Analyzing Potential Impact of John Cena and Daniel Bryan Winning US, IC Titles

Salvation awaits the United States and Intercontinental Championships, should John Cena and Daniel Bryan emerge from WrestleMania clutching those respective titles.

In recent years, the midcard belts have largely been undervalued and misused, held by forgettable champions who have had underwhelming reigns. They are WWE's downtrodden prizes.

Come WrestleMania, a pair of top stars promise to restore their worth.

Rather than the U.S. and IC titles serving as stepping stones or career-boosters, they have often been an indication that WWE simply doesn't know what to do with you.

No storyline for Kofi Kingston? No problem—just have him be U.S. champ for a month. Bad News Barrett has now worn the IC crown five times. It's hard to say what all those reigns have done for him.

Midcard championship status has felt too much like limbo rather than career advancement.

Announcers talk of the great titleholders of the past and throw out the word "prestige" in the hopes of reviving these comatose championships.

Having former world champions and top-tier stars wear the midcard straps around their waists goes far beyond that lip service. It alters how fans view those titles and sets the table for each one to experience a renaissance.

It also shifts Cena's home base to another place on the card.

A New Home for Cena

Cena has been on WWE's center stage so long that he gets his mail there. A huge part of the Cena fatigue that many fans experience is a result of WWE making him part of the main event so often.

Recent WWE title history is flush with Cena winning and losing the belt. In the last seven years, he has rarely gone a full 365 days without being champ.

Here's how many times Cena has won the WWE title between 2009 and 2015:

Should Cena dethrone Rusev at WrestleMania, he'll get slotted into a new part of the lineup. No longer will he be hovering around the main event picture.

That would force the company to either reinvent him as a big-name midcarder or raise the profile of the U.S. title.

Either way, the product would benefit.

The first scenario would afford emerging stars more opportunity to be on the marquee. It opens the door for men like Dean Ambrose to go after the WWE title, to add fresh faces to WWE's top tier.

Cena wouldn't suffer from the same overexposure that he does now. WWE's biggest matches at its biggest events wouldn't always have the company's Superman trouncing the next heel to step up to him.

Credit: WWE.com

WWE's second option would turn the U.S. title into a de facto world championship. With as much attention as Cena gets, his reign would not be hurt by lack of defenses as Sheamus' was. The company would be sure to keep the challengers coming, to always have him involved in a feud and have him fend off foes at just about every pay-per-view.

That'd represent a far cry from what we have seen with the championship over the past few years.

Both routes would offer big change. Either Cena evolves or the title he carries does.

A Proving Ground for Bryan

Bryan taking home the IC title would have a similar effect on the championship. WWE would make more of an effort to highlight the championship chase if someone as popular as Bryan was at the center of it. 

It would also transport the title back to the days when it was the precursor to a headlining run.

Before Randy Savage became WWE champ and feuded with Hulk Hogan, he was IC champ. Before Shawn Michaels became one of the company's leading men, he fought hard to keep the IC title in his possession.

Bryan winning at WrestleMania would create an alternate version of the story. Of course, he already had his turn at the top—a brief run halted by injury. He has since fallen down the ladder, watching other men feel the warmth of the spotlight.

Being IC champ would constitute his chance to give WWE a glimpse of what a world title reign would look like.

Receiving fervent reactions from fans, likely surpassing what many of the main event talent get each night, will be a big part of that. So will composing great matches. 

Bryan's timeline is brimming with classic bouts. He manages to get the best out of his opponent, leading a guy like Ryback to his best effort or churning out magic with a talent like Seth Rollins. That skill would make Bryan a hugely successful IC champ, returning the belt to its roots in the process.

The IC title was once a consistent home of masterworks. Stellar matches accompanied title wins and defenses. That has been far less true more recently.

When WWE compiled its list of the best IC title bouts, it included only one clash from after 2005. Over half of them were from the 1990s and not one of them happened in this decade.

Expect that to change with Bryan at the helm.

Pit him against Luke Harper for a series of slobberknockers. Call up Sami Zayn for a feud over the title. Even a Heath Slater title match sounds enticing. WWE's options for IC title excellence would open up before them with Bryan holding the strap.

Seeing the Gold in a Different Light

Crowning Cena and Bryan would be much like how movie stars have begun to take on more TV roles. It changes the medium.

Stars on Cena's level have largely ignored the midcard titles. It's the struggling midcarders and newcomers who seek those championships most often. Both Cena and Bryan would bring unprecedented star power to those titles.

Credit: WWE.com

The normal progression is U.S. champ to world champ to IC champ and then WWE champ. Flipping that script gives those titles added attention, more assurance that they will be a part of pay-per-views, and most importantly shifts the narrative surrounding their prestige.

Men of Cena and Bryan's stature being a part of the midcard title picture instantly makes the belts seem more significant.

We have never seen a man assured of a Hall of Fame spot follow 15 world title reigns with a U.S. title win. We have never seen the most beloved babyface on the roster move down from WrestleMania main eventer to IC champ.

These unheard-of routes better the outlook for both belts. These will no longer be prizes existing in the periphery. The spotlight will follow the stars that hold them.