WWE SHOCKER: Intercontinental Championship Contestants Run “Gauntlet” Entertains in Match & Dolph Ziggler Wins

By Nick “Red” Conley

After an entertaining batch of matches between six superstars facing off for the Intercontinental Championship at WrestleMania two weeks from now, WWE failed to disappoint in a Gauntlet match last night on Smackdown. The match between Dean Ambrose, Luke Harper, Stardust, R-Truth, Dolph Ziggler, and Daniel Bryan (Wade Barrett did not participate, but did come out at the end of the match and talk trash and bull hammer everyone in the ring).

The match began with Dean Ambrose, who defeated Stardust. Ambrose then defeated R-Truth, but Luke Harper entered and defeated Ambrose. Daniel Bryan and Luke Harper fought for an extended period of time, but Bryan ended up defeating Harper. Dolph Ziggler entered and beat Bryan after a hard fought battle. WWE succeeded making all the superstars look tough (except R-Truth, which is typical), even Wade Barrett despite the fact he did not compete. Although I do have to say that is good to see R-Truth in the ring for once, as he has either been sitting at the announcer table making us all laugh or randomly showing up to steal the Intercontinental title. I would argue the best match was between Daniel Bryan and Luke Harper, but a close second was Bryan versus Dolph Ziggler. I have said this once and I will say it again, Luke Harper continues to amaze me in the ring with his athleticism, and one of the most underutilized superstars in the WWE. It is great WWE Creative is using him extensively in this Intercontinental Championship feud because post-Survivor Series, Harper has simply been wandering around aimlessly losing matches. Absolute shame.

Ziggler deserved to win the match over Bryan, mostly because Bryan took such a huge beating from Luke Harper. Ziggler would have looked incredibly weak if he had lost. It would have been more entertaining if Barrett had wrestled, but at least he came down to the ring at the end and took cheap hits on Ziggler and Bryan, fitting for Barrett’s in-ring persona. This competition for the Intercontinental Championship title includes three superstars that arguably should be competing for the World Heavyweight Championship title, making it that much more entertaining.

Overall, the match was entertaining and each superstar played his role well. This match sets up the Ladder Match very well at WrestleMania. If these superstars could entertain this much in a gauntlet match, imagine the mayhem that will ensure when you throw ladders into the ring.