Antonio Cesaro: U.S. Champion or European Champion?

[BreakTheWalls]

I'm sure I'm not the only person who's thought of this idea, and I apologize if there have already been threads on this. When Cesaro first became a contender for the U.S. Title, I immediately thought it'd be a great idea to have him win it, and cut a promo the following week where he trashed the belt and reintroduced the European Championship. Eventually, he could have a big feud with someone where they recover the U.S. Title, resulting in a winner takes all type match. Would you rather they had gone in this direction, or if they kept the current angle where he's belittling America and explaining how he refuses to represent certain aspects of it?

 

[Rated R Superstar]

I honestly don't care at this point, so long as they start booking him better.

 

[John McHenry]

I've read similar opinions. I have issues with trashing belts because it devalues them. You could be like yeah but this makes the US title so much more important. But how does it make the European Title look?

 

[BreakTheWalls]

I've read similar opinions. I have issues with trashing belts because it devalues them. You could be like yeah but this makes the US title so much more important. But how does it make the European Title look?

Good point. I hadn't really thought about that. Then again, they're not using it anyway, and WWE isn't exactly known to honor the history of championships.

 

[Dale]

Given the IC belt recently changing, the rumoured WWE title change and possibly swapping these two titles around, I figure the WWE could of thought that there could be too mant changes with the belts.

 

[We Are Legion]

It MIGHT have worked if we were talking about a new European Championship and not the old one which was held mostly by non-Europeans and never really had any prestige or bared any relation or relevance to the continent of Europe, so there's no point in axing a belt like the US Championship with all it's history in favor of that. And it would be a little weird introducing a brand new Euro title with no relation to the previous and ignoring the fact WWE had a belt of the same name fairly recently. With the still-relatively-low percentage of European ethnicity wrestlers in WWE and the rarity WWE ever ventures into Europe, it's hard to see how a European Championship could significantly mean anything to most WWE mid-carders. At least with the US Championship, you can still blow the horns of all the wrestling legends who carried that belt even though the title actually isn't that big of a deal anymore.

 

[Andrew]

I voted keep the US Championship.

Reason being the fact he is US Championship, it's enough to gain heat as he constantly bashes America for what it is. As long as he's doing that he should be fine.

 

[Canadian Pothead]

I myself voted to keep the United States Championship, but that doesn't mean for a second that Antonio Cesaro couldn't claim to no longer be the United States Champion, and that he is now the European without having to switch the belts or anything like that. Lance Storm did it when he won the US Title in WCW, albeit he changed the belt slightly, but that wouldn't have to happen here. Having Antonio Cesaro claim to be the European Champion could really get him more over as a heel.

 

[Troy]

I had thought about this as well but I don't think they should bring in a different title even if it is just for the storyline. It could work but I would rather them try to build up the prestige of the US title. Cesaro having the belt and constantly talking down his US opponents works fine at the moment and allows WWE to eventually have a face wrestler with a patriotic gimmick take the title from him. I agree that Cesaro calling himself the European champion would work well even without him bringing back the old European title.

 

[Keith]

Its a tricky one, because it could be a good heat idea, and since they have done little with the U.S. belt and it is not really a title you think of when you think WWE then I wouldn't be against it. Then again like many have said Cesaro could still employ the same kind of heel tactics with the U.S. belt than if he was Euro champ. Personally I don't think WWE needs another midcard title, but am more in favour of them having the European title as that was at least their creation. Like someone said through it did get devalued by the number of non-europeans winning it.

 

[We Are Legion]

Cesaro could still screw with the belt and spray paint it or slap duct tape on it, then start calling it the Swiss Championship. WWE doesn't have to officially change the title for something like that to work. Then when an American finally beats him for the title, they can tear the tape off and embrace the proper US Championship and it would be one of those feel-good "fuck yeah America" moments that we've seen in WWE many times. It would be a lot like when Hogan spray painted the WCW Championship with the nWo letters. It could actually restore a bit of prestige to the US Championship if a non-American used it to dig at America. Fans would automatically channel their inner George Washington's and immediately care about the belt for the sole purpose of seeing an American take it back.

 

[John McHenry]

Think I've seen this storyline before

 

[ThatGuyFromNukemHigh]

When he loses the US title would be the only chance to bring back the euro without me hating it. Treat it kinda like the million dollar belt.

 

[We Are Legion]

Ugh. There's nothing I hate more than admittedly-meaningless belts like the Milliondollar Championship, the FTW Championship, and the WCW Hardcore Championship. Even when TNA had that Legends Championship (still not sure wtf that meant). If a title is meaningless, why even make a belt for it? Might as well let them carry around medals or trophies? They both worked well for Owen and Kurt.

 

[Keith]

Ugh. There's nothing I hate more than admittedly-meaningless belts like the Milliondollar Championship, the FTW Championship, and the WCW Hardcore Championship. Even when TNA had that Legends Championship (still not sure wtf that meant). If a title is meaningless, why even make a belt for it? Might as well let them carry around medals or trophies? They both worked well for Owen and Kurt.

You make some good points except that I don't agree that the Milliondollar belt was meaningless, it was a great way of Dibiase getting heat and to make him stand out as a heel. Its like he has so much money and such an ego he has to have his own championship and of course when he did it, it was a fresh idea.