WWE Needs to Stop Treating Championships as an Afterthought

A solid title reign can make or break an up-and-coming name and cement an established star as a main eventer. That's at least how it should work.

WWE's world championships are currently in good hands, with Roman Reigns and Drew McIntyre producing some of the best work of their careers. However, the company's midcard titles are a bit of a mixed bag because there isn't a concerted effort to make them feel important.

The tag team belts are the most notable victims of this trend, and the United States Championship isn't much better.

There's no shortage of wrestlers to compete for these titles, but the pursuit of them is often executed better. Once they secure the gold, many titleholders appear to be mere placeholders because the company doesn't craft memorable stories or rivalries around their stint as champions.

There are some exceptions, of course, but this makes it hard to invest in flag-bearers of the tag team and women's division at times.

WWE has to address this issue heading into 2021 because championships are a key part of its programming. There are ways to produce feuds without them, but titles add weight to rivalries. There's a way to strike the right balance so that belts are beneficial for champions and their challengers.

The Tag Team Championships Need an Overhaul

WWE's recent struggles to make tag team wrestling prominent have been well-documented at this point.

When The New Day and The Street Profits merely swapped the Raw and SmackDown tag titles in a backstage segment following this year's draft, that should have told you everything you need to know about the way the company sees its tag team championships.

Both divisions are also plagued by an insistence on promoting thrown-together teams that have no experience working with each other over established pairings. For example, the current WWE women's tag team champions, Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler, stunned Sasha Banks and Bayley at Payback in August to win the titles. Cesaro and Shinsuke Nakamura also held the SmackDown belts.

These hodgepodge teams aren't always a bad thing; sometimes they're entertaining. However, the prevalence of these angles, which are often comedic odd couples of sorts, make the titles feel less prestigious. If anyone can randomly pair up and win them, what makes teams like The Usos so exceptional?

Of course, Jimmy and Jey are one of the best tag teams in the world, but when tandems like them struggle to beat those who have never worked together, then the titles take a backseat for a quick laugh.

It's disappointing because there are many tag team specialists on the roster who don't get the opportunity to showcase their abilities.

The tag champions often don't compete at pay-per-view events, as well. The New Day and Hurt Business have put on some fantastic matches together on Raw recently, and the champion vs. champion bout at Survivor Series was one of the highlights of the night. Hopefully, that's a step in the right direction.

The WWE Women’s Tag Division Needs to Focus on Memorable Rivalries

Speaking of tag team wrestling, the women's tag division has been a bit of a mess. Sasha Banks and Bayley made the titles relevant again, defending them on all three brands, but they've become stagnant again recently.

Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler were initially a fun mismatch, but their pairing hasn't done much to elevate the titles during their reign. That isn't necessarily the champions' fault, though, as the division has been struggling since its inception in 2019.

To add insult to injury, WWE split up the best established team in the division, The IIconics, and the newly reformed Riott Squad hasn't been a mainstay like they should be.

Instead, Lana and Raw women's champion Asuka will challenge for the titles at TLC this month. As noted earlier, the company has a habit of making the tag belts instant gratification in a storyline like this. It's shortsighted because the growth of the division should be a priority.

There is no evidence that WWE has long-term plans to develop women's tag teams, and that's a bad sign for these titles that aren't even two years old yet.

The women's tag team division still has so much potential. WWE has to reestablish the belts as floating tag titles and promote a team that is dedicated to making them its sole quest.

Fans Are Due a Great United States Championship

The United States Championship doesn't have much of an identity. Its counterpart, the intercontinental title, is famously known as the "workhorse" belt. As such, it gives challengers a motivation to attain it and be a part of its storied history.

There haven't been many memorable U.S. champions over the last five years. Dean Ambrose (the longest reigning champion), John Cena and Rusev all added prestige to the title, but it has become a bit of a revolving door over the last few years.

Cena's best-known tenure with the title worked so well because he brought something different to the table. His open challenge helped to highlight new stars and uplift the U.S. Championship in the process. The star-spangled belt hasn't been as popular since. Current titleholder Bobby Lashley looks the part, but his reign feels like a substitute for a long-overdue world title push.

WWE should put a focus on delivering top-notch title matches, and it wouldn't hurt to make a new face like Mustafa Ali a formidable heel champion who cuts disenfranchised promos. That might make him too similar to Sami Zayn, but this is working incredibly well for The Great Liberator for a reason.

WWE Should Showcase the NXT Cruiserweight Championship More

The NXT Cruiserweight Championship is possibly the most underappreciated title in WWE. The Cruiserweight Classic and 205 Live established it as a promising new belt with a diverse group of workers linked to it.

Unfortunately, the cruiserweight title and its division got lost in a packed week of WWE programming where many fans already watched three shows. When the company moved the title to NXT, there was some excitement around it again as the champion could conceivably appear on network television and TakeOver events.

While the belt has been more visible, it hasn't exactly become a fixture on pay-per-view events as it should be. Santos Escobar is a fantastic champion, and his feud with Isaiah Scott has been engaging. But the cruiserweight division doesn't feel like it's in a better position.

That's possibly because everything around it is so convoluted. The cruiserweights still compete on 205 Live, but the main title is on NXT; and the COVID-19 pandemic forced WWE to crown Escobar the interim champion because current titleholder Jordan Devlin is unable to travel.

Nevertheless, it would be nice to see the title become an integral part of WWE's major shows.

The Raw Women’s Championship Is an Afterthought

The Raw women's division has been tough to watch recently. That's quite a feat when an incredible worker such as Asuka is champion. But WWE hasn't done a good job developing challengers or compelling stories for her.

The Empress of Tomorrow didn't defend her title at Hell in a Cell and doesn't have an opponent at TLC. Instead, she and Lana will challenge Nia Jax and Shayna Baszler for the women's tag team belts. This means the Japanese star could enter 2021 without a clear direction or contender.

It's hard to understand why WWE is giving Lana so much screen time when it should be rebuilding the division around Asuka, who has been one of the company's most consistent superstars during the pandemic.

Yes, Charlotte Flair, Becky Lynch and Naomi are all on leave, but there's no reason why someone like Reckoning or Peyton Royce can't step up in the meantime.

This was also an excellent chance for someone from NXT like Rhea Ripley or Toni Storm to join Raw. Hopefully, that's the plan for next year, but WWE has to make the Raw Women's Championship a top prize again.

The title is a far cry from Ronda Rousey and Becky Lynch's successful runs with it.