Another new episode of WWE and yet another new championship got introduced to the audiences. On the latest episode of RAW, WWE SmackDown Women’s Champion Rhea Ripley got her hands on a new belt. The design of the said belt resembles the one that is currently lying with WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins. Meanwhile, the new title left fans in a state of doubt.
Shortly after its unveiling and presentation to Ripley, WWE took to social media to post the segment. The post on Twitter received several questions from fans.
Fans in doubt about Asuka’s title
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On the last episode of SmackDown, the promotion unveiled the new WWE Women’s Championship. WWE’s Director of Live Events, Adam Pearce, presented WWE RAW Women’s Champion Asuka with the new mustard-colored belt. The introduction of this belt means that the company has got rid of brand-wise championships. But this also left several questions unanswered.
BREAKING: @ScrapDaddyAP just unveiled the BRAND NEW Women's World Championship and presented it to @RheaRipley_WWE! What do you think? 🔥#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/M7T5R7g8gC
— WWE (@WWE) June 13, 2023
This fan is having a hard time figuring out the value of Asuka’s championship. For the unversed, the Japanese wrestler’s title is called WWE Women’s Championship, while Ripley’s belt is named WWE Women’s World Championship, replacing the previous brand-wise names of WWE RAW Women’s Championship and WWE SmackDown Women’s Championship, respectively.
Why call this one the “World” championship? Doesn’t that devalue Asuka’s title as hers is only “WWE Women’s Champion”
I get that they kept the “old” naming system but even that was flawed.
1 “World” title and 1 “WWE” title. Surely the “World” title is always the top title?
— Nathan (@Nay_Nay_92) June 13, 2023
Another fan also had a similar doubt.
Womens World so wtf is Asukas called?!
— вгапdоп 🇮🇹🇵🇷 (@noiisserpmii) June 13, 2023
This user wants to know the current status of the brand split. Recently, WWE conducted the draft, and it reshuffled the roster. They drafted several superstars who performed in RAW to SmackDown and vice versa. However, the schedule has been inconsistent so far.
Congrats to both Rhea and Asuka. But… when is the brand split going into full effect? Raw women’s champ featured on Smackdown, and Smackdown Women’s champ featured on Raw.
— Brelon (@Brelon16) June 13, 2023
A WWE fan wanted to know if they will reflect the changes in the recently launched WWE 2K23 game.
so, @WWEgames, will we be getting an update put out for not only the new women’s championships but the new world heavyweight championship as well?
— M. J. D. III (@601mikey_) June 13, 2023
A user dropped their review about the new belt.
I am not a fan of the new belt
— Corey Webster (@coreywebster32) June 13, 2023
With so many new belts unveiled in recent weeks, it’s not surprising that fans have questions. Despite several questions lingering in their minds, there are some answers in the offing that could explain the major changes.
A potential reason for WWE to come up with new designs and names for the belts
With the unveiling of the new championships, the WWE has gotten rid of the brand colors from the belts. This can facilitate the promotion to be more flexible.
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Read More: Rhea Ripley’s Popularity Reaches Next Level as Mami Achieves a Huge Milestone in 2023
With no particular color- red or blue- the belts are now no more exclusive to a particular brand. This can allow people across RAW or SmackDown to hold the titles. Similarly, it gives WWE talents to work across brands. For example, Rhea Ripley held the SmackDown Women’s Championship, while she was drafted to RAW. This led to criticism from fans, who questioned the purpose of the draft.
With no colors attached, the belts are now free to be worn by talents of any brand. That said, what are your views on the new belts? Let us know in the comments.
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