Can Dean Ambrose Be The Man To Make The Intercontinental Championship Matter?

Is Dean Ambrose the man to bring the Intercontinental Title back to its past glory?  In a year that Randy Savage is going in the Hall of Fame, it makes you think of what the Intercontinental Title once meant. While Savage had a yearlong run with the WWE Title and a second shorter run with that belt that are on his Hall of Fame resume.  He also some forgettable runs as WCW World Championship, but it is his time as the Intercontinental title run of just over a year that made him famous. In current times, even hardcore wrestling fans have to rack their brains to remember who the Intercontinental Champion is. If you don’t know, the answer currently is Bad News Barrett.

Dean had a long but really pointless run with the United States Title. I would venture to say it was the least title defenses in a title run until perhaps Brock Lesnar got his hands on the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Dean unlike Brock was always around it is just as member of The Shield his title was secondary to that. Roman and Rollins at the same time had the tag team titles but were much more active in defending them. The state of United States title has been even worse. It has become a little more important since Rusev got his hands on it but it is more just a prop to his overall gimmick. The fact John Cena is challenging for this title in a few weeks and even people that dislike Cena would admit this title is beneath his status. This is part of the problem in how weak these championships have become.

Back to our original question is Dean the guy to take this title and bring it back to being a big deal? There was a time when Ambrose was the most popular guy in this company in the summer. The return of both Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan along with the rise of Seth Rollins as a top heel have left Dean in some sense stuck in this gimmick as this crazy unpredictable guy that loses more often than he wins. In fact, you would think in theory a guy with the Intercontinental Title would win more often than he loses. That hasn’t been the case though and perhaps it is time to change that. Dean needs more than just being unpredictable and crazy to remain over with fans. A strong title run with a champion that welcomes challengers and is a fighting champion might be a good role for Dean.

If he could have an extended run and come out of it gunning for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship it could be the best thing for that belt and for Dean. In the old days in WWE, you had two kinds of WWE Intercontinental Champions. You had guys like Savage and the Ultimate Warrior who were given the belt as a trial to see how they might do one day with the big title. This tradition carried on with the likes of Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, Stone Cold and even The Rock. Somewhere along the way from the Attitude Era to the PG Era, the Intercontinental Title lost that role. There was even a period when the title was but in mothballs. I am not sure if there is a point or person that is responsible for the decline of the Intercontinental Title. It just seemed to erode into insignificance.

Wrestlemania in early days often had its second most important match on the card. Savage defending the title and having his over a year long reign come to an end produced one of the best wrestling matches of all-time. It was a lot to do with two of the greatest wrestlers of all-time but it also was about fans wanting to see Steamboat get his revenge on Savage. In the built to that historic match, Savage tried to take Steamboat out attacking his throat. Fans were invested and it makes even one of the greatest matches of all time that much better. In front of according to the WWE their largest crowd ever had Hulk Hogan’s favorite dome the Silverdome.

Dean Ambrose gets compared to a lot of old time wrestlers from back in 80’s. Maybe he is the guy to take us back to when the title meant something. His reason for wanting a title shot is bizarre and makes little sense but who cares he is the right guy for the job. Barrett while I like him has had several runs with the belt to no real success. In fact, name me the guy on the roster in the mid-card that has been here for more than 5 years that doesn’t have multiple runs with the belt. The Miz, Dolph Ziggler, Kofi Kingston and a list that could go on much longer. The title in order to get over truly needs someone fresh attached to it and hopefully can understand what it once meant and how to make it mean that again.

If there is anyone in the WWE that is capable of bringing this title back from the dead it is Dean Ambrose. While many would be disappointed with Dean vs. Barrett title match at Wrestlemania it would be worth it if we could see Dean return to Wrestlemania in Dallas still with that belt it might be worth it. Dean Ambrose needs something to be his legacy in this break-up of the Shield. Seth Rollins has his Money in the Bank win, Roman Reigns has a Royal Rumble win and likely World Title run in his future so what about Dean?  If he could have a long and meaningful title run that might be his ticket to be his legacy coming out of The Shield. He would be doing all of us a favor if he were able to restore the I-C title to what it once was.

If Dean can’t do it, I am not sure who can at this point. Dean seems well suited for the belt a great talker and solid worker in the ring. He matches the model of some of the great champions of the past and to me is a good fit to raise this title back up if only they book him in the correct way to allow him too. I am not suggesting anyone hold his or her breath that it will happen. I just see it as the best possibility for restoring the title and giving Dean something to focus on.

In the end, a title is only as strong as the person that holds it and how they are booked as the champion. If they believe, the belt means something and is important that is the first step. I only look over to current day Ring of Honor in which Jay Lethal their Television Champion considers his title the most important in the promotion. He will face Alberto El Patron (Del Rio) on PPV and it very well could be the main event on that show in Las Vegas. The Intercontinental Championship being the main event in WWE would be a laughable thought at this stage. The only time it ever did was in England at Summerslam when the British Bulldog challenged his brother in-law and champion Bret “The Hitman” Hart. It was one of the best matches of both men’s careers.

We don’t need to see that happen but we do need to see a Champion that we see as a main event talent holding that belt. Dean has already proven he can be that headlining a few shows with Seth Rollins and Bray Wyatt. Dean and the Intercontinental Title is a marriage that could work for everyone.  

