Big E. Langston Wins IC Title

[The Brain]

Tonight on Raw Big E. Langston defeated Curtis Axel for the Intercontinental Title. I like Big E. and feel he has a lot of potential. He’s still a little green but I like this role for him. I’m hoping Langston can breathe some new life into the IC title because it was pretty much worthless around Axel’s waist. I think Langston can do very well if given the proper chance. He needs some new music and an opportunity to do some mic work. A lot of people think he has no personality but he hasn’t been given a chance to show any. I’ve mentioned it ever since he turned face so I hate to harp on it but I think getting some new music will go a long way to help Big E. Something like that may seem minor but that is the kind of subconscious thing that tells the fans if the promotion believes in the wrestler. If a wrestler has generic music the fans will think of him as a generic wrestler. Watch the main event of WrestleMania 21. The promotion did a great job of building Batista and he was very popular. After Triple H’s entrance Batista came out to his pretty generic music and it seemed out of place. It would have been a much better moment if he came out to his “I Walk Alone” music. Obviously the promotion realized that as he had that new music immediately after mania.

I’m hoping Langston breaks out here but I don’t think this is necessarily do or die for Langston as he is still very young and can still be considered new to the roster. Even if Langston doesn’t break out with this reign I think it’s going to provide a good learning experience for him as he takes his first big step in learning to be a star. I’m not expecting instant stardom from Langston with this title win but I think he’s on the right track and Langston is going to be a big time player in the future.

 

[CM Steel]

Good for Langston! Nice to see a fresh face to the IC championship. Big E Langston does still have things to learn in the business. But since the time that Big E has been on the main roster in the WWe as a face and as a heel, we've seen Big E Langston come into his own. He really can carry a decent match. The only thing that I hate about the Big E Langston thing is, he's a "John Cena guy" backstage. I'm not saying that Big E doesn't deserve the IC strap. But he has Cena to politic for him.

But ccongrats anyway to Big E Langston on winning the IC championship!

 

[Redrum]

Good for Langston! Nice to see a fresh face to the IC championship. Big E Langston does still have things to learn in the business. But since the time that Big E has been on the main roster in the WWe as a face and as a heel, we've seen Big E Langston come into his own. He really can carry a decent match. The only thing that I hate about the Big E Langston thing is, he's a "John Cena guy" backstage. I'm not saying that Big E doesn't deserve the IC strap. But he has Cena to politic for him.

But ccongrats anyway to Big E Langston on winning the IC championship!

Well to be fair at this day and age in WWE you need someone back there to politic for you. DB might be the exception to the rule tho the ones in charge never bought into him and he did prob have some backing from HBK. You dont make it in WWE without one of the big stars of the family pushing for it.

 

[King_of_Swing1520]

i like his entrance music actually. but other wise i agree with you. Big E is going to be a solid worker for years to come. he's big with out being too big. he can still wrestle and keep a good pace in a match. a very good combination of strength and speed. he hasn't gotten a lot of mic time but the few times he has spoken i thought his promos were good.

the main problem for me is what are they going to do with him now that he has the IC title? who's he going to feud with? good mid card feuds are something the wwe has lacked so much over the past 5 yrs. its like they set up 2 or 3 "Main Event" feuds and then just half-ass the mid card, divas, and tag team divisions.

this is why i don't see Big E's IC title reign being anything special, or even useful for him in the long run. He'll get his tv time and a title defense on every other ppv but he'll never be in any real feuds that elevate him or the person he's feuding with.

 

[Kris Benwa]

I agree they're going have to give him a better theme and have him get in some feuds. Once they have him in some serious IC title feuds it'll build him up even more so. I'm happy he's the champ and I hope he succeeds even more if he does have a personality he could be a WHC one day.

 

[The Eighties]

This was the next logical step for Big E but as others have said he really needs someone to feud with over the IC title, a real rival that he can actual use to showcase some personality and make the IC title and himself seem important.

