Triple H finally answered the question of what to do in the world championship scene of WWE. Roman Reigns has carried both of WWE’s world titles since Wrestlemania 38 well over a year ago, with no end in sight. Meanwhile, countless top stars who would benefit from a second world title were left not even in the title periphery, and only a select few who got there actually stood a chance of beating Roman (Drew McIntyre, Sami Zayn, and Cody Rhodes, notably). With this, we’ve seen so many would-be/could-be/should-be world title contenders sitting on the sidelines. Seth Rollins has been on a tear this past year, and while he never needed a title to help him, a world title around his waist was extremely deserved. Karrion Kross returned with his eyes set on Roman Reigns…before they were suddenly just not anymore. Then there are the 3 aforementioned men who very well could have ended Roman’s reign at any moment in time, McIntyre, Zayn, and Rhodes, who all had 3 amazingly told stories at 3 individual times, and all 3 deserved a chance to be world champion during it, but alas with only one champion, it was not to be at those times.
This conundrum created a real headscratcher that people, myself included, continue to try and guess who may be the one to end Roman’s reign and/or split the titles again so that we could have two world champions again. Well, Triple H finally answered those questions. On Monday night, he revealed the new and improved WWE World Heavyweight Championship, a title that seems to be restoring the legacy of the Big Gold Belt that was retired nearly a decade ago. Now that Roman will carry his titles to one brand while this title goes to the other, so many new possibilities open up, namely: who will be the first to wear the gold?
A decade ago, when that title was retired, it had become fodder for some not-so-worthy champions. No offense to the likes of Christian, Randy Orton, and John Cena, who all held the gold several times, but in the final few years of its existence, the likes of Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger held it, and that is a massive tell-tale sign of how things were back then. Even when the Universal Title arrived in 2016, it soon grew to be that, at any given moment in time, one of the two world titles felt inferior to the other. When someone other than Brock Lesnar held the title, it would be seen somewhere in the middle or opening the show while other matches when on behind it. When Brock was holding it, or once the presently still ongoing reign of Roman Reigns began, the WWE Championship, a title celebrating its 60th birthday/anniversary this week, was left to be devalued. The likes of Jinder Mahal winning the title, Kofi Kingston’s embarrassingly short title loss to Brock Lesnar, and the horrible booking of Big E as champion all come to mind of that era. Now, there is a clear path to distinctive, meaningful, and important world titles like Raw and Smackdown both had from 2002-2011 or so. Roman Reigns’ historic near-1,000-day reign will continue, likely on Smackdown, while the World Heavyweight Championship can begin/continue to forge its own place in the game once again on Raw. The fun part comes now: the possibilities are endless.
Some instant thoughts for an inaugural champion can go from the safe and realistic bets to some viable alternates, the handful of underdog hopefuls, and the wild cards that, while highly unlikely, would provide high-quality content no matter what. Let’s look at some of those varying options.
Cody Rhodes
This one seems almost too easy and would be a cop-out in my view. Cody needs to eventually finish his story, and that story is one that leads him back to Roman Reigns. If that means feuding with Brock Lesnar and the Judgement Day in the interim, then so be it. Still, Cody’s name adds instant star-power to the new title, so it would not be the worst idea from a PR standpoint to go this route, but I don’t think it would be wise from the view of what is more important: telling a great story in both places.
Seth Rollins
Here is someone who fits the bill, quite literally, perfectly. The standard bearer of WWE TV week in and week out for so many years. He has great matches with anyone and everyone. He is the prime candidate, in my eyes at least, to win this title at Night of Champions. Anyone can face him here, but it is truly time for the Visionary to get his due and to get his first world title run in over 3 years. The crowd will be singing his song all night long if he wins for sure!
Finn Balor
Balor already holds the distinction of being the first-ever Universal Champion, having defeated Seth Rollins (ironically) at Summerslam 2016. It would be a fantastic story to see this retold six and a half years later, where those two men are in two totally different places than they were back then. In Brooklyn all those years ago, Rollins was still on the heels of his run with the Authority (whom he would be ousted by 8 nights later), while Balor was an NXT Call-up in his first main roster PPV, where he got hurt early in the match and yet still finished it, winning the title and making history in the process. What would a re-run of that look like in 2023…we may very well find out!
