This is an incredibly unfair post on numerous levels, namely:noggy wrote:Since Satoshi Kojima lost the title on 1/4/2011, only four different guys have held the IWGP Heavyweight title (Tanahashi, Okada, Styles and Naito).
16 different guys held the WWE title in that same time period. (Miz, Cena, Punk, Mysterio, Del Rio, The Rock, Bryan, Orton, Lesnar, Rollins, Reigns, Sheamus, Triple H, Ambrose, Styles and Wyatt). Plus you have guys like Ziggler and Swagger who only held the big gold belt but get the "former WWE World Champion" label slapped on them.
A world championship is an extremely important plot device in a fictional sports league and the accomplishment means very little when so many guys have won it, including guys who are still relatively young and healthy but clearly aren't top guys (let alone money draws). WWE probably couldn't get away with just 4 guys winning the title in 6 years because of the differences in their schedule compared to NJPW but 16 different guys is a joke.
I don't have an issue with WWE devaluing other titles because WWE doesn't rely on them to draw but how they treat and World and Universal titles is so disappointing. As far as importance goes, is Kevin Owens even booked as top 5 on Raw or top 10 in WWE overall? He may as well still be Intercontinental Champion.
1) In the period mentioned, the WWE title was actually two titles for 3 1/2 of the 6 years mentioned.
2) In that time, the IWGP title was defended 32 times TOTAL. New Japan does not have its Heavyweight champion defend on house shows; WWE does.
3) I look at the list given and will kindly ask which of the people mentioned were not 'top guys' when they won their titles? In the WWE world, all were/are top guys when they were champions. And, if you want to compare apples to oranges, please note that all of those people drew houses much bigger than New Japan houses. Miz, Cena, Rock, Bryan, Orton, Lesnar, Rollins, Reigns and Triple H all main evented shows that drew many times over the biggest New Japan shows.
4) Your comment about WWE titles not being used to draw is silly. They are the basis of house shows, pay per views, etc. And Owens? Not top 5 on Raw? Clearly, you do not watch.