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What's the story?
The Miz spent the better part of two years building the Intercontinental Championship back up, elevating the title as one of the most prestigious prizes, once again, in the WWE.
Now, he's set his sights on the WWE Championship--asserting that he'd like to elevate the standing of the title once again.
In case you didn't know...
The WWE Championship, though it's being held by one of the greatest performers of this generation in AJ Styles, has definitely lost some of its luster over the years.
Recently, the title has had a hard time getting the main event spot on PPVs even though it's the only top title scheduled for that card--Meanwhile, the Intercontinental Championship was elevated to a spot not seen since the 1990's.
The Miz defended it against the likes of Dolph Ziggler, Cesaro, Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, and more. The impressive list goes on and on, ranging from low-mid card contenders to main event players--And now, the Miz is ready to do the same with the WWE Championship.
The heart of the matter
In an interview with Sky Sports, The Miz took a chance to downplay his opponent at SummerSlam, Daniel Bryan.
The Miz said that he's basically lowering himself taking on the returning Bryan, claiming that the WWE Championship picture is where he belongs.
When asked if he felt the title had lost some of its prestige, he responded with this:
Don't you? Name a time it's been in the main event. Why is it not in the main event? If the Universal Championship not on the card, why is that title not in the main event? Back when I first started in the WWE, there was not a pay-per-view where that WWE Championship OR the World Heavyweight Championship was not in that spot.
The Miz went on to say that, though AJ Styles is one of the greatest performers of all time, he's just not cutting it when it comes to keeping the title relevant.
Sometimes I feel like AJ just coasts. He's great in the ring, one of the best in ring performers that the WWE has ever had. He's the longest reigning WWE Champion (on SD Live). But I feel like I can elevate that title more than he can.
The Miz also talked about the infamous Talking Smack segment, proving his point that when he has a title and he wants a worthy championship put in the right spot, he does what he can to make that happen.
What's next?
The Miz looks to finally move past Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam. With a victory over his rival of eight years, the Awesome One hopes he will be rewarded with an opportunity at the WWE Champion, whether that be AJ Styles or Samoa Joe.
Do you think The Miz has what it takes to bring the WWE Championship back to the main event?
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