Television Title

[knocturnal]

Growing up the TV title was always my mid card title of choice. The TV time limit always made for some great fast paced matches especially when time was about to run out and the challenger was doing everything possible to win before he ran out of time. On the reverse side you had heels like Arn Anderson that would run the clock down to keep the title. It made for great feuds to have someone say I didn't win the match but I didn't get pinned either. Bottom line it made for a great starter belt to get new talent over and have them on our TV on a weekly basis.

So color me excited when TNA decided to turn their legends title into a TV title a few months back. For the first time in a long time I was genuinely excited about a championship in wrestling again. I imagined the possibilities of someone like Robbie E playing the cowardly heel who would do everything possible to win by running the clock down or someone like The Pope, Bully Ray, Kaz, etc guys who don't fit into the X-division or world title picture but could benefit from a title run.

So what happened, for awhile they had Devon defending the belt on Impact every single week and now for the past month or two (maybe longer) he hasn't defended the belt at all on Impact. Do you think that TNA will ever give it a true shot, who would you like to see hold it or feud over it? Discuss.

 

[HBsam31]

I also loved the WCW TV Title growing up. I remember how important the title actually was. I remember Beautiful Bobby Eaton finally winning the title off of I believe Arn Anderson, and the crowd went nuts. The time limit was great to. It made for a lot of excitement near the end of the match. I was hoping TNA would do the same with the title. I am starting to think it will be just like any title, but i think it would be a great belt for a guy like Magnus. He would be a perfect heel to be the guy who escaped with the title by any means. It was a great title, and I hope they try to bring so of that back.

 

[thebarber]

I feel the same, I really think WWE have missed the boat by never having a TV Title. This belt should be defended on Raw every week, 10 minute time limit and showcase the mid card guys who can WRESTLE. Would be brillain. As the US Title and IC title are all but jokes now, Id look at maybe the US Title being unfied and the TV Title being introduced.

 

[SickJames]

The IC title isnt a joke and is prestigious again and has been since about 2010 or 2011. It's back to a retro look, the best one, and the US title boosted a bit when The Miz had it. Everyone just likes to bash titles as if it hasnt changed.

Anyway, the TV title is a very grea thing to have in wrestling. I understand it's appeal and was a fan of ECW's TV Title especially when Taz held it.

I dont know if every wrestling company uses it the way the name would suggest, but a title like that, only featured on TV, sounds nice to me, to have it's limit and not be a house show title or what not, but only on TV whether it's a weekly show or PPV. Zack's title The Internet Championship could be something like that but different for WWE where it's only defended on WWE PPV Pre-Shows and being on YouTube, the internet, would be perfect, if only WWE would think of it.

I dont know if they'll actually do much more with it than they are now, but since you asked who I wanna see hold it, I'd say Mickie James. I would really like to see a KO hold it, like her, who's done it all on the female side and who could go in the ring with the guys. She could out wrestle and run the clock out on people and be... UNSTOPPABLE!!!

 

[MINISTRYrising]

At the moment the Bound for glory series and the Aces and Eights storyline is taking up so much airtime that at the moment that there is not much time left on the show to feature much else. but I am hoping that once bound for glory is out of the way that we will see the TV title defended every week again on Impact.

 

[Ovaltine]

The IC title isnt a joke and is prestigious again and has been since about 2010 or 2011. It's back to a retro look, the best one, and the US title boosted a bit when The Miz had it. Everyone just likes to bash titles as if it hasnt changed.

IMO WWE has too many titles for any of them to be worth anything. I still love the design of the Big Gold Belt though.

This is part of the problem with the BFG series. Now, don't get me wrong the BFG seriesIS awesome, but there really aren't any other angles going on right now. The Aces and Eights angle has been fused with the BFG series and since thoes two angles are so important they eat up all of the TV time. This is why Impact needs another show.

I agree with pretty much everyone. I really liked the WCW TV title. Not only was it a great heel device (in 1997 William Regal won every week by being saved by the time limit which was a great way of getting heat) Another thing I liked about the TV title was they way it looked. Aside From The Big Gold Belt it really was the nicest looking title that WCW had. Also, (in WCW) it wasn't odd for a mainevent guy to hold that title (or the US title for that matter) Sting, Luger and Flair were all guys who held that belt after being world champion and they were still considered top guys. That is something that has been completely lost in wrestling these days.

What I would really like to see (mostly because I was such a HUGE WCW/NWA fan) is for Impact to get a Saturday show. What I would like even more id for it to be at 6:00 PM just like the old WCW saturday night show. I really think that something like that would fix a lot of the "problems" that the BFG series causes and also give some of the lesser used TNA talents some much needed TV time as well as having ample enough time (every week) for a mandatory TV title defence.

 

[Piss Bucket]

Ovaltine = FAIL.

