Ah. Well, if that’s the case, nothing in any fictional story means anything anyway.
(The ring is just a movie prop - it doesn’t matter if Frodo destroys it or not. He’s just an actor following a script and it’s all decided beforehand, after all.)
(So, Vader is Luke’s father. What does it matter? They’re both just actors in costumes and the whole story was written out in detail beforehand.)
(Rosebud was a sled, eh? The writers could’ve made it anything. Doesn’t matter.)
When I say the championships used to mean something, I mean that they used to influence future matches and storylines, become part of a wrestler’s character and history, etc.
Just an example to illustrate: The Magnum T.A. vs Tully Blanchard feud in the mid-80s. Magnum was the U.S. champ. He was this young guy who was way too good for his age. He carried around the U.S. title (which was 2nd only to the NWA World title), whose constant display and color by the commentators helped show just how accomplished he was at this stage. He was good and the title was proof. Over time, U.S. title matches became Magnum T.A. matches. If a competitor wanted to go after that title (which would put them in line for a shot at the World title), they had to wrestle a Magnum-style match. He became the puzle they had to solve to get that belt.
Blanchard was a cocky guy with more years of experience who became frustrated with Magnum’s success. He craved that championship - not only to put himself in that spot, but to prove to everyone that this kid could be beaten. Blanchard was able to take the title from him for a while but couldn’t keep it. Their rivalry escalated into more and more intense matches and promos, culminating with the now-legendary “I Quit” match in '85 - a match whose gore and brutality still holds up against a much more extreme era.
The reason the championship meant something is that it gave the two something believable to fight over. If Magnum had just been a young guy that was popular, a feud between the two would’ve worked but just not on this level. There was more to care about. The constant defenses of the title and “putting over” of the title made it proof of Magnum’s ability. Magnum’s talent in the ring and the belt’s prestige sort of fed off of each other during his reign (as it should always work). The fact that Blanchard was so obssessed with getting the championship made it seem like something worthy of having.
Had Blanchard won the championship from Magnum and won the “I Quit” match to turn back his series of rematches, their careers would (theoretically) have taken different paths. Magnum would’ve been forced back to the undercard. He would’ve been beaten and exposed, and this young kid would have to work more on perfecting his game and then making another run at a top spot. Blanchard would have had to defend his newly-won title against a string of challengers while preparing his own assault on the World championship.
The whole point is that the championship was valuable enough to fight over (to fight intense, bloody, prolonged feuds over) and that winning or losing it meant that your position in the company was changed.
If Magnum T.A. and Tully Blanchard feuded in today’s WWE, right now they wouldn’t even have a secondary title to feud over. They would probably have feuded for some really trivial reason (Magnum accidentally bumps into Tully while he’s walking through the hall and they exchange words - ooh, time for a match! :rolleyes: ), having maybe a dozen five-minute matches, with no real escalation of the violence and no rewards or consequences for them in the short run or the long run.