How do you rank the WWE championships?

[CM Steel]

There are now 6 championships currently active in the WWE (9 if you include the belts from WWE NXT). But ever since the WWE put WCW & ECW out of buisness the title's that came over from the defunct wrestling companies have less meaning to them. The World heavyweight championship and the U.S. championship. The ECW title is no longer active in the E. While the Crusierweight championship had been retired by the WWE years ago, smh. So now we currently have...

1. WWE Championship: The industries top title!

2. WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Better known as "The BIG GOLD Belt" to wrestling fans. The former WCW strap that is seen as a upper mid-card title to the mid-card guys.

3. IC Championship: The mid-card title that launches wrestling careers into the world title scene. All-time greats like HBK, HHH, the Rock, Mr. Perfect (R.I.P.), Randy Savage (R.I.P.)

4. U.S. Championship: Some still see it as on the same level as the IC championship but while now in this era in the E it's looked upon as this era's European championship. But we have/had the MVP's and Antonio Cesaro's who have made the United States title mean something again in the past.

5. WWE Tag Team Championship: The division is still on life support, but is still showing some sign's of life.

6. WWE Diva's: What can I say?...


Now when the WWE "Night of Champions" pay per-view comes around this year will there only be 6 matches with a specials match included making 7? But really in your own opinion. How do you rank the WWE championships?

 

[Jack G]

I think there is a real lack of clarity with WWE on how it sees the belts itself. The WWE title to us viewers is clearly the biggest, but to WWE it's on par with the WHC (as the MITB is for both, respectively). There is no clear standpoint that one means more than the other apart from the fact that Cena is near always involved in it.

The IC title i hope is being given new life with Axel; and I hope it becomes bigger, as it should!

The US title I just can't get behind...it seems wasteful, I'd drop it and DEFINTELY bring back the one title all of us want to see again...The Hardcore Title!!

Tag Belts, I like, and I like the current push in WWE for tag teams. The shield are a fitting pair to hold them until another huge tag team arrives...perhaps the Wyatts?

Diva's..lol

 

[gooseholla]

I'm just going to talk about a couple of the belts.

WWE Title:

Currently the biggest in the business. However, it has been devalued a lot. Why? Well come on, they turned it into a toy. We wait all the years for them to change it, and it is still a toy. Secondly, when it isn't even the main event at WM half the time anymore...

The old WCW belt has a lot of history and prestige. If a promotion was still around using it (not WWE) and WWE's title was in its current state, i'd be saying the WCW title is the biggest in the business.

IC:

Used to be big. Could main event sometimes. As you said launched people to the top. Now we have the WHC for that pretty much. The IC just seems to be for young people to fight over something. Can't remember the last time a top name held it or fought over it, giving it some meaning. Can't remember the last time WWE gave the belt to the WWE champ to show dominance.

The fact is, without major competition WWE has gotten lazy a bit when it has come to titles in the past 7 or so years, and well, they are a lot more devalued than say 2002, and way devalued to 98 - 99, and the early nineties.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Now when the WWE "Night of Champions" pay per-view comes around this year will there only be 6 matches with a specials match included making 7? But really in your own opinion. How do you rank the WWE championships?

There will likely be a 7th match containing some filler that absolutely no one cares about. Big Show VS Punk in 2010 was a waste of everyone's time, Trips VS Punk CLOSED the show that's intended to be all about the titles in a non-title match the following year. Matches like those make Night of Champions look like less of a big deal. I've stated this before and I stand by my statement.... if either Money In the Bank briefcase has yet to be cashed in by Night of Champions, they should be put up for grabs here. Even if both are not cashed in and only one is put on the line, it's better than having some meaningless match thrown in there just to give the show one more match. Orton faced Ziggler last year, why didn't that get end up being over the briefcase, for example? Dolph did put it on the line a couple of months later against Cena at TLC, so it's not like having to defend the briefcase hasn't happened before. I want to see that happen this year. A match over at least one MITB contract at Night of Champions is better than having matches no one cares about or bringing in a new 7th championship to fill a 7th match slot on that show.


1. WWE Championship
The only belt that WWE gives the attention that it truly deserves. It almost always closes the PPV events and it is made to look important on every single show. Hands down the top belt in the federation.

2. World Heavyweight Championship
While it doesn't get treated with the respect or attention it TRULY deserves, as they still claim it to be on par with the WWE Championship, it's the #2 belt by a large margin. It's what the IC once was, but with the champion getting a World Championship reign added to their list of accomplishments.

3. Intercontinental Championship
It's been treated better and made to look important again in recent years, but it's nowhere NEAR the WWE or World Heavyweight Championships. The classic design being brought back helped some for nostalgia, remembering the legends who once held the belt back when it meant a lot more. It gets more attention then any of the belts that I ranked below it.

