World Title Unification & The Mid Card

[Mr.Fortuna]

I for one am getting really excited at the prospect of the world titles being unified for one reason alone.... and that is the higher emphasis that will be put on the mid card when this does happen.

It only seems logical that when the titles are unified that The IC Title and US Title will be getting more quality matches and fueds surrounding it.

Lets have a look at the names in this category.
Big E Langston
Bray Wyatt
Cody Rhodes
Curtis Axel
Damien Sandow
Dean Ambrose
Dolph Ziggler
Rey Mysterio
Ryback
The Miz
Wade Barrett

You also have guys like Rollins, Reigns, Cesaro once they go off to become single stars. The future and present is very bright.

What is everyone elses opinion on this matter. How do you think the IC/US Titles will be booked once the titles are unified.

 

[LODemolition]

I think (and definitely hope) the IC Title will become booked much more importantly when it returns to being the secondary belt in WWE. It should be what it once was which is a stepping stone for future main eventers and WWE Champions. Looking back, the last time the IC Title really felt relevant at WrestleMania was 12 years ago at WM18 with Regal and RVD. This is their chance to change things going forward. Langston vs Henry would make for an amazing match at Mania imo. Langston going over would be huge for him and I think you let him hang onto it until July or August. Bray Wyatt would be the best choice to dethrone him I think. Up until then, Langston could feud with Ryback (if they let him out of the doghouse), Mark Henry, Alberto Del Rio and finally Wyatt.

Unfortunately, I don't think this will change anything as far as the US Title goes. It will always be their "throw away" belt that they just put on a midcarder who doesn't defend it often and the matches for it will just continue to be tossed together on the card without much of a story or feud behind it, if any at all. It's the way it has been since WWF introduced the European Title as their 3rd belt, and it's the way it'll stay.

 

[cleissonsg]

The WHC being unified with the WWE title can simplify things: they will stop pretending there are two major championships, cement the position of the WWE title as the big major belt, and raise the prestige of the Intercontinental championship as the second most important singles belt in the WWE (with it filling the current position of the WHC), the belt for upper midcarders.

Mixing main eventers with upper-midcarders only helps to bury people. Let's see recent examples: Damien Sandow vs Cena, Curtis Axel vs CM Punk. Axel and Sandow were basically "jobbers to the stars". You can't build the upper mid card into main event that way. Keeping the upper-midcarders fighting for the IC title also helps building them so when they really are ready to jump to the WWE title picture they are already very credible contenders. Just imagine an Elimination Chamber match for the IC title. Or imagine a MITB ladder match for the IC title, it would be great to raise the prestige of the belt and to let the midcarders shine.

Personally, I think the US championship must go away too, maybe it can be merged with the IC to give the IC even more prestige as the secondary belt. But I think there should be another belt to the lower midcard guys. Bringing back the Television Championship, as a gimmick belt, can raise the interest of people. If they make rules like it has to be defended every week on TV, the opponent or the type of the match is chosen by people voting on the WWE app, and other things like that, it can help keeping people interested in the lower mid-card.

1 - WWE Championship - Main Event - Cena, Orton, Bryan, Punk, Sheamus...

2 - Intercontinental Championship - Upper Midcard - Big E, Wade Barrett, The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Damien Sandow, Mark Henry...

3 - Television Championship - Lower Midcard - Zack Ryder, Santino, Khali, Tyson Kidd, Curt Hawkins, Ezekiel Jackson...

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Various reports have stated since the WWE's end of the brand extension that the primary reason the WHC is still around is so that there'll be a World Championship match at every house show. Personally, I've long since believed that WWE wouldn't need a 2nd World Championship if they booked the IC title in a stronger way. I might be wrong, but I have a feeling that most fans would be just fine if the IC title was the main event of some house shows.

The Intercontinental Championship has a ton of history, though I do believe some fans allow nostalgia to often put the title on a pedestal that it never really reached, with the exception of a handful of guys. Whenever someone posts comments about the IC title and it's prestige, the names that ALWAYS come up are Savage, Warrior, Hennig & Hart. They were highly memorable champs that had long and memorable runs as Intercontinental Champion. Not every champ is going to rise to that level, however, Don Muraco didn't, Nor did Ken Patera, Greg Valentine, Tito Santana, Goldust, Ken Shamrock, Val Venis, D'Lo Brown and many others.

However, with the World Heavyweight Championship rendered inactive, IF WWE ultimately goes through with it, then the focus given to that title could be put to the Intercontinental Championship. Another factor that would help out quite a bit is how WWE no longer plays hot potato with titles, really beginning with the last few or current champs. Team Hell No & The Shield held the tag titles for 245 and 148 days respectively, Alberto Del Rio's 4th run as World Heavyweight Champion lasted 133 days, Curtis Axel was Intercontinental Champion for 155 days, AJ Lee has been WWE Divas Champion for 167 days and Dean Ambrose has been United States Champion for 195 days. WWE has sorta played some hot potato the past few months with the WWE Championship, though not nearly at the level they once did. Punk's 434 day run that ended at the 2013 Royal Rumble is the longest World Championship run in WWE in over a quarter century and Cena's last run lasted 133 days. WWE shouldn't have put the title on The Rock, in my opinion, nor were the number of screwjob endings the past few months necessary but, again, it's better than it once was. A long run isn't the end all & be all of greatness as some champs are simply going to be better than others. However, an increased emphasis on the IC title when/if the WHC is deactivated coupled with the increase in the lengths of title runs could potentially do a lot for the IC title.

