10 WWE Champions Who Weren't Ready For The Belt

1. The Miz

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WWE

Lance Storm sagely said on Figure 4 Daily earlier this week that "You can't make every single person the top guy, and there is no shame in being a well-utilised middle guy."

In 2011, WWE attempted to make The Miz the top heel because he was the best well-utilised middle guy in 2010, and there were no viable (or at least recognised) candidates equipped to ascend prior to WrestleMania XXVII's formal introduction of the part-timer era.

The Miz was then, and remains now, a fabulous sports entertainer. This rarely-used synonym is only ever really applied to him, in a nice, euphemistic gesture, because he is, strictly speaking, an awful pro wrestler. He can generate both heat and laughter with his inherent, charismatic star power, and commands respect for his ability to grind at something that did not come naturally to him. There's something akin to Edge in his heel work, in the way he excels at slimy storytelling - but unlike Edge, who was very fundamentally proficient, Miz often lost the crowd throughout his soft phases on offence.

To support this, consider Miz's 'Mania XXVII opponent. Weirdly, because they were hardly kindred spirits, John Cena always gave more of himself to CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and AJ Styles.

He gave Miz nothing on the night, and Mix didn't bring much, either. He lacked the legitimacy to truly headline - but there's no shame in that.

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Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!