Who Should Be The Next Intercontinental Champion?

[Jack-Hammer]

Curtis Axel won the WWE Intercontinental Championship at Payback after being inserted in a triple threat match featuring Wade Barrett & The Miz. It was originally supposed to be Fandango in the match, but he suffered a concussion earlier in the week and was put on the shelf. Axel was put in the match and captured the title. As of today, Axel has been champ for nearly 5 months and I think he's ultimately done the best he could with what he's been given.

However, I'm thinking that it might be time for a new champion to be crowned. For several years, a fair number of people have wanted WWE to give Joe Hennig a real shot, feeling that he's someone that WWE didn't use to his potential as Michael McGuillicutty. After being repackaged as with the name Curtis Axel, something of a tribute to his grandfather & late father, paired with Paul Heyman and reigning as IC champ for 5 months have ultimately given Axel that opportunity. In my opinion, Axel simply doesn't have "IT", that ever elusive it factor that makes guys stand out from the pack. I believe, like a lot of other people, that his father had "IT", but was never elevated to a level that many feel he should have been. Whenever anyone asks who was the best guy to have never been WWE Champion in company history, Curt Hennig always springs to mind.

Every 2nd or 3rd generation star is going to be compared to their fathers & grandfathers before them; it's an inevitability that can't be avoided. Joe Hennig simply is not as good as his father was. To be totally honest, he isn't half the overall wrestler his father was. Doesn't mean that he can't be an asset to WWE, or any promotion for that matter, but I simply do not see money in Joe Hennig.

At the same time, however, could it still be too soon to write him off as just another solid mid-card talent? For the past few months, Hennig has been completely overshadowed, a mere afterthought really, in the program featuring CM Punk and Paul Heyman. I was against him being involved in this feud because I knew how it would end: with the main event guy repeatedly going over the mid-card champion. It's something that Vince likes to do these days and do pretty often, unfortunately. Hennig has pinned a few times, mostly by Big E. Langston, and lost another match to Dolph Ziggler last night. He has another match against Langston this Wednesday on Main Event. Langston's stock is on the rise and Ziggler is alleged to have pretty strong heat backstage right now, so Henning losing to him is an indicator that his own stock has plummeted. As a result, I think it's only a matter of weeks before Hennig drops the IC title to someone, but who should it be?

 

[LODemolition]

I agree his time as champ is coming to an end soon, especially if Heyman is going to be off tv until Lesnar's return as some have speculated. I'm gonna have to go with Ziggler. He just beat Axel this past Monday on Raw, so if they follow logic, he should be the #1 contender. So if they face off again at Survivor Series, I have no doubt that Dolph is winning.

I'm a huge fan of Dolph, but I'd really like to see them take a shot with Tyson Kidd and put the belt on him. He's never held a singles title, so it'd be nice to see somebody fresh win a belt. However, Kidd has proven to be very injury prone, so for now, Dolph is more of a safe bet.

 

[ASKane]

Dean Ambrose to unify the titles. WWE does not need 2 mid card singles titles. Have Ambrose unify them.

 

[Kris Benwa]

Big E Langston never got his IC title match so I think they'll have him win it either at the ppv or at a RAW pretty soon. If not him then most likely Dolph Ziggler but I'd rather it be Big E it's time for him to be a champion and I can't Ambrose dropping the US title just yet.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

They just put Langston up against their "Face of the Company" and made him look good. He still has that supposed title shot unless they scraped that. If I were to go by pushes, Langston is the right guy at this moment to take the belt off of Axel. Not sure if I personally want to see that, but he has earned that much.

If not Langston, then have Punk or Bryan take it from him. That would make the belt look good next time it's defended.

 

[PingPongBundy]

I think should try turning Axel face before they write him off completely. He tries too hard to be a heel with some of his expressions. I say try him as a face first. He could have a natural angle where he drops the Axel name and says "enough is enough, my name is Hennig!!" Would it work, maybe and maybe not. Always worth a try, though.

 

[Chauncy Talon]

This is how I feel about Curtis Axel.

His father is my favorite wrestler. I'm going to be straight bias about his in ring work.

The problem about Curtis Axel is that they gave him the IC title too early. I don't think he should have been put into the match. He won the strap due to it being a sympathy vote. Curtis Axel had huge wins over Cena and Jericho but that where the buck stop there.

Once Curtis was put with Heyman, I felt that Heyman would be able to elevate Axel if they were allowed to have a serious feud with a wrestler that would help Axel get over the crickets. That didn't happen due to Heyman had just screwed Punk over and Brock wasn't a full time wrestler. Each week, we witness the demised of Curtis Axel by CM Punk. When Ryback came into the picture, I felt that Axel didn't have to job to Punk every week. I was wrong. This hurt Axel due to him being the mid-card champion but never receiving any wins except against R-Truth.

