The Miz Recalls Prepping Iconic Danielson Promo In Just 30 Seconds

The Miz is looking back on one of the most talked-about promos of his career, revealing that he had barely any lead time with Bryan Danielson before delivering it. Speaking in a recent interview on WrestleRant, Miz explained that he and Danielson only spoke for about 30 seconds before the two squared off verbally on Talking Smack.

The segment in question aired on August 23, 2016, when Danielson was serving as SmackDown General Manager and Miz was in the thick of his heel run as Intercontinental Champion. What followed has become one of the most replayed moments in Talking Smack history — a blistering, personal promo from Miz that many fans and critics still point to as the best of his career, and one of the standout pieces of unscripted-style television WWE produced during that era.

What makes the story notable isn’t just the promo itself, but how little preparation reportedly went into it. Talking Smack built its reputation on loose, conversational format, but the idea that Miz and Danielson barely discussed direction beforehand underscores just how much of that famous exchange was pure instinct and improvisation on Miz’s part. It’s a testament to his skill on the microphone — a talent that’s often overshadowed by his in-ring reputation but has repeatedly been credited by peers and fans as elite-level.

The timing of Miz revisiting this moment fits into a broader trend of wrestlers reflecting on the so-called golden era of Talking Smack, a show that’s fondly remembered by fans even though it was eventually phased out of WWE’s weekly programming. Segments like the Miz-Danielson promo are frequently cited as examples of why that format worked so well — it gave performers room to breathe and produce something that felt real, rather than tightly scripted.

For Miz, who has built a career-long reputation as one of WWE’s most polished talkers, the story also serves as a reminder of his longevity and adaptability. He’s been a fixture on WWE television for close to two decades, transitioning smoothly between multiple eras, character shifts, and locker room dynamics. Revisiting a decade-old promo isn’t just nostalgia — it’s a reflection of how Miz has continued to be relevant by leaning into his strengths as a performer rather than fading into the background.

Danielson, for his part, has long since moved on from WWE and is now a key figure at AEW, but the mutual respect between the two performers has remained evident in how each talks about that period. Moments like this Talking Smack promo continue to be referenced as evidence of the chemistry that can exist between two performers who don’t need extensive rehearsal to create something memorable.

As wrestling media continues to dig into oral histories of moments like this, expect more anecdotes from that Talking Smack era to surface, especially as fans and analysts continue ranking it among the best supplementary wrestling programming WWE has ever produced.