WWE bringing back prestige to the US/IC title

[supersrc]

As the title states above, lately WWE has been having a few more mid carder title matches. Do you think they are trying to return its prestige? or just trying to make the fact that they traded the IC and US to opposite shows matter? How long do you think its going to last?

What wrestlers are going to benefit most from this also?

 

[supersayian]

WHY PART OF ME SAYS YES PART SAYS NO. the reason being because Yes they are having more matches and getting them more airtime. no because they have the wrong guy holding the tittle on the blue brand. Y2J is above this belt. he serves no purpose to that belt. as i thought it should have stayed with Rey because he has great feuds with mid cards. Y2J hardly cares about the mid card anymore. just about being the best there is but nothing wrong with that. although on Raw it is diffrent story. as Kingston is the right guy to hold this belt. he has lots of energy and brings it his all every night. he has had really good matches with MVP and Regal and Hardy over the belt already. he is the reason the mid card is mattering now. so yes and no. as to who will benefit Kingston will big time as it can be his test run to see if he can go higher to the top. if this keeps up he should make it. Hardy and Regal as well as they really help carry the man. these three really help put this belt back on the map. Y2J and Rey have had good matches so yeah in a way they are making it matter but it is not about the belt as much as it is Rey and his mask. .

 

[JGlass]

I really think, at least for the IC title, it's going to return prestige to the belt. The Jericho-Mysterio feud has been great so far, as have their matches, and it's really peaked my interest in the belt. Jericho may have not needed the IC belt for a ninth time, but the belt needed him. There's no guarantee that whoever holds the belt next will keep it just as interesting, but I'm hoping that Jericho's recent involvement with it will keep it relevant for a while.

The superstars I see benefiting the most out of this are the one's that will be spending the most time on the mid-card, especially on Smackdown. Morrison will probably be at the top of the mid-card, as the main event scene is very crowded, and I think he can help keep the belt important. Other guys that will benefit are Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth, Mike Knox, and maybe Shelton and Haas depending how their reunion goes.

 

[tLight]

The US and IC titles have always been used to push mid card guys into the main event. Hasn't it always been that whoever holds either title on each brand is the #1 contender for the WWE/WHC on their respective show? Or at least it used to be.

I do think that having Jericho win the IC title for the 9th time is a bit much, but Triple H has somehow become a 13 time World Champion, as well as the Dudley’s being 19?20?30 time tag Champs. It just goes to show that at the time when they challenged for the title they were able to step up and take it.
Some great feuds started with these two titles. Rock vs. Triple H is the first that comes to mind, and look what it did to both of their careers.

 

[Paradox]

I think that's it great that they are putting more focus on the mid card belts. With Y2j holding the IC belt, it makes it look like they mean something. Look Jericho's new gimmick is based on being the best. And having this title is only going to bring the title up. Look back in the day the IC belt meant you were the best worker in the ring. With champs like Bret, HBK, Henning, Triple h, Rocky, SCSA, Kurt, all of these guys made the title. On top of that Look at the 2 man power trip. Austin had the WWF Title and was half of the tag champs while Trips was the other half and held the IC Title. They were both on equal ground. For me I'm glad that Jericho is the champ because he can "save" the credibility of the title with his reign. Bring back some of the prestige that the title lost over the last couple of years.

With the US Title it's a little different, but the same thing is happening. You have a young guy who is work horse in the ring and is putting on great matches. Which in return is bring up the prestige of the belt. Both men are making the titles look like they mean something.

Another thing, these titles don't switch every PPV. Making the Champion look credible. Maybe that's helping make these titles seem legit now... Just a thought...

 

[The Greenius]

Well Personally I Think They're doing it well with the IC with Jericho and Mysterio simply because they can put up a hell of a match and draw. Not only that but they're actually feuding over it and are having PPV Matches.But the best part of it is is that they're putting time and focus into it. As for the US Like many of the posts above this i could care less, creative just seems to bury its prestige

 

[freaky107]

There has been alot of talk about the mid card titles losing prestige and people really not caring about them. Well i think if your not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. So how can WWE get the fans to care about the mid card titles?

Well for starters, I think they should start being defended at the PPV's again.
Also, they should have longer title reigns (that goes for the ME titles as well). There is always something special about someone finally beating someone for the title after 6 or 7 months (as long as the champ defends the title reguraly which didn't happen in Shelton's U.S title reign)

So, I ask again, how can WWE get the fans to care about the mid card titles?

 

[RH23]

The IC title is really starting to get its prestige back. The Jericho/Mysterio feud is great, hopefully the WWE will keep the title on Jericho for a while then have him lose it to Mysterio.
The US title is starting to get better, Kofi is doing an okay job as champ.