Curtis Axel was set for failure when he was paired with Paul Heyman due to CM Punk turning face, and feuding with his former manager Paul Heyman.


On a side note, I don't see anybody that should be giving the Mid-Card Strap. I'm sad that the Mid-Card Straps are not used as a stepping stone or an answer to wrestler that can't be the Face but can still be the champ (Steamboat, Tornado, Razor, Piper, Bulldog, Owen Hart, etc,.) Times has change and if I have to pick the next champion, I put Damien Sandow in the mix, but he's in a program with John Cena and Alberto Del Rios. So, that only leaves me with Bo Dallas, Tyson Kidd and Big E Langston.

 

[Mitch Henessey]

I vividly remember someone creating a thread trashing Axel after they debuted him as the next Heyman Guy on Raw. This person was shit on left and right by 98% of the people, who posted in that thread, but Axel's debut as Paul Heyman's new crony was a big disappointment for me. Axel was barely noticeable in the New Nexus, and he had a forgettable run with Otunga in a tag team (a team that had the worst entrance music I've ever heard).

I don't see anything special in Axel. His look? Sorry, but if you throw a blue collared shirt on him, and a long pair of khaki pants, Axel could fit right in with a group of night stockers at your local Wal-Mart. His matches are boring, he can't talk, and when it comes to personality, Axel is as bland as a cold and dry slice of wheat bread. Paul Heyman is the only reason why people noticed Axel recently, and he was lucky enough to be at Heyman's side during the feud with Punk (especially the stuff with Lesnar).

I agree with the consensus of Big E, because Langston is a fresh face in the mid card scene with a lot of potential. Although, after Raw this Monday, I have a feeling WWE might go with Ziggler. Sorry, but it's become more clear Ziggler can't cut it on his own. Ziggler was separated from Vickie, and whatever momentum he had fizzled out quickly after that, and recently, the same thing happened with AJ. A mid card title won't do anything for Ziggler, and he's not the guy to "elevate" the IC title, so it's double negative either way you look at it.

 

[Redrum]

I see Big E being the next IC champ but who i think will get it sooner rather then later might be Wyatt. I dont know that when the time comes you wanna jump him right to the WHC or WWE title. Even if they did go that route those two titles will be tied up out of his reach til post WM. So i would like him to get the IC title and hold it for awhile and use it as a stepping stone. He doesn't need it per say but it could help.

 

[Pedigree1]

I think the right guy to eventually take the title from Joe Hennig is indeed Big E Langston. Nothing personal against Joe,but Big E has the looks and he is very skilled in the ring wise. Big E has looked rather impressive as of late not clumsy or awkward at all. Curtis Axel has been champion for 5 months or so,and given what he has been given has done the best of the situation.

AS JH said,every 2nd or 3rd generation superstar is always gonna be compared to their Dad or Granddad. Some surpass them some dont.. This is mister Perfect were talking about here,im sure Joe wont mind being 2nd fiddle to his late great Dad. Big E is on the rise hell they put him in the ring with the Face of the Company

 

[Headman]

I don't think putting the title on Big E would help him at the moment. I would probably keep him in the mix with the main event guys as they've been doing. He doesn't need to win the WWE title either, but taking the IC belt at this point may cause people to perceive him as a midcard player. On the flipside if Curtis Axel loses the title now he'll be considered a failure. He needs to keep that belt until he figures out how to exist without it. Jobbing him his first night without Heyman was a mistake in my opinion. But the bigger mistake is how they've made him look so weak. He's a champion and should be booked like one. If I were booking I would keep the belt on Curtis Axel. In fact I would have him break Honky Tonk Man's record. The very fact that this seemingly underqualified champion would retain so long would garner him much needed heat, much like it did HTM. But Big E (A babyface) would eventually have to lose the title to a midcarder. And that's counter productive when the goal is to elevate you to that next level.

 

[TheMainEvent]

Personally I'd like to see Cody Rhodes regain the IC Title only so that it can cause a bit of jealousy between him and Goldust eventually resulting in Goldust turning on him and facing each other for the IC title at Wrestlemania. However, there are months away before that and I don't see Axel holding onto it until then, unless he abandons Heyman and joins The Authority, which I could see happening too. Langston is the best face option right now and then maybe a multiple man match can have Cody come away with it in a few months around January/February.