Edge
Here is someone who I want to win it for nostalgia purposes (and yes, I know that isn’t the reason to have someone win a title, but come on, it’s Edge for crying out loud). Edge has gone on record saying his second act in the business is almost over, and when his first one ended in tragedy, he was reigning as the World Heavyweight Champion at the time. He would relinquish the title to be forced into retirement. Wouldn’t the comeback run be completed with one final run as champion, the same title all these years later? This way, he can go out on his own terms and write the final chapter he deserves.
Austin Theory
This one just makes sense. We’ve talked about full circle in this one, and this truly would be as well. After the debacle that went down last Fall with Theory and the Money in the Bank briefcase, it’s been a fantastic road to rebirth for Theory. This reign as United States Champion, a fantastic showing in the Royal Rumble, successfully defending inside the Elimination Chamber, and scoring a win over John Cena at Wrestlemania. Should Theory lose his US Title at Backlash to Bobby Lashley or Bronson Reed, Theory could play a major role in this scenario for certain.
Bobby Lashley, Drew McIntyre, & Sheamus
I’ve lumped these three together because they’re certainly the safer alternatives to the others mentioned. Three former world champions, three reliable hands, and three guys who could easily win this title, and not a person would be mad if they did. Drew could finally get the crowning achievement that he’s been longing for in front of fans. Lashley’s hard work (and lack of a Wrestlemania match) could be rewarded, or Sheamus’ recent popularity could carry him to one final run atop WWE. Either way, if it were to be any of these guys, there wouldn’t be a thing wrong with any of them being so.
Brock Lesnar
This one is one I don’t know how to feel about. Brock is playing a fantastic character right now, as a heel cowboy Brock is fantastic. That said, his track record as world champion isn’t always the brightest, and would he be around often enough to defend the title? That is the concern, and with one part-time champion already, having a second seems not only redundant and a re-run of the past, but also a waste of time, money, and everyone’s energy, so let’s hope this one is not the choice.
The Periphery Possibilities
This one is simply here to list some others around the periphery of the main event scene who could very easily sniff their way into this conversation with at least some credibility. Shinsuke Nakamura has been repackaged wonderfully since his return, and a main event run has been long overdue for him. Could he possibly get his moment with this new title? Karrion Kross’ lackluster WWE return has already been mentioned in passing in this article, and it goes to show he has missed his mark greatly since he’s been back. The beauty of an inaugural champion, however, is that you can create a star with very little build-up in crowning them, and Kross’ body of work allows him the chance to ascend to the throne in this case. AJ. Styles has been out of action for some time, but should he be medically cleared, he easily shouldn’t be excluded from this conversation. Omos is seemingly still sticking around for whatever reason, so he too is not one to be an afterthought here. The Miz is a perennial main event-caliber superstar who has plenty left in the tank to give. Given that he hasn’t really been a world title competitor for some years now may keep him farther away than some others, this guy is Teflon out there; he never goes away. Matt Riddle’s recent return also adds him to a worthy list of candidates, though he seems occupied with some Bloodline-related tasks for now. Lastly, Xavier Woods. That’s right, the former King of the Ring himself. Woods recently had a great match with GUNTHER on Smackdown for the Intercontinental Title, and with Big E and Kofi Kingston still on the shelf, this is Woods’ time! He’s the only New Day member to never be a world champion (in fact, he’s never held singles gold in WWE), but this is truly a chance to create him into a main event guy in one fell swoop.
There is a noticeable absence of Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn from this group, and it is not just because they’re the tag team champions at the time of writing this, though that too is a factor. Night of Champions takes place in Saudi Arabia, where Owens and Zayn will not compete, so they would not be able to win the gold as the first champion. That does not mean that they will never be a viable contender, however, and as such, they can easily slide into the picture as early as the summertime if need be.
Only time will tell who the first man will be up for Triple H’s newest title in the ranks, and all the possibilities make a fan giddy with excitement. I know that’s how I feel, and I can’t wait to see what transpires ahead of crowning a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion!
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