Credibility restored to the WWE title by...The Miz?

[hollowpoint]

With the Miz's victory at WM27 over John Cena, this will make his run as champion one of the longest we've seen since HHH held it for 7 months in '09. This will put him at over 5 months once the ER PPV hits in May and given that the WWE seems to wanna take Cena out of the title picture.


Does the Miz's win add credibility to the WWE title?

Is The Miz a legit champion now that he has a WM title defense under his belt?

Do you guys see him as someone who could have a lengthy title run like they used to do back in the day?

All comments are welcomed and appreciated.

 

[orton0384]

In my eyes he has defeated only one real worthy adversery. Jerry lawler does not count in my eyes. He defeated orton for the title twice. I do not count mania as a good win since that match was kind of screwey in the end. I am glad he retained but it was a horrible way to do so.

Well he reatined but again it was just an awful way to do so.

I don't see him holding for a year but maybe another month or two before mr cena takes it away from him in a 3 or 4 way dance.

 

[The Man They Call WMD]

I disagree with most of your points. His last three PPV title defenses are
A. He defeated Lawler at EC with the help of Riley and Cole.
B. He defeated Orton with the help of C.M. Punk and the rest of Nexus at Royal Rumble.
C. He defeated Cena with the help of the Rock at Wrestlemania.

So I don't find him credible as a champion. How ever I still have entertained his reign and hope that he does become credible.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I disagree with most of your points. His last three PPV title defenses are
A. He defeated Lawler at EC with the help of Riley and Cole.
B. He defeated Orton with the help of C.M. Punk and the rest of Nexus at Royal Rumble.
C. He defeated Cena with the help of the Rock at Wrestlemania.

So I don't find him credible as a champion. How ever I still have entertained his reign and hope that he does become credible.

Come on man, I actually like you but you can't be one to spew this shit as well. So the fact that he has no clean title defenses means he's not a credible champion? Ok in that case, there has never been a credible heel WWE Champion, unless he was a monster heel. Seriously, how many clean title defenses did HHH have as a heel? Flair? Edge? Orton? Seriously, go back and look through the history of the title, cocky heels do not retain the title in a clean fashion. That's essentially what makes them heels.

I have to agree with the OP, I feel like Miz is definitely adding more credibility than we have seen in a while, though honestly, the WWE Title hasn't really taken a hit in a while. We have been getting somewhat lengthy reigns for a while now, same with the WHC. But the fact that Miz has held the title for this long is a testament to how much faith the company has in this kid. He beat John Cena at Wrestlemania, he's legit.

 

[BestForTheBusinesso9]

First off, I'm not sure what makes people think Cena will be out of the title picture. He just tweeted that now hes focused back on Miz and would expect them to continue in a feud. The only thing it really means is that a year from now Cena will not be in the title picture. Until then is completely up in the air. Like you said nobody has held the title for longer than 7 months in years so I don't think Cena winning the title would be a big deal at all.

With that being said I do think they are trying to not give the title credibility but give the Miz credibility. It reminds me so much of whenever they put the title on Jericho the first time. According to his book a lot of people really questioned the decision inside and outside of the company but they decided to stick with him for a decent chunk of time. The difference being that Miz actually retained at Wrestlemania. Hopefully when the Miz loses the title he fairs a little better than Jericho and we don't see him feuding with the top woman in the company over the IC belt. In all seriousness though in the end it worked for Jericho and I think the Miz has proven himself as a top player even more so than Jericho had at the time inside of the WWE. Don't jump on me for that, I know Jericho was more seasoned and had already been a lower tier main event guy in WCW but I just mean as far as worldwide acclaim and attention that he can bring to the belt.

Now, on to Mr. Orton's comments. You realize that the WWE knows who is going to win the match beforehand right? They sit down and say John Cena is going over Miz tonight or Miz is going over Cena tonight or hey we are going with the double count out tonight. So after saying that, why does it matter how he wins? He won. They decided he should beat John Cena in that match and when you look back at history it will be the Miz with the wrestlemania victory. I don't get why when the cheat to win heel does exactly what everyone thinks he will do that its supposed to hurt his credibility. I'm not buying it.

