Show
Time and location
DALLAS — It’s good to be The Miz: A beautiful wife, a devoted Miztourage, and, still, the Intercontinental Championship following a successful title defense against Dean Ambrose at WWE Great Balls of Fire.
Granted, Miz owes a great deal of debt to that same Miztourage, who commanded Ambrose’s attention from the jump. The Lunatic Fringe faced, essentially, a 3-on-1 disadvantage and seemed to be handling it well at first, taking out Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas after putting Miz in an early hole. But The Axe Man’s presence distracted Ambrose enough for Miz to reclaim the advantage, and The A-Lister held that lead for minutes on end before The Lunatic Fringe mustered up the energy to respond.
The Awesome One quickly answered back, busting Ambrose’s mouth open before battering his knee in the Tree of Woe in order to soften up the No. 1 contender for the Figure-Four Leglock. The Lunatic Fringe not only broke the hold but quickly willed himself into a second wind, goading The Miz into an uncharacteristically aggressive charge that landed the champion square in the path of an elbow drop.
Maryse and The Miztourage immediately entered the fray, with the former distracting the ref while the latter pulled The Lunatic Fringe out of the ring. Ambrose rallied to take out Miz and Miztourage with an elbow drop and land Dirty Deeds, but Maryse placed her husband’s foot on the ropes to break up the pinfall. Ambrose instantly followed up with a suicide dive, and The Miztourage again interjected when Axel climbed onto the apron and was instantly tossed aside by Ambrose. This distracted the ref, however, which allowed Dallas to hammer Dean in the back of the head, staggering The Lunatic Fringe into a match-ending Skull-Crushing Finale.
So, The Miz remains champion, but like any star worth his salt, it’s fair to say he’s only as good as his team. And if this match is that indication, that makes him very, very good.