First Article: WWE in the Now

Intercontinental Title

I really don't know what they will do here. Rey is going to finish his feud with Jericho at "Night of Champions", and then has a bunch of heels he could wrestle. Problem is that some seem to already be engaged in something else.

Dolph Ziggler could be pushed to feud with Rey, assuming that his program with the Great Khali has ended (Khali vs Kane now). Ziggler was already in a program for the US Title vs MVP, so he has already been pushed to a similar level before.

Finlay just got sent to Smackdown, thanks to the 15 person "screw ECW out of their talent" trade made by Donald Trump.

He was playing a tweener at ECW, and may have cemented his place as a heel after his showcase match vs. Ricky Ortiz on Friday. If that is so, he is someone that could be put in a program vs. Rey.

Lastly, Matt Hardy was also sent to Smackdown. However, he got injured, and will be out of action for weeks. As such, Rey may have filler matches between now and his return if that is the program WWE has planned (Matt vs. Rey).

I personally think they should push Dolph, then have Matt feud with Rey. I want the IC title to be held for a while, so it can have some prestige again. I don't think WWE gets anything from pushing Finlay.

Having Matt be IC champion could help him transition into a main event heel. However, the bigger upside is with Ziggler and his new main squeeze, Maria.

US Title

Kofi, Kofi, Kofi. You have done a great job so far as champion. You even held your own against the Big Show on Raw. It is a shame that most of your competition is gone.

Regal got sent to ECW. Matt Hardy got sent to Smackdown. MVP is a face, and he doesn't gain much from feuding for the US Title (again), especially if they are to push him to main event level.

So who will you fight?

The Big Show is a possibility. It would be a demotion of sorts for him, but it is better than doing nothing (and def better than feuding with Cena). Jericho and Edge are holding lower tiered titles right now. Punk was demoted after being world champ last year too.

It's nothing personal, and it is good to have visibility (i.e. Kane disappeared until the Bash). Plus, the biggest athlete in the world can really help get Kofi over, and make him seem like a credible threat.

You also have Jack Swagger. If he aligns himself with Orton (as mentioned earlier), he could be fighting for the B title (US title). This could be a really interesting matchup since they have such contrasting wrestling styles.

Plus, if Kofi were to beat Swagger, it also helps to legitimize him as a threat, since he would be beating a two time All-American (American).

Lastly, you have Evan Bourne. I think that a program of Kofi vs Bourne will not happen, since a prolonged feud between two faces will be frowned upon by the E. If they were to feud, it would be by having triple threat matches with a heel (like Show or Swagggaaa).

It is a shame too, since a match between these two (if given enough time) could be the most exciting match in many cards (maybe not best match, but most exciting).

I would like to see Swagger saved for later, since he needs to be introduced to the mainstream (non-ECW) audience as a main event threat.

So I would like to start with a triple feud between Kofi, Bourne, and Show (helps legitimize Kofi, introduce Bourne), and then move on to Kofi vs. Swagger.

ECW Title

Now that ECW has changed drastically, the main event picture has also been reshuffled.

We have Tommy Dreamer as champ, and he will be facing Captain Charisma at "Night of Champions" for the ECW strap. I hope Christian wins it, so we can start having more interesting feuds (love Christian's mic work).

Kozlov, by winning that tag match on Tuesday (w/William 'Steven' Regal), looked to be ready to be pushed for the title. I think it is safe to say that he will be feuding with whoever is champ after Night of Champions.

If that happens, I hope it is a short program, since Kozlov's wrestling is not flashy and his mic work is non existent. He really needs a mouthpiece if he is to get pushed for real.

Next we have Shelton Benjamin, who did not make a good impression in his first night (of his second stint) at ECW (thanks WWE writers). A feud between him and Christian would be gold (pun intended).

That feud would be the key thing that could make either of these individuals, or both, be seen as main event people in the eyes of WWE (Shelton keeps being looked over, Christian is loved by the writers but apparently not so much by Vince).

The matches would be entertaining, and the promos would not be a detriment (Shelton has improved a lot in the past few years).

We also have Lord King of the Ring Real Man's Man William Regal. He is a better worker and mic guy than Kozlov, but he is also at the tail end of his career and is filling the Finlay role at ECW (and Finlay did not win the title).

I could see him be involved in storylines, triple threats and such, but not really singularly challenge for the title soon.

Lastly, we have the new ECW wrestlers from the superstar initiative (FCW). I don't know these guys well enough yet, but it seems Sheamus will be pushed one day.

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