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World Heavyweight Championship vs WWE Championship

8K views 61 replies 33 participants last post by  KeepinItReal 
#1 ·
For years now the WWE has had two “World Championships”, the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship and many fans of pro wrestling may be wondering exactly which championship is the top championship in the sport of professional wrestling. In this piece I will explain to you exactly which belt is the top of the top and the reasons as to why one belt is above the other as well as my own personal views of the title's and what each one means. But before going into my explanation I'm going to spoil my answer early as a way to tickle your palms before I unload the salt on the snowy road. The answer is the World Heavyweight Championship.

The WWE Championship is NOT the same championship as the WWF Championship or the WWF World Heavyweight Championship despite what many may think. When the WWE changed it's name from the WWF it had to basically re-design the company and all copyright’s and assets (including championships) had to be reset to reflect the name change. By doing this the WWE basically became a “new” company, and even though it seemed nothing more than a name change on the surface there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than what fans got to see on television or on paper. The WWE Championship is a direct descendant of the old WWF Championship (sometimes referred to as the WWF World Heavyweight Championship but does NOT share the lineage despite the ruse that the WWE puts on toward it's fanbase. Sure, you could just simply connect the two and that's usually what people do, but deep within it's core by legal definition the two championship's are separate from one another and should be seen as such.
So, why do I not place the WWE Championship above the World Heavyweight Championship, you ask? Well, the WWE Championship is a company title, that means that the holder is the champion of the WWE as defined by the name of the championship. The holder of the title is defined as the champion of World Wrestling Entertainment and is promoted as such, but that's really as far as it goes. The WWE Championship is considered to be a “World Championship” because it is the top championship in the WWE and the WWE is indeed a world-wide company which is aired on television all over the world, as well as the internet and since the holder of the belt is holding the top title in the WWE they are noted as being a “World Champion”. But, with that title comes limitations. There is a ceiling there that you can't break and that's the ceiling of the title being named after a single company, you cannot claim to be anything higher than that despite the WWE Championship usually getting the main event slot on a pay-per-view card. Think about it this way: Would you rather be the champion of a company, or champion of the world?

See, when you hold the World Heavyweight Championship there is an illusion there that the title is not just a company title, but instead a title that spans the entire world which includes hundreds of wrestling companies and promotions. Simply put, they don't call the title the “WWE World Heavyweight Championship”. You can go ahead and watch video tape from pretty much every title defense and you will see that it's simply noted as the “World Heavyweight Championship”, and aside from a small WWE logo toward the top of the belt you would never know that the championship came with any brand recognition. That creates an illusion that you are not just the champion of the WWE, but instead you represent the entire world as the champion of the sport of pro wrestling. That includes every major company, every promotion, every wrestler, and superiority above every championship across the entire world. That's a huge responsibility to bear if you're the holder of the belt, that put's you at the very top of the food chain. Sure, it's rare that a World Heavyweight Championship match headlines a WWE pay-per-view (maybe 2 or 3 times a year), but for my money the matches put on for the title outshine the WWE Championship matches for the most part (not always) and the competitors who have held the title over the past several years (Undertaker, Kane, Big Show) are what I like to call “legacy” competitors who are throwbacks to an older age of the sport. On top of all that, since the title does not come with a true company branding it could be noted that a World Heavyweight Championship match could take place outside of the WWE seeing as how there is no verbal branding, though I'm sure this would probably never happen again (though it has in the past). And going even more forward, if you try hard, and I mean really hard, you can almost piece together a lineage between today's World Heavyweight Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship contested back in 1905 by Gotch and Hackenschmidt, though that is a daunting task even more me (but it can be done).
 
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#2 ·
Don't see it happening soon but it ever did in a few years my guess would be.

Cena (wwe champion) vs Ryback (WHC). Face of the company vs the 2 nd face of the company.
 
#6 ·
The WWE Championship has more prestige in my opinion. They keep all of the same records for like the past 40 years. The World Heavyweight Championship came from the WCW so the WWE Championship is the bigger title because it has been in the same business for many decades just modified versions. I think they should combine them again for awhile and change it back because they might have a lot of main eventers.
 
