This is an exciting weekend for WWE fans, with two big events airing on the WWE Network on back-to-back evenings, with NXT Takeover on Saturday, and Survivor Series this Sunday night.
While all eyes will be on the huge Survivor Series Main Event featuring Brock Lesnar taking on the returning Goldberg, there's plenty of other great matches worth getting excited over as well.
One of those matches is the Intercontinental Championship match between defending champion The Miz from Smackdown Live taking on Sami Zayn from the Raw roster. This match is intriguing for several reasons, primarily because of the transfer implications if Zayn wins and the title comes back to Raw.
One thing worth noting is the fact that Raw is already home to the United States Championship, as well as the Cruiserweight Division and their title as well. One might argue that sending yet another mid-card title to the red brand could water down the value of one or both the Intercontinental and the United States titles respectively.
Nevertheless, the show will go on and if I were a betting man, I'd wager the farm on Zayn capturing the title and carrying it back to the waiting arms of Stephanie and Mick Foley at Raw.
On the other side, The Miz is a great champion, in my opinion. This guy doesn't get near the credit he deserves, for all he's accomplished and for his complete body of work as it is. The Miz is a true veteran and a very consistent source of quality performances, no matter the opponent.
Looking ahead to what happens after Survivor Series, considering Sami Zayn does take the title... who's next? The Intercontinental Championship, while still considered a mid-card championship, is a title with a lot of history and if carried by a proper superstar, the title could gain a lot of value.
To be honest, it's a great title, and Zayn is a great candidate for a reign with the strap. But, who should step up to the plate and attempt to dethrone Zayn, in the event that he does bring it back to Raw?
I've taken the liberty of evaluating the roster and I've thought about all of the possibilities. With that said, I've narrowed the list down to five potential opponents for Sami Zayn, who could be his first rival as Intercontinental Champion.
#5 Cesaro
Cesaro is such a workhorse. Why he hasn't been in a main event storyline yet, is beyond me. The current angle with Cesaro teaming up with Sheamus has actually turned into a very entertaining tale of two polar opposites, uniting under duress, and making it work due to the fact that both men are proven winners.
However, that storyline will likely soon come to a close and it will open up new opportunities for Cesaro, a run for the Intercontinental Championship sounds like a good idea.
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The only drawback is that some wrestling purists don't like the idea of having two babyfaces feuding with one another. But this new era has provided proof that the line between good and bad is often so vague, that in many cases, it really doesn't matter.
The possible feud between Cesaro and Zayn just speaks money to me, and yes, I think it could be a home run.
#4 Seth Rollins
I know some Seth Rollins fans are coming unglued with me right now, at the idea of Seth "lowering" himself to Intercontinental Championship status. But, just look at his homeboy, Dean Ambrose. Dean wore the white strap with the utmost dignity and he's a top-tier superstar as well.
Also read: 5 potential feuds for Sami Zayn
The notion of Seth Rollins potentially winning the Intercontinental Title has much more of an upside than anything. Rollins would only add value to the title, which would be welcomed in the event the Intercontinental Championship does come to Raw, considering they already have the United States Title.
This option may not be the most likely of the choices, but it is one that would work, and it is one that the fans would be the real winners of, considering the dynamic style of both Rollins and Zayn.
#3 Neville
Since arriving on the main roster, Neville hasn't exactly set the world on fire, but then again, the guy has yet to be given the opportunity to do so. This is an option that would be beneficial for both sides.
Yes, this is an option that puts two pure babyfaces against one another, so the meat and potatoes to this one will be limited to what happens within the ring. There won't be much trash talking, or insulting promos cut on one another, which will probably be a good thing.
The one thing that is certain, if this option becomes a reality, is that this angle will provide us, the WWE Universe, with some potentially stellar in-ring action. In the end, this option is a win-win scenario for everyone involved, especially those of us who enjoy quality wrestling.
#2 Samoa Joe
Samoa Joe is inevitably main roster bound, or at least he should be. Joe is a proven veteran and was one long before his time in NXT. He's done outstanding since arriving in NXT, and there's simply nothing left to prove.
Joe challenged Nakamura at Takeover for the NXT Title and won, but in a perfect world, Joe would have lost the match and would have discretely headed to Toronto on Monday for a Raw debut. But that's not happening anymore at this point.
Samoa Joe is still the perfect candidate for a jump to the main roster. He's certainly proved himself to be capable of doing things the "WWE way," now it's just time for them to give him a shot.
Joe and Zayn have faced each other in some stellar NXT matches. It only makes sense to revive this feud on the big stage.
#1 Braun Strowman
For those who haven't been following Raw recently, you're probably confused why I would list Strowman as the number one possible opponent for Sami Zayn. However, if you've been watching Raw on Monday nights, you've seen that the seeds for this feud have been planted and watered in recent weeks on Raw.
This option provides a unique scenario, where a 6'8", nearly 400-pound monster, goes after the Intercontinental Championship which is being held by someone who is 6'1" and roughly half of his weight. On paper, this would appear as one-sided as one could possibly imagine.
However, professional wrestling is dealt with inside of a 20' x 20' squared circle, where magic is not only possible, but expected.
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