Bad News Barrett to Defend IC Title Against Multiple Stars at WrestleMania 31

On Thursday, WWE announced that current Intercontinental champion Bad News Barrett will have to defend his title at WrestleMania 31 in a ladder match.

The company didn't reveal the full list of participants, instead saying on Facebook that he'll be facing "multiple WWE Superstar opponents."

Although no names have been confirmed, it's not too hard to guess a few names who will be included. Dean Ambrose is a safe bet after he stole the physical Intercontinental Championship belt from Barrett at Fastlane.

Dolph Ziggler and R-Truth seem likely combatants as well after Ziggler beat Barrett on Monday's Raw, while R-Truth was on commentary and angled for a shot at the belt.

This news will make many fans think back to WrestleManias 21 through 26, each of which featured a Money in the Bank ladder match. Since the inception of the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, though, WrestleMania has been without a suitable replacement.

Putting the IC title on the line obviously offers lesser stakes than a shot at a world title, but the match itself should be thoroughly entertaining and similar to a MITB ladder match.

It's way too early to say whether a high-profile match at WrestleMania will help the Intercontinental Championship gain any more credibility—especially with the current champion still losing non-title matches.

With that said, this development is a step in the right direction for the title after WrestleMania 30 didn't have an IC title match at all. Then-champion Big E Langston was instead involved in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.