The Miz's 7 Best Options for Next Intercontinental Title Feud on WWE Raw

The Miz and Dean Ambrose have been feuding over the Intercontinental Championship for the past year across two different brands, and after Ambrose gets his rematch, The A-Lister will likely move on to a new storyline.

Whether your love him or hate him, you have to admire how The Miz has managed to take the IC title and make it look like the most prestigious belt in the company, with his passion coming through when he talks about how important the championship is to him. 

The Miz has been one of the best heels and most consistent performers on the roster for a long time, but what's even more impressive is how he can manipulate the crowd to give him heat whenever he wants.

Moving to Raw opened the door for some exciting new feuds for the IC champion. This slideshow will look at the 7 best options for his next rival.

7. Elias Samson

The Miz and Elias Samson already have a relationship after The Drifter was used by the A-Lister to get the better of Ambrose during the buildup to their encounter at Extreme Rules.

Samson did The Miz a favor, but so far, that has not been returned. After The Lunatic Fringe is done pursuing the title, Samson could logically assume The Miz would grant him a shot at the belt.

It doesn't matter that both men are heels. WWE has done several heel vs. heel and babyface vs. babyface matches recently.

A program with The Miz could do wonders for Samson, even if he doesn't win the championship at the end of the story. 

As someone who is new to the main roster, coming close to winning a title would make him look better than winning a few random squash matches against jobbers.

6. R-Truth

Goldust and R-Truth floundered in the tag team division for the better part of a year, but their recent breakup seems to have rejuvenated both Superstars.

Goldie has returned to using something close to the original version of his character, but Truth has evolved into something new.

He is taking Goldust's obsession with Hollywood and using it to produce segments inspired by characters like Shaft and Dolomite.

If he continues to take this gimmick in an interesting direction, it could be a great replacement for the rapper character he has been using since his debut.

Truth and The Miz have a lot of history together as former tag team partners, so WWE Creative would have an easy time finding a way to reignite their rivalry.

5. Austin Aries

Austin Aries had some great matches against Neville for the Cruiserweight Championship, but after coming up short three times in a row, he needs to move on.

The cruiserweight division has a lot of talents who need time to develop, so having Aries move into a feud with someone from the regular roster would free up some space on 205 Live.

The Miz and Aries have a lot in common, especially when it comes to their level of confidence and use of sarcasm in their promos.

This would be a fresh matchup, which isn't something you can say too often in WWE these days. With the exception of a few newcomers, everyone has seemingly battled everyone else 100 times or more. Aries and The Miz have no previous history in any promotion. 

It would benefit everyone to have more cruiserweights associating with the main roster, and having one of the top talents on 205 Live pursue the IC title would be a great start.

4. Heath Slater

Heath Slater and Rhyno had a satisfying buildup to their big Tag Team Championships victory last year, but as soon as they won the titles in September, WWE stopped trying to push them. 

They have yet to see any action since being drafted to Raw, so giving one of them a short singles feud would be a good way to remind everyone they are still around.

Slater is unbelievably entertaining when he is given the right opportunity, and seeing his double-wide trailer attitude against The Miz's massive ego would be a great juxtaposition of personalities. 

A good way to keep Rhyno involved would be to have him serve as Slater's trainer leading up to the match. They could produce some funny segments in the gym together.

Slater wouldn't even have to win the belt. It would just be a short, fun feud to give The Miz a successful title defense and Slater and Rhyno some TV time. 

3. Big Cass

Big Cass and Enzo Amore are tied up with a mystery-attacker storyline, and if it ends with the team's break-up, The Miz would be a great first rival in the former's singles career. 

Cass has a bright future in the business if he can keep himself healthy and continue growing both in the ring and on the mic.

The Miz is someone who can pass on his experience to Cass while making him look good in the process. It's one of the A-Lister's least appreciated traits.

Having the big man win the belt would obviously give him a huge boost, but if he and Enzo remain a team after the mystery attacker is revealed, it would make less sense to put the title on him.

Just like with Slater and Rhyno, it's alright for one partner to occasionally engage in a singles feud. Plus, it would also be a lot of fun to watch Enzo and The Miz square off on the mic while Cass does the heavy lifting in the ring.

2. Seth Rollins

Seth Rollins is a main event player who always seems to be pursuing whatever top title is available. It's time he goes after something else.

As a former NXT, United States, tag team and WWE champion, Rollins has accomplished a lot in his career, but one title he has never held is the Intercontinental Championship.

He seems like the kind of person who would like to do everything at least once, so having him go after The Miz's title would be an easy story to write. 

The A-Lister and The Kingslayer have been in the ring together before, but they have never had a real feud. Both men are at the top of their respective games, so there's no better time than the present.

1. Finn Balor

Finn Balor was booked as a top star from the moment he debuted on the main roster last summer, but an unfortunate shoulder injury put him in a strange spot.

He has been back for a few weeks, but he hasn't started a proper storyline yet. Feuds with Brock Lesnar and Bray Wyatt have been teased, but nothing came of those encounters.

He may have been pushed too fast, so having him take a step back and chase a midcard championship would be a great way to reset and begin building momentum again.

The Miz and The Demon would be another original combination that could lead to some show-stealing performances from both Superstars.

Who would you like to see battle The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship next?