8 Damning Things Goldberg's Universal Title Win Says About WWE In 2017
6. The Universal Title Will Be Held Hostage
Part-time champions have proven divisive in professional wrestling.
While Brock Lesnar’s last WWE Championship reign gave the belt an air of credibility, the fact that he was barely around had many fans up in arms. Audiences want to see their top champion on a weekly basis, regardless of who is holding the gold, and this is perfectly understandable.
Unfortunately, Goldberg’s Universal Title win effectively dooms the WWE Universe to several months of part-time champions. Goldberg will hold it until WrestleMania 33 on April 2nd, and regardless of whether he defeats Lesnar or not, a part-timer will still leave Orlando with the gold. Should Lesnar win, it’s extremely unlikely that WWE will deal with damage to his credibility with a short, one-month reign, and there’s a strong chance Raw could have an invisible Universal Champion all the way through summer.
This means reduced opportunities for would-be contenders and less scope to build compelling programs at the top of the card. Paul Heyman can appear when Lesnar does not, sure, but fans want to see the Universal Champion, not just his mouthpiece.
The belt will now be held hostage for a huge chunk of 2017, and after Finn Balor’s injury and Kevin Owens’ harmful reign, this is the last thing that the fledgling Universal Title needs at the moment.