The Miz just turned heel and he could provide a good foil for Big E, and then there's Sandow who I think would be another good rival for Big E to feud with over the IC title as lets face it, he's not getting near the WHC or WWE title in the next 6 months.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

I like Langston. I think he's going to get really good. He works hard and his stupidly athletic. A person shouldn't be that strong and that quick.

I think he'd be a great catalyst for the Ryback turn. Heyman sends Ryback to win back the IC title from Langston and Langston wins, them Ryback snaps on Heyman (which turns him face). It should also be in a chairs match and the two should just beat the shit out if each other with potato chair shots.

 

[TheNew_ApexPredator]

I want to see how wwe play this out, Langston has really grabbed my attention when he turned face, its great to see him as IC champ. I hope WWE dont turn him to a un-stoppable beast and make him this very powerful guy he still has a long time to become a big star, wwe should really build him up to a big star slowly. But i just cant wait to see what Langston brings to the table now!

 

[Jack-Hammer]

It was a good win for Langston after a pretty solid match with Axel. I'm actually a little surprised at how over Big E. has become with fans in such a short span of time. It's been a really long time since WWE had a strong babyface IC champ so I think is a good move for both Langston and the title.

I especially think this could be a good move if they progress Langston a bit. The guy genuinely has a charismatic personality, it was very much on display in NXT, and having him show that will only propel him further in the long run.

 

[Alex]

I didn't watch any of his NXT stuff but my friend said he was great. His 5 count instead of 3 gimmick was apparantly pretty over.

As others have said the guy does have charisma. Heck if you follow him on Twitter he says some hilarious stuff, So I feel he'd be a decent mic worker at least.

Trouble is the midcard has been shit for years now. And that directly correlates to why WWE have trouble building main eventers that stick. I know Big E would do well if they allow him to, but it's just the writers seem to be rather incompetent.

 

[Hard Hit Prince]

This was predictable and I was enjoying a lot more of Big E. Langston vs. Dean Ambrose for the US Championship. Nevertheless, winning a midcard championship was the right path for him and one can hope he gets a good reign out of it - and I'm still hoping for a better match with Axel at this Sunday's Survivor Series as I felt that the match wasn't as good as I know they can deliver.

Big E. Langston has that "it" factor and the fans are getting behind him. However he's very young and that could be a factor as some wrestlers had it too soon and never quite turned out to live their full potential. Langston is very green, both in the ring and outside of it and still very unidimensional - he's a big guy that can lift (yes, he lifts bro!) and that's all we know. His promo work, everytime he had a chance to do something wasn't really good or anything and that's a problem that being only 27 years old can solve.

There are some changes he needs to do to be less generic in my view - I agree that the theme isn't "him" and there are other things like his entrance in a whole and his wrestling gear that doesn't click.

It will be interesting to see if the WWE will give him a decent run, instead of putting the strap on him and follow it by shitting bricks on it. He can have decent feuds with guys like Damien Sandow, Fandango, The Miz and maybe Dolph Ziggler as I think it would be nice and would have some history. Let's see what he can do - and I hope Axel doesn't disappear after that, he's way to good to be a jobber - just give him another role, something different to do or hell turn him babyface and make him go after Ambrose or Ryback.

 

[THTRobtaylor]

The mid card isn't shit. They're just not allowed to be the midcard. Being there is stigmatised as failiure by the E, IWC and thus fans and the boys themselves.

I always mention it cos it's real... Since Bret won the big belt it's been a strict conveyor... Mid card title, then you lose it and if you don't win the big belt within 2 years you've failed and the E tries other guys. The only true exceptions have been Henry and Christian... Two in twenty years where a midcarder has organically got to the main event in their own and correct time. Benoit and Eddie were brought in to be main eventers within a period of time.

Every "push" is the same to the level that guys can't just be upper mid or midcarders in the way Rude, Jake, Piper, Bossman, DiBiase, Perfect and Tito Santana could. They all main evented shows and PPV's but rarely got World title matches much less the belt.

