The landscape of WWE’s modern era has been a remarkable sight to witness with the global juggernaut possessing state-of-the-art technology, producing spectacular shows across the United States and overseas, generating record-shattering business, and most importantly, having world-class athletes on their rosters.
Under the former WWE management, a distinctive part that was witnessed was top-caliber WWE superstars having lengthy title reigns under their belt, something that was possibly borrowed from the golden era of wrestling. Out of them, the top three names whose runs have been perceived as credible title reigns in WWE today have been established by Gunther, Rhea Ripley, and the flagship star of the company, Roman Reigns.
Gunther set the record for the longest-reigning WWE Intercontinental title reign at 666 days before losing to Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 40. The Eradicator, Rhea Ripley held the WWE Women’s World title for an amazing 380 days, with her run beginning at WrestleMania 39 when she defeated Charlotte Flair. However, WWE’s resident Mami saw the end of her reign right after WrestleMania 40 when she was attacked by Liv Morgan and was forced to vacate the title due to injury.
Above all, the most historic reign of the modern era and perhaps, one of the greatest title reigns in WWE history was set by Roman Reigns. The Head of the Table won the World Championship at WWE Payback 2020 and defended his title against likes of top stars such as John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Finn Balor, and Jey Uso en route to establishing his nearly four-year-long reign that has solidified his position as one of the greatest WWE superstars of all time. However, Reigns’ impressive run as champion came to its conclusion at the hands of The American Nightmare Cody Rhodes in the main event of WrestleMania 40 Sunday which saw one of the most spectacular match finishes in the history of the grand spectacle.
These dominant and impressive title reigns in the modern era, although will always be etched in the history books of WWE, their extended runs had a mixed impact on the company and its pool of WWE superstars.
What is the mixed impact of lengthy WWE title reigns?
As in the case of Roman Reigns, his reign had an aura of its own and made it a special and blockbuster attraction that had the fans mesmerized every time they witnessed it around the waist of The Tribal Chief on WWE TV. This was evident by the “We Want Roman” chants echoing through arenas since WrestleMania 40 by the same fans who once heckled him for not being a fighting champion.
However, due to his part-time schedule, the top WWE championship was absent for an extended time period with its rich history and lineage taking a major blow. While legendary stars like Bruno Sammartino, Bret Hart, and John Cena instilled credibility with their title defenses regularly, Roman Reigns’ title reign did arouse the debate of tarnishing its legacy by a certain section of fans and critics alike.
Moreover, a part-time champion who made limited appearances to extend his title reign easily also meant a lack of opportunities for the entire WWE roster to ascend to the next level. This was a major reason for WWE CCO Triple H to introduce the World Heavyweight Championship as a counterpart to the Undisputed WWE Championship and established as the workhorse title by its inaugural holder, Seth Rollins. A similar stance can be made for Rhea Ripley who although made regular appearances on WWE’s televised programming, still made irregular title defenses during her reign.
Furthermore, WWE’s booking to establish Rhea Ripley as a much more dominant force of nature with a lengthy title reign, despite already being a popular top star derailed the ascension of stars to main event status such as Liv Morgan, Ivy Nile, Zoey Stark, and most famously Zelina Vega in front of her hometown of Puerto Rico, the sight of WWE’s first PLE there, Backlash where the audience was erupting for her coronation as champion.
But in the case of Gunther’s WWE Intercontinental Championship reign, it was much more positive than the reigns of Rhea Ripley and Roman Reigns. The Ring General was much more regular in his title defenses and delivered highly exceptional in-ring bouts against stars like Chad Gable, Sheamus, Ricochet, and Drew McIntyre which also elevated his opponents even in defeat, and shed a major spotlight on both competitors equally.
As witnessed, with WWE ushering into the Triple H era at WrestleMania 40, all of the aforementioned title reigns came to their demise at the onset of a new regime. This possibly indicates a change in creative direction in regards to title reigns in the future, but they can obviously pivot witnessing the events that pan out and reactions from the fans.
Therefore, it can be said that the impact of lengthy WWE title reigns had its pros and cons on the members of the roster with anticipation building among the fanbase if they would witness another historic title run by any WWE superstar in the new era of the company.
Whar are your thoughts on lengthy WWE title reigns in the modern era of the company? Share your thoughts in the comments!