Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz

[9.0] "[4.5*] Yeah man, this match is impressively extraordinary. Every time I want to rewatch a WWE match from the 2010's, I get worried that it might ruin the magic these matches had when I was younger. It kind of "happened" with that Miz vs Sami vs Owens vs Claudio 4-way, because although I still think it's an awesome 3.75/4*, I thought this was like the best thing ever when I watched it live as a teenager. However, this specific match got the opposite reaction from me, because good storytelling never gets old and stops being great. I think it's easier for a movez match to lose it's shine, but a match like this, 100% surrounded by the background story, still makes me feel a lot. This match gives me the same style of feeling as Bulldog vs Bret from SummerSlam at Wembley, although the 1992 is clearly even better and more emotional. But not only the major storytelling of Ziggler's career being on the line was great, a lot of sidequests from this bout were amazing to follow too. For example, Miz tried to do the Slingshot Powerbomb a couple of times and Ziggler was reversing it every single time. At least for me, it created a huge antecipation for the actual move and when Miz finally hit it, it was a cool false finish for me. The same thing goes to the limb-work on Ziggler's leg. You may say it wasn't effective, but when Miz locked the Figure Four, it was a huge false finish that got a huge reaction from the crowd. The Spirit Squad stuff was very cool too, that Skull Crushing Finale false finish was absolutely unbelievable because a WWE 2016 midcard match wasn't the kind of place where you'd expect multiple nearfalls. Ziggler had already escaped the Skull Crushing Finale once, so everyone legitimately thought that was it, making it one of the best nearfalls of the decade, at least in WWE's main roster. I think they just knocked this match out of the park, the whole booking was fantastic and the execution was even better. Loved the Bryan references too, by the way. Shit was a blast from start to finish. The best match of both these guys' careers."

[10.0] "This is my favorite match of all time. It's perfect in every way. The story telling, the false finishes and the creativeness of the match with Dolph losing his boot. It's all perfect and personally the spirit squad interference only adds more to the suspense and story the match gives with Dolphs career on the line about to get sold by his former team."

[9.0] "Definitely the best match of both men's careers. The "Title vs Career" stipulation added a lot of drama to the match, and we saw an intense contest between the two. The Miz was one of the best heels at the time, and Dolph was motivated as hell to save his career and win the belt. Both wrestlers gave their all to get the victory, but in the end, Ziggler overcame all the odds and saved his career, and became the new Intercontinental champion. [****1/2]"

[9.0] "Great match, amazing story, and very intense drama. That's what makes a good wrestling match and this was both men's best matches"

[10.0] "Phenomenal match between both men with really spectacular in ring action and psychology between each other, the stakes were insanely high with the interferences and shenanigans actually adding some to the story and both men had the best singles matches of their respective careers. Dolph really had the fight of his career and it's just saddens everyone of how it really could've been if they capitalised more on this phenomenal clash."

[8.0] "I never fully appreciated the ending because I always thought that if Miz would've kicked out it would have been even better. But the match is amazing, excellent storytelling and they also did a great work in the ring. It is carried by its story but as I said, they put on a great wrestling match. Loved it."

[9.0] "This match really surprised me. This is actually such a good match backed by a very compelling story and some of the best near falls. Ziggler was wrestling like his life depended on it, Miz was actually trying here. It's extremely underrated as a match and may be the best of Miz's career. [****3/4]"

[4.0] "Surprisingly Miz up to the whole overbooking and interference shenanigans was the one that really shined bright in this match these two had something going. And then the interference kept happening and ultimately the whole momentum of the match got derailed. By the ending which on paper should be great feels a little unearned, it felt like the winner didn't really put in the work to win the gold."

[9.0] "This was an epic encounter and undeniably where the fued peaked. Miz did just about anything to try and defeat Ziggler, even getting the Spirit Squad to try and play mind games, but the referee sent everyone backstage which was the turning point to the match, because Ziggler would then win and got an amazing pop."

