For the longest time, The Miz was my least favorite wrestler of all time. I hated him with a passion! I don't know why or exactly what it was. Perhaps for longer than I should have, I felt he didn't deserve what he got because he was this jerk Mike Mizanin from The Real World that I could not stand. I'm guilty of seeing him that way. I generally hated his very presence in wrestling, felt he had no business being handed the "Figure Four Leg Lock" as a finisher, and definitely did not deserve to be the WWE Champion for a time.
Even though I still never liked him and fast-forwarded almost every segment he was in, I grew to at the very least respect him. I got to respect Mike Mizanin, the person. At the beginning, he was not welcome in the locker room, rubbed some people the wrong way, and was just young and privileged. The Real World led to him getting signed. Speaking of which, one of the reasons I hated him to begin with was his ridiculous attempt to be The Rock when he was on the show. He was 19 or 20 at the time and just came off extremely immature and obnoxious. However, I respected his desire to somehow make it to the WWF and just how serious he actually was.
To be able to go through what he did and come out a better person is commendable. After that, it was just his character I hated. It wasn't because he was a heel and I wasn't supposed to like him. I was old enough to know the difference and understand the goings-on of professional wrestling. Again, I can't describe it...I just hated The Miz! Even though he was one of the best on the microphone, I still couldn't stand him and never gave him any credit.
Somewhere along the line, that all changed. Between his partnership with real-life wife Maryse and his scathing Daniel Bryan-based promo on Talking Smack, he won me over. That was one of the best promos he had ever done. It felt real! He put more passion into that promo, and several others after, than he ever had up until that point. Most recently, his promo against Baron Corbin was that of genius, especially being that one of my current least favorite wrestlers happens to be Corbin. The Miz's promo against Enzo Amore was another that ranks right up there in the very best category. Having the Miztourage also added a new layer.
Going back to him becoming the WWE Champion, I still feel he should not have become the champion. When I say that, however, I mean for that time. If you were to ask me if The Miz deserved to be the WWE Champion or Universal Champion today, I'd say hell yes! Like I said, the man has won me over. To be able to convince a die-hard Miz hater to like him is an amazing accomplishment. Obviously, I know one person's opinion wouldn't have mattered to The Miz. That's now what this is about. I'm just trying to show how someone so committed to their craft could convince one of their biggest objectors to come around and not just respect him, but to actually like him. Sometimes you have to give the devil his due.
I know that hindsight is 20/20. However, now that I have come around, I feel like acknowledging some of his other entertaining moments that I may have glossed over during my time of blind hatred. I'm man enough to admit when I was wrong! Let's not forget, he has had several entertaining partnerships. His team with John Morrison was a step in the right direction and that led to his evolution. I loved the Awesome Truth and I even was mildly entertained by ShowMiz. Of course, the work he did with Damien Sandow as his stunt double was great. Yes, Sandow shined in that role, but that role wouldn't have existed without The Miz.
Even though I still believe he was not ready to be the champ when he was, I have to admit his WrestleMania entrance and pre-match promo were outstanding. If there's anyone you can call a student of the game, it's The Miz. He came from utter obscurity to one of the most entertaining superstars in wrestling today. I'd even argue he's the top champion on Raw, seeing how Brock Lesnar is never around and I don't consider the Universal Championship a World Title anyway. That's a topic for another time! Now that I have said my peace, there's only one thing left to say. He's The Miz, and he's...AAAAAWWWESOOOOOOME! Thanks everyone!
Is there a wrestler that you used to hate but now have come to grow quite fond of? Is there a wrestler you were wrong about or never gave a chance to? If you have any comments on the situation, let me know. Heck, let us all know on The WAR Report podcast, every Tuesday at 7PM EST, brought to you by TagMeADate.com, the first and only dating site for wrestling fans. Go to askthewarreport@gmail.com or #askthewarreport.
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