WWE Extreme Rules 2012 Results: Cody Rhodes Defeats Big Show to Regain IC Title

Less than one month after losing the Intercontinental Championship to Big Show at WrestleMania, Cody Rhodes had regained the belt with a victory at Extreme Rules. As one of the company's brightest young stars, it was surprising to see him drop the title in the first place.

It was even more surprising how he regained it, kicking his opponent as he stood on the ring apron, causing him to slip and step through the table, ending the match in bizarre fashion.

Rhodes and Big Show have been going back and forth for the past couple months attempting to make a mockery of each other. Some of it was actually pretty entertaining by WWE standards, but giving the belt back to Rhodes was the right move.

He needs it to remain relevant whereas Big Show can jump from show to show without missing a beat because he's a more established star due to all of his time with the company. Rhodes is still working his way up to that point.

It will be tough to figure out what direction he'll head next until the dust settles after the show, but another reign should set him up for a World Heavyweight Championship opportunity the next time a spot in the main-event scene becomes available.

The Big Show's most likely opponent moving forward would be Kane. They were tag team partners for a stretch last year and will both be looking for new feuds to start. Pitting the two giants against each other seems like the most logical option.

More importantly, hopefully Rhodes can start bringing some prestige back to the Intercontinental title. The secondary belts don't get much respect with so much focus on the top matches, but Rhodes needs to break that trend.

Only time will tell if the creative teams gives him the television time to make that happen. He deserves the chance—that's for sure.