Ultimate Pro Wrestling (2003–2004) Pursuing the goal of becoming a professional wrestler, Mizanin joined
Ultimate Pro Wrestling (UPW), where he trained in the Ultimate University. Despite coming last in an
arm wrestling tournament on November 25, Mizanin outlasted six other wrestlers and reached the final round. At
Armageddon on December 12, 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. On the December 16 episode of
SmackDown!, Puder was declared as the winner of
Tough Enough by head trainer
Al Snow. Despite coming up short on
Tough Enough, Mizanin had piqued the interest of WWE and he was eventually offered a developmental contract. After Cappotelli's death from
brain cancer in June 2018, Miz revealed they were to be called up to the SmackDown roster as a tag team known as Reality Check in 2005, but these plans were halted due to Cappotelli's cancer diagnosis. On January 3, 2006, it was reported that Mizanin had been transferred to OVW. On the January 18, 2006 OVW TV show, Mizanin made his debut as Miz with a
Miz TV segment, where he was shown talking backstage. At the February 8
OVW TV taping, Miz and Chris Cage captured the
OVW Southern Tag Team Championship, defeating Chet the Jett and Seth Skyfire. On March 19,
Deuce Shade defeated Miz in a singles contest to win the championship for his team
The Untouchables (Deuce Shade and
Domino). When Mizanin actually attempted to make his debut on the April 21 episode of
SmackDown!, he was in
storyline banned from entering the arena by network executive
Palmer Canon who told him that he had been "cancelled" before having security escort him from the premises. The Miz debuted as the host of
SmackDown! on June 2, hyping up the crowd at the top of the show. Other duties included backstage interviews and hosting a bikini contest. Starting in July, the Miz, along with
Ashley Massaro, hosted the annual
Diva Search competition. After the end of the
Diva Search competition, the Miz began wrestling as a
villain, making his in-ring debut with a win over
Tatanka on the September 1 episode of
SmackDown!. Over the next three months, the Miz remained undefeated, defeating such wrestlers as
Matt Hardy,
Funaki and
Scotty 2 Hotty. At the same time, he began a
feud with Diva Search winner
Layla El, who spurned his advances on more than one occasion, leading to the Miz helping
Kristal defeat her in various competitions. However, the Miz and Kristal soon found themselves being stalked by
The Boogeyman. This began a feud in which the Boogeyman ended the Miz's winning streak on December 17 at
Armageddon. At
Royal Rumble on January 28, 2007, the Miz entered in the
Royal Rumble match as the 29th entrant, but only lasted seven seconds before being eliminated by
The Great Khali. On the February 2 episode of
SmackDown!, the Miz defeated Matt Hardy once again with assistance from
Joey Mercury. Following a brief absence from television, the Miz returned on the March 9 episode of
SmackDown! to host an interview segment named
Miz TV. After the unsuccessful segment, the Miz returned to in-ring competition with a more intense style and began to pick up wins once again. The Miz was drafted to the
ECW brand on June 17 as part of the
2007 supplemental draft. He was absent from the first few weeks of
ECW, though he was the subject of backstage mentions between matches and had several short
Miz TV Crashes ECW video segments. He made his debut on the July 10 episode of
ECW in a match against
Nunzio, which he won. Soon after, the Miz found new managers in
Kelly Kelly, Layla El and
Brooke Adams. He then began a feud with
Balls Mahoney after Kelly Kelly began to fall in love with Mahoney on screen. On the October 2 episode of
ECW, it was revealed that the Miz owned the contracts of
Kelly Kelly, Layla and
Brooke Adams; and he used this excuse to stop Kelly from going out with Mahoney. He was nominated at
Cyber Sunday on October 28 to face
CM Punk for the
ECW Championship. He won the vote, but lost the match. Later that month, he formed a tag team with
John Morrison.
Teaming with John Morrison (2007–2009) or
World Tag Team Champion,
teaming with John Morrison On the November 16 episode of
SmackDown!, the Miz became one half of the
WWE Tag Team Champions with
John Morrison (the former Johnny Nitro) when they defeated
Matt Hardy and
Montel Vontavious Porter (MVP), giving the Miz his first championship within the company. At
Survivor Series two days later, the Miz and Morrison competed in a
triple threat match for the
ECW Championship, with the champion
CM Punk retaining. The team of Morrison and Miz was successful, with WWE giving them a
streaming segment on the WWE website named
The Dirt Sheet, showing off their
promo skills. Morrison and the Miz co-wrote each episode of
The Dirt Sheet each week. They
dropping the championship to
Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder at the
Great American Bash on July 20 in a
fatal four-way match, ending their reign at 250 days. The Miz competed in the
Championship Scramble for the ECW Championship on September 7 at
Unforgiven, which was won by Matt Hardy. The Miz and Morrison soon followed a feud with
Cryme Tyme (
Shad Gaspard and
JTG) as a battle of their webshows,
Word Up and
The Dirt Sheet. They were voted into a match with, and defeated Cryme Tyme on October 26 at
Cyber Sunday. The team also feuded with
D-Generation X (DX) (
Triple H and
Shawn Michaels). On the
800th episode of Raw, the Miz and Morrison competed in a match against DX, and were defeated. In February, the team engaged themselves in a feud with
The Colóns (
Carlito and
Primo). In a dark match at
WrestleMania 25 on April 5, they lost the World Tag Team Championship to The Colóns in a
lumberjack match to unify the World Tag Team and the WWE Tag Team titles. On the April 13 episode of
Raw, the Miz lost a match to Kofi Kingston, which gave the
Raw brand a draft pick in the
2009 WWE draft. The pick was then revealed to be the Miz and attacked Morrison, ending their partnership and thus turning John Morrison into a
fan favorite.
