The Miz Interview on WWE 'Talking Smack' Showcased His Hugely Underrated Talent

Unleashed with no script, The Miz turned WWE's Talking Smack into a showcase of skills that have long been underappreciated.

The Miz's beginnings as a reality show star have always prevented him from garnering respect from diehard fans. He has always been an outsider, a pretender. Fans impatiently wait for him to drop the Intercontinental Championship to someone hipper, tougher and more deserving in their minds.

But in obliterating SmackDown's general manager Daniel Bryan on the mic late Tuesday night, The Miz provided definitive evidence of his mastery of the pro wrestling art form.

The Miz is an adept talker who has skillfully honed his cocky, indignant character. He remains one of WWE's most important assets, even if fans dismiss what he does.

His value was on full display when The Miz sat down with Renee Young and Bryan after Tuesday's SmackDown. Bryan lit a fuse when he told the IC champ that he wrestles "like a coward."

Enraged, The Miz lambasted Bryan. He criticized Bryan's risky in-ring style and implied that Bryan was the coward for not returning to the ring after suffering multiple concussions.

"Why don't you quit? Why don't you quit and go to the bingo halls with your indy friends, then?" The Miz growled at him.

Reality and fiction blurred in that moment. One had to wonder if these low blows to Bryan were planned. Was The Miz venting real-life frustrations through his onscreen persona? 

Either way, The Miz fired daggers at his boss.

Anger reddened his face. He yelled directions at the cameraman. The Miz was a gurgling volcano of emotion, and it was impossible to look away.

He deftly switched the focus to his title and his pursuit to retain it forever.

"Understand that this is Day 141 of the never-ending Intercontinental Championship world tour, and I swear to you, I promise you it will be the most relevant title on SmackDown Live," he said.

And soon, the internet was abuzz with talk of The Miz's tirade. This was easily one of the best promos on WWE programming this year. It was one of The Miz's finest moments and a reminder of just how powerful wrestling interviews can be when they aren't micromanaged.

Credit The Miz with bringing a flood of attention to the interview show.

When else has Talking Smack been such a hot topic? When else has a wrestling show with zero wrestling been labeled "must-see?"

As Chair Shot Reality host Justin LaBar pointed out, The Miz made Talking Smack a more likely destination for viewers:

But this was no one-time flash of excellence. The Miz has been killing it for years. 

In 2014, he returned from filming The Marine 4: Moving Target having tweaked his usual boastful heel persona. He was now a D-list actor convinced he was an A-lister. 

He wore sunglasses inside, donned ridiculous, haughty outfits and hired Damien Sandow as his personal stunt double.

WWE mostly used The Miz as fodder for other Superstars. On his Miz TV segments, his guests either knocked him on his back or fought each other as The Miz scurried away. With the focus on someone like Roman Reigns or Dolph Ziggler, it was easy to not take notice of what The Miz was doing.

But as Justin Henry, author of Titan Screwed, tweeted, The Miz has transformed in impressive fashion over the past few years:

He has emerged as one of the company's true villains, a convincing braggart, an irritating Hollywood narcissist. He's found and mastered his niche in the menagerie of characters that is WWE. It's time to start giving him credit for that. 

Hall of Famer Mick Foley already has.

Foley posted posted on his Facebook page after Talking Smack, "The Miz has slowly but steadily become one of the best IC champions WWE has seen in a long time. Last night, he stated his case in a more abrupt way—eloquent, angry and completely believable." 

In his fiery rant, The Miz made a statement to company higher-ups that he needs a bigger share of the spotlight. In ripping into Bryan, he forced everyone to pay attention, to change the conversation about him, to re-evaluate where The Miz belongs on the WWE hierarchy.