Anyone want a title?

[Izzy]

As a far younger viewer the WWF title and number of title reigns really mattered to me - there was something significant about the title and whethr your favourite was holding it

I've long since grown up and its all fairly meaningless to me now - but there is still a part of me thats greatly irked by current WWE and its reckless way with the title

Jeff Hardy is now a 3 time Heavyweight Champion and Edge is a 9 (NINE!) time champion - seems like everyone has held the title multiple times - people like Austin took the title just 5 times I believe and The Rock and Bret Hart managed 7

It was always going to happen with two titles - but I wish they'd reign it in, Jeff Hardy has come on leaps and bounds but a three time Heavyweight Champion?

People will point out a spell in 2000 when Triple H and The Rock swapped the title month by month - but have we ever had such a flurry of title changes in WWE/F?

Its become less of a great honour and more of 'its my turn now' - god forbid we have 365 day runs like JBL, but only a handful of wrestlers should ever take the Heavyweight title - winning it should be recognition of the absolute best wrestlers in the company

...and as good as Edge is - 9 times is absurd, especially as he'll have another half dozen before his career is over

Thoughts?

[AtariLegend]

Thoughts?

Jeff Hardys boyhood dream, coming true last night for the third time in several months. Especially given, he'll probably drop it in two months tops.

[More Cowbell]

I remember when hogan was a 3 time champion growing up and thought that was huuuuge.  I have been saying it for 3 years they have two many and swap too much.

Now I'm not the biggest flair fan but he was a 16 time champion (14 reg by wwe) but it took what over 20 years.

Look at HHH.  He has only been in the limelight since what 1996ish as a member of DX and he is already a 13 time champion and by the time he retires he will be a 20 champam. I think at this day and age they should regonise days or months as champion.  So someone like current champion :ardy could say he's a world champ for 6 months total or whatever.  For HHH suuure he's a 13 timechampion but that meanshis ass has lost 13 times

[Hammy]

It annoys the hell out of me but its represents the mentality nowadays of fans, they get bored so easily, long reigns would drive many of them nuts and they'd say it was boring.  I'm all for them, I like it when they say *Insert name here* is the longest reigning champion.  For me its about the length of the reign and who they defend it against, not how many times they won it.

Take Kofi Kingston for instance, I'm starting to like the guy.  Now he won the US Title off MVP in a good match.  Then he defended it on PPV in a Fatal 4 Way and last night in a 6 Pack Challenge.  I like how he is building up these defences, and I would love him to keep the belt until Wrestlemania, have a feud with Miz then move onto Swagger and Bourne, go through the Division, show dominance, get him over with it to the point that when he drops it he is ready to go to the next level.

Another example would be Jericho and Big Show.  Make the best of this alliance, have them dominate and give the belts value.  Have them come out and proclaim there are no good teams, they have taken everyone out and then have Triple H's music hit, he comes out and claims he could beat them on his own, have Cena come out and make the same claim, then have the guest host say he has an idea and that at Summerslam, the overly confident Cena and Triple H can team to take on the Champs.  Have the champs retain when Cena and Triple H "miscommunicate" (sorting a feud between them), then have the champs move onto Hart Dynasty who can make mention of how the champs had claimed they would be better than the Hart Foundation.  Have a good few month feud, give David Hart Smith a singles victory over Big Show and Tyson Kidd a victory over Jericho, but have the champs manage to retain on PPV.  Then move them onto say Cryme Tyme, Shad and Big Show battling it out could be a good way to make Shad look like a good big man, but run with it.

The only thing worse than short reigns and multiple reigns is the ones with no defences.  Remember Londrick's near 12 month reign when they beat about 3 different teams?

I don't mind the odd exception, Edge's gimmick is being "The Ultimate Opportunist" so the way he keeps winning the belt is slightly acceptable but its a shame he hasn't had a 10-12 month reign.  With so many belts some kind of dominance with at least one or two of the belts could/should be possible.

Just to be obvious and say what you all expect, give Ziggler the IC Strap for 2 years 

[D]

WWE sucks

what do u expect

I remember when Hogan held the title for 3 years and when he lost it, it was an EVENT!

u were shocked.

now the title is meaningless

[Hammy]

WWE sucks

what do u expect

That's a crap reason.  They bounced the titles round in the Attitude Era, much more, heck until their reign a few years since Hardyz longest tag title reign had been about 3 weeks.  And TNA does the same with belts, its the way it is with promotions in the main stream, fans just wouldn't put up with a 3 year reign my anyone today.

