What IS a legit world title?

[Trill Co$by]

Ok, I know I'm a wrestler (small, local indy, who will probably just be a local NWA guy) but even still, ever since I've been born I've never been able to understand one thing... I mean I have my opinion on it, but that doesn't mean my opinion is right.

What exactly is a LEGIT World Championship?

Is a World Championship determined by where the belt's defended? Or is a World Championship determined just by the fact that a booker says it is so? Or is a World Champion only such by capturing a specific promotion's title (WWE, TNA, ROH, PWG, and NWA)? If not either of those, then what?

Personally, I believe that (like in boxing) a World Champion is someone who defends their title world wide, or at least in three different continents. I mean after all isn't that what "World" means? And yes, that would mean that even second tier titles would be World titles.

I mean look at NWA. They've had a perfect structure of titles. They have World Titles, Regional Titles, State Titles, and even territorial titles. I for one have held (briefly) the NWA Carolina X title and defended in not just NWA Carolina, but in NWA New Beginnings and NWA-SWA, because it was a state represented title...well more regional.

So like to me, the definition of a title should be based on that... the definition. And obviously, the top World title would be your main focus. I.E. AAA's top title would be a World Cruiserweight Titlte, and WWE's would be their top two.


That's just my opinion on it... what about you guys? Obviously, I'll need to ask the first World Champion for the legit definition, but other opinions won't hurt.

 

[Slyfox696]

Anymore, World title just indicates the top title in a promotion. There's no real governing body of any power in wrestling anymore, so the concept of a world title is pretty much lost. Before, a World title indicated just that...a WORLD champion...well, kind of. In the Americas, at least, the World title basically meant it was defended in the USA, but I digress. Each territory had their main-event title (usually a heavyweight title, because heavyweights are usually the main-eventers), and the World title was given to a wrestler who then worked for various promotions. The NWA is really the best example to understand.


Anymore though, with only one wrestling company in America that works events around the world, the concept of a World title really just means it is a main-event title, since the concept of the Heavyweight champion has seemed to go out of style.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Well, nowadays the term "World Champion" officially means the top guy in a certain federation.... or in WWE's case, the top guy on one of the exclusive brands within the federation. They are still referred to "World Championships" even though they are not defended worldwide anymore. Times have changed and the world titles now just mean the top guy in that particular promotion such as WWE, TNA, ROH, WCW, the original ECW, etc. They could refer to them as "Main Event Championships" since that is all they are, but calling them "World Championships" sounds so much more prestigious even though they aren't truly defended "anywhere in the world".

 

[Ferbian]

They could refer to them as "Main Event Championships" since that is all they are, but calling them "World Championships" sounds so much more prestigious even though they aren't truly defended "anywhere in the world".

Also the reason why they probably don't call it the "Main Event Championship" is because 1. it sounds a little ridiculously, and I believe it kinda puts a "break" to kayfabe in the whole acknowledging that someone is on the mid-card, the lower mid-card, upper mid-card, and Main Event, which even though pretty much everybody probably knows it, it still breaks a kind of kayfabe feel to it all as opposed to someone who starts a feud with someone of high standards and accomplishments through years to develop himself into a position where he earned the notice of the "higher powers" and therefore grants him a chance to become contender to a "world title"..

And I'm not really gonna add anything to the question of OP because I think you Dagger and Slyfox covered it pretty damn well.

 

[DirtyJosé]

I'm under the assumption that most "legit" world titles can trace their lineage back to the "classic" NWA World Championship belt. Back in the day, as that group started to splinter, breakaway promoters would book various shenanigans to give whatever territory's top star a "legit" status as the world champion. CWC/WWWF/WWF/WWE did it. WCW did it. ECW did it. In fact, I'd like to point everyone to read the Wikipedia entry on the NWA World Heavyweight Championship for an interesting read on how one title became many.

 

[The Wolf]

I have to agree with the question for the simple reason I have been a life long wrestling fan and the more I think about it the more I believe that NWA Heavyweight title is more valuable then any other one out there. The main reason look at the list of names thaty have held it a real who's who in wrestling not who the company wants to push.

Now a reall world title other then the NWA title it does not exist anymore.