Wade Barrett's IC Reign

[CitiBoy7]

Lets just say if Wade Barrett loses his IC title at Capital Punishment that this was a horrible reign. I mean to sum up this whole title reign would go like "Here kid just take this". It's like he just was holding on the title for no reason and could care less about keeping it. He has only had two feuds for it which was Kofi and now Ezekiel and both the feuds seem to be about more then the title. Kofi and Ezekiel just had personal beef and didn't really make the IC title seem like a factor in their feuds.

I believe Wade Barrett is a good superstar in all but this IC title just didn't go well and maybe hurt Barrett. I wonder why was this booked so badly or executed so badly. The good thing is that Barrett is solid on the mic so he should have a good future but man this was just a terrible title run in my opinion.

 

[CelticCorey]

I was really excited when I read the spoilers of Barrett's IC title win. After months of trying and failing to capture the WWE title, I liked how they went with what seemed like the HBK and Austin route with him, so his run would be much more special. I was hoping his reign would be as good as Ziggler's was. Man was I in for disappointment.

 

[GrandSword]

Barrett is too good for the poorly booked IC title. It has become worthless much like the tag belts and Barrett is the only sensible guy to hold it at the moment, until they built up someone like Zeke to take it and run with it. barrett hopefully will move upto the main event and take on Orton.

Also by spliting with the Corre, Justin Gabriel could very well break out and feud with Barrett. Gabriel holds a victory over Edge who was World Champion at the time. Gabriel has the babyface look that could be the next superhero (Rey mysterio, John morrison, Edge) typer character...

 

[Guyzwitgunz]

Oh well if it's the IC title we are talking about, then what did you expect? Basically everyones that has held that title for the past few years has just had it chucked on them to try and make them look credible because there is a strap around their waste, but unfortunatly it doesnt work like that. Look at Kofi Kingston during his reign before he lost it to Barrett. He did nothing, nothing at all to make him or the title look credible,and I even read that WWE didn't give a hoot about the belt which is very dissapoint after what you see what it did for HBK, Austin etc.

Barrett needed something to make him look credible since he did not end up getting the WWE title (which I think could have worked) but the title has done nothing for him and he has done nothing for the title. So I sure damn hope he drops it to Ahmed Johnson this Sunday and gets a push back to the main event, because , just looking at him you know he belongs there.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Barrett is IC Champ still! I did wonder who was holding that belt.

In fairness, nobody has had a good title reign since Rey Mysterio & Chris Jericho were battling it out for the belt. If you remember anything Morrison, McIntyre, Kofi or Ziggler did as champions, other than have a string of competent, but forgettable encounters, you're a better man than me.

 

[TheConnecticutBlueblood]

Wade Barrett will be a big star one day, but that day is not yet. The man quickly leaped to winning NXT to headlining Survivor Series and becoming the most over heel on Raw in 2010 and leading the biggest and most hyped about heel faction since Evolution. He is currently the Intercontinental champion, I remember one day when the title was held by guys like The Rock and Bret Hart, it actually meant something back then. Now it is just given to anybody i.e Wade Barrett. Personally a guy like Wade Barrett doesn’t need the IC Title as Sheamus didn’t need the US Title. From going from mega heel maineventer on Raw he has dropped to midcarder of Smackdown in a space of a few months.

If you think about it Barrett has the total package. He’s young, decent in the ring, good on the mic, rumours have it he has good backstage politics, can cut a promo and has already proven he is main event material. These are all qualities that should make him a regular maineventer and even a champion. I would rather see Orton vs Barrett again than Orton vs Sheamus or Orton vs. Christian. He doesn’t really need the IC Title with him, it’s not helping him, it’s actually reminding people that he just had a huge step down in his career! Somebody like Ezekiel Jackson, Jinder Mahal, Justin Gabriel, Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Bryan and Sin Cara are all candidates who need to be IC Champion ahead of Barrett.

Ezekiel Jackson – Not good on the mic but is a big guy and has a unique look. As he ability to speak is not good enough to make him World Event material being IC Champion can help him so he doesn’t become irrelevant.

Jinder Mahal – Still very new, good in the ring (based on FCW matches and other promotions), good on the mic but not mainevent calibre yet so being IC Champion will help him get exposure as Champion material.

Justin Gabriel – Now the Corre is dissolving, he like Slater will become irrelevant and a guy who posses talents like Mr Gabriel needs to stay relevant so by being IC Champion he gets exposure and will star relevant and remain a solid midcarder.

