2016 was, without doubt, the year of the Intercontinental Championship. Throughout the year, several Match of the Year candidates took place over it. At one point you could argue it was the most prestigious title in the WWE.
However, now that former WWE Champion Dean Ambrose holds the championship, there is a real worry that the title will once again become an afterthought. There are three key arguments as to why Ambrose may damage the title’s prestige. In this article we’ll be discussing these arguments.
It feels like a step down
Last year, Ambrose was established as a world title player, and to be suddenly thrust into the mid-card scene seems like a demotion. Although SmackDown Live’s mid-card scene is on fire, going from battling AJ Styles to Baron Corbin is a clear step down. This can be compared to when Roman Reigns won the US title. Reigns put on a decent Hell in a Cell match with Rusev, but then quickly went back to the main event scene.
If SmackDown Live continues to book Ambrose in main-event matches, such as the Elimination Chamber, the WWE Championship will be his main focus. Whereas when The Miz held the Intercontinental Championship, his main concern was the title’s prestige, and that made the audience believe it was that little bit more important.
If the champion doesn’t seem too bothered about his title, why should the audience be bothered?
Ambrose booked too strong
Dean Ambrose was the man, who took Triple H to the limit at Roadblock, and who never lost clean to AJ Styles. Therefore to see Ambrose struggle against ‘mid-card’ talent seems difficult to believe.
This means that there is the possibility that Ambrose might start burying mid-card talent. Although SmackDown Live’s mid-card division is strong, despite it’s lack of depth, if they start eating too many pins, the momentum the likes of Baron Corbin have gained will be stopped in it’s tracks.
However, there is a certain scenario where Dean could hold the belt and not bury his opponents. This would come in the form of a ‘Cena-esque’ Open Challenge. If Dean is booked as a ‘fighting champion’ and he puts on good matches, he can raise the prestige of the title and his competitors.
Furthermore, when Dean eventually drops the title, if he is seen as a strong champion, the eventual winner will get a huge rub. Unfortunately SmackDown Live lacks the depth to have a ‘Open Challenge’ the likes of Cena’s.
Lack of Star Power on SmackDown Live
Dave Meltzer recently reported that it is most likely that Dean Ambrose will be relegated to the pre-show of WrestleMania 33 due to time limitations, as the card already looks pretty stacked. However, it can also be argued that the lack of competition for Ambrose is another reason for this.
As mentioned previously, Ambrose is a world title competitor and (if rumours are to be believed) the rest of SmackDown Live’s top tier competitors are already booked for WrestleMania. The rest of the the IC title competitors are either too green (Corbin) or don’t feel the level (Kalisto) to compete at WrestleMania.
The Intercontinental Championship not appearing at Wreslemania would seriously diminish it’s standing.
This can be seen with the United States Championship at last year’s WrestleMania, where it was the proverbial ‘curtain jerker’. To see the IC Title move to this position from it’s current standing would be a travesty.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, it’s not Ambrose’s fault that him holding the belt would damage its prestige. If he’s paired with a good worker, such as AJ or Triple H he can put on stellar matches.
This has led to Dean being built to a point where he should only compete in main event feuds.
It is simply his misfortune that SmackDown Live lacks the means to provide him with a serious opponent.
Therefore, although it is a shame to say a talent should drop a title, it is arguably ‘best for business’ to have a talent such as Dolph Zigger or Baron Corbin hold the gold, so they can gain the experience and respect that comes from the Intercontinental Championship. Respect that Ambrose has already earned in the past.
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