Call me a dinosaur.

Call me silly, call me crazy, call me cute as a button.

Call me a traditionalist.

I happen to believe that certain traditions are useful, even necessary. However so many walls have been broken down, so many traditions (and championship belts for that matter) have been tossed into the garbage can that I often wonder if we can ever salvage any of the past.

Before we get started, I am not advocating a complete return to the past. Hey, I love my computer, the internet, and all of the comforts/toys we have. However, there are some things that should be brought forward.

The champ entering first is just a symptom of the whole. The champ entering last was a sign of respect. The thought that somebody was waiting for him/her was the whole point. Or as an E7 told me once, as he was getting upset that somebody didn't show up for an appointment, "Lower grades wait for me, I don't wait for them. Cancel the meeting and reschedule it".

All of a sudden the world has been turned upside down. Who wants to be champ when the coveted spot in the fed is the "nr. 1 contender's" spot? After all, isn't that who the fans really want? Who's next in line? I don't want the crown, I just want to be first in line for a shot at it.

Then again, when I read things like "I was against (fill in the blank) getting the gold, but they are growing into it" I get sick.

The belt shouldn't be something that you "grow in to". It should be a reward for being at the top of your game. It used to symbolize that you had reached a certain plateau in your career, and if you won the world championship, then you were on the mountaintop.

Now it's all just another bargaining chip in negotiations. "Hey, sign with us and we'll guarantee a belt". Yeah, that's certainly worth it. A belt I was guaranteed. I have heard it said that it's better to deserve something and not get it than to get something and not deserve it. The same can be said about the belt. How much sweeter the prize after you worked your butt off for it.

A belt is being used to try to build heat. It doesn't work. Want an example? Jeff Jarrett. Yes, "the chosen one". Slapnuts himself. I read an hilarious article on Scoop-this.com that was written while JJ was still with the WWF. There was a fire raging in the auditorium and when the fire department couldn't get it under control, VKM sent in JJ to put the fire out. The rationale? Since JJ couldn't draw heat anyway, he was a natural.

Once again it's a case of "we know what's best for you" and "Here's who you should cheer". Sorry, but Americans have a nasty habit of making up our own minds. The Rock (or at the time, Rocky Maivia) was pushed on us as a face, and an immediate IC champ. The result? "Rocky Sucks" chants. Then came the turn, and "The Rock" was born. Initially a heel, he soon fell into the "SCSA" mold of anti-hero, and we have the phenom we have today.

Personally, I think this is a prime example of how the system works. SCSA, The Rock, Foley (in all his incarnations), even HHH. Give the people what they want and they'll go home happy; try to force something down their throats (anybody remember "Blood Runs Cold"? Outback Jack? The Goon?) and they'll rebel.

Yes, tradition may bite, but it works.