Ryan Dilbert's 10-Count: WWE Not Making Enough Use of The Miz's Greatness

1. The Miz Belongs on the Marquee

WWE only sometimes seems to recognize what it has in The Miz.

At SummerSlam, the intercontinental champion was so far down the card that during his pre-show six-man tag team match against The Hardy Boyz and Jason Jordan he had to perform in a nearly empty arena (h/t Total Wrestling). The next night, though, The Miz stepped into the ring in the middle of a showdown between John Cena and Roman Reigns before wrestling in Raw's main event.

The Miz needs to be in the spot he was on Monday more often.

He is the company's best heel. He's a magnetic presence with a microphone in hand. And as we've seen in the last two years, his ring work has improved in a big way.

The Miz is an absolute star, and WWE has to treat him like that on a more regular basis. Scott Fishman of the Miami Herald is among the many who believe The A-Lister is on the top of his game right now:

Yet The Miz isn't in the midst of a high-profile rivalry. His issues with Jordan didn't come up on Monday's Raw. 

He's defended the IC title only twice since winning it in June, per CageMatch.net. WWE had him mired in a feud that stretched on long past its shelf life against Dean Ambrose.

When The Miz addressed Cena and Reigns on Monday, he reminded us that he's among the best talkers on the roster today. His emotionally charged, fiery promo is the kind of thing only a handful of other Raw stars could produce.

He talked about the IC title not getting the proper spotlight and being relegated to the pre-show. He said, "I am sick of not getting the respect I deserve."

He isn't getting that respect. At least not consistently.

He needs to be on the marquee more often that he's on the midcard.

The Miz was tremendous leading up to WrestleMania as he mocked Cena and Nikki Bella. That's the kind of star power that should be opposite him all the time. The IC champ should be tangling with Finn Balor and feuding with Reigns.

When No Mercy rolls around on Sept. 24, WWE has to make The Miz a priority.

He's too damn good to be on the pre-show. He has no business being in a feud that gets minimal attention like his rivalry with Ambrose. Where he was on Monday, in the spotlight, battling in the main event, needs to be a more permanent home for The Miz. 

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2. Since Asuka Took the Throne

In an era of high title turnover, Asuka's NXT Women's Championship reign is special. She has now been champ since last April and held on to the belt by knocking off Ember Moon at TakeOver: Brooklyn III over the weekend.

Since she claimed the title, WWE's other championships have seen new owner after new owner.

As seen on WWE.com, the Raw Women's Championship has changed hands 10 times, and there have been 10 reigns with the United States title since Asuka became champ. The SmackDown women's title, which wasn't even created until last September, has seen six title changes, and the Intercontinental Championship has turned over the same number of times in that span, per Wrestling-Titles.com.

Asuka's reign, though, is in danger because of a broken collarbone.

WWE hasn't announced whether it will strip her of the title or wait until she heals for her next defense. It will be a punch to the gut if her time as champion ends in injury, with no climactic moment when someone snatches her crown.

3. Throwback Video of the Week: Bobby Roode

When Bobby Roode sauntered into SmackDown on Tuesday to make his debut on the show, it was far from the first time he's been on WWE's main roster. 

Before he was a TNA cornerstone, before he was NXT champion, Roode was a fresh-faced jobber for WWE. The company spelled his last name a variety of ways, including Rood and Rude. And he took a beating from a number of stars along the way.

In 2002, for example, he appeared on Velocity in 2002 to face Albert:

Roode's WWE story began with him playing a professional stepping stone. A decade-and-a-half later and the roles were reversed with his opponent Aiden English doing the jobbing. It's been a wild ride for Roode, and it's clear it's not close to over.

4. Tantalizing Matchups for Rush

Lio Rush is officially headed to WWE. The company announced the signing on Monday.

Rush, an uncannily quick performer, was one of the independent scene's hottest acts. He's just 22 years old. He has breathtaking athleticism. And he's going to make NXT an electric product.

A series of matches against Hideo Itami, with those two men kicking away at each other at a breakneck pace, would be tremendous. Andrade Almas would make an ideal opponent, too, as he could hang with Rush in a fast-paced matchup. Plus, Almas' viciousness would pair well with Rush's natural babyface appeal.

