10 Least Convincing Intercontinental Champions In WWE History

8. Ryback

At WrestleMania 31, pro wrestling enthusiasts were delighted when Daniel Bryan captured the WWE Intercontinental Title. Fending off 6 other guys, including reigning champ Bad News Barrett, Bryan was a popular choice to win the Ladder Match. Shortly thereafter, the bearded grappler sadly had to vacate the title due to serious injury. He hasn't wrestled since. WWE had a major decision to make. Just who could follow in Bryan's footsteps as an adequate successor? At Elimination Chamber in May, Ryback was chosen as the next man to hold the famous belt. Naturally, a fair portion of the audience felt this was a poor decision. Ryback is not an in-ring performer on the level of Daniel Bryan, who had promised excellence with his reign before vacating. Eventually, Ryback would lose the Intercontinental Title to Kevin Owens. The former NXT Heavyweight Champion is a far more popular candidate, because he's considered a work horse inside the ring. As champ, Ryback was always swimming against the tide. Few fans wanted to see him handed the gold, and the fact he replaced Daniel Bryan made things even worse.
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Lifelong wrestling, video game, music and sports obsessive who has been writing about his passions since childhood. Jamie started writing for WhatCulture in 2013, and has contributed thousands of articles and YouTube videos since then. He cut his teeth penning published pieces for top UK and European wrestling read Fighting Spirit Magazine (FSM), and also has extensive experience working within the wrestling biz as a manager and commentator for promotions like ICW on WWE Network and WCPW/Defiant since 2010. Further, Jamie also hosted the old Ministry Of Slam podcast, and has interviewed everyone from Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels to Bret Hart and Trish Stratus.