#7 ·
I seriously have a difficult time taking the Spinner-styled belt seriously, but then they treat the WHC title like the B title that it is.

There should only be one title, and it should be along the lines of the Undisputed belt or the Winged Eagle.
 
#8 ·
Because of the sheer amount of stars and main event talent the WWE has, if they were to unify the championships you would be forced into rapid title changes almost every month to keep today's fickle viewers happy and to keep top tier talent happy with title runs. Business actually dictates the use of two major championships at this point.

I don't see a unification anytime soon.
 
#9 ·
Bravo. That was a solid piece you just posted. I see what you mean by most of this, and I actually think you have a point. Imagine if CM Punk instead dropped the pipe bomb, and left the WWE with The World Heavyweight Championship as opposed to the WWE Championship? Imagine if Punk were to defend the World Heavyweight title in Japan, ROH, and everywhere else with a television market, but not TNA? Punk could have made the claim that this title is wrestling, and that what Cena holds is a corporate title made for the top money maker in this WWE Corporation. It would have done wonders for the title, and ratings. Instead a year later they turn him heel.
 
#13 ·
I could care less about what WWE wants me to believe, its all about what the viewer wants to recognize. I recognize the World Championship as being higher than the WWE Championship because of the points I listed in the opening post, if WWE believes otherwise than that's fine.
 
#16 · (Edited)
I keep on hearing a lot of ppl asserting this, but this is not always true. The entirety of 2005 focused on the WHC which resides in Smackdown under Batista where it main-evented or went high in the card over WWE Title in Royal Rumble, Wrestlemania, Vengeance, and Summerslam.

Here's what I think which title was more dominant for every year in the past:

2002: WHC (Raw)- carried by Triple H
2003: WHC (Raw)- HHH
2004: WHC (Raw)- HHH
2005: WHC (Smackdown)- Batista
2006: Even; WHC (SD)- Batista; WWE (Raw)- Cena
2007: WWE (Raw)- Cena
2008: WWE (Raw)- Orton, HHH and Edge
2009: Even; WWE (Raw)- Orton and Cena; WHC (Smackdown)- Hardy and Punk
2010: WWE (Raw)- Cena
2011: WWE (Raw)- Cena and Punk
2012: WWE (Raw)- Punk
2013: Hoping there would be an equal share of spotlight once again.

I really think the brand-union hurt the credibility of the WHC since its weekly presence made it look inferior to the WWE Title. A world title should always be the crown jewel of the show.
 
#14 · (Edited)
im probably the only person in the world that points out that the World title is the WCW belt, so to be fair it already got the shaft long before the brand split, wwe just weren't being honest about it until the Booker T "i dont want to be on Smackdown" and the Raw vs Smackdown Survivor series fued one year later
 
#15 ·
I just think it's ridiculous for a serious wrestling company to have TWO major ("world") championships, ffs. It could've been much more simple - Raw and SmackDown championship for each brand, and the big one, WWE Championship, defended only 3-5 times per year.

#prestige
 
#18 ·
Two world titles can really enhance the product. W/o two titles, Punk probably would have never won a world title to begin with, and it would be taking Ziggler even longer to get one. Batista probably would've gotten it, but Sheamus I doubt it. Its great at creating stars.

Also, if there was a championship above the brand titles then the overall title would be THE world title, and the brand titles mid card titles no matter how they're treated. You can't have a heirarchy where major status is placed on a title not at the top of the heirarchy. Just can't happen. Its not a claim to the best in the world. At least Orton/Taker/Batista/Edge could hold the SD belt and say "Yeah, Raw is bigger, but I can claim to be the best in the world." If there was a WWE title above the brand titles, the brand champions just couldn't say that.
 
