It was a pretty good week of wrestling without the WWE Network or indie shows to attend. Sunday was spent in the old venue for Freelance Wrestling, The Bottom Lounge, to see Pig put on a great set. A woman actually was impressed by my industrial rock-themed vest and may be sending the materials to build her one. For something that I was hoping to use as ring gear someday (anyone have 12-grande to help me start a wrestling promotion), my indie credibility seems secured.
Only downer was the breakup of Okada and Gedo. Right after I had bout the shirt that featured both of them being very kawaii.
And speaking of Freelance, Muhammad Ali really impressed me for the
first time on “205 Live (via Hulu)” since his bout with Buddy Murphy.
Since he is someone who is ripping off DJZ and never a strong promo (at
least on WWE TV), he left me hoping they will not ditch the brand. If
only the Hulu version could cut out the non-match segments. I cut the
WWE Network off because of the sexism, but I was not missing contract
signings and championship-related, face-to-face verbal sparring.
NJPW World, Being the Elite, and sales at Pro Wrestling Tees: keep this
formula up and it may lead to me never consider a WWE World Champion as
the premier champion in the industry. Just wait till I tap into the
Honor Club. Is the Highspots Network worth it?
Regardless of my thoughts on the future champions, when Puroresu was
being established, I think most of us agree it was a totally different
style. Besides for swapping your American World title to a Japanese
wrestler on his soil to build another fan base, there was very little
crossover. Story lines are what drives the American-style while an in
ring athletic spectacle is what you watch Japanese wrestling for. You
can just pick a NJPW match to watch and never need a video package to
give you context.
So, what I am getting at is it may not be reasonable to put the IWGP
Heavyweight, GHC Heavyweight, or the Triple Crown in the running as
possible Real World Heavyweight Championship.
Fortunately, there was Samoa Joe and Chris Benoit who were there to make
us not necessarily watch the majority of JBL’s title reign and to make
things further interesting in regards to this narrative.
A Time for the Internet Wrestling Community
49th Real World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champion Eddie Guerrero - 2/15/2004 - 6/27/04.
50th World Heavyweight Champion - World Heavyweight Champion Chris Benoit - 6/27/04 - 8/15/04
The Big Gold Belt finally headlined Wrestlemania and the celebration
between the two most successful Radicalz can never be ruined. If the
lack of WWE’s acknowledgement of long-term concussion trauma that led to
the 2007 incident makes this moment uncomfortable, play the Gamecube’s
“WWE Day of Reckoning” where a random star will recreate that moment
with your avatar (mine was creepingly Charlie Haas, which might explain
my attempt to change my ring name to R.C. Staley. I’ve got a funny Tyler
Black anecdote about that, but I’ll digress).
It seemed like WWE was finally recognizing the desires of the industries
most invested fans. But WWE is meant to fulfill the desires of the two
most delusional McMahons not on Donald Trump’s cabinet. Benoit’s win may
be a way to keep us from being too upset when JBL became WWE Champ via
anti-immigrant sentiment.
Randy Orton was not an accomplished wrestler when he got the title, and
would the IWC appreciate Benoit dropping the title to JBL who was more
character than he was wrestler? Samoa Joe was the hardest hitting
heavyweight this side of the Pacific who was the first champion with a
reign that had past the one-year mark since Randy Savage. Add the CM
Punk trilogy, and you cannot argue this deserved recognition.
52nd World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ JBL - 12/26/04 - 4/3/2005
This may be a tribute to the storytelling rather than the man. WWE had
got us back to Dusty Rhodes’s style booking. We were desperate to see
JBL lose the title, and became more desperate with every successful
defense as Vince McMahon desired. Austin Aries may have had all the
tools, but was not larger than life at this point. The Big Gold Belt was
also vacant at the time of this title change.
53rd World Heavyweight Champion - World Heavyweight Champ Batista - 4/3/05 - 1/10/2006
John Cena may have been the most interesting story in the company,
especially since the fans started turning on the one they initially
chose. Despite the Triple H using the Big Gold Belt to get himself over
again, he is a better performer than JBL. Batista won the BGB the same
night as Cena won the WWE, but Batista was never defeated for his title.
Some would say that Edge cashing in Money in the Bank meant Cena was
never truly beat for his title, especially when it was just a swap. I
will just come out and say it, a Cash In will rarely make you the Real
World Champion. Hopefully, as I further review my initial narrative, I
may be able to avoid them all together (sorry C.M. Punk).
