Dolph Ziggler and The Miz Flip-Flopping the Intercontinental Title Means Nothing

Dolph Ziggler and The Miz have a nice gestating feud going for the Intercontinental Title. It’s a shame that the title itself is being booked poorly.

Let’s trace and examine this feud from the beginning. It started at WWE Battleground, July 20, where Miz eliminated Ziggler last to win the title for the third time. That led to their SummerSlam opener on August 17, where Ziggler won the Intercontinental title in a hard-fought contest.

The story being told for this feud is two men unwilling to let the other get the last laugh. During their feud, The Miz employed Damien Sandow as his stunt double “Damien Mizdow.” Ziggler mocked them both by bringing his own stunt double in, played by R-Truth, dubbed “R-Ziggler.”

Ridiculous as it sounds, this worked. However, the momentum came to a screeching halt at Night of Champions.

The September 21 event saw Miz and Ziggler duking it out again. The problem with this event was that there were too many parts. The announcers seemed more interested in Florida Georgia Line, the country rock duo that came down at ringside as guest commentators. They were a distraction from the match, taking away both competitors’ efforts. Mizdow and R-Ziggler didn’t help much either. Miz won back the title, putting an end to a very disappointing match.

Something good and bad happened at the same time the next night. Ziggler and Miz battled again for the title, with Ziggler winning it back after losing it the night before.

What does this mean? Well, frankly, absolutely nothing. The problem with this is that it should have been taken more seriously. It should have been more important.

In fact, flip-flopping the title devalues its significance and worth. Could you imagine playing hot potato with a championship title? If truth be told, that’s not how championships should be valued.

Keep in mind the WWE did this before with Miz. WrestleMania 29’s pre-show saw Miz win the title from Wade Barrett only to lose it the next night on Raw...to Barrett. It did nothing for the title, just like how this week’s transgressions will do nothing in the long haul.

But the problem is that it should mean something. It should be treated as a big deal. The question is why the double switch doesn’t matter.

Let’s flash back to 1999 and 2000, when The Rock went after the WWE Title. He battled Mankind in 1999 and Triple H in 2000. In 1999, Rock lost the WWE Championship to Mankind twice and got it back both times in a span of three months. In 2000, Rock did the same thing with Triple H within two months.

The year 1998 saw another quick switch with the WWE Title. That year’s King of The Ring event saw Kane defeat Stone Cold Steve Austin for the championship. Austin won it back the very next night.

Fans didn’t have any problems with these bouts because they meant something. It wasn’t just because it was the flagship title. It was because of the wrestlers and the timing.

These wrestlers had the time to make the championship changes mean something. Ziggler and Miz don’t have that luxury. We all know they’re not the focus of the WWE right now. That privilege currently belongs to John Cena, Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Brock Lesnar.

Ziggler and Miz can make do with the time they have. Being poorly booked with the limited time won’t grant them any favors. In fact, it will only hurt their careers as WWE Superstars.

Dolph Ziggler and The Miz flip-flopping the Intercontinental Title means nothing. Regardless of who ends up champion, the story must be told right. Let’s not have any one-day reigns again anytime soon.