The WWEWHC era

[CyberPunk]

With TLC this year, we'll mark the first year of WWEWHC. Last year, Randy Orton became the first WWE World Heavyweight Champion by beating John Cena. We ceased having two world champions. A lot of people,myself included, welcomed the unification.

Since then, we've had 3 different WWEWHC: Daniel Bryan, John Cena and Brock Lesnar. The current champion hasn't been seen or heard from since post Night Of Champion RAW (if he showed up after that, I don't remember it). It's very likely that we'll not see h until next year. I think it's the first time in many years that the show hasn't featured any World Champion for over 3 months.

My question to you is:

How do you rate this first year of WWEWHC? (excellent,fair, poor)

What would have you changed about WWEWHC booking im the past year?

What would you change about it going forward?

What has been the best and worst thing about WWEWHC this past year?

 

[Stan Hansen]

I personally think the booking has been poor. The Bryan/Reigns injuries probably goofed things up a little.

I don't mind Lesnar being off TV for long periods of time but there's no mention of him, Heyman hasn't even been around much. You at least have to make mention of him and/or the title. Whether it be commenting on how Brock is sitting on his butt at home because nobody is worth his time in WWE or something along those lines or Heyman cutting a short promo here and there. You need something to remind fans of him. It's been too long in my opinion and I'm not convinced he ends up being the WWEHC until Mania. Particularly if he refuses to sign a new deal extending his time past that date.

It wouldn't make sense for WWE to keep the belt on him if he's not signed for past Mania.

 

[PeterSellersSTL]

poor - there's only been one title defense that's been memorable and that was Lesnar vs Cena at Summer Slam. Daniel Bryan winning was a foregone conclusion and after the streak ended, the main event of WM30 was a hazy blur.

Lesnar needed to legitimize the title and he's failed to do so by not being visible and not defending it enough. He should have faced Orton at Survivor Series. The title has lost a ton of momentum.

What I'd change is I'd have Lesnar be more visible, I can wait 8 weeks for a title defense 56 days every other PPV and I prefer title defenses to be a rare opportunity and always a big fight but Lesnar still has to be visible, someone should always be chasing the title even if a shot at it is at most 8 weeks away.

Lesnar winning the title has been the best and worst thing about the WWEWHC this year. I had high hopes for him being an awesome champion but he's been invisible. The last time we saw him he needed a dq win to retain.

 

[CrucifiedRaven]

How do you rate this first year of WWEWHC? (excellent,fair, poor)
It's been fair. When they started this run of just one championship they had SO much talent all at or near the top of the card. Randy Orton, John Cena, Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, Batista, The Wyatt Family, The Shield, Brock Lesnar. For whatever reasons, people leaving the company or injuries, they've really been hurting at the top, forcing them to rely even more on John Cena and Randy Orton. Punk, Bryan, Batista, Lesnar not being around has allowed for the breakout of Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins though, which has been refreshing.

What would have you changed about WWEWHC booking im the past year?
Pay Brock Lesnar. If he's going to be your champion, pay him to be around more often. Maybe not every PPV. But his reign has been a dud. He should have gone through all of Cena, Orton, Batista, Big Show by now.

What would you change about it going forward?
Rumor has it that Reigns is still pegged for the top spot, but he has no momentum right now. Maybe when he comes back he has a big reaction, but if they force him to the top too fast without it seeming natural or organic, you will have the same resentment Cena has with half the audience. Build Reigns up slower, it's okay if he's not ready for WM31. He's been injured for 3 months.

What has been the best and worst thing about WWEWHC this past year?
The best was Bryan's win at 'Mania, and Brock's win at SummerSlam. Both big moments that were new and left people wanting more. The worst things... obviously Bryan having to vacate the title and Lesnar not being around for the last 2 months.

 

[L@RISANO]

How do you rate this first year of WWEWHC? (excellent,fair, poor)
It has been fair thus far. Orton's reign was all about Bryan's chase more than anything. Then Bryan's injury hurt his reign, and also ultimately affected Brock's inevitable reign as well, as the heat to be gained from beating an over DB, was changed somewhat to cheers for squashing Cena. However, my low point about Lesnar isn't his lack of appearances, rather him facing Cena 2 times, soon to be 3 sucks alot and has hurt Lesnar's reign big time.

What would have you changed about WWEWHC booking im the past year?
Give Lesnar more opponents than just Cena. Him working Survivor Series wouldn't have hurt either.

