Official Images Of Wale's "Intercontinental Champion" Asics Collab Revealed

Last Summer, Wale teamed up with Philadelphia based retailer, Ruvilla, and Asics for a collaboration dubbed the "Bottle Rocket" Asics Gel Lyte III. 

Now, Wale and Villa are back at it again with a new Asics joint that features a metallic gold construction accompanied by hits of black and blue, as inspired by the WWE's Intercontinental championship belt. 

Officially dubbed the Wale x Villa x Asics Gel Lyte III "Intercontinental Champion," it's clear that these kicks draw on inspiration from the Intercontinental Championship belt. Although, we feel these would be better served with some more white, in honor of the belt, but we're not complaining.

A release date for the Villa x Wale x Asics Gel Lyte III has officially been pegged for July 21st ($160), exactly one month before SummerSlam at the Barclay's Center in Brooklyn.

In a recent interview with Footwear News, Wale spoke about the upcoming collab, his favorite shoes of all time, and his undying love for the WWE:

WALE: The [WWE] Intercontinental Belt, that’s the second biggest belt in the company. It was the one all the cool people had when I was little, like Mr. Perfect and The Ultimate Warrior. It’s known inside the business as the workman’s title, the unsung hero’s title. It has a lot of comparisons to my rap career, being the unsung hero or honorable mention — not the champion but just as good, just never been crowned yet. [And] most of the people who won the IC Championship went on to win heavyweight down the road.

WALE: People were like, “Why do you watch it?” I’m like, “Bro, I shut my brain off when I watch it; I don’t have to think about anything.” I think so much in the studio that we’ve got to find things to do when we shut off.

WALE: [Air Jordan] 3s, 4s and 5s. You’re going to see me wearing the 5s a lot in the summer because I go up from the album I’m on; it’s kind of my vibe.

What are some of your most fond sneaker memories?
WALE: Sample sales always used to be fun, used to be my vibe, seeing what’s coming out and [having] the chance to find the ill Foamposites and be the first one to have them. That was the original rush. I picked up a lot of samples in college; I was wearing stuff to school that wouldn’t come out for another year. And I remember when Nike used to invite me to the campus and give me stuff to debut. When I debuted the Copper Foams, that was a great time.