Big E. is now in a difficult positon, cos he won this the clock is running on him. The idea of a guy with the midcard belt being the workhorse is dead. Now it's a ball you have to run with. If you fumble, don't run far or fast enough or simply can't then progress it's bleak... Look at Ryback, Ziggler, Barrett and Axel... Four guys in the same situation, neither really failed at anything but they just aren't mean to be those to top guys. Problem is WWE NEEDS new Rock's and Austins not Christians...

Big E. will do ok with the belt, they cann feud him with Barrett, Reigns and maybe Ryback for it. But in his case they need to not try and make him "the next big thing" let him hold it for a long time, naturally grow and then see where he is...if they go the above route he doesn't have a plan B just as Ryback didn't. You can't repackage or rebuild him in the way they could Mark Henry or Christian. He is what he is... If they let him he will be a great, perhaps HOF level upper midcarder... If they try and force him to the big belts, he's another Bobby Lashley.

 

[The Fabulous Rougeau's]

A good moment on Raw no doubt. From the fan reaction to the emotion on Langston's face as he was celebrating with the fans at the entrance ramp. While I know they kinda did the same thing with Ryback and Mark Henry, I hope that Langston gets a program with Mark Henry during his IC title run. The story is self explanatory and Langston is a guy who can match Henry's feats of strength. It also gives Langston easy opportunities to further get over as who wouldn't pop after seeing Langston lifting an absurd amount of weight,

 

[Mustang Sally]

It seems that the "old" formula for pro wrestlers has been abandoned in favor of a more realistic format. It used to be that chosen guys would come in, present as an unstoppable force and destroy everyone on their way to winning championships. (Brock Lesnar comes to mind. Remember?)

Today, we see more guys like Big E Langston. A guy with his build might be expected to be handled as in the past, with opponents not able to stand up to him as he steamrolls everyone on his way to the top. But it hasn't happened that way; instead, Big E has lost one-on-one matches a bunch of times, been cast as a "second" to mid-card performers like Dolph Ziggler, and has taken his lumps in different ring appearances.

Personally, I like it. I find myself appreciating Big E more because of the zig-zag path he's taken to his first title, and look forward to further development of his character. No, he's never going to be tossing 619s at people, but Vince McMahon apparently loves the kinds of things guys with Langston physique can do.

The sky's the limit.

 

[Chococat]

Congrats to Big E!

I'd like to see a feud between him and Axel but I fear that Langston will just be given random opponents just so he can defend his belt, Which really doesn't bring prestige.

Please push Langston into an actual feud with someone over this belt.

 

[MCMG]

I, like most, think Langston is a real talent and am delighted he is on the main roster and has won his first championship. He is still extremely young and I hope this is the start of something great. Hopefully being IC Champion will be a step in seeing Langston get on the mic a bit more because I think he is talented in that department as well.

The worry is, of course, that like Barrett this ends up slowing Langston's progress. A series of irrelevant feuds with talent that no-one cares about and it hurts Langston. Hopefully they book him with the right opponents and it is a title reign that isn't too long. Big E has the potential to be right at the top and this should be the first of many titles.

 

[hatehabsforever]

I thought it was awesome seeing Big E win the IC championship on RAW last night. For one thing, seeing a title switch hands on an occasional episode of RAW or SD is always a positive, as so often the thought is out there that nothing of significance happens on free TV and that stuff only goes down on PPV. If WWE (or TNA for that matter) want ratings to improve, I think it is important to show that it is worthwhile to tune into the show as things of consequence can still transpire on a regular TV episode.

Over and above this, it has to be a positive development seeing someone else, anyone else, other than Curtis Axel hold this title. Anyone has to be seen as an upgrade over this boring, bland, generic guy. I don't care who the guy's father was, stick a fork in Curtis Axel. Big E Langston has to be seen as a major step upwards from this guy, even if his title reign turns out to be lackluster.

