How things change in a year…
Last year, the Road to WrestleMania featured significant build toward the Miz’s match against John Cena. This year, Miz gets squashed in a minute and it’s looking like his name will not be announced at the biggest WWE event.
Does that mean Miz sucks? Does that mean he has worn out his welcome? Peeved the boss? Urinated on the company’s Corn Flakes? Not necessarily.
But, this is the time that tests you when you work for the WWE. How does the Miz handle this career freefall? In the WWE, wins and losses don’t matter but how you handle them does. And trust me, when the sharks in the WWE backstage world sense weakness, they swarm. Johnny Ace has so many stooges! One blip from Miz and all those stooges will run to Johnny ASAP, looking to tear Miz down.
But, if Miz stays patient, he’ll be fine.
Chris Jericho explained to me how things work in the WWE. Everybody’s on a wheel and you go around and around. Occasionally, the wheel stops and it’s your turn. But, sooner or later, your time at the top ends and the wheel turns again. Eventually, you find yourself at the bottom of the wheel and the journey back to the top begins.
Mark Henry’s career has had many spins on the wheel. Tons of promise, bitter disappointment, near firing, second chance, career renaissance, top guy, injury, near firing, second chance x 10. Read the recent headlines and you can see where Mark Henry is on the wheel right now. He was in the championship mix but now is back in Vince’s doghouse. A year from now, he could be back in the main event.
With no other territories to work in and the exhausting repressive control of the talent in the WWE, guys like Mark Henry have no place to go when Vince wants them to go away. Historically, going away works out great for both parties and over time, Mark Henry would feel fresh and new to Vince and his merry band of slugs called a creative team.
Instead, you get the wheel. It’s the WWE, where the same talent goes around and around and each enjoys a time at the top and the bottom. Santino Marella was a sideshow comedy act job guy but now, he is the new US Champion and red hot. Six months from now, he could be back to “Squashville” but for now, he’s getting his time at the top.
Sheamus was shot out of a cannon when he debuted but then gave wins back and had fans questioning his long-term future. All that chatter was quieted when he won the Royal Rumble. See? Around and around, the wheel spins until your number is called.
But what about the Miz? Will he make mistakes down on the bottom and bury himself neck deep in doo-doo? Any rumors about him getting heat on himself are unfounded but things could change, right? Whether it happens or not, could lifestyle be a contributing factor?
Miz made big, main-event money when he was on top. As he slides down the card, his money goes down. Did he have “main-event money” built into his budget every month? Does he have a wife, an ex-wife and a mistress? I don’t think so. I think he’s a pretty smart cat. But when you start to live beyond your means, the downward pressure of the wheel can affect your state of mind.
Speaking of state of mind, the mental pressure can crush the weak in the WWE. Miz had two strikes against him when he started and most thought he would never make it. If anyone can put up with his time at the bottom, it’s Miz.
If the WWE decides to part ways with Miz, I think TNA would snap him up and he’d do very well there. But, I think what will happen is Miz survives this valley in his career and will be back on top in a year or less. He’s too good for the WWE. He’s a “paint-by-numbers” sports-entertainer but he’s a WWE guy.
The only fly in the ointment could be if Miz is tapping somebody that Johnny Ace is also putting the moves on. Any Diva will tell you… Johnny Ace is not only Mr. Excitement but he’s also Mr. Creepy. He’ll ring their phone late at night and let the sleaze fly. If you’re competing with your boss for the same piece of tail, the boss usually wins.
Another reason you shouldn’t go dipping your pen in the company’s ink.
Lastly, I really enjoyed the verbal confrontation between Cena and the Rock this last week? Who do you think go the better of things? Let me know @RealKevinKelly on Twitter.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
