WWE Backlash 2018: Why Seth Rollins Should Retain The IC Title

3. Miz winning would create a championship imbalance.

With Miz and the new United States Champion Jeff Hardy moving to SmackDown Live during the Superstar Shakeup, WWE inadvertently made the Rollins/Miz title match a little predictable.  Hardy retained his title over Jinder Mahal at The Greatest Royal Rumble and appears to be headed for a feud with Randy Orton. Given this information, it looks like the U.S. Title will remain exclusive to SmackDown.

If Miz beats Rollins to regain the IC Title, it would leave RAW without a midcard belt. This becomes especially problematic when you consider that the Universal Champion Brock Lesnar doesn’t appear on most pay-per-views, let alone weekly episodes of RAW. Miz taking the IC strap to SmackDown would leave a huge void on the flagship broadcast of WWE.

Top acts like Reigns, Bobby Lashley, Braun Strowman, Finn Balor and Bobby Roode wouldn’t have a championship to fight over, which would eliminate a bulk of the drama and intrigue in their matches. Furthermore, SmackDown doesn’t need any more titles. Unlike Lesnar, WWE Champion A.J. Styles is part of the weekly canon and they have a well-booked babyface in Hardy as U.S. Champion.

Without getting too far into each wrestler’s booking, Rollins needs to keep the gold on RAW.  That way, both brands will have the same allotment of titles.