Examining How Title Unification Would Impact WWE's Roster and Storylines

WWE World champion John Cena will be facing WWE champion Randy Orton at TLC December 15.  The match will see the possible unification of both titles, an event that could go down as a very historic moment in the history of the company.  

But while many fans believe this match is a long time coming and is a necessary move, I for one could not disagree more.  The reason for that is because if the championships are unified, then it could impact WWE in negative ways that perhaps are not even being considered yet.

I will say that from the start, I could see why there has been such a positive response from many of the WWE faithful concerning this match.  After all, WWE has known two top belts since 2002, and in all this time, there has been a real outcry for the World Championship to just disappear.

The argument usually centers on the fact that for a great number of fans, the World title does nothing but water down the product.

These fans believe that one belt is all that's needed.  The WWE Championship is the one that the company is built around, the one that is arguably the most important in the entire industry.  A second championship perhaps lessens the value of the first one and is not truly the focus of WWE at all.

This notion, of course, has always been predicated on just who is holding the title to begin with.

The bigger the star, the more important the World title is viewed among WWE fans.  This makes perfect sense and is very much the case right now, as John Cena is the man currently wearing the big gold belt. However, for the most part, the World Championship has been thought of as the company's "B" title for several years now.  

Why not unify it with the WWE title, thus ending the need for two main events?  Why not add the value back to the WWE title, making it more valuable to not only the fans but to the Superstars who hold it?

But therein lays the real problem for me.  And that's because, as it stands right now, there are really only five men in the WWE locker room who could truly do justice to the unified championship.  They are John Cena, Randy Orton, CM Punk, Sheamus and Alberto Del Rio. After that, all we're left with is World title candidates.

Don't misunderstand me here; I'm not suggesting that no other WWE Superstars deserve an opportunity at the industry's top championship.  There are plenty of guys in that company who have worked very hard to reach that spot.  Dolph Ziggler, Damien Sandow and Daniel Bryan are just three names that I would personally like to see hold the unified title if it does indeed happen at TLC.

But I for one have not seen any real commitment from WWE to any of these three men.  For that matter, I have not seen the effort put forth for any of the Superstars to have a serious go at the main event level as the new undisputed WWE champion.

Who is in WWE right now, today, that the company could slide right into a main event spot and not only be a legitimate contender but a credible champion?

And make no mistake about it—a unified WWE Championship would become a very exclusive prize very quickly.  That's because not only would it not be handed out to just anyone, but it likely would not leave John Cena's waist for a very long time.  I could be wrong on this, of course, but I believe a unified title only guarantees that Cena will continue holding the top prize in WWE. 

And John Cena is not exactly the easiest guy to beat.

The true value of the World Championship lies in the fact that it can be used as an enhancement title.  It has basically replaced the Intercontinental Championship as the company's secondary belt, a trophy that can be used as a second-place prize for being very good but not great.

It may sound like we as fans should perhaps settle for mediocrity, to accept talents not reaching their full potential.  But the truth is that if the World title goes away, so too does the opportunity for other guys to have their share of the main event spotlight.

To me, WWE just has not done enough to prepare the current roster for the future.  While The Shield, The Wyatt Family, Antonio Cesaro and Wade Barrett all have great potential, the truth is that the company is centered on John Cena, and that is not changing any time soon.  What has the company done to build a potential breakout star heading to the main event level?

Daniel Bryan is the most recent example, and when it was all said and done, he did not get that spot.  Why would that change with the removal of the World title as a strong second option?

Storylines revolving around WWE's rising talent would also suffer if the belts are unified.  The fact is that anyone interested in moving up the ladder in WWE would have only one destination in mind: championship held by the nearly unbeatable John Cena.

How could any WWE Superstar compete with that?

The truth is that, once upon a time, there was only one major championship in WWE.  That has historically been the case for promotions all over the world.  The notion of one title for all the talent to fight over is one that has always been used, and this was no different in WWE.

But the times have changed.  That company has changed.  And until WWE proves that it is ready to start grooming future champions to stand by John Cena, then I for one believe the belts should not be unified.  The World Championship is needed, and removing it may do more harm than good.