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

[johnbragg]

Oh, forgot the quick fantasy booking. R-Truth calls out Cena and talks trash, Cena gives R-Truth a title shot. Ref bump, Miz chairshots Cena, R-Truth pins him, ref starts making the count.

COO HHH comes out, stops the match, says Hell no, the WWE title is not changing hands that way. Furthermore, R-Truth "just isn't world title material." R-Truth cries racism, HHH asks has he ever been world champ? Intercontinental champ? US champ?

RT: Hey, I *was* US champ.
HHH: Really. For how long? (Checks earbud) Two weeks. Wow. Guy in the truck says two weeks. Tell you what. You've got a title match next week--for the Intercontinental title. You win the Intercontinental title, hang on to it for a hundred days, then you've got yourself a world title shot.

HHH books R-Truth vs Cody Rhodes for next week for the Intercontinental title. Cody Rhodes comes out, wants to know if the hundred day rule applies to him. HHH can't see why not. Dolph Ziggler comes out, says he's already been US champion for over a hundred days, demands his world title shot. HHH books it--BUT--vacates Ziggler's US title.

OR--HHH books R-Truth vs Ziggler for the US title. Ziggler comes out, makes his speech, HHH says if he beats R-Truth, he's got his world title shot. Cody Rhodes asks if he gets the same deal, HHH can't see why not.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

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.

This is a great idea. Things would be some much more interesting and entertaining with these stipulations.

I'd like to see WWE at least try something like that. It would make the competition and "sport" aspect of it more legitimate and it would certainly make the lower titles important.

 

[hollowpoint]

If you ask me, the U.S./I.C. Titles are in a lot better place than they were say, a year ago. Ziggler is doing a great job of carry the U.S. Title as if it were the WWE Title. That's how a midcard Champion SHOULD carry the title. Cody Rhodes is attempting to do this and it's apparent the I.C. Title is held in higher regard since Cody Rhodes actually got the victory over Orton in the Champion v Champion match. Sure the mid card scene is nowhere near what it once was, but it's getting back to where it worth watching again.

 

[Cactus_Mack]

Personally, I want the brand split to end and for the WWE to unify the world titles and to unify the US title with the IC title. Less titles means that the guys holding them become more dignified and the actual winning of the championship(s) means so much more. I think that they should unify the secondary titles at WM28 or maybe next year's NOC. Now here's where I think most would disagree with me: I think that they should keep the US Title and retire the IC title. Within the WWE, I know that the prestige of the IC title far outweighs that of the US, but since the WWE Champion is considered the champion of the 'world' (all countries) I think that the secondary title they keep should represent just the US, where the WWE was made, making the 'world' heavyweight champion standout even more. The word Intercontinental sorta kinda is the same thing as world right? Unify them and keep the US title and build it's reputation over the next 10 years as the stepping stone to the WWE title. My personal choice for the guy to be the first unified US Champ would be the Miz, but there are several guys who deserve it....

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I think WWE is on the right track overall right now. Cody Rhodes has been a much stronger Intercontinental Champion than any we've seen since Dolph Ziggler. Cody Rhodes is actually winning matches as IC champ, he even holds a nice old school heel victory over Randy Orton when Orton was WHC. Rhodes has also been given lots of time on the mic and has remained a strong character while champ. If WWE keeps going in the direction they're currently going with Rhodes and keep the title on him for a while, then it'll be fine.

As for Ziggler, WWE has taken a direction with him that's kinda unique for a mid-card champion. Aside from Cody Rhodes, Ziggler is the only mid-card champ that's gotten any serious degree of mic time that I can recall in quite a while. WWE has used Ziggler's reign to develop his character and that's going to be a good thing for Ziggler in the long run. I'd love to see Ziggler have a long run with the title and get some more feuds with it under his belt, no pun intended, but I can't say Ziggler's has been a waste.

 

[Dagger Dias]

WWE are headed in the right direction with the United States Championship. Ziggler is on his way to the main event of Raw thanks to his US title reign, which has been good for the belt too. It has been long enough and successful enough to make the belt look important again. They did it right with Miz too. He held onto it a long time and had wins in title defenses. Bryan's reign was long enough, but he was not booked properly. Had he gotten more wins in then he could be added to the list of guys who used that belt successfully on their way to the main event. If they keep up what they did with Ziggler or Miz, then the US title will be earning back its prestige.

