Can someone explain this to me?

[Navi]

Okay I was watching RAW last night and something occurred to me. Now we do a lot of bitching about creative, mostly by me, but carrying on, they deserve it and I'll tell you why.

There is 5 title belts in the WWE right now, WWE Champion, Tag Team Titles, US Title, Intercontinental Title and Diva's Title. Stay with me here.

The WWE title is being held by a part timer with a limited date contract. Lesnar won it at Summerslam from Cena, and has defended it only once since then. We have no lack of contenders vying for it Reigns, Cena, Orton and Rollins. I didn't include Ambrose and Wyatt, they are off in their own little world, and Daniel Bryan is a question mark. Next date for a title defense is the Rumble and then likely Mania. God knows what's going to happen, but it's a clusterfuck to say the least.

Tag Team belts are held right now by Miz and Mizdow. Now there is a lack of good tag teams in the division at present, and I hesitate to even call it a division. The Uso's held the belts for most of the year, Dust brothers have had them and that's about the extent of the tag team grouping, for want of a better word.

Intercontinental belt is being passed around like a hot potato this year. Barrett won it then Miz won it in the tournament, lost it to Ziggler, back to Miz, back to Ziggler, then Harper and now Ziggler again. Seems only four wrestlers in the whole of the WWE are capable of having this title.

The Diva's Title, well it's held by Nicki Bella..........oh who am I kidding no one really gives a shit about this belt anyway.

And that brings me to the whole point of this thread, the US Title. What were the WWE thinking by putting it on a guy, Rusev, whose gimmick is the fact that he hasn't been beat since he debuted. Now the word on the street is the fact that he won't lose until at least Wrestlemania next March.

I mean what the hell. The WWE doesn't have a plethora of titles hanging around to hand out and two of them are being held by wrestlers who a) either don't defend them or b) can't lose because it will ruin their gimmick. What in the world are the rest of the roster doing, what are they working their asses off day in and day out for?

So maybe someone can explain to me what the hell creative think they are doing here.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

It's creating longer title reigns which was actually a goal that Triple H had talked about last year. Rather than hot potatoing the titles around, it helps establish their value more.

 

[MartialHorror]

I still think the best thing to do is have Rusev burn the United States belt. Ambrose, unfortunately, turned it into a mere decoration and its credibility wasn't especially boosted by Sheamus- whose feuds were rather uninvolving even if the matches were fine.

I honestly often forget about the U.S belt. Rusev's streak would work better with the WHT, but I don't think he's ready for that.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Okay I was watching RAW last night and something occurred to me. Now we do a lot of bitching about creative, mostly by me, but carrying on, they deserve it and I'll tell you why.

There is 5 title belts in the WWE right now, WWE Champion, Tag Team Titles, US Title, Intercontinental Title and Diva's Title. Stay with me here.

The WWE title is being held by a part timer with a limited date contract. Lesnar won it at Summerslam from Cena, and has defended it only once since then. We have no lack of contenders vying for it Reigns, Cena, Orton and Rollins. I didn't include Ambrose and Wyatt, they are off in their own little world, and Daniel Bryan is a question mark. Next date for a title defense is the Rumble and then likely Mania. God knows what's going to happen, but it's a clusterfuck to say the least.

I think Vince saw an opportunity to do a little experiment and went with it. He feels that because Lesnar only shows up every 3 or 4 months, his title defenses feel more meaningful. On one hand, there might be a degree of truth in that just by the simple novelty of not seeing the WWE Champion on television every week. On the other hand, while Lesnar might be a draw, he's not so huge of a draw that he can deliver the sort of numbers Vince is hoping for at this time. However, I think Vince's ultimate goal is for the WWE Network to have 1 million subscribers by WrestleMania and feels that Lesnar as champion could help deliver it.

Tag Team belts are held right now by Miz and Mizdow. Now there is a lack of good tag teams in the division at present, and I hesitate to even call it a division. The Uso's held the belts for most of the year, Dust brothers have had them and that's about the extent of the tag team grouping, for want of a better word.

The tag team division has lost some steam but, all in all, it could be a whole lot worse. I know because it's been a whole lot worse than this because at least the title still mean something. I have a feeling that things will get back on track with the tag team division next year, especially with The Ascension coming to the main roster.

Intercontinental belt is being passed around like a hot potato this year. Barrett won it then Miz won it in the tournament, lost it to Ziggler, back to Miz, back to Ziggler, then Harper and now Ziggler again. Seems only four wrestlers in the whole of the WWE are capable of having this title.

