WWE Linear Championship

What would happen in the professional wrestling world if non-title matches did not exist?  What would happen if every time a Champion stepped into the ring in a one on one match, the WWE Championship was on the line?

Criteria:

1. WWE Title could only change hands in singles (i.e. one on one) matches (more on that in a second)
2. WWE Title can not be lost by countout or disqualification (keeping with the traditional rules of pro wrestling)
3. WWE Title could be lost by pinfall, submission, or by a match stipulation.
4. WWE Title could be lost by Referee Stoppage
5. WWE Title could not be lost in an Multiple Man (Triple Threat, Elimination Chamber, etc) or Tag Team Match
6. WWE Title must be defended (i.e. wrestle a one on one match) every 365 days.
7. The Linear WWE Title is not bound to the WWE.  If the champion loses anywhere (Japan, another territory, etc.), they lose the Linear Title

The Multi-Man Match Conundrum: Any multi-man matches (Triple Threat, Fatal-Four Way, Elimination Chambers, etc.)  Any match that involves more than one opponent opens the champion to a degree of luck to retain the title.

Inactivity/Retirement on Lineage: What happens if someone wins the Linear Title and then becomes inactive, retires, or dies? If you were the linear champion, you had to defend the title within 1 year of winning it (i.e. a singles match.) If the champion failed to defend within that one year window, the Linear title would go to whoever the active WWE champion was at that time.

View the original Linear Championship article by Jason Felix here: https://www.voicesofwrestling.com/2014/03/12/who-is-the-reigning-linear-wwe-champion/

UPDATE – March 4, 2015: Due to the odd, and previously unprecedented, circumstances from WWE Night of Champions 2014, we’ve added the WWE Linear Championship #DarkestTimeline. Seth Rollins beat Roman Reigns on that event, in an official match, via forfeit. Because the match began, and the referee stopped it due to forfeit, it is treated as a ref stoppage. A ref stoppage is a valid way for the title to change hands, so Seth Rollins won the WWE Linear Championship from Reigns on that night. However, due to controversy, and honestly the thought that it would just be fun to track, the #DarkestTimeline (A reference to NBC’s Community) was created. The #DarkestTimeline sees Reigns retaining the WWE Linear Title, as if it never changed hands due to the forfeit. So, we have a split lineage in a way. Rollins won the Linear Title, while Reigns retained with the #DarkestTimeline. We follow the #DarkestTimeline exclusively on Twitter, so be sure to follow the @WWELinear Title on Twitter. Currently, Seth Rollins reigns the #DarkestTimeline, while Rusev is the #WWELinear Champion. The hope is that one day, these titles will again be merged and everyone can go about our merry way!

UPDATE 2 – March 29, 2015: With John Cena’s defeat of Rusev at WWE Wrestlemania 31, the WWE Linear & #DarkestTimeline titles have finally been merged! John Cena reigns as the undisputed @WWELinear Champion as of March 29!