Latest Speculation/Rumors Regarding The Mid-Card Titles

[Jack-Hammer]

As we all saw at Battleground, The Miz won the battle royal to become WWE Intercontinental Champion for the 3rd time. Wrestlinginc.com has a report up stating that Miz is scheduled to be in a long term feud with Sheamus. Over the past several weeks, even before Wade Barrett's injury, Sheamus has teased that he wants to be IC and US champ simultaneously in promos and on Twitter. If Miz & Sheamus are scheduled for a long term feud, then it's likely we'll see WWE's two mid-card titles unified sometime in the relatively near future. Sheamus is in the midst of his 2nd run as WWE United States Champion and has been champ for 74 days.

The report says that IF a title unification is in the future, it could come as early as SummerSlam. Reports from yesterday from various sites stated that WWE has ordered new plates for their championships to reflect the change in the company's logo, which is due to go into affect on the post SummerSlam episode of Raw, so it'd make sense to happen at SummerSlam. Allegedly, WWE is going to stack the card for SummerSlam to produce a very strong show in order to entice subscribers to the WWE Network to renew their accounts, some of which are set to expire around that time, and to draw new subscribers. Unifying the two mid-card titles and ultimately retiring one of them would fit with the idea of SummerSlam being a memorable "must see" ppv.

 

[GOOZEKING]

I would actually really be interested in a sheamus vs miz vs ziggler match for unified titles.... I honestly don't care at all about miz. He keeps getting chance after chance and people just don't care about him. Put ziggler in the match as a dark horse and give the fans what they want.

 

[JoeFromTomsRiver]

I don't know how long Barrett is going to be out for, but I thought they'd put the belt on Miz as a heel-placeholder and Barrett would come back as a face and take the belt back.

I guess his return is much further off.

I'm all for unifying the US/IC title because if there is one belt, I have to think Creative will treat the guy who is holding it much better than the separate holders have been the past 5 years.

 

[Softcore Holly]

I'm all for unifying the US/IC title because if there is one belt, I have to think Creative will treat the guy who is holding it much better than the separate holders have been the past 5 years.

Personally I'm against unification since I think they'll just treat that 1 guy the same as they're treating the 2 titles now/past 5 years, we just get 1 less title out of it. For the most part the 2 titles holders have been treated pretty well post WM. BNB was having a good IC run before his injury and Sheamus's doing just fine with the US, which has been a vast improvement over the way most of the past IC/US titles holders have been treated over the past couple of years. All they need to do is keep this up and we get 2 mid-card titles worth caring instead of just 1.

 

[laodaron]

I think 1 title is fine, because people start trying to act like titles should mean anything. Why should creative care about titles? It doesn't matter. Sure, the champ should be defending his title, but really the only necessary reason is that there is a number 1 contender. Everything else needs a story. The title defenses do not.

 

[FightOwensFight]

Unifying the mid-card titles would certainly be interesting. A little concerned though as with the ME titles already merging, that leaves one for the ladies, one tag belt, one mid-card, and one ME belt. While historically that is more or less how it has been (one belt at each "level") WWE writers haven't shown the best track record with writing storylines that don't involve the titles in one way. If they are really going to unify the mid-card belts then they should introduce the cruiserweight or a lightweight belt. Otherwise, the roster is too big for only 3 singles belts and people will get lost in the shuffle more than they do already.

 

[blackjesus86]

REALLY? REALLY? REEEAAAALLLLYYYY? regardless of a crap movie that's coming out he comes back and automatically gets the ic title ? It says on here its due to the promotion of the movie coming up BUT you know it I know it and everybody else knows it *Dolph ziggler voice* that he has been building up momentum and was the clear cut favorite towin the battle royal at battleground. Ziggler for all the shit peddled his way (some deservedly so) he has continued to put on and steal the show lately I felt like he would take the belt from Bnb and BNB would move into the me scene so why in the hell is a guy that can't carry ziggler sperm sample taking what's zigglers? Great job wwe

 

[Mudlup50]

Is that really your first post blackjesus86? Miz winning it was a good idea, he does deserve it, he's been in WWE for what 8 years now? He's done every gimmick they want and it's a midcard title here's a way to look at it, he's probably only holding it till either Barret comes back or till Jericho is done with his feud.