Back to the question I think it does more for Miz than it does for the title itself. That could change if he hangs on to it for a lot longer though.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

I fail to see how anyone can legitimately say that Miz is not a credible WWE Champion at this point. So he doesn't have many clean wins as champion. So what? Look at how many great heel champions throughout wrestling history have consistently won or retained their title through, get this, using heel tactics. I don't see why The Miz constantly gets shit on for this. He's a heel people. Heels fucking cheat to win and get ahead!!!

Whether the title has been on the line or not, Miz has garnered wins over a legend in Jerry Lawler, two of the most over faces & biggest stars in wrestling such as John Cena & Randy Orton, talented mid-card champions like Daniel Bryan & Kofi Kingston and an old adversary in John Morrison. I love how people tend to gloss over Miz's clean title defense over Morrison. It was the first televised wrestling match of 2011 and is probably still the best match shown on television this year so far.

The Miz has held the title for about 4.5 months at this point, which is the longest anyone has held the WWE Championship in almost 3 years. He's gotten past the biggest face in the company at WrestleMania to retain the title, which is something that most of us didn't really think he'd have a shot of doing up until a month ago, and he still has people more interested in the WWE Championship picture in and of itself than anyone has in a very long time. So yes, The Miz is a credible champion. Love him or hate it, it's time to give the guy his props.

 

[penguin74]

I know everyone keeps saying that the Miz only defeated Cena at Wrestlemania with the Rock's help, but we all seem to forget that the Miz ALREADY HAD RETAINED THE TITLE!!.

The Miz's music was playing, the match ended in a draw, he was walking out of Mania with the title before the Rock ever hit the ring. Cena had his chance, had his match, and didn't get the job done. That alone makes the Miz credible. So what the Rock got involved later, that doesn't take away from the fact that the Miz had already retained the belt.

Clean victories from a heel champ are few and far between. The stuff with Lawler was to further the Cole angle going into Mania, and the Orton thing was to further the Punk angle going into Mania. The match that mattered, 1 on 1 with Cena at the biggest show of the year, and he retained. That equals credible!

 

[The Man They Call WMD]

Come on man, I actually like you but you can't be one to spew this shit as well. So the fact that he has no clean title defenses means he's not a credible champion? Ok in that case, there has never been a credible heel WWE Champion, unless he was a monster heel. Seriously, how many clean title defenses did HHH have as a heel? Flair? Edge? Orton? Seriously, go back and look through the history of the title, cocky heels do not retain the title in a clean fashion. That's essentially what makes them heels.

I have to agree with the OP, I feel like Miz is definitely adding more credibility than we have seen in a while, though honestly, the WWE Title hasn't really taken a hit in a while. We have been getting somewhat lengthy reigns for a while now, same with the WHC. But the fact that Miz has held the title for this long is a testament to how much faith the company has in this kid. He beat John Cena at Wrestlemania, he's legit.

I think once you are established IMO it doesn't matter if they win clean. Great Heals such as Flair, Jericho and others had that moment where they cleanly beat the competition. You also believed they could beat anyone and it wouldn't be a surprise. I'm of the opinion that if Miz had a match with Cena or Orton in his current character state I don't believe he could beat them with out cheating. He needs outside help to retain.

Am I huge Miz fan ? Yes
Am I happy he is champion? YES
Is his long reign a nice change ? YES
Is he a credible champion? NO


The fact that the company see's him as the future is great. He is a entertaining character who is slowly becoming must see. The company has huge plans for him and that's rightfully so. For heavens sake he sat next Stephanie during the HOF induction. How ever IMO he hasn't been put over in a match by himself. Heels win dirty most of the time I get that. There is no reason a clean win can't be put in there as well.

 

[bengino]

Come on man, I actually like you but you can't be one to spew this shit as well. So the fact that he has no clean title defenses means he's not a credible champion? Ok in that case, there has never been a credible heel WWE Champion, unless he was a monster heel. Seriously, how many clean title defenses did HHH have as a heel? Flair? Edge? Orton? Seriously, go back and look through the history of the title, cocky heels do not retain the title in a clean fashion. That's essentially what makes them heels.

