Respectfully, I have to disagree with Big E in this case.

While still recognized as a mid-card title, the Men’s Intercontinental Championship has also been hailed, by Adam Pearce, as “symbol of excellence for the real workhorses of our sport.” Pearce was the man who, in the same breath, announced that the women of WWE would have an equivalent “symbol of excellence to fight for” in the form of the Women’s Intercontinental Championship. By that logic, the Women’s IC Title should then be viewed and treated the same as the long-time men’s iteration.

Across its multi-decade existence, the Men’s IC Title has been held by a plethora of WWE Hall of Famers, such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Elsewhere, a number of future Hall of Famers, including AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and John Cena, have tasted it too. Because of the IC Title, many of the aforementioned names were also able to cement themselves as Grand Slam Champions, which, of course, includes reigns with “mid-card” titles.

To many fans, including myself, a “mid-card” label isn’t demeaning. It’s an indicator of opportunity for those who aren’t at the top of WWE. And just because one isn’t positioned at the top at a particular moment, doesn’t mean they can’t be in the future. When it comes to the women of WWE, it’s especially refreshing to see storylines that don’t involve the main world titles as well.