United States Champion (2009–2010) The Miz challenged
John Cena to a match on the April 27 episode of
Raw, but as Cena was out due to injury, the Miz claimed an unofficial win via forfeit and continued to do this over the following weeks, until Cena returned and defeated him in a singles match at
The Bash in June. Around this time, he developed his new finisher, the
Skull-Crushing Finale, and catchphrase: "Because I'm the Miz... and I'm awesome!" On the August 3 episode of
Raw, the Miz lost to Cena in a lumberjack match, which meant that, in storyline, he was banned from the
Staples Center, the
Raw brand and
SummerSlam. The following week on August 10, the Miz competed under a
mask as The Calgary Kid and won a
Contract on Pole match against
Eugene, earning a contract in storyline, and revealing himself by removing his mask afterwards. After changing his in-ring attire from shorts to trunks, the Miz then set his sights on the
United States Championship, held by
Kofi Kingston. He unsuccessfully challenged for the championship at the
Night of Champions (July 26),
Breaking Point (September 13) and
Hell in a Cell (October 4)
pay-per-views, before he won the championship on the October 5 episode of
Raw, becoming his first singles championship in WWE. At
Bragging Rights on October 25, the Miz was inserted into an interpromotional match against
SmackDown's
Intercontinental Champion and the Miz's
former tag team partner John Morrison, whom he defeated. On November 22 at
Survivor Series, the Miz captained a team of five wrestlers which consisted of himself,
Dolph Ziggler,
Drew McIntyre,
Jack Swagger and
Sheamus against Team Morrison (captain John Morrison,
Evan Bourne,
Finlay,
Matt Hardy and
Shelton Benjamin) in a
five-on-five Survivor Series elimination match and once again bested his former partner surviving with McIntyre and Sheamus. , which he held twice during this period During this time, he gained a new entrance theme "I Came to Play", performed by the band
Downstait. The Miz soon began a rivalry with
MVP that began with a critically well-received verbal exchange between the two. The two met in an unadvertised match for the United States Championship at the
Royal Rumble on January 31, 2010, with the Miz retaining his title, but in the Royal Rumble match itself MVP eliminated both himself and the Miz. Also around this time, the Miz formed a tag team with
Big Show — later dubbed "
ShoMiz" — and on the February 8 episode of
Raw the two defeated
D-Generation X (DX) (
Shawn Michaels and
Triple H) and
The Straight Edge Society (
CM Punk and
Luke Gallows) to become the
Unified Tag Team Champions, making the Miz the first wrestler in WWE history to hold three championships at the same time (United States, World Tag Team and WWE Tag Team Championships). At
Elimination Chamber on February 21, the Miz again successfully defended his United States Championship against MVP after interference from Big Show, ending their feud. At
WrestleMania XXVI on March 28, ShoMiz defeated John Morrison and
R-Truth to retain the title again. At
Extreme Rules on April 25, ShoMiz took part in a tag team
gauntlet match, and made it to the final two teams, but were eliminated by
The Hart Dynasty (
David Hart Smith and
Tyson Kidd). The next night on
Raw, ShoMiz lost the Unified Tag Team Championship to The Hart Dynasty, resulting in Big Show turning
face by attacking the Miz after the match, bringing an end to the team. On the May 17 episode of
Raw, the Miz lost the United States Championship to
Bret Hart, despite
Chris Jericho,
William Regal and
Vladimir Kozlov all attempting to interfere on the Miz's behalf, ending his seven-month reign as champion. At
Over the Limit on May 23, the Miz and Jericho challenged The Hart Dynasty for the Unified WWE Tag Team Championship, but lost. On the June 14 episode of
Raw, the Miz defeated R-Truth, John Morrison and
Zack Ryder in a fatal four-way match to win back the United States Championship for the second time. He retained the championship against R-Truth on June 20 at the
Fatal 4-Way pay-per-view.
