Extreme Rules 2014 - WWE Intercontinental Championship: Big E (c) VS Bad News Barrett

[Jack-Hammer]

With last night's start of the tournament to determine the #1 contender for the IC title, it was confirmed that Big E will face the winner at Extreme Rules. Next week on Raw will be the semi-finals of the tournament featuring Rob Van Dam vs. Cesaro and Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett. Presumably, the winners of those two bouts will meet on the next episode of Raw in the final match.

As of right now, I'm thinking it'll be Cesaro who goes onto challenge Big E and, if so, I have a feeling he'll walk out of Extreme Rules with the title.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I actually see it being Barrett. Mostly because I expect Swagger & Cesaro to have a blow-off match at EC. And I think that if WWE are serious about Cesaro then they should keep that albatros that is the IC title away from him. Nothing screams midcarder more than holding that belt at this stage. Who was the last guy to benefit from a reign?

Barrett vs. Big E. doesn't get me on the edge of my seat. Nor does the prospect of another Barrett IC title reign.

 

[The Eighties]

They are making a big deal of this tournament which is why I think Cesaro is winning it as he is the one getting the biggest push right now. If I am right it is going to be interesting to see exactly how he beats RVD and Sheamus, I mean I suspect RVD will be clean but WWE keep Sheamus protected all the time, I can only think of one clean loss in recent times.

Given the way this tournament is being booked and presented, and how lackluster Big E has been as IC champion, I think whoever wins it beats him at Extreme Rules as WWE try again to revitalize the IC title.

 

[Eddie Menuek]

It's a bit difficult to predict which way it goes, at this point.

Cesaro seems the favourite. However, there's a loose end to be tied between him and Jack Swagger, which could easily make up another solid match on the Extreme Rules card alongside the Intercontinental Championship match. You'd expect Sheamus to get the win over Bad News Barrett, but that being said Barrett is three for three since his return to win and it wouldn't be that much of a shock if Barrett got some sort of tainted win over Sheamus next week. The other option, if you were going with Big E/Cesaro for the championship, would be to give Sheamus the win over Barrett only for Barrett to cost Sheamus the final of the tournament the following week.

Either way, it's an exciting time for the Intercontinental Championship. It seems like WWE might have finally got their asses in gear and begun to treat it as a secondary championship, like they should have done from the moment that the two 'main event' championships were unified. Either one of Cesaro or Sheamus being involved in the title match at Extreme Rules would be a great look.

 

[rerun406]

I think the I.C title has been lacking because of the booking for it. As a fan you're not emotionally invested if the title isn't defended regularly.

when's the last time Big E defended the strap on a RAW or Smackdown? Last month I believe. That's according to profightdb.com at least.

http://profightdb.com/wrestlers/big-e-6446.html

and before defending against Ziggler, it was defended at Elimination chamber vs Swagger, and then vs Fandango (which was a pretty good match, from what I recall)

so booking title defenses so infrequently hurt the title a lot, IMO

" I think that if WWE are serious about Cesaro then they should keep that albatros that is the IC title away from him. Nothing screams midcarder more than holding that belt at this stage."

Agreed lets not forget the last Paul Heyman guy to win the I.C title .. Curtis Axel (who Big E beat for it)

and Axel as I.C champ, did nothing to advance his career

 

[OYDK]

I see Cesaro going through RVD cleanly and Barett somehow playing off of Sheamus' "knee injury" to get past him. Honestly don't know who would win between Cesaro and Barrett but I'm leaning toward Cesaro since WWE is adamant about pushing him apparently. Although if they feel Cesaro deserves a bigger push than the IC belt, Barrett will win. Either way, I see Barett or Cesaro walking out with the title at ER

 

[AJ1981]

With the tournament on Raw WWE are trying to raise the importance of the Intercontinental Championship after a few months of neglect. I said this in another thread but over the last couple of years the WHC had become a glorified IC title. With WWE not wishing to unify the IC & US titles they could do no worse that book the IC title at the level the WHC was until it unification with the WWE title or similar in fashion to how WCW booked the US title in the late 90s, by this I mean the IC title would be feuded over by the guys just below the main event ie Sheamus, ADR, etc or used to push Cesaro to this level whilst the US title would be feuded over by the guys that WWE currently uses for the IC title Big E, Swagger, Barrett, Kingston etc. I'm hoping for a Cesaro win in this one. Cesaro/ Swagger doesn't do much for me, I'd rather they use this to springboard Cesaro up the card. I'm enjoying the Bad News Barrett character at the minute but neither of Barrett's previous two IC title reigns set the world on fire and I don't think another one would do anything either.

