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Mike Mizanin has a lot of titles. We learned that during our “Let’s Be Clear” conversation with the Parma native and WWE star Sunday afternoon.
“I like to go by the reigning MVP of the celebrity softball game,” he said before firing off a long list of other names he likes to be called.
- WWE superstar.
- Former WWE Champion.
- Former eight-time Intercontinental Champion.
- Former two-time United States Champion.
- Former seven-time Tag-Team Champion.
- Star of Miz and Mrs. on the USA network.
But he’s most known as “The Miz.”
He hit the spotlight in 2001 as a cast member on MTV's 10th season of The Real World where we first got a glimpse of "The Miz" character.
That was just the beginning…
“I moved to Los Angeles and I started wrestling on this independent wrestling school because that’s where it was,” he told WKYC’s Will Ujek. “I started improv classes, acting classes and I tried to get all the tools I possibly could to make sure that I would succeed at being a WWE superstar.”
Fast forward a few years later, and his wrestling dream came true.
“Ever since I was a kid, I was putting streamers on my arms, painting my face like the Ultimate Warrior and running around the house going, ‘Load the spaceship with the rocket fuel, mom!’ As a kid, I’ve always loved WWE. I’ve always loved the entertainment value. It has the best of everything.”
And if you’ve never seen him in the ring, “The Miz” has been known as one of those wrestlers fans loved to hate.
“You get to play with an audience. It’s so interactive. They cheer who they love. They boo who they hate. Honestly, for 12 years they booed me out of the building – even when I came to my hometown. Nobody gets booed in their hometown, and for 12 years I got booed in my hometown until this year.”
He credits his “good guy” status to the Miz and Mrs. reality show that airs on the USA network, which has more episodes on the way soon.
“The Miz” may now be a household name, but he hasn’t forgotten his Northeast Ohio roots.
“It’s not just about the city, it’s about the people in the city,” he said of Cleveland’s revival. “I bring my wife, who’s not from here and she loves all of my friends. She loves all the people she meets here. It’s the people that are so friendly, so nice and so welcoming. That’s what it’s all about.”
Up next, he’s filming a movie for Netflix in August with his second child on the way this September. For him, his life’s journey still doesn’t seem real.
“It’s still a dream. The reason why they’re called dreams is because you’re not supposed to live ‘em out. I’m living it out.”
Last week, Mizanin was honored when July 3, 2019 was declared “Mike the Miz Day.”
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