The WWE Series: 3) The Miz

[Adam Rush]

What kind of investment has The Miz been for the WWE so far? Positive, neutral, or negative?

Thanks for the request, Ethelion, this should be a fun one to do.

The Miz is, IMO, a positive. He's the current Intercontinental Champion. He's a former Tag Team Champ, former United States Champ, and a 1-time WWE Champion. I wish Miz would turn face, but it's wishful thinking. Anyway, Miz hasn't been injured yet in his WWE career. He's a solid worker; I think this Intercontinental Championship reign will be good for him and lead to bigger things.

What do you guys think?

Also, feel free to post requests.

Tomorrow, I will be doing Damien Sandow as one of my three.

 

[Ellye]

Very positive.

The Miz is quite charismatic and is a fantastic heel that can bring relevance to any belt he holds around his waist, if creative allows him to do so.

His run as the WWE Champion would have been fantastic if it wasn't for some really stupid storylines (a feud with Jerry Lawler, seriously?), but those are not his fault. As far as his part is concerned, his in-character claim of "most must-see WWE Champion" isn't that far of, considering recent champions. Most champions are really interesting while they are still chasing the belt, but seem to lose momentum once they actually get it. Miz was great with the briefcase, and even greater with the belt.

By the way, I generally dislike overuse of catchphrases, but I believe they do have a place in the WWE, and Miz fills this place quite nicely. His catchphrases are, well, catchy, and his delivery is good.

He's currently holding the IC, which apparently will now be the RAW midcard belt. And if creative wants to revitalize this midcard title, Miz and Christian are probably the right men for the job, so they are getting this one right.

 

[Dolph Ziggler]

He sucks, he looks like a nerd, he weighs sub 200 pounds, he is easily the worst wrestler in the ring and the only redeeming quality of him is his charisma, and even that isn't to good.

Do drew mcintyre

 

[Ethelion]

Thanks for the request, Ethelion, this should be a fun one to do.

And thank you too for giving me my request, marsden88.

Now on to the topic. Yes, The Miz is a positive investment to the WWE so far.

Like Wade Barrett, I wanted Mike Mizanin to win in his own competition at WWE Tough Enough and realize his dream of becoming a WWE Superstar, but it's mainly due to his oozing personality. Unfortunately, that contest was won by Daniel Puder as he was more over. Despite this, I was glad, and still am, that the WWE saw what I saw in him and gave him a chance.

Since then, he's become Tag Team Champion, United States Champion, Mr. Money-in-the-Bank and WWE Champion in a short span, despite not being that over. Now, he's the current Intercontinental Champion. And he was given all of these accolades because of his hard work. The Wrestling Observer Newsletter even awarded him as the Most Improved Wrestler of the Year in 2008 and 2009 as proof. Personally, I enjoy watching the Skull-Crushing Finale (the Full-Nelson Facebuster, which looks like a Reverse Russian Legsweep to me) and the Swinging Corner Clothesline (now known as the "Awesome Clothesline" as I just found out today), two of the new moves he introduced in 2010.

They believe in him, trust him and have given him the chance to star in game shows, talk shows and now their latest Marine Movie even before he became WWE Champion. And he always delivers. This proves that not only is he a positive investment to the WWE, but he's also a valuable asset to them.

 

[Kelso1ftw]

I'd say it took him a little while to get some steam and get that push that he finally got, but overall I would have to think of Miz as a positive.. even though lately he has been in the dog house after missing that spot with R-Truth and then missing time to film the movie, but I think the positive outweighs the negative by I would think a good margin and The Miz is still a great personality and a great bad guy.

 

[Desyar]

Negative. He's heel persona has gotten stale, he's never got my attention and I don't understand why the WWE creative's letting him stay with that boring gimmick. Hell, I didn't even notice he was gone when he was filming a movie.

Hopefully, I'll see Miz in a new light when WWE actually get the guts to turn him face. But right now I only see him as another generic wrestler who's been given a chance and dropped the ball like Swagger.

 

[TheLoneCharles]

Of course it's a positive. His background with MTV, being one of the top mic workers, and actually beating John Cena in a Wrestlemania main event. Some might question his wrestling talent but there is no doubt he's been good for business.

Personally I think he's decent enough as a wrestler, but the setup to his finisher is awful. I could just never really buy Miz during his WWE Title run, but in his current role as IC Champion I feel is exactly where he should be on the card.

 

[Aquaman6686]

Personally, I enjoy watching the Skull-Crushing Finale (the Full-Nelson Facebuster, which looks like a Reverse Russian Legsweep to me) and the Swinging Corner Clothesline (now known as the "Awesome Clothesline" as I just found out today), two of the new moves he introduced in 2010.

Just FYI, Miz isn't the first person to use a Full Nelson Facebuster as a finisher. He'll, he's not even the first person in WWE to use it. Chris Jericho used the move in 2001 and 2002, calling it the Breakdown.

Anyway, I would say The Miz is definitely a major positive. I used to HATE him when he debuted, but he worked his damn ass off and became one of the best Superstars in recent memory. He's become one of my favorites in WWE. I see Miz being World Champion several more times before all is said and done.

 

[Arcade]

The Miz is a huge positive, and I donthink that he'll end up like Swagger and McIntyre. When The Miz won the WWE Championship, I was sick of him, bit after Wrestlemania, I accepted the fact that WWE has some long time plans for The Miz. Now The Miz continues to entertain me, and his new look is much more serious. The Miz came a long way. When he debuted, I thought he would be gone in 2 years, but then he was partnered with Morrison, and they became a great tag team. Now, I don't think WWE dropped the ball on The Miz. I think we'll see him back in the main event soon after his Intercontinental Title run is over.

