The Miz standing up for Daniel Bryan is just another chapter in their wild rivalry

The Miz vs. Bray Wyatt (c)

Non-title match

I’m a sucker for epic rivalries.

You know, those long rivalries that last years. Where sometimes one guys a heel and the other is the face, and other times it’s vice versa. Sometimes they’re even on the same side until the inevitable collapse. Kevin Owens and Sami Zayn are a perfect example of that.

Daniel Bryan and the Miz fall into that category as well.

For a decade, these two have hated each other, dating back to when Daniel Bryan debuted on the gameshow version of NXT with Miz as his “mentor.” It’s usually Miz who’s the villain and Bryan who’s the hero. (They didn’t have a proper feud with Bryan was running around as the New Daniel Bryan.) It’s a rivalry that even persisted when Bryan wasn’t wrestling and just hosting Talking Smack as the SmackDown GM. And now, we have a very interesting addition to the story.

Coming off a loss to the Fiend at Survivor Series, Daniel Bryan had the option to face Wyatt again. While Bryan debated the decision, the Miz tried to offer him a little advice. Clarifying that there was no friendship between them, he admitted that Bryan was too important to the SmackDown locker room to risk another fight with the Fiend. Because men don’t come out the same person after facing that monster.

Daniel didn’t heed the Miz’s warning. He walked to the ring and told the fans that the Yes Movement was back and, with them behind him, he could take on Wyatt. But that’s when the Fiend attacked Bryan, pulled him through the ring, and ripped out his hair.

We haven’t seen Bryan since.

Surprisingly, the Miz stood up for Bryan, an action that dragged him into a feud with Bray Wyatt. The Universal champ started bringing the Miz’s family into this, and that’s what set up the match.

For why Miz would take such a risk, one he warned Bryan against, we can look to his interview with Renee Young last Friday.

He once against reiterated he does not like Daniel Bryan. But over time, with all they’ve been through, he’s learned to respect him. And since becoming a father, he’s learned to do the right thing. Standing up to Bray Wyatt is the right thing.

An interesting note to this feud is it sounds like we will not see the Fiend at TLC. Instead, it looks like Fun House Bray will have his first match (which is probably why the title is not on the line). This was alluded to when Bray told Miz that Daniel Bryan is still with “him” (presumably the Fiend), but he’s available to play with the Miz. This will be a new wrinkle to Bray’s current character as up to this point, the Fiend has done all the fighting for the more innocent children’s show host.

This Miz isn’t going to win tonight. That’s pretty much a given. But this is a smart way to avoid rushing Bray’s feud with Daniel Bryan while adding another chapter in the epic Bryan/Miz rivalry. For a short build B PPV, this the best way to go.

The Miz will challenge Bray Wyatt tonight at TLC, starting at 7 PM ET on the WWE Network. And keep it here to CagesideSeats.com for your TLC coverage.