The IC title hasn't been used particularly well since Sheamus dropped the title. Vince has become someone who doesn't mind playing hot potato with titles, so it's a safe bet that this was his call. Since Ziggler's feud with Miz ended, the title has been more relevant than it has been since Barrett was stripped. I don't particularly see the need for Ziggler to have dropped it to Harper before Survivor Series only to win it back at TLC. The fact that they didn't job Ziggler out to Seth Rollins tonight and that Ziggler won clean is a nice change of pace because Vince frequently jobs out mid-card champions to the higher ups. The jury is still out for Ziggler as IC champ because he's had so many stop & go pushes already that people can be wary to get too excited or invested because Vince might change his mind tomorrow for all we know.

The Diva's Title, well it's held by Nicki Bella..........oh who am I kidding no one really gives a shit about this belt anyway.

It wouldn't take much work to get fans interested in the Divas. Triple H has shown in NXT that he & the NXT creative team know how to book women to look like legit competitors to be taken seriously and who can put on good matches. For the most part, Vince still sees female wrestlers as filler and that's not likely to change.

And that brings me to the whole point of this thread, the US Title. What were the WWE thinking by putting it on a guy, Rusev, whose gimmick is the fact that he hasn't been beat since he debuted. Now the word on the street is the fact that he won't lose until at least Wrestlemania next March.

Personally, I have absolutely zero problem with Rusev as United States Champion. I think it was a great move and has been a great move thus far and it made sense considering his gimmick. A lot of people wrote Rusev off from the moment he debuted with the old foreign invader gimmick, a gimmick that hasn't really worked in years. However, surprise surprise, it's worked as Rusev's gotten great heat, he's put on pretty good matches and he's been built consistently as a strong heel. The title's done more for Rusev than it did for Ambrose or Sheamus because Ambrose hardly ever defended it and Sheamus just ultimately came off as a guy carrying it. Rusev having a long, meaningful run with the championship isn't a bad thing in my eyes. If he keeps it to WrestleMania and things are kept interesting, I'm all for it. I'd much rather the title be on someone who benefits from being champion rather than just ultimately carrying it around for the sake of having it.

 

[TheICChampion]

I doubt even Creative knows what they're doing. It's like a "Do it now, figure it out later" mentality. And as far as increasing the value of titles anymore, Joey, that's kind of hard to do when we don't even see some of them for several months at a time. Either that or putting it on a guy who nobody thinks can legitimately be beaten. As far as no hot potato reigns, seriously? The IC and Diva's titles have changed hands each no less than half a dozen times this year.

 

[CyberPunk]

I hear ya. I mean out of the 5 titles we have, only 3 have been defended regularly this year, and no, World title is not one of them. However, the title scene is not that bad. I kinda like what they are trying to do with IC title. The matches for the title have been good to excellent through this year, especially since Big E dropped it. In this particular case at least, I don't think hot potato is bad because finally we have a mid-card scene where guys actually have potential to go forward, especially Ziggler and Harper. I am just hoping that at some point, Mizdow joins it.

Tag team title hasn't been bad either. The only real complaint I've had is that at some point, Harper and Rowan should've won the title. Otherwise, for the tag team titles, this has been a solid year with some really good matches. Moreover, Miz/Mizdow team is actually entertaining (especially Mizdow), so why not have them as champions for sometime. it's not like we have many teams there. Also, Ascension will soon be on the main roster, so there's that.

Diva's title is well, Diva's title. Still, before Nikki Bella, the title was in good hands. let's hope this whole Bella thing is short lived.

The only title I think hasn't been used properly throughout the year is the US title. Even on Rusev, they haven't done much for it. The title is not the central piece to Rusev character, which bewilders me. It should be rubbed in the faces of audience every week that Rusev holds this title. I mean why not? Bring in more challengers for him. Looks like Ryback is the next, so let's see how that goes.

The WWEWHC? It's there, somewhere, in Lesnar's showroom.

 

[Navi]

Personally, I have absolutely zero problem with Rusev as United States Champion. I think it was a great move and has been a great move thus far and it made sense considering his gimmick. A lot of people wrote Rusev off from the moment he debuted with the old foreign invader gimmick, a gimmick that hasn't really worked in years. However, surprise surprise, it's worked as Rusev's gotten great heat, he's put on pretty good matches and he's been built consistently as a strong heel. The title's done more for Rusev than it did for Ambrose or Sheamus because Ambrose hardly ever defended it and Sheamus just ultimately came off as a guy carrying it. Rusev having a long, meaningful run with the championship isn't a bad thing in my eyes. If he keeps it to WrestleMania and things are kept interesting, I'm all for it. I'd much rather the title be on someone who benefits from being champion rather than just ultimately carrying it around for the sake of having it.

