The Miz is seeking to make history, but his challengers’ goals might be even bigger

Intercontinental Championship Triple Threat Match

Seth Rollins vs. The Miz (c) vs. Finn Balor

All three want to leave the New Orleans Superdome on Sunday, April 8 with that gorgeous white and gold strap. The belt means different things to each man, though.

The Road to WrestleMania

One man was the Iron Man in this year’s Royal Rumble. Another defeated Roman Reigns and John Cena in back-to-back matches, wrestling on Raw for over an hour.

The final man is the Miz.

Those three equally compelling accomplishments aside, the Road to WrestleMania hasn’t been easy. Finn Balor has struggled to regain his footing on Raw after obliterating his right shoulder in 2016. His 2017 featured two failed attempts to become #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship and an abruptly-ended feud with Bray Wyatt that ate up a sizable chunk of his year.

Things have looked up for him in the new year. Forming the Balor Club in January and earning an endorsement from DX, Balor became the Iron Man in the Royal Rumble. He defeated the Miz on Raw to earn his shot at the Intercontinental Championship.

The Kingslayer Seth Rollins spent a large portion of 2017 attempting to make amends for past mistakes. Rollins eventually won back Dean Ambrose’s trust and the two became Raw Tag Team Champions at SummerSlam.

But things haven’t all been great for Rollins. A brief Shield reunion was cut short with Ambrose injuring his triceps, and an intriguing tag team run with Jason Jordan fell victim to injury as well. Left without a partner, Rollins has wants to reach the mountaintop once again – but this time without any underhanded tricks.

Since being drafted to Raw in April 2017, The Miz has been all about the Intercontinental Championship. He won the title at Extreme Rules against Ambrose and quickly formed the Miztourage to help him defend his precious championship. Defending against the likes of Jordan, Jeff Hardy, and Roman Reigns, the Miz briefly relinquished the title to Reigns before winning it back in January.

What’s at stake?

Each man has something unique to prove.

In the amount of time that Finn Balor’s spent on Raw, he’s held gold for less than one day. The Miz in particular has grilled him for it, making Balor out as a pretender who is living on a phrase and hand gesture that isn’t even his.

For Balor, winning the Intercontinental Championship means relevance.

Seth Rollins was on top of the Authority’s carefully curated world several years ago as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Since turning face, however, he hasn’t even come close to winning a major title. His best opportunity came against Finn Balor at SummerSlam 2016 – and as Balor has made sure to point out, he beat Rollins with one arm.

For Rollins, winning the Intercontinental Championship means atonement. It means that he’s finally paid for his sins and that he can become “the man” again, this time without anyone else propping him up.

The Miz has always felt slighted. He wields his championship and A-List moniker as weapons against those who would say he’s not a true wrestling star. He may not have the lengthy, numerous WWE Championship runs of a John Cena or the lovability of Daniel Bryan, but he’s made his way in the wrestling world and done things on his own terms. And with each day that passes, the Miz gets closer to becoming the longest reigning Intercontinental Champion in history.

For the Miz, history is at stake – and in a triple threat, his history is in more jeopardy than ever before.

What to Expect

Despite a clearly defined story, there is still a lot up in the air with this match.

For starters, will we see the Demon from Balor? I’d imagine so; the Demon was made for WrestleMania. It would seem like a missed opportunity to leave the Demon home.

Will the Miztourage and Balor Club interfere in the match? I’d say it’s highly likely. In the build, the Balor Club has helped to mitigate the Miz’s usual numbers advantage. And I would never put it past “The Architect” to not have a trick up his sleeve.

As for the match itself, the talent is there. The history and bad blood are there as well. If these three get enough time, they might steal the show at WrestleMania.