WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship unveiled as title tournament announced on Raw

Simon Head

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WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship unveiled as title tournament announced on Raw image

Hot on the heels of the announcement of SmackDown's WWE Women's United States Championship, WWE Raw General Manager Adam Pearce had a new belt to unveil on Monday Night Raw.

"Ladies and gentlemen, for more than 40 years, the Intercontinental Championship has been a beacon of opportunity in WWE," said Pearce, as he addressed the WWE Universe.

"It has been the symbol of excellence for the real workhorses of our sport, those that, night-in, at night-out, unquestionably leave it all in the ring.

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"Guys, I feel the same way about the women's division of Monday Night Raw.

"Every week, they pour their heart, their blood, sweat and tears into their craft, and every week they prove to me, time and again, that they are the true workhorses in WWE.

"Therefore it is my distinct honor to present their own symbol of excellence to fight for. Ladies and gentlemen, I bring to you the brand new WWE Women's Intercontinental Championship."

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WWE Raw GM announces tournament to crown inaugural Women's Intercontinental Champion

The new title means that both of the WWE's marquee brands now have secondary women's championships to provide additional opportunity and more championship storytelling for their respective women's divisions.

And, just as we saw with SmackDown's Women's United States Championship, Raw's Women's Intercontinental Championship will also crown its inaugural champion via a tournament, as Pearce confirmed.

"It will not be earned easily – no," he stated.

"It will be earned with blood, sweat and tears, and it starts next week, when we begin a tournament to crown the inaugural women's Intercontinental Champion. That is official!"

The title tournament is sure to be keenly contested, with rival factions set to collide in their quest for the gold. Shortly after the official announcement, Damage CTRL and Pure Fusion Collective clashed backstage as the battle lines were drawn ahead of the title tournament.

With the women's roster now boasting strength and depth across both brands, tournament spots are likely to be highly coveted as the rising stars of the women's division jockey for position in a bid to write their name into the history books as the first-ever WWE Women's Intercontinental Champion.

Simon Head

Simon Head Photo

Simon Head is a freelance sports writer covering MMA for The Sporting News. Simon is one of the longest-tenured MMA journalists in the UK and has covered the sport since 2009 for plethora of outlets, including BBC Sport, Daily Mirror, BT Sport, and MMA Junkie. When not writing about MMA, Simon can be found at Priestfield Stadium watching his beloved Gillingham FC in the EFL.