The problem I have with Rusev holding the title is the predictability of it all. We know he will probably go undefeated through to Mania. Which means every time he defends the title from now till then, is pretty much a lock for him retaining it, no matter who he's up against. Just as it is with Lesnar, because his contract is up then. So that takes two titles out of five off the table for active roster members to vie for.

So unless they revolutionize the tag team and Diva's division in a hurry, that really only leave one title available to get excited about. And that's a title that's been passed around a lot already this year.

I guess my point is this. Vince's little experiment for most fans was a bit of a failure. Now they've added insult to injury by placing another of their precious few titles on another wrestler where the outcome of his matches are already written in stone. If the WWE title was still in play, then no issue if the US title is with one guy for awhile.

 

[Un-Bo-Lievable Jeff]

So you are annoyed that the IC title is passed about a lot but angry that the US title isn't?

 

[MR K]

So you are annoyed that the IC title is passed about a lot but angry that the US title isn't?

I think what Navi is trying to get across is that the US title is being booked predictably, Rusev will go undefeated until at least Mania. Meaning there is no chance of the title changing hands, meaning theres no excitment in the build up to a title defense because we already know Rusev wont lose.

 

[Navi]

So you are annoyed that the IC title is passed about a lot but angry that the US title isn't?

No I'm not annoyed or angry about anything. I would say it's more than a little confusing. I thought I had explained myself, but will try again.

There are three titles available for single wrestlers, IC, US and WWE. Two of them are currently being held by wrestlers whose matches are very predictable.

In the case of Lesnar, we know he's leaving after Mania, so will likely hold the title till then, when he will drop it to whomever he's facing. Not much of a surprise like we had last year is there. Rusev who's gimmick is the fact that he's unbeatable is holding the US title, and by all reports will drop it at Mania to his opponent. Again no surprise.

Although it's strange that they would build Rusev up all year just to bring him down at the biggest show of the year.

Now I don't like the titles changing hands all the time, but with any title defense there should always be an element of "Oh maybe the challenger can win, maybe he can do it." For the next 4 months we know that two titles are locked and any title defense of them is just another match with any challenger having no shot at winning them. I like surprises but don't see any coming our way until after Wrestlemania.

 

[OYDK]

WWE Title:

When Lesnar first won the WWEWHC, I was pretty excited because I thought it was something different that had not been done in a long ass time... I also thought he would be defending it at every PPV... silly me. The WWE title picture has indeed turned into a debacle; Lesnar will hold the WWE title for 7 months, defend it 3 times against the same god damn person, and than lose it at Mania (hopefully) effectively eliminating the main prize in your business for over half a year. I would have been much happier if Lesnar had defended the title at every PPV against different opponents like Orton, Sheamus, Ryback etc. but the way it's been handled has been almost pathetic.

Tag Team Belts:

I've actually enjoyed the Tag Team Division recently. Sure at the start of the year, it was pretty hurting but we DID see the NAO return for one last run (which I obviously loved), and The Uso's winning the belts at Mania was done almost perfectly. I actually wanted them to hold the titles for a full year, but I was okay with the loss to the Dusts because it diversified the division. Miz and Mizdow are great entertainment and are doing wonders for the tag belts and as Jack-Hammer said, it could be much much worse.

IC belt:

You're right about the IC title being hotshotted around this year and I think that partially has to do with the injury to Wade Barrett as the hotshotting began to occur right after he got hurt. I didn't much enjoy the Ziggler/Miz program but I think WWE has been booking it really well lately with Ziggler/Harper. Right guy has the belt right now. As for the number of competitors, I agree with you. I would have liked to see some others like Bo Dallas or Ryback compete for the title at least once.

Diva's Title:

People write this title off because it's held by Nikki Bella, but she has actually improved a TON since she debuted... since she started dating Cena actually... coincidence? Imo she's actually one of the best in-ring workers in the division and the girl is STRONG. She gets a decent reaction from the crowd as well. I think with Nikki, Brie, AJ, Paige, Charlotte, Natty, Sasha Banks, Naomi, etc. the Diva's division will be stronger than it has been in a very long time.

US title:

Predictable booking with Rusev? Of course, but giving him the title made the most sense and it's worked to improve the credibility of the belt. Also, he hasn't really held it that long and I'm not so sure that he'll beat Ryback at the Rumble if they face off. I can see Ryback winning and a rematch happening at Mania.

