There is no champion of the last five years more infamous than The Miz. Despite earning the Money in the Bank briefcase and getting over on his own, his run as WWE champion was marred by poor booking, the return of The Rock and his subsequent feud with John Cena. The issues between the iconic Superstars completely overshadowed Miz's own program with Cena, leaving him an afterthought entering the biggest match of his career: a main event title defense at WrestleMania 27. Miz won the the match but dropped the strap weeks later to Cena, ending what proved to be a disastrous title reign rather than a a star-making period. The biggest detriment to Miz's run with the title was the fact that his first major rivalry was against Jerry "the King" Lawler rather than a legitimate main event star. The inability of this young, brash, cocky champion struggled to defeat a man well past his prime did not endear him to an audience asked to believe in him as WWE's next big breakout star. His reign was dead in the water. By the time his match with Cena rolled around, no one perceived him as being a champion on the level of his opponent and that badly hurt the heat surrounding the main event of the biggest show of the year. Miz has never recovered from the stigma surrounding his title reign. Viewed as one of the biggest busts in company history, the former reality television star has wallowed in the midcard since his days as WWE champion came to an end. Based on the way he has been booked since, it is not out of the realm of possibility that most fans eventually forget that the star of The Marine movie franchise was even WWE champion to begin with.
Erik Beaston is a freelance pro wrestling writer who likes long walks in the park, dandelions and has not quite figured out that this introduction is not for Match.com. He resides in Parts Unknown, where he hosts weekly cookouts with Kane, The Ultimate Warrior, Papa Shango and The Boogeyman. Be jealous.
