Ya remember seeing that behind the scenes look at Wrestlemania Fan Access.....they had sum neckbeard geeks heckling Miz about not being a REAL wrestler n not working da indies..... That def burns the Miz azz...he been world champ...ic champ....main evented Mania but still doesn’t get respect like Daniel Brian.
He's said as much. Miz says he always feels like he's fighting for respect.
It's what makes the dynamic between them so great. Miz and Daniel are similar in a lot of ways: don't fit the typical WWE build but have succeeded in spite of it, both love wrestling, both have had to fight at various points in their career to be noticed. That's why, despite everything, you can tell they respect each other.
However, the animosity stems from the key ways they're different. Daniel came up through the indies and made his name on his in ring skills, while Miz is primarily a WWE guy whose talents are first and foremost in his talking and character. Daniel is a down to Earth hippie vegan while the Miz has always been a bit of a fame chaser and a little obnoxious.
But the most important difference between them is how they view wrestling and in turn, how that makes them view each other. Miz feels like he's done everything he can - worked hundreds of matches, won titles, main evented Mania - and given his life entirely to WWE even when no one wanted him there and still has to fight for the fans and industry people to respect him. Meanwhile, here's Daniel Bryan, a guy who was basically handed the respect and support that Miz wants on his first day just because he came up from the indies.
For Bryan's part, Miz's success has to confuse him to some degree. Bryan values in ring work above all else, and while Miz isn't bad at all (I can't remember the last bad match he had), Bryan told him straight up that he doesn't like the way he wrestles. He sees Miz getting all the success that guys who could wrestle circles around him aren't and it doesn't sit well. Add to that the fact that Miz just seems like the antithesis of everything Bryan is and well...lol.
Regardless of how much is real and how much is kayfabe, it's an amazing dynamic. It almost makes the rivalry foolproof even for WWE booking because more than any other pair of wrestlers on the roster, the two characters are ready made rivals. I compare wrestling to comics a lot, and Bryan/Miz really does tap into the same energy that makes rivalries like Superman and Lex Luthor or The Flash and Zoom/Reverse Flash work.
Now we just have to hope the match delivers.