I have to agree with the OP, I feel like Miz is definitely adding more credibility than we have seen in a while, though honestly, the WWE Title hasn't really taken a hit in a while. We have been getting somewhat lengthy reigns for a while now, same with the WHC. But the fact that Miz has held the title for this long is a testament to how much faith the company has in this kid. He beat John Cena at Wrestlemania, he's legit.

I like Miz, but the reality is they built him up as a strong champ leading up to Mania with his attacks on Cena week after week... yet they completely destroyed him by having him downed by a clothesline and then have to crawl to pin Cena. The Miz may be legit, but his run has been made to be anything but... I blame Vince for that though and not Miz himself.

 

[hollowpoint]

What I think is they are doing both. They are establishing the Miz as a credible main eventer by keeping the title on him for an extended period of time, making the title worth having. With Orton as a full on face now, Miz and Punk seem to be the only ones in that main event heel type Superstars on Raw. I agree with you guys on win/losses. It doesn't matter if he wins cleanly or not. He's a heel, they are supposed to win by any means necessary. I remember the days of HHH,SCSA, and Rock in their prime as heels and that's what they did. A chair, sledgehammer, brass knucks, you name it. The fact that the Miz left Mania as the champion says a lot about what they think of Miz and how far he's come.

 

[Nate DaMac]

I think once you are established IMO it doesn't matter if they win clean. Great Heals such as Flair, Jericho and others had that moment where they cleanly beat the competition.

And as Jackhammer has brilliantly pointed out, Miz does have a clean title defense over Morrison, but everyone seems to over look that. Also, Jericho has absolutely never had a clean title defense. Never. Flair may have, I don't feel like like going through 30 years of matches to find out. But if I had to guess, I'd say he hasn't had many.

You also believed they could beat anyone and it wouldn't be a surprise. I'm of the opinion that if Miz had a match with Cena or Orton in his current character state I don't believe he could beat them with out cheating. He needs outside help to retain.

I have to assume you haven't been watching for very long. You're just looking in hindsight. Now Jericho could probably beat a couple of the top guys clean, but not likely. Shit, even after they have been retired for quite a while, Jericho could never believably go over Austin and Rock in the same night clean. As a face, Triple H can go over top faces, same as Orton. But as a heel, they never went over the top guys, thus it wasn't believable.

Am I huge Miz fan ? Yes
Am I happy he is champion? YES
Is his long reign a nice change ? YES
Is he a credible champion? NO

Bullshit.

The fact that the company see's him as the future is great. He is a entertaining character who is slowly becoming must see. The company has huge plans for him and that's rightfully so. For heavens sake he sat next Stephanie during the HOF induction. How ever IMO he hasn't been put over in a match by himself. Heels win dirty most of the time I get that. There is no reason a clean win can't be put in there as well.

He does have a clean win, which I might add is completely unnecessary. Heels don't win clean, they just don't. You really need a history lesson.

 

[JayMiine]

Miz is definitely a credible champion. I wouldn't say he has fully restored all credibility to the title because a lot of people don't see him in the same light as the Orton's and Cena's or today's generation.

Personally, I love the Miz. That pre-match video that aired for him was amazing. Then you actually could see the tears in the Miz's eyes as he was walking to the ring. This guy LOVES the business. Very much the same way that Cena does, maybe even more. He worked his ass off to prove everyone wrong and has achieved his dream. Miz has improved every time he steps in the ring. His mic work is top notch in WWE today. I think the Miz is going to hold the title until SummerSlam, I'm not sure exactly how many months that will make it or if the MONTHS even matter.

I think the Miz is bringing the spotlight back to the WWE title. People HATE the Miz. The fact that he usually doesn't win clean is exactly what his heel character should do. He is garnering a lot of heat, and when he does lose the title, maybe to Cena at SummerSlam, the people will go crazy! They will love the new face champion and the WWE title will be even more popular.

