2. Titles Lack Prestige
Observing the current title history of the WWE Championship makes for an interesting read. Though CM Punks current 200-plus day reign as champ proves a startling exception, the brevity of title reigns these days is a disappointing comment on the state of the industry, earlier attributed in part to a more smart wrestling fan and a more impatient, savvy culture consuming it. Observing the last 5 reigns prior to Punks, they lasted 49, 14, 35, 20 and 28 days respectively, shocking given that only two of them exceeded a month in length. To compare, if we go back to the beginnings of the WWF, it was not uncommon for reigns to last upwards of 200-300 days, as evidenced by the likes of Randy Savage, The Ultimate Warrior, Yokozuna and Bret Hart. Bob Backlund meanwhile managed a huge 763 days, and Hulk Hogan astoundingly amassed a whopping 1474. The number of sub-100 day title reigns in the last decade is stultifying compared to how many exceeded that. The inherent problem is that it very much undermines the idea of a title, stripping it of the prestige and majesty that infused it in decades past. Now a title win does not have the same jubilant feel; there is no desperation fan-wise for a wrestler to capture the belt, because the belts change so fast and frequently these days. If only Punks current reign were a sign of a changing tide, but I doubt it.