A common opinion among pro-wrestling fans is that the legacy of the wrestlers is based on the number of world championships and their time in the main event picture throughout their careers. But many wrestlers proved that assumption wrong as they achieved success with their flawless in-ring work and characterizations.
The Miz is one of those few wrestlers who made a name for themselves with the excellent portrayal of their in-ring characters. The A-Lister is a former 2-time WWE Champion and an 8-time Intercontinental Champion, but his work with his heel character over the years has overshadowed and, in fact, added value to all of his title reigns. With that said, let's take a look back at The Miz's decorated pro-wrestling career through pictures taken over the years.
10 Training & Debut
The Miz was already making strides in reality television with his appearance in the 2001 reality series The Real World and also its various spin-offs. It was in the series that he developed his "The Miz" persona and realized that it would make a perfect pro-wrestling gimmick.
He started his training in Ultimate Pro Wrestling in 2003 and continued to perform under the names Mike Mizanin and The Miz until the latter took precedence. He competed for UPW until July 2004 before making his way into WWE in October 2004.
9 Tough Enough & Developmental
The Miz entered the fourth season of Tough Enough in October 2004 and went on to reach the finals along with Daniel Puder. Despite not winning the tournament, The Miz received a developmental contract from WWE and reported to Deep South Wrestling to train under Bill DeMott.
He won the DSW Heavyweight Championship but only held the title for 21 days and lost it in his first defense to former champion Derrick Neikirk.
He then got transferred to Ohio Valley Wrestling and made his debut in January 2006. He went on to capture the OVW Southern Tag Team Championship with Chris Cage during his time there.
8 Main Roster Debut & Diva Search Host
WWE hyped up The Miz's main roster debut with vignettes on SmackDown around March 2006 and had a storyline with WWE officials canceling his debut at the last minute.
He then appeared as the host of SmackDown on June 2, 2006, and then went on to appear as a backstage interviewer and host of bikini contests in the following weeks until he became the host of the 2006 Diva Search tournament alongside Ashley Massaro.
The Miz not only found success as the host of the event but also found his soulmate in Maryse, who he ended up marrying in 2014.
7 Tag Team & United States Champion
Following the end of the Diva Search tournament and The Miz got drafted to ECW in the 2007 draft, and following a short program with Balls Mahoney, Kelly Kelly, and Layla, The Miz formed a tag team with John Morrison.
The duo went on to have two lengthy tag team title reigns and also achieved great success with their segment "The Dirt Sheet." The team broke up after The Miz turned on Morrison during the 2009 draft.
The Miz then turned his focus on singles competition and went on to capture the United States Championship. He also formed a tag team with The Big Show and held the Unified Tag Team Championships while still being the United States Champion.
6 WWE Champion
The Miz entered the main event picture after he won the 2010 Raw Money in the Bank ladder match. His initial attempts at cashing in the contract on Sheamus didn't turn out successful, but he struck at the right moment on the November 22, 2010, episode of Raw and cashed in the contract on Randy Orton to win the WWE Championship.
With Alex Riley on his side, The Miz had a 160-day run with the championship. He walked into the main event of WrestleMania 27 as the WWE Champion and successfully defended the title against John Cena with some help from The Rock.
He lost the title to Cena at the 2011 Extreme Rules PPV in a triple threat steel cage match, which also featured John Morrison.
5 Various Feuds & Hollywood A Lister
After losing the WWE Championship, The Miz then went on to form The Awesome Truth with R-Truth. The heel tag team received high praises for their excellent work, and they went on to face The Rock and John Cena at the 2011 Survivor Series PPV.
After cutting ties with R-Truth, The Miz had multiple failed attempts at getting back in the WWE Championship picture. However, at Raw 1000, he defeated Christian to win his first Intercontinental Championship.
He had two reigns with the title before he became the star of The Marine 4: Moving Target. After a brief hiatus filming the movie, The Miz returned with a new character as a Hollywood A-Lister and soon recruited Damien Sandow as his stunt double, and had an entertaining storyline until the latter turned on him to end their partnership.
4 The Miztourage
The Miz won the Intercontinental Championship from Zack Ryder at the Raw after WrestleMania 32. His wife Maryse also made her return at the event and slapped Ryder's father at ringside to provide the distraction.
With his wife in his corner, The Miz continued his dominant run on the weekly shows and had multiple reigns with the Intercontinental Championship.
The Miz then recruited Curtis Axel and Bo Dallas to form The Miztourage and went on to feud with The Shield. He also traded victories with Roman Reigns over the Intercontinental Championship. His eighth run with the title lasted 76 days until he lost it to Seth Rollins at WrestleMania 34.
3 Feuds With Shane McMahon & Daniel Bryan
After getting drafted to SmackDown on the 2018 Superstar Shakeup, The Miz rekindled his feud with his old rival Daniel Bryan. The rivalry resulted in a series of matches between the two superstars, including a mixed tag team match at the 2018 Hell in a Cell PPV, where they teamed up with their respective wives.
The Miz then entered into the WWE World Cup tournament, and he qualified for the finals at the Crown Jewel PPV but couldn't compete after sustaining a last-minute injury. Shane McMahon took his place and won the tournament, which prompted The Miz to pursue a partnership with the former.
The two eventually teamed up and won the SmackDown Tag Team Championships but lost it to The Usos. After failing to regain the titles, Shane McMahon turned on The Miz, which resulted in a feud between the two which culminated at the 2019 MITB PPV.
2 Reuniting With John Morrison & 2nd WWE Championship
The Miz reunited with John Morrison in January 2020 after the latter's return to WWE. They went on to capture the SmackDown Tag Team Championships from The New Day at the 2020 Super ShowDown PPV and held it for 50 days before dropping it back to them.
After a failed attempt at winning the Universal Championship from Braun Strowman, The Miz then defeated 2020 Mr. Money in the Bank Otis to win the contract at the 2020 Hell in a Cell PPV. He cashed in the contract against Drew McIntyre to win his second WWE Championship but lost it in 8 days to Bobby Lashley.
1 Feud With Edge & The Mysterios
After taking some time off to compete in Dancing with the Stars, The Miz returned along with his wife Maryse on the November 29, 2021, episode of Raw and confronted Edge. It led to a match between Edge and The Miz at the Day 1 PPV, where Edge walked out with the win.
The Miz then teamed up with Maryse to take on Edge and Beth Phoenix in a mixed tag team match at the 2022 Royal Rumble and ended up losing to the Hall of Fame couple. The Miz is now in a heated rivalry with Rey and Dominick Mysterio and is all set to team up with Logan Paul to take on the father-son duo at WrestleMania 38.