So, I think what the Miz is doing, despite if HE is a credible champion in your eyes, is bringing a lot of credibility back to the WWE title. And the next champion will be more popular because they beat the Miz. It will take a lot to actually defeat the Miz, he has proven that. So when it does happen for the title, the people will eat it up.

 

[mareek]

I'm a MIz fan and i have to admit he's not a credible champion right now. All of his victories look like flukes. And for those of you that are spewing that "he's a heel he supposed to be like this blah blah" bullshit, you're out of your mind. It's one thing for a heel to cheat to win (grab tights, use weapon, distract ref, etc etc) but he hasn't done any of that. All of his victories look like lucky wins.

And if you're gonna talk about past heel champs like HHH, at least get your facts straight. HHH never looked like a un-credible champ when he was heel. And when he was heel he was beating guys clean. Mick foley at the RR, the rock, Scott Steiner, Booker t etc etc.

 

[The Man They Call WMD]

And as Jackhammer has brilliantly pointed out, Miz does have a clean title defense over Morrison, but everyone seems to over look that. Also, Jericho has absolutely never had a clean title defense. Never. Flair may have, I don't feel like like going through 30 years of matches to find out. But if I had to guess, I'd say he hasn't had many.



I have to assume you haven't been watching for very long. You're just looking in hindsight. Now Jericho could probably beat a couple of the top guys clean, but not likely. Shit, even after they have been retired for quite a while, Jericho could never believably go over Austin and Rock in the same night clean. As a face, Triple H can go over top faces, same as Orton. But as a heel, they never went over the top guys, thus it wasn't believable.



Bullshit.



He does have a clean win, which I might add is completely unnecessary. Heels don't win clean, they just don't. You really need a history lesson.

So he beat Morrison....Riley was involved in the beginning of the match and what has Morrison ever won? He beat mid card talent... a jobber to the stars.

Jericho beat the Rock and SCSA clean at Vengeance to Capture the Undisputed title as a heal cleanly. He also defended it cleanly against both of them at the next ppv's. So back to my point there is no reason to believe the MIZ cant beat CENA or ORTON cleanly.
It doesn't mean he cant he just hasn't been booked that way.

Ive been watching since 98. Idk if that's considered that long or not.

To sum up Beating Morrison proved nothing. No one thought going into the match Miz could lose. The match was even on RAW. The miz has no clean PPV wins. The Miz may be Awesome, but his title defenses have not been.

 

[mareek]

What has Morrison ever done to make the Miz's victory over him legit? Morrison is an upper-midcarder who's not even ready for the Main Event yet, a victory over him is not impressive.

 

[Attitude>>>PG]

Hopefully Miz retains for a while. Fans will get tired of him walking out champion every month and will relish when he is finally dethroned. Like HHH and Jericho match in 00' people marked the fuck out when Jericho was victorious. Although it was reversed later in the show it added much more heat to HHH. Miz needs a real credible win over a face without interference like HHH did over Cactus Jack at the RR 00'. If he goes over clean he will become a legit threat to those who challenge him. Although he did retain against Cena at Wrestlemania (on his own) it was a lackluster finish.

 

[THEpapachamp]

Miz defeated John Cena at Wrestlemania.. I repete John Cena at Wrestlemania..

Doesn't matter how, with who, by what..

That equals credible by Vince Mcmanon

 

[Nate DaMac]

So he beat Morrison....Riley was involved in the beginning of the match and what has Morrison ever won? He beat mid card talent... a jobber to the stars.

Wait a minute... If Morrison is a Jobber To The Stars and he lost to The Miz, doesn't that make Miz a .. *gasps* star?

Jericho beat the Rock and SCSA clean at Vengeance to Capture the Undisputed title as a cleanly. He also defended it cleanly against both of them at the next ppv's. So back to my point there is no reason to believe the MIZ cant beat CENA or ORTON cleanly.
It doesn't mean he cant he just hasn't been booked that way.

Seriously, I facepalmed so hard it gave me a black eye. Are you fucking serious? Dude, if those wins were clean then Miz has defended his title clean at every turn. At Vengeance, Jericho had help from Vince to beat Rock and Booker T to beat Austin. At the Royal Rumble he had his feet on the ropes to beat Rock and at No Way Out, he had help from the NWO to beat Austin. Seriously dude. Seriously.

