The Miz
Another rivalry from Raw involved champion The Miz against Daniel Bryan for the WWE United States Championship. The feud had begun during the first season of "NXT", when The Miz was Bryan's storyline mentor, and felt that Bryan did not respect him. Bryan had been released from WWE in June for strangling Justin Roberts with his necktie, but returned at SummerSlam to join Team WWE, taking The Miz's place. Afterward, the two resumed their rivalry, distracting or attacking each other during matches, with The Miz joined by his rookie from the second season of "NXT", Alex Riley. On the September 6 episode of "Raw", Bryan challenged The Miz for the United States Championship, which The Miz accepted.