15 WWE Title Changes That IMMEDIATELY Backfired
10. WWE Puts Gold On A 10 Year Old Kid (WWE Raw Tag-Team Titles)
Title Change: Referee John Cone’s son Nicholas teamed with burly brute Braun Strowman to beat workmanlike pair Sheamus and Cesaro at WrestleMania 34. It was a complete shock to everyone watching that WWE would effectively replace The Bar with a 10-year old kid. It was another publicity stunt and one of those, 'Anything can happen at 'Mania' moments, but yeah. It backfired.
Why It Backfired: The stunt just spat straight in the face of the hardworking tag-team division, and it made a mockery of both Sheamus and Cesaro when they deserved to be spotlighted. They'd been clowned so Braun could have a solo WrestleMania moment. No-one should be fooled that Strowman was sharing the stage with Nicholas. This was his occasion and nobody else really mattered.
WWE trashed their own idea come the following episode of Raw. Braun said that he and Nicholas would be vacating the belts because lil' Nic had school. Well, obviously. He was 10 years old. You've got to wonder when RVD stopped by creative meetings with some suspect-looking cigarettes before 'Mania 34. Those writers had to be smoking something, man.
The little and large combo effect they were going for by teaming Braun and Nicholas sagged once everybody sobered up and realised that Cone's boy couldn't come out on the road. Hell, even if they did, what then? Cesaro swinging some child about the place as Sheamus lined up a Brogue Kick?!
This was one of those title changes that happen without practical thought. WWE didn't stop to think about anything after the title change. They just wanted to book one and give Strowman some flowers on the grandest stage. Raise The Bar? Nah, this lowered it.