The Miz vs. Dolph Ziggler: Winner and Reaction from WWE Backlash 2016

The Miz's impressive WWE Intercontinental Championship reign of 160 days continued at Backlash on Sunday, when he defeated Dolph Ziggler with the title on the line.

WWE provided a look at how the match ended: 

Praise for both The Miz and the match came in bunches on Twitter: 

The Miz even paid homage to Daniel Bryan at one point, as WWE Universe showed: 

After the match, WWE posted an Instagram photo of the champion and his wife:

After successfully retaining the Intercontinental Championship in a match against Apollo Crews at SummerSlam, The Miz was miffed at the lack of focus on him during the following episode of SmackDown.

The A-Lister made his displeasure known when he confronted SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan and engaged in a heated war of words on Talking Smack.

Bryan called The Miz a coward because of what he perceives to be a safe wrestling style, while The Miz fired back and called Bryan a coward for retiring because of injuries, via WWE Network:

Fans praised The Miz for the fire and passion he displayed in the promo, and he attempted to follow that up on the next edition of SmackDown.

The former WWE champion listed his accomplishments and explained his value to the company until The Showoff interrupted him.

Dolph Ziggler challenged Miz to a fight and gave him an opportunity to prove he wasn't a coward, but The Awesome One stood down and opted for self-preservation instead.

Following the confrontation, Bryan announced on Talking Smack that Miz would defend the Intercontinental Championship against Dolph Ziggler at Backlash.

Miz didn't take kindly to that decision:

Dolph Ziggler lost his WWE World Heavyweight Championship match against Dean Ambrose at SummerSlam, and AJ Styles later defeated him on SmackDown with another title shot on the line.

While Miz felt as though Dolph Ziggler's losing efforts didn't deserve to be rewarded, he found himself engaged in a rivalry with the talented veteran, who was a threat to end his title reign.

Miz and Dolph Ziggler have had many battles over the years, and their familiarity was on full display Sunday as they put on an entertaining match that featured plenty of back-and-forth action.

The Miz managed to come away with the victory, but he may not have seen the last of Dolph Ziggler.

Miz's resourcefulness and veteran savvy got him out of a difficult situation; however, if Dolph Ziggler remains in hot pursuit, Miz's run with the title could still be in jeopardy.

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