**MERGED** All Championship Prestige Discussion

[Richard Blonoff]

Santino's reign was an absolute joke, much like Santino himself. It undid everything that Ziggler's reign did last year. It's not that I completely disagree with him holding the belt at all, it lasted far too long. Guys like Santino should only hold a belt for a couple of days, then it needs to go back to the "true" contenders who are legit threats to the belt and can be taken seriously as a champion. A comedy jobber held a midcard championship for nearly half a year. It also doesn't help that a few of the title defenses were during PPV pre-show events. I'm usually a big fan of lengthy title reigns, but this one was of low quality in my opinion. The belt is so neglected that it's of less value than the giant pennies at the moment and they represent a division that is on life support. The midcard is very much still alive, it needs a belt on both brands that the wrestlers who do not main event can fight for.

They are onto something now with Cesaro. Have him keep coming out and bragging in multiple languages about how he is still the champion, then make the belt more important again by having him retain on PPV matches that are part of the actual card as well as on Raw or Smackdown. The belt seeming important again by having strong retentions by someone who can actually be taken seriously as a title holder will do wonders for the belt. They can also build up a face to take the title in the meantime. Remember Ryder dethroning Ziggler? That type of moment can be recreated. I'm just glad Santino is no longer US Champion. At the rate things were going, the Divas Championship was slowly starting to become more important than the United States Championship. That's never a good thing for belts that were once prestigious.

I have to disagree with you saying basically saying Santino can't be taken as a legit threat to the title. I agree that his reign went on too long, but the same can be said of Cody Rhodes IC title reign. It isn't the character, it's the way the character is booked. During his reign Santino was going out and jobbing to Del Rio, that didn't do the title any favors. You could put the title on Cesaro, Miz, Rey, hell even Cena, and if they are just going out and jobbing, especially to guys that get little heat, it isn't going to look good.

 

[XXJJ]

The one guy that really put the title over recently was Ryder. He made it feel like winning it was a big deal.

I thought they rushed giving the US title to Cesaro. He is not over and most of the "WWE Universe" doesn't care about him right now.

The bigger problem is creative. They need to start building better feuds involving the US title instead of the same cookie-cutter storylines. They have plenty time to do it on Smackdown, if they want to.

 

[Steve-O-Matt]

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Hey guy's, Steve here, wanting to talk about the standings of WWE's titles. Most of all what kind of prestige they are pulling in at the moment. Now all of the titles have some weight behind them, but let's she how they progressed and how they look today, starting with...

WWE Tag Team Championships​

So, we have the tag team of Team Hell No who are the champions, have been for a while now, going on strong. Now, anyone who knows me on here knows that I can't STAND it when tag teams are just made because high-profile superstars have nothing better to do. I hate it even more when they go over legitimate tag teams in their first night! But there's something about Team Hell No, I like them, Kane and Bryan have GREAT chemistry and are rapidly becoming my favourite Kane tag team. *DONG*

SORRY SORRY, I mean second favourite Kane tag team, don't put me in the Hell's gate!

Anyway, they are adding some good weight behind the TTC, the titles that were mocked for looking like pennies are now looking like prizes worth having. Especially with todays tag teams, there being a bountiful amount, being the top team MEANS something. I'm sure most of you guys will agree with me in saying that it's the best it's been in years and is maybe on par with the US and IC titles? Maybe pushing it, but I could be right, you decide.

WWE Diva's Championship​

Sigh, I know, I know... But I have to include it. Let's face it, the fact that it's called the 'Diva's' Championship sounds stupid enough... Especially since doing that retired the Women's Championship and ended the great prestige behind that title. All the great women wrestlers all held the Women's Championship, but I digress. It seems like the DC has been just been for the generation of cheerleaders and pretty little girls.

Eve is currently Diva's Champion, she won it after being cheaply inserted into a match she should have been in, in the first place. But of course, it didn't go as plan because she messed up. Now I ask you, is it 'fair' that Eve won it after a huge goof like that? In my opinion, they need to change this BACK to the Women's title and put it on either Nattie or Tamina, REAL WRESTLERS! There's always this talk, it seems every couple of months that they might be bringing in real women wrestlers, but until I see the evidence, I'm not gonna believe the hype. (Also if you read through all of this section about the Diva's title, good for you, you deserve some good rep for not just skipping it, which I wouldn't blame you if you did!)

WWE US and IC Championship​

Y'know, at first I wasn't on board with the idea of unifying these titles, but I'm starting to see it. If they did though, I'd like to see them lose both names and put on a new one. Why not WWE TV Championship? Maybe not, maybe something else... Something that solidifies the title's place in the line up, like WWE Junior Champion or something.

Anywaaaay, we have Kofi and Antonio as the champions. Kofi in his... 18th title reign I'd assume with the IC title and Antonio being a first time US Champ. As you can tell, I don't really like Kofi as the IC Champ, he's had it too much, it doesn't work. He's an OBVIOUS transitional champion and I hate that, because it's just so vanilla. Antonio, I personally don't like, loads of people like him, fair enough, but I don't. It's just annoying when he does that stupid thing where he pulls on his skull and WTF is with that arm thing? I'm hoping one day he'll dislocate a shoulder from doing that to teach him a lesson. Anyway, both titles are maintaining some good prestige, but in my opinion, can do with a unification and new champions.

WWE and World Heavyweight Championsip​

Now we come to the biggest and most prestigious titles in the WWE, the World Heavyweight Championship (Not the World's Heavyweight Title Matt Striker) and the WWE Championship. Now, when we had proper wrestler exclusive brands, having two world championship actually meant something, but now that they are mixing, it's starting to lose... Some face, they are still high as ever but, eh. Let's talk WHC first, shall weeeee....

Big Show is the World Heavyweight Champion. He won after beating Sheamus for the title and is gonna be in a 3rd match with Sheamus at TLC with the title on the line... I'm not liking this feud to be honest, yeah, it was good at first, but you gotta have more then just that contender. Maybe Randy can be the next one up to the Rumble, that could work. As for prestige, it's pretty high right now, definitely the title which defines Smackdown, which is a great thing, let's move on.

