Jump to content

Terrible Title Changes


tiger_rick

Recommended Posts

  • Paid Members

Talking about horrible/cowardly execution here rather than who the new champion is. There are loads to mull over. I'll keep my contribution to just a couple.

Start with a twofer. Late 1997, learning from his mentor HBK while carrying his bags, Trips dropped the European Title to owen hart via the medium of having Goldust pretend to be him for a match with Owen and Slaughter made it a title change. Hideous booking and a death knell for a title that had felt relatively prestigious on it's creation earlier that year. Unfortunately this was the second successive shitty change because Trips won the title when HBK laid down for him. Hideous.

Slightly more recent, though alarmingly now almost 10 years ago, was Sheamus winning his first World title when John Cena threw himself through a table. This one is another twofer because it's a shit idea and execution. I'm all for protecting a babyface with the heel cheating but this sort of insane fluke doesn't do anything for anyone.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Awards Moderator

It reflects badly on me that any time I see 'terrible' and 'title', my mind automatically goes to JBL, even though I think he actually won the title in semi-legitimate fashion in the Bullrope match.

An actual answer from much more recently would probably be Becky Lynch at WrestleMania this year. Winning a big belt with a flash pin isn't the most definitive way to win at the best of times, but doing it to unbeaten submission specialist Ronda Rousey in the main event of the biggest show of the year was a deflating end to a disappointing match.

On the European Title front, is that the one that someone found in a bin and kept back in 1999? Or was that the Hardcore?

Edited by HarmonicGenerator
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members
22 minutes ago, HarmonicGenerator said:

On the European Title front, is that the one that someone found in a bin and kept back in 1999? Or was that the Hardcore?

WCW TV Title. Jim Duggan found it in a bin. Unusual continuity from WCW as Scott Hall had chucked in a bin. Not the same bin, like, but that's by the by.

European Title was "retired" by Shane McMahon and then later given to Mideon after Shane just found it in his bag.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Fuck me Mideon held a singles title in WWE.

The little Hacksaw run with the TV title was a guilty pleasure of mine.

I’m going to throw in RVD beating Cena for the WWE title. I didn’t mind the Edge interference as that was the wider program but the fact that Heyman made the count just made the whole thing feel like it wasn’t going to count and they were just going to scrub it out on Raw.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it was No Mercy 2007, after Cena tore his pec. I bought the PPV, thinking WWE might do something good to crown a new champ - a battle royal, maybe, or a one-night tournament, maybe a gauntlet match...

Nope, Vinnie Mac just hands Randy Orton the title, to lose it straight away to Triple H, to lose it back to Randy later that same night. Three title changes on a B-level PPV, when it could have so much better.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Becky had already lost a ton of momentum heading into Mania and that finish completely took the wind out of her sails. Pathetic win and a complete pussy job that barely achieved anything and made her look a right goof. Most begrudging ‘push’ and title run I can remember. They may as well have chucked it on Charlotte, at least they’d have fully got behind her. Bet Ronda comes backs and disputes it as well. Dusty finish for WrestleMania.

 

Edited by Mr Butternut Squash
Link to comment
Share on other sites

WORMS

Surely this wins. Surely!

What the fuck was this match? Not one aspect of it made any sense. Bray came into this looking brilliant, having pinned both Cena and Styles cleanly inside the Elimination Chamber to win the championship, had a feud with Orton that at this stage was still somewhat hot, and then they went out and produced this absolute pile of garbage. How in any way was the execution of this meant to make Orton look good? After all the build as well, the match ends after a single RKO. 

Completely rancid way to start a title reign that would end up being used to put the strap on Jinder Mahal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

My two favourites are both from TNA.

The second stupidest title win I ever saw was British Invasion beating Team 3D for the fucking IWGP tag belts in tables match when the ref woke up and spotting DVon on a broken table just assumed (wrongly) he’d been put through it and called for the bell. The dumbest booked ref since the one that counted the pin in 3D/AMW despite not being able to see who he was counting for, or maybe the one at Starrcade 99 that gave Big Kev the win in the powerbomb match with Sid because Kev said so. Refs being shit but never getting sacked over it. Wrestling.

My favourite was the lockbox challenge. Tara won an elimination and got to open a box but since Angelinas key opened the box with the belt in, she went home with it. Is there any stupider idea in the world of scripted combat sport than that a defending champion can actually win their fucking match but still lose their title? Utter joke. Fuck TNA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/16/2019 at 10:15 PM, Grecian said:

I think it was No Mercy 2007, after Cena tore his pec. I bought the PPV, thinking WWE might do something good to crown a new champ - a battle royal, maybe, or a one-night tournament, maybe a gauntlet match...

Nope, Vinnie Mac just hands Randy Orton the title, to lose it straight away to Triple H, to lose it back to Randy later that same night. Three title changes on a B-level PPV, when it could have so much better.

I actually found that to be a really entertaining PPV to be honest, heel gets handed the belt by the heel owner. The cocky heel agrees to defend it immediately but loses, the new champ has to have his scheduled match and defend the title before the scheduled stipulation match is forced on to end the show and the cocky heel walks away. It was a lot of booking in one show admittedly but it still stands out in my mind as an event. 

Looking back Eddie Guerreo's first title win trying to comfort China was pretty shitty and didn't China win it in a tag match by pinning Trish Stratus? I'm never a fan of tag matches for singles titles.

How about Debra winning the women's title for having her clothes taken off first. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, simonworden said:

I actually found that to be a really entertaining PPV to be honest, heel gets handed the belt by the heel owner. The cocky heel agrees to defend it immediately but loses, the new champ has to have his scheduled match and defend the title before the scheduled stipulation match is forced on to end the show and the cocky heel walks away. It was a lot of booking in one show admittedly but it still stands out in my mind as an event. 

 

Maybe I need to rewatch it, I'm probably bitter at getting my hopes up for something monumental and being disappointed and paying out my hard - earned cash for the privilege. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Grecian said:

Maybe I need to rewatch it, I'm probably bitter at getting my hopes up for something monumental and being disappointed and paying out my hard - earned cash for the privilege. 

That was something I remember many saying at the time. I can't remember how I watched it but I did so for free and I wasn't using any of the typical ways so I guess someone had it on tape or sky plus if that was around then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Paid Members

Does David Arquette's entire title run count? Wins it from his own partner in the tag match, then in the triple tier cage has every opportunity to grab the belt for himself because he gets sent to the top of the cage and nobody bothers to stop him, before helping Jarrett win it in another typical Russo swerve. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Undertaker beating Stone Cold for the WWF title at Over the Edge 1999. Not that a pre-determined wrestling result could be compared to the tragedy that occurred that night, but the whole thing just felt very hollow and unnecessary in the wake of Owen's death. I haven't seen the PPV since around that time, but I remember thinking even as a 10 year old that the matches shouldn't have been going ahead.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...