International Wrestling Cartel

Worth - Cleaning up

No matter how balanced you make a financial recovery prospectus, the parties involved inevitably look toward what is in need of repair over what is going well. The squeaky wheel gets the grease for a good reason. Ultimately, any good company is looking to strengthen its weakest links on a day to day basis.

Just as the funeral is before the wake, I have become accustomed to putting the "to do" list in front of the applause. In keeping with said statement, I will present the key points that IWC needs to work on in order to take the product to the next level.

As a side note, keep in mind, this is the first part of a two part prospectus. Next week, I will counterbalance my column with the aspects of IWC that are worthy of praise.

Without further ado and in no discernible order, here are the areas that IWC need to devote some attention to:

A Tag league

How is it decided that the RCE are the tag team most worthy of a title shot? Does this mean they have entered the IWC from a multi-month hiatus as the #1 tag team? Because if not, then why is a team skipping over other teams that are competing week in and week out in an IWC ring to prove that they are worthy of the gold?

Top of my head, I can think of two tag teams that have both shown that they are at least worthy of a title shot: The Gambino Brothers and the Ohio Players. Both have had strong matches against each other and both have shown that, if not a proven commodity, are at least worthy of A shot at the straps. Problem is, they are too consumed in personal issues to focus on career advancement.

Long story short, the IWC needs to take one of two courses of action:

1) Push the feud to it's conclusion. Time for a steel cage to prevent allies from interfering. Time to put on some dog collars so that no one can run until it is finished. Time for a scaffolding match (because one of my favorite matches of all time is the Skywalker match from Starcade 86, and I am dying to see that high-wire ballet one more time). Let's decide who is the better team, because one deserves a title shot.

2) Step in, act like bosses, and make one of them take a break from their feud to challenge for the belts. Or better yet, hang a title shot over the ring, give them a ladder and license to beat the hell out of each other, and see who is standing at the end. Lord knows that a shot at a champion's payday would only increase the fight (and by proxy, the spectacle) of a match in as heated of a rivalry as this.

B Jake Garrett

To begin with, I am against the idea of deserving a title shot through an outright challenge to the champion.

Having said that, Shirley Doe did accept Jake's challenge. While not official, it would be a huge loss of face for Doe to not follow through on that challenge.

That is not to say that Doe isn't planning to face Jake. Rather, it is the booking committee (along with Norm Connors) who refuses to make the match. The effect this has is two fold:

1) It makes IWC's champion look weak. Even if the truth is that Shirley Doe wrestles who is put before him and not who he decides, it appears that Shirley Doe is putting people in the path of Jake Garrett.

2) Not giving Jake his shot will not deter him. By prolonging the inevitable, all this does is put a devil just behind Doe's back. Instead of focusing on whatever opponent is in front of him, Doe now needs to also think about the prone-to-violence summbitch that is breathing down his neck. Jake has made his statement pretty clear: Shirley Doe is a fighting champion, and he wants to be the man who takes the belt off of him.

Jake deserves a title shot. He's ranked #5 right now, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Jake taking out (either in the ring or outside) every person above him on that list until he gets his chance at the belt.

C Super Indy title

I know from my commentary that some of you have got the wrong impression. I really like John McChesney. He has risen through the ranks of IWC the hard way. He has taken beating after beating between the ropes, but if he didn't get the victory, hour learned something from his loss.

Having said that, who did John McChesney beat for the Super Indy title? Between Glenn Spectre, Low Ki and CM Punk, who was the Super Indy Champ? If you answered "none of the above," give yourself an extra pudding pack with your microwave dinner tonight.

Sure, it's tradition for the champ to relinquish the belt to the winner each year. But it isn't law. Much like the UN sending a "stern letter" to a county, IWC is forced to do nothing more than whine and complain about Sterling James Keenan's decision. They can recognize McChesney as their Super Indy titleholder, but they know that it is a hollow claim until, and this is the crux of my point, JOHN MCCHESNEY BEATS THE TITLEHOLDER instead of just being handed the title from a tournament. Having not lost the title, Sterling James Keenan has as much claim to the Super Indy title as McChesney.

What needs to happen this August 13 is a finish to this feud. No more dodging or crying about decisions. Whoever emerges with the belt at the end of this battle needs to be recognized at the champ. Not before, or else it is just another ruling instead of a victory.

D Ranking system

Really, what secret IWC shows are being watched to come up with these rankings? How is it decided that the RCE are the tag team most worthy of a title shot? Does this mean they have entered the IWC from a multi-month hiatus as the #1 tag team? Because if not, then why is a team skipping over other team s that are competing week in and week out in an IWC ring to prove that they are worthy of the gold? How is it that a person who LOST the Rookie of the Year is rewarded with a shot at the top title in the company just because he has the balls to say that he deserves it? And if Xion is ranked #2, why is Gory, who BEAT him at No Excuses, ranked clean down at 10th?

Here, let me do a little cut and paste from the Showdown in U-town coverage from this very site:

"Shiima has turned a lot of heads outside of IWC. As we've mentioned before, Shiima was invited to participate in CHIKARA's prestigious "Young Lions Cup" tournament back in July, and Shiima also recently debuted for the Philadephia(sic)-based Pro Wrestling Unplugged promotion. Such accomplishments have apparently turned the heads of IWC matchmakers as well..."

Hell, I beat my earnings quota for the second quarter; can I have a title shot? I know a guy who impressed girls at a bar by balancing his drink on his foot. That caught the attention of a lot of people at Nobu. Is that going to get the attention of the IWC Ranking committee?

IWC needs to give it's people something to work towards within it's own system. It's great that Shiima has expanded into other venues, but that alone is not reason for a title shot. Look at Jason Gory. He went out and ended his feud with Shiima and in return, he is on the bottom of the rankings and his defeated adversary is on the top. He has worked in multiple places besides IWC, why isn't he in as good of favor with the Ranking Committee?

IWC needs to release its ranking guidelines and let the locker room know what it is that they are looking for. Otherwise, with no clear goals, this will come down to everyone getting in a big shouting match over who has dibs on the belt. You don't run a company without a firmly defined structure.

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So there you have it. If IWC wants to hit Fortune 500 status, these are the chinks in its armor. Next week I will throw a few rose petals over the path the IWC treads.