Daniel Bryan: The Next Intercontinental Champion

[HBK89Bill]

Team Hell No is treading water. Everyone know that by now. I personally thought they were going to drop the titles to Rhodes Scholars before or at The Rumble. They are still good,(Diagrams) but I think we all know its time to move on. I think most of us know they are about to feud and drop the titles to Rollins/Reigns. (They just gave Ambrose a singles match with Taker. He's the odd man out.)

Everyone seems to be jumping on the Ziggler/Bryan feud. I would love to see that as well and it would work very well for all involved. But let me just throw something out in the open for a second. What exactly is Wade Barrett doing with the IC title? Actually, what is Barrett doing at all? You know why he isn't getting over because I do. He is supposed to be a badass brawler who is a heel. He isn't that right now because he doesn't have a good face to go against him. You can argue The Miz if you'd like, but I personally didn't take him seriously. Especially when WWE books him to win and lose the title within 24 hours just to jolt the Wrestlemania crowd. Place Daniel Bryan in the IC title hunt. He brings the belt some legitimacy. There is a massive amount of guys he can feud with in that division and help them develop good matches so when they move on, they can go after Ziggler and the World Title. This would do good things for Barrett, Sandow, Rhodes and so on. Is Daniel Bryan the right guy to be the next Intercontinental Champion?

 

[Beeper Mcgee]

me personally, i think Daniel Bryan chasing the IC title would be nice & i think it would help make the IC title believable again. also i would like to see Daniel Bryan become the Latest WWE Triple Crown Champion.

 

[Raptor93]

Bryan has held the us title so he is technically a triple crown winner, I think Bryan could do for the ic title what he and kane did for the tag division and really bring it back from the dead, he and barret already have history so the feud could be very good. Daniel Bryan could become the new Jericho and just jump from one division to the next wether it be tag team, ic/us or whc/wwe and if booked to win a few of them look like a legit threat

 

[tonykegger]

I would love to see a Daniel Bryan-Dolph Ziggler feud. They have great matches and I think a 20+ minute PPV match for the WHC would be amazing. If that match happens at Payback in Chicago, it would easily be a MOTY candidate. That's my dream match of 2013 I think.

 

[Kizzani]

The simple answer is yes, everytime the WWE tries something new they shit on something. Now they are trying to build the Tag division and have took a hot crap on the IC and US titles.
D. Bryan teamed with a young or more talented tag partner could have a great heel tag team, however because Kane has gone through so much with WWE and been loyal they reward him however he should be teamed with Taker if anyone. Who could fill that role would be interesting.
Wade Barrett is another guy who bores the hell out of me, a good place for him would be the US title and he could fight the rest of the crap squad like Gabrial, santino, cersaro, rhodes and others.
If it was me this is how I would write it up, Money in the bank in won by Byran and instead of doing what every one expects, he cashes in on the IC champ. When asked why since he could have a World title shot, he explains the IC title needs to be elevated and to prove it he wants to face ziggler. This get the Ziggler/Bryan feud going and brings the IC title to new heights when Bryan beats Ziggler, Del Rio and maybe a few others. This set up Bryan VS X who is good enough to hold the title, screwed over by Ziggler maybe giving Del Rio the IC title and forcing Ziggler/Bryan World title at Royal rumble.
Putting the title on the waist of Bryan,Del Rio, even Orton would elevate the title to a new level hopefully that of the Hitman, Perfect, HBK days. So when someone like Sandow or Fandango get a hold of it, it means more since they would have to beat a bigger star.

Now let's talk realism the title will stay with Barrett falling further and further in to pointless title zone maybe going from Barrett to miz and sandow with no real power having it, then Fandango will get it and it will rise a little until he drops it to move to the next level. The IC will be boring and lame. how can I tell.....IT WAS SO LAME, it wasn't even part of the PPV. He is a simple test...if your lower than the Divas title your boring...Who is the Divas champ? Who cares really but seriously I couldn't tell you without looking.

 

[mrfantastic111]

I agree and disagree.

