The news of XWL’s two major championships being unified at X-treme X-mas gotten me really excited the more I think about it because the announcement opened up some new possibilities for the XWL championship scene moving forward. The competition to become the face of the company will grow tighter and much more heated as many of the company’s best vie for the number one spot. That competition should surely bring in some entertainment and flare – not to mention some epic matches and confrontations – to the main event picture so I’ll sit back and see where that goes when 2013 rolls around.
However, it’s not the unification that I’m concerned about right now -- I want to see how that plays out before I make any judgments -- it’s the precedent that it could potentially set for the two mid-card championships. When Chavo Guerrero and Antonio Cesaro both were coincidently injured at the same time and their respective championships were relinquished and vacated it would have been a perfect time to move the X-treme Championship back into prominence. No, I’m not ready to let that title go. It had promise, it had heart, it had flair, it was something special and it quite literally put the ‘X’ into XWL and the way it went out was a disgrace and distasteful to say the least.
One of the biggest problems with the X-Treme Title was that it was pushed to the back into the dark crevices of the companies mind where ideas and hopes and dreams go to die while the Intercontinental and United States Championships received most of XWL’s attention and efforts. The title began to get stale, it was more a prop than an accomplishment and after a while, the title was just there floating from champion to champion until it met its untimely demise. The other two championships received the higher billing, got the more interesting storylines and champions who cared that they were championships and challengers who weren’t ashamed to step into the ring with the title on the line.
It’s hard to pinpoint what exactly led to the downfall of the championship? Could it have been the defenses every two weeks? It certainly was something different for the weekly shows and seeing blood, sweat and tears being spilled on free television was a treat for the fans. However, the parade of champions that it ultimately led to caused everyone and their mother to take shots at the championships which drove John Morrison into a manic depression that saw him destroy the title.
The title isn’t dead yet. Consider its absence a mere break while the company figures out what to do with it. The things that that were attempted, The Series and a dedicated division, were a nice try but could have been a case of being too little too late. The title being away for a while gives XWL the opportunity to start fresh and learn from its mistakes.
Now this newsletter has been going on for a while and we on the staff have gotten used to our ideas not being heard, but that isn’t going to stop me from sharing them and what I propose is that the Intercontinental and United States Championships follow the path of the XWL and World Championships and be combined into one. That would eventually make room for the X-treme Title so it can make its grand re-debut alongside the newly combined mid-card title. (Or maybe they’ll scrap both and bring in a new title entirely, let’s not get too crazy though. What ever happened to the Pure Title anyway?)
Why combine those titles, or create an entirely new one? For the simple fact that the X-Treme Championship offered something different to combat the monotony that many complain is rampaging the league, and we need that something different back. It’s not too far off to see the league without the Intercontinental or United States Title, and there only being one or the other gives the X-treme Title one less belt to compete against for the attention of both the company and the rosters. Besides, based on my quick browse through the roster page, there aren’t exactly a plethora of contenders for either the Intercontinental or United States championship. If the current trend of inactivity continues from people who only wish to collect a paycheck without putting in any effort, then those who do care should at least have some options to chase after the traditional belt or to get a little extreme.
If the title were to get brought back, the re-born X-treme Championship shouldn’t be relegated to those wanting title shots for the sake of having a title; there has to be standards and there has to be some respect for the title for the sake of its prestige. It should get the same treatment as the other mid-card title: number one contenders matches, active challengers and champions who care about getting a chance, and not to mention storylines. It should get that all while occurring at the normal pace of at least one or two title matches in-between pay per views to create a truly unique experience for those willing to give it a go. The X-treme Championship was never about who could have the longest reign, but instead who could make the most of what time they had.
This whole thing could be a lowly newsletter writer being in denial that times have changed, or this could spark the return of one of the best things XWL once had going for it. The company has taken risks before; some have failed while others have succeeded. So what’s stopping them from making one more switch up to kick off the New Year with a bang?
[S4]
Feud UpdatesWho’s been getting on each other’s nerves lately? The Rock vs. MankindRock says that he’s not quite finished with Mankind, while Mankind says he won’t stop until The Rock says I quit. If those two travel down that path it’s going to be one hell of a fight that neither man will ever forget.
Carltio vs. MVPCarlito thought that he got the upper hand when he slashed the tires of MVP’s car, but it didn’t seem to phase MVP who used the incident to mock Carlito. One has to wonder if these two are heading toward a collision course, or if MVP will stay true to his word and not fight Carlito anytime soon.
Paige vs. Alicia FoxA backstage confrontation led to a match where Fox got the better of the anti-diva and from her post match remarks it doesn’t seem to be over between the two.
Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph ZigglerUsing their words instead of their fists this week, Ambrose and Dolph spoke of how much disdain they have for the other and while they were nowhere near each other this time around, another physical confrontation is all but certain.
Eve vs. AJEve said that she had no choice but to knock AJ down a peg after her triple threat win and we have yet to see how AJ will respond to that attack.
Layla vs. Beth PhoenixLayla claims to have a major announcement to make and one has to wonder what it will mean for her rivalry with Beth Phoenix.
Shawn Michaels vs. Ted DiBiaseCircumventing security once again, DiBiase came to the arena armed with a megaphone and appeared to be HBK’s biggest fan. What sparked the change of heart? And how will Michaels react to DiBiase ultimately costing him his match?
MsChif vs. Nikki BellaMsChif ended her post-match assault a bit pre-maturely and many have begun to question if she’s finally finished tormenting Nikki.
Kaitlyn vs. Brie BellaKaitlyn came out on top in the tag match and now she has the power to choose what kind of match her championship will be contested. Now we’ll just have to wait and see what she choose.
[S5]
Newsletter CommentaryWe give our thoughts on the segments that graced our televisions this week.The RockEven as a good guy Rocky just has no respect for The Coach… maybe it was the shirt he was wearing. Or it could just be that Rock’s so focused on getting Mankind off his back that anyone who dares cross his past is due for a verbal lashing? Regardless of his feelings for The Coach, Rock made it clear that there’s no love lost between him and Mankind especially after the brawl that went down during November to Remember. Rock’s speech about him not being broken yet was intense, though strangely short for a man who we know loves to hear himself talk.
Bray WyattDidn’t Wyatt set his dad on fire in his story last week? Is this a different dad? Is this a time before the fire? Are we still going to pretend that he never said that? Wyatt is definitely an interesting fellow, and his segments have been entertaining thus far including this touching tale about a librarian with a heart of gold though I WONDER IF HE RSET HER ON FIRE TOO! I’m looking forward to seeing how this Wyatt acts around XWL’s other stars and if they’ll buy into his shtick.
CarlitoThe man who oozes cool did have a point: how did the guy he beat get a number one contenders match over him? That alone gave the man a lot to talk about, unfortunately for us we had to listen to it. Then again he did show us he could do more than talk a big game by slashing MVP’s tires to show the ballin’ superstar that he won’t take disrespect from anyone. Carlito showed some intensity that hasn’t been seen before and he’s making improvements in his mic game week by week that could render him a force if he keeps it up.
Paige/Alicia FoxI guess there’s just something about staircases that draws Paige in, luckily Alicia Fox happened to stumble across her because that led to a confrontation and a great cat fight (who doesn’t love to see those?) that laid the groundwork for what could be an interesting rivalry between two very different types of women.
KaitlynAfter everything that’s she had to deal with in regards to Layla and Brie, it’s nice to see the Diva’s Champ show a bit of an edge as she didn’t hold back saying she hated Layla and didn’t consider Brie a threat to her reign. In fact she seemed a little scary when she spoke of what she may do with a chair in her hands, and the match at X-treme X-mas may show what happens when you get on Kaitlyn’s bad side.
Dean AmbroseAmbrose wasn’t as mentally deranged as he was intimidating with a bit of creepiness thrown in as he spoke of the condescending attitudes he’s had to deal with over the years. Dolph’s sudden interruption further emphasized that attitude, and also makes me wonder where Dolph got these hacking skills from.
Bellas and EveSo is that what it’s like when women are all alone, because it was everything I imagined it would be, The trash talking, the catty remarks, all I needed was for them to talk about which superstars they thought were hot and this seg would have topped my fantasies. Looks like Brie’s still in denial over the way she lost her title, explains why she had to go rain on AJ’s parade, and Nikki, just like the rest of us, wonder when MsChif will leave her be.
Alicia FoxAn entertaining seg here from Fox made her intentions to become a champion known and her victory over Paige brought her one step closer to that. And as usual I have to give Fox thanks for updating me on the latest fashion trends because I had no idea the waist was played-out, nor did I know that she could be so verbally vicious tearing apart the Bellas and then Paige and after not being much of anything in the past, Fox is really stepping up her game and could be a threat faster than any of us expected.
MankindI’ve said before how crazy Mankind is and this seg didn’t do much to change my mind and I got goosebumps when he started shouting into the microphone. Mankind doesn’t know the meaning of the word pain and yet he promises to inflict as much of it to The Rock as he can until he screams I Quit. Rock has too much pride to say it, and I’m not sure if it’s possible if it’s possible to hurt Mankind enough to make him quit.
