So we have Jeff Cobb challenging Zack for the TV Title once again.
There’s been a lot of things about the TV Title situation that haven’t quite made sense to me across the last few weeks, and I think this latest move made some pieces fall into place for me. (Or maybe I’m just coping, who knows ahahaha) I do need to stress this is just some fun, lighthearted theorising though.
1-) All signs at the start of the year pointed towards Zack actually starting to take steps towards the main event. He dropped his TV Title to Tanahashi at WK. (Overall one of the most respectable ways you can lose a midcard belt.) He started interacting more with the Japanese fans. He’s been in DDT teaming with Chris Brookes and getting over with the crowds there (and also demonstrating his Japanese!). He’s been talking the big talk about how this is the year he makes the leap. And frankly, he’s been due.
2-) Matt Riddle’s reign felt like it was supposed to be a bigger deal than it was. Especially in tandem with the Moxley and Nemeth stuff seeming like they’re gonna last a good few months at least, it feels like Riddle was going to have a pretty notable reign.
This then made me very confused when Zack won the belt off of Riddle in a rather unceremonious fashion at Windy City Riot during his second defence.
However, now that Cobb is the next challenger, my theory is that something happened with the Riddle reign that necessitated them taking the belt off of him. It could be the interview he did talking about his drug usage, it could be that he had little impact at all when he showed up in Japan, it could be that he wasn’t as big a draw in the west as the would’ve hoped, or it could have been some combination of factors, who’s really to say?
Either way, it feels like they needed the belt off of him, and Zack was going to be at the show so they booked Zack to take it back, and now my guess is that Zack is going to drop the belt to Cobb. After all, Cobb makes perfect sense bookingwise as a winner in this match. He’s been Zack’s most persistent opponent during his long reign, and the only one who brought him to a draw. Even when Zack won, it felt more like survival. Given how New Japan traditionally books, Cobb is taking this, unless they’re really gonna give Zack such a strong champions record against him. (2 wins, 1 draw)
So to bring him back straight away as Zack’s first opponent makes it feel like Cobb’s going to be our new champion, giving him plenty of opportunity to keep building himself with the fans (as he has been one of the most dedicated foreigners on the roster lately), while keeping Zack free of the belt so he can make his move up to main event level.
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All this said, I am absolutely a ZSJ fan. And knowing how Gedo booking always manages to get me, now that I’ve made this post I look forward to Cobb now losing the match to instead further the “United Empire in shambles” storyline.
Let me know what you think!
by Shuriken95
