, after all, it’s pretty much the same Belt. We could even have Hall Of Famer Tag Team Titles. I’m not suggesting a whole new show dedicated to the Legends of the past…or am I??

That might be going too far.

 

[MrMojoRisin]

I understand where you're coming from, but I still believe this is not good for business. Times have changed, wrestling fans want fast paced, edgy television. They don't want to see 50+ running around the ring in shambles. Also as I alluded to earlier, this is a huge waste of time. Why waste a precious TV segment on former wrestlers, when you could rather be promoting younger talent to bring them up the ranks. I'm saying this as a fan of wrestling and a fan of WWE, I don't want to see old men running around in tights making the WWE their new retirement home. It may sound harsh, but it is true.

The thing about your idea of 'what the fans want'... is that some of the biggest fan reactions this year came during the Heath Slater Legends angle... and those reactions came for the Legends who came out every week.

People do like edgy TV. They also like nostalgia.

I think an idea like this could work, and would be fun. I wouldn't go with the 50+ gimmick (anyone signed to a Legends contract would be fine), but this is something I'd tune in for... at least at the start. After that, it would depend how everything went and how they booked it all.

 

[midgensa]

I definitely like this idea. Maybe make it 45 and up, or even 40 and up.

But 50 and up would work also if they think they could find enough guys to compete. This works because you can run the same handful of 5 or 6 guys out there regularly and then have the huge surprises mixed in and give a few solid runs to people.

It would definitely have broad fan appeal and people would be curious enough to tune in and see what is going on with it I think.

 

[fenderjapan]

Interesting idea, but personally I believe more TV time needs to be allocated to up and comers and current stars than "legends". Legends rivalries/promotions work well for things like building up to a Wrestlemania or Pipers Pit type segments featuring younger stars but a title defended by old guys seems like it would be counter to what WWE is trying to do in developing a continuing stream of new talent.

 

[The Boss]

Interesting idea, but personally I believe more TV time needs to be allocated to up and comers and current stars than "legends". Legends rivalries/promotions work well for things like building up to a Wrestlemania or Pipers Pit type segments featuring younger stars but a title defended by old guys seems like it would be counter to what WWE is trying to do in developing a continuing stream of new talent.

They have 5 TV shows for crying out loud. How much more time do you need? And they can't even fill the three hours of RAW properly. I doubt giving 7-10 minutes a month to the legends is going to hinder anyone's development.

 

[The Boss]

I definitely like this idea. Maybe make it 45 and up, or even 40 and up.

But 50 and up would work also if they think they could find enough guys to compete. This works because you can run the same handful of 5 or 6 guys out there regularly and then have the huge surprises mixed in and give a few solid runs to people.

It would definitely have broad fan appeal and people would be curious enough to tune in and see what is going on with it I think.

The same 5 or 6 guys? Why would you limit yourselves to that? There are dozens of 50+ year old legends out there to use. And I say a 50 year minimal age is better because most guys in their 40s can (and many do) still work with the younger guys and wrestle a full time schedule.

 

[It's...Baylariat!]

What?!

So let's make a belt that creates bad wrestling with older guys who are slower than they were in their prime, will probably botch a 1/3 of their moves, and can possibly create another situation where a wrestler has a heart attack, similar to Jerry Lawler?

Absolutely NOT. There's no need for a 'Legends' title belt in any promotion. There's a handful of worthy wrestlers over the age of 45-50. And those wrestlers are either still at the top of their game (Undertaker) or shouldn't be within a 100 miles of a wrestling ring (Jerry Lawler, Roddy Piper, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair).

All this does is make a mockery of their heritage and history. Wrestling fans should remember legends as they were when they became legendary, not as the fossils they've became now.

So no.

 

[Texas Tornado]

As many others have said in this thread already, it would be hard to keep this consistent. How many wrestlers that have worked in the WWF/E that would be willing to do this? No Legends Title is necessary and there is no reason to make a competitor a surprise. Better question, how many of them are over 50?

 

[The Boss]

As many others have said in this thread already, it would be hard to keep this consistent. How many wrestlers that have worked in the WWF/E that would be willing to do this? No Legends Title is necessary and there is no reason to make a competitor a surprise. Better question, how many of them are over 50?

