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http://www.cheap-heat.com WWE, TNA, ROH, NJPW - Blogs, Reviews, Top Lists, Indy News & Results Tue, 14 Jul 2015 16:20:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=4.2.2

http://www.cheap-heat.com/7-returns-that-could-rock-the-roster/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/7-returns-that-could-rock-the-roster/#comments Tue, 14 Jul 2015 16:18:30 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Top Lists Bobby Lashley Brian Meyers Chavo CHIKARA Chris Hero Curt Hawkins Doc Gallows Edge Fake Kane Festus John Morrison Johnny Mundo Johnny Nitro Kane Kassius Ohno Luke Gallows NJPW NXT ROH Shelton Benjamin The Undertaker Trent Baretta wrestling WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=12946 How's it going everybody? Wait—no, that's Brian Alvarez's signature line. Geeze Louise, I need to figure this out fast. What's really good in the neighborhood wrestling fans? It's your buddy Mark Adam Haggerty, back in the swing of things on this beautiful summer day. It's one on a Monday here; I'm smoking weed and drinking […]

How's it going everybody? Wait—no, that's Brian Alvarez's signature line. Geeze Louise, I need to figure this out fast. What's really good in the neighborhood wrestling fans? It's your buddy Mark Adam Haggerty, back in the swing of things on this beautiful summer day. It's one on a Monday here; I'm smoking weed and drinking beer. As you've all gathered by now, I love lists! Maybe it's because I'm sort of obsessive compulsive, and find them to be calming in a completely calamitous world. I've recently compiled several different lists of varying length, and figured maybe I'd knock out another VIDEO countdown, in the hopes of mixing things up. I rummaged around my folder of unfinished projects and I was hit with an idea! This is a list of 7 former WWE Superstars who've made the most of their time away from the "Leader in Sports Entertainment." I feel that each of these individuals could—if positioned correctly—make an immediate impact upon return. I've included two videos with each name—the first is an example of how the WWE booked them, the second is a behind-the-scenes look at who these guys really are.

Most of his stuff with CM Punk was pretty cool, but Luke Gallows was very rarely ever given the chance to speak for himself while working for WWE. Once the Straight Edge Society disbanded, the WWE seemed at a loss for what to do with "The Artist Formerly Known as Festus." Just for fun, here's a video of Luke at his worst , opposite Glen Jacobs. It's Kane versus— FAKE KANE!

Brian Meyers debuted for the WWE as one-half of the Major Brothers, alongside current WWE Superstar Zack Ryder. Their remarkable resemblance to Edge gave the WWE a reason to repackage both individuals, and Curt Hawkins was born. Check out the debut of the Major Brothers, against ECW's Matt Striker and Marcus Cor Von.

Shelton Benjamin could make the biggest impact if he ever returns to the WWE in a prominent role, but I felt compelled to list him at number five, and with good reason. Shelton came into the WWE out of Ohio Valley with John Cena, Brock Lesnar, and Randy Orton; he spent eight years with the company, and helped pioneer the Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Shelton was a three-time WWE Intercontinental Champion and the 5 ^th longest- single reigning United States Champion of all time. It's hard to say the WWE dropped the ball with Shelton, but he never seemed to grab the proverbial "Brass Ring." I mean the WWE has never had a black WWE World Heavyweight Champion [the "world title" does not count], so I'm not sure Shelton ever had any real control over his own destiny within the WWE. I ranked him 5 ^th , because while Shelton Benjamin could be the FACE of World Wrestling Entertainment, there's a 70-year old man from North Carolina running the show. Here are a pair of Shelton Benjamin clips—his match against Shawn Michaels from Monday Night Raw, and an interview from 2014.

There was this phenomenal tag team in the WWE called the "Dude Busters." You heard me. Trent Baretta and Caylon Croft were a couple of douche bags with greasy hair. I guess this was the prototype for Seth Rollins. Trent is currently working for New Japan Pro Wrestling with independent icon Rocky Romero, where they are IWGP Junior Heavyweight Tag Team Champions. Check out the Dude Busters debut during the "ECW New Superstar Initiative." And before anyone says anything, yes. That's Taryn Terrell as Tiffany.

I was a fan of John Morrison AKA Johnny Mundo as early as the MNM Days with Melina and J&J Security's Joey Mercury. Morrison was the ECW Champion, and was a three-time intercontinental champion as well. But Morrison became something of an afterthought when the WWE went PG, and the "Shaman of Sexy" suddenly became outdated. Here's how Johnny Nitro became John Morrison.

Number two is another guy that didn't quite click, and could perhaps make the best use of his time as a part-timer with NXT. Chris Hero had a very short run in the WWE as part of NXT in its current form. Despite longstanding success on the independent circuit and around the world, he was renamed Kassius Ohno. He was released from his contract in 2013, and has since said that "the door is always open for a return." Here's Kassius Ohno versus William Regal from April 2013.

People in the wrestling community have called him "The Black Brock Lesnar," and don't think for one second that thought is lost on Vince McMahon. Bobby Lashley debuted for the WWE before he even finished in developmental—or started for that matter. Vince McMahon saw him and immediately put him on television. Lashley's WWE run was similar to what we're seeing with Roman Reigns. Kids and casual fans cheered him because they were supposed to, but hardcore fans scoffed at his United States and ECW title wins. He worked an extensive program against Vince and Shane McMahon, and even had a main event moment at Wrestlemania when he shaved Vince's head with Donald Trump! Lashley left the WWE due to personal reasons that don't seem applicable any longer, so who's to say there isn't room for a return? Here's Bobby at the "Battle of the Billionaire" contract signing.