LaylaWell look who’s showing a little Christmas cheer after losing her coveted title and getting assaulted by Beth! Apparently she has a big announcement to make next week. Maybe she’s going to announce that she won’t fight Beth, maybe she’ll announce that the match type, maybe she’ll announce her new line of dresses. The possibilities are endless and we’ll see were things go, when Layla gets into that ring next week.
[S6]
Rumor Mill The top stories being talked about around the water cooler. Haunted Past Our sources are telling us that Paige may have suffered a traumatic childhood experience involving Barbie Dolls which caused her to have such a deep hatred for them and any diva who she feels resembles one. Our efforts to contact Paige to get her side of the story have failed and we feel that she’s grown afraid that her secret has been discovered.
Digging a Little Deeper We’ve contacted private investigators to look into the incident with Bray Wyatt and his father, but our search has turned up inconclusive results and we’re starting to believe that we’ve stumbled across a major cover up and that there’s more to the story than Wyatt is letting on.
Money makes the world go round One of our sources has confirmed that Ted DiBiase is paying off security personnel in order to get to places where he shouldn’t be since he’s not under contract by XWL. Our suspicious were confirmed when several security guards called off of work “sick” or were conveniently in another part of the arena when Ted shows up. Ted’s deep pockets, we believe, are also the reason why legal action has yet to be sought against him.
[S7]
Interview: This week we’ll be interviewing the Diva’s Champion Kaitlyn! Interviewer:Ladies and gentleman, right now I’m here with the lovely Kaitlyn who took some time out of her busy schedule to join me here. How are you doing Kaitlyn?
Kaitlyn: I'm doing fine, how about you?
Interviewer:I'm great, and I can't thank you enough for joining me here. I know you've had a lot on your plate dealing with Layla and The Bella Twins recently. What's that been like?
Kaitlyn: It's been pretty rough, but at the same time pretty fun. Having to deal with three people trying to take me down is a bit of a struggle because it's three people, what else is there to explain? Mainly Brie though, she just doesn't know when to shut up but to my surprise, Layla is actually pretty calmer than I expected. Maybe it's cause Beth hit her a bit too hard? Not sure, but it's been fun too because of the matches I've had and the looks on the faces of Brie, Nikki and Layla after I won all of those matches. The win was good enough but some of their expressions were hilarious.
Interviewer:Is part of the fun also proving them wrong when they claim that you're not good enough to hold that title?
Kaitlyn: Of course, can't believe I forgot that either considering week after week I heard "your win was a fluke" and "you got lucky" and what not. It was annoying to hear that but was it a fluke? I think a win over Brie and a win in a triple threat match says that it wasn't a fluke, but instead it was just me showing why I deserve to be your Divas Champion and not someone like Brie Bella or Layla. But knowing them, it will always be a fluke. Whatever, I'm the one with the title and they are the ones with nothing so in the end, what is said doesn't truly affect me because who has the belt right now?
Interviewer:Well you do, but many are wondering if that will be the case after X-treme X-mas. Aren't you worried at all that Brie or even Nikki will have some kind of trick up their sleeve to screw you out of the title?
Kaitlyn: Nope, not at all, I have a few tricks of my own. May I remind you, I get to choose the match. Which means I get to choose the rules. I could have disqualification be on dispite the Pay-Per-view, but if that's what it takes to keep Nikki out of the match. I'm gonna do it. If I'm going to lose this, it's going to be to Brie. Not to Brie and Nikki, not to Brie with the assistance of Nikki or Brie with the help of anyone else. I've worked hard for this and I'm not going to let some sore loser take this from me, so if Brie wants to try and cheat me out of the win, then she better think again because she doesn't even know what I have up my sleeve.
Interviewer:Speaking of, can you give us a hint about the kind of match that you'll pick?
Kaitlyn: Well I was going to say this match was going to be exciting, but most matches I'm in are so let me think of another. Okay, let's just say I might be pinning Brie twice at the show, or she might be pinning me twice. Something like that.
Interviewer:Now that sounds pretty interesting, and say that you do walk away with the win, how will you celebrate? I know things between you and AJ turned sour, so will there be other people you'll hang out with?
Kaitlyn: Good question, I don't really have many allies in this company. Maybe you and I could head out and get a slice of pizza or something? How does that sound?
Interviewer:It sounds like a dream come true. But doesn't that get a little lonely? Don't you feel that you may start to get a little...bitter having that target on your back with all the women in the division gunning after you?