 

[CultOfPersonality]

I think Swagger will end up getting involved in Cesaro's match vs RVD and costing him the match to set up their grudge match on ER.

Then, based purely on the logic of face vs heel - it's have to be Barrett that goes on to win.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

I can see this leading to Barrett's face turn easily. It starts with him being Zeb's pick to replace Cesaro and upset him in the finals... then go on to beat Big E... only to, once he wins and holds the strap deliver the immortal line to Zeb...

Either he ends up a Heyman guy (which he should be) or he is then face solo going forwards and defends against Thwagger (which is a more natural feud for the IC title ) in the short term before Jericho returns later in the year heeling on his former protoge.

 

[Creepy Old Man]

Not Barrett, hopefully. The guy proved he was a main event talent in 2010 with five pay-per-views headlined, but WWE saw fit to demote him to IC level. He's held the title three times and it would be an insult to put it back on him.

Cesaro should get the gold. He's never held it and it would be a nice little trinket for him until he moves on.

 

[LODemolition]

I don't think there's any question that Cesaro wins this tournament and beats Big E at Extreme Rules. Cesaro's momentum is huge right now and this is the best thing they can do for the IC Title. Hopefully it will matter once again for the first time in what seems like forever.

There's real potential here for Cesaro to have great feuds and matches with RVD, Ziggler, Rhodes, and Sheamus. This gives me a glimmer of hope for the midcard finally.

What they should absolutely do is have Cesaro and Ambrose unify the IC and US Titles, so we can kiss that worthless US belt goodbye.

 

[Softcore Holly]

What they should absolutely do is have Cesaro and Ambrose unify the IC and US Titles, so we can kiss that worthless US belt goodbye.

The IC title isn't worth much more than the "worthless" US title right now, I would say before this tournament they're worth pretty much the same. (And if Big E retains they'll go back to being on equal status) I would much rather they put in the effort to make it worthwhile than just plain getting rid of it.

Note: This isn't a bash on Big E, more like the way he's booked as IC champ.

 

[LODemolition]

That's the thing though, they've proven they have no intention of making the US Title meaningful. They seem to finally be at least trying to make the IC Title relevant with this tourney. One midcard championship is enough, so I'd unify them or just retire the US Title. How many times has it been defended since Ambrose won it almost a year ago?

 

[Softcore Holly]

That's the thing though, they've proven they have no intention of making the US Title meaningful. They seem to finally be at least trying to make the IC Title relevant with this tourney. One midcard championship is enough, so I'd unify them or just retire the US Title. How many times has it been defended since Ambrose won it almost a year ago?

Just because the US title's been booked poorly doesn't mean they should get rid of it, it just means they're doing something wrong and they should change that. It's like saying that they should've gotten rid of the IC title since that's been booked terribly for a really long time too, but instead we're getting a cool tournament to hopefully make it seem relevant again.

I don't think 1 mid-card title is enough either, the roster is huge especially with the NXT call-ups, that's a lot of guys with nothing to do. There's only a tiny handful of people that can fight for the WWEHC, and only so many people can compete for the IC at a time. So the US, if used properly can give other mid-carders something to fight over.

As for Ambrose they should've gotten the title off him ages ago, again that's a booking problem not the title's.

 

[SmattyG]

I'm a big fan of Cesaro, and he could make it relevant again going up against ADR, Sheamus, Swagger, RVD etc, just as LODemolition mentioned.

I also agree with getting rid of the US Title. What I would recommend is bringing back a third tier title like the European Belt for the up and coming NXT guys. It would also give people like Santino, Brodus, Tyson Kidd etc something to aim for, as you just know they're not going to be close to the IC picture for some time.