 

[Ethelion]

Just FYI, Miz isn't the first person to use a Full Nelson Facebuster as a finisher. He'll, he's not even the first person in WWE to use it. Chris Jericho used the move in 2001 and 2002, calling it the Breakdown.

Thanks for the info, looked it up myself. "Breakdown", huh? I've never seen Y2J use it before, but its probably because wrestling access is very limited in my country, especially non-WWE shows like WCW and ECW, until late 2003. I guess that really makes Miz the next Chris Jericho: the look, the trunks, the jacket, even the personality.

As for new requests, I can't think of anyone else right now. I, however, am anticipating someone interesting to discuss. I'll just tune in tomorrow for the next thread to find out.

 

[R.K.O]

Negative for me. Provided I know that he's a hard worker who works his ass off for the company almost like John Cena, but there's nothing really different about him that a Cody Rhodes or Drew McIntyre cannot do and do better. In ring wise he was one of the worst in the roster for quite sometime and his mic skills are nothing special either. The Wrestlemania 27 main event he had with Cena was brutal, one of the worst wrestling match to end Wrestlemania for a long time. After his comeback from filming the movie he had improved his looks which is a huge plus but it seems like people still don't care about him, as evident in the massive drop of viewers during his match at Raw 1000.

 

[HBKistheHOF]

The Dirt Sheet is the only positive thing to come out of The Miz, and that was half Morrison's.

Come to think of it, his only enjoyable matches IMO are with or against Morrison.

I have never liked Miz and never will. He is just like Cena, except without the muscles and looking like he could actually win a match or make a comeback. TERRIBLE gimmick/character that half the roster does better, Sub-Par in the ring, and bland & scripted on the mic.

Just because someone can memorize a script, doesn't mean they have mic and/or promo skills.

IMO Miz is just taking up spots from guys like Ziggler, Rhodes, Sandow, Barrett, Swagger, McIntyre, Cesaro, etc. that are actually talented.

Miz is a WWE novelty. Because he is annoying and outspoken, he does all the talk shows, and since he was on Real World and some ignorant people recognize him from that, it gives him the SLIGHTEST edge in Hollywood.

 

[MINISTRYrising]

i think the miz has been a positive investment. his a great wrestler with even better mic skills. really knows how to get the fans to hate him. he also did a great job as champion. i really want to see him turn face though. i think he would do a great job.

 

[SpoodBeest]

WWE despite the rut they put the man for a half a year, have been quite high on The Miz for a while so that in of itself should show that he's a positive investment on their part. Again all of Miz's success can be attributed to how well he can talk and the entertainment factor his promos bring. He has a presence and WWE knows this and they seem to be pushing him at top upper midcard spot with him now holding the IC title.

Once that reign finishes up I see him moving back to where he was before challenging for the WWE title. Again people can criticize his work in a wrestling ring which has been vastly improved over his career but crowds like to be entertained by stories, interesting characters, and by that I mean people who can cut a promo. It's been The Miz's upside his entire career and it is what will keep him at the apex of WWE.

 

[HBsam31]

I think the Miz was a positive investment. He is a hard worker and from what I have read he does a lot of PR stuff for WWE. He has held the tag, US, WWE, and now the IC championship. I think these things alone make him a positive investment.

 

[theBec2101]

I'm sorry but I just don’t get him of his character. He is horrible on the mic. I don’t think he is that good in the ring. I just don’t get it. The only good matches he has had are with other wrestlers that are able to carry him through the match. You can’t honestly tell me he was better than John Morrison.

 

[Dagger Dias]

I put neutral.

Miz can be a big star in the future for years to come, but WWE will have to work with him so he can improve some in the ring. Granted he's better than guys like Otunga and Ryan, however.... He hardly came across as a believable champion when he held the WWE Championship. They invested a lot into his push so I hope that they follow through with it, he CAN be a good investment if they keep him in the main event and help him become more believable in the role. That was always a huge problem I had with him. The fact that my wife hated him enough to refuse to watch anything WWE-related (including Wrestlemania) until he lost the title didn't help either. Unlike her and others with the same mindset I gave the guy a chance, just don't see him coming across as world title material.

If they don't, him retaining at WRESTLEMANIA against CENA will have been for nothing. I personally would have pushed Morrison over Miz. He does a lot of publicity appearances for WWE and has put forth the effort. The main problem, as I have stated many times before, is that he is not believable as champion. That, and WWE did not keep him in the main event. After retaining against Cena, Miz should have stayed in the main event scene for good. This Intercontinental Championship reign hopefully turns things around for him like his US Championship run a couple of years ago did, he will be a positive investment if they follow through with all of their intentions of pushing him, otherwise it was a waste of everyone's time.

 

[midgensa]

Wow ... this one is such an obvious POSITIVE.

He had a VERY good World Championship run. He was one of the better tag team wrestlers maybe of all time. He has a TON of crossover and main stream appeal. And he is as hard a worker as there is in the entire company.

He is FAR from done being a main eventer, just a matter of time for them to figure out the right push and let his natural charisma carry him back to the top.

He is one of the best things the WWE has going for them. A guy who will work his ass off and do literally ANYTHING that is asked of him.

 

[jacdnwarrior]

It's a positive for me. Looking at the number of people who are capable of being a main eventer, he has a lot of the qualities that i love in champions. He can talk on the mike, he's solid in the ring and is a solid entertainer. Most of the guys coming up, lack what he has. Many who have been multiple champions lack what he has.

He's liked by some, but despised by a number including HHH who has said as much. He has no business being an IC champ, he is above that title now. He should be in the hunt for a heavyweight title on SD if not on Raw.