Cody Rhodes – He has become irrelevant now as Smackdown is becoming flooded with mainevent heels such as Christian, Sheamus, Mark Henry (are you kidding me?!). Guys like Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes can’t become maineventers as the same guys are being handed chances for the World Title so talents like Rhodes must remain a midcarder. Rhodes has all that tools to be a great World Champion. He’s young, good on the mic and good in the ring. His talents shouldn’t be wasted as they are being currently. Instead of losing to Cara and Bryan he should hold the IC Title so he stays relevant.

Ted Dibiase Jr – This is a guy who is a talented athlete who has become nothing more than a jobber. He is a great talent and should be used properly. Giving him a IC Title reign would really boost up his career and it will allow him to start fresh and cement himself as a Smackdown talent.

Daniel Bryan – Bryan is a guy who is slowly becoming irrelevant on Smackdown. Allowing him to be IC Champion would get him more TV time and his talents can be showcased on a regular basis.

Sin Cara – The superstar has been hyped up but has not done much yet, giving him the IC Title can put him in good feuds with guys like Ted Dibiase, Cody Rhodes and Jinder Mahal so Sin Cara stays relevant. His terrible mic skills forbid him to become anything higher than a midcarder at the moment.

Basically what I am trying to say is that Barrett shouldn’t be IC Champion, there are so many better candidates for that role.

BUT.....

.... If he loses to Ezekiel Jackson at Capitol Punishment where does he go from there? Smackdown has too many Mainevent heels in Sheamus, Mark Henry and Christian Barrett won’t get his chance and without the title he will be put into feuds most likely with Bryan and Sin Cara then after that will become irrelevant. Although he doesn’t need the IC Title I still think he should keep it so he doesn’t become irrelevant on Smackdown as he is a great talent and most likely a future World Champion.

 

[martymcfly]

To me, this is like a chicken and egg problem. Many folks have devoted many posts discussing why the intercontinental championship has become irrelevant, and I think that since that is a commonly held position, I won't go into it. So by association, it's possible that because the title is currently irrelevant, that Barrett and his title reign are irrelevant.

On the other hand, Barrett himself has not been relevant to the wrestling program for some time. I know it seems like many people on this forum were salivating over him while he was the head of the original nexus, but he still has never really impressed me, and in the ring he is a bore to watch. So it is possible that because of Barrett's irrelevancy, that he didn't do the intercontinental championship any favors either.

So kind of a vicious circle: Barrett is irrelevant, which made his title run irrelevant, while at the same time, the title itself is irrelevant, which made Barrett even more irrelevant.

I do think that there is definitely potential to bring back prestige to the title again, but one thing the WWE has to do is stop playing hot potato with it. Build some real feuds. Make it personal. Something.

Similarly, someone work on Barrett himself and get him to learn some more moves and not just lumber about in the ring like a drunk orangutan.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Yeah this title reign has been pretty bad. Barrett should be in the world title scene like he was on Raw. His feud with Orton from last year could be revisited. Zeke should have held the IC title instead of Barrett while Slater and Gabriel held the tag team belts. The Corre could then have been behind Barrett as he tried to get the world title. The Corre booked properly would have held all of the titles, but they obviously screwed that one up. This hurt Barrett as well as the title because he is above the IC belt, let alone being stuck having a pointless reign with it.

 

[Hazardous]

This is a lot like DB's US title run though. Or Sheamus when he had the US title. No one really cared after a week or 2. The problem is that the story around it is not that interesting. Someone mentioned the Jericho/Mysterio war from years ago. THAT was entertaining. Why? because it was about MORE than the title. That's what they need to do, make it about more than the title, but put the main focus on the title.

 

[The Crock]

This has been quite a lackluster reign, but the Intercontinental Championship hasn't meant anything in ages, so I didn't expect more. They saddled Wade Barrett with the title and it basically put him into a nasty hole. He didn't do much with it and he was above it, but if he drops it to Ezekiel Jackson, then he might fall back down the card. He's definitely not ready for a World Title reign, but he needs to be built up as such. Hopefully he wins at Capitol Punishment and turns this reign around, because it's going to kill any momentum he has.

 

[¡Roján!]

