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Roman Reigns walked into WrestleMania 38 as the longest reigning Universal Champion in history. He took on WWE Champion Brock Lesnar in the main event. After a hard-fought battle between the two megastars with both titles on the line, The Tribal Chief emerged victorious. The Head of the Table has continued to hold both titles since the event.
But was unifying both championships a good idea? There are certainly positives to the belts being merged, but the negatives might far outweigh any good brought on by the titles being unified.
Below are 4 reasons the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship should be split.
#4 The WWE brand split should be upheld better
One issue with having unified titles is how it affects the brand split. If there is one major champion, he is expected to appear on both RAW and SmackDown. This also applies to other titles such as the Unified WWE Tag Team Championships.
Champions traveling to multiple brands can become an issue. For starters, you risk overexposing your champions. Part of the allure of a champion is the excitement fans have when they see them. The Usos are very talented, but they're on RAW and SmackDown every single week. It's getting old.
The damage isn't just done to the individual wrestlers, though. If the champions travel to both shows, the challengers will begin to do the same. Before long, you have a quarter or half of each show dedicated to the same handful of stars. Doing so takes away the originality and uniqueness of each brand. WWE needs to keep titles separate in order to uphold the brand split.
#3 Roman Reigns shouldn't lose the title anytime soon
One benefit of having two world titles is that WWE can book both uniquely. Two titles give the company options. World Wrestling Entertainment having just one championship could lead them into a corner.
Roman Reigns is an example of this. He should not lose the Unified WWE Universal Championship right now. The time isn't right and there is no ready challenger, either. Still, Reigns has been a world champion for almost two years now. Some fans may grow tired of it.
If RAW has a title of their own, they can book their champions differently. Perhaps instead of one star dominating the title scene, they have a hot feud for the title. The two stars could trade the title back and forth. RAW having a world championship helps fight the urge to have Reigns lose the title while still having entertaining title challenges.
#2 Roman Reigns' new schedule
Roman Reigns holding both titles proves to be troublesome in other ways too. While a champion on both shows runs the risk of being overexposed, The Tribal Chief seems to be going in the opposite direction.
The Head of the Table has a new contract with WWE. He's made it clear that his schedule has changed. His appearances on weekly TV shows and even on Premium Live Events have lessened. He isn't on RAW and SmackDown each week. He's starting to have a Brock Lesnar schedule.
A wrestler with limited dates isn't necessarily bad. But a champion with limited dates may not be a good thing. Reigns has defended his title once on television in almost three months. He hasn't defended the belts on a Premium Live Event since unifying the titles. He just isn't active enough to represent both brands.
#1 RAW feels less important without a champion
While Roman Reigns is technically the champion of both RAW and SmackDown, most fans will likely still see him as a SmackDown star. He appears on the blue brand more often. His only title defense in almost three months took place on a SmackDown show.
If the champion primarily just appears on one brand, the other will feel less important. RAW became the B-show when SmackDown moved to FOX, but it still had value.
If WWE isn't careful, RAW could end up feeling like SmackDown did when the first brand extension faded away in the 2010s. Prior to the new brand extension in 2016, SmackDown truly felt unimportant and skippable. RAW could run the risk of going down that route.
The debate will continue for a long time as to whether there should be just one world champion in World Wrestling Entertainment. Ultimately, splitting the titles gives opportunity to the likes of Cody Rhodes, Bobby Lashley, Kevin Owens, and more.
Speaking of Rhodes, click here to read the reasons why he should have another match with Seth Rollins.