[9.0] "Just lovely. Miz and Dolph deserve a ton of credit for making this IC title match feel like a world title match. The way this whole thing played out, it was almost impossible to not cheer Ziggler by the end. We got dueling "let's go Ziggler" and "let's go Miz" chants early on, but when Ziggler got the pin, the entire arena exploded. My favorite singles match for both guys in their careers."

[9.0] "With the Fatal 4-Way Match against Sami Zayn, Cesaro and Kevin Owens at Extreme Rules, this match is the most memorable match made by The Miz in 2016. This Title vs Career was one of the most epic moments of the Intercontinental Championship in those years, and it consacrated Dolph Ziggler with the highest performance of his career."

"I'm revisiting this match for the third time, and I'm reminded of how The Miz said that he doesn't need to do all the flippy stuff that gets wrestlers (Daniel Bryan) injured in order to make the crowd pop. These two give a masterclass on how to milk a moment or a move for everything that it's worth. Right before the halfway point, Miz catches Dolph and attempts a springboard powerbomb, which Dolph turns into a rollup. Every little moment in that combination pauses and breathes for the perfect amount of time. When Miz counters a satellite DDT, they pause and we get to see Dolph just hang there for a moment. And then there's that whole top turnbuckle sequence, where they take about 15 different turns and it amazingly ends with Dolph in a figure four. Miz is in his heel bag the entire match. I love whenever we get to see The Miz steal moves from other wrestlers (Daniel Bryan) and you really buy his disdain when he barks at the crowd to stop rallying for Dolph. The story going into this match was so strong and the payoff is so satisfying. Even if this isn't a main event match it certainly feels like one, especially with the false finish at the end. They tease every different finish they could think of in the last six minutes, but I think it all ties together beautifully. A big happy ending that feels completely earned. This could have closed out Wrestlemania, dang nabbit!"

[10.0] "This was an amazing match. Miz came in here with a strategy: he was grappling Ziggler and targeting his leg so he couldnt hit the Superkick. Maryse sprayed Ziggler in the eyes only for him to put his foot on the rope, then the Spirit Squad came out, so the referee barred everyone from ringside. Then, Ziggler hit that Superkick and finally pinned Miz. What a match."

[10.0] "I watched this match eight years removed from the match, with the knowledge that Dolph Ziggler would win this "Title vs. Career" match since he only left WWE last year. Even with that knowledge in mind, I was still on the edge of my seat when it looked like Dolph would get pinned. There are few higher compliments that you can give a match."

[8.0] "This was the best match the Miz ever had. He tried so hard to screw over Dolph with his former Spirit squad buddies and really threw everything including the kitchen sink at him but Dolph overcame the odds for a feel good moment. Great in ring work and awesome storytelling.Everyone knew Dolph wasn't going to retire but I was invested in this one enough to almost fear that he might lose."

[9.0] "Both Miz and Ziggler have done anything for WWE throughout the year. Carry a midcard belt. Check. Put over young talent. Check. Job on secondary shows Check. Through it all Miz has been a staple on the mic, and Ziggler has been a staple in the ring. This match is the best both men can offer, and while they're both not the best the company has to offer, through the sheer power of themselves, they built and executed a classic. Hats off to two of the most under utilized talents in WWE history, because if this is their magnum opus, I'm glad they had it together. 4.25 Stars."

[10.0] "This match was one of my favourite match when I first started watching WWE and pro wrestling in general in 2016(before realising it was scripted) and my god, from the build up of this match to the execution of the match was damn perfect, I nearly jumped out while watching it, as the ppv as strange where a filler match had to main event the show due to a political debate, this is rightfully regarded as the true main event of the show. And now since dolph ziggler has been unfortunately released from WWE, I can say this is his best match in his entire career"

[7.0] "The dropkicks in this match were sick and some of the best I've ever seen from Dolph Ziggler! Matches like these just show how heavily underrated he is along with his opponent The Miz. I think I would have enjoyed this match a lot more if it weren't for some of the camera work, but still this match was phenomenal."

