If Bray Wyatt’s post on his Twitter account is anything to go by, it looks like we not only have an unbeatable demon as Universal champion, but he also has a redesigned belt.
To be fair, the WWE’s current belts are pretty bad. They’re overly large, lacking the appeal of the Ten Pounds of Gold from the NWA, and look more like toys than a symbol of pride and accomplishment.
They lack the symbolism, weight, and prestige of the older championships. Part of that is due to them appearing like children’s toys for the PG era. In many ways, they would’ve fit during the Golden Era of the 80s when wrestlers were more cartoon character-like than currently. But then Vince McMahon had a sense of history and the belts resembled something to be proud of.
Changing history
The WWE has long made up their own history, ignoring what Vince McMahon feels isn’t important to his product. This is not only infuriating to those that wish to keep track of things, but it’s also disrespectful to those that previously wrestled and made the promotion what it is.
It’s similar to the constant invention of new championships, discontinuing of others through needless unification, and then bringing them back in one form or another whenever they decide a brand split is their current flavor.
Basically, it’s an endless parade of “Lookie what we got!” that’s gotten old.
The best way to explain the current Universal title is it’s a new flavor after being created in 2016 with Finn Balor being the inaugural champion. It’s often and easily confused (thanks to its name) with the Undisputed championship (Early 2000s WWF heavyweight championship and WCW heavyweight championship).
And that’s where it’s history ends. Less than three years old, it was often treated and touted as the top championship in the promotion by talent and commentators alike.
Why the change is important
Given its brief history and gaudy appearance, it’s only fitting that Bray Wyatt’s new character, the Fiend, is the one that’s holding it when it got a darker (and better, IMO) look. It fits his character better going forward, and hints that we may be in for a long run with him as champion.
With the ongoing challenge the AEW presents, the WWE has to reinvent itself to survive. What they were doing barely kept their fans attention when there was little to no competition (part of the reason they stayed alive was probably due to nothing else to watch), which makes this the first step in that direction.
While it’ll threaten the Fiend’s uniqueness to a degree, more titles will probably be changed going forward as well. It’s just a matter of time.
Until then, let’s enjoy the lack of cartoonishness of the Universal belt.
