Saturday, October 30, 2010

"There Can Only Be One"

Since its inception in 2007, the Knockouts division has attracted numerous women to come to TNA and showcase their skills as legitimate wrestlers/athletes like their male counterparts. Last year, the Knockouts Tag Team Championship was created to become the next stage in the evolution of a women’s division regarded as being superior to that of TNA’s rival promotion, WWE.

At No Surrender 2009, Taylor Wilde & Sarita became the inaugural champions by defeating the Beautiful People in the finals of an 8 team tournament. Within a year, the titles have changed hands 4 times with 7 different Knockouts holding the championship. Although the concept of the Knockouts Tag Team Championship was a noble gesture to the talented Knockouts on the roster, the championship has ultimately failed to add any real credibility to the division.

Over the past year, the matches have been generally lackluster with no clear cut direction. At times, the singles and tag titles were defended simultaneously in 6 person tag matches just for the hell of it. Even with the Knockouts roster expanding with some fresh talent lately, perhaps the time has come for TNA to cut their losses with the tag titles and walk a new path in the world of women’s wrestling.

Following in the footsteps of Knockouts pioneer Gail Kim, Mickie James has quickly established herself as a top star in the division. She’s made no bones about her desire to add the TNA Knockouts Championship to her impressive career resume. By the look of things, she’s destined to win the title in the coming months, if not by the end of 2010.

Meanwhile, Taylor Wilde & Hamada are treading water as the Knockouts Tag Team Champions. With 3 outstanding wrestlers of this caliber holding championships, a golden opportunity arises for TNA to do something unique and unify the singles and tag titles.

On paper, a triple threat showdown featuring Mickie James, Taylor Wilde, and Hamada stands out as a dream match. Factor in the historic title unification and the international appeal of these 3 Knockouts, and this match has all the makings of a women’s wrestling classic. The winner would undoubtedly claim her spot as the best of the best and the champion of champions.

This scenario would not only hide the negative of a virtually nonexistent tag title division but also accentuate the positive of a stronger, more competitive singles title division. As the nature of competition dictates, only one will stand at the top of the mountain.