WWE IC Title tournament is the battle of the frauds

AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan will compete in WWE’s most fraudulent tournament.

Anointing himself the “Great Liberator”, Shinsuke Nakamura’s manager, Cesaro’s faction-mate, and the rightful Intercontinental Champion in WWE, Sami Zayn has been a joy to watch as a heel on Friday nights in 2020.

But Zayn hasn’t been wrestling, making the admirable decision to stay at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though WWE said they wouldn’t punish wrestlers for putting their health and safety – as well as the health and safety of their family members – first, Zayn was stripped of the Intercontinental Championship.

Since then, Friday Night SmackDown has featured a tournament to decide the unrightful new IC Champion. On Friday, June 12, AJ Styles and Daniel Bryan will face off in the final with the title on the line, throwing it back to their SmackDown rivalry for the WWE Championship a couple of years ago.

Based on the impassioned promos Bryan has cut, he’s expected to win, but it really could go either way. Styles is in line for a big 2020 since being “buried” by The Undertaker at WrestleMania 36.

As accomplished as Bryan and Styles are as all-time legends, the next IC Champion will be a fraud. Trust me, if Sami Zayn says it, it’s true.

The battle of the frauds. Sure, the IC Title is one of the most prestigious championships in wrestling history and has been held by such dignitaries as Bret Hart and Mike Mizanin, but his showdown between Styles and Bryan is sullied by WWE taking the title off the Great Liberator and its rightful owner.

Whenever it’s safe for Zayn to come back and he’s ready, he should be the one to take the title off whoever is IC Champion. It’s only fair, since he should have never lost the title in the first place. I mean, how often has Brock Lesnar failed to show up as champion without a pandemic being the very valid reason for his absences?

Styles vs. Bryan will be a great match, but the IC Title will only accept its true owner, Sami Zayn.