Ive been watching since 98. Idk if that's considered that long or not.

Sure, it's a decent amount of time but it's apparent that you have a shitty recollection of things that have happened.

To sum up Beating Morrison proved nothing. No one thought going into the match Miz could lose. The match was even on RAW. The miz has no clean PPV wins. The Miz may be Awesome, but his title defenses have not been.

Well, Morrison has clean wins over Sheamus and CM Punk, so it's not like he hasn't beaten anyone. But once again we're back to this bullshit that he doesn't have any clean title defenses, which doesn't fucking matter. It's as if you guys have no idea how wrestling booking works. Heels cheat to win, faces don't(usually.) Miz is doing exactly what he's supposed to do and is doing a great job at it.

 

[mr_dna]

I like Miz as champ but i have to say he wins have all been shit and made him look weak. When we have seen heels win in the past it has been using dirty tactics like forigen objects or a low blow maybe a occasional bit of interference .

The Miz has not Won any match without help he need 2 people to help him beat a 50 year old man he needed a group of people to beat Orton and the great one to beat Cena. As a champion he is good on the mic and can get good heat but can you really say he has had any credible match as wwe champion. I want Miz to be a great champion but as long as he gets the wins the way he is he will always go down in my book as one of the weakest WWE Champions

Look at his US title reign he won and 90% of the time no interference and he looked great and everyone was commenting on how good he was looking and how he will make a good WWE champ then he gets the title and they make him look like he cant win without help

Also i would like to point out that Arod did get involved int the JoMo match he might not of actually cost him the title at the end but he did interfere

 

[The Man They Call WMD]

Wait a minute... If Morrison is a Jobber To The Stars and he lost to The Miz, doesn't that make Miz a .. *gasps* star?





Seriously, I facepalmed so hard it gave me a black eye. Are you fucking serious? Dude, if those wins were clean then Miz has defended his title clean at every turn. At Vengeance, Jericho had help from Vince to beat Rock and Booker T to beat Austin. At the Royal Rumble he had his feet on the ropes to beat Rock and at No Way Out, he had help from the NWO to beat Austin. Seriously dude. Seriously.



Sure, it's a decent amount of time but it's apparent that you have a shitty recollection of things that have happened.



Well, Morrison has clean wins over Sheamus and CM Punk, so it's not like he hasn't beaten anyone. But once again we're back to this bullshit that he doesn't have any clean title defenses, which doesn't fucking matter. It's as if you guys have no idea how wrestling booking works. Heels cheat to win, faces don't(usually.) Miz is doing exactly what he's supposed to do and is doing a great job at it.

I do consider Miz a star. I don't think he has been booked correctly. I still think there is no reason he cant be booked to go clean over Cena, Orton, or even not struggle in a match against lawler. He is heel I get that...let him win on his own.

 

[DirtSheet]

So he beat Morrison....Riley was involved in the beginning of the match and what has Morrison ever won? He beat mid card talent... a jobber to the stars.

Jericho beat the Rock and SCSA clean at Vengeance to Capture the Undisputed title as a heal cleanly. He also defended it cleanly against both of them at the next ppv's. So back to my point there is no reason to believe the MIZ cant beat CENA or ORTON cleanly.
It doesn't mean he cant he just hasn't been booked that way.

Ive been watching since 98. Idk if that's considered that long or not.

To sum up Beating Morrison proved nothing. No one thought going into the match Miz could lose. The match was even on RAW. The miz has no clean PPV wins. The Miz may be Awesome, but his title defenses have not been.

You put so much time and effort into bolding the cleanly part for Jericho in which you said he beat Austin and Rock and defended it cleanly that you really should have used that time to do a little research.

Jericho beat Austin at Vengeance because of interference by Booker T. Not a win. Jericho beat Rock at Vengeance because of Vince McMahon. Not a clean win. Jericho won at Royal Rumble against Rock because of a "heel referee" refusing to count, the turnbuckle being removed, a low blow and using the tights and ropes. Not a clean win. Jericho beat Austin because of the NWO at No Way Out. Not a clean win.

