NWA Title Changes

It was a big weekend in the NWA, you could just feel it.  However, I did not guess it would be this big. 

NWA National Champion, Golden Boy Greg Anthony, lost the National Title to Jake Logan.  Now this one is not all that surprising as Jake Logan is a great talent.  He regularly appears in Texoma and Top of Texas and has been champ in both.  He is known all over Texas and he is going to make a fun and interesting champ. 

The one I did not see coming at all was the new NWA Women's Champ.  Amber O'Neal (Gallows) has been a good champ.  She may not have broken as much new ground as Santana Garret did, but she was very capable.  She dropped the title in a loss to Jazz.  Yup, that Jazz of TNA and WCW fame.  So the title is still in very capable hands.  It continues the tradition of real big name and talented women holding the best Women's title in the world. 

NWA World champ Jax Dane retained, and his reign is now over a year long.  His time maybe approaching an end.  Keep an eye on the end of the year for Jax.  With Jake Logan holding the National Title, and being based in Texas, it maybe time to move the World Title on someone else.  Georgia/Florida has the North American Champ in Tyson Dean, who has successfully defended in Combat Sports Pro, and is making a fine NA champ.  Who will Dane face coming up?  Greg Anthony himself should be considered a top contender and Badd Blood always seems a threat. 

As another important note, NWA World Tag Team Champs the Iron Empire will be defending the NWA World Tag Titles in Japan.  No, not New Japan.  That ship appears to have sailed.  Rather it is a very small promotion Diamond Wrestling or something like that.  Let us hope that they come home with the belt.  It is one thing to always be dropping the belt in New Japan or even in NOAH, but this would be different.  If they do drop the belts think Matt Rivera for World Title.  After all, teaming with Rob Conway for the Tag title is the same route that Jax Dane took.

Brand Split and Story Telling

I know I am in the minority in thinking that the brand split is bad, but I think it helps show how awful WWE is as a story-telling company. 

The big problem in WWE is much like John Cena always puts it: he has been waiting for someone to come and show up everyday and perform like he does.  This is the problem, but it is also very disingenuous.  The problem included John Cena.  No one can show up and perform and please crowds if Cena takes up all the air time.  Or whoever the champ is.  WWE focuses so much on their top title that Miz is right the Intercontinental title is pointless, and Rusev is often left off of Raw despite having the US belt.  The solution is not to split the brands and create new titles so that Kevin Owens is not WWE champion or World Champion, but rather RAW champion.  All this does is give a little bit more airtime to some top guys.  The shows still revolve around the contest for the top belt with usually one very long taking segment, one main event match, and often a back stage segment or another match in the middle involving the other challenger.  This happened on both Raw and Smackdown leaving almost no time for the Tag titles, US title, Intercontinental title, and Women’s title (although this one is growing), not to mention time to develop new people to be legit challengers for those titles.  Add in the segments that involve Cena/Lesnar/Orton if they are not currently the top title holder, and it is no wonder no one else showed up everyday to do the work because they were often not booked on shows.  Can’t show up if the show is full.

Instead of the brand split they should have just been willing to have shows without the world champ.  Shows where the main event was the IC title or the Tag Titles or the Women’s title.  A smack down that revolved around the Tag titles could give valuable time to tag teams.  Or a show where the world title is not on, but the IC title is treated as special would do wonders for the IC title and the careers of wrestlers not yet at the top slot.  Let me give some examples of stories that could be told if everything were still together.

The world title picture could be AJ styles vs. Ambrose, and Owens and the others could be feuding for the #1 spot.  Rusev vs. Reigns for the US title.  Charlotte vs. Sasha vs Bailey would be for the Women’s title.  Miz vs. Ziggler is perfect for the IC title.  And the tag titles need more discussion so hold off on that.

But each of those stories is unique.  Styles is looking to be the face that runs the place after beating Cena, but not having the title.  Rusev and Reigns is about the honor of Lana or about a Bulgarian holding the US title.  Charlotte having to deal with Sasha and Bailey is good because it shows the growing importance of the Women’s title.  I think the WWE went the wrong way with Miz.  Instead of taking his talking smack and showing Bryan is right about Miz being a coward it should be a time to show the contrast in wrestling styles.  Miz is calculating and not risk taking.  ZIggler is an oft injured big risk taker.  Great story. 

And each division has its story lines for others.  HHH picks Owens over Rollins.  I would have Zayn in that match rather than Reigns who is chasing the US title.  Notice his removal from that feud left the US title off the show.  Zayn then gets to show frustration that he beat Owens 1 on 1, yet Owens is #1 contender.  You have Natalia vs. Becky Lynch after Natalia turned on Becky and the story of can Nikki Bella overcome Carmela with the story mostly told in multi-women matches.  Plus you can add in Nikki trying to remain relevant as a former Diva in the Women’s division. 

And what the WWE is doing to the Tag Team division is criminal.  Bootie O’s vs. Old Farts.  Come on.  The New Day and the Wyatt family had a built in story other than mocking TNA.  The power of positive thinking vs. the darkness of the Wyatts.  I would have had the Wyatt family win the three on three match, but have Xavier overcome that fear.  Then have the Club win the titles when the Wyatts show up at a title match.  The Club now has the belts, but new Day and Wyatts feud on.  The Club can then feud with red hot Enzo and Cass while American Alpha wins a tournament to see who is next.  That tournament helps show Hype Bros and the story of Heath Slater.  This then goes into the Usos turning for being ignored and passed over by fans despite two time tag title reigns.  Makes sense.  You could also have a feud down card to open shows between BreezeDango and the Lucha Dragons based on looks and masks.  Better than a few seconds of Fandango getting chokeslamed by Kane.  Or really use the Vaudevillians as 50’s style wrestlers to contrast them to high flying groups of today.  Toe holds and chin locks vs. power bombs and planchas.  You still have time to sneak in a squash match with Nia Jax or Strowman to build them up for a future match.

I don’t really have that many new stories here.  But the point is I removed belts from some of them, but they still make good stories.  We know they can fit because for the most part they already are.  But instead of having Ambrose on every show, put him on every now and then allowing the star power of Owens and Zayn and Rollins to carry some shows without Ambrose.  And maybe main event those shows with the Club vs. Enzo and Cass or Miz vs. Ziggler.  This would also allow you to see who could really draw top dollar, which is the ultimate idea anyway right? 

The WWE’s insistence that every show has to end with something involving the top belt just makes us care less about the other belts.  The Smackdown in Lincoln was a good example.  The show closed with a talking segment between Styles and Ambrose.  Rather than the 6 woman tag that built up the Women’s belt or the Tag team title tournament.  Or the IC title that went on before all of it.  Miz vs. Apollo Crews should have been the main event.  But instead we get a chit chat time.  That robbed time from lower card guys.  Or if no brand split you could have had a US Title match against Reigns end in DQ or something. 

I just think the Brand spilt continues to stress where WWE is weak.  Now we have more belts when the belts they had already felt unimportant.