#20 ·
But it's name is not the "WWE Heavyweight Championship", it's simply the "WWE Championship" which indicates it's nothing more than a company title while the "World Heavyweight Championship" indicates that the title does not belong to the WWE directly (which it does) and that the holder is the champion of the world, not just a company.

Despite what WWE wants me to believe, I place the World Heavyweight Championship above the WWE Championship simply because of what the title stands for.
 
#21 ·
For years now the WWE has had two “World Championships”, the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship and many fans of pro wrestling may be wondering exactly which championship is the top championship in the sport of professional wrestling. In this piece I will explain to you exactly which belt is the top of the top and the reasons as to why one belt is above the other as well as my own personal views of the title's and what each one means. But before going into my explanation I'm going to spoil my answer early as a way to tickle your palms before I unload the salt on the snowy road. The answer is the World Heavyweight Championship.

The WWE Championship is NOT the same championship as the WWF Championship or the WWF World Heavyweight Championship despite what many may think. When the WWE changed it's name from the WWF it had to basically re-design the company and all copyright’s and assets (including championships) had to be reset to reflect the name change. By doing this the WWE basically became a “new” company, and even though it seemed nothing more than a name change on the surface there was a lot more going on behind the scenes than what fans got to see on television or on paper. The WWE Championship is a direct descendant of the old WWF Championship (sometimes referred to as the WWF World Heavyweight Championship but does NOT share the lineage despite the ruse that the WWE puts on toward it's fanbase. Sure, you could just simply connect the two and that's usually what people do, but deep within it's core by legal definition the two championship's are separate from one another and should be seen as such.
So, why do I not place the WWE Championship above the World Heavyweight Championship, you ask? Well, the WWE Championship is a company title, that means that the holder is the champion of the WWE as defined by the name of the championship. The holder of the title is defined as the champion of World Wrestling Entertainment and is promoted as such, but that's really as far as it goes. The WWE Championship is considered to be a “World Championship” because it is the top championship in the WWE and the WWE is indeed a world-wide company which is aired on television all over the world, as well as the internet and since the holder of the belt is holding the top title in the WWE they are noted as being a “World Champion”. But, with that title comes limitations. There is a ceiling there that you can't break and that's the ceiling of the title being named after a single company, you cannot claim to be anything higher than that despite the WWE Championship usually getting the main event slot on a pay-per-view card. Think about it this way: Would you rather be the champion of a company, or champion of the world?

See, when you hold the World Heavyweight Championship there is an illusion there that the title is not just a company title, but instead a title that spans the entire world which includes hundreds of wrestling companies and promotions. Simply put, they don't call the title the “WWE World Heavyweight Championship”. You can go ahead and watch video tape from pretty much every title defense and you will see that it's simply noted as the “World Heavyweight Championship”, and aside from a small WWE logo toward the top of the belt you would never know that the championship came with any brand recognition. That creates an illusion that you are not just the champion of the WWE, but instead you represent the entire world as the champion of the sport of pro wrestling. That includes every major company, every promotion, every wrestler, and superiority above every championship across the entire world. That's a huge responsibility to bear if you're the holder of the belt, that put's you at the very top of the food chain. Sure, it's rare that a World Heavyweight Championship match headlines a WWE pay-per-view (maybe 2 or 3 times a year), but for my money the matches put on for the title outshine the WWE Championship matches for the most part (not always) and the competitors who have held the title over the past several years (Undertaker, Kane, Big Show) are what I like to call “legacy” competitors who are throwbacks to an older age of the sport. On top of all that, since the title does not come with a true company branding it could be noted that a World Heavyweight Championship match could take place outside of the WWE seeing as how there is no verbal branding, though I'm sure this would probably never happen again (though it has in the past). And going even more forward, if you try hard, and I mean really hard, you can almost piece together a lineage between today's World Heavyweight Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship contested back in 1905 by Gotch and Hackenschmidt, though that is a daunting task even more me (but it can be done).

The problem here is you are trying to put logic in what is a prop for a fictional tv show posing as a sport.

But I agree the IC and US title need to go. They make no sense.
 
