Hey there. Before we commence with what this article is about, I figured I’d give y’all some background on who I am, so that you can somewhat get to know me; what my experience in this hobby is. I’m Scott (or Scotty) Adams; have partaken in this hobby off and on for ten years now, most of the time being with my main character (yes, also known as Scotty Adams) but have had a few others scattered here and there throughout the duration of my career, including winning one recently.

Over the course of said career, I have won my fair share of championships and accolades, which is why I felt like this would be a topic that would be interesting enough to discuss and hopefully help those who have either won championships, or even those who are gunning for their first ever title in a federation out, to explain just what the ‘role’ of a champion is within the scope of the federation; my personal thoughts on how you can help uplift the prestige of the belt you have acquired.

Some of these are probably known by those who have done this rodeo before, but it’s always good to have a ‘refresher’ every now and again; plus, there’s always others who may not have had the glory yet and wish to understand just what they should expect once they acquire it. Now, first thing’s first: as soon as you win the championship, your first focus is usually going to be a ‘celebration’ or something along those lines, whether it be written in a RP the following week, or in a segment on the upcoming show after you acquire the belt — that’s only natural. You want to celebrate the fact that you won the belt; achieved the task that you set out to do, and it is usually advised you do it in some form of fashion.

What should be the contents of this RP/Segment though? That actually varies from character to character. The base though, usually contains some sort of statement of intentions now that you have won the belt; whether you wish to use that as a passage to thank the fans, or rub it in to those who doubted you, or even to kickstart a feud surrounding the belt/continue an established feud, if you wish to go that route (if you do, be sure to consult the other involved party/fed staff to see if there’s any notes you need to hit to enable that outcome).

What I did for my most recent one, was actually include a portion where much akin to John Cena when he held the US championship, initiate an ‘Open Invitational’ to not only open up potential feuds/’dream matches’ for the belt, but to also give fellow writers something they could reference in their own RPs and use as something to give them material, in case they were stumped for ideas or needed an extra boost, as well as giving me potential material to work with, should somebody elect to answer the challenge.

It’s not for every character, of course, as some might wish to use the belt as a means to validate themselves; remind people why they are the top dog in the division, and as such, shall only defend it when provoked/’forced’ into doing so — whilst others may elect to (like I did) claim themselves to be a fighting champion, whether that be directly or indirectly; put the belt up at any time; against anybody who wishes to step forth and state their case. Though you should always be proactive with whichever route you wish to go, as that actually makes it easier for the writers/staff if they see the champion willing to engage; actively seek out people to work with, while they hold the belt, seeing as they can focus on that angle/feud, instead of having to shoehorn someone in and pair them together, where the character synergy/heat may not always be there (although this method can be workable if done correctly) and there should also be at least 2-3 ‘pre-made’ feuds awaiting you for future defences.

Another thing to note is that as a character/handler, it is up to you to define the prestige of the belt; the passage that you take once you hold it, and not the other way around — as allowing the belt to define your character only leads to stagnant; stale booking and ultimately ‘treading water’ in regards to development, which actually serves to water down/lessen a belt’s prestige over time, rather than elevating it (which is what *should* be your primary aim). Which means that it should also go without saying that it is *your* job as champion to give meaning to the belt; not the belt’s job to give meaning to *you*.

It’s the age old questions of ‘What now?’, and ‘Where do you go from here, now that you’ve won the title?’ that must be answered (from not just a development standpoint as a character, but also an ‘on-screen’/in ring standpoint. IE: feuds/angles) if you are to have a reign that people remember; that not just elevates the belt and your own character, but elevates the person who eventually topples you for said championship; sets them up to uphold the prestige that you set for the belt and ‘keep the wheels turning’ in that regard.

This is especially important for mid-card champions, but is also vital for world champs as well — in fact, when it comes to world titles, the bar is usually even higher and you must be willing to not just reach that, but exceed it in terms of quality if you wish to validate your reign. *Never* be content with the level you are at as well, *always* seek to up your own game as champion; more often than not, others will push themselves to topple you; readers to actively engage with the arc you are running as champion.

Now, this is more for staff members, but also pertains to handlers but: never be afraid to assign a ‘main event’ calibre talent a ‘mid-card’ championship, as (like I mentioned with Cena’s US title reign, which was honestly some of his best work) that can elevate the title and breathe life into that particular division. Of course, this is if it’s done correctly, which if we’re being honest, is a lot easier in efeds than in real wrestling, as RPs here (and not solely the creative team) are the driving force behind prestige, as whoever defeats the champion has the rub of beating a top level guy and the champion can either continue as the ‘chaser’ of the title, or move back into the world title scene, using their mid-card title reign as a way to springboard themselves into contention.

It also shows that the belt has meaning, if even the ‘cream of the crop’ are willing to pursue it, which in turns sparks motivation throughout the card RP wise, from the main event downwards. The ‘flow on’ effect, if you will. And yes, the same principles regarding champions also apply to tag team champions, especially seeing as tag teams seem to have lost relevance (sadly); it is your duty to give not just your fellow writers but also the staff a signal that *you* wish to be the team that brings them back to the forefront, as (and this is for another column) I’m of the belief that a healthy tag division is actually vital for the overall scope of a federation. Seldom do you see it any more, which is unfortunate but again, it’s for further discourse in another column at another time.

Back to the topic at hand though: As you can see, the majority of the onus when it comes to what makes a championship prestigious is upon the actual champion themselves, with contributions from the staff/writers/other parties within a feud to either match or even eclipse the workrate/effort that the champion has put forth on the boards/in segments pertaining to the advancement of the championship. Whether or not said belt already has an established brand/culture in place. Hopefully this at least gives you an idea of how to conduct yourself as a champion; what is required if you are to be known as a champion that people remember, instead of just another ‘name who held x belt’ that is forgotten virtually immediately after you drop the title to the next in line. Thanks for reading.

Written by Scott Adams

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