Damien Mizdow's Run with the Miz Must End at the Royal Rumble

Damien Mizdow has been entertaining WWE fans all over the world for the past several months, serving as The Miz's stunt double.  What began as a somewhat silly notion has played out as a positive for everyone involved, as Mizdow has really found his niche as a character.

But despite how well he's doing, the truth is that this angle cannot last forever.  Though it's benefited him in the short term, the time for Mizdow to move on and strike out on his own is close at hand.  

Indeed, Mizdow's run with The Miz must end at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.

From the moment that their pairing began, it has been a stretch of the imagination.  To believe that The Miz would have need of a stunt double was a bit much for anyone to buy.  To believe that he would want a stunt double that was two inches taller, outweighed him by 25 pounds and sported a full beard was utterly ridiculous.

Even by heel standards, it was all a little too hard to swallow.

Many fans were likely of the opinion that the angle was less of a storyline move than just a way to give Damien Sandow something to do.  After all, the man known for his crusade of attempting to educate WWE had seemingly hit a wall.

credit: wwe.com

Unable to make the climb up the championship ladder and unsuccessful in his bid to topple John Cena, Sandow was suddenly at a standstill.  Though fans found him to be funny and his character had potential, Sandow just could not make any forward progress.

So instead of refocusing on his career, WWE chose to put Sandow next to The Miz.  It was a move that appeared desperate, as The Miz had never really been known for making anyone in WWE.  Mizdow stopped cutting promos and essentially became The Miz's shadow.

In other words, WWE had no plan for Sandow at all.

But then a curious thing happened.  Sandow's new persona began to gain traction with the WWE faithful. Every week, the newly dubbed Mizdow would accompany The Miz to the ring and mimic every move that his boss made.

When The Miz took a back bump, Mizdow took a back bump.  When The Miz was thrown over the top rope, Mizdow threw himself over the top rope.  Everything that The Miz did, Mizdow did as well.  Mizdow became a stuntman, an apprentice learning a new trade.

And as ludicrous as it looked, it got over.  Mizdow got over, and the fans could not get enough of him.

Now instead of questioning why the two men are together, many fans are likely of the opinion that they should not split up.  Mizdow has succeeded where it was thought he would fail.  So why pull the rug out from underneath him now?

For nearly five months, The Miz and Mizdow have been a unit.  In all that time, the gimmick has entertained fans and gotten Mizdow over.  It's worked on every level, and as the Royal Rumble inches closer, the fact is the time to wrap it up is now.

This was likely not meant to be a long-term solution for Mizdow.  It was not meant to be the destination for his character but more of a stopping point so he could regroup and get back on his feet.  Now that he is, he should venture back out on his own.

The fans want Mizdow to move on, and they make it known every time he's on camera.  Perhaps it's the novelty of his character that is connecting him to the crowd.  Maybe it's the humorous spots he's in that are getting him over.  Either way, Mizdow has done what was asked of him, and he's now beginning to go in circles.

The question is what's left for him to do in this angle?  Every possible avenue has been taken, and every funny moment has basically happened.  At this point, the gimmick is set on rewind and repeat every time The Miz and Mizdow are in the ring.  While he's still getting some laughs, many fans are likely wondering when he will go solo once again.

Therein lays the issue with this pairing.  If WWE waits too long to split them up, then the fans may begin to lose interest in Mizdow.  If they split too soon, then Mizdow could remain hot but lose his fire not long after.  However, the only way to know is to make it happen now.

The warning signs have been there, as Mizdow has obviously been upset at The Miz's constant grandstanding and refusal to use him at key moments during matches.  The fans will pop for Mizdow but continue to boo The Miz.  When The Miz tags into the match, he's booed even more.  Mizdow is the one the fans want to see, and he's the one that makes them stand to their feet and cheer.  The crowd is ready for him to break away and do his own thing. 

There could perhaps be no better time to engineer the split than at The Royal Rumble.

The Miz and Mizdow will be challenging for the WWE Tag Team Championships against The Usos, and assuming the brothers retain, then fans could finally see the turn they've been waiting for.  The Miz would almost certainly blame Mizdow for the loss, and when the shoving begins, the drama would unfold in the middle of the ring.

Mizdow could finally vent his frustrations against his tag team partner and would surely get a huge reaction in the process.

Perhaps the turn could happen during the Rumble match itself.  If both men are indeed included, then the problems between them could boil over then, with Mizdow possibly even eliminating The Miz himself. Despite what the timing is, the fact remains that this angle has reached an endpoint.  

The time for Mizdow to once again become Sandow is now, and the pay-per-view stage of the Royal Rumble is the best time for it to go down.  With any luck, this storyline has rebuilt Mizdow enough so that when the change does take place, he will be ready to run with it after it happens.