WWE Vengeance 2011: Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton Will Help IC Title's Legitimacy

About 20 years ago, the only title that had more prestige than the Intercontinental Championship was the WWE Championship. Countless legends held the Intercontinental strap including Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Mr. Perfect, Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels and many more.

Flash forward to 2011, however, and the Intercontinental Championship has become little more than a prop. The same can be said about the WWE and World Heavyweight Championships in a way because of how often they change hands, but the Intercontinental Championship has simply lost its prominence.

The title used to be a stepping stone for rising stars, but in recent years it truly hasn't meant anything. It hasn't been defended at the past two WrestleManias, and when it was at WrestleMania XXV, it was simply a 20-second squash match.

Despite all that, when Cody Rhodes beat Ezekiel Jackson for the Intercontinental Championship a couple months ago, there was immediately hope that the title could return to its past glory. Rhodes is an extremely talented superstar who seems very likely to be a world champion in the near future.

Even so, Rhodes can't do it on his own. Matches with the likes of Jackson, Ted DiBiase and John Morrison simply aren't going to make fans care about the title again. The first step was taken at Hell in a Cell, however, when Rhodes revealed a classic-looking, white-strapped Intercontinental Championship.

It may not seem like much, but the revamped title hearkens back to a time when the Intercontinental Championship actually meant something. With that part of the equation complete, all Rhodes needed was a formidable opponent.

After the events of Monday Night RAW, it seems as though he may have exactly that in the form of Randy Orton. Rhodes and Orton have had a series of entertaining matches over the past few weeks, one of which culminated with Orton legitimately busting Rhodes open with the ring bell.

Rhodes gained retribution on Monday by attacking Orton during his match with mark Henry. After hitting Orton with Cross Rhodes, he put a paper bag over Orton's head in what is apparently the ultimate form of humiliation.

No match between the two has been announced for Vengeance yet, but all signs point to a clash between the former Legacy stablemates. Love him or hate him, Orton is one of the WWE's three most popular superstars along with John Cena and CM Punk.

Because of that, any involvement he has with the Intercontinental Championship will be great for the title. Orton has spent the entirety of the past few years either holding or chasing the WWE Championship or World Heavyweight Championship.

If somebody of Orton's stature is willing to "settle" for the Intercontinental Championship, then there will certainly be a sense among the WWE Universe that the title is, in fact, relevant once again.

While I would rather Rhodes hang onto the title for a while, I can get behind Orton winning the title before Rhodes wins it back after a long and grueling series of matches. The title is in desperate need of a marquee feud, so Orton and Rhodes battling for the belt for a few months is a must.

Not only will it strengthen the title, but it gives Orton something productive to do while he is outside the World Heavyweight Championship picture and it makes Rhodes a believable main-event performer if he ultimately wins the feud.

The WWE has already taken the first step in restoring the legitimacy of the Intercontinental Championship by changing its look; now it's time to complete the transformation by pulling the trigger on a Cody Rhodes/Randy Orton struggle for the title.