4 times WWE Superstars disrespected championships
For WWE Superstars, competing in the ring is their religion, and championships are sacred and illustrious. The titles are only earned by the best of the best (except for the 24/7 Championship).
Holding a championship in WWE isn't easy, which means respect has to be put in the names of those who have done so. However, there have been times when superstars, champions, or otherwise have openly disrespected and devalued titles. These have made for some lasting images and infamous moments.
On that note, we look at four times WWE Superstars openly disrespected championships in some way, shape, or form.
#4. On our list of times WWE Superstars have disrespected championships: Cora Jade throws the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship in the bin
.@CoraJadeWWE has no love for @roxanne_wwe or the #WWENXT Women's Tag Team Titles. https://t.co/OFZETRnlQ9
Cora Jade's betrayal of tag team partner Roxanne Perez came as a shock to everyone. After defeating Toxic Attraction to win the NXT Women's Tag Team Championship, fans expected the two women to soar high. Instead, Jade turned on Perez and dumped her title in the trash.
Jade cost her tag team partner a shot at Mandy Rose's NXT Women's Championship. Before the match, Perez was assaulted by an unknown attacker, who was later revealed to her old friend.
Cora later stated that the women's tag team titles were useless to her and made her point by throwing her championship in the garbage.
#3. Alundra Blayze dumps the Women's Championship on another show
Did Cora Jade's actions ring a bell somewhere? If they do, you are probably thinking of the time Alundra Blayze threw the WWF Women's Championship in the trash. The fact that she did it on an episode of WCW Monday Nitro makes it all the more incredible.
The moment is immortalized in wrestling folklore today, but that wasn't always the case. In the early 1990s, Blayze was among the best female wrestlers on the planet. However, her WWE contract expired in late 1995. The former Madusa has claimed that she was let go. Whatever it may be, she got her revenge in iconic fashion.
Blayze appeared on the December 18, 1995, episode of WCW Monday Nitro and wasted little time in burying her former employers. In a defiant act of glory, she threw WWE's top women's title in the bin live on air.
#2. Daniel Bryan swaps the world championship
Daniel Bryan's run as The Planet's Champion is one of the most genius gimmicks of the last decade. How he managed to go from the most beloved babyface to the biggest heat magnet in the company is something every up-and-coming superstar must study.
Among the most infuriating things Bryan did at the time was the moment he threw his WWE Championship in the dustbin. He then introduced a new belt built from hemp in his bid to 'save the planet.' It was silly, outlandish, and disrespectful to the prestigious title, but he couldn't have cared less.
The new D-Bry carried the eco-friendly championship around for a while until his defeat to Kofi Kingston at WrestleMania 35. After the match, The New Day brought back the original title, and all was well with the world.
#1. Kevin Owens stomps on the United States Championship
Kevin Owens' debut on Monday Night RAW came with a statement of intent. After confronting then-United States Champion John Cena, he declined the invitation to fight him for the title. However, he attacked Cena and laid him out before doing something utterly disrespectful.
With his NXT Championship in one hand and The Champ's US Title in the other, Owens dropped the latter to the ground and stomped on it. The crowd booed him heavily as he stood over Cena with the NXT Title.
Ironically, KO would win the US title and call himself the Face of America a couple of years later. However, what he did on the May 18, 2015, episode of RAW showed his complete disrespect for a title as prestigious as the one he stomped on.