WWE first unveiled the new World Heavyweight Championship in 2023 to crown a new champion for “WWE RAW” after then-Undisputed WWE Champion Roman Reigns became exclusive to “WWE SmackDown.” The first champion, Seth Rollins, went to great lengths to make the belt legitimate, and since then, Damian Priest and now GUNTHER have won the title.
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According to Nic Nemeth, he said on a recent episode of Busted Open Radio that the belt was credible, but added that WWE should take further steps to legitimize the title.
“It’s not the worst thing if you could say, ‘Hey, Randy Orton is holding this up and it counts as one of his world titles,'” Nemeth said.
Additionally, Nemeth claimed that some view the title as “Intercontinental Championship Plus” and that Randy Orton wearing the belt could give it some much-needed credibility. “So when/if he gets it, that’s a big deal,” he said.
Nevertheless, Nemeth made it clear that while GUNTHER’s reign counted, the fact that Orton held the belt above his head would add some of his 20-year career to the championship.
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“That would be something where you could say, ‘Hey, man, that’s not a consolation prize for anyone anymore.’ Even the harshest critics would say they made something out of it because of their long-term booking,” Nemeth said.
Orton’s current feud with GUNTHER continues to heat up ahead of their match at Bash in Berlin, and this week “The Viper” took retaliation, hitting the champion with an RKO as “RAW” went off the air.
When using quotes from this article, please credit Busted Open Radio and provide ah/t Wrestling Inc. for transcription.
