The World Heavyweight Championship needs to disappear

[CM Steel]

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Debut in the fall of 2002 on the RAW brand as the brands main title when then-RAW general manager Eric Bischoff awarded/handed it to Triple H. Now for the past two years now the brand split has been lifted. So the WHC has little meaning now that the brand split is no more. It's been looked on upon as the "upper mid-card championship" since 2010. The WHC is now that title for guys like Kane, Mary Henry, Christian, and Chris Jericho. It's like it's the current version of the WWECW championship.

WWE chairman Vince McMahon has never really gave the WHC it's due respect. With the history of the title going back to the NWA/WCW days with guys like Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, and Ric Flair (WOOOO) holding the strap. Now the belt is just a shell of it's former self! Alberto Del Rio held the WHC strap for the majority of this year as a face and as a heel. But why would the WWE have guys compete for a title that they know is just a second place belt? So with that being said. The World Heavyweight Championship needs to disappear.

-WWE Title #1
-WWE IC Title #2
-WWE U.S. #3
-WWE Tag Team Title's #4
-WWE Diva's Title #5

So where would that leave the position of the so-called World Heavyweight Championship?

 

[Headman]

You've pretty much made the argument and are correct. They should get rid of the WHC. But the WWE operates under the belief that titles add attraction to a card and the more titles the better. Sure, they could try compelling storylines or highly anticipated match ups but these days every money match has been done so all they have are titles. I say get rid of the US and IC titles. But the way things are going I don't see the lazy booking going away. So neither are the extra belts.

 

[Kris Benwa]

I don't think that's a good reason to get rid of the World Heavyweight Championship. There are different levels of main event talent you have the John Cenas, CM Punks, Triple H's the A+ so to speak. Those talents obviously revolve around the WWE championship due to being in a different atmosphere from the other main event talents. Now just because the other main event talents aren't to the level of those aforementioned, doesn't mean your Sheamus, ADRs. RVDs, Mark Henrys aren't main event talents. If there were only one World title a lot of main event talent wouldn't get to shine even though they certainly are main event talents who deserve main event titles.

 

[dvddmm]

i agree to get rid of the WHC title. all yor reasons are very valid. but i pose another question? why not maybe bring back the US tag titles or the 6 man titles? let these titles be fought for the underlings on the programs. and now especially the 6 man since you have the people like the wyatts and the sheild nad the rhodes family fighting as 3 man teams.

 

[rocloc]

I always look at it this way:

All through the 90s, didn't mainstream pro wrestling always technically have two world champions (WWF and WCW). So, depending on which "brand" you preferred, one champion likely always seemed "more legit" than the other (I'm mainly thinking of times when The Rock or SCSA held the WWF while Jarrett or Booker T held the WCW).

When I get frustrated about having two world champions, I remind myself of those days and realize its not that much different now; the two world champions are simply in the same company. Would the brand split help this? Yes. But is it really that big of a deal? No.

My only concern is the stars who battle for the WHC. Why not have the same guys who fight for the WWE belt also go after the WHC belt. Think of all the established main eventers, like Orton, Cena, Punk, Ryback, DBryan, Miz, Kane, Jericho, Henry, Sheamus, Mysterio...all these guys seem more like WWE champion material, but why not give them the WHC? It would automatically elevate the belt if bigger names were feuding for it. For example, imagine how important the belt would seem if it was thrown into the current Ryback/Punk feud. With all the true main event talent on the roster, they should stop letting mid carders fued for the WHC. That's what the US and IC belts are for. Just my opinion.

 

[berlinbrawler]

Nah, I disagree. People still care about the WHC. Just not nearly as much as they care about the WWe title. It's the number 2 belt in the promotion. That's great, because nobody gives a hoot about the IC or US titles, the actual number 2 belts. Get rid off one of those two (pereferably the US) or both, but leave the WHC.

 

[shooter_mcgavin]

I don't think that's a good reason to get rid of the World Heavyweight Championship. There are different levels of main event talent you have the John Cenas, CM Punks, Triple H's the A+ so to speak. Those talents obviously revolve around the WWE championship due to being in a different atmosphere from the other main event talents. Now just because the other main event talents aren't to the level of those aforementioned, doesn't mean your Sheamus, ADRs. RVDs, Mark Henrys aren't main event talents. If there were only one World title a lot of main event talent wouldn't get to shine even though they certainly are main event talents who deserve main event titles.

