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The Miz

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Mike Mizanin
Born (1980-10-08) October 8, 1980 (age 44)[1]
Parma, Ohio[1]
WebsiteMike "The Miz".com
Professional wrestling career
Ring name(s)Mike Mizanin[1]
The Miz[2]
Billed height6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)[2]
Billed weight231 lb (105 kg)[2]
Billed fromCleveland, Ohio (WWE)[2]
Parma, Ohio
Trained byUPW staff
Al Snow
Bill DeMott
Debut2003[1]

Michael "Mike" Mizanin (born October 8, 1980)[1] better known by his ring name The Miz, is an American professional wrestler signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) on its ECW brand. He also makes appearances on both the SmackDown and Raw brands.

Before being promoted to the main WWE roster, Mizanin trained and wrestled with Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW) and Deep South Wrestling (DSW), 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 titles, 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". In 2007, he was drafted from SmackDown to the ECW brand, where he formed a partnership with John Morrison, in which the two captured both the WWE Tag Team Championship and the World Tag Team Championship.

Aside from professional wrestling, Mizanin has appeared on numerous MTV reality shows, most notably The Real World. Mizanin entered the fourth season of Tough Enough, a televised competition which would award the winner a WWE contract. He was a finalist in the competition. Mizanin has also made appearances on television shows including Battle of the Network Reality Stars, Fear Factor, Identity, and Ghost Hunters.

Biography

Mizanin, a native of Parma, Ohio, graduated from Normandy High School, where he was the captain of the basketball and cross country teams.[1] He also particpated in swimming, the student government and was the editor of his high school yearbook.[1] He then attended Miami University, where he was a member of the Theta Chi Fraternity, and studied business at the Richard T. Farmer School of Business.[1][3]

Mizanin later relocated to Southern California in order to attend acting classes. He also visited high schools and colleges, delivering motivational speeches.[3]

Television career

Mizanin dropped out of college, where he was pursuing a degree in business, in order to appear on the tenth season of MTV's reality television program The Real World in 2001.[4][5] He went on to appear in multiple seasons of its spin-off series, Real World/Road Rules Challenge,[5] along with contestants from both Road Rules and The Real World, including Battle of the Seasons,[6] The Gauntlet,[7] The Inferno,[7] Battle of the Sexes 2,[8] and The Inferno 2.[9] Except for Battle of the Sexes 2, Mizanin made it to the end of the rest of the Challenges on which he competed, and won both Battle of the Seasons and The Inferno 2.

It was during an episode of The Real World that Mizanin first displayed an alter ego known as "The Miz".[1] In contrast to Mizanin's usually placid demeanor, the Miz was angry, combative, and headstrong. Mizanin later realized that "The Miz" would make an excellent professional wrestling gimmick.[1]

Mizanin had a number of relationships during his various "Challenge seasons"; during The Gauntlet he dated Trishelle Cannatella[3][10] of The Real World: Las Vegas, during The Inferno he had a relationship with Kendal Sheppard[10] of Road Rules: Campus Crawl, and during Battle of the Seasons he had another brief relationship with Tara McDaniel of Road Rules: Northern Trail.[10]

In 2004, he appeared on the Bravo reality show Battle of the Network Reality Stars,[5][11] where his team finished second. Mizanin was also a contestant in the "Reality Stars" episode of Fear Factor.[5][12] His partner was his former girlfriend and cast mate, Trishelle Cannatella, and the two won the competition. In April 2007, he appeared on the game show Identity, where he appeared as a stranger, and contestant John Kim correctly identified his identity as a professional wrestler by the odd way he added "Miz-" before most words. In 2008, Mizanin appeared on the Sci Fi reality series Ghost Hunters Live as a guest investigator.[13]

Wrestling career

Pursuing the goal of becoming a professional wrestler which he had harbored from an early age, Mizanin joined Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW), where he trained in the Ultimate University.[1] He made his in-ring debut in 2003 as the Miz.[1] During his time with UPW, the Miz competed in UPW's Mat War's tournament, making it to the finals before losing to Tony Stradlin.[1]

World Wrestling Entertainment (2006–present)

In October 2004, Mizanin entered the fourth season of Tough Enough, a televised competition which would award the winner a World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) contract and the sum of $1,000,000.[1][14] Despite coming last in an arm wrestling tournament on November 25, 2004, Mizanin outlasted six other wrestlers, and made it to the final round.[3] At the pay-per-view event, Armageddon, Mizanin faced the other remaining entrant, Daniel Puder, in a three round "Dixie Dogfight" (boxing match). Neither man achieved a knockout, and the contest was awarded to Puder on the basis of crowd reaction.[15] On the December 16, 2004 episode of SmackDown!, Puder was announced as the winner of Tough Enough by head trainer Al Snow.[16]

