Big E Thinks It's 'Disrespectful' To Call WWE Women's IC Title 'Midcard'

For over 40 years, the Intercontinental Championship has been considered a prestigious yet mid-card title in WWE, with "WWE Raw" General Manager Adam Pearce further describing it as a "beacon of opportunity" for the company's male stars. Under those same principles, WWE then introduced the Women's Intercontinental Championship in 2024, with Lyra Valkyria crowned as the inaugural titleholder and Becky Lynch as her successor.

According to Big E, a former Men's IC Champion, calling the women's iteration of the title "mid-card" actually may not be entirely fitting. "The lineage of this title, Becky has done so much incredible work to make this title meaningful," Big E said on "Raw Recap: WWE Now." "When we have new titles, it really is about the way it's introduced, it's about the people who hold it, it's about the rivalries we see. This thing has been hot. I feel like from day one, what we got to see with Lyra, what we got to see with everyone who's held it and competed for it, even seeing Maxxine [Dupri] step up and have her best performances holding this title and competing for it, honestly, I think this is my favorite mid-card title right now. It almost feels disrespectful to call it a mid-card title because we're seeing so many future Hall of Famers hold it, so many all-time greats hold it."

Valkyria cemented herself as the first ever Women's Intercontinental Champion by besting Dakota Kai in tournament finals on "Raw" in January 2025. Lynch extended the lineage by defeating Valkyria at WWE Money in the Bank. With some help from AJ Lee, Maxxine Dupri then dethroned "The Man" in Madison Square Garden. Just mere weeks later, though, Lynch reclaimed it. Later tonight, Lynch will defend the Women's IC Title against AJ Lee, a two-time Divas Champion, at WWE Elimination Chamber.

If you use any of the quotes in this article, please credit "Raw Recap: WWE Now" with a h/t to Wrestling Inc. for the transcription.

Respectfully, I have to disagree with Big E in this case.

While still recognized as a mid-card title, the Men's Intercontinental Championship has also been hailed, by Adam Pearce, as "symbol of excellence for the real workhorses of our sport." Pearce was the man who, in the same breath, announced that the women of WWE would have an equivalent "symbol of excellence to fight for" in the form of the Women's Intercontinental Championship. By that logic, the Women's IC Title should then be viewed and treated the same as the long-time men's iteration.

Across its multi-decade existence, the Men's IC Title has been held by a plethora of WWE Hall of Famers, such as Shawn Michaels, Triple H, Kurt Angle, and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin. Elsewhere, a number of future Hall of Famers, including AJ Styles, Randy Orton, and John Cena, have tasted it too. Because of the IC Title, many of the aforementioned names were also able to cement themselves as Grand Slam Champions, which, of course, includes reigns with "mid-card" titles.

To many fans, including myself, a "mid-card" label isn't demeaning. It's an indicator of opportunity for those who aren't at the top of WWE. And just because one isn't positioned at the top at a particular moment, doesn't mean they can't be in the future. When it comes to the women of WWE, it's especially refreshing to see storylines that don't involve the main world titles as well.