Dream and Nightmare Scenarios for Drew McIntyre vs. Dolph Ziggler WWE Raw Feud

On Monday's episode of WWE Raw, former world champion Dolph Ziggler made his debut on the red brand and challenged Drew McIntyre to a match for the WWE Championship at Extreme Rules.

While the bout should be an in-ring masterclass taught by two of the hardest workers in the industry, the fact that WWE Creative is booking the storyline could make it a dream scenario or a complete nightmare for those involved and fans at home.

As seen in recent months, the company's track record of successful storytelling is not good.

Here are the dream and nightmare scenarios for McIntyre vs. Ziggler as the two men begin their Raw feud leading into the July 19 pay-per-view.

Dream: Bobby Lashley Gets Involved

The feud between McIntyre and Bobby Lashley was one of the highlights of Raw before the challenger lost and was sent away from the WWE title scene. With Ziggler in the picture now, the Extreme Rules match is bound to get convoluted.

Not only has no stipulation been added to the match yet, likely setting the stage for plenty of interference and a non-finish, but all of the parties involved would also benefit from this storyline becoming a Triple Threat program heading into SummerSlam.

Lashley could attack McIntyre, giving Ziggler the victory and a reason to have another title shot. Add in the fact that the Scot is a fighting champion, and the three men would be on a collision course for Raw's most important belt.

A non-finish is not ideal for a PPV, but with SummerSlam around the corner on Aug. 23, the WWE Universe should be willing to sacrifice the quality of McIntyre vs. Ziggler for the chance to get a three-way battle featuring Lashley.

Nightmare: McIntyre Treats Ziggler Like a Jobber

The absolute worst-case scenario would be McIntyre coming out at Extreme Rules and treating Ziggler like a jobber by hitting a few moves and winning clean.

While beating a former world champion would build the Scot's credit, it would stunt any momentum The Showoff had jumping ship to the red brand and destroy any remaining credibility he has with fans.

WWE Creative has shown a wavering dedication to Ziggler in the past, booking him at times as a top heel and others as a glorified jobber. Instead of casting the talented performer aside, he should be one of the featured attractions on Mondays.

There are many ways the company can book this storyline, but letting the challenger lose without putting up a fight would be a nightmare.

Dream: Ziggler Stuns the World with MVP

The best-case scenario for all parties involved would be for Ziggler to align himself with MVP over the course of the match and use his distraction to steal the WWE Championship away from McIntyre.

On the heel side, The Showoff would earn instant credibility as a WWE champion and MVP would fulfill his prophecy of managing a world titleholder. In addition, the potential issues between Lashley and Ziggler could make for an intriguing angle.

On McIntyre's side, losing the title would be a major blow initially, but faces chasing belts usually makes for more intriguing storylines. Add in the fact that he could win the title back when fans are again in attendance, and the reaction he would earn for his true coronation would be worth the loss.

The rematch between Ziggler and McIntyre at SummerSlam would be a vicious battle, but it could be MVP and Lashley who get involved and again screw the Scot out of his opportunity.

The WWE Universe would be firmly behind the mistreated babyface hero.

Nightmare: McIntyre Wins Via Disqualification

Another nightmare possibility would be McIntyre winning in a short match after Ziggler gets desperate and uses a weapon or hits the champion with a low blow.

The Showoff asking for a world championship match he doesn't deserve was already a stretch, but the challenger getting a rematch after costing himself the win by breaking the rules would be anticlimactic and nonsensical.

If WWE Creative is set on having a disqualification in the match, Ziggler should pull an Eddie Guerrero and pretend McIntyre hit him with a chair. When the referee hears the chair smash and sees the challenger sprawled out on the mat, he will have no choice but to DQ the champion.

While the outcome still wouldn't be ideal, at least it would make sense when booking a rematch.

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