How Can WWE Re-Legitimize the Intercontinental and US Titles?

[LoudClearVoice]

As we all know, WWE has really dropped the ball on the Intercontinental Championship and the United States Championship. These were once prestigious titles held by legendary wrestlers and now they've become nothing but an afterthought.

I remember the HBK-Razor Ramon feud for the IC belt. All those Edge feuds involving the IC title, Mr. Perfect, Honky Tonk Man, etc.

I know they're now trying to put together some good feuds like Cody Rhodes and Dibiase for the IC belt and now it looks like Ziggler and Zack Ryder for US title but how would you legitimize these titles once again? How would you make more than just avid fans care about these once prestigious belts?

My suggestion might seem like the easy way out for the WWE but I think it would bring some short term interest back to the IC belt which they could build long term. The suggestion is have a big star, main eventer (that does not need IC belt) win it and then feud with a guy who does need the IC belt for a series of matches. This might sound crazy but have a guy like Orton resume his feud with Cody Rhodes. Build up the storylines. Have them fight in several matches with the IC belt on the line. Or, even better, give Christian the IC belt. He'd be perfect RIGHT NOW then you have him put over a younger guy as they feud over SEVERAL matches.

That is how you get the interest back in the belts. It seems more important when guys like Christian, or Randy Orton are vying for it. Now I know all you guys are going to say it's pointless to give those guys the IC belt because they don't need it. I agree but I'm saying just follow the normal formula. Use it to get a younger guy over and to get the belt back over.

The IC belt used to be my favorite championship in all the WWE. Now I've lost all interest in it. Making it and the US title more meaningful and important to the fans, will not only help the title but it will also help the midcard talent because then they'd actually have a belt that is important that they're gunning for.

Long term I think a revived US title and IC title would help to put younger talent over into the main event scene too.


Thoughts?

 

[daring2defy]

I have to disagree with your opinion that the Unites States title isn't legitimized. Personally I feel that Dolph Ziggler has had a very strong run as the United States champion, he's held the title for months now, and had some pretty entertaining defenses of the title. He cuts a great promo, one that always focuses on him being a championship holder, and places himself on a pedestal above most other midcard champions have in the past couple years.

I agree however that the intercontinental title has lost some value in the last couple of years. I think it all started with the multiple reigns of Santino Marella, especially due to the fact that at one event, he won the title due to a pinfall by Beth Phoenix. I feel Cody Rhodes is a great champion, and him beating the world champion a couple of weeks ago on Raw added significant value to the title, but it still has a long way to go before reaching the value it had in the past. I think a strong run by Cody, with a very aggressive feud between him and Dibiase will help it. Have Dibiase chase the title for a few months, and come up short. The face chasing the gold is always more entertaining. Perhaps a high profile survivor series match for the Intercontinental title between the two. Two athletic competitors, bring Dibiase back to being a solid Midcard talent, and help push rhodes to the upper echleon. Just my opinion.

 

[The_Southern_Star610]

I one hundred percent agree with SD whatever the hell number.

I remember back in 2001 when Vince put the Power Trip together and Triple H held the Intercontinental championship. He had such great matches with Kane feuding over the belt, and when he finally lost it to TNA's resident drug addict, err, sorry, "Jeff Hardy", it was great for jeff because he got over in a good match with one of the elite stars of the time.

Bring back main eventers to the IC and US title scenes. Randy Orton vs Cody
Rhodes is a great idea and something I'd pay money to see. And it's not overly original but I bet if ol' Y2J came roaring back onto the scene, he could make a fuss about becoming a 9 time IC champ and have an excellent feud with the likes of Ziggler or Rhodes, or better yet, Jericho vs Christian. I'd bet a large sum of money that those two could really tear down the house in a feud over the IC title.

 

[King Patrick Star]

You want to re-legitimize the WWE Intercontinental and WWE United States Titles?? There is one great way to do so. Have a veteran (Chris Jericho), defeat Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler, and have him hold, not unify, but just hold both Belts and defend them separately for at least a year long reign. That will give them the prestige and attention it rightfully deserves. Who would “look” like a Champion more, the WWE Champion, the World Champion, or the Inter-States / United Continental Champion?? I’ll go with “C”, the Superstar with a Belt on each shoulder.

 

[kieransuarez7]

You want to re-legitimize the WWE Intercontinental and WWE United States Titles?? There is one great way to do so. Have a veteran (Chris Jericho), defeat Cody Rhodes and Dolph Ziggler, and have him hold, not unify, but just hold both Belts and defend them separately for at least a year long reign. That will give them the prestige and attention it rightfully deserves. Who would “look” like a Champion more, the WWE Champion, the World Champion, or the Inter-States / United Continental Champion?? I’ll go with “C”, the Superstar with a Belt on each shoulder.

