10 Lessons WWE Could Learn From Their Own History
8. Secondary Titles Are Important
When was the last time Dean Ambrose did something good with the Intercontinental Title? It’s becoming boring to complain about, but WWE’s secondary titles have never meant less. Now and then someone comes along to give them importance - Cena with the US Title and Miz with the IC - but the second their reign is over they slip back into obscurity.
It's a fact that never stops being annoying, especially at a time when the Universal Title is only being defended on big shows. There’s a gap at the top of the card, and an IC title that people care about could fill it nicely. Instead, we have Dean Ambrose doing dodgy comedy segments with The Miz.
It’s a far cry from Razor Ramon and Shawn Michaels or even John Cena’s Open Challenge. These were moments that made the secondary belts feel like they were the most important thing in the world. They were still stepping stones to the big time, but when you were stood on that stone, you were a proud champion, with the world at your feet.
AJ Styles and Kevin Owens feuding for the US Title seems to hint at it becoming a belt worth caring about but it’s what happens after that feud that is important. Titles don’t gain prestige from one match but a year’s worth of them. This isn't news to WWE either - they’ve done it before, and they can do it again. The question is: do they want to?