10 Must-See Matches, Moments, And Segments From WWE This Week

The themes for SmackDown Live since the brand split was reinstated have been character development and second chances, and perhaps no two individuals on Tuesday nights have been better examples of each theme than Miz and Dolph Ziggler.

On SmackDown this week, Miz continued his run of excellent heel promos, riling up his hometown crowd and initiating a personal tone with his comments directed at Ziggler's ringside parents that prompted the Show Off to hit the ring with purpose. When Miz verbally dressed him down, throwing barbs that cut like a knife, Ziggler rose to the occasion with a heartfelt, teary-eyed retort that clearly drew from pent up feelings. The stage is set for a compelling final showdown between them at No Mercy for the Intercontinental Championship and Dolph's career.

Fire and passion can burn out, and it seemed obvious that the flame that had ignited Ziggler to borderline Top 5 status in WWE had been nearly extinguished, but nights like Tuesday remind that Ziggler was once poised for super-stardom. The Miz, meanwhile, has been white hot since his fiery Talking Smack segment a month ago, removing the stain on his legacy that his main-event run was the by-product of a weaker, less talented generation. Rewind the clock to July and nobody would have cared about another Ziggler-Miz title match; this is no longer the case.

The unquestionable segment of the week on WWE TV must be seen and should perhaps be studied by the WWE and NXT rosters as examples of how to build a culmination of what once seemed like nothing doing into something very, very engaging.