On one hand it would be cool to see mah mayn D-Bry da Intercontinental champeaann! (Booker T voice). The IC title used to attract a lot of viewers that wanted to see the star-power who carried the mid-card. Guys like Kofi and Barrett were exciting 3-5 years ago but they've grown abit stale (which I hate to admit as I'm a huge Barrett mark). Bryan would bring some great star-power to the mid-card titles and would elevate their place on RAW/SD!

However, that kept in mind I think that Bryan's star-power this past year has been out of this world. His reaction every week is incredibly strong; and he never fails to command the attention of the crowd. When RAW goes to a city with a quiet/boring crowd, Bryan is usually one of the few talents that can make the audience excited during a match. So, what my problem is, is that someone who gets a reaction like his every week should be a main-eventer. If Bryan won the WWE or World title next week on RAW, I imagine that the crowd reaction would be similar to the reaction that Ziggler received a few weeks ago. I fear that if Bryan were to chase the US/IC titles, he may get brought down the same way that guys like Barrett and Miz were demoted when they began chasing the mid-card titles.

You can't just put one guy in the mix, a division can't rely on one person alone. For example, you could put CM Punk on the mid-card with the US title, but if he's chasing a no-name wrestler then not many people will care. The problem with WWE is that they can't seem to figure out how to elevate multiple performers as once. They used to be great at it, but now they have no clue.

On another note, I wish that Del Rio had been put on the mid-card to chase the IC title after he lost the WWE title a few years ago - I think that he would of made a stella mid-card champion.

 

[Raiden46]

Bryan has held the us title so he is technically a triple crown winner, I think Bryan could do for the ic title what he and kane did for the tag division and really bring it back from the dead, he and barret already have history so the feud could be very good. Daniel Bryan could become the new Jericho and just jump from one division to the next wether it be tag team, ic/us or whc/wwe and if booked to win a few of them look like a legit threat

Team Hell No didn't bring the tag team division back from the dead anymore than Kofi and any of his random tag partners. The only way the tag division becomes relevant is when a REAL team wins the belts; not two lazily thrown together wrestlers who don't have anything else to do.

D-Bry, though, could bring legitimacy to the IC title...

 

[RKOrob]

I know we've seen them wrestle on RAW a lot but I'd LOVE to see a proper Bryan-Ziggler feud for the WHC - Throw AJ and Big E into the mix as wildcards and this could be an epic feud for the summer!

 

[Dirk]

I know we've seen them wrestle on RAW a lot but I'd LOVE to see a proper Bryan-Ziggler feud for the WHC - Throw AJ and Big E into the mix as wildcards and this could be an epic feud for the summer!

I agree with this, strongly too, but perhaps for two other reasons. Kane, while not always relevant, is still a big deal. He has a great career and people still like him. So, when DBry went from WHC to Tag-champ with Kane, it wasn't that big of s step-down. IC? I think he's over enough to help the IC-title, but it wouldn't do a thing for him.

Secondly, the WWE has a midcard that needs to get over in a big way and I'd rather have the IC and US titles help with that. Kofi, Cesaro, Miz, Barrett, Santino (cringe), Fandangogogogo, Rhodes & Sandow (if they stay split up), R-Truth... All these guys can go for the midcard titles.

When Hell No splits, DBry could hang on to the IC-title until they find him a big angle, but I think Ziggy would be a better bet. Not to mention that the matches would be off the chart...

 

[Jack-Hammer]

Ideally, it wouldn't bother me at all to see Bryan go after the IC title. Bryan has been on a role for about 1.5 years now and I fully expect to see Team Hell No broken up within the next few months. At the same time, however, it seems like there's always been someone on these boards that's made a similar prediction all year. When they do break up, I'd rather see Bryan go either after the WHC or the IC title rather than feud with Kane, which is something we see often when teams break up.

At the same time though, I'd be a little concerned about seeing Bryan go after the title if Vince just seems to lose interest in him as has happened to poor Wade Barrett. As I said, Bryan is someone that's delivered for WWE since very late 2011 and it'd just be a true waste of his ability if they stuck him in a feud or title run that's practically a lame duck before it really begins. But, on the other hand, as I alluded to earlier, Bryan has been a consistent success for WWE. He's shown himself to be an asset both in the tag team and main event pictures. That consistent level of success & interest could lead to WWE putting a lot of effort & energy into a IC title run for Bryan. A strong run with the title as a babyface could only help things out before, possibly, putting him back into the World Heavyweight Championship hunt after dropping the IC title.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Kane, while not always relevant, is still a big deal.

