To expand on that, the WWE title was the centrepiece of the TLC build but I don't think it did a better job of putting over the title's importance.
And Wang's right; Bryan and Punk hugely dislike each other and value the WWE title above almost anything. When they kept fighting each other while ignoring AJ last week, only stopping because she was going to do something crazy, that was a perfect idea. They both want to prove they're better than the other (something that is very much up in the air until Punk beats Bryan decisively, something he has not yet done even in those 3 Champion vs. Champion matches they had and OtL), they both want to be the "best in the world" (having the WWE title is, in this context, supposed to be indicative of that), and AJ is a spanner in the works. She doesn't have greater importance than the title itself.
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Official Commissioner of the WWE Liquor Basket™