At SummerSlam, The Miz will defend the Intercontinental Championship against relative main roster newcomer Apollo Crews. The Miz won his fifth Intercontinental Championship on April 4, 2016, the night after Wrestlemania 32, by defeating Zack Ryder. Not too long after winning the title, The Miz went on a short hiatus to film another movie for WWE Films, so there hasn’t been much in the way of title defenses recently.
SummerSlam Preview: The Miz vs. Apollo Crews
Apollo Crews arrived on the main roster at the first Smackdown! taping after Wrestlemania 32. After a couple of short lived feuds with the Social Outcasts and Stardust, Crews’ first meaningful feud came against Sheamus. This feud, however was rather short lived thanks in part to the recent brand split as Crews was drafted to Smackdown Live and Sheamus to RAW. On the second episode of Smackdown Live, Crews won a New Era Triple Threat Match over Baron Corbin and Kalisto to earn the right to challenge The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship at SummerSlam. Crews has often been branded as the “face of the new era” on television, but it remains to be seen how WWE truly views him. Is Crews just the beneficiary of a thin Smackdown roster, or does Vince McMahon and company have bigger plans for the young, talented superstar?
The Miz was at one time the biggest heel in the WWE. At Wrestlemania 27, The Miz successfully defended the WWE Championship against John Cena. After losing the WWE Championship shortly after Wrestlemania, everything seemed to just go downhill for the former reality star. However, he is starting to gain momentum again on Tuesday nights. The Miz is someone that can carry the secondary title and continue to elevate the Intercontinental Championship. Paired on television with his real life wife Maryse, The Miz can carry entire segments with both his in-ring and microphone skills.
SummerSlam is currently a stacked card that currently features 11 matches. Will these two have the time to show off what they can do in the ring or will the fall victim to being a short filler match between some of the higher profile matches on the card? Look for The Miz to retain with some sort of classic heel tactic to keep this feud going over the next couple of months.