People have been complaining about the WWF changing to WWE for nigh on 10 years now, it happened, Vince lost to the Pandas, get the fuck over it.

 

[Richard Blonoff]

I think some of the current problem with the TV title is Devon. Now I love Devon, don't get me wrong, the man works his ass off. The problems are that

1) They can't keep him in a consistent storyline
2) He isn't a major player right now, so the main event storylines like the Aces and Eights, the Clair Lynch debacle, and the BFG series, take precedent.
3) With him doing work with the 3D Academy, I'm not sure he is available week in and week out.

I understand why they gave the title to Devon. He has done some solid work for TNA and it was nod to him and that work. They should have taken the title off him by now though.

Some people think WWE should adopt a TV but I think if the WWE went with a TV title it wouldn't go over well today. There are too many things that could go wrong. It would seem like a good idea until they put the title on a guy like Santino(who I love btw) and people would bitch about having to watch him every week, or a guy like Khali, who can't wrestle won the title.

 

[Lowdown]

I think some of the current problem with the TV title is Devon. Now I love Devon, don't get me wrong, the man works his ass off. The problems are that

1) They can't keep him in a consistent storyline
2) He isn't a major player right now, so the main event storylines like the Aces and Eights, the Clair Lynch debacle, and the BFG series, take precedent.
3) With him doing work with the 3D Academy, I'm not sure he is available week in and week out.

I understand why they gave the title to Devon. He has done some solid work for TNA and it was nod to him and that work. They should have taken the title off him by now though.

Some people think WWE should adopt a TV but I think if the WWE went with a TV title it wouldn't go over well today. There are too many things that could go wrong. It would seem like a good idea until they put the title on a guy like Santino(who I love btw) and people would bitch about having to watch him every week, or a guy like Khali, who can't wrestle won the title.

I couldn't agree with this more. Devon has been doing what he could, but with the BFG series, A&8's, and Claire Lynch taking precedence on air the TV title has been taking a backseat. The majority will be thrilled when Devon loses the strap, but it's not something that he needs. He played the part of the fighting champ very well. But I'd like to see someone like Magnus have a lengthy run with the belt or Kenny King.

 

[crippler]

I feel the same, I really think WWE have missed the boat by never having a TV Title. This belt should be defended on Raw every week, 10 minute time limit and showcase the mid card guys who can WRESTLE. Would be brillain. As the US Title and IC title are all but jokes now, Id look at maybe the US Title being unfied and the TV Title being introduced.

Removing the US title to bring in the TV title is a bad idea why remove a title they have looked as a joke bring in a new title that will only be used the same way. I know people are going to say to build it up on decent guys to be champion but if WWE did that the US title would not be in the state its in now. As far as the IC title goes i don't see it being a joke since Cody Rhodes was champion and if the WWE lets Miz be the champion he was as WWE champion he can bring more importance back to the title.

 

[Ovaltine]

Ovaltine = FAIL.

People have been complaining about the WWF changing to WWE for nigh on 10 years now, it happened, Vince lost to the Pandas, get the fuck over it.

To be honest I never (even when it was called the WWF) was a fan of Vince's product it was (for the most part) too cartoony. Thanks for adding to the discussion about the TV title though. Your imput was awesome. and who the hell say's "Fail" anymore?

As for a TV title in WWE... Why would they do that? They have always have some kind of title defense on every show. That's what happens when a company has 8 or more championships. WWE have no need of a TV title

 

[Cerebral Cyber Assassin]

I agree with what some of the others said about the TNA TV title taking a backseat to major storylines and to me if this continues the title will start to become irrelevant.

But I just wanted to put in my two cents in about my biggest grief about the title.My biggest issue with the title is the belt itself.Theres been too many different names for this one belt design.I feel that TNA needs to redesign the belt and put the title on a younger talent that is above the X-Division but not quite ready for the main event such as The Pope,whenever he is fully healed from his injury,or others such as Samoa Joe,Hernandez or Magnus.

And some people say that TNA's roster is a little to full but I think they need to sign some talent specifically for the title because those four were the only ones that I would want to see hold the title other than maybe RVD.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The NWA/WCW Television Championship meant more during the 70s, 80s and the first half of the 90s because pro wrestling's general strength & presence on television really wasn't as strong as it's become now.

Back in the day, it was somewhat rare to air a championship match on a wrestling television show. The TV title solved that problem by giving fans a potential marquee match that they didn't have to pay to see. Let's be honest, most of the matches shown on wrestling television back in those days weren't all that great. A ton of them consisted of a star coming out and beating the shit out of a jobber for 3 minutes, with the jobber getting in sometimes no offense, before winning the match.

As wrestling has changed so much over the past 15 to 20 years, with higher quality wrestling matches being much more common and title matches themselves happening with greater frequency than their used to be, it's sort of made the idea of a TV title a bit redundant.