Until next time, please LIKE "The B+ Players Podcast" on Facebook , and FOLLOW me on Twitter for all the latest and greatest updates courtesy of Cheap-Heat and Daily Wrestling News !

http://www.cheap-heat.com/indy-power-rankings-indypowerrankin-for-the-week-of-june-1st-2015/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/indy-power-rankings-indypowerrankin-for-the-week-of-june-1st-2015/#comments Thu, 04 Jun 2015 13:41:41 +0000 IndyPowerRankings Indy/Puro/Lucha Aaron Epic Chris Hero Davey Richards Drew Galloway Drew McIntyre FIP I Believe in Wrestling IPW UK JT Dunn Samoa Joe wXw http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=12209 Indy Power Rankings for the Week of June 1st, 2015 #1 Drew Galloway (@GallowaySpeaks)-Drew Galloway has arguably been the most dominant wrestler, regardless of location, in 2015. This past weekend at EVOLVE proved to be no different as he defeated Biff Busick on 5/30 to retain the Open the Freedom Gate Title, then beat […]

#1 Drew Galloway (@GallowaySpeaks)- Drew Galloway has arguably been the most dominant wrestler, regardless of location, in 2015. This past weekend at EVOLVE proved to be no different as he defeated Biff Busick on 5/30 to retain the Open the Freedom Gate Title, then beat Roderick Strong to retain the EVOLVE Title on 5/31. Galloway has been absolutely unstoppable this year, proving that he is one guy that even the WWE couldn't hold down as he proved that his release could be a great thing. Is he the king of the indies right now? Tune into the IPR 100 Mid-Year Update on June 30 ^th to find out where he ranks so far this year. This is his FIFTH #1 ranking this year, which is more than anyone so far in 2015.

#2 Aaron Epic (@RealAaronEpic)- If you go back and listen to the Indy Power Rankings Reveal from last week, we talked about the importance of the Florida J-Cup for I Believe in Wrestling. The host of the show picked Aaron Epic to win the tournament and those words proved to be prophetic as Epic defeated Josh Hess by DQ in the First Round, then beat Jesus Rodriguez in the Second Round, and then beat Lince Dorado in the Finals to win the tournament for 2015. You can go back and listen to that big hype central for the Florida J-Cup 2015 here: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fillingthevoidrn/2015/05/26/indy-power-rankings-weekly-reveal

#3 JT Dunn (@TheJuiceee)- "The Juice" has slipped under the radar this year after being heavily ranked time and time again last year. He returns to the Indy Power Rankings Top 10 after a long hiatus after a very good weekend in the Northeast. On 5/29 he defeated Ken Broadway at HOG, then he beat Andrew Everett at XWA on 5/30, and then wrapped up the weekend when he teamed with Chris Hero to defeat Team Tremendous at Beyond Wrestling on 5/31 to go 3-0 on the week. Can he keep this momentum going? He'll need to pick up some more wins and continue the win streak if he hopes to secure a high spot in the upcoming IPR 100 Mid-Year update.

#4 Davey Richards (@RichardsWesley)- This wolf has been devouring his competition on the indies as of late. EVOLVE weekend was just another opportunity for him to shine as he may have earned himself a future EVOLVE title shot after another great weekend. First, he defeated Caleb Konley on 5/30 and then he followed that up with another win vs. Drew Gulak on 5/31 to go 2-0 for the week. Drew Galloway vs. Davey Richards? Who wouldn't want to see that? TNA work aside, both men have been doing great work on the indies this year.

#5 "Bad Bones" John Klinger (@TheGermanPsycho)- One of Europe's finest returns to the Top 10 this week. The IPW:UK World Champion defeated Demolition Davies, Michael Dante, and Scotty Saxon at wXw in Germany on 5/29, then beat Tommaso Ciampa at SWE in Switzerland on 5/30 to go 2-0 for the week. With 10 wins in his last 11 matches, Bad Bones has been tearing it up in Europe. A couple of years ago he was announced for IWA Mid-South's TPI before it was cancelled…perhaps the time has come again for John Klinger to come to the U.S. to show what he can do?

#6 Will Ospreay (@WillOspreay)- It was a great 4-1 week for the RPW British Champion. At Progress Wrestling on 5/25 he defeated Mark Haskins in the quarterfinals, then defeated Roderick Strong in the semifinals, and then defeated Zack Sabre Jr in the final to win the tournament. His big loss on the week was when he lost the Speed King Title Match to El Ligero on 5/30 after winning a qualifying match earlier in the day. Great week for Ospreay who has been having an impressive 2015 so far.

#7 Samoa Joe (@SamoaJoe)- Three up and three down for Samoa Joe as he makes another stop to the indies to continue his success around the loop. On 5/29 he defeated Chris Dickinson at HOG, then did it again at XWA on 5/30, and then completed the trifecta when he defeated Dickinson again at Beyond Wrestling on 5/31 to go 3-0 on the weekend. Certainly if he would have had some diversity in his opponents he would have been ranked higher this week, but three straight wins against competition like Chris Dickinson is still quite impressive. Expect this type of success to continue if he continues to pick up bookings on the indies.

