5 Ups & 3 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Feb 28)
4. Rivals Get Personal On MizTV
Much like AJ Styles vs. Shane McMahon, John Cena and Nikki Bella vs. The Miz and Maryse is a WrestleMania 33 match that nobody asked for. As great as Cena and Miz are, and as much as Nikki has improved, Maryse has never been particularly compelling between the ropes, and hasn't wrestled since returning last year. There's a strong chance the match will go off the rails whenever she's in the ring, and it feels like a major misuse of Cena, one of the best "big match" wrestlers in the world.
The promo battles were always going to be the feud's saving grace, however, and they delivered last night. Miz invited Cena to an episode of MizTV, but started-off by cutting his microphone feed. There was nothing fresh or original about the ensuing diatribe, and Miz stuck to the same old "part-timer" insults that everyone uses against Cena, but his delivery was on-point. The Miz is the best talker in the business, and his ability to elevate recycled material to compelling new levels sets him aside from everyone else.
Cena was on fire too. The 16-time World Champion has spoken without restraint since returning in December, and he had no qualms about running Miz down before the audience. The suggestions that he'd rather face The Undertaker weren't necessary, but Cena did a good job of putting the heel in his place regardless. Maryse's slap and Bella's appearance tied everything together, and set this suspect feud off to a decent start.