8 Title Reigns WWE Booked In The WORST Way Possible

John Cena's final year will be discussed among fans for the rest of time. After shocking the world by announcing at Money in the Bank 2024 that he'd be embarking on a farewell tour the following year, speculation ran rampant about what would happen in John's final year. Most people spoke up about the possibility of him winning a record-breaking 17th World Championship, but few would have expected him to spend any time worrying about the Intercontinental Title.

After years of discussion about whether or not the IC Title means as much as it once did, Gunther writing his name into the record books as the longest-reigning Intercontinental Champion of all time brought meaning back to the belt across 2023 and into 2024. Bron Breakker and Jey Uso had a memorable feud for the belt in 2024, as that prize was once again being used to bring prestige to the next generation of WWE main eventers.

Dominik Mysterio winning the Intercontinental Title was one of the few highlights of WrestleMania 41 for that exact reason. Dirty Dom's feuds with Penta and AJ Styles established him as a solid IC Champion, until John Cena's retirement tour brought Mysterio's reign to an end. Big Match John's three-week Intercontinental Championship run made no sense outside of adding 'Grand Slam Champion' to the icon's resumé. Worst of all, after years of hard work to restore its prestige, it made the Intercontinental Title feel like a meaningless trinket once again.