5 takeaways from WWE Backstage (January 7th, 2020)

Since the last two episodes of WWE Backstage have primarily been focused on 2019 year-end awards, the latest episode got back into the swing of things. The Lana/Lashley/Rusev/Liv storyline was finally addressed after the shocking wedding last week. The Miz was the show's special guest this week and once again proved why he is one of the hardest working stars in the business.

Some other recent happenings were discussed including the Seth Rollins/AOP storyline and the revelation that Brock Lesnar would be entering the Royal Rumble in the first spot. There wasn't a promo battle or a psychologist segment this week but it worked to fill in the void of the last two weeks regarding analyzing the content.

It was also announced that both Xavier Woods and Ember Moon would be guest panelists for next week's show. And with the returns of many stars right before the Rumble like Sheamus, John Morrison, and the Big Show, the panel addressed how some of the returns would fit into the current landscape of either RAW or SmackDown. Here are five takeaways from the January 7th, 2020 episode of WWE Backstage.

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#5 Tidbits involving the Miz

The Miz and Kingston battled it out last Friday on SmackDown.

Before the A-Lister joined the show, the panel debated the Miz's descent into despair after being terrorized by the Fiend. After rebuking Kofi Kingston and Big E and then attacking Kingston post-match, Christian wasn't really sure it was a new direction for Miz. He's been a heel during most of his career, but Captain Charisma added that "if you're having the worst day ever and someone walks up to you and asks you why the only thing that would make you happy is punching them in the face."

Paige agreed that it wasn't really a new direction, claiming that "he just flourishes as a bad guy." Booker T praised the A-Lister saying that "the Miz is a guy that cut his teeth the hard way with guys like me and JBL in the locker room." The former member of Harlem Heat referred to how up-and-comers used to have to fight hard to gain respect from veterans in the locker room.

Unrelated to his interview, the Miz was asked about the return to WWE of his friend John Morrison. The A-Lister praised the former Johnny Impact, saying that "Morrison is one of the best in-ring talents WWE has right now" and that "he's taught me a lot in the WWE ring." He also revealed that when he started out after coming from the Real World that Morrison took him under his wing. It's certainly a friendship that helped out in the past and will do so in the present.

#4 Analysis of Lesnar at #1 in the Rumble and other RAW happenings

The Beast and his advocate

Even though it wasn't necessarily the first time ever for a star/current Champion to enter the Royal Rumble in the first spot, Paul Heyman announced that his Beast would be doing that because of "the lack of competition" on RAW.

Booker T said that he liked it and "for this to happen, so many things can happen in the future regarding someone's career being made." Christian was "on the fence" because he liked how "the Royal Rumble represents picking which title to challenge for." His main problem was "what happens if Brock wins?" Paige was hesitant because "it feels like it's predictable." Some choices for who could potentially eliminate the Beast were Drew McIntyre and Otis.

One of the other biggest stars on RAW was also discussed in Seth Rollins. He really hammered home yet another nickname Monday night, the "Monday Night Messiah." Renee Young joked that "they (Rollins, commentators) said it like 16 times. Christian had some good insight, adding that he liked the nickname and "if you're the leader, you can give yourself a cool moniker." Since Rollins has "self-proclaimed that he's the leader of RAW, it just adds to the whole package." Booker didn't think that Rollins needed it to get over.

Along the lines of the Rollins/AOP angle, the Big Show returned in the main event to back up Kevin Owens and Samoa Joe. Paige "didn't know what to expect" regarding the mystery partner reveal. There was brief questioning of if the spot should have gone to a star who could have used the rub, but the panel was fine with it being Show. Christian added that "if you promise a surprise, you give a surprise." Show helping out made sense because "they're (Owens and Joe) looking at someone to offset the size of the Authors of Pain."

