IU grad Jason Jordan earns at shot at the WWE Intercontinental Championship

IU grad Jason Jordan, right, faces off against WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz on WWE "Monday Night Raw." Jordan will get a shot at the title during the WWE "No Mercy" event this Sunday.

It was a big night on WWE "Monday Night Raw" for Indiana University graduate Jason Jordan.

And while he may have ended the episode face down in the middle of the ring, he did so after achieving two major pro wrestling milestones: Winning his first WWE "Raw" main event, and earning his first shot at a solo championship gold in the company.

Jordan, a Tinley Park, Ill. native and former Hoosier wrestling star, will face off against The Miz for the Intercontinental Title this Sunday during WWE's "No Mercy" pay-per-view event held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

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If Jordan wins Sunday, there is a good chance that he will return to Indiana with championship gold still around his waist when WWE "Raw" is held at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Oct. 9. The semi-hometown response is sure to be strong if he pulls it off.

The Intercontinental Championship also continues to be one of the most prestigious titles in all of professional wrestling and is often held by upcoming superstars with a shot a becoming world champions. If Jordan wins, he will join the likes of The Rock, Shawn Michaels, "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Bret Hart and The Ultimate Warrior. 

This is also the first big opportunity for Jordan since he was revealed as the illegitimate son of WWE Hall of Famer and Olympic gold medalist Kurt Angle. He earned it by winning a six-man match in the "Raw" main event that saw him beat the likes of Jeff Hardy, Matt Hardy, Curtis Axel, Bo Dallas and Elias.

If the name of his opponent The Miz sounds familiar it should. He first showed up on our TVs in 2001 as a cast member of MTV's "Real World: Back to New York," and has been a WWE mainstay for more than a decade. He is a former WWE World Champion, and his in his seventh reign as Intercontinental Champion.

He's also starred in a number of movies produced by WWE Films like "The Marine 3, "The Marine 4" and "The Marine 5." It's best if you don't watch those. Trust me.

After wrestling at IU for four years, including a senior season that saw him go 35-0 in the regular season and become the No. 2 collegiate wrestler in the country, Jordan joined the WWE in 2011.

A few years in the company's developmental system was followed by him forming the tag-team American Alpha alongside 2012 Olympic wrestler Chad Gable. The team was a big hit with fans and captured both the NXT and Smackdown Live Tag Team championships in 2016.

Call IndyStar reporter Justin L. Mack at (317) 444-6138 or email him at justin.mack@indystar.com. Follow him on Twitter: @justinlmack.