The TNA Television Championship Is To Be Defended Each Week

[Jack-Hammer]

Last night, IW GM Hulk Hogan announced that the TNA Television Championship will be defended each week on Impact Wrestling.

Overall, I've got no real complaints about this idea. After all, it is the TELEVISION Championship and it makes perfect sense that the title is actually defended on television. I'm not sure about the weekly thing, it might get a little stale seeing it defended each & every week, but it's certainly better than letting the title rot in the realm of mediocrity.

 

[It's Damn Real!]

I thought that was a nice touch to that whole segment where he unveiled the Open Fight Night concept, but what's most important to me here is that the title not be treated like the WWF's Hardcore Championship where guys win and lose it on a whim every three days and you end up with 60-time champions because of how often they win and re-win the belt.

The TV Championship may be the least important of all of TNA's championships, but I still feel like it has tremendous potential to be that step-up title that up-and-comers can win to get themselves more exposure. Say what you will about Robbie E, but his run with the title certainly heightened his status in the company, and rightfully so.

The other great thing about this is that feuds are not necessary, so guys begging for air time (prayin' for ya, Pope!) could return and regain a spark within a single match without the need for a detailed storyline comeback.

In fact, Pope included, the other guys I'm really hoping to see benefit from this are Crimson, Gunner and Franky Kazarian.

 

[Lowdown]

Agreed. A lot of the IWC has been griping about how the TV title has meant nothing in quite some time. I think this is a good idea, though like the OP has stated the weekly thing might get old. Plus, I know the majority hates Devon in general, let alone seeing him defend the title weekly (I myself am not a part of said majority). Now maybe if they scaled it to being defended bi-weekly, that might keep it fresh. Have a #1 contender's match during the weeks the title isn't defended, and see which stars can rise to the occasion.

 

[Rayne]

I was actually banking on them letting the television title die (along with the KO tag titles), but this is something at least. Fans like seeing belts change hands. Some of them still think a title has meaning. Really, could the TV title get much worse right now? Anything is an improvement.

It looks like they're working on getting the title to RVD so he can rehabilitate it. Logical move. He'll drop it in a month to a Robbie E type, and hopefully a weekly program can get the title holder some positive exposure. As opposed to now, where that title isn't worth the scrap metal it's stamped out of.

 

[Psykohurricane55]

it took them long enough to realise that. But i'm not against this because at less it's bringing the prestige of the TV championship back which it needed for a long time. Now if they could do something with some of the other meaninless titles like the knockouts tag team titles and the x-division title.

 

[Fisheatppl]

I admittedly don't watch TNA. I've got a lot of TV on my plate as it is, and I prefer WWE. I am in no means hating on it, I'm glad it exists and hope it gets better.

However, since I don't watch I was kind of confused at the announcement to defend the TV title every week. I mean, I thought that was the whole point? To have a TV title defended every week on TV? I agree I hope they don't have it change hands 3 times a month, and it could be used to give some guys some legitimacy, if you've held onto a title over the course of 2 months, usually, eh no big deal. But if you have defended it 8 times in those 2 months it starts to look like a big deal.

But again, what was the TV title doing before?

 

[Pedigree1]

Good for hogan and TNA. Absolutely the TV title needs to be defended once a week. Problem with that is you will have so many people win and lose the belt that i am afraid the title will become meaningless. I hope that is not the case here RVD at one time held the title 23 months while in ECW!

Now while the TV title is not an important title hopefully it will be used as a stepping stone for up-comers!! I just dont want to see a 21 time TV title holder

 

[ECPirate37]

I'm excited about it going weekly. Anyone remember when Tully Blanchard having his 353 day reign? It was so good that I thought it lasted longer. To this day I see Tully Blanchard being the best TV Champion ever. I was very young at the time, but I believe he defended the title weekly (but, back then I could watch the same program come on at three different times on three different channels so I might be confused). It was great seeing that title defended, and I hope that it works out well for TNA.

I would like to see it put on someone like Gunner and have him go on a several month long tear of winning. I believe Gunner has a lot of potential, and is someone to build around.

Or, have AJ win it, and not lose it for a year. AJ is still the best wrestler in the company. He could really build it into something, and whoever finally took it from him would get cred for that.

 

[ECW Sandman]

I like the Idea of having it being defended every week but what TNA needs to do is to make a real Television Championship Belt and stop using the TNA Legends Title Belt, it just looks silly that there still seeing them use belt made for Booker T who don't even work for TNA anymore.

 

[ABMorales787]

I thought that was a nice touch to that whole segment where he unveiled the Open Fight Night concept, but what's most important to me here is that the title not be treated like the WWF's Hardcore Championship where guys win and lose it on a whim every three days and you end up with 60-time champions because of how often they win and re-win the belt.

The TV Championship may be the least important of all of TNA's championships, but I still feel like it has tremendous potential to be that step-up title that up-and-comers can win to get themselves more exposure. Say what you will about Robbie E, but his run with the title certainly heightened his status in the company, and rightfully so.

The other great thing about this is that feuds are not necessary, so guys begging for air time (prayin' for ya, Pope!) could return and regain a spark within a single match without the need for a detailed storyline comeback.

In fact, Pope included, the other guys I'm really hoping to see benefit from this are Crimson, Gunner and Franky Kazarian.