CM Punk, he doesn't mind telling you he's the longest running WWE Champion in modern wrestling. That's DEFINITELY something to proud about, taking that accolade away from Superma.... John Cena. I didn't think he'd make it, but here we are. Punk's next contender is the Rock, do I want the Rock to win... NOPE! A guy who's not even here full time is gonna end the longest title reign in modern history in one swoop, I know I don't want to see that. Let's see Punk take it to WrestleMania. The next champion has to be someone who has truly earned it, someone who hasn't been a world champion yet. As for prestige, the title is golden and looks great with Punk's reign, but of course... THERE NEEDS TO BE A NEW DESIGN!!! I swear, the only reason why there hasn't bee a new design is because the backstage types are procrastinating... If we want Punk's reign to be locked in, we need him to debut a new title design.

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Now it's your turn.

 

[EastCoastFan]

Lately the tag team division has been picking up a lot of steam. After years of being neglected, the WWE tag team division is now looking pretty good. I still think those "penny" belts are ugly, though.

The Divas title should have never been created in the first place, but it goes with their marketing strategy of calling all the women "Divas". Natalya and Tamina are great wrestlers, but it's been proven over and over that a hottie who can't wrestle is more marketable to a mass audience (WWE doesn't just market to wrestling fans) than an average-looking woman who can wrestle, which is why WWE will keep jobbing out the wrestlers in favor of eye candy bimbos like Kelly Kelly in their futile quest to find their next Trish Stratus.

The US and IC titles have lost a lot of prestige since the mid-90's and are now thought of as "mid-card titles". I don't even know if it's worth keeping them. The IC title was created in 1979 to have its champion headline shows where the WWWF World Champion was not there. The US title was a regional title, back in the days when the local champion was considered the area's #1 contender for the NWA World title.

I have always felt there should only be one world champion, so I want to see the WWE and WHC titles merged, but WWE won't do that, as they think every card (Raw or SD) should have a world title match as the main event. However, it's pretty clear that they consider the WWE title (theirs) to be more prestigious that World Heavyweight Championship (the former NWA-later-WCW title).

 

[pipebomber]

Tag Team titles

Hell No works IMO. They maybe considered by some a "thrown together team" but I would disagree. to me a thrown together team is a team that had little to no interaction with each other before teaming toether. Kofi and R-Truth for example. Kane and Daniel Bryan had been feuding for months. we were FNALLY given a storyline reason to give a shit about a tag team. last tie I remember that happening was every dx reunion rehash.


Divas Title

I am in agreementthat the womens chapionship was a much better, much more prestigious championship. However with Eve as the champion I think they are taking steps in the right direction. Eve is not great in the ring, its even a stretch to say she is good... but she isnt the worst on he roster that for sure. This is another instance in which... again... they are finally giving a storyline reason to care about the champion. Eve has a character now... one thats got more depth than just being a sexy woman. mix that with AJ's developing character and you have the makings of a successful divas division.

IC & US

really neither of them are what they once were... I really sometmes have to stop and think about who is champion. I think they need to be merged. I personally dont care which is kept but both are not needed.

World Heavyweight and WWE

Again I think they need combined. To me, The World Heavyweight championship has fallen so far from what it was in the early days of the brand seperation when nobody seemed able to take it from HHH and when they did he got it right back within a few months. There are simply too many championships. To me the World Heavyweight Championship has bout the prestige of the Intercontinental Champiship of the mid to late 90s

The WWE title, is THE title... and untill recently that didnt even mean much. Like or dislike CM Punk, you cant deny the fact that he has held the championship for so long has brought alot of prestige back to the suffering championship. all the criticism I can give it now is that it needs a new design.

 

[Mr. HD]

Tag Team Championships:

Team Hell No works for me too. I don't think they're as funny as they were in September or October, but I like them as the Tag Team Champions. Unfortunately, their feud with Rhodes Scholars got sidelined cause Cody got injured, but I think that feud has potential. Give both teams some time on the mic against each other and we have the making of a great tag team feud.

The tag team need more exposure and time to show who they are. Teams like Primetime Players, The Usos, Primo & Epico, and even Kidd & Gabriel. But now with The Shield, the tag team division may have just gotten a HUGE boost. If they go through with a Team Hell No/Shield feud for 'Mania, I'll all in for that.


Divas Championship:

The Divas Division died a long time ago. Gone are the days where you had great divas like Trish, Lita, Molly Holly, Chyna, Mickie James, Gail Kim, and Victoria. Now, it's sad. These Divas aren't as experienced in the ring, and are getting more exposure than the ones that are.

But what's more sad is that they haven't even tried to make good storylines. They just throw together a 30 second match and that's it. You don't need much to make a story with Divas. They run on jealousy. Start with that. All you need is that ONE storyline with the right people. AJ gets more attention than most of the Divas on the roster and Eve is the Divas Champion. Bam! You got a storyline. It's not too hard to understand when you think about it.

And then, they don't put much stock into any other Divas. Kaitlyn has potential and they missed a BIG TIME chance to make her a star in their feud with Layla and Eve. It takes time, but if you don't at least try, nothing will get done.


IC and US Titles:

Back in the day, being Intercontinental Champion was to be the launching pad to the Main Event scene. If you did good with that title, you were on your way up pretty much. Look what it did to guys like Stone Cold, The Rock, Triple H, Randy Orton, and Edge. Cody Rhodes was the last guy to make the IC Title mean something. Now, it's just given to the next guy who has nothing else to do.

The US Title hasn't been anything since Benoit had it 2007. Yes, I'm going back that far. The US Title has become nothing more than a prop defended on pay-per-views just to fill the card. Cesaro is a phenomenal wrestler, but without the proper exposure and mic time, him being US Champion doesn't mean squat if he has nobody meaningful to feud with to make the belt look legitimate. Hopefully if Christian comes back, they can make something special heading into WrestleMania.

They shouldn't be unified cause the mid-card guys need something to fight for. We still need them around.


WWE and World Titles:

The WWE Championship is the holy grail. It's what everybody strives for. And CM Punk having this long reign brings some prestige back to it. We need more long reigns like these that don't get stale really fast. The only thing Punk's title reign lacks is the moments that really make a title reign special.

I've said the World Title hasn't been the same since they decided to stick everybody on both shows, defeating the purpose of having two main titles. When RAW and SmackDown were separate shows, the World Title was equal in value and prestige to the WWE Championship. It has lost so much of its luster since then. I see it merely as an upper mid-card title instead of the equivalent to the WWE Championship that it used to be.


