I was recently discussing the current status of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and it got me thinking, maybe I should write something about it. One key word springs to mind when I think of the title, and that word is oversaturation.
What do I mean by oversaturation? Putting it simply, it is the state of overusing something to the point it diminishes the overall meaning and/or the product. Many TV shows and franchises have become oversaturated. When I think of oversaturated franchises, I think of The Simpsons, Mortal Kombat, Star Trek and Professional Wrestling. I could go on and on naming products that were seriously popular back in their day, but I will stop there
You have probably witnessed this yourself. Have you ever become a fan of something, only to become bored with it? Did they play the episodes too much? Did they run out of funny material? What about music? Was your new favourite song killed after hearing it dozens of times in a week? Oversaturation is something we all experience on some level, and wrestling is no different. Wrestling is always on somewhere, just think about the WWE schedule:
- Monday – Raw (3 Hours)
- Tuesday – Main Event (1 Hour)
- Thursday – NXT (1 Hour)
- Friday – Smackdown (2 Hours) & Superstars (1 Hour)
- Sunday – PPV (3 Hours once a month)
If you watched all of the above programming, you would be watching at least eight hours of wrestling a week. What happens then is that you tend to skip shows, especially the smaller shows, and maybe even Smackdown. You could add another two hours if you watch TNA Impact Wrestling on Wednesdays. On a week that includes a WWE PPV, if you watched all WWE programming, and TNA Wrestling, you would be watching wrestling every single day, except on Saturday. That’s quite a lot isn’t it?
Think about this … if WWE stripped away all the smaller shows, and Smackdown, and all we got was Raw on a Monday, would you have more reason to tune in? Of course you would. You would want that wrestling fix, and going a full week with no WWE is almost unimaginable in the business today. There would be a lot more buzz surrounding Raw that’s for sure.
And with that said, I finally touch on the actual subject, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Since the 1990’s, the WWF/WWE Championship has been defended on almost every PPV, and the TV shows of Raw and Smackdown. This happened more and more as PPV became a big moneymaker for WWE. The Attitude Era was filled with World title matches, not just in the WWF, but in WCW as well. It was normal to see the title defended in the fast paced and competitive environment. If one company wasn’t defending the title, you could guarantee the other company was doing all they could to hype a title match. There wasn’t much choice but to use the title consistently, and it was bearable, because we had wrestlers like Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock keeping things fresh.
I lost some interest in the WWE Championship after the Attitude Era, especially after JBL defended it on Smackdown. I lost even more interest when the (as I like to call them) terrible trio of John Cena, Randy Orton and Batista fought over it. Batista was the World Heavyweight Champion (Big Gold Belt) more than WWE Champion, but that’s just another valid point. Having two World Championships diminished the importance of each title, and I first talked about a unification over five years ago. I was tired of the Cena/Orton show by 2009, and I started watching TNA because it was something fresh and different. That was the only reason, I was tired of the oversaturated WWE product. It was far too predictable and boring.
The WWWF/WWF World Heavyweight Championship was made prestigious by having the title on the line sparingly. It wasn’t every week or two, it was more like, every two or three months. They didn’t have anywhere near the amount of shows as they do now, and it made those shows must-see. That’s how legends are formed, when people really want to see a show, and recognize the importance of a match.
And then you have Brock Lesnar. A man who fought hard during his first run against opponents like Kurt Angle and The Undertaker, Brock Lesnar returned and signed a part-time contract. When people assume Brock Lesnar has a part-time contract because that’s how he wants it, I have to laugh. Any contract decision is a mutual agreement, and it was reported that Vince McMahon and Triple H didn’t want Brock Lesnar to be full-time, because it would take away from his aura. That’s exactly what happened on his first run with the company. Lesnar started out as a monster, quickly transitioned into a champion, and just a short time later, became another face in the crowd. No one really cared about Brock Lesnar by the time he fought Goldberg at Wrestlemania in 2004, he had been around too much, and he didn’t have the fire he once had.
Lesnar is a former UFC Champion, and they fight with many months in-between. The part-time contract suits him even more because of that fact. He remains fresh, he doesn’t get burnt out, and when he appears, you know he means business. Lesnar has instilled these traits to the new WWE World Heavyweight Championship, and he is holding the belt at the right time for WWE.
Just think about the current WWE landscape. You have John Cena and Randy Orton, they could still hold the title, but I think WWE has finally realized we need something else. Daniel Bryan is injured, otherwise he would probably still have it. Who’s left? No one. Batista’s return was a failure, CM Punk is not around, and the only two full time wrestlers who are ready to hold the belt are Cena and Orton. I don’t know about you, but I would rather see the title part time on someone like Lesnar, then see it on Cena and Orton AGAIN.
Having the title on Lesnar means WWE do not have to defend the title on every PPV, therefore it opens up a big space on any PPV card to get new talent over. As you may have noticed, Ambrose, Rollins and Rusev have been pushed heavily as of late. WWE are in a crossover period, with the old names becoming too old (and oversaturated), and at the same time, the newer names are not quite ready. It would be amazing to see someone like Ambrose or Rollins with the title, but they ain’t over yet, they need more time for sure. Rusev is the same, he is being built up as a super heel, and seeing The Rock confront Rusev told me how much faith WWE has in Rusev’s future. You don’t put The Rock in with someone like Rusev unless you really want to make a new main event star. It was almost like a passing of the torch.
The main point of this article is to highlight how seeing less of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship is actually a good thing. It’s a classic business strategy, and it’s something WWE hasn’t been able to do for a long time. PPV cost fans every month, so WWE felt like they had to give a WWE Championship match to justify the price tag. They have the WWE network now, so PPV can be seen for $9.99. They no longer feel obligated to provide a WWE Championship match for every PPV, they can get away with it.
Defending the WWE World Heavyweight Championship should be a special occasion, and that is exactly what we get with Brock Lesnar. Every match with Lesnar for the title is crucial for fans because the result is more important than ever before. The suspense is something fans are not used too, we are so used to seeing the title belt, we are so used to having title main events at PPV. You can’t always appreciate what you have until it is taken away. We have not seen the new title belt much since the unification. We haven’t even had the time to get used to it, but that’s OK. It won’t stay on Lesnar forever, and it won’t stay part-time forever, it is taking a break from the spotlight, before it inevitably returns to what the fans are used too.
So don’t feel angry because there is no title match at Hell in a Cell. Appreciate the fact that we have a match like Ambrose vs Rollins so far up the card, and that could only be achieved without having Brock Lesnar around. You can always have too much of a good thing, and in this instance, the WWE World Heavyweight Championship has taken a step back, and hopefully this will help to renew the importance, and diminish the oversaturation.
Have a nice day!
