Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE Spoiling Bad News Barrett's IC Title Reign

1. Bad News Barrett Suffering Leading Up to WrestleMania

There has been a lot of talk about prestige surrounding the Intercontinental Championship as of late. The title is set to be featured in a Ladder match at WrestleMania, and former world champs Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan are in the hunt for the belt.

WWE, though, is making the current champ look like a bumbling loser.

Bad News Barrett has not a drop of momentum. He has lost time and time again while R-Truth sneaks around Elmer Fudd-style and steals his title, and Dean Ambrose keeps pilfering the belt for himself.

Sure, all this added spotlight and influx of challengers is great for the championship, but WWE has failed the current champ. In the past few weeks, R-Truth, Ziggler, Bryan and Dean Ambrose have all defeated him.

As Jason Solomon of PWMania points out, Barrett's win-loss record is less than impressive right now:

Why not make more of an effort to portray Barrett as a formidable foe? Why not make taking the title off him feel like more of a daunting task?

It feels like it will take a special, gutsy effort to dethrone Brock Lesnar, Rusev or Kevin Owens. Barrett, meanwhile, feels like a lame-duck champ, a guy who stumbled into championship status.

This reign hasn't elevated Barrett in the least; it has transformed him into The Brooklyn Brawler.

2. Curtis Axel, No Victories, No Problem

Wins aren't everything in pro wrestling. Curtis Axel is proof of that.

While a guy like Barrett has looked weak and ineffective thanks to a poor record, it hasn't hurt Axel. His growing confidence in spite of all the losses he has accumulated is all part of his gimmick. He's becoming a lovable loser of sorts.

Axel has not won a match in 2015.

The last time he tasted victory was on Nov. 4 against Justin Gabriel. His losing streak in televised bouts has now reached 17. Even counting house shows, his winning percentage for the year is .000, having lost 29 of 29 matches.

In Axel's case, that doesn't matter all that much. His current shtick is based around how ridiculous it is that he believes that he deserves to main event WrestleMania. The more he falls, the more ridiculous that idea gets.

Credit: WWE.com

He's been a surprise hit as of late, thanks to him borrowing Hulk Hogan's signature poses and being over the top when he has a mic in hand.

Losing at WrestleMania will actually further fuel him. Feeling slighted coming out of the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal will give him ammunition to keep his act up.

Match statistics from CageMatch.net.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Alundra Blayze vs. Bull Nakano

WWE announced on Monday's Raw that former WWE's women champ Alundra Blayze is headed to the Hall of Fame. She's a no-brainer inductee having been one of the best female wrestlers in company history.

Traveling back to 1994 reminds us of just how good she was.

In Tokyo, she defended the women's crown against Japanese legend Bull Nakano. The entrances are almost as fun as the action itself, Blayze wielding a triad of patriotism: motorcycles, an American flag and rock music. 

The intensity of the bout is something fans don't often see in women's matches on WWE's main roster. When fans demand that WWE give the Divas more opportunity, this is the kind of magic they are hoping to see.

4. Jon Stewart Kills It on Raw

Jon Stewart's appearance on Monday's Raw instantly made him one of the best guest stars WWE has ever had.

He was clearly excited to be a part of the show and showed a respect for the industry throughout. His banter with Seth Rollins was top-notch. 

When Stewart wraps up The Daily Show, he'll have a lot more free spaces on his calendar. He is welcome back to the WWE world anytime.

5. Praise Flooding in for Finn Balor

Finn Balor is standing out in a crop of talented wrestlers at NXT. Again and again, fans, writers and grapplers are seeing greatness in his future. 

Ring of Honor's Moose tweeted that Balor is on his short list for favorite performers right now:

"

My FAV 5 Workers @TheLethalJay #jaybriscoe @BrockLesnar @wwebalor #Okada..... there u go world.

— Quinn Moose Ojinnaka (@MooseNation69) March 3, 2015"

Sadie Gennis of TV Guide laid out 11 reasons why Balor is the future of the company, citing his ability to play both a heel and a face, his showmanship and experience.

