|
| Article: |
Author |
| The True Worth Of Gold |
Michael Campbell |
Why Ring Of Honor is the only promotion to value its belts
For any professional wrestling organisation, their equivalent of the World Heavyweight title is usually associated with success and grandeur. It’s the ultimate barometer of achievement for a grappler and, historically, is placed around the waist of the main drawing card or their opposite number. WWE, not surprisingly, is famously fans of this tactic, rewarding popular babyfaces such as Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan and even John Cena with long runs. Alternatively though, the strap can be a positive used as a validation for someone on the brink of super-stardom, giving them that much-needed thrust that boosts their worth in the estimation of the viewers. This was the case with Samoa Joe (initially, at least) in Dixie-Carter land, and it also acted as the rocket-fuel needed to propel Edge into the stratosphere.
Of course, the prestige once considered a given alongside the gold has dwindled over the years to the point where fans, critics and promoters alike concede that most ‘World’ title belts are mere props: storyline tools used to promote those performers who require a gimmick or an accessory. Rather than benefit from being champion, stars like Rey Mysterio have merely enjoyed it as a storyline diversion for several months… indeed, in Rey’s case neither he nor his title benefited from the limply booked run he endured.
The two philosophies, however, need not be mutually exclusive to one another – theoretically, both performer and title should be enhanced by a title reign. Booked correctly, one could expect your strap to serve both purposes, but it’s imperative that certain rules are obeyed. For instance, it’s crucial that belts aren’t traded too often and it’s absolutely vital that a loss of a title, or a loss by a contender, is portrayed as having consequences. Challengers should also not be elected easily – there should be a sense of a quest, of achievement in the whole thing.
In the ridiculous stakes though, WWE’s numbers are right at the top. 2009 alone saw Raw’s WWE Title change hands a ridiculous NINE times, whilst its sister belt – Smackdown’s WWE World Heavyweight Title – switched eight times. Combined with some mind-numbingly repetitive storylines, it’s been the least respectful treatment of the promotion’s top prizes since 1999, when the then-WWF title changed hands a gob-smacking twelve times – that’s as often as in the entire decade that was the Eighties.
By contrast to McMahon‘s toys, Ring Of Honor’s main title has been traded a grand total of 12 occasions in seven years. Within the promotion, the belt has become something larger altogether and, within the context of an independent group, a draw in its own right. This in itself is supremely rare within the independent world, a domain that often hotshots its gold onto the latest big-name guest star and back again within days. Granted, it’s almost a necessity in some promotions in order to manufacture the big-match feel and to send brave fans home happy. Not in RoH though, where the main title is viewed with a huge degree of importance…
For the rest of this feature, check out issue 51 of FSM - available at WH Smith and all good retailers. (For US readers we are now carried at Borders and Barnes & Noble, so check for local availability or click here to subscribe.)
Back to Articles Menu |
 |
|
