Above the belt.

[HBK-aholic]

This seems a regular thing to say right now, especially when discussing veterans of the WWE. People like The Undertaker, Shawn Michaels and even Triple H. Regardless of your opinions on them they have done a lot for this company, and each have carried it at different times. Doing such a good job, they’re still in the title scene now.

However, none of them ‘need’ the belt. Most of us have said it at one point. And to an extent it’s true. But when did the belt become this worthless? Because it’s a problem with the belt, not the wrestler. Being WWE/World Heavyweight Champion should signify the top of the company. There should be nothing higher than that. So why is there? What happened that made the belt second to these superstars? And which starts would you say were above it?

[klunderbunker]

I'd say just those three. Right now, someone like Jeff Hardy for example, isn't up to the main event level yet and needs the title to establish credibility. Same with someone like Punk. When he won the title, he was instantly thrown into the main event seen and will forever have the line on his resume that says former WHC. That stays with you forever. Everyone from Kane to Hulk Hogan to Stan Stasiak can claim that. Obviously their reigns weren't equal. Guys like HBK, HHH and Taker are absolute legends. They will be main eventers until the day they retire and even after tehy come back.

Take HBK in 2002 for example. He was gone for over 4 years and came back into the 2nd biggest storyline on the card, and some would argue biggest. A lot of it also is due to their level of skill. Shawn doesn't have a match for 4 years and comes back and goes for almost 45 minutes with HHH, arguably the best their was at the time. HHH comes back from his quad injury on Jan 7, 2002 and wins the title at Mania 3 months later. Both of them, along with Taker, are above the belt as they simply don't need it to be seen as a top guy.

Until Punk and Jericho's initial title reigns, they were seen as midcarders. People like them, Benoit, Angle etc. all clearly had the talent to be in the main event, but being given the belt showed that they were seen as beign a main event level player. Guys like HHH and Shawn hae been there so long that its a given. Its known that they are on top and aren't leaving anytime soon.

[AnthonyMango/NoFate007]

Its a matter of a combination of skill, popularity, and overall value.

The championships within the WWE are plot devices. The whole point of having them is to give people something to feud over which people can become familiar with. Everyone knows the storyline behind the general championship feud: title holder is forced to defend it against whoever is the contender, while the contender wants to be the top guy, so they need to prove who is the better of the two.

But there are those wrestlers that have proven that they're main event people (HBK, HHH, Undertaker) and will never be demoted in the eyes of the fans, so you don't have to worry about them losing steam. They've also proven that they're capable of executing feuds that people are interested in that don't require a title to be on the line. Its usually more interesting if you have the possibility that there will be a new champion, but with these guys, you don't need that extra boost. You just know that they'll be having a good feud outside of it with a good story and good matches.

Examine two matches in the card for "No Mercy": HBK vs Y2J and Batista vs JBL. The HBK and Y2J feud is certainly upgraded by making it for a championship, no doubt about it, but if Jericho wasn't the belt holder and they still had this ladder match (no clue what they'd hang up though lol) then wouldn't everyone still be interested in seeing it? Meanwhile, Batista/JBL is a bore. Adding the #1 Contender's spot is the only thing saving this as it gives people a chance to wonder what the outcome is. If you just had Batista/JBL in their so-called current "feud", nobody would give a shit. The two of them aren't talented enough to be built around without having some sort of extra step-stool like a championship.

[The Mark of Zur-En-Arrh]

They're above the belt because they are guaranteed money draws. They are the guys who can have an emotional fued with a guy based on something utterly stupid and then three months later they could have the money match of a PPV.

HBK/Jericho was a prime example of a fued that didn't need a title to elevate its status, but for some reason they put the belt on Jericho anyway. With the Undertaker, he doesn't need the belt at all. He's literally like the WWE's equivalent of the Grim Reaper. If he says it's your time to take a dirt nap, it's like sex with Coby Briant.... you can kick and scream all you want, but... it's gonna happen. As for HHH, the guy doesn't need the title as a heel. His Cerebral Assassin gimmick allows for him to attack guys that he considers a threat to his own well being or goals. Sure he'll claim he's after the title, but he could never even have a title shot and still have an awesome fued i.e. with Austin on numerous occassions. As a face it's different because other than being in DX, he never does anything other than get title shots or has to one up the boss, which so far hasn't really happened at all on SD!.

