Ryback won the WWE Intercontinental Title at Elimination Chamber on Sunday, but he wasn't the first choice to win the belt. According to the Wrestling Observer, Sheamus was originally planned to be the winner before a late change was made to Ryback. Since the IC Title was vacant after Daniel Bryan's injury, six men were put in the Chamber and Sheamus was considered the favorite by most people because it would have given him a lot of momentum since he turned heel a few months ago. Sheamus has held every singles title in WWE except the IC Title. Ryback winning the IC Title is a great feel good story because he had never won a title in WWE before after dealing with injuries and trying to find the right character that would work. Now that he's a popular midcard babyface that is probably not going to be a main eventer again, it's fitting that he is the current Intercontinental Champion. A factor that could have been considered by management is that Daniel Bryan was there to hand the IC Title to the winner. Perhaps WWE didn't want the popular Bryan to hand the title to a heel character like Sheamus, so that's part of the reason why they went with Ryback for the win. In other Ryback news, the expectation is that he'll be facing Big Show and The Miz for the IC Title likely at Money in the Bank. Look for Ryback to find a way to retain because it's unlikely that he would lose his first title just two weeks after winning it.
John wrote at WhatCulture from December 2013 to December 2015. It was fun, but it's over for now. Follow him on Twitter @johnreport. You can also send an email to mrjohncanton@gmail.com with any questions or comments as well.