Honestly, one of the main reasons WWE isn't good these days is the lack of compelling storylines. Look at the time and effort they put into the Punk/Ryback feud. If they can make stories like that for all the other titles, the product wouldn't be as unwatchable. With no storylines, who's gonna care about the payoff match? It's gonna be just another wrestling match. I like me some wrestling, but I won't invest in the match as much because there is no storyline to back it up and make me anymore interested.

Just my two cents.

 

[akathelaw]

WWE Tag Team Championships​

I'll start by admitting that I like the title belt design, it's unique and instantly recognizable as the WWE Tag Team Championships. I know we all grew up with almost identical looking title straps, but I personally am a fan of variety when it comes to championships and copper looks great.

Team Hell No! is a great modern tag team featuring 2 main event wrestlers who are over with fans by themselves and even more over as a pair. They have taken the Tag Team Championships back into main event territory, the pair sells lots of merchandise and the crowd reacts to them with chants and many signs. This is a GREAT time to be a tag team wrestler, and whoever wins the titles from Team Hell No has big shoes to fill.

Conclusion: High fan interest, competitive title scene, top level champions
Prestige: 7/10 stars

WWE Diva's Championship​

The Divas division is in a sorry state, so this title has seen a decline in prestige. If I were a female wrestler I'd rather compete for the Knockouts title in TNA, because it honestly means a lot more. With recent Divas title holders being rail thin, small, non-aggressive females it often makes me wonder what it is about the Divas division that's exciting. There's no faker looking wrestling on the planet than a WWE Divas match most days. I see a lot of potential in Divas like Eve, AJ, Tamina, Natalya and Kaitlyn but too often Divas are valued for sex appeal, not in-ring talent.

Conclusion: Very low fan interest, meaningless title picture, lots of potential
Prestige: 2/10 stars

WWE Intercontinental Championship​

The IC Title is my favorite championship in pro wrestling. I have seen it have some ups and downs but the reintroduction of the white title strap saw a nice shift in the prestige level of the championship. Big Show and The Miz helped make this title feel a lot closer to the top 2 main event championships with their reigns. Kofi Kingston's currently using the title to evolve his persona, and I see big things from him in the future. There is definitely room to grow, I think all fans can agree that the midcard title picture could be more competitive.

Conclusion: Moderately high fan interest, storied history, good title picture
Prestige: 6/10 stars

WWE United States Championship​

This championship's level of prestige has been hurt by the end of the brand split, and there is almost literally no title picture other than whoever is currently feuding with the champion. On top of that the title was recently held by Santino, a wrestler who is more well known for barf jokes than wrestling moves. The current US champion feels like he could ascend into the Main Event soon, so that's a step in the right direction. I'd like to see this championship get a facelift and renewed purpose as a "rite of passage" title that introduces new talents into singles championship competition. What if a PPV like Summerslam or Night of Champions held an annual US Title battle royal featuring wrestlers who have never won a singles title before?

Conclusion: Weak recent history, low fan interest, nonexistent title scene
Prestige: 4/10 stars

World Heavyweight Championsip​

The spiritual WCW Title has had a great history in the hands of WWE, and for former WCW fans who prefer the more wrestling-centric style of Smackdown it's the most prestigious WWE championship. The end of the brand split hasn't changed that much about the WHC as most Smackdown episodes revolve around it still. The classic belt design is the most popular wrestling championship seen worn by fans, and the list of champions has been a who's who of the entire wrestling business. If you don't pay attention to the backstage workings of WWE, this belt equals the WWE championship, but some fans still consider it to be a "runner up" to the WWE Title.

Conclusion: Rich history, iconic design, very high fan interest, exciting title picture
Prestige: 9/10 stars

WWE Championship​

To some fans, this is the only wrestling championship that matters. The WWE Title represents an elite class of performers, the top of the food chain. The prestige of the title has been hurt though, mainly by one of the ugliest championship designs ever made. Cena's spinner title belt should have been boxed up along with his "Dr. of Thuganomics" persona, but for some reason we still have to look at it. Regardless, This is the title the fans really pay to see. There's nowhere higher you can go after you've held the WWE Title. I would give it a perfect 10 stars if only the belt design weren't so dated, ugly and tacky.

Conclusion: Top championship in the business, very high fan interest, exciting title picture, outdated title belt design
Prestige: 9/10 stars

 

[UrUp]

I think title prestige has very little to do with WWE anymore and really never meant the same in WWE as it did in other promotions. In WWE it's more about whose the draw, who has seniority, what states/countries will be toured at the time etc.

People say CM Punk has brought some prestige to the WWE title because of his reign, but it wasn't too long ago when the face of the company told Punk his reign was forgettable aside from blowing VKM a kiss. Most of Punk's reign he didn't even mainevent PPVs and John Cena remained the de facto WWE Champion and there in lies the problem. The prestige doesn't lie in whose Champion, but whose the top guy or who has the most clout etc.

Kofi Kingston has held the IC title multiple times, but does anyone believe he holds any sort major power/respect/ say-so behind the scenes? Now as a fan, maybe it's not right to look at it this way, but it's hard not too when you see lack of importance placed on champions and titles and the attention is focused on those with seniority like Big Show and Kane and those who return once every couple months/ per year such as Rock, HHH, Undertaker, Jericho, and Brock Lesnar.

Instead of titles, the prestige is now held more so in the career. The wrestlers/legends themselves are the prestige whether they hold the title or not. For instance, would you rather hold the WWE title for over a year or have a match at Wrestlemania vs Stone Cold Steve Austin?

Also it doesn't help that the World Championship belt is the 2nd most important title and then you have a 3rd and 4th most important non-gimmick titles in the US and IC title.

WWE Title: 6 1/2 out of 10 Prestige
World Title: 5 out of 10 Prestige
IC Title: 3 out of 10 Prestige
US Title: 2-3 out of 10 Prestige
Divas Title: 1 out of 10 Prestige

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Tag Team Championship​

Team Hell No is one of the most pleasant surprises of 2012. I've said in other posts that this team and the various angles they've done could have been monumentally awful, but Kane & Bryan have not only pulled it off, they've excelled where I think most others would have failed. Whether you like the team or not, they've spearheaded a strong revival of tag team wrestling in WWE during the past 3 months or so. While I think WWE still has some work to do with their tag team division as a whole, and I know it'll never be "perfect", they've come a long way in a short amount of time. The tag titles mean more now than they have in close to a decade. They're a relevant portion of WWE now. As far as the look of the titles, I actually like them. I've liked them since they first appeared. They have a different look to them than any other titles out there and the whole Roman Centurion or Spartan Warrior design looks kind of cool to me.

