5 ways WWE could bring back the prestige of the Intercontinental Championship

Since 1979, the WWE Intercontinental Title has been a symbol of excellence in the promotion. For most of its existence, the star who possessed it was considered the number one contender for the World Championship.

In more recent years, WWE has seemingly downplayed the value of the belt. Once considered a stepping stone to an eventual main event run, recent years have seen that to be more of an exception and not the rule.

Hall of Famers like Bret Hart, Curt Hennig, and Shawn Michaels brought technical excellence to the title. Over-the-top personalities like Randy Savage and The Ultimate Warrior gave a twist to its identity.

But in recent years, the gold has lost much of its glitter. It doesn't mean the same as it used to. Here are five ways that WWE can return the Intercontinental Championship to its past glory.

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#5 - Have the title defended at least once a week on television

The late, great Scott Hall could make any opponent look good

This comes from the playbook, followed by WCW with Arn Anderson as their TV Champion. He defended the belt every week within a ten-minute time limit. It made for some terrific contests and close calls.

WWE could implement the same type of program with the IC Title. It would add luster to the crown by guaranteeing that whoever holds it gets plenty of air time. The champ wouldn't have to appear on both RAW and SmackDown. Just one of them will be enough to keep the belt prominent.

It takes an exceptional athlete to pull this off. Not only because of the incredible endurance it takes to put on a show every week but also the ability to work with any opponent. Someone like Theory, Xavier Woods, or Chad Gable would be perfect in this situation.

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#4 - Make an elite WWE Superstar the Intercontinental Champion

One of the reasons many critics and observers feel that the title's glory has been diminished is because of some of the names that have held it recently.

It would do much good to restore the Intercontinental Title for an elite, main event-level star to have a lengthy run with the gold.

Legends like Edge or AJ Styles would fit the bill for something like this. Both men have already held the IC belt in the past, but it would mean a lot more for them to 'step down' for now and take control of the division.

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#3 - Return the division to its roots: technical wrestling

Chris Jericho is a nine-time Intercontinental Champion.

As mentioned earlier, this championship has a long history of mat masters, from Pat Patterson to Tito Santana to Triple H. One thing that most of them had in common was that they could flat-out wrestle.

Anyone who witnessed Bret Hart take on Mr. Perfect or Shawn Michaels vs. Marty Jannetty can tell you that this division was built on lighter, more technical performers. Many of the best matches in WWE history have taken place between technical stars for this title - most namely the WrestleMania III epic that featured Ricky The Dragon Steamboat against The Macho Man.

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#2 - Book it as the main event on a premium live event

At the four major live events: WrestleMania, SummerSlam, Survivor Series, and Royal Rumble, you certainly expect the Universal Champion to be the headliner.

However, at one of the smaller shows like Money in the Bank or Elimination Chamber, WWE could take the opportunity to give Roman Reigns one of his scheduled nights off. In fact, WWE can do that right now with Gunther and lead him out to the ring like a prizefighter.

Let the IC belt be at the top of the card occasionally. It would give it a 'big show' feel and subconsciously add value to the strap in the eyes of the WWE Universe.

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#1 - Have the Intercontinental Champion defeat the Universal Champion at least once

Hulk Hogan and The Ultimate Warrior collided at WrestleMania VI.

The most famous moment where an IC Champ faced the top titleholder was WrestleMania VI when The Ultimate Warrior defeated Hulk Hogan at the Skydome in Toronto.

If, every now and then, the Intercontinental Champion gets a big title shot on a major show, it would at least put that hint in the fans' minds.

Obviously, you aren't going to repeat the magnitude of the Hogan vs. Warrior match. But if, at some point, a competitor with the IC Title were to go on a fantastic run for the big belt, it would be a terrific story.