4. Tag Team Championship
The giant pennies come in 4th. Considering the state of the division, the giant pennies have been doing well for how much attention they have gotten. It depends on what direction they go in after The Shield inevitably lose them, but ever since Team Hell No won them they have seemed a little more important again.

5. United States Championship
Ambrose has helped recently, but before him this belt had fallen as low in importance as I have ever seen it as a fan. Hopefully Ambrose will continue to make it feel important again before he loses it and it ultimately becomes unimportant again. They REALLY need to give it some more attention, there's plenty of midcarders with nothing to do so have them try to win it. It gives them something to do.

6. Divas Championship
Until AJ won it, this belt had become 100% useless. One champion cannot undo multiple years of worthless title reigns and lack of meaningful feuds. AJ VS Kaitlyn has been a step in the right direction and I truly hope WWE continue in that route. Give Natalya a chance at the belt too, let the girls who know how to wrestle be the focal points of the division. Fingers are crossed that this belt and division can turn around in the long run.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

1. WWE Title - This is the top tier belt. In my mind if you hold the WWE title you are THE champion. This is what every wrestler in the business strives for.

2. WHC: This belt is not equivalent to the WWE title. It's a tier lower. It's still considered a "world championship" but it's not and will never be on the same level as the WWE title. The "Big Gold Belt" design has great lineage but the actual championship itself is above the midcard belts but below the WWE belt.

3. IC title: Highest midcard belt, IMO. This is the title that every midcard wants or should want. The IC title used to be a stepping stone for the WWE title and while it's not that now, it's still the top midcard belt.

4. US title: This title has fallen off significantly. It's barely ever defended and it's become a prop, more or less.

5. Tag Team titles: Garbage. While tag team wrestling has a rich history in pro wrestling, these belts are pure garbage now. They look like garbage and the tag team division is garbage. Oh, how these belts have fallen. At one point I might have considered the tag belts ahead of the IC belt.

6. Divas title: A total joke. It's a disgrace to the old Women's championship.

 

[King Patrick Star]

I completely agree with Mack Swagger and SDS1582.

1. WWE Championship
This is the Richest Prize in Professional Sports Wrestling Entertainment. To me, it has always been the top Title on Earth. Regardless of the designs used, it always means the Champion of the WWE is the number one SuperStar in the entire World.

2. World Championship
The Big Gold, as it is known worldwide, is ironically, the “Silver Medal” of Wrestling, in my opinion, ever since I started paying attention to Wrestling. It never really mattered to me if this Belt was the WCW Championship while beating WWE in the ratings war, or if this Belt was the Raw’s World Championship. I always viewed this Belt as second best, at best.

3. Intercontinental Championship
Intercontinental is just a fancy way of saying “World” without saying “World”, and I love it!! It gives the Belt that much more importance and I always rank it as the highest Mid-Card Belt in this business. It also helps that my favorite SuperStar of all time is the record 9 times Intercontinental Champion.

4. United States Championship
Logically speaking, if I think the WWE Title is a step higher in the ranks above the WCW Title, the of course I think the WWE’s Mid-Card Title is a step higher in the ranks above the WCW Mid-Card Title. The names itself kind of portray exactly what I mean. Intercontinental covers 7 continents. United States covers 1 (some say the greatest) country. I’m just going to stick with that line of thought.

5. Unified WWE World Tag Team Championship
I always believed that Tag Team Wrestling is where careers should always start. That’s because when I started, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and Davey Boy Smith were in the Tag Team Division when I started and I watched their careers grow from Tag Team, to Mid-Card, to Main Event. I think that’s the best way to hone this craft. That being said, I look at the Tag Team Division, not as the bottom of the rankings, but more like it’s the start of greatness.

6. Divas Championship
Bottom of the rankings. HAHA!!

Night Of Champions is my second favorite Pay Per View if the year. I’ve said many times in the past that I think every Pay Per View should be a “Night Of Champions”.

 

[R.K.O]

Judging by the current state of the titles...

1) WWE Championship: Easily the biggest title of the company, it was in a bad state but CM Punk's reign really helped it rose to prominence.

2) World Heavyweight Championship: Currently made to look like a mid card title but still given great focus especially on Smackdown. With it's own MITB holder for it and Elimination Chamber for the #1 Contender spot.

3) United States Championship: Was in the same sorry state as the IC title, however Ambrose winning it helped it tremendously. Ambrose being the US Champion seem to be more important than the other two being the Tag Champions which is why I place it above.

4) Tag Team Championship: It's actually used very well, the past two champions Hell No and The Shield are both great teams, it's getting defended regularly and teams like PTP and Usos were made to seem like they really want it.

5) Intercontinental Championship: Great history and past winners but the champions in recent years have been awful, the last good champion was probably Cody Rhodes and his reign wasn't even that good as he defended it rarely.

