Paid Members Carbomb Posted May 22 Paid Members Share Posted May 22 5 minutes ago, JLM said: FTW is a more debatable one. I see it more as a trinket with sentimental value because of personal/historical significance rather than being a prize issued by a sporting/governing body. It means something for Hook to hold it or for a heel to take it from him, but it doesn’t hold the value of the real titles. Not having watched much AEW, it's difficult to know how it's been portrayed, but it always struck me as being not your typical belt in that it was a storyline device capable of being used for more than what "official" belts were used for. In eCw, it was meant to represent Taz' rebellion against authority. Now, with time and the amount of emotional investment in Taz' character and story since then, it should have evolved to mean something else, i.e. Taz' legacy. Would've been neat if they'd had Hook refuse it, along the lines of it being the FTW title, not the Million Dollar. Taz, not DiBiase. Fought for, not paid for. So he, as Taz' son wants to earn it, not be given it. Quote That’s why I thought it was a bit silly that they held a bunch of qualifying matches to get into a number one contender’s match to contest for the unrecognised/unsanctioned title on Collision this week.  Thing is, even if it was a case of TK respecting wrestling history, he could've at least done something different than just The Man deciding who gets to fight for it. If anything, it strikes me that making it into an informal 24/7 type belt would be the way to go. Order doesn't decide, Chaos does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JLM Posted May 22 Paid Members Share Posted May 22 (edited) They actually reintroduced it in AEW in a similar fashion to ECW.  Taz created it because Shane Douglas was injured/refused to face him for the real world title. In AEW Brian Cage (backed by Taz) was denied a shot at Moxley’s world title due to covid quarantine, so Taz handed him the FTW title.  Hook did actually win it in a match over Ricky Starks, when they were both in Team Taz. I absolutely loved Hook going for that title as it was the sort of decades long call back/continuity stuff this whacky medium can provide for us like no other. But yeah, I think shots for it should only be on a personal stakes/blood feud basis as it’s a bragging rights title ultimately. Having qualifying matches for it is nonsense really. Let’s blame that part on Jericho, he deserves it. Edited May 22 by JLM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no user name Posted May 22 Share Posted May 22 Aew keep doing this to me. Putting on ppvs that look amazing that I have to watch. Forbidden door is always great and then it's all in so not much of a break from that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Duke Posted May 23 Paid Members Share Posted May 23 I actually think if you dump the continental or the international it's fine. TNT is the second and one of those two is the third, but when you have both I continually get them mixed up, so much so that when Osprey won the battle royale I thought that meant he was facing Okada and got massively bummed out when I realised it meant Roddy. The continental should get binned, for me. Have the classic be for a title shot and move on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members BomberPat Posted May 23 Paid Members Share Posted May 23 Continental Classic being for a title shot just raises another set of problems - why would you put yourself through the rigmarole of that tournament when for the rest of the year you can just win one eliminator match, or a battle royal, to earn a title shot instead? Coming out of that tournament, the Continental Title should feel like something special and prestigious, but the waters were muddied by it being part of the "American Triple Crown" that subsequently just got broken back up into three separate titles anyway. It has more identity than the TNT and International Title, those two are pretty much interchangeable in terms of how they're presented and booked, whereas the Continental Title brings with it a set of rules (everyone barred from ringside etc.) that should be better emphasised. The International Title I'm hoping Ospreay wins at the PPV, and then makes it his "workhorse" title, the guaranteed bonkers great match on every card it's on. It needs either that or the hint of an identity that PAC gave it early on of it being a belt that could be defended outside of AEW, or against non-AEW international talent on AEW shows; a kind of "Forbidden Door: The Title" approach. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members LaGoosh Posted May 23 Paid Members Share Posted May 23 The Continental Classic should be for just a big trophy I think. Adding a title to it is a bit confusing. Also big trophies mean you have the option of doing one of two classic wrestling angles: the heel smashes the babyfaces winners trophy to huge heat or the inverse of that where after weeks of a dickhead heel parading around with the trophy like a smug twat a babyface smashes it to massive cheers while the heel cries and screams on their knees. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members JLM Posted May 23 Paid Members Share Posted May 23 Yep, big trophy and automatic entry into next year’s to defend it. Remember when the Owen Hart Cup winners got belts as well? Madness. