Back to back weeks of no Jack Swagger

[seabs]

What significance do these belts have anyway? The WWE and World Heavyweight titles mean that you are the best superstar on your respective brand. The best that WWE has to offer. The Divas', Cruiserweight, and Tag Team titles all show you are the champions of those divisions (which the belts don't mean jack because the divisions are abysmal). The mid-card belts mean... What exactly? That you're the best superstar of those not good enough to compete for the major titles? That's not exactly something to be excited about...

Besides, Swagger's a complete jobber anyway. Couldn't believe he actually got the belt in the first place.

Kayfabe wise it means your good enough to join the greats who have held the midcard title before you. For the US title it would be Harley Race, Sting and Steve Austin and for the Intercontinental names like Randy Savage, Ricky Steamboat and Kurt Angle.

From a real life stand point it's that the company trusts you enough to represent them and they're invested enough into you to give you a spotlight. Well that's the theory anyway.

 

[Crayo]

The mid-card titles never used to be so far below the world titles, that's why it sort of meant something. It's like being the 2nd top dog on that brand. Now you can be like the 15th most important thing and still hold the US or IC title.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Some of the responses ITT are nothing short of baffling. I understand fans have been conditioned by Vince for a number of years to think these belts are meaningless, but that doesn't mean it should just be accepted and looked at as 'okay'. Mid card belts used to mean something and signified (as Seabs as pointed out multiple times now) that the company had faith in you and it used to almost always lead to a bigger push in the future. Now they don't even give you tv time when you are champion. It's sad, and it's one of the big problems with WWE right now and why it's in such an awful slump for the last... ohhhhhhhh idk 5+ years?

 

[Zamorakian]

Jack Swagger is featured in Raw's live events in Abu Dhabi 9-11 February.

 

[Crayo]

Guarantee the live events are so much better than this RAW.

 

[Dolph'sZiggler]

Guarantee the live events are so much better than this RAW.

Never been to one but I've heard a million people say house shows are always better than Raw. Less stupidity, and more good wrestling matches, and more people being featured

 

[Zamorakian]

True that..Mason Ryan's going to be featured and many other superstars that we haven't seen in a while..wish i could go and watch them but uh it's in Abu Dhabi..

 

[Cloud]

The fact Jack Swagger has been off RAW is a joke!

People asking the point of the belts the whole point of the mid-card and the mid-card belts is to give future WWE or WHC Champions tv time and good feuds to develop their characters and eventually get them over with the crowd so that when the time is right they get the ultimate push to the top. If WWE spent some time bothering to develop the mid-card at the minute two things would happen.

One Ratings would increase as rather than thinking oh I wont bother watching SD or RAW this week as everything bar pretty much the ME is going be boring people would be into the mid-card as these superstars would get exposure which in the long term will boost ratings as the whole show would be interesting.

Two It would actually develop some of the talent that exists but the WWE use to job week in week out yes they may not be the hottest on the mic or in-ring but thats the point to help them develop on WWE tv not just in FCW as it's a huge difference and the belts are supposed to add some prestige to that.

I mean there is people like Drew McIntyre, Mason Ryan, Justin Gabriel, Hunico to name four who could help form a decent mid card and give prestige to these belts and their matches could mean something and then you'd have build up to the title matches at PPV's and be interested.

 

[JC4Life37]

The mid-card titles never used to be so far below the world titles, that's why it sort of meant something. It's like being the 2nd top dog on that brand. Now you can be like the 15th most important thing and still hold the US or IC title.

Many years ago in the 80's WWE had a ranking system of the top ten workers in the company

I kid you not, the WWE champ was first and the IC champ was ALWAYS second or third no matter what

Regardless of any other circumstances this was the list WWE used for the entire roster

 

[Crayo]

Many years ago in the 80's WWE had a ranking system of the top ten workers in the company

I kid you not, the WWE champ was first and the IC champ was ALWAYS second or third no matter what

Regardless of any other circumstances this was the list WWE used for the entire roster

Oh how I wish this was the situation now. Rhodes being 2nd <3.

 

[seabs]

Oh how I wish this was the situation now. Rhodes being 2nd <3.

This is the problem with having two world titles. You win a midcard title you're at best 3rd in the company.

 

[Crayo]

Next years WM main event should be a unification match. Cena & Punk (or Cena and Orton).

 

[Cloud]

Next years WM main event should be a unification match. Cena & Punk (or Cena and Orton).

Agree and with the talent and superstars remaining and not involved in main event title feuds you could improve the tag division and the US and IC titles and even if they were feeling really clever bring back Crusierweight and have a high flyers division!

 

[Snowman1]

Next years WM main event should be a unification match. Cena & Punk (or Cena and Orton).

Maybe it's because I'm used to the current product, but the "best superstar on one roster" way the titles are now is quite useful if they'd actually use the brand extension. Both brands have something to go for, with one belt one of the shows will feel like a waste of time. But if WWE can't book both sides of the fence you may as well do this. Raw's faces vs. Smackdown's heels are the only way to get any variety of feuds right now.

Honestly, I'd retire the mid-card belts at this point. All they accomplish is a cheap way for UnCreative to book a feud. "You have belt. I want belt. I attack you". Take that crutch away and they may actually try to have storylines for the midcard instead. Plus, Wade Barrett has been pushed close to the main event without needing the belt. Thanks for answering my question earlier, Seabs and Crayo.

 

[Crayo]

Maybe it's because I'm used to the current product, but the "best superstar on one roster" way the titles are now is quite useful if they'd actually use the brand extension. Both brands have something to go for, with one belt one of the shows will feel like a waste of time. But if WWE can't book both sides of the fence you may as well do this. Raw's faces vs. Smackdown's heels are the only way to get any variety of feuds right now.

Honestly, I'd retire the mid-card belts at this point. All they accomplish is a cheap way for UnCreative to book a feud. "You have belt. I want belt. I attack you". Take that crutch away and they may actually try to have storylines for the midcard instead. Plus, Wade Barrett has been pushed close to the main event without needing the belt. Thanks for answering my question earlier, Seabs and Crayo.

In my opinion two world titles only work with two rival brands. SD is basically being used as the development brand, Orton is really the only star-power they have. I'd unify the title, promote the IC title to the main event of SmackDown (let's say it acts like the WHC did), add a cruiser-weight title to SmackDown only and have the show laid out like that.

Though there's no need to do any of the above if they actually tried with SmackDown. Big Show has been in 7-8 WHC matches in a row. Pretty much sums up the WHC. Also, WWE need to realize you don't need a title to be in the main-event picture. More feuds like Cena/Kane. More angles like Nexus. Shock value story-lines, the main reason WWE fans love WWE is because of the soap-opera story-lines, where are they?