Opinion

5 Most Frustrating Things About the Universal Championship

Published

7 years ago

June 30, 2018

The Universal Championship has been a WWE “World Title” since its creation in 2016. Through it’s history of ups and downs though, it has always been a bit of a frustrating belt, one that seems to lack any real meaning especially because WWE tends to treat it like it’s more important than ACTUAL WWE CHAMPIONSHIP over on SmackDown. So rather than thrash and complain to other people in person like a normal human being, I decided to write a few grievances about the red strapped newcomer.

Goldberg Squashed Kevin Owens to Win It

Royal Rumble 2017 was a generally decent event in my opinion, and even though I knew pretty well what was going to be the result in the Universal Championship match of the evening, I was quite excited for the match. At this time Goldberg, yes Goldberg, made a surprising WWE return a few months prior and offed Brock Lesnar in less than three minutes at Survivor Series. That ending came as a shock to myself and many others, but when Goldberg was positioned to fight then Universal Champion Kevin Owens at Royal Rumble, the concern started to seep in.

We all knew that the Lesnar/Goldberg feud would be resolved at WrestleMania, but we just didn’t know for sure if it would involve the Universal Championship. Kevin Owens was doing a decent job with the title and was establishing a great rivalry with best friend Chris Jericho, so at the time I was hoping that would be a main event at WrestleMania 33.

I thought Brock would interfere and cost Goldberg the match or that Goldberg would eat Kevin Owens, and unfortunately the latter took place. Even though he lost from a Jericho distraction, it would have been real nice to see WWE position KO as an actual threat to Goldberg rather than a doofy turnstile that Goldberg had to walk through to get on the Lesnar express.

Finn Balor’s Rematch Clause(?)

I feel like every week on RAW, one of the commentators (mostly Michael Cole) mentions that Finn Balor was the first Universal champion. He totally was, but you wouldn’t know it because the guy has never even touched the tip of that title since he was forced to relinquish it due to an injury. He never lost the title, and by WWE logic that’s grounds for a rematch clause of sorts.

You can imagine if Roman Reigns had to relinquish the title due to injury that the big dog would receive a rematch clause on a silver platter once he got his big dog paws all fixed. It’s strange how Finn Balor has not received that opportunity quite yet. Though Finn may not be the most over guy on the roster, you could imagine that if AJ Styles could put on a great match with Lesnar, that Balor could at least give a well-fought performance.

Roman’s Destiny

Since Brock Lesnar won the Universal Championship back at WrestleMania 33, it has almost been a given that Roman Reigns would be the one to beat him for it. From WrestleMania 33 on, we all at some point accepted that Lesnar would fight Reigns again in New Orleans at WrestleMania 34. And they did. Reigns lost, which was a shocker, but they did have another match. It seemed that all of 2017 was aimed at building Reigns more and giving him even more accolades so that he could receive another coronation at another WrestleMania.

Although it seems the company is moving more towards Braun Strowman in recent months as “the guy,” I still have this terrible feeling that Reigns will again fight Brock Lesnar and this time win the Universal Championship. He could lose afterwards to a Braun cash in, but my god do I never want to see Reigns and Lesnar in the main event title picture ever again.

It’s Not The WWE Championship

Speaking of “main event title picture,” what ever happened to the WWE Championship, the most historic and prestigious championship title, main eventing dual branded shows? I’m sure nobody wanted to see Reigns vs. Samoa Joe main event Backlash 2018 instead of AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. I’m sure that nobody wanted Reigns vs. Lesnar for the Universal title to main event WrestleMania 34 instead of AJ Styles vs. Shinsuke Nakamura. However, the WWE clearly thinks that the Universal Championship and everything revolving around the Universal Championship is more of a main event than the WWE Championship.

