Daniel Bryan Should Not Be Inserted into the Intercontinental Title Ladder Match

WrestleMania 31 is on March 29, and the card is starting to take shape.

The main event is set, and two marquee matches have been made. Brock Lesnar vs. Roman Reigns will be the main event for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Sting will wrestle for the first time in the WWE against Triple H.

Fans expect Undertaker to take on Bray Wyatt at WrestleMania. Another possible match is a rematch for the United States title, with Rusev defending against John Cena.

The midcard lineup is virtually empty, with the exception of the Andre the Giant Battle Royal. Other than that, the only match made so far is a ladder match for the intercontinental title.

Wade Barrett, now known as Bad News Barrett, will defend his title belt against multiple opponents. Via WrestlingInc.com’s Marc Middleton, WWE has confirmed R-Truth, Dean Ambrose and Luke Harper, with Dolph Ziggler joining in on the fun, according to Wrestlezone’s Mike Killam.

Another certain popular wrestler is expected to be a part of the match: Daniel Bryan.

The former WWE world heavyweight champion lost his match against Roman Reigns at Fastlane on February 22. Interestingly enough, despite maintaining his popularity with the WWE fans, Bryan hasn’t been booked yet for WrestleMania. Putting him in the ladder match would boost the notoriety of the intercontinental title.

But what would the match do for Bryan? Absolutely nothing!

He should not take part in the intercontinental title ladder match at WrestleMania 31.

In fact, it would be considered a waste for Bryan. Let’s think about this scenario.

If Bryan is added, he’ll go from chasing the WWE title to the intercontinental title. It’s a step down for a man who single-handedly defeated Evolution (Triple H, Batista and Randy Orton) last year.

Bryan deserves a one-on-one match at WrestleMania 31. Frankly, he’s earned it; just look at the match he had with Reigns. Bryan can still go at the very best of his ability. Why shouldn’t he show that at WrestleMania?

Second, many wrestlers have won the intercontinental title before becoming world champion, such as Stone Cold Steve Austin, Triple H, The Rock, Shawn Michaels, Bret Hart and Chris Jericho, to name a few. Bryan has already been a world champion, so competing for the intercontinental belt would be a backward step, which he cannot afford at this stage of this career.

Plus, his presence would hurt the other expected participants. Ambrose seems to be a lock and needs the title more than anyone at this point. His popularity grows each night. The WWE would be wise to capitalize on that.

Ziggler also is a popular face with the fans. If Bryan is in the match, it would hurt Ziggler’s standing with the WWE Universe.

If Bryan gets his singles match, his opponent could be Sheamus. Either way, the match Bryan participates in will surely be memorable. Bryan and Sheamus had an underrated match at the 2012 edition of Extreme Rules, where Sheamus defeated Bryan in a 2-out-of-3 Falls match.

Regardless, Bryan’s standing with the fans is too hot for the WWE Creative Team to ignore. His name has become too big just to fill a spot in a match, which fans have dictated.

It’s time for the WWE to listen once more and give Bryan that marquee match. Let him show the wrestling world what he can do once more with one opponent, not several.

As far as the intercontinental title is concerned, WrestleMania will do just fine with the midcard wrestlers who need to be there. Barrett, Truth, Ziggler and possibly Stardust, Harper and Ambrose can give fans the ladder match we can be proud of.

Bryan needs that singles match on the grandest stage of them all. With WrestleMania four weeks away, it’s time for the WWE to give him that match.