WWE: The Miz really is an awesome babyface after all

The Miz opened WWE SmackDown with his response to Shane McMahon for the latter’s heinous betrayal at Fastlane, and it’s quite clear that The A-Lister is primed for an incredible babyface run.

Some members of the WWE Universe were cautious after The Miz turned babyface at Fastlane, following Shane McMahon’s brutal attack post-match when the “Best Tag Team in the World” were unable to prevail against The Usos for the SmackDown Tag Team Championships. This trepidation was understandable, given that Miz’s first babyface run fell flat.

However, not only has Miz improved greatly as a performer in the years since his first face run, he’s also earned far more respect from the WWE Universe as both a character and in-ring talent. Whether it was his promos on Talking Smack, his fantastic feud with Dolph Ziggler, his role in making the Intercontinental Championship prestigious, his WrestleMania rivalry with John Cena, or his work against top star Roman Reigns, The Miz has been part of some of WWE’s most special moments over the past few years.

Though this feud with Shane McMahon has largely been seen as a weaker feud compared to the others on the WrestleMania 35 card, The Miz, once again, sold the WWE Universe fully with his incredible promo to kick off SmackDown Live.

Miz took pointed shots at the McMahon family, dissing Shane before turning the focus on him and his accomplishments. He spoke about how much it meant to win the tag titles, making his father proud in the process. He spoke about how he came from nothing and was seen as an “average” nobody before fighting an uphill battle to eventually become one of WWE’s best superstars.

As it always does with The Miz, everything felt like it came from a real place. And when he gave a shoutout to Kofi Kingston, who would be competing in a Gauntlet Match later that night for his own WrestleMania moment with the WWE Championship, his words felt that much sweeter.

The fans in attendance in Indianapolis were fully behind The Miz. There were resounding cheers, and the fans immediately stood up to cheer Miz vociferously when his promo concluded.

While Shane’s promo last week was solid, this babyface promo from Miz was something special. Once again, he showed why he’s one of the best, maybe in history, at hyping up a rivalry, and while that’s usually been as a heel, he was absolutely fantastic in this face role. There’s no reason to dislike Miz, and I cannot wait to see how this babyface run unfolds this spring and summer.