DOYLE'S DIATRIBE #1: 125 DAYS

DOYLE'S DIATRIBE #1: 125 DAYS 

        It's probably quite obvious that the man widely acknowledged as The Tribal Chief by the WWE Universe, Roman Reigns, and yours truly, have a lot in common. Take one look at us both and it's plainly clear. On the surface we're both heavily tattooed, and we're both devastatingly handsome. But those similarities are only superficial. The similarities go much deeper than that. For example: would you believe that in the 125 days between WrestleMania and SummerSlam (Roman's presumed next title defense) both The Tribal Chief, and myself, have defended the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship the exact same amount of times? That number, my friends, is zero. Nil, as they say in the U.K., the site of the upcoming Money in the Bank Premium Live Event, and the latest such PLE at which the most prestigious title in professional wrestling will not be defended. Yes, of course I know that professional wrestling isn't an actual athletic competition, the WWE isn't an actual governing body, and the Championship Belt(s) doesn't actually represent anything. It's merely a prop, a gold plated McGuffin on a black leather strap. But it seems the WWE is so worried about the entertainment in "sports entertainment" that they've forgotten about the sports part. Once upon of time, Roman Reigns wasn't the only thing acknowledged in WWE. Also acknowledged was a "rule" that Championships had to be defended every 30 days, or be forfeited. Like all rules in professional wrestling, the 30 day rule has always been more of a suggestion than a mandate. It's been applied strictly when the storyline called for it, and somewhat ignored when it didn't. 

      But Roman Reigns, in all likelihood, is going to be a quadruple violator of the 30 day rule, and that is a fact that must also be acknowledged. When Roman Reigns steps into Ford Field at SummerSlam, it will be his 1,070th day as Undisputed WWE Universal Champion, good for the 5th longest World Championship reign in the history of the company having most recently surpassed Hall of Famer Pedro Morales' historic reign. 125 days without a title defense accounts for nearly 12% of his total time with the Championship. Forgive me my Tribal Chief, but when you look at how often the Head of the Table defends his Championship, that lengthy reign starts to look a little less impressive. Seemingly anybody could, in theory, have as lengthy a Championship run as they'd like as long as they never defend the Championship. As much as I have bemoaned the use of authority figures in professional wrestling, and have in fact relished this blissful period without one, we could really use a guy like Jack Tunney right about now. Adam Pierce clearly isn't up to the task. The fix is easy: once a month have Roman come out on Smackdown, and, wait for it…. defend the title. Simple as that. He doesn't have to defend it against someone that would actually pose a threat to his Championship. In fact, that could even be the point. He could call out all the goobers on to the stage, make a big show of giving a young up-and-comer the biggest chance of his career, take his pick of the Joaquin Wildes, R-Truths, and Tyler Bates of the world, and then squash them into the Stone Age. It would made Roman look like an even bigger dickhead, it would pad his stats, the risk of injury would be minimal, but more importantly, it would send the message that defending the title actually matters. In order to see Roman as dominant, he needs to dominate, and right now, on the rare occasion he does defend his title, he needs copious amounts of chicanery. Stacking up a few wins against glorified jobbers would do wonders to restore a little bit shine back on that belt. I have said, on the record, that the Bloodline storyline is one of the best the WWE has ever told. I stand by that statement 100%. 

      But how much better could it be if the center piece of the story, and honestly the center piece of the entire wrestling world, actually mattered as much as it should? Instead of standing next to the greatest stories in wrestling history: Hogan-Andre, the Mega-Powers explode, Bret's heel turn, et al, the Bloodline could stand alone as the undisputed greatest story ever told. And Roman Reigns' 3+ years as Champion would be that much more impressive. We are absolutely witnessing history every week when we turn on our televisions, but with all the heaping of praise upon Roman Reigns and the Bloodline, the one thing that should shine even brighter, and be held in even higher acclaim, is the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship. Adding a second "workhorse" Championship isn't enough to distract us from the fact that biggest prize in the game is becoming an afterthought. Believe that.