WWE: The Miz Should Get a World Title Opportunity

The Miz’s great year of 2016 should result in him getting a World title shot in WWE soon.

The Miz had a spectacular 2016. He went from a perpetual midcarder to the best pure heel in WWE. His character work has been fantastic. His ability to elicit the right reaction from the crowd has been spot-on.

And of course, his promos were among the best of the entire WWE roster. Although they haven’t been revealed yet, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Miz won the Wrestling Observer Newsletter award for being the most improved for 2016.

During his run as Intercontinental Champion, the Miz managed to elevate that belt’s prestige in a major way. He made people want to see his matches, and more importantly, see him lose. He shouldn’t be considered a midcarder anymore. Instead, the Miz should be in the World Title picture on SmackDown.

As most fans can recall, the Miz was a World Champion once upon a time. He won the belt after cashing in his MITB briefcase on RAW in November 2010. That title reign was an experiment to see if Miz could draw as a top guy.

Unfortunately, it didn’t work out that well. Miz wasn’t as good of a wrestler at the time, nor was he the top heel in the promotion. Those things worked against him, as well as playing second fiddle in the larger feud between John Cena and the Rock.

But Miz learned from that time as world champion, and the time has come for him to get another shot at the belt. It doesn’t matter who is opponent would be; Miz would get booed without hesitation. That would put further sympathy on his opponent, lessening the perpetual ‘fans cheer whomever they want’ trend that continues to appear on WWE programming.

Moreover, the Miz has a chance to redeem himself as a champion. If John Cena wins against A.J. Styles at the Royal Rumble, the Miz would have a ready-made storyline for him. He’d be seeking redemption for the debacle that was his 2011 run, and it would be easy for him to blame Cena for screwing that up. After all, John Cena didn’t even treat Miz as a legitimate threat, being more concerned about the Rock.

A simple storyline centered on jealousy and hatred over the man that he perceives to have ruined his career could unfold here and lead to highly entertaining programming. Add to the fact that both the Miz and John Cena can (and do) cut excellent promos and you have a highly believable and deep wrestling story that would be perfect for Smackdown.

As for his in-ring work, the Miz has also improved on that front. While he’s no A.J. Styles, Miz has developed a better sense of ring psychology and storytelling. He targets the legs more often when setting up for the Figure-4-Leglock. He uses his wife as a shield to elicit cheap heat. He does everything he can to win, from eye rakes to low blows to pulling the tights. He’s the ideal underhanded heel wrestler.