SmackDown Live: Should The Miz Become A Babyface?

The Miz is a natural-born heel. the kind of performer who is so over the top, you cannot help but love him and hate him at the same time. David Levin asks if he should turn face.

I have always subscribed to a theory in professional wrestling that if one superstar becomes a heel, one must become a babyface. Unless the two characters are able to perform the very difficult “double turn” then which wrestlers draw the short straw becomes a decision for the creative team and the people that truly matter – the McMahon clan.

I am not a fan of Daniel Bryan’s most recent heel turn, but understand how his character was a bit stale. Having him beat A.J. Styles for the WWE title was the right move, but might have been at the wrong time. The feud between two of the best in-ring performers in WWE is a dream matchup that was waiting to happen. The residual effect, however, has made things a bit cramped for some performers, most notably The Miz.

It’s hard to see both Bryan and The Miz, two of the best who feed off each other, on the same side of the fence. It also begs the question – should WWE, in turn, make The Miz a babyface and create an arc that finds these two face-to-face at WrestleMania 35 with the company title on the line?

The Miz is a natural-born heel. the kind of performer who is so over the top, you cannot help but love him and hate him at the same time. He is  a combination of Chris Jericho, Ric Flair and Gino Hernandez wrapped tightly into an explosive character who gets over with the fans and draws heat when he needs to.

Heels were supposed to control matches in years gone by and knew when to sell for an opponent and let a match speak for itself. With Maryse by his side, he is every bit Tully Blanchard with Baby Doll, and when given a microphone to accentuate his persona he is WWE gold.

Why he does not have a title around his waist right now is a mystery yet to be solved. A confrontation with Bryan, who is the top heel by far on the blue brand, with the WWE fanbase squarely in his corner is another angle the creative team should look long and hard at pulling off.

The reality star turned professional wrestler turned movie star should still be considered an underrated commodity for what he does on screen and how he is a money maker off camera. But in honesty, taking his current character and changing his position from heel to babyface might be his biggest challenge in WWE to date.