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Welcome to the first edition of True or False, with my very special guest Kevin Sullivan. No, not the Task Master, but he does have quite a storied history with professional wrestling. Kevin accepted a position with World Wrestling Entertainment’s web site, WWE.com, in 1998 and over the next 10 years, split time working with both the web site and WWE Magazine. His most recent position was Director of Content Development for WWE.com. Despite electing to leave the company in 2008, Kevin's contributions to the world of sports-entertainment have continued; he has authored several WWE books, including the 2009 New York Times Bestselling WWE Encyclopedia.
Kevin offers some great insight into professional wrestling and I strongly encourage you to visit his blog and follow him on Twitter. Be sure to also check out the books he's authored, particularly the in depth history of the WWE Championship.
Continue reading "True or False #1 - With Kevin Sullivan"....
1. The WWE Championship will be redesigned by WrestleMania 30....
Kevin Sullivan: True. However, I don’t think wrestling traditionalists will necessarily adore the next version of the WWE Championship either. From a business standpoint, the current “spinner” WWE Championship is a cash cow when it comes to replica sales … that’s because its appearance is so different from all the other titles. With that in mind, you would think the next WWE Championship would also have a unique look. At the end of the day, WWE is a business and the main goal of every business is to make money.
Matt: The easy answer here is "true," since WrestleMania 30 feels like it's so far away, but I really don't think this is a gimme. Consider that they've had actual storyline reasons to replace the belt (like Miz's alteration and CM Punk's promise) and they didn't do it. They also didn't do it when the gaudy design clearly didn't fit the personality of the champion (Triple H, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio). You know what? I'm going to take a risk and say False. If anything, it'll change AT WrestleMania 30, but not before.
2. The "Winged Eagle" design was the best incarnation of the WWE Championship....
Kevin: False. My favorite was the green title that The Iron Sheik passed on to Hulk Hogan. I loved that it had all the champions’ names on it, similar to the Stanley Cup. In reality, though, there’s no right or wrong answer to this question … it’s all about personal preference. That’s what’s so great about sports-entertainment today. For example, some people love the current John Laurinaitis angle, while others hate it. But the best part about the whole thing is that these fans have so much passion about it that they spend hours debating it with friends or online. It’s that passion that’s best for business.
Matt: FALSE! I'm in the minority here, but to me, the "Winged Eagle" championship belt was a little too understated. It always looked dimunitive and small, surely not something that should represent the most prestigious prize of the most successful wrestling organization. It looked smaller than the classic Intercontinental Championship, and it looked like the Big Gold Belt could just eat it up. If I had to pick one design that they should revert back to, it'd be the Undisputed Championship (the larger one, which Brock Lesnar wore). This thing actually had the McMahon family crest on one of the side plates! That's pretty awesome.
3. Cody Rhodes will be the next first-time WWE/World Champion.....
Kevin: True. Although, it’s going to be tough for him to accomplish this while a member of the SmackDown brand. I’m assuming Mark Henry will have a somewhat lengthy reign … hopefully up until WrestleMania, where he defends against Daniel Bryan in a David-versus-Goliath match. But if you’re a Bryan fan, don’t get too excited … I’m never right when trying to predict what WWE will do next.
Matt: A year ago I would have pegged Wade Barrett as the next first-time World Champion -- now that seems like a significant longshot. Once upon a time, guys like Kofi Kingston and John Morrison seemed like possibilities, too. Point being, WWE can be so incredibly stop-and-go when it comes to major pushes, it's tough to say whether Cody will fit this role. I'm going to say true, although it does depend on how the Daniel Bryan/Money in the Bank story plays out.
4. Money in the Bank has surpassed the Royal Rumble as the most prestigious gimmick match in the WWE....
Kevin: False. A few weeks ago, however, I made an argument on Twitter that Money in the Bank was more prestigious, considering every Superstar that has ever cashed in the briefcase has won the title. But I was really just trying to kick off some compelling conversation. In my opinion, the Rumble is slightly more prestigious than the briefcase because it leads to a WrestleMania main event match. In today’s landscape, headlining the biggest pay-per-view of the year has the potential of being more prestigious than the gold.
Matt: Most successful? Yes. Most prestigious? No. I think there are a lot of Superstars who look back and wish they had won a Royal Rumble. Or they fondly remember winning the Royal Rumble. To me, it seems like a career achievement, whereas Money in the Bank is the precipice for their first big push. So, false.
5. Daniel Bryan will lose the Money in the Bank briefcase before WrestleMania 28....
Kevin: False. At least I hope it’s false. I just don’t see a situation where Daniel Bryan loses the briefcase and somehow manages to maintain his momentum. At this point, WWE could really use a strong Daniel Bryan and the briefcase is a good way to keep him strong.
Matt: I waver on this one. I'm going to say false. That's not to say I think Bryan will actually cash it in at WrestleMania. I wouldn't be surprised if they just lost interest in having Bryan walk around with the briefcase and having him cash it in early. But I don't see him losing the briefcase altogether.
I'd like to once again thank Kevin Sullivan for taking the time to participate in the inaugural edition of True or False. This was an exciting "catch" for me, and I hope you enjoyed it. Once again, be sure to visit Kevin's blog and follow him on Twitter. And, of course, buy his books!
And feel free to comment below and let us know whose opinion you agree with!
Kevin offers some great insight into professional wrestling and I strongly encourage you to visit his blog and follow him on Twitter. Be sure to also check out the books he's authored, particularly the in depth history of the WWE Championship.
