When discussing pro wrestlers, there’s a thing called the “it” factor that, while mostly indescribable, is the thing most insiders use when explaining why someone could even become a WWE Superstar. They just have it. Sometimes it’s an arched eyebrow, others its an “eff the manager” attitude. When people first interacted with Mike Mizanin—better known to the WWE Universe as two-time WWE Champion (and WWE’s first two-time Grand Slam Champion) The Miz—it was because he was annoying his Real World castmates with his tiny WWE championship replica and big wrestling persona. Miz’s it may have looked goofy at first, but it was clearly there.
With all of his accolades, TV hosting gigs (including his current, as the host of Amazon Prime’s American Gladiators series), and title reigns, Miz has continued to deliver, proving that the character we saw on The Real World was just the beginning of a twenty-plus-year career. After his conversation on Complex Graps, we figure there may be more you want to explore in The Miz’s career. If that’s you, here’s a look at everything you need to know about WWE Superstar The Miz.
The Miz got his start in reality TV
Most first saw Mizanin as Mike the Miz during Season 10 of The Real World, portraying an annoying, arrogant persona that would influence the very gimmick he’d use as a WWE Superstar. Mizanin also appeared on MTV’s Road Rules and The Challenge, which led to numerous gigs as a competitor and host. In 2018, Miz’s TV life went full circle as a reality show on his personal life, Miz & Mrs., debuted on the USA Network, oftentimes airing immediately following Raw.
The Miz has been with WWE for over two decades
Miz’s reality TV work brought him to Season 4 of WWE Tough Enough, where WWE looked to sign new stars (think of it as a proto-NXT), which was truly the start of his time with the company. Even though he didn’t win the competition, he was granted a developmental contract, which sent him to numerous territories to compete and learn before making his WWE TV debut on September 1, 2006.
The Miz met his wife Maryse while in WWE
Not long after The Miz signed his WWE contract, his future wife, Maryse, was part of WWE’s Diva Search competition. It wasn’t love at first sight, with Miz and Maryse not connecting on a deeper level until about a year later, with their off-screen relationship turning into on-screen stories by 2009.
The Miz is the first two-time WWE Grand Slam Champion
The Miz’s WWE career has brought him to the heights of the company, including being a two-time WWE Champion, eight-time Intercontinental Champion, two-time United States Champion, a nine-time tag team champion, and two-time Mr. Money In the Bank. (A “grand slam” in WWE usually equates to winning four major titles, usually including a world heavyweight championship, a mid-card singles championship, and tag team championship reigns). Because Miz has been around since 2006, his championship reigns overlapped in two different eras of Grand Slam distinctions, which has equated to Miz becoming the first two-time WWE Grand Slam Champion.
The Miz took over WWE’s Marine franchise
After acting in some small roles, The Miz lucked out, taking over WWE’s The Marine franchise after Randy Orton was unable to continue. The Miz ended up starring in four Marine films for WWE Studios.
Everyone wanted The Miz to play Johnny Cage
At the end of 2021’s Mortal Kombat, there was a tease for Johnny Cage, the braggadocious Hollywood star from the Mortal Kombat franchise that felt like a perfect role for The Miz to portray, to the point where The Miz was trending on Twitter in response to the film’s tease. The Boys star Karl Urban got the role, which Miz says he left him “heartbroken.”
“But that’s the story of life. You literally take your bumps and bruises. I mean, this is Hollywood,” Miz told ComicBook.com. “This is acting, there’s one part. There’s millions of people that want that part. There’s one, and I didn’t get it. And by the way, this happens all the time. So you take your lumps and someday, someway, somehow, I will start getting into the movies that I feel like I want to get into and start doing characters that I think are meaningful. And that could make me into what Cena, Batista, The Rock have all done.”
The Miz is currently hosting the American Gladiators revival
Airing now on Amazon Prime Video, The Miz is hosting American Gladiators, a revival of the 1989 competition series. Interesting enough, the new cast of gladiators does include professional wrestlers, including the former WWE Superstar Rick Boogs, AEW stars Wardlow and Kamille, along with indie star J-Rod.
The Miz has his own day
For as much as the Parma, Ohio-born Mizanin puts on for Ohio—he reps the Cleveland Browns—it made sense that in 2019, July 3 was designated as "Mike The Miz Day.”