This could partly be a RAW vs. SmackDown issue, but it’s mostly rooted in each title and it’s champions and contenders. WWE clearly likes Reigns more than AJ Styles, WWE clearly thinks Lesnar is where the money’s at, WWE clearly cares more about who is number one contender to Brock than who is the actual WWE champion. These are just things I’ve noticed in the past year or so. It’s unfortunate, but as long as dual branded PPVs continue, the WWE Championship will essentially fill the show as a glorified Intercontinental Championship.

It’s Still on Brock Lesnar

So in the wonderful world of kayfabe, Brock Lesnar is now “up in the air” for a title defense in the near future, aka SummerSlam. This caused General Manager Kurt Angle to “cancel” the number one contenders match at Extreme Rules, which is a decision that definitely makes no sense.

Who cares if Lesnar can’t come in for a match? What does that have to do with deciding who his opponent will be if he comes down to tango again? Frustrations of that aside, Lesnar has surpassed CM Punk’s 434 day world title reign, and has defended the Universal Championship a miniscule amount of times compared to Punk. Also, considering the Universal title and the WWE title are two different entities, Lesar really only set the record as far as the Universal title is concerned.

Lesnar’s reign has decent points though. Though he never defends the title, I do like that when he does it has a very important feeling to it. I like his UFC-like schedule sometimes, it makes sense for his contract and for the way WWE wants to portray him. What is not great however, is how long this reign has been. This is simply too long for this gimmick, and it will be refreshing to have a champion on RAW every week no matter who it is. Overall, Brock Lesnar’s reign has been a bit boring, and also the Universal Championship is not a prestigious enough of a title to warrant all this fuss.

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Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Money In The Bank

Extra, extra read all about it… Chairshot Staff picks are in!!!

Published

19 hours ago

June 6, 2025

PC Tunney

Sing it with me… money money money money moneeeeeeeeeyeeeeee… everybody’s got a price! MONEY IN THE BANK is here!!! How money will our staff picks be?!?

AJ – Roxanne Perez
Andrew – Stephanie Vaquer – *Bubba Sparxxx Impression* I don’t tell stories, I let them tell theyself.
Dave – Guilia – A stacked field but I just like her here.
DJ – Naomi
DPP – Roxanne Perez
Jason – Alexa Bliss
Patrick – Roxanne Perez
Rey – Naomi – If Naomi loses, we riot!
Rob – Naomi
Greg – Alexa Bliss – Bliss has had huge reactions since returning and is moving a ton of merch. While I can see them wanting to build Roxanne Perez, Giulia, or Stephanie Vaquer, I think Alexa Bliss.

Tunney’s Take: Rhea Ripley – I’ll make my case short and sweet… Mami in the Bank! You can’t leave that money on the table.

Chairshot Pick – Tie – Naomi 3 & Roxanne Perez 3 (Alexa Bliss 2, Giulia 1, Rhea Ripley 1, Stephanie Vaquer 1)

AJ – LA Knight
Andrew – El Grande Americano – Feels correct given his push and the fact he’s over.
Dave – Seth Rollins – Got to push that new faction.
DJ – LA Knight
DPP – El Grande Americano
Jason – LA Knight
Patrick – Solo Sikoa
Rey – LA Knight – Looks like another push, and he does have history with Cena.
Rob – Solo Sikoa
Greg – Seth Rollins – This company is extremely high in the El Grande Americano gimmick, but this match comes down to Seth Rollins or LA Knight. Given the Rollins storyline, it’s his briefcase to win.

Tunney’s Take: El Grande Americano – Picture this: Chad Gable wins the AAA Mega Championship and El Grande Americano wins MITB! WHAT A SATURDAY in LA!!!

Chairshot Pick – LA Knight 4 (El Grande Americano 3, Seth Rollins 2, Solo Sikoa 2)

AJ – Becky Lynch – Sadly
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I still don’t care about Lyra.
Dave – Lyra Valkyria – Starting to warm up to her and Becky has a lot to do with that.
DJ – Lyra Valkyria
DPP – Becky Lynch
Jason – Becky Lynch
Patrick – Lyra Valkyria
Rey – Becky Lynch – Put some fire on the Irish Beef.
Rob – Becky Lynch
Greg – Becky Lynch – I don’t think you do a rematch here just to have Becky lose again. Unless Bayley shows up to help Lyra.

