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A unique experiment resulted in some great champions and reigns. Here are ten standouts.
The NWA world television championship was envisioned by JC Productions as a tertiary title to compliment its United States and World Heavyweight championships. Their reasoning was the television title could be defended more frequently than the other major titles, and match lengths would be kept to ten or fifteen minutes, often with the caveat of 'television time remaining.'
Everything about the title was meant to be television friendly. For one, it was rendered with silver on red leather, which showed up quite well on the non-HD television sets of the era. For another, the four major networks were emblazoned on the side plates. There was also a sort of unofficial accolade that went along with the belt, that the man holding it was ostensibly 'the best wrestler on television.'
The short time limits encouraged a faster paced match, and often the title was contested between journeymen wrestlers of great skill who were being groomed for the main event. The result was one of the most popular championships in wrestling history. Until its sad decline under the leadership of Eric Bischoff and Vince Russo, the World TV title was always of great interest to wrestling fans.
Here are ten of the best Television champions of all time. Some of the names may surprise you.
1.Dan Miller--first NWA Television champion.
A rough and tumble no-nonsense grappler, Miller was on the waning years of his career when he captured the first ever NWA TV title reign.
He defeated the journeyman Ole Anderson to win a tournament and crown the first ever TV champion. Though he would only hold the title for a few months, the accolade of first ever champion belongs to him.
2. Ric Flair
Ric Flair captured the belt for the first time in 1975--his first taste of major gold--and would go on to hold it for over six months. He also held the title a second time for a four month reign. The Television title was his first stepping stone to legendary status.
3. Ricky Steamboat
When Flair lost the TV title the second time, it was to a man named Ricky the Dragon Steamboat.
Steamboat would go on to hold the title three times, the third reign taking place in 1992 near the end of his career.
4. Greg Valentine
Legit tough man Greg Valentine had a pair of TV title reigns to his credit, both in the early 1980s.
Valentine is best remembered for his heel run in the classic WWF era, where he feuded with such luminaries as former partner Brutus Beefcake and Ron Garvin.
5. Jimmy Valiant
The Boogie Woogie man is one of the most dearly beloved wrestlers from the 1970s and 80s. The TV title had been envisioned as a belt with short title reigns, but Valiant was the first man to calm down the division, and held the belt for nearly a year.
6. Mike Rotunda
Before he was IRS and VK Wallstreet, he was just plain Mike Rotunda (or Rotundo as he sometimes went by his real name.) The preppy heel was the leader of the Varsity Club group of villains. Rotunda's reign of 335 days is the second longest in the history of the championship.
7. Tully Blanchard
The WWE Hall of Famer and multi time tag team champion also had an impressive run as TV champion. His reign of 353 days ended up being the longest reign in the history of the Television championship.
8. Booker T
Long before he was King Booker or grunting inarticulately at the announce table, Booker T was one of the most phenomenal young lions in the sport.
He turned a lot of heads as a member of Harlem Heat, but when he broke out on his own was when his career truly started to soar. Much like Flair and Steamboat, the TV title was a stepping stone toward the World Heavyweight title. Booker T had seven TV title reigns, the most ever.
9. Arn Anderson
The everyman workhorse and Horsemen Enforcer was almost synonymous with the Television title during the early 1990s. During four separate reigns, he racked up over 875 days as champion. Double-A is the man still most associated with the championship, having held both the NWA and WCW versions of the title. Most critics agree that Anderson was the greatest TV champ of all time.
10. Hacksaw Jim Duggan
We started with the first TV champion, and we end with the last; Hacksaw Jim Duggan.
Duggan had been treated particularly badly by the new management of WCW. Vince Russo believed that Duggan looked more like a janitor than a wrestler, so that's the gimmick he was given. Duggan was a true company man and played the role.
It was decided after Russo's brief ouster from the company that he deserved to be given compensation for the terrible janitor gimmick. So, his Janitor character 'found' the WCW TV title in the trash. Scott Hall had tossed the title in the garbage several months earlier when he decided he had no use for it.
Duggan would hold the TV title until Russo returned, and the title was simply abandoned without any further mention on television. An ignoble end for a belt that created so many fantastic memories and matches.
There you have it; Ten of the best Television champions of all time.