#25 ·
you agree that midcard belts making no snese after making the argument that it doesnt nessisarily have to make sense? where is the consistancy?

WWE Intercontinental Championship - The holder of this title is the champion of the inter-continental area, including Canada, the U.S, Brazil, Africa, Europe, and other surrounding countries, and represents the WWE as the champion of such areas. This belt is NOT a "World Championship" and should be considered a "regional" championship meant for growth for it's holder.

WWE United States Championship = The holder of the title is the champion of the United States and represents the company as it's homeland champion. This is a "national/regional" championship and should be considered a "growth" title for a competitor.
two belts reperesenting the US? doesn't make sense
 
#24 ·
Just to be clear, I DO consider the WWE Championship to be a "World" Championship but just not THE World Championship. Basically I sum the WWE up like this with it's singles titles as it pertains to importance.....

World Heavyweight Championship - The holder of this belt is the champion of the entire sport of Pro Wrestling, covering all continents, countries, promotions, and is the #1 competitor in the world. By holding the WHC the wrestler is not restricted to being just the best in the company, but represents the sports as it's grand champion.

WWE Championship - The holder of this belt is the champion of the WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and is the top wrestler in the company. Since the WWE is the biggest wrestling company in the world the title holder may be considered a "World Champion".

WWE Intercontinental Championship - The holder of this title is the champion of the inter-continental area, including Canada, the U.S, Brazil, Africa, Europe, and other surrounding countries, and represents the WWE as the champion of such areas. This belt is NOT a "World Championship" and should be considered a "regional" championship meant for growth for it's holder.

WWE United States Championship = The holder of the title is the champion of the United States and represents the company as it's homeland champion. This is a "national/regional" championship and should be considered a "growth" title for a competitor.
 
#30 · (Edited)
The WWE TItle is the top wrestling title there is. Fact!
except wwe don't consider themselves wrestling anymore, fact:their publicist said so
 
#33 ·
When the Intercontinental Championship was brought out it was meant to be considered a unification of North and South America champions only, not Europe, Asia, Africa, or Australia. Geographically speaking you could consider the IC title more prestigious than the US since it covers the entire west instead of just the states.
 
#35 ·
True. On the old belt they did list countries with some overseas continents being listed on the belt.
 
#39 ·
All I know is whatever one is on RAW thats the main belt,they switch.When JBL was WWE champion and HHH was WHC Champion the WHC title was made to look ten times more desired and valuable.
 
#42 · (Edited)
You're trying to make sense of something that is inconsistent and scripted. Good luck to you, sir.
thats like saying that one is trying to be worried for someone who accidently slips on the sidewalk but it healthy enough to walk away relatively unfazed

You're trying to make sense of something that is inconsistent and scripted. Good luck to you, sir.
any good piece of fact or fiction has semblence of sense, what's your point?
 
#41 ·
I can understand why some people would want to try to make some sense of the way the titles are viewed, but I feel like if you worry too much about things like this, you're never going to be able to just sit back and enjoy the show. Personally, I would like to just view it as the two titles are equal, because that is what WWE wants you to think. However, I will admit that it is quite a bit difficult to see it that way, with the WWE Championship clearly being more prestigious these days. Hell, the last time the World Heavyweight Championship main-evented WrestleMania was at XXIV in 2008 with Edge/Taker. And also, for the last two WrestleMania events, XXVII and XXVIII, the World Heavyweight Championship has been the opening match. But even so, I like that WWE has two world titles and I don't see that changing anytime soon.
 
#43 ·
I love how people just can't debate and enjoy the conversation and have to resort to making snide remarks as if my argument is "silly" or "stupid". Everything that has to do with pro wrestling is scripted (of course), but that doesn't mean that we can't have a little fun and try to make the sport out to me something legit or whatever we choose to make it, it's really all in the eyes of the beholder at the end of the day.
 
#45 ·
Yeah, guys like Orton, CM Punk, Cena, Undertaker, Edge, and Jericho just can't seem to draw fans.....,, :lol
 
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