WWE Raw: Results, Highlights, and Grades for June 18, 2018

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Intercontinental Championship Match

Seth Rollins (c) vs. Dolph Ziggler (w/ Drew McIntyre)

Result: Dolph Ziggler defeated Seth Rollins via pinfall to become the NEW Intercontinental Champion

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Rollins made his way to the ring, apparently completely healed of the neck and knee injuries plaguing him at Money in the Bank. After a hot opening segment, the Kingslayer decides he wants to keep things going, so he issues an open challenge for the Intercontinental Championship. That challenge was accompanied by a not-so-subtle jab at Brock Lesnar as Rollins called himself “a fighting champion [who’s] here every week.” Please give me Rollins vs. Lesnar at SummerSlam, I don’t ask for much.

The challenge is answered by Dolph Ziggler, and while I would have preferred Drew McIntyre (or a triple threat, because I don’t think there’s any rules against that), it’s a damn good matchup. Ziggler wrestles a smart match, attacking the neck and knee that bothered Rollins at MITB.

What I like best about the concept of the open challenge is the random matchups that are possible. Remember how good the Rollins vs. Mojo Rawley match was when this round of the challenge started? How about when John Cena faced all sorts of opponents from out of left field? Rollins and Ziggler isn’t that random, but Dolph hasn’t been a singles championship contender since he relinquished the US Title on SmackDown Live in December.

Given how Rollins beat Elias at Money in the Bank, I would have wagered anything that he would have interfered in this one. But instead, Ziggler won (with the same handful of tights that Seth used at MITB, and tried to use again now) in a shock. Like, who saw that coming?

It was a great match with a surprise finish, so how could you not love it?