World Wrestling Entertainment is the biggest game in town and quite literally nobody is going to question that. They’ve got the biggest names, the most marketability and their fanbase stretches to all four corners of the world.
Despite this, there are still a few things that the company could learn from independent promotions like Ring of Honor – which is a phrase that would likely make Vince McMahon throw up.
We’re going to attempt to get through this without sounding too much like complete and utter marks because, in truth, there are a lot of things we’d change about ROH too. Sometimes they can be a bit too cocky for their own good and in other instances their taping schedule is beyond confusing, but the pros just about outweigh the cons.
It’d be great to see some sort of collaboration between the two companies one day, but given how many ex-Ring of Honor stars are currently plying their trade on the main roster right now we may not need to. After all, imagine just how great an invasion angle would be with the likes of Cesaro, Styles, Aries, Owens and more teaming up.
With all that said, here are five things that WWE can adapt from ROH.
#1 NJPW connection
For the last few years, ROH and New Japan Pro Wrestling have formed some kind of alliance, with talent appearing for both brands throughout a number of different shows. It’s worked pretty well for the most part, with both companies gaining more notoriety as several younger talents have been able to shine on a bigger stage.
Obviously, as things stand WWE probably wouldn’t be able to do the exact same thing, but given how pro wrestling has evolved and progressed over the last few years it’s that much closer to being a possibility. The Japanese tend to demand that their guys go over more often than not, but aside from that, it’d be a win-win for everyone involved.
No fists, just flips.
#2 In-ring style
The WWE style in wrestling entails building a story within the match before executing a big finish. More often than not that technique comes off quite well, but every once in a while we’d like to see something different – straight out of ROH’s playbook. Does this mean everyone flipping around for 15-20 minutes? To an extent yes, but not entirely.
You can still build a story whilst also not having rest breaks that last for a full 90 seconds because those moments are just as unrealistic as the non-selling that takes place on the independents. If the company could find a balance between these two styles and combine them for the weekly product, then we could be on to a winner.
Let’s get those belts out, gents.
#3 Television Title
In the recent past, we’ve seen the introduction of several new/renovated championships within the WWE, which includes the cruiserweight title, UK title, and the brand new tag and women’s championships. However, we’d like to take things one step further by introducing a belt that would revolutionise how they produce television.
That’s right: it’s the Television Championship. It’s a belt that’s been present in the majority of big promotions around the world aside from Vince’s, with the concept of defending the belt on free TV being something that would work perfectly for WWE. It would be like an extended version of Cena’s US Open Challenge, and that can only be a good thing.
Speaking of belts.
#4 Six Man Tag Titles
This one may be a tad unrealistic given the depth of the roster, but if you bring a couple guys up, you could create pure magic here. Six Man Tag Titles, like the previous entry, have been around for a while now and many fans have long since been speculating as to whether the WWE would join the party.
As of right now, they haven’t, which is a shame given the potential title feuds between the likes of The Wyatt Family and The Shield. Despite this, the future is looking bright as far as this point is concerned given how well the rebuilding of the tag divisions is going. Sure things aren’t perfect right now, but they’ll get there.
We end on a potentially golden idea.
#5 Top Prospect Tournament
It’s a simple premise: taking some of the best upcoming talent you’ve got at your disposal and thrusting them into a tournament to see who truly is the best. This could do wonders for not only the youngsters but also those underrated stars that have been lingering around not doing much for a few years.
If you combine this idea with the TV Title, then the winner could also receive a shot at the belt as has been the case in Ring of Honor. It may seem a little out there and could make for some crowded episodes of Raw and SmackDown Live, but given the size of the roster right now it’d be a great way for them to utilise everyone to their fullest potential.
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