But isn't the point of bringing in the WHC is that it's supposed to be a World Title with equal footing with the WWE Title? I mean look at the early days of the World Title it was held by guys like Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit, and Goldberg. It was meant to be a World Titles are meant to be held by the top guys or headliners in the company. If it's just going to be a title that upper mid carders hold than what's the point of recognizing it as a 'World Title".

Remember this is the same title that for Triple H meant more than life itself, it's sad to see it's importance dwindle after so many years building it up.

I think WWE has two options for the World Title either (a) start giving it to real main event talents or have feuds involving main event talents or (b) drop the Title and replace the World Title with the IC Title.

 

[donfryeismyhero]

The WWE World Heavyweight Championship: Debut in the fall of 2002 on the RAW brand as the brands main title when then-RAW general manager Eric Bischoff awarded/handed it to Triple H. Now for the past two years now the brand split has been lifted. So the WHC has little meaning now that the brand split is no more. It's been looked on upon as the "upper mid-card championship" since 2010. The WHC is now that title for guys like Kane, Mary Henry, Christian, and Chris Jericho. It's like it's the current version of the WWECW championship.

WWE chairman Vince McMahon has never really gave the WHC it's due respect. With the history of the title going back to the NWA/WCW days with guys like Harley Race, Dusty Rhodes, and Ric Flair (WOOOO) holding the strap. Now the belt is just a shell of it's former self! Alberto Del Rio held the WHC strap for the majority of this year as a face and as a heel. But why would the WWE have guys compete for a title that they know is just a second place belt? So with that being said. The World Heavyweight Championship needs to disappear.

-WWE Title #1
-WWE IC Title #2
-WWE U.S. #3
-WWE Tag Team Title's #4
-WWE Diva's Title #5

So where would that leave the position of the so-called World Heavyweight Championship?

Agree 100%. There should be only one world champion anyways, having more then one devalues the other imo.

 

[Irig]

Heavyweight Championship is pretty much become a Title made for Del Rio nowadays, its just to please him IMO. He almost is always in Heavyweight Championship Picture I can't remember him being out of the title picture. Yeah its pretty much become an afterthought because of that.

It needs some fresh storyline which doesn't involve Del Rio and i think its not going to happen till maybe Wrestlemania from the looks of it. Maybe after Wrestlemania they can unite it with WWE or retire the belt. But i feel the storyline with Del Rio and the Title has made it less significant and boring to certain extent.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I've been saying for a long time now that the World Heavyweight Championship and the WWE Championship need to be unified. The moment the brand split ended and Raw entered the Supershow format, they stopped needing two world titles. The World Heavyweight Championship had already been treated as the obvious secondary of the two world titles for over a year by that point. The last time it closed a PPV event was in the fall of 2010. It also OPENED two Wrestlemania events. The WWE would never treat the WWE Championship like that. It's painfully obvious that the WWE Championship is their favorite and has been for nearly the entire existence of the World Heavyweight Championship, other than the years that the big gold belt was Raw exclusive. Once it became Smackdown exclusive for the second time in 2009, that was when the permanent demotion in importance began. The belts still seemed legitimately on par, or close to such status, up until summer 2009.

I am fine with them keeping it around as I have always been a big fan of its design, but they need to stop having announcers refer to it as being on par with the WWE Championship when the fans know that is not the case. Don't refer to Edge as an 11 time WWE Champion when the vast majority of those came from the World Heavyweight Championship, for instance. Just unify them and be done with it. The Intercontinental Championship easily be the number two belt, give any storyline currently planned for the World Heavyweight Championship to the Intercontinental Championship and watch its importance skyrocket. This then also frees up more midcarders for the US Championship or the tag team division.

 

[Aquaman6686]

No. The World Heavyweight Championship NEEDS to stay, and to once again be made more prestigious. As soon as John Cena comes back and reclaims his pacifier title, the World Heavyweight Championship is the only title for most of the top stars to compete for. Until John Cena retires, WWE needs two championships.

 

[No Count Pup]

A sizable portion of the IWC wants the WHC gone. Why? They don't like the titleholders. They would be absolutely tickle if Dean Ambrose or Antonio Cesaro won the title though.

