WWE TLC: Intercontinental Championship Ladder Match - Harper (c) VS Ziggler

[Jack-Hammer]

Announced on SmackDown! last night, Luke Harper will defend the Intercontinental Championship at the TLC ppv against Dolph Ziggler in a Ladder Match.

I have a feeling the title will change hands tomorrow night with Ziggler winning the strap for the 4th time. Ziggler has yet to have a particularly strong run as champion and if he regains the title Sunday, I think it's the last real opportunity for WWE to do something with him as IC champ. Ziggler has momentum right now, he's more over than he's ever been and they've been constantly harping on how important the IC title is to him since he won it for the 3rd time.

 

[Mustang Sally]

I have a feeling the title will change hands tomorrow night with Ziggler winning the strap for the 4th time.

Agreed. Last night, I was thinking if Dolph won the title, the seeming push being given him was reality. With Dolph, you never know. A couple years ago, I figured he'd be crushed eventually, but they took him all the way to a world title.....although it lasted only a few days.

Now, for some reason, the company seems to want to shoot him back up the ladder; why, I don't know.....I don't see him possessing any qualities he hasn't shown all along. But when last night's match ended inconclusively, it figured a match at the PPV was in the offing.

So, I say it again; if Harper retains, I'll doubt that Dolph is going anywhere soon.....but if he regains the title, as I believe he will, we're going to have to watch a Dolph Ziggler push once again.

Whoop-de-friggin'-do.

 

[L@RISANO]

I was surprised at this match happening again, as I really figured that given the way Rusev got eliminated at Survivor Series, maybe him and Ziggler would butt heads.


I still think that perhaps, Ziggler can win the IC title again and then move onto a programme going into Mania where him and Rusev unify the MidCard titles. It would be a nice way to keep Ziggler relevant, whilst holding off on pushing Rusev into a programme with a Top Babyface like a Cena or Reigns.


Of course, some Bad News could be awaiting one of these guys come the end of TLC...

 

[Dave]

Again!?

Why!?

I am the opposite of Sally at this point. I think giving him the Intercontinental strap just means that he is going to be treading water for another 6 months. Giving someone the mid card Championship means that they are only going to be feuding with people at that level. Let Harper go over him because of some outside interference or something and let Ziggler do his thing away from the Championship for a while. If they handle it correctly, then Ziggler could be the next big main event talent in the WWE.

At this point, he has outgrown the Intercontinental Championship. Someone like Luke Harper could be doing with an extended run in the mid-card, especially after his break from Wyatt. Ziggler could go ahead and feud with anyone in the main event scene and, right now, it would make sense. He is riding a wave of momentum and putting the strap back on him is just going to spoil that.

 

[Y 2 Jake]

Ziggler will win because if not then why was he promoted so strongly at Survivor Series? But that just means reverting back to square one in the I.C. title picture. Ziggler is going nowhere, inside we all know that. So keep the title on Harper and see if he catches on.

 

[sMark]

I see this match as a no win situation for Ziggler:
1) IC title level is midcarders with no actual direction behind them, Ziggler should be above that level, so he doesn't need this title anymore, this means he doesn't need to win the match, but
2) He need a win right now to stay on upper midcard level, but he will win a damned IC title then, which he doesn't need at all
3) even with 2 things above Ziggler could steal a show and look good in fans' eyes, but Luke Harper is not a guy who is able to do 5 star matches.

Now, Harper vs Rowan in a ladder match and Ziggler vs Show in chairs could be so much better. Harper/Rowan match is what people want to see right now and logical, and Show could be a huge obstacle Ziggler should overcome to cement his status, but what do i know.

 

[kadroan]

This is another match up I'm surprised they're having again. I thought they'd go with Rollins vs. Ziggler since Ziggler pinned Rollins at SS and have him move on to bigger and better things like trying to win Rollins' MITB briefcase like Cena tried to two years ago at TLC and Rowan vs. Harper since they've been teasing tension for weeks.

However, this match makes sense as Ziggler didn't get a fair rematch against Harper. It's a tough call because yes, Ziggler chasing the IC Championship makes the title seem more important rather than like a decoration in recent years but who can afford the loss?

