When i wrote this blogpost, I left it as it was. Namely, an idea for something cool that I thought you could do in the WWE if given enough time and inclination. But as I think about it more, I realize that if I want a chance for younger fans to be dazzled by pro wrestling beyond what the 'E gives them I have to really sit down and try to make this work for both promotions. Because, if it's done right, what the WCW cruiserweight division meant to so many, and what Michinoku Pro and Dragon Gate mean to so many now, these two divisions can mean now if they're done right. That last sentence, though, is the important part. Because, for both the large company in Stamford, there are lots of things that need to be explained, and fixed, about the way that the juniors have been viewed during all of the previous times that they have tried this.
Now I know that this is my white whale, and i accept it. I am, if nothing else, a man who loves wrestling big and small, past and present, and I'd like very much to see something I know could work done the right way.
First thing: TREAT THE TITLE AND THE DIVISION WITH RESPECT.
That part had to be capitalized for Vince and his collection of lieutenants, or stooges if you prefer the term. Because that part, that key most important thing, was missing the last time we tried this, and is missing in the smaller promotion now.
This, by the way, does not mean that we turn everything into a walking wet dream of Davey Richards or Jim Cornette where no gimmicks take place, and everyone's a serious pro wrestler who enjoys training and kicking ass. That's an e-fedder's idea of a wrestling show, and believe me when I tell you: That's not the point of this at all. Rather, what you should strive for is a simple truism: Treat every person on the roster, rudo or tecnico alike, as professionals and not as jokes.
Not sure how to make this work? Easy. Think of how ECW treated everyone. At no point during their run, even when they shouldn't have been able to, did they give you the sense that any of their wrestlers, or any of their champions, were jokes, or people otherwise worthy of your time and attention. The titles were also protected. The titles became supremely important. This can be done again, with a little hard work and a firewall between the worst of the Attitude Era BS and the best of old territory-style booking.
Now I could go chapter and verse about how to protect champions and titles, but this feels frankly insulting to have to tell it to New York. Because, and i do not think this to be presumptuous, the men whose job it is to make these decisions have made more money in months than I have ever.
Next: KEEP THE DIVISIONS SEPARATE.
I know why this might be hard to do, especially with the constant need to create compelling programming, but what you are going to do here is to build something that your audience hasn't seen in 5 full years, or longer if you'd like to point out that the last light heavyweight champion was Hornswoggle. The one thing you want to do right now, as much as is humanly possible, is to avoid the urge to sacrifice the entire division on a funeral pyre to get your next big muscled project over. (I'm looking right at you, Mason Ryan.)
Also, and this works really well with the reliance on Stables and Trios that the 'E has going, there can be the light heavyweight guy in each one of those armies who goes after the title. WCW did this, a little bit, with Syxx in the NWO and with Bradstreet in the Freebirds. (You could argue Richard Morton with the York Foundation, and I wouldn't disagree with you.) In Japan, of course, they could teach a master class on this entire thing. And considering that the single greatest angle in North American wrestling history was cribbed from the UWF-New Japan feud, perhaps it's time to get some more tips from the Land of the Rising Sun. But there is one thing that New York can do.
Finally: FIND YOUR BRIAN PILLMAN.
The reason that the first WCW light heavyweight division worked, before Bill Watts came along and murdered it which is another story for another time, is that the man who was rather quickly established as the king of the hill was a guy who had already, by the start of it, been the US Tag Team Champion, been the focal storyline point of the company's signature blowoff match, and had a really awesome feud with Barry Windham. That was the guy who built the division.
Does that guy, with all of his credibility to make the belt mean something, exist currently on the WWE roster? Yes he does. Now I know what you're thinking, and no I am not going to make Daniel Bryan drop down to junior heavyweight just to get this over. No, what I would like to do is do it with someone who is in a bit of a bholding pattern at the moment, the sort of guy who might very well relish a chance like this. Would you like an introduction?
Now, Dolph can do this. He's a big enough star that if he professes a desire to be the Light Heavyweight Champion, linking it to the rich history that includes Tiger Mask, Dynamite Kid, and Rey Misterio Jr., that the fanbase might very well accept it as a thing worth paying attention to.
Will it work? Not sure. There might be too much damage and scar tissue. But should they try? Why not. Be the industry leader for once, and innovate instead of just talking about how cool you are on your TV shows all the time.
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