Once upon a time, the Intercontinental Championship was one of the most prestigious titles in the WWE. The likes of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and The Rock held the iconic title on their way to stardom. Winning the Intercontinental Championship meant Vince McMahon wanted to see how well a wrestler could hold a title. Sadly, this is no longer the case. Due to inconsistent booking and some bad luck, the once prestigious title is now the worst on the main roster.
While John Cena and Rusev have elevated the status of the United States Championship, and a rush of new talent from NXT and Japan have invigorated the Tag Team division, the Intercontinental Championship has become meaningless. Once upon a time, the likes of Chris Jericho and Rey Mysterio fought for this championship. Lately, it’s been nothing more than another way to hate the Miz.
Who Will Be The Next Intercontinental Champion?
Ignoring rumors that the WWE will be creating another world title, the brand split should be great for the much-maligned championship. If the WWE World Heavyweight Championship is shared by both shows, and each show gets a minor belt, this can only be good for the white belt.
Since Rusev, the current United States Champion, is locked into a feud with an unbelievable challenger, Titus O’Neil, it’s unlikely that he will be dropping the title soon. The Miz, however, has been champion for almost 90 days and has reached his ceiling. The “Real World” star has done as much as he realistically can with the belt. Dropping it before or immediately after the brand split would be starting the new era on the right foot.
Seth Rollins
Despite being on the main roster for fewer than four years, Seth Rollins has already held every other active championship in the WWE. Rollins has been the Tag Team Champion (With Roman Reigns), Mr. Money in the Bank, and actually held the WWE World Heavyweight and United States Championship at the same time. In fact, Seth Rollins was the very first man to hold the NXT Championship. In his rapid climb up the WWE ladder, Rollins hasn’t hesitated to collect as much gold as possible.
If Seth Rollins is unable to regain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship from Dean Ambrose, he’ll need another feud. Even Vince McMahon knows that Rollins is simply too talented to be left off of any pay per view card. As someone who idolized Shawn Michaels , it wouldn’t be hard to write Rollins into a feud for the belt. Giving the championship to a main event talent like Rollins would only elevate the championship, especially with the brand split coming up.
John Cena
Just like Rollins, John Cena has held every championship in the WWE. In fact, John Cena is one world title victory away from tying Ric Flair’s record for the most in a NWA/WCW/WWE career. John Cena has been the biggest star in the WWE over the last ten years. It may be time for him to take a back seat. Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and Roman Reigns are the main eventers of the future. While Cena will get his sixteenth title reign, it’s just not time, yet.
While the WWE move forward with the new talents, John Cena can finally knock “win the Intercontinental Championship” off of his to-do list. If Cena were to bring back the open challenge, it would not only elevate the title, but everyone he defends it against. If the WWE do end up drafting a bunch of NXT guys, it wouldn’t hurt for them to get in the ring with Cena in front of the casual audience.
Finn Bálor
Giving a championship to a new wrestler is a gamble, but if anyone can handle it, it’s Finn Bálor. The former Prince Devitt excelled in New Japan with the Bullet Club. Since coming to WWE, he has been in a prime position on NXT, and had a long reign as NXT Champion. Most assume that Balor will soon be on the main roster. What interactions will he have with “The Club?” Could he make a splash by taking a belt home soon after his debut?
Cesaro
Cesaro is one of those wrestlers that should really benefit from the brand split. Sharing one three hour show with the likes of John Cena, The Shield, and a host of new NXT guys, Cesaro has spent a lot of time in push purgatory. Recently, Cesaro has been used as a filler feud for midcard champions. He actually just had a brief feud with The Miz over the Intercontinental Championship, and last week he lost a United States Championship match with Rusev.
Two live WWE shows with two unique rosters give Cesaro the best chance to succeed. The WWE struggled to fill three hours before the split. After it, the wrestlers in the mid-card will have much more screen-time. Hopefully, with two shows comes the Cesaro push we’ve all been waiting for.
Sami Zayn
Heading into WrestleMania 32, many people believed that Sami Zayn was actually the favorite to win the ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship. Many believed that his feud with Kevin Owens needed a championship to reach the next level. Rumor has it that Owens and Zayn will be separated by the draft, meaning that Zayn needs something new.
Zayn has quickly become a fan favorite with great matches and his infectious personality. Taking the championship off of the Miz and putting it on Sami Zayn could make a lot of fans happy. Depending on where Zayn went from there, it could escalate the title back to where it belongs.
