Wrestling Title Prestige

[Carnival 0]

Which American title is the most important in your opinion? What title did you always consider the top title in the business?

 

When WCW and ECW were around

 

1. WWF World Heavyweight Championship

2. WCW World Heavyweight Championship

3. WCW United States Championship (this title dropped a lot around '99)

4. WWF Intercontinental Championship

5. ECW World Heavyweight Championship

 

Current

 

1. World Heavyweight Championship

2. WWE Championship

3. Intercontinental Championship

4. NWA World Heavyweight Championship

5. United States Championship

 

Honorable Mentions: ROH World Heavyweight Championship, TNA X Division Championship

[Guest jm29195]

1.WWF World Heavyweight Championship, has nearly always been promoted as the be all and end all with (mostly) long and meaningful reigns

 

2. WCW World Heavyweight Championship- I saw it as almost level with the WWF Belt but it absolutely went down the crapper in early 2000 with Sid beating Don Harris for it, and then stupid number of title changes between Spring Stampede and GAB..... ironically now, I think the Big Gold Belt that it became on Raw is being booked as the superior championship despite it not being Vince's creation, something you don't see very often...

 

 

3. WWF Intercontinental Championship- mostly seen as the belt for up and comers, which is a good thing as far as I'm concerned, it would be nice to have the IC Champ have no.1 contendership on occasion though...

 

 

4. ECW World Heavyweight Championship- So low because Heymen allowed it be eclipsed by the TV Belt through 98/99/00

[Aero 0]

Back when the competition was still around, I always thought of the WWF Title as the most prestigous. While part of that is likely due to me watching mostly WWF, WCW putting their World Title on David Arquette wasn't helping them much.

 

When you compare the the IC Title and the (then WCW) US Title, the US Title definitely seemed more important in the late-90's. IC Champs of the time like HHH, Rocky Maivia (before Nation), Goldust, and the rediculous list that is 1999 (with exceptions) didn't seem as important as the early 90's Warrior, Bret, Bulldog, Perfect, etc. To sum it up, the late 90's IC Champions seemed more like WCW's TV division.

 

Currently, the World Heavyweight Title is obviously favored over the WWE Title, making it seem more prestigous in the eyes of probably most viewers. The last time a WWE Title match was after a World Title match on a co-brand PPV was Judgment Day 2003. Basically, even though I am a fan, JBL killed the WWE Title. Not too many people take his feuds more seriously than any World Title feud Raw has had, lately.

[iliketurtles 0]

WWF Heavyweight Title used to be THE fucking title. Like, it felt special. It was a big deal when the title changed hands. Being the "WWF Champion"...that's like the coolest title name ever.

 

Now the WWE title is a joke and the Heavyweight belt doesn't feel special.

[Guest bigm350]

I've always felt that the Big Gold belt was on par with the WWF title. I'm obviously biased towards it, since it's my favorite belt of alltime, but it was booked solidly, until the latter days of WCW.

 

Overall, the WWF title was the more important title; but if you go by looks, the Big Gold belt, was easily the top belt; hands down. I think Vince and HHH think so too, since its booked as the more superior title in the WWE right now.

[haws bah gawd 0]

This reply is kind of a redundant one, but I feel the WWE title lost meaning, but not so much prestige, when they had to "get the F out". There was just something special about hearing Howard Finkle yell out "The winner of the match...........and........NNNNEEEEEEWWWWWW!!!!!!......WORLD WRESTLING FEDERATION CHAMPION!!!!....." I know its silly, but it just doesnt feel as special hearing "new WWE Champion".

 

As far as the current meaning of championships, I would go with this order:

 

1 - World Heavyweight Title - WWE is currently pushing this as the end all, be all title to have in the company, so there you have my reasoning.

2 - WWE Heavyweight Title - As far as lineages go, this is still the original World Wrestling Federation Championship, and I feel the man alone puts it close to the top.

3 - WWE Intercontinental Title - Shelton Benjamin's superb matches against just about anyone while defending the title puts it in a higher class in my eyes.

4 - ROH World Heavyweight - I dont catch much of this company, but this title is definitely important. Samoa Joe held it for nearly 2 years, putting on hard hitting matches, and going against guys like CM Punk for match lengths that no man his size should be capable of. The ROH style and effort that the guys put into the matches make this title extremely meaningful to me.

[The Metal Maniac 0]

I know its silly, but it just doesnt feel as special hearing "new WWE Champion".

 

That's not silly.

 

What's silly is that if you say it out, it's World Wrestling Entertainment Champion.

 

Yes, John Cena is the champion...of entertainment.

 

THAT'S silly.

 

Anyway, I always considered the WWF title better then the WCW title (I was much more of a fed mark), and I still consider the WWE title to be worth more then the World title.

[Red Baron 0]

When you compare the the IC Title and the (then WCW) US Title, the US Title definitely seemed more important in the late-90's. IC Champs of the time like HHH, Rocky Maivia (before Nation), Goldust, and the rediculous list that is 1999 (with exceptions) didn't seem as important as the early 90's Warrior, Bret, Bulldog, Perfect, etc. To sum it up, the late 90's IC Champions seemed more like WCW's TV division.

