Going into Survivor Series, most folks believed that the Intercontinental and Cruiserweight titles would trade places. They believed Kallisto would leave Toronto as the new cruiser champ, and that Canada's own Sami Zayn would be the IC champ.
Vince McMahon didn't see it that way, and that's why the belts remain on Smackdown & Raw, respectively.
The Miz's 6th IC title run shouldn't be happening. He's become another heel too dependent on outside help to win matches. Another weak, cowardly champion, which plays up the narrative that Daniel Bryan started with Miz over the summer. I'm sorry, but that was the wrong way to go, screwing Zayn over in his native land plays into Raw's unwritten rule about hometown/home country stars.
Instead, the undeserving Miz will likely face the man he cheated out of the title a week ago, Dolph Ziggler, at TLC. However, that should not be allowed to go as a 1-on-1 match. Zayn was fed to Braun Strowman, the latest in a long string of "hoss" bully heels that Vince craves like an addict, on Raw as "punishment" for failing to win the IC title. That shouldn't have happened, either.
This is how I'd book the last two nights:
1. Maryse gets to the ring bell to distract Zayn. The referee is predictably clueless and confused, a ream that hasn't been used since Luke Gallows was working as Festus nearly a decade ago. Miz retains, but wait.
Along comes Raw GM Mick Foley and a 2nd referee. After a discussion, it is decided that the pin is disallowed, and that the match will continue, but Maryse is ejected and removed from the building. It is announced that if Miz refuses to continue, he not only will be disqualified, but stripped of the ill-gained belt. Caught between a rock and a hard place, Miz is forced to continue, and ends up eating a Helluva Kick about 5-6 minutes into the restart, and Zayn wins the title.
In a post-match interview, Zayn, aware of how Miz stole the title from Ziggler, offers Dolph a match for the title, and says that he had prepared for Dolph up until 5 days before the PPV. Miz will not get his rematch unless he agrees to specific terms and conditions that Zayn will negotiate with Foley.
2. On Raw, Zayn would face Titus O'Neil instead of Strowman, and win in about 8 minutes. Miz appears via videotape, and threatens to ruin everything by becoming a 7-time IC champ.
On Smackdown, Ziggler cuts a promo, and accepts Zayn's offer. He then proceeds to destroy Miz in under 3 minutes with 2 Zig Zags and a superkick. Maryse tries to interfere, but is cut off by GM Daniel Bryan, who is at ringside.
After the match, Bryan announces that Zayn vs. Ziggler will take place not at TLC, but on Raw. He finally does what he should have done in the first place, and that is put Maryse on indefinite suspension for her repeated violations, "Total Divas" be damned.
Miz is essentially placed on job duty for 2 months and has to earn a spot in the Royal Rumble to get back in the title hunt.
Now, let's address the problem with the cruiser title.
Baron Corbin, Smackdown's new campus bully, if you will, got Kallisto DQd vs. Brian Kendrick. This is another problem that Bryan has to solve.
Aware that "205 Live!", the WWE Network's new Tuesday night follow-up to Smackdown, will bow November 29, it bothers Bryan and Commissioner Shane McMahon that Corbin ruined it for Smackdown just because he doesn't like cruiserweights.
Well, Shane, old fellow, it's a reflection on your father's lack of trust and understanding. What JBL is on the mic, Corbin is in the ring, an avatar for your senile father.
Like Zayn, Kallisto is owed a rematch. With Kendrick now defending vs. Rich Swann on 11/29 (taping 11/28), Shane puts in a call to his sister, Stephanie, prior to the 11/28 Raw, to talk business.
On the 11/28 Raw, Kendrick wins a non-title match over Sin Cara via tapout with the Captain's Hook. Swann is on commentary. Post-match, Stephanie is out, along with Foley. She reveals that she's agreed to give Kallisto another shot at the cruiser title with the same stipulations as at Survivor Series, and it's now a triple threat elimination match, the way it should be. Kallisto happens to be in the building in Charlotte.
Kallisto, despite Corbin attempting to interfere again, beats Kendrick and Swann on "205 Live!", so the cruisers will move to Smackdown. Corbin cuts a promo, but is cut off by Stephanie, who announces that Corbin will not bother any of the cruiserweights ever again, as he has been traded, along with the Miz & Maryse, to Raw, and that Corbin will get a US title shot vs. Roman Reigns on 12/5.
11/29: In his final match on Smackdown, Miz is squashed again, this time by Kane in 2:11 after Miz claims he'll have his lawyers block the trade. Kane is doing a solid for his former tag team partner. Maryse's suspension will remain in effect until January 1, as the only negotiation involving her is to add her to the Raw women's division, which can use a veteran presence, instead of being lazy and unwilling to work a match.
12/5: On Raw, Ziggler visits and puts over Zayn in 17:11. Miz tries to interfere, but eats a superkick and a Helluva Kick for his troubles, then ends up getting squashed by Curtis Axel.
In my opinion, Miz has been weakened instead of strengthened because of Vince and Uncreative's inability to understand not only the cruiserweight division, but what the audience really wants in this day and age. He has no credibility, and, by extension, has undone all the work done by the likes of Ziggler, Cody Rhodes, and others before him to put some prestige back into the IC title. It is just a prop on a poser champion, and that shouldn't be happening.
It's Vince's fault, of course, but he'll never cop to it. He doesn't know how.
