10 Things You Didn’t Know About WWE’s Intercontinental Title

4. ... And Again In 2011

Intercontinental Championship
WWE.com

The legal worries all kicked off again in 2011.

WWE plumped for a classic redesign of the secondary strap that year, and they had Joe Marshall of J-Mar belts make it. The problem here was that Marshall was working off a design sheet eerily similar (ahem) to the one Reggie Parks had used back in the mid-'80s. Midwest Belts (Parks' company) immediately contacted the company and had it pulled from TV.

They then negotiated their own deal with WWE to make a new Intercontinental Title inspired by their prior work. Knowing they likely didn't have a leg to stand on legally by getting someone else to do effectively the same thing, WWE pressed ahead with Midwest and their plans to redesign.

Parks retooled the J-Mar creation to be more in line with what he'd done over 20 years before. As with most of Midwest's creations, this new IC belt had a polished sheen to it that looked great on camera, and it helped Cody Rhodes' new heel persona get over. He instantly had the attention of old-school fans with this new twist on a classic around his waist.

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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.