10 Great WWE Championship Reigns (That Ended In The Worst Way Possible)
7. The Miz - WWE United States Championship
The Miz and secondary titles go together very, very well. You could argue that Miz has been the best Intercontinental Champion of recent years, and it was a run with the US strap that established him as a credible singles performer after years of tag team success with current partner John Morrison. Miz and Morrison are sort of wasted together in the current age, surely?
The Miz beat Kofi Kingston for the title in October 2009, capitalising on Kofi slipping on the ropes by hitting the Skull Crushing Finale for the win. It was his first singles title in the company, a real coming-of-age moment for the former reality TV show star. What’s more, Miz went on to hold the title for 224 days in what was undoubtedly the title’s best run of that period. Miz was established, winning feuds against John Morrison and MVP along with winning tag gold alongside Big Show. ShowMiz, you were great.
While Miz was establishing himself with the United States Championship, Bret Hart made his long-awaited return to WWE. The Hitman squashed Vince McMahon at WrestleMania before joining The Hart Dynasty in its feud with Miz and Show, a feud that eventually led to Miz having to defend the US title against a Hart family member of his choosing. He chose Bret, obviously, but the family got involved and Miz lost the title. It was a fairly irritating ending to what had been a great title reign.
What’s more, Hart vacated the title a week later. R-Truth won the belt but almost immediately lost it back to The Miz, rendering the entire exercise utterly pointless.