by Chris Lopez 
Exclusive to OnlineOnslaught.com

It is said that the champion carries the burden of the company's performance. If the WWE receives poor ratings when Hulk Hogan is champ it is he who is blamed. If Brock Lesnar takes the belt and the ratings jump, it stands to reason that the new champion is why.

There is another saying. “The champion has a target on his back.” It is almost a mandatory part of every new champion’s speech, and it tends to hold true for an hour or so. Yet, once the speech is over we find that our champion’s challenger is pretty obvious.

So perhaps we can amend the sayings. Maybe it’s not the champion himself that carries the burden of the company. Maybe the burden is carried by the world that surrounds him. The championship is supposed to be the center of the wrestling world, the goal of every man who laces up the boots. So why then do the wrestlers not show that? Why does the champion not live in fear and fight off the challengers? Why does it always come down to two men?

I understand the need for a clear challenger. WWE builds to a PPV. It is the conclusion of a story. You must give yourself the necessary time to start and build the story so that the fans will care enough about it to hand over their hard-earned money. The unfortunate consequence of this decision is that it then forces the story and its participants into a corner. The beginning and the end have been written, yet the middle is unclear. They must fill this space to keep the story going. A good story suffers the fate of a limited time span; a poor story finds solace in the fact that the end is near.

Then we have TNA. TNA is a PPV-based company, at least for the time being. They divert from the pattern of weekly shows to build to a PPV, instead offering weekly PPVs. For this very reason there is no set timetable. This of course carries its share of problems. The fans do not have the luxury to check in every four weeks knowing that they will see the end of the booking sheet and that the story will reset. TNA also has the unfortunate hassle of convincing their fans each week that this one is worth the purchase.

Perhaps it is in the business embrace of a story tradition that saves them. Reigning atop TNA is Jeff Jarrett, the man holding the NWA World Heavyweight Championship, a title rich in tradition. The title that Jarrett carries has been held by some of the legends of wrestling.  Below him is a world of challengers all fighting each other and antagonizing Jarrett, hoping to be the man to take the gold from him.  For each challenger that Jarrett meets one on one, another appears to extend the list.

To prove to you that there truly are multiple contenders and these are not the ravings of a man devoted to a federation no one cares about I offer up brief summaries. Here are your World Heavyweight Championship contenders and the stories on how they got there.

• #1 Contender: Raven. Raven is a legend to some and an overrated has-been to others. Former ECW Champion and WCW US Champion, he has spent the last few years of his career toiling in the lowest spots in the WWE. Immediately upon escaping WWE he stole the NWA title and declared it his “destiny.” In the months that followed, he has faced many hurdles. He has ended a years-old feud with The Sandman that spanned three federations. He has also fought tooth and nail with AJ Styles for the right to face Jarrett. He finally won this right by taking Styles “to the extreme,” and yet it left him bloody and hurt. In his absence, his SEX allies brokered his title shot around, but now that he has returned it is clear that he is all too willing to take his shot.

• AJ Styles. AJ is the undeniable star of TNA. Only a few years into his career, Styles became the first TNA X Division Champion, a title that he has held twice. In addition he was one half of the first TNA Tag Team Champions and took part in what many consider “Feud of the Year” with Jerry Lynn. In October Styles left the X Division and demanded to be entered into the World Title race. He has altogether refused to respect the tradition of the belt and “earn” a shot… but has been forced into doing just that by the likes of Jarrett, Larry Zybysko and Raven.  Styles finally gained a title shot in February only to be cheated out of a win by the interference of Vince Russo’s SEX faction. Since then he has feuded with Raven for another title shot, agreeing to go “extreme” for a chance. In the end, SEX once again stole the shot from him. His attention is momentarily turned to avenge the interference of SEX, but when he is done he is sure to return to the title hunt.