All in all, I'm actually alright with the booking of the titles except the WWE.

 

[Wald]

Most of this I'd argue with to be honest. First off I think the tag title scene is doing just fine. Is it back to late-80s glory? No, but it's a lot better than it was even three or four years ago.

I don't think it's a bad thing to not have the WWE Title defended on minor PPVs and with the launch of the Network now was the perfect time and Brock is the perfect guy with which to test that theory. It's very much debatable if it works with Brock, because he doesn't show up on Raw much, but I honestly would have no problem with a guy like Randy Orton winning the belt and only defending it at the big PPVs and some minor ones.

The US Title is worthless and I can easily envision a scenario where Rusev just destroys it to send a message to America. It could even be the set up for Wrestlemania match, which I assume will be against John Cena. Have Rusev beat whoever at Fast Lane and have him declare on Raw that the title is dead. Make him physically take the belt apart and have Cena interrupt to remind him that that belt has a US flag on it and he won't stand for someone destroying the flag.

The only issue with the men's titles I have is with the IC belt. It's being booked okay but there really was an opportunity to return it to its glory days during Brock's reign. On the Raw after Summerslam I would have said that the holder of the Intercontinental Title at the end of the TLC PPV will get the shot against Brock at the Royal Rumble. That way the title becomes the most important thing in the company. The match at TLC becomes hugely important and any time the belt was defended between Summerslam and TLC it would have been a huge deal. Guys like Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose, John Cena, Big Show and whoever else could all have focussed on it as well as Ziggler, Harper and whoever else and you could have even had a huge ladder match at TLC to get the belt and the shot.

 

[Reflection]

I disagree with your viewpoint. I look at the statue of things with a slightly more positive approach:

WWE Champion- A change of taste. In contrast to the previous champions, this guy has had some spectacular achievements this year and simply doesn't give a fuck about defending his title each month. It's a different kind of story than the usual norm, and I don't mind it. Moreover, Rollins has the MITB briefcase. If he could turn on his brothers, he can turn on anyone. In addition to that, Cena and Orton will have to fight much harder competition than before, when almost always they used to be either the champion or challenger for one of the two world titles.

Tag Team division- You forgot A New Day and Los Matadores. Anyway, what you mentioned is the scenario of today; earlier this year, we had teams like The Shield, Wyatt Family, Evolution, The Usos, Rhodes & Goldust, 3MB (later Slatergator), Real Americans, Rybaxel, Show & Henry, and the Matadores.
The reason the tag team division is not as strong today is because many of these guys have been elevated to the top card, which is not a bad thing. This is somewhat a transitionary phase, but still we have at least 5 tag teams, one semi-tag team (Cesaro&Kidd), and the upper mid carders having tag team matches from time to time. It's not all that bad.

US champion- Nothing is as insulting as an evil competitor from your rival country winning the title named after YOUR country, and none of your countrymen strong enough to beat him. The guy that finally beats him must be something special. Story.

IC champion- Finding a champion who can gain from the title as well as add value to it, is very important. Who are the ones that fit this criteria? Bad News Barrett, Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper. The Kofis, Big-Es and Axels don't add or gain anything from it.

Divas champion- Nikki is the right choice. AJ and Paige had a very long (and somewhat underwhelming) feud, which is thankfully over. They need a new champion. Whom to pick? How about someone who has improved a lot this year and also looks great (in not just the posterior area)? Someone who is easy to hate but is not annoying? Nikki Bella is the first name that comes to mind.

Storytelling is more important than the titles changing hands regularly. They are telling stories with Brock and Rusev. Sit back and let them. Then you will get the enjoyment. You cannot get fruits from a tree before it has matured.

 

[hollowpoint]

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship not being defended, or even present at tv shows puts a huge damper on the product so it starts there. Ziggler is doing a great job of making the IC Title relevant again. I wouldn't refer to it as "hot potato" especially since the way Harper won the title originally was questionable at best. As far as the US. Title goes, I agree that being apart of a gimmick hinders the Superstar. The sooner Rusev can get this "undefeated streak" off of him, the better he will be able to develop. Ask Goldberg if you need further clarification. Once an indestructible force gets destroyed, it's hard to build it back up again. The tag team division is the one that needs a bit more attention. The Uso's have carried that division for the past couple of years now, but they have some good teams starting to develop. Cesaro/Kidd can be a great team as they are both very experienced tag team wrestlers. The Dust Brothers are consistent enough to stay around, and believe it or not, I think if given a chance, the New Day can put together something worth watching. Plus the Ascension is on it's way up to wreck the division as well. The Diva's division is a joke now. They gave it some steam when Steph was around, but it just doesn't seem the same as it was even 6 months ago.

