Intercontinental championship match
The Miz (c) vs. Dean Ambrose
These guys have faced each other a lot - but never with a Miztourage!
The Road to Great Balls of Fire
When Vince McMahon ordered the post-WrestleMania Superstar Shake-Up, both Miz and Dean Ambrose found themselves on Monday nights. As Dean still held the Intercontinental title he won from Miz back in January, it both was and wasn’t a surprise when they resumed their rivalry on the red brand.
Going back to late 2016 in their feud on SmackDown, it looked at one point like Ambrose’s wife Renee Young might get involved in the program. While that never happened, and Miz and his better half Maryse ended up in a very high-profile ‘Mania mixed tag match with another famous couple, the A-Lister and the Lunatic Fringe were destined to get a lot of people involved in their rivalry.
At some points in this feud, Elias Samson was so prominently involved - even picking up his first official main roster win over Ambrose via disqualification when Miz attacked The Drifter during their match - that the rumor mill speculated he might be the one to start a program with Dean.
That was just a means to an end, however, furthering the story behind the stipulation which would allow Miz to capture the IC title at Extreme Rules. If Dean was disqualified in that match, he’d lose the belt. While that was not how the championship changed hands at that pay-per-view (PPV), the threat of a DQ did create an opening for Miz to hit his finisher and win the match.
From there, Ambrose set about making Miz’s life miserable. And he didn’t have to do much. Using both men’s knowledge of how things go in the wacky world of sports entertainment, the new champ was sure his nemesis was everywhere - even inside expensive gifts from his wife and extras dressed as bears.
While his paranoia has resulted in friction in his marriage, it has helped Miz pick up some back-up. His Marine 5: Battleground co-stars Bo Dallas and (former Intercontinental champion) Curtis Axel were in need of something to do, anyway.
So now, in and out of bear suits of their own, Miz and his Miztourage are on a bit of a roll, even salvaging the fallout from an appearance by Lavar Ball and sons on Miz TV and turning it into a win in six-man tag action.
What does any of that tell us about this Sunday, July 9 at Great Balls of Fire? Well, unfortunately for Dean, there’s no stipulation whereby if the champ is DQ-ed, the title changes hands, so... look out for interference from the Miztourage.
What’s at stake?
That prestigious title. But what’s really important is the hope of landing a spot on a crowded SummerSlam card.
Whoever has the belt probably has better odds of landing a spot on August’s dual-branded event. Not that that kept Dean off the ‘Mania pre-show, but without a Total Divas feud to fall back on, it’s probably Ambrose and Miz’s best shot at not getting lost in the shuffle a la Finn Balor.
See what A-List lunacy goes down at Great Balls of Fire by keeping it here on Cageside Seats to find out who leaves Dallas with the Intercontinental championship!