WWE News: Backstage Update On Intercontinental Championship Plans After ‘SummerSlam’
One match, in particular, was a mixed-bag of emotions heading into WWE’s SummerSlam. It wasn’t John Cena vs. Seth Rollins and it certainly wasn’t Brock Lesnar vs. the Undertaker. The bout in question consisted of three men fighting for the Intercontinental Championship: The Miz, the Big Show and Ryback. This particular WWE title hadn’t been defended since Money in the Bank.
Regardless of whether or not Miz got hateful chants, or the WWE Universe wanted Big Show to retire, the match needed to happen because the Intercontinental Championship is important to the WWE. If Ryback hadn’t been hurt, then his title had a beginning at Battleground.
Despite his absence, Ryback did very well in his first Intercontinental Championship defense, winning the fight against Miz and Big Show. The whole match, which lasted a little under 10 minutes, was high-octane and maintained a good pace. Nobody really controlled the entire match, but all three participants held their own.
Where does the Intercontinental Championship go from here? According to Ringside News and Dave Meltzer, at least one man will be dropped from the feud.
“Dave Meltzer mentioned on the latest installment of Wrestling Observer Radio that Ryback vs. Big Show is planned for the intercontinental title feud moving forward to the next pay-per-view event. Basically, they are removing The Miz from the angle.”
Why could the WWE be going with a feud involving Big Show and Ryback? Perhaps they want to legitimize Ryback as the best “big man” in the WWE. Big Show has held that unofficial title for over a decade and his in-ring career is coming to a close. Big Show isn’t retiring anytime soon, but he will likely retire in the next couple years.
Big Show also has other career options, such as acting, to pursue. Ryback has plenty of time left in the squared circle, which he may use to focus on dominating the mid-card division. Look for The Big Guy to keep a strong hold on the Intercontinental Championship for months to come. Even though he is over with the WWE Universe, Ryback doesn’t look like a WWE Championship contender.
Maybe that’s my sole opinion, but how does The Big Guy match up with guys like Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Sheamus? Only one is truly in the main event scene, but the other WWE Superstars have main event qualities. Ryback could’ve probably been a true WWE legend back in the 80’s, since that was when bigger guys reigned supreme. If he can string together a great Intercontinental title run, a main event push may be in his future.
[Photo by David Becker/Getty Images]