 

[#tamale]

Big E Langston

For nearly a year the title has been held by a heel. Each reign has been lackluster. Each feud has been underwhelming. Dolph and Kofi are good transitional champions but why not put the title on an up and coming face who is actually entertaining? Just have him tear through mid carders and upper midcarders and actually build him up as a credible threat. A strong face champion. Thats what I want.

 

[mrpops]

I honestly didn't even know who the current IC champ was until I clicked this thread. Give it to Dolph Ziggler. He's been buried all year just for saying a couple mean things. I think he knows his place now. Plus the world/wwe titles are out of his reach until after wrestlemania now, so might as well throw him in a mid card feud over the IC title.

 

[TheNew_ApexPredator]

Tyson Kidd is back and fresh! he would be a good choice but Big E deserves a title at the moment so either one of them would be great

 

[Toroc102]

I dunno, they don't put any effort into the IC Title it really seems like you get the title, then flounder around the bottom of the mid-card for a while and then you lose it and no one cares that you ever held the belt anyway.


Curtis Axel
Wade Barrett
The Miz
Wade Barrett
Kofi Kingston
The Miz
Christian
Cody Rhodes
The Big Show
Cody Rhodes
Ezekiel Jackson
Wade Barrett
Kofi Kingston
Dolph Ziggler

Those were the last 14 IC champs and out of all of them I would say only Dolph Zigglr and Cody Rhodes had somewhat memorable runs. For the rest of them pretty much nothing important happened. Curtis Axel has lost like 10 matches since he's been the champ lol, thats just sad. Except for Ziggler I'm pretty sure each one of them lost the title and was subsequently pushed down the card.

 

[MWRedskins]

i think Big E Langston makes more sense to win this title because he firstly is being pushed a bit more, second, he never got his match that he was supposed to get and third, no Heyman for Axel which hurts him because that's his main heat. Axel/Henning can really wrestle, i have NO issue with his in ring skill set, his problem is that he feels like a sidekick and his promo work is bad, especially for a heel. they could try to turn him face, but i doubt that would work. the only thing i think that could help Axel is putting him in a tag team with a fine promo worker. anyways, i would give the title to Langston who will/should eventually lose it to either 1) Bray Wyatt or 2) Seth Rollins (to get both Rollins and Ambrose singles titles which can help lead to a Reigns face turn if WWE wants to turn him face like it has been reported).

 

[#1Dobz92]

Personally I'd like to see Cody Rhodes regain the IC Title only so that it can cause a bit of jealousy between him and Goldust eventually resulting in Goldust turning on him and facing each other for the IC title at Wrestlemania. However, there are months away before that and I don't see Axel holding onto it until then, unless he abandons Heyman and joins The Authority, which I could see happening too. Langston is the best face option right now and then maybe a multiple man match can have Cody come away with it in a few months around January/February.

Problem is Rhodes is past that title now. He has had that big run with it and did well but now he's in a position where winning the IC title is just a demotion. If you do feud Goldust & Cody over a title, it has to be the World Heavyweight Title given their booking since coming back as a team.

My choice would be Big E or Dolph. If Big E goes US then Dolph wins the IC strap but if not the Big E Langston is probably your next Intercontinental Champion. Either that or Kofi again

 

[MCMG]

The IC title isn't all that meaningful and it has actually held back some superstars. It is good as an initial foot in the door, a wrestler in a transition stage or if they are simply not good enough for the top. I think Axel can drop the belt and move on to the next level because the quality of his matches are high and he has Paul Heyman. However, I don't think that time is all that soon.

I'm not sure who I see as the next champion. There are plenty of names and Big E is rather obvious but he has other things going on right now so maybe they wait and something else significant comes up. I think someone like Del Rio or Ryback could be a solid IC champion because that is the level I think there are currently at - just below the elite.

Other than those names, maybe someone from NXT who has to be introduced onto the main roster. The IC belt would be a good way for those who don't watch NXT to get to know the wrestler and he would be relevant.

I'll say that Kofi Kingston will be the next champ because he is due a title run. My choice would be someone from NXT but I don't think Axel is ready to drop the belt just yet.

 

[Tomahawk]

i think Big E Langston makes more sense to win this title because he firstly is being pushed a bit more, second, he never got his match that he was supposed to get and third, no Heyman for Axel which hurts him because that's his main heat. Axel/Henning can really wrestle, i have NO issue with his in ring skill set, his problem is that he feels like a sidekick and his promo work is bad, especially for a heel. they could try to turn him face, but i doubt that would work. the only thing i think that could help Axel is putting him in a tag team with a fine promo worker. anyways, i would give the title to Langston who will/should eventually lose it to either 1) Bray Wyatt or 2) Seth Rollins (to get both Rollins and Ambrose singles titles which can help lead to a Reigns face turn if WWE wants to turn him face like it has been reported).

