HIAC Kickoff - WWE Intercontinental Championship: Curtis Axel (c) VS Big E. Langston

[Jack-Hammer]

I'd been wondering if WWE was gonna do a kickoff for HIAC, as they've done with other shows this year, and this match was announced. Big E. Langston earns his first title match in WWE taking on Curtis Axel for the Intercontinental Championship.

If the info of Langston feuding with Ryback is accurate coupled with the fact that Langston will have been a babyface for less than 2 weeks, is in his very first title match and pinned the champ in a tag match on Raw last night; then there's almost no chance of Langston walking out with the title. Some are unhappy with Axel as champion. It's understandable when you consider that so many always compare current champions to the handful of truly all time great IC champs of the past, especially those who many feel should have gone on to win the WWE Championship but didn't. All in all, in my eyes, Axel has done a solid job. I don't believe he's main event material, not every mid-card champion is gonna have what it takes, so measuring a standard of who a good wrestler is based on whether or not they have what it takes go head into the main event is pretty closed minded. My only real problem is that what's happened to Axel's involvement with Heyman's program with CM Punk is what I expected to happen: Axel being a third wheel in which he's ultimately overshadowed by the much bigger stars.

Paul Heyman, I'm assuming, will be out there with Axel for this match. His presence coupled with the other factors I mentioned are strong indicators that Langston doesn't walk out the champ. Langston's just not ready right now and I know the guy's got personality, it's just not being shown. That's the one thing that Langston is missing right now and he's not gonna connect with the audience until it comes out. I'm sure WWE will do something to protect him, maybe have Axel win via disqualification or Langston himself win by DQ or some sort of interference that allows Axel to score a win. In any event, I see Langston losing but not in a clean way.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

I would rather see Langston win the IC Title and feud with Axel. Axel is pretty awful and has done nothing with that belt for awhile. Plus, reports are saying that Langston is to feud with Ryback, which means someone who shouldn't be losing right now is going to. Axel can lose because I think he's ultimately going to go away anyways. Ryback and Langston have good potential.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I don't think a title should change on a kick-off show. Langston's first title win should be on PPV. I understand it might encourage people to buy the PPV, but I don't care about that.

The sooner the belt is off Axel the better. There surely can't be anybody, anywhere he thinks he's worthy of holding a worthless title anymore.

 

[The Eighties]

They just need to follow the blueprint of Axel's daddy's match with the Big Boss Man at WrestleMania VII, they can have a rematch at Survivor Series or maybe TLC, where Langston finally takes the title off him.

 

[Jstrike]

Big e should win, why keep axel champion? ever since curtis won the ic title, his push ended. i think this had something to do with the return of BROCK LESNAR, and then the newest member, curtis with heyman was a fluke, curtis was the waisted push of the year, curtis should break away from heyman, and go face and then just try to stay in the mid card level and wait for a chance for another push, he shouldn't give up yet, heyman is way to busy with ryback to have axel,
Big e need's theses title, whats funny is big e is bigger than dolph ziggler at this moment, and aj lee is bigger than dolph too, bad break for dolph.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

While I don't think we will see Axle drop the title, I fully Expect to see Big E control the match and come out looking strong. I can also see Hayman coursing the distraction which will ultimately cost Big E the match, But I imagine Axle and Big E will continue to feud after HIAC and I imagine there will be a rematch at the next PPV.

 

[kingofkings1]

I am just thinking what if Big E Langston turned out to be another Heyman Guy, and costed cm punk the match against Ryback. And then cm punk will be all alone against heyman guys. That may lead to a survivour series team match. Where cm punk will make a team against Heyman guys.
Team paul : Axel, langston, Ryback.
Team Punk : Cm punk, R truth and Goldberg.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

I think Langston will probably lose (since it's the pre-show) and then he'll win the belt the next night on RAW in a rematch. If they really want to push Langston, having him win the IC belt on a pre-show definitely would not help so I don't see it happening.

 

[MCMG]

I can't imagine them having thee title change on the pre-show. Both are talented guys so I'm excited about this match. I would love to see Langston win because that will give him something significant to do and it will allow Axel to move on.

 

[Mustang Sally]

.... maybe have Axel win via disqualification or Langston himself win by DQ or some sort of interference that allows Axel to score a win.

Makes sense, the only problem being that this is the PPV in which WWE tries to win back dissatisfied customers by not having cloudy endings to the matches. Presumably, they want to schedule a clean pinfall or submission for every contest.

That said, this is almost a match-up of negative factors: Axel has held this mid-card title long enough and it's surely time for him to lose it, given the fact he's come out on the losing end of just about everything he's done recently. At the same time, Langston's credentials for "earning" a title shot seem to revolve around having turned face about 10 days ago.

Predictions are tough in this one. I can't see Axel keeping the belt, yet I can't see Langston winning it yet.

Anything goes. If I had to guess, I'd say Heyman makes the crucial difference, either causing Axel to get the pinfall......or causing Axel to get pinned, putting the Heyman-Axel alliance at risk while placing the belt around Big E's waist.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Rushed, half cocked, stupid. Please let Axel retain by some manner of running away/getting himself DQ'd, so they can 1. develop Big E as a face a little more 2. develop the rivalry a litte more 3. make it a no-dq PPV match(or shit, even the opening segment of one of the hours of RAW) for litte more juice added to the title change.

Knowing wwe, they will do the change, after a paint-by-numbers match.....and not single promo shall be cut this day.

 

[HBsam31]

I also hate the titles being defended on the Kickoff show. It kind of shows us what WWE thinks of that particular title. This is another hard one to call. Axel has done nothing with the belt but lose so I think it is time for him to give it up. Just for that reason I am going to go with Big E.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I'm ok with this being the kickoff match. If it was on the actual card then I quite honestly would not be all that interested in it. This is a step up from having Axel facing Truth, but goodness Langston sucks. I don't get what anyone sees in him. I have no desire to see him win the Intercontinental Championship whatsoever. It could be worse though. It could have been Truth again, or Miz. I'm not expecting much out of the match, and WWE clearly isn't either or else it would have been on the main card.

Axel should retain and hopefully he can move on to a more relevant feud next. Axel can make the belt seem important again, he has the skills, but he needs better feuds in order to do so. As long as he remains aligned with Heyman and gets opponents more entertaining than Langston, he can still give the Intercontinental Championship the meaningful reign it needs but also deserves. Anyways, Axel retains and moves on to his next challenger while Langston moves on to some other angle afterwards.

DAGGER'S PREDICTION
Curtis Axel retains the Intercontinental Championship.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

According to wrestlinginc.com, it's looking as though this match might not take place on tonight's card. WWE.com has a page about the kickoff show and there's no mention of Axel vs. Langston. It says that there'll be a panel of R-Truth, Kaitlyn & Dolph Ziggler and Rey Mysterio for the Spanish audience. However, it's looking as though the IC title match is off.

If that's the case, then the kickoff will probably involve these wrestlers giving their opinions on who'll come out on top and video recaps on the top feuds for HIAC.

EDIT - The IC title match has been officially called off, with WWE citing an as yet undisclosed injury to Curtis Axel.