For the fifteenth time, the Intercontinental Championship has changed hands on The Grandest Stage of Them All, this time with Dominik Mysterio winning the title at WWE WrestleMania 41.
He was in a Fatal 4-Way match that also featured defending champion Bron Breakker as well as Dominik Mysterio, and Finn Balor and Penta, and actually scored the pin over his breathren of The Judgment Day, Balor.
Let's assess what went down and what might be next for the title going forward.
How We Got Here:
For the past several months, Bron Breakker was wandering with no set opponent, and after teasing something with AJ Styles and Gunther, suddenly was partnered up with Finn Balor and Dominik Mysterio, who ended up trying to recruit Penta to The Judgment Day right after Penta decided he was going to try to get an intercontinental title shot, which was in direct opposition of Balor's goal to do the same.
In-fighting between Balor and Mysterio has been rampant within The Judgment Day, as Mysterio wants to recruit a new member and has Liv Morgan in his ear with her trying to get him to assert more authority and effectively take over as the leader of the group, as that's effectively been Balor's role lately after Damian Priest left.
Dom got into this match by going around Balor's back, meanwhile Penta has suffered his first loss because of Breakker.
Match Details:
Bron Breakker was intense and started this match off charging directly at the competition. Throughout the match, he hit numerous spears, including one to Carlito on the commentary tables.
Penta scored a few near-falls as well, as everyone had their moments of being on top. It was a fairly even contest, all things considered, though Dom was naturally booked to be the least likely winner of the bunch.
However, after Balor hit a Coup de Grace on Penta and was going for a pinfall, Dom splashed the both of them and pinned Balor to get the win, capturing his first singles title on the main roster (as he's previously held the NXT North American Championship and the Raw Tag Team Championship)
Personal Reactions & What Happens Next?:
This was so perfect. Everyone comes out of this looking great, Dom gets to have a title win and keep his character going, and by pinning Balor, that's going to create a lot of drama within The Judgment Day.
Dom is a great choice for this title when it comes to future challengers, too. He can work with almost anyone and can drop the title to people who are higher than him on the totem pole, as well as others who are a little lower than him and taking a step up. He can realistically hold the title for a short time frame as a transitional champion, or he can be a weasel who keeps it for months and months by cheating. This will be great, and I'm really happy to see Mysterio win this title here.
What do you think about Dominik Mysterio winning the title? Who should be the first challenger, and who would you like to see eventually win the belt next? Drop your reactions, predictions, and any other thoughts in the comments below!