With a little hard work, determination, and some reality show fame, anything is possible!
Just ask Michael Mizanin a.k.a. The Miz, a former alum of MTV’s reality show The Real World, who is now the WWE world champion after beating Randy Orton for the title.
The Miz, who was often seen wrestling other cast members on The Real World: Back To New York, wrestled his way through the independent wrestling circuit until he finished as a runner-up on WWE’s Tough Enough reality show competition and ended up with a hosting gig for world wrestling entertainment, of which the champion says:
“I wanted to be Hulk Hogan and they told me they wanted me to be WWE’s Ryan Seacrest”
Six months after starting his hosting gig, he was called into the ring and within two years, The Miz went from WWE Smackdown to ECW to Raw and then, on July 18, he won a “Money in the Bank” ladder match to win a contract for a WWE Championship match.
His reality stardom didn’t make the road any easier for the aspiring wrestler. His wrestling peers kicked him out of WWE locker rooms for six months, making him use arena bathrooms in full costume! The Miz comments on his hazing:
“Not to just the audience, but to the guys in the locker room, I was the annoying jerk that wasn’t supposed to be there. I was the reality schmuck that got a contract.”
Nearly ten years after prophetically stating his dreams to be WWE champion on the Real World, he has become one!
The Miz doesn’t plan on stopping with just a championship belt either, he says:
“When fans think WWE, I don’t want them to think Hulk Hogan or The Rock or Stone Cold Steve Austin or John Cena — I want them to think of The Miz. I want to be on every show. When we need a guy to do Conan or Jimmy Kimmel, I want them to call me. I wanna be on the cover of all the video games. I want it all.”
We hope his future plans include making one more appearance on one more Real World/Road Rules Challenge to lay the smack down on all the fresh meat!
[Image via Carrie Devorah/WENN.]
-
Categories
