The Intercontinental Championship is supposed to be a mid-card title, yet SmackDown has done such a good job at promoting the title that it feels like a bigger deal than Raw’s Universal Championship.
A great deal of credit goes to The Miz and Dolph Ziggler for putting on a memorable feud that catapulted the IC title to its high status. Ziggler put his career on the line for the honour, and The Miz did everything possible to keep the title around his waist.
Unfortunately for him, all of his little tricks weren’t enough for him to successfully defend the title against Dean Ambrose.
Pushed out of the main event picture after his feud with AJ Styles ended at “Tables, Ladders, and Chairs”, thanks to interference from James Ellsworth, Ambrose is now seemingly a notch lower on the card.
However, the IC title has become such a big deal that it doesn’t feel that way, and here are five reasons why Ambrose is the right man to hold the belt at this moment in time.
#5 Dean Ambrose automatically makes the title mean more
Right now, the most important thing for the WWE is to make sure that the Intercontinental Championship doesn’t lose the positive momentum it gained after the feud between The Miz and Dolph Ziggler, which included impassioned promos and two excellent matches at “No Mercy” and TLC.
By placing the title in Dean Ambrose’s hands, the WWE is ensuring that the credibility of the title remains high.
Ambrose is one of the best superstars on the roster. He can get the fans behind him, he has a unique gimmick, his mic work is exceptional, and his in-ring work is among the best in the business.
This is a guy who won the WWE World Championship last year, and he’s won the Intercontinental Championship before.
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In his feud with AJ Styles last year, Ambrose showed that he is indeed a “top guy” on the roster. After Ziggler and The Miz raised the roof at TLC in a brutal match filled with painful spots that showcased both wrestlers’ in-ring psychology, Styles and Ambrose found a way to top that in the main event.
Ambrose also performed at a high level in the triple threat match with John Cena and Styles at “No Mercy”, so he has plenty of recent experience when it comes to shining in the main event.
When you have a superstar with his track record and current form holding the IC title, it’s hard not to feel like this title is special. The WWE could have given the belt to other superstars on the roster, but there is nobody else outside of the main event picture who could elevate its prestige more than Ambrose.
#4 Ambrose is coming off of an excellent 2016
Dean Ambrose is one of the hardest workers in the company, and since he doesn’t fit in the main event picture right now with a returning John Cena embarking on a golden feud with AJ Styles, he at least deserves some sort of hardware on his hands.
Ambrose has the work ethic to come in and do what it takes to defend a title, helping other superstars in the process.
With the Intercontinental Championship in tote, Ambrose is rewarded for an excellent 2016.
No other superstar, statistically, has stood tall at the end of an episode of Raw or SmackDown last year more often than Ambrose. Yes, Ambrose stood tall about 11 times more than former Shield partner Roman Reigns, and that’s definitely saying something.
Whether it was trading barbs with John Cena, going toe-to-toe with AJ Styles for the WWE Championship, winning it all with a cash-in at Money In The Bank, or duking it out with the likes of Dolph Ziggler and Luke Harper, Ambrose has featured in some of the biggest storylines in 2016.
Few superstars have been asked to do more than Ambrose, and he’s delivered in almost every case. It makes sense to fully expect him to do the same now that he’s the IC champion.
#3 More feud opportunities
Now that Dolph Ziggler has turned heel, it makes sense to have a face holding the Intercontinental Championship with the heel vs. face balance slightly shifted on the SmackDown roster.
While it is possible for Ziggler to feud with Ambrose for the title, it’s hard to see that happening, at least in the near future.
Ziggler needs to step away from the title picture as his character resets, and it makes far more sense for him to elevate the likes of Apollo Crews and Kalisto, who have received little character direction to this point.
Because Apollo Crews and Kalisto needed some work before they are able to be serious title contenders, it would have been difficult for The Miz to remain IC champion. While there’s no doubt that The Miz has been one of the best IC title-holders of all-time, the well could have run dry without worthy competitors.
Once Ambrose’s feud with The Miz ends, the A-Lister can even be moved to the main event picture.
Meanwhile, Ambrose has a few possible superstars he can feud with after The Miz. Ziggler is a possibility, and Luke Harper is a dark horse if there is a falling out in the Wyatts.
But one name I keep thinking of is Baron Corbin. The “Lone Wolf” has excelled in matches with Styles and Ziggler, and he fared out pretty well before John Cena hit the “Attitude Adjustment” on him rather unceremoniously.
Corbin doesn’t have much of a place in the main event picture with Cena and Styles clashing, but he could be an excellent rival for Ambrose. Corbin deserves a push, and the IC title would be a step in the right direction for 2017’s early star.
#2 Wrestlemania plans can take shape
As evidenced by the fact that Ambrose stood tall at the end of segments more often than any other superstar in 2016, it’s clear that Ambrose holds huge value to the WWE.
He needs to have an important match at Wrestlemania, and giving him the Intercontinental Championship is an easy way for him to have a marquee match at the WWE’s biggest event.
That opponent could be someone like Baron Corbin, or it could even be an NXT call-up like Samoa Joe, who would certainly have a big role to play if the WWE decided to call him up for Wrestlemania.
It’s clear to me that Ambrose must hold this title until Wrestlemania, and he can do wonders in hyping up the status of the title even further before his match at Wrestlemania 33.
There may not be multiple challengers for Ambrose to face between now and April, so it may be best for him to have one big feud with, say, Corbin that leads up to a huge match at Wrestlemania instead.
#1 Best for Ambrose’s mic work
With his suicide dives, dropkicks, clotheslines, and the “Dirty Deeds” finisher, Ambrose has it down pat in the ring. What makes Ambrose special, though, is the fact that he produces incredible work on the mic.
The above photo is a great example of the humorous side of Ambrose, who gave The Miz his own participation award, following Ambrose’s IC title victory over the A-Lister. We also saw Ambrose dress up as a mountie in order to infuriate SmackDown commissioner Shane McMahon.
However, Ambrose also shows a serious side in his promo work, and his best line last season came when dissing John Cena.
He told Cena that he considers “The Face That Runs The Place” to be nothing more than a “lazy part-timer”. It’s a pointed remark that received plenty of airplay, and lines like that allowed Ambrose to keep the pace with Cena and Styles in that huge main event rivalry.
Ambrose’s promo work would shine under virtually any scenario, but it will come to the forefront now that he holds the Intercontinental Championship. The entire rivalry between The Miz and Ziggler was built on a slowly-building storyline that erupted when Ziggler put his career on the line at “No Mercy”.
The heated promos pushed the rivalry to the next level, and it got fans emotionally invested in the title. It showcased some of the best work by both superstars in their careers.
The same could happen for Ambrose. SmackDown Live has done a fantastic job of writing storylines and promoting its superstars. They give their superstars more freedom on the mic, and that is why their rivalries seem so fresh and savage.
Ambrose’s work with Renee Young, Maryse, and The Miz has been extraordinary, and it’s just a sign of the entertaining and potentially brutal promos still to come under Ambrose’s second IC reign.
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