WWE Champion (2010–2011) and
Money in the Bank contract holder in August 2010. Miz later cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to win the
WWE Championship On July 18 at
Money in the Bank, the Miz won Raw's
Money in the Bank ladder match to win a contract for a
WWE Championship match that he could utilize at any time. Over the next few weeks, the Miz made various, unsuccessful attempts at cashing in his Money in the Bank contract on the WWE Champion
Sheamus. At
SummerSlam on August 15, the Miz began a rivalry with his
NXT rookie
Daniel Bryan, which resulted in a
United States Championship match between the two at the
Night of Champions event on September 19, in which the Miz dropped the title to Bryan. At
Hell in a Cell on October 3, the Miz failed to regain the championship in a triple threat submissions count anywhere match also including
John Morrison. At
Bragging Rights on October 24, the Miz led Team Raw (which also included
R-Truth, Morrison,
Santino Marella, Sheamus,
CM Punk and
Ezekiel Jackson), but they were defeated by Team SmackDown (
Alberto Del Rio,
Big Show,
Edge,
Jack Swagger,
Kofi Kingston,
Rey Mysterio and
Tyler Reks). in the main event of
WrestleMania XXVII in April 2011 On the November 22 episode of
Raw, the Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract following a successful WWE Championship defense by
Randy Orton against
Wade Barrett and defeated Orton to win his first WWE Championship. The following week, the Miz made his first successful title defense, defeating
Jerry "The King" Lawler in a
Tables, Ladders and Chairs match after interference from
Michael Cole. He successfully defended the championship at the
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view on December 19 by defeating Orton in a
tables match following interference from
Alex Riley. The Miz retained the championship against John Morrison in a falls count anywhere match on the January 3, 2011 episode of
Raw, Orton again at
Royal Rumble on January 30, (after interference from CM Punk) and Lawler on February 20 at
Elimination Chamber. On the
Raw after Elimination Chamber, the Miz and
John Cena were paired together by the
Anonymous Raw General Manager to challenge
The Corre (
Justin Gabriel and
Heath Slater) for the WWE Tag Team Championship. The Miz and Cena were successful in winning the titles, but lost them back to Corre immediately afterward in a rematch after the Miz turned on Cena. This made their
9-minute reign the shortest in the championship's history. The following week, the Miz lost Riley as his apprentice after Cena defeated Riley in a
steel cage match with the stipulation that if Cena won, Riley was fired from his job. However, Riley was re-hired in mid-March, this time as the Miz's "Vice President of Corporate Communications". In the main event of
WrestleMania XXVII on April 3, the Miz successfully defended the WWE Championship against Cena, following interference from
the Rock, who then attacked the Miz afterwards. At
Extreme Rules on May 1, the Miz lost the WWE Championship to Cena in a triple threat steel cage match, also involving John Morrison, ending his reign at 160 days. He had rematches against Cena for the WWE Championship on the May 2 episode of
Raw, and in an
"I Quit" match at
Over the Limit on May 22, but failed to regain the title. The following night on
Raw, the Anonymous Raw General Manager denied the Miz's request for another WWE Championship match; the Miz blamed Riley for being unable to regain the championship. Riley then attacked him, turning Riley into a fan favorite. At
Capitol Punishment on June 19, the Miz lost to Riley. The Miz also failed to win Raw's Money in the Bank ladder match at the
titular event on July 17. After the WWE Championship was declared vacant by
Vince McMahon, the Miz entered into a
tournament to crown a new champion, defeating Riley and Kofi Kingston to advance to the finals, where he lost to Rey Mysterio. At
SummerSlam on August 14, the Miz, R-Truth, and Alberto Del Rio lost to Mysterio, Kingston and Morrison.
Awesome Truth (2011–2012) (right) known as The Awesome Truth On the August 22 episode of
Raw, the Miz and
R-Truth attacked
Santino Marella before his match. They then cut a promo agreeing there was a conspiracy in the WWE keeping both of them out of the main event picture, and declared they would, together, seize any future opportunity. They began referring to themselves as "The Awesome Truth". At
Night of Champions on September 18, after the referee was distracted while the Miz attempted a pin, the Miz assaulted him, causing Awesome Truth to lose a
WWE Tag Team Championship match to Air Boom (
Kofi Kingston and
Evan Bourne) by disqualification. Seeking retribution, the Miz and R-Truth later attacked both
Triple H and
CM Punk during their
No Disqualification match in the main event. Because of their actions from the previous night, R-Truth and the Miz were fired by Triple H on the September 19 episode of
Raw SuperShow. After this, the Miz and R-Truth attacked Triple H, but were thrown out of the building. At the conclusion of the main event match on October 2 at