6) Divas Championship: No need to say more.

 

[No Count Pup]

The WWE Championship is distinctive in the sense that it is a McMahon creation, it has survived from the days of the independent promotions, and it bears the name “WWE” in its namesake. By its very nature it represents WWE to the public at large.

The World Heavyweight Championship is the more iconic title. It has retained an aura about it that no other titles in this hemisphere can capture. Its history spans over three centuries (1800s, 1900s, 2000s), a claim that not even the WWE Championship can boast. The list of legends who have held the WHC are arguably more pronounced than even those who have held the WWE Championship.

The most measured conclusion I can draw is that the WWE Title may represent the pinnacle of sports entertainment, but the World Heavyweight Championship is still the pre-eminent professional wrestling prize.

If I were to rank the secondary titles, I would say the Intercontinental Championship would be number 3. It holds the ranking because of the fact that it revolutionized the ladder match, was the headlining main event in front of over 80,000 people at SummerSlam 1992, and because former world champions have seen fit to chase the title when they are not in the main event scene. The US Title is not far behind by any stretch because it has a rich history and because it functioned as the de facto championship run-through for John Cena before he won the WWE Title. The US Title is a championship that tests wrestlers’ mettle, and probably deserving of the ranking of 3B behind the Intercontinental Title at 3A.

The tag title and Divas Title could be ranked interchangeably at 5 and 6. The Diva’s Champion theoretically says that the woman who holds the title is the top woman’s wrestler in the world. The problem is that WWE’s woman’s wrestlers are talented entertainers, but not necessarily the most gifted wrestlers. My problem with the tag titles is that in the past ten years it has been composed primarily of makeshift teams looking for something to do. I supposed the recent attempts to revive the tag division will help the title, but it still has a long way to go. I guess I would say tag titles rank number 5 and the Diva’s title ranks number 6.

 

[zhaff2004]

The WWE Championship is distinctive in the sense that it is a McMahon creation, it has survived from the days of the independent promotions, and it bears the name “WWE” in its namesake. By its very nature it represents WWE to the public at large.

The World Heavyweight Championship is the more iconic title. It has retained an aura about it that no other titles in this hemisphere can capture. Its history spans over three centuries (1800s, 1900s, 2000s), a claim that not even the WWE Championship can boast. The list of legends who have held the WHC are arguably more pronounced than even those who have held the WWE Championship.

Actually, the belt was established in 1905... but I agree with you otherwise. I think its interesting how, despite being under wwe ownership for the better part of 11 - 12 years, they have not changed the design. I think that at the end of the day, VKM does appreciate the history and lineage of the WHC.

 

[#HELLNO]

Before 2-3 months ago I would have ranked them;
1. WWE Championship
2. World Heavyweight Championship
3. Intercontinental Championship
4. United States Championship
5. Tag Team Championship
6. Divas Championship

But, after the quality of the matches that I have seen of late from the current champions, and how the storylines have progressed I would now rank them;

1. WWE Championship: Not changing the place of this, this championship is the pinacle of the company and it is the main goal of any WWE Superstar. So it would be stupid to rank any championship above it.

2. World Heavyweight Championship: Just like the WWE Championship, I am not changing the position. I believe that this belt deserves to be more than just a belt for the higher 'mid-carders', the lineage that this championship has and the greats that have held it don't deserve the disrespect that they are getting now that people like Alberto Del Rio & Sheamus are winning the championship.

3. United States Championship: Now this may come as a shock, but with Dean Ambrose as the current champion, it is the reason why I changed my mind on the position of this championship. He adds so much to the championship and to its lineage, that is why I rank this one rung higher.

4. Divas Championship: Let the hate begin, I don't care. AJ Lee & Kaitlyn have been able to put on almost show-steeling performances the last 3 times that they have met and I just believe that this has been able to give this belt the, 'push' if you will, that it so desperately needed.

5. Intercontinental Championship: Not that I dislike Curtis Axel or anything but I am still unable to get over the McGuillicutty thing. I mean it would have been like the Brooklyn Brawler changing his persona, oh wait he did, and look how that ended up. I just don't believe that it is Axel bringing the prominence to the Championship, as it is Heyman. I want to invest in a Wrestler who fights for the championship and not the manager who just holds it.

6. Tag Team Championships: Don't get me wrong I love the Shield and I believe that they will all be break out stars but to be feuding with the Usos, really knocks the credibility of the Championships down. I want to see these change hands soon, to not the Usos but to a team that is really deserving and can actually hold a candle to the Shield. A tag team like, Justin Gabriel & Tyson Kidd.

