Now that you've tried to sing Paula Cole embarrassingly, hopefully in private, let's get down to business.
On my Squared Circle Radio program over the past two weeks in Nashville, a topic I've brought up involves the lack of importance placed on midcard championships and those who hold them. It's something that continues to bother me and it finally came to a head at the moment all of us realized that neither the WWE Intercontinental Championship nor the US Title will be defended in New Orleans. This...makes no sense.
All titles outside of the top strap in a promotion are generally used (when nepotism or favoritism isn't being shown) as enhancement. One thing you learn early on in the business is that if you're given a secondary or third strap in a company, it's probably because there's something else within you that's lacking, be it charisma, work, or any number of other factors.
Enhancement remains the key, but in WWE, the Intercontinental Title was known for something else on a consistent basis for nearly a decade...the best matches on the card. Along with the then WWF Tag Team Championship, it was the IC matches that produced the most highlights and the highest workrate on a consistent basis. In Crockett's NWA, the World Heavyweight Championship matches featured better workers, guys like Flair and Steamboat and Sting in his prime and Terry Funk and Ricky Morton just to name a few key challengers during that time frame. That said, the best matches in the company often came when the Rock 'N Roll Express faced off with the Midnights or the Horsemen or the Road Warriors. But, on the singles side, if you look at the United States title reign of Magnum T.A., the Television Title reign of a Tully Blanchard or Arn Anderson, or later of Sting and Muta, you see a stacked card where those belts actually meant a ton to the product and it was usually these matches that competed for the show stealer on a regular basis.
Vince's main events featured big stars but not great workers outside of a select few. But if you take a look back at those days respective to secondary titles, you'll see names like Rick Rude, Bret and Owen Hart, Shawn Michaels, Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat, and then later Steve Austin, Rocky Maivia, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Dallas Page, Eddy Guerrero, Bill Goldberg, William Regal, Chris Benoit...you see where this is going? The list could go on for another thousand words.
I'm a huge fan of Dean Ambrose and a growing fan of Big E, but if a casual viewer doesn't watch at least twice a month, what are the chances he or she even remembers those two guys actually hold the US and IC Titles? When is the last time Dean Ambrose defended the United States Championship on PPV? The answer is October at Hell in a Cell...against Big E, a throwaway eight minute match that ended in a count out. As for the Intercontinental, Big E has defended against Damien Sandow, Jack Swagger, and Curtis Axel and the gold was not on the line in a match at the Royal Rumble.
Those defenses for Langston...did anyone care? Did the guys in the ring even care?
Here's what's missing right now with the midcard straps that in WWE are hugely important to setting the table for the next generation of main event guys...one word...
RIVALRIES.
Magnum T.A. needed Tully Blanchard, promos for months, run-ins, true built-up hatred on screen, and several matches, culminating in the I Quit match. Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon simultaneously made each other, in similar fashion to how even in a stupid angle, Sean Waltman became a name worth paying attention because of his feud with Hall on television. Rock and Austin working over the Intercontinental Championship and later Rock working with Triple H in 1998 and holding the title basically the entire year up until the ladder match...was huge for all of those guys. Despite the lack of working ability for Jim Hellwig, the Intercontinental Title feud between the Warrior and Rick Rude was classic and stretched from the Royal Rumble all the way through SummerSlam in 1989. It's hard do that with PPV events each month, but the time made it count. Even three months would make people pay attention.
Hell, even Matt Hardy and MVP had a program that counted over the US Title in the months preceding Wrestlemania 24.
Yes, it's better for the Shield to be working together at Wrestlemania, but if that's the reality today, maybe Ambrose shouldn't be holding a singles title right this second. If the plan is for a feud in a few months between Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns, that could mean that Reigns will be built around a secondary title first, which is appropriate, smart, and will allow him to work with a wider variety of talent. He still needs work on the little things, such as the transitions, as he's still very raw right now, despite some exceptional spots that will carry him for as long as he can execute them. Incidentally, his trio of big moves are perfect because there's not one guy in the company, from Rey up to Show, that he can't give every single one of them to, which is exactly what you want out of a finisher. But because of the Shield, there's no basis for a US Title match.
So here's an argument...your author's, about what needs to happen with the IC and US Titles and beyond.
It's time to scrap the US Championship and unite it with the traditional WWE Intercontinental Title that Vince's audience, which is now everybody, knows and understands.
Then you bring back a strap that can be made to matter almost immediately, the new WWE World Television Championship (but not the title below, which is awful...make a new belt -- since the great red TV title still resides in my old haunts in Cornelia with Bill Behrens.)
Defended every Monday night (and/or the occasional Friday), ten minute time limit (a novel concept, time limits), make sure every week that the match takes place uninterrupted by a break and have plenty of time limit draws but not because the heel tries to kill time on the floor every week and not enough that it's overkill...and try to move it around pretty regularly. Now, that doesn't mean every month, but keep it fluid, right up until WWE has a guy they really want to "make" and then they can have that guy hold it for a decent to long length of time. Defend it on PPV with extended time in this format. Wrestler A fails to get a pinfall or submission in the allotted time for three weeks in a row, then gets booked on PPV with Champion, Wrestler B. Add a longer clock to make it look as if A has the advantage on B, but maybe one out of three or four times does Wrestler A go over in the match in a way where the gold changes hands.
Also you can have a feud built out of two guys literally trading the title back and forth for six weeks...short of a match here and there where the Champion can retain. And remember the Booker T vs. Chris Benoit best of seven series? There are plenty of possibilities.
So in this description, WWE would have the World Heavyweight Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the World Television Championship.
Let's have your suggestions...IF you agree with my ideas here -- who would be perfect to hold these redefined or repurposed straps? For me, give me Daniel Bryan (for a short time, as it should always be with a babyface Champion), Cesaro, and Bray Wyatt. Next in line in the secondary title picture is Seth Rollins, who would greatly benefit from gold when the Shield isn't in six man matches all the time. He should be a future Television Champion, maybe a year away, depends on when the split happens, who then works ten minute classics every week. Roman Reigns should be the IC Champ with a nice run to take him to the Royal Rumble, where it's quite possible he'll be the victor. This should all coincide in the vicinity of when Cesaro is ready to elevate, and how about a debuting Sami Zayn to get involved in the Television Championship scenario...out of nowhere...to set up a few months or Bray/Sami stuff that could officially lead to Cesaro's face turn to come after Wyatt. Those are just off the top of my head...look forward to your thoughts.
I haven't forgotten about Orton or Batista or Cena or the current top guys. But they're the top guys. As you see above, they've BEEN the top guys...for a LONG time. They'll be hovering around the summit for a while and certainly can fit into the Intercontinental discussion if need be as well.
In a one sentence summation, wrestling should never be a world where at the biggest global show of the year, WWE's Intercontinental Championship and to a lesser extent the United States Championship, are not being defended in big time matches. The fact that it's almost understandable because of what those titles mean currently...is a condemnation at best and a travesty at worst.
What say you?