Hell in a Cell, R-Truth and the Miz jumped the barricade wearing black hooded sweatshirts and entered the
Hell in a Cell structure as it was being raised. They then used weapons to attack
Alberto Del Rio, Punk,
John Cena, the WWE officials and camera men while the cell was again lowered. After this, the entire WWE roster led by Triple H came out to find a way into the cell, before
New Orleans Police Department officers were able to get the door open and arrest them. The two later posted a video on
YouTube apologizing to the fans for their actions. The Miz and R-Truth were reinstated by
John Laurinaitis on the October 10 episode of
Raw SuperShow. At
Vengeance on October 23, the Miz and R-Truth defeated CM Punk and Triple H after interference from Triple H's long time friend
Kevin Nash. Later that night they assaulted John Cena during his
WWE Championship match with Alberto Del Rio. At
Survivor Series on November 20, The Awesome Truth lost to Cena and
the Rock. On the November 21 episode of
Raw SuperShow, Cena instigated an argument between R-Truth and the Miz, which resulted in the Miz performing a Skull Crushing Finale on the stage on R-Truth. This was a pretext to explain R-Truth's absence during his suspension as a result of his violating of the Wellness Policy. On the November 28 episode of
Raw SuperShow, the Miz defeated
John Morrison in a Falls Count Anywhere match after a Skull Crushing Finale on the stage. On the December 5 episode of
Raw SuperShow, the Miz qualified for a triple threat Tables, Ladders and Chairs match against Alberto Del Rio and CM Punk at the
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs pay-per-view for the WWE Championship on December 18 after a win over
Randy Orton via countout, but Punk retained the title. The Miz was the first entrant in the
2012 Royal Rumble match on January 29, eliminating
Alex Riley and R-Truth and lasting over 45 minutes before he was eliminated by
Big Show. At
Elimination Chamber on February 19, the Miz competed for the WWE Championship in the
titular match, and lasted until the end of the match before being eliminated by CM Punk. Desperate for a spot on the card for the upcoming
WrestleMania XXVIII event on April 1, he later joined John Laurinaitis' team for the
12-man tag team match after saving Laurinaitis from Santino Marella on the March 26 episode of
Raw SuperShow. The Miz picked up the win for Team Johnny after pinning
Zack Ryder with the help of
Eve, ending his twenty-match losing streak dating back to December 2011. At the
Extreme Rules pre-show on April 29, the Miz lost a
United States Championship match against Santino Marella. He followed this up by losing a battle royal and a match against
Brodus Clay on May 20 at
Over the Limit.
Intercontinental Champion (2012–2013) After a two-month absence, the Miz returned at
Money in the Bank on July 15 as a last-minute participant in the
WWE Championship Money in the Bank ladder match, won by
John Cena. At
Raw 1000, the Miz defeated
Christian to win his first
Intercontinental Championship, becoming the 25th
Triple Crown Champion and a
Grand Slam Champion in the process. The Miz successfully defended his championship against
Rey Mysterio at
SummerSlam on August 19, and in a fatal four-way match against
Cody Rhodes, Mysterio, and
Sin Cara at
Night of Champions on September 16, before losing the championship to
Kofi Kingston on the October 17 episode of
Main Event ending his reign at 85 days. The Miz failed to regain the title from Kingston in two rematches at
Hell in a Cell on October 28 and on the November 6 episode of
SmackDown. On the November 12 episode of
Raw, At Survivor Series on November 18, he eliminated
Wade Barrett before he was eliminated by
Alberto Del Rio; his team went on to lose the match. The Miz teamed up with
Alberto Del Rio and
The Brooklyn Brawler to defeat 3MB (
Drew McIntyre,
Heath Slater and
Jinder Mahal) at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 16. The Miz then began a feud with
United States Champion Antonio Cesaro. During this feud,
Ric Flair became his mentor and the Miz adopted the
figure-four leglock from Flair as a new finisher. The Miz challenged for Cesaro's United States Championship at the
Royal Rumble pre-show on January 27, on February 17 at
Elimination Chamber and on the March 1, 2013 episode of
SmackDown, but was unsuccessful each time. The Miz next sought Wade Barrett's Intercontinental Championship. He lost a triple threat match against Barrett and
Chris Jericho on the March 18 episode of
Raw, but defeated Barrett in a non-title match the following week to earn another shot at the title. He captured the title by defeating Barrett at the
WrestleMania 29 pre-show on April 7, only to lose the title back to him the following night on
Raw. The Miz was victorious against Cody Rhodes in the
Extreme Rules pre-show. The Miz failed to recapture the Intercontinental Championship on June 16 at
Payback and
Money in the Bank on July 14.
