Intercontinental Champion Seth Rollins def. The Miz, Finn Bálor and Samoa Joe (Ladder Match)

JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA — Climb ladder. Take title. Make history. Seth Rollins ascended past a perpetual challenger, an ongoing rival and a complete wild card to retain the Intercontinental Championship at the Greatest Royal Rumble event.

Between the high stakes and the ravenous opposition, it was anything but an easy win for The Architect. The Miz — that perpetual challenger who has become near-synonymous with the Intercontinental Title — played a long game in pursuit of his record-tying ninth reign. Pointedly, he didn’t throw his body quite as passionately to the winds, as he has already invoked a one-on-one rematch for WWE Backlash in two weeks. Instead, he bided his time until his opponents were occupied and attempted to form an alliance with the match’s resident X-factor, Samoa Joe.

Finn Bálor, whose in-ring path has been intertwined with Rollins' own since 2016, was far more reckless in his pursuit of his first Intercontinental Title. The Extraordinary Man seemed to be engaged in a test of one-upsmanship with himself, soaring onto his opponents with an early plancha and engaging in a slugfest with Miz atop the ladder as the title hung from above, just beyond his reach. Joe, meanwhile, had not made it a vocal ambition of his of late to take the Intercontinental Title — he has been more preoccupied with Roman Reigns lately — but he was more than happy to punish everyone in sight by using the ladders as weapons. It was going to take a big swing to keep him down, and Bálor was happy to supply it, tipping Joe off the ladder to finally subdue him.

As for Rollins, the champion found himself waylaid at each turn and unable to gain a lead secure enough that would allow him to retain the title. So, he settled for a quick-strike surprise: Moments after Bálor sent Joe tumbling off the ladder and began to ascend, The Architect springboarded onto the rungs, sprinted up into the lights and ripped the title from its hook before Bálor even knew what had happened.

The sudden loss left The Extraordinary Man at a total loss for words. Rollins, meanwhile, let out a victorious war cry that needed no translation for the sold-out crowd in King Abdullah Sports City Stadium: On this day, he was a little bit faster, a little bit smarter and, for now, he reaps the rewards.