The Universal Title has existed for 952 days

[Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED!]

There have been 22 (Televised) matches for it.

It has spent 671 of those days held by a part timer, and been vacant twice.

Is it safe to say this is the worst booked World Championship in history?

["Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay]

I think it is also cursed rather than just badly booked.

[EoE: Well There's Your Problem]

Mar 31, 2019 12:43:57 GMT -5 "Gizzark" Mike Wronglevenay said:

I think it is also cursed rather than just badly booked.

It’d have to BE booked to be badly booked.

[BorneAgain]

You know its a struggling world title when you find yourself longing for the prestige and credibility of the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship.

[01010010 01101001 01100011]

I don't know, last era WCW really put a hurt on their world title (post NWA). Russo, Arquette, Fingerpoke of Doom, Bash at the Beach worked shoot turned shoot, and Starrcade with Sting/Hogan/Bret. That is just off the top of my head.

[GuyOfOwnage]

I've said this before, but it might as well just be the Brock Lesnar Heavyweight Championship. No point in even recognizing it as a world title, to be honest.

[Deleted]

Sometimes I suspect Brock thought it was really made of licorice and ate it and they've just been buying time to have a new one made.

[TheMediocreWarrior]

Mar 31, 2019 12:41:52 GMT -5 Some Baritone guy IS REDEEMED! said:

Is it safe to say this is the worst booked World Championship in history?

Not when the WCW Championship was changing hands like the Hardcore Championship in May 2000, and then won by David Arquette to promote a terrible movie.

The booking of the Universal Championship is pretty bad, though. I'm sure Lesnar doesn't care about being champion as long as he's getting paid, so I don't see the reason for dragging out Lesnar being beaten for the title. It gives Raw this feeling like it's in a holding pattern until Summerslam or WrestleMania, when there is maybe a chance that Lesnar will drop the title.

I know the Attitude Era sometimes went overboard with title changes, but there should be some kind of happy medium between that and a super long reign that is uneventful. With the amount of TV time WWE has these days, they can't get away with super long title reigns unless the matches and feuds are really compelling.

[Citizen Snips]

2 of the reigns ended without a successful title defense and it's also been forfeited twice.

[Toilet Paper Roll]

No, title matches have a meaning when we don’t have seven of them a month. When Brock defends the title it actually feels like a big match. What’s the feeling going to be when it’s Rollins defending the title against some other guy he probably fought over the IC title with a year ago?

[Sephiroth]

Put it on Rollins. Have him defend it actively against Balor, Lashley, Owens, Corbin, and Elias.

[IgnahtaSempria]

Mar 31, 2019 13:20:41 GMT -5 Toilet Paper Roll said:

No, title matches have a meaning when we don’t have seven of them a month. When Brock defends the title it actually feels like a big match. What’s the feeling going to be when it’s Rollins defending the title against some other guy he probably fought over the IC title with a year ago?

Except Brock Lesnar can't be bothered to show up to defend it, and half-asses it when he does.

So no, the title matches don't have more meaning just because it's not defended as often.

In a lot of promotions other than WWE, they actually keep track of not only how long a champion has held a title, but how many successful defenses they've made. Nigel McGuinness is considered one of the greatest ROH World Champions in history, not just because he held it for over 500 days, but because he's tied with Daniel Bryan for most successful title defenses. Bork's endless title reign doesn't mean a damn thing if he never defends the thing.

[MolotovMocktail]

Mar 31, 2019 13:45:02 GMT -5 IgnahtaSempria said:

Mar 31, 2019 13:20:41 GMT -5 Toilet Paper Roll said:

No, title matches have a meaning when we don’t have seven of them a month. When Brock defends the title it actually feels like a big match. What’s the feeling going to be when it’s Rollins defending the title against some other guy he probably fought over the IC title with a year ago?

Except Brock Lesnar can't be bothered to show up to defend it, and half-asses it when he does.

So no, the title matches don't have more meaning just because it's not defended as often.

