10 WWE Feuds We Didn’t Know We Needed (Until We Got Them)
4. Dolph Ziggler Vs. The Miz
If there is a more 'WWE midcard' feud than The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler, I've not seen it. Both men have spent the majority of their WWE careers in that bubble of superstars in the upper echelons of the middle, perpetual secondary championship holders but forever falling short of being established on the bigger stages. Both men had opportunities, but both men were hindered in a wide variety of ways.
Ziggler and Miz began feuding over the WWE Intercontinental Championship in 2016, in the early months of the WWE draft era. Ziggler had actually snagged himself a WWE Championship match at SummerSlam (falling short against Dean Ambrose) while The Miz seemed hell-bent on dragging Daniel Bryan out of retirement. Both men were more relevant than they had been in a long time, but Ziggler vs. Miz wasn't the feud that fans wanted.
The fans were wrong.
Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz in 2016 was proof if proof were needed that traditional booking and committed performances can make even the most mundane of ideas must-see, especially if the performers involved can display natural chemistry. Ziggler and Miz ticked all of the boxes, putting on overachieving matches and achieving the holy grail of WWE's midcard; making the Intercontinental Championship mean something.
As both men spin their wheels on SmackDown in 2020, they can be forgiven for looking back at the halcyon days of 2016 with a sense of nostalgic longing.