I see your point, but I think Kane has always been relevant. Especially since he started displaying his speaking ability a few years ago, the guy's adaptability of persona has always allowed him to be involved in something entertaining and important. In fact, he's one of the most flexible characters ever in WWE....and who would have believed that when he first came around?

By the same token, I'm surprised and pleased Daniel Bryan has remained relevant as long as he has. Despite his unimpressive physique and placid demeanor, he's carved a niche for himself that has not only included a world title reign, but tons of fun stuff after he lost that belt.

He's done it with: (1) superior in-ring skills, and (2) personality....and who ever would have thought #2 would apply to him?

Sure, he'll split from Kane, and like many other folks, I thought it would have happened already; I certainly never believed they'd make it out of WM29 with the title belts. It's a tribute to their meshing as a team that they've kept things fresh and exciting.

But yes, I can see Daniel competing for one of the mid-card titles after he and Kane split......and no, I don't see another world title reign in his future. He remains essentially a mid-carder who has experienced amazing success, but unless Creative can top themselves and come up with another unique program for him, I can see Daniel continuing to shout "No!" at the audience as he wears the IC title around his paunchy little waist.

Cheers to him: he's done more with less than just about anyone.

 

[Trance Metaphor]

I think Daniel Bryan would be a fine Intercontinental Champion. He's been Wade Barrett's whipping boy every time they were in the ring together. It's about time D-Bryan gets some long-waited retribution. Wade Barrett is a solid performer, but ever since his theme song was changed to accompany his new bare-knuckle boxer gimmick, he hasn't been as compelling. His mediocre victories have been overshadowed by his major losses to lower tier performers such as Kofi Kingston, The Miz and even Bo Dallas. Maybe he and D-Bryan can start a feud that references back to their past work and the early Nexus days. Maybe they can make something entertaining out of the staleness that is the Intercontinental Championship scene. I do hope Daniel Bryan employs more of his vicious offence with a lot of emphasis on submission moves when facing Wade Barrett though. While his current gimmick with the YES and the NO is great, it wouldn't hurt to have D-Bryan use some new serious moves we haven't seen before. I think it would work well for him to hold the Intercontinental title for as long as he did with the United States title. Then after that, maybe, just maybe he'll get propelled towards the World Heavyweight Championship again.

 

[berlinbrawler]

What's this nonsense of having Bryan chase the IC title? I agree that Team Hell No has run it's course (long ago) and that it's time for Bryan to go solo again, but his talents would be wasted on the IC belt imho.

First off Bryan needs to feud with Kane for a while. After their break up there should be plenty of bad blood between the two. We have seen them making an effort to colaborate and now I want to see them openly loathe each other again. This should reinvigorate thier chemistry and I expect it will be hillarious. I want to see a couple of grudge matches at least.

After that feud with Kane (in which Bryan should come out the clear victor), he needs to go for the WHC or the WWE title, nothing more, nothing less. Don't waste him on a midcard title.

 

[HBK89Bill]

What's this nonsense of having Bryan chase the IC title? I agree that Team Hell No has run it's course (long ago) and that it's time for Bryan to go solo again, but his talents would be wasted on the IC belt imho.

First off Bryan needs to feud with Kane for a while. After their break up there should be plenty of bad blood between the two. We have seen them making an effort to colaborate and now I want to see them openly loathe each other again. This should reinvigorate thier chemistry and I expect it will be hillarious. I want to see a couple of grudge matches at least.

After that feud with Kane (in which Bryan should come out the clear victor), he needs to go for the WHC or the WWE title, nothing more, nothing less. Don't waste him on a midcard title.

Good sir, your opinion is just as valuable as mine or anyone else's. However; your opinion is a big part of why the Intercontinental Championship has almost no prestige right now. By this type of logic, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and countless others wasted their time by trying to make another key title in WWE prestigious. The fact that it is a midcard title offers no reason what so ever as to why it cannot be a consistent title which offers the chance to involve good talent and produce consistent good matches. Because it is a midcard title, it is a waste of time? I don't understand this logic and makes WWE programming nothing more than a one trip pony with little depth in the roster. Bringing someone like AmDrag to the IC Title would bring competition and interest to the title and assist in making the most of what roster WWE does have. It doesn't have to be Daniel Bryan, but there is little wrong with wanted to bring long term prestige to another title that isn't around Cena's waist.