[D]

I think they'd put up with long reigns if it was someone really great.

Like Izzy said, 9 times for Edge? Think about Ric Flair's world title reign and how legendary it is, and I am sorry But Edge probably passing Flair is just ridiculous.

I also didn't say anything about TNA, I just said right now WWE sucks. They use the belt change so much because they are lazy and have no creative ways of making people get excited.

Let's be honest

Guys like CM punk should never hold the world title. Curt Hennig never won a world title but CM Punk has?

Just ridiculous

[More Cowbell]

Curt hennig was a world champion even if wwe never put the belt on him. When he was the ic champion his reign and rank was more imporrtant then any current champion in wwe

[Hammy]

From what I've read over the years they thought about it, tried him with Hogan (they were last 2 in the Rumble one year), but they just didn't feel he had "It" to headline, despite his great talents, one of his biggest problems was his injuries though, from the middle of '93-'96 he was on the shelf and prior to that he'd be injured and just managed Flair.  Dude was great though, but so were guys like Jake Roberts and Ted Dibiase but they never held the big one, heck Jake never held any titles in WWF/E, but most say he didn't need one, a title may have prestige and value but its also a prop to get someone over, dude was way over.

As for Punk being undeserving, get away, its nice to have someone who doesn't fit the generic Orton mold, he is a great talker, wrestler and has his own unique look (and if I remember correctly you think he looks like a jobber?), I'm gutted his current reign was short lived, he was doing really well with the belt, his heel character has been a joy to watch, you need to get Smackdown D 

[Izzy]

A 12 month reign is a very very difficult thing to pull off

First you need a deserving champ who just seems to fit the bill - Triple H is a believable long term champion, JBL was not

Second, the reign needs a purpose - is this the unstoppable monster withhe gimmick being - who will beat him?

Third - you need title defences against intresting opponenents in significant matches, when our champ retains it needs to have been following a war, not a Backlash style 'oh god, not this PPV again' style event

Ultimately WWE probably has no one that is worth a long reign at the mo - 12 months of Cena would probably half the ratings, infact a single further reign might just bankrupt WWE - guy is hated as champ, I like him - but not as champ

The title does need to be about length not number - a 200 time champion just means he's lost 199-200 times

Personally I'd restrict the champions to no more than a handful

Thats not to say their opponenents are always the same though!

1998-2001 - how many champs were there? HHH, Rock, Austin, Angle, Big Show, Mankind, Kane (1 night), Michaels, Vince *cough* - not that many more?

How many champs have we had 2008-2009....

[James Lofton]

Wrestling titles are irrelevant now. They are used as props for the stars of the day/week/month/year. There will never be long title reigns again because Vince and the fans don't want them. You cant encourage wrestling to revolve around skits and interviews, then in the next breath be mad that the titles are meaningless. One leads you into the other. Wrestling has evolved(I think its regressed), and you'll be lucky if there are ANY titles within five years.

[Hammy]

It goes through cycles, at the moment there is a big emphasis on plugging the value and prestige on belts, even if they might not treat them quite so well. 

[AtariLegend]

I think you guys forget that the "ECW Title" is counted as a World Title too (Unless it's the Royal Rumble), so ughh that means...

Brock Lesnar
Shawn Michaels
The Rock
Hulk Hogan
Triple H
Undertaker
Edge
Christian
Matt Hardy
Tommy Dreamer
Mark Henry
John Morrison
C.M. Punk
Big Show
Kurt Angle
Chris Benoit
Jeff Hardy
Goldberg
Randy Orton
Batista
Booker T
Rob Van Dam
Kane
Vince McMahon
Chris Jericho
John Cena
Rey Mysterio
Chavo Guerrero
The Great Khali
Jack Swagger
Bobby Lashely

Have all held a World Title Title since 2000

[Hammy]

The ECW Title doesn't really count though does it, half the time it opens shows, nobody values it and half the guys who have won it would never win a real World Title, for instance, Chavo Guerrero, Tommy Dreamer, Mark Henry.

[D]

CM Punk is an IC guy nothing more

when u look at the legends who have held the world title, CM and even Jeff Hardy just don't fit the bill.

maybe I am too old school, but I doubt many people buy a ticket to see CM Punk.