Some of the more interesting reports online have to do with the two newest WWE titles.
Rumor has it that the WWE, or more likely the networks, want Raw and Smackdown to be separate and be their own distinct brands. Aside from hearing this a thousand times over the years, this is one time it’s the most believable.
Fox is said to be requesting several things from the WWE such as superstars, so it’s not really a surprise. It’s also something that typically goes on when going to a new network or starting a new endeavor. It makes sense that Fox would want the most popular superstars, for example, to bring in more ratings, ads, and money.
Because of the upcoming divide between the two brands, it’s been rumored that the WWE is mothballing the Women’s tag team championship. Only eight months old, the championship never really caught on despite being an inter-promotional title. In a way, it’s a shame because it had so much potential, but it was so often an afterthought that this may be for the best.
Like the Women’s tag championship, the 24/7 belt is still practically brand new (though many of us will wish they’d just make it the old Hardcore championship as long as it’s in service), but is inter-promotional. Instead of eliminating this one (much to the chagrin of many fans), it’s going to be defended solely on youtube, as it’s been when not on Raw, Smackdown, or a pay-per-view, so it’s not a shock.
It’ll most likely be shared on social media by the WWE official sites and whomever is the current champion to continue to promote it.
The trend
The WWE creating and retiring championships isn’t new, as the most prominent one that comes to mind is the European championship. Unlike the others, it was a major championship on par with the Intercontinental championship. Meant as a means to branch out to European wrestling fans, it was only held by two European-born superstars: “The British Bulldog” Davie Boy Smith and William Regal.
The trend seems to be that the WWE creative has lofty goals for their new championships, but whether through mismanagement or bad luck, they don’t seem to workout long term as they’re either unified with an existing title (European to Intercontinental) or retired.
One could argue they don’t need any more championships, and that’s true in many fans’ eyes. It’s also a reason many of us would love to see the return to one top title (Undisputed), one tag team, and one Intercontinental, and one Women’s where the champions appear on both brands, but that’s highly unlikely. We and the WWE have grown accustomed to a eight champions and a majority of storylines tied to them.