#8 Chris Hero (@TheChrisHero)- Chris is awesome? No doubt about it as he returns to the Top 10 this week after defeating Trevor Lee in a flat out war at EVOLVE on 5/30 and then teamed with JT Dunn to beat Team Tremendous at Beyond Wrestling on 5/31 to go 2-0 on the week. While Hero may not have a ton of titles to his credit right now, he's still being booked and winning all over the world. This veteran has been putting on high quality performances for years and this past weekend was no different.

#9 Hy Zaya- Had it not been for the loss at Infinity Pro in a 6 Man Tag Team Match over the weekend, Hy Zaya likely would have been contending for the #1 spot this week. That being said, there was perhaps no bigger and surprising victory over the weekend than Hy Zaya's victory over the monstrous Kongo Kong to become the NEW IWA Mid-South Champion on 5/31. This victory came after a big 6 man scramble victory earlier in the night to earn the title shot. Call him "The Hood Ninja" or just "The Ninja" but in 2015, with him holding both the CCW and IWA Mid-South titles, you damn sure better respect him.

#10 Brad Kevins (@Hawaiian_Hero)- The Anarchy Pro Cruiserweight Champion defeated Colin Cambridge & Brendan Conway at Blitz on 5/28, then beat Owen Travers on 5/30 to retain the Anarchy Pro Cruiserweight Title, then beat Lunatic at CSW the same day to go 3-0 on the week. This is his first ranking as he has been picking up matches everywhere he possibly can. With him being new to the Top 10, if he can keep this type of success going, the sky's the limit for this young athlete.

People's Champ. Bryan Skyline (@BryanSkyline)- For a second straight week, the UPW Champion wins the online voting competition after he defeated Nathan Gust on 5/30 to retain the title. With 176 votes, the voting competition once again belonged to him after rallying from behind. While he didn't crack the Top 10 this week, his 3 straight victories most definitely keep him in the hunt.

Also search "Indy Power Rankings" for our open Facebook group where anyone on the indies can promote their various merchandise, fan pages, and upcoming events

Our Instagram where we SPOIL the Indy Power Rankings/Tag Team Top 5 #1 every Monday and Tuesday Night before you'll see it anywhere else: @IndyPowerRankings

http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-wwn-live-event-cards-for-wrestlemania-31-weekend/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-wwn-live-event-cards-for-wrestlemania-31-weekend/#comments Tue, 17 Mar 2015 18:36:39 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha AR Fox Austin Aries Biff Busick Brian Cage Caleb Konley Chris Hero DGUSA Dragon Gate USA Drew Galloway Drew Gulak Drew McIntyre Ethan Page EVOLVE Johnny Gargano Justin Gabriel PJ Black Rich Swann Ricochet Roderick Strong SHINE SoCal Val Timothy Thatcher TJ Perkins TNA Tommy End Uhaa Nation Wrestlemania WWE WWN WWN Live http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=10467 EVOLVE returns to Florida on April 17th and 18th. Tickets go on sale today in the DGUSA.tv Shop. The events are: EVOLVE 41 The Orpheum 1915 E. 7th Ave. Ybor City, FL Belltime: 9pm EVOLVE 42 4801 W. Colonial Dr. Orlando, FL 32808 Double header with FIP! FIP Belltime: 4pm EVOLVE Belltime: 7pm he following […]

EVOLVE returns to Florida on April 17th and 18th . Tickets go on sale today in the DGUSA.tv Shop. The events are:

EVOLVE 42
4801 W. Colonial Dr.
Orlando, FL 32808
Double header with FIP!
FIP Belltime: 4pm
EVOLVE Belltime: 7pm

he following events are taking place as part of the WWNLive Experience in San Jose:

EVOLVE 39 – Thursday, March 26th – 8pm PST , 11pm EST – www.WWNLive.com

EVOLVE Title Match
EVOLVE Champion Drew Galloway defends vs. “Darewolf” PJ Black

New Stipulation: DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate Title Match
DGUSA Open The Freedom Gate Champion Johnny Gargano defends vs. AR Fox

Just Announced: Six Man Tag Team Attraction
Ricochet, Rich Swann & Uhaa Nation vs. Caleb Konley, TJ Perkins & Brian Cage w/SoCal Val

Grudge Tag Team Match
Johnny Gargano & Rich Swann vs. Caleb Konley & Brian Cage with So Cal Val

WWN Supershow – Saturday, March 28th – 4pm PST , 7pm EST – www.WWNLive.com

Champion vs. Champion (if both retain their titles at EVOLVE 39)
EVOLVE Champion Drew Galloway vs. DGUSA Champion Johnny Gargano

Generation Next vs. The New Generation
Austin Aries & Roderick Strong vs. Ricochet & Uhaa Nation

Plus more with Rich Swann, Biff Busick, Drew Gulak, Tommy End, Ethan Page and Premier Athlete Brand members Caleb Konley, TJ Perkins and Brian Cage with So Cal Val

