Hey, They Still Like Alex Riley!

You the man, A-Ry
Photo Credit: WWE.com

So, it looks like WWE thinks highly of Alex Riley. How do I know this? They didn't job him out to Miz this past week on RAW to close the book on his insolence and ping-pong him back to Smackdown (although that would be an entertaining storyline for some wrestler some day, keep switching brands until that becomes their gimmick, but I digress). Rather, they continued to build him up by having him wrangle Michael Cole and then chase Miz out of the arena this time. Looks like they're saving the bullshit parity immediate storyline reprisals for Superstars these days. I'm not complaining though.

I think that this faith in A-Ry is well-warranted. Since NXT Season 2 began, I thought he was the most polished of his class on the mic and had a great, brash charisma that could buy him a long career with the big company. The guy held his own on the mic when he was trading it with The Miz, who himself was polished and had become one of the best promos in the company. Big things for this guy, I thought, but I also guessed he'd bust out big as a heel on Smackdown. Imagine that, he's on the A-show as a babyface going up against his former mentor. It remains to be seen if that panache on the mic will work in larger bursts as a face, but for now, let's savor what we have.

Whether you live in the moment or worry about his future or anywhere in between, one thing is for certain. The WWE HAS to follow up on this in a way that makes Riley memorable. Does he have to pin Miz cleanly? I think it'd be nice, but no, as long as when he's done this mini-feud, he's a fixture in the midcard and taking up time on the big show rather than being delegated to the Superstars zone.

The WWE stumbled onto something special here, actually two things special. One is that they were able to create a rising star in Riley. Two, they found out that Miz really is a guy who makes people more over than they already were by associating with him. That's a huge, huge thing, I think. Still, whether they do or not, it's refreshing to see hope and faith in a guy get validated. The WWE fans agree with me. Here's hoping for the best for A-Ry.

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