 

[ITrippedTheShockmaster]

Personally, I think WWE could get away with two singles titles right now in the WWE Championship and the Intercontentinal Title. Not everyone needs to be in a singles title hunt. Plus, it allows singles guys to get more of a rub by tag teaming. But, if you wanted to have a third-tier title, I say revive WCW's TV Title, or something in that regard. Make a title that's relevant to something modern and can logically be defended ANYWHERE on TV or the WWE Network.

As far as Rusev holding the U.S. Title, I like the irony concept of WHY he has it (the foreigner with an anti-American gimmick), but the title itself means little to nothing anymore and, IMHO, should be retired. The WWE is a global entity now, with tours of many countries throughout the year. With that, why is there only a title that represents the U.S. and, technically, should only be defended in the U.S.? Seems outdated to me. Plus, Rusev's feuds basically has him going up against (fill in the blank) to defend America, only to squash said patriot. His current program w/Ryback seems to finally (thankfully) not have that same formula. I say have Rusev drop the belt in some way, then put him into the IC title picture after the Ziggler/Harper feud ends. Or, have him win the next MITB to make him a constant WWE Championship threat next year and not need a title, a la Seth Rollins.

As far as Brock with the WWE title goes, I don't mind that he's not on TV every week. But, it seems detrimental in my view to be vacant for months at a time and not defend the title (remember the old "30-day rule"?). I get that he's a part-timer now and he comes on TV a few times a year to demolish someone and look strong for the PPVs that he actually does work. Wrestling fans aren't used to that. I saw a sign in the crowd on Raw this week that kinda spelled it out - "Eat, Sleep, Disappear, Repeat." In my eyes, they're turning his title reign into more of a boxing or MMA-style champion that only defends every few months at the major PPVs. Does it make for a bigger build-up? Sure. If that's the route WWE wants to take, then fine. But they need to make it more pallatable for the general fan.

Tag-team titles are ok right now. There are some good teams in that division and the champs are hot (well, Damian Sandow is). While they're not main eventing any shows right now, the scene is still better than what's been done in the past few years. The fact that they're creating new teams and bringing up teams from NXT like The Ascension means they actually want it to succeed. When they break MizDow up, they'll need someone to step up as champs.

The Diva's title scene is stale and boring and, quite frankly, has been lazily booked the past year or so. AJ still rules the roost as the best in that division (with the under-utilized Natalya a close second), but she needed better competition during her last title run. I like Paige a lot, but she's still learning. Nikki Bella is an adequate champ, but her booking in the past year has been horrendous. The focus on pushing "Total Divas" has ruined that division, IMHO. Can't wait for Charlotte to come up and maybe breathe some life into it.

 

[Gansher]

This is how I personally look at the titles right now:

WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Orton started off as champion, dropped the strap to Bryan at WM, then Cena became champion since Bryan got injured. When Lesnar won I was excited, because it was something different. The last time Lesnar held the belt was No Way Out 2004, so that's something. Reports that his contract was changed made me hopeful he would appear more, at least for a Survivor Series title defence, but apparently things changed again or reports about his contract were untrue. Lesnar is obviously going to drop the title at Mania probably to Reigns, and hopefully it will be a good reign because the championship's prestige is rapidly dropping!

Intercontinental Championship: This is also very interesting. When BNB won the title, I was really looking forward to seeing the title defended, because BNB was, and is, capable of putting on a great show, and being a great champion. Just like the main strap, injury sidelined plans, and Miz became champion. Both Miz's reigns were horrible, with Ziggler becoming champ twice. His second reign this year was quite good, because he constantly put over the belt and defended it as much as he could. Now with Ziggler closing the year as champion, perhaps finally the belt can be defended at Mania if Ziggler doesn't win the Rumble. This title really needs a Mania match.

US Championship: I never really cared for this championship, and this year was no exception. Ambrose may have had a long reign but in the end, he rarely defended it, and sometimes I wonder whether creative knew he had a championship. Sheamus had good matches with it, but again, the belt was never really put over. Now Rusev has it, and obviously, everyone has taken a sudden interest in the belt given Rusev's gimmick. Now would be the perfect time for Rusev to get rid of the US championship and bring back the European championship. We'll wait and see what happens with Ryback. Ironically, if Rusev beats Ryback, Ryback goes back to square one like in 2011. If Ryback beats Rusev, Rusev may end up the same.

