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With Sami Zayn opting to stay at home due to coronavirus and the uncertain nature of the current global situation, WWE had no choice but to strip him of the Intercontinental Championship. The title is back on the SmackDown horizon, with a tournament being held to crown the new Intercontinental Champion.
The tournament began on this week's episode of SmackDown, with Daniel Bryan and Elias winning first-round matches against Drew Gulak and King Corbin respectively.
Who is left in the Intercontinental Championship tournament?
While Bryan and Elias are already in the semi-finals, two strong contenders will join them. AJ Styles will face Shinsuke Nakamura, while Jeff Hardy and Sheamus will finally clash on next week's episode of SmackDown.
All six remaining Superstars in the tournament have a decent chance of becoming the Intercontinental Champion, with some having won it before. However, some of them are more likely to win it than others, taking ongoing storylines into account.
Here are the chances of every Superstar in the Intercontinental Championship tournament ranked, from least to most likely.
#6 Elias
After defeating his rival King Corbin, Elias has advanced to the semi-finals of the Intercontinental Championship tournament. A match against either AJ Styles or Shinsuke Nakamura is in the waiting for him.
However, it is very unlikely that Elias goes all the way and becomes the Intercontinental Champion. The strength of the rest of the field, along with the fact that his feud with Corbin might not be over, does not bode well for SmackDown's resident guitarist in the tournament.
From an in-ring and booking standpoint, Elias seems slightly out of place, especially since he's moved forward. His only title in WWE so far has been the 24/7 Championship. Couple that with the likely continuation of the King Corbin story, and the odds are very much against Elias.
Every other remaining competitor has a better chance of becoming the next Intercontinental Champion than him.
#5 AJ Styles
Coming over from RAW thanks to the brand-to-brand invitational, AJ Styles finds himself in the Intercontinental Championship hunt. However, due to him being from the Red brand, the chances of the Phenomenal One going all the way are pretty slim.
The only reason why he has a chance of winning the Intercontinental Championship tournament is that he is AJ Styles, one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. And while he is likely to go far, possibly till the final, chances are we won't capture the title.
Styles will face Shinsuke Nakamura in a rematch from WrestleMania 34, one with a unique dynamic as both Superstars are heels. His position on the card always makes him a threat, but the former leader of the OC will probably not shift over to SmackDown, as the Blue brand's upper mid-card is pretty stacked, even beyond the tournament.
Besides, RAW is pretty thin on talent. So while he could cruise through to the Intercontinental Championship tournament final, don't expect AJ Styles to come away with the belt.
#4 Sheamus
The fact that the Intercontinental Championship is the only title left for Sheamus to win would ideally make him a tournament favorite. However, the bracket hasn't done him any favors. Sheamus is set to face off against Jeff Hardy, a match that has been building for weeks.
A win for him against the Charismatic Enigma is unlikely. But even if Sheamus pulls it off, he has a big semi-final against Daniel Bryan to worry about. But the biggest threat to Sheamus winning the Intercontinental Championship tournament is the other side of the bracket.
While Elias is in the semi-finals, he is unlikely to defeat either Shinsuke Nakamura or AJ Styles. That would suggest that either Hardy or Bryan would reach the final, at the expense of the Celtic Warrior. WWE hardly ever books Heel vs Heel match-ups, with the exception of the upcoming Styles-Nakamura clash.
Whatever happens in this tournament, Sheamus should be a constant in the Intercontinental Championship scene. He needs to win it to complete his quest of winning every title in WWE. However, that quest may not be completed in the coming month.
#3 Shinsuke Nakamura
As a former holder, Shinsuke Nakamura has the opportunity to regain the Intercontinental Championship and possibly improve on his previous run with it. Before Sami Zayn disappeared from WWE programming, Nakamura was a part of his stable and helped him remain as the Intercontinental Champion.
Maybe Zayn's absence could lead to the King of Strong Style going in a new direction, one that could see him dominate the mid-card of SmackDown once again. He could even turn face and possibly feud with Cesaro, who was left out of the Intercontinental Championship tournament.
Nakamura will face AJ Styles in the first round on SmackDown and he might not be the favorite heading into the match. That being said, The Artist is a more likely winner of the Intercontinental Championship tournament than Styles is, as he is permanently on the Blue brand.
However, Shinsuke Nakamura will need to win first. And going by their history together in WWE, it does not look likely. Still, Nakamura has to be considered a strong bet to win the Intercontinental Championship if he does beat Styles.
#2 Jeff Hardy
After returning to the ring recently, Jeff Hardy is raring to go and looks set to go on another high-profile run. He will face Sheamus on SmackDown in the first round of the Intercontinental Championship tournament, a match he will likely win.
The 4-time Intercontinental Champion could get a decent push towards gold, especially since his brother is not in WWE anymore. Hardy could have an exciting feud with Bray Wyatt in the near future, but a reign with the Intercontinental Championship is not out of the question.
A Universal title victory does not seem likely at all for Jeff Hardy at this point, so he might have to make do with the mid-card belt. He would certainly elevate the Intercontinental Championship and make it feel special again, after over a year of mediocre booking.
It would be nice to see Hardy with the Intercontinental Championship over a decade since he last held it. However, the fact that his match with Sheamus is so early in the tournament makes it seem like the two of them will continue to feud, with the title being saved for somebody else.
#1 Daniel Bryan
Rounding out the field is the current tournament favorite, Daniel Bryan. After defeating his friend Drew Gulak in the first round, he will face either Sheamus or Jeff Hardy. The two of them are in a feud and that could potentially cost them a chance to win the Intercontinental Championship.
If Bryan does progress to the tournament final, we could witness a modern-day Intercontinental Championship classic between him and one of AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura. And if anyone has the ability to elevate the title, it's Daniel Bryan.
A former Intercontinental Champion, Bryan has unfinished business with the belt. He was forced to relinquish the Intercontinental Championship in 2015 due to injury, after winning it at WrestleMania. Bryan had vowed to be a fighting Champion but didn't get a chance to be one.
But now, five years later, the path is clear for the American Dragon to once again be the Intercontinental Champion. And this time, he could really do wonders with it. The upper mid-card scene on SmackDown is pretty impressive, meaning Bryan could face a lot of different opponents for the title.
He has the ability to elevate everything he is a part of. So having Bryan hold the Intercontinental Championship would be a smart decision from WWE. As his full-time in-ring career nears its possible end, one final Championship reign for Daniel Bryan would surely bring us joy during largely ominous times that the world is in right now.
What makes Sting special? His first AEW opponent opens up RIGHT HERE.