In saying all of that, my vote goes to Barrett. I think they need to finish Cesaro V Swagger. Though it wouldn't be the first time there's been no proper ending to a feud.

 

[Softcore Holly]

I'm a big fan of Cesaro, and he could make it relevant again going up against ADR, Sheamus, Swagger, RVD etc, just as LODemolition mentioned.

I also agree with getting rid of the US Title. What I would recommend is bringing back a third tier title like the European Belt for the up and coming NXT guys. It would also give people like Santino, Brodus, Tyson Kidd etc something to aim for, as you just know they're not going to be close to the IC picture for some time.

In saying all of that, my vote goes to Barrett. I think they need to finish Cesaro V Swagger. Though it wouldn't be the first time there's been no proper ending to a feud.

While I wouldn't mind a different third title, you can accomplish the same lower card goal with the US title without the bother of doing a unification match and then making it seem pointless by making a new belt to replace the one you just got rid of.

 

[HBKdADZ]

I think it would be Bad News Barret who would face BigE at the Extreme rules!
because after Curtis Axel grabbed the title from Barret, he never got a rematch! and with the WWE trying to push up Cesaro they won't have him the title! Just look at BigE and Ambrose! they are champions but they never get a potential match. So if you want to push Cesaro you shouldn't let him have the title instead he can feud with Swagger!
Barret is putting quite a show on both Raw and Smackdown!
so I would go for Bad News Barret!
WELL I GOT SOME BAD NEWS FOR YOU AT EXTREME RULES!
If they wanted BigE to remain as a champion they wouldn't have planned for a huge build up for the #1 contender!! So I assure a title change at the Extreme Rules

 

[Mustang Sally]

Yes, I also think a title change is coming. It's hard to say whether Big E has been unimpressive because of his performance, or the way he's being booked.....probably a combination of both. But when it comes to the booking, I can see Creative scratching their heads when asked to present him in the best light. It's hard to do; he's pretty much one-dimensional.

After all, I get tired of reading about big men on this forum where the poster is saying: "He moves so well for his size!" On the contrary, I always wonder how these huge (either fat or musclebound) guys would fare in a real fight in the back alley behind a bar. You might think they'd destroy anyone in their path, yet that would presume their opponent would stand directly in front of them, waiting for the punishment.......as they're instructed to do in pro wrestling. I can see Big E rushing forward at his enemy like a steamroller....only to hit nothing but air when he tries to deliver because the opponent is too fast for him.

To that end, I believe the Big E "phenomenon" is pretty much exhausted already.....at least at a championship level.

Okay, so who's his opponent? Based on the way they're being booked, I would think Cesaro wins the tournament and gets the shot, although it could be argued the company is trying to launch Barrett's return to actually fighting in the ring instead of mouthing off outside it.

Sheamus could get the shot, yet I somehow think he'll be screwed out of victory; after being a world champion, I don't know why they'd want him to hold the IC title. On the other hand, Sheamus has been pretty much without direction since returning from injury; this might be a way to get him moving forward again.

As for RVD; if they want to put a title belt around his waist, it should be early in his 90-day tenure so they don't have to rush to get it off before he leaves again.

I pick Cesaro to take the IC belt from Big E's ample midsection, simply because he's currently getting the biggest of any of 'em and the IC title would be a logical next step.

 

[Softcore Holly]

I think it would be Bad News Barret who would face BigE at the Extreme rules!
because after Curtis Axel grabbed the title from Barret, he never got a rematch!

Actually he did get a rematch, if memory serves it was on a SD soon after Axel won. Sadly enough Axel won that match too

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I have a feeling that Cesaro wins the tournament and wins the title from Big E. It looks as though WWE has gotten firmly behind Cesaro, which I think is due in large part to Triple H's influence, and the fans are responding. I like the dynamic with Cesaro just ultimately being out there doing his thing with fans cheering for him while Heyman is out there heeling it up without one of them encouraging or discouraging the actions of the other.

