Power Ranking WWE IC Title Fatal 4-Way Contenders at 2016 Extreme Rules
The Intercontinental Championship feud between The Miz, Kevin Owens, Cesaro and Sami Zayn has arguably been the most entertaining part of WWE programming during the build to Extreme Rules 2016.
All four men have been showcased properly, making the job of predicting a winner all that more difficult. But that's been the beauty of this angle—much different than the WWE World Heavyweight Championship scene, where a Roman Reigns victory is all but assured.
There are multiple dynamics at play that have made the chase for the intercontinental title appealing. First is the star power involved. All four men are former champions on some level in WWE. (For argument, Zayn's time as NXT champion is counted here.)
Second is the performance of the current champion, The Miz. Over the last few months, starting with his short-lived feud with AJ Styles, The Hollywood A-Lister has been at the top of his game. Having him headline the midcard was a bold move, but it's one that's paid off, as fans love to react to him.
Third, the three contenders to The Miz's title are all favorites among diehard WWE fans and the Internet Wrestling Community. Having all three in a title match, especially against someone as loathed as The Miz, guarantees excitement from WWE's most feverish fanbase.
It's time to power rank the four men involved in the Fatal 4-Way match for the Intercontinental Championship at WWE Extreme Rules 2016 and then predict a winner.
No. 4: Sami Zayn
1 of 5
Perhaps no Superstar among the four competing in the Extreme Rules Fatal 4-Way match better exemplifies midcard champion than Sami Zayn.
Zayn is a charismatic figure who has had to grind his way through the company since signing with NXT in 2013. For nearly three years, he was the developmental territory's biggest star, its standard-bearer and, finally, its champion.
Zayn was the stepping stone for many Superstars in NXT, including Cesaro, Tyson Kidd, Neville, Kevin Owens and, most recently, Shinsuke Nakamura. It's safe to question whether that's his destined role in WWE: the guy who can get guys over.
But some feel Zayn is destined for great things. The Philadelphia Inquirer's Vaughn Johnson wrote that a Zayn win at Extreme Rules 2016 is on the horizon, leading to the inevitable Zayn-Owens megafeud:
"I have always had a feeling that the underlying story to all of this is the rivalry between Zayn and Owens and that this is merely a detour from that. If Zayn wins the Intercontinental Championship, it adds not only a title, but it adds a new wrinkle in that Owens is now chasing Zayn."
Putting the title on Zayn over his more established competitors would be bold, but it would also be short-sighted. Zayn has always played the underdog, a role suited for him, according to those—including Daily DDT's Brandon Carney—who anoint Zayn as the next Daniel Bryan.
That's why Zayn needs to fail before climbing to the mountaintop.
No. 3: The Miz
2 of 5
After Zack Ryder's unexpected win at WrestleMania 32, no one seemed to know what was happening in the Intercontinental Championship scene. Who would've thought putting the belt on The Miz would've been the best thing for that title?
The Miz has been the champion fans don't deserve. He's a born heel who brings out the best in his opponents and does everything it takes to remain champion. As Bleacher Report's Ryan Dilbert recently wrote:
"One can't discount Miz's work as a heel. He's superb as an arrogant irritant, a megalomaniac and a coward. Bringing in wife Maryse has only amplified his character. It's getting harder to deny that The Miz isn't playing his part to a tee, that he's not a valuable part of the WWE puzzle."
Make no mistake—The Miz is a distant last in this group in terms of pure wrestling ability. However, there's not a better character among this group, which makes him as appealing as it does loathsome. And being a great character is just as important in today's WWE as being an excellent technician in the ring.
Against the other three men in this match, he'll be the underdog to retain. Would it be shocking if he did? Not in the least. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn could feud with or without a title on the line, and Cesaro could easily reside in the main event scene should WWE need him there.
That would allow The Miz to continue holding down the midcard until whoever the WWE deems ready to take the next step—Apollo Crews, Finn Balor, Baron Corbin, a returning Neville—comes along to feud with The Hollywood A-Lister.
No. 2: Cesaro
3 of 5
If there was ever a question about how WWE views Cesaro, the Raw after WrestleMania 32 should have answered those questions.
The Swiss Superman, returning from injury, was immediately thrust into the main event scene, a chance to become the No. 1 contender to Roman Reigns' world title. The very next week, he was in a second No. 1 contender match, this one for the Intercontinental Championship.
For all the talk about grabbing brass rings and his connection with casual fans, Cesaro is an important part of WWE moving forward, and WWE officials now know it.