 

[LynchCats]

There's already a similar thread around here, but with quite the opposite feeling. I think the IC and US titles ARE getting back to their former glory. The Jericho/Rey feud has been the best thing the IC has had in years, and Kofi holding the US belt on Raw is creating some nice feuds with Regal and Hardy. As long as creative doesn't screw this up, the belts will get their prestige back.

 

[DRAGO!!!!]

I think the big thing to make fans care is to have big names hold the belt. Thats just a quick solution. Just to make an example but knowing it wont happen; how about if Undertaker held the IC. He would obviously hold it for a long period of time, and it would give you the option to work a new kid in. Plus i dont believe Taker is held the IC or US title in his entire career so that would work with the IC and clearly the US should go to HBK if they were to do this. Plus we know that he works well with the young guys.

I remember HBK VS The British Bulldog for the Euro Title, IC title. Then Owen Heart VS Bret. Bulldog VS Bret. These were classic matches for the midcards. I think for fans like me you would like the belt to be put on huge stage, with huge wrestlers. I really think thats the only way, cause thats how alot of people remember it back when it was in its glory.

 

[TimeLord]

Put the belts on guys who are good workers and need the rub. Have meaningful decent championship reigns & defend defend defend!!!!

 

[jrumpi]

The only way to make it happen IMO is to do what tna has done with the X-division in the early days , make the IC title matches the show stelar , make the mid cards have awesome 1 on 1 matches . Do not worry people will still care about cena and hhh . But the point is if you want the title to look legit have people killing each other for it. Example : JOE vs AJ vs Daniels one of the best 3 way rivalry I have ever scene in my life I swear I love every second of that feud I was only watching TNA just to see these guys go at it , but now that it is done and the x title is crap I dont watch TNA any more .

So in summary you want the title and the mid carders to look good do what tna did with the joe vs aj vs daniels . have legit feuds !! make the ic champs look like they can belong in the Main event and by that you send a message to the fans that hey this guy is next he is coming to the main event spot soon and not do what you did with jbl when he won his world title out of no where lol .

 

[Kingdoug]

the only way to make those mid card titles in legit anymore in the wwe is to have a main-eventer drop down and start going for the titles which will never happen....or have some actual decent storylines at least.....like the mvp/hardy angle fantastic the way it happened from him being half man half amazing to half homeless and half hopeless....that was amazing to see him come all the way back to almost main event level now on raw thats like world champ on smackdown,.....

 

[Chris in SC]

The mid-card belts used to be put on people who were on the way up the card. Usually you knew that the holders were working their way to the big-time and were getting the experience of being a champion before moving up to world title programs.

For the past few years, they've been put on people who aren't really going anywhere (Shelton) or joke runs (Santino).

Its going to take time, but WWE seems to be doing the right thing:

1. Real contenders and feuds. Right now 2 former world champions are feuding for the IC title and a legit up-and-comer has the US Championship. Pretty decent as noted earlier.

2. Actually have and show title matches. This is starting to occur. The IC match on the three-for-all felt like it was a co-equal to the other title matches.

3. Push good mid-card champions to the next level. This makes the mid-card titles a legit step up from lower/mid card to the main event, and it will make it interesting when people pursue them.

 

[HHH=The Peoples King]

The Jericho-Mysterio fued is doing wonders for the IC title, having a Main Event guy like Jericho as IC champ is amazing, the US is getting there with guys like MVP, Kofi, Matt Hardy eventually, Miz eventually

 

[HBK-aholic]

The belt needs to be put on someone the fans like, or care about. There are quite a lot of main event wrestlers at the moment, it'd be great if one of them took a step down from the Main Event and instead defended the IC championship against someone, possibly even putting them over. Not only is there focus on the mid-card title, a new star is also being made. Alternatively, have 2 big stars facing off for it. There are still enough people left for the Main event if 2 are spared for the IC title.

Another possibility is putting one of them on Shawn Michaels. He's highly respected by fans, has great matches, and doesn't mind losing cleanly to someone. I'm not completely sure what he'll be doing on his return (Although a reunion with Triple H seems likely), I think him having a mid-card title, and making someone look like gold in the process of defending it would be a good way of making fans care more.

 

[BigDaddyDawg]

IMO, the mid-card belts are having a semi-comeback. They're not as coveted as the WHC and WWE Title simply because they're not being pushed as important titles. In the past, the IC/U.S. title holder was usually the No. 1 contender for the world title, so people wanted that IC belt so they could be the No. 1 contender. Now, the mid-card title holder doesn't even matter, because other top-tier guys are being named No. 1 contenders, which all but nullifies the mid-card belt.

