How do WWE championships work is there some underlying hierarchy that we don't see and how do the different title belts differ in importance?

Answer 1

There are several championships defended on the WWE, many of which are up for defense each pay-per-view. The two championships in the WWE with the most significance would be the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship. These two championships are often considered main-event level, and one of these is usually the last contested for in each pay-per-view. The ECW Championship, Intercontinental Championship, and the United States Championship (with slight preference to the ECW Championship) are often held at the mid-card level. Also considered at the mid-card level, but unique, is the tag team championship (currently, it is the Unified Tag Team Championship) The women's championships (WWE Womens and the WWE Divas) have their own hierarchy.

Each championship up for grabs at a pay-per-view event usually will be preceded by a feud, starting (or continuing) based on the results of the previous pay-per-view event.