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Post by Next Man’s Knowing Rock on Mar 28, 2022 8:45:08 GMT -5
If you go back 15-20 years and look at how big the Intercontinental title was at that time, that was your next step to main event title. 15-20 years ago, the Intercontinental title was often with scrubs like Ricochet in between decent runs with stars on the rise. The title was retired for a while in 2002. When it was resurrected in 2003, the champions for the next five years were: Christian (became a world champion 8 years later because Edge retired) Booker T (became a world champion 3 years and a gimmick change later) Rob Van Dam (became a world champion 3 years later) Randy Orton (became a world champion a month or two after losing the IC) Edge (was a main event guy within a year of losing the IC title) Chris Jericho (had already been world champion and would be again) Shelton Benjamin (basically Ricochet) Ric Flair (old man sympathy win) Carlito (basically Ricochet) Johnny Nitro/Morrison (basically Ricochet) Jeff Hardy (definitely helped propel him to a world title soon after) Umaga (something to do after he’s fallen out of the main event scene) Santino Marella (debut moment, worthless run, then later a comedy jobber run) Kofi Kingston (who went on to have many meaningless IC wins, before a world title win over a decade later) William Regal (worthless two month reign) During that time, it didn’t have a great run of WrestleMania defences: WrestleMania: X8 - RVD won it from Regal XIX - was defunct 20 - wasn’t defended 21 - wasn’t defended 22 - wasn’t defended 23 - wasn’t defended 24 - wasn’t defended 25 - Rey won it from JBL in a few seconds From there, the IC title spent years as a nothing championship that would just get passed around between dull midcarders like Cody Rhodes, Chosen One Drew McIntyre and Curtis Axel. Once Money in the Bank got its own PPV, the IC title would sometimes get on Mania as a multiman ladder match, but without the ladder it’d be just as likely to be a pre-show thing. Even when someone like Big Show, Reigns or Rollins (or Ambrose, Owens, Big E, Nakamura) had it, it meant nothing. The only person that made it seem important was The Miz, and even then it was only for a couple of his reigns. Tl;dr - the IC title has been up and down since the Invasion.
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ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕋𝕠 𝕂𝕚𝕝𝕝
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ask me about how Verizon owes me over $4,000
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Post by ℍ𝕒𝕣𝕕 𝕋𝕠 𝕂𝕚𝕝𝕝 on Mar 28, 2022 10:24:13 GMT -5
Very odd, too, when you look at last year's WrestleMania. We had a pretty heated rivalry between Apollo and Big E that blew off at Mania for the IC title, and then a banger of a match between Sheamus and Riddle for the US title. Its an odd step to just not feature either title on the show this year. I guess you gotta make room for the Logan Paul tag match.
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CymruX2
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Post by CymruX2 on Mar 28, 2022 13:22:57 GMT -5
Would rather have had Balor defending his title than Alpha Acadamy/RK-Bro/Street Prophets I feel we've seen these 3 teams go around n around plenty they could have done this on "Wrestlemania Raw" but I guess they wanted to give Orton the "walking into mania holding every title" thing
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👑🇵🇭⭐️
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Post by 👑🇵🇭⭐️ on Mar 29, 2022 8:03:59 GMT -5
I was thinking of adding the Intercontinental Champion to the Drew McIntyre vs. Happy Corbin match, and adding the United States Champion to the Bobby Lashley vs. Omos match, but then it dawned on me.
Seth Freakin Rollins vs. Ricochet vs. Finn Balor for the Undisputed United-Continental Championship Title Belts.
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Post by Jeremiah on Mar 30, 2022 1:55:46 GMT -5
Blame these crap ass sitcom writers who should have never been hired in the 1st place. They don't know crap about history or that a wrestlers had beef or or any type of logical sense. Oh lesnar v Reigns for the 3rd damn time. And 7th or so time. Let's combine the belts because that's what we want 1 guy strangling the promotion with no one to even look like they have a shot. Hhh gone Cena gone rock gone taker gone hbk gone kane gone and McIntyre wasting time with Corbin and his what 5th gimmick change. How can anyone get over when they have no personality and they are told to memorize intellectually- disabled statements for promos. And trade wins back and forth. Brand split would have worked if both shows had not been a carbon copy of the other week in and week out. Either seperate them or merge them much like they did in the office leaving some khan guy to think wrestling is a damn sitcom drama with the same stupid ass reasons to feud and think Roman is this gens hulk Hogan. Rant over. The mid card belts need to be retired or re evaluated. Defend them everywhere on TV.
