Brock Lesnar is the current WWE World Heavyweight Champion and there are rumors that he will be wearing the gold until next year’s WrestleMania 31. Some fans love the idea of a champion who only shows up on special occasions while others feel it is the champion’s duty to wrestle on every pay-per-view as well as Raw, Smackdown. There are valid points on both sides of the argument.
Old school fans who grew up with Hulkamania won’t even bat an eyelash at a part-time wrestler carrying the belt. Those who were raised in the Attitude Era and beyond have been spoiled, in a sense, because a weekly appearance by the champion is the norm. There really is no right or wrong answer to the part-time Lesnar equation. However, in order to appeal to those who want a top-tier champion on a consistent basis, WWE already has the answer, they just need to pull the trigger and use it. It’s a prop that weights 15 lbs., bears gold plates and is held together by a white leather strap. It’s called the Intercontinental Championship.
Back in the day, the world title matches sold the show and the IC title match often stole it. Being the Intercontinental champion meant you were the second best wrestler in the company and the next in line to be the guy. Unfortunately, the once prestigious championship that produced bouts such as Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat, Bret Hart vs. Davey Boy Smith, and Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon is now nothing more than a hollow badge of honor where the title holder experiences defeat more often than triumph. The current generation of fans has been conditioned to not take the IC title seriously, just like they are used to having the world champion appear on a regular basis.
If there is any validity to the reports that Brock Lesnar won’t appear again in 2014, making the IC title relevant again could fill the void of a sparsely used world champion and here are five ways to make this happen.
5. A Main Eventer As Intercontinental Champion
In order to make the Intercontinental title relevant again, you need to put it on someone important, such as a main eventer. Doing so at first will create that mixture of enthusiasm and confusion. The excitement will come from the fact that a wrestler who is thought to have outgrown the Intercontinental ranks is now sporting the gold. Confusion will be derived from the notion that a top guy as an I.C. champion is a demotion, a downgrade, a one way ticket to the Sarlacc pit of mid card status. However, booking the right guy in the right situation could pay creative dividends.
Bray Wyatt would be the perfect heel candidate for this endeavor. To date, the twisted prophet has never won a championship. He is pushed as a heel and is over with the fans because he is highly entertaining in the ring and on the microphone. The heart and soul of professional wrestling storytelling lies in the chase. We are led to believe that it’s all about the babyface’s moment of conquest, but it is his pursuit of glory against the heel that fuels our enthusiasm for the product. The most interesting thing about Daniel Bryan’s time in the main event spotlight were all the obstacles he faced on the road to WrestleMania. Wyatt becoming IC champion would create buzz since it’s something different.
If you decide the chase is not the way to start such an initiative, Dean Ambrose fits the bill. He is the most over guy on the roster right now and has never held a singles title. Ambrose is a special type of wrestler that comes around once in a blue moon. The nuances of his performances resonates strongly with fans to an increasing degree which makes the lunatic fringe a sure fire investment. It’s gotten to the point where the creative team has booked from a storyline perspective to have wherever Ambrose goes, John Cena goes. The creative delusions of being stuck in the wrestling bubble would lead one to believe that Ambrose is getting the rub from John Cena, but in reality it is the leader of the Cenation who is trying to get some much needed street credit by association.
4. IC Title Main Events Are A Must
At Night of Champions, the Intercontinental title match between The Miz and Dolph Ziggler was nothing more than a promotional vehicle to endorse the country group Florida Georgia Line’s new album. That needs to change. Booking the IC champion in matches that matter would get the reign and the belt over as a viable commodity to the audience.
With Lesnar most likely skipping the B pay-per-views, this is the perfect opportunity to have the Intercontinental title fill that big match void. Using the Bray Wyatt example listed above while keeping him in his main event trajectory will send a subliminal message stating that the title’s prestige and merit is highly desired. Michael Cole and JBL hyping an IC title fight as the last bout of the evening throughout a three hour Raw or a two hour Smackdown will induce the importance of sticking around for the shows final act.
3. Consistency Is Key
The ideology that wins and losses don’t matter has plagued WWE creative for quite some time. With all the start and stop pushes over the years, several wrestlers have had their stock damaged beyond repair. Kofi Kingston is very talented performer but he is a prime example of someone that could beat Brock Lesnar, clean, and in the middle of the ring for the WWE title tomorrow and no one would buy it or be excited.
Big E, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, Wade Barrett and others all lost more often than they won and were made to look like jabronies in the process. Winning is everything and having the champion win title and non-title matches in high profile situations will increase the value of the role, championship and wrestler.
2. Get Rid Of The White Strap
This may seem insignificant and minute, but having anything besides a black strap makes the belt look second rate and will make it a little harder to market it as a coveted prize. In fact, changing it right before this initiative begins and putting it on someone like an Ambrose or Wyatt would be a slight of hand way of saying this title matters now. Out with the old, in with the new.
Professional wrestling lends itself to having different and over the top theatrics and props but some things need to maintain a level of seriousness in order to get them over to their desired result. Boxing’s highly recognized championships have different color straps and they are rather ugly. Someone once told me that it doesn’t matter what the belt looks like because it’s the fact that you are the champion that matters. Titles mean zilch in boxing these days as it is all about the “moneyweight” fights instead of championship glory.
There are plenty of former Intercontinental champions who have changed the color of the belt over the years. Goldust often switched between white and gold and Ultimate Warrior constantly used a variety colors to match his ring attire. While being color coordinated, never hurt anyone and would normally be cool for a secondary title, you don’t want the centerpiece of a major initiative to look like a fashion accessory.
1. Capitalize On The Nostalgia
The one thing the Intercontinental championship has always had over any other title is nostalgia. Fans associate the WWE title for the dramatic moments such as the genesis of the Hulk Hogan or the Stone Cold Steve Austin era while those same people have a deep fondness towards legendary nights like Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect at Summer Slam 1991 or Randy Orton vs. Mick Foley at Backlash 2004.
I’m willing to bet that it is easier for a diehard wrestling fan to list their favorite IC title matches than it is to recite their favorite WWE title matches because that is what the IC title speaks to. Matches, titanic clashes, hard fought battles where getting the 1-2-3 was paramount over obtaining bragging rights for a night or simply getting one up on an opponent because you have the authoritative backing of the powers that be.
Air specials on the belt’s legacy and historic matches on the WWE Network. Have established and respected veterans come on television and share their war stories over a title that meant something to them because it symbolizes that you are an elite professional wrestler. WWE’s decade’s long push towards being sports entertainment won’t allow them to highlight the sport over spectacle, but the narrative doesn’t have to change. Just switch out certain words and spin it a little differently to maintain the promotional status quo while sending the same message.
If these five objectives can be executed to their fullest, while adding the dramatic flair of angles revolving around the main story lines, not only will fans no longer condemn Lesnar with such vitriol for his part time status, but we will have two well-placed and highly established commodities for the roster vie for when the WWE championship reverts back to its regularly scheduled programming.
