The level of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship is being questioned by more than just the fans.
In an interview with the New York Post, AJ Styles, who will participate in the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament final at WWE Night of Champions to crown the first holder of this title in a decade, addressed if he feels this belt is secondary to Roman Reigns’ Undisputed WWE Universal Championship.
“Is it a secondary?” Styles said in a Zoom interview. “Well if the Raw championship is held by Roman, the SmackDown championship is held by Roman, then how can you argue that it’s not? We had to make a new championship because Roman holds them all.
“What happens if he decides to wrestle for the World Heavyweight championship? It is what it is and we got what we got. If we make the best of it, and if and when Roman does challenge [for it], we beat the brakes off of him, whomever it might be, then we’ll see what title’s secondary.”
The initial perception is WWE created this title because Reigns currently holds both the Raw and SmackDown titles and looks set to remain champion beyond 1,000 days. He shows no sign of losing any time soon, thus resulting in this title’s existence.
WWE can book Reigns to fight for the title, as Styles is right, though they risk booking themselves into a deeper corner than when the WWE and Universal titles were unified. That ruins the point of the World Heavyweight Championship’s return, so it’s hard to see WWE heading down this route.
It’s otherwise up to Styles and Seth Rollins, and others who follow, to make the title feel important. There were issues before WWE retired the World Heavyweight Championship in 2013, but with the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship often absent, this belt can become the more recognizable of the two for merely appearing frequently.