The Intercontinental Championship is not doing as well. Ziggler and Morrison had some good reigns last year, and McIntyre had a really long one. They need to be doing exactly the same thing with the IC title that they are doing with Ziggler and the US title. I like the original poster's idea of Christian having a long, strong run with the belt due to a former champion having a good run with a belt always adds some prestige to it. They are on the right track, I hope they keep it up so that the midcard titles will matter once again.

 

[Why Always Me]

I think an eventual unification would be good and then feature it in high profile matches.

Have the unified mid-card champion (lets call it the IC belt) maybe face the WWE Champion in a non title match for the main event of Raw and beat him clean. Then on Smackdown or maybe even a lower PPV (ie not Royal Rumble, WrestleMania or SummerSlam) have a re-match for the WWE title but this time the WWE champion wins.

Also having the IC title match as the penultimate match on the card for PPV's with guys like The Miz, Rey Mysterio, CM Punk and Del Rio gunning for it when they are not in the WWE Title hunt. Guys like Bret Hart and Triple H won the IC Title after being WWF Champion, why can't CM Punk, The Miz etc do the same?

 

[InsomGTS]

The problem with giving a guy like Punk the IC title now is it would seem like a step back. There's very little competition for world title caliber guys in the midcard. They can all squash Kofi. What it might do is just bury somebody in the midcard. Once you've held a world title multiple times you wouldn't be interested in a lower status belt.

 

[berlinbrawler]

I don't see these two titles gaining any relevance in the foreseeable future. Like, who knows how things are 10 or 20 years from now, but I'd bet my house that in the next 5 years it's not going to happen.

What it would take is the following:
a) The WWE Championship and the World Title get unified.
b) The US title and the IC title get unified.

c) No further titles get introduced! No Cruiserweight, no European, no Hardcore, no whatever.

The IC champion could become the main guy on Smackdown. Only problem is this clearly acknowledges which is the B-show. But ultimately that would make that title relevant again.

 

[Gotti]

Im not sure if this was mentioned, but I think one way the IC and US titles could gain some credibility back would be to have a MIB winner cash in the briefcase for an opportunity at one of those titles. I do however agree with some of the other posters that the IC and US titles have gained a lot of momentum since Dolph and Cody won them. I think that the WWE roster is very young right now and as the current superstars get older then these titles will mean more in a few years as they continue to grow. Just dont go throwing these titles on the next youngster who comes along. Keep Cody, Dolph, Swagger etc in these feuds for a few years. One other thing that bothers me is when the IC or US champ is booked in a squash match with the WWE or WHC to make those champions look stronger. There are plenty of guys on the roster that can do the job.

 

[Skinsley]

I honestly think that over the past few months since CmPunk started ranting. ALL the WWE titles have started to mean something.

Even the Diva's division is getting a push in terms of storyline...in the sense that Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly Really want the title for their own legitimate reasons.

What looked like the un fixable Tag division has just had a worthwhile match...I only wish that Awesome Truth would have won the titles because for some reason I now see the Tag division going down another notch because of it. Lets face it, Heel champions and the Faces chasing it for their Just cause MAKES titles legit.

 

[The 1-2-3 Killam]

Simple answers: develop legitimate feuds around the title. How many champions have we seen come and go just because they got a title match and won the belt, or defended the title and lost? Of course there are certain times that matches just need to happen because it's professional wrestling, and the product doesn't need to be filled to the brim with dozens of silly storylines. But in all of Kofi Kingston's IC or US title runs, did he ever face a person for more reason than they were a heel who wanted the title? Yes, I'm sure you could find an example here and there, but there's a reason I can't remember most of his opponents since his debut.

There are great athletes and superstars that hold the belts, but I can't really get excited for a match if it doesn't mean much. John Cena and Rock can sellout an arena with their name alone, but guys like Ziggler should really be selling us their product because they can't pull the same thing. They're just not big enough... Long story short, I just want to see real feuds that aren't in the main event scene. While I hate Jack Swagger, it's nice that a legitimate US Champion like Dolph Ziggler is involved in something more than one-off matches at every PPV. For the same reason I'm liking Rhodes/DiBiase because they have a history, and it only gets more complicated when Randy Orton gets involved.

I agree they could have been using them better in the last few years, but the current champions and goings on are great.

 

[berlinbrawler]

Im not sure if this was mentioned, but I think one way the IC and US titles could gain some credibility back would be to have a MIB winner cash in the briefcase for an opportunity at one of those titles.

