Ryback is the *NEW* Intercontinental Champion

[Nate DaMac]

Well how about that?

I really like Ryback winning the title simply because the brass seems to care about him and it seems less likely that the title will fall by the wayside. He can't do for it what DBry would have, but it's better than what Sheamus or Barrett would. Rusev would have been okay but that would just be a lateral move for him at this point.

That said, it's put up or shut up time. If Ryback has a series of shit matches, which is entirely possible, it's time to pull the plug on his "push."

 

[L@RISANO]

He won it by default, lMO, as I felt sure it was going to Rusev before his untimely injury(tho, the injury might prove to be a blessing for the BulgarianRussian).


Agreed on the possibilities of his reign... I just hope that a couple new challengers emerge for it soon enough, as it is getting tiresome seeing the same old Ziggler, Sheamus, Barrett types fighting repeatedly for either Midcard title.

 

[MartialHorror]

Yeah, I'm content with Ryback winning...although I feel a rage whenever I think of Truth going over Barrett.

Ryback winning gives him a sense of direction...or it will lead to an official demotion, because when you think about it, no one has stepped up from the belt.

Bryan= Injured. Good luck getting another push.
Barrett: Somehow managed to be demoted while he held the belt and after winning King of the Ring, he's been on a losing streak. Again.
Ziggler: Trying to get the same belt and losing.
Harper: Got demoted, although might get a tag team push.
Miz: Maybe an exception. But his primary purpose is to get pwned, albeit in a high profile way.
Big E: Until the New Day turned heel, he had been demoted BADLY.
Axel: Erm

Ryback can potentially save the IC Title because WWE seems to want him to be strong. Or he can become its next victim. Although how losing to Bray gets one a title shot, I will never know.

 

[Radical]

Very happy to see Ryback finally win a title in WWE. He deserves it because he is finally getting regular and noticeable fan support and reaction. He has also steadily improved in the ring and has got his groove back after some really bad booking decisions he had to go through.

He's now, where he should be: Big Guy Babyface Champion.

Now is his chance to shine. But he needs help, as any good champion or wrestler does.

He ideally needs to go on at least a 3 month title reign to solidify him as any sort of credible champion.

He needs good, credible and interesting opponents to feud with. That may be a bit of a problem, however.

Sheamus is right now the only credible opponent for him to feud with because he still looks strong and is a heel.

Rusev would have been a fairly credible opponent for him but he is injured and no idea when he'll be back.

Barrett may be 'credible' in the delusional eyes of Vince because he is "King of the Ring" and even if they give him a string of victories leading up to a match with Ryback they would have to make Barrett look VERY vicious and ruthless for a match with Ryback to even be remotely interesting.

After that, I'm not sure who Ryback could face. Guys like The Miz, Ziggler, Big E (after dropping the tag titles) and Bo Dallas would be okay to add into a multi-man match against Ryback and they may have to do that to make Ryback look like he has competition or his title is in jeopardy.

They may have to have him vs. Sheamus and try to string it out for 2 PPVs without Sheamus winning it and then at SummerSlam have a multi-man match for the IC Title with some credible opponents (maybe Rusev will be back).


It's true that the past IC title holders have not gone up since holding the title. They usually have come down from higher up, not likely to go back up (Bryan, Ziggler) or they have been given the title and now are even further down the card, unlikely to ever get back up again (Big E, Axel).

I hope Ryback is an exception because with his size he could be used well as a strong babyface that could even challenge Lesnar later in the year as long as Ryback is still been booked strong since then.

 

[whoopin' ass]

meh. So he is champ, in 6 months they tire of him and he drops back down the ladder again. I think he is going to be the mid-card version of Big Show - wins titles when they need someone to beat later, called a threat even though he really isn't and generally is just there to lose.

 

[The Samoan Heritage]

Glad to see Ryback finally win a championship. As long as wwe give Ryback meaningful feuds as champion he will do just find.
With that said Ryback has lack direction ( much like the rest of wwe's mid card) for the past year or two. There were reports that Bryan and Cena became mid card champions to help bring prestige back into those championships, Cena has done a great job so far, so I can only hope Wwe gives Ryback the same push that they were going to give Daniel Bryan.
Give Ryback his push from 2012 again just this time as IC champ. Feud him with guys like Harper(Rowan), Sheamus, Barrett, Wyatt, Big E, and Rusev and I can see fans caring about the IC championship a lot more.
As radical said I would even love to see Ryback vs Lesnar in a champion vs champion match. Have Ryback come inches from winning only for someone he has been feuding with for months cost him the match(maybe Wyatt with a blackout, so he wouldn't have to come out and distract from Lesnar/Ryback). And if Wwe does turn Lesnar face I could definitely see Lesnar(wwe champ) and Ryback (IC champ) teaming up on several "Big" special occasions.

