Damien: The Miz Of WWE Is Awesome
In a week which produced NXT Takeover, a new NXT champion, SummerSlam, Finn Balor win a WWE title, Finn Balor relinquish a WWE title, Bayley make her Raw debut and somewhere around 16 hours of WWE programming, you almost certainly didn't see the best piece of wrestling television this week.
If you did, it was on social media.
Wrestling fans love angles that seem to be rooted in reality. You want the scene to end asking yourself, "Wait, was that real?" Blurring the line is a time honored tradition in wrestling.
Lo-Down producer Chris Verlod sent me a text Tuesday night reading, "The Miz is the best heel in the WWE" with the above video from Talkin Smack attached. He was right.
Not because he seemed to cut Daniel Bryan to his core by telling him to quit and go work in bingo halls. Not because he managed to politely, but very forcefully, shut down Renee Young's attempt to regain order. But because he managed to stay in character, vent, what I imagine is a solid 5 years of frustration, and prove to WWE and WWE fans that he is one of the best heels, if not the very best heel, the company has.
Now before you get up in arms and tell me how wrong I am about The Miz, go ahead and name a better heel.
No, not Seth Rollins. He talks heel, wrestles babyface. Rusev? Stop. Bray Wyatt? Can't be a heel when the entire crowd takes part in your entrance. Anyone else? AJ Styles? Possibly. Only problem is there will always be a group of fans that love him. Yes, that can be said about a lot of people. But not The Miz.
You want to hate The Miz. You want to hate him because he's still considered an outsider. You want to hate him because he doesn't do flips and over the top moves that make you ooh and awe. And that doesn't even factor in is character. You want to hate him because his wife is gorgeous and because he brags about horrible movies he's starred in as if there Hollywood blockbusters. Miz is "That Guy." Everybody hates "That Guy."
That's why The Miz is so damn good! He makes you feel exactly what you're supposed to. Never mind how WWE has booked him since his championship run. Never mind his failed babyface turn and life in WWE obscurity. But him in the ring with Dean Ambrose tomorrow and I'm all for a title change.
Watch the Daniel Bryan promo again. The emotion in Daniel's face. The emotion in Renee's face. The emotion in The Miz's voice. However deep-rooted in reality this "promo" may be, it's awwwwwesome. As is… The Miz!