The Miz will be joined by a star-studded ensemble cast when he defends his Intercontinental Championship against Kevin Owens, Cesaro and Sami Zayn in a blockbuster Fatal 4-Way Match at WWE Extreme Rules The first Superstar to claim a fall will walk out of as champion when WWE’s most unpredictable night of the year fades to black.
Just like any great cinematic thriller, these four Superstars were connected by several separate and distinct plotlines that ultimately intersected and fused together into one, starting at WWE Payback 2016.
The stage was initially set there when, after a thrilling back-and-forth contest, Owens defeated Zayn. Following his victory, Owens declared that he was shifting his focus to regaining the Intercontinental Championship, taking a seat at the commentary desk to watch The Miz’s title defense against Cesaro in the following match. While Owens cracked wise at ringside, Miz and Cesaro wowed the WWE Universe until Zayn reappeared at ringside to continue his onslaught against The Prizefighter. Their ensuing fistfight spilled into the ring and distracted the referee, causing him to miss The Miz tapping out to Cesaro’s crossface.
By the time the official reset, Miz took advantage of the chaos and rolled up Cesaro, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat.
A No. 1 Contender’s Match between Cesaro and Owens Raw ended inconclusively the next night on Raw, thanks to interference by The Miz. Order was restored the following week with the announcement of a Fatal 4-Way Match which Zayn earned his way into by defeating The Miz in non-title action.
How will Miz respond to not even having to be involved in the decision to lose his title? What impact will these Superstars’ individual rivalries mean in terms of the strategies they implement during the match? And will the Fatal 4-Way rules of no disqualifications and no count-outs prove to be a combustible element for these scene stealers on WWE’s most extreme night of the year?