 

[LionheartY2J]

Ryback is exactly the type of guy who should be IC Champ. It makes no sense to have main eventers with the IC title, certainly not the U.S. Title. The whole point of these was to have mid-card guys who compete for something that kind of sort of matters.

Back in the attitude era, you had your main eventers consorting for the Heavyweight Title: HBK, Austin, Taker, Foley, Rock, HHH, and sometimes someone like Big Show would get a shot a run.

The IC Title was for lower level guys who could potentially be man eventers at some point in time: Owen Hart, Jeff Jarrett, RVD, Ken Shamrock, Kane, Eddie Guererro, and Billy Gunn: I know that Billy doesn't belong in this group, but I remember a time when Vince really wanted him to be a thing.

And below them was the European Title (which is essentially the U.S. Title) for either new comers (Jericho, Angle, Christian) or low-mid carders like D-Lo Brown, X-Pac, and Val Venus.

And then there was the Hardcore Title which was for whomever wanted it.

And I know that this kind of hierarchy may not have been popular with a lot of people, but what it did was add an absolute value to the World Heavyweight Title, while giving those on the lower levels something to compete for. Back then, when somebody new earned a title run, it meant something.

 

[MCMG]

Definitely happy for him. His initial push was weird. He wasn't ready and the Goldberg chants were distracting. He had title matches against Punk and Cena which are a no-win situation. He has clearly worked hard and did his time in obscurity with Axel.

Since his return he has been really good. I think he has improved masses and seems more naturally over. Indeed, not even Punk's comments on the AOW effected him when they really could have.

He seems like a fine choice for champ. I would have liked a heel because Cena is the other champ but he seems locked in a feud with Owens so there won't be much rotation there. Plus, that feud could end with Owens becoming the new champ.

There are a decent group of people for him to work with. Barrett, Sheamus, Miz and Stardust are all good opponents. Even guys like Swagger or Kofi. All these guys represents feuds that would take different angles which is great for Ryback.

I'm actually looking forward to this title run and the general consensus from fans and his peers is happiness for him. I definitely share that feeling and lets hope he makes the belt interesting again. Sure, I have my doubts, but it could well happen.

 

[Hollywood Naitch]

I'm happy to see Ryback as Intercontinental Champion, I think he deserves it. He's improved alot since his debut- when I think he was pushed too rapidly. I lost all interest in him at one point, but he's impressed me alot over the last year or so.

He's the sort of guy who should be involved in the IC Title scene- he's not main event material (yet) but he's a rising star who gives an alternative from the same old contenders like Barrett, Ziggler etc.

It's about time Ryback got a title run, I hope they give him time to impress, rather than making him drop it after a month.

 

[Mustang Sally]

He's improved alot since his debut- when I think he was pushed too rapidly. I lost all interest in him at one point, but he's impressed me alot over the last year or so.

Not sure. Yes, he's improved with experience yet, when he was given some time off after his first go-around and it was announced he was being repackaged, I couldn't guess what they could do to make him different ......and, sure enough, all they did was bring him back and portray him in the same manner as the first time. If anyone can see a difference, I'd love to be enlightened.

Okay, so he's the new IC champion. Had Daniel Bryan not been injured, I wonder if it's an honor Ryback would ever have received. In this match, I predicted Dolph Ziggler would take the belt....and, failing that, Sheamus would emerge victorious.

But, okay, it's Ryback. Personally, I'm not expecting anything different; his character doesn't seem to lend itself to change. Eventually, he's going to turn bad again......and after that....???

The most interesting thing about his title reign might be whether the guy who takes the belt from him does it cleanly.....or will there be some chicanery involved, as if WWE is saying Ryback is unbeatable if the match stays clean.

By the look of him, it seems Ryback has to be portrayed as invincible.....yet, each time they get away from that, he's just another lumbering muscleman, winning & losing like anyone else.

 

[Aquaman6686]

The worst possible choice for Intercontinental Champion. Ryback has proven time and again that he doesn't have what it takes to be a star. He's just a huge, steroid-pumped bodybuilder who can't wrestle worth a damn. I'll admit he's improved slightly from working alongside Curtis Axel, but he's still absolutely terrible.