[9.0] "This was an amazing match with near-perfect storytelling. This is pretty easily the best singles match of both guys careers. The Miz worked over Dolph's leg here and his selling of it was incredible. The drama was really well done and Dolph winning was an awesome moment. ****1/2"

[9.0] "I remembered this match all of a sudden because Cagematch listed one of the promos from this feud (not the epic one from September 2016) just now on their catalog. I vaguely remembered loving it at the time, but after rewatching it, all the feelings came back. This feud featured one of the best promos of the decade, and the match was phenomenal too. This remains Ziggler's best match and, while it still holds up, it was at a different level when it happened. I kind of miss those days."

[10.0] "I'm not sure if it will resonate in quite the same way for fans who are watching it for the first time today, but as a live viewing experience this was pitch perfect. The rumours of Dolph retiring had been swirling online prior to this match and lended credibility to the situation. Dolph certainly wrestled like this would be the final match of his career. He brings an energy and fire that we don't always see from him, really throwing himself in to all of his offence. He pays tribute to both his friends and his career as a whole throughout the course of the match, which added further to the idea that this could be it for him. Miz is a wonderful villain here and exactly the right opponent for Dolph in a match like this. The nearfalls are some of the best I've seen, and I love how you can clearly see the desperation in both men as they are frequently doing everything and anything they can to pull out the victory - they never lose sight that they are trying to win a contest, there is nothing in this match that exists for any other purpose. Not everything is perfect (Miz does admittedly struggle a bit with some of his offence), but I think the biggest praise I can give this is that I came in to it feeling completely bored by the idea of seeing these two wrestle yet again, and not caring in the slightest if Dolph was going to retire (it had been a while since I'd enjoyed his work by this point), but by the end I was completely invested in the story and biting on every nearfall. This is a masterfully worked match, one of WWE's best of the decade, and the career best of both men."

[7.0] "This is a good match, but vastly overrated. One of each man's best matches, though. Good story, but just lackluster action for the most part."

[9.0] "A masterclass in storytelling. The near falls and drama topped everything WWE was doing at that time.This is also The Miz's finest work and also Dolph's, being for real the showstopper he claims to be. Great, memorable match."

[9.0] "One of the greatest Intercontinental Title matches ever. Miz and Ziggler had a Main Event resembling feud at a time where AJ Styles was WWE Champion and John Cena was challenging him for it, and this match was just magic. Ziggler putting everything on the line, not because of the Intercontinental Title itself, but because of what winning it would represent for him, regaigning his confidence and the one from the fans. And for Miz this is all about continue solidifying his IC title reign as the best of all time, giving the Championship the prestige of a World Title. When it comes to the in-ring work, I think their Backlash match was better, but the storytelling here was bigger. (**** 1/2)"

[9.0] "This suffers on a rewatch, but I think every match with someone's career on the line has the same problem to overcome."

[8.0] "Two greats in the company at the time, Miz has what it takes to make a feud good outside of the ring, and Ziggler is equally as good on the mic made the hype around the match pretty solid. The match took a little bit to get going for me, but ended very well and Ziggler reminded me why people like him as much as they do, very solid stuff, 8/10"

[9.0] "Who would ever anticipate a match between Miz and Ziggler being this damn good? This is Miz's best career performance here as he's just vicious going after Ziggler leg in this one, he was able to get mega heat in this one for just stealing Daniel Bryan's moves in this one. Ziggler was so damn good at selling the leg Miz targeted in this by staying down after anything Miz did to his leg, or just going down in pain after a move, the best example of this being after he hit the superkick he has to crawl in order to try and pin Miz, his facial expressions were also strong. Ziggler being able to get his foot on the rope this time after Maryse sprayed him in the face, and Miz hit the skull crushing finale was great storytelling. Spirit squad interference helped raise Ziggler's performance in this as he was able to fight them off and kick out of another skull crushing finale before ultimately getting his much deserved win. Great match with phenomenal storytelling.****1/2"