The only champion around that era who shouldn't have the belt was Godfather and Chyna. When you look at it you had some champions between 97-2000.

 

Ken Shamrock

Goldust

Rocky Maivia

Triple H

Owen Hart

Stone Cold

Jeff Jarrett

D'Lo Brown

Kurt Angle

Chris Jericho

Chris Benoit

Val Venis

 

etc...

 

what killed the belt was putting it on hiatus.

[Carnival 0]

99 - Road Dogg - NO

99 - Edge -not then

00 - Rikishi - meh

00 - Billy Gunn - No

 

other NO's

 

01 - Albert

01 - Jeff Hardy (maybe)

01 - Test

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

What killed the IC belt was changing it so many times.

 

You can thank Vinny Ru for that one.

[Carnival 0]

What killed the IC belt was changing it so many times.

 

You can thank Vinny Ru for that one.

you're right, I think that is the #1 reason.

 

 

And i think it did help that WCW put the US titles on main eventers or semi-main eventers. It made it seem more important than WWF's IC title at the time.

[Red Baron 0]

Road Dogg shouldn't have the IC belt in the first place.

 

As much as I don't like most of the wrestlers, they had good heat and were succsessful in carrying the belt.

 

I don't recall Edge having the IC Belt at all.

 

Edit: Edge got the IC Belt at a house show if my memory is served then dropped it in Buffalo at Fully Loaded.

[Hunter's Torn Quad 0]

Edge had the belt for a month from Summerslam 2001 until Unforgiven the next month when he lost it to Christian. Who lost it back to Edge the next month.

[Carnival 0]

I don't recall Edge having the IC Belt at all.

He won it at a house show the night before a PPv match with JJ. i don't recall which one. it was in 99 though.

 

Then dropped it to JJ on the PPV....YES!

 

from solies title histories... http://www.solie.org/titlehistories/index.html

 

Edge (Adam Copeland)

07/24/99-Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Edge substituted for Ken Shamrock (who had transportation problems) as the challenger and won what some speculate may have been a shoot match.

 

56.Jeff Jarrett [5]

07/25/99-Buffalo, New York (Marines Midland Arena)-Fully Loaded PPV

13:23

Jarrett wins the rematch the next

[Red Baron 0]

Eh...I really wouldn't count that as a title reign.

[iggymcfly 0]

Road Dogg shouldn't have the IC belt in the first place.

 

As much as I don't like most of the wrestlers, they had good heat and were succsessful in carrying the belt.

 

I don't recall Edge having the IC Belt at all.

 

Edit: Edge got the IC Belt at a house show if my memory is served then dropped it in Buffalo at Fully Loaded.

I could see you forgetting the house shoe reign, but when you say you don't remember him having it "at all", that just doesn't make sense. He held the belt something like 5 or 6 times in 2001-2002, trading the belt with pretty much every upper-midcard heel on the roster.

[Guest JerichosHi-Lite]

I'm a loyal SmackDown fan and still believe SmackDown is better than Raw and has been since the draft split. Which is why it pisses me off that WWE so blatantly favours the World HHHeavyweight Title. With the exception of Triple H-Benoit-Orton-Triple H, Triple H is always every other champion. It's ridiculous. I don't think of that title as anywhere near as big as the WWE title. John Cena holds WWE's main title. It's their linear championship.

 

Besides, when Chris Jericho first won it, it was comprised of WCW title and WWF title. So it combined the two most prestigious championships in wrestling. Suddenly, now that it was just one belt, when Bisch introduced the HHHeavyweight title, WWE seemed to forget that the WCW title (and technically the NWA title, if we're going into that area) is in the SmackDown belt.

 

I was surprised they promoted Kurt Angle / Brock Lesnar at Mania 19 as the main event if they conceive HHHeavyweight title as more important. But I think that was more about the match than it ever was about the title.

[Red Baron 0]

Road Dogg shouldn't have the IC belt in the first place.

 

As much as I don't like most of the wrestlers, they had good heat and were succsessful in carrying the belt.

 

I don't recall Edge having the IC Belt at all.

 

Edit: Edge got the IC Belt at a house show if my memory is served then dropped it in Buffalo at Fully Loaded.

I could see you forgetting the house shoe reign, but when you say you don't remember him having it "at all", that just doesn't make sense. He held the belt something like 5 or 6 times in 2001-2002, trading the belt with pretty much every upper-midcard heel on the roster.

If you read my previous post I only mentioned between 97-2000.

[nl5xsk1 0]

To sum it up, the late 90's IC Champions seemed more like WCW's TV division.

I presume you mean the Nitro-era TV title; earlier, the title was treated pretty well. People like Dusty, Nikita, AA, etc (basically, mid-carders and above) held the belt. It was only later that the title was wicked devalued and treated like a joke.