What WWE must deliver in a potential Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz feud

2. Miz must ditch the counterproductive aspects of his character

Since that Talking Smack segment, Miz has flourished as an upper-midcard heel. However, there are several layers to Miz’s act (outside of his workrate) that prevent him from moving up the ladder.

One of the main issues is his constant whining about WWE underutilizing and underpromoting him. If Miz was the big name star that he claims to be, then WWE would feature him on every poster, video game, commercial, and billboard. WWE would put him in higher profile matches and would advertise him more than they do. I realize that Miz gripes like this to draw heat, but it makes him sound like anything but a star. He comes across as an undercard joke.

Miz should also refrain from bragging about his “film career”. His “movie star” schtick is easily the most bush league aspect of his character. When WWE has a legit box office megastar like The Rock on speed dial and has budding movie star John Cena on the active roster, Miz’s bloviating about his roles in Direct-to-DVD films without irony makes him look like a delusional goof.

Miz is a former WWE Champion. He headlined WrestleMania XXVII. He is a multi-time Intercontinental Champion. He is a Reality TV star. Despite his less-than-stellar filmography, he effectively presents himself as a star. If Miz limits his boasts to his in-ring accomplishments and material gains (while adding that he didn’t need to “toil” in the “bingo halls” to achieve success in wrestling) and trims out the sillier aspects of his gimmick, it would contrast perfectly with the humble, hard-working Bryan.

Highlighting Miz’s snobbish attitude towards indy feds–and by association indy darlings like Bryan–would make it all the more satisfying to see Bryan kick his chest in. Speaking of which…