A champion must defend his or her title within thirty days is something that has existed at some points in wrestling history, but it's not like it is a consistent rule or even one that WWE enforces to any degree anymore. That's why the current situation with Daniel Bryan being injured during his WWE World Heavyweight Championship does not necessarily require a title change. When CM Punk was WWE Champion through all of 2012, he didn't have a match for over a month. He missed the TLC event in December of that year and returned for the 2013 Royal Rumble against The Rock. He didn't defend the title in 30 days. Some fans probably wondered what happened to that rule. Nothing. It's just something WWE chooses to remember only when it's convenient for them. In 2005, Trish Stratus was a heel that was the Women's Champion. She suffered a back injury that forced her to be sidelined for about four months. Did they strip her of the Women's Title? Nope. She came back with the title. They completely ignored the fact that the Women's Champion was on the sideline and not even on television. There have been plenty of instances where champions didn't defend titles.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
