10 Ups & 1 Downs From Last Night's WWE SmackDown (Sept 4)
2. Layered Booking
Another thumbs up to The Miz's ongoing escapades, as WWE are currently in the process of building several different angles around the ongoing Bryan saga.
'The A-Lister's' mainline feud is the biggest and most obvious. Introducing Maryse and Brie Bella was a smart idea that prevents WWE from burning another singles clash, though Brie's botchy in-ring return on Raw didn't exactly set pulses racing. On top of this, there's Andrade 'Cien' Almas and Zelina Vega's involvement, which isn't working to the former NXT Champion's benefit, but adds another wrinkle to Miz vs. Bryan. Then, finally, there was this week's business with R-Truth, even if it was probably just a one-show deal.
WWE rarely indulge in this kind of layered booking. For the most part, wrestlers tend to focus on their immediate opponent and their immediate opponent alone, engaging only in fleeting interactions with other wrestlers. The general pattern suggests that what's currently going on with Miz is an anomaly, but the company could certainly stand to benefit from writing like this more often.