Hollywood A-Lister (2013–2016) On August 18, he was the host of
SummerSlam, during which he had a run-in with
Fandango, beginning a feud between the two. The Miz defeated Fandango on the September 2 episode of
Raw and on September 15 at
Night of Champions. The following night on
Raw, the Miz was assaulted by
Randy Orton in front of his parents, resulting in a storyline injury. When the Miz returned in October, he quickly lost to Orton. The Miz started a feud with
Kofi Kingston, defeating him on the
Survivor Series pre-show on November 24, but losing a no-disqualification match at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 15 to end their feud. At
Royal Rumble on January 26, 2014, the Miz entered the
Royal Rumble match at number 18, lasting 12 minutes before being eliminated by
Luke Harper. At
WrestleMania XXX on April 6, he participated in the
André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, but was eliminated by
Santino Marella. as his "stunt double" (known as Damien Mizdow) After a two-month hiatus filming
The Marine 4: Moving Target, the Miz returned on the June 30 episode of
Raw and immediately began to insult the crowd and taking on the
gimmick of a movie star, turning
heel in the process. At
Battleground on July 20, the Miz won a
battle royal by lastly eliminating
Dolph Ziggler to win the
Intercontinental Championship for the third time. At
SummerSlam on August 17, Ziggler defeated the Miz to recapture the title. Later that month,
Damien Sandow began appearing with the Miz as his "stunt double" (mimicking all of the Miz's moves and mannerisms) and was subsequently billed as Damien Mizdow. At
Night of Champions on September 21, the Miz defeated Ziggler to regain the Intercontinental Championship, only to lose the title to Ziggler in a rematch the following night. After defeating
Sheamus several times with the help of Mizdow, the Miz challenged him for the
United States Championship at
Hell in a Cell on October 26, but he was unsuccessful. At
Survivor Series on November 23, the Miz and Mizdow won the
WWE Tag Team Championship by winning a fatal four-way match against defending champions
Gold and Stardust,
The Usos and
Los Matadores. At
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 14, the Miz and Mizdow lost by disqualification against The Usos after Miz hit Jimmy Uso with a
Slammy Award, resulting in the pair retaining the titles. On the December 29 episode of
Raw, the Miz and Mizdow lost the titles to The Usos. The Miz and Mizdow were unsuccessful in regaining the championships at the
Royal Rumble on January 25, 2015. The Miz was the first entrant in the
Royal Rumble match later that night but was eliminated by
Bubba Ray Dudley, in just four minutes. After Mizdow began to get more attention from the audience, the Miz relegated Mizdow to his personal assistant out of spite. The Miz and Mizdow then competed in the André the Giant Memorial Battle Royal at
WrestleMania 31 on March 29, which the Miz failed to win after being eliminated by Mizdow, dissolving their partnership. On the April 20 episode of
Raw, the Miz defeated Mizdow in a match where the winner retained the Miz brand, with help from
Summer Rae. At
SummerSlam on August 23, the Miz competed for the Intercontinental Championship in a triple threat match also involving
Big Show and
Ryback, but lost. At
Survivor Series on November 22, The Miz competed in a traditional five-on-five elimination tag-team match alongside The Cosmic Wasteland (
Stardust and
The Ascension) and
Bo Dallas in a losing effort against
The Dudley Boyz,
Goldust,
Neville and
Titus O'Neil. At
Royal Rumble on January 24, 2016, the Miz competed in the 2016 Royal Rumble match, entering at number 25 and lasting nearly 9 minutes before being eliminated by
Roman Reigns. On April 3, at
WrestleMania 32, the Miz wrestled in a seven-man
ladder match for the Intercontinental Championship, which was won by
Zack Ryder.
Multiple championship reigns (2016–2018) after winning his fifth
Intercontinental Championship in April 2016 On the
Raw episode post-WrestleMania 32, the Miz won the
Intercontinental Championship for the fifth time, after his wife
Maryse made her return to WWE and distracted
Zack Ryder by slapping his father, thus becoming his
manager in the process, where the two then became an
on-screen power couple. In the weeks following, the Miz and Maryse then began to cut various
promos during the
Miz TV segments, while calling themselves the "it" couple. At
Payback on May 1, the Miz defeated
Cesaro to retain his championship after Cesaro was distracted by
Kevin Owens and
Sami Zayn brawling on the apron, leading to a feud over the Intercontinental Championship between the four men. At
Extreme Rules on May 22, the Miz successfully retained the championship against Cesaro, Zayn and Owens in a highly acclaimed fatal four-way match, when Miz pinned Cesaro. The following night on
Raw, the Miz failed to qualify for the
2016 Money in the Bank ladder match when he was defeated by Cesaro, setting up another championship match between the two set for the week's
SmackDown, which the Miz won. Following this, he and Maryse began filming
The Marine 5: Battleground, taking them out of action. Both returned on the June 27 episode of
Raw, where he lost to
Kane in a championship match via countout. At
Battleground on July 24, the Intercontinental Championship match between the Miz and
Darren Young ended in a double disqualification after the Miz pushed
Bob Backlund (Darren Young's mentor) and Young attacked him. On July 19 at the
2016 WWE draft, the Miz, along with Maryse was drafted to the
SmackDown brand, with the Intercontinental Championship becoming exclusive to that brand. At
SummerSlam on August 21, the Miz successfully defended the championship against
Apollo Crews. On the August 23 episode of
Talking Smack, the Miz went on a critically acclaimed
tirade against SmackDown General Manager
