WWE SmackDown Grades: Randy Orton Is Back In His Element

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3. The Miz Segment

The long-running rivalry between The Miz and Daniel Bryan is eight years in the making at this point.  The two have had profound impacts on each other’s WWE careers and since Bryan’s return to in-ring competition prior to WrestleMania 34, fans began clamoring for the potential of a Bryan vs. Miz feud.

But as of late, Bryan had other plans while teaming with Kane to reform Team Hell No and challenge The Bludgeon Brothers for the SmackDown Tag Team Championship at Extreme Rules.  Team Hell No would lose that match, however, thanks in large part because of an earlier attack backstage at the hands of Harper and Rowan that left Kane kayfabe injured with a broken ankle.

The Miz decided to hold a “funeral” for Team Hell No last night and in a segment that could have gone badly, he knocked it out of the park.  It started out as just a disingenuous attempt to honor Team Hell No, but would quickly develop into a verbal bashing segment towards The Yes Man, in particular.  The A-Lister said many disparaging remarks towards Bryan that felt very convincing.

He ended up saying just like Team Hell No, Bryan’s career is dead and his big return has been a flop.  Bryan had heard enough and would attack The Miz from behind in the ring.  Miz would narrowly escape, but Bryan more than got his point across that he isn’t going to take any of The Miz’s disparaging remarks lying down.  This was a great segment that showcased what makes both Miz and Bryan great.

It dragged on a tiny bit too long in the beginning, but this was a knockout segment that adds more fuel to the fire for these two rivals.

Final Grade: A-