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-guerrilla-pwg-from-out-of-nowhere-22715-reseda-ca/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-pro-wrestling-guerrilla-pwg-from-out-of-nowhere-22715-reseda-ca/#comments Sat, 28 Feb 2015 18:31:05 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha ACH Alex Reynolds AR Fox Beaver Boys Best Friends Biff Busick Cedric Alexander Chris Hero Chuck Taylor Drew Gulak Ethan Page John Silver Josh Alexander Matt Jackson Matt Sydal Mike Bailey Monster Mafia Nick Jackson Pro Wrestling Guerrilla PWG Ricochet Roderick Strong Tommaso Ciampa Trent Baretta Trevor Lee Young Bucks http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=10058 The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling Guerrilla live event. В The event took place on February 27th, 2015 from the American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, California: Singles Match Biff Busick defeats Mike Bailey Singles Match Cedric Alexander defeats Tommaso Ciampa Tag Team Match Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent) defeat The Beaver […]

The following results are from a recent Pro Wrestling Guerrilla live event. В The event took place on February 27th, 2015 from the American Legion Post #308 in Reseda, California:
Singles Match
Biff Busick defeats Mike Bailey

Tag Team Match
Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent) defeat The Beaver Boys (Alex Reynolds & John Silver)

Tag Team Match
The Young Bucks (Matt Jackson & Nick Jackson) defeat The Monster Mafia (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-evolve-38-ippv-card/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-evolve-38-ippv-card/#comments Wed, 25 Feb 2015 17:26:29 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha Anthony Nese AR Fox Biff Busick Bill Carr Caleb Konley Chris Hero Dan Barry Drew Galloway Drew Gulak EVOLVE EVOLVE 38 FIP Full Impact Pro Matt Cage Roderick Strong Team TREMENDOUS Trent Baretta http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=10005 Gabe Sapolsky announced the updated card for the next EVOLVE ippv: EVOLVE 38 Sunday, March 8th, 2015 Belltime – 8pm EST. The Sportatorium 435-13 Brook Avenue Deer Park, NY 11729 Tickets are on sale now in the DGUSA.tv Shop or by calling 267-638-6583! Watch on live iPPV at www.WWNLive.com in HD! Watch on the WWN […]

EVOLVE 38

Sunday, March 8th, 2015
Belltime – 8pm EST.
The Sportatorium
435-13 Brook Avenue
Deer Park, NY 11729

Tickets are on sale now in the DGUSA.tv Shop or by calling 267-638-6583!

Watch on live iPPV at www.WWNLive.com in HD! Watch on the WWN Roku Channel!

Steel Cage Match – Non-Title – Must Be A Winner By Pinfall, Submission Or Knock Out
EVOLVE Champion Drew Galloway vs. FIP World Heavyweight Champion Roderick Strong

Special Challenge Match
AR Fox vs. Trent Baretta

Grudge Match
Chris Hero vs. Drew Gulak

Title Match On The Line
Biff Busick vs. Caleb Konley

Special Attraction Match
Anthony Nese vs. Matt Cage

Plus: Team Tremendous of Dan Barry & Bill Carr and others!!!

http://www.cheap-heat.com/indy-power-rankings-indypowerrankin-reveal-on-february-10th-2015/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/indy-power-rankings-indypowerrankin-reveal-on-february-10th-2015/#comments Fri, 06 Feb 2015 19:54:05 +0000 IndyPowerRankings Indy/Puro/Lucha Chris Hero Ian Rotten IWA IWA Mid-South IWA MS Kongo Kong The Viking War Party http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9497 Be sure to tune into the "The Indy Power Rankings Reveal" on Tuesday, February 10th at 3 PM EST as it will be another "Hype Central Edition" of the popular show! Be the first to know who got ranked, who got snubbed, and who is #1 this week as voted by the Indy Power Rankings crew! […]

Be sure to tune into the "The Indy Power Rankings Reveal" on Tuesday, February 10th at 3 PM EST as it will be another "Hype Central Edition" of the popular show! Be the first to know who got ranked, who got snubbed, and who is #1 this week as voted by the Indy Power Rankings crew! After Travis Desmond and Vic Filpot reveal the Top 10 for the week, the topic at hand will be IWA Mid-South Wrestling's HUGE show on February 12th…Heartbreak!

Last week's show was loaded with surprise guests along with a call from the #1 for the week, Kameron Kade!

Surprises galore are locked in for this week's show as we can already confirm that CHRIS HERO will be calling in to talk about his IWA World Title Match vs. Kongo Kong.

We will also be joined by IWA Mid-South Champion Kongo Kong with Rodney Rush andВ The Viking War Party (Frank Wyatt & Alex Rudolph)!