Daniel Bryan for calling him a coward, with the Miz calling Bryan a "coward" for not returning to the ring when he promised the fans he would, before telling him to "go back to the bingo halls with your indie friends". The Miz then restarted his feud with
Dolph Ziggler, successfully defending the Intercontinental Championship against him at
Backlash on September 11, after Maryse sprayed an unknown substance at Ziggler while the referee was distracted. Afterwards, the Miz continued to blame Bryan and vowed not to defend his Intercontinental Championship on any show until he was granted a contract "renegotiation". At
No Mercy on October 9, the Miz lost the Intercontinental Championship to Ziggler in a
title vs career match after Maryse and
The Spirit Squad (
Kenny and
Mikey), were ejected from ringside, ending the Miz's reign at 188 days. On the
900th episode of SmackDown Live on November 15, Maryse helped the Miz to win the championship for the sixth time. The Miz successfully defended the title against Raw's Sami Zayn at
Survivor Series on November 20, after Maryse prematurely rang the bell, causing a distraction. The Miz faced Ziggler once more in a
ladder match at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on December 4, which The Miz won to end their feud. On the December 6 episode of
SmackDown Live, the Miz successfully defended the title against
Dean Ambrose after interference from Maryse and distraction from
James Ellsworth. Two weeks later on
SmackDown Live, the Miz successfully defended the championship against Apollo Crews. After the match, the Miz was interviewed by
Renee Young, where the Miz sarcastically responded by revealing Young and Ambrose's
real life relationship, prompting her to slap the Miz. On the January 3, 2017 episode of
SmackDown Live, the Miz lost the Intercontinental Championship to Ambrose despite interference from Maryse. On January 29, the Miz entered the
2017 Royal Rumble match at number 15 and lasted 32 minutes until he was eliminated by
the Undertaker. On the January 31 episode of
SmackDown Live, the Miz was revealed as one of the participants of the
Elimination Chamber match for the
WWE Championship which took place on February 12, where the Miz eliminated Dean Ambrose, but was eliminated by
John Cena. On the February 21 episode of
SmackDown Live, the Miz participated in a ten-man battle royal to determine the challenger for the
Bray Wyatt's WWE Championship, but was eliminated by Cena. After he was eliminated, he returned to the match to eliminate Cena. On the February 28 episode of
SmackDown Live, the Miz and Maryse made a special edition of
Miz TV to critique Cena's powers on the backstage environment before Maryse slapped Cena and
Nikki Bella—Cena's girlfriend—came to save him. On the March 14 episode of
SmackDown Live, after a showdown between the Miz and Maryse against Cena and Nikki, SmackDown General Manager Daniel Bryan scheduled a
mixed tag team match at
WrestleMania 33 on April 2, which the Miz and Maryse lost. On April 10, the Miz was drafted to the
Raw brand along with Maryse as part of the
Superstar Shake Up, where they made their debut on the same night dressed as Cena and Nikki, before being confronted by the Intercontinental Champion Dean Ambrose, who was also drafted to Raw in the Superstar Shake-up. At
Extreme Rules on June 4, the Miz defeated Ambrose to win the Intercontinental Championship for the seventh time. On the June 19 episode of
Raw, the Miz allied himself with
Bo Dallas and
Curtis Axel, a team which was later dubbed "the Miztourage". The Miz successfully defended the Intercontinental Championship against Dean Ambrose at
Great Balls of Fire on July 9, due to interference from the Miztourage. At the
SummerSlam pre-show on August 20, the Miz and the Miztourage defeated
Jason Jordan and
The Hardy Boyz (
Jeff Hardy and
Matt Hardy) in a six-man tag-team match. In September, the Miz began a feud with Jordan after he was declared number one contender to the Miz's championship. At
No Mercy on September 25, the Miz successfully retained the championship against Jordan. (
Bo Dallas (left) and
Curtis Axel (right)) as
Intercontinental Champion at
WrestleMania 34 The following month, he allied himself with
the Bar (Cesaro and
Sheamus) in order to take on the reformed
Shield faction (Ambrose, Seth Rollins and
Roman Reigns). The Miz teamed with Cesaro, Sheamus, Kane and
Braun Strowman against Ambrose, Rollins and
Kurt Angle (who replaced Reigns after he was not medically cleared to compete) in a 5-on-3 handicap Tables, Ladders and Chairs match at
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs on October 22 in a losing effort. On November 19, the Miz faced SmackDown's
United States Champion Baron Corbin at
Survivor Series in an interbrand champion vs. champion match, which he lost. The following night on
Raw, the Miz lost the Intercontinental Championship to Roman Reigns, ending his title reign at 169 days. After taking a hiatus, the Miz returned in January 2018, and won the Intercontinental Championship back from Roman Reigns during the
25th Anniversary of Raw, beginning his eighth reign with the championship. The Miz then participated in the
2018 Royal Rumble match on January 28, but he failed to win the match after being eliminated by the combined effort of Reigns and Seth Rollins. At the
Elimination Chamber event on February 25, the Miz competed in an Elimination Chamber match to determine the number one contender for
Brock Lesnar's
Universal Championship, but he was the first participant eliminated, by Braun Strowman. Also around this time, the Miz took part in the
Mixed Match Challenge tournament, with
Asuka as his partner. They defeated the teams of
Big E and
Carmella,
Finn Bálor and
Sasha Banks and Braun Strowman and
Alexa Bliss, before defeating
Bobby Roode and
Charlotte Flair in the finals to win the tournament and earn $100,000 for the charity of their choice. At
WrestleMania 34 on April 8, the Miz lost the Intercontinental Championship to Seth Rollins in a triple threat match also involving Finn Bálor, suffering his first pinfall loss at WrestleMania.