Continue reading "True or False #1 - With Kevin Sullivan"....
1. The WWE Championship will be redesigned by WrestleMania 30....Kevin Sullivan: True. However, I don’t think wrestling traditionalists will necessarily adore the next version of the WWE Championship either. From a business standpoint, the current “spinner” WWE Championship is a cash cow when it comes to replica sales … that’s because its appearance is so different from all the other titles. With that in mind, you would think the next WWE Championship would also have a unique look. At the end of the day, WWE is a business and the main goal of every business is to make money.
Matt: The easy answer here is "true," since WrestleMania 30 feels like it's so far away, but I really don't think this is a gimme. Consider that they've had actual storyline reasons to replace the belt (like Miz's alteration and CM Punk's promise) and they didn't do it. They also didn't do it when the gaudy design clearly didn't fit the personality of the champion (Triple H, Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio). You know what? I'm going to take a risk and say False. If anything, it'll change AT WrestleMania 30, but not before.
2. The "Winged Eagle" design was the best incarnation of the WWE Championship....
Kevin: False. My favorite was the green title that The Iron Sheik passed on to Hulk Hogan. I loved that it had all the champions’ names on it, similar to the Stanley Cup. In reality, though, there’s no right or wrong answer to this question … it’s all about personal preference. That’s what’s so great about sports-entertainment today. For example, some people love the current John Laurinaitis angle, while others hate it. But the best part about the whole thing is that these fans have so much passion about it that they spend hours debating it with friends or online. It’s that passion that’s best for business.
Matt: FALSE! I'm in the minority here, but to me, the "Winged Eagle" championship belt was a little too understated. It always looked dimunitive and small, surely not something that should represent the most prestigious prize of the most successful wrestling organization. It looked smaller than the classic Intercontinental Championship, and it looked like the Big Gold Belt could just eat it up. If I had to pick one design that they should revert back to, it'd be the Undisputed Championship (the larger one, which Brock Lesnar wore). This thing actually had the McMahon family crest on one of the side plates! That's pretty awesome.
3. Cody Rhodes will be the next first-time WWE/World Champion.....
Kevin: True. Although, it’s going to be tough for him to accomplish this while a member of the SmackDown brand. I’m assuming Mark Henry will have a somewhat lengthy reign … hopefully up until WrestleMania, where he defends against Daniel Bryan in a David-versus-Goliath match. But if you’re a Bryan fan, don’t get too excited … I’m never right when trying to predict what WWE will do next.
Matt: A year ago I would have pegged Wade Barrett as the next first-time World Champion -- now that seems like a significant longshot. Once upon a time, guys like Kofi Kingston and John Morrison seemed like possibilities, too. Point being, WWE can be so incredibly stop-and-go when it comes to major pushes, it's tough to say whether Cody will fit this role. I'm going to say true, although it does depend on how the Daniel Bryan/Money in the Bank story plays out.
4. Money in the Bank has surpassed the Royal Rumble as the most prestigious gimmick match in the WWE....
Kevin: False. A few weeks ago, however, I made an argument on Twitter that Money in the Bank was more prestigious, considering every Superstar that has ever cashed in the briefcase has won the title. But I was really just trying to kick off some compelling conversation. In my opinion, the Rumble is slightly more prestigious than the briefcase because it leads to a WrestleMania main event match. In today’s landscape, headlining the biggest pay-per-view of the year has the potential of being more prestigious than the gold.
Matt: Most successful? Yes. Most prestigious? No. I think there are a lot of Superstars who look back and wish they had won a Royal Rumble. Or they fondly remember winning the Royal Rumble. To me, it seems like a career achievement, whereas Money in the Bank is the precipice for their first big push. So, false.
5. Daniel Bryan will lose the Money in the Bank briefcase before WrestleMania 28....
Kevin: False. At least I hope it’s false. I just don’t see a situation where Daniel Bryan loses the briefcase and somehow manages to maintain his momentum. At this point, WWE could really use a strong Daniel Bryan and the briefcase is a good way to keep him strong.
Matt: I waver on this one. I'm going to say false. That's not to say I think Bryan will actually cash it in at WrestleMania. I wouldn't be surprised if they just lost interest in having Bryan walk around with the briefcase and having him cash it in early. But I don't see him losing the briefcase altogether.
I'd like to once again thank Kevin Sullivan for taking the time to participate in the inaugural edition of True or False. This was an exciting "catch" for me, and I hope you enjoyed it. Once again, be sure to visit Kevin's blog and follow him on Twitter. And, of course, buy his books!
And feel free to comment below and let us know whose opinion you agree with!
1 comment:
Loved the new feature! Great points by both of you. In the first point I agree with Kevin, the WWE Championship will always carry an unique look that will distinguish it from the World Heavyweight Championship one belt I believe will not change it's look anytime soon, it's too classic a design to get rid of it. On your second point I disagree with you both! For me, the Attitude Era WWE Championship is my favorite, it had a big, classic look and it could be the nostalgia factor, but I have very kind memories of the belt. I bet Cody Rhodes is being groomed for a WWE/World title run soon, and could very well be the first. I don't believe Daniel Bryan will win the title at Mania, he hasn't been booked well since winning the briefcase and believe it might be too late to build him up again. son point number 4... Nobody touches the Rumble, it is the most prestigious and important PPV and match not on Wrestlemania. I look forward to the Rumble every single year and I've been entertained by it every time. Again, Daniel Bryan will not lose the briefcase, but I can see him being the first winner to cash in and not win the Championship. Anyway, those were my two cents, great job guys!
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