There's an interesting conversation happening online around what is considered "too many" titles. While some voices are as disingenuous as ever, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a point to be made. The focus typically shines on All Elite Wrestling, but in reality WWE has the same issue. Way too many titles, especially for the amount of talent that are featured on television. This is an issue that should be fixed, but is one that probably will go unaddressed.
NXT Gold Rush Night 2 went down on Tuesday, November 25. The second showcase in the two-week affair featured four title matches. How many of those matches included NXT Championships? Zero. Instead, fans saw the WWE Women’s Speed Championship, TNA Knockouts World Championship, WWE Evolve Championship, and the WWE Evolve Women’s Championship were on the card. Why is this an issue? Well, it’s an easy topic to dissect.
Championships are meant to highlight the best of the best. The more titles are added to the mix, the less “special” champions and titles feel. When “everyone” has a championship, none of them stand out over time.
Including the tag team championships across all brands, WWE currently has 23 active championships. All Elite Wrestling has 19 if including the Ring of Honor Championships which are frequently included on Dynamite, Collision, and PPVs. As more are added, the superstars holding them do not stand out.
A major part of this issue is due to how WWE books its champions. Everyone doesn’t get the treatment of superstars like Gunther or Becky Lynch when they hold titles. Just look at examples like Shinsuke Nakamura and Giulia, two popular performers who were recently champions but had abysmal title reigns. If these championships are meant to elevate not only the performers holding them, but also the people chasing them, failing to find time for the titles because there are too many is a massive issue that helps no one.
How can this be fixed? Well, consolidation and improved time distribution are part of the solution. For example, on the main roster, there’s no need for two sets of tag team titles for the men’s division. WWE can consolidate both the Raw and SmackDown titles, and allow the men holding them to float between both shows. In fact, that should include the NXT tag team division which isn’t as great as it has been in years past. Many of these titles can be consolidated to give the divisions and the shows more focus.
Second, dedicating more time to building a solid undercard needs to be a future focus. Building stories outside of the title picture goes a long way in developing momentum behind stars. When those stars capture championships, those moments mean more. WWE has hours of content across streaming platforms that can be better leveraged to build interesting storylines that have long-term payoffs for everyone and every championship involved.
If “less is more,” then “more is certainly less.” That is the case with WWE having more titles than it needs. There are too many championships in the promotion and it is time to start correcting the issue for everyone involved.