Don't get me wrong, I like the old WCW belt. But that's the problem. It's the old WCW title. Why not create a new belt? They did it for the tag belts, now let's see them do the same for the World championship.
It probably has to do with Bischoff being there. Since he was in charge of WCW, they are using the WCW Belt, giving a sense that he is actually calling the shots, rather than being just a character on the show.
i might be wrong, but i'm just throwin' that out there.
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The problem I have is not the fact that it's the big gold belt, but the fact that it doesn't mean anything. It was brought back (after apparently being absorbed in the unification of the belts, but I digress) and handed to Triple H to get him over, and not used in any way, shape, or form to get the BELT over as valuable. Even when HBK took it from him, it didn't mean anything, because it was just Triple H's prop, nothing more.
I've always said that I won't consider that title worth anything until Triple H loses it to someone, and that person loses it *to someone else*. As long as it's either 1) Triple H's title, or 2) Triple H trying to get the title back, it means nothing to me.
As far as credibility is concerned, at the very moment this World title was brought back (or brought out) so many months ago, why couldn't WWE have done a bit of quality control and just take a few seconds during Bischoff's promo and have him state that the unification was somehow dissolved? At the very least, it would have been stated as fact. That might have helped.
I would be in favor of a new RAW World Title belt if, say, a big-time RAW-shaken-to-its-foundations-decision-of-Bischoff's warranted a new belt. For example, turning the second hour of RAW into Nitro or something. Or if Uncle Eric announced that the RAW brand itself was to be referred to from now on as 'WWE RAW' instead of just WWE, to allow for a Nitro return. Then, a title belt could be presented that was more cutting edge in appearance, with sharper angles and bolder design points, but keeping a similar shape overall to the big gold WCW belt. I would do an almost PRIDE championship-styled main plate, and have decent sized side plates that are actual RAW logos, and hell, give the belt a red strap. (I figured that any discussion of a new belt would HAVE to include talk of its look, too.)
David Crockett sez it best, folks: "Look at 'im, Tony! Look at 'im!"
No! No! It's not the old WCW Title! I did some research on wrestling-titles.com and do you know how many titles in one the World Championship is?
NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title [unified with National Title] NWA National Heavyweight Title [unified with US Title] WCW United States Heavyweight Title [unified with IC Title] WWF Hardcore Title [unified with IC Title] WWF European Title [unified with IC Title] WWF Intercontinental Title [unified with World Title] World Heavyweight Title
So, that makes the title Triple H is wearing around his waist the WWF World National Georgia Hardcore United States Intercontinental European Heavyweight Title.
And that, in fact, is NOT the WCW World Title. Too wordy. I like the belt, but it's trying to give credibility to a title without actually having to do a damned thing. Which is DUMB.
I think where the ball was dropped as well was when there wasn't a real explaination that the Euro, IC and US and National titles etc. is what comprises the "World Heavyweight Championship". To further bolster the fact that this is a World Title, they must have a secondary belt: The World Television Title. RAW is live every week, it has lineage to both WCW and ECW, and you've got RVD, the longest reigning TV champ of all time. If you wanna shake shit up, add another belt and make it VIABLE.
P.S.- A red strap on the RAW title with a snazzy upgrade on the plates would rock the Casbaugh baw GAWD! 1 last thing, RKMtwin is an imposter of me. I swear it.
Boy, raw tenth anniversary? Bullshit. Kinda makes it not worth it, don't it.
I agree with the two posts above. Not only did WWE NOT try to explain the origins of HHH's belt, they fail to even drive the point home that the RAW World title is a belt that holds these other title lineages. So either way, without any explanation, no one knows what the TRUE credibility of this title is at all.
And consider this-- if the combination of all of these belts comprises the RAW Title via the Intercontinental Heavywieght Championship, WWE didn't even explain why the IC title had to be unified to the big gold belt and not the other way around. A matter of semantics, I suppose-- did the WWF initially intend that the IC title has dominion only over North America, or did was it intended that it had limited dominion to a handful of other countries outside of North America? If the former is the case, shouldn't the IC title have been known as the INTRAcontinental title in the first place? So why not have the big gold belt, then, serve as the undisputed Intercontinental Championship?
(Oh, and Davros-- DUDE!! Why can't you keep my secret exactly that-- A SECRET?! Buhjeezus!)
David Crockett sez it best, folks: "Look at 'im, Tony! Look at 'im!"
Where's that WCW International Board of Directors when you need 'em to settle this here thing?
Back in '98, I bought one of those WCW replica belts; it hangs on my wall to this day. Also to this day, whenever I see the so-called "World" championship on RAW, I think to myself, "Hey look...it's my mark belt." These days, it seems worth about as much, too.