• Erik Watts. Watts is the son of old school promoter “Cowboy” Bill Watts. Erik has a notorious reputation for being untalented and gaining undue success through nepotism. That reputation is now being used to a degree as Erik arrived in TNA in February leading a faction of underachieving sons of wrestling legends.  Backed by David Flair and Brian Lawler, Watts has led a relentless assault on Jarrett and the tradition that he represents.  He and his group are regarded as simply bitter and frustrated, but Watts claims that Jarrett has wronged him in the past.  Jarrett claims Watts is not worth his time as champion, while Watts claims he has no desire for the belt. Yet if the belt stays on Jarrett’s waist, Watts will surely stay in the picture… whether he deserves it or not.

• D'Lo Brown. D'Lo, much like Raven, made an apparently voluntarily departure from the bottom of the WWE. D'Lo has long been perceived as an underutilized talent in WWE, and upon arriving in TNA with much fanfare, he has showed his frustration.  D’Lo came in stating clearly that he wanted a shot at the title, yet in his first few weeks he has found himself aiding Jarrett in his battles with Watt's Next Generation and SEX. SEX has urged D’Lo not to be fooled by Jarrett’s manipulation. Jarrett is vocal that he feels D’Lo should not merely be handed a shot. D’Lo is frustrated at waiting under a glass ceiling. SEX’s Glen Gilberti used Raven’s earned title shot to broker one for D’Lo this past week in exchange for D’Lo entering the fold. SEX attempted to seal the deal by aiding D’Lo in his title match but only succeeded in costing him the win. D’Lo’s stand is unclear, but he is sure to stay tuned on Raven, SEX, Jarrett and the title.

• Ron Killings. Killings is yet another case of “talent held down.”  WWF's former K-Kwik, in 2002 Killings christened himself “The Truth” and vowed to preach just that. He quickly climbed to the top of TNA, defeated Ken Shamrock and become the NWA World Heavyweight Champion – something that angered his sometime tag partner Jarrett. Killings would cement himself as a fine fighting champion only to lose the title to his “friend” JJ due to the interference of Vince Russo. As a result The Truth joined the war to stop Russo’s SEX faction but was unable to gain the trust of NWA’s tradition brigade, a frustration that led to his departure. Killings has now reemerged from a month-long absence, turning on Jarrett, attacking SEX and bringing in the 500lb Nelson Knight (WWE’s Mabel/Viscera) to back him up.  Killings and Jarrett have found each other on opposite ends of the battles for the World Heavyweight Title for some time, and surely will in the future.

Here you have the clear contenders. Below them fights even more talent. Jerry Lynn has proven to be one of the top men in NWA. SEX has feuded with Jarrett for months and could conceivably elevate any number of challengers including Christopher Daniels, Low Ki or their leader Glen Gilberti. Konnan and Perry Saturn are proven in other federations and are staking their claim in TNA. And for the nostalgic, Vader is still lingering in the short-term memory. With the atmosphere that TNA has created, it takes only a declaration and the ambition to begin a climb to the title.

And it is with this atmosphere that TNA builds its company. At the top is tradition. A championship once held by the legends of the sport, now defended by a man who is part of that history. All around spins the company. From every side come new challenges and new dangers. The accomplishments outside of the title chase merely serve to bring a wrestler closer to the end goal. TNA is built on the NWA legacy, and its owners realize that. Surprise appearances, extreme matches, highflying action and some T&A can only go so far. In the end, TNA is built on and around a respect for the lineage of the sport and the idea that the belt truly is some great goal to fight for.

The WWE will continue on its course. It’s a sound one that has worked for decades now. A champion will be crowned, a challenger will be chosen, a set amount of time will pass, and the story will end. For better or worse it stays uniform, and at least this makes it easy for the fans to follow. And the WWE will do it because it’s smart. They have the ability to build to a climax under a set schedule and they will continue to do so. The only thing that will change is the schedule itself.

In TNA’s difficulties and hurdles lies its charm. They may not have a PPV event to build to, and they may not have a WrestleMania to celebrate, but this also allows them to avoid having to stay between the lines. To TNA, perhaps by need more than want, it is the product that defines its format. The challenger who proves himself most ready will be the man to face the champion. The storyline will progress at a natural pace. The title match will come in due time. There is no rush to tie things up, nor a need to stretch it out. The story may be harder to follow but it is sometimes a much better read.

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