10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About the Universal Championship

10. Fans Booed Its Unveiling

SummerSlam 2016 should have been the moment WWE’s brand-new Universal Championship took centre stage, but instead, it was an unmitigated disaster.

The title was unveiled by Raw General Manager Mick Foley and Commissioner Stephanie McMahon as the red brand’s top prize following the 2016 draft. With the WWE Championship moving to SmackDown, Raw needed its own World title, and the match to crown the inaugural champion, Finn Bálor Vs. Seth Rollins, should have been a huge deal. But before the bell even rang, it was already a mess.

The moment the title was revealed, the Brooklyn crowd erupted in boos—not for the wrestlers, but for the belt itself. The hideous red-strapped design looked like a direct copy-and-paste of the WWE Championship, and fans weren’t having it. “This belt sucks!” chants drowned out the action, completely stealing the focus from the match.

Rollins, visibly annoyed, later slammed the crowd’s reaction on social media, while WWE barely acknowledged the backlash at all. It was a rough start for the company’s latest championship—a moment they’d much rather fans forget.