The World Championship is still a draw and a headliner. I highly doubt the Jersey crowd would have popped so loud if Dolph Ziggler defeated Del Rio for the US Title.

On a final note, it is ridiculous to say Vince McMahon has never respected the World Title. At WrestleMania XX, at Madison Square Garden, the show closed with a World Heavyweight Championship match.

The WHC is not going away, nor should it.

 

[Dagger Dias]

A sizable portion of the IWC wants the WHC gone. Why? They don't like the titleholders. They would be absolutely tickle if Dean Ambrose or Antonio Cesaro won the title though.

I don't speak for the entire IWC, but what bothers me personally is that WWE claims the two world titles are still on par with each other but then do not book them as such. Would I want to see Dean Ambrose and Antonio Cesaro win the World Heavyweight Championship? Sure. However, it would be a much bigger deal if they won the WWE Championship. The federation no longer needs two world titles due to the Supershow format.

The World Championship is still a draw and a headliner. I highly doubt the Jersey crowd would have popped so loud if Dolph Ziggler defeated Del Rio for the US Title.

Probably not, but once again they would have been ten times as excited if he won the "real" world title, the WWE Championship.

On a final note, it is ridiculous to say Vince McMahon has never respected the World Title. At WrestleMania XX, at Madison Square Garden, the show closed with a World Heavyweight Championship match.

That was 10 years ago. The World Heavyweight Championship was treated with a lot more respect when it was Raw exclusive. Even when Cena and Batista traded brands in 2005, making the top belts swap with them, the two titles seemed close to being equally important. There was a point in 2008 following the draft when the belts traded brands again, then after Wrestlemania 25 they made the WWE Championship Raw exclusive again while the World Heavyweight Championship was Smackdown exclusive once more, and it was never regarded the same again.

The title is not going away, nor should it.

Yes it should. Look, I like that belt as much as the next guy, but there's nothing it currently does that the Intercontinental Championship cannot do. It's the #2 belt that they are disguising as a world title when it has not been a "true" world title for around 2 years.

 

[Kris Benwa]

I think the value of the World Heavy Weight championship diminished because of the superstars competing for it. A few years ago when Edge or Undertaker or Jeff Hardy were champions or competing for the belt it was with the WWE title on level of importance. I believe we can trace it's importance lessening when Alberto Del Rio had his first match for the title but still there are certain people who can't be WWE champion but are still of enough talent to hold a world championship. Without the WHC a lot of people couldn't be world champions with CM Punk and Cena and now Bryan and Orton having a grip on the title so the WHC is needed. If they had someone who could be seen on the level of those two and maybe have more champion vs champion matches it would look prestigious again.

 

[lifelongfan]

i wanna c the brand split come back. that would help a lot. maby give smackdown wwe title to. then with the whc on raw alone that would fix everything. i dont wanna c the whc gone but it does need saved. get it off ADR whould help a lot. he only guy ive ever seen that brings a belt down like he does. most ppl rise up. he brings belt down only title he needs to compeate for is divas belt because hes a little bitch lol.

 

[#tamale]

Other than reasons of "history and prestige", I see no reason to get rid of the World Heavyweight Championship. It's something you can use to build a storyline from. It's just that for most of this year, the storylines surrounding that title have been mediocre and they continue to hand the title to talent that isn't even on the level of that championship.

Alberto Del Rio is a fine champion at the moment but to fix this whole situation you have to book feuds between actual interesting upper mid-carders and build your storyline with them. A perfect situation for Cody, Del Rio, Mysterio, The Shield, Bray Wyatt, Sheamus, Ryback, Fandango, and Kane.

 

[No Count Pup]

Look, I like that belt as much as the next guy, but there's nothing it currently does that the Intercontinental Championship cannot do. It's the #2 belt that they are disguising as a world title when it has not been a "true" world title for around 2 years.

The Intercontinental Championship cannot be a #2 title. The general consensus has been that the WHC hasn't meant anything for the last 5 to 8 years. But I would argue that the Intercontinental Championship hasn't meant anything for at least 15 years.

In a hypothetical wrestling world where the WHC is irrelevant for half a decade, I say it would be easier to rehabilitate a world title than a midcard title that hasn't been prominent for 15 years.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The Intercontinental Championship cannot be a #2 title.

It's been a #2 title before, so you're already wrong.

The general consensus has been that the WHC hasn't meant anything for the last 5 to 8 years.

