10 New WWE Directions After Extreme Rules 2017
9. A Long Title Run For The Miz
Dean Ambrose walked into Extreme Rules as Intercontinental Champion, but left empty-handed. ‘The Lunatic Fringe’ fell in one of the evening’s more contrived matches, with a dumb referee bump allowing The Miz to take the victory in their “Title Changes Hands on a DQ” match, and while there was nothing special about the contest itself, it produced the best possible outcome for all involved.
Ambrose was going nowhere as IC Champion, but the past 12 months shows that Miz is the ideal man to raise a midcard belt's prefigure. His SmackDown reigns were nothing short of fantastic, and with the IC Title finally around his waist again, there’s no reason for WWE not to turn Miz into the brand-carrying uber heel he was on Tuesday nights.
Regardless of who his first challenger is, it makes sense to book Miz in another lengthy, Honky Tonk Man-esque reign during which he topples opponent after opponent through distractions, misdirection, and other sneaky tactics. Miz knows how to draw attention to himself, which is exactly what the lowly Intercontinental Title needs at the moment, and if WWE thrust him in the spotlight and allow him to cheat is way to the top, the Intercontinental scene will suddenly feel important again.