The 10 Count: Best Intercontinental Champions

On this past Monday Night Raw we saw yet another attempt to restore the Intercontinental Title back to some importance. It made me think of the better days of I-C Title and when it meant something in this company. They mentioned 12 members of the WWE Hall of Fame are former I-C Champions. So this makes this a tough list to crack and we have left some of those Hall of Famers off our list of the 10 greatest I-C Champions of all time.

Steve Austin, Shawn Micheals and Ultimate Warrior all did not make the list of greatest I-C champs of all time. Hard to imagine but look at our list of 10 and you will see it is hard to find them a spot. Even the first ever I-C Champ Pat Patterson isn’t on the list either. Mainly because we are still looking for the footage of the tournament he won in Brazil or Argentina or where ever in South America it supposedly took place to become the first champion.

#10 Kurt Angle: The one and only ever Euro-Continental Champion holding the European and I-C Belts at the same time. This was the first time we got to see Kurt Angle as a champion and would not be the last. Kurt was still a new comer to pro wrestling after winning in a legit Gold Medal in 1996 with a broken fringing’ neck. Angle has gone on to be some what crazy and loony since leaving the WWE heading elsewhere, but at the start of his time in pro wrestling he was amazing in the ring and pretty damn tremendous on a microphone. A star was born and a run with this title was part of proving it.

#9 Don Muraco: He was The Rock before the Rock. He was also part of one of the most iconic moments in Wrestling with Jimmy Snuka. Yes Snuka jumping off a cage was amazing, but just as amazing is having to be the guy lying there taking it. In many ways Don Muraco was ahead of his time. The funny bits he would do with his manager Mr’ Fuji were just fun and cheesy.  He had a couple runs with the I-C Title and was one of the first to make the title mean something. He feuded with Snuka and Pedro Morales in some classic battles.

#8 Bret “Hitman” Hart: Much like many we will mention on this list Bret was given this title as a test to see if he could one day be the WWF/E Champion. He would be about the only guy I can recall defend the I-C Belt in a Main Event as he and the British Bulldog had a classic match for the title in the Main Event of a Summerslam. It was one of the best matches of that year or any year with Bulldog coming out on top. Hart would have several runs with the title and he would face his career long rival HBK along they way for this belt before the two would fight for a much bigger prize in the future.

#7 The Rock: Before the days of the Rock being in the World Title picture he had a long run and feud with Stone Cold centred on the I-C Belt. It was the start of us getting to see what a truly great performer he was and vice versa with Austin. It was so vital for both in their development to go on to be World Champions and have one of the greatest feuds in Wrestlemania history with matches at 15, 17 and 19.

#6 Chris Jericho: has held the belt the most number of times which I believe is 9 times, so based on that deserves to make this list. He was always a guy that seemed to get shuffled from the mid-card to the top of the card and many of those times he would get a run with the I-C Title. He had numerous foes to defend the belt against some of the best being Kurt Angle, Chris Benoit and William Regal. Probably many more we could list but those stick out.

 #5 Razor Ramon: Long before we knew who Scott Hall was there was the Bad Guy and he was the first 4 time I-C Champ in the history of the WWF/E. His most memorable feud for the I-C title was with Shawn Micheals that climaxed with the ladder match at Wrestlemania 10. Razor would win that match despite most of the praise going to HBK. Razor Regardless of being face or an actual bad guy was a great I-C Champ and really did well with his runs with the title.

#4 Ravishing Rick Rude: The fact he was able to guide the Ultimate Warrior to some of the best matches of his career was an accomplishment enough, but Rude himself was a tremendous performer. Paired with Bobby Heenan the two together would make for some magic with microphone and Rude was a solid competitor in the ring. His unique airbrushed tights that related to his feuds have something that you just never saw back in those days and added that extra bit of fuel to the fire.
  

 #3 Mr. Perfect: Curt Hennig many feel deserved to be a World Champion in WWF but it never happened. His run with Bobby Heenan starting off as his manger and holding the I-C Title was pretty memorable. He would win a tournament to secure the belt I believe after the Warrior was forced to vacate the title after winning the WWF Title at Wrestlemania 6. He would lose the title to Bret Hart in a match where Hennig was suffering from extreme back issues but still it goes down as one of the best matches in history of Summerslam.

#2 Honky Tonk Man: Love him or hate him the guy played the cowardly heel champion for all it was worth. After shockingly beating Steamboat not long after his historic win over Savage it would be the Honky Tonk Man that would go on to have the longest reign in history. Perhaps not by design as he was going to lose the belt to Savage but plans changed when Savage was going to be given the World Title. By hook and often times by crook Honky Tonk would beat people and keep his running going until the un-named opponent the Ultimate Warrior came out and laid waste to him in about 20-30 seconds.

#1 Randy “Macho Man” Savage: This is the Condo on the Moon were you expecting anyone else? Savage had a great run with the title and eventually lost the belt in one of the most epic matches in the history of Wrestlemania. He was the first guy that really used this title as a stepping stone to the WWF Title and another long run with that belt. Randy Savage made the Intercontinental Title a big deal and was the man that made this title notable in a time when wrestling was in one of its biggest boom periods in the 80’s.

So that is our list how did we do? It is tough and lot's of debate can be had. But that is our top 10 and we're sticking to it. If you care to debate look me up on twitter @dinonationblog or on Facebook Condo on The Moon Page. Also check out Every Friday the IWC Podcast this week with guest wrestler Ethan Page and we talk ROH and WWE. What is not for debate is no one holding that belt in recent times deserves to be on this list and that is because of how they have been booked.