Despite losing the Tough Enough contest, Mizanin had piqued the interest of WWE, and he was eventually offered a developmental contract.[1] Mizanin was sent to Deep South Wrestling (DSW) to train under Bill DeMott,[1] relocating to McDonough, Georgia in the process. In July 2005, he wrestled two dark matches for WWE, teaming with former Tough Enough champion Matt Cappotelli to face The Highlanders (Robbie and Rory McAllister). On December 1, 2005, Mizanin defeated Mike Knox in the finals of a tournament to crown the first Deep South Heavyweight Champion.[1][17]

He continued his partnership with Matt Cappotelli throughout the second half of 2005 in WWE dark matches and house shows until Cappotelli, nominally of Ohio Valley Wrestling (OVW), was diagnosed with a brain tumor after an injury at a taping in December 2005.[18]

Ohio Valley Wrestling

On January 3, 2006, it was reported that Mizanin was transferred to Ohio Valley Wrestling. On the January 18, 2006, OVW TV show, Mizanin made his debut as "The Miz", with a Miz TV segment, where he was shown talking backstage.[1] On the January 28, 2006, edition of the OVW television show, The Miz wrestled his first singles match against Rene Dupree, but lost by countout.[19]

At the February 8, 2006 TV taping, The Miz and Chris Cage captured the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, defeating Chet the Jett and Seth Skyfire.[1][20] In what was deemed a "disciplinary move", WWE released Cage over the weekend of March 18, 2006, making it necessary for Miz and Cage to drop the titles.[21] On March 19, 2006, Deuce Shade defeated The Miz in a singles contest to win the titles for his team The Untouchables (Deuce Shade and Domino).[1][22]

SmackDown! (2006–2007)

On March 7, 2006, WWE.com featured a video of "The Miz" stating that he was headed to Friday Night SmackDown! and throughout April, SmackDown! aired vignettes hyping his debut.[1][23] When Mizanin actually attempted to make his debut on the April 21, 2006 episode of SmackDown!, however, he was, in storyline barred from entering the arena by "network executive" Palmer Cannon who told him that he had been "canceled" before having security escort him from the premises.[24]

The Miz standing on the apron at a ECW/SmackDown live show

On May 31, 2006, WWE.com announced that he would serve as SmackDown!'s "host".[25] The Miz debuted as the "host" on June 2, 2006,[26] announcing the planned card at the top of the show and attempting to hype up the crowd. Other "host" duties included backstage interviews and hosting a bikini contest. The hosting duties seemed sporadic at best, with some weeks having little to no involvement of Miz at all. Starting in July, Miz, along with Ashley Massaro, became host of the annual Diva Search competition appearing on both Monday Night Raw and SmackDown!.[27][28][29]

After the end of the Diva Search competition, The Miz returned exclusively to SmackDown! and adopted a villainous persona, starting his in-ring competition with a win over Tatanka in a September 2006 episode of SmackDown!.[30] After this win he, along with commentator Michael Cole, began to note whenever possible that he was "undefeated", though he only wrestled five matches over the next two months, defeating such superstars as Matt Hardy,[31] Funaki,[32] and Scotty 2 Hotty.[33] At the same time he began a feud with Diva Search winner Layla El, who spurned his advances on more than one occasion,[34][35] leading to Miz helping Kristal defeat her in various competitions.[36][37] Soon, however, Miz and Kristal found themselves being stalked by The Boogeyman. This began a feud in which the Boogeyman ended the Miz's winning streak at December's Armageddon event.[38]

Following a brief absence from television, The Miz returned to SmackDown! to host an interview segment called Miz TV.[39] After the unsuccessful segment, the Miz returned to in-ring competition with a more intense style and began to pick up wins once again.[40][41] On the June 11, 2007 episode of Raw, Mizanin faced off against Snitsky in a match to determine a draft pick for SmackDown!.[42] Snitsky easily defeated the Miz to give ECW the draft pick, but after constantly assaulting the Miz after the match, the referee reversed the decision and awarded the match to Miz, thus allowing SmackDown! a draft pick.[43] SmackDown!'s pick was then revealed to be Chris Masters.[43]

NERD !!

