WWE Royal Rumble 2017: 3 Reasons the Miz Should Win
By Adam O'Brien
WWE.com
1. It’s the Most Rewarding Outcome for the Daniel Bryan Feud
The start of The Miz’s journey to becoming one of the WWE’s most talked-about stars all began just after SummerSlam in August, when the then-Intercontinental Champion took to Talking Smack to rant about the way he’s been constantly mistreated and overlooked because of the certain “safe” way he chooses to wrestle.
What made this promo so awe-inspiring wasn’t just the fact that his arguments – about having never been seriously injured in the ring, or Daniel Bryan not quitting to compete on the indie scene again – were actually pretty valid, but it was because his speech was so passionate that you actually felt for this guy.
He had been overlooked, and it wasn’t until that moment that a lot of people finally began to take notice. As a result, anytime The Miz has either crossed paths with Daniel Bryan or appeared on Talking Smack since that day – much like we saw this past week after SmackDown Live – the resulting moment ends up being great.
The only problem is that, even though the story of The Miz vs. Daniel Bryan is one based on almost seven years’ worth of history, the unfortunate reality is that with the SmackDown Live General Manager still not cleared by WWE to compete, there’s no way this rivalry can really have a fitting end to put it to rest without a match.
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They tried moving on from it back in August by having Dolph Ziggler step up to face The Miz – somewhat on Bryan’s behalf – but it’s never going to be the same as Miz and Bryan standing opposite each other, perhaps even at WrestleMania.
On the off chance that WWE does clear Bryan, it will be an extraordinary battle fueled by Bryan’s yearning desire for competition, and The Miz’s need to prove himself against the most vocal person disbelieving in his abilities. But for now, the only person who should stand with anything to gain from their run-ins is The Miz, who can actually wrestle the full-time schedule and reap the rewards of their feud.
What better way for The Miz to stick it to the GM than by winning the Royal Rumble match and going on to compete in the brand’s most prominent match at the biggest show of the year, for the WWE Championship? The Miz is a broken man right now, held down by the authority, non-wrestlers and now the officials of the brand.
The only way to bounce back from that is to do the unthinkable, and capture the opportunities he otherwise wouldn’t have been given by just taking them – by outlasting 29 other guys and forcing himself into the main event at WrestleMania.
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There are a lot of guys that would be fantastic in that role, on either brand, but no winner would call for a better storyline on the Road to WrestleMania than The Miz.