I really like that idea and i think that would bring alot of credibilty back, i agree Jericho would be a great choice for that but i think if he were to return, they would want/need him in and around the Main Event of either SD or RAW. And if he were to hold both titles i think at some PPVs it would be cool for him to defend them in seperate matches and maybe Jericho is getting a bit old for that? So maybe someone like Bryan? but maybe hes just above the IC mark atm? its difficult to think of who would fulfill the role best and wether face or heel would be better but none the less, great idea i think

 

[The Heartfix Kid]

I have to agree as well with having a big name winning one or both of these titles. I like your Jericho idea King Patrick.

And how about featuring it in high profile matches? IC title vs WHC/WWE Championship? Or a Hell In the Cell IC/US Championship Match?

 

[King Patrick Star]

Actually, having Mr. Money In The Bank as the United Continental Champion would be a great idea. This move would do wonders for the Intercontinental Title, the United States Title, and Daniel Bryan himself. He would definitely be portrayed as a threat to the World Title. Even Mark Henry would be a little concerned over the success that would come with the Superstar who has a Belt on left shoulder, a Belt on the right shoulder and a briefcase that lets him “take” the Big Gold Belt, basically “whenever he wants”. Bryan is a better choice that Jericho, in this case.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

And how about featuring it in high profile matches? IC title vs WHC/WWE Championship? Or a Hell In the Cell IC/US Championship Match?

Lots of great thoughts in here. I agree with this.

They used to have IC champ vs. WWE champ with one or both titles on the line. I think they should go back to that at least to get the belt over again.

Hell In A Cell Intercontintental Championship Match would be awesome. Or how about a Championship Scramble Match for IC or United States titles?

The main thing is, build up the feuds for these titles. Don't just throw in a match on the PPV card at the last second, as filler.

 

[FlairFan2003]

WWE hasnt put as much effort into promoting the IC champ in a while, and yes the whole Santino Marrello thing made the title into a joke, unlike The Honky Tonk Man. The difference there was much more effort was put into portraying the IC Title as prestigiuous to show what a travesty it was having a joke like Honky Tonk hold the title.

Put some legit main event stars into the mix with younger talent over these titles, and put some real effort into the fueds so people will want to watch. Also, promote the fact that some of the biggest stars in WWE history, Morales, Savage, Hart, Henning, Rude, Flair, HBK, Jericho, Edge, etc held these titles. People will be interested again.

 

[CoadyCoates]

Let me get this right...you don't want them to unify the belts, but you want one guy to hold BOTH belts? Is that not the same thing as combining the two? These belts have lost there luster because there are just too many belts. Back in the day, when these titles meant something, it was because they were the SECOND most prestigious belts on their respective shows. Since the merger, they mean nothing because you have an excess of gold going around, title "inflation"! The market is flooded with gold! As soon as you combine the titles, you get instant credibility. Now, both those division have only ONE, coveted prize to go after, making it more meaningful. While we're at it, you also have to combine the Heavyweight titles. We've combined the rosters, so let us do the same with the belts. ONE, Heavywieght title, the cream of the crop. Then, your SECOND main title means that much more. Whoever wins that title is just that much closer to competeing for the ultimate prize, THE heavywieght title! Some of you are thinking, "Well what happens with the rest of the roster?" Since we're adding prestige to titles by making them more EXCLUSIVE, we now have extra talent to contribute to the Tag Team Titles. Kofi and Evan are fun and all, but they SUCKED apart, and to be even more honest, they're not that great together either, but I for one take them more serious as a Tag Team, especially in Evan's case.

To wrap this up, it's hard for people to care about either of the mid-card championships, when nobody can tell which means more. Who's the bigger champion, Cody or Dolph? Doesn't really matter since both men have titles around their waist.

 

[The Future Rises]

The midcard titles are exactly where they should be right now. Back then there was only one world title so the WWE/F really pushed the IC title but that's not necessary anymore seeing as we already have two major championships the other titles should be used to push the midarders. And they're doing a pretty good job on that.

Ziggler and Rhodes are too good heels that can really go in the ring. And giving them the titles is good for now seeing as they wouldn't have anything to do considering the shows are absolutely stacked with storylines.

 

[Trill Co$by]

People forget what the US and IC titles are for... they're not for being main event caliber titles. Yes, there have been a lot of people who started with those titles and went on to many great things, as Michael Cole points out everytime Ziggler and Rhodes are in the ring, but you've got to remember that when they were IC/US champions, they weren't Main Eventing.

