Miz, Logan Paul Host Clinic on How to be a Heel

YouTube star turned pro boxer, entrepreneur, lives up to hype in WrestleMania moment

ARLINGTON, Texas — If there's one thing I learned growing up as a kid in Arkansas, it's that the people around me loved to hate pompous wrestlers, and if they loved to flaunt that they had something you couldn't afford or ever achieve because of where you're from, they hated them even more.

It's why Ric Flair was a dirty name. It's why Dusty Rhodes was a hero. And it's why a little old lady just stood up and delivered the most painful blow a particular heel ever received at a small house show in Warren, Arkansas, one night during the old territory days.

Alan DeVorsey – USA TODAY Sports

And this is why, after putting on a near-perfect heel performance, The Miz and Logan Paul stole Night 1 for the moment fans who drove from their one street light towns across the state and small cities in Northwest and Central Arkansas will always remember from Wrestlemania 38. 

This match wasn't super anticipated because it's another WWE outsider coming in for a WrestleMania match simply for marketing sake. However, with Logan Paul's background as a professional boxer and amateur wrestler, along with the fact the world regards him as a natural heel, his pairing with The Miz gave hope fans might get a better than normal pop culture match.

And for those of us with film backgrounds, the thought and mental manipulation laid out throughout the course of this match to optimize the heel work of Paul and The Miz was genius. 

The show opened with a subtle catch. When the Mysterios, the father and son duo of Rey and Dominik Mysterio, shot up out of the entry way floor, Rey's Mexican flag themed full body ring gear along with Dominik's American flag themed gear appeared to honor their heritage of birth. But that wasn't the purpose its full purpose.

A few seconds later, in a wonderful piece of foreshadowing and manipulating the audience to think about what you want them to think about, Mysterio climbed a turnbuckle in his colors and paid homage to the late, great Eddie Guerro, whom Rey considered a brother at the time of his passing.

Everyone in the building should have caught it and known what was coming, but it seemed like such a natural thing for Rey to do that the Easter Egg slipped by a lot of people. However, the announcers said just enough to lodge Guerro's name in the backs of the minds for everyone watching.

The Miz is a natural heel. His face alone is the greatest gift any heel could ever want as he can keep it locked into one of the most punchable looks for such a long period of time. However, he is a master of the classic heel moves, and as one of Logan Paul's trainers, he spared no knowledge on his apprentice.

That started with Paul coming out as announcers drooled over the most expensive Pokemon card ever sold draped around his neck. Unfortunately, not further incorporating this Pokemon card in the match's twist ending missed a classic film trope that generates amazing heat for villains.  

© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Even though Paul literally has people punch his face for a living, he doesn't have a face that is as naturally punchable as Miz's, However, the addition of that headband was a step in the right direction.

Then it came time to time to carry that heel knowledge into the ring and did he deliver. The second Paul took his first kick from Rey, which came as he showed off his athleticism after hitting a full split as the two ran the ropes, he tagged in the Miz and gestured as if to say "Yeah, you can deal with this now!" in a classic coward heel move.

Paul got in his cheap shots, from behind as often as possible, and Miz cut off the ring time and time again as Dominik tried desperately to reach is father before being drug into the corner for traditional heel beatings. 

Miz then kept the energy going by rolling across the ring out in fear when Dominik turned the tide, but the crafty veteran casually dragged Rey off the ring apron onto his face on the way out. 

But then it was time for Miz to let his protege loose to show he had learned as much about the physical aspect of working the ring as he had the mental aspect. 

And did he deliver.

The first sign Paul might be legit was midway through the match when he snatched Dominik up onto his right shoulder with ease. Understand this is one of the few lifts where your opponent can't do much to help take some of the pressure off. 

He then ran across the ring with no show of strain and proceeded to flip Dominik over for what was a textbook power slam that landed safely, yet, with all the force needed to make audience members wince when it hit.

© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

By the time Paul jumped off the second rope, flying over Dominik's head while wrapping his arms him mid-flip for a flawless reverse neck breaker, it was clear that the hype around how well his training had gone was legit.

From that point on, Paul worked as a grizzled vet ready to tell the story and draw all the heat possible. 