WWE Divas Championship​

There's not really much that can be said about the Divas Championship. It's been abundantly clear for much of the past decade, and throughout women's wrestling in WWE, that Vince McMahon simply doesn't care about it. That's all well and good. Frankly, if the Divas Division disappeared tomorrow, I doubt it'd bother me at all. But since Vince puts fans through watching them week in and week out, why not make it as good as he can even if it's something he doesn't care about? There've been a lot of talented female wrestlers in WWE the past decade and, all in all, most haven't been used all that well. There are some on the roster right now, like AJ, Eve, Natalya, Alicia Fox that have actual ability and the fans are either solidly invested in or could be invested in with just a little work. A report I read early this week or sometime last week mentioned that WWE recently conducted focus groups on the Divas and that, based on the response, there was talk of a major overhaul of the Divas for 2013. I personally hope that happens or the Divas just disappear.

WWE IC & US Championships​

Generally speaking, I like where these two titles are right now. While Kofi Kingston has had three other reigns as IC champ, this seems to be the only one in which WWE is putting any real degree of focus on him. Thus far, Kofi's fourth reign has been pretty good in my eyes. Kofi's gotten some mic time, and he's not bad on promos, he's been involved in some good matches as champ against The Miz and his feud with Wade Barrett has also been pretty solid. I know some would like to see Barrett move on to the main event scene and I'm sure he will at some point, but he & Kofi have been doing well against each other. And yes, I know this feud & title hasn't gotten as much attention as the main event or World Championship feuds and that's exactly how it should be. People forget that these are mid-card titles, they're not supposed to be as prestigious as the main event straps. In the grand scheme of things, they've never been as prestigious as the main event straps. That's not going to change, nor should it. So if that's someone's reason for thinking they're no longer as prestigious as they once were, then you're going to be forever disappointed. As far as Antonio Cesaro and the US title go, I've been impressed with Cesaro. He has a great look and he's really started to look strong the past month or so as WWE has progressed him to another stage in his development. His feud with R-Truth isn't the stuff of legend but I like that WWE has at least put some emphasis on it. It hasn't felt like it's just something that's tacked on like a Diva match. Cesaro is getting better on the mic and his matches against the likes of Kofi & Sheamus have been top notch. Cesaro is also starting to draw pretty good heat from the fans and while I agree that the anti-American thing is overdone, it seems to be working for Cesaro. I'm looking forward to seeing him move on after this Sunday. In my opinion, the IC title has been used better overall in the past 12 or 15 months than it has in many years and the US title seems to be in a solid place for now. As long as WWE continues to move forward with Cesaro, that is.

World Heavyweight Championship​

Much like the IC title, I think the World Heavyweight Championship has had new life breathed into it over the course of the past 12 months. When Daniel Bryan won the title after cashing in MITB at TLC last year, he immediately generated a lot of buzz. During his little more than 4 month run with the title, Bryan went from a standard bland babyface to one of the most over wrestlers on the WWE roster. During his run, his interaction with AJ helped both of them out immensely and carried out what was a legitimately fun feud with good matches against the likes of Big Show & Mark Henry. During his time, he also participated in matches against CM Punk, which were some of the best wrestling matches shown on television this year. The only complaint I've had is how Bryan's title reign ended at WM. At the same time, Bryan is a bigger star after dropping the strap than he was when he had it. Personally, I think Sheamus is someone that's been an underrated champion in a lot of ways. Sheamus has been a strong, traditional babyface WHC and held the title for 7 months. His feud with Del Rio did go on longer than it needed to in my opinion, but they still had strong matches and Sheamus looked strong throughout his run. As far as The Big Show goes, all in all, I think Show has probably been better the past year than he's been in the past 10. He & Sheamus have delivered two surprisingly very, very good matches for the title. Their match at HIAC stole the show and shocked everyone. Thus far, Show has been entertaining as champ. So, in the past 12 months, the WHC has been used extremely well in my eyes. It launched Daniel Bryan as one of the top names in WWE, it established Sheamus as a strong babyface going forward and helped make Big Show relevant again.

WWE Championship​

On November 20, 2011, CM Punk embarked upon his 2nd reign as WWE Champion. Here we are now on December 14, 2012 and CM Punk is the longest reigning WWE Champion since Hulk Hogan's first reign began in January 1984. During that time, Punk has had great matches against the likes of Alberto Del Rio, Rey Mysterio, Dolph Ziggler, Mark Henry, Daniel Bryan, Chris Jericho, Kane, John Cena & Ryback. Anybody that tries to say Punk's reign has been meaningless is completely clueless. While it's true that Punk didn't get as much hype as Cena & The Rock, Punk still had the ability to keep fans fully interested & invested in the WWE Championship and what he was doing while champion. As much as it pains some people to admit it, Punk has been a great champion. I don't give a shit if he hasn't closed the show as often as he should have or not. That's probably the single biggest complaint I've read about Punk's reign. Forget the great feuds and great matches, forget that through CM Punk a TON of net fans have gotten what they've been clamoring for. Just focus on one generally insignificant tidbit and exaggerate it's meaning. Punk was the most popular babyface in wrestling during the first half of 2012 and he's been the most hated heel in the second half. The only complaint I've really got for Punk's run, and it's a minor one, is that they haven't debuted a new championship belt. Other than that, Punk's been a fantastic champ in my view and the title has been used exceedingly well.

At the end of the day, most of WWE's titles are in good spots right now. The problem with all the prestige arguments is that many of them are filled with examples of nitpicking. Even if I didn't like Team Hell No, I couldn't say that the titles aren't being used well. Same with the other titles.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Tag Team Titles
Everyone said that Team Hell No winning would revitalize the tag team division and there will be great tag teams all around. Let's look at the teams.

Kane/Bryan: I've grown tired of them and now they're in a feud with The Shield. Hopefully, it won't last long.

PTP: They lose all the time

Epico/Primo: Jobbers

Mysterio/Cara: I like Mysterio.

Sandow/Rhodes: Average. If they won a couple of months ago, I would have cared about them. Now, I don't.

All the other tag teams are lumped into the "eh" category.

IC and U.S. Titles

Cesaro has been impressing me as of late but I have no idea why they are sticking him with R-Truth. I've never seen R-Truth have a good match in his four years with the WWE. Winning the IC title for Kofi was supposed to bring out this new aggression in him but he has done what he always has done with his previous titles: lose. He's just this generation's Chris Jericho when it comes to that belt.

