7 Signs WWE Is Headed In The Right Direction

5. Increased Focus On The Midcard

Finally, after years of indifference, the Intercontinental Title seems relevant again. After serving as the number two title back in the 80s and 90s (usually reserved for workhorse workers like Ricky Steamboat and Owen Hart) it seemed like the title got pushed to the back of the line in recent years. The feud between Dean Ambrose and Kevin Owens has (hopefully) changed that for good, as their story served as the main event storyline for Smackdown for the past few months. Seeing the midcard title pushed as such an important accomplishment and being shown as having so much meaning to whomever holds the gold has meant that the prestige has slowly been coming back and fans have treated it like a big deal. Much like the women's division, those scrapping over the IC belt have greatly benefited from being given an actual purpose. For years the title would just be hot-shotted from one wrestler to the next competing in the most basic rivalry delivering the most basic matches. Now Kevin Owens is back to being the IC Champ, the breathtaking Kalisto is the US Champ and the midcard is the healthiest it's been in for years. This is what these titles should be used for, as a stepping stone for guys onto bigger and better things. There's no doubt that Kevin Owens is a main eventer in waiting and I believe Kalisto will have multiple World Title opportunities in his future, too. The previous champs, Dean Ambrose and Alberto Del Rio respectively, should be main event mainstays also.