Daniel Bryan Would Be Elevated with Intercontinental Championship Win

The Intercontinental Championship is WWE's version of a continental breakfast.

It has all the presentation of a legitimate championship, but no meat. There's no real hook to the ongoing intercontinental title storyline, and whoever wins will hold a diminished belt.

The Intercontinental Championship Ladder match features a damaged brand that lost its luster and may never reach the highs it once did.

That brand's name is Daniel Bryan.

With a win at WrestleMania and a lengthy championship run that mirrors the world championship reign he should have had, WWE can kill two birds with one stone. Bryan seems out of place in a sea of midcarders, but that's his current spot.

In what will be an entertaining Ladder match, Bryan's win will be the feel-good finish that could make the match an instant classic. Despite a poor buildup, WWE has all the talent for both a great match and an intriguing championship reign in the months that follow.

Bryan embodies the throwback of a midcard champion at that level's height of relevance: undersized, hardworking, a wrestling Mozart. The Yes Movement still feels slighted that they never truly witnessed a legitimate world championship reign for Bryan. If he is able to win a string of classic title defenses, however, this will be just as good.

WWE's pool of talented contenders is a preview of a wrestling windfall that can define that title. The next six months of midcard booking are included in that match. WWE already (read: lazily) established that each participant is worthy of competing for the title. Now, WWE needs to stay true to that assertion.

Date	Event	Opponent	Championship
September 19, 2010	WWE Night of Champions	The Miz	United States Championship
December 18, 2011	WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs	Big Show	World Heavyweight Championship
September 16, 2012	WWE Night of Champions	Kofi Kingston and R-Truth	WWE Tag Team Championships
August 18, 2013	WWE SummerSlam	John Cena	WWE Championship
April 6, 2014	WrestleMania XXX	Randy Orton and Batista	WWE World Heavyweight Championship

Each man's relative performance in the Ladder match should decide where he falls in the pecking order. A champion like Bryan can take on all comers accordingly.

That's the type of meritocracy that will give the championship a much-needed identity. If WWE is disciplined enough, the Intercontinental Championship can be different from any title in the promotion, including the United States Championship.

Currently, John Cena and Rusev are feuding for WWE's other secondary title. The feud takes on a patriotic theme between two characters who love their countries. Just as the Intercontinental Championship should be defined by wrestling, the United States title should focus on the national pride of its champion. WWE is a global entertainment company, right? Here's the championship that can prove that claim in the ring.

Different identities for WWE's various championships make them more than just belts that change hands when it's time to go on a losing streak.

With enough emphasis on what it means to win a given championship, the champion will be brought up to its level. The Yes Movement isn't going anywhere. With Bryan as the resident workhorse, he could quite literally be the people's champion.

No longer a vegan, it's Bryan who can add the meat to a deprived division.

Alfred Konuwa is a Featured Columnist and on-air host for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @ThisIsNasty, and listen to his weekly wrestling podcast.