WWE Clash of Champions: 5 Reasons why Shinsuke Nakamura retained the Intercontinental Title against The Miz

WWE Clash of Champions saw plenty of title matches and on SmackDown Live, one of those most personal rivalries has been between The Miz and Intercontinental Champion Shinsuke Nakamura.

Nakamura, who is in his first reign with the historic title, was able to retain the gold against the A-Lister at the Pay Per View, which came as a shock to many who expected the title to change hands. There is always a reason for titles both changing hands or not, and this decision is no different.

Here are five reasons why Shinsuke Nakamura retained the Intercontinental Title against The Miz.

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#5 Because Miz is moving up the card

The A-Lister could be moving back into the WWE Title picture again, despite the loss last night

At Clash of Champions, The Miz came up short against Nakamura, but that may have been a blessing in disguise for the A-Lister. Though the title was once considered the marking of a future World Champion, it's clear WWE doesn't quite see the title this same way anymore, as it's instead the top mid-card title.

Though he may have lost, The Miz could still be moving up the card, thanks to the impending WWE draft. The draft, which will take place next month, will effectively mark the end of the Wild Card rule, meaning fans shouldn't expect as many top stars on RAW taking up spots on SmackDown Live.

With a much smaller roster than before, the blue brand will be looking for stars to fill that void. The Miz (who is RAW, but could move to SmackDown), has already proven he can be a main event star (his 2010-2011 reign as WWE Champion being evidence of that) and could be moving up to bigger things despite last night's loss.

See WWE Clash Of Champions Results, Highlights of event, & more on WWE Clash Of Champions Results page

#4 Because Nakamura is moving to RAW

Nakamura could be moved to RAW, with the title, in the upcoming WWE draft

Shortly before Clash of Champions last night, the WWE confirmed the much-rumored draft between RAW and SmackDown Live. The draft, which fans have speculated on for a while, will effectively see the rosters of both brands be locked down and could see anyone move between shows.

If WWE wants to give fans a nice big surprise, moving Nakamura to RAW would definitely do that, though it'd also mean moving the Intercontinental Title. Since joining the main roster in 2017, the King of Strong Style has been exclusively a SmackDown Live Superstar, and a shift to the red brand could be a breath of fresh air for the former Royal Rumble winner's career.

In response, WWE could move over the United States title, currently held by AJ Styles to the blue brand. This would certainly give a new level of interest to the shows, especially with the draft happening shortly after SmackDown moves to FOX on October 4. Though he's been a team blue player all his main roster career, it could be time for the King of Strong Style to turn red.

#3 Because The Miz will win the title on FOX

Having the title change on the FOX debut episode could be best for business

In just a few weeks, WWE SmackDown Live will undergo a major change, when the blue brand moves to Fridays and launches on Fox Sports 1. In the run-up, the company is going all out for the show, announcing plenty of guests for the debut episode on FOX, including Brock Lesnar, The Undertaker and Trish Stratus.

With some of the biggest names in wrestling history set to invade the blue brand on October 4, it's easy to forget that the show will still have matches, that WWE hopes will showcase SmackDown at its very best, as well as capture new fans tuning in for the first time. Having The Miz win the title then could definitely do both.

As a veteran of the company, Miz knows all about giving a great performance when he is called upon and having the title change on the debut episode could easily show new viewers the exciting, unpredictable nature of WWE SmackDown. With WWE already planning so much big stuff for SmackDown's first show on FOX Sports 1, an Intercontinental Title change seems likely.

#2 Because The Miz is going to win it at a later date

The company could be looking to have Miz break Chris Jericho's record-setting reign as champion

The Miz knows all about being an Intercontinental Champion. An eight-time champion (an amount only superseded by AEW World Champion Chris Jericho), Miz first captured the title back at RAW 1,000 in July 2012, defeating Christian. Since then, the A-Lister has defeated a plethora of different stars to win the historic belt, including Dolph Ziggler, Zack Ryder, Wade Barrett and Roman Reigns.

There is the chance that the A-Lister is going to win the title at a later date. Having Miz win the title at a later date also allows these two to continue feuding. Despite being drastically different characters, the pair work well together, as evidenced by last night's match. With that in mind, having these two engage in a lengthy feud could be the best choice, even if it doesn't happen at SmackDown's debut episode on FOX.

#1 Because they're trying to save Nakamura's title reign

Much like his time as US Champion, Nakamura has done little as Intercontinental Champion

Shinsuke Nakamura captured the Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules on July 14 this year and his reign hasn't exactly set the world on fire. Despite being champion, Nakamura has often been overlooked on the blue brand and hasn't had many major feuds over the past two months with the prestigious title.

This isn't too different from Nakamura's reign as United States Champion last year, as though the King of Strong Style held the title for several months, his stature in the company did not change at all during or post his title reign. Having Nakamura retain tonight may have been because the WWE are trying to save face with the Asian Superstar.

After last year's underwhelming run with the title, the last thing WWE wants is for fans to associate Nakamura with disappointing title reigns. Instead, having him retain tonight allows WWE at least one more month to make the former Royal Rumble winner seem relevant once again, as well as help rebuild some of the legitimacy of the IC title, as the champion should be considered the 2nd top star on SmackDown Live.