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| An ugly belt for a promising project? Photo Credit: WWE.com |
At Money in the Bank, WWE announced that Mick Foley would be introducing a new title on RAW. Last night, as many suspected, Foley introduced the 24/7 Championship. The title, as seen above, looks like a cross between a commemorative coin and a '50s diner sign. The title is not a hardcore championship, which both makes sense given the downplay of such wrestling in the company and stinks given that even in a PG, bloodless scenario, garbage wrestling is fun. I may be in the minority, but matches like that Dolph Ziggler/Damien Sandow Broadway Brawl still provide moments of violent levity, a break in the watered down version of indie workrate wrestling that the indies gussied up from All Japan Pro Wrestling anyway.
Anyway, the article giving information on the title claims that:
Chuck Taylor's 24/7 Title wasn't affiliated with any promotion, per se, but it was without a doubt the most refreshing trend in American indie wrestling for the year or so that he promoted it. Defenses happened on a dedicated Instagram account. It was notable in that it showed how everything was wrestling, from fueling up at a local gas station to nursing a hangover in the toilet. It also gave the world The Estonian Thunderfrog proclaiming "I NEW HARDCORE CHAMP, I BUY JESUS!" and also Drew Gulak defeating antisemitism. For the year or so that it was active, it was the most joyful thing in all of wrestling, even if at times it was problematic (unnecessary homophobia, Michael Elgin, etc.).
WWE getting its hands on the concept is another example that it doesn't create ideas, it mines them from people and promotions lower on the food chain. Once upon a time, it and World Championship Wrestling could take ideas from other places and give a relevant take on it. Now, it seems that anything fresh or exciting in the company comes directly from the workers, and any idea that is presented as a management directive falls flat. Could the 24/7 Title end up being an exception? I think so, since it feels like it will be divorced from the Vince McMahon/Paul Levesque decision engine and probably be more a worker-and-agent collaboration. But I don't doubt that it could and probably will end up becoming something intolerably corny as most management-driven things in the company do.
Rather than ending on a sour note, I will present to you a defense of each title, one of the DDT Heavymetalweight title and one of the Chuckie T 24/7 title, just to show you how well and creatively the concept can be done.
Anyway, the article giving information on the title claims that:
...the new 24/7 Championship... can change hands on Raw, SmackDown LIVE, WWE Network shows, WWE Live Events or even on social media. Now, more than ever, anything can happen in WWE.Hmm, social media, eh? A 24/7 Championship defended on the video portions of places like Twitter and Instagram sounds really familiar, mainly because Dramatic Dream Team and Chuck Taylor have been mining that territory for years. DDT's Ironman Heavymetalweight Championship is one of the most unique titles in all of wrestling in that it has a 24/7 rule and has been defended and won mostly outside of DDT events. You don't even necessarily have to be a living organism to hold it, as notable former Champions include a ladder, a portion of yakitori, and even Vince McMahon's Hollywood Walk of Fame star. DDT is probably the most unique wrestling promotion in the world that doesn't involve furries (luv u Kaiju Big Battel), so it should follow that they'd have the most unique Championship.
Chuck Taylor's 24/7 Title wasn't affiliated with any promotion, per se, but it was without a doubt the most refreshing trend in American indie wrestling for the year or so that he promoted it. Defenses happened on a dedicated Instagram account. It was notable in that it showed how everything was wrestling, from fueling up at a local gas station to nursing a hangover in the toilet. It also gave the world The Estonian Thunderfrog proclaiming "I NEW HARDCORE CHAMP, I BUY JESUS!" and also Drew Gulak defeating antisemitism. For the year or so that it was active, it was the most joyful thing in all of wrestling, even if at times it was problematic (unnecessary homophobia, Michael Elgin, etc.).
WWE getting its hands on the concept is another example that it doesn't create ideas, it mines them from people and promotions lower on the food chain. Once upon a time, it and World Championship Wrestling could take ideas from other places and give a relevant take on it. Now, it seems that anything fresh or exciting in the company comes directly from the workers, and any idea that is presented as a management directive falls flat. Could the 24/7 Title end up being an exception? I think so, since it feels like it will be divorced from the Vince McMahon/Paul Levesque decision engine and probably be more a worker-and-agent collaboration. But I don't doubt that it could and probably will end up becoming something intolerably corny as most management-driven things in the company do.
Rather than ending on a sour note, I will present to you a defense of each title, one of the DDT Heavymetalweight title and one of the Chuckie T 24/7 title, just to show you how well and creatively the concept can be done.
(note, UltraMantis Black is vegan)
BREAKING: @CandiceLeRae pins Joey Ryan in a dream to win @ddtpro Ironman Heavymetalweight (24/7 Rule) Title. #ddtpro pic.twitter.com/uqLdnhQRyY— Joey Ryan (@JoeyRyanOnline) July 28, 2016
