The Miz vs Randy Orton (WWE, 1-30-2011)

WWE Royal Rumble, Boston, MA

This is a request via Ko-fi. Miz is defending his WWE championship. Miz had won the title by cashing in Money in the Bank against a vulnerable Orton in November. Miz came into this the big underdog. Also, a bad late career Social Distortion song is used for the video package.

Miz has Alex Riley at ringside and it was a real toss-up which of them sucked more in 2011. Orton opening fast with right hands in the corner, then stomps Miz down and throws him out of the ring. Orton whipping Miz to the barricade, then again on the other side, right at the mouth of the entrance aisle.

Back into the ring, Orton covers for two. Orton with a stomp to the skull. More kicks from Orton. More stomps. Orton with the catapult into the bottom rope, crushing Miz’s throat. Cover gets two.

Orton with a forearm to the body, European uppercut. Miz gets an elbow up in the corner, but Orton just ignores it and keeps pounding away. Orton choking Miz over the middle rope, count gets to four. Orton with a stomp to the belly. Forearm over the chest. Lawler mentions apartment wrestling.

Orton with an elbow to the jaw, but Riley sneaks in with a shot to Orton and gives Miz the advantage. Miz stomping away. Kick to the gut, now running Orton’s eyes over the top rope. Orton blocks a ram into the corner and delivers his own. Miz reverses a whip to the corner, Orton out with a clothesline. Orton charges the corner, Riley pulls Miz out of the way.

Miz with another chance thanks to Riley. Left hands from Miz. Orton down in the corner, recovering as Miz waits on the other side of the ring. Miz with the clothesline in the corner. Cover gets two.

Orton choked over the middle rope, and Riley gets another cheapshot in. Cover for Miz gets two. Riley fives Michael Cole, who is in his openly rooting for Miz phase. Miz with a chinlock. Orton back to his feet, elbows out and headbutts completely free. Miz reverses a whip and catches Orton with a kneelift. Cover gets one.

Boot to the face from Miz. Cover, two. Left hand from Miz, then a kick to the gut. Everything he did still looked like he was imitating a wrestler. It’s not in the execution, necessarily, it’s in the confidence of the delivery and some of the body language. But he’s controlling well enough here. Orton under the bottom rope, over the apron. Miz turns him over, face-down, and delivers a knee to the face. Back in, cover gets two.

Back to the chinlock for Miz. Orton stands it up, but can’t get out. Orton out of the hold, goes for a sleephold, Miz counters and goes for a German suplex. Orton blocks that, Orton hits a back suplex after Miz misses a wild shot. But he’s slow to get up and runs into a boot from Miz, cover gets two again.

Miz up top, Orton cuts him off and crotches him on the top rope. Orton up with a one-armed superplex. Cover gets two as Cole loses his shit. Trading of shots when they get back to their feet. Miz reverses a whip, cardinal mistake and a kick from Orton, then a pair of clotheslines and the neck snap backbreaker. Miz rolls out to the apron.

Orton grabs him there and pulls him back in for the hangman’s DDT, but Miz counters with a backdrop, sending Orton to the floor. Riley gets some shots in as Miz distracts the referee. Miz ramming Orton into the apron outside, then rolls him back in. Cover gets two.

Miz up top — down with a double axhandle across the back. Cover, two. Miz mounts and pummels, stomp, cover gets one. Now Miz yanking back on the nose and a chinlock that borders on a camel clutch. Orton powers up, right hand, Miz with a knee to the gut and he dumps Orton back out again.

Miz out after Orton, but walks into a boot to the gut. Orton sets for a piledriver or something, Miz sweeps the legs and catapults Orton into the ringpost! Miz back in waiting for the referee to count Orton out of the ring.

Orton beats the count and tackles Miz down, throwing a bunch of right hands. Right hand with Miz back up, another, another, another, Miz with a kick to the gut and corners Orton with left hands. Miz charges, but runs into a pair of clotheslines. Orton ducks one, hits the powerslam! Garvin Stomp from Orton, then a kneedrop to the head. Cover gets another two count.

Orton sets for a piledriver or whatever again, but he’s distracted by Riley, and Miz hits the backbreaker, then the neckbreaker, cover gets two. Orton goes for the RKO, Miz counters, Skull Crushing Finale countered, and Orton hits the Angle Slam for two!

Miz rolls out of the ring and wants his belt so he can get the hell out of here. Orton cuts him off with a clothesline! Back into the ring, Orton chases Riley away before following up. That gives Miz time to recover, and he hits the kneeling DDT on Orton. Another two count.

Miz misses a running boot, Orton rolls him up for two. European uppercut from Orton, now the hangman’s DDT hits! Orton feeling it now and he’s a snakeman. Miz struggling to his feet, and then The New Nexus (Otunga, Ryan, Harris, McGillicutty) make their way to ringside, distracting Orton. Referee rolls out to cut them off.

Riley comes into the ring, and Orton catches him with a kick, then launches Riley out onto everyone. Miz from behind for the SCF, Orton hits the RKO! CM Punk, leader of the New Nexus, sneaks in and hits the GTS on Orton! Miz covers — 1, 2, 3!

Rating: 3/5. It’s not a bad match at all, and the finish works. Miz was booked as overmatched at this level, and he was here — every advantage he gained was via Alex Riley, or Nexus distraction, and the win comes thanks to CM Punk. Straight up, Orton controlled this match. Comparing the 2011 WWE champion Miz to the 2018 Miz is pretty wild now. He was still really in his formative years as a pro wrestler, still kinda learning on the job, and in that sense he did the best he could. He never lacked for effort. And that’s why he’s gotten so good now, he kept improving for years, and now today we have a great wrestler. Orton held this match together really well, though, and as much as he generally bores me, when he’s on his game he’s a very sound, very complete wrestler, just not a particularly exciting one.