What would you change about it going forward?
Change Reigns-Lesnar to Reigns-HHH, as I think that would benefit Reigns in the long-term more and that would make me happy being one of his bigger fans on here.
IF Lesnar re-signs, then have him go over the Rock. If not, then with Bryan out, I'd say he faces Cena who finally defeats him and takes on the heat of the Streak to eventually pass onto Reigns(if they keep faith in him)

What has been the best and worst thing about WWEWHC this past year?
Lesnar's lack of opponents, given Cena will face him again then possibly onto Reigns at Mania.

 

[Softcore Holly]

1. It started off well enough. Cena and Orton has been two of the companies' biggest names for so long it was almost fitting that they were the two to unify the belts. The road to WM also put on some great title defenses at RR and EC and of course that huge moment at WM30. Then it started going downhill reaaaaaally fast due to some piss poor writing with Kane. It was like the entire creative team was forced to watch the worst horror movie they can find in a $2 bin and then have to revolve the title around that. Then DB got injuried and Cena while predictable was a good pick to win it at MITB and had a pretty good defense at Battleground. Then Brock came and shocked the world, and then pretty much disappeared with the title until NOC where he retained and disappeared again.

Overall - poor. I guess it's not the worse thing in the world to not have the champ around all the time but when they have to keep Heyman off TV so people don't get reminded about Brock's absence you know there's a problem.

2. Kane should've been a one and done opponent, Orton should've gotten his rematch against DB(or at least booked to have one) and once Bryan was confirmed to need surgery I would've had Orton punt him out of storylines instead of the whole "will DB give up his title or get Brie fired" nonsense. I would've also been very tempted to have Rollins be successful in his cash in at NOC, that would've been a huge moment and solved the AFK champ problem but at the same time it would've been a total waste getting rid of Brock that quickly.

3. Going forward I expect Brock to lose it at WM31 to Reigns and things will go back to normal, so not much really.

4. Best - WM30 huge moment, worst- anything to do with Kane trying to kidnap or do whatever to the worst dismal in distress ever aka Brie Bella.

 

[Zycho32]

How do you rate this first year of WWEWHC? (excellent,fair, poor)
It really can only be Fair, if only because outside circumstances derailed the plot in question. The transistion from Orton to Bryan to Lesnar is obvious, but that's not a detraction; the story itself was good enough to be embraced. Trouble is, Bryan's injury affected the whole thing, hence the dissapointment.

What would have you changed about WWEWHC booking in the past year?
Assuming I couldn't just wish Bryan back to full health? Well, only thing I would've done is ponied up the damn cash however I could to keep Brock on PPV shows, and let him feud with the Authority directly. It's how I figured it would've gone, and even if such a move makes him look like a Babyface, you really can't avoid it; Brock's a mercenary and maybe he crushes them at Survivor Series to rule the roost for a while. Remember all the demands he made after ER '12? Work THAT angle and let the babyfaces try to rebel against him.

What would you change about it going forward?
So long as the title doesn't change hands on a month-by-month basis or worse, I don't see anything on the horizon that dictates a change.

What has been the best and worst thing about WWEWHC this past year?
Best: WM 30, the way it should've ended.
Worst: Everybody wants to say Brock no-showing PPVs, but really, I'm gonna go with Bryan's injury AND Creative's inability to find an audible somewhere down the line.

 

[Navi]

How do you rate this first year of WWEWHC? (excellent,fair, poor)

Let's see how would I rate it, God awful. We actually have a title belt, wouldn't bloody know about it, haven't seen it in forever. It was fine at the beginning of the year, then we had Daniel Bryan win, then the surgery, and then the belt passed to Orton and Cena.

After that they made the historic and memorable decision (insert sarcasm font) to put the belt on Brock Lesnar. A guy who admittedly doesn't give a shit about the WWE and is only in it for the money. And then where does he go, Narnia, he goes to friggin Narnia, we haven't seen him since he got his ass handed to him by Cena in the rematch. Pathetic.

What would have you changed about WWEWHC booking im the past year?

I don't really know but I wouldn't have put the title on Lesnar, so he could waltz off and forget about the fact it has to be defended. Even leaving it on Cena for the better part of the year would have been better.

What would you change about it going forward?