Lets face it, the WWE couldn't are less about the IC championship. His reign has been poor but thats not through fault of his own, just the WWE's attitude towards the title. I hope Justin Gabriel steals the title off of Wade Barrett and Wade becomes the main-event player he deserves to be maybe feuding with a face Sheamus? The Intercontinental championship is an afterthought now anyway... The only good champion since Jericho was Ziggler... and even he wasn't that good

 

[Mitch Henessey]

Underwhelming is the word I would use to describe Barrett's IC Championship reign. He hasn't had one memorable match, and his reign hasn't stood out at all. I think Barrett has potential, and he's already proven he can be a solid heel leader. I understand WWE is trying to make him into a future star, but his reign has been very forgettable. I think Zeke is going to take the gold this Sunday, and it'll be interesting to see how WWE decides to use Barrett once his title reign ends.

 

[StylezClash3:16]

To be honest, none of the title reigns mean anything anymore. At this rate, all I care about is how much months the person holds the belt for. Long gone are the days of holding a belt for 7 months and having 7 match of the year candidates, we are in the sports entertainment era. The belts are just props now.

 

[Mac Attack]

I have been underwhelmed with Wade as of late. I think he needs to wrestle someone who can help carry him because in a singles match he just seems a little slow. I am hoping for one of two things either he loses on Sunday which would mean he can back to ME or at least MITB. Or he has one hell of a ,atch on Sunday and actually does something rememberable in the end of his reign. Either or I hope him the best because I overall like his character. Which more then I could say for the majority of Corre/Nexus.

 

[Mac Attack]

To be honest, none of the title reigns mean anything anymore. At this rate, all I care about is how much months the person holds the belt for. Long gone are the days of holding a belt for 7 months and having 7 match of the year candidates, we are in the sports entertainment era. The belts are just props now.

I might be mistaken but didn't Miz just recently hold the title for 7 months? Or maybe I'm not watching the same thing you are. I think you could also make a case as to there being 7 match of the year canidates. However in today's world the most hype wins the category every time hands down.

But to say the titles are props is totally inaccurate. Yes they aren't utilized to their full potnetial but they do have meaning and they do get used.

 

[StylezClash3:16]

I might be mistaken but didn't Miz just recently hold the title for 7 months? Or maybe I'm not watching the same thing you are. I think you could also make a case as to there being 7 match of the year canidates. However in today's world the most hype wins the category every time hands down.

But to say the titles are props is totally inaccurate. Yes they aren't utilized to their full potnetial but they do have meaning and they do get used.

I wish I could give you my proof on why I think the titles were a prop but I forgot the videos name. I believe it was The Miz being interviewed on G4. He basically said they are just props for the characters. But besides the point, I stand with my opinion on the fact none of the titles are as prestigious as they used to be.

 

[Mac Attack]

I wish I could give you my proof on why I think the titles were a prop but I forgot the videos name. I believe it was The Miz being interviewed on G4. He basically said they are just props for the characters. But besides the point, I stand with my opinion on the fact none of the titles are as prestigious as they used to be.

Now when phrased that way I totally agree with you. The titles are not as prestigious as they once were. This is not a opinion this is fact, however your first post said they were only props which is innacurate for many reason, however but now that I am understanding that you meant less prestigious I totally agree. Back in the old days the titles were the center of WWE gravity that has changed. Are they important still today yes.

 

[Wade's Public Transit Bomb]

When he won the title, I was excited. He was the first guy in a a few years to have that strap and just make it look important. He didn't look like someone who got the title to save face; but rather someone who got it because he deserved it. He carried himself and the title as a big deal.

But, that excitement wouldn't last long because that break wall he hit when came to SD fell on top of his sexy ass when they decided to push others over him. Considering all Wade has done is job the Big Show, Kane and Zeke over, I don't blame people for thinking he has been underwhelming. I know there is a thread in the spam thread proclaiming the WWE could've/prolly fucked up Zack Ryder's confidence with that ribby rumor. That shit ain't got nothing on the WWE has dropped Wade off the face of the earth. He went from being a legitimately intriguing guy to just another guy that might as well be considered wasting him time.


While I don't think Wade is the bestest best wrestler, I do think watching him talk trash and knock people the hell around is a lot of fun. He has really gotten good in recent weeks, I thinks. After this week, I actually think Wade is going to retain his title. During the 6 man, they talked about everyone in the match except Zeke.. And mostly talked about how Wade has a lot to prove. Call me optimistic (naive is more accurate of a word), but I do think Wade's presence on SD is about to pick up.