[9.0] "Often, matches with a career at stake have the problem that it is known that the challenger will not lose, he will not leave. There was nothing like that here. We had rumors that Zigg was about to say goodbye to WWE, and such a career ending would be the best. The showdown was really good as part of the epic feud between Miz and Ziggler, Ziggler has shown that he is able to bet anything for the opportunity to fight for the title. I really recommend this fight to everyone, just like other Miz and Ziggler fights from 2016."

[9.0] "A very climactic moment in the feud between these two stars of the company that put the Intercontinental Championship to the highs it has never reached again in the 2010s."

[7.0] "This is a good match. Ziggler is fighting for his career and Miz cheats and uses Daniel Bryan's moves."

[10.0] "Fantastic match between Ziggler and Miz here which was perfectly structured from the beginning to the end and which is above all the proof that when this company wants to book things well, they did it very well and in the best possible way which makes it a shame that they don't want to put as much effort in each of their storylines as this federation would be perfect if everything was written like this match. The match itself is not fancy and it's not in the moves that you will find your happiness here but in the story told, the first minutes with the Miz dominating were a little bit basic but it went up in intensity as the minutes went by and it was extremely difficult to stay calm so much the last moments were stressful to watch even when you know the result. Probably one of the best performances of Ziggler's career if not the best and one of the most memorable moments of his career if not the best, everything was perfectly constructed to lead up to his big moment and the fact that he had put his career on the line here added something incredible. A completely overbooked finishing stretch with Maryse and the Spirit Squad but it was some great overbooking that only made Dolph's win even better, this was brilliant."

[7.0] "I don't get the love for this match. I get there's the story of Dolph's retirement but it just was really average to me. ***1/2"

[10.0] "The all-time classic that I never expected to be anywhere near to what it was. In terms of taking a feud and putting the finishing touches on it with a wrestling match, Dolph Ziggler vs. The Miz at No Mercy 2016 should be taught to everyone who wants to become a professional wrestler. No matter their style of choice. An unlikely masterpiece. The emotion was running as high as it possibly could as Dolph Ziggler put his career on the line in pursuit of the Intercontinental Championship. That alone elevated the title to arguably the highest point it has reached over the past 10 years. The Miz not only resorted to heel tactics to try and retain the title and end Ziggler's career, but built upon what he did throughout their feud by reminding Ziggler of the past that he wanted to leave behind. He also turned to the tactics that had already ended their previous encounters, thus building the tension even higher. And the crowd ate every single second of this modern classic up. A brilliant story from start to finish, with some of the best crowd reactions in WWE history. The near falls, the desperation of Ziggler, and the seemingly well-founded arrogance of The Miz combined to wrap up a MOTY and Feud of the Year candidate. You could just feel the doubt slowly wither away as Ziggler drew power from the crowd and frantically fought for his career and the title he was willing to risk it for. It is a WWE-style match in every sense of the word, but why would you expect anything else watching WWE' 5 stars, 10 out of 10."

[9.0] "The drama here was off-charts, the storytelling was fantastic by both men, it's a shame that WWE had many times to push Dolph over but dropped the ball with him instantly, but this one was a fantastic match a really high point on both men's carrers, a rare case where the drama outmatch the in ring action, ****1/2."

[9.0] "This match was one of the perfect ways to describe Smackdown Live in 2016! Miz and Maryse are on fire at this point and Dolph Ziggler is stealing the show like hs does best. The Spirit Squad was an interesting addition as it was that gimmick that almost ended Zigglers run before it got started. ****1/2"

[8.0] "These guys have always had pretty good matches this one is definitely one of their best. The absolutely nailed the near falls and the crowd ate it up, it really added to the drama of Ziggler's career being on the line, the story was Miz costing himself the match by cheating when he didn't have to such as spots where his feet are on the ropes right in front of the ref and distracted by his people getting ejected which led to the finish. It would have been ironic if the spirit squad ended his career considering it almost did the first time. Miz does try some different things around this time but he almost drops Dolph right out of the ring more than once with his slingshot powerbombs, his facials were perfect and Ziggler's selling was really good as always. This match is proof that babyface/heel stuff can still work if it's done correctly. ****1/4."

