7 Ups & 4 Downs From WWE Raw (15 May - Review)

1. Going 50/50 With… The Miz

The Miz Shinsuke Nakamura
WWE.com

Let’s not waste time reading the Miz’s Wikipedia page of accomplishments as he does every week. Suffice it to say, Miz has a long list of credentials just by virtue of his longevity in WWE.

But Miz in 2023 is a jobber with a name. That’s not a knock on him, but no one is buying him as anything other than a human punching bag. So why did he go back-and-forth with Shinsuke Nakamura for 10+ minutes on Raw? Why did they trade kicks? (Yes, Miz exchanged kicks with Nakamura.)

If you’re trying to establish Shinsuke as a potential second-tier top babyface, having him sell for Miz’s offense is just a horrific idea. To put a finer point on it, Miz hasn’t won a televised match in 2023. Along the way, he’s lost to Rick Boogs, Pat McAfee, and Snoop Dogg.

So, explain again why Nakamura was selling Miz’s It Kicks and getting a foot on the ropes to save himself from a Skull Crushing Finale. It’s not like this was some entertaining battle. Give Miz his brief 30-second “oh crap, Miz could steal one!” moment, then have Nak vanquish him with a barrage. Done and done.

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Contributor
Contributor

Scott is a former journalist and longtime wrestling fan who was smart enough to abandon WCW during the Monday Night Wars the same time as the Radicalz. He fondly remembers watching WrestleMania III, IV, V and VI and Saturday Night's Main Event, came back to wrestling during the Attitude Era, and has been a consumer of sports entertainment since then. He's written for WhatCulture for more than a decade, establishing the Ups and Downs articles for WWE Raw and WWE PPVs/PLEs and composing pieces on a variety of topics.