A part of Miz is relieved that he's not directly depending on R-Truth this week. He's wrestling singles against Dom Mysterio, which is fine. Even with JD and Balor at ringside, he's not as concerned as he could be. Or maybe should be. But Dom has grown as a competitor, and the other two help him even more. It ends in a loss and a beat down three on one to follow... but Mike's distress ends when DIY run down and he feels like he can breathe again, rolling away to give himself try to regroup.
DIY try to catch JD for Meet in the Middle, but Balor helps him to escape and Mike gets to his feet, the three of them standing in the ring and glowering down at the departing Judgment Day. Once the ramp is clear, they take their leave too and Mike expects Tommaso and Johnny to go their own way, but they stick with Mike, keeping an eye out just in case Judgment Day is still lingering, Mike assumes. "So, tag match next week, huh?" he asks, relieved to be heading back to the locker room without more brawling.
"Yep," Tommaso says. "Gonna finally accomplish what we've always wanted, right?" He lightly nudges Johnny, who grins.
"Yep," he says, before turning back to Mike. "What's going on with you and Truth though?"
"Hell if I know," Mike says with a tired shrug. "Sometimes he's on my side, sometimes he's back to thinking he's with them. I've kind of given up trying to figure him out." He shrugs. "Well, I need to go shower and change, thanks again for the assist and good luck next week."
"Thanks," Tommaso says, he and Johnny turning to head down the hall, probably look for Candice and Indi.
Mike watches them go for a minute before heading in the opposite direction, relieved that the halls are mostly quietly, calm. He exhales and leans against the wall for a minute, scrubbing his hand through his hair. Royal Rumble is days away and he wonders. If anything good could come of it, if he could redeem himself for his various fumbles the last couple of months. Against Gunther, against Judgment Day, on and on...
If maybe, just maybe. He could swoop in, avoid Punk and Cody, and finish his own story. He smirks, shrugs. It sounds pretty damn good, honestly.
Couldn't hurt to try, at any rate.