 

[Nyce18]

take away the divas title because that pertains strictly to the women, and tag titles because thats a "division" all on its own and we have what 4 titles? IMO still too many. Part of the problem is that they have 2 World Heavyweight titles which is supposed to represent the same exact thing (supposed to), and they have 2 "midcard" titles that are supposed to represent the same thing. Ive felt for many years already that the title scene is oversaturated with the amount of titles available and the frequency it still changes hands. It has considerably devalued each title. Unify the world titles already and drop the US title completely. Now u have one World TItle for everyone to chase and there is no mistaking who holds the number 1 belt. Rebuild the midcard title with the IC title alone and try and bring back the prestige it once held. I could understand years ago why they went 2 titles each because they had a true brand split but these days the WHC champ shows up on both Raw and SD and sometime the WWE champ shows up on SD. Since there is no longer exclusivity, unify them already dammit! They wont strictly for merchandising reasons and for those multiple house shows they run so they can have a "world champ" any given show

 

[Nyce18]

I just realized I didnt rank them as the point of the thread...
1. WWE title strictly because thats how they have built it over the years
2. WHC title which has become more like the IC title 20 years ago
3. IC title because there is no denying its rich history and hopefully it returns
4. Tag Titles but please get rid of this copper crap
5. Divas Title which has been booked stronger than the following these days
6. US title- the only reason there is any interest at all is because a Shield member holds it right now. That will quickly fade if it hasnt already. Get rid of it. It helps devalue the IC title as long as they keep it around

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Imma list them by which ones I care about, from most to least, rather than some attempt to objectively figure out which ones have more "prestige" or "honor" or some such other silly wrestling buzz word. And really, it's going to completely depend on who is holding the title, who is challenging for the title, and the last few months of programming. That's about it.

(1) WWE Championship
Currently held by: John Cena

In general, I find John Cena entertaining. At the very least, he puts on good PPV main event matches, and the crowd seems to make things more exciting than they probably are. Daniel Bryan is really why this is currently the most interesting title in WWE for me. I'm going to be watching SummerSlam from the edge of my seat.

(2) WWE Tag Team Championships
Currently held by: The Shield

WWE doesn't have a tag team division. They have champions, and whoever they can get to face the champions. But THe Shield doesn't lose, and that makes them instantly credible. Bringing The Usos into the mix has shaken things up recently, and they've actually drawn a good pop. I really throw these titles in the same category as...

(3) WWE United States Championship
Currently held by: Dean Ambrose

Abrose is good. God damn Justin Labar, Ambrose is good.

(4) WWE Divas Championship
Currently held by: AJ Lee

That's right, I care more about the current direction of AJ Lee and the butterfly title than I do about the world championship. Why? Because AJ and Kaitlyn has been, more often than not, entertaining television.

(5) World Heavyweight Championship
Currently held by: Alberto del Rio

I like Alberto del Rio. He loses a step without Ricardo, but I like him. He's one of the best wrestlers on the roster, so there's really no reason to genuinely hate him, or his position in the company. He gets results, bottom line. Great wrestler. I just didn't care for the title swapping with Ziggler, and I care even less about Christian being involved in any way.

(6) NXT Championship
Currently held by: Bo Dallas

Fucking Bo Dallas.... Ruining what is otherwise a great developmental promotion.

(7) Intercontinental Championship
Currently held by: Curtis Axel

Curtis Axel isn't working. The crowd does't care. Paul Heyman is his manager, and the crowd doesnt' care. He just doesn't have "it". He hasn't had "it" for years, and if by this point he still can't cut a promo to save his life, he's not going to have "it". Heyman isn't going to be around forever. This title means literally nothing to me, and hasn't since Cody Rhodes dropped it at WrestleMania two years ago. The Miz? Yawn. Wade Barrett? Yawn, and given no reason to care.

 

[HereComesTheBrain]

(1) WWE Title: What can I say? If you hold that hunk of gold, your the top dog in the company.
(2) WHC: This is like how the IC Title was back in the 80s. It's THE midcard title. If your holding it, the next step is the WWE Championship.
(3) IC Title: Lost loads of it's credibility as the 2nd biggest title in the WWE years ago, back in the days of the WWF.
(4) Tag Titles: The division gave (IMO) a match at MITB that was better than nearly half the matches on the main card. It's pulling itself back up.
(5) US Title: Today's European Championship. If you can't go for the IC Title, your going for this. The fact that Cesaro and Ambrose have been in the most recent 5 holders of this title stopped it from ranking lower than the...
(6) Divas Title: LOL. Just, why? AJ has been one of the few credible holders of this title in general. I don't even consider the holder of this belt a CHAMPION, that's how bad it is.

 

[Revelations1]

The way it should be is:
1) WWE Title
2) WHC
3) IC Title
4) Tag Titles
5) US Title
6) Divas Title

Unfortunately with the exception of the WWE title, WWE makes all the other championships look irrelevant.