You can see the huge card below for “Heartbreak” on 2/12 and the Facebook link to RSVP:

Also search "Indy Power Rankings" for our open Facebook group where anyone on the indies can promote their various merchandise, fan pages, and upcoming events

Our Instagram where we SPOIL the Indy Power Rankings/Tag Team Top 5 #1 every Monday and Tuesday Night before you'll see it anywhere else: @IndyPowerRankings

http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-pro-wrestling-guerrilla-pwg-card-for-february-27th-2015-change-to-main-event/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/updated-pro-wrestling-guerrilla-pwg-card-for-february-27th-2015-change-to-main-event/#comments Tue, 27 Jan 2015 19:15:07 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha "Speedball" Mike Bailey Alex Reynolds Beaver Boys Biff Busick Cedric Alexander Chris Hero Chuck Taylor Drew Gulak Ethan Page John Silver Josh Alexander Matt Jackson Matt Sydal Mike Bailey Monster Mafia Nick Jackson Pro Wrestling Guerrilla PWG Ricochet Roderick Strong The Best Friends Tommaso Ciampa Trent Barreta Trevor Lee Uhaa Nation Young Bucks http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9311 PWG returns Friday, February 27th. Tickets go on sale Thursday, January 29th at 8PM PDT Main Event PWG World Title Match: Trevor Lee vs Roderick Strong **Uhaa Nation will not be able to do the show** Singles Match "Speedball" Mike Bailey vsBiff Busick Singles Match Drew Gulak vs Chris Hero Tag Team Match Monster Mafia (Ethan […]

PWG returns Friday, February 27th .
Tickets go on sale Thursday, January 29th at 8PM PDT

Tag Team Match
В Monster Mafia (Ethan Page & Josh Alexander)В vsВ The Young Bucks (Matt & Nick Jackson)

Tag Team Match
В The Beaver Boys (Alex Reynolds & John Silver) vsВ The Best Friends (Chuck Taylor & Trent Barreta)

http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-international-wrestling-federation-iwf-the-chosen-one-12315-mesa-arizona/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/results-international-wrestling-federation-iwf-the-chosen-one-12315-mesa-arizona/#comments Sat, 24 Jan 2015 17:28:27 +0000 Cassidy Haynes Indy/Puro/Lucha ACH Biff Busick Brian Cage Chris Hero Drew Galloway Evan Daniels International Wrestling Federation IWF Jacob Austin Young Joey Ryan Kevin Krunk Matt Cage Matt Jackson Matt Sydal Nick Jackson Shane Strickland Shaun Ricker Tommaso Ciampa Trevor Lee Uhaa Nation Young Bucks http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9226 The following results are from a recent International Wrestling Federation live event. В The event took place on January 23rd, 2015 from the The Arizona Event Center in Mesa, Arizona: Dark Match Kevin Krunk defeated Evan Daniels IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Semi Final Uhaa Nation defeated Matt Sydal IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Semi Final Chris […]

The following results are from a recent International Wrestling Federation live event. В The event took place on January 23rd, 2015 from the The Arizona Event Center in Mesa, Arizona:

IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Semi Final
Uhaa Nation defeated Matt Sydal

IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Semi Final – ICW Heavyweight Title Match
Drew Galloway (c) defeated Tommaso Ciampa

IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Semi Final
Brian Cage defeated Biff Busick

Tag Team Match
Young Bucks (Matt Jackson and Nick Jackson) defeated Shane Strickland and Trevor Lee

IWF Heavyweight Title Tournament, Final – 4-Way Match – IWF Heavyweight Title Match
Brian Cage defeated Chris Hero and Drew Galloway and Uhaa Nation – TITLE CHANGE!!!

http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-4-nifty-looking-title-belts/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/lucky-thirteen-4-nifty-looking-title-belts/#comments Fri, 23 Jan 2015 19:43:42 +0000 Mark Adam Haggerty Blogs Other Blogs Top Lists AAA AJ Styles American Wrestling Association AR Fox AWA Big Vis Bob Backlund Bobby Lashley Bret Hart Brian Christopher Brock Lesnar Cheerleader Melissa Chessman Chris Hero CIMA DGUSA Diva's Title Dr. Wagner Jr. Dragon Gate Dragon Gate USA Drew Galloway Drew McIntyre ECW EVOLVE FTW Hiroshi Tanahashi Hulk Hogan Impact Wrestling Iron Sheik IWGP Jeff Hardy John Cena Kazuchika Okada King Mabel King of the Ring Kurt Angle Larry Zbyszko Latin American Championship Light Heavyweight Championship Mabel Matt Hardy Million Dollar Championship Monday Night RAW Monday Nitro National Wrestling Alliance New Japan Pro Wrestling NWA Paige Paul Heyman RCP Ric Flair Right Coast Pro Ring of Honor Sara Del Rey Saraya Knight Shawn Michaels SHIMMER Smoking Skull Belt TAKA Michinoku TNA Ultimate Warrior Vader Verne Gagne Vince McMahon Viscera WCW Willow Winged Eagle World Championship Wrestling WWE WWF WWWF http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=9173 Lucky Thirteen #4 Nifty-Looking Title Belts Written by Mark Adam Haggerty You know a belt can do more than keep your trousers from falling down around your ankles. The right accessory around your waist might mean you're the best at what you do. Of course I'm only referring to one type of belt—those leather straps […]

You know a belt can do more than keep your trousers from falling down around your ankles. The right accessory around your waist might mean you're the best at what you do. Of course I'm only referring to one type of belt—those leather straps coated in gold made to distinguish super humans from every day citizens. Championship title belts come in many forms and represent a slew of action sports from mixed martial arts to boxing, but perhaps are most synonymous with the over-the-top world of professional wrestling. My name is Mark Adam Haggerty, and this week I'm counting down "Nifty-Looking Title Belts"—the most aesthetically pleasing championships in professional wrestling history.

