WWE: Could the Internet Championship Become an Actual WWE Title?

If you've been watching Z! True Long Island Story or WWE Download, by now you know that WWE wrestler Dolph Ziggler has challenged Zack Ryder for his Internet Championship at WrestleMania 29.

The question now begs to be asked: Could the Internet championship end up being an actual WWE title?

Absolutely.

When television became the main media boom for wrestling, the TV championship soon followed.  The NWA (National Wrestling Alliance) first introduced the title back in 1974.  Some of wrestling's greatest would hold the title—such as Ric Flair, Greg Valentine, Dusty Rhodes, Arn Aderson and even Stone Cold Steve Austin.

The TV title took advantage of the growing popularity of television and was a great way to give a mid-card wrestler a boost in popularity.

The Internet championship could do the same for wrestling today.  The Internet has taken over as a dominant form of media, and the WWE has already begun to capitalize on it with its YouTube channel—partly thanks to the success of Zack Ryder's show.

We've already begun to see how the WWE uses YouTube to promote some of its matches before a pay-per-view, so why not have a title where the matches are on YouTube as well? NXT and WWE superstars are the two current shows that are on YouTube, and adding a title to them might increase their popularity.

There is a difference, however, in making the Internet championship an actual title as opposed to making it a legitimate title. 

It's easy to argue that some of the current championships—intercontinental for example—aren't living up to the prestige that they really are.  The Internet championship could never be compared to a title like that, but that doesn't mean it can’t be used in a beneficial way.

Why not take the title and use it for mid-card and lower-card wrestlers?  It would give the younger talent somewhere to start, and it could launch the WWE’s popularity on the Internet even further.  They need to give people a reason to watch shows like WWE Superstars on YouTube.  Having a title on the show could be that reason.

The Internet title also symbolizes how Zack Ryder, who was being buried and denied TV time, went to a new and growing media. There, he was able to build a big enough fanbase to get recognized by the WWE. 

Dolph Ziggler is now doing the same thing with his show WWE Download, which is one of the more popular shows on the WWE YouTube channel.  These two stars are taking matters into their own hands, promoting their match for the championship at WrestleMania 29.  Making the Internet championship a real title could give other young wrestlers a chance to increase their popularity as well.

The Internet championship, if made an actual title, could do what the TV title was able to do back in the 70s. It could help launch wrestling careers on what is a massively growing media.  Making the Internet championship an actual title would only benefit the WWE and the younger talent.

They would have to change the design, but that’s only a small price to pay to see the Internet championship become the real thing.