As January 2010 comes to an end, there have been some new beginnings in the professional wrestling business. Hulk Hogan made his TNA debut and attempted to usher in the new Monday Night Wars. Only time will tell if that comes to fruition. We finally have a new champion and main eventer on RAW, as Shaemus has been given the chance to shine…somewhat. On Smackdown! there are some new happenings also. CM Punk has apparently become the new Jesus and Batista has a brand new swag.
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TNA: Since late 2009, everyone has been buzzing about the prospects of Hulk Hogan being in TNA. On January 4th, he finally made his long awaited debut in the Impact Zone and brought along some friends with him. To the disappointment of some, it did not deliver on their expectations. While it did have some surprises, the show came off clunky and unplanned. The re-debut of Jeff Hardy seemed to be ruined with the lack of thought into it and the overly long and anti-climactic opening X-Division match. The reforming of The Band (the old NWO) was less than desired. The introduction of so many new old guys (Sean Morley, Orlando Jordan, Hall, Waltman, and the Nasty Boys) was a little overkill and watered down the show. From my perspective, TNA is teetering on a high wire at the moment. It can either make it across or it can fall to its death. Bringing in so many guys at once can only hurt the guys who need to exposure, like the Motor City Machine Guns, Desmond Wolfe, Matt Morgan, Hernandez, Robert Roode, Tomko, etc.
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However, Ric Flair showing up on stage in the middle of an outstanding match between Kurt Angle and A.J. Styles was a very bright spot. The introduction of Ric Flair into TNA will, seemingly, push A.J. to a much higher level and help him to be a much bigger star in the eyes of the wrestling fans. Styles doesn’t necessarily need to turn into the next “Nature Boy,” but he can certainly gain from being paired with Flair. The infusion of Samoa Joe into the angle is a plus. Styles and Joe is always a great matchup. Another thing I am very high on is the hiring of Ken Anderson. I have always been a fan of the guy and wish he would have gotten a better opportunity in the WWE. I think a feud between him and D’Angelo Dinero would be spectacular!
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RAW: On RAW, Shaemus has been given the ball to slowly jog with. While he is the WWE Champion, he hasn’t been the focus of the show like he should be. If Randy Orton, John Cena, or HHH is not the champion on RAW, then the champion seemingly doesn’t matter. There have been several shows over the past month or so where Shaemus hasn’t even spoken and has only appeared in short matches as to keep his name fresh in people’s minds. All of this while Cena, Orton, and DX have dominated the airwaves and gotten main event pushes with out being THE guy.
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The guy who they have been pushing on RAW as of late is The Miz. He has been given a main event level acquaintance in The Big Show and an upper mid-card feud with MVP. The segments he has appeared in have been entertaining and he has even been in a main event tag match against DX. The next step for him would to be in an actual main event angle with somebody like John Cena. He has been written into a semi-feud with Cena before, but it was not done to enhance him, but rather to give Cena another guy to squash.
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Smackdown!: On Smackdown!, CM Punk has been the hottest heel in a long, long while. His Jesus Christ-like persona has rubbed many people the wrong way, and that’s his job. Over the last few weeks, his “saving” of people has been somewhat sacrilegious and cultish, but that is the entertaining part of it. He is doing a great job at getting heat, that his followers are going to get a major rub if they use them. Luke Gallows is a perfect example. As Festus, he was rarely used and on the brink of being future endeavored. Now, he is on TV every week and is the Diesel to Punk’s Shawn Michaels.
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Batista is another guy who is becoming entertaining. As a face, he was generic and boring. People liked him because of his size and the way he was pushed. Now, the same people hate him because he has turned into a self-centered, arrogant, narcissist…and has become entertaining because of it! I don’t like the guy because of his personal habits, but I am digging his on-screen character right now.
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Superstar Profile:
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The Miz
Age: 29
Height: 6’1
Weight: 230lbs
Finishing Move: Skull Crushing Finale
Notable WWE Achievements: 2x WWE Tag Team Champion, United States Champion
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Bio: The Miz was born on October 8, 1980 in Parma, Ohio as Mike Mizanin. After high school, Mizanin attended Miami University in Ohio, where he was a business major. He later transferred to USC, where he studied acting.
Mike Mizanin eventually dropped out of college in order to appear on MTV’s The Real World in 2001. Mizanin also appeared on the spinoff shows called The Real World/Road Rules Challenge. In these shows, cast members from various seasons of The Real World and Road Rules competed against each other in games and races for cash and other prizes. Mizanin won three of the challenges and was always one of the most popular cast members. During the first episode of The Real World, Mike Mizanin publicly debuted his alter ego known as “The Miz.” Whereas Mike Mizanin has an easygoing attitude, “The Miz,” as most of you have seen, is a brash, arrogant, self-centered egomaniac that has succeeded in getting under the skin of most people he has come in contact with.
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After his last season on The Real World/Road World Challenge, Mike “The Miz” Mizanin was cast in the 4th season of WWE’s Tough Enough. Mizanin was the runner-up to Daniel Puder and garnered enough interest from WWE brass that he was offered a developmental contract and sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling. This is where Mike Mizanin had his first professional wrestling match as The Miz.
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The Miz eventually debuted as an in-ring talent for Smackdown! in September 2006. In 2007, The Miz was drafted to ECW, where he picked up his “chick magnet” gimmick after a lap-dance from Extreme Expose (Kelly Kelly, Brooke Adams, and Layla El). In late 2007, The Miz was paired with fellow Tough Enough alum John Morrison to take on WWE Tag Team Champions Matt Hardy and MVP. This title victory was The Miz’s first WWE title. As the WWE Tag Team Champs, Miz and Morrison hosted a weekly show on WWE.com called The Dirt Sheet, where they made fun of other wrestlers. The duo held the Tag Titles on two occasions, the last coming to an end in a unification match with The Colons at Wrestlemania XXV. Shortly after, on the annual draft episode of RAW, The Miz was drafted to RAW. This began his most recent run as a singles competitor.
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On RAW, The Miz decided he wanted to make an immediate impact so he called out the biggest star on the brand…John Cena! With Cena being away from action or not yet appearing at the arena, The Miz called him out several weeks in a row and declared himself winner by forfeit. John Cena eventually confronted The Miz and challenged and defeated him at The Bash. Since then, The Miz made it a goal to attain the United States Championship. After several unsuccessful attempts, The Miz eventually achieved his goal by defeating Kofi Kingston for the US title in October 2009.
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Personal Thoughts: The Miz is the whole package when it comes to the sports entertainment business. He has the look, size, speed, in-ring and mic ability, charisma, and the all important “it” factor. Not all of that can be said about everybody. Many possess two or three of those superstar defining attributes, but very few have all seven. The sky is the limit for this young WWE Superstar and I can see him as a future multiple time World or WWE Champion.
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In terms of his improvement, I think he could expand on his catchphrases and develop at least one more signature move to add to move set. He tends to get a little repetitive at times and seems to be searching for what to say at others. His “really?” bit gets a little annoying, but I guess it’s supposed to be. At this point in his career, The Miz is the perfect United States Champion. The Skull Crushing Finale is a legitimate finishing move and his clothesline in the corner is great too, but he needs to incorporate another intense move.
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I really think The Miz could become what Shawn Michaels was in the early stages of DX if WWE creative allows him to push the envelope. But, in the PG era of WWE programming, he will probably be lost in the shuffle until they finally figure out what to do with him. He is right though…He’s The Miz…and he is AWWWWEESOMMMME!!!