Feuds with Daniel Bryan and Shane McMahon (2018–2020) On April 16, during the
Superstar Shake-up, the Miz was traded to the SmackDown brand and was separated from the Miztourage. Throughout July and August, the Miz taunted and goaded long-time rival
Daniel Bryan, facing him at
SummerSlam where the Miz won. They wrestled again in a mixed tag team match also involving Maryse and
Brie Bella at
Hell in a Cell, where Miz won again. In their third match, Bryan defeated Miz at
Super Show-Down. At
Crown Jewel, after advancing to the final round of the WWE World Cup tournament, Miz was ruled unable to compete.
Shane McMahon replaced Miz to win the World Cup. Miz and McMahon began a tag team, turning Miz into a face for the first time since 2014. They won the
WWE SmackDown Tag Team Championship at the
2019 Royal Rumble when they defeated
The Bar (
Cesaro and
Sheamus) but lost it 21 days later at
Elimination Chamber to
The Usos. The duo failed to regain the titles from the Usos at
Fastlane on March 10. After the loss, McMahon turned on the Miz by attacking both him and his father at ringside, turning McMahon into a
villain. They wrestled in a
falls count anywhere match at
WrestleMania 35 and a
steel cage match at
Money in the Bank, but Miz lost both times. On April 15, the Miz was drafted to Raw as part of the
2019 WWE Superstar Shake-up and restarted his feud with Dolph Ziggler after a confrontation on
Miz TV. A match between the two was arranged for
SummerSlam, however during the contract signing on the August 5 episode of
Raw, the Miz revealed that he was not Ziggler's opponent, instead it was the returning
Goldberg who took the Miz's place in the match. He stated in an interview: “I'll have many other opportunities at SummerSlam, but this might be Goldberg's last.” On the
Raw after SummerSlam, the Miz defeated Ziggler to end their feud. The Miz then competed in the
2019 King of the Ring, but was eliminated in the first round by
Baron Corbin. The Miz then unsuccessfully challenged for
Shinsuke Nakamura's Intercontinental Championship at
Clash of Champions on September 15, after interference from Nakamura's manager
Sami Zayn. As part of the
2019 draft, the Miz was drafted to the SmackDown brand. During the November 1 episode of
SmackDown,
NXT wrestler
Tommaso Ciampa disrupted an edition of
Miz TV to air his grievances towards the Miz, accusing him of being self-centered. He subsequently challenged Ciampa to a match, which he lost via pinfall. The following month, the Miz began a feud with
Universal Champion Bray Wyatt, who, under his sinister
alter ego "The Fiend", proclaimed he wanted to become part of The Miz's family. He later attacked the Miz backstage. Subsequently, a non-title match between the Miz and Wyatt was arranged for the
TLC pay-per-view on December 15, which The Miz lost.
Reunion with John Morrison (2020–2021) On the January 3, 2020 episode of
SmackDown, The Miz blindsided
Kofi Kingston after being defeated in a match against him and subsequently lashed out at the audience after being booed, turning
heel for the first time since 2018. Later that night, he reunited with his former tag team partner
John Morrison, who made his return to WWE. The Miz participated in the
2020 Royal Rumble match but was eliminated by the eventual winner
Drew McIntyre in 30 seconds. After winning a title shot on the January 31, episode of
SmackDown, The Miz and Morrison won the SmackDown Tag Team Championship from The New Day at
Super ShowDown. At
Elimination Chamber on March 8, the Miz and Morrison retained the championship over
The New Day,
The Usos, Heavy Machinery (
Otis and
Tucker), Lucha House Party (
Gran Metalik and
Lince Dorado) and
Dolph Ziggler and
Robert Roode in a tag team Elimination Chamber match. The Miz and Morrison were originally set to defend the championship in a triple threat tag team ladder match against The New Day and The Usos at
WrestleMania 36, but the Miz pulled out of the event due to concerns arising from the
COVID-19 pandemic. Instead, Morrison individually defended the championship in a triple threat ladder match against Kofi Kingston of The New Day and
Jimmy Uso of The Usos, which Morrison won. On the April 17 episode of
SmackDown, the duo lost the titles back to The New Day after the Miz unsuccessfully defended the titles by himself in a triple threat match against
Big E and
Jey Uso ending their reign at 50 days. At
Money in the Bank on May 10, the Miz and Morrison unsuccessfully attempted to regain the championship in a fatal four-way tag team match also involving Lucha House Party (
Gran Metalik and
Lince Dorado) and The Forgotten Sons (
Steve Cutler and
Wesley Blake). Next, the Miz and Morrison started a rivalry with
Universal Champion Braun Strowman. At
Backlash on June 14, the duo competed for Strowman's title in a two-on-one
handicap match, but lost. The Miz and Morrison then began feuding with Otis and Tucker in pursuit of Otis'
Money in the Bank contract. During the
2020 WWE Draft in October, the Miz and Morrison were drafted to the Raw brand. At
Hell in a Cell on October 25, the Miz defeated Otis to win the Money in the Bank contract, becoming the second person not to do so in the Money in the Bank ladder match, and the third person to hold the contract more than once. The Miz cashed in his Money in the Bank contract on December 20 at the
TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs event during a TLC match between
