Some rivalries never truly die, and the long-simmering animosity between The Miz and AEW’s Bryan Danielson is proof. The WWE star recently added another chapter to their decade-plus story, firing a thinly veiled shot at Danielson during an appearance on ESPN’s Road to WrestlePalooza show.
While discussing his own in-ring work, The Miz brought up a familiar criticism of his style, directly referencing a famous past confrontation with his old foe.
“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 unnamed target of the jab was unmistakably Bryan Danielson, now a top star in All Elite Wrestling. This ongoing conflict stems from a fundamental difference in wrestling philosophy. Danielson, long celebrated for his technical prowess and intense style, has often clashed with Miz, who prides himself on longevity and entertainment value—a reliability Miz has contrasted with the riskier approach that led to Danielson’s injury-forced retirement from WWE.
This tension famously boiled over on a 2016 episode of WWE Talking Smack. At the time, Danielson was SmackDown General Manager and called Miz’s wrestling “soft” and “cowardly” on air. In response, Miz delivered a fiery, career-reigniting promo that blurred the lines between storyline and reality, cementing their beef as one of the most compelling in modern wrestling.
Years later, even with both men in different companies, the professional respect they share is still laced with genuine friction. The Miz’s latest comment serves as a reminder that this rivalry lives on, capable of sparking debate across promotional lines with a single remark.