wrestling / Columns
High Road/Low Road 08.20.10: TNA Television Title
Welcome back to the High Road/Low Road!
A brief explanation of the column: Sat takes the High Road (positive view) on angles, gimmicks, and other wrestling related “stuff” while Chad Nevett takes the Low Road (negative view).
The TNA Television Title
High Road:
We have been asking for the Television Title for awhile now. When WWECW first started up, we all wanted the Television Title to appear as a secondary title. We have also been asking for the Television Title in TNA back before they introduced the Legends Title. I think the Television Title is a good title to have because we have been asking for it for quite some time.
Low Road:
Besides a different name, how is this actually different from the Legends or Global title? Does it just come down to a name? TNA could have kept the name the same and simply treated it the same as a Television title. It’s a superficial change that’s unnecessary. That a name is all that stands between the title being treated as legitimate and being treated as a joke is ludicrous and shows a big flaw in how TNA approaches booking.
High Road:
The Legends Title and the Global Title were awful names for the title. The Legends Title made no sense because it implied that only legends could hold the title. The Global Title did not make sense because the name implies that it is the same as the World Title. The Television Title works because it explains the basic idea of the title.
Low Road:
How is ‘Global’ any different from ‘Intercontinental’? I’ve always wondered that, because no says that the IC belt is the same as a world title despite the names essentially meaning the same thing. To get hung up on the name is missing the point. Those belts didn’t matter because they were never treated like they mattered.
High Road:
The rules of the Television Title have to be appealing to the fan base because it is title that you have to work hard to keep. Basically the title has to be defended at each show and that will get fans to start to appreciate the title because the titleholder is going to work his butt off to keep the title. If these rules are followed, then the Television Title will have a lot more credibility than the Global and Legends Title.
Low Road:
TNA already broke those rules by having the AJ Styles/Kurt Angle match on the Whole F’N Show be non-title. That already establishes that the TV Title will only be utilized when it’s convenient to TNA, which is how the Legends and Global titles were used as well. Since Angle had to win, they backed themselves into a corner and the TV Title already suffers.
High Road:
AJ Styles is the best choice to be the first television champion. The television champion needs to be able to have good matches with any opponent and Styles is definitely capable of doing this. I think the first champion for a new title is very important because that person sets the stage for the title.
Low Road:
Except it’s not a new title. Styles already had the Legends title and couldn’t elevate it, so there’s no guarantee that he’ll do the same with the TV Title. This is especially true in his heel persona where his matches have been noticeably lower in quality because of the need for interference, Styles not hitting his flashy moves, and because, as a heel, Styles has to look weak. I’m also not sure there are enough legitimate face contenders to make it work and I don’t see TNA pushing for many heel/heel matches.
High Road:
The Television Title is going to be a major title in TNA because it has to be featured each week based on the rules of the title. Besides the World Title, no other title belt is guaranteed to be featured on a show and that has to give the Television Title a huge leg up on all the other titles.
Low Road:
That could be good unless it’s simply a series of two-minute matches that are put on the show for the sake of having the title on the show. Unless the matches are good and act as short showcases of talent, what’s the point? Simply being on every show isn’t enough to matter or be important.
High Road:
The one thing that I think most in the IWC is against is that they do not want too many title changes. I think though that the casual fan will tune in if there is a chance for a title change. Having a Television Title is a smart move because every week there is the possibility of title change and that is bound to get people to tune in.
Low Road:
That would be more true if TNA weren’t taped, I think. If Impact were live, I’d agree, but since it’s taped, word about a title change could get out, even to more casual fans and make tuning in optional. As well, it again depends on how the matches are booked and how many title changes occur. If the belt constantly changes hands, the concept becomes meaningless; if the belt stays on one guy too long, people will get bored. It’s a fine line to walk.
High Road:
So far, we have not been told whether or not there is a time limit to each of the title defenses. I think some people will determine whether this is a high road or a low road based on the time limit, but I don’t think the time limit should be the deciding factor. If you have the time limit, it is great because you can easily have a huge feud with the champion surviving the time limit. Not having a time limit would also be fine because it would get the champion a lot of momentum quickly because he would be winning so many matches. I think having a time limit or not having a time limit is a moot point because both have their positives.
Low Road:
Well, to argue the negative of both of those options… A time limit on title defenses will most likely lead to a lot of draws, especially since Styles is a heel and that’s an easy way to have a face look good without Styles dropping the belt. That could get tedious after a while. The lack of time limits means that Styles will most likely win via cheating or retain the belt via disqualification/countout a lot, which is equally tedious. Either option could be very bad.
Are you taking the High Road or the Low Road?
Simply write “High Road”, “Low Road”, or “Both Roads” in the comment section.
Results for 7 on 7 at SummerSlam:
High Road: 67%
Low Road: 33%
Both Roads: 00%
Sat: This was a definite high road. A great surprise thrown in and a better match than what most of us expected.
Chad Nevett: Yeah, High Road for me as well. Though, I think Nexus not winning was a mistake.
E-Mails:
These are all of the e-mails that we received this week. We do not respond to the actual e-mail, but the reply to your e-mail will be below.
Sat: The only emails were for voting purposes. Let’s go to the comments.
Comments:
Below are the comments for last week’s columns and our responses. Every comment will not be included because it makes our lives a lot easier. The comments section was last looked at on Sunday Night Pacific Time.
The Great Captain Smooth Writes:
High road. Due to it being 7 on 7, not many people will be in the match for a long time and that will help hide some of the limitations of the younger Nexus and Bret, it will be great to build a story that has both teams going back and forth(one team gets down and makes a huge comeback and so on), it gives as many wrestlers as possible exposure, and with the wrestlers not being in there too much, they’ll be a lot more fresh for a wild ending.
Sat: This was a way better match then I expected. The Daniel Bryan thing really set the stage and the really goofy elimination was Bret and I expected that going in.
Chad Nevett: The Bret elimination was just… I don’t know what to call that exactly.
The Gold Standard Writes:
low road. its a lose lose situation. the losing team will look like jobbers more so of nexus should they lose than team wwe
Sat: I don’t think the losing team came out looking that bad. The person who came off the worst was definitely Darren Young. You could argue that Barrett and Gabriel came off badly, but they lost of freaking Super Cena, so it is no big deal.
Chad Nevett: I think Nexus came off looking too weak by losing. They needed the win.
ROH Commish Writes:
High Road.
The key thing is the mystery 7th guy. This adds a whole another element to an already heated Cena v Nexus feud. More importantly, it creates buzz and excitement.
Miz needs to be involved in the finish. He is the perfect leader of Nexus. Miz using MITB and Nexus to win the belt would have off the charts heat. To get Miz involved, either have him be the 7th member and then turn or have Orton/Sheamus join the team and have Miz fake cash in the case or have him do it for real and win the title.
Sat: I was hoping Miz would turn, but what we saw was a lot better.
Chad Nevett: I’m glad they didn’t use the Miz (mostly because it would have made no sense) and especially glad that it was Daniel Bryan. I thought/hoped that may happen, but honestly didn’t see it within the realm of possibility.
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Your reasons for taking the High Road, Low Road, or Both Roads and suggestions for future High Road/Low Road are welcome at [email protected] or in the comment section. Your reply will be included in next week’s column.
