10 Reasons To Be Optimistic Following WWE Draft 2016

While it can be argued that WWE made a mistake in splitting their Women’s and Tag divisions, they absolutely did the right thing by drafting Intercontinental Champion The Miz and United States Champion Rusev to different shows.

These two divisions have been suffering for quite some time. The US Title has become particularly meaningless in recent years, and hit an all-time low after being relegated to this year’s WrestleMania Pre-Show just so The Rock could show up and bury Erick Rowan later on.

Rusev is a great wrestler, and putting the belt around his waist is a good start to the rehabilitation process, but look at his challengers thus far: Titus O’Neil and Zack Ryder. Two talented workers in their own right, but they came in without any momentum, and only dealt further damage to the title’s already-dented reputation.

The IC belt sits a little higher on the totem pole. The Miz is a gloriously despicable heel champion, and his act has improved tenfold since Maryse rejoined the fold. Intercontinental Title matches feature prominently on most pay-per-views, but now that Zayn, Owens, and Cesaro have left the scene, Creative have thrown Darren Young into the mix: an uninspiring choice, to say the least.

There are a number of reasons for both titles’ slumps, but most notable is the complete lack of distinction between them. Neither belt sits at a clearly-defined tier on the roster, and there was little to separate them outside of their names.

Splitting them up should eliminate this argument completely: both brands now have a distinct mid-tier title for up-and-coming wrestlers to work towards, and this will go a long way to restoring both belts’ respectability.