Projecting How Long Dolph Ziggler Will Be IC Champ After Beating Seth Rollins

In a stunning title change, Dolph Ziggler stole the Intercontinental Championship from Seth Rollins on Monday's episode of Raw with a little help from his friend, Drew McIntyre.

The loss for Rollins came one night after he successfully defended the IC title against Elias at Money in the Bank. Coming into Raw, The Architect was the dependable champion the red brand needed without Brock Lesnar there every week.

On the surface, the title change may feel abrupt, but Ziggler is one of the best in-ring workers in WWE and has been one of the true workhorses in the company for almost a decade. The key for Ziggler will be playing the quintessential heel against the top babyface on Raw right now.

Thankfully, Ziggler has McIntyre as backup.

The feud between Ziggler and Rollins will become the workhorse storyline heading into Extreme Rules and beyond, starting next week on Raw when the former champion invokes his rematch clause.

While the two men will fight week after week on Raw, the interference and actual matchups featuring McIntyre will keep the storyline fresh and help keep the title away from Rollins until SummerSlam on August 19.

Next week, McIntyre should get physically involved in the title match, helping Ziggler retain the championship via disqualification. Rollins will go to Raw general manager Kurt Angle to ask for another shot at the belt, and their battle will be added to the Extreme Rules card on July 15.

After a DQ finish at the July PPV, Rollins will earn his way back into the IC title scene on the road to SummerSlam.

The long-term story about a face chasing the heel champion, which ultimately culminates with The Architect getting his championship back at WWE's second-biggest event, is exactly what Raw needs because of the lack of hype around the Universal Championship.

With the ultimate goal of Rollins taking the IC title back at a marquee event, Ziggler must use the coming weeks to cement his status as one of the best talkers and in-ring storytellers in the business. With the bright lights on and an elite talent to challenge, The Showoff and McIntyre can prove they are unstoppable.

Once the inevitable rematch is in the books and Rollins has moved on to a new program, Ziggler and McIntyre should take the tag team division by force with newfound credibility. Bray Wyatt and Matt Hardy are desperate for a chance to create visual magic in a real storyline, and the wars between these four men would be PPV-worthy.

Ziggler's title reign may not make it through SummerSlam, but the impact of winning the championship from Rollins and defending it in a top storyline will help carry his tag team to the belts in another division.

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