Vince McMahon stole the idea of the Universal Championship, former WWE personality claims (Exclusive)
Former WWE Spanish language commentator Hugo Savinovich believes Vince McMahon took inspiration from another wrestling promotion when he introduced the Universal Championship.
The title, which is currently held by Roman Reigns, was created in 2016 following the WWE Draft. At the time, then-RAW General Manager Mick Foley said the Universal Championship was named after the company's loyal fans, collectively known as the WWE Universe.
However, in an interview with Sportskeeda Wrestling's Riju Dasgupta, Savinovich claimed the idea was taken from Carlos Colon's World Wrestling Council (WWC). In 1983, the Puerto Rican organization began referring to its world title as the Universal Heavyweight Championship.
"Vince stole the Universal Championship," Savinovich, who used to work for the WWC, said. "If you go back in history, you will see that Vince and WWE stole our Universal Championship. It was the NWA World Champion, Ric Flair, against the World Wrestling Council, and the winner would be legit the Universal Champion. A lot of people don't know this, and that was the creation of the Universal Championship. So, way, way, way back we had that, so it wasn't an invention of Vince." [3:29 – 4:04]
Watch the video above to hear more stories from Savinovich about his experiences with wrestling icons Andre the Giant and Ric Flair.
Why did WWE create the Universal Championship?
In July 2016, the RAW brand was left without a male world title holder after then-WWE Champion Dean Ambrose moved to SmackDown. As a result, on-screen authority figures Mick Foley and Stephanie McMahon introduced the Universal Championship as the red brand's top male title.
Finn Balor defeated Seth Rollins at SummerSlam 2016 to become the inaugural Universal Champion, but his reign lasted just one day due to injury. Braun Strowman, Bray Wyatt, Brock Lesnar, Goldberg, Kevin Owens, Roman Reigns, and Rollins have held the title since then.
Many fans initially disliked the Universal Championship design, with chants of "that belt sucks!" being heard after its unveiling at SummerSlam 2016. Rollins took to Twitter after his match against Balor to criticize the Brooklyn crowd:
More important than a title's appearance is what it represents for the men fighting over it. You really let me down tonight, Brooklyn.
Six years on, the title is now viewed as one of the most prestigious in the wrestling industry.
Do you think Vince McMahon stole the Universal Championship idea from the WWC? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
On November 5, Hugo Savinovich will face El Profe at DEMONMANIA La Batalla Final (The Final Battle) in Puerto Rico. The match will be the last of the 63-year-old's legendary career.
Please credit Sportskeeda Wrestling and embed the video if you use quotes from this article.