Tag Team Championships: The Usos gave the championships some well deserved recognition, and had good matches, especially with Harper and Rowan. Now though, since Stardust and Goldust won the titles, it seems as if the division is faltering again. Rybaxel have broken up, as have the Shield and Harper and Rowan. Los Matadores are never going to win the titles and would be a mistake given their horrible gimmick. Mizdow are obviously holding the titles until they eventually break up, so I would imagine the Usos or New Day may get the championship soon. Division needs to be revamped and strengthened.

Divas Title: This is another problem they need to address. So AJ dominated the Divas for almost an entire year, and in that year she defended the title against almost everyone, barring Tamina and Naomi if you don't count WrestleMania XXX. Paige was a breath of fresh air and I hoped their rivalry would be good but they never got enough time, and I don't understand the logic of having Paige and AJ exchange the title so much. When AJ won it from Paige the first time it was fine, Paige winning at Summerslam was understandable since it was a big stage to establish Paige but then it got ridiculous. Nikki is a good choice because she has improved, like it or not. I'm hoping Naomi gets the title soon, and Cameron never gets within 20 feet of it.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I think Vince saw an opportunity to do a little experiment and went with it. He feels that because Lesnar only shows up every 3 or 4 months, his title defenses feel more meaningful.

It's a two-sided coin, isn't it? One can understand the logic of making something more valuable and treasured by limiting our exposure to it; i.e., title matches. On the other hand, as pro boxing showed us so well over the years, people like contests in which the title is at stake. On TV advertisements for MMA and UFC shows, I'd wager the shows that garner the highest ratings are the ones that inform us a title is being defended.

But this is the direction WWE has chosen for the world title...... for better or worse. They've placed the title belt around the waist of a guy who isn't a regular member of the traveling show. When it comes to pro wrestling, Brock seemingly doesn't care much about the integrity of his (part time) profession, doesn't take his conditioning as seriously as he does for his mixed martial arts, and isn't required to give his all in the rare times he does show up for non-match festivities.......after all, he has someone to do the talking for him and, as was shown against Chris Jericho the other night, has only to do the bare minimum onstage before saying bye-bye for.....well, we usually don't know how long.

The point is, this is the way Vince McMahon wants it....and that being so, he couldn't have picked a better guy to be the champion. Compare all that to John Cena, who functions in exactly the opposite manner. If Cena is champion and you want to limit the number of title shots, what do they do with him the rest of the time?

After Brock leaves, we'll presumably go back to the old way; the world champion will defend his title almost every month. I can understand giving the world title belt an occasional month off from having to be defended, but I don't think we'll see too much of that.

 

[BestWrestlingOpinions]

It's creating longer title reigns which was actually a goal that Triple H had talked about last year. Rather than hot potatoing the titles around, it helps establish their value more.

I'm fine with Lesnar bringing prestige to the title, but for Rusev, he doesn't need a title. Rusev is bigger thatn the title. The fact that he isn't defeated should be the reasons for making his matches, same as the Undertaker at Mania (until last year). Having a long reign as US champ for Rusev doesn't make anything for the title itself, because it isn't the focal point. When Cesaro was holding it, THAT was / could be a good reign, because Cesaro's character and feuds would revolve around him. Sure, he could be build strong, but the challenges would come because of the title, not because he would be undefeated.





Hot potatoing is bad too. Meaningless reigns, champions that are unable to hold their titles. I mean, why would Harper win the title, if he was to lose it 2 weeks later? To put some heat on HHH making things unfair? Boo-hoo.
They had a great reaction for Paige and AJ for the Divas, and now we went back to the almighty Bellas! No one cares about them, not wrestling fans. Paige is now somewhere in Total Divas doing nothing, hasn't been on tv for a long time, even though she was the next most interesting thing right next or maybe on par with AJ. But hey, the Bellas worked their asses off... literally.

Tag division is dead, because there isn't anything special or NEW about the tag teams. It's the same thing ALL THE TIME. Basic matches with a hot tag and a clean win for the faces or a dirty win for the heels. NOTHING IMPORTANT. Harper and Rowan should have won the titles and the Wyatt Family should still be together, maybe that would be a good tag run. I feel that the Ascension will fail in making the division better, because of the booking. No matter how good you are, if a bunny gets more creative attention and direction, you don't have a chance.

