There’s no doubt about it: Ever since WWE’s brand split last summer, the Miz has been one of the biggest highlights every Tuesday night. Sadly, his incredible run on Smackdown Live has officially come to an end (at least for now), as he and his wife Maryse were moved to Monday Night Raw last night as a part of the Superstar Shake-Up.
Miz’s run as Smackdown’s best heel all started last August, when he — then the Intercontinental Champion — appeared on one of the first episodes of WWE Network’s new post-show, Talking Smack, where he absolutely wrecked Daniel Bryan on live TV. In case you somehow don’t have Miz’s comments etched into your brain, here’s a brief refresher video:
This is what happens when people stop being polite and start getting real. It was clear that Miz’s comments were coming from somewhere down deep, but it wasn’t until last week when he revealed what his real motivation was that night. As he tells FOX Sports:
“So here was my day up to that point: I wasn’t written on the episode that day and I’m the Intercontinental champion. This is the title that I’ve loved since I was a child, and I don’t want to be the guy who says, ‘I’m going to make it great,’ and then not do anything. I want to make it great.
“So I told them to put me on ‘Talking Smack.’ They asked, ‘Well what are you going to do?’ And I said I’m going to rip into Daniel Bryan. And then I guess I kind of went overboard. And when I go, I have no filter. It’s everything that is fueling inside of me and I just black out.’
“I was like, wait a second. I’m the guy that’s always here, doing everything, doing the stuff that you don’t want to do or that John [Cena] doesn’t want to do, and I don’t get injured.
“And people compliment me on what I said, but I was so angry that it was difficult to even speak.”
Now we know what his motivation was. The next big question is was Daniel Bryan’s sudden departure planned? According to Miz, it wasn’t:
“He actually left. I didn’t expect him to leave — I expected him to hit me. The things I was laying into him on were very below the belt and very mean and very rude, but when I go, I just go.”
While it surely ruffled a few feathers behind the scenes, there’s something to be said for the Miz’s honesty — at the very least, it made his character the hottest it’s been in years and even landed him a WrestleMania rematch with John Cena. What does the future hold hold for Miz? Hopefully, another live mic.