5 years ago takes us back to 2008. During that time the World Heavyweight Championship was Raw exclusive in the second half of the year while being fought for by Edge, Undertaker, and Batista in the first half of the year. 8 years ago takes us back to 2005, when Batista brought the belt with him over to Smackdown, after it had been Raw exclusive for around 3 years. During this time it was close to the WWE Championship's level. Nice try. It wasn't until after Wrestlemania 25 that its importance dwindled.

But I would argue that the Intercontinental Championship hasn't meant anything for at least 15 years.

The World Heavyweight Championship was in existence for 11 of those 15 years.

In a hypothetical wrestling world where the WHC is irrelevant for half a decade, I say it would be easier to rehabilitate a world title than a midcard title that hasn't been prominent for 15 years.

In that same hypothetical world, if there is one big federation-wide brand as opposed to two halves (like Raw & Smackdown during the brand extension) then there is only one world champion needed. It's easier to rehabilitate a title that is still needed versus one that has outlived its usefulness.

 

[No Count Pup]

The Intercontinental Championship cannot be a #2 title.

It's been a #2 title before, so you're already wrong.


The general consensus has been that the WHC hasn't meant anything for the last 5 to 8 years.

5 years ago takes us back to 2008. During that time the World Heavyweight Championship was Raw exclusive in the second half of the year while being fought for by Edge, Undertaker, and Batista in the first half of the year. 8 years ago takes us back to 2005, when Batista brought the belt with him over to Smackdown, after it had been Raw exclusive for around 3 years. During this time it was close to the WWE Championship's level. Nice try. It wasn't until after Wrestlemania 25 that its importance dwindled.


But I would argue that the Intercontinental Championship hasn't meant anything for at least 15 years.

The World Heavyweight Championship was in existence for 11 of those 15 years.

In a hypothetical wrestling world where the WHC is irrelevant for half a decade, I say it would be easier to rehabilitate a world title than a midcard title that hasn't been prominent for 15 years.


In that same hypothetical world, if there is one big federation-wide brand as opposed to two halves (like Raw & Smackdown during the brand extension) then there is only one world champion needed. It's easier to rehabilitate a title that is still needed versus one that has outlived its usefulness.

You say "Nice try" as if I'm arguing in favor of the WHC's irrelevance. The whole premise of my argument is that the WHC has never been irrelevant. Context is our friend.

Second, I am speaking of the IC Title's inability to be the #2 title in the present tense. I'm not denying it was the #2 title in the 90s.

Context is the backbone of any meaningful debate.

 

[MCMG]

I think there needs to be fewer World titles and the prospect of either a "last" World Champion or a unification angle are both very appealing; however, I'm not suer the WHC is the belt that should go.

The current roster is massive and filled with talent. The World Heavyweight Championship might not be as important as it used to be but it is still a World Title with a shitload of history. I would personally get rid of the US title and have the Intercontinental Championship acting as the sole mid-card belt. That allows the World Heavyweight Championship to be somewhere in between.

I suppose, in theory, it doesn't matter whether the IC or World Heavyweight Championship acts as the secondary title but surely it is easier to build feuds around Ric Flair's belt. The belt that Goldberg, Sting, Triple H, The Undertaker have all held and defended rather than have the U.S title. That is what I would personally do.

Essentially;
WWE Championship
World Heavyweight Championship
Intercontinental
and maybe a lower mid-card singles belt such as the hardcore (or at least 24/7) belt or crusierweight.

I think it is simply easier and more believable that someone strives to hold the World Heavyweight Championship.

 

[No Count Pup]

I think there needs to be fewer World titles and the prospect of either a "last" World Champion or a unification angle are both very appealing; however, I'm not suer the WHC is the belt that should go.

The current roster is massive and filled with talent. The World Heavyweight Championship might not be as important as it used to be but it is still a World Title with a shitload of history. I would personally get rid of the US title and have the Intercontinental Championship acting as the sole mid-card belt. That allows the World Heavyweight Championship to be somewhere in between.

I suppose, in theory, it doesn't matter whether the IC or World Heavyweight Championship acts as the secondary title but surely it is easier to build feuds around Ric Flair's belt. The belt that Goldberg, Sting, Triple H, The Undertaker have all held and defended rather than have the U.S title. That is what I would personally do.