WWE and WHC Titles

Cena, Punk, and Rock are going to hold that belt for a good while so that's not a surprise. There are quite a few options on the other side. Big Show, Dolph Ziggler, Orton, Sheamus, and Del Rio can feud for the belt and I would even throw Ryback in there at some point. I'm intrigued to see where they go with it leading up to Wrestlemania.

 

[SacredMesa]

Tag team Titles
I like Kane and Daniel Bryan and I like Rhode Scholars in the long run I believe both teams will do great things for this division. I really just wish there was a third team that could elevate this fued, much like the Hardy's/E&C/Dudley fueds of old. You could make an argument for Mysterio and Cara but I'm not sold on them lasting. I don't think Mysterio has much left on his career and I think they will split soon with Mysterio putting Cara over in some way.

Sadly aside for Hell No and Rhode Scholars there is nothing else going on in the tag division worth watching. Prime Time Players are generic and boring as hell since they lost their manager and their matches have been bland as well. Primo and Epico are jobbers. While I feel Hell No and Rhode Scholars have elevated the tag titles and will continue to do as I feel that once both groups split these belts will fall back into irrelevance.


Divas Title
100% complete and total disgrace. It, as well as the whole division at this point, is a disgrace to where women like Lita, Trish, Mickey James, Victoria, Molly Holly, etc etc left it. The only woman worth watching on WWE TV right now is AJ and frankly if she doesn't turn on Cena at TLC for Ziggler I'm probably going to stop caring about her as well. This title and division means nothing now.


IC Title and US Title
Right now I put them into the same place as the Divas Title. Cesaro has done nothing to impress me right now, although I'm willing to admit thats because he has no one decent to fued with and maybe Christian can change that. Kofi has been the champ so many times I don't care. If he had the charisma of Jericho to make multiple runs interesting and engaging I might but as it is I don't care that he has the title. It's a shame that Ziggler and Rhodes did so much for those titles and WWE has squandered it all away.


World Heavyweight Championship
Daniel Bryan did a lot to help elevate the title, and then the title launched him when he lost it. Sheamus on the other hand has had a completely forgetable run. I'm not going to say that it's hurt the title to much because when the title went to Big Show in the match they put on it felt important. That's a testimate to the kind of match those two put on. If felt like the title really meant something to them and that helped elevate it to me. Now when Ziggler gets his shot I feel he will elevate it further with a memorable run, provided it's booked correctly. Here's hoping.


WWE Championship
When CM Punk won the title at MiTB last year and blew that kiss to Vince, it was followed by Vince being "relieved of his duties" the next time. It made the title feel important and the concequences for mishandling it dire. Then they had their paper championship run and tried to say that the title Cena got off of Mysterio ment the same at the one Punk was holding. It was a complete sham and it only got worse when they let Del Rio cash in MiTB. Del Rio buried that title, and it buried him. It was sad and pathetic. Now we have Punk who has won it again and he is doing a lot to bring back prestige to the title but I have one problem. Right now the biggest thing about his run isn't the title, it isn't Punk or Heyman, the biggest thing about this run is the time that he has held it. It's not the title that has the prestige it's the duration that Punk has held it for and if they give it to The Rock I feel that will ruin any potential to really bring credability back to it. This title is in a very delecate position right now with Punks run, and the end of his reign is absolutely vital. If they end it poorly the title will suffer significantly, if they do it right it just might reach back to it's glory days. Time will tell.

 

[Dagger Dias]

WWE Championship
By far the most prestigious title in the federation. It has the most history, closes nearly every PPV event, and is currently the only belt that is treated with the level of respect that it deserves.

World Heavyweight Championship
This is currently the second most prestigious belt in the federation. While it is clearly the secondary world title given how it is treated, it has had quite an impressive history in the time that it has been around. Now if only it would get to close more shows.... I also hope to never see it open at Wrestlemania again....

Intercontinental Championship
This one comes in third for prestige lately. Bringing back the classic design was a good move and a nostalgic reminder that it truly is the same belt that was held by many legends of the past. Not treated with the full level of respect that it deserves, but still a lot better off than the giant pennies, US, or divas titles....

Tag Team Championship
The giant pennies come in 4th place for comparing the current levels of prestige. There is a great deal of history in there due to the unification back in 2009, but it would be helped a whole lot more if more legit tag teams held it. Fixing the division by putting more true tag teams in it would do wonders for these belts. They are still treated better than the US and Divas Championships though.

United States Championship
This title has become a joke in recent years. Cesaro is a good champion, but a good reign with him is not going to undo the damage that has been done to this title. It will take far more than that. They could always use it for the cruiserweights, they need something to fight for. As much of a joke as this belt as become, it's still not in the worst shape out of the titles.

Divas Championship
Dead last in terms of prestige. Does ANYBODY care about this thing? The only reason this belt has any amount of prestige to it at all is due to the unification with the Womens Championship. Here's a thought.... Put this title on divas who can actually wrestle and make them face OTHER divas that can work a match. The divas matches do not have to be a time for the fans to take a break but they always will be unless WWE make an effort to make the fans care again.

 

[TheYoungEra]

To the OP, this is definitely a great discussion topic, and I thank you for bringing it up. That being said:

Diva's Title: There's hardly a Diva's division anymore. There's maybe eight of them company-wide now and only maybe three of them are any good at putting on a match. It's more about looks than athleticsm these days, making the Barbie's Dreambelt nothing more than a fashion accessory in the end.

Tag Team Titles: God am I glad this division is back on the rise. We have a legitimate Tag Team division again, which means the belts actually mean something again. Now, we have just two belts and a laundry list of actual long-term teams - instead four belts and no real teams. Also, the belts are now universally defended (mainly because of the unification and what really really looks like the inadvertant end of the brand division).

The Mid-Card: I won't say much about the IC title. It's almost the most storied belt in the WWE and for decades, guys went to war over it. It was the symbol that you were ready for the big time. For a while there, it was garbage, meaningless. I'm glad the classic design is back and I think prestige has returned to it recently with great champions like Kofi Kingston and Cody Rhodes. Rhodes especially legitimized the belt again and made it worth questing for. He made you feel like that belt had value again.

That being said...