[10.0] "The storyline was here, the story at the moment was there, both men were wanting to put a great match, they have a perfect chemistry, what do you want more? Ziggler was the ultimate babyface who fights for the only thing he has left, his career, and by gawd was the entire match so freaking good, the pink pants reminiscing of Shawn Michaels by the way. This match was everything and was clearly a top 5 match of the year in WWE for me !"

[9.0] "I expected this to be good, but i didn't even think this was that good. They started slow, went back and forth. Miz played heel role well and ziggler was good as babyface. The tension increased when miz targeted ziggler's leg- that was the point turning the match great. Really good storytelling here. Ziggler showed his fire babyface, fighting for his career. Miz tried to end his opponent ASAP but unsuccessfully when ziggler reached the bottom rope and kicked out his finisher. The ending was really good, too when spirit squad came out and tried to cost ziggler's match. Ziggler managed to shut them down and the ref forced all 3 maryse and spirit squad to stay away from the ring. Ziggler finally hit the superkick, won the title and saved his career. Awesome match - one of the best wwe match in 2016 way better than the spotfest match between Cena and AJ at summerslam which won PWI match of the year. Best match i have ever seen from both. Well done."

[9.0] "I thought this was a great match for the most part, definitely energetic and heavily engaging to the crowd. Miz I thought was particularly on point, his crowd baiting and storytelling tactics were just great to watch. One slightly annoying point though, everytime they went for the slingshot powerbomb spot it looked very sloppy, and they did it like 3 times for reason. Also thought the end was a little overbooked. Overall though, quite a quality bout right here."

[8.0] "My pick for WWE’s 2016 MOTY. I loved this. Miz was awesome. Ziggler was a star. It was plausible that, not being strongly liked/pushed, Ziggler might have used this angle to exit wrestling or even adopt a new identity, especially since Miz was being pushed so strongly as a champion and seemed to have new directions planned, so I wouldn’t have been surprised to see Miz cementing his heel status by retiring Ziggler. Both men had excellent chemistry and executed all their big spots and exchanges with great physical impact and perfect timing, making every single moment feel significant and directly detrimental to the finish. There were many convincing teases of Miz’s heel antics and it was awesome seeing Ziggler somehow survive each time. The two times Ziggler got caught up in outside interferences and took Miz’s Skullcrushing Finale I was absolutely certain that it was all over, so I popped massively to see him survive both times. Ziggler’s leg selling was fantastic. He made sure to keep himself mainly grounded to show how he could barely stand up, he constantly gripped the leg and grimaced when moving around, and similarly showed considerable facial and vocal pain when using the leg offensively. His facial expressions, posture, and gestures were all perfect at showing his weakened but determined underdog character, and his compelling performance made it easy for the whole crowd to (rightfully) united around him. The post-match celebrations were very touching too. ****1/4"

[1.0] "I loved this match when I first watched it, but on a re-watch I didn't like it at all. Miz mocking Daniel Bryan is very boring for me and same with his character work as a whole but I did like his work on Ziggler's knee though Ziggler's selling of that just sucked. Crowd was hot for this one but my enjoyment wasn't there and this one went for the epic feel and got there but I just didn't like it even enough to call it decent. (*1/2)"

[8.0] "A good match and obviously one of the best in both career. But there is one small aspect of the matches with such condition as "career at stake" is automatically added to the intrigue, and with it, and psychology with stress. It is these factors were not in their previous match on the show, which obviously makes it clear that there is not a merit of wrestlers. it was weak in terms of wrestling. Miz and Dolph showed all his meager arsenal and techniques unforgivable repeated many times. But this time it was obvious that the guys tried hard, and the result is seen as a result. Good match, but "cheating" in terms of the conditions I have not gone. It would be better without this stuff tried to create this glow and made the audience scream."

