NEW Intercontinental Champion: Kevin Owens

[OYDK]

Few things on my mind after this:

1. Isn't this like, the third time in the past month that a mid-card title has changed hands on Raw and Smackdown? If we're going to get more IC and US title matches on TV, I'm all for it. While constantly defending the World belt is seen as "devaluing" it (somehow), the mid-card titles have benefited from being featured weekly.

2. It was the smart thing to do. The IC title, since the Royal Rumble has barely even been mentioned or alluded to. Ambrose has not defended it in a month and it was basically just sitting around his waist until after Fast Lane. Kevin Owens was a great IC champ and he REALLY needed this win after slumping for the past month. Give the title to somebody who'll benefit from it. Plus, I'd rather see KO in an IC title match at Mania than Ambrose to be honest. I think Dean should play a bigger role at this point.

3. Lastly, and most obviously, of course this makes the triple threat match at Fast Lane much more interesting, especially after teasing Roman/Brock as a potential Mania match last night. This at least leaves the door open for a swerve if WWE decides to switch up their original plans at the last minute. Plus, Ambrose has been getting a very strong build. Even if he doesn't win this match, he'll be in a good position for Mania without the IC title anchoring him.

Thoughts?

 

[L@RISANO]

Agree wholeheartedly with your first point. It is refreshing to see the midcard titles being defended on weekly TV. It would be great if both the US and IC titles alongwith the Tag titles were not completely 'bogged down' by storyline 'feuds'.


Last night's IC title match was a mere tool for the WWE WHC storyline, but it gave the likes of Breeze and Stardust a chance they would only have gotten when Cena was doing his US Open challenge, ntm, having the title change hands increases anticipation in such matches.


It wouldn't be hard to have Superstar X/Tag Team X doing well in non-title matches and thus earning a title match on RAW/SD! regardless of the storyline feud being played out. It's not like every midcard title feud will have the interest of Ambrose vs Owens, for instance.

 

[Dave]

I almost wrote that this was a very odd decision. But actually, it was a very smart decision on the part of the WWE. How bad are things that we are giving the WWE credit for doing things that they should be doing? Crazy, no?

Regardless, it definitely gives the Fastlane match a new dimension for sure. If you had to rank the competitors, with regards to chances of winning, then Dean Ambrose would have been last on pretty much everyone's list.
The Intercontinental Championship was actually holding Dean Ambrose back in many regards. And has been pointed out, he hadn't been actively defending it at all. So with that in mind, it was definitely the time to move the Championship on to someone else for a little while. Now, whether that accolade should have been given to Kevin Owens, I don't know. Kevin Owens, for me, performs better as someone claiming injustice and chasing Championships. I didn't really care for his last run as Champion, to be quite honest.

But the fact remains that Dean Ambrose has moved into the main event picture, whether I personally feel like he deserves it or not. I still reckon that it will be Reigns that goes over but you can never say never with the WWE. Ambrose is over and the WWE are looking for a natural baby face since the retirement of Daniel Bryan.

 

[Mustang Sally]

While constantly defending the World belt is seen as "devaluing" it (somehow), the mid-card titles have benefited from being featured weekly.

Having the minor titles constantly defended on TV is a good idea, yet having the belt passed from hand to hand too frequently returns the IC & US titles to the 'reduced' position they occupied for the past few years. When Daniel Bryan won the IC, I believe the intention was to raise the status of the belt by his keeping it a long while, just as John Cena restored the luster of the US title with his lengthy reign. When Bryan was immediately put out of action, those plans went by the wayside.

Having too many title changes isn't good. When Owens last won the IC, I thought he was going to defend it for a long time. Now, that's what I'm hoping again.

 

[J.D Lethal]

Now as it was already stated with Dean losing the title makes Sunday alot more interesting. (i'm sorry but i don't buy into guys who already hold titles winning another one.) But to be honest out of that fatal 5 way Kevin owens was your only legit option...as due to injury's and now suspensions have really botched everything....Once again i'm sorry but to all the tyler breeze fans out there he shouldn't of been in that match nor should have Stardust...seriously Barrett,Titus,Rusev,Cesaro,etc in a perfect world should have been that match...I feel that (and this is with booking) a belt only looks good only if you have worthy people going for it.

 

[MartialHorror]

I don't like this, even though I love Owens.

For one, the titles have been switching hands too often, with the IC Championship in particular being won and lost way too quickly over the past few years. Having it change so much on RAW and Smackdown is reminded me a lot of when WCW was playing hot potato with all of its belts on a weekly basis.

Furthermore, unless they plan on putting the WWE Championship on Ambrose, this seems rather anti-climactic. When he won the belt, it really felt like it meant something. When he lost the belt, it should've meant something. It doesn't and from what I understand, Ziggler is now the #1 contender.

Ziggler...who not long ago lost to Heath Slater...and Stardust, Breeze, Ziggler and EVEN Owens have been mostly booked as losers lately. Why isn't Neville there? Or Bray?

Ugh, the IC Championship sucks again.

 

[Piss Bucket]

I just don't like Kevin Owens, there's nothing likeable about the guy IMO, he's just a fat guy from French Canada who does 5 moves and has no mic skills.

 

[Navi]

I just don't like Kevin Owens, there's nothing likeable about the guy IMO, he's just a fat guy from French Canada who does 5 moves and has no mic skills.

Are you really a fan of the WWE? All of your posts are so negative towards most of the wrestlers and the product at large. You keep going on about how many moves people do, and so what? With regards to Kevin Owens, he does more than 5 moves, yes he's from Quebec, again so what. He is overweight I will give you that, but he doesn't wrestle like he is. The guy can go.

