The Mid-Card Titles

[Legion]

So, it's definitely grea that the mid card titles are getting more shine recently.

But I am confused with what they are doing with the US title.

It seems to be functioning as both the stand in WWE title - with Seth and Lashley feuding over it - and yet is also the mid card title with Theory, Ali and now Ziggler vying for it.

I dont know if the good of it being more exposed and utilised in an important way is outweighed by the mess of divergent storylines that each weaken the other in terms of how invested I can become in them.

It's all the fault of having two 'brands' but having an Undisputed champion whose beaten everyone, but given that seems to be continuing for a while yet - is this mixed use of the mid card titles, or at least the US title, a good call?

[Finish Uncle Muffin’s Story]

Dec 6, 2022 7:45:40 GMT -5 Legion said:

So, it's definitely grea that the mid card titles are getting more shine recently.

But I am confused with what they are doing with the US title.

It seems to be functioning as both the stand in WWE title - with Seth and Lashley feuding over it - and yet is also the mid card title with Theory, Ali and now Ziggler vying for it.

I dont know if the good of it being more exposed and utilised in an important way is outweighed by the mess of divergent storylines that each weaken the other in terms of how invested I can become in them.

It's all the fault of having two 'brands' but having an Undisputed champion whose beaten everyone, but given that seems to be continuing for a while yet - is this mixed use of the mid card titles, or at least the US title, a good call?

I like the idea that Theory's getting attacked on all fronts - Ali/Ziggler in the midcard and Seth/Lashley towards the upper portion of the card. Makes the belt feel more important and shows that everybody wants it because it's the most important belt on the show.

[polarbearpete]

Can’t imagine actual intertwined storyline threads being a bad thing. Fans have seemingly always wanted that, as opposed to each feud living in its own bubble.

[dangerousdanpotato]

This has been coming up a bit lately in other threads, so good to have a thread devoted just to this topic.

I'm firmly in support of having one World champion, and have been since the first brand split back in 2002. I'd like them to treat the IC and US titles like WCW did when Vader was world champion. The man felt like a totally undefeatable end-boss level guy and wasn't featured too heavily on TV. That gave space for Rick Rude, as US champion, to feel like the man. He really did seem like the top heel and a big deal. He feuded with other main event level talent like Sting and Steamboat, but could wrestle other guys.

The key for WWE in having both Rollins/Lashley and Ali/Ziggler in the mix is discipline. It's fine to have all these different folks vying for the title, but WWE need to pick and stick to the core storylines and not hot-shot the belt. I really hope they just keep it on Theory now for a stretch and give him a decent feud and story.

[asuka007]

I appreciate them trying to elevate the US Title. But on Raw especially, a THREE hour show, it is simply not enough on it’s own.

They need to have a world title back. The only way that having one world champ makes sense is if he’s going between the brands regularly. But Roman is almost never on Raw (and almost never does anything really important when he does appear either).

So all it does is make Raw look second rate.

[schma]

The announcers flat out stated that the U.S. belt is THE belt on Raw right now. It makes sense that multiple guys would go for it. It could be that they're trying to give some shine to the midcard guys. Once upon a time Ziggler was upper card (not like Rollins or Lashley but still up there). Ali is a guy that seemed poised to be pushed to that next level before Kofi mania. I think the company sees something in him, they just never seem to figure out what. So, it's not like they're totally out of place. I'm all for more challengers though. It gets boring seeing the same few guys vying for the title over and over and over and over and over.

[asuka007]

Problem is they’ve botched the Ali stuff so hard and how Dolph returned last night was not encouraging either.

Again it’s a THREE HOUR show, they need more than this and you found REALLY feel it last night.

[Chiral]

Right now I feel like the idea of elevating the US title was more to make Theory winning it instead of a world title with MITB not seem like such a consolation prize. It'd be nice if they could put US/IC as the top titles of their shows but I'm not super optimistic about that happening right now

[Banjo Is Broken]

Have someone go get the 24/7 Title out of the trash and just use it as the new mid-card title. It can be like when Hacksaw Jim Duggan found the WCW Television Title in the garbage. Just do a segment where Miz is eating out of the garbage and he finds it there.

[Nosnorb]

Dec 6, 2022 11:57:55 GMT -5 asuka007 said:

I appreciate them trying to elevate the US Title. But on Raw especially, a THREE hour show, it is simply not enough on it’s own.

They need to have a world title back. The only way that having one world champ makes sense is if he’s going between the brands regularly. But Roman is almost never on Raw (and almost never does anything really important when he does appear either).

So all it does is make Raw look second rate.

Lashley hasn't faced Roman for the title, and when Rollins did back in January, he managed to really get under the skin of Reigns and get a DQ victory when Reigns lost his shit. At the minute, it feels like those two have just given up on ever getting another shot at the World Title.

It's little different than when Beastie Boy held the title. If anything, it's worse because there is nobody challenging for the top title on Raw at the present, and that the top guys have settled on the lesser prize.

[Jonathan Michaels]

Dec 7, 2022 3:12:00 GMT -5 Banjo Is Broken said:

Have someone go get the 24/7 Title out of the trash and just use it as the new mid-card title. It can be like when Hacksaw Jim Duggan found the WCW Television Title in the garbage. Just do a segment where Miz is eating out of the garbage and he finds it there.

It continues to astound me that they still haven’t pulled the trigger on the “Miz chasing the IC title record” storyline.

There’s a lot of potential there whether you have him succeed or fail and having Miz and the Intercontinental title on different shows needs to change.

Unless they’re waiting until he’s ready to retire, but I don’t see that happening anytime soon.

[Andew9001]

I think my main issue is that while they say the US title is the main title on Raw, Seth and Bobby just feel like they're many levels above Theory.

Ali and Ziggler are more or less in the same area as Theory in the mid card but Bobby and Seth are true blue main eventers.

They should be feuding right now over the WWE title while Reigns has the Universal on lockdown.