They should probably retire the US title soon. It is a shadow of its former self and bares no resemblance to its former glory. This belt, among the rest is a part of a hallowed legacy in the wrestling industry and the WWE has done it no favors. 25-30 years ago, this was the second-most prestigious belt in all the land. Back in the day, you were a champion of champions if you managed to win it. Nowadays, its not much more than entrance gear or a door-prize for whoever Vince deems is the next big thing. Seeing what's become of this once-revered title makes me sad. Just retire it. Antonio Cesaro is a beast, no doubt about it. I'll even give credit to the old faithful "european wrestler bogarting the us title" story they have going on with him. But unfortunately, as one poster said on here, they'll never be able to undo the damage this title has suffered. Just retire it in a unification match and hang it on a wall in the Hall of Fame. The sooner the better.

The Top of the Mountain: My opinion on the WHC is much the same as that of the US title: retire it, please. It is descended from what was once the industry's most hallowed prize. It is brutally clear that Vince cares nothing for it. He's given it to rookies in feeble attempts to get them over with the crowd and the fact that contests for this belt have OPENED shows is disgusting. Retire it in a unification match before you do anymore damage to it. Besides, the brand division is over. There's no more need for TWO top-tier belts at this point. Secondly, there's no better time to retire it/unify it than right now: while the big gold belt is back on the shoulder of a legitmate, worthy contender in Big Show. If the belt's time ends now, at least it can do so with dignity.

That brings me to the WWE title. Right now, every ounce of prestige it ever had is back at the forefront while this belt is around Punk's waist. This is THE belt, and it's good to see the company and the fanbase strapped in for a good lengthy reign for the first time in a very, very long time. Now more than ever, this belt feels like a genuine prize again, and the company would do well to see that and make extremely careful decisions about how Punk's reign carries on from here.

My only complaint is the look. The "pimp-my championship" should've been a one time thing. It was Cena's custom version of the belt. No one else held the famous Smoking Skull belt outside of Steve Austin, did they? No! So why the hell do we still have to look at the world's ugliest title? I have hated this thing since it's inception. For God's sake, Vince, give the world a new belt already!

And a quick note on the Money In The Bank contract. It has kind of the same standing as a belt, so I wanted to say a quick word on it, too. Now that I've made mention of going back to one top title again, I think it would be cool if they put the MITB match back in WrestleMania. There's no reason for this to have it's own PPV, with one reason being that it's absolutely stupid to have TWO PPVs based on Ladder Matches. The match was one of the things that MADE Mania and it would be nice to see it back on the grandest stage of'em all again. Also, Bad Ass Billy Ziggler needs to hurry up and lose that briefcase already. He's cashed in and failed countless times now and he's STILL got a legit working contract to tout around. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong on that one, but it's getting stale.

 

[Martin Gabriel]

It's role in the company, its significance, its most recent reigns?

I'll kicks things off by saying it's been an interesting few years with this belt. We've had three notable reigns that when they began I thought, "This is iffy, I don't like this, the fuck are they doing?" because they had put the strap on aged giants who were more often in auxiliary roles. I'm speaking, of course, of Kane, Mark Henry and Big Show. Each time, I was super anxious about the reign because all of them had become stale. But when Kane won the title, suddenly he's cutting phenomenal promos and having solid matches; when Mark Henry won the title, he became the biggest badass in years, decimating opponents and crew members and cutting very matter-of-fact promos where, for the first time in a while, he was motivated by the simple desire to prove his dominance as the World's Strongest Man; and The Big Show, not much different than Mark Henry, is out to prove that as the World's Largest Athlete he has no reason to care about the fans and is able to tear through everyone, all the while having probably the most impressive matches of the three reigns I've mentioned against a man a lot of people wrote off. I especially liked how Henry worked as such a great foil to Daniel Bryan when they FINALLY started to push him on SmackDown, whereas Show's has offered Sheamus a bit of redemption after WWE had booked him as a face who was more of a senseless prick than the heels.

Then, apparently unlike a lot of guys, I dug Randy Orton as champion, mainly because of the excellent program he had with Christian. Even though some people resent how flat his character was compared to his sensational heel persona, he had the right amount of popularity and the ability to operate as the face of SmackDown for a while. Christian finally winning the title made for an excellent storyline where Orton, in my opinion, had the matches of his career.

What I think this title hasn't done well in recent years is develop new stars. Here are the reigns since March 2010: Big Show, Sheamus, Daniel Bryan, Big Show, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Christian, Randy Orton, Christian, Edge, Kane, Rey Mysterio and Jack Swagger. Of the the three "young guys" who became first-time champions (so disregarding Kane, Henry and Christian), Jack Swagger was buried after his reign ended and Dolph Ziggler had to work his way back up from the mid-card. Daniel Bryan's the only young first-time World Heavyweight Champion who managed to maintain his momentum DIRECTLY after his reign (if anything, he was temporarily higher up on the card after losing the title), as he's gone on to become an upper mid-carder who regularly gets significant roles whether in promos featuring main event players or in main event television matches. Dolph Ziggler's around that same level now and is poised for a run as World Heavyweight Champion, but it took him a while to get to that spot and win the World Heavyweight Championship. Swagger's busy looking for the Swagger Soaring Eagle.

I USED TO think the World Heavyweight Championship scene was the proving ground for a wrestler to be tested so that he could one day be moved into the WWE Championship scene. Instead, it's at times been treated like an honorary prize for veterans or just something traded back-and-forth between already significant players without much long-term momentum, like Rey Mysterio. Don't get me wrong, I understand not every reign can be used to develop a young guy, because it helps to have a firmly established superstar in a world title role because they're bigger attractions. However, WWE's only had success with one of the three young, first-time champions in the last two years as far as immediately giving them momentum, so clearly they could be improving in that regard. There just needs to be a better follow-up for young guys after they lose their first reigns. Bryan's follow-up feud was pretty much given to creative because of how the fans reacted to his title loss.

Now I'd like to finish this post just talking about what I think the title means to the company. I disagree when people say it means "nothing," especially because it's treated as less prestigious than the World Heavyweight Championship. I mean, of course it means something. Winning the title means you more than likely get more significant roles on show cards, that you get to mix it up with bigger names more often. In a very practical sense, being the champion often gets you a ton more exposure. As far as it being less than the WWE Championship, so what? Why wouldn't it be? It's the title of the secondary brand. The names on RAW usually get more exposure than the ones on SmackDown, so it only makes sense that RAW's title would usually be booked into bigger roles at pay-per-views than SmackDown's. Some people make that seem like a criticism, but I think it's perfectly reasonable. The World Heavyweight Champion's audience is smaller on his home brand, so why put him in the main event spot of a pay-per-view when a larger audience is familiar with the WWE Champion? It's not an insult, it's practical and perfectly reasonable booking.

