On May 19th, during the Money in the Bank Pay Per View, WWE announced a new title was coming – the 24/7 Title. It was debuted the following night by Mick Foley on RAW to a hostile reaction from the crowd. However, due to the antics of R-Truth and Jinder Mahal, fans soon got to love the title. WWE used their social media platforms to show title changes taking places in airports, golf courses and even weddings. There was a massive buzz about the belt, and that it was giving other wrestlers not involved with feuds a chance to get a spotlight on themselves. However, as of late, the 24/7 Title is losing momentum and, in my opinion, it’s key reason for being in existence – getting talent over. So let’s see how we could use the title in more constructive ways
It isn’t the R-Truth Show
Yes, R-Truth is amazing, comedic and has skill in the ring. However, the 24/7 Title has become more like the R-Truth Show recently. Give other wrestlers a chance, using R-Truth to get them over. The skits that he had with Jinder Mahal, Drake Maverick and EC3 were great. He was able to give Carmella a push without her actually doing anything. There is a whole host of talent who, given the chance, could give a decent match and entertain the fans. It’s been reported that Vince McMahon is high on R-Truth, which could be an indicator of why R-Truth is the poster boy for the division, but other wrestlers deserve a chance to show their character. Worse case scenario, WWE make some more money from merchandise and the fans go home happy.
Use more talent
There is usually half a roster chasing after whomever the 24/7 Champion is at some point on RAW or SmackDown – use them! Give them some mic time, even if only for 30 seconds, to get their character over or to let the crowd know what they are thinking. If you give a wrestler 30 seconds a week then you’d be amazed with what they could do. More TV time = more exposure = more talent development. There is a lack of talent at the upper end of the midcard on RAW and SmackDown. New stars need making and the only way to do that is to give the talent a chance. EC3 has won it the same amount of times as Elias, but all his reigns combine to less than an episode of RAW. Surely giving someone with his ability a chance to shine is a good thing?
Go beyond the Arena
Part of the initial buzz of the 24/7 Title skits on YouTube and Social Media were due to the unpredictability. Golf course action featuring golf karts. In flight action on the way back from an overseas tour. Seeing beyond what happens on TV is interesting for fans. It also adds to the air of unpredictability as fans don’t know what will happen and when. For WWE, it means that more views will be added to Social Media, which they do love announcing during shows. It also allows for character development; Drake Maverick’s pursuit of the belt is a classic example of this. You also get to see wrestlers outside of the norm, which is great fun too.
Stop using celebrities / non wrestlers
For WWE to promote, they need main stream coverage. This means involving non-wrestlers into storylines. Now, call me old school but only wrestlers should be champions. WCW made the critical mistake of putting the belt on David Arquette to promote Ready to Rumble. Whilst the 24/7 Title and the WCW Heavyweight Title aren’t in the same league, the logic still applies. There should still be an element of kayfabe, and having non-wrestlers pin active WWE wrestlers does hurt the storytelling. There are a myriad of ways that main stream coverage could be found, just don’t do it at the wrestlers expense.
Closing thoughts
So we’ve looked at four different ways that the 24/7 title could get that buzz back that it lost. I do honestly feel for wrestlers who don’t get the time they deserve on TV. The 24/7 title is a way to get talent over, so let them do what they are paid to do. Who knows if this time next year if the 24/7 title has gone the way of the Dodo. All I know is that the title presents an opportunity for talent to shine.
That is why I want it to succeed.