So how you managed to come to the conclusion that he won the title and defended it cleanly is beyond me.

 

[Mustang Sally]

It's the same with every wrestler; we as individuals have to decide whether we like him or not. When we do, we tend to overestimate the pops he's getting from the crowd.......and vice-versa if we don't like him.

If the company deems a performer worthy of a big push, the only way to find out if he's going to measure up to it is to bring the push and see how it goes. In the case of guys like Kofi Kingston, Vladimir Koslov and Jack Swagger, they tried and it didn't work to the degree they hoped. No problem; that's the way it goes. Everyone's push can't pan out like Cena's.

All of this seems to apply to Miz. People who like his act say he's restored credibility to the title...... and people who dislike him say he hasn't. As other folks who posted in this thread said, it makes no difference whether he wins cleanly or not. What's important is how he's getting over with the audience.

Personally, I think Miz has been shoved down our throats too much. I never expected WWE to keep the title belt on him this long......and I thought he would surely lose it at WM. The company has obviously made a huge investment in this guy succeeding and they feel they have to follow through with it. But next to the guys he's fighting, Miz just doesn't seem to measure up. To me, guys like Cena and Orton are true superstars; Miz is not.

I have nothing at all against Miz. At times, he's entertaining, but over all, I find him to be a mid-carder who's being pushed as a main eventer.

 

[Mac Attack]

I disagree with most of your points. His last three PPV title defenses are
A. He defeated Lawler at EC with the help of Riley and Cole.
B. He defeated Orton with the help of C.M. Punk and the rest of Nexus at Royal Rumble.
C. He defeated Cena with the help of the Rock at Wrestlemania.

So I don't find him credible as a champion. How ever I still have entertained his reign and hope that he does become credible.

Here is a list the people he fought in his title matches and how many times.

Lawler x 2
Orton x 2
Cena x 1
Morrison x 1

How in the world can some people say he is not credible. Yes he is a heel and won in heel fashion but still that is how you make a credible heel champion. I think this has built the Miz to a huge level and really did make the title much elevated. He has wins against two of the biggest names in the company in Orton and Cena. Yes they were unclean but this is what his heel character does. He has had a very long title reign which is what the titles needed. In no way is defending your title 7 times not credible. Ok he beat Lawler twice but still a win is a win. He also has a win on the grandest stage of them all. This also builds his credibility. Heel wins are still wins, realize none of his wins were by DQ. This shows that he is actually sticking around for the fight which makes any champion credible.

 

[Loveless]

I know everyone keeps saying that the Miz only defeated Cena at Wrestlemania with the Rock's help, but we all seem to forget that the Miz ALREADY HAD RETAINED THE TITLE!!.
The Miz's music was playing, the match ended in a draw, he was walking out of Mania with the title before the Rock ever hit the ring. Cena had his chance, had his match, and didn't get the job done. That alone makes the Miz credible. So what the Rock got involved later, that doesn't take away from the fact that the Miz had already retained the belt.

This is actually a very good point that has been forgotten about. Before the involvement, Miz walk already walking out with the title having tied the match by countout. Cena couldn't beat him.
I'd also like to point this out as well because it's even more forgotten

Miz kicked out of the Attitude Adjustment.

No slow count, no weak finish, no Cena taking his time to get the cover.

Attitude Adjustment
Quick Pin
Kickout

No-one ever does that. If Miz isn't a credible champion now then he never will be.

 

[GodCompleX]

Is the Miz over? Yes. Is he credible as Champion? No.
To be a credible champion imo you have to be respectable enough in the ring that you appear to be a legit threat as the hunter or the hunted. Orton, Cena, HHH, even Punk have that credibility currently. Miz's reign has him with as much credibility as Jack Swaggers, it's just happened to last longer. Without the belt as motive I find it very hard to believe The Miz can defeat anyone 1 on 1. The Miz HAS to cheat to win, Flair just cheated cause he could, he didn't HAVE to.