Dear WWE Viewers, Please Give this 24/7 Championship a Chance

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WWE introduced a brand new 24/7 Championship during the third hour of WWE Raw on May 20, 2019. Much like the WWF Hardcore Championship during the Attitude Era, this belt features a stipulation that its holder must defend it anytime, anywhere, and any place. WWE acknowledged that championship changes can occur via social media. Proper booking would have everyone guessing on the next title change.

Initial reaction wasn’t positive. Mick Foley introduced the belt to crowd disapproval. Twitter followers buried the segment. They didn’t appear pleased with its cartoonish appearance. Vince McMahon and/or the creative team seem obsessed with making their titles look like they should appear on Butterbean’s Cafe or Sunny Day. Is WWE incapable of creating a championship belt with a proper logo? It’s like dressing up in an expensive tuxedo but you’re untucked, display poor hygiene, and never had it tailored to fit you. The careless appearance weakens the credibility of a potentially great concept. Stop giving viewers a reason to criticize.

Maybe WWE can change the 24/7 Championship belt? Regardless, something amazing happened. As title changes and segments continued throughout the night, Twitter fans became…positive? People who initially criticized the concept were enjoying it once R-Truth got involved. Younger fans were learning what older fans knew long ago: that a 24/7 Championship provides a great time-filler for the midcard.

Condemn me as a nostalgia fanboy. I always loved this concept. The 24/7 Championship creates many opportunities for unique, fun segments. Check out these YouTube embeds for just a few of the most well-known moments created with this stipulation:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA6UDlT1i4s
If you were offended about three title changes in one hour, then don’t waste your time watching this last video…

Critics are labeling this as a jobber title. The same people who complained about lack of television time for lower midcarders are now complaining when there’s a championship created specifically to get everyone involved every week. Wrestlers who barely appeared once per month now have a chance to produce crowd reactions.

Needless negativity. Fans have become overly critical because WWE hasn’t given them much to enjoy. Viewers are always convincing themselves that every idea is either ignorant or that it will inevitably fail. They’re usually right. I’m usually right there with ya’ll. Even when something captures everyone’s attention (e.g. Bray Wyatt), it’s like, “How long before 50/50 booking makes him nearly meaningless like he was for the last five years before his abscence?”

This 24/7 Championship is a great concept. Don’t over-analyze this. The title isn’t meant to take seriously; it’s all about fun. The entire roster gets a chance to showcase themselves. While this won’t create new fans, it’s meant to provide entertainment for current viewers. Think of it as the creme in the Oreo. The current product doesn’t have much filling. This helps. Creative should have a hard time botching this.

Remember that we’re talking about the lower half of the midcard. Isn’t this better than seeing everyone waste away in random tag teams? Were you wanting more toilet humor? Spice it up a bit. Maybe a 24/7 Championship run gets someone over and elevates them into a decent push up the card? The reality is that not every wrestler can get booked as a top draw. Those wrestlers still need featured.

This should appeal to younger fans who don’t take everything too seriously. Nostalgia means it’ll appeal to Attitude Era fans. It’ll appeal to fans of wrestlers who don’t receive as much airtime. People who want to enjoy the product and not solely over-analyze can approve of it. Just wait until they start defending it outside of WWE venues.

Following up this strong idea with a quality creative process would make a fine start toward turning around the product. Foley alluded to the third hour getting more “Raw.” I’d love for that to mean something closer to an hour of TV-14 (I know, wishful dreaming). A third hour featuring a 24/7 Championship booked more hardcore than anyone expects, Wyatt allowed to get darker with his character, and a strong main event angle during the last hour? Turning a weakness into—like Sheamus loves to say—“Last set, best set.”

R-Truth already having fun with it on social media…

https://twitter.com/LivLifeWWE/status/1131149924152647681

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Joshua Huffman was born and edumacated in Middle Tennessee. He has published content for Yahoo! Sports (via Contributor Network) and Titan Sized, among other venues. At SoBros, he’ll provide Daily Fantasy Sports suggestions and broad sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter (although I rarely use it).

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