Harper only had the title for a month. The title has been passed around like a hot potato this fall with Ziggler and The Miz. However, Harper is a fresh face to the title and as we learned with Big E as IC Champion, just because you have a long title reign doesn't mean you're a great champion.

It would be great if Ziggler won the title as TLC. Harper chases the IC title and Bad News Barrett returns and knocks out Ziggler to have a three way feud for the IC title going into 2015.

 

[Bone For Tuna]

Harper > Ziggler.

Having said that, I don't really care who wins or loses but I just thought maybe I would make a post and ask if this crossed anyone else's mind. Why does WWE consistently put guys who have a history of concussions, in some of the most dangerous fucking matches they possibly can? Ladder matches, TLC's, MITB, even the Elimination Chamber to some extent - every year it seems like somebody fresh off a concussion (I know Ziggler's last was a while ago now, but still) is thrown into some kind of match where the risk is ten times higher than what it would be normally, and most of the time it seems, WWE could go a different route. I mean, does Ziggler really need to be in a ladder match, couldn't they have any other gimmick match and pass off the ladder match to someone else on this show?

 

[HBKistheHOF]

I'm really looking forward to this match at the PPV but I definitely think Harper is keeping the strap. The WWE looks committed to pushing all three Wyatt guys heavily & if WWE is also sticking to their guns with Ziggler, which it actually looks like they are this time, then he is beyond the I.C. Title at this point & needs to move on to some strong character driven feuds before finally getting to World Title status again. So I think both men will look strong throughout the match with Harper winning in a semi-cheap way while Ziggler gives it everything he's got in the process & after Ziggler may even get a nice little exclamation point on Luke before he moves onto "bigger & better" things *cough* anyone else smell a Big Show feud coming down the road??? I really hope not.

 

[TWJC: The Beginning]

Lots of simple mindedness going on here. Fans don't care if a guy has the IC title or not, or if he wins or not (for the most part) what they care about is if a guy is interesting.

As long as Ziggler puts on a hell of a show, he's going to continue to get more over. That's exactly what's going to happen. Maybe he wins the IC Title and looks like a million bucks. Maybe he loses to a monster and still looks like a million bucks.

 

[AceofSpades]

Why wouldn't he get the IC title? It's not like he's going to feud for the WWE title since Lesnar is hanging on to that til WrestleMania. Might as well make the IC look good.

 

[HurriKane]

The quality of this match will be epic, I wouldn't be surprised if its the match of the night. That being said I don't know how this match will turn out.

Now I'm not a huge fan of interferences but I feel it may be needed in this match. I think the best option right now is to have someone like Kane come out and screw Ziggler out of the title which will keep Ziggler looking strong seeing how he didn't lose straight up, and hopefully could keep Ziggler away from the I.C Title.

I really hope WWE heads towards a Harper Vs Rowan feud for the I.C title.

I'm not sure how they are going to use Ziggler, in my opinion if one of the former members do not win the Rumble, I think Ziggler would be the choice. Have him go against the odds, and win it. Though I'm not sure Ziggler Vs Lesnar would be considered a big money match, so I don't think they'll do it.

Other than that I don't know who else Ziggler will feud with after TLC.. Rollins maybe?

 

[AceofSpades]

Very doubtful Ziggler wins the Rumble. I think that will be Reigns. Based on an interview I did with Reigns in August, I definitely think he implied he's been scheduled to win at Mania where most of his family is and he's a big 49ers fan too. I think there's no way Reigns doesn't win it.

 

[kadroan]

Very doubtful Ziggler wins the Rumble. I think that will be Reigns. Based on an interview I did with Reigns in August, I definitely think he implied he's been scheduled to win at Mania where most of his family is and he's a big 49ers fan too. I think there's no way Reigns doesn't win it.

That makes sense. I can definitely see him winning the Rumble.

You got a link of your interview with Reigns? I'd love to read it!

 

[laodaron]

Putting the IC strap on Ziggler at this point would completely undo every single thing he did at Survivor Series. That would be a point - Ziggler is midcard for life. He crucially needs a feud with a main event heel, even if it's Rollins.

