The Miz On How His WWE Career Has Changed Since Maryse's Return
USA Today's "For The Win" blog has a new article online featuring quotes from The Miz about the success of Miz TV.
Started in 2012, Miz TV is closing in on 60 episodes and is in the same conversation as successful WWE mini-segments such as Piper's Pit [with "Rowdy" Roddy Piper], the Snake Pit [with Jake "The Snake" Roberts], the Barber Shop [with Brutus "the Barber" Beefcake], Flower Shop [with "Adorable" Adrian Adonis] and Brother Love [as portrayed by Bruce Prichard].
"It's my own little sanctuary where I can literally do whatever I want," The Miz told Josh Barnett of USA Today's For The Win. "If you're a guest on the show I can highlight you or I can highlight you in a backhanded way if I want. That's the creative that I enjoy doing."
The Miz explained his original idea for Miz TV and how it has evolved over the years.
"The first idea for Miz TV that came along in like 2011 and my idea was, I want to be on this thing and make fun of people and beat people up," The Miz said. "All of a sudden, we did the show and I ended up getting beat up and made fun of. I was like, How does this happen?
"It's changed over time where I have become an antagonist. I would push people's buttons and see where I could get them for the most interaction. But we've also been able to use it as a showcase for (Miz and Maryse) and tell our story and get that across. That's' what I want to use it for."
The segment has allowed The Miz to reinvent himself as an upper mid-card performer on WWE television after holding the WWE Championship in 2010-2011, a title he successfully defended against John Cena in the main event of WrestleMania XXVII. While Vince McMahon has refused to push The Miz as a bonafide main event performer since, Miz has carved out a successful role on television.
Earlier last year, Miz got a boost by WWE incorporating his wife Maryse into his on-screen gimmick. Maryse returned to WWE on the April 4, 2016 episode of Raw after WrestleMania 32, helping Miz win the WWE Intercontinental Championship for the fifth time of his career. Miz went on to have what many pundits considered to be the "segment of the year" during a worked-shoot exchange with Daniel Bryan on WWE's "Talking Smack" program.
"I had become this arrogant and egotistical character, but ever since my wife has come back into WWE, I feel like my career has soared," Miz admitted. "It's given me a new type of confidence. Whenever you wrestle in Speedos in front of your wife, you want to show off. You don't want to get your butt kicked in front of your wife. And she helps out where she can. It's great having her around. She's a huge part of why I've had the success I've had."
The Miz earned his position on WWE television much like he earned his reputation amongst his colleagues. Once considered nothing more than a reality television personality after coming to the company from MTV's "Real World," Miz wasn't liked when he first signed with WWE.
"I wasn't liked. I think of WWE as a fraternity," Miz told The Bleacher Report last month. "You have the fans involved. You have the WWE Superstars involved. And you have me wanting to be a part of the fraternity and no one accepting me... Every ounce of respect I have today, I had to earn. I guess I'm glad for it because it made me the person I am today and I like me."
You can read more about The Miz talking about the success of Miz TV by clicking this link.
Source: USA Today's "For The Win"