6 Ups And 7 Downs From WWE SmackDown (Nov 22)

4. Belt Up

IC Belt 2019
WWE

Sami Zayn usually delivers gold on the mic, and he did so once more this week - quite literally.

During an unusual promo alongside his Strong Style stablemate Shinsuke Nakamura, Zayn quite purposefully repeated the word 'stud'. He's a clever man is our Sami, as he used the ambiguity of the term to foreshadow what was to follow: the unveiling of a brand new Intercontinental Championship (belts have studs, you see).

Whether you like the refreshed black and gold design or not, which slightly resembles the Cruiserweight strap, this is a step in the right direction for WWE's most maligned mid-card title, in the sense the company are actually acknowledging it exists and are investing in its relevance. It's worth noting, of course, that the previous iteration of the IC belt was introduced by Cody in a similar bid for renewed relevance, so we'll see how this goes.

Hey, it could have been blue. Or the 24/7 Championship.

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Editorial Team
Editorial Team

Benjamin was born in 1987, and is still not dead. He variously enjoys classical music, old-school adventure games (they're not dead), and walks on the beach (albeit short - asthma, you know). He's currently trying to compile a comprehensive history of video game music, yet denies accusations that he purposefully targets niche audiences. He's often wrong about these things.