Bryan Danielson hasn’t worked for WWE for over four years, but The Miz hasn’t forgotten about his fellow former World Champion. During ESPN’s Road to WrestlePalooza special, The Miz discussed his in-ring style and addressed past criticism of what some consider a style that is too ‘safe.’
“I’ve had people tell me that I have a safe way of wrestling. But that person is no longer here anymore, so we don’t need to talk about him.”
The comment was clearly aimed at Bryan Danielson. In 2016, Danielson, then SmackDown General Manager, called Miz’s style “soft” and “safe.” Miz’s explosive response on Talking Smack became a career-defining promo for the Grand-Slam Champion, and is still considered one of his best moments on the mic.
Danielson and Miz’s history dates back to 2010 with Bryan’s debut that year as part of the original WWE NXT. Danielson was the ‘rookie’ of The Miz, despite having more in-ring experience than his ‘mentor’ at the time. The pair would later feud, with Bryan beating The Miz to win the United States Title that year.
Over a decade later, Miz is still finding ways to take shots at Danielson, keeping their feud alive across company lines. With Bryan’s in-ring future uncertain and The Miz active in WWE to this day, this ‘safe’ style has seemingly paid dividends for the A-Lister.