The IC and US titles are titles that promoters put on for a while to see how well a championship run will do. Yes, they still hold significance of being the second best wrestler on the roster, ideally, but at the same time, it's not going to be people like Cena, Jericho, and Triple H who bring prestige to the title... It'll be the guys who are hungry for gold, are ready for gold, but are not just quite ready for World title gold. People like your Kofi Kingstons, your Dolph Zigglers, your Del Rios, your Rileys, your Ryders... these are the guys who have what it takes to be the top guy, and to make sure they do, WWE puts the US/IC titles on them as a water tester... most of the time.

Honestly, I love the IC and US titles. I've never once thought of them as losing prestige. Yes, at times they get champions that aren't as steller, but at the same time, it's having those bad champions (like Jackson) that make the Rhodes and Ryders look amazing with the titles. And more often than not, it's the IC/US title matches that give you the best for your money.

 

[klunderbunker]

There's a simple answer to this and it's the same as any title: make it look valuable.

You can call a title anything you want but the amount of people that want it and the action for it are what makes it mean something. Two cases in point: the TNA TV Title and the WWF Hardcore Title. The TV Title is hardly ever defended and it's a prop for Eric Young's comedy bits. He's defended it one time on TV since June and the title is an afterthought now. No one talks about it, no one mentions it, it's never defended and therefore it doesn't make Young a bigger deal at all. The title is a prop and it's not making Young any bigger or more interesting.

On the other hand we have the WWF Hardcore Title. This thing was originally a joke given to Foley by Vince to calm him down. Soon after, you didn't see a single PPV without a Hardcore Title match on it. Big stars were competing for it (Mankind, British Bulldog, Shane McMahon, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, RVD, Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, Booker T) and the matches got more and more competitive. In short, the title was valuable and people wanted to hold it. Why else would a gimmick title started as a joke last four years and have that many world champions hold it/challenge for it? Can you imagine the TNA Beer Drinking Championship, another gimmick title, lasting as long?

As for the IC and US Titles, have people feuding over them. Make the matches about action and being involved in the feuds and have the titles be something people want to hold. Also, don't treat them as something people have and then that's it. Take Rhodes for instance. He won the title, defended it the next week, and then just was IC Champion. He didn't really defend it until the PPV and he's lost some steam because of it. It's a simple formula and it'll work every time.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

There's a simple answer to this and it's the same as any title: make it look valuable.

You can call a title anything you want but the amount of people that want it and the action for it are what makes it mean something. Two cases in point: the TNA TV Title and the WWF Hardcore Title. The TV Title is hardly ever defended and it's a prop for Eric Young's comedy bits. He's defended it one time on TV since June and the title is an afterthought now. No one talks about it, no one mentions it, it's never defended and therefore it doesn't make Young a bigger deal at all. The title is a prop and it's not making Young any bigger or more interesting.

On the other hand we have the WWF Hardcore Title. This thing was originally a joke given to Foley by Vince to calm him down. Soon after, you didn't see a single PPV without a Hardcore Title match on it. Big stars were competing for it (Mankind, British Bulldog, Shane McMahon, Big Show, Kane, Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, RVD, Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, Booker T) and the matches got more and more competitive. In short, the title was valuable and people wanted to hold it. Why else would a gimmick title started as a joke last four years and have that many world champions hold it/challenge for it? Can you imagine the TNA Beer Drinking Championship, another gimmick title, lasting as long?

As for the IC and US Titles, have people feuding over them. Make the matches about action and being involved in the feuds and have the titles be something people want to hold. Also, don't treat them as something people have and then that's it. Take Rhodes for instance. He won the title, defended it the next week, and then just was IC Champion. He didn't really defend it until the PPV and he's lost some steam because of it. It's a simple formula and it'll work every time.

I totally agree with you. As of late, it seems like the IC title and US title matches are just "throw ins" announced the day of or the day before the PPV, just a filler match like, oh we haven't had the IC title defended on a PPV in awhile so let's throw together a match (with no real build up).

If they took the time to actually build prolonged feuds (not just one or two matches) people would be interested in these titles again and they would be valuable.

I agree about Cody and the IC champs of late in general. It's like they win it then it's no big deal. They should be cutting promos about being a champion and being the best in the long line of legendary wrestlers that have held the belt.