[9.0] "I'm old-school; the champ should always enter second. Besides that, my only gripe with this match/presentation is that DZ did not wrestle the bout with an extreme sense of purpose, vitality and vengeance. Over the past couple of months The Miz has absolutely humiliated DZ. The Miz seemed to have everything: the girl, the out-of-ring career, the belt, all the momentum in the world whereas DZ's livlihood, all that he claims to have, is over if he loses and yet DZ entered the match as if it was just another match in the artificial world of WWE, in a string of 1000's, that just happened to be scripted to be an epic 4-star battle. Otherwise, this was great. I've always thought these two have excellent chemistry and they again quickly found it. They're of similar build, with the heel rightfully slightly stockier, both from Cleveland, and they just click. Whoever the agent was that DZ & The Miz worked with to arrange this match also deserves massive kudos. The placement of the near-falls in tandem with the synchonized rhythm these vets put forth created WWE magic. Like 'shosa94' stated, Dolph overcoming all the interference represented him triumphing over the deleterious forces that brought him to the nadir of his career. And The Miz's downfall was paying too much attn to the forces that have allowed him to retain the belt in the past. This is the most memorable and successful singles match I think both of these OH boys have ever had. 8. 5 rounded up for the creation of sth. sublime."

[6.0] "It's a good match, the drama was ok. I don't think it was enough to really elevate it to top quality match of the year contender or anything, I don't even think it would make my top 5 favorite IC matches in 2016 but it is worth seeing. ***1/4"

[8.0] "It just shows how much story can add to a match. These two have had many matches before ranging from decent to good but with the added story element in this one it was great. Miz has played a great heel throughout the feud and match (made me care about Ziggler for the first time in ages) and they put on a really good match here. Everything done made sense, I liked the Miz's mocking of Daniel Bryan. The only thing is I think ziggler kicking out of 2 finishers seemed a bit much for a mid card minor ppv match and the match quality still wasn't incredible or anything, besides that though, very good stuff ****"

[9.0] "Great, great stuff. While I was not a fan of their Backlash match, this was like 1000 times better than that one, freakin' awesome match, easily WWE MOTY candidate. Great storytelling and build-up leading to this match, and while I am usually not a fan of the stuff they did towards the end like run-ins or spray etc. , it fit the story. Probably the best match of Miz's and Ziggler's career. **** 1/4."

[9.0] "I really like this match between Miz and Ziggler. The storyline is very enjoyable, they got that I feel much empathy for Ziggler and Miz being a very good heel help much. The match itself is a less a more. The beginning is slow, but the final moments were epic, the interventions bothered a little, although the interventions were justified and I really enjoy the victory of Dolph Ziggler without being a big fan of Ziggler. Simply the perfect epic to finish this story between Ziggler and Miz."

[9.0] "This is exactly how a great rivalry should flow onto a match. It feels as something really more important than the title with Ziggler career on the line. The injury was really a nice add to the match to make the viewers feel that Miz had a strong point, and many finisher are counted. It's an exciting ending to the match. ****1/4"

[9.0] "A couple move hiccups just prevent this from being a 10, but make no mistake: this is the best storytelling in a WWE match in years, even surpassing Kevin and Sami's recent match in that regard. First reaction towards the Spirit Squad interference was a groan, but what they represented symbolically to Dolph's career and overcoming that ended up being what really drove it home for me as an incredible match. The best match in both men's careers and an inspiring representation of the career renaissance both men are experiencing."

[10.0] "25 min match, just filled with drama. Incredible last few minutes. Best singles match of both of their careers."