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A lot of anticipation has been building around the Intercontinental championship ladder match feud for and the bout looks to be set in a perfect position to steal the show at the grandest stage of them all.Wrestlemania 31 is quickly approaching and of all the feuds currently building, a large majority of fans seem to be most interested in the IC ladder match that will force Barret to defend his title against Dean Ambrose, R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler, Luke Harper, Stardust and Daniel Bryan.Let’s take a look now at 5 reasons why this bout looks poised to steal the show.
#1 Ladder match environment
One way to easily create excitement about any match is to add a tantalising stipulation. And ladder matches are always sure to capture fans enthusiasm.
Money in the Bank at one point became a staple of Wrestlemania and was a bout that fans always looked forward too. The last time we saw a ladder match at mania was at Wrestlemania 26 when we witnessed the last ever mania mitb (won by Jack Swagger) before it moved to its own PPV. Also another quick note, the last time we even saw the IC title defended on the main card was at Wrestlemania 28 (Big Show defeated Cody Rhodes) and before that it was Wrestlemania 25 (JBL lost in under a minute to Rey Mysterio, before announcing that he quit).
Late last year we witnessed Harper v Ziggler (who are both a part of the mania bout) in an amazing ladder match for the IC title which stole the show at TLC. This multi man ladder match looks once again set to steal the show, this time at the biggest event of the year.
#2 Intriguing build up
The road to Wrestlemania 31 and build up for the IC ladder match has been an intriguing one to say the least. The IC build up has seen all the different competitors steal Barrett’s championship belt as they all look to hold it in their possession (which Ambrose started at Fastlane).
R-Truth has also been providing some comedy gold both through his commentary and his hilarious actions as he looks to use this as a platform for a possible career resurgence.
Some may argue that this feud has been borderline relying on too much humour and that the constant exchanging of the physical belt is lowering the prestige of the championship, however for the most part I disagree. The fact that everyone wants a piece of the title is actually raising its prestige despite the fact that the rightful champion has still been on a very bad losing streak.
Also, the IC championship feud has found itself the centre of attention on Smackdown for the past 3 weeks which is most definitely ‘best for business’ and has further increased fans excitement for this match.
#3 Lack of other interesting bouts
Another factor that will boost this bouts anticipation is the lack of other ‘super’ interesting matches. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of solid feuds shaping up for mania such as Sting v HHH, Rollins v Orton and the return of Undertaker who will face Bray Wyatt.
However with a controversial main event (Lesnar v Reigns) that could impress or be a complete flop, the IC match will look to stand up and amaze. Also plenty of stars that many fans felt would have been a better choice to win the rumble (Bryan, Ziggler, Ambrose) will all be competing in the IC ladder match which will further look to out shine the WWE championship show down.
#4 A sure fire amazing match
One look at the super talented individuals involved in this match up and any one can tell this bout is sure fire to be absolutely stunning. The ladder match stipulation further removes any doubt that this match won’t be pure perfection.
The linear of amazing performers involved are all renowned as excellent in ring workers, especially the likes of Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, Luke Harper, Stardust and Barrett while R-Truth is extremely underrated.
There’s no denying that this epic encounter (assuming it will be given the right time to shine) will be incredible and would serve as the perfect opener to get the crowd on their feet.
#5 Mega stars involved
Another important reason why fans are so invested in this feud is the fact that involves many top tier talents who are easily viewed as main event calibre. Daniel Bryan, Dolph Ziggler and Dean Ambrose are all extremely popular and are become solidified mega stars (especially Bryan) yet they find themselves fighting for mid card championship.
This is actually great for increasing the titles prestige and the inclusion of these legitimate stars helps boost the importance of the bout itself.
There are numerous reasons why the IC ladder match at Wrestlemania 31 will steal the show but for this to truly happen it will require all the stars to align which could actually produce a memorable classic match that will go down in history.
