10 Creative Triumphs Of WWE’s PG Era
3. The Rise Of The Miz
The Miz is one of few WWE performers to flourish within the scripted environment because his thespian credentials make his trademark WWE long-winded promos somewhat credible. You can buy that he practises what you can then buy as his own words because he thinks of himself as this big movie star.
His first flirtation with the main event saw him midcardzoned. Was that a result of John Cena's inability to flatter opponents in defeat, or did Miz just not have "it" at that level? Whatever the case, Miz even in his later wilderness years was an entertaining fixture of WWE's second tier. His pre-show bout with Wade Barrett at WrestleMania 29 should have been a short, nothing affair. It wasn't.
The writers are often criticised for their lame barbs - and rightly so - but there's something about their grasp of The Miz act that just works, not that he is a mere product of a Monday afternoon brainstorming session. His facial expressions make you want to punch him; his heightened opinion of himself makes you want to punch him; and the words of creative, for once, generate the desired reaction. They make you want to punch him.
Miz is the purest heel in wrestling today. He doesn't quite have the in-ring chops to really succeed at the main event level - which is probably why he works as a heel - but it's not a strike against the writers.