 

[Vanilla Midget]

If anything I'm happy he won because it's fresh and different. Barrett and Ziggler have been all over the IC title scene forever. Sheamus has been in some kind of title scene for the last two years with very short breaks. Truth has no direction, if he vanishes after this PPV three what's the point of him going over?

I think Ryback is likely the guy that was going to win regardless of Rusev's injury. Rusev likely would have been taken out due to some Lana related shenanigans, likely a distraction or somehow getting out of the Chamber and walking out. Rusev is feuding with Ziggler, and they don't need the title between them to do it.

I really enjoyed the humble victory celebration by Ryback. Not only has he improved in the ring, he's being himself more than the terminator/Goldberg routine. Here's the thing, Goldberg only cared about the money and himself. I believe Ryback cares about his fans and being a wrestler. I think the dude really wants to be a wrestler, not be a millionaire because of wrestling. I can't say the same of Bill Goldberg.

Ryback will never be the greatest wrestler of all time. He likely won't have five star matches. But he will be a fresh intercontinental champion. Hopefully he defends his title often and has some high impact matches. I don't see him carrying it for too long, likely he feuds with Sheamus over the next few months.

 

[enviousdominous]

Ryback's mannerisms never show very much range, he remind me a lot of Snitsky. His gimmick is very bland, the only thing that justifies a portmanteau of his name and a silverback gorilla is that he's got so many muscles about himself. Other than that, he's more of a non-gimmick in an art form where very few people can get away with that. He was mostly in the background for his run in Tough Enough, other than that the announcers have to make up stories about him to add relevance to his matches.

Personally, I'd like to see Ryback play more of a sophisticated thug than a moronic brute. I've heard out of character interviews with Ryback, he sounds like a very articulate person in real life.

I'll give him my blessing because he truly is a great guy, but I'm really not expecting much.

 

[ProudJericholic]

I believe that Ryback winning the title is a good thing for him and the WWE.

A lot of people didn't think he would win at EC and it gave a good shock value to the fans. I personally did not want to see Sheamus win the IC belt because we've seen him carry around a mid-card title before. I think it's refreshing to see a new face hold the IC title and it gives the title some more prestige because he is kind of a "main event" talent.

Also, Ryback can have some good and fresh feuds with heels such as Sheamus, Barrett, StarDust, Bo Dallas, or even a member of the New Day. Even though Ziggler and Rusev are suppose to be feuding, I think Ryback should hold the title until the end of the summer and then start a good angle with a returning Rusev that ends at either Survivor Series or TLC. But like others have said I don't know how great Ryback will be as a champion. His mic skills are subpar and I think adding a manager to Ryback would benefit him. Obviously the Heyman angle didn't really help him but maybe because it was more focused on Heyman V.S. Punk. Having someone like Enzo Amore from NXT manage Ryback would help him a lot. Some smaller guy to put over the size and brute of Ryback. Ryback can still lead the Feed Me More chants but having a mouthpiece for him would help his title run.

I do hope Ryback is successful with his title run but I'm not totally confident in him yet.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

He deserves it. Ryback could've been bigger than he currently is. Unfortunately he faced Punk when he was holding The title for The Rock, the he was lumped with the dead wood that is Mark Henry, encountered career killer John Cena and then was paired with Hyman who can only get himself and Lesnar over.

 

[Pedigree1]

I am happy for Ryback winning the Strap last night at EC.. It was a shocker for sure. Not sure on entirely the reason why he won it,but management obviously believes in the big guy,and he has had some decent matches as of late and has improved on the mic lately..

That promo where he opened up about himself,really helped him out in a major way. He wont bring the IC title to the heights it should belong like a Daniel Bryan would have but he will be a decent champion..

 

[OYDK]

I'm content with Ryback winning the IC title, if only because it freshens up the mid-card title scenario. I wanted to see something different come out of the IC Elimination Chamber match and I got my wish, so I really can't complain. Ryback has never really had a direction since his first run way back in 2012... he's mostly been floating around, either in the tag team scene or around the upper-midcard, but it seems he's never had something to work towards... Now he can work towards keeping his IC championship.

Hopefully, we can see some more evolution in the Ryback character and he could have a solid run as the IC Champion. I'm pulling for him.

 

[CaptainObvious]

I really like Ryback as IC Champ. It's kinda perfect for him. And he's perfect for it. Hoping they get him some fresh feuds though. The Big Show has been done to hell with just about everyone. And just about everyone has beaten the Big Show at some point. Not the kind of start I'm looking for. I think Sheamus is a clear choice for a feud as both men are just Hulks then of course the usual IC title suspects....Ziggler, Barrett etc. Someone here mentioned a 3 month reign. I agree that should be the minimum provided he can stay healthy. The IC title scene needs some stability now more than ever.

