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After successfully defending his Intercontinental Title in a grueling battle against Elias at Money In The Bank, Seth Rollins' first reign as Intercontinental champion came to a shocking end when he lost the title to Dolph Ziggler on RAW this week.
Maybe he was underprepared or overconfident or just not fit to wrestle on that night. But all said and done, The Architect is no longer the fighting champion of the red brand anymore. Nobody saw this coming, especially after his spectacular performance against Elias the night before.
Just when the WWE Universe thought that the Kingslayer was unstoppable, Ziggler had other plans and finally won his overdue championship. Whether Ziggler retains his newly won title next week is a question we'll have to wait for to be answered. But rest assured, we are all in for a wrestling spectacle next week.
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Seth Rollins' loss came as a surprise to many, so here we look at five possible reasons why he lost the title to Ziggler all of a sudden.
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#5 Rollins has legitimately hurt his knee
Every single member of the WWE Universe is well aware of the fact that Seth Rollins had injured his knee at a live event in Dublin in a match against Kane. The then WWE Champion had torn his anterior cruciate ligament, MCL, and meniscus during that match. He was also forced to vacate the WWE Title because of the injury that sidelined him for eight months.
When he made his return, he was betrayed by Triple H when The Game helped Kevin Owens win the Universal Title after he hit Rollins with a Pedigree. Triple H's betrayal ignited a feud between the COO and Rollins. During this feud, Rollins was attacked by Samoa Joe and this attack tore Rollins' MCL for the second time. The Kingslayer was given the green signal in six weeks and wrestled Triple H at WrestleMania 33.
At Money In The Bank as well as at RAW, we saw Rollins clenching his knee after every high impact move he executed. Does this mean that his knee is giving way again? While this may be a work, one may never know what is really happening behind the scenes. Maybe the absence of Lesnar on RAW put too much pressure on the former IC Champion and this his time to cool off and come back stronger than before.
#4 To do right by Dolph Ziggler
It's a known fact the Ziggler has been involved in some questionable booking decisions in the past. One such booking decision that comes to mind is his run just before and after becoming the US Champion.
Before becoming the US Champion, Ziggler was involved in a dead end feud with Apollo Crews and Kalisto and also failed to seal a spot on SmackDown's Survivor Series team to Bobby Roode.
Finally, when Ziggler beat Baron Corbin and Bobby Roode in a triple threat match at Clash of Champions to become the US Champion, the WWE Universe was excited and thought that WWE had given Ziggler his due. Surprisingly, on the following episode of SmackDown, Ziggler left the US Title in the middle of the ring and vanished.
The Show-Off returned as the No. 30 entrant in the 2018 Royal Rumble but failed to win it. He was also given a chance to win the WWE Title at Fastlane in a fatal five-way match, in which he failed yet again.
After he was unsuccessful in winning the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania 34, Ziggler was drafted to RAW and teamed up with Drew McIntyre.
This seemed like another decision going down the drain until he won the IC Title this week. Maybe this is the way of WWE apologizing to Ziggler and making it up to him. Whatever the reason may be, it is good to see Ziggler as a champion and in a relevant role after a long time.
#3 To push Drew McIntyre's singles run
Drew McIntyre made a huge statement when he made his second main roster debut. Ziggler and he would have made an unstoppable pair, but with RAW's Tag Team Title picture looking stacked, Ziggler winning the IC Title isn't such a bad call.
Ziggler capturing the IC Title helps these two competitors to go their own way. A man with McIntyre's physique deserves to be near the main event picture. This week, Kurt Angle announced that there will be a multi-man match at Extreme Rules to crown the next challenger to Brock Lesnar's Universal Title.
We know that Lashley and Reigns are going to be a part of this match, but who could the remaining competitors be? With Strowman winning the MITB briefcase, it almost doesn't matter who the No. 1 Contender is. Strowman is the kind of contender who would insert himself in a match making it a triple threat one from the get-go.
Speaking of other possible contenders, McIntyre wouldn't be the worst option. While It may be premature for him to dethrone The Beast, inserting McIntyre in that match along with big names like Lashley and Reigns will help his credibility by leaps and bounds. This won't be the worst booking option as the crowd is bored of Reigns and boos him as soon as it sees his face.
#2 McIntyre to turn on Ziggler
The Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre alliance hasn't been doing much since its debut. This is mainly due to RAW trying to push the lesser known teams. Ziggler and McIntyre will be better appreciated as individuals rather than as a team.
Now with Ziggler winning the IC Title but costing the team a chance to challenge the Deletor of Worlds two weeks back, wouldn't go down well with McIntyre. McIntyre seemed really upset and displeased with Ziggler in a backstage interview a couple of weeks back.
This could be the perfect opportunity for McIntyre to be annoyed by Ziggler stealing the limelight. McIntyre has been long overdue a title reign. He has proved himself in the independent circuit as well as in NXT. The crowd will welcome a fresh face as a champion and get behind him from the very beginning.
#1 Seth Rollins to dethrone Brock Lesnar
Seth Rollins has been the hottest wrestler in sports entertainment for quite some time now. He is one man who can wrestle with a broom and make the broom look good. In their last meeting, The Undertaker made a surprise appearance and attacked the man who broke The Streak.
This time, Seth Rollins is better than ever and can be a more legitimate threat to Lesnar's title than he was the previous time. This is the match that the WWE Universe would love to watch. Everyone is bored of Reigns vs Lesnar and now is the time for someone else to take Reigns' place. Who better than the Fighting Champion?
Rollins is probably the most over Superstar in the WWE. The reaction he will get when he beats The Beast can be matched by none. The crowd would go berzerk and it would be the best way to end Lesnar's reign as Universal Champion.
Do you think Seth Rollins will be the one to slay The Beast? Let us know in the comments below!
