Expert Poll: Should AEW recognize the FTW Championship?
Brian Cage was been a nearly unstoppable machine since his debut in AEW. He made an immediate impact at Double or Nothing when he won the Casino Ladder Match to earn an opportunity at the AEW World Championship and remained undefeated up until his title match with Jon Moxley.
He seemed to be in a prime position to win the belt last week at Fight for the Fallen until his manager, Taz, threw in the towel to keep Moxley from re-injuring Cage's surgically repaired pectoral muscle. Moxley had The Machine trapped in an armbar and with Cage refusing to tap, Taz decided to protect his investment.
It was a brilliant finish that allowed Mox to retain his Championship and made Brian Cage look strong in defeat. However, the move has left the FTW World Champion and his manager at odds with one another.
Both Brian Cage and Taz will be on Dynamite tonight to "discuss and announce" some things, according to Cage on Twitter.
So while we wait to see what the next step is in the future of Brian Cage and Taz, I can't help but wonder... what is the best path forward for the FTW Champion? Not to mention, is there a way that AEW could really utilize that FTW Title belt?
Should Brian Cage defend the FTW Championship on a regular basis?
The FTW World Championship has never been a recognized Championship and it still is not recognized by AEW, despite Brian Cage defending it against Brian Pillman Jr. on AEW Dark. My personal opinion, with Brian Cage now out of the World Title picture for the foreseeable future, it's time AEW really let's him own that Championship.
Tony Khan and company decided to bring that belt out of retirement for a reason. While it does add a bit of instant credibility to Brian Cage, it could do the same for others. I think the FTW World Championship should be used to establish a new division - a Super Heavyweight Division.
That's right, forget the cruiserweights. No disrespect for the 205 club, but I'm ready for the big boys to have a division all to themselves. Give the likes of Brian Cage, Lance Archer, Mr. Brodie Lee, Luchasaurus, and Wardlow something to battle over. A Championship to call their own. In the words of WWE's Big E - give me a bunch a big dudes bumping meat!
Now it has to be said, this Championship is Taz's baby. Anything AEW decides to do with it needs his approval, but I think this would be a great way to honor that title by recognizing it. Let the company's big men prove who is indeed the toughest S.O.B in wrestling.
I like the idea so much I decided to bring the topic up for this month's Sportskeeda Expert Poll. I asked a number of my wrestling journalism colleagues their thoughts on Brian Cage and the FTW World Title. Here are their responses.
Alex McCarthy - talkSPORT and Sportskeeda
Alex McCarthy is one of the leading voices for wrestling in the UK through his deep interview work with top stars from WWE, AEW, and IMPACT. He's been absolutely crushing it on the wrestling beat for talkSPORT and you can hear his great work every Monday at 6pm in the UK when Alex hosts talkWRESTLING.
When I asked Alex about the possibility of recognizing the FTW Championship, he did seem to like the idea, but says it's creator might hinder any attempts to get it over:
"To me, I've never loved the introduction of random titles. Half of the appeal is the lineage and prestige sometimes and what does the FTW championship really represent? I look at it like the Million Dollar title Ted DiBiase flaunted; it's not an official title by any stretch, but it added something to his character. Does the FTW title do that for Brian Cage? Not for me.
The title is more about Taz and his legacy than anything else and I think it's an uphill climb to suddenly legitimize that, as interesting as a super heavyweight division would be!"