WWE: Legacy of the secondary titles

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.