Not that the idea of a TV title doesn't have a certain novelty to it still. However, I think TNA has taken something of a wrong approach with the title. First of all, I think that Devon's the wrong guy to be champ right now. I just don't see money in Devon and he's someone that you can just sense has gone as far as he's going to go. I know that Devon gets a good amount of cheers but that's not exactly saying much in the Impact Zone. There are fans there that break into applause and chants for anything. Something as realtively common as a suicide dive through the top & middle ropes, though a fun & energetic move, often get a "this is awesome" chant.

Another problem that TNA had was a distinct lack of quality opponents for Devon. Having your champ defend the TV title each week is ok and all, but it quickly lost it's novelty after seeing Devon go up against, usually, a seemingly random challenger each week. I think defending it maybe twice a month would work out a bit better. You could use the other weeks to put some degree of build towards the title defenses themselves. Plus, the only real feud Devon has had as TV champ has been against Robbie E. These two aspects don't exactly inspire a ton of interest in the Television Championship picture. The title hasn't been defended in quite a while and is now heading back towards becoming a prop.

 

[CuddleBuns84]

I think this has been mention. But, Hell I'm going to say it anyway. I loved that WCW Television Title. I may have been a youngster, but was that an interesting segment on a WCW show. Booker T vs. Benoit. Great feud. Good thing that WCW had.

All I can really say is... Have the 10 minute time limit. I loved that rule. Great gimmick. Yea, Aces and Eights are taking a lot of tv time. But you can cut some backstage segments and have the TV title. Nothing wrong with a decent match.

That Ten minute time limit is a great way to get a heel over too. I remember that with the old WCW Television title.

Oh yea.... Too many titles in WWE. Say no to the WWE version.

 

[PEP3]

TNA only has three major singles titles, so the company should be hip to using each and every one to properly build its competitors toward star-status. The X-Division title is being better utilized now than it has been in years; the TNA World Title is finally exactly where it needs to be. Now would be an outstanding time to begin developing a strong midcard as well.

Months ago, I explained why Devon was the ideal person to hold the TV title. As a veteran, he could defend the belt weekly -- or, minimum, frequently -- giving some of the younger guys championship rub. Then, eventually, he could drop the belt to a newer talent, putting him over. I still agree with this philosophy, but I now think the timeline for this to happen has long since passed!

People I believe would be perfect in the TV title scene include The Pope (sadly, sidelined for now), Christopher Daniels (tied up with the tag titles), Hernandez (hopefully stepping into the tag ranks with Chavo, Jr.) and even Mr. Kennedy (who I know is supposed to be Main Event-worthy, but is lost in the shuffle). Most of the rest of the roster are too green to be elevated to this level. And, while everyone is talking about Magnus, I simply don't care much for the guy.

For my money, I think the person best suited for the belt is Gunner. I was a fan of his work in NWA-Anarchy before he came to TNA, and I think he's ready for another shot at a build-up. Plus, putting the belt on Gunner and giving him a series of matches against someone like Kennedy, trying to take the strap from him, would do BOTH wrestlers a world of good -- not to mention what it would do for the championship.

As for TV titles of old, don't get me started reminiscing about the NWA TV title. While it was clearly the 3rd title on totem pole, it had so many legendary feuds fought for it, so many stars made as the result of it, so many incredible, televised fights for it . . . It was, I think, almost ALWAYS the focal point of my favorite moments of those old NWA Saturday Night shows on WTBS. Oh, damn, I miss those...

 

[MWRedskins]

i dont think the IC or US title is a joke. for me, the way to build a championship is to have good champions to put it on. for the IC title, that has improved with the champions lately in Cody Rhodes, Christian isnt awful and then Miz. As for the US title, before Santino, the title wasnt a joke, just not treated that well. to build a good championship you need to have a build for the champion. Caesaro is the champion now and he has potential, so maybe he can help the title, but Miz was a past champion and so was Bryan and both of them had a nice feud over that title.

As for the TV title, for TNA, it's more on TNA not building up Devon that well, he tries his best, but to me he just comes off as a lower midcarder and the last champion was Robbie E. who's a heel and no one seemed to even care to boo him. to build up tna's tv title, they either should build Devon up or they should have him lose it to a heel like Daniels who will make that title seem important to hold.

as for WWE and a TV title, i dont want to see it. people complain about WWE having too many titles, that's not my issue, my issue is there's no need. if WWE added any more titles, just make a Crusierweight title if they get a Crusierweight division, but i like the titles they have now and think that's enough.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Hopefully someone else can confirm this, apparently Devon and Hogan tweeted that the BFG series meant that the weekly TV defence stipulation was on hold? I would've liked it since I assumed the stipulation just vanished, I don't read tweets you see.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

If they did tweet it's likely more to do the Dudz contract negotiations... They don't want to keep putting Devon over if he's gonna go, nor job him if he might stay as it could piss he (and more importantly Ray) off... So they quietly drop the defences till they know whats happening.

