The Miz is right. The WWE Champion should headline any pay-per-view event as the one who holds the most important belt in a business. The company that boasts two brands and two different approaches – where it’s okay if Brock Lesnar hibernates until his next big payday and AJ Styles is on television week after week – is in need of a shakeup of sorts.

The Miz, the eight-time Intercontinental Champion, believes he is the one to stir the pot just a little more. There is no performer on either roster who moves the needle on entertainment in and out of the ring as a total package like Mike Mizanin. In an era where stars move away from their characters outside the ring, The Miz is the closest thing to a throwback, someone like Ric Flair, Hulk Hogan, or Roddy Piper who lived their characters long after the arenas empty and fans went home to real life.

In an interview with Sports Illustrated, The Miz vented his frustration over WWE’s tot strap not getting the respect it deserves. As an old-school wrestling fan, it was refreshing to know someone thinks the days of Kayfabe and territorial tradition should be honored. There is a catch to this as The Miz also wants a crack at Styles and the belt he currently carries around.

“My goal is to make the WWE championship as relevant and prestigious as it should be,” said The Miz, who won his qualifying match last night on SmackDown to enter into the Money in the Bank match in June for a shot at the title. “Do I think AJ Styles is doing a terrific job as WWE champion? Absolutely.

“But that WWE championship should be in the main event of every single WWE pay per view. It upsets me when I see that it is not.”

The Miz is Piper, Randy Savage, Flair and Shawn Michaels rolled into one. A thinking man in an era of perform first, act on it later, he exemplifies the best in a heel for the current generation. While WWE doesn’t have the star power of a true heel like it did in years past – with possible Jinder Mahal being the lone exception – The Miz is electric and knows how to draw money.

As wrestling evolved during its inception, the premise was a champion was good-looking, well-spoken and was slightly better than his (or her) opponent. The psychology of the “sports” entertained fans with holds and counter holds and performers sold the hell out of a match.

Today, there is a distinction between selling for an opponent and proving how fake the spectacle can be. The Miz knows the limits between being “over” and going too far.

At some point, WWE should consider a Miz-Styles confrontation with the WWE Title on the line. If Styles is the best in the business and by all accounts and who you talk to, he is, then this is a program WWE should get behind. The Miz is proving you don’t need the top belt in the company to be the best. But in this case, he has a point that the top belt should be honored like it was with Flair, Jack Brisco, Harley Race, and Hogan.

And The Miz is the one who should be leading that charge. Don’t believe him, just ask him. He’ll tell you how good he really is.