Babyfaces that should be heels. Every once in a while we will take a look at some Superstars currently performing in WWE that are being used incorrectly. We are going to focus on the “good guy” and “bad guy” aspect of their packaging. Sometimes it will be a babyface that should be a heel, and sometimes it will be the opposite.
Today we are going to take a look at the self-proclaimed “Most Must-See Superstar In WWE”, The Miz.
Is there a more unlikable human being in sports entertainment than The Miz? A more natural heel? When you break down the character traits of , most are traits that would result in a viewer wanting to dislike you. He’s cocky and arrogant, he’s brash and frankly put, comes off on television as a bit of a dick. Remember, we’re talking about the character traits of The Miz. Michael Mizanin might be the nicest guy on the planet.
You’ve heard it time and time again, the best characters are the one’s who do what is natural to them, with the volume turned way up. If we’ve learned anything from Miz’s career in WWE thus far, it’s that when the volume is turned way up, the guy is a heel. Period. Having him go out there and attempt to get people to cheer for him is simply going against the grain. Don’t get me wrong, you can portray a heel for years and make a successful transition into a babyface. It’s been done a million times. However, for that to happen, you have to change your persona. More importantly, WWE has to get behind the change.
When you look at the last several months of The Miz’s attempted babyface run, ask yourself two questions:
1. Has The Miz changed his character all that much from his days as a heel? Not really. Sorta-kinda, at best.
2. Does WWE seem to be putting effort into getting the “WWE Universe” to cheer for The Miz? Not really. Sorta-kinda, at best.
When converting a character from a hated bad guy into a beloved good guy, you can’t do anything sorta-kinda. You have to go all the way, or not at all. It appears that the experimental days of The Miz as a babyface are coming to an end, as during the recent WWE European tour, The Miz has been slowly transforming back into the heel character that made him so successful. People tend to forget that only two years ago this guy was in the main event of WrestleMania 27 as the WWE Champion, competing against “the face of WWE” John Cena. Hell, he even walked out of the event as the WWE Champion and winner of the main event. Very few people who have competed in WWE can make the same claim. The bottom line, however, was that he did it as a heel.
Based on what we’ve seen, The Miz could never make it to a WrestleMania main event level as a “good guy.” The character isn’t strong enough. Whether or not his heel character was strong enough to work in the main event of WrestleMania 27 is an issue not worth debating. He did, and the show was successful, so it worked. Whether or not the show was successful because of him or in spite of him is a non-issue. It worked. Period. He did his part, the rest of the characters involved did their part, and the show was a success. That’s all you can ask of a WWE performer. The rest is up to “the machine.” The promotional abilities of WWE.
In a matter of two years, The Miz has fallen from a WrestleMania main eventer with the WWE Championship, into a piss-break performer. There is absolutely nothing about his segments on television, or his matches on pay-per-views, that is “must see.” For the “Most Must See Superstar In WWE,” that’s not a good thing. Let the guy go back to doing what he’s best at. Let The Miz go out in front of the WWE Universe and get people to hate him. It’s not hard for him to do. He basically just has to be himself with the volume turned way up. It comes natural to him. He’s a natural bad guy. The babyface Miz experiment is over. He gave it his best shot, and it failed. Miserably. At least as a heel, the people want to see him fail. Miserably.
You can check out past installments of Babyfaces That Should Be Heels (or Heels That Should Be Babyfaces) featuring Antonio Cesaro here and John Cena here.
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NOTE: The above item is an eWrestlingNews.com opinionated editorial, and should not be confused as a factual news item. Readers can contact the author of the above editorial, Matt Boone, via Twitter @MBoone420 or by posting your immediate feedback in the “Comments” section below.
