How WWE has perfectly handled the hot Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz rivalry
WWE has barely scratched the surface of how far they can go with Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz.
Despite reservations from fans that Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz wouldn’t live up to the hype after all these years, WWE has perfectly handled their hot rivalry thus far and should be commended for such strong storytelling.
As soon as Miz went off on Bryan during an episode of Talking Smack in August 2016, there was no way WWE couldn’t have them do battle at some point. Granted, the chances of Bryan returning to the ring back then were slim to none, but that didn’t stop WWE from having them interact and get in each other’s faces almost every week for the next year.
Thankfully, Bryan was ultimately cleared to compete again starting in March 2018. Although the company has acquired a slew of stellar performers since Bryan last competed in a WWE ring (including AJ Styles and Shinsuke Nakamura), Miz led the list of rivals he had to face upon his return to the ring.
However, Miz wasn’t Bryan’s first feud coming out of WrestleMania. They continued to tease going one-on-one on various editions of Miz TV and brought up their bad blood from years past, yet they were kept apart until SummerSlam season.
It would have been easy for WWE to blow off their long-running rivalry at a second-rate show such as Backlash or Extreme Rules. Instead, officials were wise to wait until SummerSlam (one of WWE’s biggest events of the year behind WrestleMania) to rekindle their rivalry from years ago.
It was there that they contested one of the better bouts of the night and reminded fans just how incredible their in-ring chemistry together is, a match that ended in a cheap victory for The Awesome One with help from his wife Maryse.
Again, it would have been way too premature for Bryan to give Miz his comeuppance at SummerSlam. The August extravaganza was merely the first step in something so much bigger, hence why it was imperative Bryan was kept in chase mode by losing to his longtime foe.
It had less to do with the uncertainty surrounding Bryan’s immediate future with WWE and more to do with how a successful rivalry is formed. WWE’s resident “Yes!” man could feud with anyone on the SmackDown side tomorrow and bring the best out of them, but Miz is the one he can tell the greatest possible narrative with.
Two days removed from SummerSlam, Miz gloated about his (tainted) win over Bryan, only to find out that their feud was far from over thanks to a decision made by general manager Paige regarding Hell in a Cell.
With Bryan being outnumbered by Miz and Maryse, it only made sense to throw Brie Bella, Bryan’s wife, into the mix as well.
In an interesting turn of events, Brie came to Bryan’s aid on that anticipated episode of SmackDown Live and proceeded to take the fight to Miz. It was then announced that Bryan and Brie would meet Miz and Maryse in a mixed tag team match at next month’s Hell in a Cell pay-per-view.
What this does is further the ongoing issues with Bryan and Miz without giving away another singles match just yet. After all, they are currently set to clash at October’s Super Show-Down special live from Australia where a shot at the WWE Championship will hang in the balance.
Credit: WWE.com
WWE needs to think long-term in order to get the most out of the Bryan vs. Miz rivalry. Granted, there a small chance fans will grow tired of seeing them feud in the coming months, but if booked the right way, those same fans will be anxious to see Bryan finally defeat Miz on a grand stage such as WrestleMania.
Come Super Show-Down, Miz must beat Bryan for a second straight time (after Brie and Brie pick up the harmless victory at Hell in a Cell) and put himself in WWE Championship contention. From there, the self-proclaimed A-Lister can knock off Styles (or Samoa Joe) for the prestigious prize, holding the gold all the way through next April.
Next. Fantasy Booking Daniel Bryan vs. The Miz through WrestleMania 35. dark
In the meantime, Bryan can win the 2019 Royal Rumble match (which he has been destined for dating back to 2014) and punch his ticket to ‘Mania to face (and subsequently triumph over) Miz for the title. The story essentially writes itself, though now it’s up to WWE to go in that direction and pay the angle off properly.