25 Biggest WWE Epic Failures Of 2016
23. WWE Universal Championship Design
The idea of a second world title being implemented coming out of the second Brand Split wasn't the worst thing ever. After all, the stars of either Raw or SmackDown Live needed something to vie for when the WWE Championship was drafted to the opposite show. Instead of bringing back the World Heavyweight Championship, WWE saw it fit to create an all-new title instead: the WWE Universal Championship.
There were those skeptical about the name itself considering "Universal" sounded like it came straight out of a video game, but the uproar surrounding that died down after a week or two. Fans waited in anticipation to see what it would look like and if it would be a throwback to the days of the winged eagle WWE title, but in the end, it was just the WWE Championship with a red strap.
As someone who was there live for the unveiling of the Universal Championship belt, I can tell you that the reaction to the reveal was definitely deflating. After a moment of confusion, fans in attendance were then outraged over the lack of creativity, proceeding to ruin the subsequent match to crown the inaugural champion between Finn Balor and Seth Rollins.
The backlash hasn't been as bad, but it does speak volumes that Balor never once held up that title when he won it that night because the design was so universally hated.