The Disturbing Truth Behind WWE Universal Title

Kevin Owens Chris Jericho Royal Rumble 2017
WWE

An immediate mechanism for typically weightless, main event bullsh*t, Kevin Owens captured the vacant title on the August 29 through the interference of Triple H. No alliance ever materialised; the finish was designed to build towards Triple H's WrestleMania 33 match against Seth Rollins at the expense of the title's credibility as something to be won, decisively, in a high-pressure environment. Two birds, one stone booking in theory, in execution, it killed the main event aura of the Universal Title.

The interplay between Owens and Jericho was phenomenal. Their comedic timing was wonderful, but the timing of the act itself undermined the championship, too: a revelation on television, on pay-per-view, the same old story materialised. At Clash of Champions, Hell In A Cell, and Roadblock: End of the Line, Chris Jericho's interference enabled Owens to retain the belt. That WWE booked this cheap f*ck finish with such frequency eroded any lustre the title may have developed in August. It was a vehicle with which to prolong programmes. It was a prop that was never even devalued to that status. Unlike its analogue, WWE couldn't draw on the affection and cache of history to convince the fandom otherwise.

Goldberg claimed the title at Fastlane 2017 after Braun Strowman's Royal Rumble interference furthered the bullsh*t to clean finish ratio. Across the first five Universal Championship matches on PPV - and this does not include Owens' RAW win - four matches ended with a trademark, inconclusive sports entertainment win. One ended cleanly.

That's 4:1 in favour of bullsh*t.

Goldberg's win, and Brock Lesnar's subsequent win, tarnished the belt with a new shade of sh*t.

CONT'D...(3 of 5)

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Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!