Prior to WWE Payback, Daily DDT's Jeffrey Lyles wrote that Cesaro can "save" the intercontinental title, and he is "the perfect workhorse wrestler to steal the show on a nightly basis."
Cesaro is only the most recent Superstar to hold the hopes of wrestling fans in his hands—the man who can once again restore the title to its former glory.
It's a question fans have asked for years, more so in recent memory, as the title has flip-flopped more than Big Show's character. Guys like Dolph Ziggler, Dean Ambrose, Daniel Bryan, Ryback and Kevin Owens have all been unable to fill the void of past champions like Randy Savage, Bret Hart and The Honky Tonk Man.
Over the past year, Cesaro has proved he can wrestle with the best in the business. All that was missing was a place on the card for him to shine. The tag team scene helped bring him back from obscurity. His singles run following Tyson Kidd's injury cast a light on him, allowing casual fans to realize how good he is.
Now that he's back from injury and competing in the upper midcard, he's on the cusp of a great run. It'll be up to WWE whether it thinks it is time for Cesaro to finally shine with gold around his waist.
No. 1: Kevin Owens
4 of 5
It's been a year since then-NXT champion Kevin Owens burst onto the WWE scene to challenge John Cena. Casual fans didn't know what they were witnessing, but many hardcore fans knew things on the main roster were about to change.
In just 12 months, Owens has established himself as the most complete Superstar in WWE today. And it's not even close.
There isn't another man or woman in the company who can compete with Owens for that title. Seth Rollins is the closest to him, but a knee injury has robbed fans of seeing just how these two would have stacked up during an entire calendar year.
In terms of sheer ability, Owens can compete against the roster's best. Put him in the ring with peers like Cesaro and AJ Styles, and fans will be guaranteed a classic match. If you give him opponents a notch below him, Owens will raise their performances. Cena wasn't considered the best mat technician, but Owens brought out the best in him during their three matches last year.
On the mic, Owens is a master. It's not hard to see Owens besting every Superstar on the roster in a verbal battle, as he's done against the likes of Ryback and Dolph Ziggler. Fans can froth thinking about how Owens and Paul Heyman would hype a match between him and Brock Lesnar.
What separates Owens from everyone else, though, is his drive and passion. Every Superstar will tell you they aim to be the best in the business. That's probably true. The difference between everyone else and Owens is that, with Owens, it truly feels like he's pining for greatness.
Every promo, every senton and every Twitter jab is delivered with such crispness. It's the same feeling one gets when watching Lesnar and Heyman work together. They don't want to only entertain; they also want to be great every single time out.
With Lesnar, that greatness is on display on only a handful of days each year thanks to his sweetheart deal with WWE. Owens does the same thing more than 300 days a year at pay-per-views like Extreme Rules, on Raw in Dallas or at house shows in Kalamazoo, Michigan.
As Daily DDT's Carl Gac wrote, "[Owens] has proved in the last year that if you let a performer do what they are good at, then he will give it his all and make you mega bucks. Over the last year, without a doubt, Kevin Owens is the MVP of WWE."
There isn't a feud or match Owens should be an underdog in, including at Extreme Rules 2016.
WWE Extreme Rules 2016 Fatal 4-Way Match Prediction
5 of 5
So Kevin Owens will walk out of Extreme Rules 2016 as the intercontinental champion, right?
Probably not. Why? Because Owens is too important to keep in the midcard. With three other Superstars who can give the IC title the attention it deserves, giving Owens another run with the title seems lazy.
How long would it take before fans wondered when Owens would drop the title so he could make a run in the main event scene? Two months? Three, maybe?
Owens has outgrown the midcard, and he's destined for feuds with the likes of Roman Reigns, Brock Lesnar and, yes, John Cena (again). You don't face those Superstars for the Intercontinental Championship.
As noted before, a Sami Zayn run with the IC title doesn't yet feel right. So he's out. That leaves The Miz and Cesaro.
Either would be a great choice, but it feels like Cesaro's time. He's been a breakout star since Vince McMahon's criticism of the Superstar on The Stone Cold Podcast more than a year ago. He's held his own against the best of the best in WWE over that time, including Seth Rollins, Cena and Owens.
It's easy to see Cesaro working against a majority of the roster, being the workhorse of WWE much like Cena was during his United States Championship reign. He is also a Superstar who can get the best out of both veterans and rookies in the ring, making decent matches good and good ones great.
Cesaro is the best choice to be the new intercontinental champion after the Fatal 4-Way match at Extreme Rules. Whether he can be the man to finally elevate the title to its former glory remains to be seen.
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