The Miz and John Morrison: Employees of the month?

I know what you’re going to tell me. It seems like I talk about these two quite a lot, right? In fact, this is their third analysis, which is some sort of record, I would assume. Now, why am I talking about these two so darn much? What am I, some obsessed fanboy? Am I some overzealous mark over the “Dirt Sheet” duo? In truth, I’m not. You see, not a lot of positive things can be said through my analyses of this iteration of ECW because, to be honest, there are not many positive things you can say. However, I strive to be positive as well as negative when it comes to this brand, so it doesn’t seem like I’m slamming every thing that is done on this show. That’s not being objective. That’s not being fair. So the reason I’m giving yet another analysis on Miz and Morrison is because, quite frankly, they are the two most positive things to come out of ECW as of present time. Sure, there’s Christian and Evan as well, but they haven’t been as overexposed as these two have been. Plus, Miz and Morrison have had one heck of a head start of the fairly new Evan Bourne and the returning Christian. While they were out of the picture, these two have been called upon to do plenty of things in the WWE. I say the WWE because from the beginning of the talent exchanges to now, these two have been on every show, and during a regular week, are on at least 2 different shows doing something, be it promos, singles, tag matches or whatever. Simply put, the Miz and Morrison are the hardest-working superstars in the WWE that wrestle as of today, hands down and bar none. You can disagree with it, you can fight it, and you can even ignore it, but it is fact. How so? Indulge me for a few reasons, yes?

You might not know this, but the Miz and Morrison are much more important than some people might think. One such reason is that they are the backbone of the WWE’s mid-card division. Yes, it’s true. They are the ones the WWE goes to when they want a solid mid-card match or even a mid-to-top card match. Morrison has been an Intercontinental champion as well as an ECW champion which solidifies his status in the mid-card and, soon enough, the top card. The Miz, has only been a tag team champion with Morrison and a perennial contender for the ECW championship, but his in-ring work and promo skills are keeping him in the mid-card mix for the most part. How about this piece of interesting information? The two of them have battled just about every major mid-card player in the WWE, only to have great matches left and right. This has been done in and out of tag team matches, no less. In fact, some top card guys have battled them in matches in the middle of the wrestling card. The result: some solid match-ups that have left the viewers amazed. They have tangled with or dealt with C.M. Punk, Matt and Jeff Hardy, MVP, Shelton Benjamin, Carlito and Primo, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Jack Swagger, Evan Bourne, Christian, Finlay, Kofi Kingston, Kane, Chavo Guerrero, Mark Henry, and even Batista, Cena, and the Undertaker, if I’m not mistaken. All results of every match have been impressive, specifically or generally, amongst the backstage critics, which have left our boys in the good favor of the higher-ups. It’s a veritable who’s-who list of wrestlers, to say the least, but a great accolade in its own right.

Another key reason I wanted to point out is the fact that they are the focal point of the WWE’s tag team division. They are the only factors the WWE has to keep whatever is left of the tag division together. They understand the science to a tee, and they make it very entertaining to watch every time. They are the only tag team in the WWE that, as a functioning tag team, have been both WWE and World Tag Team champions. They are also on the cusp of tag team history. At Wrestlemania, they will defend the World Tag belts against Primo and Carlito for their WWE Tag belts. This will be the first time there will be a set of universal tag titles in 7 years. How historical is that? They have a chance to definitely validate themselves as the top tag team of the 21st century by becoming the unified tag champs or, in layman’s terms, the WWE World tag team champions. I doubt any other teams in the WWE have this honor, let alone deserve it. Well, other than Primo and Carlito, of course.

Now, these are some very solid reasons when looking for empirical evidence of the hard-working nature of the Miz and Morrison, in my view. However, they don’t come without a few negatives. In fact, there are a few negatives I would like to bring up if possible. First, the fact that they are the backbone of the mid-card shows the potential of the mid-card division. However, the problem here is the fact that the backbone is a tag team that might or might not be broken up with both or one of them ascending to the next plateau due to their abilities. Now, what do you do if that’s the case? You prepare for the worst and strengthen the rest of the spinal cord. The only problem is there’s no strength to it. Outside of those two, who really gets Carte Blanche to be innovative or do more with their careers? C.M. Punk gets great opportunities for upward movement, only to lose a key match or two, sending him right back down the ladder. Kofi Kingston is or was in the same boat as Punk, but is even worse off than he, near the bottom of the barrel. Rey Mysterio is only one or two botched moves from injuring himself and then retiring. Both Matt and Jeff, as great as they are, tag team or no, have never been seen as major players for top-card contention. Kane has just about lost any and all ability to be domineering, as has Mark Henry. Finlay, like William Regal, will only be lauded for their great wrestling, but not considered for anything more, making them likely to lose big in mid-card matches. Carlito and Primo are like the Miz and Morrison in their abilities and entertainment value, but not enough to garner a strong place for themselves. As for top ECW stars Christian and Jack Swagger, they are the best of the best in ECW, as is Evan Bourne, but on another brand, they will most likely be part of this mid-card fiasco, that might, undoubtedly see them losing their spots or their credibility with loss after loss. Actually, they have the potential to be more than just mid-carders, but their success is only predicated on what the pundits think, and they have been wrong before, which has not stopped them from making or sticking with their decisions. MVP and Shelton Benjamin? Don’t get me started on their situation. I would go into the whole tag team cornerstone problem as the second big issue, but I have already, and trust me, it’s not worth reiterating. Just know that their excellence as a tag team is measured by the excellence of the division, which does not saying much. They’re only good because they’re the only ones, other than Primo and Carlito, that actually exist as a credible tag team.

Knowing all these problems, Miz and Morrison still continue to put on a great show and work at the peak of their abilities because that’s what they are asked to do, and you can’t help but respect that. As long as they do, they will appear on every show in any capacity and make it memorable. This will most likely happen by winning a key match, as they have done for the most part against some of the best. It’s really surprising, though, that these guys are where they are with the least amount of wrestling time under their belts. Yea, I said that before, but how many veritable rookies turned stars have had that taste of greatness so soon in their careers? I bet you that if you put them in any wrestling federation, with the same potential blazing, they would be able to hold their own against the established teams they would face, as I have stated before. I’m just a little disappointed that they are the only hard-working wrestlers in the WWE. I think, with the right amount of work, the whole ECW brand can be the hardest-working entity in the WWE. They are exchanging talent left and right these days, so why not show them all off? Let Christian be that top wrestler he’s been destined to be. Let Evan Bourne fly high. Let the virtually undiscovered find their niche on shows that they have yet to be part of. Let them show the world their skills regularly, and pick up the slack that the useless on the brand leave every day. But, don’t end there, WWE. Build up and reconstruct the mid-card division so there’s some strength to it. Do the same to the tag division while you’re at it. It’s tough to have a future if you don’t plant the seeds of the present. Yes, I like Miz and Morrison. They’re great, they work hard, and they know how to entertain. Why not give the others a chance for once? You’re getting your money’s worth when they go out there, but how about setting it up so others can give us what we want? You can only run so far with the ball before someone catches up with you. Do you think it’s fair to bench everyone else to do so? WWE: you took a chance with two strangers to the wrestling business, and it’s worked. How about taking a chance with those who are not?