There are few titles in sports-entertainment with as rich a history as the Intercontinental Championship, a prize fought for and defended by such elite in-ring icons as Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat, Bret “Hit Man” Hart and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. At WWE Payback, relative newcomer Fandango hoped to add his own uniquely-pronounced name to that legendary list of greats, but a concussion sustained at last week’s SmackDown taping ensured that his dance with destiny would have to wait.

Instead, it will be Curtis Axel who steps into the ring with The Miz and Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett this Sunday. The aggressive Superstar — son of WWE Hall of Famer Mr. Perfect — will be accompanied to the ring by Paul Heyman, who, despite his managerial expertise, could never pull off a split like Fandango’s lithe dance partner, Summer Rae. Frankly, few would want to see him try.

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Though sidelined and wishing he could dance through the aisles of Chicago’s Allstate Arena, Fandango will be paying attention to Sunday’s Triple Threat Match. But whether he’ll be fully invested in its outcome is another story entirely.

“If I’m not in the match, I don’t care about the match at all,” a frustrated Fandango hissed over the phone to WWE.com. “If I had to make a prediction, I’d say Barrett hangs on to it. I don’t think Curtis Axel is even close to the caliber of a Superstar like Fandango.”

Such bold assertions come naturally to the fleet-footed fighter, whose attitude since his debut earlier this year has remained as brazen as his wardrobe. It’s his unrestrained ego that has brought him into direct conflict with outspoken Superstars like Chris Jericho and, most recently, The Miz. The ballroom bruiser didn’t mince words when he addressed his unfinished business with The Awesome One, who vies for his third Intercontinental Title at WWE Payback.

“Barrett is obviously a tough bare-knuckle fighter, and Curtis Axel is a brawler himself. Miz, however, is a pretty-boy Hollywood star,” Fandango said of the charismatic Clevelander, whose screen credits include WWE Studios’ “The Marine 3: Homefront” and the forthcoming “Christmas Bounty.”  “I hope Barrett and Axel put a few scars on that face of his.”

Will Fandango’s prediction of a Barrett victory ring true, or will a new Intercontinental Champion emerge in Chicago? To find out, tune in to WWE Payback this Sunday, only on pay-per-view.