And there is no reason to think that Langston as Intercontinental Champion will be lackluster. The dude is huge and is able to go in the ring. He is clearly over with the fans. I see this as an excellent opportunity to elevate this mid card strap to greater prominence. Make it feel like it matters again by having a guy with a bright future defend the belt in significant feuds. Will WWE do this, only time will tell. But if they feel that Langston has a bright future, how better to continue to advance his career than have him be a strong face IC champion, especially considering the circuitous route it took him to get there as Sally suggested.

 

[Softcore Holly]

Congrats to Big E!

I'd like to see a feud between him and Axel but I fear that Langston will just be given random opponents just so he can defend his belt, Which really doesn't bring prestige.

Please push Langston into an actual feud with someone over this belt.

That's why I'm sad that they had him win the IC title over the US. US would've put him into a feud against Shield, which if done right would've made Big E and the title look amazing.

Beating Axel on the other hand probably won't lead to anything, Axel's going to lose his rematch and after that who knows? Maybe they'll do something great, and I certainly hope they do, but considering how the IC/US title has been essentially ignored for months I'm not very confident in that.

 

[JoeyJoeJoe]

All of a sudden you've got two guys with a lot of promise holding the IC and US titles. Naturally, this is exactly what I like to see.

Guys I'd like to see him feud with in the coming months: I think guys like Ryback and Mark Henry when he returns are naturals. Especially after last night's Ryback/Big Show match, I think they need to consider building Ryback back up as a monster heel en route to a match with Langston to give it some drama, but it should be a very good match.

I think you eventually put Langston up against The Shield with Reigns taking the title from him. I think the best way of eventually causing a rift in the Shield is using the midcard belts to create the wedge. Langston can either regain the title from Reigns after Ambrose interferes, or have Langston take the US belt off of Ambrose after Reigns interferes, but I think it'd create a nice feud for Langston and Reigns for awhile, and it'll segue into something a little bit bigger.

From there, who knows? I can see Langston facing off with Orton, Wyatt, Big Show, maybe even Lesnar after WrestleMania depending how well his push is received.

 

[SuperTaco]

For all those talking about his entrance music, it was updated quite nicely last night and I love it now. The old theme didn't have much impact at all, but they added a few extra sounds and keyboard lines to make it better (And much more suitable for a face Big E Langston, IMO).

The more I see of him, the more I like what he brings to the table. He's a massive dude who can move quickly. He's a powerhouse that can wrestle with the best of them. He has an intensity about him that feels authentic.

Part of me wishes he had a better looking finisher, but the Big Ending has already been established.

 

[RicSpade]

Big E. was over tonight, but doing the whole intro thing going into the match it was almost too damn obvious he was going to win. I do think though they need to change his gimmick just slightly, there is just something about him that bugs me, and until I figure it out I can't back him 100%

 

[Y 2 Jake]

The problem I see with this is that Langston needs a feud, a proper one, which he hasn't had yet. He was involved in Ziggler & A.J's feuds, but they weren't about him. Giving Langston the I.C. title means WWE can be lazy and just give him matches based on another guy wanting the belt and nothing more. Which is a shame, because he needs a feud in which he develops some serious beef with somebody. It's the only way he'll progress.

 

[James]

The idiots changed his music last night and I was pissed. I want his Gucci Mane trap house theme back.

Other than that, I was glad to see him win as Axel is just boring.

 

[Chococat]

That's why I'm sad that they had him win the IC title over the US. US would've put him into a feud against Shield, which if done right would've made Big E and the title look amazing.

Beating Axel on the other hand probably won't lead to anything, Axel's going to lose his rematch and after that who knows? Maybe they'll do something great, and I certainly hope they do, but considering how the IC/US title has been essentially ignored for months I'm not very confident in that.

Putting him in a feud with shield would have been stupid. He would have been forgotten between CM Punk, Bryan, Rhodes, Usos, Shield and Wyatts all fighting each other.

 

[Chococat]

The idiots changed his music last night and I was pissed. I want his Gucci Mane trap house theme back.

Other than that, I was glad to see him win as Axel is just boring.

What are you talking about? He's been using the same I Need 5 theme song since NXT