On topic, I think he's one of those wrestlers who works in both positions. He's great when he's holding the title, and so pissed off when he's chasing it. I expect a good match out of him at Mania for it whoever he's facing.

 

[ShinChan]

I just don't like Kevin Owens, there's nothing likeable about the guy IMO, he's just a fat guy from French Canada who does 5 moves and has no mic skills.

I am believing that you are too weak in mathematics to count the number of moves Kevin Owens does. Yes He is a fat guy but still He is better than 80-90% of WWE's roster. He has good mic skills too.

Start counting please:

1. Pop-Up Powerbomb
2. Package Piledriver
3. Running Cannonball
4. Running Senton
5. Superkick

No there aren't just 5.

6. German Suplex
7. Moonsault
8. Sharpshooter

and many more.

As for the OP, I am happy with Owens regaining the IC Title. This title change was a really good one. As much I love Ambrose, the title was just there on him and He wasnot allowed to do anything valuable with it. Moreover, It was or most probably will really be a good swerve for Lunatic Fringe fans like me.

​

 

[midgensa]

I love this move. I think that Owens caring so much about "HIS" title adds luster to it.

I know people don't love hot potatoes, but the truth is, a lengthy reign DOES NOT add luster to a belt. Having actual legit stars competing for it DOES. Look at SCSA for instance. All his world title reigns combined don't add up to much, but tell me that it didn't have luster?

The IC Title has great luster right now because in the last year it has been won by and battled for by legitimate stars like Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan. It can hot potato around and still be a big deal as long as it is on legit performers.

All in all, having title changes on TV and having superstars battle hard just to get a shot at the IC crown has made it much more relevant than it had been in years.

I think the US Title going back and forth between Kalisto and Del Rio was odd, but not because of the title as much as it seemed to weaken Del Rio.

 

[Sean Valjean]

I don't mind as KO was the most deserving to win that match and it frees up Ambrose to move on to bigger things. It's also makes the outcome of Fastlane's triple threat a bit more unpredictable.

People complaining about the midcard belts being defended too often must not remember only a few short years ago when those belts were barely defended. Guys like Shelton Benjamin, MVP, and even Ambrose himself as US champ had insanely long reigns because the company couldn't be bothered to pay attention to those belts unless they needed a title switch. To be fair, the detriment of doing too many title matches means less time to build up credible challengers, but I'll still take too many defenses over several month reigns with two defenses any day.

And to point out to people saying Ambrose wasn't defending the IC title enough, he last defended it at the Rumble. That's less than a month ago and, traditionally, titles are defended once a month at the big shows. You could also argue that there's hardly anyone worthy to challenge him since most of the midcard has been booked to look like losers or, at best, average. Ziggler getting the next shot is a prime example, as he's barely worthy of challenging for a foam replica belt with the record he's been on lately.

Owens will – and should – beat Ziggler, making his Wrestlemania more interesting. I speculated he'd face either Undertaker or Sami Zayn, but I didn't expect him to walk in with a title. I can't see him putting the belt on the line against either guy (though you could make a case for Sami). My guess is he defends against AJ Styles, with Styles winning to give him his first WWE title on the biggest stage possible.

 

[kadroan]

Few things on my mind after this:

1. Isn't this like, the third time in the past month that a mid-card title has changed hands on Raw and Smackdown? If we're going to get more IC and US title matches on TV, I'm all for it. While constantly defending the World belt is seen as "devaluing" it (somehow), the mid-card titles have benefited from being featured weekly.

2. It was the smart thing to do. The IC title, since the Royal Rumble has barely even been mentioned or alluded to. Ambrose has not defended it in a month and it was basically just sitting around his waist until after Fast Lane. Kevin Owens was a great IC champ and he REALLY needed this win after slumping for the past month. Give the title to somebody who'll benefit from it. Plus, I'd rather see KO in an IC title match at Mania than Ambrose to be honest. I think Dean should play a bigger role at this point.

3. Lastly, and most obviously, of course this makes the triple threat match at Fast Lane much more interesting, especially after teasing Roman/Brock as a potential Mania match last night. This at least leaves the door open for a swerve if WWE decides to switch up their original plans at the last minute. Plus, Ambrose has been getting a very strong build. Even if he doesn't win this match, he'll be in a good position for Mania without the IC title anchoring him.

Thoughts?

It was another unpredictable moment for WWE. I think they're really trying to build Ambrose as a legit threat to face HHH at WM, even though the masses don't believe it'll happen so when Reigns wins Sunday people will be surprised.

I think Ambrose will be back in the IC title picture in time for WM. Reigns wins Sunday faces HHH. Meanwhile, KO, Ambrose and Ziggler fights over the IC title and who knows who else they add to the mix as there's plenty of midcarders with no direction in WM season.

 

[SHAGAMANIA 3:16]

Meh..

He is a pretty entertaining at times cuts some good promos sometimes but he has a terrible look for wrestling.

It's a shame when one of the most talented guys in wrestling looks like a fucking bum.

He is great at being arrogant but I can't take him seriously as a legitimate bad ass.

Alex Riley cuts much better promos than him and has a much more believable look.
He should be getting the special treatment.

 

[OYDK]

It's a shame when one of the most talented guys in wrestling looks like a fucking bum.

Legitimately the only criticism I've heard of Owens to date. He must be pretty good if the only thing wrong with him is his weight.