Top 5 contenders for Seth Rollins's Intercontinental Championship

The Intercontinental Championship has remained Raw's property after this year's Superstar Shakeup. Seth Rollins will continue to hold the strap on Monday nights and the shakeup has revitalized both brands, but Rollins's Raw hasn't been gifted with superfluous talent like SmackDown has. However, there are plenty of very interesting stories to tell.

Rollins will be defending his newly won crown at the Greatest Royal Rumble in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia in a Fatal 4 Way ladder match with Finn Balor, Samoa Joe and The Miz. Considering the investment Raw has in Rollins, its unlikely that he will lose the strap in Saudi Arabia, and we can safely plan for the future.

For clarity purposes, we will list the top five possible contenders for Rollins's title, and we will then analyze each competitor and how a feud with the incumbent may play out.

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#5 Finn Balor

Frenemies?

This one is but obvious, but WWE are going to keep pushing the Balor storyline for a few more months at least. The caliber of the wrestlers doesn't have us complaining though. As evidenced by their amazing encounters so far, both of them have tremendous chemistry and can work each other very well.

The matches would be extremely entertaining affairs, as these are the two best wrestlers on the roster right now. Even the story has a very plain build right now, with both of them being faces that have a competitive and professional rivalry, it needs to take a more sinister turn to keep fans interested.

I would have Balor go heel to avenge the injury Rollins gave him at Summerslam 2016 in the inaugural Universal Championship match.

Having Balor go out of his way to injure Rollins would make for interesting viewing, and this is a rivalry that WWE can rely on leading Raw in terms of intrigue and work rate.

#4 Baron Corbin

A fresh and intriguing feud?

I don't think the WWE Universe would be too hot to see this, but we need to reconcile ourselves with the fact that Baron Corbin will continue to get his mid card push because he is a big lad. From the United States picture on SmackDown, joining the Intercontinental picture on Raw is a but obvious transition that WWE would have him make.

However, this could still spell money for Monday Night Raw. Baron Corbin still is a cool character and can be portrayed as a badass heel who will beat people up just because he can.

Similarly, Seth can only be effective as a babyface champion if he can overcome a man mountain like Baron Corbin. It has the potential to tell a lot of intricate stories about what Rollins has to overcome to truly be one of the best, provided the story is well told.

Rollins needs to further establish his legacy and Corbin needs to grow into his role as a designated upper-mid carder. This feud could help both of them, as Rollins will be commended even more for taking Corbin to a decent or great feud, and Corbin will just benefit as a result.

#3 Sami Zayn

Fight forever

Heel Sami Zayn is one of the most entertaining characters on the entire WWE roster. He is charming, funny and absolutely annoying at the same time and I love him for it. His turn has revitalized his character, and now would be the best time to incorporate Sami into a major singles feud.

Strike while the iron is hot, and that is why going up against Seth Rollins for his Intercontinental Championship seems like a logical step up.

Sami and Kevin have a very toxic on-screen relationship where they turn on each other for self-gain in a heartbeat. That would be an interesting way to add Sami to the contender's spot by having him pin KO in a multi-man match.

After that, we can have Sami Zayn just unleash a sarcastic and braggadocious side to play mind games with Rollins. There's no doubt that the matches these two will have will be absolutely amazing.

Sami has been coming into his own recently and has been extremely fun to watch, and is a heel that is actually pretty easy to hate. at times. Rollins is in a dream run himself right now, and a feud between these two would be a great decision, especially if Sami officially splits from Kevin.

#2 Kevin Owens

Both know how to win gold

For every bit the performer Sami Zayn is, his best friend Kevin Owens matches him in almost every regard. Kevin, in this case however, is a better fit than Sami. Kevin brings in a history with the Intercontinental title and animosity against Rollins. Along with that, given the opportunity, Kevin Owens is one of the best all-round performers WWE has to offer.

Rollins and Owens were frequent foes during the latter's Universal Championship reign through 2016. However that feud only showed sparks, and now it is time to ignite the flames.

If WWE chooses to go down this path, they have a lot to offer. They can play up how Kevin never really beat Rollins clean, as Chris Jericho or Triple H were always there to help.

This could lead to the kind of Owens we saw in NXT, who would just beat opponents senseless. They can keep it light-hearted and entertaining, as Owens' dry and sarcastic humor tends to get him over well.

The dynamics of a feud between these two will always generate buzz and excitement, as they are two of the finest performers on the WWE roster today and are so supremely talented that they can take this feud in whatever direction they want to.

#1 Bobby Lashley

Giant man, Giant draw?

This may be unlikely, as Lashley seems poised to go deep into the Raw main event picture after being booked very strongly. However, that doesn't mean that WWE puts him through a re-acclimatizing phase in which he is made to work a little below the main event, just waiting in standby to be part of the next marquee feud.

A rivalry with Rollins over the Intercontinental title is just one big thing. M-O-N-E-Y. Lashley is a monster who has come back after honing his craft on the independents and would be perfect to fight Rollins.

Lashley is a powerful and dominating brute, whereas Rollins is a crafty aerialist that has grounded men like Brock Lesnar with his offense. That would be a phenomenal dynamic to play with.

There is no right or wrong answer to who wins this feud, as holding the secondary championship isn't really a demotion anymore.

Both men can hold this belt and keep themselves looking strong and not hurt the prestige of this belt. Both can lose and move up or down the card without a hitch. This really would be one of the perfect feuds to come out in the post-WrestleMania WWE landscape.