Matt Hardy discusses the news that WWE will crown a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
As Triple H announced on the April 24 episode of WWE Raw, the company will crown a new WWE World Heavyweight Champion at WWE Night of Champions. Further details are currently unclear, but the announcement has generated plenty of buzz, as Roman Reigns has been the Undisputed WWE Universal Champion for over a year; Reigns has held the Universal Championship since 2020, and he defeated Brock Lesnar to win the WWE Championship at WrestleMania 38. Reigns' part-time status has been criticized at times, and Triple H noted that the introduction of a new title will ensure that WWE has a fighting champion.
Speaking on The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy, the AEW star was asked to share his thoughts on the news. Hardy first commented on the physical title itself before he discussed the return to having a world champion on both brands.
“First and foremost, I’ll talk about the actual physical structure of the title and how it looks. I’m okay with it. I know there were a lot of people right from the jump that came out and said they didn’t like it, but I’m okay with the design. It’s a combination of the big WWE symbol and a big gold belt, and I’m okay with it. I think it’ll grow on me as time goes on. As far as the idea of having another champion on another brand, I’m good with that, too. I like that. I feel like it was very powerful for Roman Reigns, holding both of the titles and being the Undisputed Champion. But I feel like if you’re gonna have two different brands, and they’re going to be hard splits, I feel like it’s important to have the champion on both brands. That way, whenever you have live events, you get to see the World Heavyweight Title defended, and that’s a very important thing, I think. I think that’s also something that sells tickets. So I am totally good with having two different brands, having somewhat of a hard split, and having a world champion on both brands. I think that’s a good thing," Hardy said.
Co-host Jon Alba noted that the explanation WWE gave for introducing the new title has been the source of some criticism. Some fans have argued that Reigns could have dropped one of the titles, but Hardy noted that this solution would be "tricky." He then described how winning the new title will be important, but the biggest star will be made when Reigns eventually loses the gold.
“I think it’s a positive to have champions on each brand, especially definitive world heavyweight champions. As far as Roman not dropping one, it would be tricky because now that he’s the undisputed champion, every time he wrestles, the Undisputed Title is what’s on the line. Am I correct in saying that? So I think this draft is a clever way to make this happen. Still, the biggest star is going to be made and someone’s going to get the biggest rub whenever they defeat Roman for his title. Because it will still carry on that legacy of being the Undisputed Championship. So that is still where your money’s at, and you make a guy by beating Roman. Because when Roman Reigns’ reign ends, whoever gets it is going to get a huge, huge run. It’s going to be a big deal for that person. I think whoever ends up on the other brand, winning the new world heavyweight title, I think it’s gonna be a big deal for them. But it’s gonna be nowhere near as monumental as whoever defeats Roman," Hardy said.
When asked to name who he would make the first champion, Matt stated that he would try and "make a guy." Alba stated that Seth Rollins is a popular candidate among fans, and Hardy expressed his support for the idea.
“I’m good with that. Seth Rollins would a great pacemaker for that champion. He would set the tone well for that title," he said.
Karrion Kross has expressed his interest in the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Click here to see what he had to say.
As Hardy noted, the 2023 WWE Draft could impact the path to crowning the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Check out the list of draft-eligible WWE Superstars here.
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