RealTalkAJ

Although it wasn’t the only title match that the league stopped competition for, the World Heavyweight Championship was retired because the WWE’s brand and image had to come first.

What WWE titles were retired?

• NWA United States Television Championship
• WWF International Heavyweight Championship
• WWWF United States Heavyweight Championship
• WWF Junior Heavyweight Championship
• WWF World Martial Arts Heavyweight Championship
• WWF North American Heavyweight Championship
• WWF Canadian Championship
• Million Dollar Championship
• WWE European Championship
• WWF Light Heavyweight Championship
• WWE Cruiserweight Championship
• WCW World Heavyweight Championship
• ECW World Heavyweight Championship
• NXT Cruiserweight Championship
• NXT United Kingdom Championship
• NWA World Tag Team Championship (Northeast version)
• WWWF United States Tag Team Championship
• WWF International Tag Team Championship
• World Tag Team Championship (WWE)
• WWF Intercontinental Tag Team Championship
• WCW World Tag Team Championship
• NXT UK Tag Team Championship

I counted 23 if you also count the World Heavyweight Championship.

And that list doesn’t even count the Women’s events!

How did the world heavyweight championship affect the WWE brand?

This title match created a better division between the company’s 2 leagues, Raw and Smackdown.

Raw was the league that would always premiere on Monday nights while Smackdown would show on Fridays.

The controversy stemmed from fans speculating whether the WWE considered the World Heavyweight Champion to be inferior to the WWE Champ.

This caused the league to take action.

FAQs

Why was the Big Gold Belt retired?

The big gold belt was retired for a few reasons:

• To unify the championships
• Better brand identity
• Fresher designs
• Goal: promote their own history

Final thoughts

The WWE’s World Heavyweight Championship was retired (among others) because it affected the brand.

But how do the fans feel about it?

I got a clip that may explain best:

I personally see the aesthetics improving but the past champions were more iconic.

I’m only one person though so as long as the masses collectively speak I’m sure the brand listens.