As for the US title, part of me would like to see it unified with the IC title and possibly for another mid-card title to come along at a later time. Back in WCW, beginning in the Jim Crockett Promotions era, the company had the World Championship, then the US Championship and finally the TV Championship as more of a lower mid-card title. I wouldn't mind seeing WWE reinstate & rename the TV Championship or create their own TV Championship as sort of a 2nd tier mid-card title as a means of putting some emphasis on lower mid-card guys while the IC title is for the upper mid-card guys.

 

[mlp420]

This will only be great for the midcard. Part of the reason for the decline of the midcard is with two world titles guys that would be great midcarders are being pushed into the main event and it's having a trickle down effect. I think the IC title can be huge again and the US title will be more like the old European title for lower tier guys.

 

[Dagger Dias]

The quality of angles for both the Intercontinental and United States Championships will improve upon the unification of the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship. For multiple years the big gold belt seemed insignificant in comparison to the WWE Championship other than the exception of the years when the World Heavyweight Championship was Raw exclusive. Upper midcard wrestlers held the big gold belt and got considered to be World Champions.

Now the Intercontinental Championship is likely to become the #2 title. Any feud that has been over the World Heavyweight Championship in recent years, those are the feuds and competitors I expect to see in the Intercontinental Championship scene. This frees up room for more midcard wrestlers who are further down the card to focus on just the United States Championship rather than having two belts in the same tier. Whether we are talking about the main eventers, upper midcarders, midcarders, or even tag teams.... Less belts mean more competitors for the remaining titles. The unification can potentially increase the overall quality of each tier.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

The possibility of a unified world title worries me. During the WWF/WWE Undisputed Champions era, only the best of the best of the best held the title. Chris Jericho, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, The Rock, and Brock Lesnar.

If WWE unifies the titles again, I'm afraid we'll see a never ending back and forth merry-go-round of CM Punk VS John Cena VS Randy Orton, because that's the current elite class in WWE. All three men engaged in (with Orton VS Cena starting up again now) extensive feuds with each other over the years, with Cena and Punk having a series of matches against each other since 2011.

Maybe, MAYBE you put the title on Brock Lesnar at Wrestlemania 30 or 31. You can always have Lesnar drop the title at Extreme Rules before he goes on another one of his annual hiatuses. But outside of Cena, Orton, and Punk, who else is truly elite on WWE's full time roster? You can't rely on Undertaker or Jericho to come back full time, those days are over. Triple H rarely wrestles now a days, and he's slowly making the transition to becoming a full time authority figure. And seeing Brock as a world champion would be an awe inspiring sight for a while, but with his limited schedule, there's no way you could ever plan anything long term.

By having Orton, Cena, and Punk as Undisputed Champions, you can reinforce the supremacy of one world title, but you run the risk of creating a mundane and redundant world title picture, until any future challengers in the mid card rise through the ranks to become a formidable opponent.

 

[Quinn30Colo]

The possibility of a unified world title worries me. During the WWF/WWE Undisputed Champions era, only the best of the best of the best held the title. Chris Jericho, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, The Undertaker, The Rock, and Brock Lesnar.

If WWE unifies the titles again, I'm afraid we'll see a never ending back and forth merry-go-round of CM Punk VS John Cena VS Randy Orton, because that's the current elite class in WWE. All three men engaged in (with Orton VS Cena starting up again now) extensive feuds with each other over the years, with Cena and Punk having a series of matches against each other since 2011.

This is why I'm excited for unification. Only the best of the best should be title holders. You open the possibility of more meaningful championship reigns. Triple H has already pushed for longer title reigns, and you have seen that with the majority of the title reigns. CM punk well over a year. Cena from Mania to SS, which is a good 5 months, Orton ever since. Ambrose US title for a while now. We can see the IC title have meaning again.

We won't see just Orton, Cena, and Punk, we'll see Seamus (when he gets back) Bryan, Henry, Show. We'll see feuds that mean something as these guys will look to climb the latter over each other or a feud start from interference, etc. It's so much better with only one top prize. Two belts waters down the title champion and prevents feuds.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

This is why I'm excited for unification. Only the best of the best should be title holders. You open the possibility of more meaningful championship reigns. Triple H has already pushed for longer title reigns, and you have seen that with the majority of the title reigns. CM punk well over a year. Cena from Mania to SS, which is a good 5 months, Orton ever since. Ambrose US title for a while now. We can see the IC title have meaning again.