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u "Slam! Sports - Wrestling - The Miz". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
  2. ^ a b c d Cite error: The named reference wwebio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b c d Nwokeabia, Joannah (2005-09-22). "Reality TV rules Real World's "The Miz" on keeping it real". The Commonwealth Times. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  4. ^ "A few 'Real' no-no's". USA Today. 2004-09. Retrieved 2009-02-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ a b c d Morrow, Terry (2007-08-27). "Think reality TV: Think Mike Mizanin". Accent. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
  6. ^ "Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Seasons". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
  7. ^ a b "Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Gauntlet". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-03-27. Cite error: The named reference "gauntlet" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ "Real World/Road Rules Challenge: Battle of the Sexes 2". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
  9. ^ "Real World/Road Rules Challenge: The Inferno 2". Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
  10. ^ a b c "WWF Champs - Wrestler Profiles - The Miz". WWFChamps.com. Retrieved 2008-12-04.
  11. ^ "Competitors". Bravo TV. Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
  12. ^ Shattuck, Kathryn (2006-06-13). "What's on tonight". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  13. ^ Medalis, Kara A. (2008-10-30). "Go 'Ghost Hunt'-ing with The Miz this Halloween". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  14. ^ Cooper, Gael Fashingbauer (2004-12-21). "Who's the most famous reality TV alum?". MSNBC. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  15. ^ Plummer, Dale (2004-12-13). "WWE survives its own Armageddon". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2008-11-24. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ "WWE SmackDown! - December 16, 2004 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  17. ^ "Deep South Wrestling - December 1, 2005 Results". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  18. ^ Dee, Louie (2007-04-06). "Matt Cappotelli to undergo brain surgery". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  19. ^ "Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006) - January 25, 2006 – OVW TV Tapings". Online World of Wrestling. 2006-01-25. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  20. ^ "Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006) - February 8, 2006 – OVW TV Tapings". Online World of Wrestling. 2006-02-08. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  21. ^ "Cayden Croft profile". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  22. ^ "Ohio Valley Wrestling (2006) - March 19, 2006 – Ohio Valley Wrestling". Online World of Wrestling. 2006-03-19. Retrieved 2009-03-04.
  23. ^ "SmackDown results - March 10, 2006". Online World of Wrestling. Retrieved 2008-11-24.
  24. ^ "Something to celebrate". World Wrestling Entertainment. 2006-04-21. Retrieved 2006-04-21.
  25. ^ Hoffman, Brett (2006-05-31). "Like Ryan Seacrest, only better". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2006-05-31.
  26. ^ Hoffman, Brett (2006-06-02). "All hail the king". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2006-06-02.
  27. ^ Elliott, Brian (2006-07-11). "Raw: DX's late, late show". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  28. ^ McNamara, Andy (2006-07-14). "Smackdown: Mysterio invades the King's Court". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  29. ^ Plummer, Dale (2006-08-15). "Raw: A final build to SummerSlam". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  30. ^ Hoffman, Brett (2006-09-01). "Signing Bonus". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2006-09-01.
  31. ^ Hoffman, Brett (2006-09-08). "All the King's men". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  32. ^ Kamchen, Richard (2006-09-23). "Smackdown: SuperShow Part Deux". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  33. ^ Schiff, Steven (2006-09-15). "Chaos in the Kingdom". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
  34. ^ Elliott, Brian (2006-10-08). "Booker still reigns after No Mercy". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2008-01-05.
  35. ^ Kamchen, Richard (2006-10-21). "Smackdown: A-1 matches better "A-list" celebs". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  36. ^ McNamara, Andy (2006-10-28). "Smackdown: Batista & Cena slaughter the King". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  37. ^ McNamara, Andy (2006-11-04). "Smackdown: Brothers of Destruction reunite". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  38. ^ Elliott, Brian (2006-12-17). "Unexpected ladder contest steals Armageddon". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2008-03-29.
  39. ^ McNamara, Andy (2007-03-10). "Smackdown: Batista and 'Taker tune up for 'Mania". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  40. ^ McNamara, Andy (2007-04-07). "Booker's kingdom continues to crumble". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  41. ^ McNamara, Andy (2007-05-26). "Smackdown: The Animal rises again". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  42. ^ Plummer, Dale (2007-06-11). "Raw: A draft and a "death"". Slam! Sports. Canadian Online Explorer. Retrieved 2009-02-20.
  43. ^ a b McAvennie, Mike (2007-06-11). "One wild night". World Wrestling Entertainment. Retrieved 2007-11-17.
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