 

[CKDaimen702]

I'm not sure I understand the question being asked in this thread. It sounds like the OP is asking why did creative put two title belts on guys who can't/won't lose it. But the premise is flawed right off the bat because who says Rusev can't lose it? I think most of us realize Brock's title run is a joke (and this is coming from a huge Brock fan), but just because Rusev is undefeated doesn't mean he 'can't lose' and that the roster has 'nothing to work towards.' Plus, the IC Belt is still out there, which as the OP stated is being "passed around," which would mean that it is a more realistic goal for the superstars.

The whole "what are we working for" applies to Brock, not to Rusev. Rusev is a full time wrestler who defends the title. What difference does it make that he's undefeated? His gimmick may be that he is undefeated, but it is not as if it is in his contract that he can't lose.

 

[Papa Pillman]

I was actually thinking something along these lines last night, only with a more positive spin...

There are three men's singles titles in the company at the current moment, as well as the MITB briefcase(which also acts similar to a title belt for all intents and purposes).

So often in the last few years we have all shit on the WWE for the treatment of most if not all of those titles. When there were two world titles the WHC was treated like shit, we got used to seeing Mr. MITB's lose repeatedly prior to their cash-ins, and the two midcard belts had inconsistent booking at best, got hot-potatoed around, and often saw the champs taking too many pinfalls.

Now let's evaluate the current situation:

The World Champ has been booked as an unstoppable monster.

The US champ has been booked as unbeatable.

Mr. MITB has been protected from day one and made the top full time heel target for main event level babyfaces.

And the man holding the IC belt has had star turns at the last couple PPVs, big wins on TV, and is being booked consistently stronger lately than at any other point in his career(in fact, much stronger than he was booked when he was actually a world champ).

So for all the criticism we have given the WWE for weak booking of its champs and its championships, it seems that maybe for right now we should take a second to stop and really appreciate the strength of the booking as it relates to the current champions.

 

[Gansher]

Would it in any way help if they had a second MITB match for the midcard titles? Or would it just harm the main MITB match since it could result in midcarders not getting featured in a much stronger match?

 

[Radical]

This is my take on the title situation right now:

WWE Title:

I had no problem with Lesnar winning the WWE Title over Cena. It was done very emphatically and made Lesnar look super strong and devastating. Excellent booking. I also understand Lesnar vs Cean Part 2 (of the recent feud) because of the rematch clause. However, the biggest problem was after the 2nd Cena loss. There should have been a #1 Contender Tournament and then we could see guys like Orton, Rollins, Cesaro, Ziggler, Harper, Wyatt, Ambrose, etc. all fighting for the WWE Title and we STILL could have gotten feuds like Wyatt vs Ambrose and Ziggler vs Harper through that tournament.

To me, it's disappointing when WWE, I mean, VINCE keeps relying on Cena to main event with the WWE title on the line, especially in this unique opportunity with Lesnar holding the title. If Orton or Rollins or Ziggler got a shot at the title with Lesnar and still lost it would have still made them look okay.

But come to think of it, I think I know why Vince never put anyone else against Lesnar. After that one sided victory at SummerSlam and the less one-sided but still pretty dominant victory with the Rematch, Vince didn't want anyone else to face Lesnar because he didn't want to make Cena look even worse. Because if say, Orton, faced Lesnar and had a competitive match with him and still lost it would have made Cena look weak in retrospect because Cena could barely put up a fight yet Orton had a competitive match. And if they booked it where Orton got squashed worse than Cena than it would make more people mad and make Orton look even weaker. THAT'S why it's always been Cena vs Lesnar. Vince is super scared to make Cena look weak.

That's why I don't LIKE the choice but I understand the choice. That's why we will probably see Lesnar vs the strong and unbreakable Roman Reigns at WrestleMania, like it or not because Roman Reigns has the LOOK that people can just look at and believe that he could beat Lesnar. As much as people love Rolllins, Orton, Bryan or Ambrose, they don't quite have the look like they could beat Lesnar. So get ready for Lesnar vs Reigns for the WWE Title at WM 31. But IT WILL BE OKAY. Reigns will be champion but once Lesnar is out of the picture Rollins will be right there, he'll be champ soon after and then you can bet you'll see a lot of Reigns, Rollins, Ambrose and probably still Cena, Orton and also Bryan, Sheamus, Wyatt and a few others popping in there throughout 2015. And really? That's not too bad.

Tag Team Belts:

Overall, the Tag Team scene was pretty good this year. I did enjoy the return of the New Age Outlaws and losing to the Usos was a great turn over and let them reign as champs for a long time which they earned and did well at!

For me the problem is that there weren't ENOUGH legit tag teams in the Division all year long. We can't count Los Matadores, I'm sorry. But they are the joke team, much like Slater Gator later in the year. And I know you need a few joke teams but in my opinion, I look at tag division and that there should be AT LEST 4 SOLID, LEGIT tag teams at any time.