 

[PeterSellersSTL]

the IC title scene really needs to set itself apart from the rest of the card. Cena's US open challenge and fresh new faces have done wonders for the US title. The WHC scene has always been politics and being the face of the company. The IC title is just...there. All anyone can use to define it are terms like workhorse and references to past champions.

I don't know what the IC scene is suppose to be about and I don't know that Ryback will help define whatever it comes to be.

the US division needs to be for the pure sport of the title - the IC division needs to be more bragging rights and trash talk and the WHC division flat out war hatred good and evil money power and influence, shark infested waters.

Escalation.

Big Show vs Ryback doesn't give me hope that the WWE is capable of carrying three men's singles titles. US and WHC are on fire right now..and the IC belt has the big show in the title hunt in 2015.

 

[Nate DaMac]

US and WHC are on fire right now..and the IC belt has the big show in the title hunt in 2015.

You know, a year ago I would have vehemently disagreed with your stance on Show in the title picture but after the nearly 6 month-long travesty that was the Reigns/Big Show feud, it's hard to disagree. I've never seen a feud that had that little heat last that damn long. Reigns was doing really good stuff in his matches with guys who could go but he just kept being saddled with this 500 lb albatross and nobody gave a shit. It was nothing short of a miracle that they were able to pull out the good match that they had at Extreme Rules. Mainly because Show actually took a fucking bump or two rather than dominating the whole thing. God I really fucking hated that program.

Anyway, if you were to take the Big Show from a year ago and put him in a spot like this I'd be all for it. He's still a credible name and having a win over him means something. The problem now is that WWE seems to think that they have to keep him looking strong against everybody (Even though he was speared through a fucking table, he still had to be buried under the announce table to eat a loss. Did I mention how much I really hated that program?) I worry that even though Ryback will probably get the win it'll likely be by countout or some other nonsense to keep Show looking strong after he dominates 90% of the match, essentially doing nothing for The Big Guy.

Sheamus would have been a better option.

 

[Wrestling2015]

Ryback is a good wrestler so he wins Intercontinental Championship and in future he is going a WWE champion soon.

 

[K Web V3]

i was shocked ryback won. wasnt too excited either. Ryback has improved, but idk....i just cant get into his character. plus to top it all off, they give him the big show as his first feud. *yawn*

 

[King Patrick Star]

This is great for Ryback. Hopefully he can do what Daniel Bryan couldn’t do, and that’s to successfully defend the Intercontinental Championship Title Belt. I hope they book him strong during his run. I’m still hoping for a Championship Title Unification match. I think Intercontinental Champion, Ryback vs. United States Champion, John Cena would be great for SummerSlam.

 

[#MrScissorsKick]

I, for one, am happy to see Ryback getting a championship. He's been destined to get one after his main event run from late 2012 to early 2013. I'm a big fan of him, not as big a fan as to "mark out" every time he's on my tv screen, but enough of a fan of his to see his character progress in the WWE ring. Hopefully, to earn his credit as a legit Intercontinental Champion, he does some "Open IC title match" every RAW/SmackDown the same way Cena has done with his U.S. Title. This elevates not only Ryback, but his Intercontinental championship. How do you add prestige to a championship? Simple. Just defend it more than once at every Pay-Per-View event. I think Ryback deserved this a long time ago, but at the same point, I'm glad he finally got his chance to win a championship. I don't know where the WWE wants to put him in terms of storylines, but I hope Ryback can move on up and elevate his status as a serious threat to anyone in the WWE.

 

[ChicagoMade Punk]

All in all, he had my attention until the big show came out. I wasn't happy about a ryback title run, but it didn't make me unhappy either. However its start of the summer. Programs that start now usually last all summer. The IC title scene doesn't look good. I hate to say it, but I feel big show might actually win by help of the authority. And lord knows that exactly what we need, a big show title run. -_- I was hoping for Bray Wyatt to take Rusevs spot and win. I think Wyatt, given the opportunity, could have done something with it. He might not have elevated it as much as Bryan, and that really pains me to say, but it would have brought wyatts fan base to the title. And I think that wyatts fan base is larger than rybacks. I guess we will see how this goes. Hopefully the big show match is a one off and we can get to something more interesting. Personally I want to see nevile vs ryback for the championship.