The 24/7 champion, Reggie, has been on quite a run, as he is officially the longest reigning champion. He beat Akira Tozawa last July on Monday Night RAW, and his run has given a comedic edge to RAW.
After the WWE introduced the 24/7 championship in 2019, 48 people have held it over 145 different reigns. Needless to say, that belt has been through a lot.
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The longest-reigning 24/7 champion was beaten for the first time in over four months on today’s episode of RAW.
Reggie made his way to the ring to face Drake Maverick. The champion had to be pinned in the ring because the ‘anytime and anywhere’ rule was suspended.
As the match started, R-Truth appeared but got dropped by Shelton Benjamin and Cedric Alexander. Taking advantage of the brawl, Maverick rolled up Reggie to become the new 24/7 champion.
After the bell, Tozawa ran to the ring and rolled Drake for the pin to reclaim his championship. Tozawa then went outside the ring to celebrate, but he got caught by surprise when Corey Graves rolled him for a pin.
Corey Graves became a champion for the first time in seven years.
AND NEW #247Champion… @WWEMaverick
AND NEW #247Champion… @TozawaAkira
AND NEW #247Champion… @WWEGraves
AND NEW #247Champion… @ByronSaxton
AND NEW #247Champion… @WWEMaverick
AND NEW #247Champion… @WWE_Reggie#WWERaw pic.twitter.com/TiTHkYFoYz— WWE (@WWE) November 9, 2021
His celebration didn’t last long again as Byron Saxton betrayed Graves and defeated him for the title. Immediately, Maverick pinned Saxton to win his championship back.
Just when the audience thought the title switches were over, Reggie hit Maverick with the flying corkscrew attack and won his championship again once and for all.
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WWE created the 24/7 Championship to increase RAW ratings
Mick Foley unveiled the 24/7 championship in 2019, and Titus O’Neil became the first champion.
At first, fans thought this championship would be serious with good feuds and proper contenders, but WWE is never that simple.
They eventually realized that the championship was just a tool to make RAW bearable when the ratings were super low.
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Pro-wrestling journalist Dave Meltzer confirmed this and stated that the USA Network proposed the title to increase RAW’S third-hour ratings. The viewership of both WWE shows had been rapidly declining at that point.
Meltzer reported that after the 2019 Draft, the title would only appear on Raw because SmackDown was moving to Fox Network, and the title was USA Network’s idea.
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The title has only appeared on RAW with a few exceptions, even though the champion can defend it on any brand.
Contrary to public opinion, which says that the 24/7 title was a poor introduction to improve ratings, it has become a comedic element that is interesting to watch.
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Between intense and boring storylines, the 24/7 segments give an unpredictable edge to RAW because anyone can become a champion at any time.
None of the segments make sense, which makes it entertaining to watch because not everything in wrestling needs a storyline or formidable champions. Such parts of WWE shows make it refreshing to watch.