Monday, December 1 – 3:58 P.M. (CT)

-First and foremost, I sincerely hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving Day and weekend. I also hope you are looking forward to Christmas or whatever holiday(s) you celebrate. Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I hope to really sit back and enjoy it. I hope you do the same.

-For years, wrestling fans have been complaining (rightfully) about the state of the Intercontinental Championship. Long gone are the days of future world champions wearing the title on their way up the ladder. New talent is now rushed straight to the main event and it is very rare for an Intercontinental Champion to have the "future world champion" label.

From Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat and Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon, Wrestlemania has seen some classic IC title moments as well. However, the last time the Intercontinental Championship was defended at Wrestlemania, Rob Van Dam won the title from current champion William Regal at Wrestlemania 18.

While the aforementioned stars, as well as other greats like Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect, held the title, it is reserved nowadays for a midcard performer. Even if a future or former main eventer holds the title, and I am thinking about Chris Jericho, the belt is still not elevated because it is an afterthought at best.

Case in point: Jericho was the Intercontinental Champion at last year's Wrestlemania. He was involved in the Money in the Bank ladder match. Umaga was the champion at Wrestlemania 23. Of course, he was in the middle of the Donald Trump vs. Vince McMahon feud. Shelton Benjamin was the champion going into both Wrestlemania 21 and 22. Randy Orton had the title at Wrestlemania 20, but it has been a mere prop more than anything. Hell, the title did not even exist at Wrestlemania 19.

Thus, when Santino Marella first introduced the "Honk-A-Meter," I was excited. I thought, "Maybe they will let Santino work a little bit and the belt would be on track to having restored credibility." However, after some non-title losses and a couple of fluke defenses, I was horribly disappointed to say the least. Having Santino luck his way through his reign devalued the title even more than it already was.

Well, the fans (me included) that I referred to in the second paragraph, may have a renewed sense of excitement with the recent crowning of Regal (no pun intended twice) as the Intercontinental Champion. On top of that, there is a tournament to determine the number one contender for the title. Before, title shots were thrown out for no reason at all and now the roster has to fight just for the right to try and dethrone Regal.

Last week, Rey Mysterio cut a promo about great Intercontinental Champions of the past and how it would honor him to wear that title. Heck, they even brought in Pat Patterson, who was the first Intercontinental Champion (after a phantom match). Sure, you cannot build Rome in a day, but little things can be done and after a gradual progression, the title could be restored once again.

Granted, I am not naïve and I know WWE is promoting their latest DVD release on the history of the Intercontinental Championship. However, they would be wise to let Regal, the perfect person to elevate the title with very good matches, flourish during this title reign. This would allow other wrestlers to shine in the ring and cut their teeth in championship level feuds. On top of that, there could be focus on the show on something besides the main event guys. Finally, whether they realize it or not, they will find new main eventers without shoving anyone down our throats.

The Intercontinental Championship number one contender's tournament continues tonight on WWE Raw. Jason Powell and I will cover the show live as it airs, so feel free to follow along as you watch.

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