Alternative Candidates for Title Changes/Runs

[Liam O'Rourke]

So for this week's podcast, we're looking at examples in history where you as a fan have always thought that another wrestler or team should have been earmarked for a title run that took place.

Just as an example, if you thought somebody else would have been better getting the WWE Title rather than JBL in 2004, or a better transition NWA Champ than Ronnie Garvin, or a better candidate for the long WWF Tag Title reign of Demolition, who would you pick and why? Your suggestion can apply to any championship at any time of course, but the key is why you thought the alternative would have been better in the role.

As always we'll be reading the best contributions/explanations on the show and crediting you accordingly. So who do you think should have been given the gold, and why?

 

EDIT - Our show talking about Title Reigns That Should Have Been, featuring many of your contributions, is now online and available to listen to at the following link: http://squaredcirclegazette.podbean.com/mf/web/zs8t7m/SCG_Radio_91_-_Title_Reigns_That_Should_Have_Been.mp3

[PSF]

I've submitted this post before on a similar subject, but its always niggled at me, that Owen Hart should have been the transitional champ at Survivor Series 1994. He would have been much better fodder to have lost it to Diesel the next night on Raw and actually have a re-match at the next PPV. Owen vs Diesel at the 1995 Rumble, would have left Bret Hart free to add to much needed star power in the rumble match itself and Diesel could have benefitted from facing a hot heel in his first defence rather than literally the only person more popular than him.

 

Plus Owen was a fantastic character throughout 1994 and would not have been out of place being a former world champion in the New Generation. It could have given him much more credibility throughout 1995-1996.

[tiger_rick]

For every one of the 3746 WCW title changes after February 1999, the answer is Goldberg and then later Scott Steiner. They passed the title around like a hot potato while ratings, buys and income went down like a prostitute on the Titanic and all the while their biggest name and the one star the fans were still paying to see did nothing of any note. They should have put the title back on Goldberg in the Spring of 1999 and built Scott Steiner to take it off him leading to Goldberg chasing Steiner. It wasn't rocket science then and it isn't now. WCW might still be dead, who knows? But with a World Title that still meant something they'd have had a better chance.

[FLips]

Watching Nitro through 1998 at the minute, and I've actually got not much of an issue with Goldberg dropping the belt to Nash. Goldberg had to be beat eventually, and a taser is as protective a way as possible really. But then they do the whole Fingerpoke of Doom and it absolutely kills everything dead. Goldberg is dead, Nash is dead and the focus is all on Hogan again. Thinking of it, I'd eradicate everything Hogan does from making Sting look like an idiot at Starrcade up to him joining WWE in 2002. He really was a solid varnished piece of shit.

 

Have Goldberg chase Nash, have him run through Hall in the buildup, and have him beat Nash clean in the rematch. It's not difficult.

[Mr.E]

Watching Nitro through 1998 at the minute, and I've actually got not much of an issue with Goldberg dropping the belt to Nash. Goldberg had to be beat eventually, and a taser is as protective a way as possible really. But then they do the whole Fingerpoke of Doom and it absolutely kills everything dead. Goldberg is dead, Nash is dead and the focus is all on Hogan again. Thinking of it, I'd eradicate everything Hogan does from making Sting look like an idiot at Starrcade up to him joining WWE in 2002. He really was a solid varnished piece of shit.

 

Have Goldberg chase Nash, have him run through Hall in the buildup, and have him beat Nash clean in the rematch. It's not difficult.

 

I remember watching that as a kid, as to me (having known Nash was a former WWE champ, but at that time was not a WCW champion) it blew my mind when not only A) he did win it but B) beat Goldberg to do it. I had it all mapped out that he would have this monster face run, with Goldberg chasing him, but nope we got the nWo merger and the Finger Poke of Doom, which was just backwards, and i was like 8 at the time. For that to have made sense, both nWo's would have had to have been friends the whole time.......which invalidates a few years worth of feuds on both sides. Garbage.

 

There was one from further down the road where Sid Vicious was champion, and defended it against Scott Hall, in what I recall was a blinding match, only for some WCW Shenanigans to take place, but I would have had him win that big one there and then. 

 

Also, Roddy Piper winning the big one when he turned up in WCW would have been nice to give him the big belt, but who knows.

[JNLister]

Often missed point on the Garvin title run was that he wasn't picked because he was the best choice of champion. He was picked because they wanted a temporary champ to create interest in Flair regaining the title at Starrcade and they didn't want any genuine top stars to be hurt by having a quicky title reign.

[Sexy Dad]

Edge not winning the World Championship at Mania 26 was a blunder. I found his return in a babyface role was a little bit awkward with him trying to get the 'spear' chant going but a big win at Wrestlemania would have been the logical and more interesting option than Jericho retaining to drop to Swagger days later.

 

Edge of course grew more in to his this crowd favourite role at the end of 2010 after reverting back from a senseless heel turn to try and pad out Raw a bit but I feel this point could have been reached without Swagger, Rey and Kane effectively ruining what was my favourite wrestling show at the time.

