The Triple H 2001 Intercontinental Title Run

[The Rick Jericho]

So this was probably the reason why in 2002 when H was offered the IC title as the main belt on Raw and declined it. Instead wanting BIG GOLD to come back.

So the 2001 run with the belt. Did it felt weird and awkward to anyone else, because Hunter was so above it at that point?

Or did you like him going back to the mid-card and winning the biggest prize in that division?

I think this started the pattern of world champions going back to winning the IC title. Everyone else up to that point who had it, then won a world title, never looked back.

[thegame415]

I think it was mainly just to put all the titles on Two Man Power Trip, not to necessarily put him in the Midcard.

["Evil Brood" Jackson Vanik]

I think the issue was less that he was Intercontinental Champion and more that he was ready for his face turn and him staying heel to partner with Austin just felt like a regression character wise.

[Oh Cry Me a Screwball]

They just wanted the visual of the Two Man Power Trip holding two titles each, and they both couldn't hold the WWF title, so Triple H got the next best thing since the WCW belts weren't in play yet.

Though I maintain, regardless of whether Hunter holds the IC belt in 2001, that HHH was right about the IC title not being fit for being the flagship title for Raw when Brock Lesnar took the Undisputed title to Smackdown after Summerslam. The Big Gold's history as the WCW World title was a way better choice than the IC belt was ever going to be.

[dangerousdanpotato]

The first was Pedro, but HHH was the first of the modern era and I HATED it at the time. He didn't "go back to the mid-card" - he was a main-eventer using the IC title as a prop to get the Two Man Power Trip over and I really felt this exposed the booking and devalued the championship. It kick-started an era of "downward mobility" for ex-champions from which WWE has really never looked back, which belies a lack of discipline in who they push to championship status and how they book their ex-champions and mid-card prospects.

[ChitownKnight]

Honestly, I feel like the former world champion going after the midcard title thing happened after Cena in 2015. In the ruthless aggression era only Benoit, Rey and Jericho went back to the midcard titles, but guys like Eddie, Cena, Edge, Batista, Orton, Taker, HBK and HHH never really looked back after a certain point. Benoit was a failed Main Eventer so he went back to the US title, Jericho and Rey kind of bounced around from Main Event to midcard (Eddie might of done the same if he were alive). Cena going after the US title in 2015 kind of signified the end of his top guy run, Seth won it in a title vs title match and then after that you had Roman, Seth, Ambrose, AJ, KO, Finn and pretty much all the modern main eventers since then go for the midcard titles after the world titles

[sungod2020]

Mar 24, 2022 21:49:54 GMT -5 ChitownKnight said:

Honestly, I feel like the former world champion going after the midcard title thing happened after Cena in 2015. In the ruthless aggression era only Benoit, Rey and Jericho went back to the midcard titles, but guys like Eddie, Cena, Edge, Batista, Orton, Taker, HBK and HHH never really looked back after a certain point. Benoit was a failed Main Eventer so he went back to the US title, Jericho and Rey kind of bounced around from Main Event to midcard (Eddie might of done the same if he were alive). Cena going after the US title in 2015 kind of signified the end of his top guy run, Seth won it in a title vs title match and then after that you had Roman, Seth, Ambrose, AJ, KO, Finn and pretty much all the modern main eventers since then go for the midcard titles after the world titles

Eddie Guerrero was a tag team champion with Rey Mysterio after his WWE title reign. He was still close to the main event picture and probably would've had a World Title reign if he didn't pass, but he slummed a little bit after his lost the main belt. Shawn Michaels' final championship belt was a pointless tag team run with HHH. JBL was also US and IC champion after his WWE title run.

Alberto Del Rio slummed considerably as he was a former WWE and World heavyweight champion(which he never should've gotten in the first place IMO) only to be feuding with Kalisto over the US title. 

I'm not against former World champions holding a midcard belt per se as it can add credibility to the title's lineage and can give them something to do before they go back to the World title picture or in kayfabe you can have a guy who's about to go into retirement(such as Pedro Morales and Ric Flair as IC champion) and don't have the same fight in them they had in their prime, but are still tough enough to go for a secondary belt.

What I don't like is when they push an unover or barely over midcard guy so hard(such as Jack Swagger, Alberto Del Rio, Roman Reigns) and then they end up backtracking making both belts(World and secondary) look weak.

I did ask myself WTF when Triple H won the IC belt from Chris Jericho in 2001, but as others stated, it was to make the Two Man Power Trip look dominant and wasn't going to be a permanent thing for The Game. But yes, it did start a trend of main eventers/former World champions going after midcard belts for better or worse. 

[Deleted]

It worked incredibly well as part of the two man power trip angle and the whole Jeff hardy thing was pretty cool. They were clearly about the move on from that with HHH losing the belt to Kane and losing the tag belts to Benoit and Jericho the next night, but for a short term thing it was badass.

[Feyrhausen]

He was never moved back to the midcard. He and Austin were the main event heels working with main event faces in Taker and Kane. Kane was the most odd man out being only a 1 time 1 night champ.

If he had not been hurt he would have been the top face leading the WWF against Austin and the alliance.