wrestling / Columns

The Piledriver Report 08.14.13: Remembering Your First Time

August 14, 2013 | Posted by RSarnecky

“THE WINNER, AND NEW WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION….” I used to love hearing those words come out of the vocal cords of Howard Finkel. With the announcement, the crowd would go wild, and the new champion would raise the belt in a triumphant fashion. Seeing this display, you knew that you just witnessed history in the making. As great as the scene was, it was even better when a wrestler captured the title for the very first time.

HOW SWEET IT IS

When a wrestler wins the WWE championship for the first time, it is a historic occasion. It means that all of the blood, sweat, and tears have finally paid off. Even though the WWE championship is a fictitious title, there is still a special feeling when someone grabs the belt for the first time. It means that he has made it, and nobody can take his moment away from him. That first time should be a moment in time that no one would ever forget. While I can’t recall John Cena’s fifth or sixth WWE title win, I can vividly remember where I was the day I saw Hulk Hogan, Randy Savage, the Ultimate Warrior, the Undertaker, Ric Flair, Bret Hart, Diesel, Shawn Michaels, Steve Austin, The Rock, Triple H, Eddie Guerrero, Edge, Rob Van Dam, CM Punk, The Miz, and a host of others raise the WWE title over their heads for the first time. I even remember the transitional champions like Andre the Giant, Yokozuna, and Kane when the first captured the WWE title for fewer than twenty four hours. As The Rock would say, “It doesn’t matter,” because transitional or not, they will go down in history as a former WWE title holder.

For me, when I think of the WWWF/WWF/WWE championship, I think of all of the great legends that have captured the belt, and held onto the title for several months if not years. Even though I remember Andre, Yokozuna, and Kane’s initial championship reign, I don’t look back at their title win as the day that they became legends. I have nothing against the transitional champion. They are a necessary side note in the history of the company. They are used to get the belt from one top star to the next face of the company, without having the former top dog job to the WWE’s latest top dog. I understand the need, and don’t mind when they company has a wrestler drop the belt after a month or two. However, there is one aspect of the transitional champion that I can’t stand.

LESS THAN TRANSITIONAL

I hate it when a wrestler wins the WWE or World title for the first time and then proceeds to drop it either the same night or the next. In my eyes, when a wrestler wins his first WWE/World championship, it must be a very emotional experience for the performer. The company should let him enjoy his moment in the sun for a little while. Besides, maybe the transitional champion will get over, and will prove that he belongs in the main events, like Edge did during his first WWE title reign. There is an old saying that states, “You only get one time to make a first impression.” The same holds true for a wrestler’s first WWE/World title run. It should be looked at as the wrestler finally ascending to the top of the mountain, and not as a prop to get a storyline over for later in the evening. A prime example would be Dolph Ziggler. Ziggler’s first World title win came on February 18, 2011’s episode of SmackDown!. He was “awarded” the championship that night, because Edge used the banned spear in a match against Dolph on February 11th. As part of the storyline, SmackDown! General manager Teddy Long ordered an immediate rematch, in which Edge recaptured the World Heavyweight championship. Dolph’s run with the belt should have been the beginning of his rise to stardom. Instead, this is an all but forgotten footnote to Dolph Ziggler’s blossoming career. It’s why everyone considers his World title victory against Alberto Del Rio this past April 8,th his second World title “run” as his career defining moment, and not his first championship reign.

THE RISE OR FALL OF DANIEL BRYAN?

This brings us to the upcoming SummerSlam event on August 18th. John Cena defends against his title against Daniel Bryan. It’s being promoted as Daniel Bryan’s quest to capture the most important championship in the world. The hype leading up to the match reminds me of Shawn Michaels’ “boyhood dream” title chase leading up to WrestleMania XII. Both Michaels and Bryan are undersized wrestlers. However, they each were considered the best worker in their era. When Shawn beat Bret for his first title, you had a feeling that the HBK era arrived. Even if the numbers didn’t suggest that Michaels was a top drawing champion, his first WWF title run solidified him as a main event wrestler for the rest of his career. Fast forward seventeen years, and Bryan has a chance also solidify himself as a main event wrestler for the rest of his career just like Shawn. I’m not saying that he will replace John Cena. That’s the WWE’s “golden child.” However, according to recent rumors, John Cena’s elbow injury is a lot more serious than the WWE is letting on. If John Cena were to leave for a few months to get his elbow fixed up, that would leave the new WWE champion Daniel Bryan as the face of the company for the next few months. It would be similar to Michaels’ position following his title victory when Bret Hart left the company shortly after WrestleMania XII.

Daniel Bryan deserves an extended run at the top of the WWE. He is the company’s best worker, most over performer, and has more momentum then any wrestler in the WWE has had in a number of years. I’m not saying that Bryan should have a CM Punk 400 plus day title run. Those type of runs in the WWE are few and far between. However, a nice strong title reign between now and WrestleMania would give even more credence to Daniel Bryan as being the WWE’s “other” BEST IN THE WORLD.

Unfortunately, if all reports are accurate, the WWE plans on making Daniel Bryan’s first WWE title reign one of the shortest runs in the championships history. The reason is because, it is believed that the WWE wants to use this opportunity to turn Randy Orton heel, and have him successfully cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase following the John Cena/Daniel Bryan match. If this was Bryan’s second reign or he held the belt for a few months, I may not like him dropping the title, but it would be understandable. I just hate that the WWE is going to steal Bryan’s top career moment in order to advance a storyline. If the WWE goes through with the move, the crowd will turn on the angle. Everybody wants to see Bryan leave Summer Slam as the new WWE champion. If Randy Orton chooses this night to cash in the briefcase, the WWE can expect nuclear heat from the crowd. It will not be hell heat on Randy Orton, because he cashed the briefcase in on the new champion. It will be a “this is bullshit” kind of heat that will be directed at the powers that be who sit in the big offices in Titan Towers. This isn’t to say that Randy Orton will not get over as a heel the next night on RAW. He probably will. However, on August 18th, the heel of the evening will be the WWE’s creative team. At SummerSlam, the WWE needs to do the right thing, and give Daniel Bryan his moment. Let’s see if we can have a fresh title reign that is unforgettable instead of another forgettable Randy Orton WWE title reign. It’s a decision that the WWE must make in a few short days. The beginning of a legacy or the advancement of a storyline? The WWE wants SummerSlam to be their WrestleMania of the summer. If that’s the case, it time to give Daniel Bryan his SummerSlam WrestleMania moment, and not take it away two minutes later.

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