Hymn of The Fallen: Looking At The End of Dolph Ziggler vs The Miz

  Smackdown Live's TLC 2016 saw many great matches, standout moments, and significant title changes.

 Alexa Bliss fulfilled a life long dream when she defeated Becky Lynch in a Tables Match to capture the Smackdown Women's Championship. She scratched and clawed her way atop the blue brand's women's division and is poised for a long reign.

  

After three years of prophesizing,  Bray Wyatt took a major step towards the immortality he has sough when he and Randy Orton captured the Smackdown Tag Team Championships. The Wyatt Family has never been more united or unstoppable it seems.

  Even James Ellsworth delivered a shocker of his own.  In a misguided calculation, the underdog of Smackdown banked on his 3-0 record against AJ Styles being enough to put the odds in his favor when he challenges the Phenomenal One tonight on Smackdown Live  for the WWE World Championship. In the process he tipped Dean Ambrose off a ladder, helped Styles retain his title, and will face retribution as a result.

 

 

 But for my money, the major occurrence came with the conclusion of the best rivalry in WWE this year.

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 Dolph Ziggler and The Miz have engaged in some of the best Intercontinental Championship matches I have seen in all the years I have been watching professional wrestling.

Many will read this and invoke Bret Hart vs. Mr. Perfect, Bret vs. The British Bulldog, Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon, Randy Savage vs. Ricky Steamboat among many other classic IC Title matches and think of me insane to put their feud into the same discussion.

I am perfectly comfortable doing so.  All of the elements that hooked me on the sport were front and center on full display.

  Emotions, passion, anger, the thrill of victory and the stinging agony of defeat.

The Miz may not have crushed Ziggler's larynx but he put his entire WWE existence on trial throughout their feud. Ziggler transformed from just wanting to Show Off to wanting be the very best in whatever situation he found himself in and whatever he pursued.

There were so many layers that made for a perfect viewing experience as it all unfolded.

Maryse being a factor, the unlikely return of The Spirit Squad, a thrilling Title vs Career match in October.  The red hot exchanges the two engaged in on numerous occasions were compelling as it gets for this viewer.

  All of it culminated on December 4 in a Ladder Match.  Either Ziggler would pull off an other massive victory when it counted or Miz would finally vanquish his greatest foe once and for all. As stipulated, if Ziggler lost he would no longer be able to face Miz for the title. There was everything to gain and even more to lose.

  It would have been easy for emotions to run high with each making a mad dash for the ladder at the onset. But I believe both competitors wanted just a little bit more than a simple victory. Each wanted the other to remember this night for the rest of their lives.  Thus the pace was deliberate and each use of the climbing apparatus was devastatingly painful.  For minutes on end they tasted steel and had to dig down deep to even get to a knee.

 

  Nothing was too risky in the quest for supremacy.  Ziggler would bridge a ladder between the ropes and deliver an elbow drop even Shawn Michaels likely stopped to applaud.

 

 Miz showed true grit withstanding such an onslaught. He rallied to damage both Ziggler's knee and back. A slingshot powerbomb and a figure four with an assist from the ladder were only some of the high impact maneuvers he utilized.

  

    Incredibly, in spite of the punishment dished out these two superb athletes would find themselves battling on top of the ladder, Miz literally hanging on for dear life before crashing to the mat in agony. 

 

  In the end, though his tactic was less than sportsmanlike,  Miz would kick Ziggler where it hurts the most and send him to the mat for a final time.

The Hollywood A lister would be free in clear to retrieve his title and bask in what could have been his biggest win this year. 

Not one to be shy about expressing his feelings, he would go on to verbally rip into Smackdown General Manager Daniel Bryan and the portion of the WWE Universe that despises him no matter what he accomplishes.

 

This excellent match was the perfect representation of  the war Miz and Ziggler went to.  Each walked in with something to prove and one of them walked out as champion and with the last word.

Perhaps most importantly, it showed how far they would go for the Intercontinental Championship and the value it still carries in WWE.   It isn't a token accolade but a symbol of excellence and ability to go out there and showcase the best a man has to offer.

 In days past the IC Title catapulted many if its holders to the World Championship.  The likes of The Ultimate Warrior, Bret Hart, Edge, Randy Orton, Steve Austin were only some of those who all the way to the top of the mountain.

Then there were those who never attained World Champion status but made the Intercontinental Championship just as, if not at times  more, valuable than its counterpart.

Men such as Don Muraco Pedro Morales, The Honkytonk Man, Greg Valentine, Tito Santana, Pat Patterson, Ravishing Rick Rude, Mr. Perfect and many more took pride in being IC Champion and how valiantly they defended it against all comers on any given night.

 Both Ziggler and Miz have tasted the glory of being a World Champion but through being intertwined these past several months, they have staked their claim as being in the company of the aforementioned.  Even if neither one ever challenges for the WWE World Championship again, they can hold their heads up high knowing the place they have carved out for themselves and the title.


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So what comes next?  It is a question I am vastly interested in seeing answered.

  The Miz and Daniel Bryan continue their war of words and it begs the question how will the GM  determine who challenges his hated employee next?  Will somebody step up to the plate and demand their opportunity to hold the title?

Following his victory over Kalisto, Baron Corbin demanded he be placed in main events going forward.  Bryan would concur with him that his win was impressive but may not be the single catalyst to get him where he wants to be.  Seeing how The Lone Wolf's allegiance lies with himself it is not out of the realm of possibility he attempts to use Miz as a means to force Bryan to notice him holding some gold.

Speaking of Kalisto, the former United States Champion put forth a never say die effort against Corbin and arguably could have been IC Champion weeks ago had it not been for Corbin's interference. Bolstered by his efforts, he may seek another title shot and a more fair setting.

Any number of challengers may emerge. Men under the radar like Apollo Crews and Luke Harper come to mind.  It's a wide open field and will be interesting to see who winds up at the front of the line.

What of Dolph Ziggler?


With the IC Title no longer an option, where does he go from here? 

Another run at the World Title? Could he go back into tag team wrestling and challenge The New Wyatt Family? 

Does he even have anything left in the tank after a crushing defeat? 

 Dolph once stated the need to achieve and put on the best show fueled him to where he couldn't walk away even when he may have been better off doing so.  Does he still feel that burning within his soul or will we see The Showoff turn off the lights for good?

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I pose the questions to you the reader:

What do you think of the Ziggler vs. Miz rivalry and the impact it has (or hasn't) had on the Intercontinental Championship?

What is Ziggler's best next move?

Who should be #1 contender to Miz?

Looking forward to your responses.  Until then, always look on the Bright Side of Wrestling!