Tunney’s Take: Becky Lynch – A big part of me feels that winning this title checks off a major box for Becks in her HOF career.

Chairshot Pick – Becky Lynch 8-3

AJ – Cena & Paul
Andrew – Rhodes & Uso – Easy way for Cena to lose without eating the pinfall.
Dave – Rhodes & Uso – Get the QB back on the winning track.
DJ – Rhodes & Uso
DPP – Rhodes & Uso
Jason – Cena & Paul
Patrick – Cena & Paul
Rey – Rhodes & Uso – Heels usually lose these kinds of matches. Logan takes the pin.
Rob – Cena & Paul
Greg – Rhodes & Uso – I hope Jey isn’t an afterthought here like Cody was last fall when he was paired up with Roman. I think Cody pins Cena to set up Cody-Cena 2 at SummerSlam.

Tunney’s Take: Cena & Paul – I don’t think Cena is involved in another loss until he loses the WWE Championship. I also think Logan Paul is NOT done trying to capture Jey Uso’s World Heavyweight Championship. …Travis Scott in the house?

Chairshot Pick – 6-5 Rhodes & Uso

In closing I want to thank everyone on the panel for participating with their picks! You can follow each prognosticator/podcaster on X @ the handles below. We all enjoy Pro Wrestling so remember three things… be respectful of others, comparison is the thief of joy and HAVE FUN!

AJ – @PhenomenalAJB
Andrew – @IWCWarChief
Dave – @AttitudeAgg
DJ – @TheMindlessPod
DPP – @itsmeDPP
Jason – @JediFett
Patrick – @WrestlngRealist
Rey – @itsreycash
Rob – @rbonne1
Greg – @gregdemarco44
PC – @PCTunney
TheChairshot.com – @ChairshotMedia

prowrestlingtees.com/TheChairshot – a PLETHORA of GREAT designs…MAKES A GREAT GIFT!

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Classic POD is WAR

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About Chairshot Radio Network

MONDAY - Bandwagon Nerds (entertainment & popular culture)

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CHAIRSHOT RADIO NETWORK PODCAST SPECIALS

Attitude Of Aggression Podcast & The Big Five Project (chronologically exploring WWE's PPV/PLE history)

TheChairshot.com PRESENTS...IMMEDIATE POST WWE PLE REACTIONS w/ DJ(Mindless), Tunney(DWI) & Friends

Patrick O'Dowd's 5X5

Classic POD is WAR

Chairshot Radio Network Your home for the hardest hitting podcasts... Sports, Entertainment and Sports Entertainment!

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Let us know what you think on social media @ChairshotMedia and always remember to use the hashtag #UseYourHead!

Opinion

Chairshot Staff Picks: Backlash St. Louis

Chairshot Staff picks!!!

Published

4 weeks ago

May 9, 2025

PC Tunney

May is upon us and with that, so is Backlash from St. Louis! What does the first PLE after WrestleMania have in store for the WWE Universe? Let’s see if the Chairshot Staff can properly interpret the crystal ball of rasslin’ future.

AJ – Pat MacAfee – Gunther has to start losing control and who better than an announcer.
Andrew – Pat MacAfee – Goldberg getting involved does seem correct here.
Dave – Gunther – He’s not losing to a broadcaster.
DJ – Gunther – Pat is sent to the shadow realm until football season is over.
DPP – Gunther – Post match beat down leads to Pat time off.
Jason – Gunther – One massive spot and or bump from Pat.
Patrick – Gunther
Rey – Gunther – RIP MacAfee, t’was a good life.
Rob – Gunther
Greg – Pat MacAfee – Why? Goooooldbeeerrrrrgggggg!

