Interesting note about the World Heavyweight Title DVD the WWE apparently has planned

[Mr. Nerfect]

It will feature matches from the NWA/WCW era of the big gold belt. While I guess they could still consider the World Heavyweight Championship a completely separate title, it does seem odd to include those sort of matches.

Anyway, just a hypothetical question to you: Would you care/like it if the WWE expanded the World Heavyweight Title's history to go back to, say, 1991, and share the same history as the WCW Championship?

[Londoner]

See, I didn't think they did consider it completely seperate?

[Nicky Fives]

they consider them separate, but if they really cared about distinguishing between the two, they would have made a different belt.....

[Rammsteinmad]

I consider them the same... since the are the same.

Therefore, The Undertaker is currently holding a title that has been held by David Arquette.

[The Jayman]

that is prestige

[kareru]

the one that taker is holding?

its the same belt

[Kami Raki]

As noted by a poster on KOW(it's common knowledge really), Vince's father was on the NWA Championship Committee so that is probably why they recognize the NWA and WCW title reigns.

[thedamndest]

They should have had the WHC adopt the history of the original Big Gold Belt. It would have given it a little more credibility to be able to say you held a belt worn by the likes of Ric Flair and Sting instead of, "Here you go, HHH."

Also, they pretty much kept they same design. Come on.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I would like them to go back with the history, but as of now, Triple H is "officially" the first champion.

[The Mackem]

They are very much getting back to the history of wrestling as a whole. There's obviously inaccuracies about lineage etc and the fact that the NWA World title is still active elsewhere plus the fact that they would be recognising David Arquette as a former champion.

[Dave Youell]

Honestly don't give a fuck, belts don't mean anything close to what they used to now IMO

[Phenomenal 1]

the one that taker is holding?

its the same belt

incorrect....the version of the World Heavyweight Title is the WWE Version of the Belt....there have been 3 different incarnations of the belt.

There was the Big Gold which was designed and used specifically for when Ric Flair was the NWA champion and they stopped using the domed globe.

There is the WCW Title/World Heavyweight Championship Version 1 that was used after flair left for WWE and took the Big Gold with him. They brought back this version of the belt when they held a tournament for the Vacant NWA Title back in 1992 when Masa Chono won it. This version is also the WCW Title up until the end of the company and used as the introduction of the World Heavyweight Championship awarded by Eric Bischoff to Triple H when Brock Lesnar and the WWE Title became brand exclusive to Smackdown,

Version 2 of the World Heavyweight Championship which is the belt being used currently to present day is very different from the original 2 incarnations...the center plate is curved, the stamping of the raised crown is different, and the plates are more cut and a more rigid point curve is at the bottom of the center plate. The biggest change is the removal of the diamonds and the addition of the WWE logo at the top of the centerplate.

So to be correct....3 different belts...2 currently not being used...1 in possession last known to Flair and the other being given to Chris Jericho is honor of being the first undisputed champion.

So again...not the same belt for clarification

[Rammsteinmad]

I admire your attention to detail, but a wrestling fan watching on TV is hardly gonna notice "Oh my god! The raised crown is higher and the dimonds are gone! It's a different belt!"

Hell, I didn't notice, and I'm taking your word for it as I don't care enough to check.

[Phenomenal 1]

The Optimists:

Dave Youell
Impact!
Mister Sinister
The Optimist
TerranRich
Yours Truly

I think I wanna strangle the mother fuckers known as the Optimists and just Franchise their asses!!!

[Dave Youell]

Oh noes, someone on the interwebs doesn't like me...

Take a ticket and stand in line

[Executioner]

the one that taker is holding?

its the same belt

Fuck, not this shit again. :nono:

[JT]

It's WWE...one of the masters of inconsistency.

They change their minds on things all the time; from the rules for matches to title histories, to even the history of wrestlers. They do whatever helps them sell more tickets/ads/ppvs/merchandise at the time.

[Mr. Nerfect]

It wouldn't really bother me if they stretched the title back to 1991. It means that guys like Ric Flair have got more relevance to the WWE and its recognised history. I mean, Flair was only a two-time WWE Champion. Now he'd be a seven-time World Heavyweight Champion in addition to that.

It also puts guys like Triple H and The Undertaker on the WCW Title's history (in a way). Triple H five times over, and The Undertaker three times. And there's some justice in Rey Mysterio having held the continued version of the WCW Championship; as well as Chris Jericho having held it three times, himself.

The only thing it would really change, is that Randy Orton would no longer be the youngest World Heavyweight Champion of all-time. That would go to Big Show, who was 23 years old when he won the WCW Title as "The Giant." Orton would need to change his tune to reflect him being the "youngest World Champion in WWE history."