Essentially;
WWE Championship
World Heavyweight Championship
Intercontinental
and maybe a lower mid-card singles belt such as the hardcore (or at least 24/7) belt or crusierweight.

I think it is simply easier and more believable that someone strives to hold the World Heavyweight Championship.

I generally agree with that assessment. The WHC is a true world title and validates any wrestler's career. A wrestler can legitimately hold that title and be recognized as one of the greats.

 

[darbare]

Rarely do i ever post but i saw this topic and had to give my two cents..the WHC is being treated like s!it and I dont understand why...i think it all boils down to Vince shi?!ing on it because it came from WCW....just like he did with the ECW title. What I mean by this is the person its given to. I can respect Khalis reign because he is a draw in his own way. He may suck on all levels, but thats neither here nor there. The first reign where they effed up was Swagger. Never in a billion years was this guy meant to be World Champion. EVER! They did some damage control by bringing in Edge, Kane & Rey into the picture. Then they effed up again with Zigglers 10 minute reign. Again, why!??!? For a while afterwards they repaired that with Orton and Christian, Mark Henry, Big Show & Sheamus. Daniel Bryan didnt help the title but he damn sure didnt hurt it on any level. Then came Alberto Del Rio. And that ladies and gentleman is why the title is in limbo with no relevance. Another point, Zigglers cash in. It wasnt capitalized on, or either his concussion came at the worst point but this also hurt the title. Not to mention that he was never really ready to begin with; still isnt. Having Damien Sandow holding the briefcase is another thing. This guy isnt ready to hold a world title for at least some years. Hell he hasnt won any title, but hes good enough to hold the World title as his first title? What do they think hes Brock Lesnar? The people that are surrounded by the title is hurting it for the forseeable future. The likes of Damien, Del Rio, Ziggler, Swagger (Mania) etc. Bring back Mysterio, Sheamus, keep RVD around it, Christian sparingly, and then were talking about bringing back relevance...hell give it Punk to really reaffirm its a real world title. The same title held by Triple H, Batista, Edge, Undertaker, Flair, Dusty, true history. Enough of these damn upper midcarders, give them the IC title and US title

 

[MWRedskins]

well, i still like the World Heavyweight title as it helps push guys who cant get over the guys who are in the way. without the World title, CM Punk likely never gets a WWE title run and i think the same could likely have been said for Bryan sadly too which is why i hope they keep it. what i DO think WWE should do is go back to the brand extension and use the World title as the Smackdown main events like they used to do and of course, come up with some good challengers. i think a feud with Cody should happen really soon to set up the cash in from Sandow.

 

[suleman09]

I feel like the real reason so many people feel that the World title needs to be gone is because of the lack of star power holding the belt. If a guy like a Randy Orton, John Cena, CM Punk were to be holding the championship right now it would be so much more heavily promoted. The problem has to go primarily on the lazy booking of this championship. When it was brought back in 2002 the World title was the main event match of the majority if not every ppv that it was defended on. Headlined a few wrestlemanias with the WHC.

(This is not bashing Cena what so ever, not trying to blame him)
I feel like the WHC lost its touch honestly around the time John Cena won the WWE championship. 2005-2006 is when I feel like the WHC became 2nd and because Cena became the face so did the WWE title. Whatever Cena was holding was the main championship, even for the brief time when he won the WHC, he still main evented with the championship. Now since Cena was the face, all the main eventers and up and comers went after cena, therefore going after the WWE title and by default the WHC wasn't shown that star power reign again.

That is what I feel like happened here. If a "top guy" were to hold it again and have compelling story lines and feuds while holding it, people would care about the title more.

 

[Aquaman6686]

It's WWE's fault most fans don't care about the title. They explicitly state that it is the "B" championship by having it open shows constantly and having little to no build to it's matches. All they have to do is have the World Heavyweight Championship main event shows again, and the problem is solved almost immediately. The only other thing they need is to have more top talent hold the belt, as many others have said.

To me the solution is simple and I've been saying it for months - have CM Punk win the Royal Rumble. Everyone would expect him to go after the WWE Championship again, but instead he chooses the World Heavyweight Championship, to "restore prestige" to the title. Punk goes on to the main event of WrestleMania and wins the World Heavyweight Championship, and earlier in the night Daniel Bryan wins the WWE Championship back to end his feud with the Corporation. Problem solved.