Mike's career has been on a weird trajectory for longer than he's realized. MizTV, hosting Wrestlemania, doing so many things except for wrestling. The reason he wanted to move The Miz past reality TV and add that identity to professional wrestling, his original goals had been left behind, keeping him distracted by fame and fortune. So when he actually has a successful travel day and walks into Raw to see The Miz vs Seth Rollins on the match card for the night, he knows. Now's his chance to turn things around. To prove to everyone else, to remind himself, just what the hell he can do inside that ring.
It's a fight, unlike one he's had in a long, long time. He comes close but every time, Seth fights back even harder, and Mike revels in the challenge. When he loses, he feels a little disappointed, but underneath it is relief, pride. I've still got it, he thinks, fingers twitching against the mat. I haven't lost my abilities in the ring.
Rolling out to the floor, he lands heavily and takes a breath, glancing up to find the crowd singing along to Seth's song. It's still not enough to temper his good mood. Especially when he staggers backstage to the locker room, and there's a short round of applause, a few guys even daring to come up and clap him on the back, commenting on the match, how they didn't know Mike had that in him.
He wants to snark back, roll his eyes at them, but there's little difference from his own thoughts so he lets it be as he heads into the shower, eager to get back to the hotel and call AJ, see her thoughts on it.
He knows she'll be proud, but he wants to hear her opinion as well, know that she saw what he had felt during the match. Mike may have the skills to host and do media, take care of things outside of the ring, but he's also still capable of handling things in the ring as well, despite comments made and his own growing doubt.
It settles something deep inside of him. Makes him feel complete for the first time in a long time.