 

[SteelRevenge]

To me, this is like a chicken and egg problem. Many folks have devoted many posts discussing why the intercontinental championship has become irrelevant, and I think that since that is a commonly held position, I won't go into it. So by association, it's possible that because the title is currently irrelevant, that Barrett and his title reign are irrelevant.

On the other hand, Barrett himself has not been relevant to the wrestling program for some time. I know it seems like many people on this forum were salivating over him while he was the head of the original nexus, but he still has never really impressed me, and in the ring he is a bore to watch. So it is possible that because of Barrett's irrelevancy, that he didn't do the intercontinental championship any favors either.

So kind of a vicious circle: Barrett is irrelevant, which made his title run irrelevant, while at the same time, the title itself is irrelevant, which made Barrett even more irrelevant.

I do think that there is definitely potential to bring back prestige to the title again, but one thing the WWE has to do is stop playing hot potato with it. Build some real feuds. Make it personal. Something.

Similarly, someone work on Barrett himself and get him to learn some more moves and not just lumber about in the ring like a drunk orangutan.

this. agree with all of this. there just too many big guys, and way too many heels, for a rookie like barrett to be remotely worthy of anything at this point in his wrestling career.

Wade Barrett will be a big star one day, but that day is not yet. The man quickly leaped to winning NXT to headlining Survivor Series and becoming the most over heel on Raw in 2010 and leading the biggest and most hyped about heel faction since Evolution. He is currently the Intercontinental champion, I remember one day when the title was held by guys like The Rock and Bret Hart, it actually meant something back then. Now it is just given to anybody i.e Wade Barrett. Personally a guy like Wade Barrett doesn’t need the IC Title as Sheamus didn’t need the US Title. From going from mega heel maineventer on Raw he has dropped to midcarder of Smackdown in a space of a few months.

If you think about it Barrett has the total package. He’s young, decent in the ring, good on the mic, rumours have it he has good backstage politics, can cut a promo and has already proven he is main event material. These are all qualities that should make him a regular maineventer and even a champion. I would rather see Orton vs Barrett again than Orton vs Sheamus or Orton vs. Christian. He doesn’t really need the IC Title with him, it’s not helping him, it’s actually reminding people that he just had a huge step down in his career! Somebody like Ezekiel Jackson, Jinder Mahal, Justin Gabriel, Cody Rhodes, Ted Dibiase, Bryan and Sin Cara are all candidates who need to be IC Champion ahead of Barrett.

Ezekiel Jackson – Not good on the mic but is a big guy and has a unique look. As he ability to speak is not good enough to make him World Event material being IC Champion can help him so he doesn’t become irrelevant.

Jinder Mahal – Still very new, good in the ring (based on FCW matches and other promotions), good on the mic but not mainevent calibre yet so being IC Champion will help him get exposure as Champion material.

Justin Gabriel – Now the Corre is dissolving, he like Slater will become irrelevant and a guy who posses talents like Mr Gabriel needs to stay relevant so by being IC Champion he gets exposure and will star relevant and remain a solid midcarder.

Cody Rhodes – He has become irrelevant now as Smackdown is becoming flooded with mainevent heels such as Christian, Sheamus, Mark Henry (are you kidding me?!). Guys like Wade Barrett and Cody Rhodes can’t become maineventers as the same guys are being handed chances for the World Title so talents like Rhodes must remain a midcarder. Rhodes has all that tools to be a great World Champion. He’s young, good on the mic and good in the ring. His talents shouldn’t be wasted as they are being currently. Instead of losing to Cara and Bryan he should hold the IC Title so he stays relevant.

Ted Dibiase Jr – This is a guy who is a talented athlete who has become nothing more than a jobber. He is a great talent and should be used properly. Giving him a IC Title reign would really boost up his career and it will allow him to start fresh and cement himself as a Smackdown talent.

Daniel Bryan – Bryan is a guy who is slowly becoming irrelevant on Smackdown. Allowing him to be IC Champion would get him more TV time and his talents can be showcased on a regular basis.

Sin Cara – The superstar has been hyped up but has not done much yet, giving him the IC Title can put him in good feuds with guys like Ted Dibiase, Cody Rhodes and Jinder Mahal so Sin Cara stays relevant. His terrible mic skills forbid him to become anything higher than a midcarder at the moment.

Basically what I am trying to say is that Barrett shouldn’t be IC Champion, there are so many better candidates for that role.