I think that Harper holding the belt for a period of time right now gives the right message. It gives closure to the Wyatt family thing, and it elevates him. Harper needs to retain here.

 

[Dagger Dias]

Dolph Ziggler in a Ladder Match? This should be good. Predicting a winner is tough here. Ziggler needs a win to keep his momentum going from the great performance at Survivor Series, but Harper needs a strong retention and only just recently got the belt. If Ziggler won it back that would be stupid as he was the one Harper won it from to begin with and it was not very long ago. If Ziggler is booked very strongly in the match to the point where he almost gets it, then Harper manages to sneak away with a win then that may be the best option. Harper gets the retention he needs, Ziggler gets the performance he needs. Potential show stealer if both are able to showcase what they can do. Harper retains and moves on to Rowan next while Ziggler moves on to be Rusev's next challenger. It goes on 5th or 6th, close to the end.

DAGGER'S PREDICTION
Luke Harper retains the Intercontinental Championship.

 

[MCMG]

This should be a really top match. These two have great chemistry and both have some momentum right now. I hope they get a lot of time for this. Indeed, I liked the idea this should main-event. It won't but it would be cool.

I'm guessing Harper will retain but, similar to the situation with Ambrose, I think Ziggler can further his cause regardless.

 

[Mustang Sally]

Man, you want to talk about two guys giving their all for the fans and their employer? I can't believe how hard these men worked, crashing into those ladders despite the fact they knew they were in for some genuine pain in the process.

There was a discussion about blood during matches on this forum the other day. After watching Harper vs. Dolph, does anyone have anything to say?

We expect this kind of effort from Dolph, and he did himself proud, but Luke Harper really grew in my estimation. For such a big guy to take the spills he did proves we've got another "new" guy who has the stuff to be around for years to come. At main event level?.....no, but there's plenty out there for him to do.

A thoroughly entertaining, exciting match.

 

[@smarkmouth]

There was a discussion about blood during matches on this forum the other day. After watching Harper vs. Dolph, does anyone have anything to say?

I'm an advocat for the sparing use of blood. In the ladder match, blood very much added to the story of Harper and Ziggler giving their ALL and THEN SOME for the Intercontinental Championship. I do find it interesting though, that along with Kevin Owens at NXT, the two best uses of blood in recent memory came accidentally as opposed to blading.

 

[Uncle Sam]

This is the match which finally cemented my dislike for Dolph Ziggler - and, fittingly, will help me explain why he's so bad.

You know how in bad indie wrestling, somebody will take, like, a powerbomb from the turnbuckle to the outside and then be back up, screaming and throwing roundhouse kicks within about thirty seconds? Ziggler doesn't do that. Ziggler does the opposite of that. Ziggler sells the shit out of the mundane.

Right at the start of the match last night: Luke Harper kicks Ziggler in the stomach and throws Ziggler at a small ladder, which Ziggler blocks entirely with his hands. Either Ziggler has deceptively awful cardio and was near exhaustion sixty seconds into the match or he hit his hands so hard that he had a stroke. Motherfucker can't stand up! His legs are rubber, his eyes are glazed over, he can hardly breath, he's wriggling around like a worm in frying pan.

Hit Dolph Ziggler with a clothesline and he'll sell it like you just crushed his head with a hydraulic press. Powerbomb him off a ladder and, fair enough, he'll sell it like you just crushed his head with a hydraulic press. Dropkick? He's a salmon and you're the guy that just pulled him out of the water. Shoulder block? Likewise. Russian leg sweep? Call the police - he just got murdered. Ziggler sells everything like he's just been hit by a truck. In fact, he sells like a referee - the slightest bump and he's due to be stretchered out.

It makes everything lose its impact. What's more, when you have one competitor who's adamant to lie on the floor, fidgeting like he's running out of oxygen for the entire match, it ruins the pacing. It's also dumb as shit when he suddenly jumps to his feet, sprints in circles and starts hitting sequences of moves, which he does in every match. It doesn't make sense. It ruins the story.

Actually, it doesn't always ruin the story. Once, when wrestling Alberto Del Rio, Dolph had to play a man suffering from a potentially career-ending concussion who was possibly going to endure fatal brain damage by the end of the match. I totally bought that.