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In the world of professional wrestling, the biggest prize a performer can win is the top tier titles. In a company like the WWE, there have been some prestigious titles, with the biggest being the WWE championship.
The history of the WWE title goes back to the 1960s, and major names such as Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, The Undertaker etc have all held the title. With the WWE title being the most prestigious title in professional wrestling at the moment, it is every performer’s dream who makes it to the WWE to win the WWE title one day, marking their names beside some of the greatest in the history of this great industry.
Other than the WWE championship, there has been one more championship that has had a rich legacy. With the legendary Pat Patterson being the very first performer to hold this title, it is considered to be the second most prestigious title in professional wrestling.
Although some might debate that the World Heavyweight championship is the second most prestigious title in the WWE, those who know the legacy of the Intercontinental championship say otherwise. Performers such as Bret Hart, Mr. Perfect and the likes held on to this title.
There was a point in the company when this title was claimed to be “The work horse’s title”, exemplifying the prestige and honour to win the WWF Intercontinental championship. Whenever a guy was ready to be groomed as the champion, he was given the Intercontinental championship, to validate and recognize his efforts.
Who can forget ‘The Macho Man’ Randy Savage holding the title? The Intercontinental title was always considered to be one of the most precious titles in professional wrestling history.
Coming to the current scheme of things, other than the Intercontinental championship, there is one other title which is considered to be a second tier title, and has its own rich heritage and legacy.
The WWE United States Heavyweight championship started under the banner of the National Wrestling Alliance (NWA), being held by greats such as Ric Flair, Sting and the likes, before being consumed by WCW, becoming the WCW United States heavyweight championship.
Many great battles were fought for this title; who can forget the incredible 7 match series between Chris Benoit and Booker T for this prestigious title? In WCW, this title was as popular as the Intercontinental championship in the WWF. The person who held this title was considered to be the next World champion in WCW.
There is a reason I’m stating these facts, taking a short trip down the memory lane. Both the Intercontinental title and the United States heavyweight championship have a rich legacy, being on the shoulders of some of the greatest performers in the business. Back in the old days, people used to wear these titles with pride and honour, as it validated their careers, and recognized their accomplishments in the professional wrestling industry. Fast forward to today’s scenario, things have become very different, and not for the good. If we take a look at some of the recent champions who have held these titles, it becomes very apparent that the once prestigious titles have become nothing more than a joke.
When Cody Rhodes won the WWE Intercontinental title, he unveiled the old title, bringing glimpses of the history of the championship. Cody Rhodes was one of the best Intercontinental champions in recent memory. After performers such as Santino Marella won the title during their debut, it was widely claimed that the once prestigious championships have lost their meaning. With Cody Rhodes acknowledging the past of the Intercontinental title, people expected things to change. After a great run as the champion, Cody dropped the title, with rumours surrounding a possible main event push for Cody. Instead, he was relegated to the mid card, and the championship lost its glory, or whatever was remaining of it. Wade Barrett held the title for a longer duration, but lost almost all of his TV matches while being the champion. It was as if WWE wanted to play ‘hot potato’ with the Intercontinental title, and in the end, it showed how little WWE cares about the history and legacy of the titles.
Coming to the United States championship, Chris Benoit dropped the title to MVP many years ago, after being one of the greatest United States champions of all time. Fast forward a couple of years later, and the story of the title was as sad as the Intercontinental championship’s. Antonio Cesaro, one of the brightest new prospects held the title for a very long time, but just like Barrett, lost almost all of his TV matches. He then dropped it to Ambrose, who began losing matches after winning the title! It takes away any logic and meaning the title has.
It is blatantly obvious that WWE treats these titles like they treated the Hardcore and European championships. Those were considered to be the lower tier titles, with WWE putting it on the shoulders of the mid carders and lower mid carders.
As a wrestling fan, you cannot help but cringe at the state of these two championships, which meant so much to so many legends back in the day. One can only hope that WWE starts treating these championships with respect, recognizing their legacy and heritage. With Axel and Ambrose being the current champions, we can only hope that they bring back some credibility back to these championships.
