When was the last time the WWE Title/WHC meant something

**Onyx** · 11-17-2010, 05:36 PM

Personally I think the meaning behind all the major titles have been in a steady decline for years, starting with the introduction of the European title in 1997. The title started off with some good momentum, and a great tournament to name the first champion, but by 1998 it was nothing more than a poor man's IC belt.

Another step in the decline was the hardcore title. It started as a joke, then became the title that was defended the most often on Raw and Smackdown. The 24/7 rule made this even worse. It seemed like every mid-card wrestler had the hardcore title for at least 4 seconds. Sometimes literally.

What finally killed it for me was in 2001 when they brought in all the WCW titles. Even Mick Foley pointed out that everyone had a title at that point.

When it comes to the titles, less is more, and they never meant more than they did when there was just 3: The WWF/WWE championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the Tag Team Championship. This was back when there was actually a tag team division worth mentioning, and the tag titles weren't just used to push storylines for singles wrestlers, and the IC title was a test run for a wrestler before giving them the world title.

Furthermore, the world title was almost ALWAYS the main event. Now with two world titles and brands sharing a PPV, sometimes the WWE title has the main event, sometimes its the WHC, and often its neither. Who cares anymore?

11-17-2010, 05:36 PM	#18
Onyx Posts: 62	Personally I think the meaning behind all the major titles have been in a steady decline for years, starting with the introduction of the European title in 1997. The title started off with some good momentum, and a great tournament to name the first champion, but by 1998 it was nothing more than a poor man's IC belt. Another step in the decline was the hardcore title. It started as a joke, then became the title that was defended the most often on Raw and Smackdown. The 24/7 rule made this even worse. It seemed like every mid-card wrestler had the hardcore title for at least 4 seconds. Sometimes literally. What finally killed it for me was in 2001 when they brought in all the WCW titles. Even Mick Foley pointed out that everyone had a title at that point. When it comes to the titles, less is more, and they never meant more than they did when there was just 3: The WWF/WWE championship, the Intercontinental Championship, and the Tag Team Championship. This was back when there was actually a tag team division worth mentioning, and the tag titles weren't just used to push storylines for singles wrestlers, and the IC title was a test run for a wrestler before giving them the world title. Furthermore, the world title was almost ALWAYS the main event. Now with two world titles and brands sharing a PPV, sometimes the WWE title has the main event, sometimes its the WHC, and often its neither. Who cares anymore?