Take up thy wrestling boots and walk #111 - Title changes (Cena/Batista), Matt Hardy Again, More
Submitted by Pt2 on Friday, August 5, 2005 at 8:42 AM EST





Edit: It seems that the source I was using for my title information was wrong, and a title change occured on RAW in 2001, not on PPV as the website I was reading suggested. Thanks to all the readers who pointed this out. However, I think thats long enough ago that my point still stands... perhaps makes it even more valid since I've completely forgotten it. Enough covering for my mistakes, enjoy the column.


Welcome once more to the column that sank the Titanic, Take up thy wrestling boots and walk. I’m the columnist who wishes that Celine Dion had been on board the damn boat when it went down, Pt2, back once again to make fun of singers with no soul, and more often, to talk about Professional wrestling - the sport of kings of the ring.

Anyone remember the last time a World title changed hands on WWE TV? You can be forgiven if you don’t. It almost always seems to happen on PPV these days. For those without great memory’s or the time to fact check, it was September 16th 2003, when Brock Lesnar became the 3 time WWE champion by defeating Kurt Angle in an Ironman match. I don’t know what is more shocking, that we haven’t seen a title change on free TV in almost two years, or that Brock Lesnar actually became a WWE champion 3 times in such a short span of time. In kayfabe terms, that would have to make him the best ever. Luckily, I can ignore Kayfabe if I want and talk talent.

And thats only on Smackdown: if you ignore the bullshit surrounding the vacated title that we got with Triple H, Benoit and Edge early in late 2004 (and I do ignore it, mainly because we didn’t see a new champion crowned, so the surprise feeling, the spontaneity that comes with a title change on free TV, wasn’t there) the last time the title changed hands on a monday night was the night that Eric Bischoff handed the title to Triple H long, long ago in 2002. And if I don’t count vacated titles, it’d be pretty unfair of me to count that, right?

So the last time that one man dropped the title to another on Raw was in fact:

January 3rd, 2000

That’s right folks, the flagship show of the WWE has not since a title change in over FIVE YEARS. For the record, the Big Show dropped the WWE title to Triple H, if anyone doesn’t remember. So yeah, call me crazy, but I think we’re due a title change, if one show hasn’t seen one in 5 years and the other show approaching two.

Now I know your thinking one of two things: either “but title changes are for PPV” or “you’re only writing so much about the RAW side because you want Cena to lose the title”, so I’ll deal with those both in turn.

First, yes title changes should happen on PPV more often, which is why when you do have them on free TV, everyone sits up and takes notice. It’s a guaranteed way to keep the “Anything might happen” feeling going, and if a fan favourite is to win on TV, then more people will tune in next week in the hope that they get that feel good factor again. And if more people watch the TV show, there is a good chance that more people will buy the PPV. If you give people a little of what they want now and again, it helps reel them in even further.

And the other thing... about Cena. While I don’t deny that I don’t like Cena (and god knows if I did you could find enough proof to call me a liar), I really do think that having him drop the title makes more sense than Big Dave, and that the WWE switch is the way to go. The competition on RAW looks greater (now that Benoit and Christian seem to be back on J-O-B duty), and not only that: His popularity, as mystifying as it is to me, seems much more intense than Dave’s, and I feel that Cena could lose the title without it killing too much of his momentum - I think people might like to see him chase the championship a little. Batista, as much as I like him, I think in true Goldberg fashion his popularity will be tied to that belt, and once he loses it, it will begin to wane somewhat. Since he’s much older than Cena, I’d ride Batista for all the pay cheques I could, and use Cena on a more “long term” strategy.

So with the facts stacked up as they are: Cena can probably handle a title loss more easily than Batista, there are more credible candidates to beat him on RAW, and the fact that a RAW audience hasn’t seen a title change since January of the Millenium, means that he should be the man to lose his belt - and then, naturally, regain it somewhere down the line.

Speaking of RAW, I think Matt Hardy may come into his own now. I don’t know what the odds are on his ever rising above the upper midcard level (if Christian can’t do it, I don’t see why Matt will get too many chances after the Edge rivalry), but he does seem to have finally got it nailed. When he was Matt Hardy V1.0, I always found him entertaining, but thought that there was something missing. And Monday night (or Tuesday morning, my time) I found out what that was - and that's intensity. And brother (Shawn cracks me up), he wasn’t short of intensity that night. Just a shame that circumstances had to go the way that they did for him to discover it and get the chance to showcase it - and thank god for the small mercy that the name “The Angelic Diablo” can forever by housed in Wrestlecrap.

Call it the strange British sense of humour, but I had to laugh when on RAW JR said “This isn’t a title match!” with indignation, and the King just replied “...... Yes, it is”. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve laughed that hard at a piece of commentary since the days of Bobby Heenan. It comes to something though, when the only laughs I get are at the expense of probably the greatest living play by play announcer.


Since this one was a day or two early, I’m going to make up for it.... the next will probably be a couple of days late. I’m going away for a little while, and the column will be resumed upon my return. It won’t be too long though, so don’t worry: you junkies can have your fix soon enough. By the way, if there are any TUTWBAW junkies out there, then do me a favour and find something decent to be addicted to? At least to The Wrestling Menu or the Nosebleed Section, something respectable, but this column? Man, that's dire.

Just a reminder that it is virtually your last chance to vote in the Pro Wrestling Hall of Fame - if you haven’t done so yet and want to see someone other than Ric Flair get in, then get over to www.wrestlingfanshof.co.uk, because as things stand, it’s only the Nature Boy getting in, and the many Hulkamaniacs and Bret Hart fans who’ve voted will be left disappointed brother..... a big push for Sting may also result in an all WCW first induction! Who would have thought it? Pick your favourites and vote now!

Any feedback is replied to and appreciated, send it to takeupthywrestlingboots@gmail.com.

Until next time, take care

Pt2.








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