Reality From Ringside #55
March 8, 2010
By: Doug Lackey of WrestleView.com
Fodder for the Belt Marks
Have you ever thought about looking something up or researching something and then after thumbing through your findings? not knowing how to decipher them? That’s the dilemma I ran into this week.
Last week’s ?Reality? was admittedly simple: With 4 WWE performers being released, I decided to look into the history of WWE’s roster since last year’s Draft. After combing through the debuts and departures, the acquisitions inside and outside of said Draft, I came across many title changes.
It then dawned on me. With Wrestlemania looming and the number of title matches slated for the card and TNA’s own arrangement of title bouts on the horizon, I decided to take a look at the numerous title changes that have taken place since last year’s Wrestlemania in both WWE and TNA.
My findings have left me rather? how do we put this? confused.
I am having quite a hard time making sense out of all of these numbers and names that I am looking at right now. I cannot determine if these occurrences are considered good or bad. I cannot explain the severity or complexity of how all of these title changes are detrimental or beneficial to the respective companies.
In other words, I have a ton of names, dates, and numbers? and I have no earthly idea how to interpret them.
Suffice it to say I have done all of the research needed to appease the belt marks of the internet wrestling community. All of the arguments we hear regarding the prestige of championship belts borders along blurring the lines between ‘sports? and ?entertainment?; an argument that I surely do not want to attempt and root through in my column or by any other means.
I have always felt that professional wrestling titles are not meant for prestige, but more to provide a means of storyline development and organizing a hierarchy of talent within any organization.
With that said, I would like to share with you the research I have painstakingly undertaken. I cannot think of any kind of opinion to draw from these statistics or fact-based findings. All I can do is give you what I found out and leave you, the loyal ?Realist, to root through them and provide me with the opinion you believe should rear its ugly face from within them.
All of the following statistics are based on a timeline beginning at Wrestlemania 25 (April 5, 2009). Chew softly twelve times before swallowing?
What do the WWE Title and TNA’s Knockouts Title have in common?
Both titles have changed hands 9 times since WM25.
Does this mean that these two titles are hotly contested or bounced back and forth depending on how their respective creative teams feel about the talent within?
Randy Orton is a 6-time WWE Champion? however?
3 of those title reigns have occurred since WM25 spanning roughly over 5 months collectively.
Is Orton as great as we say he is because of his title reigns or the storylines embroiled within them? Belt marks are encouraged to chime in?
TNA’s Tag Team Titles have changed hands 5 times since WM25?
Between 5 different tandems (Team 3D, Beer Money Inc., Booker T and Scott Steiner, The British Invasion, Matt Morgan and Hernandez).
One of the main reasons TNA-backers have pumped their fists in the air in jubilation of their brand was because they touted a ?better tag team division? than WWE. Are having 5 different teams win the titles since WM25 necessarily better than potentially one team holding onto the titles for nearly 6 months? (Jericho-Edge/Jericho-Big Show: 6/28/09 ? 12/13/09)
Chris Jericho has won the most titles from different divisions in WWE?
Intercontinental Champion ? 6/7/09 ? 6/28/09
Unified Tag Team Champion ? 6/28/09 ? 7/26/09 (teamed with Edge), 7-26-09 ? 12/13/09 (teamed with Big Show)
World Heavyweight Champion (current) ? 2/21/10
Doug Williams has won the most titles from different divisions in TNA?
Tag Team Champion ? 10/18/09 ? 1/17/09 (teamed with Brutus Magnus)
X-Division Champion (current) ? 1/28/10
Does this mean that Doug Williams is just as good as Chris Jericho, or that Chris Jericho is just as good as Doug Williams? Would love to hear the argument from the belt marks on this one!
What do John Cena and Jillian have in common?
Both became a champion for less than 5 minutes.
So when do we get to see Jillian cut an awkward-sounding segment backstage geared towards a foil of some kind?
TNA’s longest title reign since Wrestlemania 25 belongs to?
AJ Styles: Current TNA Champion since 9/20/09 with 8 successful title defenses.
Does this mean that AJ Styles should be considered the ?face of the company?? Does he need the confirmation of the Impact Zone audience, TNA’s ?Row 3?, Hulk Hogan, Ric Flair, or none of these at all?
WWE’s United States Title has changed hands the least amount of times since WM25.
Kofi Kingston ? 6/1/09 ? 10/5/09 (from MVP)
The Miz (Current) ? 10/5/09
Does this mean that the most ?prestigious? of all of the titles between WWE and TNA is this one? If prestige is measured by the number of its champions and the length of time it has been held, it must be so, right?
There have been 12 X-Division Title matches since WM25?
4 of those matches have involved more than one challenger. (33%)
There have been 15 WWE Title matches since WM25?
5 of those matches have involved more than one challenger. (33%)
With all of the disparaging remarks we give about TNA’s X-Division and its ?cluster.? mentality? shouldn?t we be doing the same thing with WWE’s most coveted title of all?
To the belt marks: I hope you have been satisfied with the statistical bounty I have provided for you to snack on?
To the ?Realists?: I apologize for the number of questions and the lesser number of answers but as always, that’s what I rely on you for?
To everyone else: I?m sure you?ll find a reason to reply too. Try your damnedest to find faults in the research? I have no problems admitting where I?m wrong.
Until next time, mouth-breathers!
Annoy me with your assumptions and affronts… adore me with your adulations and acknowledgements: dougystyle79@yahoo.com.