Don't know about that. I, for one, would think "what an idiot" if that ever happened. It would damage the wrestler, rather than help the title.

I do however agree with some of the other posters that the IC and US titles have gained a lot of momentum since Dolph and Cody won them.

Agreed. Realistically that's the best way to bring back meaning to those titles. Find two guys who down the road will no doubt go for "the big one" and give them lengthy reigns.

In fact, I know a way to infuse meaning back to the IC title. Santino Marella actually had the right idea: the Honk-a-meter.
It shouldn't be Santino, though. Ziggler or Rhodes are prime candidates for it. Not saying they should succeed in breaking that record (although, would that be so bad?). But they should give it a good try.

 

[Mac Attack]

Step 1

By building proper feuds that are based around the title itself. The current feud that involves the U.S Title holder (if you call it a feud) is that his manager has taken on another client. This has nothing to do with the belt.

Step 2

Have a contender who wants the title. Not since the days of MVP have I heard anyone say that they want the US Title. If there is no contenders who actually want the title then why should the WWE Universe care for the title.

Step 3
Give the Titles some air time. Having the U.S/IC title holders win an occasion match is all good. However burying your champion like thy did with Ezekial takes away the value of the title. However, losing in the manner Ziggler did was actually interesting.

Step 4

Make it Seem prestigious. Have the commentators mention that Shawn Michaels held the title. Have them mention that Jericho has the most IC title rins. By saying something is prestigious works quite a bit.

 

[tomthebodz]

One idea could be to use the title like the US Title was used in WCW. When someone wins either title give them a WWE Title or Heavyweight Championship shot. Not at a PPV but on RAW or Smackdown. It will make the title seem more prestigious and it could give an incentive to win the title.

 

[LoudClearVoice]

Im not sure if this was mentioned, but I think one way the IC and US titles could gain some credibility back would be to have a MIB winner cash in the briefcase for an opportunity at one of those titles. I do however agree with some of the other posters that the IC and US titles have gained a lot of momentum since Dolph and Cody won them. I think that the WWE roster is very young right now and as the current superstars get older then these titles will mean more in a few years as they continue to grow. Just dont go throwing these titles on the next youngster who comes along. Keep Cody, Dolph, Swagger etc in these feuds for a few years. One other thing that bothers me is when the IC or US champ is booked in a squash match with the WWE or WHC to make those champions look stronger. There are plenty of guys on the roster that can do the job.

What about having a separate MITB briefcase for IC title or US title shot? Instead of having it on the MITB PPV they could do it on RAW or Smackdown.

That would be very interesting and would also add immediate interest into not only the titles themselves, but the contenders.

 

[SteelRevenge]

What about having a separate MITB briefcase for IC title or US title shot? Instead of having it on the MITB PPV they could do it on RAW or Smackdown.

That would be very interesting and would also add immediate interest into not only the titles themselves, but the contenders.

Interesting idea, but I doubt it. previous years the contestants are all already at the IC&US level more or less. Still maybe a triple threat ladder match for number one contender would be cool.

 

[radec]

The tittle are at least more developed that when they where in the attitude era, just changing hands every 2 weeks... Dolph and cody are doing a great job as of now. Always talking and putting over the tittle. Dolph saying its more important that the WWE belt and cody beating and confronting orton. The belts should be elevated with time to time contendership matches and storylines. Remember when jericho and rey where fueding for the belt? ya that was a huge uprise for the belt, if only they can recreat it with other talent.

 

[Terry Gyimah]

For the Intercontinental Championship if it was defended on the grandest stage of them all, and also for the United States Championship to be defended on the grandest stage of them all, both at WrestleMania 28 as then the matches will have that much more prestige and or significance

 

[MrMojoRisin]

Simple way to re-legitimize these titles:

Promote them as something worthwhile.

The champions should look on these titles as something prestigious, and as long as they are either IC or US champs, they should not even pay attention to the WWE or World titles.

The challengers for these titles should look at them as something special to win, and say as much in their promo's.

Title matches should be featured on TV and PPV and they should be promoted as a big deal.

They're starting to get it right. I don't really watch Smackdown, but on RAW, Ziggler is getting over good as the US champ. The belt still seems more like a prop for him though, instead of him seeming like the champ.

His gimmick should be that he is the US Champ, and his opponents should want to take that from him. I still don't get that feeling, even when he's defending the belt. I get the feeling that anyone in the ring with him just wants to beat Dolph Ziggler, and getting his belt would just be a bonus that they could do without just as easily.

