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Lady luck once again refused to smile at Daniel Bryan. After winning the title ceremoniously at WrestleMania 31, the Flying goat had to vacate the title thanks to his never-ending struggles with injuries. WWE’s plans of having him as one of the mid-card pillars failed miserably and now, there is a need of finding a new champion.
Being the Intercontinental champion will indeed be a big boost to whoever gets the pick. WWE does have a lot of options at their disposal to decorate the prestigious championship and here is a look at the best candidates who deserve or can follow up Bryan perfectly.
Wild Idea: John Cena
John Cena is not in the list and is just a wild idea floating around the air. The Cenation leader has been doing an excellent job with the United States around his waist and if WWE decides to let him swap the titles no one would complain.
He should drop the US title to Rusev and win the Intercontinental title later. Resuming his Open challenge with the Intercontinental title would do wonders for the title and it is also the only title that Cena has not won.
Bray Wyatt
The Eater of the World has not won any championships in the main roster. Can you believe that? Even Luke Harper had a title reign recently and it would only be fitting to give Bray what he deserves. He is involved in a cold feud with Ryback at the moment and if WWE is going to keep him in the mid-card, then they should do it in style.
A lengthy reign from Bray would benefit both him and the championship. We have never seen how good Bray could be as a champion and this will add a much-needed freshness to the scenario. They can give him back Harper and Rowan as well to make him look extra strong.
Sheamus
Sheamus is probably one of the most credible old-school heels in WWE roster at the moment. Despite his goofy look, he is managing to get the fans jeer for him and that is what makes him tick. The Dolph Ziggler feud that he is currently in has some excellent in ring performance but we might not see it get past Payback.
The Celtic Warrior would thus need a good storyline after the pay-per-view and being the Intercontinental champion would fit in perfectly. And since we are having a baby face superstar as US Champion, a heel in the Intercontinental title picture would balance things as well.
Dean Ambrose
Dean Ambrose is in the WWE picture just because WWE wants to make other superstars look good. He is probably getting pinned at Payback and might be even kept in the whole mess till Elimination Chamber. However, beyond that, WWE is just going to push Ambrose back into the mid-card.
So, instead of letting him be wasted throughout the next month, WWE should let the lunatic fringe win the Intercontinental title somewhere in between. He could still participate in the Elimination Chamber match for the WWE title but if he participates as the Intercontinental champion, then he will have a solid future as well unlike the previous scenario.
Rusev
If there is anyone desperate for the Intercontinental championship, it has to be Rusev. The Bulgarian brute is destined to go out of relevance once he breaks up with Lana and an Intercontinental title reign is going to help him tick for some more time.
Rusev has the ability to pull off some solid feuds with the championship and now that he has tasted defeat, WWE could use him to put over other superstars as well. This needs to materialize only if Rusev does not manage to win the title at Payback and we all know the chances of that happening against John Cena.
Adrian Neville
If Rusev is desperate, then Neville deserves it. He has been booked wonderfully throughout his main roster run and his recent brush with John Cena proves the amount of faith WWE has in him. Neville would make an excellent Intercontinental champion and the fans would love to see him every week in and week out.
There are a lot of mouthwatering matches that Neville could have as the IC champion and this includes the possible feud with Sami Zayn once Sami gets his proper main roster run. Neville is the closest thing that WWE has to Bryan right now and it would be a big mistake if they don’t let him win the title soon.