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It's always going to be "Flair's Belt" to me...and that in and of itself gives it a little credibility. Each brand needed it's own "World Champion" since they aren't going to be competing against each other at any of the pay-per-views (inter brand Royal Rumble not withstanding).
Did it have to be HHH to get it? Eh. Moot point...it happened. Does it have to be HHH that keeps it? That's another story that hopefully they're working on.
And I agree with an above sentiment...there should be a TV championship. I would have that be the one belt that crosses brands, similar to how the old WCW TV Title was defended on all the TV shows.
They need another belt for the guys to "strive" for, plus having it be inter-promotional would make it valuable for RAW/Smackdown bragging rights. But...it wouldn't have the "earth shattering" consequences of losing the "Undisputed WORLD Championship". Problem solved.
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I think bringing back the TV championship would be a super idea. Just don't make it available to both brands. It wouldn't last long, and wrestlers would possibly have to be at both shows each week, unless you wanted a title change every week. I know, you could make it work like the Undisputed belt did at first(whoever lost the belt went back to their brand), but I think keeping the TV belt for Raw/Nitro would be a better idea. Then you could bring back the IC belt for Smackdown, since technically it'd be the only WWE show.
Eh, this title means nothing to me. It's nothing more than Triple H's little play-toy. Triple H gets it handed to him, after it's announced to the world that he's the greatest thing on RAW. Then, he jobs it, but only to his good friend Shawn Michaels. Michaels immediatley drops it back to Triple H. It's just the Triple H title, and since Triple H means nothing to me, the title means nothing to me.
You thought watching Thunder was bad? Raw is like watching Thunder in re-runs.
I was really against losing the IC and Euro belts for the main reason that it doesn't give the middle-lower card guys something to strive for. And there's nothing duller than watching two lower card guys fight for no tangible reason. It's a big reason why WCW Pro was the most unneccesary non-infomercial hour of TV. All Green vs Barry Darsow match #1,219 with nothing on the line is gonna be duller than dirt and even at three minutes is gonna seem like a slow ten.
People can say "too many belts dilute the impact of the big belt" as much as they want to, but you NEED lower tier singles belts if you want your company to survive. Here's why:
-Gives the lower middle carders something to do. As of now, they're either striving for the World belt or doing nothing of consequence. Secondary belts at least make it seem like having a bunch of low guys (though not at "jobber level) It also gives shows like Heat a point, because the secondary singles title=automatic Heat main event.
-Functions as a test for elevating midcarders. Let's put aside the thesis that elevating midcarders will never happen (of course it will. All the old guys have to be severely injured, however.) The pop a wrestler gets with a secondary belt could be an tangible barometer of how much heat he has on him. It's worked before. . .even Booker T and Benoit started out fighting for the WCW TV belt.
If I'd had a say I'd have the Euro belt moved over to SD! for its TV title. While you could argue that the CW title is their secondary belt, it's hardly ever defended or pursued (or even mentioned) Besides, even if you hate the idea of lower-tier singles belts. . .hey, it'd keep A-Train away from the main event.
Originally posted by ges7184I think worrying about the credibility of a phony title in a phony sport is a tad silly, but that's just me.
Well by that standard, so is watching it. I like to be entertained, and the belt's (scripted outcomes and all) having a history and meaning enhance my entertainment.
Hence...we "worry" about it. I just think several of the ideas mentioned would make for a more intersting and watchable product.
P.S...I could say the same thing about the NBA championship.
I think they should create a new title and just call it the Raw World Title. Same with the Smackdown World title. It's little stylistic stuff like that that makes the roster split work.
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I'm all for keeping the WCW World Title belt on television forever and a day. Because WWE could take a few lessons from the old WCW belt designers, that's for damn sure. I never did like the look of the Attitude-era WWF Title belt.
And I'm all for re-introducing the World Television Title, as long as “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, the last champion, doesn't come along with it.
Yes, I know that supposedly, all belts were vacated at the start of the Russo/Bischoff era and the TV Title was never heard from again. However, because Duggan never vacated the belt on television (and the TV Title was never again used by WCW or by the WWF after the sale), it's not unreasonable to assume that he's not still the champion to this day.
Of course, we could bring back the TV Title, Duggan and all, and have Duggan make a one-night-only appearance to get the shit beaten out of him by someone. I wouldn't mind that, but it still wouldn't be a very good match just because... it's Duggan, you know?
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Well if anyone else is heading out to San Diego Comic Con next week, here is what WWE has in store: Daniel Bryan was a $95 VIP autograph at Wrestlemania Axxess and Hulk Hogan was a $175 Premium VIP autograph session so this is pretty cool.