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The WWE Intercontinental Championship is one of the most prestigious and tenured Championships currently available in WWE. A lengthy list of WWE Hall of Famers, legends and icons have all held the WWE Intercontinental Championship during their respective WWE careers.
The Intercontinental Championship has long been categorized as a "mid-card title" in WWE. However, several incredibly popular and successful WWE Superstars have used the Intercontinental Championship as an opportunity for them to springboard into the main event scene.
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Furthermore, several other WWE Superstars have also used Intercontinental Title reigns to reinvigerate their career and gain lost momentum after their character or matches became stale.
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The Intercontinental Championship is currently exclusive to Friday Night Smackdown and is currently held by reigning champion Big E. The New Day member has been the Intercontinental Champion since defeating Sami Zayn on the Christmas Day edition of Friday Night SmackDown last December.
But who else on the Friday Night SmackDown roster could be set to hold Intercontinental Championship gold this year? Let's take a closer look at five WWE Superstars who could win the Intercontinental Championship in 2021.
#5 Former WWE United States Champion Apollo Crews
Apollo Crews has been in pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship since being drafted to Friday Night SmackDown during the 2020 WWE Draft last October.
Apollo Crews has unsuccessfully challenged current Intercontinental Champion Big E on several occasions so far in 2021. However, in recent months, Apollo Crews has undergone a complete metamorphosis on Friday Night SmackDown.
After attacking Big E, and turning heel in the process, Apollo Crews began embracing his roots with his Nigerian heritage. Crews now speaks with a Nigerian accent and wears ring gear reminiscent of the Nigerian flag.
The former United States Champion is currently scheduled to face off against Big E at WrestleMania 37 Night 2 for the WWE Intercontinental Championship once again. After several unsuccessful attempts to prize the Intercontinental Title away from his rival, could WrestleMania 37 be the event where Apollo Crews finally becomes the WWE Intercontinental Champion for the first time?
#4 Former WWE United States Champion King Corbin
WWE's resident king is yet to hold the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Since winning the 2019 King of the Ring, King Corbin has participated in feuds against high profile WWE Superstars such as Roman Reigns, Elias, Jeff Hardy, Riddle and more.
However, in recent months the king gimmick portrayed by Corbin has started to feel stale and old. One could argue that the King of the Ring concept is outdated anyway, but other superstars throughout history such as Booker T and "Macho Man" Randy Savage have made the gimmick work.
Nevertheless, considering that King Corbin has been portraying the king character for close to two years now, perhaps now is the time to see some evolution in Corbin's character once again.
King Corbin has seen plenty of evolution during his WWE career, going from Baron Corbin on SmackDown LIVE to Constable Corbin on Monday Night RAW and now King Corbin on Friday Night SmackDown. The most successful WWE Superstars in history are constantly changing and evolving to keep the WWE Universe emotionally invested in their character.
Perhaps a future WWE Intercontinental Championship reign is just what Baron Corbin needs to spark a character change, evolve his character and build up some much-needed momentum on WWE television.
#3 Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Kevin Owens
WWE Superstar Kevin Owens has already had an incredibly successful career with WWE. The Friday Night SmackDown star is a former WWE Universal Champion, United States Champion and also a two-time WWE Intercontinental Champion.
However, it has been a considerable amount of time since Kevin Owens held a championship on WWE television. Owens hasn't been a champion in WWE since 2017 when he held the United States Championship on SmackDown LIVE.
Therefore, one could argue that KO is overdue a championship reign in WWE. Kevin Owens had several opportunities at Roman Reigns' WWE Universal Championship in December 2020 and January 2021, so it doesn't appear that Owens will be challenging for the Universal Championship once again any time soon.
However, this could open the door for a possible opportunity at the Intercontinental Championship in the future. Kevin Owens is set to face off against long-time best friend and rival Sami Zayn at WrestleMania 37 Night 2.
Considering that Sami Zayn is also a former Intercontinental Champion, perhaps if Owens and Zayn's rivalry continues after WrestleMania, the duo could feud over the Intercontinental Championship. It would certainly make for excellent television and some fantastic matches.
#2 Former WWE United States Champion Cesaro
The WWE Universe often cites Cesaro as one of the most underrated and underappreciated superstars currently on the WWE roster.
The Swiss Superman is well known for his incredible feats of strength and excellent ability as an in-ring technical wrestler. Fans around the world have pleaded for Cesaro to be featured at the top of the card for years on WWE television.
This could be set to happen in the near future as Cesaro is currently scheduled to face off against former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 37 Night 1. It is without a doubt the biggest match of Cesaro's WWE career. Should Cesaro leave victorious, it would also be the biggest victory of his WWE career too.
Cesaro has never held the Intercontinental Championship. The Swiss Cyborg has been a staple of WWE television since debuting on the main roster in 2012. Perhaps, after his match against Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 37 Night 1, this year will finally be the year that Cesaro wins the Intercontinental Championship on Friday Night SmackDown.
#1 Former WWE Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins
Former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins has done it all in WWE. The SmackDown Savior is a former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Universal Champion, United States Champion and Tag Team Champion and has also won the Intercontinental Championship on two separate occasions.
It is without question that Seth Rollins is currently one of the biggest superstars on the Friday Night SmackDown roster. However, Seth Rollins has been without a singles championship on WWE television for a considerable amount of time.
Since losing the Universal Championship to "The Fiend" Bray Wyatt and transforming into his heel Messiah character, Seth Rollins has not held a singles championship on WWE television.
Considering that his former Shield teammate Roman Reigns, who is currently a heel, is the current Universal Champion, it is unlikely that another heel in Seth Rollins will challenge for the Universal Championship. This could mean that Seth Rollins is directing his attention after WrestleMania into becoming the WWE Intercontinental Champion once again.
Rollins' Messiah character continues to preach about "changing" Friday Night SmackDown for the better and the WWE Universe "embracing" his vision. Perhaps Rollins' influence over the SmackDown roster and the WWE Universe could increase if he holds Intercontinental Championship gold.
