There's very little time to talk to AJ. Catch his breath. Anything. They rush for the airport and immediately leave for the UK. There will be even less chance to avoid Strowman there but Mike can't think about it. Axel joins up with them a couple days later, exhausted and a neck brace wrapped around his throat. Each step causes him pain and Mike feels guilty for leaving him to his fate, but he knows there's little he could've honestly done about it.
The three of them spend the rest of the week clustered together, keeping an eye out for anything that could hint to Strowman trying something. Bo is jittery, Mike can barely sit down, and Axel is just a big ball of misery. How they make it until Raw that Monday, Mike's not sure. They start the show off, Mike trying to focus on something other than Strowman. He spits some vitriol at Baron Corbin before introducing Angle to the ring, and things quickly snowball from there. Mike blames Angle for what he did to Bryan- not that Mike likes Daniel, but it seems awfully convenient that he gets locked in the office in the dark and then injured by his former tag partner. He then declares that Angle had tried to eliminate the Miztourage by sending Strowman after them... just for Kurt to retailiate by placing him in a match against Strowman. All Miz can do is gape on in horror while Kurt leaves, giving him no chance to argue against it, try to change Angle's mind.
The three of them trudge backstage, horrified and disgusted by what this means. Heath and Rhyno are hanging around, for once serious. "Hey, guys," Heath greets them. "We're keepin' an eye out for Smackdown just in case..." He spots the blank eyed look on Mike's face and claps him on the shoulder, making him jump. "Hey, man, it's gonna be ok. If you want, you can hide in our locker room. Doubt Strowman could find ya there."
Mike blinks a few times. It's not a bad idea. His private locker room would make things a little obvious as to how to find him if Strowman should not be willing to wait until their... their match later. "Thanks, Heath," he says quietly, trudging in that direction. Axel and Bo follow close behind, Bo trying to convince all of them that it's going to be ok, that they have the number's advantage.
He's wrong though. The numbers advantage does nothing for any of them. Strowman throws them around like they're nothing, and only Kane's appearance distracts him briefly. Miz tries to take advantage of this moment, but Braun still strongarms him, powerslamming him to the mat in a limp heap.
Referees help him back to the trainer's office but he's ok, although sore, so they let him go and he returns to Heath and Rhyno's locker room, collapsing onto the couch in there, watching on the monitor as the rest of the Raw roster spill out into the arena during the tag match at the end of the show, waiting for Smackdown to come out and continue their stupid little seige. No one comes but New Day, costing Seth and Dean their tag belts, and Mike laughs at their misfortune before grabbing his ribs, gritting his teeth against the pain shooting up his back. "I guess tonight wasn't a complete bust..."
He forces himself up to go collect Bo and Axel from the trainer's so they can make it to the car that's going to take all of them back to the hotel. As if the champion would subject himself to taking a bus with the other idiots, he thinks, rubbing his back slowly. All he wants right now is to lay down on ice and voice chat with his wife. So he does.