10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About the Universal Championship
A championship that shot for the stars, but barely left the mat.
The Universal Championship was supposed to be WWE’s next big thing; a title that could rival the legendary WWE Championship and stand as a true World championship. Instead, what we got was a belt that went through some serious highs and some truly baffling lows. WWE has tried its best to position the Universal Title as a prestigious prize, but let’s be honest—there are plenty of moments they’d rather you forget.
Whether it was the design that got booed out of the building, title reigns that lasted about as long as a commercial break, or champions who barely showed up, the Universal Championship’s history is far messier than WWE would like to admit. The company did its best to make the belt seem important, but behind the scenes, decisions were made that actively hurt its credibility.
Now that the title has been retired, WWE is working hard to ensure fans only remember the good parts, but wrestling fans never forget. From bizarre booking to reigns that made no sense, here are 10 things WWE wishes you’d erase from your memory.
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.