The Miz Story

WWE Champion

Michael  Gregory Mizanin (born October 8, 1980) is an American professional wrestler and former reality television personality, better known by his ring name The Miz.

Mizanin first gained fame as a cast member on MTV's The Real World: Back to New York, which first aired in 2001, and its spinoff series, Real World/Road Rules Challenge. He later entered the fourth season of Tough Enough, a televised competition that would award the winner a WWE contract, and became a finalist. Mizanin has also made appearances on television shows including Battle of the Network Reality Stars, Fear Factor, Identity, Ghost Hunters, Dinner Impossible and Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.

Mizanin trained and wrestled with Ultimate Pro Wrestling and Deep South Wrestling, where he became the first Deep South Heavyweight Champion. Mizanin was sent to Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), working in tag team action and winning the tag team title, the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, on one occasion.

After signing with WWE, Mizanin became host of the annual WWE Diva Search competition in 2006. Following his hosting duties, Mizanin made his wrestling debut in September 2006, as a villain who went "undefeated".

The story I've heard is that the other wrestlers in the WWE did not like or respect The Miz at all when he arrived in the WWE. In fact, the other wrestlers did not even consider him a real wrestler but rather a "Reality TV Star" who wanted to be a wrestler. For that reason the other wrestlers would not even let The Miz change in the locker room with the rest of them. Instead The Miz was forced to walk around the arena and change in a public bathroom full of the fans who were attending the show. The Miz has said how embarrassing that time was for him, that he wanted to feel like he had made it and was a real wrestler and yet he wasn't even allowed in the locker room with the other guys, and fans who were at the shows would see him in the public bathroom and say things like "hey aren't you that Miz guy?" which must have been a shock for the fans, but a total embarrassment for The Miz.

Anti-Cena

However, The Miz did not let that stop him. He kept trying to get better and earn the respect of the other wrestlers and the fans. I mean if you think about it, he wasn't really handed anything too easily. He did not win the Touch Enough contract, (ironically the guy that did has never been heard from since lol), but he manged to earn a contract anyways. He was sent to ECW and was slotted to be an ECW Champion following after CM Punk and John Morrision. However, when CM Punk became ECW Champion the WWE decided to put The Miz and John Morrison together as a Tag-Team instead. This gave them both an even bigger push, while CM Punk was on ECW they went to Raw and Smackdown and became the Tag-Team Champions. The Miz and Morrison were also given a streaming segment on the WWE website named The Dirt Sheet in which they mocked other wrestlers and facets of pop culture, showing off their promo skills. Morrison and The Miz co-wrote each episode of The Dirt Sheet each week. 

When The Miz was part of the Miz & Morrison team, his character was known as "The Chick Magnet" and he had those great shirts with the pictures of the Magnet and the Chick. It seemed like a funny character, but I guess it turned out to be true since The Miz is actually dating WWE Diva Maryse in real life! I think that's more impressive than winning the WWE Championship! hehe

The Miz, John Morrison, and Maryse!

Their Tag-Team would eventually be apart of the unification of the Tag-Team Championships with the Carlitos. Afterwards, their team would split up and be drafted to separate shows. The Miz was drafted to the Raw brand as part of the 2009 WWE Draft, and Morrison went to Smackdown. The biggest change however seemed to be in The Miz's character. The Miz went from his shorts, shirt, and hat, to wearing actual wrestling gear and looking more serious and determined. His wrestling skills seemed to improve greatly as well.

Chick Magnet

The Miz debuted on Raw with his old character but he was suddenly challenging Cena. This made The Miz a star. I think this is when I started to really take notice of The Miz. Honestly I thought he was a real joke when he started out. I hated him when he hosted that Divas show and when they put him with John Morrison I assumed John Morrision was the real talent, since he was already a Tag-Team star in the team MNM and also an ECW Champion on his own. So it seemed like Morrison didn't really need The Miz but the WWE was forcing Morrision to carry The Miz. But slowly they won me over as a Tag-Team and once they separated The Miz shocked me by debuting on Raw and calling out Cena. I think those matches with Cena are what put The Miz on the map and established him as a real star. 

SVR 2011

But then I heard he was fired from the WWE and I thought this was a huge mistake, but then he returned to Raw with a whole new gimmick. For the first time ever The Miz was wearing actual wrestling gear, he was more serious and determined. No more joking around. No more Dirt Sheets. No more "Chick Magnet." Now The Miz was just "Awesome!" and I thought this was a great character for him. It caught on so fast, he won the United States Championship, he joined The Big Show to form "ShowMiz" and won the Tag Titles again. He then went on to win the United States Championship. This put The Miz on the map and made him a superstar. I think The Miz basically stepped up and took Chris Jericho's spot (since Jericho had been teamed with The Big Show as "Jerishow" and now The Miz took his place). He also won the WWE Tag Team Championship with John Cena. 

Came To Play

Then in July 2010, The Miz won a Money in the Bank ladder match at the first WWE Money in the Bank pay-per-view, earning a contract for a WWE Championship match, which he used in November to win the WWE Championship for the first time.  I was shocked to see The Miz win the WWE Championship, and I assumed he would not hold it for long. But The Miz shocked me yet again by holding the Championship until Wrestlemania and defending it against John Cena in the main event. What shocked me even more was that The Miz defeated John Cena in that match to retain his title. Thus, The Miz went from a reality TV joke who wasn't even allowed to change in the locker room with the 'real' wrestlers, to a Tag-Team Champion, a United States Champion, a Money In The Bank winner, and a WWE Champion. More importantly, The Miz went form being considered a joke to main eventing Wrestlemania and defeated John Cena for the WWE Championship! 

All The Gold

As Booker said, The Miz went from not being allowed to change in the same locker room as the other wrestlers and he's made it to the top! Recently, Jim Ross was asked on Twitter if he thought The Miz would make it into the WWE Hall Of Fame, and Jim Ross said even thought he has a long way to go, The Miz is already on his way! “@DrewB1018: @JRsBBQ do you think the miz will be a HOF'er? Miz has miles to travel before that one can be adequately addressed. On his way.

Awesome

Chick Magnet

Its hard to believe, but The Miz has gone from a reality TV star to main eventing Wrestlemania as WWE Champion and beating John Cena, and in the worlds of JR on his way to being in the Hall Of Fame. I think this may be the best story of a wrestler defying the odds and making it in the wrestling business despite all the obstacles in his way!

So what does the future hold for The Miz? Will be win the WWE Championship again? Will he main event Wrestlemania again? Will me one day be in the WWE Hall of Fame? What do you think?