One Man’s Opinion: Evolving A Championship

Welcome to the first edition of “One Man’s Opinion,” 10 Percenters. Truth be told, I hadn’t planned on doing any actual blog “articles” for this site, but in light of recent events in EVOLVE and Dragon Gate USA, I’ve decided the time is right to get started. Tomorrow night is EVOLVE 17, and there’s been a lot of talk about the possibility of a championship in EVOLVE. The latest chatter comes from a video by Jon Davis addressing his match against Johnny Gargano tomorrow night:

Again, this is just the latest in the chatter from the EVOLVE locker room on the situation. It appears to have started at Dragon Gate USA’s Open The Ultimate Gate 2012 event, when Low Ki called for the EVOLVE promotion to have its own championship. This was followed by a statement of agreement by Bobby Fish the next night at Mercury Rising 2012. Since then, there’s been a lot of talk about whether the company should have a title. I wanted to go over the pros and cons of this idea, before weighing in with my opinion on the matter.

EVOLVE Title? Yes! Yes! Yes!

• Creating a championship for EVOLVE allows the promotion to recognize the face of the company. The thing about EVOLVE is that there are so many guys involved that can easily be considered the best, and having a title belt will allow people to see who truly IS the best in EVOLVE.
• An EVOLVE title allows the brand to truly be set apart from Dragon Gate USA. The slight “merger” of sorts between brands has led to some confusion on what makes each brand truly stand out. This is especially true of shows like EVOLVE 10, where the DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate title was on the line. Having a unique title belt would allow EVOLVE to stay unique in the face of this confusion, especially when you consider the guys in EVOLVE that might not be on DGUSA shows all the time, and vice versa.

EVOLVE Title? No! No! No!

• EVOLVE has been well-known for its unique brand of wrestling action, without the need for a title belt. Since its inception, EVOLVE has focused on the win/loss records, win streaks, and other statistics while giving a much more technical side to the way a promotion is run. The best in EVOLVE is already recognized as the Wins Leader (which, according to the website, is Johnny Gargano…who happens to be the Open The Freedom Gate Champion of DGUSA).
• A championship for EVOLVE diminishes the connection it has with Dragon Gate USA. As stated earlier, the two promotions have been almost joined at the hip since the merger. While having a separate title would help EVOLVE be more unique…how important IS it, really? EVOLVE already has the unique approach to wrestling, does it really need a title to set itself apart?

My answer to that question, and hence One Man’s Opinion on the matter of a championship in EVOLVE is NO! NO! NO! I’d like to point out, first of all, the three men that specifically called for this title to be made. You have Low Ki, I guy I have a lot of respect for. I mean really, would I get a picture taken with a guy I didn’t respect?

The fact of the matter is, Low Ki has been on a tear since his debut in DGUSA and EVOLVE…but to be honest, he’s also become a bit of a jerk in my opinion. Case in point, his words towards Jigsaw and El Generico after his respective matches with them: I’m not very fond of someone ripping on my homeboy El Generico, especially.

Between him, Fish, and Davis, these are three guys who can easily contend for the Open the Freedom Gate Championship…but for whatever reason, feel EVOLVE is such a big part of their career that they simply won’t (especially in the case of Davis, who specifically demanded his match with Gargano tomorrow night be nontitle for this very reason). So to them, and anyone who really feels EVOLVE needs a title…I know this is just One Man’s Opinion, but it’s a thought worth taking note.

EVOLVE doesn’t need a title to set itself apart. But if you guys REALLY want a title, it has to be done in a way that works with the unique presentation of the promotion. I would say have the Wins Leader get it, but that guy is already the Freedom Gate Champion…and I feel that would defeat the purpose. Maybe find who’s been on incredible win streaks lately, and go from there.

Hope you guys enjoy this edition of One Man’s Opinion, any and all feedback is welcome. I’m looking to do these as often as possible, covering the hot topics of pro wrestling…and with EVOLVE 17 just around the corner, I figured I’d get my thoughts in on this subject JUST in case something happens on the matter tomorrow night. Thanks for reading, 10 Percenters!

~ AlexK

POST PUBLISH EDIT: A couple of things. First and foremost, just caught wind of another promo from Jon Davis:

So now the question is, will this be addressed tomorrow night? Only one way to find out, and that’s to tune in! If you can’t make it live, catch it on iPPV tomorrow night at WWNLive by clicking HERE!