THE US TITLE...By Big Poppa Pat

*Now we're getting close to the top.  The US Title.  The last stop before Main Event status.  But therein lies the problem.  There are too many guys who have yet to reach this last stop, and are being underused.  Why not give them some gold and help elevate them?  Let's look at the group of guys I would have competing for the US Title.

TALENT
*Booker
*Kidman
*Vampiro
*Buff Bagwell
*Kanyon
*Scott Steiner (if only to give this group some experience and some credibility)

*DARKHORSES...As you can see, the group of title contenders isn't that big.  I don't know if there are any actual Darkhorses, per se, but there should eventually be guys competing for the TV Title moving up, and guys who WERE Main Eventers moving down.  The US Title, if anything, is a transitional belt.  It's where rising stars go to get over and fallen stars stop to put someone over before they hit rock bottom.  So the group listed above is mostly the list of people I'd have competing for the belt RIGHT NOW.  Things could change rapidly.  Also, any high-midcarders signed from the WWF could fall in right here to start (see: Jeff Jarrett)

*WHO HOLDS THE BELT?...Booker.  No, this isn't just because of the whole racial lawsuit thing.  It's because Booker is sound in the ring and is starting to really get over as a singles wrestler.  Also, if I'm not mistaken, Booker is the oldest (not counting Steiner) of the 5 "young talents" on the list above, so I don't want to waste any more time with him. 

*CHALLENGERS?...Anyone on that list, including Steiner.  All of the guys above have the capability of holding the US Title within the next year.  You might think I'm crazy for mentioning Steiner, but he's an established name who would make someone look good by losing to them, especially if the belt were at stake.

*IDEAS?...The only major idea is to get the belt off of Jarrett (and move him up, of course) and let these guys fight over it.  Vampiro's used up his chances to get the belt from Jarrett (thanks to WCW), but Booker has a legit claim, seeing how he lost this week to Jarrett due to typical Jarrett shenanigans.  Booker could easily take the belt from Jarrett on Monday, setting up a Booker/Kidman feud for the US Title at Spring Stampede.  Speaking of Booker/Kidman, I would also like to see other feuds between these guys, rather then just have them wrestle random opponents between PPVs.  Steiner/Bagwell has some history behind it.  Kidman and Kanyon could feud going back to their days in The Flock.  The point is that even if these guys aren't going for the belt at a particular instance, I would still like to see them in some storylines.

*FINAL THOUGHTS...It's time to start elevating some of these young guys, and giving them the US Title is the way to do it.  I like Jeff Jarrett, but he's out-grown the belt.  He needs to move on to better things and leave this belt behind.  If WCW is to thrive and prosper, it's the youth that's going to get the job done.  Eventually, their Main Eventers will all be retired/injured/dead, and they'll have nothing to fall back on because they never developed anyone to back them up.  In my opinion, Booker, Bagwell, and Vampiro are incredibly marketable stars.  If put in the right matches, they could get over easily and they could become household names.  Terry Bollea and Dwayne Johnson weren't always household names (that's Hulk Hogan and The Rock for the uninformed).  They had to start somewhere.  And to be honnest, most of the guys on the list above are better wrestlers than either Hogan or The Rock.  What they might lack in charisma, they make up for in actual talent.  I'm done ranting.  I think you get my point.

TOMORROW: The World Title

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