Kevin Owens to Defend IC Title vs. 6 Opponents at WWE WrestleMania 32

For the second WrestleMania in a row, the WWE Intercontinental title will hang above the ring, and someone will need to climb a ladder to retrieve it.

Kevin Owens will defend the IC title in a seven-man ladder match against Stardust, Sin Cara, The Miz, Zack Ryder, Dolph Ziggler and Sami Zayn at AT&T Stadium on April 3.

Stephanie McMahon made the match official on Monday Night Raw, per WWE:

WrestleMania 31 featured a seven-man ladder match in which Daniel Bryan grabbed the prestigious belt at Levi's Stadium. Ziggler and Stardust were both in that match as well.

Owens opened Raw's card by picking up a win over AJ Styles in an entertaining match. Afterward, Owens seemed ready to announce an opponent for WrestleMania, before Ziggler interrupted him and claimed he deserved a championship opportunity.  

The Miz came out shortly after and threw his name into the title picture, citing the fact he headlined WrestleMania 27 as the reason he wanted an opportunity.

Zayn came to the ring and said that while he respects Ziggler and Miz for their longevity in the business, he's been waiting since NXT to get a shot at Owens. The champion left the ring, and Owens announced he would talk to The Authority and create a Triple Threat match. With Stephanie McMahon's approval, Owens made the match of Stardust, Ryder and Sin Cara to determine the No. 1 contender for the championship.

The match did not last long. Zayn, Ziggler and The Miz all headed to ringside to confront Owens. The match was called off once the trio interfered, and a brawl ensued, with all six opponents going after the champion.

As it stands, there are eight matches announced for WrestleMania, with the addition of this ladder match. This match is bound to show high-flying spots and crowd-roaring bumps to get the audience excited. This is also the kind of match where Ziggler, Zayn and Owens can primarily steal the show. Because of that, it's safe to bet the match will come down to those three.

Last year's ladder match was exciting and had the right result, with Bryan ending up as champion. Fans should not expect a title change this time around. Owens has more to gain by keeping the title long term than any of the other participants do if they win it. Miz, Ryder, Sin Cara and Stardust are seen as fill-ins and shouldn't come close to winning the belt.

WWE may continue this trend of Ziggler not being able to get over the hump in big-time matches, and it's too early to put the title on Zayn since he just rejoined the main roster. An Owens title victory could set up a Zayn-Owens feud, which would be the right call post-WrestleMania.

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