Here's a couple of suggestions as to how to make the mid-card belts more relevant:

1) On the TV shows, make some of the main events mid-card title matches. I'm not saying every week, but sometimes. That will bring some of the importance back to the belts.
2) Make the mid-card belts mean something again. Make the IC belt the No. 1 contender for the WHC and make the U.S. belt the No. 1 contender for the WWE Title. That way, you'd have better feuds and better matches for those belts. Remember when Macho Man Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat fought over the IC title? That was a great feud and a great program, because they pushed the IC belt as the No. 1 contender for the world title. I agree that the Jericho/Mysterio feud has been great for the IC belt, and Kofi Kingston/Matt Hardy/Miz or MVP have the chance to put some great feuds together for the U.S. belt. But even with those great programs, what do those guys get for such great matches? Do they get a shot at the WHC? No. That only goes to the big name guys who could care less about the U.S. title. The top title pool is too packed with people. That cheapens the mid-card titles, IMO.

 

[supersayian]

they have been putting the belts back on paper-view again that is a good start. both belts have had good tittle matches lately. Rey and Y2J on smackdown. Kingston, Matt, Regal on Raw with MVP as well. they also could help it by introducing more new stars. like Ziggler, Bourne, Helms, R-Truth, and Morrison. they have the talent they just need to use more of it.

 

[Paradox]

the only way to make those mid card titles in legit anymore in the wwe is to have a main-eventer drop down and start going for the titles which will never happen....or have some actual decent storylines at least.....like the mvp/hardy angle fantastic the way it happened from him being half man half amazing to half homeless and half hopeless....that was amazing to see him come all the way back to almost main event level now on raw thats like world champ on smackdown,.....

Never happen? What is Jericho doing? He's a main event guy and he's the IC champion...

I said on another like this that what they are doing now is bring prestige back to the belts. Both Jericho and Kingston are making the belt's look like they mean something. Jericho's feud with Mysterio is great right now, and with the new stipulation as to the mask vs the title, it shows that the title means something. Remember Rey's mask is everything to him. So him putting it on the line for the title means a lot.

While Kofi isn't in a feud right now he's been having some really good matches as of late which will only help. I want to see the Miz get involved somewhere down the line.

I also think that Edge will be getting involved with Jericho, or Morrison. Which will be him stepping down from the main Title picture. Helping mid card guys out like Jericho is now.

Whisper, I agree I think that HBK should get the US title it would continue to bring that belt's stock up!

 

[The Greenius]

Well to do that give the titles to someone with enough credibility for people to take him seriously, The Intercontinental championship has done fine, for now. As for the U.S. Title they need to build Kofi up while he has the title then have him drop it to a guy like Hardy ect.

 

[Razor]

There has been alot of talk about the mid card titles losing prestige and people really not caring about them.

Quite honestly, I don't care about the wrestlers holding the titles. Not the other way around.

Well i think if your not part of the solution, you're part of the problem. So how can WWE get the fans to care about the mid card titles?

Amen. Stop complaining, and think of a solution. You are on to something dude.

Well for starters, I think they should start being defended at the PPV's again.

That's only part of the solution. You need to also have a feud around the title that makes people give a shit. You can have John Cena vs. HBK for the IC title, but unless the feud makes sense everyone's going to be too confused to care.

Also, they should have longer title reigns (that goes for the ME titles as well). There is always something special about someone finally beating someone for the title after 6 or 7 months (as long as the champ defends the title reguraly which didn't happen in Shelton's U.S title reign)

Well, then you'll get the people who hate the fact that the wrestler has had the title for too long. You see, people hate Cena's reign of forever. Then they get pissed off when Orton has the title for 4 months and drops it. Triple H had the title for 6 months or so, but if he hadn't have dropped it to Orton people would have had a shit fit. At least, I think Triple H had the title for 6 months. Seemed that long.

So, I ask again, how can WWE get the fans to care about the mid card titles?

As Whisper said, give it to someone they give a shit about. Jericho and Mysterio are doing a good job with the IC title. People care about Mysterio, and they hate Jericho. Not "We sorta know who Benjamin is" hate, "I wanna see him get his ass kicked by Mysterio" hate. That's good for the title.

The US title could really use a main-event heel to come down and feud with Kofi, and put him over at the end of the feud. Big Show could handle the loss. It would really prove how good Kofi is if he could get me to care about a Kofi/Show match up. Haha.

 

[GIMH]

Triple H had only had the belt for 2 and a bit months...

Anyway. Agree with other posters who have said that the E are doing this. The IC belt means more than it has for years with this feud, the Jericho-Mysterio feud has been part of the Smackdown main event picture, thereby elevating the belt.