 

[dman1373]

Good sir, your opinion is just as valuable as mine or anyone else's. However; your opinion is a big part of why the Intercontinental Championship has almost no prestige right now. By this type of logic, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and countless others wasted their time by trying to make another key title in WWE prestigious. The fact that it is a midcard title offers no reason what so ever as to why it cannot be a consistent title which offers the chance to involve good talent and produce consistent good matches. Because it is a midcard title, it is a waste of time? I don't understand this logic and makes WWE programming nothing more than a one trip pony with little depth in the roster. Bringing someone like AmDrag to the IC Title would bring competition and interest to the title and assist in making the most of what roster WWE does have. It doesn't have to be Daniel Bryan, but there is little wrong with wanted to bring long term prestige to another title that isn't around Cena's waist.

well the problem is the lack of main eventers caused the whc to turn into the intercontinental championship, and then with the mid card left overs spread between the us and ic titles, its almost like having a lower mid card title.

 

[berlinbrawler]

Good sir, your opinion is just as valuable as mine or anyone else's. However; your opinion is a big part of why the Intercontinental Championship has almost no prestige right now. By this type of logic, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio and countless others wasted their time by trying to make another key title in WWE prestigious. The fact that it is a midcard title offers no reason what so ever as to why it cannot be a consistent title which offers the chance to involve good talent and produce consistent good matches. Because it is a midcard title, it is a waste of time? I don't understand this logic and makes WWE programming nothing more than a one trip pony with little depth in the roster. Bringing someone like AmDrag to the IC Title would bring competition and interest to the title and assist in making the most of what roster WWE does have. It doesn't have to be Daniel Bryan, but there is little wrong with wanted to bring long term prestige to another title that isn't around Cena's waist.

It's not my fault the midcard titles have become next to meaningless. If you want to figure out why the IC title means so little, look at the time-span between 1998 and 2010 in which the belt was treated by the WWE as little more than a curio that pretty much anyone got a turn at carrying around for a bit. The proverbial hot potato, usually won and lost again within a month. And if it lasted longer than a month it was usually due to lack of interest and there not being any title matches for months on end. Any effort to breathe back life into the title were short-lived. Some guy would do a good job with the belt, but before you know it, some other guy who has no business being a champion of any sort would get the belt and render it meaningless again.

Add to that that the IC title is no longer a secondary, but a tertiary title. The WHC is what in the good old days was the IC title - the number 2 belt. The IC title is the number 3 and it shares that rank with the US title, watering down its relevance even more.

The WWE has made it very clear in their overall presentation of the belt during the last decade or so that the IC title means very little indeed, so yes, I find it very hard to care. It's a shame, because it used to be such a big deal in the 80s and early 90s, but anyone who thinks that's still the case is kidding themselves.

As for Daniel Bryan - he is already a former World Heavyweight Champion. Going back to chasing the IC title would be a demotion unworthy of a man of his talents. Once his tangent in the tag team scene ends he needs to get back to chasing the relevant belts. Sure, he could bring back some prestige to the IC belt, just like a handful of others have done (Cody Rhodes for one), but it would be beating a dead horse. As soon as he drops the belt to the next midcarder-for-life the belt would be rendered meaningless again. So why bother? Back in the main event with him!!!

 

[Trance Metaphor]

