7 Ups & 5 Downs From WWE Raw (20 Nov - Results & Review)

1. Gunther Does It All

Is there anything Gunther can’t do? The man can wrestle just about any man and put on a captivating match, using the ring as his canvass to craft true works of art.

And then he got in the ring Monday and painted another masterpiece with a microphone, doing the impossible: Making his Survivor Series match against The Miz feel like an actual heated rivalry.

Make no mistake: Miz is a joke opponent, and if he’s the one to end Gunther’s record Intercontinental Championship, WWE should fold up tent and be banned from producing sports entertainment shows.

The recently turned Miz has tried to be taken seriously, but it’s difficult when he’s been little more than a comedy character for years. Monday, Gunther did what Miz and the writers couldn’t do – he turned Miz into a sympathetic character by running him down. It certainly wasn’t Miz threatening to beat respect into the Ring General.

Gunther stole Miz’s trope and ran down the former world champion’s resumé, and then he called Miz a “weirdo” who got bullied in high school for idolizing superstars, finally met his heroes and was bullied by them because he didn’t belong. He put the fans in their place when they went jingoist and chanted “USA!” for no real reason, then bullied Miz by shoving him around.

All of that made Miz look sympathetic enough that when he finally struck back – including with a low blow – it was enough make him look like someone fighting for a cause rather than the career WWE guy getting yet another title match.

This feud is still subpar, but for one night, it felt like a bigger deal than it had any right to feel.