And NXT has to eventually pit Rush against Johnny Gargano. Their meeting would be a clash of magnetic, hyper-athletic grapplers. 

NXT can't go wrong, though. Rush will be fun to watch against just about anybody. The brand's hardest decision will be who Rush faces first.

5. Wrestling is Everywhere

CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta tweeted an image of himself in a briefing room where the TV in the background appears to be playing a wrestling match:

Joshua Gagnon of Wrestling Inc pointed out that New Japan Pro Wrestling would have been on AXS TV at the time of this tweet. The G1 Climax must make for a good palate cleanser after a deluge of politics.

Regardless of what you think of his journalistic work, you have to admit he has good taste in wrestling.

6. More Risk Than Reward

Big bumps make headlines, but timing is everything.

Undertaker threw Mick Foley off the top of the Hell in a Cell on a PPV match and became a legend for it. The physical price he paid for the stunt was worth it. That's not nearly true for a guy who took things to the extreme at a sparsely attended independent show. 

Kayfabe News tweeted a clip of an indie wrestler doing an insane diving elbow drop spot:

That's just not smart. Even if he had connected, he could have easily injured himself. Is the attention he garnered from this worth potentially ending his career over?

Yes, the footage is being shared across social media, but the wrestlers' name is not even attached to it. He's not a bigger star because of this, he's a punchline and a meme.

7. The Injury-Induced Upset

Enzo Amore defeated Big Cass in a Street Fight. That's a strange sentence to type, but that's what the record books show.

Cass tore his ACL during their bout on Monday's Raw, and the referees stopped the match as a result. That gave Amore an unexpected victory over his old ally.

It was the first singles match Amore won all year, per CageMatch.net. He had gone 0-4 before that. 

Big Cass' record was the complete opposite. He had notched four consecutive wins after breaking away from Amore. The smack-talking babyface was unable to last more than five and a half minutes against Big Cass before Monday. 

Their Street Fight flipped the script, giving Amore the W in just 2:25. 

8. A WWE Women's Wrestling Playlist

Women's wrestling is set to change forever in WWE, as the Mae Young Classic tournament begins airing on Monday. 

The women's tournament will be the first of its kind. It's the natural next step in an ongoing revolution where women are getting increased spotlight.

Before that event unfolds, check out this collection of excellent women's matches to get pumped up about the tourney:

• Trish Stratus vs. Lita: Unforgiven 2006
• AJ Lee vs. Natalya: Main Event, March 11, 2014
• Sasha Banks vs. Bayley: NXT TakeOver Brooklyn
• Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch vs. Sasha Banks: WrestleMania 32
• Asuka vs. Nikki Cross: NXT, June 28, 2017 (Last Woman Standing)

Kairi Sane, Toni Storm, Rachel Evers and the rest of the Mae Young Classic field are going to produce the next set of memorable bouts. They are sure to lengthen the list of greatest women's wrestling matches in WWE history in a big way.

9. Bring on the Showdown at the Swamp

WWE's comedic alternative universe, Southpaw Regional Wrestling, entertained once more. The company released a new set of videos of the fictional promotion.

Southpaw has been one of the most fun things WWE has ever put together. The wrestlers are clearly having a blast. Creativity reigns. Absurdity clicks.

WWE would be wise to go a step further and actually produce a Southpaw wrestling special for the WWE Network. Let's see The Butchers actually collide with Tex2Badd. Pit Debbie Desperado against a character crafted for Becky Lynch. 

The company doesn't have to dwell too long in this world, but one megacard featuring the Superstars' alter-egos in action would be all kinds of entertaining.

10. Korderas on Beach Balls

A portion of the crowd at the Barclays Center at SummerSlam, Raw and SmackDown didn't give a damn about what was going on in the ring. It didn't matter if it was Finn Balor or Tony Nese battling between the ropes, these fans chose to do the wave and bat around beach balls.

The common defense of that disrespect is "We paid for our tickets. We can do what we want." Former referee Jimmy Korderas deftly shot down that argument:

If you're not interested in engaging with the in-ring action and elevating the match through emotion and reaction, why are you even there? If you would rather play with a beach ball than watch Balor perform, perhaps wrestling is not your thing.