The Miz is an Ohio institution.

Sure, he's technically billed from Hollywood, California when he walks down to the ring on Monday Night RAW, as, like many WWE Superstars, the professional grappler turned in snowy winters for more temperate climates that the affluent lifestyle can provide, but still, the pride of Parma, Ohio will shout out his native area whenever possible and even show up at Cavs games from time to time when the team is doing well.

With all of that in mind, The Miz must have really done something wrong for Tommaso Ciampa to not only answer his open challenge in front of his hometown fans on RAW last week but deliver a savage beating that embarrassed him in front of his friends and family, right?

Fortunately, Byron Saxton caught up with Ciampa on RAW to ask him that very question and got one heck of an answer.

“Why, right? You want to know why did you attack The Miz last week?” Ciampa asked rhetorically. “I spent the last nine months of my life recovering from hip surgery. Do you know how many times The Miz reached out, phone calls, text messages, anything? Zero. The last nine months I haven’t heard one peep from Mr. Tiny Balls. Do you think that’s funny? Do you want to know what I think is funny? People warned me about The Miz, they said he’s a user, they said he’s a manipulator and they were right. And this injury, this injury was a blessing in disguise. 275 days is a long time for a guy to be left alone with his thoughts, it gives you clarity. What’s your why? Who are your friends? And most importantly of all, why the h*ll is Tommaso Ciampa wearing a neon green vest and following around and playing second fiddle to The Miz? This time around, I create my own opportunities.”

Now, for fans who keep a keen eye on WWE's social media or who read about it online, this is very similar to the fiery promo Ciampa cut immediately after the match for a WWE Digital Exclusive, with the answer apparently so good it needed to be repeated on weekly television too. Still, it's nice to see that Ciampa is looking to get his career back on track and become a serious performer in WWE… even if he's not the only performer capable of getting serious to a scary degree.

The Miz explains his brutal onslaught on Tommaso Ciampa.

After being embarrassed in the ring and on the mic by Tommaso Ciampa following his surprise return in Cleveland, The Miz wasn't going to take the risk of that happening again in their rematch on RAW.

Watching Ciampa walk down to the ring to a hero's welcome, Miz saw an opening and charged him from behind, beating him so mercilessly that the officials had to escort the “A-Lister” to the back and help his former understudy get medical attention.

Asked why he attacked Ciampa, Miz noted that his former friend started it, so it's not his fault he had to finish the job.

“Whoa, confronted me? He sucker-punched me! I had my arms wide open. My good buddy, my good friend Tommaso Ciampa is back in WWE! Give me a hug, buddy! And he sucker punches me,” Miz said emphatically.

“That’s the thanks I get for everything I’ve done for him, for all the opportunities I’ve given him? When he’s mad that I didn’t call him? He didn’t call me, he didn’t text me, boo freakin’ woo. I don’t call anybody, you call me. We were just in Cleveland, my hometown. You think I called any of my friends that I went to high school with? My longtime friends? No, I don’t call them, they call me. They wanna hang out with me. I’m the Superstar. Do we understand that? Put some respect on my name. I am tired of the lack of respect that I get. I’m the two-time grand slam champion. What’s he done? Granted, he is an immense talent, there is no denying the talent that he has. But he has not done it here in WWE. I’m the veteran. I’m the veteran. Anything else? No, because you don’t matter. I matter!”

The Miz is at a weird spot right now in the WWE Universe; he's a veteran who theoretically should demand at least some respect from his co-workers but is so often overlooked as a performer that he's perenially treated as more of a joke than an in-ring threat. If, however, The Miz starts to deliver this level of beatdown on the regular, the entire WWE Universe may have to start taking the host of Miz TV more seriously moving forward.