20 Things You Learn Watching WWE Since 1997

This one's not exactly news, but for longtime fans of WWE, it's surprising to think about just how far the profile of the secondary titles has fallen. For most of 1998, The Rock was the Intercontinental Champion - a clear superstar who was guaranteed to be a world champion before long.

Shortly after The Rock's reign, though, the title history became more diluted - it changed hands more than a dozen times in 1999, and most of those champs were nothing special. When WWE added the United States championship with the purchase of WCW, title changes felt constant.

Things cooled down after the brand split, but by the early 2010s, it seemed like the secondary titles were albatrosses - wrestlers "lucky" enough to win them found themselves losing non-title matches all the time. Attempts to boost the profiles of the belts - like when John Cena won the U.S. Title or when The Miz held the Intercontinental Title - have only lasted as long as the championship reigns themselves. Barring some major change, the damage is well and truly done.