It seems the writing staff are interested in melding together 2 different feuds currently. Momentum has slowed significantly in the Dolph Ziggler vs. Rusev rivalry, mainly due to the absence of Lana from the tale. The other feud is Ryback's pursuit of Kevin Owens and the WWE Intercontinental Title. That one seems to have a bit more steam, so maybe WWE are trying to latch Ziggler and Rusev onto it. Thus far, Kevin Owens has been cast as someone who will do whatever it takes to hold the Intercontinental Title. As a heel, that's exactly what he should be doing. It puts emphasis on his dirt bag character, but also makes the belt itself look like something worth holding. As the brazen champion, it's entirely within character that Owens would try and muddy the waters by diluting the challenger scene. On this past week's episode of Raw, Dolph Ziggler came to the aid of Ryback. Owens managed to convince Rusev to join forces with him to beat down the 'Big Guy'. On Smackdown, Owens then deliberately got himself counted out to retain the Intercontinental strap. Feeling cocky, he could make the challenge for all of them, trying to throw more obstacles in Ryback's path.