We won't see just Orton, Cena, and Punk, we'll see Seamus (when he gets back) Bryan, Henry, Show. We'll see feuds that mean something as these guys will look to climb the latter over each other or a feud start from interference, etc. It's so much better with only one top prize. Two belts waters down the title champion and prevents feuds.

I completely forgot about Sheamus. Hopefully, WWE will tone down the goofy comedic garbage attached to his character, and Sheamus will be a strong force again.

Although, Henry's too injury prone, so he's VERY unreliable. Big Show winning the WHC at HIAC last year was a nice surprise, but he lost a lot of steam as champion, quickly. The days of Show potentially being "The Guy" are long gone. And I wouldn't be too sure about Bryan. Just think about how WWE went out of their way to plan numerous screwy finishes to keep the WWE Championship off of Bryan. Clearly, there's a lot of unwillingness within WWE to put Bryan at the top.

As far as two belts watering down the champion, IF WWE gives John Cena time to establish the World Heavyweight Championship as the top title, we won't have to worry about this problem. But unifying the belts at TLC feels like a wasted opportunity for the WHC, because less than two months isn't enough time. You can't expect Cena to elevate the WHC so quickly.

 

[Quinn30Colo]

I completely forgot about Sheamus. Hopefully, WWE will tone down the goofy comedic garbage attached to his character, and Sheamus will be a strong force again.

Although, Henry's too injury prone, so he's VERY unreliable. Big Show winning the WHC at HIAC last year was a nice surprise, but he lost a lot of steam as champion, quickly. The days of Show potentially being "The Guy" are long gone. And I wouldn't be too sure about Bryan. Just think about how WWE went out of their way to plan numerous screwy finishes to keep the WWE Championship off of Bryan. Clearly, there's a lot of unwillingness within WWE to put Bryan at the top.

As far as two belts watering down the champion, IF WWE gives John Cena time to establish the World Heavyweight Championship as the top title, we won't have to worry about this problem. But unifying the belts at TLC feels like a wasted opportunity for the WHC, because less than two months isn't enough time. You can't expect Cena to elevate the WHC so quickly.

The problem though is star power…10 years ago there were big stars to warrant the two titles. I'm not worried about Cena giving credibility to the WHC…he already has it…the problem is the chase. Who chases Cena? ADR??? I don't want to see top stars separated. I want to see Roman Reigns evolve up a latter, get through a Cena or an Orton to get to one champion. It's more intriguing. Two belts separates superstars and prevents good feuds. Show can feud with Cena again over Show not getting a rematch at Orton. What does Show do now??? I just feel it limits the element of surprise, feuds, face/heel turns, alliances, etc.

 

[lil bitch Kid]

IF, and that is a BIG IF, they unify the titles, it'll be great for the IC and US titles. However, I have this feeling that, given that it was stated that both straps will be hanging above the ring, each guy will end up with a belt. I, for one, am not against the idea of this unification happening on a secondary PPV, as the original unification happened on the December, I believe, Armageddon PPV when Jericho did it.

Now, IF, they do pull the trigger, they can stop pretending that the WHC is a major title because in recent years, until Cena took it, it has been nothing more than a title being used to make a guy feel big. Personally, I would have held off until Mania, just so that Cena could build the WHC up to being something important.

With one major title, the guys who would have been in the WHC picture, immediately go to the IC and US title picture. With any luck, both those titles get built up to being unified at Mania. Where guys like Del Rio, RVD, Christian, Show, Henry, Sandow, Ziggler, Miz, Ryback, Sheamus, and Kane have in recent years challenged on PPV for the WHC, they can be moved into the IC title picture. Maybe I'd take Sheamus, Ryback, Del Rio, and Ziggler, and keep them on the cusp of the big title. The big belt would be challenged for by Cena, Orton, Punk and Bryan for a while. I'd use the US title as a lower card title.

WWE title: Cena, Punk, Orton, Bryan with Sheamus, Ryback, Del Rio and Ziggler working to nose in. Then you have HHH and Lesnar as part timers to play almost a gate keeper role.

IC title: Langston, Ambrose (after dropping the US title), Show, RVD, Christian, Henry, Sandow, Miz, Kane, Barrett

US title: Axel, Rhodes (after he splits from Goldy), Fandango, Kofi, JTG, Santino, Kidd, Gabriel, Tatsu, Ryder, Hawkins, Bourne

Tag titles: Rhodes boys, 3MB, Shield, PTP, Real Americans, Tons of Funk, Usos, Matadors, Hunico/Camacho, Rey/Cara

 

[tomorugby20]

I think too much time has passed with the WHC around that people are having trouble both in WWE Creative and some fans seeing the bigger picture.

I think Unifying both titles is the best thing to do right now, the landscape has changed dramatically since having the WHC be introduced and as a knock on effect the IC titles status within the company.

I think it will freshen up the company and storylines. Would certainly make the ascension from Midcard to Main event far more meaningful.

 

[L@RISANO]

Funny hearing Stephanie name Triple H as a great WHC and WWE champion. Pretty corny and irritating to me.