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The week after Money in the Bank 2020 has been a huge one for WWE. While there were no title changes at the aforementioned PPV on Sunday, within three days after the show was aired, two major champions have vacated their titles.
First, it was the RAW Women's Champion Becky Lynch who relinquished her title in an emotional segment on Monday Night RAW, revealing that she's pregnant. Now, WWE has declared the Intercontinental title vacant as well.
The Intercontinental Champion, Sami Zayn hasn't appeared on WWE programming since WrestleMania 36 and has decided to stay at home during the Coronavirus pandemic. While WWE certainly respects the decisions of their Superstars to not come to work under the current circumstances, they can't have one of their mid-card Championships away from TV for long.
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On WWE Backstage, Renee Young announced that there would be a tournament to determine the new Intercontinental Champion starting this Friday on SmackDown. While it's sad to see Sami's first title reign come to an end in this manner, it'll be interesting to see who WWE decides to put the title on now.
Let's take a look at the five possible Superstars who could win the Intercontinental Championship tournament. Be sure to comment down and let us know your predictions!
#5 Cesaro
Earlier this year, WWE decided to pair Cesaro, Shinsuke Nakamura, and Sami Zayn in a faction called the Artist Collective. The trio did a great job as heels and worked some interesting segments and matches. At Elimination Chamber, the trio faced Braun Strowman in a handicap match, which resulted in Zayn becoming the Intercontinental Champion.
Now, there have been numerous talks about the trio splitting up and if there's one man who everyone wants to see succeed, it is Cesaro. The Swiss Superman is one of the most underrated Superstars on the roster and continues to deliver stellar performances, even though WWE often books him to lose.
Cesaro not only deserves another reign with a title, but WWE could also do some great stuff with him as the champion. The Swiss Superman turning face and having IC title open challenges could deliver some great matches. Later, when Sami Zayn returns, the Swiss Superman could feud with him for the title as well!
#4 Drew Gulak
Drew Gulak is one of the break-out stars of the company in the last few months. After being called up to SmackDown from 205-live, the former Cruiserweight Champion was initially given a weird "Powerpoint Presentation" gimmick which of course didn't connect well with the fans.
But then, the company decided to have him feud with Daniel Bryan, and later the two were paired up, and they have been amazing together. There were reports of Bryan himself insisting the company to work with talents like Gulak, and that has led to the fans noticing how technically gifted Gulak is inside the ring.
Daniel Bryan challenged Sami Zayn for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania 36 with Gulak ringside, but he was unable to capture the title. I am certain that both Bryan and Gulak would be a part of the IC title tournament starting this Friday on SmackDown.
WWE might book the two as the finalists too, with Gulak going over Bryan to become the new Intercontinental Champion. With the lack of many big names on the roster right now, WWE needs to build new stars and Drew Gulak could certainly be one of them.
#3 Elias
The closing moment of Money in the Bank PPV this Sunday saw Elias return to smack a guitar on King Corbin's back, as he was tussling with AJ Styles for the MITB briefcase on a ladder. In many ways, Elias was responsible for the briefcase popping out of Styles' hands and leading to Otis becoming Mr. Money in the Bank 2020.
Now, King Corbin will surely be furious at Elias for costing him a chance to win the MITB contract for a second time in his career, but we all know that he deserved it. He has been in a feud with Elias for quite some time now, even putting him out of action for some time.
Elias is one of those Superstars who have are full of potential, but are yet to get a proper push from the company. Apart from the 24/7 Championship, he is yet to win any gold in the company and WWE might just give him a chance and put the Intercontinental Title on him.
With Corbin and Elias having a lengthy feud already, booking a clash between the two at the tournament could be a good move!
#2 Sheamus
The Celtic Warrior returned to WWE TV earlier this year with a lot of hype around him as he brought back his old look and the fierce vignettes. Unfortunately, WWE somehow hasn't figured out a way to use him properly as he has been involved in some pointless feuds.
With Braun Strowman and Bray Wyatt set to be involved in the Universal Title picture for the near future, Sheamus might as well set his eyes on the Intercontinental Championship, one of the few titles in the company that he is yet to win!
A former Royal Rumble winner, King of the Ring, Mr. Money in the Bank and multi-time World Champion, Sheamus has all the potential to once again be in the main event picture and headline PPVs. But rather than pushing him straightaway to the top spot, WWE seem to be slowly building him as a major heel.
A great way to build him up would be to let him first have a run with the Intercontinental title and then push him to the Universal title scene. Currently, he is in a storyline with yet another returning WWE legend who is also a contender to win the tournament.
#1 Jeff Hardy
Yes, Jeff Hardy is back! After WWE airing some amazing videos on the career of the Charismatic Enigma, Jeff Hardy finally had his returning match against Cesaro at WWE Money in the Bank. Many fans weren't happy with WWE putting Hardy's return match on the pre-show, but whoever watched it know that he can still create magic inside the ring.
Hardy has straightaway got into a heated rivalry with The Celtic Warrior, Sheamus. While WWE can surely have a non-title feud between the two veterans, having one of them win the Intercontinental Championship tournament could be a good way to develop the rivalry as well.
There could be many sub-feuds in this tournament that could lead to some intense showdowns, and one of them could be a final between Sheamus and Jeff Hardy with Jeff Hardy winning the match and the Championship. The two can then continue their feud with the title involved.
There have been reports of Hardy being in line for a major push with Vince McMahon being impressed with him since his return. The company doesn't want him to follow his brother Matt Hardy to AEW when his contract gets over and hence there is a huge possibility that WWE puts the Intercontinental Championship on him.
