– I did some research this week and take a guess who holds the most title reigns in WWE history…EDGE! This statistic just absolutely wowed me. How crazy is that? Who would have ever thought he would reach these heights? 24 title reigns!!!
WCW United States Champ (when WCW’s belts were in the WWE, x1), World Heavyweight Champ (x3), WWF/WWE Tag Team Champ (x11 – 7 w/Christian, 2 w/Benoit, 1 w/Orton, 1 w/Hogan), WWF/WWE IC Champ (x5), WWE Champ (x3), WWE Tag Team Champ (x1 w/Rey Mysterio)….also, not counted in this inventory include King of the Ring and Money in the Bank (twice).
*EDIT* – I am discounting the Hardcore Championship during the 24/7 defense days. I am well aware that Raven technically won the title 27 times, however, since several of those were over the course of one match/night etc and lasted 15 seconds, those are not legit title reigns (much like we wouldn’t count pin falls in the Championship Scrambles). Edge’s title reigns were all fully realized, major titles.
– I am now the proud owner of WWE 24/7. A full report is probably to come within the next few columns, but let me say it’s pretty nifty. I’ve watched a SNME from 1990, a Nitro from 1997, Royal Rumble ’95, Bobby Heenan vs Lord Alfred Hayes, and other random stuff thus far. One thing that I thought was cool is that on a Best of ECW Highlights show from ’96, they had Tazz and Styles doing some cut-ins in present day to comment of the product. One of the matches shown featured Louie Spicolli and afterwards, Tazz & Joey had a very frank and interesting conversation about his life and times. I liked how uncensored they were allowed to be. It really added some interesting insight to the viewing process. Overall, it’s great to throw on a card late at night or when nothing else is on. I’m a total mark for the yesteryears of wrestling and love the nostalgia in looking back.
– WWE started 2009 off by wishing a whole bunch of guys best in their future endeavors. The body count wasn’t pretty. Let’s take a look at some of the dearly departed:
Val Venis – 11 years with the company. 4 time champion (IC x 2, European, Word Tag). Val is exactly the type of guy that WWE is missing from their roster today. He was always popular with the fans and in turn he was quite serviceable and useful to have around. When you have a recognizable talent that the fans respond to, that is a valuable asset to the roster. Venis’ tenure had its ups and downs including a low point of when Kai En Tai went "choppy choppy wee we" on him for sleeping with Yamaguchi-San’s wife. Hasn’t really been used actively in well over 2 years and often spent his time backstage sitting on his laptop. Soon to be 38 and well past his career peak, it’s hard to argue with this release. However, he did have a good run while it lasted.
D Lo Brown – 8 years with the company. 5 time champion (European x4, IC). Yet another case of the right hand not knowing what the left is doing. Why was he ever rehired if nobody had any intentions of using him? This reminds me of when Tatanka was brought back in a few years ago. Certainly was entertaining and talented back in the day, but never even got started upon his return.
Bam Neely – Under a year. No heat. No story. Not a good worker. Not a good image. Not a good reputation. Yes, a good release.
Kevin Thorn – 7 years. Wow, this guy sure put in a lot of time in the developmentals. His best run on the big show was as a member of The New Breed upon the return of ECW. An outspoken guy, who ruffled the feathers of the higher ups on a regular basis. Not surprising to find him amongst these cuts.
Gavin Spears – 3 years. In his half a year on the main roster, he never won a match. He came across as extremely vanilla and didn’t even get the chance to showcase any form of gimmick or move set. They never gave this guy a chance. A modern day Jobber to the Stars.
Tim White – 20+ years. This was a shocker. If the WWE is one thing, it’s loyal to its company men. And Tim White was a company man. To be honest, I could never really figure out what he did backstage…he wasn’t on creative, he wasn’t a road agent, he didn’t produce vignettes, he didn’t work with talent…he was one of many ambiguous producers who sat in the photo copy room and hung out. I’m sure he did something, but it was never clear what it was. Yet they kept him all these years, mostly because he was well liked and well respected. As I’ve mentioned many times before, I worked at WWE during the infamous Tim White’s Lunchtime Suicide storyline. "That’s not wise, Mr. White." Haha. This was a big surprise to me, but not one that will be felt by the fans.
3 Referees including Jimmy Korderas (a 21+ year vet) – I don’t get this one either. Even if you’re cutting refs, why cut a guy who has been around for two decades and a loyal company man? Where is the appreciation?
