Seth Rollins defeats AJ Styles, wins revived world heavyweight title
Seth Rollins became the first superstar to hold the brand-new world heavyweight title by defeating AJ Styles at Night of Champions in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday.
At the end of the competitive match, Rollins delivered his finishing move, “the curb stomp," to secure the win.
In April, WWE introduced the brand-new World Heavyweight Championship, which resembled the iconic Big Gold Belt, that was active in the company from 2002 to 2013. The origins of the original belt dates back to the days of the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
Randy Orton became the last holder of the Big Gold Belt, when he defeated John Cena in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs match in December 2013.
Ten years later, Rollins captured the newly introduced title, which was designed to showcase a fighting champion and offer opportunities to other emerging talent within WWE.
Roman Reigns, one of the greatest superstars in WWE history, is on a 1,000-day reign as the WWE Undisputed Universal champion. Many superstars have failed to become champion when facing Reigns, who is on a part-time schedule.
The new World Heavyweight Championship must unlock fresh opportunities for superstars like Austin Theory, Finn Bálor, LA Knight and Damian Priest, to name a select few.
Rollins, a multi-time WWE champion, will defend his newly won title exclusively on Monday Night Raw.
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