8 Ways WWE Failed The Miz
He's TheMiz and he's AWESOME! Loved or hated, The Miz has made a hell of a career since first appearing in WWE, in the 2004 iteration of Tough Enough. Mike Mizanin's main claim to fame was being on MTV's The Real World, where he had the arrogant persona of a wrestler.
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Despite not winning the $1 Million contract, Miz has certainly become a millionaire in WWE. He is the first two-time Grand Slam champion, he has main evented WrestleMania, met his wife Maryse in WWE, and has started a family as well. He has done it, all but has been failed by WWE in several ways.
8 Introduction As A Reality Star
Miz began his professional wrestling career in 2003 after his reality television run and was attempting to live out a life-long dream. After Tough Enough, The Miz officially debuted on June 2, 2006, as the host of SmackDown, which also involved duties such as conducting interviews, and hosting bikini contests and the Diva Search.
Miz would make his in-ring debut that September with a win over Tatanka. Leading up to that debut, along with hosting, Miz conducted interviews and contests; all reality roles that did not connect well with fans. Miz would later state that various personnel backstage did not approve of him.
7 Chick Magnet
Soon after Miz debuted on ECW in 2007 with a win over Nunzio, he found a new trio of managers in the form of the Extreme Expose stable, comprised of Kelly Kelly, Brooke Adams, and Layla El. In a storyline, Miz had obtained the contracts of the three ladies.
As he was now being surrounded by a throng of beautiful young women, Miz adopted the persona of the "chick magnet." Miz then had a new logo that looked like it would be an instant messenger picture for a thirteen-year-old, which was a chick with a magnet beside it. Some gimmicks were ridiculous, but the "chick magnet" scraped the bottom of the barrel.
6 Being Given The Skull-Crushing Finale Finisher
Following WrestleMania 25, Miz was split through Morrison through the 2009 Draft and began a singles run. After being banned from Raw in a storyline, Miz competed under a mask that August, as "The Calgary Kid" in a Contract On A Pole match, winning against Eugene and subsequently delivering his new finisher the Skull-Crushing Finale.
The SCF, which is a full nelson facebuster was used by several superstars over the years such as Grand Master Sexay and Chris Jericho. The move is not entirely believable as a devastating maneuver and was never seen as such. Although the move has won titles, it has never connected well with the fans or been seen as a legitimate match ender.
5 WWE Championship Win During The Nexus' Run
Miz winning the 2010 Money In The Bank Ladder match for a WWE Championship match led to a lot of dread, as fans knew a major title reign was coming for someone that still was not liked, appreciated, or respected. Winning the briefcase brought Miz even more hatred.
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Fans began waiting for the inevitable, which came on the November 22, 2010, Raw with a win over Randy Orton. A big problem was that this win came months after the popular Nexus stable's debut and during their leader Wade Barrett's quest for the WWE Championship. Fans really wanted the Nexus to have the brand's top title, not Miz.
4 2012 Face Turn
Going into the 2012 Survivor Series, Miz was selected to be a part of Team Punk in the Team Punk vs. Team Foley Survivor Series match. The Raw before Survivor Series, Miz turned face by leaving the villainous Punk's team for Team Foley. Miz's face turn led to a shot at the United States Championship resulting in a Ric Flair mentorship.
Although Miz would win the Intercontinental Championship on the WrestleMania 29 pre-show, his babyface character was still cocky and arrogant. He still exhibited traits of a heel which was ineffective in connecting with the audience as a "good guy."
3 Copycat Moveset
A big criticism levelled at The Miz in the 2010s was the lack of originality in his offensive move-set. Around the end of 2012, Miz was given on-screen mentorship from Ric Flair. The pairing with Flair led to Miz adopting the Figure-Four Leglock as a short-term finisher, but he still continues to use it.
Another adoption came later for Miz during his feud with Daniel Bryan. What began as mocking Bryan's Yes! Kicks became a regular move for Miz, with him calling them the It Kicks; Miz also began using Bryan's running corner dropkick.
2 8-Day WWE Championship Reign
Although Miz is not an in-ring master, his ability to entertain is second to none. No matter what, The Miz can always be relied upon to give it all every-time he heads to the ring.
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Over the last couple of years, fans began wondering if The Miz would have another world title reign. That reign began at Elimination Chamber 2021. Unfortunately, the reign lasted 8 days, as he lost the gold to Bobby Lashley in embarrassing fashion, to ensure the All Mighty walked into WrestleMania 37 as the WWE Champion.
1 Being Attacked By Zombies
At the time of writing The Miz is still wheelchair-bound on Raw in the summer of 2021 after tearing his ACL at WrestleMania Backlash in a match against Damien Priest. This was the first major injury of The Miz's career. Despite Miz receiving criticism for his wrestling abilities being "soft," his style has brought him longevity and durability.
The match at WrestleMania Backlash was used to cross-promote the movie Army of the Dead and was booked as a Lumberjack match with "zombies" being at ringside. After losing, Miz was "attacked" by the zombies which looked more like a comical orgy than a horrific feast of the dead on the living.
