From the WWE Rumor Mill: Huge update on the planned Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania
What's the story?
The plan for the Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania has changed a number of times over the past few weeks, but it seems that the most recent update now is that it will be defended in a fatal five-way match at the biggest event of the year.
In case you didn't know...
The original plan for the match was for Braun Strowman to take on The Miz at WrestleMania for the title, which would explain the end of the gauntlet match last week on Raw, but it seems that this has since changed and there were rumors that the match would instead feature Seth Rollins and Finn Balor, who stated their case for an Intercontinental Championship match this week when they both managed to defeat The Miz.
Rollins's plans for WrestleMania have changed a number of times as well since it seems that his original opponent was Dean Ambrose, before his injury and then Jason Jordan before neck surgery sidelined the former Tag Team Champion.
Rollins has now instead been inserted into a feud with The Miz, which now could be set to turn into another multi-man match for the title, despite rumors that Braun Strowman is being kept fresh so that he can be added to the Universal Championship match in the coming weeks.
The heart of the matter
There have been a number of conflicting reports over the past week when it comes to the Intercontinental Championship, but it seems that the most recent update comes from Justin Barrasso of Sports Illustrated.
Barrasso claims that the current plan is for The Miz to defend the Championship in a fatal five-way match that will include Rollins, Balor, Elias, and Strowman. A feud between Elias and Strowman has already been teased to continue, whilst Rollins and Balor have laid down the groundwork for the beginning of their feud, which could easily lead to a fatal five-way match in five weeks time.
What's next?
Seth Rollins challenged The Miz to a match for the Championship at WrestleMania this past week on Raw, but it seems that Balor was the one who responded and told 'The Architect' that if he wanted the match then he would have to go through him. This could lead to an interesting build to one of the most underrated titles on the Raw roster right now.
Author's take
It seems a little strange having Strowman in a match of this kind given all of the build-ups that he has had over the past year. Strowman is a monster and he proved that at the Chamber, there isn't a single man in this match that can stop him.
It would have made much more sense to add him to the match between Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar, but if this is the only way that WWE can get Braun on the WrestleMania card then the WWE Universe will gladly take it, providing The Monster Among Men walks out with the Championship.