Edge is another guy that i think is above the title, as is Cena. Edge is renowned for ruining other people's lives to start a fued. He mocked Ric Flair for his DUI, he stole Lita from Kane (kayfabe) and Matt (reality), he allowed an ECW superstar to win the title because he feared Cena, he beats up people's family members, he screws people out of title shots ie Kennedy and Taker, and marries the boss! As for Cena, he's an avatar for the people really. He's like the Rock only nowhere near as funny, and is like a stuck record really. He throws down because he feels the fans would want to see the two guys go at it. Or someone else has a problem with him and his way of life (not that that aspect is really played on anymore). While they'll be in the title picture for years to come, it's not a neccessary element to promote their matches.

Guys like Batista, Orton, Punk, JBL and guys like that are the only people who NEED the belt because what the fuck are you gonna do with them otherwise? Orton has pretty much abandoned the Legend Killer routine which is why i didn't include him in the other category.

Guys like Jericho and Kane and Rey could also be condsidered as above the belt because you can do an emotional fued with them and not need a title. You may not have said that about Jericho before this year, but you can't deny it now. Kane can easily pull the demented weirdo doing stuff because he's twisted, and Rey has his underdog gimmick which did work very well, but he's been severely injured twice in as many years and i think people are just generally bored of him really.

The World title is just a means to make us, the audience, care more about certain people, or if they're already stupidly over, then they use it to gain ratings.

'Hey my fave wrestler is now the champ, which means he'll always be on TV in the main event which usually is the longest and best match on the card anyway so i'll make sure to watch Raw tonight'

The guys above the belt are the ones who get in the HOF, along with talent who achieve records i.e Rocky Johnson = 1st Black Tag Champ, or just amaze the crowd for weeks on end like Foley (i really hope he gets in despite helping out TNA). They could read Edgar Allan Poe stories for 30 mins and people would still watch them.

[Esteban Ochocinco]

There have been plenty of guys that were bigger then the belt. The business has changed. Before the world of guaranteed contracts, and I'm not sure exactly when it started, the champions of the company were the companies biggest stars. The champion also was the most paid wrestler in the company, regardless of who it was.

The Monday Night War started, and the era of guaranteed contracts began. This is around the time when the "best" person on the roster wasn't neccessarily the champion, and the belt began to be used as a prop to further establish someones career.

For me, the instance that the belt became second fiddle to stars was at Wrestlemania X-8. Hogan and the Rock completely over shadowed everything that Triple H and Jericho did that night. Those two were clearly the main event, and made an Undisputed Title match look completely worthless. People paid to watch Hogan and the Rock, not Triple H and Jericho.

The same trend went on the year after that with Austin vs. the Rock 3. That match was the draw, and you could even argue Hogan vs. McMahon was the second biggest of the night, two more matches that were bigger then the two title matches. Sure, the belt went on last, but those cards were built around non title matches.

John Cena's title reign is another example. Clearly, he got his first title reign about 3 years before he was ready for it. This is what led to a lot of the anti-Cena stances that many began. He was a green champion, who should have been a mid card champion, yet he was in the ring with guys that at the time were far superior to him. So it's spiraled down hill since then. Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker, and Triple H are all bigger then the belts, and shouldn't even be in the title picture anymore. A once a year feud from each of those guys would be all that is needed to keep the prestige of those titles intact.

For many reasons, the belts have lost a bit of their original purpose. Whether it be hot potatoing of the title between too many wrestlers in too short of a period (thank you Vince Russo), or straight out putting titles on people that are "unworthy" of being champion. Or it could be simply that there are three "World" Titles in the WWE, and 6 other mid card championship belts floods the market and too many people have held belts to make them worthy.

[LMaruko]

I would think that the wrestlers "above the belt" should at least step aside and let newer faces take a shot at what the top-card has to offer. There are some who have decided that, but once again, like HHH, he is ALWAYS given the belt along the lines. I must say that I think HHH will go beyond Ric Flair's 16-time reign (hell, he's only got four to go and HHH has years left still in the tank), but for the time being, stand aside.

I enjoyed the time when HHH didn't hold the belt and he feuded with another wrestler (I'd like to say Big Show), and other superstars had gold glory. Now, it's all about the same five or six superstars wanting a title shot, or becoming champ. Granted, Jericho is a "new" face to the title picture, but he's already established himself as part of the "above the belt" group, as being the first undisputed champ. A lot of people may not think Jeff Hardy should get the belt, but then again, a lot of people think he's only "tag champ" material with the Nostalgia Kool-Aid being passed around nowadays. It's a new face. He's getting a major push. Might as well run with it.

But back on topic; There are a lot of superstars that are above the belt, probably being set on top of a pedestal earlier on in their careers. Hurray for them! Now, for those less fortunate who are still top tier, have them get one more title shot/#1 contender's shot, and if they lose or win, they take the cake, move on and pass the torch to newer faces or superstars who have been less fortunate throughout their career.