Honorable Mention
I don't always do an honorable mention, but I figured one was most certainly warranted given this week's subject matter. For the purpose of variety, I excluded Superstar-specific championship belts such as the spinners worn by John Cena and the ghastly Willow-inspired TNA belt created for Jeff Hardy. I also left out the Million Dollar Championship, the current Matt Hardy Title in Ring of Honor, the Smoking Skull Belt and anything else designed to fit one specific superstar. I wanted this list to focus on "real" titles, rather than gimmick belts—but who knows? Perhaps that's another list for another Lucky Thirteen?

13. Impact Wrestling – TNA Heavyweight Championship [Present Design]
Our countdown begins with a championship still in use today, the TNA World Heavyweight title belt. When Total Nonstop Action broke from the National Wrestling Alliance, they needed to establish their own world title apart from the NWA. The TNA Championship was introduced in 2007 and first held by the Olympic Gold Medalist Kurt Angle. The current belt was unveiled in 2011 and closely resembles the IWGP Heavyweight title in New Japan in its magnificently decadent design. Sitting atop an already extravagant set of plates are the words, "TNA Heavyweight Champion," embroidered in cubic zirconias. The front plate extends higher than the average belt, making it almost impossible to ignore this glistening piece of hardware, especially around the waist of the current champion Bobby Lashley.

12. WWE – WWF Heavyweight Championship [Winged-Eagle Design]
I grew up in New Jersey during the 1990's, so in many ways this was the only world title I ever knew. Worn by the greatest champions in history, the "Winged Eagle" design features a deep-blue globe positioned in the center of, you guessed it—an eagle! The bird's massive wingspan encompasses the words "WWF World Heavyweight Wrestling Champion," with classic representations of modern professional wrestling along the edges and side plates. This was the championship belt passed down from Hulk Hogan to Bret Hart to Shawn Michaels, with names like Ric Flair, the Ultimate Warrior and Yokozuna each having their opportunity to carry the gold. Unfortunately the "Austin Era" signified the end of the "Winged Eagle" belt, and introduced the round-faced Attitude Era championship.

11. Right Coast Pro – RCP World Heavyweight Championship [Present Design]
The most indie of independent titles on our countdown, the Right Coast Pro Heavyweight belt debuted in 2013 after a lengthy design process involving RCP executives and the engineers at Top Rope Belts. This belt is the largest on our countdown, including massive side plates each depicting a certain set of skills required to win a chess match. Looking closely at the front, you can see that the plate is covered with nearly microscopic inscriptions. Don't try and read too closely unless you're familiar with Latin—the dead language of the Catholic Church extends across the entire faceplate, fading into the background behind the all-original RCP logo.

10. Shimmer – Shimmer Championship [Present Design]
Feeling the need to represent women in wrestling, I scoured the internet in search of the coolest looking lady's championship title in the world. While the pink WWF Women's belt and current Diva's title are unmistakably original, I decided to instead go with the most-sought after title in women's wrestling, the Shimmer Championship. Made from soft leather, the Shimmer belt includes a perfectly-rounded set of face and side plates, with the word Shimmer stretched across the front and extending over the sides. Shimmer is the premier league for women's wrestling, meaning the title has only been held by highly skilled competitors such as Cheerleader Melissa, Sara Del Rey, and mother of WWE Diva Paige, Saraya Knight.

9. AAA – AAA Latin American Championship [Present Design]
Let's venture across the southernmost border of the United States for number nine, the AAA Latin American Championship. The L.A. championship belt was first introduced in 2011 and originally worn by the second generation luchador Dr. Wagner Jr. As opposed to most belts, this AAA title doesn't feature a circular centerpiece, but a sharp angular shape with more than thirty separate sides. In the middle sits a globe focusing on Central and South America with the Mexican flag beneath. On the right and left of the map are ten more flags, each representing a different nation in Latin America. The current title holder is Chessman, a near 20-year veteran who's managed to retain the championship for over 300 days.

8. AWA – AWA World Heavyweight Championship [Last Redesign]
If the WCW title was referred to as the "Big Gold Belt," then the final belt representing the American Wrestling Association should surely be known as the "Big Silver Belt." When the sport of sports entertainment began to go global, Verne Gagne stuck to his all-American roots, outfitting his belt with the red white and blue of the United States. The face plate makes this among the most reflective championship titles in history, serving to mirror anyone who looked directly at it, but only belonging to one man at a time. The middle of the centerplate simply reads: "AWA World Heavyweight Champion," without any sort of star-studded bells and whistles aside from the standard red jewels and fake diamonds that any belt of the time was designed with. Sadly the title was retired nearly a year before the AWA closed when the final champion Larry Zbyszko signed with WCW.

7. WWE – WWF Light Heavyweight Championship [Original Design]
WCW's Monday Nitro on TNT maintained a solid lead over WWF's Monday Night Raw on the USA Network, partly because of the innovation on display each week from the cruiserweight division. High flying luchadors from every corner of the planet converged on World Championship Wrestling to practice their craft and it was only a matter of time before Vince McMahon sought to cash in on the junior weight division. In 1997 the WWF dusted off the Light Heavyweight Championship, a 1980s title that had since been retired. The new belt was red and featured the same sort of prestigious styling as the "Winged Eagle." The first champion to hold the crimson championship was Taka Michinoku who defeated Brian Christopher in the tournament finals. The belt was soon replaced with a classic black strap, and then once again retired in 2001 when Vince McMahon bought WCW and the cruiserweight championship.

