What it means to be the #1 contender

 

I really want to see All Elite Wrestling to have a new way to decide contenders for their titles.  I've heard that Tony Khan wants to have power rankings of some sort.  Tony Khan is the head of sports analytics for the Jacksonville Jaguars.  There is some talk of the saber-metrics of wrestling coming out of All Elite Wrestling.  I am interested in seeing how this is used.

I like contender lists for wrestling.  You can tell some interesting stories about championships that you cannot otherwise.  I think the best idea is that the #1 contender is not the only wrestler who gets a title shot.  You can have the any wrestler in the top 10 get a title shot.  If you are the #1 contender you might not want the next title shot.  You might want to wait to get your title shot at the next All In.  You are still the #1 contender even if the title changes hand. 

If you have top contender list, you can tell good stories about a heel champion dodging the top contenders.  You can tell good stories about wrestlers trying to climb the contenders list.  You can find ways to tell stories about how people react to their place on the list. 

This is interesting, because it is something most modern wrestling fans never thought of.  It is fresh and new because on one has done it in a long time.  You can put a modern twist on it.