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With Seth Rollins freshly crowned as the World Heavyweight Champion on "WWE Raw," opinions among wrestling pundits are rolling in thick and fast. While former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas admired Rollins' performance thus far, he didn't hesitate to voice a few reservations about the promo-cutting incident involving Rhea Ripley in the show's opening segment.
With her characteristic audacity, the provocative encounter unfolded as Ripley confronted Rollins and AJ Styles, setting the stage for the evening's central tag team match. In her sharp-tongued spiel, Ripley dismissed Rollins as "Just another champion," a remark that, although intended to stir up rivalry, has raised a few eyebrows.
Korderas Critiques Ripley's Dismissal
Korderas voiced his concern during his recent "Reffin Rant" episode, highlighting that Ripley's casual dismissal of the new champion could undermine the prestige of the newly instated title.
"When you're attempting to elevate this title, which they are indeed doing with great grandeur, a disparaging comment like that could make the audience perceive it differently," Korderas elaborated. He suggested that the WWE should tread carefully in its words when portraying the new champion.
The new World Heavyweight Championship on "Raw" is envisioned to parallel Roman Reigns' revered Undisputed WWE Universal Championships, with the caveat that it will remain exclusive to the "Raw" brand. The goal is to set a higher frequency of title defenses than what Reigns, the "Tribal Chief," manages.
However, the new title's equivalence to Reigns' Championship is still debated. Adding to the controversy, Styles himself openly questioned if the newly created title might be perceived as secondary, given its inception as an additional accolade for the wrestlers to contend for.
Ripley's dismissive promo did little to quell these apprehensions, thereby casting a shadow of uncertainty over the prospective future of the newly minted World Heavyweight Championship. It remains to be seen how WWE navigates this delicate situation, balancing the old's prestige with the new's excitement.
