The WWE is enjoying somewhat of a golden period right now, with 2015 representing one of the best years in the company’s recent history.
With the pay-per-view Battleground on the horizon, match-ups including a third, decisive John Cena vs Kevin Owens match for the US title and Brock Lesnar vs Seth Rollins for the latter’s World Heavyweight title are truly tantalizing affairs.
The tag-team division is in rude health also, and the Divas are blessed with the excellent storytelling of the Bella Sisters and a locker room that boasts some fine female athletes in the shape of Paige and the NXT competitors who finally graced the RAW ring on Monday.
And while these facets of the company all continue to shine, it is the title that showed the most promise early on in the year that is now being left behind.
When Daniel Bryan claimed the Intercontinental belt by beating champion Bad News Barrett, Dean Ambrose, Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, R-Truth and Stardust at WrestleMania in March, it looked like one of the most iconic belts in the WWE’s long history was finally being restored to its rightful reputation.
What followed, however, was a nasty injury to Bryan which saw him once again vacate a top title.
Who’d of thought the U.S. Title would be miles ahead of the Intercontinental Title. Cena has added a lot creditability to it. #wwe #raw
— WrestlingNewsSource (@WNSource) July 14, 2015
Instead of reinvigorating the battle for Intercontinental glory by utilising the deep pool of talent waiting in the wings, the WWE went to some old hands in a move that now seems rather flat.
Compare that WrestleMania field to the Elimination Chamber combatants for the vacant title and it explains a lot.
Ryback has held the belt since that May PPV, where he overcame Mark Henry, Sheamus, King Barrett, Truth and Ziggler (the latter three the only survivors from WrestleMania).
Only Ziggler has had a storyline of note this year in his previous scamper towards the top of WWE, the others all having been sidelined to just that: sideline stories.
– WWE TLC: Wrestling’s greatest mic man Paul Heyman
– WWE TLC: Time is running out to make the most of Lesnar
– #Quiz360: WIN an annual membership at Noviplus Dubai
It would be unfair to include Sheamus in that mix as he was returning from injury around that time but the others garnered far less excitement in what should have been a superb follow-up to WrestleMania.
You need look no further than the excellent work done by Cena in his pursuit of and subsequent reign as US champion to see what the WWE have missed out on.
With regular open challenges and two superb rivalries with Rusev and Owens, the WWE have made it the most intriguing championship chase in the company.
And it is not like they didn’t have the opportunity to do so with the Intercontinental title.
Randy Savage holding his WWF Title belt and Ultimate Warrior’s Intercontinental Title – March 1989 pic.twitter.com/qxmseVLh8v
— Wrestlings Past (@WrestlingsPast) July 12, 2015
Seen as the stepping stone to go on to greater things (Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart, Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H and many, many more have all worn the belt with distinction), people want to be Intercontinental champion.
And with the likes of Ambrose, Ziggler, Adrian Neville and Harper they have some worthy champions who can sell a story and who the WWE Universe can get behind.
In Big Show, Ryback and The Miz – who battle it out next Monday morning (UAE time) for the championship – you feel there is less interest.
That is not meant with any disrespect to three fine wrestlers in their own right.
The problem is, they’ve been there and done it before and in a company refreshed by its openness to evolution in other divisions, it is a shame not to see the IC title follow suit.