AJ Styles and the
WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, making the match a triple threat in the process, but was unsuccessful as McIntyre retained his title. However, on the December 28 episode of
Raw, the Miz had the contract returned to him as the cash-in at TLC was ruled invalid due to Morrison cashing in the contract on his behalf (as only the contract holder himself can cash it in). The Miz entered the
Royal Rumble match on January 31, 2021, but he was quickly eliminated by the debuting
Damian Priest. At
Elimination Chamber on February 21, the Miz successfully cashed his Money in the Bank contract on WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, after McIntyre was assaulted by
Bobby Lashley, starting his second reign with the WWE Championship which made him the first ever two-time
WWE Grand Slam champion. After this, the Miz and Morrison feuded with Damian Priest and rapper
Bad Bunny. On the first night of
WrestleMania 37 on April 10, the Miz and Morrison were defeated by Bad Bunny and Priest. At
WrestleMania Backlash on May 16, the Miz lost to Priest. After the match, the Miz was seemingly "eaten" by zombies as a way to cross-promote
Army of the Dead. During the match, the Miz suffered the first legitimate injury in his WWE career after tearing his ACL, taking him out of action indefinitely. Despite his injury, the Miz continued appearing television in a wheelchair accompanying Morrison in his matches. The Miz returned from injury on the August 16 episode of
Raw, losing to Damian Priest. The next week on
Raw, the Miz attacked Morrison, ending their partnership. Afterwards, the Miz took time off to compete on the
thirtieth season of
Dancing with the Stars.
Various feuds and alliances (2022–present) The Miz feuded with
Edge, being defeated by him at
Day 1, in a singles match and at
Royal Rumble in a mixed tag team match including Maryse and Beth Phoenix. On the first night of
WrestleMania 38 on April 2, the Miz and
Logan Paul defeated
The Mysterios. After the match, the Miz performed his finishing maneuver, the
Skull Crushing Finale, on Logan Paul, subsequently turning on him. This led to a match between the two at
SummerSlam, which Paul won. In 2023, the Miz was the host of
WrestleMania 39. At the event, the Miz lost impromptu matches against
Pat McAfee and
Snoop Dogg, the latter replacing a legitimately injured
Shane McMahon early in the bout. At
SummerSlam, the Miz entered into
Slim Jim SummerSlam Battle Royal, but was eliminated by
LA Knight. The Miz then entered into a brief feud with LA Knight, leading to a match at
Payback with
John Cena serving as special guest referee, which the Miz lost. On the September 15 episode of
SmackDown, the Miz was defeated by Knight once again to end their feud. reunited in 2024 On the October 30 episode of
Raw, the Miz confronted
Intercontinental Champion Gunther on
Miz TV before being attacked by his
stablemates, turning
face for the first time since January 2020. The following week, the Miz won a
fatal four-way match to earn a title match against Gunther at
Survivor Series: WarGames. At Survivor Series: WarGames on November 25, the Miz failed to win the title from Gunther. The Miz challenged Gunther for the title again on the December 18 episode of
Raw in a losing effort and, per the stipulation,
could not challenge for the title again as long as Gunther remained champion. In 2024, the Miz reunited with former tag team partner
R-Truth, winning the
Raw Tag Team Championship at
WrestleMania XL. On the April 15 edition of
Raw, the Raw Tag Team Championship was renamed to the
World Tag Team Championship and the team were presented new championship belts by
chief content officer Triple H and Raw General Manager
Adam Pearce. They hold the titles until June 24 episode of
Raw, when they lost it to Bálor and McDonagh. On the July 29 episode of
Raw, Miz was announced as the official host of
SummerSlam in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. On the September 30 episode of
Raw, Miz kicked R-Truth and walked out on him causing the team to lose against The Authors of Pain, turning heel once again in the process. This followed several weeks of Karrion Kross subtlety manipulating the Miz to turn against his tag team partner. Two weeks later, on the October 14 episode of
Raw, Miz was defeated by R-Truth in a match, which was followed by the winner being beaten down by the Final Testament, after which Miz performed the Skull-Crushing Finale on R-Truth. On the January 24, 2025 episode of
SmackDown, it was announced that Miz had been transferred to the
SmackDown brand. On the February 21 episode of
SmackDown, Miz formed a partnership with
Carmelo Hayes as Melo Don't Miz, where they defeated R-Truth and LA Knight in their first match together. On the September 26 episode of
SmackDown, during a
tag team match against
The Street Profits (
Angelo Dawkins and
Montez Ford), after Miz tried to take the glory and tag himself in, Hayes cut him off, causing them to lose the match. The following week on
SmackDown, Miz attacked Hayes as Hayes was about to accept United States Champion
Sami Zayn's open challenge for the title, disbanding Melo Don't Miz. At the
Royal Rumble on January 31, 2026, Miz entered the match at #23 being eliminated by eventual winner
Roman Reigns. == Professional wrestling style and persona ==