6. WWE – WWF King of the Ring [1995 Prototype]
Alright so I cheated with this one. I promised I would keep the countdown focused on real titles worth wrestling for, and sadly this was a one-time only concept. But how cool is the WWF's King of the Ring title designed in 1995 for King Mabel? Whether the original idea was to have the late Big Vis defend his Kingly crown on a regular basis, or simply display his reign in classic championship form, we may never know. The faceplate is similar in shape to the classic WWF tag team titles of the 1990s, but features castle towers raising off the words "World Wrestliing" with "Federation beneath the "King of the Ring" logo. On either side the strap are the flags of several noteworthy wrestling nations such as Mexico, Japan, the UK, Australia and—South Korea? Unfortunately the only man to ever own this title has passed, leading me to wonder whether his widow is still in possession of this one of a kind piece of wrestling folklore?

5. EVOLVE – EVOLVE World Championship [Present Design]
The Evolve Championship title looks like it belongs to the Springfield Nuclear Powerplant with all of its atomic elements including the EVOLVE logo in the center. The entire faceplate has a symmetrically wavy style to it, representing both the unpredictability of nuclear energy and the action inside the EVOLVE squared circle. EVOLVE is an extension of Dragon Gate, and therefore adheres to a variety of the same principles as both DG and DGUSA. The first ever EVOLVE champion was AR Fox crowned in April of 2013, and since then there have been two additional title holders: Chris Hero and the current champion Drew Galloway AKA Drew McIntyre.

4. ECW – ECW World Tag Team Championship [Last Redesign]
It's about time for this countdown to get EXTREME. ECW was always relentless when it came to designing their championship titles in a way that reflected the sharp-edged style of Hardcore Wrestling. Their belts always seemed to have some barbed wire or broken glass—hell they even had an FTW championship that stood for "Fuck the World." But perhaps the most interesting-looking belts ever produced by Paul Heyman were the final tag title belts, redesigned for ECW on TNN. In addition to the barbed wire motif, the ECW world tag team championship featured an entire prison fence torn to shreds with a black and white globe crashing through the middle.

3. New Japan – IWGP Heavyweight Championship [Present Design]
The IWGP Heavyweight Championship might possibly be the most prestigious championship in all of professional wrestling. Currently held by the record-setting Hiroshi Tanahashi, the IWGP championship has been passed from men like Vader and Brock Lesnar to stars of today such as AJ Styles and Kazuchika Okada. The most recent title design makes for a near-30 pounds of brushed silver and gold plates, making it one of the more massive belts on our countdown—most certainly the heaviest. Although defended in the "Land of the Rising Sun," the IWGP heavyweight title features roman lettering and English phrases such as "Heavyweight Champion." The side plates lining the strap are used to display the names of all former champions, so that the current title holder never forgets the historic significance of his championship.

2. WWE – WWWF Heavyweight Championship [Big Green Belt Design]
Everyone's heard of the "Big Gold Belt," but somewhere lost in the shuffle of history is the championship belt that represented the era between Vincent J. and Vincent K. McMahon. Only ever held by three men including Bob Backlund, the Iron Sheik, and Hulk Hogan—the WWWF Heavyweight Championship consisted of several heavy gold-plated slabs affixed to a bright green leather strap. In the center was a perfectly circular plate depicting the earth underneath the words, "World Wide Wrestling." The length of the belt was covered in rectangular pieces of metal, each displaying the length of reign for all previous champions. The above photos display the original belt as it was in the early 1980s, as well as a fully restored replica created by Wild Cat Belts.

1. Dragon Gate – Open the Dream Gate [All Designs]
The number one title belt in the world is the Dream Gate championship title awarded to the best and brightest stars of Dragon Gate. The Dream Gate belt is considered the equivalent of the world title in Dragon Gate, and has been held a record number three times by the first ever champion Cima. Unlike virtually every other title belt in existence, the Dream Gate championship opens up to display a championship compartment where the current title holders name may rest. When a competitor is named number one contender to the Dream Gate championship, they're given a key which "Opens the Dream Gate." Should the challenger best the champion and take his title, he may use his key to remove the former champions name and replace it with his own. However, should the champion retain his title, the key is then added to a bar along the bottom of the belt; many keys hanging from the Dream Gate championship means a series of successful title defenses. Not only is the outside stylish, compete with black and bronze colored plates topped with silver accents, but the hidden compartment and "contender's key ritual" represents an entirely new level of innovation in championship belt design. That is why I've named the Dragon Gate Open the Dream Gate the number one championship on this countdown of "Nifty Looking Title Belts."

