WWE World Title Unification Would Mean Roster Reorganization

Ever since Paul Heyman announced that Brock Lesnar’s WWE Championship would be defended exclusively on the Smackdown brand, and Eric Bischoff opened his briefcase to award HHH with the Big Gold Belt that would become the World Heavyweight Championship, we have not had a single, pardon the pun, gold standard in WWE (sorry, Shelton, it wasn’t you either).

Lately, there is a lot of hot talk about the unification of belts across WWE. With the tag team championships officially being unified into a single pair of straps and the women’s and diva’s branded belts being combined at Night of Champions, the slow process toward this goal may be in motion, or it could simply be coincidence.

For the purpose of this exercise, we are going to assume that there is a method in place here.

According to these rumors, the U.S. and Intercontinental (IC) titles will be merged in the coming months and ultimately, the WWE and World titles will be unified in a grand super match at the biggest super show of the year, Wrestlemania.

While many heads are spinning as they fantasy book the hell out of this scenario (including one that I read that led to Justin Gabriel of all people pinning HHH in the Wrestlemania main event), it’s better to remain rooted in reality.

It’s better to take a look at the what-ifs and determine what such a monumental shift in booking philosophy could mean for our entertainment and for the characters we’ve become accustomed to holding specific roles within the company.

One of the benefits of the brand split and the creation of two top titles is that we have had an increase in the number of “main event” talents that we can view as draws.

This has also neutered the midcard championships and depleted the division of talented stars competing over the U.S. and IC titles.

A decrease in the amount of gold being carried around show-to-show could mean a resurgence in the midcard championship. Hear me out, as I know many are pessimistic.

When looking at the Raw and Smackdown rosters, allow me to rattle off those we accept as “main event players:” John Cena, Randy Orton, HHH, Sheamus, Chris Jericho, Edge, The Undertaker, Rey Mysterio, The Big Show, CM Punk, and due to his current reign, I’ll include Kane in this list.

I could also include Jack Swagger if I really wanted to prove my point.

Right there, we have a list of 11 (12 if you count the All-American American), which is far more than you would ever seen jockeying for a heavyweight title match at any time previously.

We think the Raw title scene is crowded and murky right now with Sheamus as champion and so many proven draws and champions running around trying to get a crack at him. Imagine if you double that total.

Realistically, of this list, only Cena, Orton, HHH and Undertaker are entrenched as proven draws and main event players.

Jericho can operate outside the title picture and be entertaining, as can Punk. Mysterio doesn’t need a belt to draw, neither does Kane or Big Show.

Despite this fact, it doesn’t remove the fact that as a collective IWC, we have been begging for new champions, new challengers and fresh matchups.

Of those listed, the only ones in the good graces of the IWC are Orton, Jericho and Punk.

So if we are to expect new talents such as Alberto Del Rio, The Miz, Daniel Bryan, John Morrison, Dolph Ziggler, Jack Swagger, Drew McIntyre, Evan Bourne, Wade Barrett, Ted Dibiase, or any other potential up-and-comer to reach that pinnacle, the glass ceiling has gotten that much thicker.

Let’s look at the positives here. First, I just rattled off one hell of a talented roster. Sure, Raw and Smackdown individually may not be as stacked as the WWE as a whole promoted through the early 2000s, but the roster as a whole today is a pretty damned impressive collection of both young and established talent.

It means that there will be serious competition between superstars to prove themselves, develop their characters and ring work in order force the company’s hand into pushing them.

That’s what Punk did. That’s what Miz and Bryan have been doing lately. That’s what Del Rio has done in his few weeks on the active roster. These four have made the biggest impact recently, along with Wade Barrett, and appear to be set for at least a trial run at the top.

Another positive, as alluded to before, is the increased focus on the midcard singles championship.

Before becoming the biggest draws in the company, HHH, The Rock and Steve Austin endeared themselves to the crowd through the Intercontinental Championship. Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels did so during the early 90s before dominating the New Generation Era.

Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and Co. all made the IC title relevant prior to main event pushes and championship reigns. This has not been a legitimate breeding ground for future champions for the last half decade.

How crucial could some feuds between Miz and Bryan, Morrison and Barrett, Bourne and Del Rio be if they are battling in fantastic midcard matches for the IC title?

I’m not going to go as far as to say a third men’s singles championship would be a necessity, but the addition of a strap on the level of the European Title could be a place for some to really cut their teeth.

We could also see a renewed dedication to the tag team titles. Evan Bourne if paired with a similar styled performer like Justin Gabriel could make for a great tag team.

Pairing a tag veteran such as Christian with a young star for a prolonged run could make for interesting matches and storylines.

Morrison has proven to be exciting as a tag competitor. This could be as long of a shot as a third singles title, but again, it’s a possibility.

I wouldn’t get too excited about any of these options. WWE booking directions change like the wind and the thought of a established midcard and tag division seems like a long lost dream from yesteryear.

Each time I see a Miz-Bryan type interaction, I think back to the MVP-Swagger showdown from last year or any of the various opportunities we’ve seen to make Punk the face of a show or elevate John Morrison.

WWE has preferred to play it safe in their PG sandbox for the last few years, so until I see a commitment to a new direction, I’ll consider the above 1,000 words a pipe dream.