WWE: Why the World Heavyweight Championship Needs an Overhaul

Regardless of your thoughts about the current usage of the World Heavyweight Championship in the WWE, the title has some significant underlying issues.

Whether or not you want to see the Heavyweight title unified with the WWE Championship, there still remains several aspects that require attention.

The first facet is the design.

The Heavyweight title is pretending to be something that it’s not.

Since its inception in 2002 the World Heavyweight Championship has sported the clichéd "big gold belt" look.

The same look as the NWA and WCW Heavyweight Championships.

The Heavyweight title is actually the only currently active belt in the WWE that hasn’t undergone a major visual overhaul within the last decade.

Remaining constant is not a bad thing; however, merely keeping the "big gold belt" design to imply a legacy which doesn’t truly correspond with the title is a bad thing.

Changing the design of the belt out of respect for the NWA and WCW would be the right thing to do.

Although, to the WWE "the right thing" means nothing. Especially when it refers to respecting the legacy of titles and other wrestling promotions.

For instance, remember the time Vince McMahon held the ECW Championship in 2007.

By all rights the World Heavyweight title should not look like it does and could really do with a visual overhaul.

It won’t happen.

The second area where the Heavyweight title needs attention is in the name.

The word "heavyweight" has always been a point of contention.

As great as the moment was at WrestleMania 22, Tony Chimel’s announcement of Rey Mysterio as the new World Heavyweight Champion was fundamentally flawed.

With no legitimate weight restriction the belt cannot truly be considered a heavyweight championship.

It’s fair enough that anyone can win the title due to the WWE’s lack of weight classes.

Just stop calling it the World Heavyweight Championship. Merely the "World Championship" would suffice.

In fairness, many titles are often casually referred to as "heavyweight" titles. The WWE Heavyweight Championship, The United States Heavyweight Championship, or even the Light Heavyweight Championship, which was ironically a cruiserweight belt.

Nevertheless, the World Heavyweight title remains the only belt in WWE to contain the term within its official name.

It comes down to a simple matter of the WWE’s lack of weight classes. No divisions means no need to have a heavyweight title.

Both in the Heavyweight title’s visual design and name there is need for some revision.

The WWE, however, will likely do the same in this instance as they do in many of their other problem areas—absolutely nothing.