 

[The Dark Warlords]

Personally I'm against unification since I think they'll just treat that 1 guy the same as they're treating the 2 titles now/past 5 years, we just get 1 less title out of it. For the most part the 2 titles holders have been treated pretty well post WM. BNB was having a good IC run before his injury and Sheamus's doing just fine with the US, which has been a vast improvement over the way most of the past IC/US titles holders have been treated over the past couple of years. All they need to do is keep this up and we get 2 mid-card titles worth caring instead of just 1.

Personally i am with you on this one. I am from the South, and i grew up On The United States Heavyweight Wrestling Championship. Guys like:

Dusty Rhodes

Ric Flair

Lex Luger

Sting

Booker T

Tully Blanchard

Nikita Koloff

Steve Sustin

Ricky Steamboat

Rick Rude

and others like them carried that championship with pride, honor, and dignity. To have that tite, which i think would be abolished via unification, would be disrespectful to all the great of wrestling that have held that title in my mind.

I think that they can still have both titles active just give one title a little more importance over the other. Like with WCW had both The United States Heavyweight Championship and The WCW World Television Wrestling Championship. The US Title always was higher and The T.V., but both had great prestige. WWE should do something like that.

 

[kadroan]

I would actually really be interested in a sheamus vs miz vs ziggler match for unified titles.... I honestly don't care at all about miz. He keeps getting chance after chance and people just don't care about him. Put ziggler in the match as a dark horse and give the fans what they want.

Yeah Ziggler must be in that match otherwise the crowd will show they don't care.

Even though Ziggler probably won't win, it's better than him being in another intergender tag match for the second year in a row.

Ziggler would make a great IC/US champion if they won't let him win the WWE WHC title anytime soon

 

[Radical]

There is now MORE talk that WWE is thinking of unifying the IC and US titles as early as SummerSlam!

Every time I hear this from WWE it makes me a little mad. It just makes me feel like WWE Creative are beyond stupid and incompetent.

THREE singles titles is NOT too many for a company with over 50 Superstars on the Main Roster and a couple dozen brewing in NXT!

I cannot, for the life of me, understand why the WWE can't use the US title effectively.

Look, it's pretty obvious. The WWE/WHC Title is clearly the focus for the company, as it should be, and for the most part, they address those feuds and rivalries well. They know that title is for main eventers.

The IC title is only the next title down and yet even IT has been poorly treated over the last few years by having "Champions" who looked like chumps losing often and hardly getting mic time and hardly getting any significant competition.

That left the US title to be a COMPLETE joke.

But it doesn't have to be and WWE is stupid as hell to ignore its value.

Titles are props in Sports Entertainment, we know that and heated personal feuds with no titles involved can often be just as engaging but FORGETTING the value of a title so often is closed minded.

The US title is the PERFECT title for a low-mid carder trying to establish or RE-establish themselves. It's a perfect title for a new Superstar to get a good push that allows the crowd to see them as a Champion but not risking main event time and titles on them if they are not sure if they are ready yet.

A guy like Ryback is a perfect example of a guy who should have won a US or IC title back when he was on an undefeated streak or shortly after to regain his momentum. Wasn't freaking Santino US Champ around that time? Shoulda had Ryback squash the hell out of Santino for the US title and carry and REGULARLY defend that title against tougher opponents and, if he did, by now he could be a legit IC or even WWE title main eventer (semi to regularly often).

Even Jack Swagger back when he won the US title as a heel against Zack Ryder (who also got the US title misused on him) should have held it for longer but no, he loses to a chump like Santino.

And what about guys like Damian Sandow, Tyson Kidd, Justin Gabriel? They could DESPERATELY use a US title hunt to their advantage. I'm not even saying they have to win it but damn why couldn't they give these incredible talents a few pushes towards the title. Let them showcase their talents and win some qualifying matches and challenge for the US title. No one could really argue. No one would berate the WWE for allowing Kidd or Gabriel to get some TV time over Santino, Sin Cara, 3MB, Los Matadores, Primetime Players if they are going for the US title. It's a reasonable goal.

Does anybody agree with me on this or am I completely off track here?

I feel WWE is sorely misusing the (potential) value of their mid-card titles. TITLE MATCHES help make a PPV seem more important yet US and/or IC title matches are often not on PPVs or really BADLY thrown together.

They only way I accept WWE unifying the IC and US titles is by realizing they are basically admitting they are completely incompetent and the only way they can make meaningful title feuds is by having only 2 singles titles and a tag team title. Because if that is the case, I truly pity them and I'd rather see them do well with two singles titles then be a joke with 3.