In a lot of promotions other than WWE, they actually keep track of not only how long a champion has held a title, but how many successful defenses they've made. Nigel McGuinness is considered one of the greatest ROH World Champions in history, not just because he held it for over 500 days, but because he's tied with Daniel Bryan for most successful title defenses. Bork's endless title reign doesn't mean a damn thing if he never defends the thing.

While I agree with the school of thought that fewer defenses mean the belt is more prestigious and it looks more credible that the belt could change hands, even Hogan, aside from his 93 reign, was 1) a presence on TV through interviews and backstage segments, and 2) did put his belt up on the house show circuit, and at things like SNME, where they actually booked it to make us think he might actually lose it. There's scarcity, and then there's nonexistence.

[Alice Syndrome]

Mar 31, 2019 13:45:02 GMT -5 IgnahtaSempria said:

Mar 31, 2019 13:20:41 GMT -5 Toilet Paper Roll said:

No, title matches have a meaning when we don’t have seven of them a month. When Brock defends the title it actually feels like a big match. What’s the feeling going to be when it’s Rollins defending the title against some other guy he probably fought over the IC title with a year ago?

Except Brock Lesnar can't be bothered to show up to defend it, and half-asses it when he does.

So no, the title matches don't have more meaning just because it's not defended as often.

In a lot of promotions other than WWE, they actually keep track of not only how long a champion has held a title, but how many successful defenses they've made. Nigel McGuinness is considered one of the greatest ROH World Champions in history, not just because he held it for over 500 days, but because he's tied with Daniel Bryan for most successful title defenses. Bork's endless title reign doesn't mean a damn thing if he never defends the thing.

They act like Borks reign displaced Punk's, but Punk probably defended the thing in meaningful matches about 20 times. Brick had 6 or 7.

Like, I hated Okada's endless reign, but at least they booked it like a guy on a warpath, not "guy who would rather go hunt deer in Canada and shows up every 3 months if you back a truck of cash up to his ranch"

[TWERKIN' MAGGLE]

"What's that fellurs? Book Brock to retain next Sunday? You got it, pals!"

[Perd]

It’s 100% cursed. Seth will win it and his butt will fall off.

[MrElijah]

Mar 31, 2019 12:48:18 GMT -5 BorneAgain said:

You know its a struggling world title when you find yourself longing for the prestige and credibility of the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship.

You joke but considering the quality of challengers, the way Rude carried himself as the top dog, the International Title felt like a big deal.

[BorneAgain]

Mar 31, 2019 14:02:06 GMT -5 MrElijah said:

Mar 31, 2019 12:48:18 GMT -5 BorneAgain said:

You know its a struggling world title when you find yourself longing for the prestige and credibility of the WCW International World Heavyweight Championship.

You joke but considering the quality of challengers, the way Rude carried himself as the top dog, the International Title felt like a big deal.

At the very least, the physical belt certainly looked a lot better.

[DZ: WF Legacy]

Lesnar has been horrendous for Monday Night Raw, and that ugly ass Universal title is damaged goods. They've put main event guys in the IC title picture to make up for not having an actual world champion on the show for months on end. Braun Strowman would've surely been champion if it wasn't for Lesnar. They didn't strike when the iron was hot with both him and Balor, and when you keep not making a move with the guys your fans like, the fans start to tune out. Doesn't help that Raw's heels are as horrendously dire as I have ever seen.

Seth Rollins could've been white hot again as champion last year instead of popular-but-lukewarm like he is now. They just had to do that extended Roman/Lesnar program nobody wanted, and the fans began rejecting it. Your top champion barely shows up and has lackluster programs due to not being around and not competing on the show occasionally to further a story. It's the same uncreative song and dance every time with him to protect his boring image. People get "so close!11" to beating him, as if that means anything if everyone does it. They turned his limited appearance dates into a storyline, and then when Roman went out for his treatment, they did it AGAIN. Vince must really not think very highly of his current roster.

I won't be surprised when they pass the Universal title off to Smackdown, attach a blue strap to it, and take the rehabbed WWE title and toss it on Raw.

[Deleted]

I like the concept of rare defenses, but as per WWE, the execution is not excellent.