Tunney’s Take: Gunther – Seems like the right pick here. Pat may be getting some time off and Gunther needs more heat.

Chairshot Pick – GUNTHER 8-3

AJ – Lyra Valkyria – Becky’s hopefully putting her over, still mad about Dakota.
Andrew – Becky Lynch – I have no real interest in Lyra currently.
Dave – Becky Lynch – Lyra is boring AF!
DJ – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley interferes.
DPP – Becky Lynch – Becky cheats and steals the title.
Jason – Lyra Valkyria – Bayley costs Becks.
Patrick – Becky Lynch
Rey – Becky Lynch – Story needs to jump up a bit, Becky Charlotte’s Lyra.
Rob – Lyra Valkyria
Greg – Becky Lynch – It’s been fun, Lyra. (It kinda hasn’t)

Tunney’s Take: Lyra Valkyria – Bayley’s interference should set up some type of program with Becky as we head towards Summer(Slam).

Chairshot Pick – BECKY LYNCH 6-5

AJ – Jacob Fatu – Great way to put him over w/ two former WHCs and LA Knight.
Andrew – Jacob Fatu – He’s Jacob Fatu!
Dave – Jacob Fatu – Too soon to pull the belt off him.
DJ – Jacob Fatu – Priest and LA can’t decide who’s is bigger.
DPP – Jacob Fatu – Your hardcore match, tables and chairs involved.
Jason – Jacob Fatu – The Champ retains due to or in spite of Solo.
Patrick – Jacob Fatu
Rey – Jacob Fatu – All gas. No brakes. Ain’t losing.
Rob – Jacob Fatu
Greg – Jacob Fatu – Someone from The Samoan Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Jacob Fatu – Uncle Mo is on Fatu’s side and other than Knight, I don’t see Drew or Priest holding the US title in the current circumstances of this title’s landscape.

Chairshot Pick – JACOB FATU 11-0

AJ – Dominic Mysterio – Judgement Day shenanigans just leading up to Finn turning on Dom later.
Andrew – Penta – Dom’s fine having a short reign, could also work for pushing AAA.
Dave – Dominic Mysterio – He’s probably more over than Penta.
DJ – Dominic Mysterio – Dirty Dom takes home the gold and the girl.
DPP – Dominic Mysterio – Big Head helps Dom pull out the win.
Jason – Dominic Mysterio – By hook and crook.
Patrick – Dominic Mysterio
Rey – Dominic Mysterio – Latino Heat keeps burning. Finn gets closer to the edge.
Rob – Dominic Mysterio
Greg – Dominic Mysterio – Someone from The Guerrero Dynasty ain’t winning a title just to drop it.

Tunney’s Take: Dominic Mysterio – That belt looks good with the king of chicken tendys. I can see Penta and Rey reforming as a tag team sooner than later.

Chairshot Pick – DOMINIC MYSTERIO 10-1

AJ – John Cena – Why? Cena wins, lol.
Andrew – John Cena – Shenanigans ensue so it’s not a clean win.
Dave – John Cena – The last time is now.
DJ – John Cena – Randy hears voices telling him he needs an Attitude Adjustment.
DPP – John Cena – Cena tries to cheat but the ref doesn’t call for a DQ.
Jason – John Cena – Nefarious means, Randy not ready for Evil John Cena.
Patrick – John Cena
Rey – John Cena – Cena just counting down the dates. Should be fun though.
Rob – John Cena
Greg – John Cena – You know they want Cody to be the hero in the end.

Tunney’s Take: Randy Orton – Once upon a time Randy got himself intentionally disqualified and it cost John. Saturday, history repeats itself with a 180-degree twist. Cena retains via Orton DQ victory. This time, Travis Scott’s appearance takes care of that task.

Chairshot Pick – JOHN CENA 10-1