 

[pepentorresHHH]

My question is pretty simple.
We all know about how the current reign of cm punk has brought new legitimacy and importance to the wwe championship so what i ask is:

Would a long title reign such as punk's help the decaying prestige of the world heavyweight championship?

Take into consideration that just going over 9 a1/2 months would make the champion the owner of the longest reign in the title's history. But is it even possible? Or just by being on smackdown and not raw the title cannot have that much legitimacy? How about the man that carries the title for that long? Would he have to be a certifiable main eventer or anyone could make the title reign feel special?

Discuss......

 

[Brewski]

It's always going to be the 2nd tier title unless it starts to be shown as being just as desirable as the WWE belt. In my opinion it has reached it's ceiling in the prestige category. The only way to make the belt more valuable is to have someone like (well, honestly only) Cena get the belt and have a reign with it while some guys who wouldn't normally have a chance at the WWE title get opportunities for that. Switch the roles for a little bit.

 

[Dagger Dias]

A year long title reign would help bring back some prestige to the World Heavyweight Championship, but it will take more than that to fully regain all that it has lost. That title has not been treated with the respect it deserves, especially in the last couple of years. It has been up for grabs in the opening match for the past two Wrestlemania events and has not closed a show since 2010. They treat it as the secondary world title, and thus it will be viewed as such.

Sheamus' reign felt like a step in the right direction. It lasted longer than most other reigns in recent memory and in the end ended up being the third longest in the belt's history. Had Sheamus kept it rather than lose to Big Show then he could have helped continue to make the belt more important again, although my point is that a lengthy title reign is not enough. It takes more than lengthy title reigns to regain lost prestige. They need quality feuds as well and it needs to begin closing shows again. During the days when it and the WWE Championship more or less took turns closing shows, the World Heavyweight Championship seemed far more important than it does now.

I'd welcome a year long reign with the title. I highly doubt that Alberto Del Rio or Dolph Ziggler (who will very likely hold the title soon) will end up getting that long of a title run. Someone like Sheamus or Orton might possible get the opportunity. If the belt gets a lengthy feud with high quality feuds and it gets to close shows more often, that will help it get more prestige back. A lengthy title reign by itself can help but it is nowhere near enough to help the title regain all the prestige that it has lost recently. Otherwise they could just put the belt on some random wrestler for a year and give him lazily booked angles, that would hardly make it seem any more important than the current booking does.

 

[THE Great GAMMA]

I had to think long and hard about this. Because it is a difficult question to ask.
I would think that the prestige of the title would depend on the 4 or 5 factors. (this is just what was swirling around in my head bash me if you think I’m wrong or being naive)

1) The chase (set up): The feud that builds for the guy that the company is planning to have win the title. If you have a build up to a title match (say as good as Stone Cold vs HBK at WM 14 or Eddie Guerreo vs Brock Lesner at No Way Out) then that guy that is put over immediately becomes HUGE because of the emotional investment that the fans have made in the guy. I think that maybe the cash ins of money in the bank have cheapened both titles in that there is no real build...except for Zigglers current MITB contract which has been building for a long time.

2) This stems from point one. Is the guy who is winning Legit over with the crowd (Face or Heel) or is it just a fad? This is why I prefer slow builds. Because you can eek out by the reaction of the crowed whether the guy is really over. Take the Ryback experience for instance at HIAC and Survivor Series. I don’t know if both crowds at the PPV were flat but in the build of the HIAC Ryback was getting within the top 3 pops of the night. But in the actual match nothing (until the screw job finish) same at Survivor Series when he was poised to win the crowd was dead. You compare that to guys who haven’t won yet. You look at Ziggler’s pops consistent for a year, Cody Rhodes constant, Cesaro started of flat but has build up a fan base from scratch and is getting legit over. ( i just realised i haven’t mention one Face in that list...probably because i cant think of one besides Kofi Kingston) you give these guys a good program and build to a title and I think it would bump that belts prestige up.

3) How often the title is used tool to create new main-eventers. Now this can only be done obviously if a veteran is holding the title. I think it is bad for the belt to go from person to person like hot potato. But if you have a Veteran or super face and a new guy and they have a 4 or 5 month fued with a big blow-off match to end it and they trade the title between each other then that would be fine where the new guy can move onto the next feud.

4) The quality of opponents and type of match. A title reign is only as good as the guys competing for the title you look at CM Punks latest title reign, Cena, Del Rio, Ziggler, Elimination chamber, Jericho,Bryan, Ryback compare that to (i know its shorter) The Miz: Lawler,Orton, Morrison, Cena and you can see that the quality of the opponents can definitely effect the prestige of the title.

5) And the last thing if all these other things have been met , a good build, being truly over, whether the “torch” has been passed and you have quality opponents planned for the reign then it would have to be the length of the title reign of course a short reign can sometimes have just as much impact as a long one (Big Shows latest reign as champ is an example of that)

All this together contributes to adding prestige to a title and its shame that this formula cant be followed the majority of the time.

 

[Radical]

The titles in Pro Wrestling are just props unless they make us believe that other Superstars actually want to win them.

That's a big problem, IMO, with the WWE these days. They don't make you believe that ENOUGH Superstars want them. I know they have to go slow sometimes because they want to have a 1 on 1 feud for a few months but that isn't always a good idea. Look at Del Rio vs Sheamus last year. People got SO SICK of that and I think it wasn't just because it was Del Rio vs Sheamus all the time but it was like... "Hey, seriously? Is Del Rio the ONLY guy who cares to be World Champion except Sheamus?" ... what I'm getting to there is I REALLY think having more #1 Contender Tournaments and Matches is important to show that other Superstars also want to be champion.

However, this also brings up another little problem. Because there is basically no real brand separation and Raw and SmackDown Superstars show up on both shows with no real rhyme or reason this contributes to the lack of prestige of the mid-card titles (US and IC).

Look at the situation right now.

Wade Barrett is the IC champion. OK? Big whoop! Yes, he beat Kofi Kingston in a feud lasting a number of weeks but how did Kingston become champion? He defeated Miz in a short feud. But ... where is everybody else?!? Where are the other Superstars who care?

Why should we care who is the IC champion when it seems like only one guy at a time gives a crap about becoming IC champion?