The US title is getting there as well with some good TV time and feuding over the title, and it actually being contested on PPV for the first time in...a while! I also noticed that Cole and Lawler kept going on about how prestigious the US title was, so they obviously want it restored to the status of its WCW days.

 

[danvandam]

Well here's a few ways to bring the mid card titles back to the spotlight:

1. Have only one World Champion. Instead of having 2 (I don't count the ECW) Have whoever holds that title appear on all 3 shows. Different feuds each month. That'll make the main title more creditable plus you'll get plenty of different main event match ups.

2. Have the US/IC/ECW titles on one brand and make those the top titles for that brand only. Whoever is US champ is on the top of the ladder for RAW and in spot light to soon get a World title shot.

3. The Tag Titles, they're going in this direction now and I like it. (except for Carlito holding two belts, that just looks silly) Have the Tag champs also appear on all the shows and this would be a good excuse to get two main eventers appearing on all 3 shows.

4. Same with the Divas and Woman's title. Just like the IC/US have them just stay on their respected show. Also change the design of the Divas title, it looks way to girlish (even for being a Woman's title)

The only downfall with doing things this way is that the US and IC titles could be taken away from the top mid carders (the ones who deserve to hold them) and be put on Main eventers who don't have anything to feud for. This would be up to the WWE to make sure that this doesn't happen all the time.

For example on how this could work, you have have Triple H be the only World champion and have him over at RAW feuding with Cena. Well on Smackdown you can have Edge and Hardy feud on who will be the next contender while also being headlined by the Jericho/Rey IC feud.

 

[ghoat]

IMO, the mid-card belts are having a semi-comeback. They're not as coveted as the WHC and WWE Title simply because they're not being pushed as important titles. In the past, the IC/U.S. title holder was usually the No. 1 contender for the world title, so people wanted that IC belt so they could be the No. 1 contender. Now, the mid-card title holder doesn't even matter, because other top-tier guys are being named No. 1 contenders, which all but nullifies the mid-card belt.

Here's a couple of suggestions as to how to make the mid-card belts more relevant:

1) On the TV shows, make some of the main events mid-card title matches. I'm not saying every week, but sometimes. That will bring some of the importance back to the belts.
2) Make the mid-card belts mean something again. Make the IC belt the No. 1 contender for the WHC and make the U.S. belt the No. 1 contender for the WWE Title. That way, you'd have better feuds and better matches for those belts. Remember when Macho Man Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat fought over the IC title? That was a great feud and a great program, because they pushed the IC belt as the No. 1 contender for the world title. I agree that the Jericho/Mysterio feud has been great for the IC belt, and Kofi Kingston/Matt Hardy/Miz or MVP have the chance to put some great feuds together for the U.S. belt. But even with those great programs, what do those guys get for such great matches? Do they get a shot at the WHC? No. That only goes to the big name guys who could care less about the U.S. title. The top title pool is too packed with people. That cheapens the mid-card titles, IMO.

The problem with making the IC/US champ the #1 contender to the WHC/WWEC is that the title would never be defended; the second-tier champ would always be wrestling the top guy. After one guy would get a clean win over the other, the IC/US title would be vacated.

I think the titles are devalued simply because there are so many championships. I would love to see something like what another poster suggested: a unified WWE World Heavyweight Champion who can defend on any brand. You could have something like this:

WWE World Heavyweight Champion: Randy Orton, feuding with Triple H on RAW
Intercontinental Champion: CM Punk, the top guy on SD!, feuding with Jeff Hardy
U.S. Champion: MVP, the top RAW-exclusive guy, feuding with Matt Hardy

You still have some interesting(?) feuds that don't need titles:

Cena vs. The Miz
Jericho vs. Rey
Morrison vs. Benjamin

Big Show and Edge need to find some opponents, though, with no title to chase.

 

[pun2003hh]

Very easy, have a couple of meaningful feuds that surround the titles, rather then just random defenses. Before Jericho/Mysterio, name the last time there was a real, long term feud over the IC or US belts. Back in the day, you had Macho/Steamboat. You had Rude/Macho. You had HBK/Mr. Perfect. HBK/Ramon. Ramon/Diesel. Shamrock/Rock. Rock/Austin. Benoit/Jericho/Angle. Since then, I believe (and I could be wrong) that the only major feuds that we have seen over the IC belt have come while Orton held the title, and of that, the only ones I can think of were the feuds with RVD and Mick Foley.

If you treat the midcard as a completely different roster of guys rather then use them as fodder for the main eventers, you make those titles more effective. Only when a mid carder is absolutely ready and has run his course at that level should he be placed into the main event scene.

Edit: Now that I think of it, the US title has had a few memorable feuds including Cena/Guerrero and MVP/Hardy, but certainly nothing in the last year.