The bolded part kinda bothers me. Yeah, it's great that it's on TV every week, but how can a title be seen as important in wrestling if you don't have a pair of guys trying to kill each other for weeks before blowing off at a PPV? How's a champion gonna be taken seriously if he just beats challengers regularly and then some other random guy beats him repeating the cycle? At some point, I want a bit more. I just hope that they can work storylines into the title.

 

[Skairipa Matrix]

i actullay like this idea the tv title hasnt been relevant sense aj styles was the champion fueding with doug williams over it and now this will not only make the title relevant but it could lead to some fueds with someone keep challening the champ until they finally win it or having someone dominante for a long time either way im willing to give this idea a chance i just hope devon loses it quickly to someone like bully ray,austin aries or daniels

 

[HBsam31]

I remember when WCW used the TV title and there was I believe a 15 minute time limit on the matches. I know they should shy away from doing things WCW did, but the time limit could keep the title defenses from getting stale due to the intrigue if the challenger can win in said time. I think its important to get the title off Devon though. I remember most of the old time TV champs were great mat wrestlers, and a lot of times it would be the best match on the show. All in all I think they went in the right direction here, and it will help to bring the title to some level of importance.

 

[neildittmar]

I agree with the overall decision regarding more exposure of the TV title on iMPACT. I disagree that it needed to be done in Hulk Hogan's very formal "it'll be defended every week" way. That move potentially paints TNA into a corner that the company may have a tough time getting out of.

Lets take Devon, the current champion, for instance. Devon is now guaranteed a match on each and every iMPACT until he drops the title. I like Devon... have for a lot of years. For me he works better in smaller doses. That's to say, I don't need to see him every week.

"So what?" folks might say. Have Devon drop the title to someone and you've solved the problem. Well, what happens if/when the "next in line" suffers from the same level of overexposure? What if Gunner won last night? We'd see Gunner every week, regardless of what was happening within the rest of IW. That is, until he dropped the title. If you get a string of "duds" (ie; guys who folks can't stomach week in and week out) the cycle could repeat itself ad nauseum.

As stated, I do like the idea of the TV title being featured more prominently on television. It just should've happened a lot more quietly though. Take an established guy like AJ or RVD and have him win the belt. After a month or so, and through promos or the announcers commentary, remark that that the title has been defended every week, so-and-so is a fighting champion who wants to bring prestige to the belt, etc. In other words, build the value of the title subtly using a "name" guy to do it. When that name drops the belt, it means something for the next-in-line.

If TNA has their sights set on an up and comer like Crimson or Gunner to hold the TV title, then the same formula could work. That person could be characterized as "the hardest working guy in TNA" since he defends the title week-in and week-out. That is, it's the champions decision to defend the title every week because he has something to prove, not because the Hulkster said it was a good idea.

 

[midgensa]

If done right this could be really fantastic for TNA.

If the Television Championship is defended EVERY week ... the right person could get MAJOR exposure out of it and could really generate some buzz for himself. If someone was able to defend it weekly for say four or five straight months, then it becomes its own storyline. How long can ??? actually keep this belt? It would almost make the belt more important by default.

I think it can do a lot of things and gives you a FIGHTING champion every week, which is something that is tough to complain about.

 

[ヒュー　G.　レックション]

Didn't AJ Styles back when he was a heel in a Fortune say he would do this? He'd just renamed it the TV title (was the Global title) and said he would defend it each week. He did for a while but then they seemed to drop it. I guess him being a heel he's allowed to go against his word lol

I like Devon but seeing him every week I can imagine getting stale, hope he drops it to someone else soon. Also if this concept is here to stay I would like short(er) reigns than most belts, so we can get a bigger variety of players involved.

 

[thatotherguy]

I like the Idea of having it being defended every week but what TNA needs to do is to make a real Television Championship Belt and stop using the TNA Legends Title Belt, it just looks silly that there still seeing them use belt made for Booker T who don't even work for TNA anymore.

Yeah it's always bothered me that that thing still says "LEGENDS" on it when it hasn't been the Legends title in a long time. At the very least, change the plates on it to say "TELEVISION CHAMPION" or "TV CHAMPION" or something of the like.

 

[SpecialFNK]

I like the idea of the TV title being defended on TV. Devon beat Robbie E at the PPV 2 months ago. then the title wasn't defended again until the next PPV. he wasn't on TV once. I don't count Explosion, I'm not even sure if/when/where it's on TV. Impact Wresting is the TNA TV show.
the TV title should be defended on TV, but I wonder if every week will be too often.
it could be good to get the TV title on someone bigger worth watching on TV, but maybe there could be a problem with that? your bigger stars normally build feuds that end up with matches at the PPV. if a title is defended every single week, who can you have the title on? lets take AJ Styles for example. do you want AJ Styles with the TV title having to defend it every week to someone new almost all the time? or is it better to have Styles build a feud with a wrestler that leads to a match at the PPV?
does this mean more than likely that the wrestlers who end up wrestling for the TV title/winning the TV title are the lesser known wrestlers? Devon, Gunner, Robbie E, Eric Young, Pope? Doug Williams? Garrett? personally I don't want to see these guys wrestling on TV every single week. EY is the exception for me, but I think it's good to see him on TV every week doing some comedy even if he's not wrestling.

IMO the title would be better defended 2 maybe 3 times a month. then you could have it on some bigger stars that viewers want to see more on TV, like AJ Styles, Crimson, Bully. you could do better by building feuds and having the matches mean more, rather than just randomly thrown together with no reason.

if the TV title is defended every week, is it also defended at the PPV?