Shouldering the title

Jericho & KO "shouldering" their belts
Courtesy: WWE

By Kevin Hunsperger

@kevinhunsperger & @my123cents on Twitter

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Spoiler alert: I'm going to sound like an old man wanting to get the kids off his lawn... But as an old school fan, I wanted to speak on this issue and see what other fans think.

Courtesy: WWE

During the Royal Rumble preshow (I think, it was a long night after all) Renee Young made a remark about a championship belt going on someone's shoulder. I really don't remember who she was referencing, but the point of the story is the belt going over the champion's shoulder. I'll be honest, I don't like it. I'm not picking on any particular Superstar because I know this has been a trend in wrestling for years. 

Umaga
Courtesy: WWE

"Stone Cold" Steve Austin, The Rock and pretty much everyone in the modern era puts the belt on their shoulder or "drags" it to the ring. Umaga carried the Intercontinental belt in his mouth, which fit his character. Undertaker wore the belt around his neck. And of course Yokozuna was too big for the title to go around his waist, so he shouldered it.

Hulkster
Courtesy: WWE

Ric Flair
Courtesy: WWE

But I do miss the days when a champion wore the belt around his or her waist. There's something more professional looking about this. I get that "belts are props", but the presentation of those titles still matters to me. I know there are cases when old school guys shouldered their belts too. This is something minute in the grand scheme of things, but it wasn't until Renee's comment during the Rumble that made me wonder if WWE is programming us to get used to this trend... 

Closest I'll come to being a champ

I'll never be a champion, but if I were to win the gold, you'd see me wearing it to the ring like the photo above. Thanks for listening.