Having Rey try to hit one of Guerro's trademark moves, The Three Amigos, only to fall short on the required third suplex to complete the move was a great set-up for what was to come. Paul came in immediately after, playing perfectly to the hard camera with garden fertilizer eating grin mixed between bouts of trash talk, and then hit Rey with a suplex followed by a dramatic pause before twisting up and making it obvious he was about to hit the Three Amigos on Rey.

When finished, he kipped up, hit the hard cam with a snotty look, whipped that same look around on the audience facing the hard camera and then proceeded to climb to the top rope where he performed the same Eddie Guerro shimmy Rey performed earlier. He then proceeded to drop a textbook frog splash and double-hooked the legs on the pin to an instill an extra feeling of hopelessness for Mysterio fans. 

Paul then took a moment to repay the favor for what he was given by the Mysterios by taking frog splashes from both, setting up Miz, who had tagged in without most people noticing, to hit a skull crushing finale for the win. 

It was already a great finish, but then came the shocker to everyone who hasn't been trained how to interpret color theory in film. Miz and Logan Paul celebrated for a few moments, hugging back and forth as an emotional Miz, clearly happy to be allowed to get a pin in one of celebrity matches for once, raised their hands in victory. 

© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

While Paul soaked it all in, they took one deep bow and as they raised, The Miz cut his eyes and turned on his patented "Resting Miz Face" just before one of the more unexpected betrayals to ever take place at Wrestlemania. 

Miz slipped behind Paul and planted him with a Skull-Crushing Finale and issued the Talking Smack verbal treatment, and left a confused Paul visibly asking "What was that for?" 

Paul played it perfectly as he was fully believable in his confused reaction.

© Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Miz blew him a kiss and did that creepy chin waive goodbye while Paul got up off the canvas with a great recreation of an Ivan Drago look from the original Rocky IV. Miz then blew one more pompous kiss for good measure.

While people were stunned at what just happened, all they had to do was go back to the second these two walked in together to know what was going to happen.

In the world of film, the color yellow either represents happiness and joy, or betrayal. Putting Miz and Paul in that color was the perfect call even though it seemed an odd visual choice at first considering Miz's usual color palette. 

It was jarring enough that fans immediately noticed the change, but wrote it off to Paul's influence. Fans were envisioning one of the truly great heel tag teams of all time as things flowed along, and the announcers so effortlessly roped those fans in with statements like "future tag team champions" to fully set up the betrayal at it's peak just before The Miz would tear it down with the most potential impact.

It was a turn that probably should have been left for later in the year, but in the frame of Wrestlemania, it was an instance that made it Saturday night's unforgettable moment .

Of course, there's that missed opportunity I mentioned earlier. In film, if we have a potential victim facing down with a villain who needs the kind of heat that makes people want to jump into the screen and rip the villain limb from limb, we establish an object of high personal value for the victim to possess.

Think a locket that was the last thing a dad gave his daughter before he died being ripped off by a mean girl. Imagine if The Walking Dead's Neagan had been wearing Rick's son Carl's hat while he seemingly forced him to cut off his son's own arm to save everyone's life.

This is why in the build-up, Miz ripped off Rey's luchador mask, which is a sign of ultimate disrespect. What dug it in even deeper was having Paul, who had never wrestled a matched, wear the mask to the ring even though Dominik hasn't fought enough matches to be deemed by his dad as worthy of earning a mask just like his.

That theme needed to continue. That Pokemon Card had been fully introduced. 

Proper heel heat that would have immediately made Paul accepted as a babyface for the impending match would have been instant had Miz put the chain with the Pokemon card on as he continued to mock Paul. 

At that point, he's got to walk up the ramp while we watch Paul react in extensive confusion and anger and cut back just before it looks like he's leaving the arena with Paul's card. Then Miz only has to turn and allow a devious look wash across his face before pulling the Pokemon card out, holding it up high, and ripping it into shreds while reverting to his Resting Miz Face.

However, even without that final cherry on top, it was still a masterclass in heel work by both men, and made it clear that if Paul wants to do this full time, he's got a bright future in the business.

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