10 Things WWE Wants You To Forget About 2023

9. The Launch Of The World Heavyweight Title

Austin Theory fail
WWE.com

Triple H had a great year in 2023 - he was right to be smug and defiant in the aftermath of WrestleMania 39 - but he had a nightmare when introducing the World Heavyweight title back in April.

A few weeks after shaking the hand of Roman Reigns on the Raw after WrestleMania - a visual endorsement - Triple H explained that the Undisputed WWE Universal title situation was good for Roman Reigns, who he had endorsed, but not "good for WWE". Roman had taken WWE for a ride, in effect, and since nobody was good enough to beat him, the also-rans needed something to fight over. This was the actual canonical thought process behind launching the new title.

Moreover, Triple H's explanation also posed questions over WWE's creative process in retrospect. If WWE did not endorse Roman's conduct as champion, and indeed resented his chokehold over the title scene in his capacity as a part-time attraction, why didn't the company take measures - fair measures - to prevent that from happening?

Surely, WWE should have stipulated - at some point over the prior year - that Roman were to lose the belts in the event that the Bloodline interfered in his matches.

WWE, in order to get that logo front and centre, didn't score the easy tap-in by bringing back the 'Big Gold Belt' nor its worthy enough 2000s lineage. The new design was ugly, like somebody had taken a big embossed dump on an elegant design, which hardly helped.

If nothing else, HHH set the tone...

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champion Kenny Omega, present AEW World Champion MJF, and surefire Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!