The Player Hater of the Year Power Rankings (Raw, NXT, Smackdown) [Week 9 POST LABOR DAY UPDATE] Now Sponsored by Haterade®

[JQ Legend]

When I was a kid two wrestlers scared me, Kane and Ken Shamrock. Dude look like he was trying to steal your soul when he locked on the Ankle Lock.

Even tho everyone liked to point out “wrestling ain’t real”, there was still certain shyt that made me believe it was real

Taker locking Warrior in the casket had me
Jake making Damien bite Savage had me
Papa Shango putting spells on Warrior had me
And I really thought Yoko bodied Taker at Royal Rumble 1994

Prolly leaving some out too, but early 90s WWF did a good job making it look legit

And yea I damn sho did think Kane was Taker actual brother who he burned in a fire

 

[JQ Legend]

8.5k

Top Cop bout to yeet Joe like SCSA did the Intercontinental title

That’s wild how they had Stone Cold bury the IC title the way he did in the late 90s

It’s like Vince hated how respected the IC title was, and wanted to make it clear “this title ain’t shyt compared to the world title”

 

[Novembruh]

Drew and Dijak 1 and 1A for sure

Everyone else fighting over spots 3-5
And for the month of February, no black wrestler hating on another black wrestler gets to make the cut.
Sorry Melo(Trick)
Sorry Kiana(Kelani)
Sorry Dwayne(Cody )

 

[Easy-E]

That’s wild how they had Stone Cold bury the IC title the way he did in the late 90s

It’s like Vince hated how respected the IC title was, and wanted to make it clear “this title ain’t shyt compared to the world title”

The way they unified it with the World title

 

[JQ Legend]

The way they unified it with the World title

When did they do this?

 

[Easy-E]

When did they do this?

 

[CBoz]

The way they unified it with the World title

When did they do this?

Yeah from Oct. 20, 2002 to May 18, 2003 there was no IC title.

 

[JQ Legend]

Did they actually unify them or was HHH both champs at the same time?

Unifying tbem means the IC title was no more

 

[CBoz]

Did they actually unify them or was HHH both champs at the same time?

Unifying tbem means the IC title was no more

WWE's title history page:

"Soon after, the Intercontinental Championship was deemed inactive and remained so until May 18, 2003."

They credit HHH with holding the IC title from that win for less than a day.

Here HHH says he ended 23 years of IC title history



Edit: Oh god this was during the whole Katie Vick angle with Kane.

 

[Novembruh]

WWE's title history page:

"Soon after, the Intercontinental Championship was deemed inactive and remained so until May 18, 2003."

They credit HHH with holding the IC title from that win for less than a day.

Here HHH says he ended 23 years of IC title history



Edit: Oh god this was during the whole Katie Vick angle with Kane.

and then it was this nikka who brought it back and has basically turned it into Raw's actually world title with GUNTAH's reign

wrestling really do be having some strange, strange full-circle moments

 

[CBoz]

and then it was this nikka who brought it back and has basically turned it into Raw's actually world title with GUNTAH's reign

wrestling really do be having some strange, strange full-circle moments

Actually Stone Cold brought it back in the story line. Christian won the vacant title.

Spoiler: Story

In mid 2003, Eric Bischoff shared his Raw powers with Stone Cold. On his first night with power on Raw, Stone Cold decided to bring back the Intercontinental Championship. He announced that the new champion would be the winner of a Battle Royal at Judgment Day. With the referee knocked out, Booker T eliminated Christian, but since the referee wasn't coherent, Booker T couldn't be announced the winner. WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson got ready to present Booker T with the title, regardless. But Christian knocked him out as well. As the referee was coming to, Christian threw Booker T out, winning the Intercontinental Championship for the second time.

 

[Novembruh]

Actually Stone Cold brought it back in the story line. Christian won the vacant title.

Spoiler: Story

In mid 2003, Eric Bischoff shared his Raw powers with Stone Cold. On his first night with power on Raw, Stone Cold decided to bring back the Intercontinental Championship. He announced that the new champion would be the winner of a Battle Royal at Judgment Day. With the referee knocked out, Booker T eliminated Christian, but since the referee wasn't coherent, Booker T couldn't be announced the winner. WWE Hall of Famer Pat Patterson got ready to present Booker T with the title, regardless. But Christian knocked him out as well. As the referee was coming to, Christian threw Booker T out, winning the Intercontinental Championship for the second time.