#3 An Interview with the Miz

The Miz

As most guests on the show usually do, the Miz provided some great insight regarding the path he took to both get to the WWE and the path to get respect from everyone. In terms of what still motivates him since he's won a lot of titles, the A-Lister claimed that "as a WWE Superstar, you always want to be the best." He also said, "whenever I see a FOX ad and I'm not on it I want to be that guy. I want to hold the major championships."

He also added that "there's a certain mentality that I have that you need to have." When asked about what's kept him hungry after all those years he said to "work harder than everyone else." Miz added, "I know I'm not the most talented guy but I'll work harder than the most talented guy and then my talents will shine through."

Since he had a tough path coming from the "reality" show "the Real World", the Miz was then asked what was left on his WWE bucket list. Just like any star, he wants "to be the face of the company" and he wants "the respect of my peers the respect of the WWE Universe." He feels that he just started to get that respect over the last couple of years since "the young guys are coming to me (now) to ask for help on a promo."

Also in terms of starting to gain respect, Miz added that it changed when "I kept being here and everyone thought I would be gone in three months." He also said that "everyone didn't see the love and the passion (for the business) but everyone saw the loud and obnoxious guy instead."

#2 Rapid reactions

Lacey Evans has targeted the bullying of Sasha Banks and Champion Bayley.

There was a lot of content to get to as a few recent developments were addressed in various segments throughout the night. One was the fact that after being such an effective heel, Lacey Evans quickly turned face on SmackDown. Paige said that "I absolutely fell in love with her as a bad guy" and that she didn't think "the face thing should be a long term thing." As most people have, Paige said that she loved Evans' fiery daughter and that she "can't wait to see where this goes."

Christian was asked about the ongoing Buddy Murphy/Aleister Black feud. He said that "these guys have great matches together," but "at some point, Buddy Murphy has to win one of these matches to keep this going." He praised the bouts for their "great innovation" but noted that "sometimes a good old fashioned kick or punch in the face can mean more than a flashy move."

Booker T loves both AJ Styles and Randy Orton and was asked about Styles' mocking of the Viper on the latest RAW. Booker said it was more about "character building" for Styles since "we've seen AJ Styles wrestle a great match every night." The two-time Hall of Famer added that "from a promoter standpoint this (the Styles/Orton feud) is money and a main event anywhere in the world."

Renee Young asked the Miz about what he thought was standing out and entertaining him right now in WWE and he praised the Mandy Rose/Otis angle. He claimed that "any time I see Otis on TV it makes me smile" and that "there's a charm with him." Paige also professed her support for the man who loves ham.

Miz was also asked about a current colleague with a bright future and he said that the Drifter is one to watch, claiming that "Elias has what it takes to be a top talent in WWE." One thing he mentioned is that "a lot of people complain about TV time" for some stars. Every time he sees Elias, however, "he always makes an impact whether its 30 seconds or five minutes." He gave the advice to "just keep doing what you're doing and you'll get your moment." Sage advice from someone who knows how to stay the course in a tough business.

#1 The infamous Lana/Lashley wedding

Lana has been in her element during her partnership with Lashley.

It has dominated portions of Monday nights lately so the panel had to address the ongoing love saga between Lana, Lashley, and Rusev. During the wedding segment last week, a huge twist came forth when Liv Morgan claimed that she and Lana were in a relationship. It added another unexpected layer to an already crazy storyline and it at least provides Morgan with a role going forward.

Christian stated it best when claiming that with the angle, "you never know what's going to happen but you know something is going to happen." He also added that on an entertainment show about wrestling "you need to have these types of segments for entertainment." Captain Charisma also mentioned that "you need to have these layers and audience connection" aspects in the various segments throughout the night.

He also lauded Lashley as the angle has given the All Mighty a kind of "response from the audience." Lashley is a great in-ring talent and can provide a good enough match but he has had trouble connecting with the WWE Universe in a meaningful way since returning. Paige loved that Morgan was getting a spotlight and said that fans need "to give it a chance" because Morgan is "doing a new character." The Anti-Diva wanted to see where it goes because the segment isn't going away any time soon.