If WWE want us to take the Intercontinental Championship seriously, maybe they shouldn't compare it to El Torito

The "Intercontinental Championship Scramble" storyline is sending a lot of mixed signals to WWE fans.

We have a group of guys with main event experience, including two former World Heavyweight Champions and the man that WrestleMania 30 was built around, all competing for the belt.  The angle has been a focal point of Raw and Smackdown, and will pay off with the first ladder match on the Grandest Stage of Them All since Money in the Bank became its own pay-per-view (PPV) in 2010.

It's also inspired by Dean Ambrose wanting to get his picture on the wall at Titan Towers, involves R-Truth acting like Daffy Duck and  features even dyed-in-the-wool babyfaces like Dolph Ziggler being copactic with claiming a belt that once had a reputation for being a prize given to the best in-ring worker via theivery or intimidation.

Into that recipe for cognitive dissonance, throw in this poll on WWE.com's front page:

Sure, there are kayfabe arguments to be made for getting Triple H and Stephanie McMahon's blessing, or possessing the object that allows you to control The Dead Man (but if it worked, would Bray Wyatt still be begging Taker to show up?).  And JBL has long been on record as needing to get him one of those tiny bovine creatures.

It is funny, too.  I laughed, as did the Cagesider who pointed it out in the Smackdown reactions thread, Wyatt as Champion.

But if we're supposed to think of the white & gold strap as a prestigious trophy, the championship that inspired Randy Savage and Ricky Steamboat to one of the greatest matches in 'Mania history, maybe it shouldn't be the punchline of joke?

On the bright side, the belt first wore is winning the poll as of this writing, so it still matters to us, damnit:

What's your take on the IC scramble?  Will it come out of Santa Clara, California as the second most important prize in the biggest pro wrestling company on the globe?  Or still as a consolation prize worn by glorified enhancement talent?