How WWE Revived The Prestige Of The Mid-Card Championships

Over the last 12 months, WWE have managed to overhaul their two main roster mid-card titles: The Intercontinental and United States Championships. Both with respected linages that features some of the most iconic WWE superstars and legends of all time, the WWE Universe has yearned to see the titles’ prestige restored since being treated as a prop to help give writers an excuse to get certain performers on TV.

The majority of reigns have been forgettable, with few actually managing to propel themselves into the main event scene after passing their IC/US Championship onto the next champion, demeaning the purpose of the titles to help springboard upcoming talent into the upper echelons of the card.

In the past, the Intercontinental and United States titles have helped forge the foundations of future success stories like The Rock, Triple H and John Cena, a testament to how much a mid-card championship can benefit a wrestler’s career progression. However, over the last few years especially, very few have been able to climb out of the mid-card purgatory, despite some becoming multiple time IC/US champions.

There are glimmers of hope with certain former champions, namely The Miz and Dolph Ziggler, who have both fought to re-establish the prestige of the mid-card championship scene. Their title matches throughout 2014-2016 were considered some of the best championship bouts from this era, and stand the test of time to this day.

Now, they are arguably two of the most recognised WWE superstars on the planet today, but neither have really achieved the pinnacle of their careers since their time as mid-card champion. Yes, The Miz did go on to win the WWE Championship again, but sadly it wasn’t product of his successful run at the top of the mid-card, nor was it a reign deserving of the star he had become. All of his previous work was reduced to mere background flavour to the bigger picture of the same few superstars being pushed to the moon.

However, things seem to be taking a turn in the mid-card with the past few reigns seemingly building a new crop of superstars primed for the main event scene. Take Bobby Lashley, for instance, a man that within a week of dropping his United States Championship was featured in a blockbuster WWE Championship match, which he went on to win.

Bobby Lashley has had a huge career resurgence since aligning with MVP and The Hurt Business. His United States Championship matches with Apollo Crews, Ricochet and Matt Riddle were low-key highlights of the cards they appeared on. The United States Championship put the spotlight on him in a big way, with most of the WWE Universe sleeping on ‘The Almighty’, it allowed him to generate a buzz that later fed into his huge championship win, making him the ideal man to head into WrestleMania for a main event clash with Drew McIntyre.

The US title now lies in the hands of ‘The Original Bro’ Riddle, who is on his own road to superstardom on the main roster. Riddle has shown a lot of promise of becoming one of the main roster’s biggest new stars, winning the affections of certain big wigs backstage in the process. There was a certain buzz surrounding Riddle’s United States Championship win at Elimination Chamber, almost as if it were the start of the road to even bigger prospects in his near future.

This is precisely what the mid-card titles should be providing us with, the feeling that whoever is being trusted with the titles is exactly who we should be watching, as they continue on their path to glory. I truly hope that WWE don’t start hot-shotting the title between Riddle and other members of the RAW mid-card, as it would totally diminish all the momentum that the former MMA fighter has going for him.

Meanwhile on SmackDown Live, Big E ended 2020 with a massive victory over then-Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn, celebrating his title win with the rest of the locker room in a shower of confetti and pyro. It was a big moment for the former New Day member, who had finally re-captured the hype of his initial singles run, but this time with all the pomp and circumstance that comes with his larger-than-life personality. It was the title win that many fans were hoping to see as soon as it was confirmed that the trio would be parting ways, with Big E expected to embark on a singles run that would take him all the way to the top of the card.

As WrestleMania approaches, Big E is still Intercontinental Champion and is set to defend against fellow mid-card star of 2020 Apollo Crews at Fastlane. Speaking of Crews, he himself reaped the benefits of a rejuvenated United States Championship over the summer of last year, going from a wasted member of the undercard to a household name that was main eventing episodes of weekly TV.

Apollo might not have been generated quite enough momentum to then put him in line for a shot at the WWE or Universal Championships, but it definitely increased his stock in the eyes of the WWE Universe. Now here we are again with Crews in line for a pop at the Intercontinental Champion, and likely a spot at WrestleMania if WWE choose to go with a big multi-man scuffle.

WWE are certainly on the right path towards returning their mid-card titles to their former glory. Prestige might not be the easier thing to come by, but if WWE carry on producing these intriguing and exciting championship reigns, akin to that of Bobby Lashley, Big E and Riddle, then there’s no doubt in my mind that the mid-card will finally have something worth fighting over, as they continually butt heads on their way to the top of the card.

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