10 Instant Wrestling Title Devaluations
3. From Val Venis...To Road Dogg (WWF Intercontinental Title)
Val Venis, while not a super-worker to the extent of his predecessors, was an underrated talent.
He was capable of a decent aerial or two and suffused even short, Attitude Era undercard matches with personality, gyrating his hips in a lewd, X-rated Rick Rude update. In short, he was far from a disgrace to a belt hoisted to almost mythical status by the likes of Randy Savage and Bret Hart before him.
In dropping the Intercontinental title to Road Dogg, the strap in one fell swoop became a hot potato, carelessly bandied about between an array of men who'd done little to warrant even a shot at it, not least of which a former tag specialist only reemerging into the singles ranks.
The Road Dogg wasn't terrible, by any means. But as soon as he was deemed to be an acceptable champion, The Godfather quickly followed. Things degenerated quickly from there.
It's unfair to ascribe concepts of sport and legitimacy to the Attitude Era in retrospect - or the modern day, even - but this was the true demarkation between the belt's prestige and insignificance.
This devaluation was immediate, but unlike the previous IC entry on this list, there have been only weak signs of recovery since.