10 Ways WWE Is Killing WrestleMania
3. The Midcard Title Conundrum
The United States Title was an afterthought in the Chris Jericho Vs. Kevin Owens match, but that was in keeping with a tradition that has long fallen by the wayside.
The match, which was promoted and presented as a grudge affair above all else, marked the first time the U.S. Title has been defended on the main card in a decade. It just underlined its lowly status as a trinket - which was also marked in bold when new champion Kevin Owens ate the pin during the tag team main event of the post-WrestleMania RAW.
WrestleMania is promoted as the night on which the entire calendar is built around. That the U.S. Title rarely appears on it just emphasises how meaningless it is. The Intercontinental Title has fared little better, and the message conveyed is worrying.
Fans of a certain age recall the classic midcard title matches of yore. Randy Savage, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels - all were received as headliners-in-waiting following their seminal matches at III, VIII and X, respectively. Those in its orbit these days are presented as faces in a crowd.
The relegation of midcard gold is yet another reinforcement that nothing but the main events and the main eventers matter.