Look back at the Attitude Era... you had Hardy Boyz, Dudley Boyz, Edge & Christian, New Age Outlaws! Those were your solid ones and through 4-5 years there other legit tag teams were also present like APA, Brothers of Destruction, Right to Censor, Rock and Sock, etc. SO MANY.

Now, it's pretty sad. Who are the clear TAG TEAMS? Usos, Dust Brothers and Miz and MizDow. That's it! That's really sad because you know Miz and Mizdow are breaking up fairly soon. Even if the New Day gets going and The Ascension come in you need another good FACE team other than just Usos and New Day. So many unused talents that could be good tag teams.

I hope 2015 is better for a solid tag team division. Hopefully we can get back to another need for a Tornado Triple Threat or 4-Way Elimination Match or Ladder

IC belt:

Didn't mind the IC belt situation after Barrett lost it because it created a Tournament, which I love. I HATED that Miz got it again. I'm not a huge fan of Miz but even I can admit I AGREE with him and Mizdow as Tag Champs but as IC Champ, NO, there were SO MANY other options and it goes to show how kissing ass in WWE does do wonders.

I don't mind Ziggler with the belt now but I'm nervous for guys like Wyatt, Ryback and Reigns who haven't held a singles title yet and the longer they go the more they will start to be irrelevant no matter how good their feuds or matches are.

For Reigns, I still don't love the idea of wrestlers going from no singles titles to the TOP singles title but WWE has done it a lot over the last 5 years so I'll go "whatever".

For Ryback it's a tough situation. Hopefully Ryback gets the US title off Rusev. Ryback needs a singles title, even the US title if they are serious about his push. Even if he loses in a month or so to Rusev, if they leave the loss a little open ended like a DQ or a cheating finish by Rusev then Ryback would have a case for a WM match for the US title later on.

For Wyatt, it's more worrisome. He seems no where near a title shot. For some people they are probably quite happy with that but for me and a lot of others, it is a bit troubling. Is Wyatt only here to BEAT top stars (and "see them fall") but not beat them for a title then will he always be that way and thus never be a champion or are they only portraying him that way because they know there is no room for him in the title pictures until at least after WM? Personally, I think Wyatt could really use the IC belt, in fact, I think he should be one who gets the US title first, THEN the IC belt and THEN the WWE belt as he could talk about it being his mission to defeat all 'the heroes' and carry their titles. But that needs to start happening in 2015!

Diva's Title:

I often have very mixed feelings about Divas wrestling. I sometimes feel they should be how they are and just be almost forgotten and used as filler and really use the Divas better as managers.

But then I see NXT Divas action and I actually enjoy it for the most part. The storylines are pretty compelling and the wrestling is good.

Something gets lost in the big shows for the Divas. I like talent like AJ, Naomi, Natalya, Summer Rae and Paige and Charlotte, Sasha and Bayley in NXT but I still think keeping Divas stuff to a few minutes MOST of the time is okay. Just make them GOOD minutes and that's okay.

US title:

As I said more of earlier. I want to see Ryback beat Rusev for the US title. I didn't like how the US title was used early in the year but made sense for Rusev to have it and Ryback could use the win. If that's what happens I'm looking forward to 2015 with the US title. Hopefully Ryback will have good defenses over Rusev and some other challengers.

 

[rbv13]

I supported the idea of an absentee WWE Champion when rumors of Brock’s reign began circulating and I remain in support of the idea some months after his victory at Summer Slam. The key word there is “idea.” The WWE missed a tremendous opportunity to elevate the prestige of all the men’s titles represented on the main roster. I likely set my expectations a bit too high but I envisioned some of the upper talents competing for the IC or US titles. It would have been nice to see one if not both the titles featured in main event style programs. With the elevation of the present singles titles I thought the tag titles would occupy the mid card thus creating some new duos. What disappointed the most was the complete lack portraying Brock as some holier than thou entity who was deserving of such favorable treatment. They would go extended periods of time with little mention of him as champ. Despite him not physically being there he should have been felt. There should have been a tease that he could and would show at any time. They seemed to just drop the ball.

 

[FromGlasgow]

I like what they have done with all the titles they actually feel more meaningful now rather than having a different champion every week, I actually know who the champions are at the moment in the past I have lost interest and track of who has what titles. I think it gets too serious when it starts bothering you that a russian character holds an american title belt its all just meant to be a fun enjoyable show.