BUT.....

.... If he loses to Ezekiel Jackson at Capitol Punishment where does he go from there? Smackdown has too many Mainevent heels in Sheamus, Mark Henry and Christian Barrett won’t get his chance and without the title he will be put into feuds most likely with Bryan and Sin Cara then after that will become irrelevant. Although he doesn’t need the IC Title I still think he should keep it so he doesn’t become irrelevant on Smackdown as he is a great talent and most likely a future World Champion.

I like what you say about a few superstars here, but come on. Rhodes is ALREADY a ME. the ic title does nothing for him at all, especially after being held by a noob like barrett. don`t get me wrong, the guys got talent, but he`s way too new in the craft to be expected to be near ME level.

 

[CelticCorey]

Barrett is IC Champ still! I did wonder who was holding that belt.

In fairness, nobody has had a good title reign since Rey Mysterio & Chris Jericho were battling it out for the belt. If you remember anything Morrison, McIntyre, Kofi or Ziggler did as champions, other than have a string of competent, but forgettable encounters, you're a better man than me.

I seem to remember Ziggler having a nice feud with Kofi during the summer of 2010. I remember his classic matches with Daniel Bryan, his outstanding match with Kaval and how he stepped on PPV, seemed to make the belt matter, added prestige to it after chasing so hard for it and it elevated him.

 

[Chris]

I agree his reign was terrible. I think the reason they took it off him so quick is because after Orton the level of stars on Smackdown is a huge drop. They probably want to elevate Barrett quickly to the status he was at when he was feuding with Cena. It will be a good thing for him trust me.

 

[Crypt Keeper]

I think it was just an attempt from WWE to make him relevant by having him win his first championship. Now that he's lost it, I expect him to rise to the main event and become a world champion which is great. It wasn't a bad reign, I thought. I was just proud of the fact that he held it.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

I seem to remember Ziggler having a nice feud with Kofi during the summer of 2010.

You're the only one. The Summer of 2010 was dominated by the Nexus on Raw and The Undertaker/Kane feud on Smackdown. Everything else was secondary and was treated as such.

I remember his classic matches with Daniel Bryan,

People talk about classic matches, nobody talks about the very good series of matches between Bryan & Ziggler. Excellent matches, but classics they are not.

his outstanding match with Kaval

The Survivor Series one! The second best match on a fairly poor card.

and how he stepped on PPV,

In what way? Ziggler is a good worker, but he isn't anything special. He has good matches with good workers, but he isn't talented enough to drag a match out of some of WWE's less mobile superstars.

seemed to make the belt matter, added prestige to it after chasing so hard for it

I don't see how he made the belt matter or gave it any prestige. He didn't do anything with it. Where were the memorable angles or matches? Would he even be over if it wasn't for Vickie Guerrero?

it elevated him.

Not really. He feuded with Edge for a couple of weeks, but nobody seriously expected him to win. Rumble title challengers are often just put in the spot as a tester run.

 

[Барбоса]

Being Intercontinental Champion has done absolutely nothing for Wade Barrett and at the same time Barrett and the 'feuds' he had did nothing for the Intercontinental Title so in overall terms his reign was a complete and utter failure, with the most memorable thing about it being the finish with which he won the title from Kofi.

But as has already been mentioned, the IC belt has been pretty worthless for years with only Jericho and Rey doing anything of value for it; work that was never built upon and with the incredibly mediocre and bland Big Zeke as champion, I do not see that changing any time soon.

 

[JGlass]

Wade Barrett's Intercontinental Championship reign was the worse reign since JBL's back in 2009. If you remember, JBL won the belt out of nowhere (despite being treated as a main eventer for the past couple of years), but preceded to drop the belt a few weeks later at WrestleMania in a matter of seconds.

It goes to show you how talented Wade is at carrying a title as there were a series of really solid title reigns between he and JBL, and even the worst one in that period (Drew McIntyre) wasn't that bad. You can blame the writers and bookers for Wade's failure as an Intercontinental Champion, but the story really wasn't that bad. Former friends, a faction breaking up, one dominant wrestler slowly weakening the resolve of another... the pieces were there, they just never clicked. Surely some of the blame goes to Ezekiel Jackson, who besides looking menacing has few things going for him, but Wade Barrett also must shoulder some of the blame, as he was the champion and it is his job to make us think that belt around his waist means something to him.