WWE: Why Alex Riley Didn't Ruin the John Cena-The Rock-Miz Promo

The last WWE Monday Night Raw before Wrestlemania XXVII was a huge success.

We finally got our John Cena vs. The Rock moment. The Miz did very well in his interaction with both legends. Shawn Michaels added fuel to a so far disappointing Undertaker vs Triple H feud.

But we are never happy.

I’ve read several comments here in Bleacher Report and other forums complaining about the presence of Alex Riley alongside The Miz in the promo.

“It ruined it!” “What was a rookie doing in the same ring with two icons?” “It had to be The Miz only!” These were some of the comments I found in the last 20 hours.

Sorry to disagree with you, but Alex Riley had to be there.

Having Alex Riley in the ring was a logical decision. He is part of The Miz's character.

Let's not forget this: The Miz has been portrayed a cowardly heel for his entire championship run.

The Miz has had Riley on his side in every match, getting a lot of help from his apprentice to retain his title against Randy Orton, John Morrison and Jerry Lawler.

The current WWE champion always runs away from a one-to-one confrontation. He only attacks by surprise or when he knows he has Riley behind him.

Hence, in order to have The Miz in the same ring with Mr. I Bring It Via Satellite AND Captain Fruity Pebbles saying he would beat both, it was obvious he needed his backup.

Otherwise, he wouldn't dare threaten to kick Rock's ass having the man just three feet away.

Riley’s presence had another purpose: He was the trigger of the physicality in the end of the program.

Despite their feud, both Cena and Rock are playing faces, so they couldn’t strike first. Miz could, but again, he is a coward.

A-Ri is not a coward. He is a peon willing to do whatever his master wants, so it was logical to be him who attacked first when he felt The Rock was about to hit The Miz.

This also helped to make The Rock look strong despite receiving the Attitude Adjustment in the end—he had already taken care of two men.

Of course, we all would liked to have a Riley-less confrontation, but that wouldn't have made sense in terms of how this storyline has developed.

And maybe, just maybe, the WWE is reserving that for those of us who buy Wrestlemania 27.

Follow me on Twitter: @luisrha

Also read:

* WWE All-Stars: An All-Time Wrestlemania Card

* Wrestlemania 27: Christian vs Alberto del Rio, the Best Feud in the WWE

* WWE: Five Superstars Who Won't Be World Champions

* WWE: The Next 5 Future World Champions