Whether their style be classic like the Winged Eagle, or radically adventurous such as the titles seen in Dragon Gate; some date back fifty years, while others were introduced in the past two. Regardless of who's gone before, each championship belt tells a story and it's up to the current title holder to keep that tale alive. Until next time, my name is Mark Adam Haggerty and this has been another installment of Lucky Thirteen, exclusively at Cheap-Heat.

http://www.cheap-heat.com/what-if-the-shield/ http://www.cheap-heat.com/what-if-the-shield/#comments Tue, 13 Jan 2015 21:03:08 +0000 Bill Wright Blogs Other Blogs Adrian Neville Brock Lesnar Chris Hero CM Punk Curtis Axel Dangerous Alliance Dean Ambrose HHH Kassius Ohno Kevin Owens NXT Paul Heyman ROH Roman Reigns Sami Zayn Seth Rollins Steve Austin The Rock The Shield The Wyatt Family Triple H Undertaker Vince McMahon WWE http://www.cheap-heat.com/?p=8843 On my second edition of what if WWE, we will look at CM Punks original vision for the most dominant group in WWE’s recent history.В With three interesting questions.В So lets look at the alternate history and future for the elite group that gas already changed the future of WWE. What if The Shield started […]

On my second edition of what if WWE, we will look at CM Punks original vision for the most dominant group in WWE’s recent history.В With three interesting questions.В So lets look at the alternate history and future for the elite group that gas already changed the future of WWE.

What if The Shield started with 4 members?:

Now according to CM Punk, the Shield was his idea and contrary to popular belief, was designed to be a four man swat team, not three.

The man who never got the shot he deserved, none other than Indy Darling and ROH legend Chris Hero.В Known to the WWE Universe as Kassias Ohno… Or KO. В Right Kevin Owens has a much better version of this clever abbreviation.В But never the less Chris Hero ia a guy we wanted to see succeed, nXt wanted him to succeed.В Sadly someone at WWE did not and he has once again been released by WWE.

Now we sit here and ponder, how much more effective would the Shield have been with one more man, a man who was innovative and exciting to watch.В A man with long hair in tactical gear that would cover up his less than WWE ideal body, his ONLY drawback would be covered like the rest of the Shield.

Not only would this have allowed Shield more gold or championships, but now the Broken Shield are all staged to become the next Austin (Ambrose), Rock (Reigns), and Triple H (Seth Rollins) of the wrestling world!В And already legendary matches take place, yet I challenge each and everyone of you to watch the Best of Chris Hero, or Top 20 Moves of Chris Hero and then tell me how much better this WWE Universe would be if a real wrestler like Hero would have been given a shot instead of a movie star wannabe like the frickin Miz.В Trust me the WWE would have been better and the Shield that much cooler if Hero was the fourth man. Alas on to the next question!

What if The Shield never imploded?:

OBVIOUSLY WWE management already have a different opinion than me.В Sorry guys but as much as I like WWE I am not at all convinced they make the best decisions all of the time.В Ending the Shield by their login may seem timely… But a year guys?В One year is all we get?В You make the coolest group in this modern era, a group that had me marking out like I did for the nWo over a decade ago.

Yes at 30 I got mark out level excited when the Shield music would play and some one like Vince or Undertaker stand alone in the ring.

Sadly Vince left the ring instead of absorbing a triple power bomb… But that is a “what if” all its own.В What I do know is they get bad ass face masks, new Shield hoodies, make a new sign of excellence, and then throw it all away.В No we couldn’t let the fued with the Wyatts expand, and we dare not make new groups to combat with, no we need them all to break up now.

Why did Dean and Reigns go their separate ways and not hold together as brothers?

I mean why must they all fly solo so quickly.В The Shield were a group, one guy leaves and that is it bands over?
Nay I say!В What if Ambrose and Reigns held it together, what if The Shield became the new horsemen and replaced a fallen member with a new one.

What if Rollins had been replaced with Adrian Neville the new High Flyer of the Shield.В Dominance would continue, new talent would get a great push, and a lineage born!

Then Unstable Ambrose snaps, Reigns goes out for hernia Surgery and Neville seems at a loss and out numbered by the Wyatt’s.
Then Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn make the save and an all new Shield run another year while all the guys you want solo have gone solo, yet the symbol of excellence goes on.

Sadly WWE mostly wastes the Shield and Wyatt feud, then bring Evolution back for two months and end the Shield cause they don’t know what to do?

What if The Shield were Heyman Guys?:

Oh yea baby! They were introduced to save Punks ass!В The whole Brad Maddox has not been forgotten.В So at what point did the Shield stop working for Punk?В Sadly it never was addressed, so I will ask. What would WWE universe look like if CM Punk, Brock Lesnar, Curtis Axel, and the Shield were all part or Heyman’s Dangerous Alliance.

The idea is you don’t have to like each other or even work together ie Punk and Lesnar.В But at the end of the day if you are a Heyman Guy you work for and as the Dangerous Alliance when Heyman calls.

This would be a group that would be an equal to the Authority and would have made for a great story arc with endless possibilities.
Yet again a missed opportunity. So to close out I will ask, wouldn’t Heyman have given each or all of the Shield mates an incredible chapter to their future?В Reigns dominant in body with the strategy of the greatest wrestling manager behind him?

Or how much more hated would the most hated be if Rollins and J&J security were guided by the ego maniac that we all love to hate?
Heyman can better any career if he is allowed to do what he does best.

Unfortunately the Shield really never got the benefit of working with the greatest of all wrestling managers.

So there you have he what if scenarios for The Shield.В Now make this What If Universe yours and comment below on who you think would have made a great Shield man or woman?В What great tales could have been told if the Shield was unbreakable?В Let your voice be heard and as always, we hope you enjoyed!