AEW Should Introduce A Title Belt For AEW Dark & Elevation

AEW’s two YouTube shows, Dark and Elevation, are viewed by over half a million fans collectively every week, with some shows drawing more viewers than others, depending on who is on the card. With the company not running house show events, these two weekly shows allow inexperienced names to get some much-needed ring time, whilst also giving established talents some time to stay sharp if they aren’t involved in a big storyline on TV. There is nothing too wrong with the current shows, but should AEW consider introducing a Dark-exclusive championship title?

Adding Further Stakes To AEW Dark Matches Will Be Beneficial

AEW’s win/loss records matter a lot more than many other wrestling companies, with those records playing into the AEW rankings, which are often the main way of deciding championship challengers. The rankings haven’t always been wholly consistent, but for the most part, they have been used well to build up contenders. This means that most matches have stakes based on that alone, so shows such as Dark and Elevation aren’t entirely meaningless.

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A big part of the rankings is that the quality and nature of wins are also taken into account, which means many of the lower card individuals who compete on Dark won’t gain too much by winning, as the wins will mostly be over fellow lower card individuals or jobbers. Take the Gunn Club, for example, which had one of the best win/loss records in the company but managed to gain just one tag title match after months of winning. This was due to their wins being over the likes of the Wingmen, Chaos Project, and other thrown together teams of jobbers. A title belt on Dark could combat this sort of thing happening with the singles stars.

AEW Should Take Influence From Impact’s X-Division Championship

There is a distinct portion of the current AEW roster that are regulars of AEW Dark, and it is often a readying place for wrestlers before they become TV regulars – a notable example of this is Wheeler Yuta, who was introduced on Dark, with his stock rising gradually over time as the audience got more and more used to him. With all these regulars, having something extra to fight for could be something that helps draw viewers in, adding stakes to these matches which might not mean too much otherwise.

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Whilst Dark results should play a part in the overall AEW rankings, having a Dark-specific ranking system to decide challengers for a Dark Championship, could be something which is unique and fun. Adding more titles to the mix, especially when Ring of Honor looks to be incorporated into AEW TV time, could make things a bit messy, but keeping this title on Dark rather than on TV would help to keep some separation.

This shouldn’t just be a normal title though – AEW should take influence from Impact’s X-Division Championship. This is a hugely unique midcard title, in which the champion can trade in the title for a shot at the World Title. The same sort of stipulation and gimmick could be attached to this, with perhaps the champion trading in their title to challenge for the TNT Championship on TV. This could be something done both on the men’s and women’s side of things, with the TBS Title now being in play too.

An AEW Dark Championship Could Help Juggle The Overcrowded Roster

An X-Division style of championship would be something new and fresh, and it would allow challengers to come from different directions in terms of the TNT and TBS belts, adding an extra air of unpredictability. A certain higher caliber of names like Pac, Andrade, or even Miro may even target Dark and climb the ranks in order to earn a shot at the TNT Championship, or even just to reign over Dark with a belt of their own. With the Hardy’s recently wrestling on Dark, some criticism has come from social media over Dark and Elevation feeling like demotions.

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If championships are added, especially with further prizes, it would make it feel like less of a drop if bigger names appeared on the show. With such a rapidly growing roster, some of the names need to be on Dark to remain relevant and fresh, so adding something new to those shows will help their credibility. It would help to build some new or young names, or even get certain wrestlers back on track. It would be easy to imagine that this concept would help the likes of Lee Moriarty, Ruby Soho, Dante Martin, Keira Hogan, and many more. It would have to be handled with care, but if any wrestling company can pull it off, it is AEW.