WWE: 10 Possible Feuds for the Miz

Two weeks ago at the annual Money in the Bank pay-per-view, The Miz made his highly anticipated return to television after taking part in the filming for the upcoming Marine 3 release. Miz was sporting an all-new look, and he even showed a flash of a change in personality by claiming that he wasn't going to complain about being overlooked.

Miz immediately inserted himself into that night's Money in the Bank Ladder match main event, where the winner would be granted a shot at the WWE Championship anytime, anywhere. Although he came up short, the Awesome One looked strong in defeat.

His recent change in persona was a vast improvement over his already stale character, and it was certainly beneficial to him, as he went on to capture the prestigious Intercontinental championship this past Monday night on Raw 1000.

With The Miz's career now reinvigorated and rejuvenated, the remainder of 2012 undoubtedly looks bright for the former reality star. Whether he remains a hated heel or slowly turns into a fan favorite, here's 10 feuds I hope to see him engage going forward. 

Christian

This was one dream match of mine that I was dying to see for the longest time, and it finally came to fruition this past March on an episode of Raw. Christian emerged victorious in this first-ever bout, and it actually ended up being Miz's final match before leaving to film The Marine 3 for the next three months.

Upon his return two weeks ago, it was clear that Miz had come back with a purpose. Ironically enough, his first singles match back was also against Christian, whom he defeated this past Monday on Raw 1000 to win his first Intercontinental championship.

While a title rematch is scheduled for this week's SmackDown, I surely hope the feud between these two former tag team specialists goes past Friday. Their in-ring work has been excellent so far, and a rubber match at SummerSlam with the Intercontinental title on the line could be a highly anticipated contest.

Ted DiBiase

Although he's currently out with an injury, one can only imagine that Ted DiBiase is a surefire contender for the Intercontinental championship upon his return.

DiBiase first contested for the Intercontinental title last September during his brief feud with Cody Rhodes, but he later fell off the map completely heading into 2012. He was unfortunately injured in early March and has yet to resurface on television.

With his improving skills on the mic and in the ring, the son of the Million Dollar Man is a strong candidate for the next Intercontinental champion. Given the lack of midcard talent at the moment, inserting him in a feud with The Miz could be a very likely scenario.

Zack Ryder

Immediately following his historic title victory this past week on Raw 1000, The Miz was challenged by Zack Ryder via Tout to a match for the Intercontinental championship. If I recall correctly, these two have had only one other singles match against one another, so a follow-up contest would surely be interesting.

Although Ryder managed to capture his first singles title in the form of the United States Championship last December, he quickly lost the strap to Jack Swagger the following month. The Long Island Iced Z still has yet to receive his rightful rematch, but setting his sights on The Miz and his prestigious prize could also be another logical choice.

The personalities of Miz and Ryder are both very much the same, as both former U.S. Champs are outspoken loudmouths, but that's not necessarily a shameful thing whatsoever. Let's also not forget that it was Miz who pinned Ryder to pick up the victory for Team Johnny at WrestleMania 28, so that too could come into play during the course of this rivalry.

If these two don't join forces at some point, then a feud between the two could be a win-win situation for both parties involved.

Sheamus

Since turning face last summer, Sheamus has been on a hot streak of momentum throughout 2012. At WrestleMania 28, his push reached its climax when he captured his first World Heavyweight championship, and he has been the reigning champion ever since.

Now that The Miz is the new Intercontinental champion, it'd only make sense for him to be moved to SmackDown given the title is property of the blue brand. Sheamus is in desperate need of fresh opponents on Friday nights, and I wholeheartedly believe Miz is capable of filling that vacant void.

Although we've seen the two battle a few times in recent months, they've never had enough time to truly shine. Remember, Miz nearly cashed in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Sheamus two years ago, but I doubt they'd go back that far if they were to feud.

Nonetheless, having Miz chase the Celtic Warrior's World title while he's still holding the Intercontinental championship could be a very intriguing rivalry, to say the least.

Ryback

Upon his re-debut on the subsequent SmackDown following WrestleMania 28, Ryback has decimated everyone in his path and has single-handedly defeated all of his opponents thus far. He has yet to suffer his first loss in singles competition and many speculate that it's mostly because he isn't being given enough credible opponents.

While he has taken out the likes local athletes, the duo of Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks and even Jack Swagger, none of those challengers really stood a chance of giving Ryback his first loss. Well, that's where The Miz comes in.

Sure, Miz could've been seen as Ryback's next victim a number of months ago when the Awesome One was being treated as an enhancement talent, but times have changed. With his career now back on track, it's very possible that Miz could be the first one to take out the man they call Ryback.

Given the fact that The Miz is as over as he is with the WWE Universe, that heat can be used to help get the fans behind Ryback. Throw in the Intercontinental championship, and you've got yourself a ruthless rivalry waiting to happen. 

Rey Mysterio

During last year's Raw Money in the Bank Ladder match, it was Rey Mysterio who prevented The Miz from retrieving the opportunistic briefcase. Eight days later, the two met in the finals of the WWE Championship tournament, where Mysterio emerged victorious as the new WWE champion.

