Welcome to the final edition of the March to WrestleMania 36, breaking down the environment around all the championships heading into the biggest show of the year to set the tone for 1) recapping how we got to this point, 2) discussing possible plans for WrestleMania and 3) guessing where this all going to end up once WrestleMania has concluded.
Note: Obviously, the coronavirus has left WrestleMania up in the air. This series assumes that it will still happen (as WWE continues to advertise it) and exists to bring casual viewers up to speed with information they’ve missed out on by not watching recent events.
Let’s jump in…
THE 24/7 CHAMPIONSHIP
Who is the current champion?
Riddick Moss came up from NXT at random to stand alongside Mojo Rawley as his “offensive lineman.” The intention was for Moss to protect Rawley from people like R-Truth trying to steal the title at random.
While Rawley had a little luck with this, Moss only lasted a couple of weeks before he turned on his partner. On February 10th, Moss pinned Rawley to win the 24/7 Championship and hasn’t looked back.
Strangely enough, for a belt that changed hands 93 times in less than a year, Moss has been able to hold onto it longer than anyone. He’s at the 34 day mark, which beats R-Truth’s previous record of 20 days from December.
Clearly, either Paul Heyman, Vince McMahon or both see something in Moss that they’re rewarding. He isn’t the United States champion, but he’s bringing more legitimacy to the 24/7 title as a backup option.
Moss has defended the belt in actual matches over the past few weeks, rather than just running around backstage. While that was amazing in some ways for R-Truth, Drake Maverick and company, it ran its course a bit, too. Now that Moss is treating it like another title, it’s both a blessing and a curse.
It’s no longer as “fun” of a belt and it’s lost its gimmick. Why bother having a title that can be defended 24/7 if it’s just going to be used in matches like anything else? On the other hand, the more people like Ricochet that Moss beats, the better he looks and the more the title seems like an actual championship, rather than a gold and green hot potato.
Who will challenge for the title at WrestleMania?
I’m fairly confident in saying nobody will, unless it’s on the kickoff.
WrestleMania is in such shambles right now that we may not even get the event at all. If we do, it may not be anything close to what it was supposed to be. At Raymond James Stadium, with 6+ hours of programming, there may have been room for a quick match.
But even in that scenario, who would care? I think if you polled most people and asked them if they’d rather see Moss vs. someone for 5-10 minutes or just add that time to another match, they’d go with the latter.
However, there’s a caveat. This is still the 24/7 title. Technically, it’s always up for being defended.
Just because Moss hasn’t been attacked backstage recently doesn’t mean it won’t happen again. WrestleMania could’ve been the perfect time for something like that. R-Truth could sneak a title win. Someone could capture it in the middle of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal. So on and so forth.
I don’t think it’s in WWE’s plans, though, mostly because I don’t think WWE cares enough. WrestleMania is about the big marquee matches more than anything else. The rest of the card just gets filled in closer to the show.
If and when WrestleMania happens, Moss and the 24/7 title will be one of the last things discussed. In any scenario, it could be one of the first things cut from the show if it runs long.
What happens at and after WrestleMania?
Since Moss has been booked well, even if he were to lose this title, I think he’d be bouncing back. Ultimately, it depends on what WWE’s priority is.
Do they plan on using Moss as a more legitimate midcarder going forward? If so, he doesn’t need this belt. He can drop it and fight for the United States title instead.
But if there’s no set plans for what to do with him, keeping the 24/7 title may be how he stays relevant. In that scenario, no matter what happens with him at WrestleMania, he could still have this belt around his waist.
Keep the discussion going by leaving your comments below and telling us what you think about this title situation for WrestleMania 36!