Now this is something I can really get behind and be interested in. I mean that look Reigns gave Ambrose the week before last about being the only member with a title was just fantastic.

E is obviously the front runner, but I really like that idea of Rollins taking it and Reigns turning at Elimination Chamber or Mania

 

[ASKane]

Daniel Bryan or Alberto Del Rio so they are away from the main event picture for a few months or hopefully the rest of their careers which is where they belong

 

[Chadmw]

The problem with Axel and his title reign is the way the WWE pushed him.

Instead of giving him the title and letting him have some good Mid-Card feuds (wether it's Kofi, Big E, Miz, etc..) they put him right away into feuds with Main eventers like Cena and Punk, because of their rivalries with Heyman and his guys.

So he has the IC title, which he rarely defends and is losing to Main eventers, never really getting the chance to showcase his abilities

 

[justinept]

The problem with Axel and his title reign is the way the WWE pushed him.

Instead of giving him the title and letting him have some good Mid-Card feuds (wether it's Kofi, Big E, Miz, etc..) they put him right away into feuds with Main eventers like Cena and Punk, because of their rivalries with Heyman and his guys.

So he has the IC title, which he rarely defends and is losing to Main eventers, never really getting the chance to showcase his abilities

We've had this same argument near the end of every IC/US title reign for the past 10 years. When a new guy wins the belt, we all proclaim that he'll restore the belts prestige, and a few months later, we say someone else needs a chance to make the belt mean something. Well guess what? Only in the very rarest of circumstances does the champion have anything to do how much a title is valued.

Historically, titles are valued by the challengers - the number of quality guys who are desperate for the chance to hold that title. Well, who has been desperate for the IC Title since June? The answer is no one. Axel has played the third wheel - eventually the fourth wheel - in a main event feud between CM Punk and Paul Heyman. In that time, he's had a number of matches with CM Punk, and not once did Punk even request the match be for the IC Title. How can a title have any value if the guy wrestling the champ doesn't even care to take the title from him?

This is an issue that has annoyed older fans - those who remember when the IC Title used to mean something - for years. And it won't be fixed until the WWE consolidates titles. While the WWE Title has long-been the top prize, the WWE has seemingly used the WHC to try out a mid-carder in the main event. That used to be the role of the IC Title. These days, the IC Title is used as nothing more than a prop to distinguish one new guy from the other new guy. And because of that, my strong belief is that the next IC Champion will be whoever is the next new guy to debut from NXT.

 

[thebigbadfox]

Daniel Bryan or Alberto Del Rio so they are away from the main event picture for a few months or hopefully the rest of their careers which is where they belong

How you can say Daniel Bryan doesn't belong in the main event is beyond me! He is the hottest wrestler in the biz today! And has created a chant that may supplant What? as the one that lives on for a long long time!

On who should win the belt I heard a lot of the same names here.... so how about Seth Rollins? It would create a way to help the Shield split even more as Rollins can say to Ambrose hey now your not the only one with a title....

 

[HBKistheHOF]

Well first off I'd like to thank Jack-Hammer for the intelligent, non-biased, thread. Hammer's opinion was expressed while adding facts to back it up & without making the post too negative or just going on some rant how you think your ideas are better than all the rest. Great Post!

Personally I have always liked Joe Hennig. Maybe he isn't the next "Mr. Perfect" but he is good inside the ring & I enjoy watching his work. Unfortunately ever since MitB 2013 he has been reduced to an after thought. Ever since then the focus has been on Punk/Lesnar, then Punk/Heyman & finally Punk/Ryback. Even his "big" PPV match against Punk (which was the co-main event if I'm not mistaken) was overshadowed by Heyman's beef with Punk & Ryback attacking Punk at the end of the match. He never even had real feud for the IC title before he became the pawn in Heyman's army.

But with that being said there are just too many great mid-card/upper mid-card talents on the roster right now for Axel to just sit on the IC title & not do anything with it. My ideal scenario would be to have Dean Ambrose walk out as IC Champion the same night he loses the US title to Big E. At an upcoming PPV Ambrose could lose the US title to Big E earlier in the night & then enter into an impromptu battle royal or something & walk out holding the other mid-card title. I could also see WWE having Big E skip ahead in line & win the IC belt, though I don't think he is ready for that yet. I also think Seth Rollins will be IC Champion sooner rather than later. Fandango could also finally get a shot at the title that was originally his to begin with. Or maybe even the returning Tyson Kidd could get a shot at the title.