10 Things We Learned From WWE Raw (April 17)
6. Smack To The Future
The Miz, Maryse and Dean Ambrose opened up last week's edition of Monday Night Raw as headline blue brand poaches following the 'Superstar Shake-up'.
The tête-à-tête was lightweight fodder for the night, as Ambrose continued his lunatic-for-dummies schtick whilst Smackdown Live!'s power couple had their final night as John Cena/Nikki Bella doppelgängers.
Though the story plodded on in the same vein this week, Miz brought the edge that gained him such acclaim on Tuesday nights with a powerful verbal shutdown of 'The Lunatic Fringe' ahead of their likely Intercontinental Title match at Payback or a subsequent pay-per-view.
Holding the belt since January, Ambrose has maintained a semblance of the status Miz crafted for the title with his absorbing runs as Champion throughout most of 2016.
The rebooted feud has also given both men a soft launch on the 'A show', with neither currently exposed to a 'new' foe from the Monday night roster.
Referring to Ambrose as 'lazy' and 'complacent', Miz drew on the harsh realities of his rival's tepid spell with the WWE Title last summer, with Maryse getting in on the act before Dean attacked to close out the interview.
Miz continues to be outstanding in his field, and with Brock Lesnar an absent champion on Monday Nights, his work makes a strong case for regaining the show's top title when the clash eventually occurs.