I'm meaning bringing back the prestige of it.
Cody brought back the white strap, and that did a lot for presentation. But it's when Levesque got the book per se that the IC title really started to matter. We got sizzle reel and the video package A squad for a title that was yeeted into a river, collapsed in on itself, and then treated so badly for a decade that I think Miz has held the IC title... like, 6 times or whatever?

It stopped being the proving ground point for guys going up the card for a long time. It was the literal career ceiling for a bunch of guys who had IC reigns but never once got looked at as on their way to the upper card.

Now? If GUNTAH isn't holding a world title by Mania of next year I'll be appalled.
And if whoever beats GUNTAH isn't at least in the main event scene at the B and C shows by late 2025 I'll be disgusted

 

[CBoz]

I'm meaning bringing back the prestige of it.
Cody brought back the white strap, and that did a lot for presentation. But it's when Levesque got the book per se that the IC title really started to matter. We got sizzle reel and the video package A squad for a title that was yeeted into a river, collapsed in on itself, and then treated so badly for a decade that I think Miz has held the IC title... like, 6 times or whatever?

It stopped being the proving ground point for guys going up the card for a long time. It was the literal career ceiling for a bunch of guys who had IC reigns but never once got looked at as on their way to the upper card.

Now? If GUNTAH isn't holding a world title by Mania of next year I'll be appalled.
And if whoever beats GUNTAH isn't at least in the main event scene at the B and C shows by late 2025 I'll be disgusted

OK yeah I can understand that. Oh and Miz won it 8 times and Jericho won it 9 times. No one has held the IC title longer than Gunther, including combined days as champion. He just past Pedro Morales' 2 title reigns of 617 days on Raw.

 

[Novembruh]

Spoiler: off-topic IC title thoughts

I've always thought the IC/US titles should be obligatory gets to guarantee title contention. Like... if there's interpersonal stories that lead to a defense, that's fine, and MITB/RR are it's own thing in terms of guarantees, but I think it needs to be that the number 1 contender - the heir apparent - is the midcard title holder. Have to get it, hold it for X amount of time, then vacate it to chase the main title.

Because while the IC title has been rebooted mightily with GUNTAH's reign... the US title scene is trash and it shouldn't be.

Plus. It'd be a perfect heat magnet for a faction. Would explain why they always have these groups of a main dude and his underbosses - if the underboss locks down the midcard title, then the champion can rest easy knowing his potential challengers have to go through their underboss first. Imagine Roman sitting there knowing you gotta go through Solo, and then hold out with that belt a certain amount of time before you can try and see him?

It'd be great fodder for a future Hater of the Year too

on-topic: Dijak being a top hater, Mustafa being in international demand, Mace out there doing MxM fukkery on the indies and still being lowkey hilarious... man, Retribution turned out ok. I think old TMDK dude back in Japan with his OG partner too.

And... Mia's still employed!

 

[CBoz]

Spoiler: off-topic IC title thoughts

I've always thought the IC/US titles should be obligatory gets to guarantee title contention. Like... if there's interpersonal stories that lead to a defense, that's fine, and MITB/RR are it's own thing in terms of guarantees, but I think it needs to be that the number 1 contender - the heir apparent - is the midcard title holder. Have to get it, hold it for X amount of time, then vacate it to chase the main title.

Because while the IC title has been rebooted mightily with GUNTAH's reign... the US title scene is trash and it shouldn't be.

Plus. It'd be a perfect heat magnet for a faction. Would explain why they always have these groups of a main dude and his underbosses - if the underboss locks down the midcard title, then the champion can rest easy knowing his potential challengers have to go through their underboss first. Imagine Roman sitting there knowing you gotta go through Solo, and then hold out with that belt a certain amount of time before you can try and see him?

It'd be great fodder for a future Hater of the Year too

on-topic: Dijak being a top hater, Mustafa being in international demand, Mace out there doing MxM fukkery on the indies and still being lowkey hilarious... man, Retribution turned out ok. I think old TMDK dude back in Japan with his OG partner too.

And... Mia's still employed!

It finally happened