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Post by Kill Em' All on Mar 30, 2022 2:37:00 GMT -5
Both titles feel like props and nothing really of substance has been done for both in while
Rollins run and Miz’s runs with the ic strap set us as up but as always the WWE destroys I’m mentally checked out with the modern product if I’m honest
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Post by Kill Em' All on Mar 30, 2022 2:38:56 GMT -5
If you go back 15-20 years and look at how big the Intercontinental title was at that time, that was your next step to main event title. 15-20 years ago, the Intercontinental title was often with scrubs like Ricochet in between decent runs with stars on the rise. The title was retired for a while in 2002. When it was resurrected in 2003, the champions for the next five years were: Christian (became a world champion 8 years later because Edge retired) Booker T (became a world champion 3 years and a gimmick change later) Rob Van Dam (became a world champion 3 years later) Randy Orton (became a world champion a month or two after losing the IC) Edge (was a main event guy within a year of losing the IC title) Chris Jericho (had already been world champion and would be again) Shelton Benjamin (basically Ricochet) Ric Flair (old man sympathy win) Carlito (basically Ricochet) Johnny Nitro/Morrison (basically Ricochet) Jeff Hardy (definitely helped propel him to a world title soon after) Umaga (something to do after he’s fallen out of the main event scene) Santino Marella (debut moment, worthless run, then later a comedy jobber run) Kofi Kingston (who went on to have many meaningless IC wins, before a world title win over a decade later) William Regal (worthless two month reign) During that time, it didn’t have a great run of WrestleMania defences: WrestleMania: X8 - RVD won it from Regal XIX - was defunct 20 - wasn’t defended 21 - wasn’t defended 22 - wasn’t defended 23 - wasn’t defended 24 - wasn’t defended 25 - Rey won it from JBL in a few seconds From there, the IC title spent years as a nothing championship that would just get passed around between dull midcarders like Cody Rhodes, Chosen One Drew McIntyre and Curtis Axel. Once Money in the Bank got its own PPV, the IC title would sometimes get on Mania as a multiman ladder match, but without the ladder it’d be just as likely to be a pre-show thing. Even when someone like Big Show, Reigns or Rollins (or Ambrose, Owens, Big E, Nakamura) had it, it meant nothing. The only person that made it seem important was The Miz, and even then it was only for a couple of his reigns. Tl;dr - the IC title has been up and down since the Invasion. That’s fair argument I will say it’s pretty bad though when I had whole day of debating and thinking who was ic champ and I caved to google
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Post by shanieomaniac on Mar 31, 2022 4:30:20 GMT -5
All I can think of is that the closest sniff that the IC belt got to Mania this year is being used as a plot device in the Zayn/Knoxville feud.
Because that's what it's been reduced to. A plot device.
Shinsuke held it for how long and only had one successful title defense. At least the US title is on TV from time to time but then Finn was legit on Main Event this week.
Neither belt means anything these days, something evident from the fact that reports have come out several times that Vince has given up on both Finn and Ricochet, and yet they are both the champions right now.
Although to be honest, the same thing was true when Sami won for the first time. Vince didn't even think Sami was important enough to be an in-ring competitor anymore when he won it, he's just managed to turn things around for himself since then.
That said, as pointed out above, the IC belt has been fluctuating for awhile now and who knows. Maybe someday it will be meaningful again. But I doubt we will ever go back to the days when the belt was the second most important title in the company.
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eddiebrock
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Posts: 86
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Post by eddiebrock on Apr 6, 2022 14:02:17 GMT -5
I hope Cody regains the IC title long enough to bring back the white belt.
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Post by tylerbreezee on Apr 6, 2022 15:22:48 GMT -5
Titles haven’t meant anything since like 2004 when Orton and Cena held them
It was as if they put them on the two, established them for their future world title reigns and being the faces of the company and then threw them off to the side ever since
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Post by TheHitmanKid on Apr 8, 2022 23:07:38 GMT -5
I'm upset neither of these titles was defended at Wrestlemania. Instead Pat gets 2 (of the worst) matches at Wrestlemania...
Really sad
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X-27
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Post by X-27 on Apr 9, 2022 8:24:45 GMT -5
I'm upset neither of these titles was defended at Wrestlemania. Instead Pat gets 2 (of the worst) matches at Wrestlemania... Really sad Not to mention the 10 minute video packages between each match.
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Post by Next Man’s Knowing Rock on Apr 9, 2022 19:31:24 GMT -5
Because that's what it's been reduced to. A plot device. A plot device isn’t a reduction. Championship belts in wrestling have always been plot devices. That’s what they are for. Just like the superpower stones in Marvel movies, the necklace in Titanic, and the championship belts in the Rocky movies. They’re there to drive forward the stories of greed and betrayal and pride and envy, and they are at stake in the big final battles.
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Post by CM Tusk on Apr 10, 2022 1:50:21 GMT -5
Well you are all in luck because bald Ric is about to get hindered.
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Post by shanieomaniac on Apr 10, 2022 19:09:07 GMT -5
Because that's what it's been reduced to. A plot device. A plot device isn’t a reduction. Championship belts in wrestling have always been plot devices. That’s what they are for. Just like the superpower stones in Marvel movies, the necklace in Titanic, and the championship belts in the Rocky movies. They’re there to drive forward the stories of greed and betrayal and pride and envy, and they are at stake in the big final battles. It think it's more to do in this case that it was a plot device in a storyline it wasn't involved in. I have no issue with belts being plot devices in the quest to get one and in storylines for them. But it makes me mad in a situation for that where the title was meaningless and undefended for how long, then was put on Sami for all of two weeks just to give Sami vs Johnny more clout and then Ricochet wasn't even on the WM card. That's the part that bugs me.
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Post by finnbalor1 on Apr 11, 2022 5:46:31 GMT -5
The worst part about it imo is its not just in WWE that the mid card title doesn't mean much at the moment. Sky hasn't really done anything with the TNT title since winning it besides Dan having a title to wear during his promos and Trey has been on Impact less now since winning the X title then he was before. I don't see the US or IC titles getting much better either if Theory and Jinder gets them.
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