When the WWE Universal Championship debuted last week at WWE SummerSlam in the co-main event of the evening, it was not very well received at all. A striking red colour with the same design as the WWE World Championship over on SmackDown, people were not happy with the perceived lack of creativity shown with regards to the aesthetics of the new belt.
The SummerSlam crowd made their feelings known to the world as they booed and jeered the new title as it stood by the side of the ring next to General Manager Mick Foley and Commissioner Stephanie McMahon. It took the focus off the match in the ring and what the two competitors were willing to go through to win this title.
Seth Rollins vs. Finn Bálor was indeed a classic match, but without the crowd behind it, it just felt like another match. It lost its mystique, the consequences of the appearance of ‘The Demon’ seemed reduced and, to be honest, I wouldn’t be annoyed if they edited cheers and fake crowd responses into the event on the WWE Network so I can go back and appreciate the match how it should have been.
It elicited a passionate response through social media with Seth Rollins stating that “More important than a title's appearance is what it represents for the men fighting over it. You really let me down tonight, Brooklyn.” Mick Foley picked this up in a Facebook post also written along the same lines.
However, as of last night, the WWE Universal Championship has never meant more and the reason is because of the four men competing for it. I have to give credit to the WWE Creative Team and the wrestlers that competed for the title last night in a Fatal 4-Way elimination match as they made that Championship seem like not only the top title on Raw but in the entire WWE.
Now this is not to take anything away from Finn Bálor. I’m sure, had he not vacated the championship, that he would have done an excellent job of showing the title meant something, but circumstances meant the WWE had to act fast and this meant putting 4 of their top talents in a main event match that was worthy of a pay-per-view.
With the introduction of the WWE draft, I have been compelled to watch Raw and SmackDown live as they happen so as not to miss out. And though they haven’t disappointed, SmackDown Live has been the better show for me since the brand split. However, with this new title and last night’s main event, the blue brand has a lot to do to win this week.
The fantastic promo at the start of WWE Raw involving all 4 competitors and the fabulous Corey Graves really caught the attention of fans everywhere, as each wrestler put their case forward as to why they wanted to be the champion, why they deserved to be the champion, and why they would be the champion. It immediately gave the match a bigger feel than it originally had and the placing and style of the promo was a genius move.
Throughout the show, vignettes aired for each contender, as they would if this was to headline a pay-per-view. These were brilliantly put together and really made a case for each competitor to be placed at the top of the mountain to run the company. To be fair, each one of them did have a claim and it was becoming increasingly hard to predict who would take the title at the end of the night.
As the main event rolled around, I was already on the edge of my seat in anticipation of what I would see. Who would be eliminated first? Who would win? Death, taxes, and Rollins beats Reigns? I wasn’t disappointed.
All 4 men put their bodies on the line and gave us everything they had in what was one of the best matches on Raw in recent memory. They all showed that the title was the most important thing in the world to them and as Seth Rollins and Mick Foley pointed out just last week, this is all that matters. This was proven last night. Gone were the boos, the jeering at the colour and design of the championship; people knew they were seeing a fantastic match for the top title on the flagship show.
A new star was made in Big Cass who, despite being eliminated first, showed he could hang with the main eventers. His imposing figure made for some great moments in the middle of the ring with the big dog Roman Reigns. He will be a big star to come in the future but that’s another article altogether.
The crowd were brilliant at last night’s Raw. They were into all the matches and it just shows how much a crowd reaction can shape an atmosphere and a main event. And there will be people who say “well WWE should please the crowd” etc. But they didn’t do anything wrong with the title. It’s Raw branded, therefore it’s red. Get over it! That’s exactly what the crowd did last night. They focused on the talent, focused on the wrestling and it elevated the stars, the belt, and the show.
Triple H shaped the main event by essentially choosing the winner. First exacting his revenge on Roman Reigns for his loss at WrestleMania 32 and letting Seth Rollins pin him. This was the first great move as it still allows him to use the catchphrase “death, taxes and Rollins beats Reigns”.
The swerve that followed resulting in Kevin Owens becoming the second ever WWE Universal Champion, though predictable in my eyes once it was just those two competitors left was brilliant too. Despite the tainted victory, nothing said how much that title meant like Kevin Owens’ reaction to winning the top championship in the company. The title meant everything to every competitor. It meant enough to The Game to make him shape the future of Raw himself.
The WWE Universal Championship, universally slammed at SummerSlam, is now the top title in the WWE thanks to one fantastic match and I can’t wait to see what happens at Clash of Champions. If the creative team come up with another fantastic main event then we’ll be in for a treat!
