| 1 | 24.04.2022 | steviecw | 8.0 | Underrated indie championship with a lot of history, which has changed hands in three separate states. Though he's not the biggest star to ever hold the title, Matt Cardona's reign has likely elevated the championship's visibility to one of its highest points (hell, even Vince McMahon got a picture of it texted to him! ). There's an argument that his seven concurrent reigns may cheapen his AIW titles but being a regional indie title I'm not sure who would expect this to be exclusive and having a champion willing to show up fairly regular while also the NWA Worlds Heavyweight Champion (and a prominent tertiary title holder on Impact Wrestling TV and PPV) may illustrate the Absolute title's value. Some big or currently very visible names (AEW/WWE/NXT/ROH/Dark Side of the Ring/NWA/Impact/MLW) have held this championship over the years, including former and future World Champions. Reigns have included Steve Corino, Raymond Rowe, Johnny Gargano, Ethan Page, Tom Lawlor, Ricky Shane Page, Nick Gage, Tracy Williams and current Impact World Champion Josh Alexander. Colin Delaney is a sentimental favourite of mine too. While I have no interest in seeing scummy dudes work again, Michael Elgin and Drake Younger were not insignificant performers at this time either through ROH, CZW, PWG, NJPW, etc. The reigns are usually longer and often with prolific title defenses. Unsuccessful challengers have included Bryan Danielson, Jimmy Jacobs, Eddie Kingston, Erick Stevens, Mance Warner and many others. While not yet a national name, Joshua Bishop was a VERY credible and impressive champion. It's not a title that will give you a Hall of Fame legacy but it's one that's been well worth fighting for in very hard hitting bouts and is clearly over as hell to a loyal audience. It will be interesting to see if AIW ever choose to separate the title from the Intense Championship. |
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