The Best of the Overpushed Champions

[Mozenrath]

The story is something the same: Three world champions that promoters hitched their wagon to for arguably too long, with some feeling they should never have been world champion at all. Unlike a Jinder Mahal, though, where there was the Universal title at the same time, these three were the only world champion of their promotions, for better and worse. Who is the top of the top guys who are seen as lacking?

Jeff Jarrett has been seen as a somewhat mediocre world champion in WCW, alongside Booker T's poor booking, being compared unfavorably to Scott Steiner's more competent reign, but what includes him here is TNA, where he held the NWA World Heavyweight Title for long stretches, and when people did nab the belt, he often won it back before they really got to do much of anything with it. AJ Styles, Raven, Rhino, all of them were short-changed by TNA's obsessive status quo.

Shane Douglas in ECW was a sensible choice, helping Tod Gordon and Paul Heyman complete their coup to break from the NWA and rebrand. So, yeah, of course he'd win the title, but he also had long, ponderous title reigns while he was injured. He was just considerably less interesting than a lot of the other options, but he held an iron grip on the gold.

Lastly, completing the trio, you have Nick Aldis' two reigns as NWA World Heavyweight Champion. He had a good look, and Billy Corgan needed someone reliable and competent, so he was probably a decent choice. However, he certainly wasn't a good choice to be world champion for a combined 400 years, with only Cody's feel-good win as a brief reprieve.

All three of them, I'd say, made sense for a time as world champion, but not for this long, not when better options were readily available.

I considered including Triple H due to WWE overemphasizing him at times, but I feel the 2000 reign, along with some others, establish his credibility enough to put him over these other three. It feels like too different a conversation with him.

[Defrebel - White Pony]

Out of those three, absolutely Jeff Jarrett. Nick Aldis has always been someone I'll just never ever be in to and Shane Douglas I wasn't alive to see doing something other than butting in to whatever show I'm watching to scream about his old man beefs that have been going for almost 30 years.

["Playboy" Don Douglas]

I say Jarrett, because he’s the only one I could see occasionally having main event matches on the bigger stage. Douglas was midcard at best on the big stage, and his biggest attribute was lost when he couldn’t say “f***” in his promos or talk shit about guys who were bigger stars in bigger companies. Aldis is at about the same level from a skills perspective, but is probably better suited to being a tag guy on the big stage.

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I got so close to voting for Shane but it has to be Jarrett

WCW was so devoid of talent by the end that he really was one of the best guys they had even if the booking sucked

In TNA, his stranglehold on the belt actually lead to some great moments like BFG 2006

[Renslayer]

Shane Douglas has just never done anything for me.

[XIII]

Jeff Jarrett. For as annoying as it was when Russo was booking him he has at least had some entertaining moments here and there.

Nick Aldis looks like he should be something, but he’s just not a main event guy.

Shane Douglas is a low card to job guy who was over because he cussed a lot and called out Flair and Hogan all the time. The best part is is that if Hogan or Flair had shown up at the ECW Arena to confront him they would have almost certainly been cheered over him. lol

[tirtefaa]

Jarrett was tolerable in WCW, especially since he was mostly a transitional champ, and getting the title at a time when the WCW title was already a joke.

Jarrett in TNA?

That was ridiculous. People complain about the Triple H reign of terror, but to me Jarrett's was far more egregious considering the level of talent that TNA had at the time, yet Jarrett was THE guy. And unlike Triple H, Jarrett was never a top name in either WWF or WCW, probably not even a top 30 name during the Monday Night Wars, so he had no reason to be in that position, at least not for as long as he was.

Despite that, he has far more name recognition than Douglas or Aldis.

[jason1980s]

I would say Jeff because, despite bolting from promotions after a year or two, he didn't allow any ill feelings to get in the way and either put in the effort to get bigger positions or allowed things to work in his favor by embracing those he worked with. I have met Shane like 6 times and many in backstage or more private settings and he's an awesome guy to talk with, loves wrestling, the fans and most guys he's worked with but for many years he really seems to have let things get to him and not move forward from the past issues. Jeff simply saw greener grass in WWF or WCW depending where he was at the time and would leave. Shane let business get to him personally and it hurt him. If I had a choice between Jeff and Shane as my top champ with no other options it would be a tough call. If I know both of their history's, I know both will bolt but Jeff will stay a little bit longer.

[Ben Wyatt]

It's Jarrett.

He's in a weird spot. He isn't as good as WCW/Himself in TNA presented him as, but he's a much better talent than a lot of fans say he was.

He's someone who was believable as an upper midcarder/fringe main eventer and a title reign or 2 wouldn't be out of place

[Cyno]

Double J was really one of the best choices in a really bad situation for WCW. Him and Booker T.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

I guess Jarrett but only if it’s WCW.

I know people got these rose colored glasses to a lot of the old TNA stuff but Jarrett’s run on top there really stifled a lot of the company’s potential. It was worse than Triple H’s terror run because eventually that led to a brand new legit main event star in Batista.

Jarrett’s run ended with old as the hills and twice as ugly Sting beating him and then losing the belt the next month by DQ

[Mozenrath]

Nov 11, 2022 9:48:31 GMT -5 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger said:

I guess Jarrett but only if it’s WCW.

I know people got these rose colored glasses to a lot of the old TNA stuff but Jarrett’s run on top there really stifled a lot of the company’s potential. It was worse than Triple H’s terror run because eventually that led to a brand new legit main event star in Batista.