The Intercontinental Championship might not have the same amount of prestige as it did before, but it is still the secondary Championship (unless the WWE confirms otherwise). The World Heavyweight Championship may not be as prestigious as the WWE Championship, but it is one of two world titles, thus one of two primary titles (unless the WWE confirms otherwise). I don't follow anybody on the internet that believes that the World Heavyweight title is the new Intercontinental title just like I don't follow anybody on the internet that believes the ECW title isn't a World title. I'll speak for myself if I have to. With that being said, I think Daniel Bryan is a fine choice for the Intercontinental Championship and here's why; he can restore competition to that scene and make other mid-card guys relevant again. Daniel Bryan needs to rebuild steam in order to look like a World title contender again. Yes, I know that Dolph Ziggler lost multiple matches and didn't look strong winning the World title, but that's why in order for things like that to not happen, guys need to be built to be believable. So far we have seen Daniel Bryan lose 90% of his singles matches. This goes back to when he held the MitB briefcase. I seriously didn't believe that he was gonna become the World Heavyweight Champion back then because of the amount of matches he was losing. When he became World Champion, I was proud but I wasn't completely sold. If he wants to be looked as a believable World Champion, then he needs to be booked strong to win in convincing fashion. Winning the Intercontinental Championship could be that next stepping stone he needs to become a proper future World Champion (hopefully). It will mold him into a machine again. Plus, he might even be able to have more 'match of the year' candidates this way. If he was fighting top tier guys right now, he'd just be fodder and there would be none of that top quality showcase that we know he is capable of delivering. As far as the Intercontinental Championship being useless for not having the same prestige it once did? The same can be said about the World Tag Team Championship. That seems to be the default title a newcomer wins, thus making it the easiest. In fact, every title seems to have a hot potato fluctuation when it comes to value. The importance is with whoever is holding the title. Is he entertaining? Is he someone you enjoy watching? Is he booked in a competitive way. That's what I look for. If Daniel Bryan can be assigned those attributes, then awesome.

 

[TempestH]

I'd like it. An IC Title scene with Daniel Bryan, The Miz, and Wade Barrett all fighting for it could really help give the belt a huge boost.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I would be perfectly happy to see Bryan go for the IC title. For too long the Intercontinental belt has been ignored and has been meaningless, which is a damn shame considering how historically important the title has been. Look at all the great wrestlers who have held the IC belt and used it as a stepping stone to move up to the main event level.

It's a disgrace that so little effort has been put into the division over the last few years, for the Intercontinental Title not to be on the line at Wrestlemania is appalling, and that wasnt a one off- it has happened numerous times over the last few years. Wrestlers are being thrown into the main event before they are over enough or ready for that spot.

With wrestlers the calibre of Bryan, Swagger, Cesaro, Sandow, Rhodes, Kingston, Barrett and others, that is more than enough to start to rebuild the division and make the title mean something. Its pointless giving the title to someone as a way of making them look a star, the belt itself has to MEAN SOMETHING first.

Daniel Bryan could be the man to help to rebuild the prestige of the IC title. Let him talk about all the great champions who have held it in the past- the Bret Hart's, the Steamboat's, the Savage's, the Jericho's etc and how much he wants to be the Champion. Matches against Cesaro or Rhodes could be showstealers, and could be the springboard for Bryan to eventually move back up to World Title contention while making the Intercontinental belt mean something again.

 

[TheViper4Life]

While I am a fan of Team Hell No, the storyline really has played itself out. But when the time comes that they finally do drop the Tag Titles...I would prefer Daniel Bryan to stay in the Main Event scene where he belongs. I don't want him ending up like The Miz, who seems to be struggling to grasp the top of the mountain again.

 

[enviousdominous]

As probably the biggest Daniel Bryan fan on this forum, I'd be delighted to see him take the IC title. I'm happy that they allow him on tv considering how they usually treat people who weren't home grown.

My only concern is in how the WWE has managed to fail, in my opinion, to recapture the power that mid-card titles once had. I'm afraid that even though Daniel Bryan has proven that he can entertain despite bad writing, they'll hand him the IC belt in some mundane and unremarkable manner and then abandon him to dark matches and a rare appearance on Superstars.

Honestly, they treated the return of The Miz like WCW treated the debut of the Kiss Demon. Miz came and got an unremarkable WM win only to drop the IC belt back to Barrett in a match that their own Mothers' ignored.

If Daniel Bryan is on tv, I will watch him. If he's in my area, I will pay to see him. The IC belt would benefit greatly with him wearing it, Daniel Bryan would suffer under the weight of a nothing title and the mundane matches it's now famous for.

I would of course rather see Daniel Bryan back in the WHC picture, even though that's becoming a nothing title as well these days. I know that they'll never let him be the WWE champion, so I won't even kid myself about that.


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