I would make it a stipulation that the WHC has to be defended on a number of PPV's. Not all of them but it has to be defended. I mean what are these other guys aspiring for, thin air. If the champion isn't around then the title means absolutely nothing. He has to be there to remind everyone what they are gunning for and why.

What has been the best and worst thing about WWEWHC this past year?

Best - Daniel Bryan winning at Mania.

Worst - Lesnar being given the title.

 

[Fillet Club]

How do you rate this first year of WWEWHC? (excellent,fair, poor)

I think I'll have to go with the consensus here and rate it fair. The first year of the unified title has had various ups and downs, we've also had (eventually) some decent and well told stories involving the title... and then there's the rest.

What would have you changed about WWEWHC booking in the past year?

Where do I start? How about the dreadful feud involving Bryan and Kane? Firstly no one AT ALL can take 'Demon' Kane seriously, the man has been a joke for years and secondly the WWE made their WORLD CHAMPION look like an utter coward by running away from Kane. A man that Bryan had no qualms with openly attacking prior to this. We'll get to Lesnar in a second...


What would you change about it going forward?

Lesnar needs to show up.... and show up soon. Like others have said I don't mind him not defending the belt on every PPV, but he needs to at least make some kind of appearance be it an interview segment on Raw either at the arena or via satellite (a great way to build up heat), we haven't even had Heyman gloating to the audience and I'm worried that the casual fan is actually just sort of forgetting about it. Also the briefcase Rollins is carrying around just feel worthless at this moment.

What has been the best and worst thing about WWEWHC this past year?

As others have said the best moment hands down is Daniel Bryan winning the title at Wrestlemania, a brilliantly booked finished and a genuinely feel good moment, I haven't popped like that since Punk beat Cena at MITB.

And again the worst has to be Lesnar's title reign. I loved the booking regarding the squash match against Cena at Summerslam, it was perfect. You had this monster completely demolish your top guy, no one expected it and it made for a great story. What do we get the following month? Your generic Cena story of overcoming the odds yadda yadda, it made Lesnar look like a complete chump and now he's just buggered off not to be seen from (presumably) until the Royal Rumble. He should be defeating other guys than just Cena, it would certainly make him look even more of a threat.

 

[OYDK]

How do you rate this first year of WWEWHC? (excellent,fair, poor)

Well, the first match between Cena and Orton, although a little unoriginal was fitting. The two guys who have held your company together for the past decade battle for the sole prize, however I can't help but wish we were getting THIS (the one we have now) Orton when all of this was happening. It was fair. Daniel Bryan's chase and winning of the title was excellent. Probably the most organic thing that had happened in years in this new WWE environment. His first feud with Kane wasn't terrible despite what some of the smarks might say, but it definitely wasn't what Bryan needed at the time and it was poorly booked. Cena winning was meh... It had to happen. Lesnar whooping Cena was excellent, but the booking since then has been poor.

Collectively, I'd rate this first year as fair with potential to have been great.

What would have you changed about WWEWHC booking im the past year?

I would have had Lesnar destroy Cena at Summerlsam, not stop, and get disqualified. Yes, this would have seriously pissed off a lot of people, but at least it would keep the title off Lesnar for a few months. I would have had Cena come out, bitch about what happened and say some BS like, "Nah it ain't goin down like that." Have the story be Lesnar refuses to show up because he was screwed. After another defense at NOC, I would have had Cena finally goad Lesnar into rematch at HIAC where Lesnar wins convincingly again. Then I would dish out the dough to have Lesnar appear at SS, RR, EC, and Mania. Would have eased a lot of minds if Lesnar had won later and appeared at nearly every PPV as Champion.

What would you change about it going forward?

I would have Cena pin Lesnar at RR before Rollins finally cashes in his MITB contract. This would set up a Triple Threat Match for the WWEWHC between The Shield members. This has been said a lot and I doubt it would outdraw Lesnar, The Rock, or Sting but it would be great to see.

What has been the best and worst thing about WWEWHC this past year?

Worst: Kane/Daniel Bryan feud and WWE allowing Lesnar to run off with the belt.

Best: DB title win at Mania and Brock title win at SS.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

If I had to assign a grade, I'd probably go with a B-, MAYBE a B overall when you factor in all the various ups & downs that've taken place in the title scene this year.

