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WWE's Titles Must All Mean Something If Roman Reigns Isn't Defending
Roman Reigns and his unified title won't be on WWE as much moving forward - which means that the Intercontinental and U.S. Titles must be built up.

WWE's Titles Must All Mean Something If Roman Reigns Isn't Defending

If Undisputed WWE Universal Champion Roman Reigns is going to be allowed to skip premium live events and not defend the unified title, then the Intercontinental and United States Championships must be booked to mean something again. As of May 13th, 2022, Ricochet holds the Intercontinental title and has for two months. Meanwhile, Theory recently won the United States Championship and seems primed for a lengthy run with the strap.

WWE’s goal is to make Roman Reigns feel larger than life; like a Brock Lesnar or John Cena. That means he’ll appear on television screens and house shows less frequently. Recent reports indicate that his new contract will allow him to work fewer dates, and the veteran has certainly earned the right to a leaner schedule. Fans might not like it, but that’s what is coming down the pipe regarding WWE programming.

There’s nothing wrong with treating the unified champion and Tribal Cheif as attractions to move tickets and sell bigger shows like SummerSlam. Or at least, there wouldn’t be if anyone else on the roster was made to feel like a main-event attraction, be it on the male or female side of WWE. There’s a chance that Reigns won’t defend WWE’s unified title until Money In the Bank. Yet that show isn’t until early July, and, if that turns out to be the case, Theory, and Ricochet—or at least the belts they currently hold—need to be built up to be a bigger deal than they have been over the last year.

Lately, the Intercontinental Championship has been treated more like a dark match or Main Event title than the workhorse title that it used to be.  The last time Ricochet defended the championship against a serious contender on SmackDown was April 15th. That’s nearly an entire month between meaningful title defenses, and it’s an absolute waste of one of WWE’s most prestigious and historical championships. If WWE doesn’t feel like Ricochet moves the needle enough to hold the belt, then it is time for them to shift it and start to rebuild credibility.

It seems WWE is already heading in that direction on Monday Night Raw. The higher-ups in WWE believe Theory could be a Cena-level star, and giving him a lengthy and dominant run with the United States Championship will be a suitable start, both for him and the belt itself. He seems to get better on the mic every week, is a fantastic heel worker, and at 24, has more than two decades in front of him as a performer.

In this way, both titles give the WWE brand an opportunity to have its cake and eat it too. They can keep the unified title off the television and save it for big shows while creating larger stars by making the Intercontinental and United States titles feel significant. Fans still fondly remember Cena’s “Open Challenge” run with the U.S. Championship and how it quickly became a highlight of the show. There’s a chance for WWE to circle back to those kinds of sentiments, and that’d be a win-win for both fans, the promotion, and the superstars who are defending these titles.