Even look at the US title situation. Cesaro has been champ for a while now. Ok, I'll give WWE some credit. They had a US Title #1 Contender Battle Royal a little while ago, Khali won, had his match, lost ... and this, theoretically, boosts Cesaro as a more credible champion. And also, it looks like The Miz has a beef with Cesaro and probably will face him for the title. But ... why JUST The Miz? Nobody else cares?

I know that the Royal Rumble is coming up and it doesn't really make sense to have a mid-card title match when winning the Rumble should be every Superstars top priority but this problem with mid-card title prestige has been happening for months, even years.

Also, look at the Tag Team division right now. They built it up over the summer and latter part of 2012 but for the last few weeks the only team that seems to care Team Hell No is champion is Team Rhodes Scholars. That's a problem, IMO. Correct me if I'm wrong but why did TRS get a title match against Team Hell No at the Royal Rumble? I don't recall them winning a #1 Contendership match recently so why the hell do they get the match and why aren't other tag teams speaking out and saying they deserve that spot... which would lead to either A.) A #1 Contender Tournament or B.) A Triple Threat or Tag Team Turmoil match.

Think how even BETTER CM Punk's WWE Title reign would look if he not only has held the title for this long, defeating X number of Superstars but if the WWE had about 6 or 7 #1 Contender Tournaments throughout the year he could list all the Superstars who were fighting to get their title shot but couldn't even get that far. I mean, sure, you can assume every WWE Superstar is 'fighting' to be WWE Champion but you really don't get to see that desire very often because most Superstars are either jobbing, in a tag team or just in random matches or personal feud and doesn't seem interested in the title.


I realize that WWE has never really done this consistently throughout their history but th

 

[Justinian]

It seems to me, (and I don't think I am the only one) that the IC and US titles have lost much of the prestige they once had. The IC champ was usually looked at as the #2 guy in the WWF/WWE and the same can be said of the US champ in WCW. If the champs weren't looked at as the #2 guy, a good IC or US title run usually set one up for a world title run. Now we have a situation where the IC and US champions lose on a pretty consistent basis and haven't really had decent feuds involving the belts for some time now. My question is what would you do to make the IC and US titles prestigious and relevant again, or do you even think it is possible to have a situation where the midcard champs are looked at as legitimate contenders to world championships. Thoughts?

 

[voiceofsire]

Its like WWE does not want us to care about who is holding the IC and the US titles. Losing every raw and smackdown. What needs to happen is to retire the US and make the IC be the main focus. That way there is more competition for the title. If this does not happen why would we care about a "superstar" that loses all the time with the belt. WWE is just booking these title holders bad.

 

[H33LTurn]

The IC championship used to be held in such high regard because it was essentially the equivalent of the World Heavyweight Championship during the WWF days. These titles have been restricted from the main event superstars that used to hold them and basically given to whatever lower midcard talent WWE is currently trying to push. Despite the fact that no fuss is ever really made about the titles, no worthwhile storylines formulate around them, another issue I've noticed is that the title reigns last far too long. Cessaro needs to lose the US title already. They've gimmicked him around the title (another horrible habit WWE has when it comes to midcard titles) and his lackluster reign is going to hurt the title's credibility greatly. If the last person who held the title for a significant amount of time was Santino then it only makes sense to alternate and put the title someone on in upper cards like Sheamus or Ryback. The Intercontinental title I'm not too worried about, because I know Wade has the talent to represent the belt. However, we go right back to the lack of storyline when it comes to why his reign is so mundane. This Bo Dallas thing isnt working for the simple fact that people barely watch NXT. Hell, people barely watch Smackdown as it is. Give Wade more exposure and a credible challenger and you fix his title situation.

 

[CleverName51]

Oh god, this again...

Simply put: there are 2 world titles, so the US/IC titles have to step down below the WHC so in reality, the IC is like the European title and US like the hardcore title, but without the 24/7 skits...


To build them up, just make them matter, consistent logic and making people challenge the title holder for the title. Make them feud FOR the title. It's simple. The answer hasn't changed

 

[Judah's Lion]

Oh god, this again...

Simply put: there are 2 world titles, so the US/IC titles have to step down below the WHC so in reality, the IC is like the European title and US like the hardcore title, but without the 24/7 skits...


To build them up, just make them matter, consistent logic and making people challenge the title holder for the title. Make them feud FOR the title. It's simple. The answer hasn't changed.

super funny answer. also super accurate.

it's kinda like losing weight. the answer doesn't change. losing weight in theory is simple. eat less, exercise more.

make mid-card titles more relevant? let the champions have meaningful storylines, feuds, opponents, matches, etc, and let them win. often.

this thread idea has been done to death. that's okay. lots of new members and it's definitely worth discussing.

my idea would be, besides the above stated formula, is to merge some titles. merge the 2 world titles into 1 world title and merge the 2 mid-card titles into 1 mid-card title, then bring back the cruiserweight title.

now you have something to do for the jobbers... er, i mean, cruiserweights that get squashed every week. Tyson Kidd, Yoshi Tatsu, JTG, Zach Ryder, Sin Cara, Justin Gabriel, etc.

and you also literally double your talent pool for the world and mid-card titles. so now when you have an elimination chamber for the world title, you can have 6 guys in the match that all have a realistic shot at winning. or when you put 6 mid-card guys in a MITB ladder match for a briefcase to now enter the main event with a guaranteed world title match, you now have 6 guys that all have a realistic shot of winning and entering that proverbial next level.

that's what i'd do at least.

 

[MWRedskins]

My question is what would you do to make the IC and US titles prestigious and relevant again, or do you even think it is possible to have a situation where the midcard champs are looked at as legitimate contenders to world championships. Thoughts?

firstly, the midcard champions usually lose to the world champions in non title matches, so that doesnt help, but that's not the issue with the midcard champions.

THE problem with the midcard champions which including the US, IC and i will even go into TNA with their X-Division, Television and even Tag Team titles too, but THE problem is the way they are booked. for example, Devon has held the TV title for a bit, yet hasnt defended the title often. Same with Cesaro and then others (like Barrett and now King) have had very little promo time and for Tag Team, it's been the lack of teams. so it's booking issues, not the titles themselves. the IC title or US title could get MUCH more prestige with proper booking. have the champions and challengers cut more promos and have good feuds over the title. that will help bring prestige to the midcard titles. good feuds and promos over the title.