The Intercontinental Championship has officially found its seat on The Ultimate Thrill Ride, WrestleMania 33. Dean Ambrose will defend the title against Baron Corbin as the match was made when Ambrose accepted Corbin’s challenge on SmackDown.
“The Lone Wolf” versus “The Lunatic Fringe” will mark the first WrestleMania singles match for the IC title since The Big Show pinned Cody Rhodes at WrestleMania 28, five years ago. This is now the twelfth match added to the six-hour event.
Triple H and Seth Rollins’ non-sanctioned encounter should be finalized on Monday for a total of thirteen matches. There could also be a fourteenth match added if the SmackDown Tag Team Titles are to be defended, which seems likely now since The Usos swindled American Alpha for the belts.
Ambrose vs. Corbin doesn’t appear to be a big priority for WWE’s WrestleMania plans. The direction along with the amount of time allotted on April 2nd will go a long way in making or breaking the match. Corbin is better in a sprint while Ambrose is more of a marathon performer.
Capturing the IC title would cap off a pretty good first year on the main roster for Corbin. After winning the André Giant Memorial Battle Royal at his début outing at last year’s WrestleMania, a lackluster feud with Dolph Ziggler cooled him down considerably.
WWE found their creative footing with Corbin near the end of 2016 when they started booking him as the destroyer seen in NXT. As for Dean Ambrose…Well, he’s kind of just there. There is no steam behind his character and popular opinion with die-hard fans supports Corbin leaving Orlando, Florida with the gold.
Ringside Logic 