Last Monday they worked that angle where Ryder fought Ziggler with Hugh Jackman in his corner because Ryder was the ultimate underdog. The fact that Ziggler was the US champ didn't even come into the equation, and when Ryder got the win, did he seem like a guy who just beat the champ? It would have been a better underdog story if Jackman had shamed Ziggler into putting the belt up, and in the back built up his underdog as the guy who could trade in his made up Internet championship for a real one. Then Ryder goes over Ziggler and the emotion of the underdog getting the title on RAW would have been through the roof. Add in Ziggler immediately wanting to regain his championship because he doesn't feel a goof like Ryder deserves to be champ, and you're on the road to re-legitimizing that title again.

 

[xoxo French Kiss xoxo]

Dolph Ziggler - Career Highlights:Intercontinental Champion; World Heavyweight Champion; United States Champion (pretty sure theres a Tag Title Run in there that isn't mentioned because he was Nicky of the spirit squad at the time when it happened)

Dolph's been US Champion since June 19th, so for just over 3 months hes been the US Champion.

Dolph won the IC title from Kingston 08-06-10 and held it until 01-07-11, 6 month title reign are a great way to make the title legit.

Ziggler got a taste of World Title Gold during his feud with Edge on Smackdown, and I'm confident that if Edge wasn't injured and Del Rio's push to the moon wasn't coming that Ziggler would have had a nice test run with the title for a couple of months earlier this year. Zigglers one of the most credible competitors the WWE has, he can talk, he can wrestle and as a heel the crowd hates him. He was getting booed back when he'd pop up on screen in the back telling everyone his name was Dolph Ziggler, Zigglers got greatness in his genes.

Cody Rhodes - Career Highlights: Intercontinental Championship, World Tag Team Championship, WWE Tag Team Championship

Rhodes was paired up with Bob Holly for a while in a tag team, and they capture tag gold and held on to it, until DiBiase debut. DiBiase and Rhodes went on to take the tag gold and run with it for a while. But thats tag wrestling and who cares

Rhodes has had the IC Title for just over a month and it appears he wont be letting go of it any time soon. Already he's had several good matches with Randy Orton, the "it" guy on Smackdwon. Rhodes could easily take his heel persona into a feud with the Great White Sheamus and the two could produce some memorable matches. Rhodes look great in his matches with Orton and hopefully the two will work some sort of program with each other over the next few months to further legitimize Rhodes and the IC title.

 

[brandonxthomas]

How about the 2 Sin Caras thing gets squared away and he wins the IC championship.

DB gets in a long term fued with Sin Cara and is so enraged that at WM he demands to cash in the briefcase in against Sin Cara for the IC title.

That would be cool.

 

[The Champ]

I feel like it's more simple than most people think. Give them feuds. Build the characters of the people who are competing for them. Create personal issues, kind of like what they've done with Rhodes and DiBiase. Now, I don't think that feud has been done perfectly, but that's an example of something that you could do to create a boiling point between two stars. Right now, it seems like the US and IC title defenses are a lot of going through the motions. Instill a sense of passion in the superstars for these titles, as something other than just a stepping stone to the bigger titles. If I feel like these two guys are proud to be the US and the IC champion, then I feel like these titles mean something.

 

[MetalFace DOOM]

I feel like it's more simple than most people think. Give them feuds. Build the characters of the people who are competing for them. Create personal issues, kind of like what they've done with Rhodes and DiBiase. Now, I don't think that feud has been done perfectly, but that's an example of something that you could do to create a boiling point between two stars. Right now, it seems like the US and IC title defenses are a lot of going through the motions. Instill a sense of passion in the superstars for these titles, as something other than just a stepping stone to the bigger titles. If I feel like these two guys are proud to be the US and the IC champion, then I feel like these titles mean something.

It is that simple... Its not rocket science. Make feuds over them again. Put back the passion and purpose for these titles like how it was back in the day and period. These 2 titles shouldn't just be stepping stones, there are prestige in these titles. We already know and have seen the many legends and greats that have held these straps and that have put emotion and desire, into these titles. I don't even have to list the countless legends or countless legendary matches that have been endeared to these titles.

Hopefully these titles don't remain a "going through the motions" thing. Because right now to me, this is a tad bit more sad then the state of the Tag Team Division.