It’s a New Champ, Yes It Is! But Does it Matter?

Big E. is the new WWE Champion! It’s a new champ and a new day, but is it really just the same old story?

Big E cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on Raw last night to become the new WWE Champion.  The story throughout the day was that Big E planned to show up on Raw and cash in his contract against the winner of the Bobby Lashley vs. Randy Orton title match; this was primarily promoted on his Twitter account.  In fact, the story was so unsubtle and predictable, most fans were probably wishing for some kind of swerve just to keep us on our toes.  However, it was hyped, it was promoted, and it was paid off in full.  It was a very cool moment for a lot of fans, and it generated a great deal of attention on social media after the show.  However, when you really analyze it in depth, how much did this title win really matter?

It is important to remember WWE’s rationale for doing this.  AEW managed to pull through and beat Raw in the key demographic last week (eighteen-forty-nine males) by some three thousand viewers, and WWE rapidly hit the panic button for damage control over losing their key demo.  While some fans have argued that this was due, in large part, to football season starting up again, it really can not be argued that this was never part of WWE’s “long-term vision” for Big E cashing in to become champion.  In fact, it was really difficult to view this scenario as anything other than straightforward “hot-shotting.”  WWE has a terrible track-record when it comes to logical story progression of their Money in the Bank winners, and based on what they did on Raw, what makes Big E’s situation any different?

The concern coming out of this is how WWE follows up with it.  While there are plentiful story directions they can feasibly take this, the concern is whether or not Big E factors into the extensive equation.  Hypothetically, if this was done to setup a Lashley vs. Big E rematch at Extreme Rules, only for Lashley to retain the title, what happens to Big E afterwards?  Do they keep him in the title hunt, or does he get “Kofi’d?”  That is, does he get shuffled back down into mid-card obscurity like Kofi did after he lost the WWE Title?  Right now, WWE is weighing its options with Lashley, as they have the eventual Goldberg rematch waiting in the wings; they also have Brock Lesnar as a foreseeable opponent.  In both of these scenarios, Vince may easily want to save those matches for WrestleMania next year.  And if either match ends up being for the WWE Title, Big E would find himself out of the picture entirely.

Another important thing to note about the cash-in was the focal point of how it was done.  WWE may try to blur the lines and persuade fans that the cash-in was “clean,” because Big E announced it beforehand on social media.  However, the execution of the cash-in was no different from every single Money in the Bank cash-in we have seen since John Cena in 2012.  It has now become a comical trope in WWE where the Money in the Bank winner is almost “bound by law” to wait for the opportune moment when the champ is not at 100%, capitalize on the injury or disadvantage, and win the title in relatively short order for the “shock-and-awe” value.  Once in a blue moon, this crash TV element works, but every year?  It has now become predictable and boring.

And this is exactly what Big E did on Raw.  He waited until the title match was over, Lashley was already hurt and fatigued, and Big E cashed in his contract on a vulnerable champion and beat him in quick fashion.  It should also be noted that Bobby Lashley is the heel, and Big E is supposed to be the babyface in this equation.

In an ideal world, WWE has a great potential story at their fingertips right now.  They have the chance to setup a five or sixth month “chase to the title” program for Big E– in fact, something very similar to what they did with Daniel Bryan between SummerSlam 2013 and his road to WrestleMania in 2014.  If Lashley manages to recapture the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules using underhanded tactics, they could spend the next several months propping up Big E’s title rematch at WrestleMania 38.  They could dedicate the show to building up Big E’s singles run, have him win the Royal Rumble, and launch him into WrestleMania season as their top babyface on Raw.  In the meantime, you can do Lashley vs. Goldberg and Lashley vs. Orton in some capacity.  The idea, however, is to keep that Lashley/Big E rematch fresh and really build anticipation for it heading into 2022.  Will WWE do this?  Of course they won’t, but it is always nice to fantasize that they have a clue.

Conclusively, this is not going to diminish Big E’s title win.  It was a very special moment for Big E and longtime wrestling fans that have wanted to see him get a run at the top for years.  However, reality will soon set in that WWE is not viewing this from the same standpoint as a lot of fans; this was a ratings ploy, it was a hot-shotted, short-term business strategy, and a desperate attempt to bring back the key demographic.  Some blinded WWE fans will dispute this notion right now, but come back after Extreme Rules and see if you still have the same opinion.

Sources:

Metcalf, M. (2021, September 9). SHOWBUZZDAILY’s Wednesday 9.8.2021 top 150 CABLE Originals & NETWORK FINALS update 2. Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-wednesday-9-8-2021-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html.

Wrestling Observer. (2021, September 14). WOR: Raw, Big E WINS WWE Title, Draft, NXT and Aew, more! WON/F4W – WWE news, Pro Wrestling News, WWE Results, UFC News, UFC results. Retrieved September 14, 2021, from https://www.f4wonline.com/wrestling-observer-radio/wor-raw-big-e-wins-wwe-title-draft-nxt-and-aew-more-353351.