The Intercontinental Championship was once a real prize for WWE superstars. Often, the man with that strap around his waist could be considered the second most decorated and illustrious wrestler in the company. Virtually every top WWE Champion, from Bret Hart to Randy Orton, has at some point worn the Intercontinental Title belt. However, along with its midcard sibling the United States Championship, the title has lost a lot of its shine in the last few years. You have to go back to Big Show in 2012 to find a champion who has spent any real time in the main event scene since winning the belt. There are a number of reasons for this decline, but it predominantly comes down to the way that WWE has booked the titles to mean very little. Earlier this year, there was a period of several months, during the reigns of Big E (Intercontinental) and Dean Ambrose (United States), when neither title was defended with any real regularity. In fact, neither title made an appearance on the card at WrestleMania XXX, which really diminished their importance. This has improved recently, mainly in the case of Dolph Ziggler's reign as Intercontinental Champion, but there is still a problem of titleholders looking too weak. Midcard champions lose far too many non-title matches and are often booked to look very weak when they square off with main event talent. The days of the Intercontinental Champion being the number two guy in the company are long gone. The midcard titles can be important again, but it will take a bit of rebuilding work before that can happen. They are a huge part of WWE history and their booking status should reflect that.
Freelance film journalist and fan of professional wrestling. Usually found in a darkened screening room looking for an aisle seat and telling people to put away their mobile phones. Also known to do a bit of stand-up comedy, so I'm used to the occasional heckle.
