8 Damning Things Goldberg's Universal Title Win Says About WWE In 2017
2. Championships Don’t Matter
While SmackDown’s WWE Championship genuinely feels like a prize worth fighting for, the Universal Title is nothing more than a brightly-coloured trinket. From Finn Bálor’s injury to Goldberg’s recent victory, the title has never been given the opportunity to build any kind of credibility. It has become worthless as a result.
There should be a reason for every single title change, but Goldberg’s victory didn’t cap off the end of a great story or a prolonged rise up the card. It arose because despite spending the last decade sitting on the shelf, he decided that he wanted a title shot. Originally made to “earn” his title contention by winning the Royal Rumble, Goldberg’s win over Kevin Owens just happened, with no significant build, and made a mockery of the idea that these belts are something to aspire to.
WWE often treat their midcard belts with such flagrant disregard, but their “top" belt has rarely felt so unimportant and insignificant. The company used to use championships to build storylines, give their wrestlers purpose, and provide their eventual triumph with a sense of accomplishment.
Goldberg’s victory felt more like an inevitability than a serious achievement, and by neutering their titles, WWE are severely undermining the thing that should be their performers’ motivation to compete in the first place.