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I respect Intercontinental Champ CM Punk, sans UGG boots, but for several years now, the IC belt he currently holds has been absent from being at stake in the biggest WWE PPV of the year. In fact, the last time it was up for grabs at the Show of Shows was at WrestleMania 18.

That trend appears about to continue as CM Punk won the first bid to be included in this year’s Money In the Bank Ladder Match. Putting the IC Title holder in the Money In the Bank match has happened four other times, but really robs WrestleMania of a potential draw.

Traditionally, the IC Title is held by a wrestler the WWE considers “the next big thing.” While Punk certainly qualifies, his involvement in the Money In the Bank match pretty much guarantees he won’t be in any other match with the IC Title at stake.

The wrong-headedness of this was underlined by the announcement this same week that Ricky Steamboat would become a part of the WWE Hall of Fame; Steamboat was part of the classic Wrestlemania 3 match with Randy Savage that nearly stole the show from the Hogan-Andre the Giant main event.

Placing Punk in a match for the IC Title against a completely legitimate second-tier contender who is also considered a “next big thing,” such as perhaps Ted DiBiase Jr. or Cody Rhodes, where the two younger stars can put their all into a WrestleMania showcase, would make for some terrific viewing, in my opinion.