At WrestleMania 34, The Miz will defend the Intercontinental Championship against Finn Balor and Seth Rollins in a Triple Threat match. The WWE Universe has really high expectations for the match because of the caliber of the three men in the ring and the fact that anyone could walk out of New Orleans with the IC Title. However, WWE officials wanted to turn the bout into a Ladder match before HHH stopped that idea.
According to a report from DirtySheets , the priority was to give Balor, Miz, and Rollins all the opportunity to shine on the grandest stage of them all. Some WWE officials thought a Ladder match would break up the card and be a different kind of Ladder match with only three competitors instead of the seven or eight that WWE officials have booked at WrestleManias over recent years. However, HHH wanted the IC Title match to be a Triple Threat instead because he felt another Ladder match would have been overkill for WWE fans.
At NXT Takeover: New Orleans , the first NXT North American Champion will be crowned in a big six-man Ladder match. The match could not only be the best match of the night but of the entire weekend. Triple H believed it would significantly overshadow the IC Title match if it had the same stipulation. Even with Miz, Balor, and Rollins performing, the expectations wouldn’t have been fair to them. A Ladder match for the IC Championship has already been done before. It’s understandable why The Game shot down WWE’s idea.
The fact is Balor, Rollins, and Miz don’t need a gimmick match to steal the show at WrestleMania . WWE is always pushing the no disqualification rule in Triple Threat matches anyway. Ladders and other weapons can still be used, but the WWE Universe won’t have the same expectations and that could work in Rollins, Balor, and Miz’s favor. No matter what, the WWE Universe should expect quite the match on Sunday night.
It’s been reported that Seth Rollins is the favorite to walk out of WrestleMania 34 with the Intercontinental Championship. WWE officials only want his victory to be as memorable as possible. It’s also been reported that the SmackDown Tag Team Titles could be defended in a TLC match later in the night. That’s yet to be announced, but it seems WWE officials are adamant about there being a Ladder match on the card in one way or another. Right now, the only thing we know for sure is the IC Title will not have that stipulation.