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merzbow Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 Breaking up the triple crown so quickly seemed like an odd idea, they had something there that was different to the norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Statto Posted May 23 Paid Members Share Posted May 23 I don't know if it was by design, but one thing AEW have benefitted from with the hierarchy of their "underneath" titles being somewhat muddy is that it's provided flexibility. During Orange Cassidy's magical reign, the International title absolutely ascended to #2 in the pecking order, and a close 2nd at that. Had they done a hard brand split and made it the top title on Collision, I don't think anyone would have complained too much at that time, and it culminated with that belt (justifiably) main eventing a PPV as Orange dropped to Mox. Sadly, it all went to shit within a couple of weeks when Fenix dropped Mox on his head. While the International was on the rise, the TNT was mired in the Wardlow stuff, but then ascended again through Christian's great work & the feud with Copeland - which resulted in that belt going on last at a PPV too, and it not seeming too out of place. I do wonder if the International title might be going on last at a PPV again in August, around the waist of Ospreay... On the Continental title, though - this is echoing points others have made here & I've made before, but it seems to only exist cos someone (Eddie) suggested doing a Triple Crown and they weren't in a position to fold an existing AEW title into it. But it gets really messy when you a) apply the context of the tournament as Pat has done & b) the fact the triple crown got broken up a few months later anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westlondonmist Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 2 hours ago, Duke said: I actually think if you dump the continental or the international it's fine. TNT is the second and one of those two is the third, but when you have both I continually get them mixed up, so much so that when Osprey won the battle royale I thought that meant he was facing Okada and got massively bummed out when I realised it meant Roddy. The continental should get binned, for me. Have the classic be for a title shot and move on. To stop them getting confused I say put one on Ospreay and make it the British Commonwealth Mid-Heavyweight title. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poetofthedeed Posted May 23 Share Posted May 23 Mercedes losing, snapping and carving a path to the women's world title as a deluded heel is infinitely more interesting than just beating willow in her first match. Ultimately she's going to do her shitty lucha spots and tap out Willow clean. Roddy/Osprey will be spectacular but we know that it will be. I'm strangely intrigued by Cope/Black. It's as likely to be an overbooked mess where HOB just put a hoodie over the cage and climb in as it is to be a bloody plunder affair Anarchy in the arena should be an enjoyable spectacle, the Bucks excel in this type of match.  I have no strong feelings on the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Infinity Land Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 On 5/23/2024 at 3:30 PM, Duke said: I actually think if you dump the continental or the international it's fine. TNT is the second and one of those two is the third, but when you have both I continually get them mixed up, so much so that when Osprey won the battle royale I thought that meant he was facing Okada and got massively bummed out when I realised it meant Roddy. The continental should get binned, for me. Have the classic be for a title shot and move on. AEW has been stuck in its ways so long we all know what's actually going to happen. They'll get the new media deal and add the MAX championship. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimmyAnderson Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 Just chirpping in on there being too many titles because it's something that's been mentioned many times but it's also something that's so easy to fix. The fact that the commentators on Dynamite this week where talking about the Bang Bang Gang not needing all 9 trios belts now they're unified shows that the company is at least aware off too many belts. But as Taz stated, what's the need of the wagon if you don't have nine belts. World title is your main title, that goes without saying. TNT title is your TV title, every Dynamite has a match for the championship - gives your fans a guaranteed title match every week. International title is your mad, hardcore shit or daft gimmicky matches like the bucks fizz match Cassidy/Jericho had. Continental Classic shouldn't be a belt at all, it's your King of the Ring style tournament. An annual event that, should, elevate people towards the main event. FTW title, just get rid of it at this point. It made sense in ECW, it kind of made sense when it was brought back in AEW but now it's outstayed it's welcome (like it's current holder). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MPDTT Posted May 25 Share Posted May 25 MPDTT is back in Vegas for Collision/Double Or Nothing - 5 years since being here for the first one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Hannibal Scorch Posted May 26 Paid Members Share Posted May 26 10 hours ago, JimmyAnderson said: Just chirpping in on there being too many titles because it's something that's been mentioned many times but it's also something that's so easy to fix. The fact that the commentators on Dynamite this week where talking about the Bang Bang Gang not needing all 9 trios belts now they're unified shows that the company is at least aware off too many belts. But as Taz stated, what's the need of the wagon if you don't have nine belts.  Tbf 3 of those belts are just the custom version The Acclaimed, it’s just 6 belts which are now unified to 3.  This is amazing. The editing is just like the dodgy campaign ads that run on US TV on the run up to elections.  Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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