Kaitlyn: That's what makes things fun. I love having friends, but sometimes people can play you and if you’re the champ, that could happen more than usual. Someone could try and befriend me, I could be stupid and fall for it and next thing I know, I'm out cold, someone else is holding my title and things just aren't too pretty that way. But don't you think I'd know what I'm getting myself into when I win this? I knew I'd have a target on my back and I welcome it. I'm not gonna back down from anyone, I'm not gonna use cheap tactics to win. I'm the champion everyone wants and I'm going to give it my best no matter who goes against me. May it be MsChif, Brie Bella, Nikki Bella, Layla, Beth Phoenix or anyone, I'm going to give it my best. This is the Divas Championship, not the Divas Tag Team Championship. I only need myself right now.
Interviewer:Well when it’s just you by yourself, what do you do to kick back and relax?
Kaitlyn: Well sometimes I just sit back and read my mustache monthly magazine, that isn't too weird, is it? Sometimes I listen to music, think about the future, watch some of my past matches to try and improve. yeah, that's actually relaxing because most of those matches are wins so I don't have to worry and see myself lose. Train at the gym because I am a fitness fanatic or I just take a sit there and look around and just think about stuff.
Interviewer:Now that you mention it, you have been called a hybrid diva. Have you grown to like the name or do you wish they'd call you something else?
Kaitlyn: I like it. I like being different. A lot of Divas have the look while being a bit on the thinner side. I'm not calling myself fat because I'm not but I like being the bigger diva who can also do some things that the smaller divas can. It makes myself seem interesting and different at the same time. So the nickname I have, XWL's Hybrid Diva, is a pretty cool nickname. If there was something else I could choose, maybe the nickname "Greatest Divas Champion in XWL History" could be said sometime in the future. Not to sound egotistical or anything but that's what all divas aim to be and right now, I'm looking at eight months. Layla held the title for seven months and to be the best, Ive gotta beat the best and right now, Layla and her seven months are the best. Kaitlyn and Eight months though, that is my goal for the near future.
Interviewer:Well if you beat Brie they'll be looking for a new challenger for you. Is there no diva on the roster that you feel can be a threat to your reign?
Kaitlyn: I only see two divas as a true challenge right now, and that is because I know them and I've faced them. Those two divas being Layla and Beth Phoenix. Layla, she is always a threat. She knows her way around this ring probably better then anyone. As much as I dislike her, I consider her the greatest Diva to step into the XWL Ring. We've seen divas like Trish Stratus and Lita step into this ring, but neither of them have made a impact that Layla has. Beth? She is just brute force and she will destroy you in that ring. She is intimidating and she is a diva who you'd want to have with you and no against you. There are plenty of Divas I haven't faced though like MsChif and Madison Eagles, so it's hard to say. I'm not one to judge someone before I face them.
Interviewer:Those are some very humble and honest words coming from a champ, and I can only wish that all the superstars that I interview were as kind as you. Any final words before we end this, Kaitlyn?
Kaitlyn: Hope you don't mind if i ask you a question as my final words, but maybe in like seven and a half months when I'm still champion, we could reflect on this and just look back at everyone I've faced. That sound good to you? Sounds pretty good to me and I'm sure everyone else will be okay with it.
Interviewer:It’s a deal Kaitlyn, seven and a half months it is.
The Stars Speak Out Next week’s question: What do you want for Christmas?
[S8]
Power 15 If you want to be part of the rankings just name the superstar you want listed. I’ll officially begin when the New Year rolls around and I have no issues adding/switching/dropping someone to or from the rankings if needed. I’ll restart every three months or every four so that eventually everyone is back on even ground.
Shuggz: CM Punk
Sdogg: Wade Barrett
Austin: Christian
Fn: Stone Cold Steve Austin
Gaz: Triple H
Bang: Shawn Michaels
CC: Carlito
Stay: John Morrison
Zander: The Rock
Chris: Ezekiel Jackson
Red: Chris Jericho
Zack: Heath Slater
GLG: Seth Rollins
Adam: Dolph Ziggler
Zelda: Alicia Fox
[S9]
Win or Go Home Win or Go Home is a game where you draft a team, and then select which member of your squad will compete for you in a particular round. If your team member loses, he’s eliminated, although there’s a redemption match at the end of each round featuring every superstar who lost that round and the winner avoids elimination. Match types and size vary each round and the winner is the last team standing. It’s a pretty simple game where most of the work you do is drafting and choosing who represents your team in a particular round. 1. Shuggz
2. Sdogg
3. Ash
4. Zander
5. Stay
6.
(7-12)
[S10]
Wrap Up If there’s a section you want to see added to the newsletter feel free to tell me. Same goes with if there are things you want me to improve and things you want me to scrap, or if you want to do a spotlight article. Until next week.
Subject: XWL Newsletter 12/19: It's not too late to right a wrong. 
Wed Dec 19, 2012 10:00 pm
