|
It's really hard to judge the ECW Championship. When the belt debuted in the WWE, it was definitely a third World Championship. Rob Van Dam was announced ECW Champion along with being WWE Champion. It put the belts on equal grounds, in a way. Then when Big Show won the ECW Title, it was still the "ECW World Championship."
Bobby Lashley became ECW Champion, and the belt suffered its first blow. Lashley was getting pushed, and was involved in major angles, but it just didn't feel accepted as a World Title reign. The belt then traded back and forth between Vince McMahon (who I can't see holding a singles title that isn't a World Title) and Bobby Lashley again. Chris Benoit was then lined up to become ECW Champion.
If Chris Benoit had gone ahead and won the ECW Championship at Vengeance last year, there is no doubt in my mind that it would still be considered a World Championship. I also believe the ECW brand would be in a much better place, and that a few ECW Title matches (like Chris Benoit vs. CM Punk, for example), might have had the chance to close a few PPVs. Alas, that didn't happen, and Johnny Nitro was chosen to be ECW Champion, as he was the only guy on ECW with any kind of resume on him.
I truly believe the belt got lowered in status around this time because of the whole Chris Benoit incident. This is a carny business, with a lot of weird traditions. I think Benoit being lined up to be the next ECW Champion, and then doing what he did, kind of triggered the WWE devaluing the belt, a bit. The belt went to CM Punk, but didn't feel like the World Title win it would have if he had won it from Benoit, and the WWE actually put him on somewhat even ground with MVP in a Champion vs. Champion Match.
Chavo Guerrero then won the title, and I have no clue what the WWE was trying to accomplish. Now that Kane is the ECW Champion, I think that they are considering it a World Title again. I think they are also getting over the whole Benoit thing, too. I marked out on SmackDown! when Kane and The Undertaker were made to look like equals. Not only because Kane looked like the main eventer he should, but because the ECW Champion looked equal to the World Heavyweight Champion.
The ECW Title was marred by a lot of "first-time World Champions" winning it. Bobby Lashley, John Morrison, CM Punk and Chavo Guerrero are all great talents, but there wasn't really appropriate build with them to make them seem like World Champions when they won the belt. Hell, CM Punk didn't win a single championship before he won the ECW Title. They're all sort of in the same position JBL was when he won the WWE Championship out of nowhere from Eddie Guerrero. Was JBL a World Champion? Well, I guess you had to technically accept him as such, but it just seemed weird.
JR recently said in one of his recent blogs that the ECW Title is probably on par with the Intercontinental Championship and United States Championship. I think he is selling it short. The belt is at least higher than those, but before World Title status (semi-World Title status, if there ever was). I consider it a World Title, though.
|