10 Ways The Brand Split Has Changed WWE (One Year On)
1. Declining Championships
WWE’s championships aren’t entirely worthless at the moment. The United States Title has been rebuilt through the Kevin Owens vs. AJ Styles feud, the Cruiserweight belt is surging with Neville as champion, and the Raw Women’s and Tag Team straps still feel like prizes worth fighting for.
Unfortunately, the same can’t be said for the company’s world titles. It’s impossible to portray two belts as the ‘top prize’ at the same time: one inevitably suffers, and in this case, it’s the WWE Championship. The Universal Title isn’t perfect, but it feels infinitely more prestigious than its SmackDown equivalent, which has been dragged through the muck in recent months, and has rarely felt as unimportant as it does today.
Having two of each title has devalued every belt in the company. It has given countless new wrestlers the chance to hold a championship, but these accomplishments would mean so much more had WWE not decided to go down the brand-specific title route. A prize loses its value when it doesn’t feel exclusive, and that’s exactly what has happened with WWE’s titles, which, for the most part, have become nothing more than shiny trinkets around the champion’s waist.