Jarrett’s run ended with old as the hills and twice as ugly Sting beating him and then losing the belt the next month by DQ

There's an irony, too, in that while he definitely smothered the NWA title, he didn't ever win the TNA/Impact title. Also, that while he hampered TNA's development at times for not knowing when to step out of the spotlight, his leaving TNA was still due to bullshit that had nothing to do with that, in this case Dixie firing him because she was worried Kurt Angle was going to have a temper tantrum due to his ex-wife getting with Jarrett, and since I guess Karen was Kurt's property and not a human being, that'd be Jarrett's fault and not Kurt's if that were to happen.

[1 Free Moon-Down with Burger]

Nov 11, 2022 15:29:53 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

Nov 11, 2022 9:48:31 GMT -5 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger said:

I guess Jarrett but only if it’s WCW.

I know people got these rose colored glasses to a lot of the old TNA stuff but Jarrett’s run on top there really stifled a lot of the company’s potential. It was worse than Triple H’s terror run because eventually that led to a brand new legit main event star in Batista.

Jarrett’s run ended with old as the hills and twice as ugly Sting beating him and then losing the belt the next month by DQ

There's an irony, too, in that while he definitely smothered the NWA title, he didn't ever win the TNA/Impact title. Also, that while he hampered TNA's development at times for not knowing when to step out of the spotlight, his leaving TNA was still due to bullshit that had nothing to do with that, in this case Dixie firing him because she was worried Kurt Angle was going to have a temper tantrum due to his ex-wife getting with Jarrett, and since I guess Karen was Kurt's property and not a human being, that'd be Jarrett's fault and not Kurt's if that were to happen.

And then he saunters back into the company years later and forces his failed GFW branding on everything. Absolutely insane.

[Mozenrath]

Nov 11, 2022 18:08:52 GMT -5 1 Free Moon-Down with Burger said:

Nov 11, 2022 15:29:53 GMT -5 Mozenrath said:

There's an irony, too, in that while he definitely smothered the NWA title, he didn't ever win the TNA/Impact title. Also, that while he hampered TNA's development at times for not knowing when to step out of the spotlight, his leaving TNA was still due to bullshit that had nothing to do with that, in this case Dixie firing him because she was worried Kurt Angle was going to have a temper tantrum due to his ex-wife getting with Jarrett, and since I guess Karen was Kurt's property and not a human being, that'd be Jarrett's fault and not Kurt's if that were to happen.

And then he saunters back into the company years later and forces his failed GFW branding on everything. Absolutely insane.

That was such a shitshow. Impact then taping over his GFW masters is still one of the most incredibly incompetent moves in the company's history, and that's including the Dixie era. Like, did they just think he'd never notice? I'm sure it wasn't exactly prime content, but it was still one of those things you're just supposed to know not to do with original content.

[Cry Me a Wiggle]

Watching WCW religiously till the bitter end, Jarrett was actually a breath of fresh air after years of Hogan and the boring reign of Sid. Slapnuts Chosen One Jarrett felt like a goofy, competent, and most importantly contemporary heel. The booking absolutely failed him though. He shouldn’t have lost the belt until Booker dethroned him in July.

[Mozenrath]

Nov 11, 2022 22:29:54 GMT -5 Cry Me a Wiggle said:

Watching WCW religiously till the bitter end, Jarrett was actually a breath of fresh air after years of Hogan and the boring reign of Sid. Slapnuts Chosen One Jarrett felt like a goofy, competent, and most importantly contemporary heel. The booking absolutely failed him though. He shouldn’t have lost the belt until Booker dethroned him in July.

He and Booker both really got hosed on their booking as champion.

[Deleted]

Shane...The dropping of the NWA belt promo was the only interesting thing he has ever done...I even contest that The Radicalz are better off that he did not go with them to WWE

[tafkaga]

Nov 10, 2022 19:07:51 GMT -5 Renslayer said:

Shane Douglas has just never done anything for me.

I always figured it was just a case of me not seeing him at his ECW best, but yeah. 

Dynamic Dudes sucked. 

He was the most random and boring partner for Ricky Steamboat ever. 

Dean Douglas was like the generic heel gimmick you come up with for a guy who doesn't inspire your imagination at all.

Radicalz Shane was loudmouth asshole unironically gaslighting the audience into thinking he's a household name.

[The Dark Order Inferno]

Jarrett, he gets a lot of undue stick as a performer because his first big push came in the wrong company at the wrong time. He was a decent performer who was good on the stick and had an okay look once he dropped the straps and Aztec warrior getup, he had all the tools to be a decent transitional her champ who gets curbstomped by a rising face.

Aldis is bland by comparison and Douglas, by the time he was ready to main event he was too beat up. Plus he's the type of performer that always finds a way to be unhappy.

[Push R Truth]

Jarrett's reign of terror in TNA was one of the key reasons the company couldn't get over the hump. TNA had a lot of young AND seasoned talent that was ready to lead. You had Jeff Hardy, AJ Styles, Kurt Angle, Christian, Sting and about 4 other homegrown guys around the Christopher Daniels level ready to take off like a rocket but no, Jeff F#@$%ing Jarrett was all you saw on top when you'd turn on the TV. By the time they moved off his ass TNA was a joke, Dixieland was in full swing and the irreparable damage was done.


That said... out of the three choices, he was the best. But that's like saying "what smells better: Poop, Turds, or Shit "