For The Record 6.14.09: Batista’s Glorious Title Win

The Animal Reigns Supreme

At Extreme Rules, Batista defeated Randy Orton in a cage for the WWE Championship. It was a brief match, roughly seven minutes in length. And what was my reaction? I cheered… for a few different reasons.

First and foremost, it was great to see Batista win the WWE Championship. I don’t know if Batista was THE most deserving wrestler. But how often do THE most deserving wrestlers win world titles anyway? What I enjoyed about seeing Batista win was that he reached a milestone in his career. He had never been WWE Champion before. It’s an honor for any wrestler to hold that strap. Yes, he was a multi-time World Heavyweight Champion. But for some reason, his first WWE Title victory was refreshing.

Second, I was glad the match was brief. I know that some fans believe the match was short because of Batista’s injury. But I suspect it would have been short either way. I sincerely doubt that WWE would have slashed Cena’s time in his match. But anyway, Batista is an “Animal.” He should be feared in cage matches, and he should be dominant in cage matches. It was logical for Batista to win quick and early. And besides, did anyone truly desire to see Orton and Batista go 20 minutes?

And third, I love world title changes. I know, it’s not cool for an internet wrestling fan to enjoy frequent title changes. The IWC generally prefers lengthy reigns. However…

I suspect the IWC only prefers long reigns as a matter of principle or theory. They never seem to enjoy it in practice. Internet wrestling fans were ready to snap during Triple H’s 280 run as World Heavyweight Champion from 2002 through 2003. Fans were also perturbed when Batista held that same strap for 282 days during his first reign. I also recall that many fans were coming close to a nervous breakdown when John Cena held the WWE Championship for over a year. And do you remember the IWC’s reaction to JBL’s 10 month run with the gold?

Wrestling fans are historians at heart. And every title change is historic. The fact is, nobody is going to make history with long title reigns. Bruno Sammartino had a seven year WWE Title reign. Bob Backlund was WWE Champion for five consecutive years. Hulk Hogan was champion for a few years in the 80s. No WWE superstar of today is going to have a reign anywhere near as long as Sammartino, Backlund, or Hogan. The only kind of wrestler that today’s stars can hope to emulate is Ric Flair. Flair is a 16+ time world champion. He didn’t become famous for lengthy reigns. He became famous for participating in quality, historic matches. But he also became famous for winning and chasing titles. That’s where the excitement is, when the fans believe that there’s a legitimate chance that any world title match can lead to a title change. And today’s wrestling historians are going to have to witness history from frequent title changes, not from lengthy reigns. Wrestlers can’t chase Sammartino’s record, but they can chase Flair’s record.

Another reason why long reigns don’t work in this day and age is because there are six hours of original WWE programming per week and 14 pay-per-views per year. Who wants to see five pay-per-views in a row without a world title change? Nobody! Well, at least nobody who pays to see the shows. Wrestling fans pay to see exciting, buzzworthy developments at pay-per-views. And few things are more buzzworthy than world title changes. Successful title defenses have their place, but long reigns are rightfully few and far between. We’re simply living in a different era of professional wrestling. And that’s okay.

The WWE Title Situation

WWE’s decision to put their championship on Batista was brilliant. It makes perfect sense. With a three hour Raw coming up, WWE had to make a choice. They could have given fans a King of the Ring tournament, or put on a pay-per-view quality broadcast with three world title matches. WWE opted for the 3-For-All, rather than the King of the Ring tournament. I think it was the right decision.

Three hour shows are an excellent opportunity to pad extra ratings for the USA Network. To score in the 3.7 to 4.1 range for a three hour show is a big plus for WWE. And quite honestly, a show with a guaranteed new WWE Champion, a World Heavyweight Title triple threat match between CM Punk, Edge, and Jeff Hardy, and an ECW Title match between Tommy Dreamer and Christian is a far bigger draw than a King of the Ring tournament. I hate to say it, but it’s true.

The fatal fourway match between Triple H, Randy Orton, John Cena, and The Big Show should be intriguing and chaotic. It may not be the greatest match WWE could have thought up. But the guarantee of a new world champion should add sufficient drama.

Overall, it was a good decision to have Batista win and then vacate the WWE Championship. Batista’s victory gave him a feel good moment, and the vacating of the title gives fans a reason to watch this Monday’s three hour Raw. It was a win-win situation. Orton’s title loss shouldn’t hurt him too much. He seems to carry himself better without a world title anyway.

Who Should Win?

Believe it or not, John Cena has not been WWE Champion since October 2, 2007. Yes, he’s twice been the World Heavweight Champion since then. But the WWE Title has eluded him. A victory for Cena would be a refreshing change of pace for Raw. However, I can also see Big Show sneaking away with the WWE Championship. WWE has been trying to rebuild Big Show’s career for a while. Nothing would make him more imposing and credible to the fans than a WWE Championship reign. And just some food for thought, Big Show hasn’t been the WWE Champion since 2002.

WWE might take a more conservative route and keep the title around Randy Orton or Triple H’s waist. They’ve been feuding for the title since March, and a Wrestlemania rematch might be in the works for SummerSlam. That wouldn’t be too horrible. They could finally settle their feud in a Hell in a Cell match, just like The Undertaker and Edge did at last year’s Summerslam. Keep this in mind however: Orton and Triple H could do the very same thing without a title on the line. We’ll see what happens. If it was up to me, John Cena would emerge as WWE Champion.

Two Quick Observations

Number 1: MVP needs new entrance music. His current song no longer seems to suit him. It’s too tame for his character. He needs something a bit more dynamic. His music played perfectly to his heel role. But if MVP is going to run onto the ramp and do fade-away jump shots, he better have music that fits better with that motion. He just looks silly right now, and it’s hard to take him seriously as an emerging main eventer with that entrance. This is WWE’s fault, not MVP’s.

Number 2: Goldust still has a lot to offer. His character has been classic as of late. I hope he continues to thrive in his new role. WWE was wise to give him another chance.