It was a quick backstage comedy bit, but even with the return of John Cena, The Man being The Man, a (unfortunately brief) Rusev Day celebration and a 5Way main event featuring the Real AJ Styles that probably set up the Phenomenal One’s road to WrestleMania 35 - this skit with the Best In The World tag team might have been my favorite part of SmackDown on Jan. 1...
I don’t know if Miz is a heel or face, which is part of the segment’s charm. His passive aggressive mention of his father, calling back to the emotional ploy he used to get Shane McMahon to agree to the team-up last week, is either baiting the hook for a swerve, or a legitimate new wrinkle to his character.
If the latter, it fits with his boyish hero worship of Shane. That’s also where he shows off his comedic skills the most - casting off his coat when McMahon rejects that design and saying he planned to burn it anyway, and telling the Money his body is way better than Goldbergs.
And, of course, there’s the ridiculous designs themselves. Wrestling fans bag on WWE creatives reliance on Photoshop gags, but this is using the technology right. Not Bray Wyatt’s head on a baby’s body or some nonsense, but Shane O’Mac going full Awesome.
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What are those, indeed.
It’s dumb fun with some real intrigue underneath. I love it. And I don’t care what it says about me, but I want Shane out there in some wrestling briefs.
There’s no point in going half-Awesome.