How many would be willing to do it? ALL of them. One more decent pay day and a chance to get the spotlight on national television one last time? You bet your ass they would do it. Most of them still wrestle for goof Indy promotions so why would they refuse to wrestle for WWE?

As for how many are over 50... well let's see there's:

Ric Flair
Michael P.S. Hayes
Sgt. Slaughter
Hacksaw Jim Duggan
Greg "The Hammer" Valentine
Brutus "The Barber" Beefcake
Jerry "The King" Lawler (who has been cleared and says he will return to the ring)
Terry "The Red Rooster" Taylor
Steve "The Brooklyn Brawler" Lombardi
Tito Santana
Tully Blanchard
Bret "Hitman" Hart
Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart
Jimmy "Superfly" Snuka
Diamond Dallas Page
Dave "Fit" Finlay
Matt Borne (Doink the Clown)
Sting
HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN
Demolition Ax
Demolition Smash
One Man Gang
Ricky Morton
Robert Gibson
Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat
Superstar Bill Dundee
Scott Steiner
Rick Steiner
The Honkytonk Man
Sid Vicious
Hillbilly Jim
Bob Backlund
Jake "The Snake" Roberts
Dan "The Beast" Severn
Dusty Rhodes
George "The Animal" Steele
Rowdy Roddy Piper

There's three years worth of guys right there (assuming that there are no repeats during that time) and there are MANY more that can also be used.

And making the challenger a surprise is the best part of all. The suspense to find out just who it's going to be. Howard Finkle says, "And his opponent..." then a pause to milk the moment until the music starts. IT PIPER! IT"S FLAIR! IT'S HOLLYWOOD HULK HOGAN! Or whomever.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

There are always discussions on the net about WWE bringing back championships, most notably the WWE Cruiserweight Championship as there are so many lighter wrestlers running around these days who are constantly being pushed as top guys.

Back in October, New Japan Pro Wrestling introduced a new championship to their roster called the NEVER Openweight Championship. The NEVER stands for "New Blood Evolution Valiantly Eternal Radical and is a title that is used for rising talent and for outside wrestlers that aren't currently signed to the company.

Generally speaking, this title is basically a NJPW version of TNA's X Division Championship before the X Division became exclusively for cruiserweights, or at least it was the last time I heard. The current and first champ, Masato Tanaka, is billed at 6'0" and 210 pounds, so that's probably an indicator that the vast majority of competitors will be, though not limited to, cruiserweights.

WWE would obviously come up with their own name. The WWE Evolution Championship or WWE Young Lions Championship or whatever. I know that some people simply prefer to reactivate the WWE Cruiserweight Championship but there's something of a negative label attached to the words Cruiserweight or Light Heavyweight or Junior Heavyweight among American fans. It gives the impression that it's a title only for "little guys" because the "little guys" don't have what it takes to compete against the bigger wrestlers. While it's not accurate, perception is reality sometimes. Limiting wrestlers based on their weight just hasn't met with big success in American wrestling companies. Plus, I think the Cruiserweight Championship has been stained with its lackluster time in WWE, especially with Hornswoggle as its last holder.

A title like this could start out fresh without a questionable history to bog it down. It's also a way for WWE to utilize a lot of smaller wrestlers they have on the roster without slapping them with a Cruiserweight, Light Heavyweight or Junior Heavyweight label. Some larger wrestlers could compete for it as well so as to distance it from being just a Cruiserweight Division with some sort of flashy name.

 

[Bland]

i think this is a very good idea as it could be used like the old ECW Championship and like what they are doing with the NXT title.

I would rather we get a third brand (well technically 4th is you include nxt), in style of what the WWE ECW was. Personally, i loved Morrisons, Punks, KAne, henry, Matt hardy, swagger & Chirstian reigns as ECW champ and this "Evolution" title could be the same.


Why i say have a separate brand as it would be between NXT development & Raw/Smackdown (or perhaps use this on smackdown if they decide to merge world titles into 1). You could have veterans like R truth, kane, kofi, rey mysterio, layla etc. and then bring up a couple of new kids like they did with ECW. Have Big E langton, Paige, leo Kruger come up and face off in feuds with established superstars in an 1 hour program in a proper arena. They could even have the champion defend the title in PPV pre-shows.