54th World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Bryan Danielson - 1/10/06 - 12/26/06
The heel American Dragon was a fully formed character in my opinion. It
is the same story of how he turned from being an underdog to a heel in
WWE in 2011-2012. He regressed as he went back to being a babyface, but
that was after the reign. Bryan Danielson was successful in becoming a
wily champion the likes of Ric Flair.
The only contention I can see is based on Kurt Angle winning the Big
Gold Belt the same day Batista relinquished it. This would allow us to
add Rey Mysterio’s first title reign and King Booker into the
continuity. Who could legitimately beat Angle? Perhaps a few since he
was awarded the title for winning a battle royale.
55th World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ John Cena (1) - 12/26/06 - 10/2/2007
John Cena was in the midst of a title reign that would make him Hulk
Hogan-esque. His WWE reign had lasted over a year and was ended via
injury. In the meantime, The Great Khali had won a Heavyweight
Championship.
56th World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Takeshi Morishima - 10/2/07 -10/6/07
You can appreciate ROH’s booking like ECW’s booking. Homicide had a
brief two month reign, but he was definitely not cut of a cloth where he
could be promoted as a Real World Champion. Morishima on the other was a
strong style version of Samoa Joe. This is where I will bring up that
Batista is an actor.
57th World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Nigel McGuiness - 10/6/07 - 4/3/2009
No question that he was the best wrestler with a world title during this span.
58th World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ Triple H (4) - 4/3/09 - 4/26/09
Again, ROH gave the fans what they wanted with a Jerry Lynn title win.
Lynn was a year older than Ric Flair was during his last reign as Real
World Champ. Triple H defeated Edge for the WWE Championship during the
McGuiness reign. Edge had won the Big Gold Belt after that, so if he
could not keep the WWE away from Triple H, how could the BGB be more
important than his previous belt?
59th World Heavyweight Champion - World Heavyweight Champ Edge - 4/26/09 - 6/7/09
Randy Orton with Legacy as tag team partners took the WWE belt from
Triple H who had Vince McMahon on his team. Edge had to defeat Cena in a
last man standing bout. Which was the bigger accomplishment?
60th World Heavyweight Champion - World Heavyweight Champ Jeff Hardy - 6/7/09
61st World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Jerry Lynn - 6/7/09 - 6/13/09
CM Punk cashed in Money in the Bank on Jeff Hardy, so Punk should not be
the Real World Champ. Batista won the WWE Championship, but had to
vacate it two days later. Lynn was still the ROH Champ who was about to
lose it to Austin Aries. I was really tempted to recognize Blue Demon
Jr.’s 505-day reign as NWA World Champion especially since Mexico is
just as big a wrestling market. Still, the 10 Pounds of Gold may have
been stuck in the limbo of many lawsuits.
There maybe 10 others from North America who were as great an in ring
performer as Jerry Lynn in his era (Benoit, Guerrero, Dean Malenko,
Lance Storm, AJ Styles, Samoa Joe, CM Punk, Rob Van Dam…) so Lynn
definitely deserves to be in this narrative. If only for a brief time,
the more qualified the champion, the better your potential franchise
will look.
62nd World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Austin Aries - 6/13/09 - 3/14/2010
63rd World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Tyler Black - 3/14/10 - 9/11/10
64th World Heavyweight Champion - ROH’s Roderick Strong - 9/11/10 - 3/19/2011
Kane held the Big Gold Belt at the beginning of Strong’s reign, but won
it by cashing in Money in the Bank. Sheamus was the WWE Champ and I find
him to be more gimmick than wrestler. Strong may have been a quick
answer, but still more qualified than WWE’s offerings.
65th World Heavyweight Champion - WWE Champ The Miz - 3/19/11 - 5/1/11
Strong had been an established star with ROH since Aries was. Eddie
Edwards had not broke out of the tag team wrestler mold. The Big Gold
Belt had a great story with Edge as the holder, but featured the
forgettable first Dolph Ziggler title reign. The Miz’s title reign
featured no contenders till Cena, but that headlined the The Rock’s
return to Wrestlemania, so all eyes were on him.
IF ONLY THE NWA HAD THEIR SHIT TOGETHER.
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