The Miz SHOULD be rewarded with a victory at Wrestlemania. You ALWAYS have to consider for your future. Now is Cena the face or your company? Yes but he has been carrying this company too much on his shoulder. Can Orton be your face of the company? Maybe but I doubt it. Mysterio, Taker, Edge and HHH are all retiring in the next 2-3 years and word is, Vince is grooming Miz to be the next face of the company. You want to put the belt back on Cena? Wait until Extreme Rules to do it so that way if Miz wins at Wrestlemania, he is established and forever has that accolade that he beat John Cena for the WWE Championship in the main event at Wrestlemania.
"But if Cena wins, it sends the fans home happy." Sometimes at the expense of your fans' happiness, you need to do what is best for business. I personally believe The Miz beating Cena is the better business decision because you always have to wonder what happens if Cena goes down. Very few people could be ready to step up and carry for that time being. Miz beating Cena at Wrestlemania would do him wonders.
Who would he face after that you ask?
Daniel Bryan- Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Daniel Bryan fan and I would mark the hell out the day he gets the strap, but the truth is is that it wouldn't make sense at this point. WWE ruined their chance to have Miz vs. Bryan at Extreme Rules. There is NOTHING WRONG with a midcard champion getting a title shot once in a great while and I know Bryan can look great in defeat. But if this was November/December, I would be all for it because not only would it make sense with their history but Bryan was defending the title on a good basis and was winning the majority of his matches. If they kept up his momentum, this would be the perfect time to pull the trigger.
John Morrison- I think the best way for Miz/Morrison to sell would be if Miz was the face and Morrison was the heel. It wouldn't be good to do it now but in the future I think it would be the best thing. Miz MAY play the heel better than he plays the face, we don't know; but I can't imagine his mic skills being shot to shit if he turns face. Morrison though, it's no contest. Morrison is much, MUCH better on the mic as a heel. Go watch his stuff from 2007/2008. Would I like to see Miz/Morrison at Extreme Rules? Yes. I think every now and then, it'd be good to have two up and comers battle it out for the title. Miz would have far more credibility if he walks out of Atlanta as champion and Morrison would be fresh and he is your third top face on RAW behind Cena and Orton (Or so it seems)
John Cena- this is the most likely matchup. While I'm not a fan of Cena and I don't ever want to see him with the title again, if he wins it at Extreme Rules, fine; but I would give any amount of money for Vince to have Del Rio win AND keep the belt on Miz for another month. We don't know how Miz will bounce back if he loses at Wrestlemania. If he wins though, everything to gain. If he loses, potentially everything to lose. Cena has nothing to gain or lose if he does a job at Wrestlemania.
Also, for the sake of title prestige, it would be a good thing if Miz kept the belt a little longer.
From September 2006 to November 2008, only three guys held the strap: John Cena with his year long reign, after the trading belt debacle at No Mercy 2007, Orton then held it all the way until Backlash 2008. You could argue Miz is in the same shoes Orton was three years ago and that Orton retaining at Wrestlemania did wonders for his career. HHH then held the title from April to November of 2008.
Since then though, NOBODY until The Miz right now has held the title for over 100 days. Think about that. Backlund, Hogan, Savage all had long term reigns in the 80s and likewise with the likes of Warrior, Yoko, Hart and Michaels in the 90s. WWE needs another longterm champion and to add prestige to the belt.
At first I wasn't warming up to The Miz; but once January came, I started to like it much more. He pinned Morrison clean to retain, he pinned Lawler clean to retain. He needed help to fend off Orton, but he still got much, MUCH better treatment than Sheamus or Swagger did in their first reigns. Aside from JBL, what did Punk do during his first reign? So while Miz's first reign could be better, it has been above your traditional first reign we have seen in WWE these last few years.
Randy Orton? *Yawn* Not again.
Cena is your face of the company and he may have more options; but Cena winning the title at Wrestlemania would only be a short term solution. Sometimes you have to think longterm and keeping the belt on Miz, even if it's only until Extreme Rules, would do just that.
