It’s no secret that the WWE Universal Champion has been absent as of late. People are all over the internet complaining about Brock Lesnar not being around. Blah! Blah! Blah! Part-timer Blah! Blah! Blah! They are complaining about a “30 Day Rule” which in the “WWE Universe” is like complaining about there being no time limits. In that world, those rules don’t exist. Heck, they don’t even acknowledge wins and losses anymore. An absent champion should be the least of your worries! He will be back when WWE has that Pay-Per View “Great Balls of Fire”(What kind of stupid name for a wrestling event is that?), if not sooner because no one REALLY knows how many dates the guy has”. Maybe he will do a house show or 2 between then.
While he is gone, Raw has a golden opportunity to focus on the Intercontinental championship as the top prize. Dean Ambrose drew attention to the fact that was Lesnar away, the IC Title is the most important championship on the brand by default (not the best way to look at it, but it;s true). See folks, that is what mid-card championships are SUPPOSED TO DO! This is nothing new. The reason that mid-card championships exists goes back to the days of the territories. Whether it was the NWA or the WWF, the World champion rarely ever wrestled on television, so the companies would have secondary or regional titles be the top prize on television. In the WWF, the Intercontinental Champion was always on TV more than the WWF World Champion. More people saw guys like The Honky Tonk Man and Ultimate Warrior defend their champion on TV than Hulk Hogan defending the top prize. Being Intercontinental champion used to also put you in line as the #1 contender for the World title. In the days of NWA/WCW, you had the United States Championship, the World Television Title, and even the United States Tag Team Championships. These championships were put into place to help guys keep top spots and relevance on the card while trying to eventually push for a shot at the World Title. These days, the secondary titles don’t come off nearly as important as they should. That doesn't mean this concept can’t be brought back!
Sure we are seeing Dean Ambrose and Miz battle for the championship for the 3746th time, but maybe once this feud is settled, the winner can move on the guys like Seth Rollins and Finn Balor. Ambrose, Miz, Balor, and Rollins are ALL former champions whether WWE or Universal which means the Intercontinental Title is being competed for between top guys, right? Throw Bray Wyatt in there as a wild card,and BOOM! You don’t have to worry about the Universal champion not being around all the time. Plus, a champion like Lesnar should always be an attraction. You should have to pay for that. It’s called supply and demand, there are few out there with that dude’s drawing power. There is a reason that Brock Lesnar works the least, and gets paid the most. But I digress.
Midcard championships should never be treated as an afterthought. You can do so much more to bring that importance to having those titles. I would have no problem with the Intercontinental Championship or even the US Championship main eventing a PPV. Let’s be real, while Orton vs Mahal is a match that a lot of folks are interested in, there are going to be people who are interested to see what happens with the US championship between Kevin Owens and AJ Styles. You have two guys who were ALSO the top champions on their brands.
Now is the time for these titles to shine like they once did. It is up to the brass at WWE to make sure that happens. Let’s be honest, I don’t have faith that they will do right by the fans and by logic, but we can only hope. I know that I sound like the old wrestling guy with the references to how things were once done. The thing is, just because times change, the things that make money in professional wrestling have not really changed at all. Champions should be guys who can try money and put butts in seats regardless of if they are a midcard champion or the world champion. The goal is to show you are one of the best by wearing the gold. By drawing money either defeating whoever they put in front of you or drawing money because people want to see you lose it! It’s booking 101! WWE, take this time to let those titles shine!
What do you think? You can hit me up on Twitter @whosantcox, and we can discuss! The door is always open. You can also follow me on Instagram under the name “UltraGoldenAnt” where you can see my dank memes and gym selfies! I'll catch you next time, wrestling fans!
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