 

[trips22]

I personally think the WWE should let Punk win the Intercontinental title and hold it for nearly a year or longer. By doing this you reestablish the I.C. Title and establish Punk as top tier for sure. Punk will never have to worry about going back to mid card status and once the I.C. title means something again then he could drop it to an up and comer. Punk then goes after World Title runs from that point on. Kill two birds with one stone. And if you think about it it would allow Cena or whoever to hold onto the WWE Championship for a long while and bring back it's prestige. Win all the way around! I am not a Punk fan but if they did this I could see it making him more of a fan favorite and bringing more to the product. How many meaningless World Title runs can a guy have? Keep giving world titles to Punk and we will see.

 

[DeathClutch]

First of all Dolph has really enhanced the US belt, no doubt about it and for an ugly looking belt he actually makes the belt look good, not sure how but the belt never suited Kofi, Bryan nor Sheamus but that's just my opinion.

IC Title, keep it on Cody from now until WrestleMania. Yes I said WRESTLEMANIA, give him one long run, have him defend it on PPV's Survivor Series have Team Cody Vs Team Ted doesn't have to be big names but use guys like Bryan, Ziggler, Cara, Cara2, Zeke, Barrett, Swagger and Gabe. Have Ted's team win so he gets the ball rolling and build up to Ted/Cody @ Mania for the IC Belt with Ted winning.

Make the belt look worth while, it's all preception, smoke and mirrors no pun intended.

The US belt, I'd probably drop it and bring in a new belt at some point but at the moment the belts are on the right guys so keep them their and when Dolph drops the belt I'd probably have him drop it to someone like Riley/Swagger but NOT YET, maybe at Royal Rumble. Swagger/Dolph should form a tag team and go after the belts maybe win them at Vengance and drop them back to Air Boom @ TLC and have Swagger/Dolph implode leading to Royal Rumble.

Make the feuds long and mean something and have title changes at the RIGHT ppv.

 

[BTLion1990]

I think that they are doing a great job at the moment. Dolph Ziggler is a great champion and can put on great matches. The last six champions have mostly gone on to prove or have proven something. Sheamus (2x WWE Champion), Daniel Bryan (Money in the Bank winner), Dolph Ziggler (World Champion... Cringe!), The Miz (Money in the Bank and WWE Champion), Kofi (Current WWE Tag Team Champion, in a division being rebuilt) and R Truth (Involved in a massive repackage, and currently involved in the top storyline in the WWE). These facts speak for themselves in my opinion.

The Intercontinental championship hasn't had the main impact. Barrett and Jacksons' runs weren't great, but Rhodes has attempted to improve its stature. By acknowledging its devalue in recent times, it says WWE are admitting the problem and attempting to rectify it. Rhodes has been impressive, beating Mysterio at WrestleMania and Orton recently on RAW as well as his current win shows WWE has an interest in redeveloping both titles images and it's working.

In order to further push them, have them defend against legit champions. A Ziggler/Mysterio program for example, or Rhodes/Sheamus. I am aware Sheamus is involved with Christian and Mysterio injured, I'm just trying to show the caliber of opponents that could be used.

I think the biggest title in the WWE, aka the WWE Championship is the title that needs to be legitimised. I don't care if I like Cena, just give him a lengthy run now, against opponents that you think actually have a shot of winning, I admit there's not many, but that's another problem in itself.

 

[King of the Words]

I would enjoy seeing Chris Jerico come back and become a 10 time Inc. Champion. Maybe have Jerico be the one who combines the Inc and U.S. Championships and makes it one super mid card title. With a long run then finally losing it to a strong mid carder I think would be a great way to make these titles mean a lot more to the fans and the Superstars themselves. Why not even call the combined titles the Midcard Championship Title. Have strong mid carders who are having trouble getting to the heavweight level carry this title around for a while for more publicity, till they are over enough to drop it to another strong midcard while they head for the Heavyweight level, like they did with the Inc. title back in the 90`s. They gave it to Bret Hart, made him a big deal, then had him lossing it in an epic match against the Bulldog, just to jump straight to the heavyweight level and defeat Flair for the WWF Championship. It worked back then, and i think it can work now, as well. When it comes to titles, basically I thing less is more. Don`t water them down by having too many out there. A Divas title, Midcard title, Tag Team title, and 2 Heavweight titles, one for each brand, I believe, is all that is needed. IMO.

 

[Sub-Xero]

As far as the Intercontinental title goes, it doesn't need re-legitimizes, Cody Rhodes just needs a good feud with someone who is real threat to take it off him. Ted DiBiase isn't over enogh to be a decent title threat. If Daniel Bryan didn't already have the MitB curse thing going, he would be a great opponent for Cody. The problem is, on Smackdown, there isn't a credible enough mid-card babyface to challenge Rhodes. The more I think about it, that's the problem with the U.S. Title as well. How many times did we see Ziggler v. Kingston? That's because there wasn't anyone else on Dolph's level that could keep up with the pace that he has. Luckily, Alex Riley and Zack Ryder seem to be moving up towards that level where they can challenge for the US strap. As for the IC belt, maybe Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater's not there yet, and Trent Baretta and Tyson Kidd have basically been relegated to Enhancement Talent.

