WWE is reportedly considering a major SummerSlam title change that would set up a blockbuster ... [+]
WWE is considering a major title change at SummerSlam that will have WrestleMania implications.
According to Dave Meltzer of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter (h/t Sportskeeda), WWE has discussed having Randy Orton defeat Drew McIntyre for the WWE Championship in order to set up a title match between Orton and his longtime rival Edge at WrestleMania 37 next March. Meltzer noted that while this idea is “on the board,” there are others within WWE who are pushing for McIntyre to retain the belt rather than putting it on an established star in Orton.
McIntyre has held the WWE Championship since April, when he defeated Brock Lesnar at WrestleMania 36, and though he’s been booked strongly and performed well as champion, his title reign has been hampered by the lack of an audience during the Performance Center Era of fan-less shows. During that span, McIntyre has cemented himself as a perennial main eventer, but as noted by Meltzer, WWE has “peaked” the Scottish superstar during a bizarre period in which the absence of fans has been detrimental to the overall quality of his reign, which is one reason why AEW has largely held off on booking big moments like this amid the Covid-19 pandemic.
Of course, McIntyre can’t really be faulted for that, but with Raw viewership remaining incredibly disappointing during his reign, there has long been speculation that WWE could choose to put the title on a more established talent like Orton. This situation has been further complicated by seemingly contradictory statements made by Vince McMahon. Shortly after WrestleMania 36, the WWE Chairman and CEO blamed Raw’s plummeting audience on the absence of marquee stars like Lesnar, but he’s also reportedly expressed his desire to create new stars backstage and has even essentially said so himself publicly.
The presumed SummerSlam main event of Orton vs. McIntyre will certainly test that and shed some light on whether McMahon will stick with the new old school or new school moving forward.
The decision McMahon makes regarding the outcome of this big SummerSlam match will also tell us a lot about what is going on behind the scenes in WWE. McMahon is reportedly considering replacing Bruce Prichard with his son Shane as head of Raw’s creative team, and it’s no secret that Prichard prefers pushing established and proven talent at the top of the card. That explains why part-time attractions like Goldberg and Lesnar have held the world title during his current tenure as one of Raw’s top creative minds.
Although WWE has drawn widespread criticism for its heavy reliance on these veteran part-time stars—ranging from The Undertaker to Goldberg to Lesnar, just to name a few—the company hasn’t shown any hesitation when it comes to putting gold around their waists and/or having them feud for world championships. While he is one of the most accomplished stars in all of WWE, Orton is more of a full-timer than a part-timer these days and is doing the best work of his career as a character, making this is a more unique booking situation for WWE.
The question WWE has to ask itself is, really, quite simple: Should Orton or McIntyre be the WWE Champion for the long haul?
While McIntyre has demonstrated that he could and should be a “top guy” for the foreseeable future, a quick Google Trends search demonstrates that he isn’t nearly as well known as Orton is. At a time when WWE is desperate to hang on to the small audience it has left, there is a case to be made for the incredibly talented and more recognizable Orton to beat McIntyre for the WWE Championship in the near future, whether that be at this week’s SummerSlam, next week’s Payback or at some point later this fall. On that same note, the idea of Orton holding onto the belt just to have a third match with a 46-year-old part-timer in Edge isn’t exactly a riveting one, even though their rivalry has been stellar.
The problem with putting the title on Orton and then building toward that match is that it will render the WWE Championship picture predictable, if not downright meaningless, between now and WrestleMania 37, while setting the stage for an injury-prone part-timer to potentially win Raw’s most coveted title at its flagship pay-per-view. Despite Edge and Orton having a fantastic rivalry this year, that could do more long-term damage for WWE’s full-time stars and the WWE title than expected while also stopping McIntyre’s momentum in its tracks.
Though giving Orton a brief run with the WWE Championship isn’t a bad idea given how well he’s been performing, WWE must be careful about how that’s booked, and it must avoid the temptation of sacrificing McIntyre just for an Edge title win.
After all, didn’t WWE learn its lesson with Goldberg’s victory over Bray Wyatt and Lesnar’s constant title reigns?
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMieWh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmZvcmJlcy5jb20vc2l0ZXMvYmxha2VvZXN0cmllY2hlci8yMDIwLzA4LzIyL3d3ZS1tYXktYm9vay1odWdlLXN1bW1lcnNsYW0tdGl0bGUtY2hhbmdlLXdyZXN0bGVtYW5pYS0zNy1tYXRjaC_SAX1odHRwczovL3d3dy5mb3JiZXMuY29tL3NpdGVzL2JsYWtlb2VzdHJpZWNoZXIvMjAyMC8wOC8yMi93d2UtbWF5LWJvb2staHVnZS1zdW1tZXJzbGFtLXRpdGxlLWNoYW5nZS13cmVzdGxlbWFuaWEtMzctbWF0Y2gvYW1wLw?oc=5
2020-08-22 13:10:00Z
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