Bron Breakker is the current Intercontinental title holder in his first reign. WWE has been running a quasi-tournament to determine his next challenger.
With that person being decided on WWE Monday Night Raw, it is time to run down the pros and cons of the Intercontinental Championship contenders. Ilja Dragunov, Braun Strowman, Jey Uso, and Pete Dunne all have a spot in the final fatal four-way to determine
Breakker’s next challenger. Each one has their unique path to that match, with plenty of shortcomings or downsides that WWE will need to contend with should they advance to the bout at Bad Blood later this month.
Ilja Dragunov
Ilja Dragunov has been a fierce addition to the Raw roster since being drafted up from NXT in 2024. At this point, his tenure has been about putting on great matches against big stars and having them go over after a hard-fought battle.
We have seen this exact sequence play out against Jey Uso, Drew McIntyre, and Sami Zayn in the past. At only 30 years old, he is both a new star and a young star who has an incredibly bright future and will no doubt be Intercontinental Champion eventually, if not something significantly more.
The biggest pro for Dragunov to win this match is that he is beatable for the young Bron Breakker, who still needs to build up wins. That may seem like a negative, but given that Bron is almost certainly going to win the match at Bad Blood, having somebody who can take the pin-fall loss and recover fast or remain unaffected is essential.
Also, Dragunov is without a rival on Raw right now. While all the other contenders have their own “bad blood” to consider in the build-up to that premium live event, Breakker and Dragunov won’t need to share time with or explain away a third rival.
Ilja has exactly one true dream match in WWE and it is with Gunther. Looking at the pros and cons of the Intercontinental Championship contenders, this is his con. He will need to get pinned. Gunther is the World Heavyweight Champion and is, therefore, above Breakker in the hierarchy. If Ilja loses in the fatal four-way without taking a pin, it will protect him.
It then allows him to try and fail to beat Gunther, who is also poised for a long run, in that anticipated rematch. Losing to Breakker first will damage his credibility to face Gunther, pushing the match fans want to see down the road even further.
Braun Strowman
Strowman is a somewhat surprising addition to this matchup. He isn’t the monster we know from his first solo run, but he has featured prominently since his return. His recent shot isn’t entirely uncalled for after Strowman’s most recent run.
Strowman’s size would match Breakker’s power well, too. The size differential alone would be one of the only ways to make the newer Bron look like an underdog.
The real pro in choosing Strowman is his resume and biography. He is the only former world champion in the match. That is clearly the path WWE sees for Bron Breakker in the future as well. Getting Bron, the younger, a win over the veteran Braun will set him up with what will likely end up a who’s who list of former world champions.
Also, as mentioned above, Strowman is enormous. Nobody else can really replicate that part of his biography, either. If Bron Breaker takes down a guy twice his size, it will make him look incredible; Strowman can do that.
The Cons to Braun are both because he has ongoing or anticipated feuds at this point. Strowman has frequently been part of the resistance to Judgment Day on Raw. Damian Priest is outnumbered three to one, and Strowman could back him up.
That side quest will distract from the Breakker feud. Strowman also has beef (pun intended) with Bronson Reed.
The two behemoth performers had an incredibly memorable shot in the parking lot. That rivalry is far more like “bad blood” at this point. Then there is always the shadow of the Wyatt Sicks and Uncle Howdy lurking behind the lost sheep who hasn’t returned to the flock. All of those are distractions the title match doesn’t need.
Jey Uso
Jey Uso, in looking at the pros and cons of the Intercontinental Championship contenders as one particular attribute. He could actually win. In every other matchup, Bron Breakker is almost sure to win. He is still the favorite, but it is a bit more ambiguous. Jey has been one of the top stars on Raw since before the draft.
Since leaving his cousin and the all-powerful Bloodline, he is thriving. That is until recently. Over the last month, he has not had a substantial part on Mondays. That could change with a featured match at the Bad Blood PLE.
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The pros for Jey Uso are that he gives WWE the best story and that he is a top-tier superstar. While Bron is likely to win, and probably should, Jey could get the belt. He has more than earned a run with a singles title after holding down The Bloodline and main-eventing WrestleMania and SummerSlam.
That added bit of believability could go a long way toward making the match mean something to the fans. He is also in a relatively long-term story arc of self-discovery. That aspect of Jey is often cast aside, but facing a challenger like Bron should re-center it, adding even more emotional weight.
The only Con for Jey Uso is, again, timing. Jey has yet to win a world title, so every undercard loss makes that less likely. He is also helping Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley handle Judgment Day on Raw and will have his cousin Roman calling him any day now for help on Smackdown. All of that means he can’t get into a lengthy feud for the title and shouldn’t be taking unnecessary clean losses.
It also could stop him from someday winning the World Heavyweight title.
Pete Dunne
Pete Dunne has the most interesting set of pros and cons of the Intercontinental Championship contenders. Dunne has recently featured prominently across Raw and NXT. His profile is improving each week after a weak run in the floundering Brawling Brutes faction.
He is also a younger competitor, like Bron Breakker. They can have an exciting match, no question, and both have the potential to champion many times over in their WWE career.
The true pro of Pete Dunne isn’t even really about Dunne himself. Instead, it is about Trick Williams from NXT. Previously, Williams ruled the roost on NXT. He has only lost his spot recently if at all, with Joe Hendry on the rise.
The former NXT Champion has a solid following and has overperformed time and time again. Trick getting to make his main roster debut at a PLE to cost Dunne or stop him from cheating would be an electric debut that can only happen if Pete gets Bron in Atlanta.
The Pete Dunne cons are far more numerous. For one, both he and Breakker are heels. Those matches are almost always horrible. For another, Dunne is feuding not only with Trick but also with Sheamus on Raw.
Frankly, both of those matches would be better for a PLE right now than Breakker vs Dunne. Perhaps most egregiously, though, Dunne just got out of the haze that was “Butch” after a slow transition—first, the name and then the character. He doesn’t have the credibility to lose on such a big stage right now.
Picking out the Pros and Cons of the Intercontinental Championship Contenders
Looking over the pros and cons of the Intercontinental Championship contenders, one name emerges as likely. However, so too does a preferable one. Jey is the most likely pick for this match.
He gives the match a big fight feel, adds some stakes, and can take a loss. Uso getting serious again and taking on a leading role is also great; it will be beneficial for his character. Losses aren’t great, but everyone wants him to reunite with Roman Reigns and Jimmy Uso, so all will be forgiven.
It is Ilja Dragunov, though, that stands out. He is the only challenger who doesn’t have other distractions. Dragunov and Breakker can work a great match, and he gets a big moment while making the champion look good. Even if Iljia did stay off Bad Blood, it wouldn’t help. He would still be an illogical pick to face Gunther next.
He is young and has a long road to stardom. WWE should make this signature win and eventual crushing loss part of that journey.
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