A distraught Miz later vowed he'd get his vengeance sooner or later, and he did just that two weeks later on Raw when he abolished Mysterio before their scheduled matchup. They'd meet again that Sunday at SummerSlam as part of a six-man tag-team match, but the Master of the 619 was injured soon after, so the feud was never able to continue.

I thoroughly enjoyed their encounters last year and was hoping they'd resume their rivalry upon Mysterio's return last week, but no such luck. However, there's still time for these two to rekindle their rivalry in the near future, so I hope to see them clash over the Intercontinental championship at some point real soon.

CM Punk

Upon his return to WWE at Money in the Bank, the status of The Miz was unknown in regard to whether or not he was remaining a heel or undergoing a face turn. He's been consistently cheered since last Sunday, but his recent promos would indicate he's maintaining his villainous persona.

Nonetheless, a tweener role would work just fine for him for the time being, similar to WWE Champion CM Punk. While it may seem that Punk could be reverting back to being a full-fledged heel following his despicable actions at Raw 1000, he could easily be a tweener as well, meaning he'd once again be edgy but not siding with the lies of The Rock or John Cena.

I've been pulling for a feud between these two for nearly a year now, and aside from a few brief encounters, my wish has yet to be granted. They could produce magic on the mic, as well as some pretty entertaining matches along the way.

The Miz deserves to be back in the WWE Championship hunt, regardless of whether he's Intercontinental champion or not. Miz's recent rejuvenation could make this feud extremely enjoyable, even if Miz was playing the role of the determined babyface.

Daniel Bryan

Having been the pro of Daniel Bryan during the inaugural season of WWE NXT, this is one rivalry that I'd love to see revisited. Sure, these two may have feuded during the latter half of 2010, but that was way before Bryan's evolution into a main-event star.

Since then, Bryan has transformed into one of the most obnoxious yet entertaining characters on the WWE roster today. He's headlined multiple pay-per-views, and he already has a World Heavyweight championship reign to his credit.

The two had a brief encounter earlier this year during an edition of SmackDown, where Miz claimed he'd like to take credit for the American Dragon's rise to the top. Nothing much came out of it, but it'd make for a hell of a feud if Miz does indeed revert into a fan favorite with the roles now reversed.

Dolph Ziggler

Similar to The Miz, Dolph Ziggler is a brash, young up-and-comer who is looking to make a name for himself in WWE. Being a former World Heavyweight champion, Ziggler is primed and ready for a shot at the big one, and he certainly has all the tools to make it happen.

Both Miz and Ziggler are former United States and World Tag Team champions, while both have also won Money in the Bank Ladder matches. Not only that, their respective entrance themes are both performed by Downstait, which is nothing more than a mere coincidence, of course.

That being said, their vast similarities would make them the perfect tandem, but their singles careers at the moment are at the point where there's no turning back. Both Miz and Ziggler are on the cusp of reclaiming the World title again, and it seems like they might have to go through one another in order to achieve it.

It's been speculated that both former Intercontinental champions are on the verge of turning face with the loud cheers both egomaniacs have been receiving in recent weeks. However, I'd much rather see Miz as the fan favorite in this feud since Miz has shown in the past that he can take shots at Ziggler and do it successfully.

There's no doubt that the bleached-blonde Superstar will be World Heavyweight champion sooner rather than later, and I'd love nothing more than to see The Miz be the first one to challenge him for the gold.

Chris Jericho

By this point, I've lost track of how many times I've mentioned this dream rivalry in articles I've published here on Bleacher Report, but the point still rings true. Inserting The Miz in a feud with Chris Jericho couldn't make any more sense, as both former WWE champions could create something amazing both in the ring and on the mic.

Chris Jericho has been hinting at a babyface turn in recent weeks, so the odds of this feud finally occurring are very likely at this point. If The Miz can remain a heel for the foreseeable future, I could definitely see Jericho challenging the Awesome One for the Intercontinental championship by the end of the year.

While The Miz has been doing in excellent job in recreating himself since his return, he'll need a legitimate feud with a major star if he hopes to reclaim his spot at the top. Given the fact that Jericho might be leaving soon anyways, having Miz take out Y2J and resuming the rivalry upon his eventual return would be phenomenal.

The inaugural Undisputed Champion has made several mentions in the past as to how Miz has "copied" him in recent years, so that's all the more reason to feud and settle the score. With a singles match between the two yet to come to fruition, there's no better time than the present to make it happen.

Which of these presented candidates would you like to see The Miz feud with going forward?

Thanks for reading, Bleachers, and make sure to drop a comment below with your thoughts on The Miz's potential rivalries. As always, your criticism and overall feedback of my latest piece is greatly appreciated.

GSM out.

Visit my website at Next Era Wrestling, as well as listen to my SAVE US GSM radio show that returns Thursday, July 26th at 10/9c for more of my thoughts and writings, along with WWE/TNA news, reviews, recaps and more.

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