The transformation that The Miz has undergone over the past couple of years is pretty incredible. It's probably fair to say that as of right now, The Miz has never been higher in WWE. That might seem like an odd thing to say when you look at a list of his achievements on paper as back in 2011, The A-Lister was WWE Champion. That reign is concrete proof of a championship not making the man. It was a pretty forgettable run and even the take-home moment of it, Miz successfully defending the belt at WrestleMania XXVII, was dominated by The Rock blindsiding John Cena. Today though, the spotlight is very much on The Miz.

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This transformation really began the night after WrestleMania 32. On Raw that night, The Awesome One defeated Zack Ryder for the Intercontinental Championship. The most important part of that win was how he came about it, and that was thanks to the return of his real-life wife, Maryse. With the former Divas' Champion by his side, The Miz seems to be injected with a new found confidence. Between that night and now, he has become one of the best natural heels WWE has to offer.

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Aside from reaching heights that he never has before over the past two years, Miz has dedicated his in-ring life to one other thing, and that is raising the stock of the Intercontinental Championship. The title win the night after WrestleMania 32 marked the beginning of his fifth reign with the championship. Since then, The Awesome One has won it twice more and it is really hard to argue that he does not do the title justice. Secondary titles tend to be overlooked in present day WWE, but while that Intercontinental Title is over The Miz's shoulder, he doesn't let that happen.

PREVIOUSLY: THE MIZ SURPASSES ANOTHER INTERCONTINENTAL MILESTONE

While holding the long-tenured title, Miz has been breaking all kinds of records. Even though he currently doesn't have the championship, Miz currently sits third when it comes to overall combined days with the championship. Even more impressive, his seventh reign puts him in second for most times as Intercontinental Champion. The only man who has held the title more times is Chris Jericho with nine. There are rumors that this Monday at Raw's 25th Anniversary The Miz will come one step closer to Y2J's impressive record. The star of The Marine 6 will get his contractually obligated rematch for the belt against Roman Reigns and if the murmurings are true Miz will be celebrating the start of his eighth reign.

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Even though Miz is closing in on Jericho's record he should really be focusing his energy on something more. Yes, being Intercontinental Champion is nice, but the ultimate goal for any male WWE Superstar on Raw right now should be to become Universal Champion. The IC Title was always used as a stepping stone to that higher level but The Miz seems to have set up shop there. When he was WWE Champion in 2011, fans didn't like it for all the wrong reason. Miz as Universal Champion in 2018, fans will hate that for all the right reasons.

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Present day Miz is more than ready to carry that weight on his shoulders. Not only is he one of the best talkers in the company right now (second only to John Cena who is part-time anyway) but as he has pointed out in the past he never gets injured. A lot of fans might overlook that fact but it is something that wouldn't have gone unnoticed by Vince McMahon. If a Superstar gets injured a couple of times the boss will likely lose interest in them. The Miz has been pretty much injury free for his entire run and could be an ever-present Universal Champion, something we haven't had since Kevin Owens held the title.

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The only dot left to connect in this scenario is how exactly The Miz goes about becoming Universal Champion. There are rumors that Braun Strowman could win the title at the Royal Rumble next weekend, and while most fans would not like to see The Monster Among Men lose to The Awesome One, it's much more likely to happen than a Miz versus Brock Lesnar match. Miz could use his underhanded tactics and fellow Miztourage members to help him either topple the monster or swindle him out of the title in some way. What's more is the two of them have unfinished business following The A-Lister orchestrating the plan to put Strowman in the back of a garbage truck at TLC. Don't set the WrestleMania 34 card in stone just yet folks, maybe it won't be Lesnar versus Reigns for the Universal Title after all.

NEXT: THE MIZ AN MARYSE SET TO STAR IN REALITY SHOW