10 Ways AEW Is Dangerously Close To Following In WCW's Footsteps
5. The Devaluing Of Championships Part 2
Of course, the AEW championship whose stock has dropped the most across the company's lifespan, is the TNT Title.
A title introduced during the untimely pandemic days, the TNT Championship became a focal point of the programming of that time due to a) being held by a major star in the shape of Cody Rhodes, and b) by Cody's weekly Open Challenge bringing a genuine sense of intrigue as to which non-AEW talent may step up to face the American Nightmare.
From there, the forever missed Mr. Brodie Lee utterly decimating Rhodes brought an even greater sense of importance and grandeur in a way that continued to make this 'secondary' title feel very much like a true World Title. Cody's subsequent second reign as TNT Champ continued to add lustre to the belt, as did perennial underdog Darby Allin's run with the gold, and a reign of dominance from Miro only added more to the legacy of this championship.
Since Miro was bested by Sammy Guevara on a September 2021 episode of Dynamite, the TNT Title has largely become an afterthought - from Sammy, to Cody, back to Sammy, to Scorpio Sky, back again to Sammy, then back to Scorp, and even now with the once-white-hot Wardlow.
Likewise, the AEW Tag Team Championships have been devalued, not necessarily by the reigns with those straps, but by the glaring fact that FTR have yet to receive a title shot despite having been the #1 contenders for over five months by this point. But rankings matter, right?
On a broader level, though, the more titles you have in a promotion at any one time, the less important any championship feels. If everyone has a title, why should any particular belt feel special? Less is very much more, particularly when you only have three hours of weekly television yet currently have the *deep breath* AEW World Title, AEW Women's Title, TNT Title, TBS Title, AEW Tag Team Titles, AEW Trios Titles, AEW All Atlantic Title, ROH World Title, ROH Women's Title, ROH TV Title, ROH Tag Team Titles, ROH Pure Title, FTW Title, AAA Tag Team Titles, AAA Mixed Tag Team Titles, and the IWGP Tag Team Titles within your ranks.