Balor's former partner with The Bullet Club, Doc Gallows, also had high praise for the NXT star.

In an interview with Chad Dukes (h/t PWMania), Gallows said, "I think that Devitt, if they can capture him just right, he's gonna be able to captivate an audience and be a major league, big fight feel superstar in that company."

It's hard to argue with any of that. In his short time at NXT, Balor has done well to transfer the momentum he generated at New Japan Pro Wrestling. His magnetism and fluid in-ring work is forcing folks to pay attention to him.

6. Intercontinental Championship Ladder Classics

With the possibility that Ambrose, Barrett, Ziggler and Bryan could all be in a Ladder match come WrestleMania, it's hard not to get one's hopes up for that bout to steal the show.

The Intercontinental Championship has a long history with ladder-centric excellence. To get warmed up for what Barrett and company compose at WrestleMania, seek out these great matches on WWE Network or elsewhere: 

• Bret Hart vs. Shawn Michaels—July 21, 1992 
• Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon—WrestleMania X
• Triple H vs. The Rock—SummerSlam 1998
• Edge vs. Christian—No Mercy 2001
• Rob Van Dam vs. Christian—Raw, Sept. 29, 2003

Michaels' two Ladder matches against Ramon are more famous, but he and The Hitman killed it in a less-hyped match in '92. The Heartbreak Kid was certainly WWE's early king of the Ladder match. 

Edge and Christian later did their best to wrest that title away from Michaels.

7. Little Love for The New Day 

Kofi Kingston, Xavier Woods and Big E had to hope that their new gimmick would give them more of a chance to shine. That hasn't been the case as of late.

The New Day has been mostly missing in action.

Cesaro, Tyson Kidd and The Usos didn't get much screen time on Monday's Raw. Woods and Co. would have killed for those three minutes those teams got, though. The blue-clad trio didn't make it on the show.

Credit: WWE.com

That's become a pattern.

The New Day has missed six of the last 10 editions of Raw. SmackDown hasn't showcased them much either. Counting this Thursday's show, they have wrestled on just two SmackDowns in 2015.

They are not involved in any feud. They have no WrestleMania match on the horizon other than likely getting lumped into the Battle Royal. 

It's going to be tough for the squad to stay positive if it keeps riding the bench like this.

All match information courtesy of CageMatch.net.

8. Missing Out on Tag Team Excellence

Cesaro and Tyson Kidd battled The Lucha Dragons last week in a fast-paced, fun match that few fans saw.

The tag champs looked mighty impressive. Sin Cara and Kalisto outdid their work from NXT. But does a great match really exist if no one sees it?

WWE's continues to have issues with being able to air Main Event on the WWE Network. That means that a show known for delivering in terms of in-ring action is relegated to off-off-off-Broadway status.

A standout performance between two tag teams had a far smaller audience than it deserved.

9. NXT Stars Needed

The Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal should welcome NXT's best. So far, much of the field is made up of low-tier stars.

Name power for that bout is going to suffer, especially with so many Superstars likely heading for the IC title bout.

Bringing in some NXT names adds excitement to the match. Fresh faces and guys hungry to prove themselves will only better the contest.

Adrian Neville would wow audiences with high-flying skills. Sami Zayn would bring an electricity to the match. The same goes for Balor or Baron Corbin, the former through his athleticism and the latter by way of his presence and power.

To best fill the final spots for the Battle Royal, WWE need not look any further than the stockpile of talent at NXT.

10. Daniel Bryan, Intercontinental Champ?

Bryan isn't headed for the WrestleMania main event. That reality is still sinking in for some.

PWInsider's Mike Johnson presents a possible direction WWE could take with the popular star instead, one that includes Bryan winning the IC belt and making the title relevant again via great matches opposite John Cena, Cesaro, NXT stars and others.

Johnson writes, "Present the IC title and Bryan as the wrestling island in the sea of sports-entertainment."

That has thrill ride written all over it. Sign me up.