My Take On 01.03.05: A 4th Title for TNA
Posted by Larry Csonka on 01.03.2006
Some people will never learn that less is more
Welcome one and all to the latest edition of My Take On. This time around I will look at what seems to be a hot topic these last few weeks, a 4th title for TNA. There have been some possible titles discussed, and I will discuss them here. So with the topic set, let me share my take on things.
A Women's Title
Chances of this happening in my opinion: 5%
This is one I don't see happening. Right now they have Traci Brooks, Gail Kim and Jackie Gayda under contract. Now Gail and Traci are a nice start, and Jackie is…Jackie. Three women aren't enough to begin with though. They could easily get Jacqueline back again I presume, and there is a ton of women wrestler's on the Indies if they so want, but then again they would have to sign 5-7 more people under contract. That is a problem I think. They already have a large roster that they already have to book for.
I feel the chances of this are VERY slim right now, as they don't seem to be in a hurry to sign women for more than Valet work. While it "could" draw some interest, and be a solid addition with the talent out there, it just isn't a reality for the promotion right now.
X-Division Tag Titles
Chances of this happening in my opinion: 75%
This one is Mike Tenay's brainchild, much like the short lived WCW Cruiserweight tag titles. Now they definitely have the roster of talented X guys to pull this off, and it would certainly give them something to do. With that said, I don't like the idea. I know that the X Division is the feature of TNA, but I feel another set of tag titles would hurt the overall product.
Right now they do have a good set of tag teams:
AMW
Team 3D
The Naturals
The James Gang (BG and Kip)
Konnan/Homicide and Apollo
The Diamonds in the Rough
Team Canada
Now that is a good start, but minus Team 3D and Konnan/Homicide and Apollo, we have seen a LOT of these match ups already. So why make another division "specifically" for X guys, when you could use them to strengthen the division and give guys with no booking something to do. Guys like Shelley and Strong could team up or Bentley and Aries. They would add some new match ups, as well as bring the work to some matches with some of the "questionable" teams. The James Gang (BG and Kip) are OVER big, and they know how to work a match. Put them with Shelley and Strong or Bentley and Aries who can carry the "smarky work rate" and you will have a good match and the people will start to get behind and care about the guys they don't know.
I think it would be a mistake to pigeon hole these guys into their own division, when they could be used so much better in making TNA's regular tag team division so much stronger. That is what they should be focusing on. But with this Tenay's baby, I see a VERY good chance of this happening.
A National Heavyweight, Hardcore or TV Title
Chances of this happening in my opinion: 50%
So I will break this down into 3 parts, because they have all been lightly discussed as a possibility.
The National Heavyweight Title:
The National Heavyweight title does have some NWA lineage back to the Crocket days, where Jack Briscoe, Larry Zbyzko, (tie in!) Dusty Rhodes, Tully Blanchard and many other wore the gold in it's years and it is still "technically" active in today's NWA. This could be a good stepping stone title for the promotion to use for up and comers. Then there are the guys on the cusp of the main event, or that get just nudged out of it and need something to do. The sky is the limit, but I am very doubtful they would use the title.
Larry's Choice #3 out of these 3.
The Hardcore Title: With the roster they have, guys like Abyss, Sabu, Rhino, Raven and some others would be right at home here. TNA has had a lot of "hardcore style" matches on their recent PPV's and they have all delivered. If they could put the "hardcore" or "garbage" style all into this division, and phase it our of the main event picture this could be something that people could get behind. I enjoy these matches, and think they have their place and have an audience. Getting it into it's own division with it's own belt would work wonders and they could move onto making the main event more "wrestling" and prove that they are an alternative.
Larry's Choice #2 out of these 3.
The TV Title: Oh yes, you knew it was coming. I loved the old NWA/WCW title. A guaranteed title match on TV, and tons of booking possibilities. TO me, a person like Chris Sabin could benefit from a title like this. Chris Sabin has the knack that he can work with anyone. He has that "underdog" vibe, and him going 10-minutes against "bigger guys" and keeping the title and then having a PPV match with them is one of the possibilities you can run.
The title would add to Impact with more "important" main event style matches, and the possibility of a title change on TV, that wouldn't devalue the title. Also, guys could gain that "fighting champion" moniker that can help elevate them. Then there are the guys on the cusp of the main event, or that get just nudged out of it and need something to do. The possibilities are endless. This one I feel has a good shot.
Larry's Choice #1 out of these 3.
My Take On:
One thing a lot of us like to discuss is the titles each promotion use. Let's go back to the Invasion. At one time the WWE definitely had too many, World, IC, European, Hardcore, Light Heavyweight, women's and tag titles. Add to those the US, Cruiser and another tag team and World title during the Invasion and everyone and their mom had a title. The WWE seemed to get it under control, and even at one time taking almost all of the titles away as they merged the Hardcore, European and IC titles. They eventually were unified with the World Title. Crazy eh? The point is, that there can easily be way too many belts as we have seen above, but sometimes there are not enough. When it comes to TNA there seems to be mixed feelings on this.
On one hand you have a lot of people that think the 3 titles (World, X-Division and Tag Team) are perfect for a promotion that is small and still growing. Some people think they need to add another title. Now, I think that they manage the 3 titles pretty well but could they really thrive or benefit from a 4th title? Another title would help those in the World Title hunt have something to battle for, more of a true secondary title. The X-Division may be no weight limits, but it is about style. The title for most of TNA's existence has been booked not as a cruiser or secondary title, but as a main event belt. Bill E. Gunn isn't going to bust out any swank tope con hilo's anytime soon, I'll tell you that right now.
Some say that maybe a "TV Title" would be a good answer for this. They would be on TV every week and would guarantee a main event for a title. This would also allow for a title change periodically on Impact. On the other side, you do have VERY limited TV time. You can BARELY book 3-title effectively in 45-minutes of TV, which is what they have after commercials. A 4th title would seriously hurt the product right now, and not help. There is just no way to add a 4th title at this moment. The shows can only handle so much, and in my opinion they have their fill right now with 3 titles. A 4th title with one hour of TV is a horrible idea.
There are pro's and con's for this. In all honesty part of me loves the simple, yet effective 3-title structure. Another part of me thinks a TV title in particular could add to the credibility on Impact with stronger main events, more of a chance for a title change of free TV and add something for those guys that seem to get lost in the shuffle to do. Bottom line is that you cannot add a 4th title without a 2nd hour of TV. Once they have that, then they can expand the product. Until then, I think it is a HUGE mistake to do so; and that's my take on.
