The Miz Retains WWE Intercontinental Championship at Extreme Rules 2016

The Miz's reign as the WWE intercontinental champion will continue after he won a Fatal 4-Way match over Cesaro, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens on Sunday at Extreme Rules.

Zayn hit a Helluva Kick on Cesaro, with Owens and Miz on the outside. When Zayn looked to be moments away from winning his first title on the main roster, Owens pulled him out of the ring to break the count, and Zayn attacked his rival on the outside.

The Miz took advantage with Cesaro down and got the pinfall.

WWE shared a video of the happy couple celebrating:

The minute the bell rang, the two competitors who had never been intercontinental champions in their WWE careers took out the competition. Zayn delivered a Helluva Kick to Owens, while Cesaro launched a European Uppercut to the jaw of the champion.

Zayn and Cesaro briefly rekindled some of the magic they created in NXT, much to the delight of the New Jersey crowd, via WWE:

After Zayn and Cesaro's back-and-forth affair, Owens took over the match. He took the fight to his rival and dominated Zayn for the next few minutes, via WWE:

The bulk of the match was highlighted by the three fan favorites. Miz was hardly involved. He delivered a Skull-Crushing Finale to Cesaro that resulted in a long two-count, but with the exception of a few more near-falls, it was mainly a three-man match.

But Miz, long known for being at the right place at the right time, grabbed the pinfall needed to retain the title. SmackDown broadcaster Mauro Ranallo could not contain his excitement:

Broadcaster Cathy Kelley also thought the match lived up to the hype:

"

140 characters isn't enough to describe how great this #Fatal4Way is right now. #ExtremeRules

— Cathy Kelley (@catherinekelley) May 23, 2016"

WWE is making it clear it wants Miz to hang on to the belt for the immediate future, which still doesn't make sense and hasn't since he won the title from Zack Ryder the night after WrestleMania. WWE feels it can mold Miz into a legitimate champion, but it's a matter of who deserves the belt more.

It also appears as though Zayn and Owens are going to start their buildup toward SummerSlam after their brawl at the end of the match. That leaves the door open for speculation on Cesaro, who could either get another shot at Miz for the intercontinental title or begin a new feud with someone else.