I thought Daniel Bryan's journey towards becoming champion was excellent. There may have been some bumps along the way with the overall booking due to Vince underestimating Bryan's popularity, but it's become part of the story itself. The end result of Bryan defeating Triple H at WrestleMania XXX and defeating Orton & Batista in the main event to win the title gave everyone that big WrestleMania moment.

Afterward, things started to lose steam a bit with Bryan being put into a feud with Kane as it seemed like a strange choice for a first title feud. However, they did have a great brawl at Extreme Rules. However, things started to lose some more steam when it was announced that Bryan would have to vacate the title and be out of action for the foreseeable future. At the same time, this did lead to a sense of interest in who would be the new champion and while Cena winning the title wasn't fresh, it was really the best choice as there was nobody else around who really had the credibility or was ready to be champ.

Cena dropping the title to Brock Lesnar in such a one sided match was a big surprise. From an action standpoint, the match wasn't all that great but it told a great story and resulted in a lot of people getting what they'd been wanting for over 2 years: Brock Lesnar winning the WWE Championship. However, then came the problem that we all knew was looming as far as a Lesnar title run was concerned: Lesnar's schedule. Everyone had to know, even those calling for Lesnar to win the title, that he wouldn't be around all that often because of how his deal is structured, which is really set up in a similar manner to an MMA deal.

Personally, I think the worst aspect of the whole situation was something that simply was out of anyone's control: Bryan having to vacate the title due to injury. Fans had been rallying around Bryan to regain the title and have a proper run with it since Orton cashed in his MITB briefcase at SummerSlam, so it was just a big disappointment to everyone that Bryan had to relinquish the title. While it might not be necessarily what the OP meant in terms of being able to change something, Bryan's injury is something that I'd have changed. I'd have had Bryan keep the title through 2014, have Brock Lesnar enter & win the Royal Rumble and face Bryan for the strap at WrestleMania XXXI. Along the way, for the first time since his return, I'd book Lesnar & Bryan for a match on Raw, non-title of course, in which both guys look good, but Lesnar comes out with a clean & dominant victory in order to further the impression of Bryan's title run being in serious jeopardy.

 

[King Patrick Star]

How do you rate this first year of WWEWHC? (Excellent, fair, poor)
Excellent. I think that it’s great that there is only one Undisputed Unified WWE World Heavyweight Champion. It should have been done as soon as the Brand Extension was over. It really elevated the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship up a level. I really just wanted to see one SuperStar (Chris Jericho) hold both the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship Title Belts.

What would have you changed about WWEWHC booking I’m the past year?
I wouldn’t change a thing. Things happen for a reason and the measures they took to fix unforeseen issues were done really well. From Randy Orton, to Daniel Bryan, to John Cena, I think the WWE did a great job by not just handing the Crown to just any SuperStar. The current WWE World Heavyweight Champion is the former UFC Heavyweight Champion, Brock Lesnar. How can you top that in 2014??

What would you change about it going forward?
I wouldn’t change a thing. I think things are looking up. Whenever I don’t like what I’m seeing, I just watch the WWE Network. Then again, I’ve been watching the WWE Network a lot lately. HAHA!!

What has been the best and worst thing about WWEWHC this past year?
The best thing about the WWE World Heavyweight Champion this past year is the Champion holding 2 Championship Title Belts and the subsequent unveiling of the new Championship Title Belt. The worst thing about the WWE World Heavyweight Champion this past year is Brock Lesnar not appearing at every Pay Per View. I can understand if he skips Raw, Smackdown, Main Event, Superstars, NXT, and house shows, but don’t skip Pay Per Views!!

 

[BillAlfonsos_Whistle]

My question to you is:

How do you rate this first year of WWEWHC? (excellent,fair, poor)

What would have you changed about WWEWHC booking im the past year?

What would you change about it going forward?

What has been the best and worst thing about WWEWHC this past year?

I rate the first year as INCOMPLETE because we won't have a concrete idea of what this year built to until WM31. As of right now I will say FAIR. Even though most people hate Lesnar not being around...and it certainly hurts the roster/shows right now...it may be best for the long term health and vitality of the WWE. Eventually the massive face push they are gonna give is gonna be a storyline about how a REAL WRESTLER who works year round deserves to be champion and how Lesnar is just an opportunistic beast that can't handle the full load of wearing the strap...yadda yadda yadda...only guys who could work with that angle are Bryan, Punk, and Cena. Since the two better options aren't available I hate to admit but Cena defeating Lesnar seems absolutely unavoidable at WM31.

