distractions culminating with Miz bringing

Sometimes, keeping things simple gets the job done. SmackDown Live was handicapped in almost every way when compared to Raw post-draft, as Raw got the lions share of the top-level talent, the best new draft pick from NXT and the two women most ready for prime time. Sure, they had an extra hour to fill, but they also picked up the most popular woman in NXT history and an entire division of high-flying cruiserweights along the way.Something funny has happened since SummerSlam, though -- especially in the weeks since Kevin Owens won the WWE Universal championship in a thrilling Fatal 4-Way match. SmackDown Live has become a far more watchable program than its Monday counterpart, and its because theyre telling the better and more well-rounded stories -- both in the ring and out of it.The difference in execution only became more evident this week. While Raw featured its new top champion losing to a guy vying for a lesser title in the go-home show to a pay-per-view -- to say nothing of the sputtering start to the cruiserweight division -- SmackDown Live used the vast majority of its talents efficiently for the bulk of the allotted two-hour time slot to build upon already compelling stories.Take, for example, the Intercontinental championship feud centered around The Miz and Dolph Ziggler. There was a compelling social media back-and-forth based on contract negotiations between Miz and Daniel Bryan ongoing throughout the week, which carried over into live events where Miz refused to defend his title. That paid off on Tuesdays broadcast, as the fine print in Mizs freshly signed contract forced him to compete in a championship match or risk losing his newfound benefits.For a rivalry that has seen many iterations, and seemed far beyond its expiration date when it comes to compelling action, Miz and Ziggler have squeezed every ounce out of each and every one of their confrontations over the last few weeks. Their match at Backlash, which was a show-stealer and likely their best high-profile contest, brought a thrilling back-and-forth showdown with Maryse spraying Ziggler in the eyes with hair spray to help her husband Miz get the victory. It gave Ziggler a gripe, and ultimately led to him getting another chance on Tuesday -- one that didnt feel forced and served as a natural progression.Tuesdays showdown was another strong outing for both men, and with Maryse going for a repeat performance with her hair spray, she was sent away. Ziggler hit his finisher on Miz in the middle of the ring, but it garnered just a two-count that only put the result of the match further into doubt. A series of over-the-top distractions culminating with Miz bringing the Intercontinental title belt into the ring to occupy the referee ultimately allowed him to use the hairspray, conveniently left behind by Maryse. Another cheating victory left fans wanting more, and could easily lead to one more match at No Mercy in a few weeks.Now, if you told an average fan a few weeks ago that The Miz and Dolph Ziggler were two matches into another rivalry, only this time it was incredibly compelling and left you wanting a third match or more, youd have likely been laughed out of whatever room you were in. The Miz has, in his own way (as pointed out by Bryan on the Talking Smack post-show) brought a certain prestige back to the Intercontinental championship and injected a kind of energy into his matches and backstage promos that we havent seen from him since he held the WWE world championship and main evented WrestleMania against John Cena.Notice how far weve gone without even mentioning what would be the hottest rivalry on Raw if the three men involved were traded from SmackDown Live overnight. A.J. Styles is playing the cocky overconfident bad guy champion to a T, with the only real drawback being the lingering desire to get a cheesy knockof