10 Things WWE Got Right At SummerSlam 2016
4. Titles Being Retained
A longtime gripe of WWE that many fans have vocalised over the years has been the perceived devaluation of the championship titles.
Title changes are supposed to feel special. There's a reason why Gorilla Monsoon would often refer to it as "history being made", but if "history is made" every month, or every other month, it becomes too much.
Too frequently have title changes and new champions have cost the titles their prestige over time, but last night, and for the better part of the past two years, WWE has done a much better job securing the championship reigns. In other words, the titles are finally starting to mean something again and it is in large part due to the lengthy reigns that many of the current champions are experiencing.
The Miz has been Intercontinental Champ since WrestleMania and, despite what is being said on WWE TV these days, The New Day are currently the second longest reigning Tag Team Champions in WWE history (Demolition actually held the Tag Team Championship longer, but under the "World Tag Team" lineage). Regardless, New Day's run has been incredibly impressive and has helped elevate the tag titles tremendously.
In addition to keeping the titles prestigious by having the champions retain, the decision to keep the belts on The Miz, New Day, Rusev and Dean Ambrose has put an even bigger emphasis on the title(s) that did change hands, the Women's title (and NXT Championship from the night before).
While the big events like WrestleMania and SummerSlam are often thought of as the proper times to switch around titles, WWE should be commended for the restraint they showed Sunday night by sticking with their current champions.