Post by Tapout on Nov 1, 2007 16:07:14 GMT -5
Pretty sure this topic has been done before, but I haven't seen it posted for a while.
If you think you can come up with a decent way to bring back the division, post here.
If you think it's hopeless, propose an alternative and tell us why it's better, such as reviving the TV or Euro or Hardcore title instead. (Where would that revived title live? Smackdown or ECW?)
Here's what I'm personally thinking:
-Let it continue to sit in the closet for a little while longer to get the stink of midget-related wrestlecrap off it.
-Consider bringing it back next year, possibly renamed as the light heavyweight title.
-In the next draft, bring half the cruiserweights back to the Blue Show, the rest on ECW. This would mean a division that theoretically includes across 2 shows:
Jimmy Yang (babyface)
Paul London (babyface)
Brian "Spanky" Kendrick (babyface)
Shannon Moore (babyface)
Jamie Noble (heel)
Chavo Guerrero (heel)
"Sugar" Shane Gregory Helms (heel) (when he gets back)
Super Crazy (tweener)
...and technically Funaki (jobber)
-Reintroduce the title out of thin air as part of a singles elimination tournament, like the WWE tag titles were reintroduced on the Blue show back in, what, 2002? Appeal to the sports fan crowd by making a big deal about winner's and loser's brackets and other stats, plus some fancy motion graphics shown each week to show where each guy is.
-Have an elimination tournament match on every episode of the Blue show and of ECW with special branding/graphics whenever the match takes place. This will establish that the title is meaningful. Over the course of the tournament, you can obviously plant the seeds for future feuds or storylines, such as Helms and Chavo costing each other their elimination matches by interference, etc. Toss in some enhancement talent as well if needed.
-Have the final singles match for the title take place at a PPV with appropriate fanfare. My personal picks for the finalists should be Noble, who is still on the Blue show, and Yang who has been drafted to ECW, but that's just my opinion. Yang should win it first and the two should feud over the title for a bit, invoking rematch clauses, yadda yadda. This makes the feud, and the title hunt, "interpromotional," which might help spark some interest. Noble eventually takes the title off of Yang, bringing the strap back home to the Blue show.
-From then on, the title should be defended on TV every week a la the TV title. You could easily have "cameo" appearances of Blue show guys on ECW, and ECW guys on Smackdown with each passing week for title matches. Again, if the title, and the guys who are competing for it, are put over as being somewhat credible, this could actually add to the cameo ratings bumps that have been happening ever since Kane started showing up on ECW. Joey and Tazz and JBL and Maggle could make a big deal about which show the title belongs on.
Here's what shouldn't be done, in my opinion:
-DON'T have yet another cruiserweight invitational / battle royale to decide the title. This has been tried and tried and tried from WCW and many times in WWE, and it's never gotten over. Have the title be in contention over time in a longer-term tournament. People might actually care about it then.
-DON'T put it on another inactive heel champion who never defends it. I think Yang as the fightin' babyface champ who puts his title on the line every week could really help build up some value for the title, to show that people want it and and are fighting for it every week. Again, toss in some enhancement talent into the title hunt if needed to make the champs look good.
If you think you can come up with a decent way to bring back the division, post here.
If you think it's hopeless, propose an alternative and tell us why it's better, such as reviving the TV or Euro or Hardcore title instead. (Where would that revived title live? Smackdown or ECW?)
Here's what I'm personally thinking:
-Let it continue to sit in the closet for a little while longer to get the stink of midget-related wrestlecrap off it.
-Consider bringing it back next year, possibly renamed as the light heavyweight title.
-In the next draft, bring half the cruiserweights back to the Blue Show, the rest on ECW. This would mean a division that theoretically includes across 2 shows:
Jimmy Yang (babyface)
Paul London (babyface)
Brian "Spanky" Kendrick (babyface)
Shannon Moore (babyface)
Jamie Noble (heel)
Chavo Guerrero (heel)
"Sugar" Shane Gregory Helms (heel) (when he gets back)
Super Crazy (tweener)
...and technically Funaki (jobber)
-Reintroduce the title out of thin air as part of a singles elimination tournament, like the WWE tag titles were reintroduced on the Blue show back in, what, 2002? Appeal to the sports fan crowd by making a big deal about winner's and loser's brackets and other stats, plus some fancy motion graphics shown each week to show where each guy is.
-Have an elimination tournament match on every episode of the Blue show and of ECW with special branding/graphics whenever the match takes place. This will establish that the title is meaningful. Over the course of the tournament, you can obviously plant the seeds for future feuds or storylines, such as Helms and Chavo costing each other their elimination matches by interference, etc. Toss in some enhancement talent as well if needed.
-Have the final singles match for the title take place at a PPV with appropriate fanfare. My personal picks for the finalists should be Noble, who is still on the Blue show, and Yang who has been drafted to ECW, but that's just my opinion. Yang should win it first and the two should feud over the title for a bit, invoking rematch clauses, yadda yadda. This makes the feud, and the title hunt, "interpromotional," which might help spark some interest. Noble eventually takes the title off of Yang, bringing the strap back home to the Blue show.
-From then on, the title should be defended on TV every week a la the TV title. You could easily have "cameo" appearances of Blue show guys on ECW, and ECW guys on Smackdown with each passing week for title matches. Again, if the title, and the guys who are competing for it, are put over as being somewhat credible, this could actually add to the cameo ratings bumps that have been happening ever since Kane started showing up on ECW. Joey and Tazz and JBL and Maggle could make a big deal about which show the title belongs on.
Here's what shouldn't be done, in my opinion:
-DON'T have yet another cruiserweight invitational / battle royale to decide the title. This has been tried and tried and tried from WCW and many times in WWE, and it's never gotten over. Have the title be in contention over time in a longer-term tournament. People might actually care about it then.
-DON'T put it on another inactive heel champion who never defends it. I think Yang as the fightin' babyface champ who puts his title on the line every week could really help build up some value for the title, to show that people want it and and are fighting for it every week. Again, toss in some enhancement talent into the title hunt if needed to make the champs look good.
