>>17296994i think putting it on priest was kinda dooming it to be the "upper midcarder" belt forever.
seth, like him or not, was a credible enough wrestler to hold it as the inaugural champion. drew would have been a suitable pick to unseat him and give it a prestigious reign, had he held it long enough. and i think gunther good enough to hold it.
but damian priest is not a main event level talent. he's just not. the fact that he is seen as someone able to not only credibly challenge for this title but actually win it is a testament to the fact that this belt is a world title in name only.
the ideal move would have been for drew to hold it, have a short reign, and then drop it to punk and have them go back and forth with it over 2024. i understand that the conceit of their feud was that the belt eventually became a more minor factor in it, but they needed an A+ tier superstar to hold this thing and give it some prestige. like there is no recovering this thing unless they get punk or roman to have an extended reign on it (and roman fucked up by burying the title when it was introduced anyway, they shouldn't have let him do that).
if they put it on jey uso, they might as well just unify it with the WWE belt then start over again, it will mean nothing.
