The Miz’s Talking Smack Promo Is The Best Shoot In Wrestling History

The art of the shoot promo has seen many wrestlers attempt to blur the lines between fiction and reality. Any wrestler who cuts off a legitimate shoot promo does so without a script to run it. There are many mixed scenarios where wrestlers deliver fleshed out shoot promos booked for them to convince fans they are breaking the script, but the real ones have some unexpected moments.

The Miz’s infamous Talking Smack promo for Daniel Bryan changed his career at the time. Fans were stunned to see Miz show such intensity for the first time in many years. WWE saw that this promo contributed a lot of positive things in the long and short term. It can be argued that this is the shooter genre’s biggest promo.

WWE has always emphasized The Miz with a constant spot on TV for almost fifteen years. However, a failed WWE Championship reign damaged Miz’s reputation and caused him to return to the midcard to experiment with various things. WWE attempted to turn face at Miz with Ric Flair as his mentor before returning to heel role between the title loss and that infamous promo for the remainder of his tenure.

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The 2016 brand split created more opportunities for new stars getting their first chance and for talent like Miz who craved another chance. Top Intercontinental Championship early in the brand split, Miz felt disrespected for being banned from television. Renee Young and Daniel Bryan, who interviewed Miz on Talking Smack, gave him a platform to vent his frustration.

Miz showed more emotion than ever when WWE cut Bryan a promo for disregarding his posts. Miz’s heel work has worked over the past few years, but it always felt like a wrestler was playing the same heel character we’ve seen for decades. Miz, who rightfully lost his cool and ran down Bryan to defend himself, showed a deeper passion. Fans got a real glimpse of a real part of Miz’s personality that showed he was fed up with the disrespect.

It felt real

The most important part of a shoot promo in wrestling is the talent that makes fans believe something real is happening. Wrestling has evolved to such an extent that most viewers are old enough to know and accept that the sport is more about entertainment than competitive sport. The Miz’s promo was perfect due to its ability to get fans to lift their disbelief at the most unexpected time, and it came in a show with more unscripted moments.

Daniel Bryan recently revealed that he and Miz had a plan to have a confrontation on Talking Smack unbeknownst to upper management. The original plan was for Bryan to smack Miz after the verbal back and forth to create a scenario where WWE would either release him or set up their match on his eventual return if he released him.

Those plans changed when Bryan decided to get off screen and let Miz continue his promo if it went well. Miz unleashed a verbal tirade about Bryan and others discrediting his performances for not wrestling in a risky style. Bryan, who described Miz as “gentle” as the general manager of SmackDown, angered Miz enough to cut a promo that showed his emotional side and making it feel real was the reason it worked.

it helped short- and long-term programs

Daniel Bryan not getting physical when he and The Miz first planned meant he would not be fired or acquitted. WWE continued to use Miz in the heel role and gained momentum after the Talking Smack clip went viral. Fans on the talk show talked more about Miz’s promo than anything that happened on the actual episode of SmackDown that week.

Dolph Ziggler shortly thereafter entered a feud with Miz for the increasingly important Intercontinental Championship. The idea of ​​two of the longest-established mid-carders having yet another feud over a mid-card belt so early in the brand split could have failed. Miz added new energy to his Heel character, which caused fans to care more about fighting him and getting behind Ziggler.

WWE finally conceded Bryan for the competition almost two years later when enough doctors determined he was no more at risk than any other wrestler. Bryan feuded with Miz in the second half of 2018, where they traded wins, cut more intense promos, and even took their wives to a mixed tag match. Many shooting promos just confuse the audience, as with Vince Russo’s entire booking history. Miz showed the best case scenario to make fans believe and create a moment with his shoot.