With the WWE brand split in effect, Triple H announced a new World Heavyweight Championship that will be exclusive to Raw since SmackDown drafted Roman Reigns, who’s on the verge of a 1,000-day run as WWE Undisputed Champion. Reigns works a part-time schedule, and there’s a chance he won’t drop the title anytime soon, so a new top championship at least leaves both brands with major titles.
Besides crowning the first titleholder at Night of Champions, details were scarce on the build-up. However, at Friday’s WWE Backlash press conference, Triple H announced that a World Heavyweight Championship Tournament would begin on the Monday, May 8 episode of Raw.
The tournament will happen across both brands. It begins on Raw with two triple-threat matches with a bout later that night to determine the show’s representative. The same will happen on SmackDown later that week. The winners will then wrestle at Night of Champions to determine the World Heavyweight Champion.
🚨🚨🚨@TripleH announces that THIS MONDAY on #WWERaw, the World Heavyweight Championship Tournament will begin!#WWEBacklash pic.twitter.com/3mJNW0oGKt
— WWE (@WWE) May 5, 2023
This match will presumably headline Night of Champions, especially if Reigns isn’t involved. Plus, placing the World Heavyweight Championship in the main event showcases its importance and not as any other title.
Interestingly, wrestlers from both brands will compete for the title. The World Heavyweight Championship is exclusive to Raw, so if the winner comes from SmackDown, someone will swap brands only three weeks after the show split goes into effect.
The match being Raw wrestlers-only could have immediately enforced the brand split. While Reigns’ appearances with the WWE Undisputed Championship are sporadic, keeping talent exclusive to their new shows can establish some type of precedent to make the new format work. Instead, this potentially indicates a loose divide between brands.
The focus shifts to who will compete for the World Heavyweight Championship. With SmackDown and Backlash yet to happen this weekend, the answers are around the corner.