I wouldn't have changed much. I like the fact that Lesnar is going to have a decently long title reign. Even without defending. I hate passing belts around and now that they are unified there shouldn't be more than 2 champs per year. 3 should be a WOW-moment.

Going forward I hope some of the young guys have what it takes to amplify their in-ring work and characters to headline WM32. Any of the shield trio, Wyatt, etc.

Worst thing = Losing D. Bryan to injury. Guy was about to become a cultural phenomenon. They played their cards perfectly having 80k doing the Yes Chant to close WM30.

 

[kadroan]

How do you rate this first year of WWEWHC? (excellent,fair, poor)
I'd say Fair because you can't help that Bryan got hurt and Orton being champion to WrestleMania so Bryan can have his WrestleMania moment. WWE made the right choice in having Cena replace Bryan as champion. I'm not a fan of the booking of Brock's title reign. I understand him not wrestling every PPV but he could have brought a lot to the table as WWEWHC but WWE didn't take advantage of that.

What would have you changed about WWEWHC booking im the past year?
I would have had Brock come back after NoC and destroy Rollins in a segment on a RAW during the build up of HIAC and go after Cena and have a final showdown in a HIAC match at HIAC to finish their feud. I wouldn't book him for Survivor Series. Instead, I'd have him disappear until TLC/Royal Rumble and face whoever The Authority decided to be the #1 contender.


What would you change about it going forward?
I'd book Lesnar to defend his title against Cena at TLC in a TLC match after getting his vengeance against Rollins for hitting the curb stomp on him at NoC. I'd start the build up at the RAW after Survivor Series where Cena calls him out and surprisingly Lesnar appears and accepts his challenge. I'd have him defeat Cena clean. Since Sheamus is out for injury. I'd have a new #1 contender match for the WWE WHC where he wins. Orton would face Lesnar at Royal Rumble where he wins due to interference due to The Authority. Lesnar attacks The Authority and becomes their number one enemy and their goal is to get the title off Lesnar. Lesnar takes Fast Lane off and faces Reigns (the Royal Rumble winner) at WrestleMania where he loses the title to Reigns thanks to The Authority. Rollins cashes in on Reigns. Reigns feuds with Rollins going into the summer.

What has been the best and worst thing about WWEWHC this past year?
Best - seeing Bryan winning the WWEWHC at WrestleMania after all the adversity he went through in 2013 and early 2014.

Worst - not having Brock being booked for two consecutive PPVs. Even when The Rock was WWE Champion in 2013, he didn't miss a PPV despite his demanding schedule.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The first year of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship started out great. From the moment the belts were unified up through Daniel Bryan's Wrestlemania 30 win, all of that was handled very well. I really enjoyed Bryan's reign as well. The entire first half of the year would be rated as excellent for me as far as the World Heavyweight Championship is concerned. Cena's win at Money In The Bank would not have been an issue had it not been for the horrible Lesnar match at Summerslam this year. The Cena VS Lesnar feud dropped the rating for me from excellent down to poor. Then we had the two months where there were no World Heavyweight Championship matches. I give that the lowest rating possible. It's one of the most infuriating decisions WWE has ever made. 6 months of excellent, 3 months of average, followed by 2 and a half months of horrible, averages out to a neutral rating when you average everything overall.

What would I have changed? Cena would have been given an actual MATCH at Summerslam. The horrible main event from that show would have never happened. Lesnar would have been forced to defend at Hell In A Cell or have the title taken away from him. If Bryan couldn't keep the belt while not defending once a month, then Lesnar can't. Cena would then get the belt back at Hell In A Cell because his match with Orton would have been for the title. He'd still be champion now. The stipulation for Survivor Series could have been that Cena lost the belt if his team lost. Ziggler still survives, thus Cena retains. He would then be facing Rollins at TLC for the belt, Rollins still has his briefcase through all of this.

The best thing about the WWE World Heavyweight Championship this year? Having one true top guy (kayfabe) in the federation. I loved the big gold belt, but it got the point where guys who won it were so obviously the secondary champion after whoever held the WWE Championship at the time. Yet the announcers kept trying to put the belt over as being equal to the WWE Championship when most knew that was not the case. The worst thing about the WWE World Heavyweight Championship this year? Not having a champion for 2 months. Seriously. Whoever thought it was ok for Lesnar to remain champion without defending the belt needs to be fired.