The Miz added yet another reason to consider him as one of the greatest WWE Intercontinental Champions of all-time when he successfully defended the gold against Dean Ambrose. Of course, he needed the help of his wife Maryse and his cohorts Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas – The Miztourage – in order to get the job done, but that’s just how he operates.
With the farcically named Monday Night Raw exclusive pay-per-view in the history books, it’s time to look ahead to the Biggest Party of the Summer. That’s right, the first dual-brand pay-per-view since Wrestlemania 33, WWE Summerslam 2017, is just around the corner and it promises to be a big event.
One of the important matches on that card will be an Intercontinental Championship match involving The Miz and his yet to be revealed opponent. We thought we’d take a look at 5 names that could make the cut and give The A-Lister a great match at next month’s pay per view.
Here are 5 possible Summerslam 2017 opponents for The Miz:
#5 Dean Ambrose
If the WWE has taught us anything over the years, it is that they love to do a rivalry even after it is dead in the water. John Cena vs Randy Orton is a great example of that and another, more recent one is The Miz vs Dean Ambrose.
The two have been feuding for ages now, right from their time together on Smackdown Live following the Brand Split last year and on Monday Night Raw when both men made the jump over to the red brand during The Superstar Shakeup.
While the rivalry seems to have run its course, the WWE keeps beating this dead horse with a stick and don’t be surprised if Dean uses the fact that Miz cheated to win as an excuse to wrangle another opportunity at the WWE Intercontinental Championship at WWE Summerslam 2017.
#4 Elias Samson
The Drifter, Elias Samson, has proven to be something of a wild card since his main roster debut on Monday Night Raw. He draws some genuine heat from the crowd wherever he goes and he has been booked quite strongly in the ring as well.
So, why not give the new guy a shot at the WWE Intercontinental Championship? He has proven to be a legitimate heel who can get audiences riled up against him and is a good, if not great, in-ring performer to boot.
The only thing I have against Samson getting a shot is that this would make the feud a Heel vs Heel event as both men are far too good as the bad guys to be turned babyface at this point in their careers.
#3 Apollo Crews
Titus O’Neil has miraculously started gaining some legitimate traction with a storyline of his. The new Titus Worldwide stuff is a hell of a lot better than anything he has pulled off before and his partnerships with Apollo Crews and Akira Tozawa seem to be beneficial for everyone involved.
After all, Tozawa just got a Cruiserweight Championship match against Neville at Great Balls of Fire, so why not give Apollo Crews a shot at the Intercontinental Championship match as well and build up this whole Titus Worldwide angle.
And, Crews has shown himself to be a fabulous in-ring performer when given the chance so this could be exactly what he needs to get his name out there and ascend to the next level.
#2 Seth Rollins
Seth Rollins’ star has faded slowly following his face turn last year. He has looked directionless and while he still draws a massive pop from the crowd and puts in stellar wrestling performances, the storylines just haven’t been good enough. Perhaps a feud with The Miz for the WWE Intercontinental Championship could change all that.
There is an added storyline that the IC title is the only one missing from Seth’s collection to make him a Grand Slam Champion and he can use the momentum built off this feud to catapult himself firmly back into the main event scene which has quickly passed him by over six months or so.
Rollins needs something big to bounce back following his loss to Bray Wyatt at Great Balls of Fire and a feud against The A-Lister could be just what the doctor ordered.
#1 Finn Balor
Nobody needs this WWE Intercontinental Championship opportunity more than Finn Balor. He has been constantly overlooked since his return from injury and a performer of his calibre needs a compelling program at an event as big as WWE Summerslam 2017.
Finn has missed out on a number of big pay per views including Wrestlemania 33 and WWE Great Balls of Fire 2017 due to a lack of available opponents and this has seen him slip down the pecking order through no fault of his own.
Unless he is being considered for the WWE Universal Championship picture, it is time to let Balor have his moment in the sun yet again.
