David Otunga has used his legal expertise in a lot of interesting ways related to WWE and the pro wrestling business as a whole over the years.
Now, he’s using it for another .. interesting .. way.
In a new video shared via his official YouTube channel this week dubbed Is the WWE 24/7 Championship Legally Valid?, the former WWE Superstar explained the legal status of the old WWE 24/7 Championship.
Otunga argues that the title’s “perpetual consent” contract, which allows it to be defended anytime, anywhere, remains binding because WWE never issued a formal statement deactivating the championship.
The title was last seen on television being discarded into a trash can by Nikki Cross. According to Otunga, the act of throwing the belt away didn’t end the championship; it merely made it available to whoever retrieved it.
“Just listing it as retired on the website doesn’t mean it is deactivated,” Otunga explains. He cites the precedent set by Mick Foley, noting that the title can be claimed by mere possession.
Through his “legal research,” Otunga has tracked the physical whereabouts of the belt to the WWE Archives. He identifies Benjamin Z. Brown, WWE’s Vice President of Archives, as the person currently in “constructive possession” of the title, effectively making him the unofficial 24/7 Champion.
