The Miz, Daniel Bryan Have Heated Confrontation on WWE 'Talking Smack'

Following Tuesday's episode of SmackDown Live, WWE intercontinental champion The Miz unloaded on SmackDown general manager Daniel Bryan in a scathing promo on WWE Network's Talking Smack.

As seen in this video of the exchange, courtesy of WWE's official Twitter account, the former adversaries had a heated conversation about which wrestling style is the best:

Bryan called The Miz a coward for being "soft" and largely avoiding contact and high-risk spots, while the IC champ retorted that Bryan was the coward due to career-ending head injuries that forced him into a GM role and out of in-ring competition.

The Miz praised himself for rarely getting injured and always being fit to compete. He also suggested Bryan should come out of retirement, and after Bryan said WWE wouldn't allow it, The Miz urged him to quit, return to the independent wrestling scene and wrestle in "bingo halls."

The realism of the promo caused many to question if it was totally unscripted and if there was legitimate bad blood between the two stars.

Regardless of that, The Miz has been praised for his passionate promo, including a nod from WWE Hall of Famer and Raw general manager Mick Foley:

The Miz and Bryan have some on-screen history, with The Miz serving as Bryan's "pro" or mentor on the first season of NXT.

It was meant to be a comedic pairing of sorts since The Miz was tasked with showing Bryan the way despite the fact Bryan was a far more experienced wrestler in actuality.

That led to an entertaining feud between them, and it is a dynamic that has been brought up on many occasions in the years since.

While the basis of the promo was almost certainly planned and largely scripted, it hit home for many fans since the popular Bryan was forced into early retirement due to an in-ring style that saw him throw caution to the wind on a regular basis.

The Miz has never been that type of competitor, but he has been remarkably reliable for more than a decade, and although he has always oozed charisma and been strong on the mic, Tuesday may have represented his finest moment.

The 35-year-old veteran is bringing back some much-needed prestige to the Intercontinental Championship, and following his angle with Bryan, the stage is set to make SmackDown's secondary title more relevant than it has been in years.

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