WWE: Is Criticism of Championship Title Design Justified?

Seth Rollins was frustrated with fans being overtly concerned with the look of the WWE Universal Championship. But is criticism of the physical appearance of a title warranted?

One of the major talking points of SummerSlam was the unveiling of the brand new WWE Universal Championship. Leading up to the show, much was made about the rather silly naming convention of Raw’s de-facto number one title. The ridicule would be multiplied when the actual title’s design was revealed to be simply a red-strapped version of the WWE Championship (black strap) and the Women’s Championship (white strap).

Seth Rollins, both on Twitter and in a live promo, expressed his frustration and disappointment with the Brooklyn crowd over their reaction to the Universal Championship’s appearance. It was audibly clear that the crowd booed every time the title was on-screen during Rollins’ match with Finn Balor, taking away from the incredible action both men were putting together in the ring.

Is criticism about a championship title’s look justified? Does it even matter in the end? Perhaps the negative reception to the Universal Championship had less to do with its physical appearance and more to do with its name.

In boxing, wrestling, MMA, hell, any sport really, the highest championship available to its competitors is the world title. Although Raw GM Mick Foley explained that the name ‘Universal’ was in reference to the fans that WWE has called its ‘Universe’ for several years now, it’s easy to misinterpret the meaning to be champion of the universe, which truthfully, does sound ridiculous, as Daniel Bryan would vocally point out on several occasions.

there have been far more egregious designs in the past

From a pure appearance standpoint, there have been far more egregious designs in the past. John Cena’s spinner belts for both the United States Title and the WWE Championship were often met with derision from fans and even openly mocked by some wrestlers for its apparent ludicrous lack of respect and integrity to the history and prestige of the two titles. Despite that, Cena’s WWE Championship spinner belt was a hot ticket merchandise seller for the company for many years.

The current bronze-plated Tag Team titles have also been the target of some fans voicing their displeasure. Though not as under the microscope as some of the other more recent designs, those fans have often pointed out that the copper coin-style appearance is not up to par with the previous iterations of WWE’s Tag Team titles.

it can be argued that the Divas Championship design did more to hurt the image and credibility of women’s wrestling

Perhaps most infamously was the ‘butterfly’ design of the now-retired Divas Championship. While Rollins emphasized that fans should not focus so much on how a belt looks, rather on the ones who are competing for it, it can be argued that the Divas Championship design did more to hurt the image and credibility of women’s wrestling the past ten years. It physically symbolized the company’s previous direction, referring to all of its female talents as ‘divas’, as opposed to simply women’s wrestlers. The look of the belt mirrored how WWE at the time preferred a woman’s looks over their actual in-ring ability or experience.

Although what Rollins pointed out is true, the difference between what happened with the Divas division and the outcry revolving around the Universal Championship is that the women only had that one title to work towards. The Divas Championship was the centerpiece of not only the women’s division in WWE, it was essentially the cornerstone of their entire roster, whereas Rollins and Balor could easily compete for other titles should they not want to be associated or seen with the Universal Championship. Both men could vie for the WWE Championship, the Intercontinental Championship, the United States Championship, and so forth, while the women at the time were essentially pigeon-holed with the butterfly belt.

“the man makes the title, the title doesn’t make the man”

Triple H once said on the Stone Cold podcast that “the man makes the title, the title doesn’t make the man”. Sure, a vocal few expressed their displeasure over the name and the look of the Universal Championship, but the title would never take anything away from either Rollins or Balor as wrestlers, regardless of how silly it sounds or unpleasant on the eyes as it may be. The Universal Championship would not make Rollins or Balor; the two men with their wealth of experience and in-ring ability would bring prestige to the titles.

With the women, it was an entirely different story. The Divas Championship effectively categorized all of the women in WWE directly under the umbrella term ‘diva’, which stagnated, and in some cases, regressed the evolution that Trish and Lita had brought to women’s wrestling prior to their retirements. In their case, the title, from its name to its appearance, came to define the women, unfortunately, and as such, a much needed and much-appreciated change was brought about.

Next: Universal Championship Unveiled at SummerSlam (Photo)

What do you think? Does Seth Rollins have a point in his remarks regarding how fans have reacted to the Universal Championship? Or given the history of previous title designs and other championships, are fans justified in their judgment and criticism of what a title looks like in relation to making or breaking a star?

Home/WWE