 

[poppycock]

I think the WWE are heading in the right direction with both belts right now (finally). Dolph and Cody are both great Champions and if given good runs could both bring back some value to the belts. I would not be against Chris Jericho or somebody similar coming in and re-capturing the IC Title but right now I am happy to see where things go with Cody as the Champion.

As for the US Title I would like to see some sort of X Division type scenario going down. I think the WWE have a lot of amazing talent in and around the 220-230lbs weight class. Especially if they lower the weight a little.

Anyway I am personally quite happy with what is happening right now with the belts but it is early days.

 

[Headman]

Both current champs are legit and the longer they hold them the more legit their titles will appear. The midcard belts were devalued by weak booking and the only way to undo that damage is strong booking. Give the champions serious challengers, complete with storylines that put the belt as an object to be desired and chased instead of a meaningless strap put on a new guy every other week. Rhodes and Ziggler both put the importance of the belt over in their promos which is something the midcard champs haven't done in a while. Cody looked strong against Randy Orton in both matches, the 2nd he actually won which in my mind elevates the title. I haven't been this hopeful about the state of the two midcard titles in a very long time.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Both current champs are legit and the longer they hold them the more legit their titles will appear. The midcard belts were devalued by weak booking and the only way to undo that damage is strong booking. Give the champions serious challengers, complete with storylines that put the belt as an object to be desired and chased instead of a meaningless strap put on a new guy every other weak. Rhodes and Ziggler both put the importance of the belt over in their promos which is something the midcard champs haven't done in a while. Cody looked strong against Randy Orton in both matches, the 2nd he actually won which in my mind elevates the title. I haven't been this hopeful about the state of the two midcard titles in a very long time.

Good post. I agree. In order to restore value to the titles or "re-legitimize" them, they have to book strong feuds. They need some solid storylines that extend over a few PPVs. Also, they need to emphasize the feud and the title as part of the feud. As I've said a few times, it seems like they add in the IC title match and US title match right at the end, the day before the PPV. That makes it seem so unimportant.

I do agree with most that Rhodes and Ziggler are both quality midcard champs (Ziggler moreso than Rhodes).

 

[xoxo French Kiss xoxo]

I think the two current Champs are doing a damn fine job of bring prestige back to the IC and US titles.

Rhodes beating Orton last week on Raw was a great example of how the Middle Card Champion can be as good if not better than the main event champion.

Ziggler winning the Fatal Four Way vs Swagger, Riley, and Morrison was a great example of the champ overcoming all other challengers.

They both have had a strong showing over the past few months, and if they continue to properly be pushed as IC and US champion, the titles will once again have meaning.

Id love to see one, if not both breakout and have runs at the WHC/WWE within the next year. Rhodes could wrestle Orton at WM for the WHC. Ziggler is a former WHC who was shafted out of a run due to Edge's injury and retirement.

 

[Stiltskin]

My personal opinion, one way to relegitimize the second tier titles is to use them as a stepping stone to the World Heavyweight and WWE championships, which is what they were used for. Of course having your title holders in an interesting fued that has some length to it wouldn't hurt either.

 

[johnbragg]

The IC title will never be what it was before the Attitude Era. Before the Attitude Era, world title reigns were long and "former world champions" were few. Guys like Ricky Steamboat never got a world title run. Back then, being Intercontinental Champion (or US champion) meant almost as much as being World champion now.

That's not the case anymore. You can't put that toothpaste back in the tube. If you can't win the World/WWE title today, you're not a star.

But WWE could put some value back in the midcard titles by making them a path to the World/WWE title. Declare a rule that only "qualified challengers" can fight for the World/WWE title. Have rules for "qualified challengers."

My rules for "qualified challengers"?
1. Former champions from the past two calendar years. Right now that's Del Rio, Punk, Mysterio, Miz, Seamus, Orton, Christian, Ziggler and Swagger, plus a returning Batista, Edge, Kane, Jericho or Undertaker.
2. Automatic qualifiers--Royal Rumble/MITB/KOTR winners.
3. Anyone who holds the IC or US title for 6 months, or defeats ten different challengers (retaining the title by DQ doesn't count), or has twenty-five successful defenses(retaining the title by DQ does count). (Numbers need more thought.) Or pick one of those three rules.

Suddenly, half the company is chasing the midcard championships.