Road Dogg On Daniel Bryan's 2018 WWE Feud With The Miz: 'They Were Magic Together'

The Miz blurred the lines between kayfabe and reality when he launched into Bryan Danielson on an episode of "Talking Smack" in August 2016, calling an injured Danielson a "coward" for not returning to the ring before asking "The American Dragon" to go back to "the bingo halls with your indie friends." The fiery confrontation sowed the seeds for their feud in 2018, which came to fruition once Danielson was cleared to return to the squared circle.  

On a recent episode of "Oh...You Didn't Know," "Road Dogg" Brian James — a member of the "SmackDown" creative team in 2018 — admitted that rivalry would not have felt as personal if the two men held back their true feelings. "These two workers ... are totally different and it's almost like the smart fan and the casual fan," James said. "Like the casual fan would think Miz is a huge star, and be like, 'Who's that other little guy that looks like he's homeless' ... But the Internet fan knows who Daniel Bryan is ... So, you just go like 'Okay, I think that's an interesting dichotomy' ... I love Miz because Miz doesn't mind playing the antithesis to that guy."

"Those guys are magic when you put them together," James continued. "They respected each other, and they treated each other with respect ... It's so much better for the television show if we can work together because I'll tell you what's not pretty — when you don't work together." 

While The Miz got the better of his bitter rival in the early part of their feud, registering wins at SummerSlam and Hell in a Cell — where he teamed up with Maryse to wrestle Bryan and Brie Bella — it was Danielson who got the last laugh at the 2018 Super Show-Down, where he defeated "The A-Lister" to become the new No. 1 contender for the WWE Championship, a win that paved the way for his memorable yearlong run as "The Planet's Champion."