5 Reasons why Daniel Bryan should become the next Intercontinental Champion

A few weeks ago, Sami Zayn was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship and a tournament was announced to determine the brand-new champion. The tournament has been a focal point of SmackDown, with the Blue brand's talented Superstars battling it out for the vacant title.

After two weeks of hard-hitting competition, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan have proceeded to the finals. Styles defeated Shinsuke Nakamura in the first round, before taking the easy way out and advancing straight to the finals after his opponent, Elias, was mysteriously wounded in a controversial car accident. Bryan, on the other hand, defeated Drew Gulak and Sheamus en route to the finals.

The finals of the IC title tournament will take place next week on SmackDown. The match has already been taped and the contest was reported to be a thrilling one. Bryan and Styles are two of the best in-ring wrestlers of their generation and both are equally apt for winning the Intercontinental Championship.

However, Daniel Bryan seems like the most probable and preferable choice in this scenario. This slideshow will explore why that is the case.

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#5 Daniel Bryan's last IC Championship reign was cut short

The Beard won the IC Championship at WrestleMania 31

At WrestleMania 31, The Leader of the Yes Movement prevailed over six others in a seven-man ladder match to become the Intercontinental Champion. He proudly held the championship for about a month before being forced to relinquish it due to a concussion in May 2015. The announcement was disheartening for the fanbase as Bryan had the potential to elevate the title to new heights. The Beard would then have to retire nine months later in February 2016, much to the disappointment of his fans.

Two years later, Bryan was cleared to return to in-ring action. Even though he has enjoyed considerable success upon return from retirement, the former Planet's Champion has been unable to capture the IC title. He unsuccessfully challenged for the championship at WrestleMania, but fate has given him a prime opportunity to win one of the most prestigious championships in WWE history.

Bryan deserves a long reign as Intercontinental Champion. He has all the tools to represent the championship with the honor and respect that it deserves.

#4 Daniel Bryan has indicated that he would defend the IC Championship every week

Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles had a little chat on SmackDown

This past week on SmackDown, The Phenomenal One came face-to-face with Bryan in a heated confrontation. They built hype for their showdown next week and drew comparisons with each other. During the quarrel, The American Dragon hinted that he would actively defend the Intercontinental Championship against both established veterans and up and coming Superstars weekly.

The IC title hasn't been defended or seen since WrestleMania. With Bryan being an extremely over babyface, he can restore importance and prestige to the Intercontinental Championship by defending it regularly on WWE TV.

With dwindling fan interest in the product, the Blue brand needs to provide fans with a reason to tune in. Weekly open challenges are a creative way of attracting casual fans; such challenges add a sense of unpredictability to the card. Anyone can step up to the challenge and possibly win the championship. Stars such as Mojo Rawley, members of The New Day, and Shorty G – all of whom seldom get opportunities to compete for singles championships – can get more TV time.

#3 AJ Styles needs to move up the card into the main event scene

AJ Styles was a pivotal component of SmackDown after the brand-split in 2016

AJ Styles jumped ship to SmackDown to participate in the tournament and will secure the Intercontinental title after beating Daniel Bryan. The Phenomenal One is no stranger to the Blue brand as he claims it to be the house that he built. Styles enjoyed much of his stardom on SmackDown and it's understandable why WWE would want him to move back to a brand that he put on the map. He was WWE Champion for much of his time on SmackDown.

With Roman Reigns unavailable for the foreseeable future, the main-event scene has become stale on the Blue brand. The top of the card is razor-thin and very few high-caliber athletes are left at the upper-card. Universal Champion, Braun Strowman, is running out of challengers even though his reign is in its early stages, which explains why The Miz and Morrison are challenging for the Universal Championship at Backlash.

If Styles wins the IC Championship instead of Bryan, he would be left out of the main-event scene where he belongs. A veteran like Styles could add depth to a razor-thin main-event scene. Braun Strowman needs credible challengers and Styles ticks all the boxes. Thus, Bryan should be taking over the mid-card IC title.

#2 More storylines are possible with Bryan as the champion

Daniel Bryan and Drew Gulak have an interesting history

As mentioned previously, an Intercontinental Champion like Daniel Bryan could reinvigorate the Blue brand and provide a much-needed impetus. There are more potential feuds for Bryan as champion than there would be for Styles as champion. Numerous riveting programs could be in store for the WWE Universe if Bryan wins the IC Championship.

Drew Gulak comes to mind as a potential challenger. Gulak is currently a close on-screen companion of Bryan and the duo share some chemistry together. They faced off in a stellar match at Elimination Chamber where Bryan emerged victorious. Another match between them took place a couple of weeks ago in the first round of the tournament. Gulak could always turn heel for a program with The Leader of the Yes Movement.

Moreover. Sami Zayn would probably chase the IC Championship upon return. Zayn works as a heel, which effectively means that the champion has to be a babyface.

Shorty G, Shinsuke Nakamura, Baron Corbin, Cesaro, Dolph Ziggler, Jeff Hardy, Mustafa Ali, and Sheamus would all make for interesting opponents for Bryan. The possibilities are endless with Bryan as the Intercontinental Champion.

#1 Daniel Bryan needs it more than AJ Styles does

Sami Zayn was expected to continue his feud with Daniel Bryan

With all due respect to The American Dragon, he hasn't been at his best in the past year. Ever since he lost the WWE Championship, Bryan has fallen down the pecking order and has lost much of his momentum. He had a lackluster reign as SmackDown Tag Team Champion alongside Rowan. He would later turn face in fall and engage in a rivalry with The Fiend. However, Bryan was convincingly defeated by Wyatt on two separate occasions.

More recently, Bryan forged an alliance with Drew Gulak and would feud with Sami Zayn over the IC title. Zayn defeated the former WWE Champion at WrestleMania. Soon after that, Bryan was announced as a participant of the Intercontinental title tournament. The tournament proved to be a blessing for him as it made Bryan more relevant and gave him creative direction; he has been involved in meaningful angles as part of the tournament.

Styles would also benefit from an IC title reign, but Bryan needs it more. He needs a title run to further his momentum.