 

[ajdb]

I actually like Devon getting a run with a singles belt. He has represented the title very well and makes it relevant.

 

[GrandSword]

Devon has done a pretty good job stabilising the title. I think him defeating Crimson ina title defence for me has put devon over more than anything, as the company put so much stock in Crimson over the last two years. That for another time.

so... 1. the BFG series and Aces and 8s have put everything in TNA in the backseat lately (including the World title) which, if you think about it makes sense, as the BFG series is all about guys killing themselves night in night out for the chance at the World belt.

2. Hopefully Devon will drop the belt soon to put over the next guy who TNA can build on. But do so not in a random match but a bit of a feud with some build up.

 

[waylon p]

I agree with everything you said. Even the part I am about to quote here.

2. Hopefully Devon will drop the belt soon to put over the next guy who TNA can build on. But do so not in a random match but a bit of a feud with some build up.

There is an inherent problem here, though. It would be difficult to write without a heel turn. This can be accomplished by either Devon turning heel, or someone they have been promoting as a good buddy turns on him. I do not see them turning Devon heel anytime soon, and the other option says garret bischoff takes the strap. So that idea is out, I hope.

Devon is a face. There are only so many options for taking a face champ and having the title change at the end of a feud.

My favorite is having a team of guys with a leader all working to cheat the champ out of the belt so that said leader can be champ. No matter how many times this leader gets a shot, even with his partner(s) cheating for him, it does not work out. After the obligatory plot line reason (whatever you come up with. It is immaterial) that the champ gives the guy one last shot at the next PPV, the champ finds himself in a "hey, lackey! Soften the champ up for me before the PPV." match, the "lackey" unexpectedly wins. Lackey either stays a heel, or becomes a face, but either way he leaves team to go solo. But I do not see many teams around, and it looks like the only ways THAT plot goes winds up giving us either Rob Terry or Hernandez as the new champ, an I do not think either of them elevated the belt much last time.

There are other scenarios, but I just realized this post is way too long.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I really like the Television Title, but in my mind, it will always be a 3rd Tier Title (except in ECW, where it was the 2nd Tier Title). I think TNA will eventually give the TV Title a true shot. Then again, I thought the Red Strap’s best runs were when it was the Legends Title (it had a HOF Championship feel to it) and the Global Title (it had an Intercontinental / United States Championship feel to it).

I would like to see Kurt Angle and Samoa Joe feud over the Booker T. Commemorative Championship Belt. I’d like them to trade Title wins over each other in a series of matches, starting after No Surrender, ending at Bound For Glory, thus making both TNA’s 3rd and 4th Grand Slam Champions.

 

[SpecialFNK]

the TV title should be the 2nd tier title. there is the world heavyweight title currently held by Aries, and? the X division title? this is weak title right now, very weak. you have Zema Ion as the champion, with new comer Kenny King as the 2nd best in the division. the rest of the division is a bunch of nobodies, especially no one most of your audience wants to see on TV.

Devon definitely needs to drop the TV title. I think it's likely something to happen at/after BFG, once the BFG series is over. or that's at least when it should happen. guys that could be in line for this title are the likes of Crimson, Gunner, Magnus, RVD, AJ Styles? Anderson? maybe Chavo Gurrero if he's going to be in singles.

 

[whoopin' ass]

i thought Devon getting the title was a good thing. i noticed too that they didn`t seem to be following though with the weekly defenses but i wasn`t surprised - weren`t all the BFG matches supposed to be 10 minute matches? i almost think they need to get rid of it and bring in a different title to replace it but i don`t know if that will really help. TNA has fallen into the same problem as other places - they have a title but they don`t do anything with it. i think if they started to push the TV title more, maybe put it on someone like Style or even Daniels, it might help. nothing against Devon but i think it needs to go on someone more high profile right now to make it worth something.

 

[Rayne]

Looks like they're going to keep the TV title around. If they were going to get rid of it, the logical thing to do would be to have Devon leave with the title, and just not mention it again. Out of sight, out of mind. Instead, they called attention to it last night on Impact, and I can't see why they'd do that unless they had plans to keep it around.

I don't really see why, to be honest; there's so much common ground between the X-Division and the TV title that they could afford to be combined. (Don't feed me any crap about a weight limit, that could easily disappear like so many other concepts in TNA have.) I do think that a revived TV title- as a 2nd tier title- would necessitate a revamp of the X-Division to focus on 'hardcore' style matches. (Not garbage wrestling.) Otherwise, we'll continue to get nobodies defending that strap against nobodies, which will eventually result in them killing off the X-Division title instead. TNA just doesn't have enough programming to fill to have a "European Title", and the concept of the X-Division as a cruiserweight title has absolutely bombed.