 

As this was Edge's last year, with hindsight - a final year of carrying the gold defending against the likes of Swagger, Dolph, Rey and Punk before eventually dropping it a newly debuting Alberto Del Rio would have been a great send off.

[stevieg1980]

DiBiase in 88 should have got more than five minutes holding it off The Main Event angle. Run with Savage taking it at Wrestlemania 4 and a steel cage rematch at Summerslam. You could still run the Megapowers / Megabucks match but on a Saturday Night's Main Event to blow it off.

 

In 98 Benoit should have took the TV Title from Booker T not Finlay. Have the best of 7 series for the title and not for the number 1 contendership.

 

And fuck it because I have a soft spot for both teams Furnas and LeFon in 97 over Bulldog and Owen and the Allied Powers in 95 over Owen and Yoko as 14 year old me would have loved it.

[I Bent My Wookie]

Less that, more a lot of guys weren't willing to be that guy and hurt their chances. Garvin at 42 decided that was his last real chance to hold the belt and agreed to be the guy to drop the belt against Survivor Series' first event

[The Cutting Edge]

I agree about Owen Hart winning in 94, Backlund was fine as a stopgap for Bret but not a Champion in the 'New Generation', Owen was the perfect type of heel to keep bragging about a one day title reign too, like winning to slammy's etc.

 

I've mentioned it aload of times before but Test winning the title at Survivors 99 instead of Big Show, story makes sense at the time and hinesight to Big Shows short reign and feud with Bossman makes it even clearer that Test was perfect for a short reign.

 

And could've given him credibility as a former champ if they needed to slot him in or make him a serious champion.

 

Chris Jericho any time in 2000 would've been great, he was a hot babayface kinda filling the hbk type role, May 2000 beating HHH was a great pop and story but it would've taken the belt from the Rock vs HHH finale,

 

Maybe at KOTR instead of the 6man main event have Y2J beat HHH for the title for a few month reign, there match at Fully Loaded could easily main event a ppv then, Summerslam a 4way Y2J © vs HHH vs Angle vs Rock and life goes on as planned after it 

[Snitsky's back acne]

In 98 Benoit should have took the TV Title from Booker T not Finlay. Have the best of 7 series for the title and not for the number 1 contendership.

 

I think Benoit got injured to be fair otherwise that might have played out.

[AshC]

I enjoy these podcasts a lot, but the recent one that argued Shawn Michaels shouldn't have got the IC belt in 1992 boggled my mind! Behave!

[tiger_rick]

I enjoy these podcasts a lot, but the recent one that argued Shawn Michaels shouldn't have got the IC belt in 1992 boggled my mind! Behave!

I thought he was right. It's not a major issue but I don't think it did a lot for HBK. Apart from the Rumble match with Marty, he did nothing of note with it until the Ramon feud. In fact, Michaels career from mid 1992 until WM 10 was seriously bland. Really think if he'd taken the title in the opener at WM9 from an interim Champion, it would have given him (and the show) a huge boost. With hindsight, I'd have gone Bulldog -> Martel -> Tatanka -> HBK.

[air_raid]

I would have had Power And Glory win the tag titles from my beloved Hart Foundation at Mania VII instead of the Nasty Boys. I understand why they booked the end of the tag team battle royal the way they did, to set up one title match and one grudge match, but id have found the Harts vs Herc & Roma far more palatable than the God-awful Nasties winning the titles. I suppose if the idea was always for LOD to take the belts in a brawl style match then Knobbs and Sags were the ideal candidates, but they never did anything for me and I dont know if they'd have had half their heat if it wasnt for the Mouth of the South. All the work they put in allowing Slick's lads to ruthlessly slaughter The Rockers on TV and take credit for Shawn's injury seemed like a massive waste for them to just be fed to LOD in a manner befitting no-name ham 'n' eggers on an episode of Wrestling Challenge.

[Ambulance Chaser]

Rob Van Dam World Heavyweight Champ in 2002.

 

Coming off the Invasion he was so over, and still so good in the ring, yet to be exposed to the masses due to being fresh out of ECW, classic matches with Jeff Hardy and the Triple Threat with Austin and Angle was top.

 

I don't think I have gone from being so high on someone to not caring anymore as I have Van Dam, after Austin in the late 90's and early 00's he was my guy, he was inventive and just had it, but anything after about 2003, the feud with Kane I just didn't care at all, he'd go through the same spots, at the same time, phoning it in does not even come close to how I felt about him post 2003. There was little glimpses of course, big matches that he would get up for but the shine had gone for me, and this upset me considering I was a huge fan.

 

But anyway, I admittedly haven't really watched it back at length but his dabble with the World title scene in late 01 and into 2002 I really liked, I loved the dynamic of him and Trips, and whilst it may not have been a long reign I'd have liked to see it play out.