Given the limited use Big E's gotten over the past couple of months, he's done as well as can be expected of anyone. I still think that there's much more to E's personality than Vince is allowing to show simply because Big E showed off genuine personality in NXT. As I've said in other posts, however, Vince, sometimes, likes to rely on dated stereotypes for some wrestlers who have a particular look about them. E's a 280 pound mountain of muscle who can legitimately bench press well over 500 pounds, so Vince thinks he should be something of a one dimensional, powerhouse bruiser. With such low use during WM season, fans have sort of moved on from Big E, which leaves a strong probability of the title changing hands. RVD's a part timer who wrestles for 3 months before taking time off, Sheamus is strictly babyface right now and I'm not sure Wade Barrett's career can survive another IC title run. In the past decade, I don't know if anyone's gotten less out of being IC champ than poor ol' Wade Barrett.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Throw my name in the hat for Cesaro winning. It makes sense, because Cesaro is riding a nice wave of momentum after winning the Andre Battle Royal, and he's the new Heyman Guy. Although, I'm kind of nervous, because not too long ago, Curtis Axel won the IC title as the new Heyman Guy, and we all know the disastrous end to that story. But Cesaro has a bigger upside, and he's not in the middle of a feud involving Lesnar.

Big. E's been stuck in this weird lull period for a while now, and he's on the backburner. I don't know if the influx of Wrestlemania season caused it, or the higher ups at WWE lost interest in pushing Big. E for whatever reason, but he's not in a primed position for the time being.

 

[Derek McLeod]

Is it at all possible that the WWE may be trying to bring it back to 2 "Main event" titles? Or is the unification too recent to be thinking this way? This tournament is being treated like a fairly big deal, so it makes you think.
I first thought this when I saw Cesaro was involved. It make me think, "Why would WWE put him in this meaningless tournament if they want to push him so hard?" But maybe, just maybe, they may be looking at it this way. The only thing I know, is Big E will lose the title at Extreme Rules. It just depends on who. Who he loses to, will answer this question. If Cesaro wins, it'll be spotlighted again. If anyone else does, it's staying right in the midcard.

 

[Angels]

Big E has been given a very crappy hand and it's absolutely ridiculous, it's like WWE gave him the title knowing full well they weren't going to use it and once they decide how to use it, they already have a few players in play to take it from him. Big E is an impressive wrestler with great charisma and amazing potential, but it's clearly evident the WWE had no interest in actually fully pushing Big E, especially now that John Cena is no longer at the top of the charts, since we all know it's Cena who helped with his push.

 

[laodaron]

I feel like the IC title is useless on Cesaro at this point. I feel like Barrett can't take another pointless IC title run. I feel like Sheamus gets nothing from the IC title whatsoever. And RVD is a part timer.

I'll be really honest, the WWE really fucked up by having these four advance. None of them get any net gain from being the IC champion. Sure, if you give it to Sheamus, you'll have a few more higher profile guys fighting him for it...but that decimates your low card title, then. You can give it to heel BNB, but it hasn't even really been seen how he's going to handle an actual feud, let alone title challenges. You can give it to Cesaro, but then you're dooming him to the midcard for life.

Really, the only option I have at this point is RVD. I mean, the IC title is only defended part time anyway. Honestly, if you're going to strip Big E, which is what it looks like they are going to do, I think it has to go to RVD at this point.

 

[Wolf Pac]

I would love to see Cesaro vs. Big E. Would love to see them test each other's power and strength. Maybe WWE could even go old school and book an Arm Wrestling contest between the two before they're set to face off. But I don't see Cesaro winning this. If he were in the Semi-Finals or Finals with Swagger, I could, but the fact they don't, must mean that they will have Swagger cost Cesaro his match to RVD, setting up Cesaro vs. Swagger for the PPV. Actually I don't think Cesaro should win the tournament. Not only do they need closure to The Real Americans, it's way too early in the Cesaro/Heyman partnership for Heyman to lead Cesaro to the IC Title. They only just started out, give their new relationship some more time to develop and have Cesaro win the IC Title from Barrett (assuming he wins the tournament and the title) around Money in the Bank. Heyman's promos against Bad News Barrett's promos, should actually make for an interesting feud between Cesaro & Barrett.