House shows are non-canon, except when WWE wants/needs them to count of course. But they can be where the company and talent test things out, from moves to feuds to face/heel turns.
So chalk this up to little more than over-thinking things on a slow news morning. But with his greatest rival becoming a bad guy recently, slightly more sympathetic booking which started in Saudi Arabia and a dark match role as a fan favorite in Los Angeles earlier this week, there’ve been more than a few people wondering if The Miz is on the cusp of playing a babyface for the second time in his career.
Over the last couple years, Miz has been the rare example of a wrestler who can still get booed despite the fact many adult and so-called smart fans like him. That, combined with the fact his previous face run was a dud, have a lot of folks hoping there’s nothing to the speculation about a turn.
We’ll see. The story of Mike Mizanin has always lent itself to playing a hero - lifelong fan who chased his dreams and, despite not coming up the traditional way, perserved through adversity to get & stay on top of the business. It’s not hard to imagine Miz using that, and the experience he’s gained since 2012 - 13, to make more of a face turn than he was able to the last time around. He’s got a ready-made foil in the New Daniel Bryan, too.
Tweets like this one could be a sign of how he’d play an edgier good guy:
On this day 8 years ago I achieved something everyone told me was impossible. Good thing I make the impossible, possible. Doubt me all you want. Just know, I WILL WIN IT AGAIN. This is not a dream. This is reality. pic.twitter.com/GXNBegusE8
— The Miz (@mikethemiz) November 24, 2018
However, and returning to the house show stuff, if a turn is in the cards, you can’t really tell from the line-up for WWE’s holiday tour. Because according to early advertising from the venues, Miz will face off with another old rival on Dec. 27 in Long Island, Dec. 28 in Baltimore & Dec. 30 in Tampa. And despite the dueling “Let’s Go”/”Sucks” chants, John Cena is still a babyface. He’s scheduled to team with Finn Bálor against Drew McIntyre & Dolph Ziggler at Madison Square Garden the day after Christmas, for crying out loud.
We’re still more than a month away from those dates, so a lot can change. The advertised cards more or less reflect current booking (Bryan vs. AJ Styles, Charlotte Flair vs. Becky Lynch, Rey Mysterio vs. Randy Orton), so a plot twist or two between now and TLC in Dec. 16 could definitely change things.
So you tell us, Cagesiders? Is there a babyface turn in Miz’s future? Is that a good idea? Why or why not?